Office Makeover & HOTS! Freebies

Happy Sunday!

 

Our students come back TOMORROW!

 

I'm super-psyched to get going...our students attend two weeks of half-days (7:40-12:15) and then we have professional development until 4:30. These two weeks of summer school focus on routines, procedures, and character education. Special Education services don't officially start during these two weeks, but I'll be in the two general education classrooms that my students are in. I realize how very important these summer school sessions are, but I'm just itching to get started with content! There's always such a sense of urgency to accomplish so much by the end of the year and I want to get started. right. NOW.

 

Yesterday we had a family orientation and I got to see so many cuties with fresh 'do's and lots of hugs. There were a few tears, too...I guess some just aren't ready to return!

 

I also put the finishing touches on my office. We are in a large, O-L-D city building and it is what it is. One pro is all the space - I know I'm so lucky to have a large office and room to store all my materials. I share the office with another special educator and a few furry friends :(

 

Here's a before picture:

 

 

The walls were white with green, red, and yellow accents. The electrical outlets didn't work and the mice were plentiful. There was some storage, but I was too scared to open the cabinets:

 

 

Over the summer, the wonderful operations crew painted the entire room in a very nice taupe and fixed every outlet! The floors were waxed and I haven't seen a mouse, yet.

 

I spent the summer at IKEA and Home Depot and devised a plan for all my storage. Here's how it turned out:

 

 

 I finally have all my materials organized and in one place. This will make my life SO much easier :) The opposite wall is my desk:

 

 

I realize that doesn't look like too much, but it is all labeled and ready to go. Here's a closer look:

 

 

Apparently, I can only take blurry pictures.

 

I decided on a whim yesterday to make a teacher's toolbox and it literally only took about 15 minutes! However, whatever you do...don't use superglue to attach the little labels. Trust me. I stuck with simple black and white all around because I wasn't sure who I was sharing an office with and what she liked. Luckily, the new special educator seems lovely and was setting up as I was leaving yesterday. I can't wait to see what the other half of the room looks like!

 

Now onto the freebies...

 

My school is making HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) a major priority this year. I'm so intrigued because many of my questions with my small groups seem to hover around the knowledge and comprehension level. It's not that I haven't asked higher order questions, but that I'm still waiting on the answers. This year I'm really going to be pushing my learners to extend their thinking. I created these question stem cards to provide support while we explore the higher levels. I chose the fire/flame because a common compliment among my firsties is

"Your brain is on FIRE!"

 

 

I think the color-coding is going to help my students push themselves along..."are you ready for a yellow question?!" I realize that may sound too simple, but whatever works!

 

To download your own set, please click here.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!