Currently In October

I'm linking up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade to bring you my Currently....October!

Tomorrow Breakfast in the Classroom is starting at my school. The kindergarten students (all 28 of them - yup, got another new one today), will be eating breakfast in the classroom. I will prepare by wearing jeans and tennis shoes and bringing lots of paper towels for spilled milk.  This is what the once cleared hallway now looks like (scared to smell the hallway tomorrow): That first big trash container is right in front of my room.  Instagram Party Task #8 is completed #ABCsofTeaching #hallway

*SIGH* Not a happy post....

The district Im in decided to reorganize ALL the students according to their EL Level (English Language) due to some law suit(which I don't know much about - but has a profound affect for ALL the students in my district). I get how it may help students who are in the upper grades learning Science or English and needs to be leveled, but it just seems like another form of tracking. My classroom is filled with lovely students who knows the routine, who knows me, who knows what to do during centers, and most of all who knows each other. Then after 2 WHOLE MONTHS of school....I must say goodbye to a few of my favorite students (they make me laugh and smile). I rather keep my full class of 26, then lose my EO (English only) students. My other students speak English too, but their parents wrote that they speak another language at home and so had to take a test in Kindergarten to determine their English proficiency level (which by the way, is hard for ANY child-regardless of language) in Kinder. It just feels discriminatory. I like a mix level classes where other students serve as models for each other or the simple diversity in a classroom.

On another note: three years ago, I was bumped to Kindergarten from fifth grade, so that was a major adjustment. The 2nd year I was in kindergarten, I changed schools and came in October (2 months later), and had 1 day to set up my classroom. Then a few weeks later I moved into another classroom with my students (I had no time to set that class up). I thought my 3rd year in Kindergarten would be a normal one. I WAS WRONG! This is my 3rd year in Kindergarten and I started out with 30 students (eventually another classroom opened up and I lost 4 student), ending up with a nice 26 students. I truly like them and love being their teacher, now Im losing students and will probably end up with other students that I don't know in my class. I feel awful for the ones leaving. I know they're resilient, but I selfishly wanted to be their teacher.

 On a happy note (sort of): Ill be posting pictures of my classroom and will be participating in a Teacher Instagram Party hosted by Miss Kindergarten. Come join me!

Currently in September

This is the first time Im participating in Currently, so here it goes!

Despite having 30 kinders (and let's face it, they can drive my nutty), they are a group of great kids. 

Getting Ready for Kindergarten!

I came back into my cleaned classroom....aaahh! I love it when I get to set up. The floors were sparkling and it smelled fresh. Then I saw the line of ants leading to the dead roaches, after I cleaned that up..it was back to the fresh and clean classroom. I'm pretty blessed to have a large classroom with student bathrooms and plenty of storage. I manage to rearrange some furniture and I decided to get rid of my teacher table. Ill post more of my classroom  when I finish the set up. The video above is the before. For most of the day, I manage to simply sit and stare at tables, pondering where they should go. I wish I was able to visualize my classroom and it's set up, but instead I would physically move the giant kidney table (YES ALL BY MYSELF - have bruises to show for it), just to see what it would look like if I place it there or there, no wait..maybe there...

How I Line Up my Kinders + FREEBIE

Okay, once again, I've been a bad blogger, but to make it up for you I've place a new Freebie on TPT (for a limited time).

I've always assign my students a number based on my class roster. My students are required to line up alphabetically for lunch, and lets face it...it's a nightmare for the first few weeks in Kindergarten. To curb this problem, I created Ten Frame Number Cards, laminated and taped them to the floor. Each student also has a name tag with their name and corresponding number. They learn that that is their spot and there ins't any arguments for who is first. (I'll take pictures later.) It's also great for emergencies if students must immediately evacuate the classroom without chaos. We practice getting into our line spots the fastest and safest way before leaving the classroom. Within a few weeks, most of my students are able to tell me all of their friends numbers and place them in order. This year, I decided to make them into ten frames based on suggestions from colleagues. They will be listed as FREE on TPT for a week (until August 9). I'd appreciate it if you follow my TPT or blog and leave any feedback. Click on the picture below to be sent TPT.

Fundraising for Jonah with Tamera at My Heart Belongs in First

Okay...I've been a naughty blogger (it's been a long time, since I blogged). I don't know how others are so good at blogging weekly or even bi-weekly. However, I was moved by Jonah, a boy I don't know, but is in need of support. Tamera at My Heart Belongs to First is having a fundraiser in honor of Jonah. He has EB, which causes his skin to blister or shed by the slightest touch. Read about this amazing family here .

With a $10 donation, you get over $85 worth of amazing blogger products! How can you pass that deal up AND help Jonah fight against EB?!

Click on the link My Heart Belongs in First to learn more and/or donate!

Here are some amazing blogger products you get!

                                   

 Brigid's blog

Brigid's TPT Store

Brenda @ Primary Inspired is donating her Calendar Math Pack.

     

Brenda's TPT store

Brenda's Blog 

Carolyn @ Exceptional Kinders is donating her Spring Birds Addition Pack.

   

Carolyn's TPT store

Carolyn's Blog 

Catherine @ Brown Bag Teacher is donating her Painting Prepositions.

   

Catherine's Blog

Catherine's TPT store

 

Jennie J @ JDs Rockin' Readers is donating her Retelling Stories Pack.

 

Jennie's Blog

Jennie's TPT store

 Jennifer @ First Grade Blue Skies is donating her GeoBoard It Pack.

Jennifer's Blog

Jennifer's TPT store

Jennifer @ Rowdy in First Grade is donating her Roll a Picture Pack.

Jennifer's Blog

Jennifer's TPT store

Jenny @ Suntans and Lesson Plans is donating her Possessive Pets Pack.

 

Jenny's blog

 

Jenny's TPT store 

 

 

Kathy @ First Grade a la Carte is donating her April Math & Literacy Color by Codes.

 

 

 

Kathy's blog

 

Kathy's TPT store

 Lori @ Teaching with Love & Laughter is donating her CVC Memory Pack.

 

 Lori's blog

Lori's TPT store

Marlana @ Lil Country Kindergarten is donating her There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell mini Math & Literacy Pack.

 

 Marlana's blog

Marlana's TPT store 

Michelle @ No Monkey Business is donating her Accelerating into Analogiespack.

   

Michelle's blog

Michelle's TPT store

 Rachel @ the Tattooed teacher is donating her Sweet Summarizing pack.

   

Rachel's blog

Rachel's TPT store

Richard @ Room to Read is donating his Speed It Up fluency pack.

 

Richard's blog

Richard's TPT store

Sarah @ I Dream of First Grade is donating her Barnyard Buddies Math Centers.

      

Sarah's blog

Sarah's TPT Store  

Sherre @ Peterson's Pad is donating her Word Family Charts and Word Wallpack.

 

Sherre's blog

Sherre's TPT store 

Stephanie @ Primary Possibilities is donating her Alphabet Pack.

 

 

Stephanie's blog

 

Stephanie's TPT store  

 

Stephany @ Primary Possibilities is donating her Sweet Sentences Pack.  

 

 

 Stephany's blog 
Stephany's TPT store

Teri @ A Cupcake for the Teacher is donating her Happy Birthday Craftivity and Printables.
  
Teri's blog
Teri's TPT Store

Teacher at Heart is donating her Geometry: 2D & 3D Shapes pack. 

     

Teacher at Heart blog

Teacher at Heart TPT Store

 And I am donating one of my favorite vocabulary packs for the book,Chrysanthemum.

    

Tracking with LED Car Rings

FINALLY! Something that makes my kids look at what they are reading! I don't know about you, but my students are experts at fake reading...you know, they memorize the words  and 'read.' When I tell them to point as they read, they (okay half of them) randomly point to words with a smirk on their cute little faces. My personal favorite is when they are 'reading' the words from their decodables,  but their eyeballs are glued on me (side note: I started to tape sight words on my clothes; I figured if they're going to stare at me while they read, they might as well see real words written on me).

Back to the LED car rings! I LOVE THEM and so do my students! They were excited to use the 'highlighters' to highlight the words as they read (I told them they were just like Wyatt, from SuperWhy who uses a highlighter to read words). They actually even placed the car rings on the pointer finger (and not the middle finger - that some of darlings not knowingly use - gotta love kindergarten!) I dim the lights so the ring lights are focused on their words. They were able to read for 7 minutes all by themselves AND (get this), they actually pulled out their reading box to read some more! The ring lights are super cheap too (you can get a set of 20 for less them 10 bucks).