Here we go. Week 2! We are still working on the Alphabet. Most of my students are second language learners, they need extra time to learn all the letters and sounds. This week we will continue identifying the differences between letters, numbers, symbols, and words. Our friend Feed Me Monster likes to help us sort; he will only eat certain things.  Last week he ate letters. I bet it will be the same this week.  I made Feed Me my first year teaching Pre-K (1996). He looks pretty good and the kids love him.  We will focus on two letters this week: Tt and Pp. We will name the letter, work on the sound, name words for each letter, and start our Alphabet Notebook.  Our story for the week is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. My favorite for teaching the alphabet as a whole. Who can resist the sing-song style and the antics of the letters.  We are also using our names to learn the letters of the alphabet. I printed out the names in block letters. The students will get to pai...

Happy Saturday friends. I had someone ask for some signs to be added to my Bathroom Rules/Procedure Posters. I have add the following signs: 1 Pump of Soap 2 Pumps of Soap 1 Paper Towel 2 Paper Towels Paper Towels in the Trash sample of the signs  If you own my Bathroom Signs, go to TPT and download the updated file. If you would like to purchase the signs, click on the image to get to my TPT store . Thanks for looking....

Today was the 4th day of school. So far, so good. We are learning the rules of the school and the classroom procedures. Our goal for the week: line up quietly and walk nicely. We had to practice a couple of times today. But we are on our way. Because I use sorting notebooks, alphabet notebooks, and math journals it is important that the kids are able to cut without help. Today was out first day with our scissors. We reviewed how to hold them: Thumbs Up! What we can cut: Paper Only! And what NOT to cut: Our Hair, Our friend's hair, Our Clothes. Then we practiced cutting paper. I printed a page with straight lines going across the page. We cut the straight lines. I have some pretty good cutters. Tomorrow we are cutting more straight lines. This time on a diagonal across the page. Then we move onto squares and wavy lines. Wish us luck. We are saving all the cut strips and will use them next week to make something. And learn how to use the glue sponges. ...

Ready or Not there will be 17 little bodies in my classroom tomorrow morning. Good thing I am ready, or at least I think I am. The first week of Kindergarten never goes as planned. My plan is to plan as little as possible. The week is all about Procedures, Procedures, Procedures. While the majority of out students have been to some type of Pre-K program, they need to learn the rules and procedures for our school and my class. I have plans for the week, but they are 100% flexible and I am not worried about getting to everything. Here are the procedures to teach and practice this week.  * Morning Arrival: The first three days we pick up are kids in the cafeteria, so the Arrival procedure changes slightly by Thursday.  * Line Procedures; lining up and walking      We walk to different parts to the school each day. We have 5 different buildings on a huge campus.  * Bathroom * Washing Hands for lunch * Playground Rules * Carpet, Work Time, Story Time Procedures and ex...

Yes, I am back at school. But this week our preschool week.  I am not planning per say. I am preparing to plan. Here is a peek at what I am doing this week.  But I did create my lesson plan template and resources. My district provides us with frameworks that are divided into units. They provide us with a year long map of when to teach and assess the standards. I create an excel spreadsheet of the Kindergarten standards. I make 8 copies for ELA. Then I go through and highlight the standards for each unit provided by the district, deleting any not being taught during that unit. I do the same thing for math. I use this as my reference each week when planning. It also make documenting my standards easy, the pages are attached to my planning spreadsheet. Easy!!  Then I had to create my lesson plan template for the year. I use an Excel Spreadsheet so I can tweak it throughout the year. I never use the same format two years in a row. Here is this year's format.  Fear...

I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for Made it Monday. I've been working a lot of little projects all weekend. Here goes....               My clothes pins needed a makeover. The striped ones have magnets on the back and are for my board in the classroom. The orange polk dot ones have a push pin on the back and go on my hallway bulletin board to hang student work.        Birthday straws! A friend found the fun straws at the dollar store for me. Print, laminate and cut out the balloons, a little tape and a cute, inexpensive birthday gift for my kiddos.       I teach Kindergarten. That means anything and everything can be put to use. I added alphabet stickers and mod podge to more clothes pins. These will go in the word work center. The kids can clip the letters to word cards to spell the words.     That is it for now. I am working a several more little things, but they are not done yet. Check out more teacher creativity and link up yourself.  ...

What's on your agenda for the day? Here is the scoop on mine. * Ironing. I always iron everything at one time. Then it is done for a while. It is summer, so I don't wear a lot that needs to be ironed. Thus the pile keeps growing.  * Trying to get back into a routine of moving each day. Notice I did not say exercising. I can't swim very many laps, but some are better than none.  * I've been laminating. I do not need it until Wednesday, but it needs to be done. * I am making an alligator for the first day project, to go with the book Oliver and His Alligator. I need to finalize it so I can get it ready.  * My desk needs to be cleaned and readied for BTS. I am not to confident on this one.  * Time with friends! That is easy and fun and relaxing and something I am always happy to do!  ...

I was in town this morning. I live in the country; I really do "Go to town." Depending on the errand I need to run there are different stores I will drive by. Today was a Goodwill store in a nicer area. You know what I mean, the neighborhoods around the store are a little more affluent. I stopped in, you never know what you might find. I walked by the toy section. Nothing. Kids books. Nothing caught my eye. I always check out the furniture. Jackpot!! I saw this toy box. It is white, clean, not too big. The best part; the price $9.88. I get to the register and she's training another woman. She starts walking though  the steps to enter the item, then I hear her say something about a discount. Discount?? Yes, Please! It was on sale. I got it for $8.00. Even better!  Now, what to do with it? I don't want to paint it. I could cover the white areas with colored contact paper, dry erase contact paper, or chalkboard contact paper.  What to put in it? I have severa...

Welcome. I am linking up with Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd and Lucky Little Learners for this month's #2getherwearebetter talk. I hope you are getting inspired by the wonderful bulletin boards you are seeing. That is my hope: INSPIRATION. Because this year I need it. I have not done mine yet.  I have lots of surfaces I can decorate. I use the longer bulletin board for student work. It is outside my classroom and there is a wall across the hallway that I use. I have ordered some colorful circle border from Teacher Created Resources that I will use on the outside board. I use decorated clothespins to adhere the student work. It save lots of time when I am changing out work. On the wall, I have a different system involving yard, Command hooks, and clips, but that is for another post.  As you can see I left my blue double border up inside. I did it last year and it still looks fine. It is too much work to change every year. I am not sure what to put on them. Du...