TPT Back to School Sale 2013

Today and tomorrow my entire TPT store (along with many other sellers') is 20% off! And if you enter the promo code shown above, you can get an extra 8% off as well. Time to clean out that wish list you've had growing! Now quit reading and go shop! :)

The Big Classroom Reveal! Teacher Week '13 Day 2

Hello all! I'm back for Day 2 of Teacher Week '13 from Blog Hoppin. Today is the day I have been waiting for for so long! My big classroom reveal post! Ahhhhhhhh. Let's get to it :)

First of all, huge thank you to my sweet MIL for stopping by to take these pictures! Check out her blog here to see more of her photography.

My classroom door! And my cheezy face...haha. It says "Fly Into 4th" in case  you can't read it. 

My bulletin board. I plan on using the clothespins to display student work throughout the year. But for now, they're just holding some birds I made from scrapbook paper. They kind of look like chickens to me ;)

Another view of my bulletin board. This one shows off my Class Twitter. Read more about that project in this post.

View from the door (excuse me, my mom, and my sisters photo bombing haha). Her you can see my computer center, my desk (close up coming), my Happy Birthday wall above my desk, front bulletin board with Rules, anchor chart paper, and Quote of the Month, my smartboard, and the tissue paper pom poms labeled with table numbers.

A look at my classroom library. You can see my Book Bin Labels and larger Chevron Numbers that I used for my coat hooks. 

My Voice Levels Chart and part of my bulletin board :)

A little party above my desk area ;) Scored those lanterns for less than $2 on clearance at Target!

My Attendance bulletin board. Students move their clothespin up to make their lunch choice. I will display cafeteria menus in the empty space.

My Classroom Helpers area. I laminated the pieces so I can use a dry erase marker to change out names often.

My Synonym Swap and other synonyms for student reference. This wall will eventually be filled with anchor charts and other goodies. This is above my sink and cabinets in the back.

Daily Five board! Posters are from Hope King at Second Grade Shenanigans. The ones below them were in my room when I got here. If you recognize them, let me know so I can credit :) These are right above my guided reading table at the back of the room.

My "Pick Me" bucket for calling on students/tables. I used my Smaller Chevron Numbers glued on popsicle sticks.

The view from my desk. And more photo bombing. Haha. If you look closely, you can see my shelves at the back of the room with student drawers, textbooks, supplies, etc. The front wall has reference posters, cubbies, and backpack hooks.

My desk and computer area. Do you spy my teacher toolbox in the back? I love how bright and sunny it is over here :)

So there it is! My classroom :) I know it's not much. I've got a long way to go. I'm trying to leave lots of wall space for anchor charts and things we make as the year goes on. Maybe later in the year I will post some more pictures showing the room after it's been "broken in" by me and the kiddos! Haha. I will also have lots of changes to make as I find out what works and what doesn't, what I like and don't like, what's needed and what isn't...things like that. But overall, I'm very happy with how it turned out for my first year and I can't wait to meet my kiddos and make it my "home away from home" :)

Don't forget to link up your classroom digs over at Teacher Week '13. Tomorrow is Organizing for Instruction!

Teacher Week '13 - Let's Talk About Me Monday

Happy Teacher Week! I'm SO excited to be linking up with Blog Hoppin for this fun-filled week of linky parties!

This week is our first official week back to school! Today and tomorrow are filled with teacher evaluation training (blah) and the rest of the week is reserved for team meetings, working in our classrooms, and of course, Meet the Teacher day on Friday! So obviously, this is a bit of a very busy week for me. Hopefully I will make the linky party each day this week, but I will definitely be back tomorrow to share my Classroom Reveal! And I am bursting with excitement!!!! Anyway, back to Teacher Week...

Monday is Meet the Teacher day. So here are ten random (hopefully fun) facts about me :)

1. I'm Hannah Burns. I am a first year teacher starting my teaching journey in fourth grade literacy. My first first day of school is a week from today! :)

2. Meet my other half, Josh. We met as partners in a World Lit class in college at Southern Arkansas University. We just celebrated one year of marriage last month, and will officially be together for three years this October. He is a computer science major and works as a computer technician for a bank. He is my source for all things computer-y :)

3. We live in South Arkansas and have a cockier spaniel puppy named, Lewis. If you've read any of my posts, you know he is my dog baby. 

4. I started blogging this past year during my student teaching as a way to share about my Teachers Pay Teachers products. This summer, I've fallen in love with blogging, linky parties, giveaways, pinterest-ing, and new bloggy friends. I can't wait to document my journey here as a new teacher. I think it will be a great way to share ideas, get more ideas, and reflect on what works and what doesn't. 

5. When I'm not teaching or blogging, I love to curl up on my couch with a good book, TV show, or movie. I'm definitely an "indoors" kind of gal. I love Gossip Girl (guilty pleasure), Downton Abby, Gilmore Girls, and Friends. I have too many favorite books and movies to choose! But you can't go wrong with romantic comedies, Jane Austen, or Harry Potter.

6. I listen to a very strange, wide range of music. It changes all the time. Currently, I am enjoying the sounds of: Of Monsters and Men, Hillsong / Hillsong Live, Ellie Goulding, and Demi Lovato. 

7. I love shopping. Many of you know that I call it my favorite sport. It's true. There's nothing like that "just scored a great deal" feeling. I have millions of awesome clearance stories to share, if you're ever interested. My favorite stores? Target (with an extreme, frightening passion), Hobby Lobby, Dillards, Cotton On, Forever 21, and Old Navy. 

8. I'm a perfectionist and clinically OCD (meaning, I take pills for it...) Not trying to scare you away, just sharing! I made straight A's through most of high school and all four years of college. I've gotten a lot better in the last year, but some of my "bothers" include dirty dishes, routines, and being extremely hard on myself. 

9. My families are the best. I grew up with two sisters (one older, one younger) and parents that are both teachers. I love taking the hour drive to my hometown of Texarkana and hanging out with my parents, sisters, and brother-in-law. And Josh too, I guess ;) I have also been blessed with an amazing family of in-laws. I have already shared some about about my amazing MIL (check out her blog here), but I also have an awesome FIL and three sister-in-laws. I could not have asked for a better family to marry into.

10. Current goals/dreams of mine: Have an awesome, successful first year of teaching; Go to Hawaii (and maybe just stay there...); Stay dedicated/involved in blogging and TPT; Be healthier. 

So that's a little lot about me! Make sure you link up your own Meet the Teacher post here. I can't wait to read all about my bloggy friends!

If you're stopping by for the first time, click on the About and Connect tabs above to learn even more about me and find me on Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest/everything else.

And make sure you come back tomorrow for (drumroll please) my classroom reveal!!! Finally! :)

 

Five For Friday - August 9th Linky Party

Happy Friday! I'm so glad Five For Friday is back from Doodle Bugs Teaching. I love this linky! Basically, you just share five random things from your week. So here are my five...

1. Today is my last day off before school officially starts! We had two days of professional development this past week, but we go back Monday for a full week's worth. Just 10 days until the first day of school! And only 7 days until I get to meet my kiddos! Can you tell I'm a little excited?? So to celebrate my last official day of summer vacation, I spent it being incredibly lazy. Slept in, watched excessive amounts of Gossip Girl (my guilty pleasure Netflix show, don't judge me), ate candy, and did some online (window) shopping. It was pretty perfect :)

Lewis enjoying a lazy afternoon with Mom.

I'm seriously crushing on this monogram phone case from Put A Case on Me!

2. Teacher Week 2013 Linky Party

Have you guys heard about the big linky party going on over at Blog Hoppin next week? I am so stoked! I'm planning my big classroom reveal for their Tuesday linky. My MIL took some adorable pictures this week and I am itching to share them!

3. And speaking of classroom pictures...here is the sneak peek I posted on my Facebook page last night. Excuse my dorky face...haha. What do you think? ;) 

4. Everyday Editing from Jeff Anderson. Have you guys read this book? We had a professional development meeting this week about it and I really liked what he had to say! One of his main points about teaching editing and grammar makes so much sense to me... Why do we spend so much time teaching our students grammar and editing by looking at incorrect sentences? Why do we spend so much time finding what's wrong with sentences instead of finding what's right? Anderson encourages inviting students to see what authors do correctly and then applying those same concepts to their own writing. I can't wait to read more from him and use this with my students. It was such a teaching "duh" moment for me. Don't you love those? ;)

5. And finally, a little inspiration for all of us that are heading back to school soon. 

Teach fabulous, my friends! :)

A Tale of Student Teaching - Linky Party

Hello all! If you've visited my blog before, you know that I'm a first year teacher. So when I saw this linky party over at The Polished Teacher about student teaching, I just had to join in. I loved student teaching, and since I just completed it, why not share? :)

I had an awesome student teaching experience. I was so so nervous going into it... What if my teacher was mean? What if I was horrible? What if I hated it? What if I got a bad evaluation? So many "what ifs". But after the first day, I knew I was going to love it. My teacher and I clicked immediately. She helped me so much. My principal, the other teachers, even the cafeteria workers and custodians- were all so nice and welcoming. My class was hilarious. So smart and fun. I wouldn't trade those months for anything. 

1. My favorite student teaching memory. 

Well, obviously, I couldn't choose just one. My last day was beyond perfect. My kids "surprised" me with an ice cream party and a basket of teacher goodies. They all wrote me the sweetest, cutest, most hilarious goodbye letters. I took them home, read them, and cried my eyes out. I still have all the gifts, notes, and pictures they drew me. Some of them are still up on my fridge. I could cry right now just thinking about how sweet and funny they were. They made going to "work" every day a joy. Truly.

2. My worst student teaching memory/learning experience.

This was hard. I definitely had days where I came home and crawled under the covers to hide from life (anybody else do this??) There were days that I was so frustrated and exhausted and just spent. The most stressful times for me were probably the three times that may professor came to observe me. I'm a perfectionist and I'm really hard on myself. I wanted everything to go perfectly and smoothly and magically come together into the most beautiful, well-planned lesson every time. This, of course, did not happen. We work with kids, duh. So while I loved my experience, those days were always crazy stressful.

3. My student teaching advice? Be a sponge. Soak up as much of your experience as you can. Love your kids. Go to everything. Make copies of stuff for your future classroom. Go visit other grade levels. Try new things. Make things for your kids. Teach lessons in your least favorite subjects. Work hard. Don't sit down. Ask questions. Don't get on your phone. Don't just sit there. Find something to do- whether it's grading papers, helping students, making copies, planning lessons, cleaning up, filing, anything. Make your teacher's life easier. Don't stress the small things. Enjoy truly being a "student" teacher. It goes by way too fast :)

Got some advice to share? Or just want to reminisce on your experience? Head over to The Polished Teacher and link up!

I'm off to work on posts for next week! Look for my big classroom reveal on Tuesday ;)

Monday Made It [August 5th] & A Classroom Sneak Peek!

Happy Monday everyone! I'm just stopping in for a quick linky for Monday Made It with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics. I have professional development meetings Wednesday, Thursday, and all of next week. So I am trying my best to relax (yeah right) and enjoy my last few days of vacation! So, naturally, I worked in my classroom today. Ha! But it's pretty much ready for kiddos! I'm so excited! Don't worry, I'll have a "classroom tour" post coming up soon. My awesome MIL is gonna help me out with some pictures :)

But anyway! Back to my Made It! I can't do anything "quick"... haha. 

Check out my Class Twitter that I made! My room has a bird theme, so it goes perfectly. It has three "profiles": 

Me, of course. Where I tweet messages about what's going on that day or anything, really. 

The 'Reminders' profile tweets messages about upcoming tests, projects, events, etc.

And finally the 'Special Guest' profile is reserved for the Student of the Month, someone that is super good, a student with a birthday, or other things like that. If chosen, they get to choose what message to share.

Our class twitter is made from laminated sheets of white copy paper (which makes it dry-erase!) and graphics/pictures modeled after the actual website that I just threw together in Word.

I have it stapled on the bulletin board outside my classroom, which you can see in this next picture. I plan on using the clothespins to display student work as the year goes on.

So what do you think? I can't wait to try this out with my students. If they like it, I may think of some other ways to "tweet" in the classroom :)

So that's your sneak peek of my classroom! A big reveal is coming soon. Make sure you go link up your Made It for the week here. Have a good week!

Fan Freebies Tab is Up and Running!

Hello all! So I joined the "cool blogger kids" club and made a Fan Freebies tab for Cute in the Classroom's Facebook page. I love these things. I don't know who came up with this originally, but they're smart.

Disclaimer: Making this was a pain in the butt. I'm no technology expert, for sure, but it took me a good hour or so to do. And I made the mistake of starting on it late at night. So don't do that. But if I can make one of these, anyone can! Just being real, y'all ;)

So anywho, I used this great tutorial from Ashley Hughes at The School Supply Addict. She has two really helpful videos that show you what to do. 

If you haven't heard of these nifty tabs, they offer freebies to people who like your Facebook page. I like to think of it as a kind of reward for putting up with all my posts. Haha.

 

 

So what kind of freebies did I post for my Facebook friends? Two freebies from my TPT store:

"If We Were Helen and Anne"

Inspiring Classroom Quotes

And two special freebies,  of course. Remember my Synonym Swap? {Read about it in this post} Like my page and you can get those files for free (without having to leave your email...haha). 

 

 

Aaaaaannnnnddddd (drumroll please)...my Voice Levels Chart! I originally posted about it here. It's up in my TPT store for a dollar, but why pay that if you can get it free??

So there you have it! These files will change periodically, so watch for new posts and flash freebies. You never know ;) 

 

What do you have to do? Head to my page and click "like". Click on the Fan Freebies tab. To download the freebies, just click on the pictures. Some will lead you to my TPT page to download and others will open with Google Drive. 

 

If you have any problems, questions, or I messed something up (very possible...haha) please let me know! Email me or leave a comment on this post or my page. 

Thanks so much for reading and following along with my journey so far. And a big thank you to Caitlin at Always Sunny in a Windowless Classroom for inspiring me to "join the club" :)

 

 

Currently - August Already!

It's officially August! Happy back to school month, people. Is that depressing? Sorry. I love back to school. I think I walk down the school supply aisle every time I go to the store. Plus I'm a newbie teacher, so I'm extra-specially excited to start my first year! :) Anywho, today I am linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade to let you all know what I'm "currently" up to!

 

Listening

My husband is watching Seinfeld in the background. We just got Direct TV installed yesterday (oh boy...), so he's been enjoying all of his channel freedom! Haha. I think when I finish this I will make him turn on Friends! ;)

Loving

I'm excited for the weekend. I've been at workshops all week, so I'm ready to give the ole brain a break (while I still can!). I'm also just excited to stay home and work on school projects and be a bum. Our getaway last weekend was so fun, but there's really no place like home :)

Thinking

My brain is a never-ending to-do list of things for school! Anybody else feel like that? I was sitting in my workshop today and kept sticking post-it notes on my planner with things I needed to remember to do. I think it was covered by the end of the day! Haha. And August 19th is our first day of school! My very first first day of school as a teacher. Hooray! Just two more weeks of meetings and it will be here! Crazy.

Wanting

I have been thinking about the pool alllllllllllllllllllll week. Husband says he will come swim with me Saturday. I can't wait! Oh, and I always want ice cream. Duh ;)

Needing

Who doesn't need a nap? Still getting back into the swing of things- getting up early and what not....not taking naps...you know.....Haha

Back to School Must-Haves

If you've read any of my blog posts recently....you know I love books. Reading them and looking at them and recommending them and smelling them and buying them...I'm a crazy book lady. So I always love to get new books. Especially books that I know my kids are going to love.

A cute teacher bag is a must. And of course, it has to hold a lot of stuff. For student teaching last year, I used an adorable Thirty One bag my Mom got me with "Mrs. Burns" on it. You just can't go wrong with monograms, am I right? I also have a matching lunchbox. Yep. I'm that person ;) I love that bag! It has tons of pockets and a durable inside liner that's totally capable of handling all the crazy things us teachers put it through. Spills, markers, crayons, food, glue, binders and books.....

And who doesn't need new clothes? I always do, personally ;) My husband might disagree...haha. Since it's my first year, I'm still building my "teacher wardrobe". And a lot of the clothes I bought for student teaching last year were kind of winter-friendly. Not so much hot. Which is definitely what south Arkansas has been lately. So hopefully when that first paycheck comes in (haha) I can take care of that back to school "must-have" ;)

So there's my August currently! Make sure you head over to Farley's to link up your own Currently and read your blogger friends'. Happy almost weekend!

     

Better Late than Never, Right?

Hello all! So it's been a few days! (again...) The husband and I had a great weekend in Dallas celebrating our first wedding anniversary! Thanks so much to everyone who left such nice comments and well wishes :)

My husband is just fun. Maybe it's why I married him, I don't know ;) But we had such a good time shopping, eating, shopping some more...( I told you it's my favorite sport). I finally got to visit the most glorious of all stores, Ikea. 

*Sigh* It was life-changing. And very crowded. We went on a Saturday afternoon. Not recommended. It was like furniture-Disneyworld-madness-get-me-out-of-here-oh-look-how-cute-and-cheap-that-is. Or at least that's how I would describe it. I didn't actually buy anything for my classroom (shocking, I know!) and instead got two new bookcases and pillows for my living room. They look awesome! And they were super cheap, of course. I made lots of "mental notes" about future classroom purchases, though ;)

Cool little shopping area we went to Saturday night

I also got to visit another one of my favorite places, Half-Price Books. Have you guys ever experienced this place? I love it! Heck, I just love books. But anywho. I was so excited to find some awesome chapter books for my class for just $1! Whaaaa? My poor husband. I am pushing 750 books in my classroom library...but he still bought me more. He's the best :) I ended up getting some much needed titles for fourth grade (or at least in my opinion), including Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Percy Jackson, and Series of Unfortunate Events. Score, right?! I was so excited. 

So it was a great weekend! I drooled over everything at Michael Kors, Pottery Barn, and Cotton On. My faves! And ate my weight in Olive Garden, Five Guys, and Einstein Bagels. Can you tell we don't make it to "the big city" much?? Haha. 

 

 So I am day late to Monday Made It, but for good reason! This week (among many other random little projects) I made this Voice Levels chart for my classroom. Don't you love those frames from Krista Wallden? I love her stuff. I put it up in my room yesterday but I forgot to take a picture. This is how I assembled it though! I made it nice and big so it could be seen from every corner of my room, and used some sticky tack to attach the arrow to the wall. So simple, right?

And, as you can see, it's up in my TPT store for just $1.00! So go grab it now!

I've also made some pricing changes on several of my products. For example, both of my Spring Writing Prompts packets are just a dollar and All About Earth Day and All About President's Day are down to $2.00. So snatch these up!

Well, I'm off to work on more school stuff and get ready for another workshop tomorrow. Have a great week and head over to Tara's to link up :)

Just for "funzies", the first three comment-ors that leave their email get this voice level chart for free :)