Free Planner and BaCk to ScHoOl Goodies

Hello darlings!  As much I as LOVE the summer, I know that it has to come to an end and we have to get back to our AMAZING jobs!  I do adore teaching, so it isn't a terrible thing and I am sure you all feel the same way.  To make the return a little sweeter, we brought back our FREE planner from last year.  We had a lot of requests to make a 2014-2015 version and we are excited to tell you that it is READY!  Thanks Jamie for changing all the dates!  You can also download my lesson plan pages, grade book, and dividers for free.  Sorry they are not editable!     I just ask that you pin it to share with others!    Click each pic to download.

This is a pic of last year's planner.  This year's calendar is purple.

 Download lesson plan pages for free!


Grade Book                                                    and                               Dividers



Also check out my Teal and Green Classroom Decor Megapack!

and my Safari Classroom Decor Mega Pack!

I also updated my Year Long Word Study Unit for third grade.  Check it out here!

You can also get a head start on the year with this Best Selling Bundle from Educents!  It has 15 units geared for grades 2-3!  The sale ends in three days!

Stay tuned for an AWESOME bloghop starting August 1st!

Blessings!

Long Over Due and Plant Investigation Freebie

Hello darlings!  I have had absolutely no time to blog over the last few weeks.  I have been super busy, as I am sure most of you have been too!  We have been in school since August 15th, but can I tell you, it feels like it has been a year already!!!  The first day of school felt like MAY!  You know how you are supposed to have a "honeymoon" period where the kids behave because they are trying to feel you out?  Well, let's just say, we skipped the honeymoon and we are at the five year anniversary. Wow!  I have some super kiddos and some who need LOTS of extra love!  Wish me luck! (by the way, I also have a student teacher to help! That should tell you something!)

So I thought I would post a few ideas for next year, as I obviously didn't get this posted soon enough...  Here is our photo booth for Meet the Teacher Night.  My team and I are demonstrating for you since I can't use kiddos pics.

Click here to see where I got lots of the fun printable props!

Want the third grade rocks printables? Click here.


These are the little treats I gave to my teamies on the first day.  I found cute little buckets and stickynote pads at Target.  I then put in some Extra Gum for an "Extra Awesome" Year.  Yeah, I could have made a cute tag to go with it instead of handwriting it, but as Sweet Brown would say, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

This is how our I'm Unique Poems turned out.  We used M&M's for the apostrophe m in I'm.  They are so cute!  Click here to get the project from my Back to School Writing Craftivity Bundle.

In Science, we are learning about plants.  The kiddos had tons of fun with this homework investigation.  I gave it to them on a Friday so that they would have the weekend to go to the store and observe some roots in the produce section.  Click the pic for the freebie!

Have a blessed day my friends!

I'm Done! Stick a Fork in Me! Classroom Pics!

Hello Darlings!  My classroom is finally set up!  Yay!  It only took me three entire days this year because I have an awesome student teacher named Jennifer who helped!  I am so grateful!

So here it is!  I hope it inspires you or gives you ideas, or makes you feel much better about your own classroom! =)


Here is the before shot.  I already put some things away and put the desks where I wanted them.  You can also see my fun adventure with the vacuum and the steam vac.  My rug was so dirty!

Here is the after pic.  It is about six in the evening, so I apologize for the lighting...

This is at the front of the room where students will turn in work and collect their mail.  The mailboxes are just shoe crates I got from Target many moons ago.  They have lasted a long time!

Here is a close up of my Behavior System, Homework Club, and Helpers.

Behavior System: Click here to download.  Students all start on green then can move down for poor choices.  I am a HUGE positive reinforcer, so I am constantly giving my students complements and praise.  If I give them a thank you (such as, "Thank you Sally for coming over to the carpet silently with your Reading Journal.") then they can enter their name in for a drawing at the end of the day.  They are constantly trying to get thank yous.  This cuts down a lot on the use of the Behavior Chart.

Homework Club:  I got my cute HW club printable for FREE from Tara at 4th Grade Frolics!  Kiddos who complete their HW will get to keep their number up.  If they didn't do it, or don't have it.  They place it on the bottom for Study Hall.  I won an awesome HW Pack from Christina Bainbridge a while ago at Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge.  She has really cool certificates that I am going to use each month for kiddos who stay in the club!

Helpers: Click here to download.  I do one boy helper and one girl helper each day.  I place their names on cards and keep them together with binder rings.  This is so much easier for me than 10 kids having 10 different jobs.  The pack does come with these two different ways to utilize helpers.

Their, They're, and There Poster:  Like the cute homophones poster?  I got it for free from Primary Poka Dots!

This is my math area.  You can see I have drawers labeled with materials such as rulers, money, pattern bocks etc.  I also have my Math Rotations chart.  You can read all about my rotations and get the posters for free here!

I also have some math vocabulary posters for addition properties and sum/difference for free!  Click here!

Here is how I store Book Boxes.  These are just ice cube trays I got from Target years ago.  They have also lasted a long time.  I think they were about $2 a piece.  You can also see my pics through the years!  I love to keep them up so when my kiddos come back a visit, they can reminisce.

Here is my little sanctuary.  I love the fabric I used this year!  I got it at Joanne's Fabric with a 50% off coupon!  Yippy!  I used a curtain rod inside the bookcase to hide all my teaching junk.  That way you are fooled into thinking my desk it neat and clean!  Ha!  Just wait til school starts!  I can never find my desk!

You may notice I have TWO teacher desks.  The other one is for my student teacher, Jennifer.

I am going to use the filing cabinet with the fabric on it for some kind of center... I'll let you know later...

Oh look it is my clean (for now) desk.  I wanted to show you UNDER my desk.  I keep all of my copies for each unit that we are working on, in these drawers.  That way they all all in one spot and easy to grab!  (and the mess is in hiding!)

Here is my small group table.  I got the picnic table from Sams.  It is so easy to call kiddos over because we don't need chairs!  Want to see how I do my conferences?  Click here.

This is on the other side of my teaching desk.  It is the computer center and where I have extra supplies for kiddos.  Get the labels here.

A big thank you to my BFF Gretchen Kassel for sewing the skirt onto my table for me! 

The newest edition to my classroom this year... MY LOCKING BOOKCASES!  Oh I am sooooo happy! Read all about this project here!

Here is a continuation of my books.  You can never have too many, especially in third grade where I have a variety of reading levels from first all the way to middle school!  The rug is from Big Lots for $25 and the hanging balls are from Target's party section.  I can't remember where I got the one that lights up...  

Speaking of the one that lights up... I completely fell off the bar stool chair while I was moving it to a different spot.  I thought I was on a low chair and stepped to get down.  Well, I stepped into air and landed  really hard on my knees.  Luckily nothing was broken and I was able to go get ice, but I have a MEAN bruise on the side of my knee!  Ouch!

Here is my adorable Birthday display!  I am so happy with how it turned out!  Click here to download!

Here is where most of the magic happens!  This is my chair and anchor chart easel.  You can see the new rubric I just downloaded for free at 4th Grade Frolics FB page!  If you become a fan, you get it for free.

I made puffy balls to hang table numbers.  Get the numbers here.

I was inspired by Hope King at Second Grade Shenanigans to make this Read Wreath.  She has awesome directions here.

Here are my desk nameplates.  If you would like them, they are editable and free!  Just follow our blog on Bloglovin please!!  Click here for the freebie!

My student teacher, Jennifer, did a phenomenal job on the outside display that will stay up all year!  She even spray painted the clothespins silver!!  So cute!

At the end of the year, I had my kiddos write a letter to the incoming third graders telling them what it would be like.  I got the adorable printables from Hope King's Ultimate End of the Year Writing Bundle.

I hope this was helpful to you!  Now don't forget to check out this HUGE resource bundle from Educents! There are only 3 days left!  It is only $30 for more than 20 awesome units!  

Blessings!