Mid-October Currently!

Hey Bloggies!

What a hectic first month of school it has been! I must admit I forgot I even had a blog for a little while. Nonetheless, I have set a goal to post AT LEAST twice a month for now. This way I let you all in to the happenings in my fabulously crazy 4th grade class AND I don;t over-commit myself, as I am usually prone to doing!

My post today is nothing short of fabulous. I get to link up with my "blog friend" Farly over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for her October Currently!

So here it is!

That's all for now bloggies! I must get back to Lesson Planning for the week...I know! I know! I waited until the last minute this week...I'm trying to get better at this!  :)

-Miss Milton

2012-2013 Classroom reveal...FINALLY!! (Better late than never right!)

Hey Blog Buddies!!

I know its been a really long time since I last posted but like most of my teaching friends, school has started and so has the mayhem. We have just finished our official third whole week of school and I still don't quite feel like I have found my footing this year.  Nonetheless, I told my awesome and faithful 21 followers that I would upload pics of my classroom and so here they are.

Disclaimer: These pics were taken on the first Friday afternoon of school right after my lovely 32 4th graders left for the weekend. Please excuse the things that are out of order or my piles of "just in case" things I have already accumulated!

This is the sign that appears on my door as students enter the room...Thanks Pinterest for the inspiration!

Here are my cups "buckets" used for the Bucket Fillers activity

This wall includes my Class Jobs, Star Student of the Week, Character Counts poster, some tools we use in our classroom and our class Brownie Points!

 

Here are the class occupations up close and personal!!! I found the frame from Teaching in Flip Flops' blog and I added all of the class job information to them

This is my first mini-library/reading corner...I'm so proud of the way it came out. It looks quite comfy don't you think?!?! It totally matches my room theme.

Reading/English Language Arts wall

Our behavior tracking system...I did away with the color cards and now my students just move their magnet numbers instead.

The beginning of my math wall...humble beginnings I must say... I'll be adding student work and Anchor charts as the semester progresses.

                                Social studies wall and "N.F.L." Never Finished learning Charts

Our Writing Focus Wall (Looks kind of busy already...I'll be taking some of these posters down AFTER Back to School Night!

The classroom view from the entrance. Gotta love our "hand me down" mismatched student desks! (The desks took some getting used to but I'm thankful for them)

                                                         A view from the Library cove!

 

A Place for EVERYTHING???...Uh Will My Classroom EVER Be FINISHED?!?!?!?

Hey everyone!
OK...I feel the need to express a tiny amount of frustration with my classroom and classroom supplies with you. Here is the issue people...I have been in my classroom for the last 3 days  trying to put my  life  classroom back together after the summer break. Apparently, I had amnesia of how long it was going to take to finish decorating and organizing my room. Right about now....I'm feeling EXHAUSTED and OVERWHELMED! Not to mention I have to sit in a 6 hour PD tomorrow which means no classroom time for me.

I know what you're thinking? "That's how ALL teachers are feeling at this time!" Yes, that is true, however, this time I'm officially on organizing overload! You see, this isn't a normal "class set up" year for me...A few nights ago I was getting one of my personal professional development fixes through blog hopping and pinterest-ing. And I ran across this pinned picture:

Well that pin lead me to an article that led me to write this post. I was magically inspired compelled  to become more organized this year (both at home and at work) after reading an article entitled "7 Habits of Highly Organized People". (Of course I have posted the link to the article HERE, because I would just hate for YOU not to be magically inspired compelled to get organized too!)

To make a long story short (and in an effort not to lose one of my AWESOME 19 followers because of a ridiculously long post) I have been going crazy organizing things and spending lots of money investing in living an organized life for myself and for my students. The part that jumped out at my in the article was having a "place for everything". Arguably, the hardest part of my organizing endeavors...You mean to tell me that I have to get rid of my ever-loving "junk drawer" or "teacher piles" of paperwork?...You mean I can't have a stack of "one day this will be useful" or "I will use that item in a lesson"? All of that was taking sooo much longer than I thought and for a minute I had to ask myself if all of this extra organizing, labeling, color coding, bins/tubs buying will all be worth it...And the answer to myself was YES! It will definitely be worth it!During the year,  I will be less stressed (which will make EVERYONE happier)...and if nothing else, my students may even learn something about being organized as well!

As mentioned earlier...my classroom is not done yet, but here are a few class pics to show you where the mayhem began last week...Can't wait to show you my finished and MORE ORGANIZED classroom in a few days!

P.S. I LOOOOVE the color of this fabric but it has been my worse nightmare trying to staple it to the walls. I tried to be wise cheap with my spending and the fabric that I bought already has a few holes from all the pulling and stapling I was doing (that will quickly be covered with Anchor Charts)..In this pic, I was trying to do a little design with the fabric to cover the holes (it didn't work) I will be sure and show you this wall in my classroom reveal pics later...

 

That's all for now...

God Bless you all!

Have a wonderful rest of the week!!!

 

-Miss Milton

Back to School Jitters!

Hey everyone! As you all know by now...I LOOOOVE THESE LINKY PARTIES! They are a great way to hear about how other teachers are feeling and how they do "teaching"! (For lack of a better sentence!)

Well here is a Linky from A Turn to Learn, and it's all about "Back to School Jitters"...So read on and then hop on over to A Turn to Learn and join the fun!

Monday Made It (But...Tuesday Posted It!) & TPT Sale Rave!!!!

Hey all...Just realized it's been too long since I last told you all about my endeavors as I close out this summer. I am slightly jealous of everyone's fascinating pictures of their classrooms. I can't wait to get in to my room and GET TO WORK!!! I decided on a cute theme inspired by some new signs I bought from Teaching In Flip Flops last night at the TPT sale!

Let's pause for a moment and reflect on the past two days of shopping heaven!!! God bless TPT for their sale and God bless all the wonderful teachers for posting all the great stuff (and even offering additional sales!) So after about an hour of TPT searching I decided on ...

Practically EVERYTHING  that was in that darn cute Zebra print from Teaching In Flip Flops and I also bought a cool Sports Themed Setting Goals Packet from Teaching in Room 6... and a Greek and Latin Root Word Wall set from Forkin4th ....I also bought a few other things too!


Now on to Monday Made It! (But Tuesday I posted It!)

I didn't make too many crafty things this week because everything was done on the computer but here is what I did attempt to be crafty with....

I saw this idea on Pinterest a while ago and put it on my summer to do list...(Disclaimer: In my mind, I attempted to make 6 of these so that I could have a class set for student mail boxes...However, after making one of these I had second thoughts) ...Sooo I'm not sure what this will be when I get done with it! Maybe a paper shelf of some sort! Any suggestions!

Directions: Head over to your local Post Office and grab a desired number of packaging boxes, build the boxes, spray spray spray that adhesive, and cover with wrapping paper...and taa daaa!!!! Your very own shelving unit of some sort!

Then I went over to my trusty TPT site and found this awesome list of 101 Writing Prompts from Katie! (After the usual process of printing and laminating...looks like I have a date with a pair of scissors!)

Well...That's all I have for you today friends!

Have a wonderful week!

Charell

Monday Made It

So me and my hot glue gun, my new EK Success Circle Scissors Pro (love this thingy), and all of my other DIY supplies had a pretty nice weekend creating a few classroom necessities for the upcoming school year. I can't get in to my classroom until next week so unfortunately I am collecting a pretty hefty pile of "All Things School Related" in my living room corner!

Thanks again to 4th Grade Frolics for hosting the "Monday Made It" Linky Party...I always look forward to getting ideas for new projects for both home and school. (Who knew I would like being crafty...And it's so much cheaper than buying things ready-made things at all of the big school supply stores!
First, let me show you a few pics of this weekend's "weapons of mass PRODUCTION!"

The Monday Made-It Projects' must-haves:

1. Circle Cutter (link mentioned earlier in this post)
2. Cutting board (My little Apple is from Target)
3. Regular scissors from Dollar Tree
4. Glue Gun (I bought mine from Target but I just saw them at a 99 Cents Only store)
5. Popsicle sticks
6. Clothes pins
7. Thumb tacks
8. Picture frames
9. Lots of colored ink for the printer
   
   

Put it all together and vio' la! (How do you spell that?!?!)
So here are my Pinterest inspired Monday Made Its:

These little guys will hold my student work...The thumb tacks are so they can be pushed into the Bungalow walls in my classroom....This idea is inspired from a Monday Made it I saw on Emily's blog at I Love My Classroom...Check out her cool classroom reveal pics too!

These are student numbers that will be used for students to clip their number to a certain place in my room for when they need things like a Writing Conference...Not sure where yet because I haven't seen my new room yet :( The numbers are a duplicate of the same set I wrote about in my Last Monday Made it

And last but not least...Here are a few of the Positive Affirmation picture frames that will be  propped up and/or hung from various areas of the room this year! My goal is to make my room as positive, loving, and family oriented as I can. (Currently singing "Where is the Love" by John Mayor) The frames were from Dollar Tree and the signs came from a blog that I saw like 4 months ago, the posters were free from someone's TPT account I believe...Unfortunately this was before I began blogging and I knew I would only use them in the classroom so I didn't get the source...If anyone knows who's signs these are please let me know and I will cite them (Soooo sorry I don't have the source guys!!)

Well that's all I have for today! Thanks for reading.....Happy Monday everyone,

Charell

August Currently

As of today, I have 2 weeks of summer vacation yearly planning time and blog stalking, while watching movies in my PJs left (A moment of silence for all of you teachers who are going back earlier or have dare I say it...Already started school!...Thanks to Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade who started this monthly currently linky (idk when)...It's really interesting to read other posts about what everyone is doing in the time prior to / or at the beginning of the school year. So here is my August Currently

Happy Blogging,

Charell

Newbie Bloggers Blog Hop!

I've officially been a blogger for almost a week and I don't feel like I have properly introduced myself to the Blogger community...So...in true teacher blog fashion, I thought it only befitting to introduce myself through the Newbie Blogger Blog Hop from Janis over at Grade Three is the Place for Me


Janis would like all "Newbie Bloggers" to include:
1. What state you are in

2. Your current teaching position

3. Your teaching experience

4. When you started blogging

5. Share a blogging tip / blogging resource

Sooooo with horns sounding, announcer says, "Introducing.....(drums beating)...Miss Milton!!"

Ok too much?!?!...Just disregard that last sentence

1. I'm in California
2. I am a 4th grade teacher (My first year at this level so any and all suggestions/tips are welcomed)
3. This is my 3rd year teaching and for the past two years I've taught 5th and 6th grade combo classes
4. I started blogging almost a week ago....(Ok so the truth is I started a "blog" about my life as a college student years ago but soon realized that after typing 15-20 page papers, blogging on a computer was the ;ast thing on my mind...I wonder if it still exists in the Blogosphere)
5. Blogging Tips?!?! Uh...in the past week I have learned that no one reads your posts if they don't know your blog exists. (Profound I know)...What I'm saying is, the more you comment on other blogs and get involved in the community, the more others will gravitate towards you...Isn't that the way life works..."You get out of it what you put in it" -Author unknown

That's all for this post

Happy Blogging!

P.S. Does anyone know how to create a signature with cute letters and clip art...The end of my posts are looking kind of bare.

Made It...uhh...Thursday! Linky Party

Hey "Blogosphere" (Not sure which blog I saw that term but I like it!)

OK so I know today is not Monday but I just have to share two tools that I FINALLY got around to making for my classroom. They have been on my to do list for ages. I've seen these three strategies on numerous blogs, so my class and I just couldn't be left out.

So here they are ladies and gents...My Monday (Thursday Night) Made It!

First up...we have these Classroom Numbers printable from A Cupcake for the Teacher....This is soooo awesome because she kindly offers these numbers and a few other great items for FREEEE! (a teacher's favorite word!)

And next...we have the Brain Breaks for the Classroom from Stephanie over at 3rd Grade Thoughts....Both of these were really easy to make just print, laminate, cut, and hot glue to the Popsicle sticks!

P.S. Thanks to Michael's Art Supply for offering the lavish buckets/tin flower pots for a whopping $1.99

And last but certainly not least, we have these Clock Numbers (to be taped around my classroom clock) It really helps students remember how to tell time! Unfortunately I can't remember which blogger's TPT store I visited to get this great FREE download! (All I remember is that the file included the clock numbers as well as letters for a Boggle game....If anyone knows the information for this teacher please let me know so I can give the proper credit!

I'm slowly getting the hang of blogging...(secretly hoping that the more I blog the more people will follow me :) Does anyone else wonder if people are reading their blogs?

That's all for now peeps
Happy Blogging,

Miss Milton

Engaging Reluctant Learners Linky Party!

Hey Bloggers!

I am on a roll here as I write my 3rd post EVER! Let's see if I can keep this up when school starts back at the end of August.

My fellow blogger, Amy, over at Adventures in Teaching is hosting a really awesome Linky Party on her blog. This Linky is all about "Engaging Reluctant Learners"! I'm no veteran teacher but I will try and share some of the sound advice that I have learned to be true for getting the most uninspired students to love learning new things.

Engaging Reluctant Learners

1. Biggest Kept Secret! Are you ready....I know it sounds cliche' (anyone know how to get that accent mark over the "e") but the best thing that I did to get even the most reluctant students to want to come to class was...I really invested in getting to know my students. More than just their likes and dislikes. Ok...I know what you're thinking..."I do interest surveys and the kids share stories with me all the time!" Sending out that cute little Parent survey or having students fill in the "About Me" posters are great tools, but when is the last time you went home and watched one of their favorite T.V. Shows, watched that "funny" YouTube video all the kids are talking about, or tuned in to their favorite radio station? THAT, my friends is where you will get the most "juice out of the lemons". You see, when you ask them the "favorites" questions, you are only getting the half truth, the "edited" version of their likes. The real information is in the things they do EVERY DAY. It's in the things that make them tick? It's in the rhythm of the song Johnny keeps tapping his pencil on the desk to because it's stuck in his head. These are the types of things that you bring in to the classroom that will remind Johnny of home. Of comfort. Of who he is. And this builds a deeper connection with him. Still not understanding what I'm saying...

Quick story before I end this dissertation of a post. I had a lunch bunch group of students who ate lunch with me once a week. Not because of good behavior or something they earned but...just because! As most of you know, when students get to talking, they really get to talking! To make a long story short , the students decided to tell me about a popular song that someone recorded and placed on Youtube. Needless to say, I went home that night and watched the video (Yes...it was just as corny and silly as you all are thinking!) Later that week when some of the students started singing the song, I began singing it too. We all had a good laugh at the fact that I (the "old" lady who lives at the school) know the song. I then suggested that we change the words and video tape a knew song...That's all I had to say because the students took it from there. Before we knew it we had a full song, complete with a chorus and two verses. All of it had to do with solving one and two-step equations (these were 6th graders). Even at the end of the school year, we were still singing it.

Yes...any song may have worked to revamp the lyrics. But the point is...I cared enough about what was going on outside of my classroom, that my students responded with wanting to contribute more to the class. I had some of my toughest students coming up with the vocabulary words and even going home and creating their own math lyrics to other songs!

So...in a nutshell...it sounds too simple but that's what I know to be true...So friends, I'll leave you with this quote (Author unknown) that really speaks to getting students to want to come to class...

"People [students] don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care!"

I'm excited to see what you all do in your own classrooms. Head on over to Amy's blog Adventures in Teaching and Link up with us!!

Happy Blogging!

Miss Milton

"First Day Jitters" Blog Hop

Soooo...this is my first ever BLOG HOP! (Linky Party Thingy)...And how befitting for it to be about My First Day Jitters, seeing that this will be my first year teaching 4th grade. For the last two years I taught a 5/6 grade combo so, woo hooo, I'm getting closer to my dream grade. (I've dreamed of teaching 3rd grade since I was actually a 3rd grader myself!)

Back to the Blog Hop! This one is from my fellow 4th grade blogger over at Fierce in Fourth. So hop on over and be sure to link up and join the hopping fun!!

OK here it is:
My first day jitters:

1. I am jittery about THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!! I probably won't sleep much the night before because I'll be running lists of things to do as "sugar plum fairies dance in my head" because we ALL know there is ALWAYS MORE TO BE DONE :/
2. I am kind of nervous about getting to know another set of parents. I had most of the same students for the last two years, and had strong relationships with a lot of the parents. I have almost forgotten how to start things off with the parents at the beginning of the school year. Any suggestions???
3. I am concerned about fitting it all in. I mean all of the pacing guides in the world won't help if you fall behind them. As a new'er teacher, I have had a tough time pacing myself in the past, and I don't like to stop an activity if EVERYONE does not fully understand. (you can see my problem)

Well, that's all I have for you all on this topic. Of course my list could go on but that wouldn't be beneficial. So pleeeaaassseee leave a comment below and follow me, I'd love to connect with more teachers in the blogosphere!!!

Thanks for reading,
Miss Milton :)

My First Blog!

Ok...ok...ok...you got me! I have been stalking, intently reading, all of these wonderful blogs for months and months on end. Can anyone tell me why, or how, reading blogs can turn into an all day affair?! There are just so many great ideas, DIY projects, teaching strategies, and so on that can consume a whole day if you aren't careful. Needless to say, I've spent the majority of my summer break using Pinterest and blogs to navigate my plan of attack as I go in to my 3rd year of teaching. I am particularly excited about this year because  this will be my first year as a 4th grade teacher. (I taught a 5/6 combo for two years.) So, I'm not exactly sure what people will get out of my blog, becasue the ideas/projects I've seen so far seem way out of my league. But, I guess if nothing else, this blog will be a place where I share my life as an inner-city fourth grade teacher, as well as share links of the great ideas that I find on other blogs and websites. Feel free to grab my button and follow me, as I figure this whole world of blogging out! Happy Blogging!!!