The Sharpest Pencil in the Box!

It's like I have a sickness.... I adore office/ school supplies.  I love the sweet smell of sharpened pencils in the morning!  Towards the end of last school year, my teacher partner and I began to fantasize over a little pencil sharpener that we have been seeing around the Internet.... best of all, it's been teacher endorsed and the company is run by a teacher.

If you haven't met this precious little thing... let me introduce you to another back-to-school must have! 

It arrived fast- like within the week!

          

I tested it out.... totally loved it.  However, the true test is whether a first grader can do it (thus leaving me alone to teach the rest of the class!)

 

We started school this week- I know, it's a Michigan thing.  Anyway, in preparation for the littles that seem to literally eat pencils each year, I asked a 5th grade helper (Alex- Nature Girl's son) to test it out.  Yes, I conned him into working for me in order to figure out the mechanics of it all (he's THAT kid- I'm sure he would have dissected it if I weren't there!).  Alex was amazed.  I was amazed at Alex's excitement.  Again, a teacher's kid!

 

 



 

We all know that the true test of all sharpeners is the colored pencils.  I'm happy to say that I sharpened about 3 dozen of those before I hit a snag.... cue sad music.  I panicked.  Oh, crap- I broke it!  I didn't really, just broke off a tip when I was watching True Blood PBS.  I easily took it apart and shook out the lead.

 

This week, I also had some firsties test it out.  They didn't know why (we had 50 sharpened on the other side of the room), but did it anyway.  They are 6 years old- they'll agree to just about any "helper" jobs, no matter how lame :)

 

There you have it!  A true test of a new favorite.  Now, to make sure my hallway teachers don't snag it from my desk.

Click HERE for more information or to purchase.



Hurray!  I made it through the first week back to school!

First week lesson plans done!

Now that I have one year in first grade under my belt (and reading TONS of books & blogs), lesson planning is a bit easier.  Here is the first week will look like for my new batch of friends:

 



CLICK HERE

This is a Google Doc in Word, so you can absolutely borrow it if you need a change in your planning format.  However, please don't pass it off as your own (I will get sad).  In fact, this format is a variation of the work done by Jessica Meacham.

You will notice that for readers and writers workshop, there isn't tons of detail there.  I have separate binders for each that contain the unit and the scripts for specific lessons.  I write all over it to make it my own (my personal language choices or added ideas).  My principal knows that I have the binders, so it's not a big deal.

Many of the "back to school" or building communities activities will come from this awesome packet from Abby Mullins:

Abby's TPT Store

 

Have a super Labor Day holiday!

Growing as a team through planning...

I know many schools are given their curriculum maps for the year or are locked into a specific sequence by a publisher's textbook.  That isn't the case in  my school district.  Although we have a set curriculum, we have a lot of say in the order we present it in the classroom.  Starting this year, our entire district is following the same sequence for readers and writers workshop, but are free to add additional lessons in, where our specific class needs reinforcement or extra tip for success. 

The other areas.... a bit different.  We are in the process of switching over to the CCSS for math (all set on literacy!) and some schools are piloting the Investigations and Everyday Math programs.  In the meantime, we are integrating into what we are currently using- mostly teacher created lessons and activities.  Science and social studies are also pretty fluid in how we are able to teach.  We are still going by Michigan's GLCE's (benchmarks), so we can use what we like for science.  There is a book for social studies, but hitting the GLCE's is still the main focus.

Can I just say how PROUD I am of our first grade team?  Last year (and in previous years before I came into the picture), each teacher had their own curriculum map and way of doing things.  Nothing too crazy or anything- just different philosophies and ways of doing things.  As of today..... (wait for it!).... all three of us are on the SAME page and turned in ONE map to our principal.  This may not seem like a big deal to many of you, but to us- it's HUGE.

Our communication and general sharing is at an all-time high. I really believe that we are building trust and will continue to build on our cooperative efforts in order to best support our incoming students.  I feel really good about this year.  I know what you're thinking... did ya'll sing Kum-ba-ya, too?  No, no we didn't.  However, there may or may not have been a hug involved at some point towards the end of the day.

In case you are wondering what we did for two hours today, here is a link to our year map:
First Grade Curriculum Map .

Top 10 Reasons I Know it's Back to School Time!

Inspired by Mrs. Tunstall's List, I noticed that there are CLEAR signs that school time is approaching.  Here's my list:

10. I went into my classroom to check it out (still in a stack of boxes and furniture).
9.  I now check my work email as much as my personal email.  You just never know!
8.  I've been texting with other teachers about work gossip.  I MISS them!
7.  I have a "To Do" list with me at all times.
6.  I wake up at 5am, wondering if I need to be up or not. 
5.  I've been reading professional development books in a panic- It's finally hit that I am changing grades.
4.  I'm in a mad rush to finish those "summer projects" around the house that I haven't even started.
3.  I have a stack of receipts from Lakeshore Learning and a variety of discount stores.
2.  I keep hugging my own children because I will miss them soon.
1.  I've been to Target 3-4 times each week since they put out the school supplies (not to buy- just to smell the fresh stock!).

You can visit and view more lists at Mrs. Tunstall's blog!
Tunstall's Linky Party