Summer Stock Up!

It might be summer break, but let's face it... What teacher actually takes the summer off, totally free of any thought of school?  I know I have been so busy creating materials for my classroom, thinking about how I will change instruction for next year, and cutting out lamination (yes, the dreaded lamination).  

As we enter the month of July and the beginning of school is starting to creep into our minds, some of my blogging buddies and I have organized a HUGE Summer Stock-Up weekend full of must-have items for Back to School.  Here, you will find awesome products for Guided Reading, Guided Math, Classroom Decor, Posters, Behavior Management, Get-to-Know-You Activities, Classroom Organization, Project Based Learning, and Interactive Notebooks.  Seriously... We have everything you need for your classroom!

I am excited to share the products I will be featuring this weekend!

Project Based Learning

It is no secret that I love Project Based Learning.  I set a goal to do at least one immersion project per quarter.  Even when we aren't knee deep in a project, we are always learning in that style.  

This year, we added a unit on space to our lineup.  We spent the week immersing ourselves in all things space related.  Our big project was to create our very own planet.  

Part of our research was to learn about a planet of the student's choosing.  Each student created some kind of digital product.  

This student chose Popplett as their digital tool!

Students had to create their planet using a digital product.  

Poplett was a popular choice for this activity!

There are tons of great resources for this project in my Out of This World Space Unit!

Getting to Know You Activities

Building relationships with students is my number one objective for the beginning of the year.  Getting to know them is top priority, and I'm sure it tops your list as well.  

I achieve this goal in a number of ways, but one of the most enjoyable is through our All About Me books!  

On the first day of school, I have always read a book that I create about myself.  I've struggled over the years with finding a cute version, so I just created one! :)  This pack includes an easy to use template for you to insert your information.  

Each week, a Student of the Week gets to take our class mascot, Owley the Owl, home on Friday.  Owley comes in a backpack with instructions, a diary to write about their adventures, and an All About Me book for the student to complete.  We read these books when students return on Monday, and they enter a special basket in our classroom library, where they stay until the end of the year.

It's fun to see students learn about their classmates. It's the first step in building a classroom culture and community.

Click below to find more great products!