Changing Grades

I can't believe how long it has been since I've posted. Right before school started, I got a call from the assistant principal that I would need to move to 3rd grade (at least for the beginning of the year) to be in compliance with class size. I was devastated. My room was done, my bulletin boards up and I had my lesson plans and copies ready for the first month of school. Never mind, all the work and stuff that I had bought over the summer. I couldn't even talk about it for the first couple of days. To make a long story short, instead of the easy week that I had planned, I had to pack up my room, take down my bulletin boards and move upstairs. Talk about being overwhelmed. I'm still trying to figure out procedures, etc. I was going to stop my blog since I feel that I don't know enough about 3rd grade yet to create items but I think that I will keep it up for now. I still have some Kindergarten stuff that I've made that I need to post when I find them. I'm starting out slowly and trying to figure out my day. I haven't done anything yet but reading and math. Bear with me and I hope to have some kindergarten and 3rd grade stuff in a couple of weeks.

Friday Freebie

I have one more week before heading back to school and the sense of panic and what did I do all summer has kicked in.
So far today, I went to Staples to buy ink to print some of my stuff and when I put it in my printer, it said it wouldn't work. So, now, I have to go back and replace it. Meanwhile, I can't get my printing done and it's pouring here in sunny south Florida.
Then I made dog color posters and dog shape posters but can't print them.
But anyway on to the freebie. I made these at the beginning of summer when I was full of good intentions and then forgot all about them. ABC Friends
Enjoy

Encouraging Reluctant Readers

Amy in Adventures in Teaching is having a linky party on how to encourage reluctant readers.
My feeling is that reading should be fun and children shouldn't be forced to read (except at teacher's table). I worked in a school where children were yelled at for not reading in the morning. That to me is against what we should be doing. A quick story, both of my daughters are avid readers, they never go anywhere without a book, quite often you'll find them reading instead of watching t.v., etc. Yet they both did poorly on their AR points because they couldn't always find books that interested them.
So, apart from teacher table, I never force a child to read. I give them plenty of choices at the library. We have either library or big books every day at centers. I never have had much of a problem with reluctant readers. I make reading as pleasurable as can be. Reading and big books are the only centers that I don't require a response sheet. I don't want them to think they're working. Usually children get upset when they can't go to one of those centers. I have stuffed toys for them to read to. I have lots of different books for them to read and change the books out often. I don't put a lot of books out at a time. I think this helps.
I did have one child last year who hated my reading materials so when I conferenced with him, he told me that he only liked reading magazines so his mom sent in lots of different magazines and by the end of the year, he was reading my books.
I hope this helps.

I Hate Painting

Can I tell you how much I hate painting. For the last 2 years, I have been promising my youngest daughter that I would paint her room. That's right I have been putting it off for 2 years
So, this summer, I promised again that I would paint her room and there was no way she was letting me out of it. She even helped lol.
So, long story short, I have been painting for 3 days - still not finished. Was hoping to be done tonight but the paint was not cooperating so I stopped.
I have been covered in paint. I was in Publix this morning and one of my neighbors commented on what a nice shade of lime green I was using in Noelle's room. I asked her when she saw it and she said that the back of my legs were covered in it and that was after 2 showers. I'm one of those people who opens a can of paint and is immediately covered with it
Anyway, on to a freebie. I made this to use with my kiddos at the beginning of the year. For the last couple of years, I have had major problems with copying so I give each child a basket with 4 words in it and they have to write the word.
Letter Sort On another note, has anybody been watching the Target commercials for back to school. I'm loving them