Show Your Digs (Rought Draft Style)

Teacher Week 13:  Show Your Digs

We don't start school here til the day after Labor Day.  Fortunately we are allowed in during the summer, so I will photo dump what has been done so far.  Then do a better tour when it is done.

 The view from my conference meeting area and going around the room-

 View from the door-

The Library-fiction picture and chapter books

 non-fiction books

Stay tuned for updates!

Happy Tuesday,

10 Things About Me

Hey, it's Teacher Blogger Week 2013.  I have been having lots of fun reading random facts about my friends.
Here are 10 Random...(and possibly redundant if you visit here regularly) things about me.

1.   I love reading and I love the library.  Very rarely do I have less than 80 books checked out at a time!  During the summer I try to read a book a day and usually make my goal!

2.  When I was 6 I developed juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.  I woke up couldn't straighten my leg.  In all my 1st and 2nd grade class photos, one knee is swollen to twice the size of the other.  I had to go to the school nurse everyday and take a whole bunch of aspirin.  (Nasty stuff they tried to mask by flavoring it orange.)  Within two years, the arthritis was completely gone!  I was so a lucky one!

3.  Top Ramen is one of my favorite foods as well as Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft only) and grilled cheese sandwiches.  So, I could easily eat happily with any of my students.

4.  I play the flute.  Sometimes as a class reward, but mostly at home for fun.  In high school, I was part of the marching band and Portland's Metropolitan Youth Symphony.

5.  While driving I am either listening to a book on tape or singing along with a musical.  I am sure I look absolutely ridiculous, but at least no none else can hear! 

6.  The Dodgers are my favorite baseball team...although I have no idea why.  My dad has always loved baseball, so I decided I should have a favorite team.  So I had to have one also.  Here are some theories for my choice-
1.  Brett Butler-former center fielder.  His name is alliterative and I have always had a fascination with alliteration.
2.  Daryl Strawberry-former right fielder.  Umm his last name is strawberry.
3.  In 1988, the Dodgers won the World Series.  (I am hoping for that this year, but not willing to let myself believe it could actually happen.)
The entire downstairs bathroom is dedicated to Dodger paraphernalia.

7.  Reese (named for another former Dodger) is my new favorite addition.  I know nothing about puppies, but we are having fun learning and she really is so mellow and cuddly! 

8.  I am a native Oregonian and I love everything about it (except the lack of a professional baseball team) I even love the months of rain...and find people who complain about the weather frustrating!  It is beautiful here and within about an hour you can be at the beach, the mountain, or the desert.

9.  My school is five minutes away from my house.  Many of my neighbors are my students and I see someone almost every time I go to the grocery store.  If I didn't haul so much stuff to and from school, I would most definitely walk or bike.

10.  I really want to join the roller derby!  I think it would be a great way to deal with frustrating people/events/etc and maybe get me out of my shy shell!  There is a roller derby team in Portland and they are so fun to watch.  Growing up, almost every single birthday party was at Skate World, so the skating part shouldn't be a problem:-)

Happy Monday!

A Freebie for a Friday

I just can't stop myself from hanging out in my classroom.  Here is what I added to my reading wall.  Feel free to click the pic if you would like one for yourself!  If I were really techy...I could posterize this, but I just printed out the pages and glued together #oldschool.

Happy Friday,

Late Monday Made It Wayback Machine

Before I started blogging and before pinterest exploded, I found this adorable diy:

Normally diy never turns out as smoothly as the directions make it seem, but this one really did go as nicely as it could have.  You will have to check out the step by step directions click here...since they work well and it was created my b.b.e (before blog era).

I searched Goodwill for old globes....it was surprisingly easy.  Then Michaels for the rest of the supplies. 

 Finding things to put on the globe is the best part.

Happy Tuesday,

August Currently...Are You Kidding Me!~

I am so in denial about what month it is!  Some of you friends, have even started school already...I can't even imagine that!  Anyway everyone's Currentlys are so fun to read.  When you visit Farley, you can check them all out too.

Listening-The music just doesn't get old!  And then I always get the songs stuck in my head.

Loving-My Dodgers are on a hot streak!  In first place...such a difference from the beginning of the season.  I have a student who is a huge Giant fan and I am not sure how he is going to handle being in my Dodger decorated classroom....

Thinking-In case you didn't know, I love reading!  I challenge my kids to summer reading and try to do the same.  Being on vacation for a couple weeks put me  abit behind in my reading, but I think I have managed to catch up.  Just need to read 13 more books by August 26th and I will have met my goal. One book for each weekday of no school.

Wanting-Last year I had 36 Chickadees!  It was nuts.  This year, I am told 29 oh please be true...please be true!  I could remove an entire table:-)

Needing-I have a fabulous library.  You can make book lists and save them.  Then when you need to check out the books, you can just select the list and then place the whole list on hold.  Check back soon, for my list of go-to first week/month of school reads.  Anyway, I need to get my list on hold so I don't end up being on a wait list

B2s Must Haves-
1) Coffee mug-The benefit to having a unique coffee mug is that every time I put it down in some random place everyone knows who to return it to.
2) Staple remover...because I never get the bulletin boards right the first time.  And the pinch and pull kind of removers drive me batty.
3) Why are chapter book read alouds so hard to find?  Looping with half my class makes it even harder.  I have narrowed it down to Wonder, Toys Go Out, or Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library.

Don't forget to check in with Farley and use the "Rule of 3".
Happy Thursday,