This week will be a big to-do each morning. We will have a normal small group time all week. Hooray! Today, I put together my small group folders to be ready. Previously, I put all my stuff in one notebook, but after the fabulous Jane came and spent a half day with us at the beginning of the year, I felt convicted and am switching back to folders, like Pathways to Reading suggests. I'll give it a try again.
I keep forgetting to mention, but we have added our first brag tags! I'm so excited about them I want some brag tags too. Maybe I'll claim that one on the bottom right side with no name tag. :o) I like how they stick out. Those cute little orange tags say "I read 150 minutes in August." I am thinking about making an "I was on an Amazing Race!" tag for my 3 kiddos that participated in our Math and Reading night last week. Is that a ridiculous idea?
Part of my preparation for small group time being fully functional this week is having a Word Work station set up so that the kids can get their own supplies this year. I'll load it into the drawers before Monday for the kids. The top drawing currently holds extra scissors and glue sticks, just in case. Mondays will be some sort of skill work. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays will be Spelling practice. Fridays will also be skill work. I feel like I've already shared this with you. I apologize, if that's the case. I'm proud of my set up, though. Those Sterilite drawers barely squeezed in to the bottom of that cubby, too. Phew! I would've cried if they didn't fit.
Finally, this little nugget has many of us teachers with our panties in a wad. The decision was made that kids would order their food the day before... instead of the day of, the way we started the year.
Can I just share that I have several students who fail to remember what they ordered for lunch that morning? Ordering the day before is going to be even worse. We had our routine worked out perfectly. One of my student helpers was able to take lunch count and deliver it to the necessary recipient. Oy, this ruins it all.
So, this is my solution. The "today" and "tomorrow" words are attached with velcro so I can move them accordingly. The kids will use a dry erase (or Vis a Vis, haven't decided yet) marker to write their initials on their choice for the next day. At the end of the day, I'll erase the lunch choices for that day, switch the velcro words, and write the new lunch choices to be ordered (a day in advance, GRR). This way I can easily see who should be where in our lunch line.
Unnecessary problem solved!
Happy weekend!
I still have work to do...
I still have work to do...
