August Currently and 3 Back-to-School Must Haves

It's the first week of August (ahhh... panic mode!) and that means it's time for this month's Currently. Here's what's been on my mind lately:

Speaking of must haves for back-to-school, I thought I'd share a little more info about why these are so amazing!

1. Personal laminator- Who doesn't love the smell of hot lamination?! Seriously, this is the best thing that ever happened to my classroom. Not only does it help with getting ready for back to school, but I also use it to publish class books that we create throughout the year. The kids LOVE reading books that they've written as a class! Here is a picture of the laminator that I have:

If you don't have one of these bad boys, you need to get one ASAP! Mine is the GBC HeatSeal Laminator. When I tried out my teammate's, it was love at first sight and I knew I had to have one. Definitely worth every penny! (Do I send like an advertisement for this yet?!)

2. Thirty-One Hanging Organizer- I love all things related to organization, so when I went to a Thirty-One party and saw this, I thought that it would not only be great for home but also for school! I decided to hang mine on the bulletin board near my desk. You can hang a calendar on this, use the dry-erase board, organize papers, and keep track of your favorite pens or pencils! I can't wait to use it!

3. Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller- I read this book a couple of summers ago and it completely changed the way that I teach reading. It taught me how to explicitly teach different reading strategies such as visualizing, predicting, inferring, along with many others. The book includes recommended book lists for each strategy and great examples of dialogue to use with your students. It is a great resource if you haven't read it yet!

Well, I hope you all are surviving this crazy hot/dry weather! My hubby and I went to the state fair today and just about died in the heat. Stay cool everyone =) And be sure to link up with Farley at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade!