I thought I’d do an upbeat post of some of my favorite teaching tools! We all have our faves…here are a few of mine!

So, here are a few of my favorite teacher things!!

SitSpots

I. LOVE. SITSPOTS. I use them at our assigned spots at our meeting area. I use them to mark where my line leader should stand. And, I’ve started using them to mark math stations areas instead of signs on the walls or tables.

They come in lots of colors and shapes and are easy to move around as needed. They’ve worked perfectly in all of my classrooms on the carpet. It’s a nice little pop of color in addition to their amazing usefulness!

* Click HERE to visit their site and have fun shopping!

Rainbow Decor

I’m a huge fan of rainbows and rainbow colors!! It’s an easy way to add color to your classroom without having to commit to a whole theme. I tried a theme once and I didn’t love it. It stressed me out when things didn’t match or go with my theme. With rainbows, you can easily add or switch things out as desired because it’s just a color scheme.

My kids love noticing everything that goes in rainbow order in our classroom (SitSpots, schedules, most of my anchor charts, reading groups, etc.!)

My Reward Catalog

This is a favorite of mine and my kiddos each year! I switch out the options periodically so it’s always exciting and engaging for my students. The best part is, it’s free and low maintenance for teachers, because we are busy people, you know?!

“Fluffy Friend” is always popular in 1st grade! They also love “Be Proud Read Aloud” because they love to go read to their Kindergarten teacher.

You can check out my Reward Catalog and its contents HERE!

Books, Books, Books

I buy waaaaay too many books!! But, I love having a fully stocked library with books for any and all of my kiddos. I have books from Pre-K through about 5th grade level (I teach 1st grade). I continue to work on adding more nonfiction, but I have quite a bit. I also use Zootles and Zoobooks magazines.

Because I already have so many books, when I purchase nowadays, I’m focusing on making my library more diverse…characters of color, nonfiction about important historical figures and events in civil and women’s rights, holidays and traditions from other cultures, and more. It’s a work in progress but it makes shopping for books very exciting for me!

Read about our Back to School Book Challenge HERE!

Poem of the Week

I love teaching with poems. Our poem of the week routine is an important and beloved part of our literacy block. We use one poem per week. On Friday, students put the poem in their Poetry Journal and we place the poem in our Poetry Station.

Click HERE or HERE to read a bit more about my poem of the week routine in my classroom.

You can grab my Year Long Bundle of poems and activities HERE!

Leave Me Alone Lamp

This lamp is so important so that I can run my reading groups without interruption and my kids really buy into this! If I ever forget to turn it on during a group, the kids will often do it for me.

Any time I’m working with a reading group, conferencing with kids, or assessing, I turn it on and my students know that they aren’t to interrupt unless it’s an emergency.

I do a few funny, yet important, lessons at the beginning of the year to teach them about it and it works like a charm each year.

I’ve even had parents say they want to do this at home. Haha!!

Lamp by Ikea, Sharpie writing by me!

Comprehension Sticks

I made these to keep my students engaged and accountable during independent and partner reading time. I start with a few sticks and add more as we cover new standards throughout the year.

It really helps kiddos stay focused on their reading and purpose during those independent work times.

Click here if you’re interested in a set of your own!

Alphabet Poems

I don’t use these in 1st grade, but these were my one of the first things I made when I was a brand new teacher teaching Kindergarten, so I have a soft spot for them.