Meet the Teacher

 

Good morning sunshines!  I Have been busy working away in my new 4th grade classroom this week & have seen all the cute posts about teacher week '13, so am excited to link up with Blog Hoppin for 'Meet the teacher Monday ' (on Saturday)...better late than never, right?!

1.  I teach 4th grade reading in a suburb of Dallas.  This will be my first year teaching 4th grade in my own classroom!  I am moving into the same classroom I did all of my student teaching & long term subbed, so I am very familiar with 4th grade.  

 2. This is my third year teaching, I taught first grade the first two years.

2. Before teaching, I waited tables at Babe's Chicken in Carrollton, Texas.  I miss the people, but I don't miss the kitchen being 120 degrees in this Texas summer heat!  My little sister still works there.

3.  I have a little sister named Taylor (we are all Ts in our family)...she waits tables at Babe's Chicken & is starting Dental Hygiene at Texas A & M, Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas on Monday.  I am so proud of her!

4. I adopted Tami, a 2 year old sheltie last November from the DFW Sheltie Rescue. When I first adopted her she was super shy and scared of everything, but she is doing so much better!  She also never played with toys until recently.  We've been to the dog park a lot this summer & she started chasing dogs who would fetch, but she would never touch the ball.  Finally, she is starting to get it, and has even started bringing the ball back, yay!  She is a precious little angel & since I don't have kids, she is my pride & joy!

5. I love the TV shows, the Office, Parks & Recreation, and Big Brother.  I also love HGTV!

6. I love taking naps!  I love this quote...it completely describes me during the school year!

7. Some of my favorite things are reading (currently reading Bossy Pants by Tina Fey & The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller), sand volleyball, the beach, DIY crafts, Pinterest, Bloglovin', music (lots of Texas country), favorite bands are Randy Rogers, Josh Abbott, Wade Bowen,  Zac Brown, Eli Young Band, Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, ect.

8. I love the Texas Rangers!  Ian Kinsler is my favorite!  

9.  I am going to a North Texas Teachers Blogger Meet up tomorrow!  I feel kind of silly going since I am pretty new to blogging but am super excited to meet some teacher blogger friends! 

Well, I'm going to start figuring out how I'm going to do a readers notebook this school year &  I would love any input you have on it.  I will post a classroom tour this week, but here is a sneak peek!  

 

Have a fantastic weekend, Toodles!

 Tally

Five for Friday (Sunday)

Five for Friday on Sunday!

Hey y'all!  I've got some exciting news....my blog will be changing from 'Winging it in First Grade' to 'Winging it in Fourth'....I've accepted the 4th grade reading position at my school!  I am definitely going to miss my firsties and my first grade team though.  What's cool about 4th grade is that I'm moving into the classroom that I did all of my student teaching in.  I am super excited about this new adventure!  I feel like there aren't as many upper grade blogs as lower primary grades & am hoping to help close that gap.
Thank you Doodle Bugs for Hosting the Five for Friday Linky Party!

1. Y'all don't know about my obsession with all things Texas Rangers, but now you do.  I try to watch as many games as possible and consider The Rangers Ballpark in Arlington my second home!  I've been to 5 games already this season...it's a blast to go with friends & family & cheer on my boys!  Ian Kinsler is my favorite.  That being said, I really want a Texas Rangers phone case...my birthday is at the end of the month...hint hint!  Haha!

2.  I've been on an avocado kick lately so this yummy Avocado Tomato Salad will soon be one of my favs!


3. Santan Learning Center Interactive English Notebook Since I'll be teaching 4th grade reading I'll make and investment in post-its. I also saw a first day activity where you have 6 questions to ask the students (about creating a positive learning environment), each student answers on sticky notes & then we do a gallery walk & have a discussion.


4. Teaching with Blonde Ambition posted an interactive notebook she sells on tpt with a kind of personal anchor chart for each standard.  I'm trying to figure out how I will set up the readers notebook. I think I will let them decorate the cover with magazine pictures for motivation, maybe divide the notebook into 2-3 sections, make a  personal dictionary, vocabulary, set reading goals, record books read.  How do you set up a readers notebook?  I would love to hear any tips & tricks you have!




5. The Gypsy Teacher Whole-Brain Teaching Rules in Chevron I plan on implementing Whole Brain Teaching this year, so these cute rule signs are a must.  Do you use Whole Brain Teaching?  How do you like it?

Tomorrow I'll finally be going up to school to pack and move things to my new classroom, yay!  Enjoy your weekend! Toodles!

~Tally