new website!

I'm back-----are you still here?!

Wow! It's been three years! If you are still with me, I am so glad!

So I stopped blogging in 2014 for a couple reasons. Firstly, things became quite difficult at work.  Secondly I wasn't sure what my focus/aim/direction was with the blog. I wasn't exactly sure how to blog, how to connect with other bloggers, work out social media, etc.

So after a couple years, I've decided to refocus my blog/website/instagram, etc on an area of teaching that first captured my attention in 2005: exercise books (also known as) INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS. This concept is something I am extremely passionate about, and it seems that interactive notebooks are a lot more commonplace in American classrooms now. However, I have had countless conversations with teachers over the years and I have gathered that teachers need ideas and resources.

I am hoping this space will support teachers that are new to interactive notebooks and help them to understand this approach to data collection. I have been fortunate to see interactive notebooks in action in England and Australia over the past decade and I want to share it with as many people as possible!

Please follow my Instagram and make your life easier with notebooking!

All the best,
Kelli x

October PICTURES!

Hello!  I've made it through the first half term! 

As I've started my third year now at this school, the curriculum is finally clear and much easier to navigate! But with three new teachers to guide through the English...well I am still learning how to communicate expectations without being too overwhelming. How do you do that anyway? 

2 of the teachers are doing fine, but the other one is still finding her feet and I think I've stepped on her toes (not my intention but ...). Sometimes I think I do a great job as English Coordinator and then other times I really wonder.

Hopefully she will see me as someone who is here to help and our relationship will change.

ANYWAY!

Here are some pictures from my Year 5 classroom (so thankful to all the wonderful teachers that inspire me with ideas for these charts)! In Year 6 we've just finished reading Holes and lots of great creative writing with that (love it so much!!) and in Year 5 we're nearly done with Thief and the children have some fantastic writing in connection with that book. Favorite time of year, not just for the books we're reading but also the leaves and weather! I wish I had some pictures of the leaves (remember I'm from Arizona so I love changing leaves).

So I hope things are going well for you! Would love to hear from you!

Summer is officially over!

Another lovely summer has come and gone. It was wonderful and relaxing and of course too short.

I wandered around various areas here in London, got my gym habit going again, got my [healthy] eating back on track, organized the classroom libraries at my school, celebrated 10 years (since my guy and I met) and went to Cornwall with friends!

Cornwall!

We have a new head (principal) at our school! Literally at our back to school meeting the bomb was dropped and then school started the next day. Feels weird. It was bound to happen since our head left at Easter when she had a baby, but I wasn't expecting it since our other head stepped in. I just hope everything doesn't change all at once! I'm still trying to figure out my new roles with Reading Intervention!

Any tips for getting to know a new head/principal? I feel apprehensive about it all.

Hope things are going well for you!

Question about first grade math?

Hello! I know someone will have an answer for me...

I've had 2 people buy my first grade math bundle and remark that it was missing money and magnitude. I am quite confused by this, as I haven't seen this with the Common Core. I've searched through the web, but have always found money to be a second grade concept. Help please?


If you went back to school today, I hope it was wonderful!

Thanks!

I finally finished it!!!!!!!

That's it! I have finished putting my resources together for K-2 Math Journals!!

Today I finished addition and subtraction for second grade math journals and it feels so good!

And such good timing-there is a TPT sale Monday and Tuesday! Did you know this?!! So glad my friend told me about it! I guess it makes sense as a Back to School Sale...I forgot since I'm on a different school year from The States. What is on your list?!! I think I need to check up on some literature circle packs I put on my wishlist...

I'm off to bed! Hope you're having a peaceful summer or nice start to your school year!

Summer time! Freebie at the end...

Well it's been nearly a month since I last posted and now that I'm a couple weeks into summer break, I can post again!

Summer is off to a great start! My husband and I moved to a new flat a couple weeks ago, so we are settling in now and I am loving this place. A lot bigger than the other place and still a great location.

My friend and I are on a 21-day break from refined sugar (I have a serious addiction) and I am feeling heaps better already. I've been reading the book, I Quit Sugar, and I hope to continue limiting my sugar even after the 21 days. My biggest weakness is cookies/biscuits at work, so I figured summer time away from work was the best time to start this habit.

This summer I'm also trying to get outside as much as possible. There are so many places to explore in and around London, so I am determined to make the most out of it. Last week I met a friend in Richmond and it was stunning! The actual cafe was under the bridge, and the trees were massive. It felt planets away from Arizona.

Yesterday I browsed around Teddington and Twickenham. They had so many amazing charity shops! I love going to charity shops for unusual dresses or random stuff for decorating. But this trip was strictly for children's games and children's books for school. I can't wait to get it to school!

Now I must finish this up and get to the gym! Here's something I just added to my TPT store: pictures of journal/notebook ideas for social studies/science (Second-Sixth Grade). Hope it can give you ideas if you use journals in your classroom.

Have a good one!