Pinspired Weather Lab Freebies!

I was working on mapping out my science units for the first semester of school.  We are just about finished with our study of the Scientific Method and ready to begin learning all about weather.  I've always struggled with fun weather labs that don't require me to keep a freezer in my classroom.  Also, the student thermometers always end up not working properly.  Thank the heavens for Pinterest!
  I made little Word docs to help me implement these weather demos/labs during science this year:

1. DEMO: Cloud in a Jar {download my teaching resource}

original link

2. LAB: Rain in a Jar {download my teaching resource}

original link

TpT Back-to-School Sale!

My August Currently:
This currently post officially marks the end of summer, and signals the start of a new school year.  Luckily, there's almost a month transition period before my grad school classes start up again too.  Otherwise, I'd be completely overwhelmed if everything was beginning with huge deadlines all at once!! Link up with Oh' Boy 4th Grade if you have been late at posting your Currently (like myself):

The TpT Back-to-School Sale kicks off today! Head on over to my store to save up to 28% on all items priced over $1.00! August 12th & 13th!

Be sure to enter the code BTS12 to get that extra 10% off!

My items priced over $1.00 will be 20% off through August 13th! 

Here are some of the products you can find discounted at my store during the sale:

4th Grade: ELA Common Core Graphic Organizers

Apple Life Cycle Unit

Sunflower Life Cycle Unit

2012-2013 Classroom Tour & First Day!

They came, I taught, they learned, we bonded, there was a heat advisory schedule which is in full effect until at least 8 p.m. tomorrow night, we watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, we sang about the Place Value Families (super cute song from The Mailbox), and there were 33 students and 1 teacher who made it through the very first day of school!

Now, these photos were taken @ 6 p.m. last night, when I finally felt like my room looked like it had come together before the children had to be taught a lil something or two as 4th graders.  Mind you, I've spent waaayy more of my personal time setting up my room than professional time because we've been trapped in 14 hours of meetings during a paid time of 24 hours, go figure!  Apparently professional development is more important than classroom setup, meet the teacher prep, and grade level planning time.

Display for Student Work (just clip onto clothespin pre-tacked to wall)

half of counter wall {school supplies galore}

rest of counter wall {math manipulative should be "accessible" to students... gag!!}

The door in/out of Room 36

Teaching Station with Doc Cam & Laptop Connected to Projector

Angled view of front wall

Direct view of front wall

Math Focus Wall & Class Library

Posters near Small Group Meeting Area

Small Group Meeting Area (behind horseshoe table)

Meet Your New Textbooks!

Word Wall

My Unfinished Centers Bookcase

Class Rules & Computer Station

Hub Behind My Messy (therefore unpictured) Teacher's Desk!

There's Room 36, with everything our district mandates we have on our walls except I'm missing the Preamble to the Constitution --- still waiting on my admin to get that one over to me!  Happy New School Year!

Ready to show off your fab classroom?  Link up with "Life in Middle School" and her Classroom Photo linky party:

Giveaways Sunday #3

Hey all, although most of us out here in Arizona are going back-to-school this week, there are still some spectacular giveaways to enter these days:

1. Fancy Free in Fourth: 300 follower giveaway

2. First Grade a la Carte: Bash Giveaway

3. Step into 2nd Grade: Personalized Bag Giveaway

4. Primary Pizzazz: 100 follower giveaway

5. Fourth Grade Flipper: 100 follower giveaway

6. No Monkey Business: 500 follower giveaway

7. Literacy and Laughter: Target giftcard giveaway 

8. Yay Third Grade: Erin Condren giveaway 

9. Rulin' The Roost: VistaPrint giftcard giveaway

10. Second Grade Perks: Back to School giveaway 

Quick Freebie Friday - Cursive Alphabet Cards

Happy First Friday of August!  Tonight is Meet the Teacher and the worst part is that we have a 4 hour meeting in the morning prior to lunch, and I still have to do the last finishing touches to spruce up the room.  Well according to my most recent roster I will have 34 students, our grade level limit is supposed to be 32 but our district won't let us do anything until school starts and we give them attendance numbers.  Last time this happened two years ago I had 38 students on my roster, and 35 kids in seats without enough desks, we made it work at the horseshoe table!! I have a feeling it's going to be a repeat of that lovely, hot, horrible B.O. experience in the Phoenix heat of August.

Anyway, we had our administrative team inform us that all upper grade classrooms must have a cursive alphabet displayed at the front of the room, so I went to Lakeshore.  All I saw was rainbow, rainbow, and tooo much color!  I love black & white as a color pallete with accents of calm colors here and there.  So I made my own, I know all the letters are not the same font size but the cards are and that's what I'm using.  I plan on gluing these to a cute wide fabric ribbon and hanging above my front whiteboard.  This totally cramps my style because I wanted to hang my test-taking strategy posters there.  Pues, asi es la vida {that's life}! Click the link below the picture to download now:

{download}

Disclaimer: The uppercase J somehow got cut off when saved as a pdf, but in powerpoint it looks absolutely normal.  Tried resaving and editing the size of the text box several times, and still could not get it to save correctly.  Yet, it's nothing a little black Sharpie personal editing can't solve!


My classroom pics will be coming soon!