Classroom Reveal and Happy First Day Back to Me!

It's finally ready! Listen, I worked so hard for two days and got a ton accomplished and THEN...the heat. It was so hot in my room. I am thrilled that the fabulous maintenance men fixed my broken AC so that I won't die while working in my room. Anyway....Welcome to Room 404. This year I am back in 4th Grade teaching Reading and Writing. This is my 4th classroom and I'm starting my 6th year but I gotta say...this room may be my favorite. Besides the fact that the 3 former occupants of the room are all my BFFs, I can see my parents' house from my desk... (for real)...and it has the best set up of all my classrooms so far. So..here it is: 

Computer area with my UNT tree..my giant window is just to the left of the green shelf and gives a TON of light to our room...unfortunately, it also gives a ton of heat and makes it difficult to use the document camera so I have curtains up. #wompwomp

I hate that this pic is blurry #mommaneedsanewiphone, but this is the front board and also the location of my "whole group" area. I've never had whole group at the board before but I'm loving the rain gutters shelves at the front that I can use to house my markers and such for anchor charts we create. I can't wait til there are 25 4th graders in the floor talking about books :) 

No, you're eyes aren't playing tricks...I have a curved wall in my room. It's like a castle. Everyone who walks in, loves it...I haven't decided yet...we will see if my Writing anchor charts stick to the curve and then we can make a decision. 

Fiction section of the classroom library

This is the view of my class from my "desk" aka the guided reading table. 

Of course the Wizard of Oz section is located close to me :) It makes me happy!  

My little corner. You can see the bright light coming in the window...my curtains are up and aren't even opaque and it has that much light!

My back counter and cabinets

There you have it! My little slice of home at Elliott. I really love my room this year :) I'm sure I'll love it even more when it is filled with kids in just a little while! Come back soon! 

Caitlin 

Big Time Blogging Challenge: Day 7 AND Made it Monday

Hey ya'll! I'm being a good girl and continuing with the blogging challenge AND posting my very first Monday Made It. Whoo hoo! 

Ok, for Day 7 Michelle has asked about our favorite books as a child or as an adult. 

Man, that is a tough one! I was (and still am) a WILD READER. (Shout out, Donalyn Miller! :)) I LOVE to read and can be totally engrossed in whatever I'm reading, no matter what is going on around me. 

As a kid, I loved the Babysitter's Club books and most realistic fiction. However, my 3 most favorite books I ever read were probably The Giver, The Phantom Tollbooth and The Twenty One Balloons...all fantasy. Go figure. 

I loved these books. (Still do) I read The Phantom Tollbooth to my students EVERY SINGLE YEAR and I love when they fall in love with it too. It is also one of those perfect examples of "don't judge a book by it's cover" because, let's be honest, that is not the most engaging cover for a 5th grader. I love the play on words and the "smart" humor...it is a MUST READ. Seriously. Add it to your list of books right now. And before I leave my soapbox, let me put in a plug for the necessity of teachers who read. Not 'Reading Teachers', but all teachers who read. We can't expect our students to read if we have zero knowledge of books ourselves. 

And now I'll step off my soapbox to show you my...

I have been in love with the mesh wreaths for a while. And I'm pretty crafty, but I hadn't tried these little guys out yet and I finally made one! This one is for my classroom, which will be UNT themed next year.

  I am itching to make my own wreath for my house for Fall...and Winter...and Valentines Day...and St. Patricks. I mean, I'm obsessed now. 

And then, I did some "re-lovin'" on this trunk my aunt bought. I don't know if the rest of the country is as obsessed with "distressing" furniture as we are in the south, but the old antique-y look is totally in down here :) 

Before

After :) 

 Ok, before I wrap up this now super long post, I am going to advertise a few more Monday Made Its--items in my TpT store! My Reading Review folder in English and Spanish is finally up! AND I also created a Literature Circles bundle for anyone wanting to dive into Lit Circles. :) 

Or if you are looking for some cute organization for your classroom supplies check out my chalkboard themed labels: 

Library labels coming soon! :) 

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you are still reading after this marathon post! Have a happy Monday!

New Product and Blog Challenge!

I just uploaded my Reading Review Folder to Teachers Pay Teachers! Remember this post? It talks more about this little gem. I will have the Spanish version up within the next week...My fabulous translating friend is busy partying it up tonight and watching fireworks :) 


And, I am so excited about participating in this blog challenge during the month of July...

So check back in and if I haven't posted, keep me accountable! :) 

See ya soon! 

Random Sunday stuff

I randomly found this linky party and it is perfect for all the stuff swimming in my head right now, so I decided to join! 

{one}

 School is out! I'll be honest, I love summer, but I also love my job, the routine and my kids...so I'm still in that in-between phase of being excited about summer but being sad because I had to say good bye to my fab 5th graders. womp womp. Give me a few weeks, some pool time and a vacay and I'll be wishing for a longer summer. :) 

{two}

Tomorrow I start a new round of curriculum writing. It is seriously so instrumental in making me a better teacher because you really have to immerse yourself in the standards. It's hard work but I love my team! I'm ready to get started! 

{third}

Check out my "Books I Want to Will Read This Summer" stack! 

This actually isn't all of them since I left my 2014-2015 Bluebonnet books at school :( I am going to try to sneak in tomorrow and grab them. (Side question: Do you have to turn in your keys at the end of every year? We do and it always causes a minor panic attack for me because I can't get my stuff if I need it over the summer!) Anyway, what is in your "must read" stack for the summer? Before Jackson, I used to spend hours poolside reading, so this summer will be a little different but I still want to read as much as possible--no summer slide for me! :)

{fourth} 

My brother has started designing and formatting some stuff for TpT for me! (I know I've been saying this for a while but it's really happening)...My to-do list of stuff I want to make is insane but I have it bundled into more manageable pieces. If I get it all done this summer, my life next school year will be monumentally easier. So get ready Mrs. Davis--our pedicure and planning sessions will start soon! :) [[Mrs. Davis is the amazing 5th bilingual reading teacher at my school and she is going to mirror my products, but in SPANISH!]]

{fifth}

I get to go to a reading conference with Donalyn Miller on Friday. Be jealous.

That's all for now! I'm totally digging the randomness of this "smorgasbord" linky. 

Reading in the Wild--You GOTTA read this!

Ok, I have been a total blogging slacker...but for good reason. I have been completely absorbed in reading. Seriously. I am reading this book

for a book study with several reading teachers, interventionists and librarians around our district and it has impacted me immensely. Not only have I received no less than a thousand ideas I want to implement or adapt for my own classroom (seriously...a thousand), it has reawakened the wild reader in me! I have read 3 books for pleasure in the past 2 weeks. Now, that may not sound like a lot but I have an 8 month old, I'm co-directing a play with 5th graders AND it's the end of the year. See, now you can be amazed. :)

This is an absolute MUST READ. Go get it now. 

Ok, now on to the fun stuff I've been reading: 

These books are GREAT! I was not expecting them to be this good and frankly, I only read them because one of my students insisted they were awesome. (He was right, but please don't tell him...it'd totally go to his head!) Besides funny (sometimes cheesy) little side jokes, the actual story is really great. I highly recommend these books to upper elementary kids. 

Ok. This book. Seriously. Just. I can't even explain. This book was such a surprise. I ordered it on a whim from Scholastic and I read this beauty in 2 days. My kids were dying to know what it was about and why I wanted to have extended independent reading time. It's about this girl who accidentally meets a boy via email--he sent his email to the wrong address (not exactly the best book for teaching internet safety, but you've gotta read it!). I would love to give you more info or a more complete summary but I promise, after the first page, you will be hooked. My partner teacher (the Math and Science teacher) has been cursing me the last two days because she has stayed up late reading it. I totally think it will be a movie soon. 

And now, I'm reading this: 

My partner teacher from last year (I seriously love that I have other book people that teach with me!) texted me last weekend and insisted I start this book immediately. I read the first 150 pages in two nights, then one of my terrible, horrible, no good students RUINED the ending for me. Ok, my student isn't terrible and horrible, she's actually awesome, but that stinker ruined the book for me, because she was telling me how someone else ruined the ending for her. Life is so unfair sometimes. {sigh}

I still want to finish it because I am not a book abandoner by nature and it is really good so far. Plus, if I want to see the movie, I have to read the book first! :) 

So, that's the reason for my blogging absence. Books. I mean, that's an acceptable reason, right? 

I'm curious: Have any of you read any of Donalyn Miller's books? What'd you think? What was your biggest "aha!" from them? AND, what are you wild readers, reading? 

Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'!