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Back to School: Routines & Procedures

Back to School...It's all about Routines & Procedures.  
It is literally THE most important thing you teach all year because you can't effectively teach the content and standards you need to teach, unless you have taught your students your routines & procedures.

I've created an EDITABLE PowerPoint that will guide you as you teach your students about...
Classroom Rules, Hallway Behavior, Cafeteria Behavior, Restroom Behavior, How to Sit on the Carpet, Recess Rules, How to Line Up, Turning In Papers, Pencil Sharpener Expectations, Rewards & Consequences.  Here are a few examples:
I've also included slides for teaching your students secret hand signals!
Visit TheHappyTeacher store to see a full preview the customizable PowerPoint!

Teaching Adjectives with SHOW & TELL

Today I'm going to share with you one of my favorite lessons to teach!
It's the HOOK I use to begin our unit on adjectives.
I gather my kiddos on the carpet, and show them my brown paper bag.  I tell them that I'm going to give them CLUES about what is inside the bag, and they get to guess what they think it is.  

Round 1...
Round, small, juicy, soft, delicious, sweet, healthy, sticky, fruity, orange

What is it!?!
A TANGERINE!  
(Almost everybody will guess orange.  Tricky teacher!)  :)  

We begin talking about how all of the clues I gave are words that DESCRIBE the tangerine.  The words describe how the mystery item looks, smells, feels, and tastes.  

Time for Round 2...
Mouthwatering, sweet, small, yummy, sticky, rectangular, pink, stretchy, flavorful, chewy
What is it!?! 
BUBBLE GUM  

At this point, the kids are bouncing around with excitement.  Then I tell them the best part... they get a turn!  Over the next week, I'll send home a brown paper bag with each student.  The directions are stapled to the paper bag so the parents know exactly what is going on.  It's important that the child choose something that fits inside the bag, and something that they can describe using only adjectives. 
This activity is so fun & exciting for the students.  They love getting a turn to "show & tell," and they love guessing what is inside their friends' bags!  You can snag the printable to staple on the bag here.  I've also included some fun adjective activities as well.

Five for Friday: School Supplies & More

School supplies are an addiction for most teachers I know.  Check out my latest haul. :)
Mini Highlighters 39 cents @ Walgreens
Stickers $1 @ Target 
Mr. Sketch Skinny Markers $5 @ Walgreens (Had to splurge!)
Scotch Washi Tape $2 @ Target 
We got together with some good friends this past weekend and tried out a new restaurant, Spork.  They have an awesome outdoor area that is perfect for kids.  Unfortunately, it was 100 degrees.  
 #boymoms
The boys!  Mine are the two that are NOT smiling.  Haha.  
I found my new favorite blogger.  Her classroom decor is adorable!  You've gotta check out SSSTeaching!  Here is a pic from her latest blog post.  LOVE the bright colors she chose.  Go check out her blog to see more pics!  
I made some updates to my Meet the Teacher Night Essentials.  It has all the important stuff you need that first night parents & kiddos come to meet you... Child Information Forms, Volunteer forms, Transportation Charts... I've also included an assortment of fun activities for the kids to do while their parents fill our paperwork!  Check it out...
The Nordstrom Anniversary sale is like Christmas to me.  So many great deals!
I always buy my boys' winter jackets during the sale...which happens to be in July. 
No joke, Reed wanted to his wear his new jacket and "play outside."  
Can't wait til fall when the boys can wear these!  :)
Have a great weekend!

Math Facts Flip Book

Every year, during Back to School shopping, I stock up on these amazing spiral flip books.  
I always find them on sale at Office Depot, but you can get them anywhere.  {Amazon has them but they are more expensive. Boo.}  I stock up on them because you can use them for about one zillion different things.  Today I want to show you how I use them for math centers.  
First things first... I write basic addition facts inside of the flip book.  
I write the answer on the back of the card, very lightly, in pencil.  Can you even see it?  
At the math station, I provide students with the flip book, a part-part-whole mat, and some manipulatives.  I love using ERASERS as manipulatives.  I got this giant bag of cute erasers in the Dollar Spot.  You can switch these out seasonally, and your kiddos will be thrilled!  

Students can work through the flip book and record their work on a dry erase board. {I found this lined dry erase board in the Target Dollar Spot.  Best deal ever!}
For added accountability, have students record their work in their math journals so you can "check" their work.  For more addition & subtraction resources, check out my PRINTABLES & TASK CARDS, or find a big BUNDLE here.  

I also use these spiral flip books to teach sight words.  Check out my blog post on Tactile Sight Word Books using glitter glue!
For more resources and teaching tips, check out Mrs. Jones' Creation Station.  Her Show & Share linky is full of fresh ideas!

Back to School Student Gift

Get your students REVVED up for an awesome year!  I thought this adorable gift would be perfect to give to kiddos at Meet the Teacher Night or after the first day of school.  

I found the car erasers in the Dollar Spot at Target.  They were FOUR for $1, so this little goodie will be super cheap.  
Download the FREE printable here.
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I updated my Back to School Essentials.  If you own this, please re-download it immediately! You can thank me later ;)  
This packet has fun & simple activities to keep students engaged during the (always HECTIC) first week of school.  The best part is they require NO PREP.  These are great for morning work during those first few days, or when you have an extra chunk of time in the day that you didn't plan for.  :) 
Following Directions Activities
Writing Prompts
Student Surveys
Word Work Activities
Wanna win this Back to School packet?  Leave a comment below and tell me what you will miss most about summer!  Don't forget to leave your e-mail address in the comments.  I'll pick a few random winners and e-mail you this packet so you are ready for Back to School!