A Peek at Last Week…{Visual Review}

Hi-ya, Friends! How are ya? Last week was our first week back after the holiday break. After enjoying some time to rest and rejuvenate, we returned to school on one of the coldest days of the year to a chilly 19 degrees! Ugh, it makes me cold just thinking about it! In true Texas fashion, it was back in the 70’s by Friday…BUT getting to Friday with the coldest weather we’ve experienced yet, rain, and NO recess was just a little K-RA-ZzzzY, with a capital K {wink, wink}! HA!

Sooo, as I prepare for Week 2 of 2014, here’s a quick peek at our last week! I hope you you’ll find it helpful as you kick off the new semester.



Our little home for the day has been reorganized for a better flow and easy access to materials. The picture above is of our writing station. The picture below is of our little library nook. I LOVE open and clutter free. If it doesn’t have a specific purpose or function for our learning, it’s out of our room!


Books are organized by level and interest. This spot is a definite class favorite!



Meet our new addition…the author’s chair! This little guy has sparked a renewed interest in poetry journals, inspired better quality work in writer’s notebooks and morning journals. They’ve all been volunteering to share now that we have a special, dedicated spot for it. Who knew?! I’m thrilled the kiddos are lovin’ it!



We’ve begun practicing multi-step directions. We used this craft by Miss Kindergarten to set reading goals for the new year!



Our CAFE board has now been personalized with names. How I wish I could’ve recorded some of the conversations students had as they honestly identified areas of growth. Each student chose an area to work toward improving and posted their name under the appropriate header. After completing this activity, students then worked together in small groups to write down the specific reading skill they would like to work toward improving. My class amazes me a little more every day!



Interactive writing….(They love sharing the pen…..sometimes, I wish they’d let me write a little more.) =)



Guided Writing in small groups….



Differentiated word work…. We’ve come so far, but still have lots of work to do.





And here’s what we’ll be up to this week…including mid year testing. Yaaaaaaaaaay, right?! Haha! We’ll get through it…interpret it and make adjustments to get ready to rock this second semester of the year! It all goes by so fast!



Have a great week! Click the pic to grab ‘em. “See ya” soon! Laters, gators!