Groovy Educator

Calendar is a very important part of the day.  In my first grade class a student leader "teachers" calendar and I guide him or her as needed. On my Teachers Pay Teachers page, I made a set of blank calendars! They have multiple uses! TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS The blank calendars can be used as citizenship documentation in which each child colors a square in corresponding to his or her behavior that day (e.g. green, yellow, or red). They can be used to track weather, teach calendar skills, document how the students are feeling that day. You can even use them to write down your instructional focus for the week and the daily objectives. The can be used as a testing schedule or to mark which days your students go to various pull out programs (such as speech or ESL). They are great for creating your own homework calendars.  These are useful if you have children that need more challenging work or extra reinforcement at home.  If you take the ti...

I have a new product in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store!  It is a station documentation packet.  Basically it is a way to record what stations your students went to during the day.  I have also included s brief explanation of the various stations.  Right now it is on sale for $3.00! Here are a few images to give you an idea of what is included. 

        

Several years ago when I taught Kindergarten, I made a nursery rhyme powerpoint presentation for my class.  As we learned each rhyme I would color/highlight the rhyming words or whatever focus skill or sound pattern we were learning.  After the children memorized the rhyme, I recorded them reciting it and added it to the presentation. Each day we would review the powerpoint and each week it would grow  a wee bit longer with each new rhyme.  The children were highly engaged in the activity and it helped build their reading fluency.  I especially liked how we were able to quickly review each focus skill.  The nursery rhymes became my transitions in class.  Whenever we moved from circle time to our desks or our desks to circle time, we would recite a rhyme.  We would recite a rhyme while distributing materials.  Everything had a flow... If I had time I would do this again with first grade poetry.  I have to have the time to find ...

  mycutegraphics.com I have always been a sticker fanatic so I guess I get to let out my inner child by passing out stickers.  As much as I love stickers, I do not love peeling them off of furniture or the floor.  Every year I make a simple sticker book that can fit in my students' pencil box. You can get two sticker book covers from one piece of 8x11 construction paper.  Cut it in half like a hamburger (wide) and fold it in half.  Write My Sticker Book on the cover.  Inside I take two pieces of copy paper cut in half and folded in half to make an eight page mini book.  More pages can be added or you can create another book when this one is full. When I give the children a sticker, I give them a choice: hand, shirt, or sticker book.  Early on I tell them that they can save their collection in the book.  It is wonderful to watch them keep track and count their stickers repeatedly throughout the year (one to one correlation).  T...

This year I decided to do something a little different.  I wanted to have something cute on each student's desk for orientation besides the usual pencil, bookmark, and eraser.  I don't like to give out candy or sweet treats since there is a growing problem of childhood obesity.  What is super healthy?  Water!  I'm going to get the mini water bottles and attach this cute graphic.  I think I will use a hole punch and tie it on with a decorative ribbon.  The other option is to use card stock and make a mini holder for the water bottle to sit in.    Let’s start the year  off with a splash! I made a document with four of these images to a page.  You can download it for free! CLICK HERE .  I found the cute graphic on MyCuteGraphics.com .  There is a link on the right side of the page to free clip art and teacher clip art. I will still have a star pencil and eraser for each child since they will be a first grade star ...

When I began this blog it was my thirteenth year of teaching and my first year as a mom .  Talk about a perspective shift!  As an educator, I constantly reflect on what went well and what can be improved.  I am always interested in new ideas. Currently, I am not teaching due to my fibromyalgia.  Long story... When I started this blog the goal was to simplify and get super organized yet remain creative.  Now the goal is to share any inspiration, insights, and knowledge that may be helpful to fellow teachers and families. Periodically I add items to my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Please take a moment to check it out. More recently I have started another blog to go along with my eBay store (Lowery's Loft).   Thank You for Visiting!   A little more about me:  I have taught on both the eastern and western sides of the United States.   In 2006, I was honored as Teacher of the Year for my school.  I...