Teahcers Pay Teachers

I finally gave in and created a Teachers Pay Teachers store. I have been wanting to do this for quite sometime now, but I finally did it!

I already have uploaded three things in my store and am currently working on a large packet of things that can be used for an interactive notebook for reading and writing. I am implementing it with my students and am super excited about it. I will have a whole post dedicated to just that in the next week or so. 

I hope that you will check out my TpT store and let others know about it as well!

Reading and Writing Workshop

I am going to be trying something new this week in my classroom. I am going to be integrating a Reading and Writing Workshop. No worries, we have been doing reading and writing activities, just not in the form of a workshop. I have not exactly decided how I would like to do it, I just know I want to. I ordered a few books today from Amazon to give me some ideas. One was The Book Whisperer which I have been wanting to read for quite some time now.

I think I am going to start by having about 20 minutes of class time that is going to be set aside just for SSR or DEAR time. I am currently developing a reading response journal that my students will fill out each day. I have  a feeling that I am going to just buy the notebooks for them though. I know that it will be well worth it though.

What sort of things do you do in your classroom for reading and writing workshop? Any resource books that you think I should check out?

Grad and Middle School

First off, I am so excited that Teaching Tweens is hosting a linkup so that us middle school teachers can find each others blogs. Therefore, if you are a middle school teacher, you should go and link up too!

I had an amazing first week of school! I could not have asked for better students in my 3 classes. I have just under 60 students total. We are on a 7 period schedule, but Language Arts is double blocked in 6th and 7th grade. I love love love my inclusion class and the kids have already been so involved in their learning. I also have an interactive board that I have used every single day and the kids are just as excited about it as me. I have some PD that I am going to this Wednesday for it, so hopefully I will be able to use it even more effectively in my classroom very soon. Tuesday is our library day and I am really wanting to integrate some sort of DEAR or SSR time in the classroom. Any tips for me? I am thinking about 15 minutes of it a day. 

Today I also started my first semester of Grad School. I am enrolled in a program where I will be finished with my MEd at the end of June this coming summer. Before going to my classes today I was feeling pretty overwhelmed with the whole thing, but after today I feel much better about it. I am taking 12 hours and the topics that the classes are going to be covering are all things that I am passionate about. I am sure I will be asking for some help from you all along the way. 

I am also currently trying to think of a great September 11th lesson for my kids. Most of them were a year old when the attacks happened and I really feel that they are at an age right now where they will be able to understand what happened that day. Do you know of any good videos or media clips to use? I have a book called September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be Alright that I am planning on reading to them. The documentary that is going to be on TLC next weekend looks like it is going to be good too, I might try and record that to see if it is something I could use in the classroom. 

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Free for all Friday- Teacher Week Day 5

I seriously cannot believe that Teacher Week through Blog Hoppin' is already coming to an end. 

I have loved getting to meet all of your wonderful teachers and have found some great new blogs in the process too. I hope that I provided you with some helpful information too.

Today we are sharing a freebie. I created these Parts of Speech signs for my classroom and the kids have loved them. You can see them in this picture a little bit.

I have them in a black and white version that I copied on colored cardstock, but I also made one that is in color in case you wanted to go that route. Hope you and enjoy and can use these in your own room too! Sorry I was not able to share them through the post, I just don't know how to do that.

Parts of Speech signs in black and white

Parts of Speech signs in color

Teacher Week- Three for Thursday

I am once again linking up with Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week.

Today we are sharing our favorite font, favorite blog, and favorite online resource. 

Favorite Font

There are so many to choose from! I am a font addict! I am always creating documents in cute fonts and then emailing it to myself at school as a PDF so that I do not lose the fonts. 

My favorite place to get fonts would have to be Kevin and Amanda. I have all of their fonts loaded on my computer. Trust me, you want them too!

Favorite Blog

Clutter-Free Classroom

I have gotten so many wonderful ideas from this blog and love the book that she wrote. If you have not been to this blog, you have to go there!

Favorite Online Resource

6th Grade Reading Resources

I actually just came across this site the other day and am amazed at how much there is on it. I have already used a few things in my classroom from this site. If you teach 5th or 6th grade ELA, you don't want to miss this.

Teacher Talk Tueday- Teacher Week Day 2

I am once again linking up with Blog Hoppin' for day 2 of Teacher Week!

Today we are supposed to share advice for new teachers. Being a first year teacher myself I do not have much to share, but there are a few things that I learned while student teaching and finishing the year in 6th grade this past spring. 

{one} Get and stay organized! 

When I first walked into my current classroom back in March of this year, I could not believe the mess that was left by the former teacher. I started right away trying to get rid of all the junk that was left and organizing the important things. No two teachers will be able to have the same organization for their classroom, but I think that we can learn a lot from others organization. For me, binders really work great. I have one for just about everything and then I know exactly where to find that information. I am also really trying to instill good organization habits with my students too to help them be successful throughout the rest of their school years. 

{two} Don't be afraid to ask questions!

When I first started last March, I was so nervous to ask the other teachers for help. However, I quickly discovered that they were willing to help me and that I had no reason to be afraid of them. The other teachers really do want you to do well no matter what their body language might tell you. 

I am so excited to read all of the tips that you all will be blogging! I have a feeling that I will be able to use several of them in my own classroom!

Meet the Teacher

Today I am linking up for Day 1 of Teacher Week over at Blog Hoppin'.

Tell us a little something about you...

I'm Katie, or as my kids call me, Miss Klohn. I graduated this past spring from Schreiner University in Kerrville with my EC-6 teaching certification. I always thought that I wanted to teach in the younger grades, but after having the opportunity to complete part of my student teaching in 6th grade, I knew it was where I was supposed to be. However, it is quite strange teaching in the same room that I took 6th grade language arts in. I absolutely love what I do and cannot imagine doing anything else!

How long have you been teaching?

This is my first official year as a teacher. Last year though, I finished my student teaching in 6th grade as the teacher. The teacher resigned effective immediately and the class was all mine. The school librarian ended up being my mentor teacher. She was also my 8th grade ELA teacher too! Even though this is my first official year as a teacher, I was a substitute teacher for 3 years and then was also an elementary teacher aide in high school. I am so thrilled that I get to spend the rest of my life doing something I love so much!

You might not know...

That I was the mascot in 8th grade! Yes, I was a Battlin' Billie. Maybe if you all are lucky enough I will share a picture of it one day. Due to my experience as a mascot, I have also been wrangled into being the assistant cheer sponsor this year. The life of a new teacher!

What are you most looking forward to this school year?

This past spring my school district passed a bond and now all of the classrooms are connected classrooms. That means that I got an interactive board and ceiling mounted projector! You have no idea how excited I am to integrate my lessons with the board. This school year I am also the 6th grade inclusion teacher for Language Arts. In the first part of my student teaching I was in a 4th grade inclusion classroom and I loved it. I am thrilled to be doing inclusion again. I also really love my 6th grade team and the new language arts teachers that we added this year. I am excited to share, borrow, and trade new ideas that I can use in my classroom with my students. 

What do you need to improve?

Well this being my first year I am not really sure about this just quite yet. One thing I really want to work on from the time I spent in 6th grade last year is my differentiation for my different students. I felt like I did not necessarily accelerate my Pre AP students to the level that they needed because I was just trying to keep my head above the water. I am hoping that at the end of the year I feel like I have better served this students. This is a question that I will for sure be coming back to at the end of the school year. 

What teaching supplies can you NOT live without?

Flair pens

my interactive board

Diet Cherry Coke in my mini-fridge

Post-It brand chart size sticky notes

binders (I have a binder for just about everything)

conference during Sonic Happy Hour :)

I also had an amazing first day with my 6th graders! They are all so great and I can already tell that it is going to be a wonderful school year!

I am so excited to "meet" you other teachers out there!