Back to School (Unofficially)

I really don't have to be back to work until tomorrow, but what teacher can be completely prepared in two day (which is all we are required to do)? I know I can't- so I've been in and out the last couple of weeks. I'm super excited for a new school year, but one thing kept bringing me down- my bulletin board. I am not the most creative person and so I always struggle with ideas. Who doesn't want the cutest bulletin board on Back to School morning?!? Then I had an IDEA :)

This was my bulletin board that a mom did last year for Teacher Appreciation Week. I LOVED IT!

 

So....why not just ask if she would like to create another board for me (even though I don't have her child this year)? And....she said YES!! I was so excited. I told her to have it done by the first day of school and I trusted her to make it fabulous once again.

 

This is what it looked like the first time I saw it. What was it going to be? The apple was amazingly cute and all...but I was in the dark.

 

Well she didn't let me down! It's another WINNER!

 

 



Thank you to the Mower/Miller duo for the outstanding bulletin board (that I didn't have to do)! How lucky I am to have such great friends!

Finally....

After much persuading (and nagging :)) I have finally designed my first products for Teachers Pay Teachers. As I began thinking about the coming year, I decided to start with a Back to School Packet. There is nothing more important at the beginning of the year than getting to know your students, them getting to know you, and also getting to know each other. This packet has sheets to accomplish all of that!

 



Sneak peek of what's included!


This can be found in my TPT Store: Back to School Packet
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As much fun as that one was to create, I am really excited about my latest packet. With permission from The Teacher Wife, I recreated her Reading Comprehension Packet to use with upper grades. I included topics now found in the common core in this packet, like text dependent questions, author's argument, sequencing, making connections, perspective, and many more. Many of the worksheets have 2 different forms, a simpler format and one more advanced. These can be used in small group or whole class instruction. They have also been left "generic" so that they can be used with a variety of genres, a variety of stories, and in a variety of ways. ENJOY!

This packet can also be found in my TPT store: Reading Comprehension Packet

 



Collaborative Couple?

I wanted to give a little background to why my blog is named "Collaborative Couple". I began teaching 5th grade in '99 and continued teaching until '04. During that time my husband, Derek, and I were lucky enough to have a baby girl join our family, my husband graduated with a degree in horticulture, then he chose to go back to school and pursue his true love- which is teaching, and then we had a baby boy join our family. I was lucky enough to be able to leave teaching when our boy was born and my husband actually took my job teaching 6th grade (how lucky we were)! After being home for a few years I really missed teaching and chose to go back part-time as a computer specialist.  I went back to the school I had previously left and that my husband was teaching at- what a great time! To make a long story short- things have changed and I am now teaching 6th grade at a different school (which I absolutely love) and my husband went back to school to get his administrative license and is currently an assistant principal at two elementary schools. Between the two of us we have been in the classroom for about 20 years. We love to share ideas and help one another out- "Two brains are better than one!"

Great news!

Nothing like starting off a blog with some great news. At the end of last year my principal told me that I would be teaching a 5th/6th split class. (I had also been asked to do this the previous year and 3 days before school started our school was lucky to get a new 5th grade teacher.) I had a better attitude than the previous year, but very overwhelmed! Once again we have been lucky enough to receive another teacher for 5th grade. Therefore I will only be teaching 6th grade- which I absolutely love!