Tardy to the Party...aka My Classroom Reveal!

"I'll be sharing photos of my classroom this weekend!" I ACTUALLY meant to say..."I'll be sharing photos of my classroom NEXT MONTH!" Bah! The past few weeks have been CRAZY busy/SUPER enjoyable! I have such a sweet class this year! Anyways, here are some pictures of my classroom! These are all from Back to School Night...

My classroom! It's nice and spacious! 

Behavior chart! It only has one sad little nameless magnet on it in this picture, but it really holds all 22 of my student magnets. My students start their day on green and move up (or down...womp.)

My Essential Questions bulletin board! This picture doesn't do it justice...it is just so flippin' cute! An amazingly creative teacher made these question cards for us last year. It's super easy to switch the different questions out using the clothespins! You're going to notice pretty soon that there are a lot of clothespins all around my classroom...I just love them! Fun and useful! 

My Focus Wall! I don't know if I've ever mentioned this on here, but I REALLY don't like printing stuff. It just irritates me. Most of the teachers at my school print out all of their information for their literacy focus walls and pin it up somewhere. That's all fine and dandy...but NOT for your girl (I am pointing at myself right now). I had to figure out a way to get out of printing stuff...then, during one fateful Target trip, I found small dry-erase boards, fancy tape, and the rest was history! 

No name paper holder...I think its purpose is pretty obvious. :)

If you look in the background of my main classroom picture, you can see many little green things stuck to my big closets. Let me introduce you to my student work holders! They are the easiest things in the world to make! I just cut down cardstock into smaller pieces, hot glued pre-printed clothespins onto each one, smacked on pretty label stickers, and wrote down my students' names! Voila!

I hope you enjoyed checking out my classroom pictures! I hope y'all have an amazing week!  

Quick and Easy Contact Magnets!

Hey y'all! WOW...it's been a busy few weeks! Between meetings, prepping my classroom, and running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I've barely been on the computer! I figured I would pop in and share a quick post about cute, functional, and EASY contact magnets I made with Vistaprint business cards! 

In case you don't know about Vistaprint, it's a business that will print just about anything on anything! I've used them for stamps, magnets, and business cards, but they also print great shirts, mugs, pens...oodles of stuff! I noticed that they had an awesome deal where you could order 250 business cards for free (plus the cost of shipping and handling, so about $5.00). I made a cute set with my name, e-mail address, and school phone number. Once my cards came in the mail, I laminated (some) of them to make them a bit more sturdy. That's totally optional though! Once the cards were laminated and cut out, I stuck pieces of magnetic tape to their backs!

(I hope you like my chic purple sweatpants and fine leather recliner!)

Then I tested all of my magnets out on my fridge (I'm a little weird about things like that) and rejoiced! Thanks Vistaprint! I am a happy little teacher! 

The finished product!

I have Open House tomorrow...eek! SUPER excited! I'll be sharing photos of my classroom this weekend! Take care!

Meet the Teacher Blogger Linky!

I'm linking up with Stephanie from Falling Into First for the Meet the Teacher Blogger Linky! What a fun way to learn more about other bloggers! Well, here we go...

My name is Kelsey! I am originally from Virginia, went to college in South Carolina (GO GAMECOCKS), and I am SO blessed with my job in North Carolina! I am about to start my third year of teaching third grade!

Q&A Sesh!

 THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

In no particular order: Puppies (all dogs are puppies, by the way), barbeque, nail polish, South Carolina Gamecocks, reading, perfect-fitting jeans, running during sunshowers, music, pizza, hilarious notes from students, statement jewelry, fishing, big hugs, mozzarella sticks, browsing/stalking Instagram (I'm kels_pacer on there...follow me if you'd like), quotes, crab chips, Christmas, heels, the smell of freshly-cut grass, rolling up in a fleecy blanket like a burrito, polka dots, talking for hours with my family and friends...the list goes on and on! 

 IF YOU WEREN'T A TEACHER, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO BE?

I would want to be a curator at an art museum or a music journalist! Fun fact: I was a Print Journalism major before I switched over to Elementary Education! 

THREE LITTLE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOU:

Spontaneous! Creative! Vivacious!

FINISH THE SENTENCE, "________,  SAID NO TEACHER EVER!!"

"I think we need more standardized testing."*

 *Typing that made me snort out loud! 

IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU CAN INVITE ANYONE {DEAD OR ALIVE} TO THE PARTY. WHO ARE YOU INVITING?

Besides my normal set of family and friends (that's a given), I would want to invite my grandma. She was a teacher and passed away when I was in sixth grade. I would love the chance to talk to her about my job and tell her how much I respect and love her. She truly instilled in me the desire to make a difference in the lives of others. I would invite the Avett brothers so we could chat about their music. I LOVE their lyrics...I want the backstories behind them! I would also invite Jake Gyllenhaal, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Bradley Cooper to my party because...maybe one of them would possibly fall in love with me?! 

IF SOMEONE WROTE A BOOK ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD BE THE TITLE?

Space Raps and Ant Pizza: The Teaching Life of Kelsey P. 

YOU GET TO PICK ONE SUPERPOWER. WHAT IS IT?

I would love to be able to fly! 

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYING?

I hold so many quotes close to my heart, but here is one of my new favorites:

"In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."

   IF YOU HAD TO SING ONE SONG ON AMERICAN IDOL, WHAT

                                                    WOULD IT BE? 

Oh gosh...I would sing "Songs About Rain" by Gary Allan. Sort of a random choice, but I sing that song with FEELING every time I hear it! I know the American Idol judges appreciate emotion. Hehe! :)

 ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT OWL?

I am a total night owl! I will have to start waking up early next week...it is going to be ROUGH!

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE RESOURCE THAT YOU'VE CREATED IN                                                      YOUR TPT SHOP?

Hmm...my elapsed time word problems are great! (In my most unbiased of opinions...) We've used them in a variety of different ways in my classroom over the past two years! Feel free to check them out over at my store!

SHARE SOMETHING WE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU! 

I am ambidextrous!

http://fallingintofirst.blogspot.com/2014/08/meet-teacher-linky.html

I hope you enjoyed learning more about crazy little me! :) I'm looking forward to reading about everyone else AND finding some fun new blogs to follow! 

<3 Kelsey

Show Us What You Bought Linky!

Happy Monday! Today was the first day of the TpT Back to School sale (in case you didn't know........) and I bought a TON of great stuff to use this upcoming school year! 

My big purchase of the Day was the ENTIRE YEAR (!) OF THIRD GRADE MATH HOMEWORK from One Stop Teacher Shop! It was in my cart for months...I finally snapped it up and I'm SO glad I did! Since my friend and I made a whole other set of homework sheets last year, I will probably use my lovely new purchase as morning work in my classroom! I am SUPER excited! *Cue to an image of me happily looking through the entire set of sheets...nerd alert!*

Teaching With a Mountain View can basically have all of my money, because I LOVE task cards and she makes fantastic task card sets! I bought several sets, including the Context Clues Task Card Bundle, Graphing and Data Task Cards, and the Early Finisher Task Card Bundle. I am so grateful for these wonderful resources! 

I am so looking forward to using all of these resources with my students! What did y'all buy? I love reading about everyone's purchases! Happy shopping! :)

<3 Kelsey

Five For Friday!

Happy Friday! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the Five for Friday linky party!

Hooray!

1. I went to Michaels today with my Mom and sister to check out what was new for back to school. I'll tell you what...there was A LOT! I picked up six adorable pink and blue frames for $2.00 a pop! I plan to stick a piece of laminated white cardboard into each of the frames and write directions on them to keep at tables. That way, students will be more independent and (hopefully) let me do my thing during small groups! I found some fun clothespins that I'll be using for a classroom craft this weekend! (I will share on Monday...if I can wait that long!) Finally...that bumblebee flowerpot thingy was just too fun to pass up in the 70% off section! I plan to put my brain break sticks in the pink pail part! 

2. I've been really good about exercising this summer! I have fallen into a consistent gym routine and I actually ENJOY running! (What?!) I still look like a little pipsqueak, but I'm definitely feeling stronger! So my sister and I decided to go to the gym together the other night, and look what happened...TOTAL GYM TWINSIES. Black running capris and our crazy pink Asics! At least we had different shirts on! I'm sure the people at the gym thought we were lunatics, but we had a laugh and got our workouts in!

3. Something REALLY random...I was out in our sunroom relaxing when I saw a starling swooping down at my sweet Black Lab, Lacey! It swooped down and tried to catch her tail at LEAST a dozen times! Meanwhile, Lacey did nothing to defend herself...poor angel! Goodness gracious! Here's photographic proof! 

4. I've been very busy getting things together for school! (Just like almost all of you!) I'm trying to have several weeks of plans, my classroom, and all of my Back to School night materials done before the end of the second teacher workday. One thing I've been working on (and LOVING) is my back to school brochure...I bought the template online from Katie Fretwell. I'm not exactly gifted at making brochures online (like really...not gifted AT ALL) and she's offering a wonderful, editable version in her TpT store! Please go check it out if you're interested! 

5. Right now I am back home in Williamsburg, Virginia with my family. My sister and I visited a little gem of a river beach near Jamestown (you know...Jamestown settlement #historynerdalert) called College Creek. It's so pretty! 

I hope you enjoyed reading my (super random) Five for Friday! I'm definitely enjoying reading all of the other blogs posts that linked up! :)

<3 Kelsey

Back...Again!

Hello! Well, it's been over a year since my last post...I've missed blogging, but life was VERY busy this year and it completely fell by the wayside! I finished up my second year of teaching in June, and it was another fantastic year full of learning for EVERYONE involved! I feel like I'm ready to make my third year the BEST one yet! I have my procedures and organization down pat (for the most part...I think), and I'm ready to rock when it comes to instruction! I can't wait to share many of my ideas and experiences with you all, as well as read more about YOUR teaching lives! Let's get reacquainted! 

<3 Kelsey

Getting Crafty...

There is a point in time when you become tired of planning. Tired of typing, tired of flipping through resource books, tired of clicking around on pacing guides. When you're tired of planning, it is time to take a break and CRAFT! I had my little craftstravaganza on Sunday night/Monday morning. Armed with a brand new glue gun and a huge mug of coffee, I managed to make two cute new things for the Patch!

Like how I mix-and-matched my backgrounds? :)

I know y'all have seen this three-drawer organizer idea all over Pinterest. While I really try not to completely copy much off of Pinterest, I think that this is a FANTASTIC organizational tool! I know that when I see too much paper all over my table, I get a little wrapped around the axle...this should help! I found this pink beauty at Jo-Ann! 

The background is actually a happy bright yellow...silly lighting!

Next, I made my job board! My Mom gave me a bunch of little jean pockets last year - I thought they were adorable, but I never had any clue what to do with them! I came across them again while I was organizing my "office" (aka school junk room) and they suddenly reminded me of gardening overalls! I found the cute gardening gloves at Jo-Ann for about $2...I think that they add to the theme! I will stick student name sticks into the pockets to complete the board! 

Time to do some more planning...I hope you have a fabulous evening! 

<3 Kelsey

Favorite Things Linky: Beauty Basics

I'm linking up with Halle from Across the Hall in 2nd Grade for her Favorite Things linky! Beauty basics...what to say? I LOVE makeup. Oh my goodness. I can't even lie, I love to wear makeup...bright, sparkly makeup. At all hours of the day. I have been asked to work at makeup counters. I have had dozens of children stop me mid-sentence to let me know that my eyeliner matched my shirt. I don't mind waking up an extra 10-15 minutes or so early to have time for my makeup routine...I like looking in the mirror and feeling "done." I don't cake it on (please don't picture me like RuPaul or anything), but I like to have smooth skin, pretty eye makeup, and lip gloss on at all times. Let's get to the good stuff...

Y'all like the artistic background? It's my purple fleecy blanket...

Skin - As far as my skin, I use Olay 4-in-1 Daily Facial Cloths for Combination/Oily skin. They don't break me out or anything, so I like them! Garnier's Refreshing Gel Cream is a nice, chilly (?) moisturizer. I put it on about 5-10 minutes before I put on the rest of my face makeup. After my face has marinated with the moisturizer, I put on bareMinerals READY SPF 20 Mineral foundation. I LOVE both the bareMinerals loose and powder foundations...they look so natural. I used to look like a powdered doughnut when I first started using the brand, but then I realized how important it was to only use a LITTLE BIT and moisturize! I highly recommend the bareMinerals brand...it's not inexpensive, but it's so worth the money! I use Nars blush in...a word that rhymes with Borgasm (a little naughty, and this IS my teaching blog) so that I don't look like a mannequin. The blush is a pretty coral with a slight gold shimmer - I think it looks good on everyone!

Eyes - Urban Decay is my brand of choice for eye shadows and colorful eye liners...their Naked 2 palette is OUT OF THIS WORLD! I also like the Deluxe Shadow Box for its fun, bright colors (JUST SAW IT'S ON SALE FOR $10 ONLINE...GET IT NOW). My usual look for school is a neutral shadow on the lid/crease and either a dark or colorful liner to jazz it up! If you are in the market for a long-lasting dark eyeliner, skip the expensive stuff and buy Revlon ColorStay (pencil) eyeliner! I go through black eyeliner like I go through Pepsi One (quickly), and the Revlon one is fantastic and affordable! As far as mascara, I LOVE bareMinerals Buxom Lash for everyday looks. It's very soft, very dark, and lengthening! An AMAZING special-occasion (whether it's party, date, or you have a huge zit and need to divert attention) mascara I've found is Jordana Best Lash Extreme. It's very inexpensive, but it will make your eyelashes FANCY. Try it out, thank me later!

Lips - I'm not too picky with lip glosses. When I want to wear fun colors, I usually pull out my beloved Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. When I'm just in a clear lip gloss mood, I smear on some Maybelline Baby Lips (in the lime green tube) and I'm done!

Nails - Man oh man, I love nail polish. I have hundreds of them...I REALLY need to weed through them eventually! Four of my all-time, year-round favorites are OPI Cajun Shrimp (prettiest orangey-red cream), OPI Jade is the New Black (awesome jade green cream), Orly Emberstone (most amazing red/orange foil...try it on a pedi), and a new addition, Sally Hansen Salon Manicure in Gilty Party (the best metallic neutral...it somehow looks gold and silver at the same time). 

Wow, I just typed a whole lot! Sorry for rambling! :) I can't wait to read all of the other linky posts as well!

<3 Kelsey

Back in Action 2.0

Hello! After taking a LONG break from blogging, here I am again! I finished up my first year of teaching, and I am now fully enjoying my summer! I certainly hope you are too! :) I've tried to split up my time sort of evenly between me time (aka pool/nap time) and teacher time...some days are more balanced than others hehe! Here are some things that are happening during my teacher time...

1. LAURA CANDLER WORKSHOPS! Can y'all believe that the AMAZING Laura Candler lives in Fayetteville too? She is hosting two workshops in July, which I am SO happy to say that I'll be attending! I'd love to know if anyone else is going! If anyone needs me, I'll be the nerdy girl with the bangs happily writing down everything Laura says...

2. Playing with my new iPad - I used my supplement money to make the biggest purchase of my young life...a fabulous iPad! I'm trying to load it up with great apps to use during small groups...do any of you have any good recommendations? If you do, please leave a comment! In return for your great suggestion(s), you can choose a product of your choice from my TpT store for free! :) Don't be shy!

3. Revamping my spelling program for next year - I didn't like how my spelling system worked out this past school year. I am trying to create a fully school-based (no homework) spelling program based on the Words Their Way system. I feel like sending my kids home with 16 words a week and having a test on Friday did not serve my class well. Yeah, they could spell "resplendence" for me on a given Friday...but would they know it a month later? NO! I want to focus on actually helping my kids grow in their spelling knowledge and ability to apply spelling patterns to their own reading and writing, not just learn to memorize from a list. I have a really great idea of how I want to introduce the words and how they will work with them during the week, but I am still figuring out the assessment piece. Any suggestions?

It is good to be back! :)

<3 Kelsey

Back in Action!

Hi all! I hope you've had a wonderful past few weeks! I'm sorry I've been MIA! We just finished up our Teacher Appreciation Week, and it was fabulous! It was so nice to be singled out and treated...not what I ask for, but nothing to turn down either ;) Many thanks to my sweet students, parents, and PTA! 

I actually had to request a sub yesterday morning for the first time this year...yes, the youngest, scrawniest teacher somehow held out like a champion (health-wise) for a very long time! The bad news is...I apparently have a stomach bug and a kidney stone bobbling around inside me at the SAME TIME! How? Oh well...I'll still be at school on Monday! I am a tough cookie! 

ANYWAYS, here's a great activity my sprouts completed last week...fraction kites! We are focusing on area models in fractions, which, admittedly, do not naturally lend themselves to as many cute activities as set models. However, I saw this cute idea on Pinterest (it was originally from Step Into Second Grade), and it got me all excited! 

A group of kites in our "Fresh Picks from the Patch" area

Here's one up close!

I love how this turned out! It was a fun, easy reinforcement activity! I hope you all have fantastic remainders of your weekend, and I hope the upcoming week is a joy as well! :)

<3 Kelsey

Regions Brochure Project

Happy Tuesday, blogger friends! I'm super busy and not feeling too hot, but I wanted to put up a picture of our completed North Carolina region brochure bulletin board! My sprouts did an AWESOME job with their brochures...they worked in groups, completed a TON of research, and learned how to use a detailed rubric to solidify their chances of getting a good grade! 

Clearly an iPhone picture, but you get the gist :)

If you like the idea of a state regions brochure project, here's my rubric on TpT! Check it out if you get a chance! I would love your support and feedback! As a matter of fact...the first person to comment on this post will get a copy for free! Have a fabulous first day of May tomorrow! :)

<3 Kelsey

Peace, Hope, Love, and Kindness

Good evening! I hope you had an amazing day at school, at home...wherever you spent your time! :) I'm linking up with Ideas by Jivey's Peace, Hope, Love, and Kindness party! My first linky...yay!

I can't lie, I've been SO blessed to have such a kind, tolerant group of students for my first year teaching. What's really something is that they all come from strikingly different backgrounds, and still meld together beautifully. One sweet memory that pops up is when I was walking down the hallway with one of my parent volunteers. Her son popped out of the art room with another boy in my class, who could be considered a wreck by some standards (horrible home life, rough appearance, hyperactive/hyper-impulsive, the whole nine yards). This boy called out to his mom, "Hey! I wanted you to meet ********...I love him, he's my brother." My other boy was just smiling from ear to ear...I doubt even some of his family has proclaimed that kind of care for him. It was such a sweet, genuine statement that my heart just melted.

We recently started an advocacy project in social studies - I am having each student choose an issue that they want to positively impact, and they will make and present informative posters. During a discussion on possible topics today, one of my students told me that they couldn't choose just one topic, because they want to help with many. It made me want to jump out of my chair and sing! I think being cognizant of the world around us and driven enough to make a positive difference is SO important, and my sprouts are sharing that belief! Let's all spread peace, hope, love, and kindness!

<3 Kelsey