Writers Workshop Pencil, Exit Slips, and Hall Passes!

Okay, how do you know I'm in the perfect profession?
Netflix got new Arthur seasons and I squealed.
 Seriously. I squealed out loud. Don't judge me!

So that's what I'm doing right now. Watching Arthur and feeling good about all the work I got done over the weekend. 

First off, I planned out the first two weeks at school. Oh, you read that right. I'm a planning machine!

I'm sure I'll continue to tweak it over the summer as the pacing guide and my ideas about the Daily 5/CAFE change, but it feels SO AMAZING to have a plan!

I also made tons and tons of things for my classroom. 

Here's what I made:

Writers Workshop Pencil 

This idea has been floating around Pinterest in many forms for quite some time.

For my own personal WWP, I was inspired by Julie over at Second Grade Style:

I needed my version to be a little bit bigger since I will have two blocks. I used 12x12 textured scrapbooking paper, and it turned out so amazing! Check it out:

I'm pretty proud of it, I must say!

Exit Slips

I am a huge fan of Exit Slips. 

When I used them during student teaching, exit tickets made formative and informal assessment so much easier.

It also made small grouping easier - I knew who needed additional help and on what. 

It was great. But how to organize them in my own room?

Surfing Pinterest one night, I found the solution.

I was inspired by Kristen at Ladybug's Teacher Files:

So simple, so effective, so easy to make! 

When I made mine, I used cardstock and labels to match the rest of my classroom:

I plan to store blank slips in a hanging basket of some sort, but I haven't decided yet. I'm currently just thinking about how happy I am with the final product!

Hall Passes

I admit it. I have a problem with germs.

Rather, I don't like touching germy things. Who does, am I right?

So hall passes, naturally, are a problem. 

Students take them in the the restroom and set them who knows where, where they are open to become infested! 

Yuck!

Not in MY classroom!! Lanyards, to the rescue!

I just used the template for my bucket labels (more on those next week), enlarged, printed, and labeled. It was a cheap project, so the husband was also happy!  

Yes, that is the glow of the TV shining onto my coffee table that badly needs to be refinished.
Yes, I am watching Arthur.
Don't judge.

If you like the dot font I used, it was made by Kathy Law. 

It's a freebie!  

I saw it and knew it was the font for my room. :)

So, that's what I spent my weekend on!

I also made a letters for my bulletin boards and labels for various things. 

It was a very productive weekend.

Is it August yet? I'm ready to get to work on my room!  I hope I can get in there to work for more than 1 day before school starts. 1 day is not enough! Eeek!

Talk to ya'll later!