Changes

As you can see from the title of my blog, I am no longer teaching first grade :(. I just knew in my heart that God was moving me away from first grade. I have spent the past 11 years teaching first and I was very comfortable in first. With our new move, I interviewed for several positions. The positions were either fourth or fifth grade. I will have to say that God gave me a first shortly before moving. I received a phone call from an intermediate school. This particular school only has fourth and fifth grade. The district created this school to help with the overcrowding in the elementary schools. So the elementary schools are Pre-K to third. The intermediate school is fourth and fifth. Middle school is 6-8 and so on....

I went in to interview and the principal offered me the job before I left! Wow! The school is less than 10 minutes from my house. This would mean that my children would be at three different schools (one in elementary, one with meat the intermediate, and my oldest at the middle school).

I will be teaching an all boys class. I am paired with another teacher. She will be teaching ELA and SS, and I will be teaching math and science. We will each have a class and then swap our classes to teach again. I am excited about this because I LOVE math and science! I could teach this all day long. The frustrating part.....I don't have a laptop. I have a tower computer sitting on my desk. I will be given two I-pads to use also. I love having a laptop to take back and forth and work on flipcharts. I did find the ActivInspire software, so maybe I will be able to download at home. I do not have the curriculum yet. When I went into my classroom to unpack, there were ZERO teacher books and manipulatives in the room. I wanted to take some time to investigate the math curriculum. Talk about being out of my comfort zone! It is driving me crazy!

I decided to NOT have a frog theme this year :( :(. This was a very hard decision, but I wasn't sure if fourth grade boys wold be into frogs. So I went with the superhero theme from Schoolgirl Style. Here are some things that I have been working on this week at home:

                                       This is what my dining room table looks like right now!

 This is my first attempt making a mesh wreath! I started out wrapping the mesh around the wreath. I wasn't happy so I decided to go with the curly look. Well, I had to go back to the store because the mesh wreath would not curl when I took it apart from the wire wreath. The next look was too big to put on my classroom door! I realized that I bought a wire wreath that was way too big! So back to the store to buy a smaller size! The curls needed to be cut so that they were as not as long. I am now struggling with adding ribbon. The ribbon is not big enough to show up. I have a painted purple W to add to the middle. This wreath is becoming too complicated! I will post a finished picture later.

 I recovered my crates that I used in my classroom from last year. The frog fabric is now superheroes. I also had to replace the plastic crates because several were broken.

 I bought this lamp and shade from Dollar General. I used leftover superhero fabric to cover the lamp shade. The Spider-Man lamp belongs to my boys. They have not used it in several years, so I am going to add it to my classroom.

 My baskets in my classroom last year were pink, light green, light blue, and orange. I bought spray paint and changed them to red, yellow, and a darker orange. I left the green baskets alone. I had to buy two cans of each color to paint 12 baskets.  I would recommend just buying baskets rather than spray painting them. I will replace them next year.

I found a fourth grade blog about using a compliment can. I bought a small plastic trashcan from the store. It has a foot pedal. Students write compliments on the sheets of paper, and then place them in the can. Once a week, the papers are distributed to the students. You can see more about the compliment can at http://funkyinfourth.blogspot.com.

Before I left my previous school, my numeracy coach recommended a book for me to read. I bought it as an e-book. I started reading it yesterday, and it is really good. I have been doing guided math the past two years in my class, and I plan on doing it again this year with my fourth grade boys. Check it out!

I am off now to create the Hulk for a bulletin board! I found the idea on Pinterest. We will see how it turns out!

End of the Year

We have two and a half days left of school! On Tuesday, my oldest son graduates from fifth grade :( I am not looking forward to this. I remember bringing him home from the hospital. He had a head full of dark hair! He still has a head full of dark hair. He loves playing baseball and reading about dragons. He is very sensitive. Oh, how I am not looking forward to sending him to middle school! I wish I could just freeze time!

 

I am also leaving first grade :( My husband has been offered a job and we are relocating 3 hours away. I am in the process of interviewing for a job. It has been very challenging for me to step out on faith. I feel like a "fish out of water." Even though I have connections in the school district, I am considered external. Many schools filled their positions with internals, and only a few schools are now looking at externals. There is a definite possibility that I will no longer be in first grade, which I have taught the past 11 years. Plus, I am the insurance carrier. I have two children with pre-existing conditions. We are looking at COBRA just in case I don't find anything. It is very expensive, but we will make it work. It has been extremely hard waiting, and I am praying everyday for God to give me peace. I know that He has control. Today's sermon in church talked about worrying. I cannot worry. He has placed everything else for us with this move. He will take care and put me at the school that he wants me at. I have become "comfortable" in first grade, and now I need to step out on faith. There is a song that I love! It reminds me that God is in control. Sometimes I just need to stop and listen to Him.

 

 

Help Me Find It (2012)

By Sidewalk Prophets

 

I don’t know where to go from here
It all used to seem so clear
I’m finding I can’t do this on my own

I don’t know where to go from here
As long as I know that You are near
I’m done fighting
I’m finally letting go

I will trust in You
You’ve never failed before
I will trust in You

[Chorus:]
If there’s a road I should walk
Help me find it
If I need to be still
Give me peace for the moment
Whatever Your will
Whatever Your will
Can you help me find it
Can you help me find it

I’m giving You fear and You give faith
I giving you doubt
You give me grace
For every step I’ve never been alone

Even when it hurts, You’ll have Your way
Even in the valley I will say
With every breath
You’ve never let me go

I will wait for You
You’ve never failed before
I will wait for You

[Chorus]

I lift my empty hands (come fill me up again)
Have Your way my King (I give my all to You)
I lift my eyes again (Was blind but now I see)
‘Cause You are all I need

[Chorus]

 

If I find something, I will let you know! Pray for me and my family as transition to a new location. Pray that I am able to find a job!

Adding M.A.G.I.C. to Daily 3

This year my superintendent asked teachers to share what they are doing in the classroom during a teacher workday. My principal asked for volunteers. I wasn't sure at first. Speaking in front of adults is out of my comfort zone. I finally agreed and partnered up with a fellow kidergarten teacher. We decided to talk about Daily 5 Math. I have been using Daily 5 Math since the beginning of the year in addition to the Everyday Math curriculum, which is required by my district. My colleague began looking at some kindergarten websites and found Deanna Jump's kindergarten website http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/. One of her posts discusses using M.A.G.I.C. with Daily 5, and integrating Common Core into the Daily 5. The M stands for the Measurement domain. The A stands for the Algebraic Thinking domain. The G stands for the Geometry domain. The I stands for Numbers in Base Ten domain. The C stands for Counting and Cardinality. Well, the C does not work for first grade. So, with the help of my numeracy coach, we came up with Communication since this is a vital component within Common Core. My colleague and I worked on revamping our Daily 5 over the winter break and we were ready to launch M.A.G.I.C. with Daily 5 in January. I went through all my activities and sorted them based upon the domains. Then I created labels to let the students know what Daily 5 activity this activity fell in. I created M.A.G.I.C. labels for my baskets in my classroom. Mrs. Jump has her M.A.G.I.C. labels for kindergarten available for free on her Facebook page. I could not use them since I do not teach kindergarten :(

Here are some of my pics from the classroom:

 

These are the baskets that the students pull activities from.

 

These are the I-charts that the students and I created at the beginning of the year.

 

 

My colleague and I had been working hard on this new endeavor for a few short weeks and then --- we encountered a minor bump in the road. The "Sisters," who are the creators of Daily 5, came out with a new book. In their new book, they discuss a chapter on math. Only now, they have changed it from Daily 5 to Daily 3. I went straight to my literacy coach because I knew she would have the new book! And she did :) I read the chapter on Daily 3 Math. Simply put the "Sisters" integrated Math Technology and Math Practice into Math by Myself, Math with Someone, and Math Writing. If you haven't read the book, you should check it out!

 



 

 

I had to spend one weekend revamping some things within my M.A.G.I.C. baskets. I also had to explain the new change to my little ones. At first, they were so distraught when I told them that Math Technology was changed! However, when I explained how things had changed, they felt so much better knowing that it was still there -- it is embedded into Math By Myself, Math with Someone, and Math Writing.

 

My colleague and I created a Prezi presentation on using M.A.G.I.C. with Daily 3. She and I vary slightly on how we use it in the classroom. We both took pictures showing how we use it in the classroom. Here is a pic of our Prezi:

 



 

 

Notice that our Prezi is Harry Potter :) We created activities for teachers to give away during our presentation. We embedded the theme song during the presentation. We even wore shirts with a different house from the Harry Potter series!

 

We presented three times during the teacher development day. Each session was packed! Teachers had lots of questions about how we were able to get this started and launched. They absolutely loved the free items! Since that day, we have had emails from other schools requesting to send teachers to watch Daily 3 in action! My class has had 14 vistitors and we are still receiving more requests! Oh my! My little ones have been good with the visitors coming to class. Every time they leave, my kids ask me if I thought the teachers understand now how to Daily 3 in the classroom. They are too cute!

Classroom Lottery

I deeply apologize for not blogging in a while. Things have been so hectic and I put blogging on the back burner. Gosh! I don't even remember when I last did a blog! Oh, I feel so bad! My school applied this year for Plametto's Finest. This award is offered to schools in South Carolina. We received our preliminary visit in October, and in January we found out that we were receiving a second visit!!!!!Our visit is tomorrow! My little owlets are ready and we will show this people why we think we deserve Palmetto's Finest! Here is our mascot. He is sporting a blue ribbon from where we earned National Blue Ribbon last year.

My school is preparing for PASS Testing. We are trying to get students ready by reinforcing skills they learned with Compass Learning. To be honest, my little ones are so tired of Compass. I had to think of some way to motivate them. My middle son came home a few days later with a lottery ticket from his teacher. I asked him to explain this to me. He said that his teacher gives these out when they complete so many activities in Compass Learning. His teacher was a genius! I decided to make lottery tickets for my little owlets. My son helped me come up with rewards to put on the tickets, The rewards did not cost me anything -- they are all things that students get to do in the classroom. Examples included: snack with a friend, use a pen during journal writing, no homework, no morning work, free choice for Daily 5, free choice for Daily 3.

I really wanted to make the tickets look like the scratch off tickets, so I did some research online. If you place tape (packing or clear contact) over the reward, then you can paint over the tape. When the paint dries, students can scratch off the section to see their reward. Place a small amount of acrylic paint on a plate. Add a small amount of dish detergent (2 parts paint and 1 part dish detergent) to the paint. Apply the paint over the taped area. You will have to apply at least two coats. Make sure that you give the paint time to dry. It will take longer than normal.

I gave these to my students last Monday. If they completed 10 activities, then they earned a classroom lottery ticket. Three students earned 3 tickets. Let me tell you, my students went crazy with excitement! They could not wait to get on Compass Learning this week! On Friday, students were asking me how many activities did they complete. Unfortunately, Compass Learning was down this weekend, so I still have not been able to pull reports yet. I hope that it is up tomorrow!

 

These are the tickets that I created for my classroom. I used Publisher and they were super easy to make! I encouarge you to try this out!

 

 



Number Line Counting

My precious little ones are working on counting up and back using the number line in Math. A common problem with counting on the number line is that a student counts the number that their game piece is on when they begin counting. I have to stress to my little ones that they cannot begin counting until they move their piece. I made a game to add to my Daily 5 Math baskets for partner games. Students roll a die and practice counting up on the number line and then they have to count back to the zero. Here are some images of the game.

 

You can download the game at my TpT store if you would like a copy for your classroom!

My Classroom Is Ready!

I went back to school this past Monday and sat in meetings, meetings, and even more meetings! We had roughly 6 hours to work in our rooms. So many of us were working weeks before trying to get things ready. I also worked on helping my mentee get set up in her new room. My intern from last school year is also here doing a maternity leave. I couldn't leave her out. I checked in on her quite a bit, but the teacher on maternity leave had everything organized and ready so I didn't have to help out too much. Here are some shots from my classroom:

 

I found this on TpT! It even includes the banner!

 

I relabeled my math tubs with a chevron/chalkboard look. The birthday board will have a picture of the students. I do this the first week of school. I grouped the students by the month of their birthday and take a picture. Their birthday bags are underneath the birthday board.

 

This is the Boggle game for students who finish early or may need to be challenged more.

 

Six-Traits Writing Board

 

I-Families phone (I found this on a first grade blog. Each app is a word family, and we will write the word family words there with a dry erase marker.)

 

 

 

 

 

 Writing Table Area

 

 

Reading Area

 

                                                                   Word Work Area

                                    Question of the Day, I Can Statements, and Daily Schedule

 

Daily 5

 

 

 

Reading Strategy Group Area

 

        Cafe Board (I stapled my poms to my bulletin boards

rather than hanging them. The fire marshall has gotten strict

with items hanging from the ceiling.)

 





                                     

 

This is my team! I am in the back in the middle. We took this photo after Open House with our mascot. Did you notice the shirts? I made them for my team! They say "1st Grade Is A Hoot" at the top and below the owl image is our names.

 

 

Have a great weekend! Our little ones come back on Monday!

Birthday Bags

I imagine that everyone is busy getting ready for school to start back! I only have one more week left of summer. I report back the 12th of August and sit in meetings, meetings, meetings. We have some time to work in our rooms, but not much time. I have already been back working and preparing. I would love to be ready before the 12th so that I am not scrambling to get done! One thing I am working on now is birthday bags. I had a co-worker to share this idea to me several years ago. She created birthday bags for all her students in her classroom. When it was a student's birthday, they picked a bag to take home. If they had a summer birthday, then they received their bag at the end of the school year. I asked her what she put in the bags and her response was "all that birthday trash that kids love!" :) I loved having Mrs. Mohead as a co-worker! She has moved on to another school but I started using the birthday bags that year and my darlings love them! They always ask me what is in them, and I tell them that they will find out when they get their bag. And they never forget to remind me when their birthday! I do make a few extra bags for new students who move into our classroom during the school year. I usually buy the bags from Wal-mart or Target and then I shop around for the items in the bag. Really Good Stuff and Oriental Trading have great deals on bulk items. I have always found items in the party favor or dollar section of stores. I tried adding candy last year, but I found that the lollipops melted during the school year! :( So this year I only added toy items and no candy.

 

I have an eraser, birthday book, stickers, tracing tool, birthday bracelet, mechanical pencil, and a toy frog for each bag. The huge frog is the outside tag.

 

 

 

These are ready to go! I will place them in baskets for students to admire until it is their birthday!