Free for Monday?

I am a little late with the free stuff...sorry guys! I wanted to post this on Friday but we all know Friday can be crayzay. This is a little book I made for word families. We have been going over these this week with rhymes. I find that it really helps my kids with chunks. We write the family on the top and then fill the house with all those words!

I also LOVE this flip chart from Scholastic. I used it with this book! The songs are cute, and they are to the tune of songs they already know!

Happy Monday y'all!

Three for Thursday!

So, still hoppin'! (p.s. I would like to post the cute button, but blogger is mad at me)

My favorite fonts(s) are...I couldn't pick just one!

My favorite blog right now would have to be......

She has had the BEST free printables and I love reading her blog!

My favorite resource would have to be.....

ALL the blogs I read! Duh!

Where it all goes down!

I had recently posted all about my classroom! So I figured to make it easy I would link back to that post!

My Classroom!

I am really lovin' this blog hoppin'!

Teacher Talk Tuesday!

I am still hoppin'! Go check out all the awesome posts! 

I love giving new teachers a few nuggets of wisdom, mainly because I was so lost when I first started. :( I took over a class mid year since I was a December graduate and was thrown to the wolves so to say. My class had several subs before I came in, and teachers who I work with now told me they saw me the first day and said that I was "just passing through" HA I guess I proved them wrong? Here are some things I learned that first half year:

DOCUMENT everything. Be observant and watch your kids. I always look for the smallest thing that may be affecting them and note it. I have come across numerous situations where it has been so amazing to have that documentation to back up what may have happened, and then to solve and help your student.

Take care of yourself! I took up yoga to calm myself. I was never prepared for how demanding teaching is! You have to do an activity that will be only for you and will be your time to unwind. :)

Build a rapport with your children. I don't have kids of my own, so I have 18 of them. :) I make sure to build a relationship with every child, and I notice that every year every relationship is different. I actually built one today with a student that has been struggling with behavior, it was like the walls came down right in front of me. It felt amazing.

Don't think, "Ehh, not worth it. They will never get it." I teach in a Title 1 school and unfortunately a lot of people will not do activities because they think the kids won't get it or the parents won't help them. I refuse to believe this. I student taught at a laboratory school, and I have used several of the activities and practices I learned there with my kids and it has always been an amazing experience. Every child deserves a rich education experience!

Save everything! I guarantee you will want it again!

Find a mentor, they will help you out tremendously. Especially a good one, I still kept in touch with my student teaching mentor. I still call her to this day.

Keep positive! I know it might be hard sometimes, but there will always be some moments that bring you back and make you realize why you do what you do. It is a calling after all :)

I hope this was helpful, I honestly wish I was a new teacher with all this great wisdom going around today!!

All about Ms. T

Woohoo! Teacher Week! This is so exciting! 
I am hoppin' along with everyone else!

Tell us a little about you....

I am Ms. Thomas from The First Grade Jungle. I am 25 years old. I am originally from Wales, if you read a few posts back I explain my crazy first name! I moved to Texas at five with my family and been there ever since till I came down South! I went to LSU, GEAUX TIGERS, and a proud Zeta Tau Alpha. After graduation I got a job down here. I have been teaching for three years, on my fourth (whew seems like yesterday I started) I taught second for two years, then moved to first and love both of them!
Here are some of my favorite things: (I split it to make it fair, haha)

A snapshot of the family...

At an LSU tailgate!

I gots me a manfriend too, and we just celebrated SIX years dating together. :)

Also, I heart pugs. I cannot wait till the day I get one! Here are the family pugs, Monty and Pugsley.

Pugsley and Monty, our three legged wonder pug!

I love being a teacher to firsties, spending time with my family in TEXAS, spending time with Mr. Ben, and honestly being lazy when I can! (It doesn't happen often)

I am looking forward to really helping my students grow this year. Many of my students last year did not have a solid kindergarten year. If there is anything I have learned from teaching first is how important kindergarten is. I am pushing myself to get my students above and beyond and to make up for that lost time. I think first grade is the best because you watch your students grow up before your eyes. I am ready for a great year!

Loved spilling the beans about myself, cannot wait to read everyone's!