End of the Year...No Thank You

I kind of detest breaking down my classroom at the end of the year.  It's so anti-climatic. All that hard work by the students is taken down.  And all of the classroom decor that I painstakingly cut, laminate and hung with velcro/sticky tack/command strips just gets tossed or shoved into a box.  I usually retrain my focus on what I love and that is decorating all over again in a couple months time!

As I watched my news feed fill with teachers end of the year gifts, I was planning what I wanted to tweak this year.  I had these word wall headers I made a couple years ago when we first started the common core standards and there was more of a push on informational texts and topics.  I love these headers and their bright colors so I decided I wanted more of that.  I spend 7.5+ hours a day for 180+ days in the classroom so I just want to look around and feel happy.

My inspiration:  nonfiction alphabet headers

As I started making new things for the classroom I kept having more and more ideas.  So my tweaks turned into a 100+ page colorful classroom decor set!  This set is full of things that your students will use on a daily basis, such as, jobs, table numbers, number posters, ABC posters, word wall headers, word wall words, birthdays, schedule, hand signals, nameplates and more.  You can pick it up here: Colorful Classroom Decor 

I also made the ABC posters as a stand alone: Colorful Alphabet Posters

I also made Bohemian Classroom Decor based off this digital paper that has feathers on it which I L.O.V.E!  

Aren't the feathers lovely?

Now what would a post be without a freebie?!  Today I have essential items for your classroom door!  These are my must haves and I hope you enjoy them.  Pick it up here:  Door Decor

Sight word slap is a great way for students to learn sight words in a fun way.  Just print, laminate and write a new word with dry erase marker daily.  Students will high five the word and say it aloud.

Math Password is a fantastic way to give your students more practice. Again print, laminate and write a new math problem every day.  As the students pass, they will whisper the answer.  This is a great way to spiral or practice the tricky bits.  *Tip: Any child that answers incorrectly I send to the back of the line to think.  If they still don't get it right on the second try, I quietly reteach several students, model the problem, or give them a strategy.

Welcome to pennant is just a bright, colorful, space saving way to add a little cheer to your door.  I made it and intend to punch holes on the sides and thread through ribbon.

So are you planning for the new school year or actually taking time to enjoy summer?

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Math goodies to make life easy and breezy!

Math Goodies!!!  My kids love the code to get in the door.  I laminated it and change it daily by just using a dry erase marker.  When the kids come into the room I crouch down and they whisper it in my ear.  

*Click on the links to download the documents for FREE!*

Math Code, Password

I have math centers, and while I am running small groups the kiddos still have question...can you believe it?!  I have found that if I explain each center in detail to one child per week and make them the Math Expert that I have a lot less interruptions and can really focus on my small groups.

Math Expert

This is a game to use with Candy Land.  The students pull a math card and if they can find the missing number in either an addition or subtraction problem then they get to select one of the game's card and move that amount of spaces on the board.  There will be more of these to come, so check back for them!

Candy Land, What's Missing- Addition and Subtraction