Back to School Bundle!

In addition to the few beginning-of-year resources I have in my TpT Store, I needed to make a few more things for this upcoming year. I thought, "Why not roll everything into one back-to-school 'bundle' so other teachers can load up?" (Somehow I keep seeing and hearing the word "bundle" everywhere... why is it such a buzzword right now?) So, that's exactly what I did!

CLICK HERE to check it out!

In addition to the tried-and-true icebreaker activities, the bundle includes a couple forms to help get you organized at the start of the year. (If you're like me, the beginning of the year is when you are MOST organized! It's a great feeling that may not last too long!) One of those forms is my "Parent Contact Quick Sheet."

I know there are a lot of these parent contact sheets already out there, but I wanted mine to include the parents' preferred method of contact. Are they married to their email? Are they always on-the-go and attached to their cell phone? Or is the home phone number a sure way to get in touch? One of my goals this year is to communicate with parents in a manner that is most convenient for them. Of course, sometimes a mid-day call on the cell phone is necessary, but how nice would it be to follow an "at-a-glance" guide reminding me how each parent prefers to hear from me? This will be a great start to building a positive rapport. 

Talk About 'Em Tuesday!

I'm linking up with Little Lovely Leaders to celebrate and promote fantastic small businesses!

I dedicate this "Talk About 'Em Tuesday" to a very special fourth grade teacher! After harassing asking her to start putting her (good as gold) resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, my good friend, Elissa, has finally launched her own TpT Store:

Feeling Fab in Fourth!

Elissa has activities for all subjects; ranging from themed print-outs ("Franken-fractions," colorful birthday certificates, etc.) to hard-to-find fourth grade reading resources (1st vs. 3rd person narrator, anyone?) Although she is super creative in making all of her products beautiful, you will find that the content and "meat" of all her instructional materials is truly the best part! She has several freebies, and everything else is priced very reasonably! I hope you keep Feeling Fab in Fourth in mind as you stock up on teaching goodies this summer!

Summer of Stocking Up

I adore summer! It's a well-deserved break, I get to spend more time with my sweet boy, I lose track of what day/time it is, and I finally have time to update the ol' blog! I also love "stocking up" over the summer. This usually consists of spending countless hours on Etsy, TpT, Pinterest, and of course, my long-awaited annual trip to IKEA! (This is where I really need to show some self-control, so I always bring a sensible friend!) This year, my must-have is a new "Roberget" desk chair for my classroom. It goes right along with my picnic theme and matches my folding chairs, too! Check out this beauty:

Photo courtesy of www.ikea.com

How cute is that?! 

What are you stocking up on this summer? If you're already on the hunt for beginning-of-year activities, I've created a new version of my #1 favorite: "Four Corners!" This low-prep, highly engaging ice breaker has proven to be a student favorite year after year! After posting the "4 corners" signs around the classroom, the teacher reads aloud thought-provoking statements (included in the download). Students then move to the appropriate corner to show their position (agree, disagree, strongly agree, or strongly disagree) on the topic! Once the whole class has moved to a corner, you can invite students to share their positions and use it as a way to introduce some classroom expectations and goals. This is a great way to get to know your new students and help build an open, positive community. You can also keep the signs posted throughout the year for students to respond to future statements (informal quizzes, reflection activities, brain breaks, etc.) 

CLICK HERE to download the ready-to-go activity on TpT!

As you know, it's better to have too much planned at the start of the school year than not enough. "Four Corners" has always topped my list of things to do on the first week of school with my brand new class. Have fun soaking up the sun and stocking up on teacher goodies this summer! (An IKEA trip wouldn't hurt, either!)