Clever Classroom

7 Steps to Set up your Classroom Library

2015-08-31T18:09:00.004+10:00

How do you set up your classroom library?

Photo by Kelli Walker Olson

There's a lot to think about! I mean it has to be inviting and aesthetically pleasing. Do you go with a theme, a color or just what goes? Then it has to be functional, systematic, and well just super organized. How do you source the books? What furnishing do you put in the space? Do you set it up in a corner, on the side of the room. How big can you have it?

With the help of our fabulous Facebook fans, I have organized the set up of your classroom library into seven systematic and easy to follow steps.

Step 1: Library Location

Decide on where your library will fit in your room.

Photo from Diane Woodman LaCasse Diane has a beachy theme for her third grade classroom. She has used the corner of her room to set up her classroom library.

I like to set mine in a corner if I can. It makes it a quieter space for students. I try to ensure there is a power outlet close by for my CD player.

Photo by Jessica Eitzen

Jessica says she has limited room and makes use of the shelving to divide spaces effectively.

Step 2: Furnishings, seating and other 'stuff''.

What furnishings do you already have and what do you need? Will you provide seating or will children sit on the floor? What other things could you add?

Add pillows, bath mats, mats or rugs, stools (IKEA ones are perfect), small tables, beanbags, carpet, crates with pillows, old buckets with round pillows, a lamp, material to drape, shelf to highlight books, space for a CD player or docking system, teddy bears, dolls and puppets and a mirror to read to.

Photo by Christina O'Connor Ciolino Christina says that she uses the shelf to display the weekly themed books. She says she switches out the themed books each week so there is something new.

I have seen teachers use a few fluffy bath mats in their classroom library. You know the ones with grip that stay in place.

Photo by Laura Erwin Coyne

Laura allows space for book buddies and props to read to and with.

Photo by Teaching Style UK

Step 3: Library Functions.

What will the library be used for and how will this impact where you place your furnishings, shelves, books and other stuff?

Will you use your library for Daily 5, reading groups, listening centers, buddy reading, interventions, small group work, pair reading or something else?

Photo by Teaching Style UK

Photo by Angelica Amador

Angelica says, "I use IKEA magazine boxes for organization. The bench was made with 2 crates and the extra shelf wrapped in fabric. The kids love to hang out here! So do I. "

Photo by Dorine Weaver- Jabai

Step 4: Sourcing Books.

What books do you already have? Can your school provide books or do you have to purchase them?

Finding second hand books at yard sales (offer to buy the whole lot for a discounted price) or thrift store can be much cheaper than buying them brand new. Sometimes library's might have older, unwanted books at library sales. Can you ask parents to donate unused books?

Scholastic book fairs and book clubs have cheaper options for new books. You could also apply through Donor's Choose for classroom books or furnishings.

Step Five: Class theme.

Do you have a classroom theme that can carry over to your library? Do you need to color-code book boxes?

Step 6: Organizing and categorizing.

How are you going to organize your books?

Photo by Sheri Engstrom

Sheri says, "I have over 3,000 books that I organize by series. Nonfiction ones are in crates mainly or sorted by people & animal labels!"

Sheri likes to use mobile carts for book series. She says, "Carts are helpful if you run out of room!"

Setting up your classroom library with a workable and practical system will help your students find, use and return their books. What system do you use? Do you label your shelves or book boxes alphabetically, numerically, by theme, fictional and non-fictional? Could you organize your books by series or level?

Using book labels to categorize different types of books for the younger grades will help them find and return books. It also teaches them that we can categorize books and these books teach us about different topics.

Click here to see the book bin labels.

You could categorize books them by level, numerically or alphabetical.

These round alphabet labels will do the job.

I have used the alphabet labels for our word wall too.

Click here to see the round alphabet labels.

Click here to add your image to our Facebook post.

Step 7: Step up expectations.

Model, discuss, praise, revisit what reading in the classroom looks like, sounds likes, feel like. Take photos of students reading.

Revisit how to treat books and brainstorm do's and don''ts.

Discuss model, praise and revisit how to find and then put books back in their correct place.

Tip: You could place round color dots on the books and have them correspond with the book bin label by placing the same color dot on it.

I hope these steps and tips help you get your library up and going.

Thanks for dropping by.

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Never Ending Sight Words!

2015-08-18T17:17:00.000+10:00

I am so excited to share with you that I have finally gotten around to putting all my sight word resources into one HUMONGOUS file!

Well this is exciting stuff because not only does it included every sight word bundle I have made but, any sight word resources that I make from now on, will be added to this file.

This means that once it's yours, you can log back in a re-download the file and grab what ever I have added FOR FREE.

It's kind of like a lifetime membership to all things sight words by Clever Classroom!

I love creating literacy resources and I especially adore making sight word activities that are a bit different and also hands-on.

Here's what's included in this HUGE, NEVER ENDING bundle.

At the moment, there are 28 files included in this ONE FILE.

By clicking on the images in the Quick Find Menu (within the file), you will be taken to that file, within the huge file.

The resources included in the file are fun and or hands-on and interactive.

I know that children learn best when highly engaged and motivated.

The files included aim to have children physically active and involved.

I have included a range of resources that will help assess sight fluency, engage students to read sight words in different voices, use gross-motor muscles to practice words, as well as fun ways to write their words and also interact with games in small groups.

This file IS the ultimate sight word file.

I will be adding sight word resources regularly. To see my most recent files, click here.

To see this bundle, click here.

If you have any questions, please drop me a message via my TpT store.

Sight Word Never Ending Bundle

Did you hear the news? Teachers Pay Teachers is having a ONE DAY BONUS SALE.

Would you like to win a $50 Teachers Pay Teachers gift certificate to spend at the sale?

Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be announced here and also on Clever Classroom's Facebook page six hours before the sale ends. You will be able to spend your certificate at the one day sale.

Thanks for dropping by.

30 Books that Teach Social Skills

2015-08-14T19:40:00.003+10:00

I love a good book list and I especially love sifting through the book store.

I often search Amazon prior to buying books, so that I know what I am looking for.

I have research loads of books that will help you to teach social skills in your setting.

The books cover a range of social skills that can be taught both at home and at school.

This huge list can be used year round as well as the beginning of the new school year.

Click on the image to read more about the book over on Amazon.

Click on any of the images to see them on Amazon.

I know how important it is to explicitly teach any skill, and this includes social skills, specifically manners and classroom expectations. After reading a book that focuses on a specific skill, I try to integrate my social skills posters.

I focus on one poster as needed. If there is a general trend of behavior, I will address introduce or revisit it with the whole group. Sometimes I just do this with individuals, as needed.

I have the posters laminated and displayed, and I also print off in black and white version and bind it (or you can just staple it). We use the social skills books to break down one expectation at a time. We discuss what it looks like, sounds like and feels like. Sometimes I integrate it into writing journals by first asking students to draw themselves working on that skill, for example; taking turns, listen your friends, read quietly, or use friendly talk with your classmates.

The posters are a great preventative strategy if you go through one skill per week. I spot the children who are doing this and highlight them straight away. It's a concrete way for students to learn what is expected of them in the classroom.

I also take it one step further and have a reading and writing activity that directly relates to the social skills posters. The Social Skills Flippy Books integrate literacy skills, while explicitly teaching and or revisiting social skills.

See even more social skills resources here.

You may also like the very first social skills book list.

You might also like the hundreds of social skills ideas I have collected on my Social Skills Pinterest board.

Back to School Must Have Resources and a SALE

2015-08-02T11:00:00.000+10:00

A few of my friends from the Primary Chalkboard blog are linking up to show you our must have resources for back to school.

It's a great time to grab any resources you need as Teachers Pay Teachers is having a HUGE Back to School sale. You know the ones that only ever happen each quarter. I'm so excited because I have a huge wishlist and can't wait to download my favorite resources!

Be sure to use CODE BTS15 as you go through checkout to grab an extra 10% off.

I have all my resources on sale at 20% off for two days.

Here are some must haves for K-2.

Classroom Manners and Expectations Posters - Social Skills

Focus on one expectation as the need arises or one each week. Create posters to display or compile as a book where you discuss the expectation with the whole class, small groups or individuals.

Social Skills Mini Flippy Books

Developing desired expectations both at the beginning of the year and throughout is a vital foundation in any classroom.

These flippy books are perfect for the explicit teaching of classroom social skills and expectations.

This is great for using as a back to school and a yearlong project.

Classroom Organization Super Mega Pack – 76 files

This file is packed with resources to get your classroom organized and ready for the entire year. See more in the preview file. It's already 50% off and during the sale it will be 20% off.

Making and Writing Fall Sentences for Kindergarten {vocab cards & sentence work}

Students love using this scaffolded approach to both reading and writing themed sentences with basic sentence structures. This file is available for all seasons in the BUNDLE.

Printables for any Word List

The huge file is full of pages that you can use with any word list. One teachers said, "I love this!!! I'm so glad that it can be geared towards whatever list you are using, and for multiple levels. I teach Kindergarten, and have levels ranging from kids still learning the alphabet to kids that read at a 2nd grade level. This is perfect!!"

Johnny Appleseed Opinion Writing for First and Second Grade

This unit scaffolds every single stage of opinion writing and helps students learn the purpose, structure and grammatical features of an opinion piece. The pages are ideal for first and second graders.

I can Read Emergent Center Activities - School Themed BUNDLE

This bundle is perfect for emergent readers. There are centers and printables to last the entire year. Each activity is centered around basic sentence structures and school themed vocabulary.

See more discounted back to school resources.

See more discounted BUNDLES.

See more discounted Classroom Organizational resources.

Don't forget to grab your FREE back to school photo posters for Pre-K through to Grade 6.

Be sure to join our giveaway below to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out even more back to school resources from my friends over at the Primary Chalkboard. You will love all their must have resources too!

Thanks for dropping by.

An InLinkz Link-up

Back to School Freebies and a Sale

2015-07-31T15:27:00.001+10:00

Well who can believe it's August already?

August is back to school time for most of our friends and to celebrate Teachers Pay Teachers is having a super-dopper Back to School Sale on August 3rd and 4th (US Eastern Time)

Don't forget to use the CODE: BTS15 as you checkout.

To grab more of a discount, leave feedback for your past purchases. Your feedback equates to money off your purchase.

Every 100 Credits is worth $5 that you can apply towards future TpT purchases, but there is no need to wait until you have 100 to redeem them. 50 credits is worth $2.50, for example.

To save even more, click through to my bundles, I have been adding more BUNDLES the past few months, click here to see the most recent sets. They are all marked at least 25% off the price before the sale.

Click here to see all my resources on sale.

Here are a few top picks for back to school.

Social Skills Flippy Books with Manners/Expectations Posters COMBO (also available as separate files)

Back to School Memory Book for first and second graders.

The a, e, i, o, u Posters - Sounds that Vowels Make Helpers

I'm a First Grade Common Core Star ELA Rubric Posters and Checklists

This huge file also includes differentiated checklists that match the posters.

Alphabet Labels Round Style

Here's a link to all the back to school resources.

If you're getting ready for school, I also have a few freebies that you might like.

Thanks for dropping by.

First Day of School

2015-07-29T21:12:00.000+10:00

Well it's almost that time of year again.

You might be planning out your first day of school.

If you plan on implementing some get to know you activities then you have come to the right place.

On the first day of school I have range of get to know you activities. We sing, "What do you Think my Name is, I Wonder if you Know?" Here is a link to the lyrics. For the life of me, I could not find a decent recording of this brilliant song on YouTube. If you find one, please leave a comment below.

Here are some other name songs via YouTube. You could play these on the first day with your students.

Click here for even more back to school YouTube songs.

After I sing "What do you Think my Name is, I Wonder if you Know?" I read, "The Name Jar" by Yangsook Choi.

After reading the book, we discuss how our name is one thing that makes us unique.

Older students could go one step further to discuss things that make them unique. The Happy Feet - Glorias Heart Song (Day at School) video is the perfect introduction for this.

When I taught Kindergarten, I would place everyone's name on the carpet while the children sit in a circle. They come to find their name (usually in pairs) and place it in the jar. The jar represents our class and that we are individuals, part of a group.

Grab these FREE name plates to laminate and write students' names.

Later in the day, I would have my Kindergarten students trace their name on laminated cards. Some children wanted to practice writing their name on paper. I would have blank and lined paper ready for this.

Grab this free download with lined paper for name writing. The paper could be used with the desk plates above once you write names on laminated plates.

We would also count the letters in our name, find the first letter of our name, around the room.

Do you have any get to know you activities that have been successful in your classroom. Please let us know what they are, and which grade you teach in the comments below.

Our Facebook fans have SO MANY IDEAS for the first day of school.

Anita (4th grade): ""On the first day of school, I read the book, "Everybody Needs a Rock." It describes how to find the perfect rock that fits your personality and for homework they have to find their rock. The second day, we sit in a circle and go around letting everyone explain how/why their rock represents them. After each person has spoken, we place their rock into our rock cauldron. This is for my 4th graders. I teach at a school with a very high transient population. So, this mini ceremony is a way of bonding the students together as a classroom community, however long it lasts. When students leave, we have an outgoing rock ceremony. When we get new students, we have another incoming ceremony. Over the year, students are allowed to change their rocks if they feel they have grown in some way. They really love it!"

Beth (1st grade): "1st grade: We read Chrysanthemum and do various name activities. We work on a Venn diagram that compares kindergarten and first grade. We work on a paper that shows how many letters, numbers, and words they can write."

Edit: Beth also wanted to let you all know that; " I use Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series a great deal those first weeks. With simple words and pictures, this hilarious author makes it easy to teach characters, setting, plot, character motivation and main idea. I have not had one 1st grade group that hasn't adored them. Once I introduce them, the librarian can't keep the books in the library."

Christina (grade unknown): "Every year we've done People Bingo! (Google people bingo template), made name bugs, and this past year we did a time capsule - the students drew a picture of how the looked on the first day, created a writing prompt; "On the first day of school..." with a picture, and also included a handwriting sheet - we stuffed an envelope with these three items and opened it up during the last week of school. The kids couldn't believe what they wrote and laughed at their handwriting and the idea of how much they've grown."

Denise (K-2): "I have taught K for 8 years, 2nd for one year. Moving to 1st this year. In the past, I have always read "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" and we do a cute bucket filling activity. I love bucket filling for building classroom community. I also read Robert Munsch's book "We Share Everything", a silly book about two student's first day of school. Kids love it!

There are dozens of ideas from our Facebook fans. Pop on over and read them, I promise that you will be inspired. Here's the link to see all of them.

Beyond getting to know you activities, I also do the following on the first day of school.

Classroom tour

School tour

Establish 5 key rules

Detail expectations and social skills (explicitly teach in coming days and weeks using my social skills expectations posters)

Ask students what they think they might learn.

Observe social skills, personalities and abilities and make notes

What do you do?

Don't forget to grab this freebie to use with your first day of school photos. The posters are available for grades Pre-K to Six. The file is revised each year so you can drop back in and download the update.

Oh and I have loads of back to school ideas for you on this super busy Pinterest board.

Thanks so much for dropping by.

Whimsy Workshop Teaching & Clever Classroom Newsletters

2015-07-26T16:52:00.000+10:00

I'm teaming up with my good friend Susanna from Whimsy Workshop Teaching to launch our newsletters. Susanna and I know that we want to offer our you awesome ideas that you can use in the classroom. We are both compassionate about literacy and have so many ideas that we want to share with you.

By signing up, you get the freebies below. We will be offering more exclusive freebies in our newsletters. Who doesn't like a freebie? Each of us will also be packing our newsletters with ideas that you can take straight to the classroom.

Susanna and I are both mad about literacy and wanted to share something that reflected that.

We hope that these free downloads come in super handy.

To grab the two free downloads, click below to subscribe to our monthly newsletters.

Susanna's - Whimsy Workshop Teaching and mine;

Clever Classroom.

The first freebie is from Susanna at Whimsy Workshop Teaching.

Giant Sight Words Game Board

Make a giant board game for your students to revise their sight words.

Students write down the words they land on, and review at the end of the game. This game will engage students as it is exciting and HUGE! The game can be "never ending" because students are prompted to turn around and go back.

For even more phonics game boards like this one, for the whole year, see Susanna's "Phonics Game Boards Full Year Bundle (70 Boards) - Whimsy Workshop Teaching".

The second freebie is from Me (Clever Classroom).

Free Vowels Desk Chart

Print out the color or black and white desk strips and place them on student desks.

Children will use them as a ready reference when spelling and writing.

An master sheet of sounds and example words has also been included (see bottom image).

These vowels desk charts and poster can be found in our "The a, e, i, o, u Posters - Sounds that Vowels Make Helpers" in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Here is what is in the free download.

The vowel file comes in black and white too.

Our newsletters are full of great ideas, information for busy teachers, not to mention exclusive freebies, discounts and giveaways only offered to our subscribers. Click below to subscribe.

Whimsy Workshop Teaching

Clever Classroom

Thank you for dropping by.

TpT Vegas Conference 2015

2015-07-24T12:02:00.000+10:00

Conference Fun!

I was lucky enough to attend the Teachers Pay Teachers #tptvegas15 again this year! Wow they sure know how to do it right.

Look at where the conference was held!

The Venetian Palazzo is beyond dazzling, it's crazy beautiful and crazy BIG! The image below is just off the foyer and on the way to the rooms, ah-mazing.

If you have ever thought about joining Teachers Pay Teachers to share your knowledge and skills with thousands of teachers from all over the world, then I cannot begin to tell you how much you will gain on multiple levels.

Teachers Pay Teachers is a strong, connected and highly professional community, full of teachers who care about outcomes for children and professional growth for their peers.

I was lucky enough to experience all of these traits and more at the Teachers pay Teachers (TpT) Conference, from both amazing and talented teachers, who not only know their stuff, but are genuinely good people.

I flew half way around the world last week to attend the second, annual Teachers Pay Teachers Conference, #tptvegas2015 in Las Vegas. The conference this year was entitled:

You might be thinking to yourself, “Why would anyone travel for 22 hours to hang out with a bunch of teachers?” Well I can honestly say that I had the best time of my professional career. I was lucky enough to attend the first Teachers Pay Teachers Conference last year, but this year was absolutely AMAZING!

I spent so much time with friends that I have made online and it was like hanging out with old friends. Thank you to all my dear blogging friends for the memories, I am one grateful lady!

I hung out with my dear friend, Susanna from Whimsy Workshop Teaching, We chatted for hours and when we did, it seemed like no one else was even there, yet there were hundreds of people around us!

I joined the Primary Chalkboard (collaborative blog) last year after hanging out with a few of them in Vegas. Susanna is also a member of the Primary Chalkboard. Now, I am getting a bit emotional as I write this because I’m drafting this on the plane as we sit at McCarran airport, in Las Vegas. I really miss my Chalky friends. Thanks for the memories friends, I will never forget the deep connections I made and am grateful to be a part of a group of teachers who genuinely care and work hard as educators and teacher-authors.

Our Chalkie dinner slash baby shower for our expectant mom, Naomi (Reading like a Rockstar) and our new mom, Alyssha (Teaching and Tapas).

I had my first ever Starbucks and Christina shouted me a caramel thingy! Thanks Christina for making my first Starbucks experience super fun and yummy, even though I can't remember what it was called!

Autumn (Primary Techie) and Greg (Kindergarten Smorgasboard) had rockin' booths at the SDE exhibition stands. We all went to visit them and show our support, go Autum and Greg!

Crazy Chalkies!

Some of the Chalkies even got a stretch hummer to Freemont Street where Becca from Miss Giraffe joined us! Now that was a highlight. thanks Jessica Tobin!

More crazy Chalkies!

Here are some of the members of the Primary Chalboard at the Keynote on day one. Oh and Paul (Founder) decided to literally jump in and join us!

If you have been thinking about becoming a Teacher-Author, I recommend it on so many levels. Not only can you share your skills and knowledge to empower teachers and in turn help students all of the world, you will form amazing relationships and deep friendships with the most amazing people. It really is all there waiting for you.

Adam Freed CEO and I at the International Sellers Luncheon

Susanna from Whimsy Workshop Teaching, Paul Edelman and I at the keynote.

Oh happy day! Thanks for always believing Paul (enter Journey and 'Don't Stop Believin').

Below: Paul, Adam and Rachel address the Keynote on day one.

Teachers who sell their resources on TpT, are so helpful and network to help each other and grow as both teachers and teacher-bloggers.

Both Teacher-Authors and the staff at TpT are so supportive and to quote a top TpT seller, Rachel Lynette;

Image from Conquer Daily

If you are not already part of this wonderful community, then I highly recommend that you join us. The conference was full of talented presenters who new what they were talking about. Not only is TpT a place to grow as a person, it is a generator of friendships and connections for both sellers and the Teacher-Buyers who help to change the world.

I would just like to take this opportunity to the Teachers Pay Teacher staff who organized an brilliant conference. Props to Jillian who headed up all things conference themed! I especially thank Paul for acting on a dream he had many, many years ago (eternally grateful) and Amy who is now Director of Seller Happiness! I warm thank you to Adam for all his direction, knowledge and passion. Without you all we would not have had the most amazing time, with the most amazing people.

Thanks for dropping by.

FREE First Day of School Picture Posters 2015-2016

2015-07-08T02:30:00.000+10:00

Grab your back to school freebie via our TpT store.

By popular demand the first day of school photo posters are back and updated.

Pop on over and download them and choose which one you will use with your children or students.

You might like to use the photos to make a PowerPoint presentation. Some teachers have told me that they made one for the beginning of the year and then one at the end of the year. I have end of the year (last day of school) posters in my store for free too. Each of these posters are updated every year.

Click on any of the image to go to the free download.

For more back to school resources, click here.

Interactive Sight Word Fun Children will Love

2015-07-03T01:00:00.000+10:00

Making sight words fun and hands-on can be a challenge. Thinking of ideas that will challenge students is something that is always on my mind.

Children learn by having fun, so I have tried to make this bundle loads of fun, with a unique way to work on both fluency and word work.

Children will be actively engaged and not even know they are learning!

Be sure to grab the FREE files in the first and second grade edition preview files on the last pages.

I have bundled up all the files so that you have them all in one place, plus save a few dollars. By downloading the BUNDLE, you save 25% which means you get one whole file for FREE!

In this file, students are given flash cards to practice sight words, then they move on to their printables. Students will firstly have opportunities to work on their sight word fluency and then work with the words.

These prinatbles also come in black and white.

Each level (Pre-Primer, Primer, First and Second Grade Dolch words) has these pages.

Each level has a cover and checklist page.

Grab these pages for for free.

First Grade:

Second Grade:

Here are a few more ideas that might help you implement a hands-on approach to learning sight words.

What We're Chalking About JULY: A Visual Blog Calendar

2015-07-01T20:00:00.000+10:00

My friends over at the Primary Chalkboard have scheduled a bunch of helpful tips and ideas for July.

Our experienced teacher-bloggers have amazing content they are excited to share with you.

Check them all out via The Primary Chalkboard blog.

Thanks so much for dropping by.

30 Back to School Tips to Help you Save Money and get Organized

2015-06-29T11:28:00.000+10:00

I'm teaming up with some blogging friends, Jennifer from Simply Kinder and Emily from Education to the Core to bring you a load of back to school tips.

It has been many years since I began as a new teacher, and in my first year I had so much to learn.

One of those things I would have loved more information on is how much money I would spend on getting started and how I could have save a bit along the way.

I also learned that I should of prepared more prior to starting my new position on Kindergarten. It took me many years to develop organizational systems for my classrooms.

Were you the same way? Are you looking for ideas to help get your classroom organized?

This might be a not be a tip but I think it might make you laugh!

The tips below are for new teachers, BUT they also apply to experienced teachers, take a look for yourself!

One of our Facebook fans asked: "I am curious, how much money do teachers invest for their first year teaching (either prior to or during)? When do teachers get started (during the summer) with planning and preparing for the upcoming year?"

Here are some tips our Facebook fans shared (see post here) to help new teachers make a smoother transition.

1. Be prepared to spend money. Most of our Facebook fans mentioned that they spend between $200-$1,000 per year.

2. Join Scholastic to get discounted books. Try their Teacher Express store by clicking the image below.

3. Visit yard sales and second-hand stores to find discounted books and games. You can search Craig's List or your local paper for the ones in your area.

4. Visit discount stores like The Dollar Store or The Dollar Tree for storage containers, games, craft, stationery and even furniture.

Try Dollar tree's online store here.

5. Save your receipts for taxation purposes. You might like to use the new app; Expensify to scan your receipts. Here's a link to their website. Here's a link to their FREE app.

6. Ask your school if they have a budget for teachers to purchase consumables and or resources for the classroom.

7. Find a veteran teacher that is willing to help you. You might be able to borrow items.

8. Decide on a theme or even a color theme and shop for those items.

9. Look for sales online and in catalogs.

10. Shop on Teachers Pay Teachers, there are so many resources that are bundled to help you save.

11. Register for and request material through donorschoose.org it will save you tons of money.

12. If you are ordering things online, allow extra time.

13. Try and get into your classroom as soon as you can. If you set up as much as you can early, you will see what you else you need.

14. Use Pinterest to collect ideas. It will be your best friend! Make a board for different aspects of your classroom and curriculum.

15. Collaborate with your team as much as possible before and during the year.

16. Even if you don't have your class list, you can set up folders and group plans.

17. Search eBay for books, teaching supplies and even teaching resources.

18. Print everything at school, use school supplies when possible.

19. Get into the classroom during the break and sort through what has been left in your classroom. This will give you a better idea as to what you will need.

20. Use parents as your support. Think of things they can bring in. Be sure to check with admin first though.

21. Spend money on things you know will get lots of use and last a long time (printer, laminator, card stock, books).

22. Look out for the Back to School Sales.

23. Stock up on laminating sheets and try to buy them wholesale or on sale.

24. Write a welcome letter to gift to your students. It's a great transition into the year.

Serenade to Second has a letter she uses each year. She adds this to a welcome bag. What a fantastic idea to welcome your new students.

Click on the image to read more.

25. Only purchase what you need.

26. Invest in your wardrobe too!

27. Look for swap sights were you can trade with other teachers. You might be able to find some on Facebook after a search.

28. Invest in a quality laminator, don't buy the cheap ones, they break!

29. Purchase the basic necessities like; a bulletin board for calendar time, alphabet (letters) number line name plates, posters, magnetic letters and containers.

30. After you have cleaned your room, make a floor plan to see what will fit and how the plan shapes your program. This will then help you write your shopping list.

Here are some back to school resources to help you get organized and save!

If you have any tips that could help a new teacher out, please leave them in the comments below.

If you would like to visit Clever Classroom on Facebook for more ideas, or to send me a message, click the image below.

To see even more back to school tips, see Emily's blog post: ''Best Back to School Tips for Real Teachers"

or Jennifer's post: Back to School Tips.

You might also like these back to school resources.

Back to School Memory Book

Social Skills Mini Flippy Books

FREE Class Attention Grabbers

Classroom Manners and Expectations Posters - Social Skills

Making and Writing Fall Sentences for Kindergarten {vocab cards & sentence work}

Thank you for dropping by.

Back to School Pinterest Boards that Inspire

2015-06-27T19:26:00.000+10:00

Are you looking for back to school ideas?

Well if you're like me, you like collecting ideas on Pinterest!

I have collected a bunch of boards, mine and some of my blogging friends for you below.

Click on the images and links to start pinning!

Here are some of my boards.

I run a collaborative Pinterest board with a bunch of awesome teacher-bloggers.

★ Classroom Management, Social Skills and Organizational Ideas

More collaborative boards for back to school:

Erin Wing from Home Literacy blueprint, runs a huge collaborative board for New Teachers.

Rachel Lynette from Minds in Bloom, runs a collaborative board for Classroom Management.

Debbie Clements from Rainbows within Reach, runs a collaborative board for Bulletin Boards and Doors

Here is a round-up of even more boards for your back to school journey, from my blogging friends.

Classroom Chit Chat - B A C K ~ T O ~ S C H O O L

Melinda Crean (Top Notch Teaching) - Classroom & Student Management

Mel Lloyd (From the Pond) - Classroom

Chalk One up for the Teacher - Make My Life Easier - SCHOOL Version

Jen Bengel - Back to School

Bec Perry (Stars and Wishes) - Back to School

Bec Perry (Stars and Wishes) - Classroom Organisation

Bec Perry (Stars and Wishes) - Classroom Management

2 Brainy Apples - 2 Brainy Apples Classroom Organizational Tips

2 Brainy Apples - 2 Brainy Apples Other Classroom Ideas

Miss Decarbo - Classroom Decor

Ciera Harris - Back to School

Teach123 - A+ DISCIPLINE & BEHAVIOR MGMT. for Teachers

Teach123 - A+ CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION

Teach123 - A+ Classroom Themes, Decor, & Units

Sea of Knowledge - Back to School / End of Year

Kylie Smith (Miss Smartie Pants) - Classroom decor!

Kylie Smith (Miss Smartie Pants) - Social & Emotional Development

Elizabeth Hah (Liz's early learning Spot) - Emotions and Behaviour for Early Learners

Mrs Edgar (Mrs. Edgar's Class) - Inspiring Classrooms

Little Learners - Behaviour Management

Little Learners - Classroom Organization

Linda Kamp (Around the Kampfire) - Classroom Management & Organization

Linda Kamp (Around the Kampfire) - Back to School

Linda Kamp (Around the Kampfire) - Bulletin Boards

The Write Stuff Teaching - Classroom Organization & Management

The Write Stuff Teaching - Classroom Decor and Bulletin Boards

The Write Stuff Teaching - Happy Learners

Andrea Knight (Creating Readers and Writers) - Classroom Organization

Andrea Knight (Creating Readers and Writers) - Classroom Management

Andrea Knight (Creating Readers and Writers) - Back to School Ideas

Christina Aronen (Sea Bear's Kindergarten) - Back to School

Nicole Rios (Mrs. Rios Teaches Second Grade) - My BACK-TO-SCHOOL

Nicole Rios (Mrs. Rios Teaches Second Grade) - My Classroom Management

Nicole Rios (Mrs. Rios Teaches Second Grade) - My Organized Classroom

Nicole Rios (Mrs. Rios Teaches Second Grade) - Building Character

Sarah Paul (Sarah's First grade Snippets) - Back to School

Sarah Paul (Sarah's First grade Snippets) - organization

Sarah Paul (Sarah's First grade Snippets) - classroom

Sarah Paul (Sarah's First grade Snippets) - classroom management

The Primary Techie - Organization

The Primary Techie - Management

The Primary Techie - Back to School

The Primary Techie - Parents

Jessica Tobin (First Grade Nest) - Decorating the Classroom

Jessica Tobin (First Grade Nest) - Back to School

Jessica Tobin (First Grade Nest) - Organizing the Classroom

Laura Martin (Peace, Love and First Grade) - Back to School

Haley O' Connor - Beginning of the Year

Haley O' Connor - Behavior and Management

Kindergarten Crayons - Back to School

Kindergarten Crayons - Organization In the Classroom

Clever Classroom - Bulletin Boards

Our Back to School Memory Book has so many fun printables to help students start the year.

You might also like our classroom organizational and back to school resources.

I hope you enjoy browsing these inspirational boards and they may your return to school a bit easier.

Thanks for dropping by.

FREE Last Day of School Posters

2015-05-29T13:23:00.000+10:00

I just received a message asking me if I will be updating the Last Day of School Posters.

To be honest, I had forgotten all about them!

The free file comes in five designs and includes posters for Pre-K through to grade six for the 2014-2015 school year.

These free posters are easy to use, simply download the file here, print and have your children or students hold them up as you take a photo.

The photos will be a great keepsake or gift.

I update these each year, so be sure to save this link (bookmark or pin to Pinterest), or follow us to get updates.

Click on any of the images to go to the free download via our TpT store.

I would love to read your feedback. You can do this by refreshing the product page in our TpT store.

I will also be updating the First Day of School posters very soon, be sure to follow us for updates.

I hope this freebie helps to create wonderful memories!

You might like our very popular, End of Year Memory Book to see out the year.

The file also includes loads of activity ideas for whole class and small groups.

Or you might like our Back to School Memory Book.

Thank you for dropping by.

5 Sight Word Activities that are FUN

2015-05-26T10:40:00.001+10:00

We all know that children learn best with practice and repetition, most of us cover this in our daily planning and delivery. However, planning activities that are fun and hands on can be more difficult.

I have come up with 5 fun ways to learn sight words that are also hands-on.

I have teamed up with Jennifer from Simply Kinder and Emily from Education to the Core to bring you a whole bunch of sight word activities.

I love creating resources that are a bit different and require an element of interaction, movement and fun. You can view the interactive/hands-on resources in my store.

1. I love collecting and using inexpensive props for hands-on literacy activities.

Bottle tops and ping pong balls fall in to this category! There are so many things you can do with both bottle tops and ping-pong balls.

1. Use ping pong balls or bottle top lids to create fun, hands-on sight word centers.

Ask staff and students to bring in clean bottle tops. You could hold a table competition to see who brings in the most tops. Collect them in a container and write on the top of each lid with a permanent marker.

You can use any word list for the 5 activities mentioned below.

I have created a whole bunch of bottle top activities with record sheets and instruction cards, all of which can be used with any word list.

Find more of these games in our Bottle Top Games bundle.

2.

Collect and laminate old newspapers, magazine pages, menus, instruction guides, junk mail, flyers, birthday cards, food packaging and school notes.

Keep them all in a container with magnifying glasses (I found mine at the Dollar Store). If you don't have magnifying glasses, children can pretend to be detectives with magnifying glasses.

Now you're ready to go on a word hunt!

Children record the word they find on their hunt, on their record sheets. Click here to download your free record sheets.

3. There aren't that many free sight word apps that are good, but here are some quality ones that I found. Click on the individual links below to go to The App Store for each app.

Click on the individual pictures below to download the app (you will need to be on your mobile device, if not pin the image and come back to it later).

Here are some of the app pictures. I have tried to include as many images of inside the applications as possible.

Click on the image to go to The App Store.

YouTube is a treasure trove of educational resources. I have been making playlists up, which I hope to grow. I have made up two playlists for sight words.

Click here for Dolch sight word videos.

Click here for óther' sight word videos.

4. I love creating hands-on resources to share here, on my blog and also in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

I know that children learn best through play, experimentation and when they are making neuro pathways through positive experiences. These resources aim to make children laugh and engage them as active learners.

Here are a few of my new interactive resources.

GROWING BUNDLE Interactive Sight Word Printables: Fluency and Word Work - The activities are suitable for centers, morning work, guided reading groups, Daily 5.

Children interact with the pages in a hands-on fun way!

Sight Word Fluency Fun Growing Bundle: Includes three sets for each set of Dolch words (Pre-Primer to Grade Two), meaning the words are differentiated.

Interactive Word Spots for any Word List {Editable}

Your reading and word work centers just got a whole lot more fun!

Edit this file or laminate and write on the spots, to include your own list.

Interactive Reading Sticks - Read it and do it {for any word list}

These fun, hands-on cards are just the thing to get your students involved and having fun while learning. Use the cards as reading sticks by placing them in a container or tin, as seen in the images.

Children complete the action while they read the word, see the last image above for the explanation page.

Interactive Reading Sticks for any Word List

Having a fun, hands-on, interactive way to learn new words can help with learning and revising words.

Integrate art whilst learning sight words.

Squish and Seek Sight Words from Playdough to Plato.

Teaching Everyday shows how you can use paper towel to write words.

Oh my Words from our Printables for any Word List.

Fruit Loop Words from A Spoonful of Learning.

I hope all of these activities come in super handy with your young readers.

For even more sight word ideas, drop by Education to the Core and Simply Kinder, to see even more ways your students can learn sight words.

If you are looking for more sight word ideas you might also like our Sight Words Pinterest board.

Thanks for dropping by.

Dear Teacher, You Made A Difference In My Life

2015-05-08T15:14:00.000+10:00

I'm linking up with some teacher-bloggers who are also writing a letter to a teacher. You can see their links below.

Teachers play such an important role in not only a child's life but also an adult's life.

Think about a teacher that has impacted you when you were a child and how they changed your life.

Do you work with someone who has changed you as a teacher or as a mother/father?

Is there a teacher in your child's life that has been pivotal in your child's development?

For me, I will never forget my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Rouland.

You see I was a very shy child, I never talked much, was always scared of adults, and generally lacked confidence and initiative. Many times I felt very invisible and that things were too hard. I grew up in a home where one parent.. let's just say, didn't know how to be a parent. I was very scared of men and unsure what to say, in case I were to upset them. Mr. Rouland changed that for me and I have never forgotten him to this day. Mr. Rouland is still at the same school I went to 28 years ago! In fact, he is the principal. I would love to see him again one day to tell him in person, what he means to me.

Dear Mr. Rouland, You Made A Difference In My Life

25 thank you letters to teachers who left their mark.

Dear Mr. Rouland,

I remember our classroom from all those years ago. We were on the second floor, and our big windows overlooked the playground and the huge bridge into our school.

I remember the way that you conveyed to us daily, that you loved the space and the children who occupied it. You were always so happy and enthusiastic, a trait that told me I was safe. In the previous years leading up to 5th grade, I was timid and withdrawn and never felt like I was part of something bigger, acknowledged, or really helped when I needed it. Everything changed when I got to your class.

You actually took notice of me and saw that I wanted to be part of the class but didn't know how to. You acknowledged me and smiled, listened, asked questions and generally made me feel excited to be in the classroom. You saw when I was struggling and knew I wouldn't ask for help, because I didn't know how to. You helped me when I was too scared to ask for assistance. You made me feel important.

As I slowly accepted you, being the not so scary male figure, I began to open up and talk more. I remember I was more willing to engage with other older males in my life and it was because I was learning that not everyone was mean, angry and scary. I was even acknowledging the change in myself and wondering why, I never talked more in the past.

I remember the day you decided to make a cubby (fort) over the book corner area using old blankets. I wasn't much of a reader at the time because I lacked so much confidence, but when I saw that cubby house, I knew I just had to get in there! I found that I loved books and would always try to get in there, just to be reading! I had always been an avid cubby house builder at home. My mum let us use old blankets and sheets in the yard and my best friend, Alison and I would build and play in them for hours, creating our own little world. You made the classroom homey and safe and I was able to access learning on so many levels because of that. This would influence my philosophy as a teacher in the years to come.

The big turning point for me was the day we had an art project. I knew I enjoyed art, as most kids do, but again, I lacked confidence. I recall we had to draw something, I can't remember exactly what it was, but I drew it inside a bottle. I remember, really thinking about how I was going to draw it in a different way. Then when I took the picture to you at your desk, and the look on your face (I have tears) was so proud, so happy, and so excited to see the drawing that I had created, I melted. I was so happy, that you liked it and that you stopped to actually smile, talk to me about it and acknowledge a glimmer of talent. I felt important and so very happy. I knew I would pursue more arty things because of that experience, and I did. Right there in that moment, was why I decided to become a teacher. In hindsight, it was probably because of all the things you did.

I decided to become a teacher because I knew I could help. I knew that acknowledging children for who they are, and really seeing them, giving time to them and seeing them smile was how I could help them be their best selves. This was to become my teaching pedagogy. Never would I ignore a child, instead I aim to build them up. I know how important to is to their spirit to acknowledge children in the moment. Sometimes you are all they have or need.

Thank you Mr. Rouland for shaping me into the teacher I am. I will never, ever forget you.

Love, Emma (Foster) Farrell

This is just one of many thank you letters to amazing teachers.

Check out more than a dozen other heartfelt letters of thanks to teachers who made a difference. Better yet write one of your own and share it with me or try to track that teacher down and send it to them!

http://carrotsareorange.com/teacher-appreciation-week by Carrots Are Orange

http://notjustcute.com/2015/05/02/thank-you-mr-blanchard by Not Just Cute

http://www.thrivingstem.com/.../lessons-from-my-hs... by Thriving Stem

http://jdaniel4smom.com/.../teacher-appreciation-letter... by JDaniel 4's Mom

http://multitaskingmaven.com/dear-teacher by MultitaskingMaven

http://educationtothecore.com/dear-teacher-you-made-a... by Education To The Core

http://mac-n-taters.blogspot.com/.../teacher-appreciation... by Mac-N-Taters

http://www.encourageplay.com/.../dear-mrs-oneill-you-made... by EncouragePlay

http://www.simplykinder.com/teacher-appreciation by Simply Kinder

http://www.theeducatorsspinonit.com/.../teacher... by The Educators Spin On It

http://www.mrsjonescreationstation.com/.../dear-teacher... by Mrs.Jones Creation Station

http://sparklingbuds.com/.../dear-teacher-you-made-a... by Sparkling Buds

http://elemenopkids.com/teachers-make-a-difference by elemenopkids

http://wp.me/p4y3YT-1c8 by Bare Feet On The Dashboard

http://inspirationlaboratories.com/a-letter-to-my-teacher by Inspiration Laboratories

http://cleverclassroomblog.blogspot.com/.../dear-teacher... by Clever Classroom

http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/.../dear-teacher-you... by no Time for Flash Cards

Teacher Appreciation Sale and 5 Ways to Save

2015-05-03T21:30:00.000+10:00

Yup, it's that time of year again, it's Teacher Appreciation Week and teachers are celebrating by catching bargains on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Everything in my store will be 20% off plus going through checkout with the CODE: thankyou (one word) will get you another 10% off.

I have been working on a variety of interactive, hands-on resources and have a bunch more on the way.

These three resources can be used with any word list.

Children use their bodies to interact with the word which is so much fun, and is a great way for true learning to occur.

During the sale:

1. Leave feedback on all your purchases to gain TpT credit, which translates into money off your next purchase. Read more here.

2. Use CODE: thankyou in checkout on May 5th and 6th (US Eastern Time).

3. Look for the stores and the products on sale.

4. Shop for bundles, they are already discounted and grabbing them on sale gives you an even bigger discount. Click here for our bundles all in one place.

5. Watch the timer at the top of every Teachers Pay Teachers page.

Here are some of our resources that might come in handy.

This End of the Year Memory Book is for K-1 and is one our top seller!

The file is full of printables and has a bucket load of activity ideas for individuals, small and large groups.

Our Classroom Organization file has more than 70 files and is currently 50% off minus 20% for the sale and 8% with code thankyou in checkout.

These Comprehension Prompts will get your students writing.

Printables for any Word List is a great time saving file and a staple for your literacy program.

Here's on more way to save!

You could win yourself a $25 TpT gift certificate.

Enter below for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Purpose of your Facebook Page, and how Knowing it can Grow it

2015-04-20T11:59:00.000+10:00

Are you trying to grow your Facebook page? Are you feeling a little frustrated with the Facebook changes? Do you need a plan to grow your page beyond what you're doing? Why is your Facebook page not working for you?

I am teaming up with my bloggy friend, Emily over at Education to the Core to bring you a social media series called, Social Media Tips and Tricks.

Our series aims to help you grow your social media platforms. I will be sharing my ideas on how to grow your Facebook page whilst Emily will open doors on how you can grow your blog.

Additionally, towards the end of the series, we will explore both Pinterest and Instagram and how it can help to grow your business.

When will this be happening? Over the next few months, Emily and I aim to cover everything you need to help grow your social media platforms. We will each post fortnightly on our area of expertise (Emily; blogging, myself; Facebook). This is the first week in our series. Just in case you miss the next posts, you can follow our blogs: Click here to follow Clever Classroom. Click here to follow Education to the Core. ***

If you're looking for a recipe to grow your social media platforms, then you have come to the right place!

Here's my (Clever Classroom) Facebook link.

Emily and I welcome any comments and questions along the way.

What tips and tricks will you focus on? The Facebook landscape has dramatically changed in the past 18 months. To grow our pages we must change too. I will be taking a closer look at Facebook for businesses.

I know that having a successful Facebook page is a recipe of many things done consistently. Growing your Facebook page has many parts to it or, if you like, many ingredients. I will be looking at the purpose of your page, content, insights (data), frequency and timing, interaction, driving traffic and community.

Shouldn't I just pay to boost? Facebook has made it harder for business pages to function in the past year. I feel your pain. Our reach and interaction have been squashed by their ever changing algorithms. They are a clever bunch! Many businesses both small and large, have been forced to pay to boost posts. I was told by a marketing company who wanted to charge me $10,000 that I needed to do that, even though my page was growing just fine. I'm glad I ignored their advice! I refuse to pay for advertising, call me crazy but I just can't do it! I have never done it but if you have had ongoing success with paying for posts, I would love to hear about it. I know that you can grow your page without paying! You just have to be consistent and have the right information.

I invite you accept the challenge of taking your Facebook page to the next level.

Here's what I will cover in the Facebook blogging series.

Facebook: a recipe for growth

Purpose: The Purpose of your Facebook Page, and how Knowing it can Grow it?

Content: How the right content will help grow your page?

Insights: Are my stats really that important?

Frequency and Timing: How often and when should I post?

Interaction: I don't have time to interact with fans. It's not that important! Is it?

Driving Traffic to my blog: How do I get people to my blog?

My Community: Why should I be a part of my community of bloggers?

Some of these points will be posted in one post, the others will be combined.

Week One:

What is the Purpose of my Facebook page?

The Purpose of your Facebook Page, and how Knowing it can Grow it

Grab a piece of paper and get ready to map out your Facebook plan!

Define the purpose of your Facebook page. Your blog and or Facebook page might be all about working out, education, healthy eating, cars, photography, or scrap booking but what is special about your Facebook page?

For me, I am a teacher-blogger and I choose to post about what I am passionate about. What are you passionate about? Grab a pen and write down a few things that you're passionate about in your area.

What are your interests? This may be closely linked to your passions but they can be different. For example, I am passionate about social skills, learning to read, writing, school readiness and play. I am interested in the brain, the psychology of learning and teaching strategies. Your interests might also be things that you haven't yet looked in to, but want to.

Write down a few things that you are interested in.

What are you good at? Write down a few of your strengths in your specific area (e.g education, fitness) that you are good at. You know you can do it!

Have a look at your lists. Do you blog about, or does your website represent what you post about on Facebook? Is there a clear link that tells the audience what you are about?

Now that you have a list of things that you're passionate about, interested in and are good at, you have the first part of your recipe ready!

You have a clearer picture of what you're all about, this is now the magnet to which you will attract your fans. You will aim to attract like-minded thinkers to your page. You don't really want people that have little in common with you. Do you?

I am not business trained but from experience, the points you have noted above are one part of your brand. Your brand sets you apart from others and makes you unique within the marketplace. In the business world, this is known as your USP; Unique Selling Proposition. What's your USP? What is unique about your business? Do you have a niche? Can you offer something via your skills (your strengths), interests and passions? What do you do better than others? What does your business value? What are your core business values?
Take a minute to write down your USP. Place it in the middle of your page.

Now that you have made it all about you, let's change our thinking!

Is the purpose of your page all about your business?

Or is the purpose of your page all about your fans?

If you guessed the latter, you are correct! Remember that your Facebook audience is different from other audiences. You need to have their needs at the front of your mind as you formulate your posts. I will discuss this in depth next fortnight.

Yes, you will include your passions, interests and things you're good at but these are a means to make it all about your fans. You want your fans that connect with your messages. Once your fans feel like they can connect with your page, they will stick around.

In my opinion, your Facebook page IS NOT a platform for you to stand on and scream, "Look at me." Nope, not even close! Is this really your purpose? Is this what you want to be known for? Is this your magnet to which customers will come back?

Your Facebook audience will follow you because they engage with your message. If your consistent message is buy me, this is on sale, grab this now, hurry it's for you, I'm having a sale, then this will get old, real quick. Gone are the days where it's all sell, sell sell. Don't get me wrong, sales, discounts, giveaways are GREAT, but they are not the hero of your recipe!

Know your audience! If your purpose is all about how to buy your products/services then that's what fans will see in their feed each day. Do people come to Facebook to be sold stuff? Why do you click on your news feed each day? This is why your Facebook audience is very different to your blog or Pinterest audience.

Now that you have started your Facebook recipe for growth, come back in a fortnight (or follow this blog) to add to your growing plan. Don't forget to bring your written plan too, we will be adding to it.

I will be discussing content.

Week 2: "How the right content will help grow your page?"

Next week, Emily from Education to the Core will be will be discussing; "How an Image Can Drive Your Traffic."

You might also like to follow our Pinterest board; Social Media Tips and Information.

Ideas to Help Littlies Line up

2015-04-07T12:11:00.001+10:00

Are you finding that you're spending lots of time waiting for your students to line up?

Tried almost everything to help them get in line?

Below are 21 ideas that may help your students learn to line up.

Image from Mara Marie. Thanks Mara!

How about these ideas then?

1. When I taught Kindergarten and first grade, I tried many things. Take a photo of them lining up with mouths closed, still bodies and eyes looking ahead.

2. Tell your students that they are on a train and they have to be careful not to fall out.

3. Use a wink! Wink at students who are in line and bring them to the front as leaders. the next time you line up, those who had trouble should remember to stay in line.

4. Praise the heck out of those students who are doing what is expected of them.

5. Make a class book on how to line up. Use photos or have children illustrate the book.

6. Use plastic people or dolls to model how to line up with students who have trouble.

7. Create a chant with the class.

8. Whisper instructions.

9. Learn a poem or song. "My arms are by my side, I'm standing straight and tall. Eyes ahead, voices off. I'm ready for the hall." This poem is by Megan Nichols. I use to whisper; "Eyes to the ceiling, eyes to the floor, eyes to the door and eyes to me, let's go walking, no, no talking." It worked like a charm with K-1.

Here are some more songs your students can learn to help with lining up.

10. Mystery walker. Pick a student's name but don't tell them. Watch them whilst they are walking and if they do a good job they are either praised or rewarded with a positive consequence or even a prize. Variation - Secret walker. Choose 3-4 students (don't tell them) as you look up and down the line. Tell your students you have chosen x students as your secret walkers. If students are starting to get unsettled, explain that you are checking on your secret walkers. When you get back to your classroom, use your behavior management rewards to acknowledge the children that were great walkers. You may only pick one or two of the secret walkers. (Mary Smith McGraw)

11. Hugs and bubbles. Students hug themselves and catch a bubble in their mouth. (Tanja Bullins).

12. Hips and lips or buttons and duck tails. Hips and lips; students place a hand on their hips and a finger on their lips. Buttons and duck tails; students place a finger on their lips and a hand behind their backs as they walk. these are great for Pre-K and Kindergarten as they need concrete instructions.

13. Try using language for different areas of the classroom and school. You might like to describe these as quiet zones and talking zones. (Lisa Horton Messner)

14. Have students act out an animal or object like a mouse, a tree. Have them think about how that animal or object would move and the sound that it does/doesn't make. (Erica Shetler Watters)

15. Watch when children are doing the right thing and praise, praise, praise.

16. Flip and zip. wait until everyone has their mouths closed and no noises are coming out. (Kristi Phillips Stutsman)

17. Use feet prints on the floor. Adhere colorful feet to the floor with clear, thick tape or contact. Children will know exactly where to line up each time. (Tanja Bullins).

Image from Tanja Bullins, Thanks Tanja!

Click here to download your free feet template (different to the feet seen in the image above).

18. Line up in alphabetical order. this should prevent arguing from the outset. Change the starting letter so that the leaders names begin with a letter other than a. Theresa Hazard

19. Discuss how and why we line up in a certain way. Have a general discussion about our responsibilities and expectations when we line up. make an anchor chart where appropriate.

This first day of school discussion really does set the scene. To add to this, i would make a chart that lists the characteristics of a student who can line-up and walk quietly. You might like to list five points and call it, "A 5 Star student lines up:" (include 5 stars and write points).

20. Maintain classroom expectations. Explicitly teaching the micro steps to line up is important but it is equally important to maintain the level of expectation so that you aren't wasting valuable instructional time. Any of the above ideas will help students remember what is expected of them. here is a video that looks more in depth at the 5 components of expectations in the classroom.

21. Think about how you an individualize the skills needed for lining up. Many of the above ideas will help with that. Some children will need more one-on-one support with this. You might like to help them write a recount after you have taken photos. You may also need to make short term goals and objectives with them. This could be done with a simple picture that you label together and co-construct a sentence(s) to match. For an on the spot idea, allow the student to own the situation by allowing them to search for three people who are doing the right things. He/she could give high-fives to those students. Alternatively, they could help you at the front by looking for students along the way that are spectacular walkers!

To see the entire video list, go to my 'Lining Up' YouTube Playlist.

It can be hard for little ones to learn social skills and specifically how to line up, how you expect them too.

Good luck with these strategies! If you have another strategy, please leave it in the comments below and I will add it to the list for you.

Let me know how you go with your students after using these ideas.

For more help with classroom management ideas, you might like our Social Skills book list or our post on Classroom Management, Legos Style or even our Social Skills COMBO.

For even more social skills ideas, visit our Pinterest board; Social Skills.

Don't forget to download your free feet templates!

Vowel Sounds

2015-03-31T10:30:00.000+11:00

We all know learning to read and write is tricky for young learners.

Learning vowel sounds is also super tricky for our students.

I noticed that when I was listening to students read that they didn't always know or weren't able to recall the letter-sound relationships and specifically what sounds that vowels can make.

By second grade, these become particularly vital as students are expected to be reading independently. It is vital that a strong foundation of vowel and letter-combinations is laid.

We know that reading skills inform writing skills, so one inherently affects the other.

If students aren't able to make the connection between the sounds that particular letters make, then students' writing potential will not be realized. They will also have gaps in their learning which can be difficult to resolve down the track. I find that the vowel phonemes are trickiest and often students need a concrete source to refer to.

I created these posters and other helpers to aid the acquisition of both reading and writing. I believe it is vital to have a go-to source for the sounds that vowels make and their tricky letter combinations. What do you think?

This image above was taken from @learningtothecore (on Instagram) who posted about how the posters have helped her students with learning vowel combinations.

When children are writing, they may be able to hear that there is an long a sound in a word. However, they may not know if they spell it with an :ai, eigh, ei, ay, a-e or even ea (like steak).

Having these posters on hand makes this process so much easier for the students whilst building knowledge, skills and self-esteem.

Ready to go strips for your writing sessions.

Having an overview for all letter-combinations is useful for both the teacher and students! It sure does save time having it right there in front of you!

Display sounds under vowel headings: a, e, i, o and u.

Representing letter combinations in clusters under vowel headings will help children find the right spelling.

Students may need to have the charts as a desk chart/strip, as a ready to go reference.

All posters come in black and white for quick printing.

You can read the positive feedback and down the full-page preview file by clicking here.

Primary Chalkboard Send me to Vegas!

2015-03-29T23:59:00.000+11:00

VIVA LAS VEGAS!!

Can you picture it now? YOU in LAS VEGAS?

How about YOU in LAS VEGAS attending a one day session of the SDE conference?

Primary Chalkboard is giving away YOUR CHOICE of a 1 day session at SDE!

So, will it be Singapore Math, Differentiated Instruction, I Teach K, I Teach 1st, or the newly added I Teach 2nd?

How fun is that?

BUT, that's not all, we're also including a $25 gift card to the SDE bookstore, CRYSTAL SPRINGS.

So, NOW can you picture YOURSELF in VEGAS?

Oh, you say you need money for airfare, hotel accommodations, or just some spending money while you are here? Well, we've got that covered, too. How about

THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN CASH

to help you out with that?!?!?

NOW, can you picture YOURSELF in VEGAS?

Here's how to enter for a chance to win.

Hop through our Facebook pages (you will find them over on the Primary Chalkboard's blog post, click here) and collect a tip for your (possible) visit to Vegas.

Be sure to "like" each page as you hop through so that you can collect the tip.

Each tip will have a number on a playing card.

Add the numbers together and enter the sum on the Rafflecopter on the Primary Chalkboard blog for a chance to win.

Be sure to add a comment and include #primarychalkboardsendmetovegas.

For an extra chance to win this, take a selfie, post it on IG with #primarychalkboardsendmetovegas
Don't forget to tag us in your picture! @primarychalkboard

The winner will be picked on April the evening of April 5th.

A HUGE thank you to SDE (Staff Development for Educators) for their kind and generous donation!

Do you Instagram? Instagram for Teachers

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Are you on Instagram? Do you share your educational journey and a bit of personal stuff too?

If you're not already on Instagram, what are you waiting for?

If you're on Instagram (IG) and you're like me, then you probably like checking in with Instagram to see what's going on in the world of education. You can find me @cleverclassroom.

I mainly use IG as an educational tool to get new ideas and find resources. Lots of Instagramers feature their classrooms in action, good ideas, resources and a bit of personal stuff too.

Instagram has become an exciting source for teachers to find new ideas. We all like new ideas, right?

You can even find your fave educational bloggers and see what they're up to.

Many bloggers hold giveways and post IG hops too.

You can find me @cleverclassroom

Here's a list of educational bloggers that I love to follow.

@applesandabcs

@missdecarbo

@thefirstgradeparade

@fromthepond

@debbieclement

@doodlebugsteaching

@farleyfarleyfarely

@secondgradeshenanigans

@hellojenjones

@queenof1stjungle

@kindergartensmorgasboard

@kickinitinkindergarten

@misskindergarten

I will update this list over the coming months.

I LOVE to search hashtags (#) to see what's new, it's very exciting, don't you know!

Here are a few general educational hashtags you can search for.

#teachersfollowteachers

#teachersofinstagram

#teachersoninstagram

#teacher

#teachers

#teach

#teaching

#iteachtoo

#teacherlife

#teachercreated

#teachersofig

#igteachers

#teacherfriends

#iteachk

#iteachkindergarten

#iteach1st

#iteachfirst

#iteach2nd

#iteachsecond

#iteach3rd

#iteach4th

#iteachfourth

#iteach5th

#iteachfifth

#iteach6th

#iteachsixth

#kindergarten

#firstgrade

#secondgrade

#thirdgrade

#fourthgrade

#fiftthgrade

#sixthgrade

#ihomeschool

#homeschool

#preschool

#teacherbloggers

#tpt

#teacherspayteachers

#teachersoftpt

#alwaysateacher

#teachertalktuesday

#educator

#schoolteacher

#teacherproblems

#teachertalk

#teachertalktuesdays

#educator

#earlyed

#schoolteacher

#elementaryteachers

#middleschool

#middleschoolteacher

Update: Even more hashtags to use and search for on IG.

#kindersrock
#teacherchat
#teacherfriends

I will update this list when needed. If you know of any hashtags that I haven't listed, please comment below.

Here are some other tags you could search for if you're looking for specific ideas. Heck, you could search any hashtag that applies to your classroom, I'm sure something will come up!

#centers

#wordwork

#sightwords

#writing

writingcenter

#ELA

#guidedreading

#math

#mathcenters

#mathtime

teachingmath

Mathetimefun

#makinglearningfun

#handson

#classroom

#january

#february

#march

#april

#may

#june

#july

#august

#september

#october

#november

#december

#summer

#autumn

#fall

#winter

#spring

#teachersday

#teacherappreciation

Others:

#fitteacher

#healthyteacher

#teacherfail

#teacherproblems

#teacherprobs

#teacherprobz

#teacherfashion

#teacherstyle

#whattheteacherwore

Don't forget to search for giveaways too.

#giveaway

#giveaways

#giveawaycontest

#ighop

#instagramhop

#giftcertificate

#giftcertificates

#giftvoucher

#giftvouchers

See you over on Instagram!

Bundles of Fun with a HUGE TpT Sale and Six Ways to Save More

2015-02-23T18:30:00.002+11:00

It's a sale for heroes!

TpT loves teachers and knows the hard work you put in, day in, day out. Yes you! You are a hero to your students and the community. Heroes need a bit of help sometimes too!

TpT wants to celebrate all teachers with a sale. I will be taking 20% OFF ALL MY RESOURCES, then use code; HEROES to save even more.

Yes, it is that time again, that exciting time when Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) puts on their once a quarter sale.

If you're a nerdy nerd like me and love collecting resources and don't mind a sale, then you have to jump in with us all!

Tens of thousands of teachers flock to TpT each day and the HEROES sale will be no exception.

Scroll to the bottom to see my 6 ways you can save more on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Thank you Karen Jones for the image!

Are you set to save on a bunch of resource at 28% off once you use the code HEROES?

You know you already save with bundles, right?

Well purchasing them on sale can save you even more.

It's easy, all you need to do is use CODE: HEROES this Wednesday 25th (begins and ends according to US Eastern Time).

Bundles are already discounted by a minimum of 20%, and are full of resources to last you much longer.

Here are some of our MOST POPULAR bundles.

Literacy bundles of fun!

Seasonal bundles bursting with resources.

Popular, non-bundles (but still jam-packed, full of resources) for March.

I am going to be playing a few games to GIVE AWAY A BUNCH OF FILES over the next three days via our Facebook page; Clever Classroom, so pop on over to see how you could win. Which resource(s) would you like?

Here are 6 ways to save at the BIG TpT site-wide sale.

1. LEAVE FEEDBACK: Leaving fair feedback on your past purchases, means that you gain TpT credit which then translates into money off your next purchase.

2. REVISIT YOUR WISHLIST: You will probably find a treasure trove of resources that you actually need. I have over 200 wishlisted items on my list... ahhhhh!!!!!

3. LOOK FOR THE 'ON SALE' TAG: Be sure that the store you are purchasing from has the red sale tag displayed on their store's home page.

Check to make sure all items in the store are on sale as well!

Clever Classroom has EVERYTHING ON SALE.

4. PIN YOUR FAVORITE RESOURCES: Plan out your purchases by pinning them to your very own TpT Wishlist Pinterest board (or what ever name you like). Click here to see our resource pins on our Pinterest board.

This way is SO MUCH EASIER, to see inside a range of resources!

5. WATCH THE CLOCK: Teachers Pay Teachers has a countdown clock at the top of every page, be sure to watch it so you don't miss out on saving a bundle!

6. BUY BUNDLES: TpT is full of bundled resources to help you save a few dollars. Most of our bundled downloads are at least 20% off.

I will be posting updates, games, giveaways and fun stuff, leading up to and during the sale on our Facebook page; Clever Classroom.

Oh and I will be giving away a $25 gift certificate just in time to spend during the sale. I will be posting this via my Facebook page, so be sure to check our feed often or opt to 'get notifications'.

Thanks for dropping by friends.

Valentine's Day Word Work

2015-02-06T18:35:00.000+11:00

Hi there teacher friends.

Well this is my second post in one week, oh my! Go check out out the Valentine's day freebies (link at bottom) I posted about this week!

Okay, so it's almost Valentine's Day and I'm a bit late to the party, but here goes!

I wanted to share my Valentine's Day Printables for any Word List with a sneak peek.

This file is part of a series I am working on from our Printables for any Word List.

You may already have our first file and even our Christmas file.

Oh and yes, I am starting on the St. Patrick's Day version for March too.

I know teachers find these files super useful as they are differentiated and ready to print at a moment's notice. Gotta love that!

Here are some more pages from the Valentine's Day Printables file.

For a closer look, click here.

I have included loads of literacy printables for working with words.

Use the printables for your word work centers, guided reading groups, interventions, morning work, substitute lessons, homework (print two or four to a page), challenged second graders or fast finishers.

Kindy students will need close demonstration and guiding. Firsties should be able to work independently with the pages and your lower grade twos might be able to use them too. Please be sure to download the preview file (13 pages) though for an even closer look.

Oh and don't forget to download your freebie sample here.

You might also like these little free craft ideas for gifts too.

Find more February resources here.

Thanks for dropping by!

I 'Wheelie' Like you Valentine and a Bunch of FREE Printables!

2015-02-05T10:23:00.000+11:00

It's almost Valentine's Day!

If you need some gifts to give to students or a quick craft idea for your students to give to family members, then you will love these freebies.

The bookmarks and square crafty gifts, all come in black and white too so that children can color and then decorate the bookmarks and square crafty gifts.

I also blog over at Primary Chalkboard and have a full wrap up and loads more pics for you to see.

Click here to read more via the Primary Chalkboard.

You might also like our February COMBO 100th Day of School and Valentine's Day Printables

Or download your freebie here.