A Peek at My Week Linky!

Thanks to Middle School OCD, I discovered this fun linky!  It's hosted by Jennifer of Mrs. Laffin's Laughings and encourages you to share your plans for this upcoming week.

This week marks the end of our third week of school.  It feels like four because we had a mini week to start the year.  Am I insane that I feel like I'm behind ALREADY?!  Is it possible?  I'm trying to train these guys and move through plans and activities but I feel like I'm moving at a snail's pace.

1.  Finish the Fall of Ancient Rome

I have to finish up this chapter if I want to hit the Renaissance at the end of the year!  Sometimes, I drag on the first real social studies unit and this year I promised myself that I would take it easy.  Practice learning the note taking routines, doing actual work, etc.  Keep any "Projects" to a minimum.

2.  Finish Rikki Tikki Tavi and create a comic strip!

Again, I have to start closing out my smaller stories if I want to hit The Hunger Games in a week.  We have to finish reading Rikki Tikki together, discuss Plot Elements and then we are creating a comic book strip to help everyone retell the most important plot points.  For middle schoolers, they want to retell EVERYTHING and I have to train them to give me the highlights only!!

I use my Story Map/Plot Chart for teaching them Plot Elements.  I really like it because it hits all the important ideas in one page AND gives them their plot chart and summary section on the back.

3.  Create Sub Plans

I hate hate hate writing the first sub plans of the year.  You never know how it's going to go and how fast they will finish the work.

4.  Nurse my hubby back to health!

My husband will be going into get his deviated septum fixed on Wednesday and I'm taking off two days as his official "caregiver."  I'm more nervous about the surgery than he is!!  He has had his deviated septum forever from breaking his nose as a kid and seriously, the guy can hardly breathe.  He can't even get a decent nights sleep anymore.  I hope that everything goes well and... well... at least I can get 5-7 hours of quiet grading time in at the hospital, right?  (So horrible of me!)

Wish me luck!  Apparently, Kaiser has free wi-fi so maybe I'll even get in a blog post about my ISN's or my Roman Tweets activity.  We shall see!

Common Core Standards Kit

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Carson-Dellosa to test out their Complete Common Core Standards kit for Language Arts.  I love testing new items, so I jumped at the chance to try a set.

Here is a video that explains all about the product!

My set came in the mail yesterday and it was a really great experience unboxing and checking out the materials.

I like that everything is clearly labeled in this set.  All the pocket chart cards are divided into each of the standards.

On one side - the standard is written and labeled for the teacher.  Which is a smart idea.  I always have to double check the original text of the standard to make sure I don't "miss" anything when I'm using the "I Can" Statements.

On the other side, the standard is written into kid-friendly "I Can" statements.  Love it!

The set comes in a case that houses all your standards.  Inside the case, the standards are split by blue dividers, which make it very easy and convenient for the teacher to find exactly the standard they need!

I think this is a great product to have in your classroom for Common Core.  However, I only have one issue.  The pocket chart cards are the smaller version.  These are not the long version, the cards measure 12 inches long by 2 1/4 inches tall.  These cards will not be seen across the room if you post them on the wall.  It's not a bad thing, I think their primary function would be in a small group setting.  The publisher, Carson-Dellosa recommends on the box to use the Daily Standards Pocket Chart.

All in all, I'm excited that Carson-Dellosa has created this product and I think it will enhance the learning of my students!!

Disclaimer:  This post is a review post of the product.  I only post about and review items that I would use in my own classroom and feel would enhance the teaching of my readers. The only compensation I have received was the original product that I used in my review.

Five for Friday.... or Saturday!

It's the end of our first week of school and I'm exhausted!  I heard other teachers talking about it too, so at least I'm not the only one!  I think having Back to School Night in the same week as the first full week of school is just a lot.

But - it's Saturday and that means I'm just a little late for Doodle Bug's 5 for Friday!

1.  Back to School Night

This was the first year that I didn't do a "presentation" at the start of every period.  I'm glad that I didn't because it's just too difficult with parents coming in and out the entire time.  I just had my power point presentation on auto as I worked my way through parents and answered questions.  Here's my instragram pic of my room.

2.  Donors Choose

On Friday my Donors Choose materials came!  I'm SO HAPPY that I got my project funded and my students can read The Hunger Games in a few weeks.  I'm super excited about the possibilities....  what other books are good for Middle School?  Percy Jackson?  I always try to find series so that I encourage my students to read the remaining books on their own.

3.  Baseball Fun

Some of our good friends invited us to the local baseball game Thursday night.  It was really good to get out and think of something else besides work!  And stay up past 9:30!!  My school report time is 7am, so I have to go to bed early if I want to be functional that early! 

4.  Grading

However, this weekend I get the joy of grading my students work for the first time.  I have about 3 assignments for 3 periods and it's a huge stack of work.  My math partner wants to send home progress reports for Monday, so that means I gotta get through ALL of it and put it into our online gradebook.  Ugh.  Fun, fun times.

5.  TpT Back to School Sale!

This week TpT finally announced their Back to School Sale!  I will most definitely be participating and I'm trying to make a few more items for the Sale!  The sale is Sunday and Monday - you can get up to 28% off your purchases by entering BTS13!!  Come and join the fun!  

This beautiful graphic is by Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Designs!  She's offering it as a free TpT download here!

Teacher Week 2013 - Day 2

Today for Teacher Week - we are going on Classroom Tours!  If you still want to join, it's not too late!!  Check out the list for every day this week.

Classroom tours!  I know that it's tough to find a lot of Middle School classrooms, so I'm happy to share mine.  This is so exciting too.... because I'll quickly remind you at what I started with:

Gross - right?  I'm pretty horrified still and I had to clean up all this crap the other teacher left behind.  (And the teacher before him and the teacher before THAT!)

Pictures of my overall room.  I know a lot of people commented on my high ceilings - which are very nice and create an open space.  However, I wish my room was a little bigger.  I have 39 students in my second period and it's a PACKED HOUSE.

I place my students into groups because I manage behavior by using table points with Class Dojo.  It helps and leaves me the option of going into rows when I'm super angry!!

My fun tree that I made after seeing a few posts on Pinterest.  It was really easy to make and I was pretty impressed with myself. (haha)

I spend 98% of my life talking about Plot Charts in my first semester, so I figured I would put one up!

I liked keeping the STAR theme together here.  The table below is where my students turn in papers, staple, sharpen all that good stuff!

My library is there in the corner.  Its a close fit next to table #4, but remember 39 kids in second period. There's no where else to go. :(

My KINGS corner!  My desk is next to the microwave/fridge.

My sentence frames on the board.  I used magnetic dots to attach EVERYTHING this year.  Just a great deal at Lakeshore.

Stick them on the back of your border and make your OWN magnetic borders!

Table Numbers!

Finally, the view from my desk.  That's my smart podium cart that I WILL NEVER PART WITH.  They were on our "Surplus" broken furniture website through our district and I cannot believe someone wanted to get rid of it.  It's the best invention EVER.

Thanks for taking my room tour...  I might have missed a few areas, but that's pretty much the whole thing.

Teacher Week 2013!

I'm so excited to be a part of the Teacher Week 2013 link up week!!

I just found out about it yesterday, but here's the scoop!  Each day there is a different topic for you to blog about and then link up over at Blog Hoppin!  Today is "Let's Talk About Me!"

Here we go!

1.  This is the start of my 8th year teaching!  They are starting to blend together a little bit.  I have to mentally count upward from my first year assignment to remember how many years I've taught!  I'm back to teaching 7th grade Language Arts and Social Studies again!!

2.  I met my husband playing roller hockey when I was 17 years old.  He was originally this jerk that bothered me.  Sometimes, he still is that jerk that bothers me, except now I live with the jerk.  We both grew up playing hockey and now we're happy to pass that along to our son.

3.  I was born and raised in Southern California.  My parents moved here from New York in the 1970's.  I can't imagine myself living in NY.

4.  This is a Disney Household.  Disney Channel is usually on some TV in the house, we usually have Disneyland Annual Passes and this winter we are going to DisneyWorld!  (Whooooooooooo)  I have Belle statues spread throughout my office too.

5. I am afraid of the Smurfs.  When I was 7, I watched an episode where they ate bad ham and became zombies.  They transmitted their zombiness by biting each other.  I still shudder to this day and pretty much refuse to eat ham.

6.  I also have mild OCD when it comes to pens.  I HATE HATE HATE pens that have lost their caps.  If the cap is gone, just throw the rest of the pen away because it just bugs me.

7.  Even though teaching has become increasingly stressful with testing, Common Core, etc - I still love my job and I cannot imagine doing anything else.  

8.  I am probably the clumsiest person in California.  I walk into walls, trip over my own feet, drop things...  My husband is just used to it and says I passed it on to our son.  Oops!

9.  I'm a techie/Mac geek.  I love all things Mac and I've been addicted to the computer since I was 10.  My poor husband gets neglected sometimes because I'm too busy online.  I even built my first webpage that I hand coded the HTML when I was 14.  It was lime green and was about the Beatles.  Yes, I was dorky even then ;)

10.  And finally, I'm approaching my 2nd blogging anniversary and I'm amazed that I'm still in this thing.  Thanks for reading and sticking with me!

Five for Friday - First Week of School Edition

This has been one crazy week.  Thank goodness it's time for...

Yes, it's Saturday, but I'm just happy I've found the energy to get it done!

1.  Not One but TWO FIRST DAYS of School

My darling boy started school on Monday.  I've been a bit of a wreck because he really never went to "preschool" - why should I send him when I have perfectly willing grandparents that want to spend time with him?  But, that means his "Classroom Behavior" probably isn't going to be spot on for a bit.  I'll be the first to tell you - the kid has ants in his pants!

Here he is on his first day.  He's been forcing the hubby and/or the grandparents to leave extra early for school.  He's been first at the gate for the past three days.

Then I went back to school and had my first day on Thursday.  This momma/teacher is TIRED.

2.  39 Kids!

I have 39 kids in my Language Arts class.  It's a packed house.  I'm just a smidge irritated with this because I only have 33 in my other LA class.  We can't seem to overcome the scheduling demons to balance this out?  I kinda hate it because you can't really "work" a room when you're constantly tripping over people and chair legs.

3.  Print?  Who needs to print stuff?!

Since I switched rooms over the summer, my laptop isn't connected to the printer in my room.  Yes, I could throw my stuff on a flash drive, boot up the other computers, log on, print my stuff, log off...  It sounds exhausting to me - what about you.  So, I will stoically wait until I can really just print my stuff.

4.  Room 312

Speaking of... I took all my pictures of my pretty sparkling room on Friday.  I just need to upload them to my computer and then you can enjoy my classroom set up.  I know that the blogging world needs more examples of Middle School classrooms.  Plus, I will do some NOW and THEN comparisons.  I remember the nastiness I walked into this May.

5.  Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

I am sleeping in tomorrow!  I think I have to in order to start regaining some sanity because it's 0 to 60mph on Monday with starting to train my class on academic procedures, academic discussions and more.  (Ugh!  The first three weeks are always such a pain.  I enjoy teaching when I can just get everyone WITH the PROGRAM!)

Also - it's my 2nd blog-a-versary in September.  I was thinking of hosting a fun giveaway.  Is there anyone out there that would like to participate??  Email me at freelauren21@gmail.com and let me know.

Quick Check In

Good morning dear bloggy friends!

I have lots of classroom reveal pictures in the works for everyone and other good stuff I've been making.  There are just three things hampering my progress.

1.  My husband and I switched computers this weekend.  So, like moving... I'm trying to re-find all my fonts, clip art, etc! :)  Plus, I got the "older" computer that I didn't update my OS to Lion back in the day.  This means I have to wait for my disc (Snow Leopard) to come before I can fully update.  #macgeek

2.  I start school on Thursday.  Eek!  Am I ready?  No.  But I think I'm close!

3.  This was the most stressful of all...  My sweet kiddo started Kindergarten yesterday!  I'm trying to get used to the new routine and after today, not being able to drop him off and pick him up.  Luckily, we have the happiest, most easy going kid on the planet.  He's totally cool with whatever schedule we throw at him.

Here he is...