Seat Sacks

School is back in session! I made it through my first week back! I am excited for this year, I have lots of new ideas and am feeling more comfortable with the use of technology. I have realized that I need more storage space out in my portable. I have decided that seat sacks is the way to go! I have posted a donors choose project and am hoping that those that see this blog will help me out! For the next 6 days anyone that goes to the link below and donates using the word INSPIRE will have their donation amount doubled! This means that if you donate $5 that amount gets matched and turns into $10.

Please help me out by donating at the link below!

http://www.donorschoose.org/project

Back To School Sale Today ONLY!

Save on EVERYTHING from Aug 4-5!
Sale runs Aug 4, 12:01 am ET - Aug 5, 11:59 pm ET

Here's How It Works:

• Use promo code BTS14 for 10% off everything except gift certificates and purchases made with PO

Some of my top selling items that  you are going to want to check out!

iPad Rules and expectations

get it here

Get both of my listening center products combined for $5.50 (originally $6) plus the 10% today only

get it here

2nd grade wonders word wall

get it here

2nd grade wonders genre posters

get it here

If you like what you see here, be sure to check out the rest of my store!

Getting Ready for School!

I have had a very busy summer taking classes to finish my technology endorsement. On my days off from classes I either spent my time creating files or unpacking my classroom into my new room. I was asked to move out to the portable this year and it is a little small. Unsure at first, I am loving how my room is beginning to look! I snapped a few pictures while I was there yesterday. I have finally been able to start hanging things up on the walls and I think my room is looking great.

I am in love with how my classroom library area turned out! I am thinking of adding some pom pom balls, but I haven't decided yet.

I have a few more labels that I need to add on but it looks pretty good. 

This is a close up of my paragraph writing posters. They will help my students with writing starting their sentences and keeping their paragraph organized and on topic. You can grab a copy here. They are also available in polka dot here.  

this is a picture of my calendar wall. I missed having a calendar in my room so much last year that I am so happy to have this in my room this year! They yellow pocket chart will hold math vocabulary words. 

This is a view of my guided reading area.

The last picture of my room, my cute curtains that my mom made me! I love these because they help to cover up the junk that is behind them. 

I have been sitting at home today busy cutting out lamination. I am so excited about my new listening centers. They turned out so great! I can't wait for my kidos to use them. 

For some reason this picture just wants to stay turned. These are available in my store go grab a copy here. 

Genres and Text Evidence

I was decorating my classroom today and decided I had a couple of areas on my walls that felt bare. I also decided I needed to add a little more green to help balance out my color scheme. So I came home and created a few products for my store that I plan to use in my classroom! The first item I created will help my students with writing with text evidence. This is something that is pushed a ton with common core. My students struggled with it last year. My hopes are that with the help of these posters, my new second graders will be excellent at writing with text evidence. Here is a preview of what they look like.

Get text evidence posters here.

Another thing I plan on focusing on a little more in class are genres. I felt like my students would here what the genre was of the week, but that they didn't fully understand. I created these posters so that my students can have a quick reference as a reminder of what each genre is and ways to identify them. They are also green so that I could have that green color pop more in my room. 

Get genre posters here.

If you would like any of these products in a different color to help bring your room together let me know! You can check both of these products out in my TPT Store. 

Short Vowel Poetry & a FREEBIE!!!

A part of my phonics poetry book is now available on my store! Other vowel patterns will be up in the next couple of days so keep your eyes opened. Available today are my short vowel poems! I am very excited about adding poetry into my classroom more this year! Head to the link below to go to my store. Be sure to follow my blog and my store to keep updated on all of my new products!

You can also get a free copy of my short i poem: "Pretty Pink Princess" by clicking here!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Short-Vowel-Poems-1352370

Essential Question Book

Nearly done making all my writing books for the year! My last book is a book that follows each units weekly essential question. I plan to use these books on Friday. My students should be very familiar with the question by then that it will be easy to respond to the question by drawing a picture and writing.

I am so excited to have all my writing centers planned out for the year. It will be nice not to have to copy them each week/day! This year I am hoping to feel a little more organized and more prepared than in the past... and who know, maybe I will get to go home at a decent hour. I haven't mastered leaving remotely on time yet.

I also got a little work done in my room today. I think I have finally figured out how to get my word wall background to stay up! I have fixed it like 3 times. I finally broke down and used push pins...shhh! I am not supposed to use them. I guess I will have to ask for forgiveness. I just couldn't stand to hang it up one more time and leave my room wondering if it was going to hold this time. 

I hope you enjoy my new book! I have added it onto my TPT store so go check it out!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Essential-Question-Writing-Response-1349342

Back to School Listening Centers

The smell of school supplies are in the air! Be sure to have your classroom ready with these back to school listening centers! These are perfect stories about following rules, making friends, and building self-esteem. Go check them out today. If you like what you see be sure to follow my blog and my TPT store to see my new items!

Get it now while it is on sale! Only $3.50

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Beginning-of-Year-Listening-Center-1260800

Writing Journals

I was busy in my classroom today copying and sorting papers to create writing journals! I have two journals so far. One has an assortment of writing pages and looks like this:

This journal contains three sections. One for weekend news, another for squiggle writing, and the last one is for free writing or class assignments. I'm excited to store all my students writing in one place and they will have something to show at the end of the school year.

This is A LOT of work and I'm not even done. I have them sorted, but now I have to go bind them together. At least they're ready to go!

My other journal is a phonics poetry journal. This is an ambitious projects. I am finding poems that go along with my spelling pattern of the week. This journal will serve a few purposes. It will get my students reading, getting them familiar with the patterns, and get them writing about poetry. I have searched for the poems, but some patterns I can't find so I have become a poet! Here's some samples of poems and what my poetry books are currently looking like. (They are only halfway printed which makes me sad.)

I'm excited for my journals and am hoping I have some great writers this year! I didn't attach the blank writing page...because who wants to see a lined piece of paper? I know I will enjoy these books once they are done! I am also thinking of adding my essential questions to my poetry book or creating an essential question journal. I haven't decided yet. Hope you enjoy! These aren't in my store yet, but I'm hoping to get it up real soon.

If you like this project go see what else I have created by visiting my TPT store.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Pamela-Orton

iPad Rules and Expectations

Just sold my first copy of my iPad rules! I'm so excited! Be sure to grab yourself a copy before your school year starts. Here is a video preview that would also make a great resource in your classroom.

http://youtu.be/2lEeigANEOY

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Rules-for-iPad-1261189

Wonders 2nd Grade Word Wall

I have been a busy girl today. I'm getting my technology endorsement and have been taking classes all summer long. Today my class was for robotics! It was lots of fun! We created a robot and called her Bobette. I learned how to build her and program her. We programmed her spin in a circle, shout go Crimson View, and count to three! It was lots of fun. Tomorrow is a day of competition with the other teachers taking the class. Hope all goes well!

The other thing I have been busy doing today is creating my word wall to go along with the program my school adopted last year. I was horrible at keeping it updated last year but it is because I didn't have my cards all created before hand. I will for sure be better at updating it this year...who would want to hang these beauties up? Here is a preview of what they look like. If you like them, you can click on the link below to take you to my store. I'm looking into a give away...but I have to figure it out first!

Enjoy!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wonders-Word-Wall-2nd-Grade-1330672

Paragraph Writing

 I have been busy this summer creating and revamping items that were in my classroom. I had these glued on construction paper which quickly began fading. I am excited to begin using this product to help my students with their writing. This product is designed to go along with a Step-Up-To-Writing program. In this program students use color coding to help see the parts of a paragraph. The opening and closing sentence starters are in the same green color because it help students realize that a closing sentence is related to an opening sentence and that it is just reworded. 

I have created two versions of these posters on is in Polka Dot.

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paragraph-Writing-Polka-dot-1327049

The other version is in Zebra!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paragraph-Writing-Zebra-1326929

I hope you enjoy my products! Be sure to follow my TPT store!

New Blog!!

I'm so excited to get started on my blogging adventure. I have high hopes for this blog. I want to start the documenting process to show what is happening in my classroom. I also want to utilize this blog to provide high quality documents that are available on my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. It may be a slow process to learn how to use all of the blogging tools, but I love learning new things and I'm sure I will catch on quick.