Next year I am definitely...(Linky Party)

I am beyond excited about linking up with one of my favorite 6th grade blogger, Kim! Be sure you link up and join her linky party because she is amazing!

 I couldn't resist...I had to do it! Of course I will be doing everything differently because I am making a huge change from 6th to 1st grade! This was a decision I made and I could not be happier about it. My dream has always been to teach 1st or 2nd grade and now I am getting to do that! 

 This past year was the first year that they have done Writer's Workshop at the school I will be teaching at and I am so excited about it. We have about an hour built into the schedule for it and I want to make sure that my students get that time each day. I feel like writing is often overlooked and that children come to not like it. I want it to be something that they enjoy on a daily basis!

 I am obsessed with the Daily 5 and cannot wait to use it in my classroom! I just love that the students have a choice in what they are doing and the prep time is way less for the teacher. Luckily, they have been doing Daily 5 in Kinder, so my kiddos will be used to it already. :)

 I love reading about everyone's Sub Tubs. I have been spoiled because on sub plans for 6th grade I only had to fill about an hour of time. 1st grade won;t quite be that way. I think a sub tub will be the perfect solution for me. 

 Being that I am moving to a new classroom, I really hope that this is something I can do. I am going to have to organize all of my materials and supplies in a new space, I just need to keep it that way! 

That is pretty self explanatory! I am beyond excited for the upcoming year and cannot wait to share it with you all!

Five for Friday...on Saturday

I know I am a little late to the party, but I still wanted to play! 

Be sure to had on over to Doodle Bugs Teaching to see posts from some amazing bloggers! 

One. I am still stunned by the destruction of the tornado in Oklahoma! I cannot even imagine having to deal with a situation like that while in school! I knew right away that I wanted to give back somehow so I participated in a few things that I found. Check out The Teacher's Treasure Chest and Teacher's Notebook to see how you can give back and get some great resources at the same time! 

Two. I have known since April 4th that I would be teaching 1st grade in the fall and I still cannot believe it! I would be lying if I said I was not excited. I found out yesterday that I will get a key to my new classroom on June 7th! I may have done a little packing already. 

This picture is from over a week ago. It is even more out of control now. I cannot believe how much stuff I have acquired in two short years. :)

Three. Do you remember the nasty hail storm I posted about two weeks ago? Well, my car was not totaled, but I still managed to get a new one out of the deal. I got myself a 2013 Toyota Highlander and I am loving it! 

Four. In First Grade they do Writing Workshop and I am so excited about it! When I did three days of observations in 1st grade I got to see it in action. I also spoke with the AP and she hooked me up with some summer reading materials for me about the Writing Workshop model. Right now I am about halfway finished with About the Authors and I absolutely love it! If you do writing workshop in your classroom, you must read this book!

Five. I guest blogged over at Texas Teacher Roundup...go check out my post!

3 Things I'm Looking Forward to...

First off, I have to share something exciting that I am a part of you! If you are a Texas Teacher you are going to be so excited because we have created a blog that is dedicated just to you! 

This blog will be featuring guest posts and links to ideas that are aligned with the K-5 TEKS in Texas. This is going to be such a great resource and I am very much looking forward to being a part of it!

As many of you know, I am going to be teaching 1st grade in the fall and I could not be more excited about it! I was lucky enough to spend a few days with my new team and I just know that it is going to be the best year yet! I thought that in honor of my upcoming change that I would share the top 3 things that I am looking forward to about 1st grade. 

1. Writer's Workshop-
This past year is the 1st year that they have implemented writing workshop in 1st grade and it has been such a hit. While I was observing I was amazed at the amount of writing that the students were doing. I love how independent the students become and the opportunity that they have to reflect on their writing throughout the year. I also love teaching using mini-lessons so this will be right up my alley.

2. The Daily 5-
I was lucky enough to attend the Daily 5 Conference in San Antonio last year and it did not disappoint one bit! I implemented the Daily 5 in my 6th grade classroom last school year, and I cannot wait to dive into it from the beginning of the year in 1st grade. I love the independence that it teaches to students and the flexibility it allows in the classroom as well. I am hoping to implement the CAFE component as well for some of my mini-lessons during whole group time, but we will see. 

3. Forming Relationships with Parents-

This is something that I have missed while spending these past two years in a middle school classroom. With 105 students I have not had the parental relationships that I would have liked to have. I will be self-contained and I am looking forward to having great contact with the parents of my students. I believe that home is where a child's education starts and I cannot wait to have a better relationship with my students' parents. 

Five on Friday

What a week it has been! It is definitely one for the books!

One. I spent the beginning of this week shadowing in 1st grade and I absolutely loved it! I know that moving to 1st grade was the right decision and that following my heart was a great choice! I just love the team and they are such a fun group of people to be around. I am also super excited because we will be implementing both the Daily 5 and Writer's Workshop. They started with Writer's Workshop this year, but the Daily 5 will be new for 1st in the fall. I am a huge fan of it and I actually implemented it in my 6th grade classroom last year!

Two. We had some serious storms in my Hill Country town last night. I got this picture from my mom today at about 9 a.m. 

 That would be my Camry going off to the body shop. I am not really sure why it had to go because it looks fine to me. :)

Don't you think I can drive it tomorrow? We are thinking it may be totaled because they are going to have to fix every single panel on the car with the damage that it got. I may or may not have my eye on a 4Runner if that does end up being the case. 

Three. I got the sweetest cards from one of my 6th graders this week during Teacher Appreciation. It is cards like that that make me realize why I do what I do. It is one I will keep forever!

Four. In a little over 12 hours I will be walking the stage at graduation for my Masters Degree in Education with my Principal Certification. I actually finished up in December, but they only have graduation once a year. So excited to have this chapter of my life finished. Now it may help if I take my principal exam. 

Five. Tuesday is field trip day for 6th grade and we are headed to the zoo. It has been several years since I have last gone and I cannot wait. You can bet I will be blowing instagram up on Tuesday! 

Follow me @missklohn

May Currently

It is hard to believe that it is already May! Where has the school year gone? I have only 24 more school days left as a 6th grade teacher and then it is time for a new chapter in my educator career. :)

I am linking up with Farley for her monthly Currently Linky Party! 

Listening: Anyone else a Dance Moms groupie? I only started watching last season, but I am obsessed! I never danced so I had no idea how crazy and competitive some of the moms can be. The girls seem so normal, but the mothers on the other hand...not so much! 

Loving: My heart is still just so happy about teaching 1st grade in the fall! I am still in disbelief that it is really happening! This has been a dream for so long and I am so blessed to have it coming true at a school and with a team that I am so excited about!

Thinking: I do not think I can wear enough layers for field day tomorrow! It is supposed to be 39 degrees in the morning! The good news though is that I am in charge of the music and it is going to rock! 

Wanting: Summer Vacation so badly! In the summer I work at a camp that has 9-13 year olds. I am actually going to be the girl's camp director this summer and I am so excited about the opportunity! I am so grateful to have made some amazing friends at camp, and they truly are my best friends! I talk to at least one of them on a daily basis! 

Needing: I am so excited about 1st grade, but I am so not excited about packing up my room. I would be lying if I said I had not already started. :) I cannot believe how much stuff I have acquired in two years! There may have been a large Scholastic order that is packed as well. 

Summer Bucket List: My list is pretty simple. I will be spending most of my summer at camp...everything except one week. I leave for camp June 8th and won't be back until August 10th! At camp I plan on reading a few books. I have been reading the Pretty Little Liars series and hope to finish it this summer. Obviously I will be setting up a new classroom and I will have to do so in only a week. If you're bored and in Texas, come and help me! I am also planning on getting a new wardrobe. I have been spoiled the past two years because we can wear jeans every day. That is not the case for my new campus, so I need to do some shopping!