The emergency lights were on in the hall. In our library, the lights were flashing like a light show! In the cafeteria, half of the lights were out & half were on. All of the classroom lights were out (13) except 1. The only thing that would turn on in my classroom was a small lamp. So when the kids started coming in at 8:25, it was chaos. Not to mention that we were supposed to have an assembly that morning honoring the people who had written a book about our school! The assembly went on in the cafeteria, where we at least had half a room of light. Then we headed back to our rooms...I use my SMARTboard everyday, for pretty much everything. So we had to completely throw some things together. We ended up doing some fun stations for math (5 stations, 10minutes each). They enjoyed it! I ended up not minding it too much. While the kids were doing their stations in the dark, I decided to do some classroom rearranging/spring cleaning! I was glad that it was dark because I couldn't see the spider webs/creatures that may have been/probably were hiding behind the computer tables and bookshelves. When the lights came back on, I could see that my black pants were covered in dust. Haha. Here are some new pics of the classroom. I created some sections in the back, and I really like it!
Our classroom library is in the back corner. I have the bookshelves in a U shape to make the library its own space. I also purchased some new tubs so that it will look more organized! I can't wait to get those in. I also created new tubs labels & book labels. I listed them on TpT & TNbook in case you're looking to change up your library too!
This is the new computer area. Before, the computer tables were pushed back to back and sticking out from the wall. I like it like this better. Now it seems like its own area. The bookshelf on the left has a peg board back, so I want to get some hooks & baskets to store extra supplies! I saw a picture of what I'm thinking on pinterest from Kindergarten Klassroom.
And this is the guided reading area. It's a mess, I know! But that's because during the power outage, I was just throwing things everywhere trying to find things the kids could do in the dark. When it's cleaned up, it looks much better :)
The lights finally came back on around 10:45am. But by then, the kids were completely off schedule so we just kind of played the day by ear and continued to throw things together to keep them busy. At the end of the day, some 3rd graders came to read to us. My kids really liked that!
The rest of the week wasn't too bad...other than the fact that the students (& teachers) knew we were inching closer to break. By Friday, the kids were ready to be done! Friday afternoon, the other first grade teacher and I decided we were just gonna take the kids outside for awhile. When we got out there, we found that the kindergarten classes had decided to do the same. Haha. So they had some extra play time outside and then we headed in for some art. By 3:00, most of the kids were excited that it was time to head home, but a few were sad. Of course, the 1st student to hug me and say that he'll miss me is the last that you would expect! Haha. But, I was definitely ready for this break and all of them were too. I can't believe how quickly this school year is passing!
I spent some time on Friday creating some charts that we'll be using after we get back from break. The first two are charts I found on pinterest from The First Grade Parade. They're adorable! I'm not an artist by any means, but I'm pretty proud of how my chart turned out!
We're also going to make a Problem-Solution chart. My students have some trouble being independent and solving their own problems...with simple things! For example, someone will walk up to me and say "I found this and it isn't mine." And my response is, "Okay, what should you do?" They always know to put it in the lost & found but for some reason they don't think to do that without telling me first. We need to work on this! So I created a T-chart with a list of problems and they will come up with the solutions (I hope!).
But for now, I'm just looking forward to break. I'd say the first day was successful...I slept from 10:30pm-11:45am. Haha. So I'm definitely caught up on some sleep!! Today we're planning on taking our pup to the dog park! And then tonight I have dinner plans with some friends. And next weekend, we're heading to Kentucky for a few days. Can't wait!!
Here are the links for the library labels again: TpT or TNbook
Thanks for checking back :)
Have a lovely break.
ReplyDelete❀ Tammy
Forever in First
Congrats Cait! You won my contest!
ReplyDeleteYesssss! My first ever win!!! So excited, I love your creations!!
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