Decorating

I finished decorating my room today. I am really pleased with it. I have two interactive bulletin boards - one for the calendar and one for a map that we will cover throughout the first nine weeks. I love color so the room is very colorful and inviting. I have a place set up for objectives on the front blackboard as well as my expectations. Here are some photos:  

Verb Activity

I used the following image as inspiration for a new set of class activities:

I developed a set of activity sheets that had sets of sentences with the verb missing the ending. I have a set of endings (3 of each ending) that the students have to place on the activity sheet to complete the verb ending for the sentence.

I also did a set of activity sheets that had the verb completely missing and a set of verbs that the students choose from to place in the blanks.

UPDATE (9/1/2014):
I tried this activity out in class we some boards that I made where the students would have to place the correct ending in the blank for the conjugated verb. I worked well for the most part. I was short on a few endings, so I will need to add a couple pieces to each set. The students suggested having velcro in the blanks and on the backs of the ending pieces so that they don't slide around whenever you bump the paper and don't get blow off the paper as easily. I will look into it, but it depends on how much velcro is needed.

Online Lesson Planning

Well I found Planbook.com today and have started the free trial. So far I really like it. It is clean and organized. I just wish the columns for each day were a little bit wider, but that is just personal preference. I like how easy it is to link standards to lessons and share the lessons across different classes and teachers. My school has us use GradeQuick, and it is impossible to transfer information day to day let alone year to year. So I'm going to use the trial for the first couple weeks of classes to see how it goes. If it goes well, I'll buy a subscription.

Most common classroom management advice

So I've been reading up on classroom management quite a bit this summer and one of the most common things I've come across is you can't let the little things go. This is probably my worst area do I'll have to really work on it this year

http://teach4theheart.com/2014/08/11/the-tiny-mistake-that-could-ruin-your-whole-year-and-how-to-avoid-it/

http://teach4theheart.com/2014/08/14/what-not-to-do-the-first-day-of-school/

Desk Arrangements

So I wanted to do tables with roller chairs this year, but it just isn't going to happen. My vice principal advised me to work on small group instruction this year (for the new teacher evaluation yearly goals) so I have decided to place my desks in rows with desks in pairs. I was just going to do straight rows, but I'm thinking that I might be able to do a horseshoe pattern since I do not have as many desks as last year, but it might still be tight. I'll decide next week when I get back in my room and reorganize everything. Right now though, I made my seating charts for straight rows since I know I will definitely have enough space for that.

Get them motivated to write

Use artwork to get students writing. Well it's worth a shot. I looked up some spanish artwork and came up with some interesting paintings that I think students will be able to write about. Maybe a poem, conversation between the people in the painting, what the subject is thinking, things like that might be a good way to do this. Keeping it short 5-10 sentences.

Class Secretary

One on the blogs I follow had an example of a class secretary sheet that a student would record all of the class assignments and homework (http://teach4theheart.com/2014/08/07/setting-up-your-classroom-9-practical-things-you-may-not-have-thought-of/). I took and reworked it and came up with my own. I think it is a great plan. I always have trouble remember what we did a certain day, let alone remember to write it down if I add or subtract something from my lesson plan.

I'll need to set up a place for the class secretaries to place and pick up the sheets. I'm thinking folders on the chalk board.

Grammar Thoughts

I need to incorporate new activities in which students need to identify grammar mistakes in sentences or phrases.

Topics:

• Gender
• Adjectives
• Conjugation

Partner Activities

I ran across these idea from one of the numerous sites I follow.

A & B Worksheets
Students are assigned as Partner A and Partner B. Questions on a worksheet are divided between the two students. When complete the students share the answers they developed and discuss the answers with their partners, checking for accuracy.

Blind Compare
Students (groups of 2-4) circle around a stack of task cards that depict an activity or problem they need to solve. The students flip a card and silently solve the task on a white board. After they all write their responses, the students reveal their answers and discuss how they are similar and different.

Venn Diagram Manipulables
Students are given a large Venn diagram and a stack of cards. The students flip the cards one or two at a time and place the card in the correct location on the Venn diagram. This might work for Masculine/Feminine, OOOOHHHH ADJECTIVES!!!! yes definitely, and maybe conjugated verbs and singular/plural.

Think-Pair-Share

Okay some ideas for when to use Think-Pair-Share

• At the beginning of class to identify the most important point from the previous day's lesson. 
• To review a topic
• To predict a new concept 

The Point

So this is basically a way for me to brainstorm and record my thoughts on things I want to use in my classroom and not lose them.