Daily 5 today!

On this day I was just so proud as I looked around my classroom and everyone was working so hard and independent! Of course it's not like this every day but that is my goal, right?!?

These two boys are best friends and some how just got lucky enough to be partners as well.  I just love when besties are good at working together! Here they are doing "Word Work" with spelling words.

These two kiddos always worked great at "Read to Someone".  She was eager to listen, and he was eager to read!

These girls are in the Library doing "Listen to Reading" on the ipad, and "Read to Self".

Up on the loft this little one is journal writing for "Work on Writing".  She is so very creative! Below her I have computers as a 6th rotation/choice in the Daily 5.  This is where we get our IStation time in since we only go to the computer lab once a week.

At my table I have one of my reading groups rereading one of their books that we have just done earlier in the week.

Here is a look at our CAFE menu to help us recall reading strategies we have covered over the year. Yes, I agree, it isn't as full as I would like it to be but we still refer to it often!

Here is just a few pictures of my classroom library in the spring time. You can tell the basket s are getting used by the look of the books, all disheveled.

As you can tell books are an important part of our classroom! We have lots to choose from!!! I make a very big deal about choosing good fit books throughout the year and widening our reading choices by having a little of everything for them to choose from!

Center Printables

Ok, have you ever woken up one day and realized that you have been using something for years that could be made better?  I just realized that my generic center printables were soooo boring.... and sad looking as well.  SO, I remade them all to look closer to my personality!  I posted them for sale for cheap on my TpT page if you want to go over there and take a look!  I use some of these forms for Daily 5 as well!  There is some stuff for "Word Work" and "Listen to Reading"

center forms

And On the 7th Day.....

Well, I don't know about y'all but I made is 7 WHOLE SCHOOL DAYS before my first melt down, LOL!  (And yes "y'all" I am a Texan!)  Surprisingly enough, it really wasn't school itself, but all my after school obligations with my girls!  AND, a not so fun trip to the municipal court to pay for a few tickets (all dismissable ladies! don't judge)
So, I took a few pics of some of our first week graphs we have made.

Day one we make a transportation graph and talk about it.  I swear I never cut the butcher paper long enough!

Then we did a birthday graph (Teachers, you know we really do this for us!!!)

 And my favorite, the eye color pie chart!!!!  This idea came from Abby Lee's Kindergarten blog.  My gradelevel did it last year when I was in kindergarten but you would have never known by the reaction from my first graders as I put the last piece up and it made a circle!  (AND 17/21 where here in kindergarten!)

 

This is a quick snip of our CAFE Strategies board.  Granted, I wish we had gotten to more strategies but I just can seem to find the time.....It is crazy at the beginning of the year! 

Last year I decided to try homemade book bags because I was tired of bying boxes and I loaned my totes to a coworker and decided to let her have them.  So, I asked parents to bring an old (child sized) Tshirt and I did a little cosmetic touches to them and TADA!  The kids love that they have their own personal book bag that is made out of a shirt.  And the best part so far is that it is REALLY fool proof when I tell them to go get their bag.  I don't have to wait while they look on every label to try and find theirs!

One of my students favorite things right now are the pointers.  I have purchased cheap stir sticks from Hobby Lobby, Dollar Tree, and other places then put them in a pen organizer and let them grab one when they head to work on Daily 5.  Trust me, this is a HUGE motivator to read.....(as well as a distraction for some, lol)