In Love & Good Readers Zoo

I am in love!  I have a new man in my life and his name is Mac!  He is big, bright, fast and powerful.  What more could a girl ask for!!!

Can you hear the heavens singing???  I picked up my new man at the Apple store yesterday.  The educator discount helps a lot!  I do have expensive taste when it comes to my new man.  I have spent all day with him and been very productive.

As I was transferring a few files, I discovered air drop!  If you haven't found this yet, WOW!  No more connecting with cords, transferring files to a jump drive or anything.  Just drop it on the other device wireless!  I can not wait to get to school to see if my student computers have this capability.  I am so hoping they do!  Imagine how easy that would be to transfer files.  I will let you know!

I mentioned I was productive... Here is what I finally finished!

I love using the beanie baby reading decoding strategies.  I wanted to incorporate them with all aspects of reading and display them in my classroom.  Here is the complete set of posters with all 32 strategies and headers.  I couldn't decide on the background I liked best, so I did 3 different ones to let you choose from.  You can get this set of posters at my TpT store here.  I did them in primary colors to match my classroom.  I think I may do them in bright colors too.

Here is a freebie for you!  It is a decoding strategies bookmark.

Don't foget you can find many more freebies at www.classroomfreebies.com Manic Monday!

Reading Focus Wall

School is coming quickly and I am beginning to stress more and more as I try to get a grasp on a new reading and math curriculum for this year.  We are going to McGraw-Hill Wonders for reading and Go Math for Math.

I made major progress with the reading series this week.  I have a focus wall in my room (mainly to keep me on focus...) for reading.  Normally I do this on one section of my board, but it takes up so much room valuable space.  It also takes time (usually Monday morning rushing) to write all of this information each week.  So with my new series (Wonders Grade 1), I decided to make focus wall posters for each week with the focus skills, words of the week and CCSS.  I have finished all of the weeks to accompany Wonders 1st Grade, Unit 1 Focus Wall and have them in my store.  You can click here to preview it with Unit 1 Week 1 Focus Wall freebie. 

So to solve my space problem I thought of this.  

It was so easy to make with 7 page protectors and clear packaging tape.  Just tape the page protectors together and it is ready to hang up.  I used a wooden stick to help support the top and keep it flat.  You can print the pages on any colored paper.  (Colored paper is way cheaper than colored ink!)  This focus wall will not take up nearly as much space as I have used in years pass.  

I also included in a sheet to send home with parents or put in the student binders with all of the words and skills for the entire unit.  This way I am not sending home a sheet a week, once every size weeks is so much easier.  

I am finishing up the remaining units for first grade.  However, I am trying hard to relish my last days of summer.  (Although it is hard with all that is on my mind.)