Are You Back to School Ready?

Welcome Back to School! This post is definitely a bit different from last year's Back to School season. This year students will be back with some varying restrictions depending on where you live. Either way, can we just celebrate that kids are going to be able to be on campus again? Studies have shown that they definitely need it and were missing that interaction. 

Soooo...are you ready? 

I rounded up some EASY PEASY resources that will help you get ready for the school year since you already have a lot to think about.

1. First Day of School Sign

Everybody has got to have a First Day of School sign! This is something that we do every year. We really enjoy looking back at these signs and seeing what we looked like and how much each child has changed. Plus, aren't they the cutest???!! 

If you don't have a First Day sign, you can grab it HERE. If you don't have time, no worries! I can create a custom one for you HERE. 

Look at my baby a few years ago!!!  

I had been getting LOTS of requests for a teacher sign, so I created one for us! We can have fun, too!!

2. Memory Book / Time Capsule

A lot has happened in the past year and even this summer. Let's have our kiddos document these things and then tuck them away for the end of the year when they revisit their memory book again.  My kiddos LOVED looking back and seeing how much they had grown (physically, academically, interests, etc) in just a year! It's a time capsule that you do in the beginning of the year. I then collect them all and like I mentioned, I safely tuck them away until the end of the year. When I pull them out again, I always get many oooos and ahhhhs as students look through what they wrote on the first day of school. 

If you don't have some sort of memory book that compares the school year, you can grab one here:

3. Back to School Essentials Pack

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for a deal. If you don't have resources like these to help you start your school year, I'd love for you to check these out. I pulled together 8 of my favorite EASY school starters. Maybe they can help you, too. You can grab them HERE.

4. Monthly Writing Prompts

I love using writing prompts to build classroom community and student creativity. I would have my students share what they wrote in response to the prompt. They LOVED reading what their classmates wrote. Switching journals was one of their favorite activities. We also did timed competitions where they would need to list certain items from topics that I would give them (list of adjectives, candies, words that begin with L,etc). We would even have silly prompts (Would You Rather?). It was just a FUN time of laughing and sharing. Can you imagine a whole class enjoying journal/quick write time? I'm here to tell you that it CAN be done!

If you are interested in my monthly writing prompts, you can grab them HERE.  

This resource was created to have the same routine every week so that kids know what to expect. You of course are the teacher and can change it up however you'd like though. :)

Day 1 – Finish the sentence (prompt)

Day 2 – Would you rather….?

Day 3 – Make a list (competition)

Day 4 – Quick Write (one word for 2-3 mins)

Day 5 – Would you rather…?

5. Decision Wheel / Digital Spinners

I don't know if you've ever used a spinner before but talk about engagement!!! I know that I love spinning those prize wheels and the anticipation of seeing where it lands is just plain exciting. So why not use these wheels for prizes, competitions, games, and for ditching those equity sticks? If you've never tried them, you must. It is such a great engagement tool. 

Check out the one I use. 

This is what it looks like inside:

*** DISCLAIMER:

I had created the spinner BEFORE the pandemic to be used in PowerPoint. When the pandemic hit and most schools went to remote learning, I added a component to this resource so that it could be used in Google Slides to help teachers who had already purchased my product. It's a web-based program that you could integrate into the templates that I created. The price of the resource stayed the same because I did not feel that I could charge more for a free web-based program that was added later. Just wanted you to know that the price is reflective of the PowerPoint resource and NOT the free web-based program. :)

Soooo, I'm thinking if you have resources similar to these, you are in good hands to start the year off nicely. Whatever the restrictions are this year for your school, I know that your kiddos are just happy to be back seeing their friends and seeing YOU! You've got this my friend!I believe in YOU!

Blessings,

Angela

How to Bring the Joy Back into Classroom Writing

Hello Friends.

It's near the end of the year. I get it. You are tired. No, no. NOT just tired... but you're actually crawling to the finish line. You're almost there, my friend!

So WHY am I talking about writing at this point in the year? Well, for many reasons.

1. You still want the kids to behave before summer brains kick in and they have forgotten ALL the classroom/school rules
2. You still need some resemblance of order as you wind down your school year
3.  You want to have fun at the end of the year and if you can incorporate some sort of learning ..then HECK YES!

Believe it or not, I have something that will help you with all these concerns AND it's fun, fast, and EASY for you (more on that later)!

I'm not sure if you've ever done journal writing in your classroom, but it seriously was our class favorite when I was still in the classroom! Kids would share their writings with their peers and I would pick a couple kids to read their journal aloud. Kids would laugh when responding to silly prompts and it was just plain FUN. Yep! I said it. Journal writing was fun!

We didn't worry about spelling (**GASP** I know, right??)

We didn't worry about punctuation.

We didn't worry about correct grammar.

My main goal was just to allow their creativity and thoughts to flow out. I wanted them to be able to express themselves without the worry of "getting it all right". There will be time and other assignments for corrections and lessons, but for now....for this... I just wanted them to freely express themselves.

WOW. Can I just share with you the pure freedom? The pure joy that I saw take place?

This time transformed into a time where my students could feel like they were not being "judged" or "corrected" for their lack of skills BUT praised for their wonderful creativity. It was a game changer.

That's when their joy of writing came in.

My students loved journal time because it was a time for them to freely express themselves. They didn't have to worry if they spelled this or that word correctly, or if this needed to be capitalized or not. Those thoughts didn't hinder them from continuing to write their ideas on paper.

If this sounds interesting and you have a plethora of high engaging journal prompts, then I would challenge you to try letting your students be a bit more free without your corrections. But if you were anything like me and need some FUN high interest prompts but don't have the time to go searching for them, this is where I can help!

This resource has EVERYTHING you need for the month and it really only takes a few minutes each day. 

There are prompts for EVERY school day of the month and optional word banks for younger students or for those who need the extra help with ideas.

This resource was created to have the same routine every week so that kids know what to expect:

Day 1 – Finish the sentence (prompt)
Day 2 – Would you rather….?
Day 3 – Make a list (competition)
Day 4 – Quick Write (one word for 2-3 mins)
Day 5 – Would you rather…?

This is the order of the slides, BUT you can use the prompts however you wish in any order. 

I love this resource because it's fast, easy, and comes in Google Slides, PowerPoint, and is also a DIGITAL resource.. which means that it can be PAPERLESS because students can type right onto the slides!

So whether you project it onto your classroom screen or push it out digitally to your students on their devices, it’s EASY for YOU because there is NO PRINTING involved! YAY! No more waiting at the copier just in time for it to break down. Or maybe that just always happened to me. 

I know that right about this time of the year, my students always needed a fun way to learn. We are just mentally D.O.N.E. and I'm usually winding down my school year. I love that they can still continue to write and learn AND have FUN in the process.

That's a WIN-WIN for sure!

So what about you? Do you worry about spelling and grammar at journal time? If so, do you think that you can let it go...even just for a little bit? 

Blessings, 
Angela