"Must Have Picture Books" Linky Party

I am trying something for the first time... I am trying to link up with The Teacher Wife to share some of my favorite picture books for school. First timer...here I go! :)

I love books and read alouds! Here are some of my "Back to School" favorites...





This is a fun rhyming book that gives the students a preview of what Kindergarten will be like. The kids always think it is funny too when they see that the students in the book are having fun and excited about school and the mommies and daddies are the ones boo hooing because they miss their children!





This book helps to address any fears a student might have about Kindergarten in a fun way! Many students can make text to self connections when listening to this story!





This is a fun rhyme and rhythm book that is entertaining for students to see dinosaurs at school!

I love Gilbert! :)

This is a really cute book. Boris the Bear is new at school and all the other animals are scared of him because of the way he looks. It shows Boris' struggles and has a solution at the end...all the animals love Boris because he is like a big Teddy Bear!




What are your "Must Have Picture Books"? I hope you will link up with The Teacher Wife and share your favorites! Click the pic below to link up.

Two Stars and a Wish

My team is getting together next week to finish our year long scope and sequence for reader's and writer's workshop. I feel like this is a huge task, and it will be great when we complete it! We will have a clear vision for the year and our instruction will be deliberate!

As I started thinking about writing and writer's workshop I thought about my biggest challenge...that being CONFERENCING! I could make lots of excuses for myself, but I'm not going to. I am just going to say I need to do better.

I have been searching for resources that I could use during my conferences to keep it short, simple but meaningful. (Meaningful being the most important part.) I want to really work on having good conversations with my students and giving specific feedback for what I expect in the future.

While searching I came across lots of good resources to use specifically with writing conferences, but I also read a little bit about the concept of "Two Stars and a Wish", and I really liked it! It is something I could use in any subject, and even teach my students to use with one another. The Two Stars are two compliments that you can give, and a Wish is a suggestion for the future. I look forward to trying this out in my classroom! What do you do to give your students specific feedback?

Check out my TPT store to find 2 new Back to School Emergent Readers!

Happy Monday!

Library Visit!

Yesterday I invited my students from this past school year to meet me at the public library for a fun "date" and to make sure that they were visiting the library over the summer! I was so impressed with how many students came out in the middle of the summer, and even more surprised with how interested the parents were in planning more visits as a class for the remainder of the summer! Awesome! As I was helping students pick out books and listening to them read, my heart smiled!! :) It was astonishing how the children remembered how to pick out "Just Right Books", and as they were reading they were having book conversations and making connections! I won't lie, it made me miss their precious faces and got me EXCITED to teach a whole new batch of kiddos in just a few weeks! 

A tool I use in my classroom to help drive my reading instruction and monitor my students literacy behaviors  is a checklist that I adapted from the Fountas and Pinnell's Continuum of Learning. First I give each student a running record to assess what reading level he/she is reading at instructionally. Then I use the corresponding checklist at the appropriate level. Using the checklist helps me to develop all of the behaviors at each reading level and gives specific skills to address. Click on the picture to get your free copy!

Check out my TPT Store to find my new I'm a GOOD READER because... Posters!

Calendar Fun With Songs

"Calendar Time" has become one of my class' favorite times of the day. When I create my calendar bulletin board, I make it interactive so that the students are part of reading the calendar, writing the date, and the day. I also try to incorporate a number of the day activity, the weather and some money activities. I feel like these are important life skills that the students are very interested in learning about. Doing these activities every day helps the students remember the concepts that they may have learned at the beginning of the year, because they are reviewed daily. It is so awesome after a few weeks the students are ready to be the "Teacher" and lead "Calendar Time". One of the things that the students love most about "Calendar Time" is all the songs that we sing. Click on the picture to get your copy of the songs we sing to reinforce the days of the week, telling time, counting, counting money, weather, etc..

Beginning of the School Year

The summer seems to be flying by and before I know it, I will be having First Day Jitters! :) Every year I get so excited to meet my new little friends, and have fun in the first few days getting to know each child individually. The first few weeks are definitely busy, but teaching students the routines and procedures in my classroom is one of my favorite parts! Here are some activities that I like to do in my classroom on the first few days of school. Click on each picture to download your free copy!

On the first day of school I have each student complete a self portrait, write their name, write the date and record their height.Then on the last day of school, I have the students do the same activity. It is so fun for the students to see how they wrote their name, formed their numbers and letters, drew the picture and how much they have grown in just a few short months! 

The balloon activity is a fun ice breaker that allows the students to laugh, move and feel more comfortable standing in front of their new friends. For this activity I print and cut the cards apart. Then I blow up enough balloons for each student to have one balloon. As I am blowing up the balloon I put one card inside each balloon. When it is the students turn they get to try and pop the balloon (which is very amusing) and then have to answer the question that is on the card inside.

As I am going over my routines and procedures at the beginning of the year, I like to be specific with my students on what is appropriate and inappropriate to bring to school. I start off with this little sorting activity that we complete as a class. Together we sort and discuss the different objects and why or why not they should come to school. Then on the reverse side of the paper I have copied an "Answer Key" for the parents giving them a little note for each item.

Teaching students to be responsible is very important to me. So at the beginning of the year we discuss what is expected to be returned daily in their backpack. We role play the students packing their backpack at home, and then illustrate what belongs in their backpack. It amazes me to see how the students feel so proud of themselves after this activity, or the next morning when they enter the classroom and tell me they packed their backpack "ALL BY MYSELF"! I include a short note at the bottom to the parents so that they can have conversations with their child about be prepared for school daily.

Lastly, I try to fit this activity in, if not the first day, somewhere in the first week. This is just a reflective tool for the students to see that they are becoming acclamated to school, making friends and beginning their kindergarten adventure! It is also something I send home as a conversation starter between the child and parents.

These are just a few of the things that I do in my classroom. I would love to hear what you do! Leave a comment or send me an email!

Smiles and happiness,

Julie