Monday Made it and Teacher week!

Today I officially start back to work! For the next two weeks we have PD and then the kids come back on the 4th. I am excited to get to work in my classroom and not feel guilty for working during my summer lol.


So today I have a Monday Made it for you.

Click here to check out the linky party. 

It is really important for me this year to have a really straight quiet line. I want to make sure the kids know how important it is as well.

Last year when my line started getting a little noisy we had a class meeting about it.

 One student said we should start having line monitors. Students whose job is was to monitor the lines, give out friendly warnings and write down anyones name who wasn't behaving in line.

Another one said it would help them line up better if they had marks on the ground so they knew exactly where their line spot was.

Can I say that I LOVED that the kids came up with these suggestions on their own. It really helped them take ownership and it worked, they were quiet(er) in line again. Last year I just used scotch tape on the floor. But it rubbed off within a matter of months and it looked tacky.

I'm thinking this is going to look a lot cuter, although I don't know long it will last. We will see.

I got the contact paper form amazon and I used a gold paint pen to write the numbers on it. The circles aren't perfect, but that's because I don't have a cameo. (I wish!) Also ignore the gross floor. You work with what you've got right?

I have the kids line up in two lines. The first picture is numbers 1-12, the second is 13-23. I really dig it and know it will help the kids line up faster and quieter.





All right on to Teacher week!

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Today is Monday Must haves. These are the things I NEED to have in my classroom. Honestly I don't know how I ever taught without them


1. My laminator- I have laminated so.much.stuff this summer. It's incredible. But now I can re-use things year after year and hopefully do less laminating next summer.

2. My macbook- This thing goes everywhere with me. I take it to school each day, I plan all my lessons on it, it hooks up to my projector and smart board. It makes my teaching life so much easier and convenient. 

3. Document camera- no longer do I have to draw everything gigantic on chart paper- no longer do I have to tell the kids to squint and look really hard while I try and show them something on the worksheet. Now they can see it on the big screen and they are so much more engaged. I LOVE IT. I was lucky enough to win the Luna this summer from Kristin at A Teeny Tiny Teacher. I gave my old one to another teacher in my building. So now two whole teachers in the primary grades at my school have a document camera! Woohoo we're finally getting on board with the technology train! 

4. Sticky Notes- This is a simple one, but I need them on a daily basis. I write reminder notes for myself. The kids take notes down to the office or to other teachers. We have several lessons where sticky notes are incorporated, and this year they are going to be used for my exit tickets. I will ask the students a question and they will write their answers on the sticky note, sticking it to the door on their number before they leave. 

So That's Monday. I'll be back tomorrow for Technology Tuesday!