Things I Last Year that I will 100% Do Again This Year... Part 2
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
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"Rock of the Week" Student Honor - The Scoop
Sunday, June 14, 2026
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Each week ONE student is named “Rock of the Week” - this honor is for a student who is strong, dependable - and goes above and beyond. Each week the “Rock of the Week” gets a mini rock, a handwritten note where we specifically list AMAZING things they’ve done - and a sticker.
Where did you get the cute rock things? The rock sticker and postcard are from Little May Papery on Etsy. She is an AMAZING artist in Canada and I LOVE her work. The mini rocks are from Amazon.
Does everyone get to be the rock at some point? NO. This is not a who’s turn is it type award - only students who were truly being excellent got awarded.
What if no one is sticking out one week? If there was a week that no one stuck out as being a rock, the award wasn’t given. We would have a class meeting and discuss how to step it up the next week.
Who chose the ROCK? Ultimately I did as the teacher, but I kept a clip board where students could nominate a classmate. They LOVED doing this. Here is the document students would fill out. I attached it to a clip board.
What does the note say? (Name) is the next recipient of ROCK of the week because they are strong and dependable just like a ROCK. Whether it's standing firm when things get tough, helping classmates, or showing consistency in his/her work, (name) is an all around ROCK STAR. Then - I list specific examples of that student being a rock.
13 Things I Did LAST Year that I would 100% Do Again!
Thursday, June 11, 2026
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LOVE looking back over the last school year and reflecting on things that WORKED and we LOVED. Under each specific picture I linked everything I could find! Let me know if there’s something you want to know more about!
This white board contact paper makes small groups SO much more fun. I replace each summer, but it is SO worth it to me. Much cheaper than buying a whole new dry erase table. Snag the paper I use HERE.
Creating pet magnets is SO much easier than you think. I buy the dry erase paper on Amazon. I simply upload the pictures to remove.bg and remove the background. Then I print on the magnetic paper. Paper is thin enough to cut with regular scissors. So EASY. My kids love seeing their pets! I have their parents email me a picture of their pet during the first week of school. If they don't have a pet, they get to pick their dream pet! Snag the paper HERE.
SO many questions about the Drink Bar. This was a major hit this year and the kiddos requested it for ANY reward. I used it primarily as a reward for above and beyond readers, but you could use for anything. Students got a cup, they got to choose a sticker, we added a fun straw - and on some occasions - we added candy to the top!
These Walmart rechargable lamps are SO good and come in several fun colors.
Instead of just showing my students a slideshow about me, I like to give my students bags of items that represent be that they make inferences about. This puts a spin on the typical "get to know your teacher" activity and gets kids really thinking! As a reading teacher, I want to start teaching reading skills on day one and I love starting with inferences. Snag the TPT product HERE.
Rock of the Week was a new addition to our classroom this year and it was a game changer as far as student motivation. ROCK of the Week" is an honor for one student each week who is steady, strong, and dependable - just like a “rock”. Students strived to be one each week! It was not given to every student in class. I wrote them a notecard with specific incredible things they did and they got a rock and a sticker.
This book is a FAVORITE of mine to get students excited about reading and thinker deeper about what it means to read. We always read this book during the first week of school and then watch the short film.
Grab the FREEBIE that goes with the book.
I always start the year with a book tasting. It exposes kiddos to SO many different books and genres and teaches kiddos that reading can be fun. I am all about finding books kiddos enjoy reading!
Grab the Resource from Head Over Heals for Teaching
On every kiddos birthday or half birthday they get a straw and a Sprite. It is SO easy. I prep these over the summer and keep a container of straws and I stock my fridge with sprites. I love having something I don't have to think about always on GO.
Grab the straws on Amazon.
Grab the Smiley sign on TPT.
I use half notebooks for our weekly grammar and it is a novelty that the kids love and NEVER lose. I buy whole notebooks and my dad cuts them in half with a chain saw. If you don't have access to a saw, I've heard local hardware stores will cut them for you or you can pay for half notebooks.
Classroom transformations are SO much fun! I highly recommend finding things your kids are excited about and creating somethingn around that. I typically do a glow day, a basketball day, and something for halloween as well!
Morning meetings are a game changer for classroom community. We start each day with a share time, a question of the day, and 99% of the time we play some sort of quick game.
Morning Meeting Team Building Activities
I love having clear acrylic containers so that you can easily see what inside. My students grab these containers of crayons and supplies and take them back to their tables. I also have acrylic paper sorters that I love. Snag the items on amazon HERE.
If I missed anything, let me know! I am SO happy to help!
Smart Project your Kiddos will LOVE!
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
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I just found the COOLEST Christmas gift idea that your kiddos (or students in your classroom) will LOVE! This AI powdered Smart Projector is unlike any projector I've ever seen for kids. You can project pictures onto a desktop or even onto a wall or any other solid surface. Your kiddos can draw from their included drawing templates, or you can upload your own photos for your kiddos to draw. My brain is reeling with so many easy and fun gift ideas you could make with this projector.
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If you're looking for a purposeful and FUN gift for a little one in your life, snag the T3 Art Projector now. Use code KATIE for extra money off your order!
September Recap
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
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In ELA....
- Started our Esperanza Rising Unit
- Grab our Fruit Basket
- Let me know if you want to see other resources!
- Gruffalo Reading Aloud and Mental Image Activity
- Started all things character conflict and character relationships in our curriculum. We support these skills in our read aloud as well.
- Got in the grove with small groups!
In the Classroom...
- First Wheel Spin!
- Every time we have a classroom visitor, they get to spin our WHEEL! This is just for fun, but it truly builds a fun community! If the visitor lands on the star, everyone earns a Jolly Rancher. It's harder than it looks.
- We are still LOVING our rolling standing desks. They are so versatile and we all use them daily.
- Morning Meetings are a favorite time of day!
- We LOVE playing Morning meeting games. We play all of the games in this morning meeting game pack from TPT.
- VIDEO of the activity we did in September.
- We started the ROCK of the Week!
- The Scoop: This award will go to a student who is steady, dependable, and strong—just like a rock. Whether it’s standing firm when things get tough, supporting classmates, or showing consistency in their work, this student reminds us that being solid and reliable makes a big difference.
- Snag the ROCK on Amazon!
- NEW Seating EVERY Day!
- This has been a game changer for building classroom community.
- Watch my video on this HERE.
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