HELPERS, FROGS, FREE PRINTABLES, OH MY!

I am so excited because this coming school year I can have helpers! Well, I did have "helpers" in my 6th grade classes but it was a limited role in that I only had one person do everything and used "little jobs" as rewards or motivators for my students to look forward to. Who'd a thought that sweeping my nasty old floor would be a reward? It must have been the candy that was earned behind all that sweeping....LOL!

Anyway, as I looked around Pinterest this past month I noticed a few good resources about helpers and figured I had to decide what I will do. Since I will have 3 classes [exactly what I will have I still don't know, to be honest] I decided that the best way to tackle it is to have one boy and one girl from each class as helpers of the week. I like the application process I pinned somewhere in Pinterest Land and will certainly use that....kinda like a "get-to-know-you" activity in the first few days of school. Which students won't want to do that? Imagine reading these some time into the school year and possibly even opening up the application process again using it as an editing activity? Hmmm....need to write that down.

Anyway, I was, at one point [haven't yet ruled it out], considering going with the black, green, and gray chevron with frog accents theme as seen on the awesome Inspired In Style blog. I made these cute helper posters to hang somewhere in my room if I just-so-happen to go with the frog theme:

I plan to hang a cute black or green or gray ribbon from each and either use color-coded [by class] clothes pins with names on them or coordinating name plates color-coded [by class as well] to display who earned the coveted roles for each week. Cute, huh? :)

Well, that's all I have for now! Go on and check it out, download it for free if you like .... just click on the pictures! After all, it is SCIENCE DIVA CERTIFIED!

P.S. The frog clip art comes from www.mycutegraphics.com! :)

FREEBIE! A Binder Design for a Teaching Diva....

You know, after reading my posts from a long time ago, I said I was not going to jump on the "pay-me" bandwagon...we are teachers right? We need to share right? So go ahead and read on....

Well...since I am moving schools and grade levels I decided to jump on board with all the rage...Diva Designer Classroom Accessories. I love what I have been seeing online and figured I can make one for myself. I'm loving the black, white, and all that chevron I keep seeing everywhere. So I made one. Here are just a few snap shots:

There are many more pages/designs in this download that are ready to be customized by you. If you are interested, I have them on my TPT site. This is free...yep FREE! :) 

Go ahead and get you one Diva...after all it is SCIENCE DIVA CERTIFIED!

CH- CH- CH- CHANGES....

ARE FABULOUS! 

June has left me in a bit of a peculiar-feeling state. I am changing schools this year [my choice and a good one I might add] and, YES, subjects too...well sort of like adding on! I will be teaching 3rd/4th grade [as of right now] Science AND Social Studies. I am soooo ok with the Science part, of course! It's the Social Studies that will have me learning along side with my kiddoes. But I'm game for it. Of course my room will be totally different. GONE is my HUGE, AWESOME room with my HUGE, AWESOMELY-SPECTACULAR Promethean board only to be replaced with a smaller, earlier model. I can definitely live with that though. :) Yea, I'm flexible like that [patting myself on the shoulder].

Content-wise, I know that a LOT of what I used  previously [Science-wise] with my 6th graders will sooo have to be watered down. A LOT. But, with holding my expectations still sky high, I'm certain my little boo-boos will be able to hold their own and learn and grow as the CCSS and other governing guidelines expect. 

I am in the process of deciding if I will use ISNs [the new Science text is an interactive workbook, so I need to decide if its worth the time] as well as HOW I want to approach the Social Studies aspect. And to be honest, my room! Oh my, what will I do with my room!

So while I get my thoughts together, I will leave you with this SCIENCE DIVA CERTIFIED quote: "Never let your past dictate your future." - Zig Ziglar