Getting a Little Mushy

So you know the saying, "It takes a small village to raise a child..."? Well I have come to the conclusion that it truly takes a small village to set up a classroom. Every year, without fail, my entire family plays some part in helping set up my room.

Today, my sweet mom came by (and brought me lunch I might add) to help cut out all the dreaded laminated "stuff." I used to like to cut out all the glossy laminated paper. I got really tired of it really fast. Thankfully, I have a mom who still likes to cut it all out for me. Not only did she sit and cut it out, but she took a huge bag home with her to finish.

In all seriousness, I am so very thankful that I have the support of my family. They cheer me on all year. They are especially encouraging when I am discouraged. I am so blessed and so thankful for all their love and support.

Teachers could not do it without the support of loved ones. Thank you to all those who support us and cheer us on!

Some Reading Resources

As I look through all the reading skills I have to teach, I am feeling overwhelmed with all I need to create. Then I realized that I do not have to create everything.

Here are some great freebies from other teachers that I use in my classroom. Click on the links to be directed to these awesome resources!



[From Pitner's Potpourri]




[From The Third Grade Gridiron]




[From One Extra Degree]



[From Classroom Compulsion]

Feeling a Little Overwhelmed

So I have truly been avoiding going into my classroom this summer. I just have not been able to bring myself to go into that building quite yet...until today. I finally worked up the energy to go in and get some work done.

Our amazing custodians have worked so hard to get our rooms ready for the kids coming back on August 12th. My floors are sparkling! I am so thankful for all their hard work.

When I went in today, I realized just how much I have to do before all my kiddos come back for the year. I had planned to do LOTS of laminating to get centers prepared. Unfortunately, both the machines were jammed. Instead, I started reorganizing my furniture to get it the way I wanted. It always is like a puzzle getting all the furniture to fit just the way it should.

Thankfully, I left my room feeling motivated. I have spent the rest of my day making my plans for reading. Thankfully we have full access online to our new reading program (Reading Street). I wish we had out textbooks in, but I will settle for the online access for now.

With all this motivation (maybe just stress), I have made another activity for a reading center.

This goes with Reading Street Unit 1, Story 3 (Kumak's Fish).

The skill is finding the meanings of unknown words.




Get your own copy of my activity here.

Thanks!