Five for Friday

I'm not gunna lie, I'm usually not a fan of linky parties...but seeing is how I'm sitting in my apartment working on my Master Teacher paper (on a Friday night), I figured the alternative would be better. I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs to give you my "Five for Friday". 

Most bloggers are probably posting pics of happenings in their classroom, but I think I'm going to just give you a little something different!

ONE

Our blog designer, Ainsley is helping us design our new app. I'm pretty excited about it...She's super good at making my ideas come to life and I'm jealous of her font selection. Here's a little sample of what the homepage of our app will look like:

TWO

I was woken up today by mass texting going on within my family. It's a rumor that my  cousin will be going up to the majors, the LA Angels to be exact. Luckily for me, they will be playing the Cincinnati Reds this week (when I'm on break) which is pretty close to where I live. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will get to see him play. {This was my 30th birthday present from him, along with some horrible gum that I chewed for 1 minute before I had to spit it out}.

THREE

I am not a big fan of OAA test-prep, but that's another story. I am however a big fan of really great responses...They may not get points for accuracy, but they should get points for making me laugh. Here are a couple recents!

FOUR

Nordstrom Rack is opening in Columbus in Fall of 2013. Yes, I will be waiting on opening day. 

FIVE

The first FIVE people to leave me some love (and e-mail address) will receive one of my digital downloads at TpT for FREE! Be sure to tell me which download you'd like! 

Organization Linky Party

Typically I'm uninterested in link parties, but when I saw it was an "organizational" party from my dear pal Amanda, I couldn't resist!

You should probably head over and check out Amanda if you haven't already!

I went into school today and was bummed to see that my new room STILL hasn't been cleaned. Translation: I'm going to have to throw some old classroom pics your way! You may recognize them from my pages over at ReadingResource and older posts on this blog...I promise I'll get new pictures up this year when my room is ready. But for now, here are my favorite things to organize.

My colleagues like to joke about my undying love for my guided reading table (and all the shelves that surround it) saying it's my first born child. Well, it's true!

This was my table a couple years ago...

I believe that a well-organized small-group area that has all materials where they're needed allows for effective instruction. I keep my leveled books in the purple, blue, and green bins on the black shelf. The pic below shows a closer look at them. A few years back, I revamped the labels...You can print them off my clicking on the links below. (Use with Avery 8163 labels).

Guided Reading Labels #1 and Guided Reading Labels #2

This was my table last year...Well, a closer look at the shelves behind it I should say. I was fortunate to have two large shelves behind where I sit. 


Last year I had five different color-coded reading groups. Each group was designated a specific color (green, teal, yellow, pink, and purple). On the left side of the shelf, you can see the colored bins, as well as color-coded binders. In the bins I kept all of the materials for that specific group and in the binders I wrote down my lessons for each group. 

I printed the following template on card stock, laminated them, clipped them on the front of the basket, and wrote each group members' name with a dry-erase marker. That way when I change groups (which I do very often) I can easily rewrite the new names without having to make new tags!

In another location of the classroom where the children can easily access the bins, the same colored bins are used for placing books, games, magnetic letters, etc. taught in the small-group setting that those students can later use during literacy centers.

As you probably know, getting your classroom library set up can be one of the most difficult things to organize in your room!  When I first started this process, I "hired" a couple of my former students who knew my books well. We laid out all of the books by authors, illustrators, and topics. (Because teaching my students how to select appropriate text is very important to me, I didn't want to level my books with a number or a letter). I was able to create a plethora of different bins. I invested in some sturdy bins and ended up purchasing more than I needed because I knew my library would continue to grow. 


Once I established the names for each bin, I created a picture to represent that bin. These were mostly found by Googling and using clip art (unfortunately, Scrappin' Doodles wasn't around at that time). I also invested in luggage tags from Container Store. Although they weren't cheap, they are very durable and can withstand my little kiddos. Each book that is in the bin has a corresponding picture on the outside. 

When you are needing to label student cubbies and mailboxes, I recommend using binder clips! I just printed off the names with my label maker and slapped them on the edge of the shelf. This was SO helpful when kids moved in and out throughout the school year...I could easily alphabetize the names and it didn't ruin my shelves!

I'm not sure who the genius was that thought it was a good idea to purchase teacher's desks WITHOUT any drawers! Solution: I purchase yet some more storage bins and sorted my junk into 12 drawers...that I of course labeled with my label maker! 

A few years ago the librarian was getting rid of her magazine boxes and I snatched them up for my own professional library! I have all my books organized by subject, which make it nice when Steve comes to "borrow" my stuff.

Well, that's it for now. I promise I will get some new mugs up here as soon as I get into my new classroom.

Tag, You're It!

I'm a little behind on this...Kim from The Teacher's Lane, Jessica from Apples and Paper, and Joanna from First Grade Fanatic tagged me a few {weeks} ago...I'm not going to officially tag anyone in this post, but feel free to respond to my questions if you wish! :)


So here are the rules:

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post & then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.

4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.

5. Let them know you've tagged them!

Ok, 12 random facts...Let's see here...

1. I know a lot of random facts that will probably get me no where in life, but maybe one day being runner-up on Jeopardy. I can name all of the presidents in order they served, I have the periodic chart of elements memorized, and I know all of my locker combinations from 6-12th grade, including my gym lockers!

2. I love to annoy my co-workers by playing "Would You Rather" and by daring them to do miscellaneous 'things' for my one month's salary.   

3. My real name is Katie. It's not Kate, Katherine, Katelyn, or Katrina. It's just Katie! My mom always wanted to have a girl and name her 'Katie Lynn' but her college friends beat her to it. Three of her friends named their daughters 'Katie Lynn' but each with a different spelling before I was born.

4. I DO NOT like being called 'Kate'.    

5. I don't like even numbers. So is it odd that I'm writing this on #4? My soccer and cross country jerseys always had to be odd numbers and when I go to buy a house, the house number will be a deciding factor!

6. My favorite 80's movie of all time is "Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon". No one understands it...But how could a movie with Rudy Huxtable and El De Barge not be a fav????

7. My friend got me hooked on hot yoga. At first I thought it was redonkulous, but now I look forward to it every Tuesday and Thursday night.  

8. I have a slight obsession with organization.  

9. My teeth were what I'd call a 'hot mess' when I was younger. I had braces three times and I have 4 fake teeth. They are wired together which makes it a pain to floss, but it's kinda funny when I set off the metal detectors at the airport.

10. I love quoting movies. I do it all the time. This also annoys my co-workers.

11. I still kick it old school with VHS. I have some tapes that I just can't seem to get rid of...DVDs just don't do Caddyshack and Christmas Vacation justice!

12. One more...ahhh. Ummm, I'm drawing a blank here. I'll let Steve think of something for #12.   

OK, HERE ARE A FEW QUESTIONS FROM KIM:

1.  How does your school handle report card/interims?
Well, it's nothing fancy or elaborate, we just send them home in an envelope and the parents sign the outside and keep the report cards.

2.  What's your current favorite song? 
Ummm...without question my favorite song is "Missed the Boat" by Modest Mouse! It's been my fav for quite some time. In my opinion, it's their undisputed masterpiece.

3.  Pancakes or French toast? Sausage or bacon? 
I'm picky about some foods! I prefer my pancakes lightly glazed with butter and cinnamon sprinkled on top...with a side order of bacon.

4.  Are you planning a trip for spring break? 

Nope...Saving my vaca for the summer...To my fav place, NYC! 

5.  What's your favorite subject to teach?
This year I am all about teaching comprehension, geometry, and physics.

6. Have you ever had a student teacher? Did you enjoy it?
I am going to give Diana a big shout out here! She was with me last year for her methods classes and I was planning on having her this year for student teaching, but that didn't happen. I was monster sad. She is amaze-balls.

7. What is your school mascot? 
"Sparky" the STEMbot

8. What's your best tip for organizing your time while at school?
I always complete the many {things} at school that I can't take home with me and I get to school before there's a copier/laminator line!

9. Do you wear a lot of jewelry or very little? 

A girl can never have too much bling.

10. What's the last movie you saw in the theater? 

It's been so long I don't even remember????

11. If you could live in a past time era, which one would you choose?
I'm kinda partial to the 80's {even though I already lived in it}. I love me some jelly shoes and slap bracelets.

12. What is your favorite subject to teach?

I think I already answered that????

HERE ARE QUESTIONS FROM JESSICA:

1.If you could meet anyone in the world, living or dead who would it be? 

I'm going to see if Mr. Schottner reads my posts and respond with Ronald Reagan.

2. If you weren’t teaching what would you be doing?

I originally was planning on going to Michigan State to pursue a career in some type of art and design {I wasn't sure at the time}. I often think about it now...

3.What was your favorite thing about school when you were a student? 
Oh well, I was a big nerd. I pretty much loved everything about school until I got to middle school. I did always HEART getting new school supplies and writing my name on them...Organizing all my color-coded binders. 

4. What do you wish you were better at?

I've always wanted to be a procrastinator. I'm jealous when people can work under pressure and not get stressed. 

5. What is your favorite store to shop at? 

Nordstrom, Anthropologie, West Elm, Banana Republic, & Loft.

6. What is two things you need for your dream classroom?

More space and more technology!

7. Where do you want to travel to?

I'd have to say that anywhere NOT in Ohio would be fantastic.

8. Favorite TV show? 

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Everybody Loves Raymond, Law and Order Reruns, Bones, and just about anything on E!

9. What is your least favorite chores? 

Cleaning my bathroom, cleaning my bathroom, and cleaning my bathroom.

10.Would you rather be an actor, singer, or athlete? 

Athlete

11.Who or what inspires you?

I'm usually inspired by things that I'm not yet able to do. 

12.What’s your favorite children’s book? 

"City Dog, Country Frog" by Mo Williems. 


OK, HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS:


1. Would you rather hit every red light for the rest of your life or have a footlong eyelash that you could never pluck?


2. Did you ever own an Ace of Base CD?


3. How do you feel about global warming?


4. What is the best advice you've ever received?


5. What is the best advice you've ever given?


6. You are walking on your way to school. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your principal has told you that if you are late one more time s/he will not sign your paperwork for a continuing contract. What would you do?


7. What is the most unusual think you know how to do?


8. Corey Haim or Corey Feldman?


9. Do you parallel park or drive around the corner?


10. If you had to change your first name, what would it be?


11. What is the most played song on your iPod?


12. Do you drink soda or pop?

Blog Meet Up

I woke up this morning and immediately thought about what I was going to write in this post...but I noticed that Amanda already beat me to it! Amanda's blog was one of the first blogs I began to follow...And one of the reasons why we started one...So it might explain why I felt like I was back in 2nd Grade waiting for the New Kids on the Block to take stage at the Ohio State Fair when I saw my name on her blog! (Yes, I did scan the cover of my cassette tape for this pic!)

  
You see, we had a mini Ohio meet-up yesterday (which was also my very first blogger get-together) and spent the afternoon with Kim from The Teacher Lane, Sarah from Sweet Times in 2nd Grade, and Amanda (who doesn't have a blog, but was in awe of all the technology she incorporates into her kindergarten classroom). I was apprehensive at first, but after 3 hours of talking I feel like I now have 4 new friends and some more blogs to stalk! (I stole this picture from Amanda).

Perhaps now I will go to the meet up this coming weekend in Cincinnati?

Major Award

Mr. Parker: It's a Major Award!
Swede: Shucks, I wouldn't know that. It looks like a lamp.
Mr. Parker: What is a lamp? It's a Major Award. I won it!


Why do Steve and I feel like we've won a Major Award? Well, because we just did! Mrs. McKown from Little Literacy Learners just gave our blog it's very first award...The Sunshine Award!

If you missed her icon on the left side of our blog, we'll make it even easier for you to check out all of her wonderful ideas! (Just click on her name below).

Mrs. McKown

Here are the Rules for this Award:

• Thank the person(s) who gave this award and if you would like to, write a post about it.
• Answer the following questions below.
• Pass the award to 10-12 fabulous bloggers, link their blogs, and let them know you awarded them.

Katie's Answers:

• Favorite Color: Depends on the day...
• Favorite Animal: Liger
• Favorite Number: 21
• Favorite Drink: Fountain Cherry Coke 
• Facebook or Twitter: Facebook
• Your Passion: Creating things...
• Giving or Getting Presents?: Giving, for sure...but receiving random notes from my first graders always make me super happy.

Steve's Answers:

• Favorite Color: Blue
• Favorite Animal: Refer to Katie's 
• Favorite Number: 23
• Favorite Drink: Coke 
• Facebook or Twitter: I truly don't like either!
• Your Passion: All things reading
• Giving or Getting Presents?: Giving

We follow so many incredible blogs and here are some who bring sunshine into our life when we see their posts. If you are on the list and don't feel like posting about the award it's totally fine! :)

• Erin at Kleinspiration
• Cara at The First Grade Parade
• Jenna at Speech Room News
• Kristen at Ladybug's Teacher Files
• Kacey at Doodlebugs Teaching
• Hope at Second Grade Shenanigans
• Kathleen at Growing Kinders
• Amy at Step into Second Grade with Mrs. Lemons
• Jennifer at Hello Literacy
• Abby at The Inspired Apple

Speech Room News

One of our (very creative)friends, Jenna Rayburn has just created a new blog! She's created games that we have posted on ReadingResource.net...She's always got the greatest ideas. You should probably check out her blog, Speech Room News! I will be adding a similar activity for my Daily Five "Word Work" station!

As well as this too...

She's pretty fabulous.