2012-2013, Here We Come!

I am heading back to school this Monday for the teachers' week back. As I stated in my last post, I have not and do not plan on purchasing a lot of new materials for my room this year. I am going to make a few things (one of which includes a neat Boggle bulletin board) and change up my set up a bit, but other than that not much room decorating going on this year...at leas that's the plan for now! My real focus during the next week is going to be planning the first week back and making some changes to the way my classroom will be run.

I am tired of giving my students a bunch of busy work on the first day/during the first week. I know this time should be spent teaching routines and such, but I know there has to be a more enjoyable and productive way. I want to hook them in the first week! I have a found a few ideas, but I am looking for more and I am sure that other teachers out there are, too! So...let's share! 

Here are some things I found that I may want to try during the first week:

1. Team Challenges

This site is GREAT! There are tons of activities that you can use to help build team spirit in your classroom. What better way to start off the year than to challenge kids to work together and get to know one another in a positive way. I really like the idea of our classroom becoming a family, and I think activities like these are the ticket! 

2. R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Last year, our school implemented a school-wide "respect project." I would not describe our school as one with a great deal of behavior challenges, but there is always room for improvement, right? We felt that by encouraging our kids to be more respectful, we were setting them up for life-long success. I think talking about respect and creating an anchor chart like this one will help set the tone for the year. Some of the ideas we covered as a school last year came from The Essential 55 by Ron Clark. These are basically behaviors that should be expected of all students. We did not do all 55, but selected 10 that we felt were the most important. I found a shortened version of these expectations here. 

3. Find out THEIR expectations

I like the ideas I found on Mrs. Robinson's Classroom Blog, specifically her activity that asked students to think about their ides to help their classroom run smoothly. I love the charts she created with her students in this team activity. 

That's all I have so far. Please let us all know what you are doing for the first week back by linking your blog below, or just leave a comment! The more ideas the better! 

My Summer Bucket List

Nine more school days. Wow. I can't believe how fast this year flew by! Although I will be sad to see my lovely fifth graders leave me, I am excited about having time to devote to my family, my friends, and myself. What better way to prepare than to create a Summer Bucket List? I saw this idea on Thinking of Teaching and decided to join in on the fun.

So, here are some things I plan on doing this summer:

I have book stacks galore!

1. Catch up on reading. My "T.B.R." pile on Goodreads is insane. I plan on making a sizable dent in my list. From picture books, chapter books, YA, and even grown up books I will be book-worming it for sure this summer.

The beginnings of a crocheted version of my dog...so cute!

2. Crochet. I really enjoyed learning how to crochet over spring break. It is a relaxing way to pass the time, and I was becoming pretty well-versed by the end of break if I do say so myself. I have mostly stuck to amigurumi (translation: crochet animals) like the one above, so I think it would be fun to branch out and try some new, more challenging patterns.

 

3.Run a digital book club for my students. As a reading teacher, I am so worried about my kids succumbing to the dastardly "summer slide." To help combat that, I have signed them all up for Scholastic's Summer Challenge. I am not a huge proponent of tracking how many minutes kids spend reading, BUT if it helps some of them stay on track with their reading progress I am all for it. In addition, I have created a Summer Book Club on Edmodo. It is my hope that the students will log in to talk to each other (an me!) about what they have been reading, books they recommend, etc. I'll let you know how it goes once we have been underway for a while.

4. Spend time with my friends. Oh how I miss them during the school year. I am very much looking forward to some quality girl time that doesn't feel rushed because I have to "get up early tomorrow for school."

I am a pinning addict!

5. Revamp my classroom. I know it's summer, but when else will I have this much uninterrupted time to make my classroom look amazing??? So, I am going to do a lot of prep ahead of time this year to make my owl theme really pop and come together this year. I have already started pinning...

6. Work on my book. You may remember that after New Year's I posted about my resolutions for 2012. One of those was to begin working on a novel. I have done as I said, but am only on chapter three. I plan to make a lot of headway this summer. I may even work on more than one story as I  have a plethora of ideas constantly running through my brain!

7. Learn how to use Photoshop. You know all of those cute things you see on Teachers Pay Teachers and Teacher's Notebook? I recently found out that a great deal of it can be created on Photoshop. I plan on teaching myself how to create clip art and graphics so that I can make cute things, too! Also, I am dying for a blog makeover and this may be the first step.

8. Try new recipes. Thanks to Pinterest, I am determined to become a Kitchen Maven. We'll see how it works out...

That's one tall order, I know, but I have the time to make some headway on all of these exciting things. What are some of your "bucket list" ideas for summer?

I'm Thankful For...

One of my favorite blogs, What the Teacher Wants, is hosting a linky party about being thankful. What a great idea...so of course I had to join in!

1. What are you thankful for in your classroom?

My students. I have a great group this year. Not only are they brilliant thinkers (could I be partial?), but they are the sweetest group of kids I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. I am already dreading the last day of school...that's a first!

2. What person are you most thankful for?

My husband. It takes a special kind of man to understand and be supportive of how much time I devote to my career. Between late my nights at work, spending weekends grading when I'd rather be out gallivanting around, or just "talking shop" with him, my husband is there for me 110%.

3. What 3 blogs are you most thankful for?

This is a tough one. I visit so many so often!

• I have gotten tons of ideas from Classroom Freebies. There is an abundance of idea for every grade, every subject, every season on this site! I visit it daily...even more frequently on some occasions.

• Great book reviews from my friends at A Year of Reading. This blog has inspired many book purchases in my classroom, as well as a very VERY lengthy wishlist. I also follow the writers on Twitter and have enjoyed the Professioanl Development I have gleaned from their wise words.

• Great classroom tips and lessons from Clutter-Free Classroom, one of which I even blogged about last month. It's a great site to help you stay organized, as well as find ideas for teaching the intermediate grades.

I am so thankful for so many others though, I wish I could go on forever! (Check out "Blogs I ♥" on the right for more!)

4. What guilty pleasure are you most thankful for?

Once Upon a Time! This show is letting my relive my childhood obsession with Snow White and all of her princess friends in my adult life. If you haven't tuned in yet, you must!

5. What are you most thankful for?

I am most thankful for where I am right now in my life. I am healthy, and happy, and I feel like I am doing everything I was meant to do. I am thankful for having job security in an unsure economy. I am thankful for a roof over my head and food in the refrigerator. I am thankful for a loving family, good friends, and a professional support group beyond the walls of my classroom. I am thankful for my followers who give me support, guidance, and ideas! Life is good!

Please share what you are thankful for by posting a comment below, or joining the party!

Fall Linky Party!

Thanksgiving time always makes me realize that fall is almost over and winter is on its way (brrr!). I decided it would be fun to share activities and ideas that you have found this fall, so that we could save them for next year.
Here are 5 of my favorites:


1. I think these Pilgrim Hat Treats would be so fun to do with the kids the day before Thanksgiving break!


2. I had a lot of fun doing this Haunted House Ad activity with my kids. I got the idea from the Clutter-Free Classroom blog. My students loved it!


3. This hand and foot print turkey is something I have done with my students in the past. I like having them create their turkeys and then write what they are thankful for on the "feathers." You can tailor it to any grade level, which is always a plus!


4. Next year, I plan on reading Balloons Over Broadway with my class. It's a great nonfiction book about the Macy's Parade.


5. I really enjoyed this Turkey Trotten reader's theater with my students last year and plan on doing it again next week. We talked about vocabulary (lot of W.O.W. words in this one...like "loquacious"), it helps build fluency, and it was fun to perform in front of the class. I had another group work on The Meal Must Go On. For both skits, we used Promethean Board Flipcharts that I created as backgrounds.


I hope you enjoy these links and try some with your students, too! Please join in so we can all benefit from one another's great finds!


In order to join this linky party, follow these steps:

1. Write a post on your blog about 5 activities that you found or used in your classroom this fall.

2. Add the linky party button below to your post.

3. Click the "Add your link" button at the bottom of this post to enter information about your blog entry so others can check it out!








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Fantastic Finds Linky Party!

I am really enjoying these Linky Parties! What a great way to share and collaborate with the fantastic teachers I have found in the blog world. Here are my "Fantastic Finds" of the week!


1. Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies has shared some report card comments. I think these will help me avoid sounding redundant, and also save me from writer's block. With 40+ kids this year, I am sure these will come in handy!







2. Looking for creative ways to get your kids thinking while they read? Head over to A Teacher's Treasure for her "Reading is Thinking Thought Bubbles. These are great, and I know if they worked with middle schoolers, my 5th graders will be excited about them, too!







3. Even though I don't teach science anymore (insert sad face here), I thought The Teacher's Chatterbox's idea for teaching the rock cycle would have been great to use. This concept is often confusing for my kids, and this lesson using chocolate and butterscotch chips makes it so much more concrete. I will probably DEFINITELY pass this along to my teammates!



4. I don't know about you, but I LOVE lists. They are simple, easy to use, and often just what I need! Create●Teach●Share posted about a variety of lists she uses in her classroom. Hop on over and check them out...I guarentee you'll find a use for at least one (if not all) of them.

5. Finally my ultimate RE-find. About two years ago, the reading specialist at my former school told me about the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) and all of their great reading centers for all grade levels. I had completely forgotten about it until I stumbled upon a Scholastic article about teaching main idea and details. In it I found a link to an activity from FCRR, and suddenly a thousand light bulbs went off! Long story short, I am sure you'll get lost in FCRR's links as well. 

That's it for now. Thanks for tuning in! Don't forget to head over to Thinking of Teaching and link up and share YOUR great finds!

My First Linky Party!

This is my first time posting in relation to a "Linky Party"...so I hope I get it right!

This one is being hosted by Cachey Mama's Classroom and the theme is "Book Search." More specifically, sites or blogs you go to for book recommendations.


Here are some of MY favorites...


1. A Year of Reading This has to be one of my favorite blogs to go to! It's how I got the idea to infuse more graphic novels into my classroom library. Another thing I love from this blog is "Poetry Fridays." I always find poems that provoke thought about teaching and life in general in these weekly treasures. This blog constantly updates with well-written book reviews for all age groups.


2. Donalyn Miller's blog on GoodReads is a great source, not only for book recommendations...but for ideas about teaching reading and writing in general. After reading her book (The Book Whisperer), I fully trust all recommendations from this inspirational teacher!


3. The Book Dragon is also another great blog to check out. This site offers a very wide range of book reviews. Sometimes a great idea for teaching is sparked as I red these posts. I also use this blog to learn more about some of the books in my classroom library that I haven't read yet.


4. The Nonfiction Detectives is the perfect blog for finding fantastic nonfiction books to use in the classroom. I like that this blog caters specifically to those in search of informational texts.


5. Scholastic Book Wizard is a great tool for not only getting to know the books in your library, but also for finding books that have similar themes and styles. I use the "Book Alike" feature to find books for my students that will help them branch out a bit. 


6. Harper Collins Children's Books has some really neat features. You can listen to excerpts of books and watch book trailers (similar to movie trailers) for some of their selections. This is also a fun idea for getting students interested in books...much more interesting that listening to your teacher talk a book up!


How about you? What are some of your go-to resources for finding great books?