Year Long Work Boxes

It is THAT time. I feel like we are all starting to find our back-to-school groove...

And everything that comes with it--there's so much to do and not enough time at all!

I wanted to share one of my time saving tips that can last you all year...and your kiddos too! ANNND also get your kiddos showing their work.

While #thestruggleisreal with showing work--I've found a good trick to get kiddos to show their work. I take my work boxes and make copies of them and I am set for a good chunk of the year! 

What are work boxes? They are generic sheets that my students use for multiple subjects to show their work and respond on. I have a million sets of task cards and instead of keeping up with each recording sheet...I just whip out a generic set for students to show their work on. There's room for students to write the activity and SO MANY variations! 

I could never keep up with the millions of recording sheets to go with task cards, scoots, and other class activities...EEEEKS! So many! So I created my own set to keep us showing our work (and to keep me more organized).

Want to try it? Just follow me and try it out!

How are your first few weeks of school going? I know you are totally ROCKING this year!

Over and Out

Genre Lovin'

I feel like we all need a deep---like super deep---breath right now! It's the beginning of the school year and the OLYMPICS are happening right now.

So there is no sleep.

Or very little sleep occurring.

AND so much excitement.

I got these little fun things together the other night EMOJI GENRE READING posters. And I love them. So much. 

My kids always need all the visual clues they can get--well...I need all the visual clues I can get ;). EMOJI's conveniently just lend themselves to fun projects like this.

AND here's a sneak peek that I totally love. (if you are interested they are available in my tpt store---Follow along and find them here!
 

AND they are editable. Which is aweeeesome!

Anyways.

May the forces of Genre be with you and your crew(s) this year!

Over and out!

Teach LIKE a ROCKSTAR!

As educators we are essentially entertainers. Right? Well, most days it seems like we are ringmasters of a circus--but either way we are running a show--that just so happens to be our classroom. After attending a Taylor Swift Concert I had to share some take aways that could transfer from the 1989 tour to your 21st century classroom. Because the teacher in me couldn't stoppppp thinking about everything I needed to do in my classroom.

Whether you are already feeling good or need a pick me up here are a few things that I LEARNED from Taylor Swift that I could directly implement into my teaching:

First Takeaway was this: TAKE it to the 9's

Taylor was dressed to the nines. And it was AMAZING!!! As teachers we need to dress the part! I know in the middle of the school year a new outfit or fresh tube of lipstick makes teaching a little more fun. And I'm totally apart of the #dryshampoofordayyyys club--please tell me I'm not the only member!

Plus your students notice and appreciate when your confidence takes precedence. I'm not saying you need to teach in 3 inch heels (if you can, hats off to you!) and wear red lipstick. Just simply, and so simply...

Take pride in your appearance, splurge every once in a while, and dress the part!

It makes a big impact for such a small and sometimes trivial thing.

Take away two: Work the ROOM

When was the last time you complimented your class? One of my favorite things Taylor said during the concert to work the crowd was this "I have a lot of favorite things about you but my absolute favorite right now is..." and all the tweens went wild! Your class will totally eat out of the palm of your hand if you compliment them both sincerely and like crazy.

And also in the sense of working the room...I have this silly goal that each lesson at some point I make it to four corners of my room. Meaning that I have to move as I'm teaching and make it to some invisible spots in my room. It's the easiest thing that makes a difference so we aren't glued to the front of our room. 

Take away three: Unite the CROWD

This was one of my favorite things! Everyone in the crowd had a band that lit up. And the band would change colors and blink like crazy in unison. It was so cool. So what do you have for your class? A special dance? A favorite phrase you all say together? A song you sing? What is something that unites your class?

While it seems silly, a common factor is something that can keep your students engaged and involved throughout the year is worth it's weight in LOTS of GOLD.

My class we have a awesome hand dance that we do--it unites us and we start and end our day with it. We also curate a class playlist that is ours and ours alone. It brings us together and it's one of the main memories that past students love and remind me of.

Take Away 4: SHARE the STAGE
When Taylor Swift came she brought some other class acts along with her Pitbull and Ricky Martin. All of the mom's in the audience just about LOST their minds because RICKY was there! It was amazing and really switched thing up and brought even more energy into the show.

Sometimes as a teacher we rack our brains for guest visitors that can come in and teach...but the best "guest teachers" are your students themselves! Let the teach and take the stage. I always tell my students that they speak 6th Grader better than I can (insert your grade level---5th graders speak 5th graders than teachers do)! And it's true. Sometimes because you've taught something over and over your students have a lingo that you don't have! Let them explain things and teach! You'll find you have some really amazing teachers and leaders in your class.

Other guests are family members, the principal (have you EVER invited your principal to come in and teach about a passion or something that they love?), your family (my husband comes and does strawberry DNA and teaches about BOX and WHISKERS because he is a STATS master).

There's definitely a time and place for it--but variety makes things so much more enjoyable!

Take Away: LOVE your PEOPLE

This is the biggest and most important thing LOVE your audience. Each and everyone no matter what! Always compliment. Be kinder than you feel. And be kind consistently. Take time when you feel rushed. And try your hardest to make every students feel capable and confident in everything that they do. Because they need you.

Teach on and ROCK on this year!

Over and out!

Recently Read

This has been a great summer thus far---and I'm in total denial that back to school season is upon us! EEEEks! But then I'm also excited to share and try out everything that I've learned this summer. It's such a bittersweet thing. I have pinterest boards of books and reading that I've been adding my faaaavorite books and reading tips too!

The last book that I finished was "El Deafo" by Cece Bell and I LOVED it. It was my first graphic novel that I read and totally loved it! It was funny and humorous and a quick and easy read. And now I am totally hooked and ready for more graphic novels.

Totally perfect for your kids that might not be the biggest reading fans--it's quirky and right up their alley. AND I HAD TO SHARE. <<< the link provided is not an amazon affiliate link---I just love the book and caught it on sale for 6 bucks--so I hope you can too! If not, grab it from your local library.

Anything that you've read recently and loved? I just started JACK by Liesel Shurtliff and I'm needing a for more books in my reading que. AND hit me with your favorites because I love good book recommendations!

Ps the personalized emoji's can be found in my store here and read all about how I use them here!

And speaking of spending money--go spend some on the TPT sale RIGHT NOW and don't forget (just reminding you because I totally forgot one time!) to type in the superawesome code BESTYEAR to get a few more percents off of your purchase!

It all adds up---especially when you have to tell your husband how much you spent! Hahaha!

Personally I am stocking up on some Blair Tuner goodness, Amy Groesbeck awesomeness, and some supa-fun posters from Teaching and So Fourth (her lyric posters have got me swoooooning!). This is my favorite kind of school shopping! Eeeeeks!

Hope y'all are enjoying every last minute of summer!

Over and out!