Back to School: First Grade Style!

We don't get a formal "Back to School Night" any more (#contract) so I made these posters to help our parents still get the same information!
We have them all the way down the hall-- they are super colorful and draw your attention! :) We put them up in different formations to help catch people's attention, too. Here are two examples!

Happy back to school!
Sarah

Magic Sticks

This is not a new idea.
But every time people are in my room, they ask about my "magic sticks".

I paint one side so I can track who has been called on, and who hasn't.  (Some people paint both sides, but if you paint one, the other side is automatically a different color!) :)
I have a basket with a small container in the inside-- the inside container is not necessary, they just fit so nicely.  It works well :)

This is how it looks when there are some people who have had a turn and some who haven't.

 

Happy Sunday!
Sarah

My Classroom

Here we go!
I moved classrooms for the first time since our school opened-- six years in the same room!
I am still sad to have moved, but love being closer to my team. 

My walls are full, but I love this idea. So I made it on foam poster board-- so I can move it where I want it :)

My kids keep their "cuddle reading bags" (a.k.a. browsing bags) in these. They are identified by their table.

Leveled readers for "read to self".

The IKEA storage works REALLY well for our "cuddle reading buddies"-- they choose a friend and whisper read to them-- SOOOOO motivating! (And it's a great use of those little stuffed gifts that you get and don't know what to do with!) :)

Birthday Data!

Monkey Job helpers-- these are our "Day Jobs" (line leader, calendar helpers, etc.)

This was our set up for our "Find Your Classroom" event!

Survival kits! :) LOVE these!

Set up for parents to sign in, write down their child's bus, and get a "mint" as a thank you!

 Calendar :)

Behavior chart-- I use the mini clothes pins-- they are awesome! (Sometimes we have them come apart, but it is still worth it to me) :)

Computers and home base!

All ready for them to find their special spot!

Donation board, all ready! (My sister typed them up for me a few years ago-- I am thankful for her every year!)

This is for the first day of school-- play dough out for them to explore with as our friends arrive, questions get answered and bus lists get created. :)

It's real now!

Our welcome board-- thanks for the awesome zebra, Rebecca!

 Question/Concept board-- I love it! So festive!!

 

Happy first day of school, friends!!

Sarah

STAR Books (Students Taking Awesome Responsibility)

Hey, Friends!
I originally got this idea when student teaching with an amazing teacher, Allison Priday, and Daybreak Elementary! I have adapted it and adjusted it to fit my school/needs. 
It is such an effective tool, people ask me about it all the time. So I decided to finally take some pictures and put it up for the world to see!

 We start with a white, 3 ring binder that has a clear cover. The front has the title page. STAR stands for Students Taking Awesome Responsibility!

 Inside the front cover, the first pocket is for "Important Notes".  Then you will find a zipper pouch.  This is where we have our kiddos keep their word sorts, lunch money and any small items they need to bring to school.

 

Since they keep their word sort for homework in the pouch, we also put their daily sorting homework activities in there, too!

(The zipper pouches come from Walmart-- they are made of a sturdy canvas and are only $1.00!)

 

 Next we have a laminated cardstock divider. This is for their "planner page".

On the back shows the color code system for our behavior chart.

This is the planner page. This is for the first week of school. The rest of the year, the column on the left will have their spelling list glued in (since we differentiate them, they are different colors and they have to glue in their own) :)

The boxes are filled in as our "morning message"- they record what we are reading in our basal, what phonics sound/spelling we are working on, what concept in math, and science/social studies.  Then their behavior is colored (at the end of the day) and their homework is listed (which lets them know exactly what they are expected to do each night).  The parents are expected to check and sign their STAR Book every night.

This is their homework folder. Their homework is put in here every day-- completed and returned to this folder each night.

 The next laminated divider is for AR and Sight Words.

The AR paper is used to track the books that they are ready to test on.

The front side is informative for the parents

The second side is where they track their books so we know when/what they want to test on.

We also put in the entire year's worth of sight words. They can reference them.

The next laminated cardstock is for math. 

This is our district's Parent Guide to First Grade Math.

We also take the glossary out of our math workbooks and put them in their STAR Books so that our parents (and students) have access to the vocabulary. It has been SO useful!

 Finally, we have the divider for our Disclosure and School Policies.

Our parents love it because they are so organized and predictable. They teach our kids to know what is expected.

We love these at our school!
hope it gives you an idea!!

Sarah