A Not-So-Typical Day in the Life of Your Average Schoolteacher

     I left this morning to go to school at 6:30 a.m., as usual.  Wagner was left snoozing on the couch, as usual. 

There's a reason my couch is semi-permanently covered with an afghan.

    

     I got home around 5 p.m., as usual.  I went into my kitchen... not so usual.


     There was bird poo all over my stovetop. 


     That's right, bird poo.  On my stove. 

     In my kitchen. 

     Where I cook. 

     And eat.

     After investigating, I realized that a bird had climbed up into my exhaust vent (lifting the flaps outside the house and squeezing inside), and crawled all the way to the kitchen.  He/she/it was stuck between the fan and the screen. 

     I donned my goin' to war outfit (long sleeves, heavy duty winter gloves, sunglasses to protect my eyes...) and began the rescue mission (after going to find the camera to document this momentous occasion, naturally). 

     I took off the vent cover slowly.  Little birdie Foo Foo wasn't too happy about coming out of his little birdie hidey-hole.  Before I could grab him, he took off (and I'm not ashamed to admit that I screamed like a little girl when he flew towards my head) and flew around the kitchen before settling on my window sill.
    

Don't you just LOVE the view from the window over my sink?  Can you see the red barn with the tin roof in the bottom left?

     I finally caught him and let him go outside.  He screeched at me as he flew away, as if it were MY fault he got stuck in my exhaust vent. 

     I don't know how long he had been in there.  I had accidentally knocked the vent cover off a little while ago when I was pressure-washing the siding.  It was put back on within a few days.  Now I feel a little creeped out that he was in there, spying on me.  

    And now I have to go clean up the kitchen. 

     I think I'll order pizza for dinner tonight.



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Yet Another Math Activity

   This week was a short week for us, with Fall Break giving us a four day weekend.  Yay!  In theory, fall break is a time for teachers and students to relax and recharge for the second half of the semester.  In reality, it's a super busy school week, filled with fitting 5 days worth of learning into 3 days of school, finalizing grading period grades, and meeting with parents during pre-report card conferences.  The days off are filled with all my fall yard work {trimming bushes and trees, weeding, mowing, raking leaves, etc.}, catching up on house cleaning and laundry, swapping out summer clothes for winter clothes, and cleaning my refrigerator {something I do fall and spring break--that's right, I'm a party animal!}.

     While I was waiting for some laundry to finish today, I started looking at our upcoming multiplication unit.  I decided to re-vamp the lapbook I made last year and make it cuter.  I didn't add any clip art or anything {I tend to make items that are clip art free as I find it distracting, and I have students who spend their time doodling on the pictures rather than focusing on the lesson}, but I used a cute fonts {hello helvetica and hello journaling from Hello Literacy, one of my favorite blogs!}.

Available at my TpT store.

    I use this lapbook as a way for my munchkins to keep track of their multiplication learning.  We use a folded piece of 12 x 18 construction paper to form the folder and glue the charts on to.  I 3-hole punch it and we put it in their math binder.  They record definitions, strategies, and examples in the lapbook, and they can take it out of their binder to use as a reference as they work or to take home and study.

     Do you use any special incentives or activities to help your students learn multiplication?  I've found that most third graders are excited to begin the multiplication unit because they see it as "big person" math, but once they realize that there is some brainwork involved, they lose interest.  I'd be really interested in hearing some ideas on how you keep your students enthusiastic about learning their facts and strategies.

     

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Long Time No See

Hello again.

It's been a while since I posted anything because the school year seems to have swallowed me whole.  I LOVE this year's crop of munchkins, but it's been a lot of work settling into my new room and getting used to the new routines and procedures of my new school.  Not to mention that the foundation of my house cracked, and I've been dealing with getting estimates and scheduling repairs.

So the foundation dudes are at my house today, which means so am I.  Finally, a personal day so I can catch up on laundry and housecleaning and blogging... and checking in on my house's foundation and the plants they have to dig up to get to the foundation.  I think I got a great company to work on it.  They've been very professional and seem to be doing some good work (like I know what I'm talking about).  I knew I had made the right choice when they broke for lunch a little while ago and they were all sitting out front in their truck eating sandwiches... except for one guy, who unpacked his microwave, plugged it into the generator, and heated up his soup.  I LOVE seeing creativity and ingenuity in action!

Anyway...

I put up a new math activity on Teachers Pay Teachers this morning.  I used it last week with my munchkins as they prepped for their subtraction test.  We'd covered so many skills during our unit that I wanted to give them a chance to practice them all one more time before formally assessing their abilities.

Get it here.

Get it here.

 I had divided the munchkins into 4 groups {no ability grouping here--I wanted my stronger math thinkers to interact with my strugglers so they could model their thinking as they worked}, and we rotated through the stations.  I put subtraction flash cards and math books at each station so early finishers would have something to do while they waited.

The kids loved doing this activity!  They told me that it was WAY better than a worksheet or revisiting activities we'd already done.  They like talking about the math as they work through the problems, and being able to get up and move to the next station helps to keep the wiggles at bay.

I'd love to hear what you do to help your kids review for tests.  Do you do the same thing every time, or mix it up?


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Great Minds Think Alike

     Sometimes I think I relate to my students a little too well.

     Today our lesson in Social Studies started with a discussion of the Greek roots of the word hemisphere, and ended with a loosely related debate over the merits of one Transformer over another.  Um . . . not something you find in the Common Core.

     I started by introducing hemisphere as a vocabulary word, and we discussed why it was  NOT, in fact, a compound word.  We then looked up sphere {ball or globe} and hemi {half}, and I posed the following question:  How many pieces to you get if you cut something in half? (response:  two!)  Then how can there be FOUR hemispheres, if the word literally means half of the globe? (lots of sharing followed...I live for these kinds of discussions!)

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

      Anyway, we went on to take some notes and label the hemispheres in our notebooks, along with the continents found in each, and important lines of latitude and longitude.  As I mentioned the Prime Meridian, one of my munchkins jokingly asked if we were going to label Optimus Prime, too.  Imagine the looks of shock on the 8- and 9-year-old faces in my room as I responded with a knowing smile, "No, and we won't label Megatron, either."  

WHAT!!??!! Our teacher knows the Transformers BY NAME!!??!!

     And so began our discussion of the meaning of the word prime and why it's used to label that particular line of longitude and that particular Transformer {and what mega means, as well}.

     Am I the only one who LOVES these seemingly random connections students make to their lives?  I love knowing that more students will find it easier to remember Prime Meridian because of our seemingly "silly" discussion today.

     Since I had achieved my objective at that point and the class had their maps labeled and ready to go for tomorrow's lesson {and recess was going to start in 5 minutes}, we continued our discussion on to how I knew so much about Transformers {and Barbie, and G. I. Joe, and My Little Pony. . . }.  I think I went from "teacher-person" to just "person" today in some of my students' eyes.  

And that's only one of the reasons I love my job.

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And Now for a Guided Tour

     I have confessed my addiction to Pinterest on here before, but I don't think I explained exactly how much I use it in my classroom.  As I met fellow staff members in my new school, I was repeatedly asked what my "theme" was for my classroom.  I explained that I don't really have a theme, I just like neatness and color.

     Then I looked at my classroom the other day.

     I realized that I DID, in fact, have a theme.  Everything in my room was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest.  And I mean EVERYTHING.  From the bedsheets backing my bulletin boards and the ribbon border, to the clothespins clipped to ribbon for how we go home and where we are in the writing process, it all came from my fellow teachers that I follow online.  I gotta say thanks!

     Here are some specific elements {so be prepared for a LONG blog post}:

Made from a Wal Mart magnetic calendar.  I made my own numbers and velcroed them in place.  It's hung with binder clips and push pins.

Gotta love numbered clothespins!  This jobs chart was made with labels stuck on circle accents.

"Show Me the Evidence," for helping with that transition to Common Core

How We Go Home, again numbered clothespins make everything easier!

Clock numbers

As you can see, I'm at recess right now     :^)

Behavior Bingo on the front of my desk.

I'm not sure I like the header.  I may end up changing it at some point.  You know, when I have time {because I have so much spare time once the school year starts.}

Morning routine sign, with a dull/sharp double pencil bucket, and 4 lunch choice buckets.  Under this shelf are the 3-drawer containers where students turn in their work.

I took all the versions of this sign that I could find and combined them into one long list.  I couldn't decide which ones I wanted to use, so I used them all.

     And now for the tour:

Standing by my desk. looking at the "front" door.

The cabinet doors have a pocket chart for the week's spelling words and a place to track our writing progress.

I love that at this school I can hang fun things from the ceiling!  I found these items in the party supply section of Wal Mart on clearance.  I'm still working on tissue paper poms to add to the corners.

The tables along the wall will be where all workstation supplies can be found.  I'm thinking of investing in some table skirts; that area under those tables is a great storage space.

Each student table has a basket with notebook paper and an envelope for table tickets {earned through cooperation and teamwork, and spent on coupons that the team must decide on and redeem together (bring a stuffed animal, lunch in the classroom, etc.)}, and a box with supplies {glue sticks, sticky notes, erasers, etc.}

classroom library, with a lot of wall space for displaying anchor charts and student work

My personal favorite area of the room:  our Wonder Wall, where students can use sticky notes to post questions and observations on things they wonder about.

more anchor chart displays, and my singing bird clock with the singing bird mechanism removed     :^)

    

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What Time is It?

     When is recess?

     How long until lunch?

     How many times have you gotten questions like these from your students?  Don't you wish your students would come to you already knowing how to read an analog clock and answer these questions for themselves?

     Using "Clock Numbers" around your classroom clock is a great way to scaffold that learning and allow students to use them in real-world situations.

Use numbers like these around your classroom clock.

      I have numbers around my clock, and students use them as a reference for telling time when they need to sign out to use the bathroom, when they sign up to go to the library, or when they need to fill out a behavior form.  As the year goes on, I will replace the 15, 30, and 45 with the following:

     This will allow students to see the relationships between the numbers and the words used in every day situations {quarter after 11, half past 3, etc.}.  Once these word cards go up and students begin using them accurately, the other numbers {05, 10, 20, 25, 35, 40, 50, and 55} will come down.  By the end of the school year, my goal is that students will have had practice telling time without any labels on the clock. 

     By using this knowledge in real-world situations throughout the year, our telling time lessons in math class can be mostly review, and we can focus on the dreaded elapsed time.

Find this pack in my TpT and TN stores!

     As a special treat, I'm having a sale just in time for school to start next week!  I'm joining Teachers Pay Teachers in their Back to School sale on August 12 and 13. 

     I'm offering 20% off all my products, and TpT is adding another 10% off, for a total of a 28% savings! {When you take 20% off my products, then 10% off the remaining cost, the total savings is 28%--I know, crazy math!}  All you have to do is put in the promo code (BTS12) when you check out for the extra 10% savings.  I will also be running a sale in my Teachers Notebook store those same days! 


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Slow, But Steady Work

     It's time for an update on my classroom-in-progress. . .

     I have to wait until Tuesday, when I'm back on contract, to laminate all my signs and labels, so I've only been able to work on some of the "background" of my room.  

     I used disposable hospital trays on my chairs.  They are really easy to drill through and attach to the "X" on the bottom of each chair with zip ties, and best of all, they were FREE!  Many hospitals would probably be willing to donate 25 or 30 trays for your class. . .all you have to do is call and ask!  Everyone at my old school used these trays in different ways, but I like to use them for unfinished work or for gluey things that need time to dry.  They are also where my munchkins put their snacks and water bottles in the mornings when they unpack.  The snacks stay handy so there's no getting up in the middle of math to get them, and the water bottles aren't taking up valuable desk space and sweating all over student work {they're also not rolling all over the floor}. 

     I've added cream colored flat sheets {super cheap-from Wal Mart!} and border to my bulletin boards.  I also put border on one of my dry erase boards.  I decided to go with some flat, wide border that is black with dark gray stripes on one side and dark gray dots on the other.  I like the way it mirrors the look of my ActivBoard.
 

My ActivBoard in the middle, with my calendar board on the left and my objectives board on the right

Dry erase board behind my reading table

More bulletin board shots

    

I have a random long, skinny bulletin board on one of my walls, so I've decided to use it as a "Wonder Wall," where students can put sticky notes with their questions and things that they wonder about.  These notes can be researched and/or discussed as time allows.  I'm hoping it will keep my munchkins interested and engaged in what we're learning in class.  It will also be a great place for students to put their random questions that have nothing to do with what we're studying {you know, the ones they interrupt/disrupt class with. . . the ones that always seem to interrupt a lesson when you're being observed. . .}

I used four different kinds of patterned cardstock to make a colorful background, and hot-glued black grosgrain ribbon to it for a border.  As soon as I can laminate, there will be white letters (backed by black) that say "I Wonder. . ." along the middle of the bulletin board.  {Pay no attention to the sticky note--it's just a reminder to myself of what I'm doing with the board.  I have them stuck all over the room because if I don't write it down, I'll never remember anything!}


I REALLY liked using the ribbon for the border {an idea I found on Pinterest}.  It makes a nice, clean line to frame the board, and it's nice and small.  Regular bulletin board border would take up the whole board.


I'll be back next week with more updates and {hopefully} more signs hung and workstations set up!

**UPDATE**

I got a few questions about my objectives board.  It's an idea I got from Pinterest.  

I used 8.5 x 11 document frames from the dollar store, and inserted the labeled backgrounds.  They're hanging on the board right now with pushpins, but I'll be attaching them more securely with velcro soon {THANK YOU for the idea, Amy!!}.  Leave a comment with your email address and I'll send you the backgrounds.

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New Year, New School, New Classroom

     It's been a while since I posted anything because I've been super busy getting my new classroom ready and making the most of the rest of the summer.  It's exciting to be starting with a blank slate--moving in and arranging furniture and making new bulletin boards, but it's also a lot of hard work. 

     Here are some "before" pictures of my new room.  When I'm done with it, I'll post some "after" pictures.

The view from the "front" of my new room.

Storage!

All the tubs are from the teacher who was moving out.

Yes, there are 2 doors into my classroom.

My future teacher corner!

From left to right: small group central, reading focus board, math focus board.

My future classroom library corner... now filled with things to be moved to another classroom!

On another note, my Teachers Notebook store is hosting a giveaway!

    Just go to this page and scroll down until you see my logo in this box.  You have to have a Teachers Notebook account (don't worry--it's free!), but you can enter to win my Classroom Handbook!  There are always LOTS of sales going on at TN, and TONS of freebies and giveaways. 

Hope the rest of your summer is FABULOUS!

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Back to School Already?

     Has it already been a month since school got out?  Wow, summer is flying by.

     I went to my first summer inservice workshop on Friday (Using iPads in the Classroom... I learned so much!!) and it dawned on me that the back to school season is already upon us.  Have you noticed that now that the 4th of July stuff is out of the stores the shelves are filling up with school supplies?  My brain has been sort of half-processing school ideas all summer, but now is the time to rev it up to full gear.  

     I was on Pinterest the other day collecting ideas for anchor charts, and it reminded me of my favorite one that I made last year.  My munchkins and I were talking about the reason an author writes a book or story (author's purpose), and I was relating their purpose in writing to the books and stories we had read in class.

     I LOVE making anchor charts with the munchkins so they have ownership of the information.  I pre-programed this chart with the definitions and key words, then I wrote titles of stories and books we had read in class on sticky notes as we talked about them.  As a follow-up activity, my munchkins wrote the title of the books in their book boxes on sticky notes and placed them in the proper place on the chart.  Later, we took the titles of the stories we were writing and classified them with the same chart.

      I'm hoping to use more anchor charts this year to help solidify student learning, and I want to make them as interactive as possible.  If it's me up there writing on chart paper, then it is just another poster on the wall. But if the kids help make it and consistently use it to shape their thinking, then it becomes a useful learning tool.

     I would love to hear about any anchor charts you use with your class.  Please share!

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More Summer Fun

     When you were a kid, did you ever wonder what your teacher did after all the kids were gone for the day?  Or better yet, what she did over the summer?  It's sometimes hard for kids to picture their teachers out of context, and it's always fun for me to ask my munchkins to think outside the box {or rather, outside the classroom} and find out what they think I do when I'm not at school teaching.  One of my back to school activities this year is going to be to have the kids share what they did this summer and write about what they think I did.  {more on that in a later blog post.}

     So, what AM I doing this summer?  Besides going to workshops next month, doing DIY projects around the house, and making recipes and crafty things I found on Pinterest, I've been busy relaxing and having fun with Wagner, my dog.

 Wagner loves to relax in the air conditioning.

He also loves to watch the Today Show.  Especially when they show animal videos.

 

 

 

 

     Earlier this week I went with nine of my teacher friends on a white water rafting trip.  That's right... White. Water. Rafting.  I was leery of it at first, having never done anything like it before, and realizing that I could be seriously injured {or worse}.  Once we got to Outdoor Adventure Rafting on the Ocoee River, I started to feel better because they were very professional and took WONDERFUL care of us.  We got a safety lesson, our helmets, paddles, and PFDs {NOT a life jacket, it turns out!}, then loaded the bus.  Then we went rafting.

      We had 5 people on each boat, and went through several class 4 rapids.  It was so much fun!

     A special thanks to our guides, Taylor and Donnie, who took such great care of us out on the Ocoee River.






     We laughed the whole time, even during the scary parts!  I would go back and do it again in a heartbeat!  We were able to eddy out and go swimming in one of the calmer parts of the river, but the fun part was getting back into the boat.  One thing I learned is that it's really hard to swim upstream and pull each other into the boat when you're laughing hysterically. 



     On another note.....

 

     I'm really excited to reveal my super-secret crochet project I've been playing with.  I haven't told ANYONE about it because I wasn't sure I could get the pattern to work out correctly.  I was cleaning out a closet a couple of weeks ago and found some skeins of variegated yarn, and I decided to see what I could do with them, and here it is--my new bag!  I've never made anything before without using a pattern, and I had to try it a few times {and take it out again} before I got the hang of it.  I love the way the spacing of the colors makes a plaid pattern on the sides.  It's the perfect size to take to the library with me and use for selecting new books to read {I heart the library!}.

  I promise that next week's blog post will be more school-oriented, but I'm having trouble staying focused with all the fun going on!

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