Full of Excuses: Vocabulary and Spelling Words

YES! I'm full of excuses about not blogging consistently (family, health, classroom, family). I promised myself that blogging would be a reflection of my teaching practices and a journal of my teaching experience. Of course it is also a huge learning experience. I L.O.V.E. it. I especially love it because what I'm about to show you will truly be appreciated only by teachers. Everyone else close to me humors my classroom talk but they don't really get it. 


I've been working on redoing my bulletin boards and maximizing my wall spaced for student learning and student made learning products. 

This board is to the left of my whiteboard. On the right of my white board is the exact same bulletin board. I transformed the "right" one today!

This is my finished product! This wall is for our vocabulary words and spelling words. The blank red paper is an example of what will hang from the "clothesline." Usually all our anchor charts, vocabulary illustrations/definitions etc are created on the size paper. The red pocket chart is for our weekly spelling words. There is one word in their (the rest were in a container so I left them there for now :) The blue pocket chart is for our vocabulary words and task cards etc. In between the red and blue pocket chart are spaces for spelling anchor charts. If I choose to use 8.5" x 11" paper I can hang two, OR I can use the red paper size (I'm having a brain freeze on the size) from the top string under "words."
II had been creating this board in my mind and wondering if it would really come together. It is SO much better than I thought it would be. I love the ease of the paper clips. I love how clean it looks. It is nice and uncluttered. The titles are simply white and pop in my opinion. 

I placed six red clothespins on each of these ribbons. When I attached the ribben I made sure it was very taut. I also tucked the ribbons beginning and end under the bulletin board border.  I also stapled the middle fo the ribbon to the board to help avoid any drooping! What's also great about the clothespins is the ability to move them. I love the flexibility they afford me. 

Sorry it's a tad blurry ~ I'm still just loving the way the white title pops! 

I have been working in my classroom this week. I plan on having my entire room first day ready by Friday of next week. That includes LPs and copies :) I'm determined.

That's all for tonight! This week I plan on posting how I plan on using a writer's binder in my classroom and my writing station. There will be a couple freebies involved!!

Spelling Speed Words Double Consonants

A couple of weeks ago I created a spelling game for my sweets to use that coincides with our spelling program (Zaner-Bloser Spelling Connections ~ AMAZING). Before I began creating my own stuff I searched all over TPT and TN looking for some materials that go right along with our spelling program and couldn't find anything. I try each week to create a game to help students simply spell the word and a game to help students identify patterns in the words and sort them accordingly. This week we began with an anchor chart with 3 words on. I had the students at the rug and read the words to them. I asked them if they could see any patterns in all three words. . . and they DID! I haven't quite taught a spelling lesson like this before and I am never going back to the old way ~ I loved it and my sweets LOVED it. Every time we identified a pattern we wrote in on the chart. Then to wrap it up I had them turn-and-talk to a partner and try to each come up with a word that fit the pattern. It was so much fun and then they were allowed to write it on a post-it and place it on the anchor chart. Honestly, I was a little disappointed that today in spelling there was no new skill just a simple review which they ROCKED. It's so true if you are excited about what you are teaching your students will be excited.

This took about 25 seconds to make before I began teaching it with the sweets! 

Speed Spelling Double Consonant Words

Just wondering. . .

Does anyone else use Zaner-Bloser Spelling Connections (I use third grade in second grade)? 

How do you teach spelling?