5 Fun Facts

Joining the fabulous teachers over at Blog Hoppin' for their Teacher Week 2015. Monday's topic? 5 fun facts about you! So here goes...

Let's start with a little throwback picture, okay maybe it is the only picture I have with the majority of my siblings! Fun Fact #1 is that I have eight brothers and sisters, technically they are half-brothers and sisters, but I never really count that. They keep me very entertained and constantly busy. I could talk about each of them for days because they are each their own individual person, but I will spare you all the details of their lives. Ha!

Fun Fact #2 This one is medical related and something you wouldn't know right away...I have already had plastic surgery! Okay, maybe it was the result of an injury and not my choice to have, but it still counts right? When I was 9, I was attacked by an English Bulldog, which resulted in about 50 stitches only half a centimeter away from my eye! I've only ever in my 29 years of life had one person notice the scars underneath my eye. I am beyond thankful for the plastic surgeon that was on call that night!

Fun Fact #3: I LOVE to take a break from the reality of life and visit the happiest place on Earth, Walt Disney World! I'm conveniently less than a three hour drive away, so weekend escapes are always fun and sometimes much needed!

Fun Fact #4: If you follow my Instagram, then you saw this last year, but it is a reality and you will most likely relate. Last year, I did wake up one morning, get dressed, head to work like every other day in the year thus far. BUT, when I got into my classroom (which was a forty minute drive for me), I noticed that I had two mismatched shoes! Yes they may have both been black, but one was sparkly and the other was plain. This was a life goof and I still chuckle thinking about it! Luckily now, my drive to work is only 10 minutes away. If it happens this year, I will be able to turn around and get the correctly matched shoe!

Fun Fact #5 I have MANY notebooks, but this one is by far my ABSOLUTE favorite. This particular notebook is my reading log that I started back in March of 2011. I was inspired to start this by a fellow co-worker, Mrs. Giles who I would substitute teach with when I first started out teaching. We would discuss books on the morning we were scheduled together and on one of those mornings she shared with me that she has kept a record of all the books she has read since sometime in the 1970s. As you can imagine she is up in the thousand range and still going strong! Thanks to her and that little conversation we had that morning, I decided that I wanted to keep track of all my books I read and am currently up to 319. I don't know that Mrs. Giles realizes how much she inspired me, but she has and I hope that I can come close to her number one day!

5 for Friday: First Week of Kiddos!

Holy tamoly, First Week of School craziness! The good kind of crazy though. I think there is no better word for the first week of school than craziness. It absolutely fits the bill! I'm glad you are joining me for another 5 for Friday linky with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

1. The First Day of School was absolutely wonderful! For those who don't know and because I am still working on this whole blog thing, I teach two fifth grade classes. (I know my site needs lots of improvement, but I'm doing pieces at a time and didn't want to wait to share!) We typically switch half way through the day, but for this first day of school my other two teammates and I decided to keep our homerooms all day. There are so many school wide procedures that need to be reviewed and we wanted to focus on building a strong relationship with our homeroom kiddos. I didn't give my kiddos name tags right away, but rather put their planner where I wanted them to sit. I plan on giving them permanent seats for the start of next week, hoping that I will have a better understanding of their behaviors and needs by that time. We read First Day Jitters together, completed a reading survey, had a lot of carpet discussion to get to know one another, and took pictures for our Who Am I game that you can find in my TPT store.

2. Any Amazon delivery is fun, even more so when it is books you are going to share with your class! They loved both Duncan the Story Dragon by Amanda Driscoll and "ish" by Peter H. Reynolds. I used to the Duncan story to discuss the importance of giving the book we are reading a chance, give it 30 pages or so before deciding it is no good. When reading about Duncan with my kiddos I was really impressed with the inferences they made because it gets to a section were a bull is going to chase Duncan and they realized he was going to because Duncan's book was red like the flags used in rodeo rings. My reading coach read "ish" aloud to my class to discuss the importance of being yourself and we also tied it into the importance of having a growth mindset.

3. I know you have seen these types of questions floating around on Pinterest, this is about my third year using them. I have seen them on Mrs. Robinson's Classroom Blog and Confessions of a Teaching Junkie . I'm sure they are on a lot more blogs because these questions truly are the best way to start out the school year. The questions get the kiddos thinking and discussing with one another. I used mine for morning walk in work, so that I didn't have to think too much on planning that out just yet. Here's how my questions went for the week: Monday: School is important because _______. Tuesday: What do you expect to learn this year in 5th grade? Wednesday: What does the word "successful" mean to you? Thursday: What will you need to do in order to be successful this year? Friday:What will Miss Adams need to do to help you be successful this year?

4. I took a lesson from Dave Burgess' "Teach Like a Pirate" book and used Play-doh. If you have not read Burgess' book, you should. I would consider it a teacher MUST read. It is perfect for rereading on the challenging, difficult days when you need a little inspiration and want to make the next day better. We used the Play-doh on the second day of school when we rotated our three classes for thirty minutes. Okay so really the Play-doh was the brand I found at the Dollar Tree, which was surprisingly not stinky at all. I expected to be and was surprised. I had the kiddos create something that represented them and they came up with some creative things, one kiddo made a stethescope because she wants to be a vet and others made a football because they liked to play. We took 30 seconds and talked about each thing they made and I learned so much about them in that small amount of time!

5. When you have a crazy, busy week of back to school treat yourself! My favorite place to go? Starbucks! There may have been some shopping purchases on this day too, but a sweet treat is a must! Where is your favorite place to go???

Wishing you all a superb week ahead!

Washi Tape & An iPhone Charger

It's another Monday Made It post with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics! I promise this will be one of the simplest ever done and yet each time I look at my iPhone charger my little heart is content.

What you'll Need: iPhone Charger (Or other charger) Washi Tape Scissors or Some other Cutting Device Quick Notes: First, I suppose where there is a will there is a way to modify this for any phone charging device. Second, that little blue thing-a-mabob is a tool I picked up in Target that has a blade at the end. I use it specifically for my Washi tape and it's amazing. It helps me keep my edges somewhat more straight than what they would be if I were using scissors.

The first thing (and most important!) to do is decide on which Washi tape to use. There are so many choices, I had a difficult time choosing which is why I ended up covering two chargers. My favorite place to get Washi tape? Michaels store! It's a surprising answer I know but they have a large collection and I can always use a 50% off coupon. I do like the Scotch brand too and sometimes Office Depot will have them on sale for $2.00! You just have to watch the ad to catch them at the right time!

As you can imagine what you need to do is quite simple. Just wrap your washi tape around the charger and cut in the straightest line you possible can! I would keep in mind the width of the tape and charger. It is easier if the width of the two tapes you choose are an even match to the charger, but if they are not just overlap them.

Ta-da, you have a finish product! Told you this would be easy. Something simple that makes my little heart happy! Sometimes it really is just the little things. Here is the second one that I completed:

Wishing you all a terrific week!

5 for Friday: I {Almost} Survived Teacher Plan Week!

Hello peeps, I hope you all are having a fabulous Friday! If you are still on summer vacation I'm not going to hide it- I'm very jealous! I've been back at work this week trying to get into the groove of the routine again! Classroom set-up has been in full swing and I'm getting ready for Open House later today.

Oh boy was Monday morning a crazy start, here's how it went.....I woke-up did my morning thing: take a few minutes to myself, get ready, make coffee, and start to gather my stuff to get on the road. EXCEPT, one vitally important item was missing. Any guesses? (Hint: Check out the picture below!)

Yes, you guessed correctly. My keys. They were no where in sight. Not in any couch cushions, not buried in any teacher bag, not underneath any papers. They were NOT in my house. I'll let you ponder and wonder on where you think my keys were actually located. So keep thinking on it and maybe I'll tell you at the end of this post...

I cannot contain my excitement over my agenda board letters and table numbers!!! They are going to look great up around my room.

Books, Books, Books

I feel like I've been buried in books for days. They are everywhere in my room, which is a huge goal of mine. Just because I think they are in every corner doesn't mean I will stop investing in them. My theory is that you cannot have too many. However, trying to get all of these books leveled and labeled is a whole different story, fortunately though I have amazing sisters who always help. We got many labeled and organized as I start to continue into the school year I will work on organizing them even more. For now, I am happy with where they are at. However deciding on checkout procedures is a different ball game. I have used Classroom Booksource in the past and last year I chose to use index cards. My index card system simply required students to bring me their index card before checking out a new book, which lead me to the problem of books disappearing. Classroom Booksource was good, I just did not have a reliable internet connection, but the site allowed for me to have a better grasp on checkouts. This year I will have a 1:1 iPad classroom so I am thinking of giving it another go. As you can see my struggle is real. What are your thoughts on classroom library management???

Let's talk stickers and Erin Condren planners real quick. I have no comparison to any other planners except the teacher planner provided by schools BUT I adore my EC planner. It is my go to for all things planning and I'm even more excited that I have extra checklist sheets in the back this year to include grades. Unfortunately it can't hold everything (let's be honest-we have to keep up with a lot of things!). It does however have these adorably simple number stickers! I don't know if I got these in my EC planner last year. I just wrote the numbers in the tiny circles, however I have already put these stickers in all their correct places and spaces for each month, except for August. I already wrote them. It's the little things!

As I look ahead to my first week with kiddos, my brain is open to 100 tabs each hour and constantly thinking of more to do. I can go into the week ahead knowing I have at least one thing planned for the week! My first day read aloud...

Yes, I am reading this picture book to my fifth graders. "First Day Jitters" by Julie Danneberg is a fun, surprising little book that I enjoy reading with my kiddos immensely. I know they are going to enjoy this story on Monday! If you are still searching for the perfect first day read aloud book you need to stop everything now, go to the local bookstore and get this book because your search is over.

...so if you're still paying attention and still wondering, my keys were at a local restaurant, not even in the same zip code as me. Yep, that's a true real life story! They fell out of my purse during lunch. Things could have been worse and I did SURVIVE teacher plan week! If you haven't already joined in the linky fun with Doodle Bugs Teaching, you should. Wishing you all a relaxing, terrific weekend!

Five for Friday: B2S Edition

I'm starting to look forward to this every week Friday linky party with Doodlebugs Teaching. There are many crazy, wonderful things can happen in a week and I love getting to share!

Let's discuss back to school. Yes, I just said back to school. That time when your to-do list becomes a mile long and there's never enough hours in the day. It's completely crazy that we are already at that time to return for another new school year! Where did the summer go? I always go into the summer with these fabulous ideas, books to read, and things to work on along with the need to relax. Do I ever get it all done in that time? No way and when I get closer to the new upcoming school year my gears keep spinning with even more ideas. BUT that's okay because I learned to accept a long time ago, precisely during my first teacher weekend, that my list will always be a mile long. And who did I learn this valuable lesson from?! My dear Momma Dukes! It's a conversation in my head that I will never forget and constantly play over in my mind when I start to feel overwhelmed. It was a big epiphany for me! I was leaving my first ever classroom with three bags on my arm and the phone attached to my ear talking to my mom complaining (go figure) when she stopped me in my track with her words and said, "Ashley, I think a teacher's to do list is never done, you are just going to have to prioritize and tackle the most important first." Is she a teacher? No, but she sure did have an understanding that I quickly learned. My point in telling you this story? When you are feeling overwhelmed by all the things you need to do? Prioritize and PICK your top items to get done and focus on!

I officially return to work on Monday for our week of planning, which means I've already been spending my week at the school working on my classroom set-up. My biggest projects this past week were painting...anything and everything that I could find! I started with the need to repaint my Ikea bookshelves and kept on adding pieces to paint (hey, I already had the paint, why not?!), like my cubbies and another bookshelf. Here's a little peek into what my room is looking like now, I still have much to do during work next week, especially with Open House being NEXT Friyay!

R-E-F-L-E-C-T-I-O-N-S As I want my students to reflect on themselves and their work, I too must do the same. Before the start of the summer, I didn't have a blog, I didn't have a Twitter account, and I didn't even know what in the world Periscope was! Now??? I have all three! All three and I've put myself in front of the camera on Periscope. Say what?! Who is this girl? An inspired, motivated teacher! Am i proud of myself? Heck yes! Am I still nervous, scared, and constantly second-guessing myself? Heck yes! BUT my dreams and goals are bigger than me and I have to set aside my fears to be a positive force and motivator for my students and fellow educators!

Have y'all seen this Peter Brunn book? I'm only half way into it and I've already wrote down many important, inspirational quotes. Add this book to your TBR list, if you haven't already read it! One of my most favorite quotes that I put inside my Teacher-Seller Planner was "If we don't create predictable times and space to do the important things in our life, we simply won't do them." There's so much truth in this and my goal throughout the year is to set aside the time to reflect on my teaching and make my planning more intentional.

Setting aside time for intentional planning and reflecting leads to my next quote from Peter Brunn...

As I sit down each week to plan, my ultimate goal is to carve out reading and writing time EACH and EVERY day. I've always been a big believer in the power of read to self and start out my year strong with independent reading time (writing is my weakness and I'm not afraid to admit it), but when the days go along read to self time somehow gets lost. This year that IS NOT happening in my classroom because I will strive to create a life-long reader AND writer in all of my scholars! What are your classroom curriculum nonnegotiables???

Assess Me: Week 2

I interrupt your yearly schedule back to school TPT shopping time a new assessment! Joining The Tattooed Teacher Blog for Round 2!

It's never too late to join in the linky fun! Here are my results...

Quick Notes: (1)Jeans are a Friday MUST, but if we are talking during the weekday I'm a Maxi Skirt kind of girl! (2) It depends on the item for shopping online or in the store...some items just NEED to be seen in person. (3)I'm an early bird during the school year, but during summertime I become a night owl! Recommence the TPT shopping!

Sparkly Mason Jars for the Win!

I'm getting to join Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for her weekly Monday Made It linky party! Yes, I actually made something!

I started this mason jar project to practice for an upcoming baby shower that will need these style mason jars on the table for decoration, but I think I found a new hobby (like I need another one). I fell in live with the results of these jars!

What You'll Need: Glass Jar Acrylic Paint Color of Your Choice Mod Podge: Gloss Foam Square Brush Glitter Painting Tape Ruler Couple Sheets of Paper Quick Notes on What I Specifically Used: Martha Stewart Glitter (worked great!) & Acrylic Paint were my brand choices, but it does not have to be those two. I also chose to use the large mason jars, but ANY jar can be used including the cleaned out Publix Spaghetti jar. Yes, that was what I used for the all over sparkly jar!
To prepare your work area, I would lay a towel or sheet down where you will be completing your craft. The glitter falls everywhere, yes you may very well be sparkling for a day or two after the project is done! I would also use a sheet of paper to put globs of glue on when painting. First paint your entire jar with the acrylic paint color of your choice using the foam brush. I gave both of my jars three coats to ensure they were well covered.

Second, after you have the three coats on the jar and they have dried, measure how much glitter you would like to display on the bottom of the jar. These jars have a one and a half inch cover of glue, for my next set I plan to try two inches. I think a little more covering of the glitter on the bottom would look better.

Next, I would use painting tape to mark your glitter area all the way around the jar.

Using a fresh foam brush, place Mod Podge glue below the painting tape line. I would try to get as little glue as possible on the tape because it will be easier peeling the tape off later if there is not glue all over it.

BEFORE putting your glitter on the glue, make sure to have sheet of paper underneath to collect all the loose glitter. Shake glitter onto the bottom of your jar where you have placed glue. I repeated the same theory as before with the paint and did three coverings of glitter too.

After getting three coats completed, it was time to take off my painter's tape. Be extremely careful when removing! I used a razor blade to cut an even line around because the glitter is layered and thick. On one of my jars the paint completely peeled off in a section but luckily it was fixable. These jars were fun to make and stunning to look at, but be prepared to spend some time creating them! It was a sloooowww process!

-Bulletin Board Fun-

I am beyond excited to join Angie from Mrs. Olson's Lucky Little Learners and Ashley from Schroeder Shenanigans for their monthly #2getherwearebetter link-up.

This month's linky party is focusing on Bulletin Boards. I have just recently switched school districts, so I've spent much of my time completely focused on moving my classroom in my little Scion TC. However, I was at least able to get my bulletin boards half-way put up! I say half-way because they may have a background and border, but that is about as far as I got this week. In my new classroom, I have two bulletin boards as opposed to previously only having one. My materials I used on both of my boards are fabric. Last year was my first year using any kind of fabric on bulletin boards and I decided to go with that again this year. Call me crazy, but the first thing I did before putting my fabric on the board was give it a good ironing. (Okay, in this case my little sister gave the fabric a good ironing because she was helping that day)! I used this same pink material last year and it bothered me the whole year that there was a crease right down the middle, so I made sure to fix that first thing for this upcoming year.

After getting my fabric crease-free, I stapled them to my board the best I could. Sometimes it was a little hard to work with in the way of getting the fabric completely flat and smooth with no bubbling.

Once I had the fabric completely covering my board, border was up next. I ran into a problem with my first board...

NOT enough border!!! This board is one I put up last year and when I took it down I remember throwing away a few of the small pieces, which is why I couldn't find them in any of my boxes. Then I thought about needing to put my pom poms up too. It was an easy fix to just put them over a corner space with no border, although I wish I had thought of that before putting all of the border completely up first!

My second bulletin board in my room is longer, so I decided to divide it into two sections. I will be honest and say I haven't completely decided if I like the owls as a background fabric. Although the more that I look at the picture, the more that I like it. However, I think placing anything on it may be a challenge. I'm going to have to choose wisely when it comes to deciding what to put on the board because the owls can be distracting. I was thinking of framing some things to put on this board, but first I must decide what will go on the board! Student work? Technology stuff? A book quote board? The possibilities are endless! Sometimes decisions are hard. I'm excited to peruse other bulletin boards for inspiration because #2getherwearebetter!