Class Connect

You guys! Have you heard about Class Connect yet? Or am I in the stone age? I am so excited about this for project-based learning!!!!

Kleinspiration introduced me through this post. I was enticed by the giveaway, but after watching and reading about Class Connect, I might have another new addiction I don't have time for.

First, you need to go here to check out Class Connect.

Then, you need to go here to enter Erin's giveaway at Kleinspiration!!!

Hope your Wednesday was nothing short of awesome!! I have my 1st scratchy/sore throat of the year on day 8. I skipped the run I should have taken and am lying on the couch relaxing!!

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday to all of you! I hope your day went better than mine! Meetings about definitely-abled students are always touchy, aren't they?? Goodness...I haven't cried so much about school in my life.

Today I think I will share with you our Writing Connection Notebooks. One of my 1st grade besties (the teacher next door) has been doing these notebooks for awhile. This is totally not my idea, I give her all the credit!

We just take a plain jane folder and put a label in the upper right corner. Fancy, huh?

On the inside, are about 40 pages of handwriting paper in a letter format.

 Each Friday, we summarize our week and the kids write a letter to their family about what we learned that week. Over the weekend, the parents right a letter back to their child on the reverse side. This continues all school year. I LOVE the conversation that takes place about their learning with their parents. Last year I had parents write the sweetest comments back to their child. These smartypants parents would also write facts about what we were learning about, so we shared that with the whole class. It's like each child is blogging with their parents and practicing handwriting at the same time. GENIUS!!!

Then, every Monday morning, the kids are so excited to show them to us because it's a letter back from their parents about something we learned. I train my buzzers to bring their Writing Connection Notebook to their desk and I walk around during their journaling time and check out everyone's letter. Nosy? I'd say so, but I love reading the sweet comments back and forth. If they keep one thing from their 1st grade year, I hope and pray that this Connection Notebook is it!

Well, I'm off...this has been one long and stressful day. I'd say a Diet Dr. Pepper is in my near future! Have a great night!!!

Marcy

Three for Thursday!

I am lovin' Blog Hoppin' and Teacher Week! It is so much fun to creep check out everyone's classrooms and ideas! My classroom will be way more exciting when I have time to stop pinning and get to making all these great things!
Today's party is here to entertain you with THREE favorites...your favorite font, favorite blog, and favorite online resource. And I have to agree that there are so many favorites so it's hard to pick one for each category!

My Favorite Font

I can honestly say I haven't got much into the fonts. I don't have a computer at home so everything would need to be done at school and I guess that's where I can seperate school from home! I just use the boring good ol' fonts on Microsoft Word at school, so I guess my favorite would be Kirsten ITC. Nothing too fancy here. 

My Favorite Blog

I LOVE blog stalking. It's true. I can't honestly say that I have ONE favorite. I do really enjoy The First Grade Parade. I love her classroom. SO cute. I wish mine looked like that...wanna come help me Cara? I love her math tubs. I just love it all. I wish I was in her classroom! So if you haven't already, go check her out.

My Favorite Online Resource

I guess I don't know if I'd call it a resource, but during these first week(s) of school, I cannot live without http://www.brainpopjr.com/ and http://www.learn360.com/. They have awesome videos that relate to standards, especially the listening and viewing standards. LOVE the Auto B. Good videos! They each summarize the lesson at the end, too.  

And now, to survive another day without getting too exhausted...even though I am already hittin' up the Diet Soda Pop. :) Have a GREAT day!!!

Marcy



Where It All Goes Down Wednesday!

Hey all!
This is my 3rd attempt at posting these pictures, so ENJOY!!! Obviously I need help in the blogging department.  I am just going to post them...if you have questions about what each picture is, feel free to ask in the comment section. Haha...I'll laugh since in the time it took me to do this, I was supposed to be running. Oh well, I ate light today, so hopefully my marathon training can wait another day. :)

Just inside the right side of the classroom door. Lunch cards and math manipulatives.

A close up of the math manipulatives. Wish I had more room for a larger shelf to house all the games/activities for math stations!

Student lockers and my messy storage area above. Don't worry- I know where everything is. :)

Looking in through the front door. I love those little curtains.

A view from the door.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these magnets. They came with our Treasures reading curriculum. I have the kids write their name on them the 1st day of school and we use them for graphing all year.

My "I can..." board. We are supposed to post our standards here. We'll see if I can keep up with that! :)

Our meeting area. It's tight with 27 little buzzers around this rug...actually, we make an oval spanning from the kidney bean shaped table all the way to where I am standing taking this picture.

The calendar/ schedule bulletin board. (We did create rules today...finally!) I am going to attempt to do calendar on the SmartBoard this year so this will just be for the C.E.O. to update every morning.

My space. Pretty clean right now actually! Notice the Apology of Action and teacher language reminder above! We are a Responsive Classroom school.

Close up of some of the Responsive Clasrsoom stuff.

BEE-utiful writing! LOVE this already! If the buzzers write an awesome story we are going to post it here. Just like at home when you post awesome work on the fridge. The kids are SO excited about this. It's also my way of keeping writing samples...we'll just post one on top of the next!

CAFE board...nothing fancy.

This is my non-fiction table. Every couple weeks it will change and we will learn about something else through project-based learning. I haven't started this yet, but I am so excited to delve into this when we get our routine going! I'll post more about this later when we really get into the heart of things!

Library and Rockin' Bear Chair.

Cupboard space and Math Strategies board. We post all our math strategies on this cupboard, since there is no more bulletin board space!

I hope you have enjoyed a tour of my classroom!!! Have a great night!

Marcy

Fifty's Nifty Winner!!!

Good morning!!! Are you ready for another WONDERFUL day?! I am! Wearin' a sunshiney yellow shirt for our 92 degree weather today...

I picked a winner in my Fifty's Nifty Project Popperz Giveaway!

Jennifer! Congrats and email me within 24 hours with your snail mail address so I can get your Project Popperz mailed to you! busybeesandcupcakes (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank you to everyone who entered and follows my blog! I will be posting more soon!

Marcy

Meet the Teacher Monday!

So excited today! It's my 1st day of school! And I'm so excited to be joining Blog Hoppin' for Meet the Teacher Monday! Go on over and check it out...super fun activities all week!

Tell us a little something about you...
I'm Marcy and I blog on this sweet little blog! I LOVE cupcakes, especially from my favorite local shop, Oh My Cupcakes!

How long have you been teaching?
I have been teaching for hard to believe five years! It flies by, holy cow! I taught kindergarten for three years and I am in my second year of 1st grade and absolutely LOOOOOOVE it! I LOVE teaching reading! I LOVE teaching through project-based learning! I LOVE using my SmartBoard and I LOVE teaching individualized spelling!

You might not know...
I have always wanted to be a teacher. I knew it was my calling since I came out of the womb! Teaching runs in the family blood! I cherished every summer I got to spend in my aunt's classroom(s), helping them put their classrooms together and spending the week in Minneapolis with them.

What are you looking most forward to this school year?
I am looking forward to teaching 27 little ones how to read, write and do math. :)
I am completing more training on project-based learning and I am super excited about that. I also have a little one with severe autism, so I am looking forward to watching him blossom, along with the others of course, too!

What do you need to improve?
I need to improve my math instruction. I would LOVE to implement the Daily 5 Math but I don't want to over-extend myself either. I do math stations on Friday and those could use some work, too!

What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?

* BIC Mark-It Permanent Markers
* Project Popperz Markers
* Diet Dr. Pepper
* My iPad to tell me where I need to be and when
* My clipboard with my lesson plans on it!

I hope you have enjoyed getting to learn more about me! I can't wait to read all of your posts, too! Stay tuned for more from Teacher Week 2011!!!

Marcy

P.S. You have a little more time to enter into my Project Popperz giveaway for 50 followers!! I will be closing it at 4:00pm CST and drawing later tonight!

Fabulous Fifty Giveaway!!!

HELLO!!! I have missed y'all so much!!! Oh my word, have I been busy workin' in this classroom and it looks BEEautiful!!! I will post pictures later...I can't wait for you to see it!

So, last week this good ol' blog reached 50 followers! I can't believe it myself! SO it's time for a GIVEAWAY!!!!! I LOVE these Project Poppers markers, so I am giving them away! Well, actually I'm giving away a brand spankin' new package, so you don't have to use my half empty ones. =]

How do you enter you ask? Well, here are ya 4 chances:
1. Follow (or already are) Buzzin' on Cupcakes in 1st Grade!
2. Blog about this fabulous giveaway on your blog!
3. Add my button to your blog!
4. Add Buzzin' on Cupcakes in 1st Grade! to your blog list/roll!

Don't forget to leave a comment for each thing! I will be choosing a winner on MONDAY, Aug. 22...my 1st day of school!!! So, you have until 4:00pm (CST) and I will pick a winner then! GOOD LUCK and LOTS of love as you start (or have already started) your school year!!

Marcy