Five for Friday

I can't believe teacher work week is over and that students will actually be back on Tuesday! It doesn't feel like it's quite time yet, even though I know many of you have been back for almost a month now (or at least 2 weeks). I feel like I'm as ready as I need to be with just a few things to work on before I actually start pulling kids in a few weeks.

The past few days, we have been at probably the best professional development I've been required to attend. We had Fred Wolff from Six Traits Live! come and do a workshop on getting the traits started in our classrooms. 

If his name sounds familiar, this book may be why.

I first heard about Six Traits (or 6+1 Writing) a few years ago when I was doing my Master's program, but this was the first time I truly had a chance to learn what it was all about and how to make it happen in my class.

The workshop even inspired my new door decor! I had been browsing Pinterest, but nothing really felt right for me. I saw a few cute doors for if I had a regular classroom, but I wanted something that connected to my being the Reading Specialist. When we were talking about good leads, I finally saw my future door!

I came in this morning and put it together, and now I'm in love with it! So bright and cheerful :-). I think my para will be proud when she comes back on Tuesday. 

This afternoon, I finally got my order in and am SO excited about my new professional book that came with it! 

Maybe you've already read it and I'm behind, but vocabulary is an area where my kids really struggle. I'm making it a big focal point this year, especially with my older students. A girl I met this summer highly recommended this book, so I'm excited to check it out. And of course, I'll share any wonderful insights or tips I find!

Here's my book selection this time around. A little bit for everyone! I spent most of my money this time on different odds and ends I needed around the classroom, like duct tape, construction paper, hanging file racks, folders, and....

...those blue bins that now neatly organizing my books for independent reading! That shelf and the other one behind my stool on the right have FINALLY been painted and returned to the school. I really like how they turned out, and now I just need to make some labels to show what levels each bin holds. The other shelf has larger sections, so I'm thinking of collecting diaper boxes and covering them...maybe even in burlap?

It was a VERY busy week, and this is really only focusing on the past three days. I also had to run a quick PD for each of my grade levels about setting specific goals during reading conferences. Hopefully next week will be a little calmer (yes, I know it's the first week for kids) and I can do a whole post explaining it. For now, I'm going to prop my feet up and relax! It's a THREE DAY WEEKEND!!!