Extreme Makeover: Classroom Edition

Well the time has come... School officially starts on Tuesday! (That's tomorrow, I started this post the other day but I didn't have good pictures so I had to go back to school today!)Oh where did the summer go and why do I still feel like there's so much to do?! I moved classrooms two years in a row...ugh! But I'm very happy with the results of this year's transformation and I think the kiddos I met the other day love it too.

We went from this...

To this!

View from the door

View from the other side

Front of the classroom

 Focus wall, missing a few things that will be put up as we go!

Morning message for tomorrow!

Calendar

 Gathering area, focus wall and calendar

 Library, student computers and teacher area

Word wall under whiteboard

Student book baskets

Go home chart

Student desks

Classroom jobs display

Lunch count and attendance board (my favorite!)

My desk, not too messy yet ;)

Reading table with baskets for supplies

"Welcome to the first day!"

Outside the classroom

 I hope you have enjoyed my little tour! I'm excited and nervous for tomorrow but I think it's gonna be a great year!

Be sure to check out some other classrooms here...

Blog Hoppin's Teacher Week 2014!

I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' for TEACHER WEEK 2014

My name is Erika Smatlan and 

i teach in Post Falls Idaho and live in Coeur d'Alene Idaho (about 7 miles apart). Here's a few things about me:

I'll be back to tomorrow to share some classrooms pics!

Back 2 School! Assessment!

Well it seems ALL I have been talking about lately is ASSESSMENT... since that's what I talked about in my Guided Math post, you can read about it here. 

This post is still math related but it's more relating to COMMON CORE.  So if your anything like me sometimes reinventing the wheel is not possible and you just need something quick and easy and did a mention free? (ok maybe not quick and maybe not easy, but you know what I mean...) Anywho I came across this website the other day and I just feel it needs to be shared! It has COMMON CORE MATH for each grade level K-6, you just click on your grade level and then on the standard. 

There are activities, levels of rigor and then you can click on assessing that standard! It is soo awesome and will make your life a little easier :)

 Here is where you can find all this fabulous stuff! Howard Country Public Schools It will say grade 1 but you can select any grade level on that home page. I hope this site helps you out :)

Come back next week for...CLASSROOM DECOR!!! 

To check out the other awesome teacher talking about assessment click either picture below to find the linky party.

a little classroom tour!

just a day late...I spent the last real day of summer at the lake getting a nice sunburn... Anyway, I've have worked the ENTIRE summer and now (the day before school starts!) I'm ready to show you my classroom! It's pretty cute if I do say so myself...

Back of the classroom, taken from the door.

Close-up of our Gathering Spot, where I will do Morning Message, Days of the Week, Days of School, etc.

Days of the Week can be found in my

Classroom Decor pack!

 Number Posters at the front of the room are in my decor pack too!

My cute little group baskets for pencils and crayons, I have desks in my classroom but I'm planning on using them more like tables and the kids will not have many things kept in their desks! At least I hope!

 My genius Lunch Count board made out of pizza pans from the dollar tree, magnets with a sticky back from Wal-Mart and my students numbers from my Decor pack (4 pages printed on one page is a nice way to reduced the size and super easy!) The kids will come in, hang up their stuff and make their lunch choice (choice and cold lunch pan not shown ;)  I hope it works out!

I took most of these photos last wednesday when we had 1st Grade orientation. This was the stuff they got to take home with them that night. My principal loved the little flip book I made and so did the parents! Check it out at Ashley Reed's Store it's awesome Parent Handbook Flipbook

Our classroom Library, all these books have been leveled and covered with contact paper to help them endure hours of reading by my "firsties".

Close-up of my book boxes, the locker bins (on the left and right are from the Dollar Tree, center basket from Really Good Stuff).  All my books also got a matching number sticker on the back so the kiddos would be able to put the book back in the right bin!

 Students book baskets, also from the Dollar Tree. I just love that place!

Well what to do in the last few hours of summer??? I'm both EXCITED and NERVOUS for tomorrow, I just hope I sleep later ;)

Back to School SALE!!!

The Teachers Pay Teachers sale begins Sunday at 12 am EST! My store will go on sale tomorrow through Monday! I've got one week before we're officially back but I'm been spending all my time there anyway. I can't wait to buy some other things at the sale that I've been wanting for my first graders.  Click the picture above to go to my store! What are you gonna buy?

Erika

Back to School fun and a freebie!

So I'm fully back in the swing of school, I've been to school about 4 days now (3 days this week) and I have sooo much to do! I mean I should show you a picture of what my classroom looks like but I'm super embarrassed about it's present state. There is stuff everywhere, the floors are covered as are my desk and reading table. I don't have any student desks or table yet, I'm still hoping to get tables for my first graders (fingers crossed!). {the freebie is down at the bottom, but keep reading ;)}

So aside from my classroom I've been busy working on documents and stuff for back-to-school including my teacher binder and a whole year of reading calendars.

I made 2 types of calendar a 2-page and 1 page version

I think my student info page is quite cute.

 I will print the student info sheet and put this parent communication form on the back to keep myself organized!

 I created 2 covers and coordinating dividers pages, but I can't decide which I like best :( What do you think, I really like them both!

Check out my teacher binder at my TpT store (both covers/dividers coordinate with my classroom decor pack too!

Chevron & Bright Bunting Teacher Binder

NOW for a freebie! So this summer I spent some time with some other first grade teachers and we were discussing homework and reading.  We had all tried different things in the past but I loved the idea of a reading calendar.  In our area, our first grade students are given "reading buddies", a stuffed animal puppy, that they keep at school and read to every day.  It's totally awesome and the kids just love their little puppies. As a way to increase reading at home, the first graders have a reading calendar with a goal to reach each month and when the calendar is turned in they earn "prizes" to go with their puppy.  Well since I can't get every one in america puppies for their first graders I thought I would at least share my reading calendar that I made! Aren't they cute!

If you would like to change the minutes goal just white it out and write in your goal, a calendar for each month Sept-June! Click the link!

Reading Calendar! Please leave a comment for me below and tell me what you think! Thanks

Ok well I'm going to take a break from computing now but I'll be back at it tomorrow. Enjoy the freebie!

UPDATE 7/13/16-I've made Reading Calendars for every year the past few years and you can get the NEWEST CALENDARS for the 2016-2017 School Year!! Get them here!

Erika