A little something that I think that you will LOVE!

Happy Sunday!! I am so glad to have the had a very successful first week of school!! I would love to have just one more day to stretch the weekend out but I am ready for another great week with my new second graders!

I wanted to share something that makes organizing all the folders and spirals that can be found in my ELAR classroom. Using the adorable graphics from Thistle Girl Designs, I created labels for each of the folders and spirals that my second graders use during our ELAR block.

These are the folders that we use:

Work Folder

Writing Folder

and we use the following spirals:

Treasure Book (personal journal)

Writer's Notebook

Reader's Response

Now, I went around and around thinking about how to organize their supplies and decided that I would use a numbering system. This way they know their numbers, it corresponds with my gradebook, and I know when I have everyone's supplies (or if someone's is missing).

So I made generic name labels to use with my kiddos that I can but on anything I pass out.

When I created the files, I used the Avery label number in the file name and I hope that all the labels print out beautifully for you. Please feel free to let me know if anything needs to be tweaked :)

looking for a few more ideas?
I shared this on:

One Extra Degree

Three for Thursday at Blog Hoppin'

Happy Thursday!! The first week of school is going well and I am LOVING second grade!!

For this post, I get to mention some of my favorite addictions things...FONTS, BLOGS and RESOURCES!!

I love fonts. Adore them. Can't live with out them....ok, maybe I could but things just wouldn't be as cute!!

Here is a link to some of my favorite fonts:

I also have a sqwrol with lots of fabulous font websites:



One of my favorite blogs (which is hard to say because there are so many wonderful blogs that I follow and I am sure have yet to discover)  is Lesson Plans SoS. I was lucky enough to win a $25 gift card to their shop and WOW are their products are A.MAZ.ING.

And last, resources! What would a teacher do without all the great resources that are out there created by other teachers! I love blogging and think it is one of the best kept secrets ever! I tell all the teachers that I come across to check out the blogging world to find a whole new group of sensational teachers to collaborate with and to share ideas....and definitely borrow a few.

Another great resource that I have come to love this summmer is Pinterest. If you haven't checked this out....oh.my.word... you are going to love it! It is like a visual file cabinet of all the great ideas that you find on the internet. Come and check mine out and become a follower. I am pinning all the time and love to share new ideas through this website.

Enjoy!!!

 

Teacher Talk Tuesday- Advice to New Teachers

Tonight, I am giving advice. The funny thing is that I am having some of those new teacher feelings! I taught first grade for 11 years and am now teaching second grade (which I am LOVING!!). The last few days have been a whirlwind and I am definitely on a learning curve!

 My advice to new teachers would be:

Study your lessons and know what you are teaching BEFORE you teach the lesson. There is a lot of studying that needs to happen so that you feel prepared.

Ask questions....lots and lots of questions.

Find a friend on campus that will make you laugh, wants to hear about your day and can give sound advice.

Beg, borrow and steal (fabulous ideas)!

Be willing to learn from the wonderful and experienced teachers around you. The best teachers always learn something new everyday.

Breathe.

To all the new teachers, welcome to one of the most amazing professions that exists. Teaching is a calling. Listen to your heart and remember that everyday is an opportunity to touch the life of a child. You DO make a difference.

Are you Blog Hoppin'?
Check it out for more fabulous words of wisdom!

Meet the Teacher: Ms. Morgart

Welcome!

I'm Ms. Morgart and this is my little blog, Curls and a Smile! Today was the first day of school and although I am exhausted, I just had to participate in Teacher Week 2011 at Blog Hoppin'!

Here's a little about me...

Today began my 12th of teaching! I taught first grade for 11 years and this year started my new adventure in second grade. My class is so sweet and I am amazed at how mature they become over one summer!! When I was going over procedures (such as how to put your backpack away) they didn't ven skip a beat! They were pros! This first day has to be the easiest that I have had in a long time....I think I am going to love second grade!

Something that you might not know about me....

I am a proud penguin! When I was in college, I pledged Kappa Delta Chi (a service soroity) that allowed me to provide community service to the Bryan/ College Station area , gave me opportunities to develop as a leader and where I created lifelong friends. As an alumnae, I hope to become more involved with the soroity on a national level and continue to find new ways to serve my community.

What I have Learned From Teaching...

Teaching students has taught me patience, compassion and faith in each one of the children that I am blessed to have in my class. One of the most amazing feelings in the world is watching a young child develop the ability to master skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. Watching a child read for the first time is inspiring and reminds me of why I became a teacher.

A few other things I have learned...

Always be prepared (great tool in classroom management)

Always be willing to grow and learn as a teacher. The day you feel you know it all, it is time to retire.

Practice what you preach.

Don't be afraid to tell your students that you love them.

You may the only adult that they hear that from each day.

Enjoy what you do. Your joy will radiate through everything you do in your classroom.

I am so tired but extremly happy to have had a successful first day and I am looking forward to a wonderful year full of amazing memories, new ideas and great new bloggie friends!

A new adventure with Me and My Gang!

I am so excited to announce that I will have the complete honor of being an author for a new and fabulous blog! This is a wonderful group of teachers that are working on great ideas to share with our readers!

Mrs. McCumbee of

and

Mrs. Schroeder of

are the wonderful teachers behind this new blog and are also looking for additional teachers to author creative and unique ideas for Me and My Gang. If you are a k-3 teacher and are interested in participating check out their blogs and join in on the awesome blogging!!

Come by and check it out!!

Color Chart Clip Board

Earlier this summer, my wonderful former teammate Alyce, create a super cute clip board version of my behavior color chart. It is a great way to have a portable version of a color chart that can be shared with your partner teacher, teammates or specials teachers. Here is a set-by-step of how it was created:

1. You will need a clipboard, scrap booking paper (in the colors that you need for your color chart), Modge Podge, sponge brush, and a title/picture to name your chart. Pictures from google images.

2. First glue your scrap booking paper the way that you would like for it to look on the clipboard and allow that to dry so that the paper doesn't move when you are covering the entire project. Glue from underneath the paper...don't try to cover the whole clipboard at one time (the paper tends to shift and bubble).

3. Add the title/picture label on top of your scrap booking paper. Let dry.

4. Once everything is thoroughly dry, it is time to cover the entire project with Modge Podge. Use even strokes. from left to right, until the whole clipboard is covered. Feel free to use the Modge Podge as needed because if your sponge is not wet enough, it tends to pull and give the clipboard a "streaky" look.

5. Allow it to dry completely.

6. Now you are ready to make your clips! These numbers were purchased at Hobby Lobby and are used for calendars. All you need to do is peel and stick!

                 

Here is the final product:



This one is a little different than the original post. The stripes really give it a a nice touch!!

I am currently working on some cute titles for you....so tell me, what are your themes?

Linky Party Fun!

Are you decorating up a storm in your room? Have you created a new space or implemented super cute ideas from other bloggers? Does your room look FABULOUS!! Join my linky party and show us all the hard work that you have done to transform a plain old room to an amazing place to learn!!

Make sure to grab my button and tell others about the linky!!

Click here to join in the linky party!