THE BEST WAY TO ORGANIZE A CLASSROOM LIBRARY

Hey there!  It's mid-July, and for me, that means getting into OPERATION GET THIS CLASSROOM MADNESS UNDER CONTROL!  

As many of you already know, I'm leaving a 10 year streak of teaching first grade to move on to teach 2nd grade for this upcoming year.  I am so excited to learn new curriculum, have some of the same kiddos from last year, and just see all the kids and teachers again!  

So, as I made my way into my new room, the first thing I wanted to get started on was the classroom library.  The classroom library from the previous teacher was actually organized and looked great, but I had literally JUST finished redoing my first grade library, and I wanted this one to match.  (BTW - my principal is AMAZING and pours our building funds into creating a classroom library in each classroom, so my old library STAYS in my old room - I only took some of my own books that I had purchased and wanted to keep.)  Plus, this library will be equipped with books that are for an older grade.  Anyway! ...  so the madness starts!!!

Before I talk about the organization, I want to tell you WHY I do it the way I do. I have spent a lot of time researching and reading about best reading practices and ways to get kids to truly love reading and books. Last year, I read a book called Reading in the Wild  by Donalyn Miller...

Get it HERE to get it on Amazon

It is a must read, and I highly suggest all teachers read this. (Our school got to meet her!! Aren't we so lucky?!)  The philosophy takes you through what creates life-long readers and how to get kids to truly ENJOY READING. So in this book, Donalyn really pushes teachers to stop pushing reading levels on kids. She says that we should make sure kids feel like they’re more than just a level. Only letting kids pick from a certain level box in your room only limits them and doesn’t truly push them to go for what they are interested in. Reading should be fun! After all, I wouldn’t go to the store, and be forced to pick out a book or magazine about  sports or basketball. I wouldn’t like that at all! So why would we make our kids read things they aren’t interested in??! So having a classroom library that is full of different genres, characters, categories, authors, etc. is the way to go! I do have a “leveled area” and an “interest area” of my library so that way I can find certain levels easily for the kids. But the look and idea of this library is to promote their love of different topics and to get them excited to learn and see new things in their books.

Now for the fun part.  ORGANIZING!

First, you have to actually ORGANIZE the books. It took me many hours to stack them all in piles of “like topics” this is what it looked like...

Yeah, not fun... 

Then, I had to organize them to see how they would fit and how many shelves they would take up.  This was the tricky part since I don't have enough tubs yet.  

This is me organizing them by level and interest... And taking them all out of tubs and reusing the tubs on different shelves... (don't ask.. .it's not fun... it's tedious... and I'm sure there was a better way to do it, but when I get my mind set on something, it happens, so yeah.. there's that.)

Leveled Library shelves 

Interests - favorite series

More favorite series

Series into high interest topics, authors, and genres

PS - This is not how it will look - I will have different tubs.  I just wanted to see approximately how much space the tubs would take up.

Some of my categories for books are: Series' books (such as Biscuit, Fly Guy, Olivia, Nate the Great, Mr. Putter & Tabby, Judy Moody, Battle Bugs, Critter Club, Princess Posey, Galaxy Zack, Heidi Hecklbeck, Mighty Robot, and Stink,  + many more), nonfiction topics (such as mammals, sea animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, spiders, weather, plants, biographies, sports, space, + more..), favorite authors (such as Gail Gibbons, Robert Munsch, Doreen Cronin, Kevin Henkes), and other popular topics (such as fairy tales/fables, holidays, and graphic novels).

Teachers should just see what they have, and go from there!  This is the part that takes some time and thinking!

The next part just takes time!

Now that you have it organized the way you like it, it's time  to assign each bin a number.   I love to use these color coded labels for my bins. These are great and they actually come with a template you can download online so all you have to do it type in the numbers into the template!

I got these on Amazon!  Here is the link Round labels.
Here's the link for the square labels Square labels

 Colors and numbers are way easier for kids to find a home to put away than a label with the genre written on it.  I have done this a million different ways, and expecting kids to read the label and get it in the right place is down right nearly impossible. But adding a color, putting it in number order, and even a shape (circle or square) to the book makes it very easy for them to find the book's home, so it doesn't end up lost or shoved somewhere else 🤦🏻‍♀️.

By the way, do you like my tub labels?  The tub labels are a part of schoolgirl Style's Turquoise Paisley Pop Collection (I got this one new this year!) I love the splash of pink and green with my blue!  Go HERE to see this collection and others that are too cute for classrooms!
Next, I have created a label with words (that matches the label and picture I have on the tubs).

...And I put this label on each book as well as the color coded number for each bin.

This goes on every book!  I know this seems like a lot, but it's WORTH IT!  I hate it when kids don't know where the books go.  It drives me PINEAPPLES🍍!

Then, once it's all done, you will feel happy that you have it all organized and looking enticing for when the kids first come in the classroom door!  You have to keep the extra labels and number labels for when you get new books throughout the year!  You will undoubtedly get free scholastic books or someone will give you a book from the book fair.  Then it sits on a shelf and you have nowhere to put it!  (There's nothing more annoying than that!)  So just have the labels ready and handy (I keep mine in ABC order and number order so I can find them so easily.😜)
Then... Voila!  MAGIC!  There's nothing more exciting that looking at new books in new bins with new labels!  Here's a picture of my (old) classroom when it was finished being labeled.

My 2nd grade room is not quite done.  I will update you as it gets finished!

Thanks for reading!
~SHELLY

80 Day Obsession Food Prep and Tips

Hello lovely friends! Who had a great 4th of July? 🙋🏻‍♀️ I spent my day with some close friends and had a great ending by watching some fireworks in my community. The only photo I have is this lovely one isn’t my husband lovely? You try and get a good photo and he does stuff like this 🙄🙄. They say a picture is with a thousand words. This one definitely is 😂🤣.  

Timed Nutrition 

So I am starting my second round of 80 Day Obsession on Monday! But I started doing timed nutrition (again) a couple of weeks ago. It has really been the only meal plan that keeps me completely on track and on target with my fitness and health goals. Timed nutrition is a meal plan designed by super trainer Autumn Calabrese. It goes right along with her 80 Day Obsession program. Basically, she uses the fixate containers (same ones from 21 Day Fix) and times them out perfectly to give your body a perfect balance of macronutrients throughout your day. You time out your meals perfectly around your workouts each day to get the most out of them. This system takes a lot of planning and prep, but it works! I feel great when I eat this way and I’m hardly ever hungry! I eat 6 meals a day timed out every 2.5 - 3 hours. There is a formula to figure out which meal plan bracket you belong in. You can decide to eat in “weight loss” mode (if your goal is weight loss) or “maintenance”( if your goal is to keep the same weight). Then it tells you how many servings of each food group to have each day and when to eat them! Here’s a typical day for me on this plan. I am on plan A.  During the school year, I obviously wake up much earlier so my meals are a little more spaced out and start earlier, but you get the picture 😊. 

Meal prep

I am by no means an expert, but I have been meal prepping much longer than I’ve been doing timed nutrition. Being prepared for your week with healthy food and options on hand and ready to go is so important! I love these containers that segment everything. This is an example of my preworkout meal. I buy sprouted grain bread. 

I get mine at Aldi. It is recommended on this program. I also buy lunch meat that has no preservatives or added sugars. I like this one I also get this at Aldi (I’m pretty much an Aldi lover people!) I put a little mayo on my sandwich (I use as my tsp. of healthy fat). I do make my own mayo. I learned how to make my own mayo a few years ago when I completed the Whole 30 Challenge. It’s a cleaner version and tastes so good! I got this version from a blog found through Pinterest (Click here). Tastes so good! The last little trick on my preworkout meal is my ranch next to my veggies. I use Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is an approved protein on 80DO. I just use a little less meat and add a little Greek yogurt with some ranch spices so I can enjoy my veggies 😋. 

I start the program on Monday! I will continue to update you on my progress and meals! 

Thanks for reading 

PEACE

~Shelly

For the Love of SECOND GRADE, Food, and Fitness!

It's Summer!  Yay!

Hello!  First of all, as many of you already know.  I will be switching grades for next school year!  I am beyond excited! This was us on the day I told my class!



I was excited to tell them that I would be going with them upstairs to 2nd grade next year! How cool is that? I will probably never get that opportunity again! They were so thrilled!! I cannot wait to get into my new second grade classroom and get it organized, and going!  So, naturally, I went on my blog (which I’ve been slacking on BIG TIME), and decided I needed to change the name & theme.  It can no longer be about “First Grade” since I am switching to “Second Grade”.  Then, I thought about it more and more.... I thought about combining two things together that I am really passionate about: teaching and fitness!  I thought and thought and thought about new names for this so called “Teaching & Fitness Blog” I was so bummed that I couldn’t use “first grade” to go with “food” and “fitness”.  PERFECT ALLITERATION PEOPLE!  So I settled for “Second grade, food, and fitness” - which is mediocre, but I am done thinking of ideas!  If you have a better one, shoot one in the comments! :)  Thanks!

So, welcome to my new blog!  Stay tuned for new updates this summer as I head into my classroom next week and start getting it all put together!

Summer reading program at the Library!

As of right now, I have been working on getting books that I know I will need to be familiar with as I teach reading to my second graders this year.  It works out perfectly because I have an almost second grader at home.  So we do this job together! 👍🏼

Lots of 2nd grade Titles!!!

Reading books at the library!

Also, I decided a change in scenery was necessary as I jump into a new grade. It’s not a secret that I love a nicely decorated room that matches and coordinates and all that jazz 🙌🏼🙌🏼.  Also this coming school year, I will have some of the same kiddos as last year. They will want something new to separate their “first grade experience” from their "second grade" one. I want them to know that it’s definitely different, and they should expect it to be a little more firm with higher expectations as they are now a little older 😉. So, I am keeping some of the same colors and things, but instead of doing “sunshine” as my theme, I’m doing some little bugs and adding in some greens and pinks with my teal and yellow. 

                                            

Aren’t they cute? You will have a better look when it’s all up and running🤗.

Isn't my school so cute?  We've gotten together twice with kids over the summer and brought them FREE books and chatted with them about life!  We miss our kids so much!  This is a great way to show families that we care, while making sure our kids are getting books into their hands over the summer!  I love these people!  They are my tribe! ❤️❤️❤️  Not every school has teachers show up over the summer.  Lincoln is a special place.

Fitness World:

In fitness world, I have started timed nutrition again! 

 I will talk more about this in future posts, but if you want to learn more about timed nutrition or 80 day obsession, follow this link to watch the video about what it is and how it's being featured on the Today Show this summer!  Can't wait to show you more posts about my meal plans, workouts and tips!  I start my 80 day obsession on July 9th (for the second time)!!  You should start too! 

Thanks for reading!  See you soon!

Peace

~ Shelly

Let it all begin! - Classroom reveal, beginning activities, Future Fridays, and a class update!

 WELCOME BACK!!! All my educator friends know that by the 8th day of school, it all starts to feel real.  You get in a groove with your new class.  I am loving my new first graders this year.  They are full of spunk and very very lovable.  I have enjoyed those moments when I am in mid-teaching sentence and my little guy Eli just comes up randomly to hug me and say "this is the best class ever" (💓💓 how can I get mad at that EVEN if he DID just interrupt me??😊)  Or my little Gracie who literally just wants a hug any chance she can get one!?  (Yes please!).  I love the unknown with them.  They are eating up every bit of first grade because there's still so much more they haven't learned about me and our room and how everything works.  There's a reason why I became a teacher, and my firsties this year remind me every day why I chose this job.  So, how about a classroom reveal?!

Classroom Reveal

I love to have an inspirational door that can last
the whole year. 

It is not a secret that I love to decorate my classroom.  I love how a nicely decorated room makes me feel and also makes my students feel.  Last summer, I wrote a blog post about classroom design and why it really does matter in a classroom.  Check it out HERE.  I know lots of educators feel that going out of your way to decorate a classroom really nice isn't necessary, and they're right.  It's not necessary in order to have a fully functional and prosperous year, but everything I do in my room is purposeful and I feel strongly that the things I have in place (color scheme, lighting options, seating options,  family photos, bulletin boards, etc) helps in a certain way for the kids.  Here's a look at my room this year.  You will notice my sunshine theme.  This is the third year I have had this decor.  I feel the colors really make the room cheerful and calm.  I got most of my classroom design printables and ideas from http://schoolgirlstyle.com/ 3 summers ago when I redid my room.  Check it out HERE!!

calendar area

blank boards for each subject to start the year.

Book boxes and my new "friends" Piggie, Gerald, and Pigeon!

Some of my new seating options and technology.

Classroom library area and word wall

New and improved interest library!

Class Yoga

I got these class yoga posters on TPT.  Click HERE to check them out.  I use Yoga as a brain break between reader's workshop and writer's workshop.  They have been loving it so far!

Leveled Library

Extra supplies/ word work materials

take home folder slots

💓

Word bird board - track sight word progress.

writer's workshop paper

If you want a link to those parent handbooks, I bought them from TPT last summer.  Click HERE to get them too!

Hallway bulletin board.

Odds and ends that we use for engineering/ makerspace

First days of school

We have had a great start to our year!  One of my favorite things we do at the beginning of the year is get to know each other.  This year, we did something called a "Show and Share".  I have an amazing teaching partner.  And I'm pretty sure she came up with this idea on her own.  We decided to have the kids bring in a family photo, and also their favorite book to share with the class.  Here's the letter we sent home for the families.

Here's a look at some of our kids showing off their families and sharing their favorite books.

Evelyn

Hunter

Eli

Phoenix

Lilith

Jackson

Ayva

C.J.

Chance

Gianna

Clara

Jackson

Gracie

Alexandria

Zoie

Alex

Toula

Kori

Autumn

I took their family photos and hung them around the room.  I thought it would make them feel more at "home" during the school year.

Future Friday!

This year, I decided to try something a little bit different for my students.  I have been through some very intensive STEM training through the STEM TQ institute partnering with Washington University for the past two years.  One of the big pushes for STEMcapable teachers is to let students see themselves in a role or career that they will one day pursue.  So many students do not see themselves in a STEM role for many reasons. Many times because there may not be people of their gender/race/identity that are in those positions in their lives, so they do not identify with those as being "capable careers" for them.  So my goal is to start FUTURE FRIDAY!  Every friday, the kids will fill out their "future friday" paper for morning work.

  Then we will BECOME that person for the day.  I made little name tags for them to wear for the day.

That way, when I call on them on the carpet I can say "Rockstar Kori" not just "Kori" or "Teacher Clara", not just "Clara".  I also used it as a behavior management tool.  I said things like, " Wow Chance! You are acting just like a builder would act because you are being a real problem solver right now!" or " Zoie, if you are going to be a soccer player, you have to never give up - just how you are not giving up on your writer's workshop story today."  "Alexandria is showing so much patience, just like she will need someday to be a babysitter!"💓

The best part is that they can choose to be something different next Friday or decide to stay the same.  The kids really loved it!  They said it was their favorite day so far in first grade.  (It was mine too 💙💙💙)

Class update

There are so many things I am learning about the class already.  Here are some highlights so far:

• Chance is going to have a baby sister soon.  Her name will be Evie!
• Jackson K is having his birthday party this weekend! He is very excited to celebrate!
• Toula is going to watch the Solar Eclipse Monday at the park with her family!
• Mrs. T had a birthday party at her house this weekend!  Her daughter Abby turned 13!
• Gianna stayed the night with her grandparents 3 nights in a row this week!

That's all for now!  I hope my other fellow educators are also having great starts to the year!  Is there anything that you always do to start the year off right?  I'd love to hear it in the comments!  

PEACE

~Shelly