So, this week I started back to school, well kind of. I took some optional training about implementing Reader's/Writer's workshop in my classroom. Last year, with the help of my mentor/teaching partner, I did the workshop model, but never had any formal training.
Here are some feelings I am having:
-I LOVE the workshop model, it really is fabulous.
-It's going to be very expensive to implement this. I need book tubs, post-its, notebooks, tabs, and much more. This will all have to come out of pocket. YIKES.
-I don't get paid again until Sept, therefore coming up with the money is going to be a challenge.
-It's a lot of work, but I am ready to dive right in. (Ask me in January if I am dragging yet)
-I am still trying to figure out the scheduling aspect of it in terms of what it will look like in my daily schedule.
And last but not least,
My brain is overflowing with ideas, tips, and questions that I am really unsure of where to start. So this school year, follow my workshop journey as I adventure through the process.
Have any tips, tricks, or fabulous websites?! I will take all the help I can get.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Book Recommendations for the classroom!
Wow, it's almost JULY! The end of the year proved to be the most stressful time during my entire first year of teaching, that is why I didn't update the blog. We had a lot going on at school, then a few days off and summer school started right away. Luckily, summer school is over and it's time to spend the next few weeks relaxing letting my creativity juices flow!
Recently, I have been doing a lot ofreflecting kicking myself in the rear for forgetting things and putting some things off. One of these pieces is book recommendations in the classroom. It is SOO important to let students share what they are reading not only to me, but also to their peers. During summer school, I really learned the value and excitement stirred up by student recommendations.
I had several books suggested to me during summer school and the kids were anxious to share the adventurous plots, unique characters, and overall quality of the books. My goal for this coming school year to have an entire bulletin board devoted to sharing book recommendations for my students. What better way to get everyone pumped up about reading!
Since I will be starting this, I decided that I would make it a goal to read several of the Mark Twain nominees over the summer so that I start my school year with a healthy dose of recommendations for my kids to be reading!
I have developed a very short book recommendation for my kids. I didn't want to make it too lengthy because I don't want them to become overwhelmed or feel that they were doing a long boring book report. I also wrote short "reports" on some of the books that I have already read for the summer as well!
Check it out! Feel free to use my book recommendation form or doctor it up to fit your needs! Click on the links below to access the google doc.
Book Recommendation Form
Mrs. Davidson's Recommendations
Recently, I have been doing a lot of
I had several books suggested to me during summer school and the kids were anxious to share the adventurous plots, unique characters, and overall quality of the books. My goal for this coming school year to have an entire bulletin board devoted to sharing book recommendations for my students. What better way to get everyone pumped up about reading!
Since I will be starting this, I decided that I would make it a goal to read several of the Mark Twain nominees over the summer so that I start my school year with a healthy dose of recommendations for my kids to be reading!
I have developed a very short book recommendation for my kids. I didn't want to make it too lengthy because I don't want them to become overwhelmed or feel that they were doing a long boring book report. I also wrote short "reports" on some of the books that I have already read for the summer as well!
Check it out! Feel free to use my book recommendation form or doctor it up to fit your needs! Click on the links below to access the google doc.
Book Recommendation Form
Mrs. Davidson's Recommendations
Thursday, April 11, 2013
State assessments, coming soon to a classroom near you!
Okay, lame title, I know! First, I need to apologize for my recent ranting. It was a stressful week, as if you couldn't tell. This week, I have come to a couple of realizations:
1. My sweet, innocent, caring little 5th graders have turned into monstrous 6th graders.
2. I am not the only teacher in the world who has mental break-downs.
3. It is SOOO important to have a teacher to work with, vent to, and listen to. (Thanks Marcy!)
Here's the scoop about what we've been doing in our classroom.
We just finished our read aloud Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper. It was FANTASTIC. I highly recommend it. After reading that book, I can guarantee that my students have a sense of compassion and understanding now for anyone who has a disability. My kids BEGGED for more and you better believe that I quit reading every single day on a cliff hanger. We had great lessons and awesome writing prompts to go with it. Check it out HERE!
In Science, we are learning about living organisms. We have decided to let our students bring in their own living organisms to share with 5th grade. They have to write a short little blurb and present their organism. This is a great learning experience! I wasn't so sure about it, but hey, we'll give it a shot.
In ELA (English Language Arts) or reader's workshop, we are settling into our newest novel Freak the Mighty and the kids are loving every minute of it. I bought a companion to go along with it that you can buy here, it follows common core standards and really helps get our kids thinking! It has been fantastic. I purchased this as a class set of books, thanks to a grant I received from INEA.
And finally, for the grand finale, we have REALLY started prepping for our State Standardized Tests aka: MAP tests aka: the dreaded test. ;)
So, today the number one question in 5th grade was, why is Ms. Black and Mrs. Davidson wearing sweat bands on their head!?
We were helping get them pumped up for the big tests. Our school-wide MAP testing theme is "All Stars", so my teaching partner and I have changed our bulletin boards and started getting ready! We have big plans for prepping.
First, from now until the test starts, we will be really watching our kids and seeing who displays the qualities that are necessary for the MAP test. Each day we will watch to see how attentive students are being, if they are contributing and asking questions, and if they are putting forth their personal best effort.
Each day we will pick a "MAP MVP". That person gets a cool sweat band and medal. They also get to have their picture taken with our awesome trophy and they get a little snack to enjoy at the end of the day.
The kids are ecstatic! Today was the most learning we had going on in weeks, it felt like!
We also made a very thick MAP practice booklet for each student that we are going through as a class. As we work through the problems, we are talking about strategies to help us do our best on the test.
We are making a huge hoopla about the MAP test in hopes that our students see the importance of it. However, I cannot take the credit for these ideas! This is a tradition that my teaching partner has been doing since she arrived here (and maybe before, who knows!), so thank you to whoever started this! It is a lot of fun for me and the kids and I think it is really helping ease the minds of kids who are stressed about it.
All in all, it's been tense in my classroom. My kids are starting to realize that elementary school is nearly over and now it's time for middle school. That means a lot of things; switching classes, no recess, and harder work. They are nervous. Truth is, I am too! They will do wonderful, at least I hope so!
Until then, we will continue working on MAP prep and I will continue reminding them that they are still in 5th grade!
1. My sweet, innocent, caring little 5th graders have turned into monstrous 6th graders.
2. I am not the only teacher in the world who has mental break-downs.
3. It is SOOO important to have a teacher to work with, vent to, and listen to. (Thanks Marcy!)
Here's the scoop about what we've been doing in our classroom.
We just finished our read aloud Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper. It was FANTASTIC. I highly recommend it. After reading that book, I can guarantee that my students have a sense of compassion and understanding now for anyone who has a disability. My kids BEGGED for more and you better believe that I quit reading every single day on a cliff hanger. We had great lessons and awesome writing prompts to go with it. Check it out HERE!
In Science, we are learning about living organisms. We have decided to let our students bring in their own living organisms to share with 5th grade. They have to write a short little blurb and present their organism. This is a great learning experience! I wasn't so sure about it, but hey, we'll give it a shot.
In ELA (English Language Arts) or reader's workshop, we are settling into our newest novel Freak the Mighty and the kids are loving every minute of it. I bought a companion to go along with it that you can buy here, it follows common core standards and really helps get our kids thinking! It has been fantastic. I purchased this as a class set of books, thanks to a grant I received from INEA.
And finally, for the grand finale, we have REALLY started prepping for our State Standardized Tests aka: MAP tests aka: the dreaded test. ;)
So, today the number one question in 5th grade was, why is Ms. Black and Mrs. Davidson wearing sweat bands on their head!?
We were helping get them pumped up for the big tests. Our school-wide MAP testing theme is "All Stars", so my teaching partner and I have changed our bulletin boards and started getting ready! We have big plans for prepping.
First, from now until the test starts, we will be really watching our kids and seeing who displays the qualities that are necessary for the MAP test. Each day we will watch to see how attentive students are being, if they are contributing and asking questions, and if they are putting forth their personal best effort.
Each day we will pick a "MAP MVP". That person gets a cool sweat band and medal. They also get to have their picture taken with our awesome trophy and they get a little snack to enjoy at the end of the day.
The kids are ecstatic! Today was the most learning we had going on in weeks, it felt like!
We also made a very thick MAP practice booklet for each student that we are going through as a class. As we work through the problems, we are talking about strategies to help us do our best on the test.
We are making a huge hoopla about the MAP test in hopes that our students see the importance of it. However, I cannot take the credit for these ideas! This is a tradition that my teaching partner has been doing since she arrived here (and maybe before, who knows!), so thank you to whoever started this! It is a lot of fun for me and the kids and I think it is really helping ease the minds of kids who are stressed about it.
All in all, it's been tense in my classroom. My kids are starting to realize that elementary school is nearly over and now it's time for middle school. That means a lot of things; switching classes, no recess, and harder work. They are nervous. Truth is, I am too! They will do wonderful, at least I hope so!
Until then, we will continue working on MAP prep and I will continue reminding them that they are still in 5th grade!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Classroom Management 101.......or not so much :)
I haven't blogged in a long time. Maybe because I am starting to feel a little pressure, a little overwhelmed, and well just down right exhausted.
Are you starting to look and feel like this too?
When I was in college, I felt prepared and ready to fly out and change the world. Okay, I quickly learned during my student teaching that I wasn't going to change the world. But, I was certainly going to change lives. I am sure I have affected a majority of my students. Seriously, I have a bond with some of my kiddos that is truly remarkable. I really focused on relationship building at the beginning of the year.
So, let me tell you a little about my class.
I started with 28 students (I think). One, never showed up, so I don't always count him. Good kids, great kids! There were about three kids on my "radar" at that point. One who had been retained, one who had troubles in previous years, and another that others warned me about behaviorally.
Okay, I KNEW I could handle it and I did! My first set of parent teacher conferences made me feel like Wonder Woman. I mean my parents were practically drooling over how awesome their kids were doing. Seriously, I am not trying to toot my own horn, but it's true. The kid who threw temper tantrums quit, the kid who tipped desks quit, it was like some kind of miracle. It was AWESOME! And the best part was, I didn't even do anything! Clearly, these kids had grown up over summer break and came back to school with a different approach. Did I mention that I am only 23, for some reason 5th graders like having a young teacher and for the most part, actually do what I say.
So, that was like August through Octoberish. Then, I had a few students move out and got my first new kid. By this point, we had already established our routines, procedures, and expectations. He was a lot to handle. Then, I got my second new kid who had some behavior issues as well. After receiving two more kids who were a little hard to handle, those kids I mentioned earlier were a breeze.
After I welcomed my new students and tried to re-figure how I would fit 30 desks into my little classroom, I thought I had it all figured out. However, it was not so smooth sailing from that point on. I mean I have some kids with some pretty severe anger, which is totally okay, I get it. I always remind myself "Alisha, they have bigger troubles than school" and for the most part, I can accept that!
Here I am in April; exhausted, overwhelmed, and completely out of ideas. I feel like I have literally tried everything. I have read articles, watched videos, read other peoples blogged, pulled out my references books from college, met with my mentor, talked to other colleagues and NOTHING I try seems to work. Nothing at all. What the heck am I doing wrong!?
Let me tell you a list of things I have tried in my classroom, heck maybe they will help you out:
close proximity
think-sheet
buddy room
focus room
Mrs. Davidson's "evil eye" (which probably isn't very "evil")
extra recess for good behavior/homework completion
computer time for good behavior
taking recess
making them walk the perimeter
having heart to heart conversations
take field trips
call parents for positive and negative behaviors
Super Student awards when they do anything positive
fill out behavior plans
building a strong relationship
reminding them that I care about them
reminding them how smart they are
reminding them that they matter
Yes, I have tried all those things, and probably many more. But, nothing is working. I am drowning. I knew it was getting bad when one of my sweetest little boys told another colleague of mine that he felt sorry for me because of the lack of respect that a certain couple of my kiddos show towards me. Or when my other sweet little girl said "It's beginning to feel like a zoo in here" as I have 3 or 4 kids blurting, shouting, running around etc. Sometimes, I just want to come home and cry and sometimes I do. Which, I have been told is normal (it's not like I am doing it every day by any means). I LOVE teaching. Seriously, I LOVE it. There are sooo many good days and so many lessons where I feel like a rock star and my kids feel like geniuses. However, there are bad days too. I am learning how to cope and deal, but I REALLY have got to learn how to not bring it home.
My dear husband, got to love him. He really puts up with my moodiness. I guess the moral is this:
1. Getting new students is tough, especially those with behavioral problems. I have to figure out how to be better about reaching out to those students. (It certainly can't be easy on them)
2. As a first year teacher, try not to overload yourself. I think I put a little too much on my plate for my first year. I need to be able to breath!
3. Don't bring your bad mood home! Seriously, my sweet husband doesn't deserve me flipping my top for small things because of a rough day at work and certainly, if we had kids, that would not be okay!
So, as we come up on our state assessments, which is feeling a little overwhelming (I mean in college, they were all like "oh who cares about standardized tests which totally isn't the case), I have to remember to breath easy and make the rest of our school year as smooth and memorable as possible.
This posting turned to be more of a rant, maybe a vent, but by no means a complaint. I love my kids, even those extra challenging ones. I try to remind them often of how proud I am and how I am confident that they are capable of anything. I do my best to stay positive, but even so, the exhaustion is reality. I am indulging on a 3 day weekend and am hoping that my kiddos are great for their guest teacher on Monday, which I am sure they will be. I haven't had complaints yet! So, I am turning the email off and leaving the school work in my bad all weekend. On Tuesday, I am sure to be refreshed and feeling good!
Any advice on how to reach out to my kiddos who are struggling!? I sure could use it!
Are you starting to look and feel like this too?
When I was in college, I felt prepared and ready to fly out and change the world. Okay, I quickly learned during my student teaching that I wasn't going to change the world. But, I was certainly going to change lives. I am sure I have affected a majority of my students. Seriously, I have a bond with some of my kiddos that is truly remarkable. I really focused on relationship building at the beginning of the year.
So, let me tell you a little about my class.
I started with 28 students (I think). One, never showed up, so I don't always count him. Good kids, great kids! There were about three kids on my "radar" at that point. One who had been retained, one who had troubles in previous years, and another that others warned me about behaviorally.
Okay, I KNEW I could handle it and I did! My first set of parent teacher conferences made me feel like Wonder Woman. I mean my parents were practically drooling over how awesome their kids were doing. Seriously, I am not trying to toot my own horn, but it's true. The kid who threw temper tantrums quit, the kid who tipped desks quit, it was like some kind of miracle. It was AWESOME! And the best part was, I didn't even do anything! Clearly, these kids had grown up over summer break and came back to school with a different approach. Did I mention that I am only 23, for some reason 5th graders like having a young teacher and for the most part, actually do what I say.
So, that was like August through Octoberish. Then, I had a few students move out and got my first new kid. By this point, we had already established our routines, procedures, and expectations. He was a lot to handle. Then, I got my second new kid who had some behavior issues as well. After receiving two more kids who were a little hard to handle, those kids I mentioned earlier were a breeze.
After I welcomed my new students and tried to re-figure how I would fit 30 desks into my little classroom, I thought I had it all figured out. However, it was not so smooth sailing from that point on. I mean I have some kids with some pretty severe anger, which is totally okay, I get it. I always remind myself "Alisha, they have bigger troubles than school" and for the most part, I can accept that!
Here I am in April; exhausted, overwhelmed, and completely out of ideas. I feel like I have literally tried everything. I have read articles, watched videos, read other peoples blogged, pulled out my references books from college, met with my mentor, talked to other colleagues and NOTHING I try seems to work. Nothing at all. What the heck am I doing wrong!?
Let me tell you a list of things I have tried in my classroom, heck maybe they will help you out:
close proximity
think-sheet
buddy room
focus room
Mrs. Davidson's "evil eye" (which probably isn't very "evil")
extra recess for good behavior/homework completion
computer time for good behavior
taking recess
making them walk the perimeter
having heart to heart conversations
take field trips
call parents for positive and negative behaviors
Super Student awards when they do anything positive
fill out behavior plans
building a strong relationship
reminding them that I care about them
reminding them how smart they are
reminding them that they matter
Yes, I have tried all those things, and probably many more. But, nothing is working. I am drowning. I knew it was getting bad when one of my sweetest little boys told another colleague of mine that he felt sorry for me because of the lack of respect that a certain couple of my kiddos show towards me. Or when my other sweet little girl said "It's beginning to feel like a zoo in here" as I have 3 or 4 kids blurting, shouting, running around etc. Sometimes, I just want to come home and cry and sometimes I do. Which, I have been told is normal (it's not like I am doing it every day by any means). I LOVE teaching. Seriously, I LOVE it. There are sooo many good days and so many lessons where I feel like a rock star and my kids feel like geniuses. However, there are bad days too. I am learning how to cope and deal, but I REALLY have got to learn how to not bring it home.
My dear husband, got to love him. He really puts up with my moodiness. I guess the moral is this:
1. Getting new students is tough, especially those with behavioral problems. I have to figure out how to be better about reaching out to those students. (It certainly can't be easy on them)
2. As a first year teacher, try not to overload yourself. I think I put a little too much on my plate for my first year. I need to be able to breath!
3. Don't bring your bad mood home! Seriously, my sweet husband doesn't deserve me flipping my top for small things because of a rough day at work and certainly, if we had kids, that would not be okay!
So, as we come up on our state assessments, which is feeling a little overwhelming (I mean in college, they were all like "oh who cares about standardized tests which totally isn't the case), I have to remember to breath easy and make the rest of our school year as smooth and memorable as possible.
This posting turned to be more of a rant, maybe a vent, but by no means a complaint. I love my kids, even those extra challenging ones. I try to remind them often of how proud I am and how I am confident that they are capable of anything. I do my best to stay positive, but even so, the exhaustion is reality. I am indulging on a 3 day weekend and am hoping that my kiddos are great for their guest teacher on Monday, which I am sure they will be. I haven't had complaints yet! So, I am turning the email off and leaving the school work in my bad all weekend. On Tuesday, I am sure to be refreshed and feeling good!
Any advice on how to reach out to my kiddos who are struggling!? I sure could use it!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Bridge Building!
Wow, it has been a while since I have posted! Last week was spring break, and I made a goal to relax and take time for myself. Since I did very little work over the break, this week was crazy busy.
Our 5th graders just finished the story Breaker's Bridge by Laurence Yep. If you haven't read it, it is actually a pretty good story out of our basil reader. It's a folktale about a man named Breaker who is challenged to build a bridge for the emperor or else he'll "have his head". Needless to say, the bridge is nearly impossible to build due to the strong river that he has to build the bridge over. He is given magic beans by an old man and the bridge appears and is stronger than ever!
I challenged my students (compliments again of my fabulous teaching partner) to build their very own bridge! For the first time ever, I allowed them to choose their groups. Here's what I learned from allowing them to pick their own groups:
1. They seem to work better when they work with people they are friends with and get along with.
2. They couldn't complain if someone wasn't working, after all, they did pick the group!
3. Even when 4 of my challenging students grouped up, their results were much better than I expected! (they actually built the strongest bridge!)
So, I gave them several choices of designs and we did a mini-lesson on bridges and brainstormed what type of bridge we were going to build. Then I had them assign jobs, draw up a blue-print, and present their design to me. After they completed all the pre-work, they were ready to begin!
Each group got a pack of 100 straws (the bendy kind) and a roll of masking tape (scotch brand is the only way to go). It had to be free-standing and had to hold at least one reading book. They had about 3 or 4 class periods to work on it.
They did FABULOUS, remember that challenging group? Their bridge held 16 reading books! I was super impressed.
After we presented our bridges and received awards, we reflected on the project. We wrote about what obstacles we had to overcome, how our experience compared to Breaker from the story, and what we would do different next time. Then, they did a short writing piece comparing their experience to Breaker.
Overall, it was a lot of prep work, but sooo worth it!
Here are some things I will change next year:
1. Make a height requirement, some of them were FAR too short.
2. Do a better job of making it an actual "presentation".
3. Buy the scotch tape with our teaching allowance or ask for donations! (that stuff is expensive)
Anyways, here are some photos from our adventure! Enjoy.
Thanks again for reading! Try something like this in your classroom, it's amazing how engaged and anxious they are about these kind of projects! :)
Our 5th graders just finished the story Breaker's Bridge by Laurence Yep. If you haven't read it, it is actually a pretty good story out of our basil reader. It's a folktale about a man named Breaker who is challenged to build a bridge for the emperor or else he'll "have his head". Needless to say, the bridge is nearly impossible to build due to the strong river that he has to build the bridge over. He is given magic beans by an old man and the bridge appears and is stronger than ever!
I challenged my students (compliments again of my fabulous teaching partner) to build their very own bridge! For the first time ever, I allowed them to choose their groups. Here's what I learned from allowing them to pick their own groups:
1. They seem to work better when they work with people they are friends with and get along with.
2. They couldn't complain if someone wasn't working, after all, they did pick the group!
3. Even when 4 of my challenging students grouped up, their results were much better than I expected! (they actually built the strongest bridge!)
So, I gave them several choices of designs and we did a mini-lesson on bridges and brainstormed what type of bridge we were going to build. Then I had them assign jobs, draw up a blue-print, and present their design to me. After they completed all the pre-work, they were ready to begin!
Each group got a pack of 100 straws (the bendy kind) and a roll of masking tape (scotch brand is the only way to go). It had to be free-standing and had to hold at least one reading book. They had about 3 or 4 class periods to work on it.
They did FABULOUS, remember that challenging group? Their bridge held 16 reading books! I was super impressed.
After we presented our bridges and received awards, we reflected on the project. We wrote about what obstacles we had to overcome, how our experience compared to Breaker from the story, and what we would do different next time. Then, they did a short writing piece comparing their experience to Breaker.
Overall, it was a lot of prep work, but sooo worth it!
Here are some things I will change next year:
1. Make a height requirement, some of them were FAR too short.
2. Do a better job of making it an actual "presentation".
3. Buy the scotch tape with our teaching allowance or ask for donations! (that stuff is expensive)
Anyways, here are some photos from our adventure! Enjoy.
 |
| Great team work, everyone is doing their part! |
 |
| Top secret, some groups were starting to copy! |
 |
| Great idea, starting with a sturdy base! |
 |
| Beautiful bridge, but they quickly learned that it wasn't very sturdy! They changed their design. |
 |
| This bridge held 16 books! Next year, they won't be able to build one so low to the ground. |
 |
| This group overcame many struggles, they rebuilt their bridge several times. |
Thanks again for reading! Try something like this in your classroom, it's amazing how engaged and anxious they are about these kind of projects! :)
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
A fun way to teach the phases of the moon!
This week at school has been a busy one. I know what you are thinking, it's only Wednesday! I had a meeting all day yesterday, a field trip today, testing tomorrow, a study trip on Friday, and a "Celebration of Learning" workshop on Saturday. I keep asking myself how I will ever make it through this week. I am counting down the days until Spring Break (next Wednesday). Here's something we've been doing in our classroom! Enjoy!
I want to share with you something that we did in our 5th grade classes this week that the kids REALLY enjoyed! Sorry, I meant to take pictures of the activity so you could see some real "footage", but completely forgot. Anyways, we are studying the Solar System and have just finished up our section on the phases of the moon. Compliments of my teaching partner, we had a fabulous hands on activity to go with it. (This was totally not my idea!)
You will need four oreo cookies and a spoon for each student. The goal is that the kids have to use those four cookies to make the eight phases of the moon. We had our kids match theirs up to a place mat that looked very similar (not exactly) to this:
Before the kids can eat their oreos, I went by and checked all of their work and had them make corrections.
Here is a website that you can use to help support your teaching:
http://www.windows2universe.org
They enjoyed every minute of it!
I want to share with you something that we did in our 5th grade classes this week that the kids REALLY enjoyed! Sorry, I meant to take pictures of the activity so you could see some real "footage", but completely forgot. Anyways, we are studying the Solar System and have just finished up our section on the phases of the moon. Compliments of my teaching partner, we had a fabulous hands on activity to go with it. (This was totally not my idea!)
You will need four oreo cookies and a spoon for each student. The goal is that the kids have to use those four cookies to make the eight phases of the moon. We had our kids match theirs up to a place mat that looked very similar (not exactly) to this:
 |
| borrowed from http://www.sodhaibur.com |
We used this as a concrete learning tool, but if you wanted to use it as an assessment you just would want to have a place mat without the moon phases written on them.
*Note: We did a ton of teaching, reading, and watching videos before we turned the kids loose with their cookies!
Here is a website that you can use to help support your teaching:
http://www.windows2universe.org
They enjoyed every minute of it!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
What do you do to build relationships?
 |
| Is this what you look like as a teacher? |
1. Every morning I shake hands with every kid. I always tell them "shake hands like you are trying to get a job". Not only is this an important skill for them to have in their futures, but it makes them feel "grown up" because that's what "grown ups" do.
I know that several of you are thinking eww gross to that ^, but let me tell you, it is the most important part of the day. My kids have told me that if I don't shake their hand, their day doesn't go as well. Did you know that you can easily triage your kids during this time. This is how I find out how they are doing, if they are in a bad mood or a good mood, and several times I have been able to help correct those feelings so they can have a successful day.
2. Treat your students like they are people because guess what? They are! Do not treat them like they are children and expect them to act older. I talk to my kids like we are equals and that is why they respect me.
3. Do not start the school year with pre-judgement. This is a hard one for a lot of teachers because they've either heard bad things from their colleagues about particular students or they have seen the student act in the previous grade. I started the year with several students who were on the "warning" list and they are doing great! I tried my hardest to make sure that whatever they did in the past stayed in the past.
4. Relate to them and share your life with them. On Mondays, I give my students time to share what happened over the weekend. I also take this time to share how my weekend went. I share the good and the bad. I show them that I am human and live normal a normal life just like each of them.
5. Be honest with them. Tell your kids the truth. There have been a few days where I have said "hey guys, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning". This usually causes them to tread lighter and not have silly behaviors (this won't work everyday!). The kids like honesty and it's good for them to see that you aren't always in that perky, perfect mood! Along with honesty, show them your emotions. I have cried with my kids over books and students moving and I have also laughed until my belly hurts with them. They appreciate seeing you be YOU!
Teaching is a tough job and sometimes you have those days where you think "what did I get myself into", but let me tell you, it's all about those little moments! It's the light bulb moments and the times they make your heart melt.
Want to know what my kids did for me for Valentine's Day? One of my kids somehow rounded up the whole class (while I stepped into the hallway for 2 minutes) and signed this GIANT card for me. They all got together and presented it as a class. 30 students! Can you believe it? I almost melted! They got me flowers, chocolates, and presents! It's those days, that we teachers live for.
Again, I am no expert and have tons of room to grow. These are just a few things that I do that I think make a difference! Try them out, let me know if they work for you! Just be YOU! :)
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
and the lightbulb clicked!
Yesterday, I spent the day in St. Louis with four other colleagues at a Greg Tang math workshop from Creative Mathematics. If you haven't heard of Greg Tang, maybe you have heard of Kim Sutton? Anyways, it was an AWESOME conference. I was a little reluctant, because it's Math and Math is a struggle for myself and many of my kids. I'm just not good at it! He gave us some great resources to use and good insight. At this conference, we had several "light bulb" moments. Things we've known for years and have been teaching for awhile finally "made sense". I know how to do all the Math, but now I know that why question!
The take home point of his entire workshop was that mental math needs to be the goal in mind and that mastery of the strategies is highly important. One thing that we learned that I think needs to be passed to every single educator is this:
When kids are learning multiplication, for example 2 x 3, we teach them to skip count 2, 4, 6, and your answer is 6! However, when kids get to higher level grades, it is not realistic to skip count when you have a number like 2 x 45, so we need to teach them strategies that they will work every time for math instruction.
I got to thinking, wow this is so true! I still have kids who will try to skip count to 85 or even 100 and they are in 5th grade. That is just not going to work out. So, we have to teach strategies that will follow them as they progress in Math.
Another take home point that Mr. Tang spoke about was that we need to start with concrete Math (i.e. manipulatives) and move towards abstract thinking. I definitely agree with this. As an adult, I sometimes still use my fingers (I can't believe I just admitted that) but admit it, some of you do too! The goal is for kids to be able to visualize it in their heads and not have to use concrete methods. I cannot say how important that is.
Also, our kids need to be able to apply what they know to real life and explain it. I have no idea why the quadrilateral formal works, but my teachers told me it did, I memorized the song, and I am proficient at solving it. Heres the key, I DON'T KNOW WHY I AM DOING THAT so I'm not really learning.
I just loved Greg Tang. His humor and tricks really kept us motivated and paying attention. I wish I could teach you every little trick he taught us! Here is the most important thing that Greg Tang taught us:
If we want students to use mental Math, then as teachers, we must get better at mental math. We ALL write every problem out and that doesn't help our kids move towards mental math. Sure, you start with writing it out and gradually take away elements as you work on solving them in your head. As teachers, we cannot be "scared" of Math because it hurts our students. Math is SOO important. Get better at it! That's my goal!
Confession, when I first learned I was teaching 5th grade, I cried. Want to know why? It wasn't tears of joy! I didn't know how to teach 5th grade Math. It wasn't Science, Reading or Writing that scared me, it was the Math. I hadn't added fractions in ages. I hadn't done long division in a long time. I needed a calculator! My goal is to get better at Math and Science because those two subjects are challenging for me and I want my students to feel comfortable with Math.
If you ever have a chance to attend a Greg Tang workshop, I highly recommend it. Prepare to be mind-blown and prepare to perform A LOT of mental Math!
Check out his website on my resources.
Have a great snow day!
The take home point of his entire workshop was that mental math needs to be the goal in mind and that mastery of the strategies is highly important. One thing that we learned that I think needs to be passed to every single educator is this:
When kids are learning multiplication, for example 2 x 3, we teach them to skip count 2, 4, 6, and your answer is 6! However, when kids get to higher level grades, it is not realistic to skip count when you have a number like 2 x 45, so we need to teach them strategies that they will work every time for math instruction.
I got to thinking, wow this is so true! I still have kids who will try to skip count to 85 or even 100 and they are in 5th grade. That is just not going to work out. So, we have to teach strategies that will follow them as they progress in Math.
Another take home point that Mr. Tang spoke about was that we need to start with concrete Math (i.e. manipulatives) and move towards abstract thinking. I definitely agree with this. As an adult, I sometimes still use my fingers (I can't believe I just admitted that) but admit it, some of you do too! The goal is for kids to be able to visualize it in their heads and not have to use concrete methods. I cannot say how important that is.
Also, our kids need to be able to apply what they know to real life and explain it. I have no idea why the quadrilateral formal works, but my teachers told me it did, I memorized the song, and I am proficient at solving it. Heres the key, I DON'T KNOW WHY I AM DOING THAT so I'm not really learning.
I just loved Greg Tang. His humor and tricks really kept us motivated and paying attention. I wish I could teach you every little trick he taught us! Here is the most important thing that Greg Tang taught us:
If we want students to use mental Math, then as teachers, we must get better at mental math. We ALL write every problem out and that doesn't help our kids move towards mental math. Sure, you start with writing it out and gradually take away elements as you work on solving them in your head. As teachers, we cannot be "scared" of Math because it hurts our students. Math is SOO important. Get better at it! That's my goal!
Confession, when I first learned I was teaching 5th grade, I cried. Want to know why? It wasn't tears of joy! I didn't know how to teach 5th grade Math. It wasn't Science, Reading or Writing that scared me, it was the Math. I hadn't added fractions in ages. I hadn't done long division in a long time. I needed a calculator! My goal is to get better at Math and Science because those two subjects are challenging for me and I want my students to feel comfortable with Math.
If you ever have a chance to attend a Greg Tang workshop, I highly recommend it. Prepare to be mind-blown and prepare to perform A LOT of mental Math!
Check out his website on my resources.
Have a great snow day!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
My beloved Ipad
I know I just posted yesterday, but when things are new and the hubby is sleeping, I get bored! Today, I decided I would share my number one secret weapon in my classroom, my Ipad! I love it and it can do so much more than I ever imagined. I had been wanting an Ipad for sometime, but there really was no rationale to spend that kind of money when I had a smartphone, laptop, and a desktop. However, when I got offered my teaching job, I felt that was a good enough reason to splurge and I don't regret it one bit! The main thing that I use the Ipad for in the classroom is as a grade book. I know there are tons more uses for it and you can check out the google document under "resources" for more information, but I am still kind of learning how to use it effectively.
Here is a little tutorial of my grade book, how to use it, and why I LOVE it!
First, download the app "TeacherKit" and when you open it up, it should look like this:
Just keep clicking on your screen and you will come to a page that looks likes this:
Now, your screen like this will look a little bit different because you haven't added any classes. Check out that plus sign in the left hand corner and click on it. This is where you can put in whatever subject you might be taking a grade for. For me, I have a different "class" for each subject that I take a grade on for grade cards. Once you have created a class and you click on it, your screen will look like this:
Except, yours will not have students already in it. To add a student you click on that plus sign in the right hand corner. This is your main screen and if you click on a specific student you can see their grades for that class (once you have entered grades).
To add grades, you will want to click on the middle top word that says "Gradebook" and your screen will look like this (except empty of course):
To add an assignment, you click on that upper right hand plus sign again and your screen will look like this:
This is where you will put in the title of the assignment you are grading and the maximum grade that the students can earn. For me, my kids can earn up to a 3 (4's are considered "extra credit") on each assignment. After you get a new assignment in, you can scroll through the kids names and assign a grade to them. The cool thing about this program is that it calculates it for you and you can customize your percents to whatever grading system you use. I use a 1-4 system.
My grading skill is roughly:
higher than 100% = 4
80%-100% = 3
60%-80% = 2
lower than 60% = 1
I have set my grade book up to auto distribute all the grades I enter which means that all the grades that I enter are worth the same portion of their grade. My kids love when I show them their name and they can visually see what their grade is looking like and how many assignments they are missing. Another thing that I love about this is that when it comes time to do grades at the end of the quarter, I can just go through the list. The only thing better would be if I could export them to powerschool! Right now, I can export them to my email and I do that often as a grade book back-up because technology can fail sometimes! This app has been a life saver and definitely a time saver!
I highly recommend TeacherKit.
Have other questions? Let me know!
Friday, February 22, 2013
First post ranting!
I felt inspired after two days of being snowed in and decided that since I spend so much time on my iPad, I might as well take a shot at blogging my teaching experiences instead of scrolling endlessly through Facebook. I spent my two snow days in my pajamas being lazy and playing Super Nintendo with the hubby. I didn't do hardly any school work and definitely didn't tap into the mounds of grading that I brought home expecting to be productive on my two days off. The only thing I did do for school during our February, Missouri "snowmageddon" was apply for and write a $500 grant for school supplies, calculators and stopwatches. After I finished submitting my grant application, I realized that others, who work "normal" jobs, wouldn't normally do any work from home and here I am spending a few hours working on my "day off". Often, I envy people who have desk jobs from 9-5 and when they get home, their day is over. I love teaching, I truly do and think I was born for this career, but I can't help but wonder what it would be like if I spent evenings watching mindless television instead of writing lesson plans or spent my weekends shopping on the town with my girlfriends instead of grading papers. Anywho, people sometimes think that when teachers talk about the massive amount of work and the emotional strain we endure, that we are complaining but that isn't the case. We just want a little recognition for what we do. We don't complain in hopes that we will get paid more, or to annoy others, and we certainly don't want a new job. We are teachers because we love it at least in my case. :)
Happy reading and share my blog with your friends! If I know people read, I will be better about keeping it up!
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| My loving husband, who supports every penny on my teaching and all the time I spend writing lesson plans! |
Happy reading and share my blog with your friends! If I know people read, I will be better about keeping it up!
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