We're Moving & Blogging Awards

Hi y'all! Big news! We closed on our house today, so we will be spending the weekend moving and getting settled.  I'm super excited about my new digs, but less excited about having no internet for a few days!  Ahhh!  How will I survive? I'm going to fall so far behind on all my blog reading.  Please feel free to hold off on any and all posting until Monday when the Time Warner people will have hopefully gotten me all set up. 

However, before I disconnect -

I wanted to send a MEGA HUGE thank you to some wonderful bloggers who have bestowed me with a few awards this week. I'm so incredibly honored to be noticed and considered. As we all know, the thing that makes blogging fun is knowing that people are out there reading our blogs, commenting, communicating, and swapping ideas.  Thank you to everyone who reads, follows, and comments.  I love hearing that little buzz on my phone that tells me I have a comment.  Awards are just the icing on the cake.

Thank you to Lana at For the Love of Teaching for nominating me for The One Lovely Blog Award, and April at The Idea Backpack and Aimee at Pencils, Books, and Dirty Looks for nominating me for The Versatile Blogger Award. I'm honored that you thought of me.

The rules for these award are as follows:

1.  Thank the blogger who nominated you.

2.  Include a link to their site.

3.  Include the award image in your post.

4.  Give 7 random facts about yourself

Okay, seven quick facts about myself...this shouldn't be hard, and yet... I'm having such a hard time coming up with something.  Hmmm...I'm just going to type the first seven things that pop into my mind.

Ready, set, go!

1) I love Starbucks.  It is practically my life force.
2) I have a corgi.  I'm obsessed with him and pretty much think he hangs the moon. Click here to see some totally cute pictures!
3) I own five, yes five, pairs of Toms shoes and have already picked out a few more to add to my collection.
4) I think chocolate chip cookies taste better as dough. 
5) I like to dip my french fries directly into my milkshake. (Clearly, I enjoy sugar!)
6) I married the boy I dated in high school. Isn't that cute?
7) I've been to Africa (Tanzania to be exact) but I've never been to Europe.

Those were some random thoughts. Moving on...

Finally, Heather over at Peacocks and Penguins started a new award and honored me with the One Clever Education Blog Award. Thank you, thank you!  I'm thrilled to be thrown in with the other bloggers you nominated.  As they say on the Oscars, to be among my fellow nominees is truly an honor. :)

The rules for this award are:

1. Thank the presenter and link back to their blog

2. Stick the award on your blog post

3. Award the blog to 5 other bloggers. 

4. Make sure you check out the other recipients! This is an acknowledgement of good blogging, and should be treated as such!

So, without further ado... here are 5 Blogs I never miss because I find their blog content entertaining, informative, and all around rad!  Thanks for being so awesome ladies!

Sarah's First Grade Snippets

Fabulous writing ideas for little ones and adaptable for upper grades.

Ms. Fultz's Corner

Lots of great organization ideas here!

Soaring Through Second Grade

Fab ideas and fun to read.  Plus, she has a corgi, so that is an obvious bonus.


Teaching Maddeness

She is total guru on reading. Great resource!

Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies

Lots of helpful tips for just about anything.  She also started We Read, We Blog, We Teach for the upcoming book study on Daily 5 and CAFE for upper grades.  Come join the conversation.

Can I give Heather back the award she developed?  Does anyone know the protocol on that? Hmm... why not?!?  She broke the rules, so now I'm going to follow suit.  I am naming 6 blogs and I'm giving the award back to her too.  We are such rebels. :)

#6 Peacocks and Penguins Now, if you haven't been to Heather's blog, you simply must check it out.  She's hilarious and has some great things in her TPT store, especially involving owls.   

So, there we have it.  Six more blogs to add to your reading list if you don't already follow.  I promise you won't be disappointed.
 

Enjoy the weekend folks.

Don't forget that you can still link up with Fiction Friday anytime.  

I love reading all the book reviews and discovering new reads.  

Excuse the formatting issues above.  Blogger and I were not getting along tonight and I finally gave up.  You just can't win them all, right?

Fiction Friday: Chapter 3

Welcome back to another fun and fabulous Fiction Friday.
Remember, you can link up any day of the week, not just Friday.
 I just enjoy the alliteration. :)

This week, for a little realistic fiction, I read...

Extra Credit 
by Andrew Clements

Andrew Clements set the standard for a good school story and his more recent novel, Extra Credit, does not disappoint. The story centers around Abby a sixth grader that likes everything about school except the work. Um...I can think of a few kids in my class that might feel the same way.  It's not that she can't do the work, she just doesn't want to. In fact, her grades are so low that she is in danger of not passing 6th grade.  Desperate to pass, Abby starts an extra credit pen pal project. Zoom in on Sadeed, her pen pal, who lives across the world in Afganistan.  Because his village is very traditional, the elders believe it would be improper for a young boy to write to a girl, so Sadeed helps his younger sister "write the letters" to send to America. Letters cross oceans and cultures until one day it becomes too dangerous to continue.

Just like all Andrew Clements novels, Extra Credit is extra good. The story started out a bit slow (for me), but I was soon captivated by the two different worlds and the two very different but likable characters.  I found their friendship refreshing and heartfelt and I was genuinely disappointed when they couldn't write to each other anymore.  It would be a great read aloud or book club read as it lends itself well to discussions and further research.  I would recommend this book for 4th and 5th graders.

Then, to spice things up, I read...

Aliens on Vacation 
by Clete Barrett Smith

Bluebonnet Nominee 2012-2013

Aliens on Vacation is the first book in The Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast series.   The story follows Scrub, a 6th almost 7th grader, who goes to stay with his grandmother in Washington state. Disappointed to be so far away from home, Scrub arrives at the International Bed and Breakfast ready for the worst summer of his life.  However, there is something different about this motel and the guests that arrive there.  Soon, Grandma lets Scrub in on the most important secret on Earth: Aliens vacation on Earth and this is where they stay.  Scrub must help his grandmother protect the secret of the bed and breakfast, which can be very challenging with a nosy sheriff and glowing aliens running around. 

Words I would use to describe this book are entertaining, creative, and lots of fun!  I purely just enjoyed reading it. The chapters were short and fast paced. It was easy to sit down and devour a chunk of the book.  Scrub's honest narration throughout the story was refreshing. He's a middle schooler, just trying to make the best choices and not always achieving it. Scrub learns about more than just aliens over the summer, he learns how to find his voice and stand up for those he cares about.  You will be rooting for him all the way!  The description of the aliens would make this a fun book to read aloud and have the kids draw what they visualize. Great book for upper elementary 4th through 6th grade.

On a quick personal note, I enjoyed loved all the Seattle/Pacific Northwest references.  I f you are from Western Washington, you will too! The author actually lives in Belligham and he casually mentions everything from several Native American tribes, to TV stations, to landmarks like Mount Baker! I was just waiting for him to say something about Western Washington University which is where I went to college!! It was fun to read a book and catch all the references, plus I was able to really visualize the setting.  For those not familiar with Bellingham, here are a couple of pictures to help you visualize. Hehe.

This is Bellingham.  Mount Baker is in the background 

and that is Bellingham Bay in the front. Beautiful, right?

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This is Whatcom Falls and this is exactly what I imagined the forest would look like in the story 

(even though they are technically a little further North on the Nooksack River.)

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So, what have you been reading this week, last week, or in the middle of the school year?  I'd love to hear about more children's books that you've loved, your children have loved, or your students have loved.  Both chapter and picture books welcome.  

 Link up and let's celebrate 

more great children's lit! 

Please remember to grab my linky button and link back to this post, so others can join the celebration too!

How do you learn? Eyes? Ears? Hands? All of the Above?

Have you ever thought about how you learn best?

Think back to the last time you learned something new.  It could be as simple as learning to cook a new recipe.  Did you want to read the directions step by step? Did you like to look at the pictures or just watch someone do it? Did you ignore the directions, glance at the ingredients list, and go to town?

We all learn differently.  Some of us learn by listening, reading ,and discussing , some by watching and looking at pictures, and some of us learn by getting involved and using our hands.  Typically, we fit into more than one category.

I love to learn all different ways, but really, when it boils down to it, I'm an auditory learner.  Once I discovered this, it all made sense.  I get a lot out of discussions and hearing people talk.  I love books on tape and listening to others read.  I need the word directions from Google maps on my iPhone, not just the maps screen.  Does this sound like you?  Maybe you are an auditory learner too.

One of the things I enjoy doing at the beginning of the school year is giving my students a Learning Modality Survey.  This tells me what kind of learners I have in my classroom and they think it is awesome! They love learning what type of learner they are.  Last year, I looped with my kiddos and several said, "Mrs. K! Can you believe it?  I'm a kinesthetic learner."  Let's just say I was NOT surprised.  :)

Anyway, it's just a fun way to get to know your students.  I actually kept a list of all my auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners in my teacher binder to remind me to provide all types of learning experiences for my students throughout the year.

I shared this freebie with you last summer, but that was a few 100+ followers ago, so I thought I would share it again.  Plus, I jazzed it up with a cute frame from The 3AM Teacher. Isn't it cute?

Click the survey to go directly to my TN store to download your own copy for FREE!

Then, take the survey and figure out what kind of learner you are and comment below.  I can't wait to hear about it!!

Two Books That Teach Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, and Text-to-World Connections

Does everyone start the year off teaching connections?  I always introduce all the reading strategies at the beginning of the year when we are talking about metacognition, but then we dig a little deeper into each strategy throughout the year. Connections always seems to be one of the first strategies we dive into.

The following 2 books are books I love because they offer so much more than just a good story and are perfect for teaching connections 2nd through 5th grade.

I always start the year off by reading Oliver Button is a Sissy.  Some years I just do it as a plain old read aloud.  Other years, I use this book to make my metacognition salad from Comprehension Connections by Tanny McGregor.  Either way we read and discuss the story together as a class.

If you are not familiar with the story Oliver, he does not like the things that other boys like.  He likes to read, draw, sing and dance.  Everyone makes fun of Oliver saying that  he is a sissy. Oliver stays true to himself and continues taking dance lessons.  He enters the talent show and surprises everyone with what a good performer he is.  Although he doesn't win the talent shows, he earns the respect of his classmates and makes his parents proud.  The story offers a good opportunity to discuss bullying and acceptance of others. Plus, students often have many text-to-self connections and are very willing to share.  Great book!

Down the road, whether it is a week or a few days, we read another book called Amazing Grace. In this story, Grace loves to act and become the characters from all her favorite story books.  When an opportunity to be Peter Pan in a school play arrives, everyone tells Grace that she can't be Peter because she "doesn't look the part."  With a little encouragement from her family, Grace goes to school with a determination to win the role she so much desires.  The book provides a chance to discuss racial discrimination, acceptance of others, perseverance, goal-setting, and the power of believing in your dreams. 

I'm sure you are already starting to see some parallels here.  :)

After reading both books, create a Venn-Diagram comparing the two characters.

This is what my 3rd grade class came up with two years ago.

Both outstanding books provide a platform for discussion that is naturally engaging to students because it centers around some tough topics. The level and depth of discussion on theme and author's message depends on the grade level and the class.  But, the connections they make to both themselves and between the characters are  incredible no matter what the grade.

Plus, both books naturally lend themselves to text-to-world connections because they DO talk about those tough topics like gender and racial stereotypes. Bonus.

Suggested Activities After Discussion:

#1) Reading Journal: Pick a character.  Write about several ways you are like that character.  Use examples from your life and from the text to support your thinking. 

#2) Reading Journal: Write about several ways these two characters are alike.  Use examples from both texts to support your thinking. (Yes, we already talked about this, so it is nice option for those kids that need some additional scaffolding. Sneaky, huh?)

#3) Write an acrostic poem about one of both of the characters. Example below.
           G - Great imagination
           R - Ready to take on a challenge
           A - Amazed her classmates with her performance
           C - Couldn't give up on her dream
           E - Earned her role as Peter Pan

#4) Write a letter to the character.  What would you say to them?  What did you learn from them?

Now, I have to admit, I did not put these two books together all by myself.  I attended a fabulous workshop on comprehension strategies by Megan Sloan several years ago.  She suggested these two books and I have used them every year since.  See... thief...but always willing to share.  :)

What books do you use to teach connections?

I'd love to get a few more to add to my collection, especially if you know of two more books that fit together like the two above.  I love that!

Please comment and share your wonderful thoughts, ideas, and book selections.

Super Cute Teacher Clipboards

I love scrolling through my reading list and seeing all the Monday Made It buttons.  Everyone has caught the fever, including myself.  Thanks Tara for hosting such a fun weekly linky party.

First, I made the super cute clip boards that I know you have seen ALL over Pinterest.  Hello bandwagon.  I'm Amanda and I'm hopping on!  :)

Here is how mine turned out.  I bought the paper by single sheets at Micheals and had a lot of fun choosing colors and designs.  I'm not really the craftiest person on the planet (as evidence by the fact that I do not have cute scrapbooking paper on hand), but I gave it a whirl. 

I have a few bubbles here and there as it was my first real go with the Mod Podge.  But, overall I'm excited about how they turned out. Ready for the close ups?  Can you see the bubbles and maybe a few other small tears? Oops!

 
I think the best part about these new clipboards is that I will be able to spot them on my desk.  They won't blend in with all the other paperwork and other random things.  Somehow, someway, my desk is ALWAYS trashed at the end of the day and I mean it is covered in...in...well, I'm not really sure exactly...everything.  Now, at least my clipboards with important paperwork will be like a guiding light as I go through the daily task of straitening, organizing, and getting my life back together in general.  :)

Anyway...

I spent the rest of my week making my house look very bare and making my guest room look like a storage unit.

We are pretty much all packed up. I have stacks of boxes strategically placed throughout my house and I'm eating off paper plates for the week, but I'm so excited to get on with this move. Cross your fingers that nothing happens and we close on our house this Friday.  That means Saturday is moving day. Woot! Woot!

In the midst of all this craziness, guess what?  My dog goes outside to play ball for, seriously like 10 minutes, and the pavement is TOO hot! He burns his feet and I mean, HE BURNS HIS FEET! The pad on his left front paw blistered up and was peeling off his foot.  No good. He earned himself a trip to the vet and a round of antibiotics.

They wrapped his foot and told him to stay on the grass.  Plus, he was forbidden from playing with his ball which is like his reason for living. It was so sad. As you can see, he didn't leave my side.  I'm was stalking reading blogs, while he sat right there next to me...looking pathetic.

I'm happy to report that they removed his bandage Friday and he's back to his happy self.

We learned an important lesson though.  Texas pavement is HOT and it is really HOT to a dog that grew up in Seattle and apparently has delicate paws, so keep your pups safe and keep them off the hot pavement during the day, especially this week in San Antonio when we are expecting temperatures in the 100s.  Yowza!

Finally, if you are not linky partied out, don't forget to join Fiction Friday: A Celebration of Children's Literature.  You can join anytime during the week, I just choose Friday because I'm a teacher and I like alliteration.

Only three people have linked up so far this week (insert super big super sad frowny face) but I have already heard about so many new great books (insert super big super smiley happy face).  So come on over and join the fun.  Why not make Monday a two for one linky special?  I give you all permission to write 2 posts.  I can't wait to see what you have made and what you've been reading! 

Fiction Friday: Chapter 2

Hello friends and fellow children's literature enthusiasts!

Welcome to Week 2 of Fiction Friday, or as I like to call it Chapter 2!  

Clever, I know.  :)  Here's what I've been reading:

How Oliver Olson Changed the World 
by Claudia Mills

Oliver Olson has helicopter parents of the worst kind.  They are involved in every aspect of his life and won't let him do anything, including go to the school space sleepover, even though all the other third graders are going.  (BTW...how cool does that sound?!?) When he gets assigned a space diorama project for school, his parents start doing the whole project for him while he sits on the sidelines watching and "helping." Then, something changes.  Oliver gets a partner for the project and he begins to figure out that his ideas are pretty good.  With the help of his diorama partner, Crystal, Oliver may just find his voice and change the world!

Overall, I enjoyed the book and found myself rooting for Oliver.  I had to laugh while reading the scenes with his parents. Especially when they were going over the project rubric and discussing how they were going to get full points.   I was a bit confused as to why his parents were so neurotic about things.  The book mentions that he was sick as a child, but what kind of sick?  Was it the flu or something more serious?  His parents are so worried about germs and him getting sick again, I couldn't help but wonder what was the cause for all the paranoia. Something to ask the author, Claudia Mills, who also wrote 7 x 9 = Trouble.

A cute story and good beginning chapter book for grades 2-3. Not sure about read aloud potential.  I think it would depend on your class.

Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) 
by Lisa Yee

Bobby's father used to play professional football but is now a stay at home dad. His best friend (secretly) is a girl. He wants a dog, but has allergies.  He loves rocks. He teaches his fish to do tricks with a soccer ball.  He hugs really stinky trees. He starts a feud between the boys and girls in his class. He runs for class representative and he a few issues with static cling.  Bobby is a may or may not be your typical fourth grader but either way, he's a very likable character. Although he means well, he continues to find himself in tricky situations that every 4th grader can relate too in some way.

Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) is an entertaining story with a lot of heart.  It reminds me of other family and school classics by Judy Blume and Andrew Clements.  The book is fast paced with very likeable characters that model so many of the character traits we try to teach our kids like compassion, generosity, and empathy.

The author does a great job keeping the book at a 4th graders level (both style wise and plot) while weaving in great vocabulary words like indubitably! Love that! It is right at a 4th grade reading level and would easily appeal to kids in grades 3-5.  Although I wouldn't necessarily select this book as a class read aloud, I think it would make a great book for book clubs and promote a lot of discussion and good thinking.

Join our celebration of Children's Literature this week by linking up below.  

We would love to hear about any of the books you or your class have read recently or just good 'ole classics that you read year after year.  Thoughts, opinions, reviews and lesson ideas welcome.  

Don't forget to link back to me on your blog post so that we can spread the word.  

Amazon wishlist is on standby.  

I can't wait to see what y'all have been reading this week.

I'm Loving It - My List & Class Activity

Oh Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday... Hump Day...mid-week..the day before happy hour.

This used to be a very important day to me. And now... I really don't care because...IT'S SUMMER! Everyday is Saturday. Insert a Ferris Bueller Oh-yeah! (which will now be referred to as a FB Oh-yeah throughout this post)

So, Jill from Marvelous Multiagers, does this cute thing on Wednesday where she shares what she is currently loving.  Then Heather from Peacocks and Penguins jumped on board too and I thought, I wanna share what I love toooo! I'm such a joiner! hehe

Right now, I'm absolutely loving my alarm clock.  Know why?  Wanna guess?  I bet you already know.  Ready?  Here is is... it doesn't go off at 5:45 everyday! In fact, it doesn't go off at all.  It just sits there...looking pretty. FB Oh-yeah!

 

I'm also loving Blue Bell Ice Cream Sandwiches.  It's like summer in my mouth.  Yum! The mini-sandwich is only 100 calories each...such a bonus!

I love my husband for actually remembering to rinse all the dishes last night after I fell asleep on the couch a bit earlier than planned.  It made it so much easier to do the dishes this morning.  Thanks babe!

Y'all already know this, but I'm now loving Pinterest. I know I was late to party, but I'm glad I finally showed up. I mean, check out this fabulous idea for a quick math station.  It meets two of my very crucial crafting guidelines: #1 it's easy and #2 it involves using my glue gun! FB Oh-yeah!

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So, ya know what?  It feels pretty good to think about some small things that you love...small things that put a smile on your face...small things that make you happy.  It makes you notice all the small things that make your life just a little bit better and makes you appreciate them. 

That got me thinking...Wouldn't this be a great activity for the classroom? You could easily incorporate this into morning meetings.  One day a week just have kids make a list  in their writer's notebooks of things they are loving right now.  Then...share.

I'd bet money or even my newly made money sticks that if you did this weekly, kids would start thinking about what would go on their list all week.  They would look.  They would try to notice the little things that make them happy, like new crayons or pizza day. Through teacher and student modeling, I know they would come up with some really amazing things.

So many of my students focus on the negative because they deal with so much more than what any 4th grader should be dealing with at home, but this activity could change their perspective, even for just a moment. They could start looking for the positive.

Okay, I'm sold.  I've convinced myself that this is great activity. Did I convince you too?

So, what about y'all?  What are you loving right now?  Think big or think small, but think about what puts a smile on your face and comment below.  See...that's one more thing I love...COMMENTS.

One more for good measure... FB OH-YEAH!

Confessions, Clip Charts, Behavior Graphs, and a Freebie... Oh My!

Okay, I have a confession.  I did not pack my closet yesterday like I was supposed to.  I walked in...looked around...walked out.... and picked up Entertainment Weekly instead. It arrived in the mail on Saturday and I was just dying to read about Renesmee and the final installment of Twilight. Plus, I still have 11 days till I move, right? No need to rush things. 

Nothing like some trashy summer reading to counteract all the professional development and children's lit. I'll admit it, Entertainment Weekly is my thing.  I love this magazine.  I look forward to its arrival every week in the mail. 
Well that, and my Paula Deen magazine...but that only comes every 2 months.

Ahhh... but I digress.  What I really wanted to share with you was my newest behavior data graph.  Feel free to oooo! and ahhh! accordingly. :)

My chart - Printables from Teach-A-Roo.

I use the positive behavior clip chart in my classroom as a tool to manage behavior and promote positive behavior. Since starting it last year, many other teachers at my school have started using it because it works! The trend is definitely catching on. Plus, there are many other versions of this awesome tool on Pinterest.

Most of you probably already know how the chart works, so I won't go into great detail about it.  If this is new to you, click here for the best explanation possible from the man that made the idea famous.

Basically, the kids move up and down the chart based on their choices throughout the day.  Good choices send them skyward, and poor choices bring them back to down to Earth. At the end of the day, my students wrote in their agenda the color they finished the day on. Green, blue, yellow, what-have-you. Agendas went home for a parent signature.  This was one tool I used to communicate classroom behavior to my parents.  Easy. 

This year, I wanted to do more. After a year of using the clip chart, I noticed a lot of my students always stayed on green and only certain students routinely made it to the top of the chart. I wanted my students to be aware of their behavior, look for trends, and set goals for themselves.  Do they always end up on yellow? Why? Do they always finish the day on green?  Why aren't they getting to clip up? What can they do to move up on the chart? Anyway, you get the idea. It was time to look at take a closer look at our behavior, hence the behavior graph.

At the end of the each nine weeks, my students will take their conduct data from their agenda, graph it, analyze it and set behavior goals for the upcoming nine weeks.

Here are the graphs and reflection pages I created for the 1st nine weeks.  I apologize for the blurry pictures. There are two different graphs to choose from depending on how you want your students to look at their behavior.

The first graph breaks down the data by each level on the clip chart. 

The second graph is a bit more broad and focuses on whether the student was below, on, or above green at the end of the day.

I kept both the graph and the questions relatively simple as this is the first year my students will be tracking data like this at our school, and it may need to be tweaked as we go along. The reflection questions do change slightly throughout the year to encourage students to look at their progress and assess whether or not they are successfully meeting their goals. Students will also need to set the scale on the Y-axis of the graph.  They can count by 2's or 1's depending on their data.

There is also a place for students to calculate their attendance percentage for the nine weeks.  I don't know if other school have an attendance problem, but we sure do.  It will be powerful for kids to see that they were only in school 72% of the time.  Maybe that will explain some of those low grades.

My students will keep their graphs and reflections in their data notebooks throughout the year. I see this as being a powerful tool for the students, but also a powerful tool during conferences.  Imagine showing parents a graph of their child's behaviors.  The good, the bad, and the ugly will certainly stand out.  Plus, the attendance percentage will be powerful too.  It doesn't seem like a lot when you miss five days of school a nine weeks until you realize that your child was only at school  about 88% percent of the time.  Think about your kiddos that are gone 10 days a nine weeks, that means they were only at school about 77% of the time! Good grief! Hopefully breaking it down into numbers will help parents understand the importance of being at school each and every day!

Just click the images to go directly to my TN store to download all the graphs and reflection pieces... for FREE! Woot! Woot!

I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the graphs and reflection questions before I launch with my class in the fall.  Also any other feedback and/or suggestions for data notebooks would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you in advance!

Also, don't forget to link up with Friday Fiction: A Celebration of Children's Literature.  We'd love to hear about any children's book you or your class have read recently.  Share your reviews, lesson ideas, and more through Fiction Friday. 

Guided Reading Folders with Freebie and Tracking Learning Poster

Today, I'm just another blogger linking up with Tara, over at 4th Grade Frolics, for her Monday Made It.  It's my first time linking up with her, so I'm excited.

As y'all know, I joined Pinterest last week and YOU WERE ALL RIGHT!  I'm obsessed!  I've seen so many cute project ideas.  I check my phone constantly and it was the perfect way to entertain myself while my husband watched all 4 days and all 72 holes of the U.S. Golf Open.  That's being said, both of my Monday Made-It projects are Pinterest inspired.

My first project was inspired by something I saw on What the Teacher Wants! She has a great post on guided reading, including free printables, so if you haven't checked it out, go for it.  This is what I loved:

Now, they do teach younger kids who move through their GR levels a little bit faster than 4th graders (due to excellent teaching, of course), but I loved the idea of having a folder to show the movement and growth of my students.  Right now, I typically only benchmark twice a year, but I will be benchmarking my lower readers mid-year as well.

I tweaked the folder a bit and made it my own and braved Walmart for the needed supplies.

The folders were only $1 and there are 3 totally cute folders in the pack.  Total cost...$2.00!

Here is the inside of the folder.  I had to cover one side with some white paper because it had these weird lines for notes.  Very strange. Anyway, since I teach 4th grade, I started with GR level J and only went through W.  I know I will have students reading below J, but a majority of my class will sit somewhere on these letters.  The GR level to grade level correlation varies depending on which scale you look at, but most seem to consider R-S end of the year 4th grade and T the beginning of 5th.  Once students make it to the blue part of the folder, we are good to go!  :)

I'm not much of a velcro kid.  I'm a post-it kid.  I use post-its for everything, so instead of attaching velcro and creating matching velcro pieces with student names, I just use post-its.  This is also easier when you have a high mobility rate and students are constantly filtering in and out of your room. 

I have always used folders to form my reading groups (yes, with the post-its), and I had two other cute folders so I created a new group folder and a folder for my notes.

The groups folder will be used to identify my reading groups. Very basic, but works great for quickly regrouping kids and remembering who is in what group.  The  post-its really help them stay flexible.

The notes folder will be used to hold my guided reading checklists for all my groups. You can get my guided reading checklist for free in my TN store, just click here!.  I did not come up with this idea.  I just retyped it and tweaked it to meet my needs. Let me know if you find it useful.

 So...that's my first completed project.  All I have to do now is... lllaaammiinnnaatteee!

My second project was another quick and easy poster for keeping track of exit tickets. I'm sure y'all have seen this floating around on Pinterest. The students complete their exit ticket (short response, math problem, etc.) on their post it and put their post-it on their number.  How could I not use something that involves Post-its?!?

Originally from Cheryl's Classroom Tips

 As soon as I saw this, I thought...exit tickets are like tracks of thinking, which led me to this...

Each paw print has a student number.  Students will leave their learning tracks post-it on their number.

I'm so excited to laminate it for next year.  It's going to be a great tool for both myself and my students.  The opportunities to use this are endless.  Ideas?  Please post a comment below.

So, those are the things I've made for my classroom this week.  Hopefully, once we get moved I will be able to get into some more crafty things.  I'm going crazy with everything in boxes.  My classroom is in boxes, my house in boxes, my life is basically in boxes right now. Ugh!

But, enough about that.  Before I go, I wanted to quickly tell y'all about another great 4th grade blog: Smiles and Sunshine.  She is newer to the blog world and is having a little end of year giveaway - $25 giftcard to Amazon.  Woot! Woot!  Go check out Kaitlyn at Smiles and Sunshine and show her blog a little love.

As for me?  I'm going to continue packing.  Time to tackle my closet, and believe me, that's a scary place. I might need to check out more great ideas from the Monday Made-It Linky first.  Um...pinning!

Introducing Fiction Fridays: A Celebration of Children's Literature

  

How many of y'all use the summer months to get caught up on reading?

From the trashy beach reads (um..yes... Fifty Shades of Grey) to the professional resources (CAFE)... I always have a book or my Kindle in hand.  BUT...I also try to use the summer months to stay current on children's literature so I can guide my students with book choices in the fall.

However, it's IM-possible to keep up with ALL the books out there. So, let's all pull together and share some the books we have read, are currently reading, or will read this summer.

Through Fiction Fridays we will learn about great new characters, a well-written new series, books that lend themselves to great lessons, and find mucho books to add to our Amazon wish lists!  I'm so excited that I am going to use multiple exclamation marks!!!!!

First up...

Hamster Magic by Lynne Jonell

Hamster Magic is a charming story about four siblings that move to a new house and discover a talking hamster.  It turns out the hamster can grant them one wish and Celia, the youngest, wishes to be big.  This inadvertently turns her into a very large hamster with all the bad habits of a hamster. Desperate to keep the secret from their parents, the kids set off on an adventure to find the Great Hamster and turn their sister back into a little girl.

Hamster Magic is part of the Magic Mix-Up Series by Lynne Jonell who also wrote Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat.  I was pleasantly surprised by this book and enjoyed myself completely while reading it.  It was well written with very realistic dialogue.  I think it would make a great read aloud, especially in a K-2 classroom.  It is a beginning chapter book, but as those go, I thought it had a lot more heart and style.  I will be looking for more in this series. (RL 3.2)

Next up...

EllRay Jakes is NOT a Chicken! by Sally Warner

The back of the book reads, "EllRay Jakes may be the smallest kind in Ms. Sanchez's third-grade class, but he has a big personality!"  I couldn't have said it better myself.  He reminds me of sooo many of my students.  The story follows EllRay in his struggle to stay out of trouble and earn his trip to Disneyland. But staying out of trouble becomes even more difficult for EllRay when Jared, the biggest kid in 3rd grade, starts bullying him. The good news is that he only has to make it until Friday.

EllRay Jakes is NOT a Chicken is the first in a new series by Sally Warner. I enjoyed it for many reasons.  First, how many beginning chapter books have you read with an African-American protagonist?  Not many, right? EllRay is a breath of fresh air. He is witty and very easy for kid to relate to.  His narration sets a great pace for the novel and he has fantastic voice.  I feel like I know him.  I would definitely use this book for a writing lesson on voice and character description.  It would be a great read aloud and sets the stage for discussions around racial issues and bullying.  Overall, EllRay is an extremely likable character and I will be looking for more his books in the future. (RL 3.0)

Both of these books are Bluebonnet Nominees for 2012-2013. 

For more information about the Bluebonnet Award click here!

So, what children's books have you read recently?  From pictures books to chapter books, please link up and share your thoughts, reviews, and opinions of other children's books that you have read lately. 

My Amazon wishlist is already on standby. Woot! Woot!

Be sure to link back to me on your post so that we can get as many people as possible to join our party. Spread the word!

Calling All Bloggers, Pinners, and Readers!

Hello, hello!  Just a quick post today to tell you a few quick things.

First ...

I just added a new page on my blog called More Teaching Blogs.  If you have a teaching blog, just click the tab and add your link under the appropriate grade level.

This would help me (and others) in SO many ways:
#1 - Many blogs have uber cute blog names like The Teaching Thief but the name in NO way indicates what grade they teach. This sorts that out.  
#2 - I'm sure to discover new wonderful blogs that I have been missing out on and  by providing your link one more place, others are sure to discover your blog too.
#3 - It is just nice having it all in one place. Don't ya think? I know lots of other bloggers have this on their blogs too, but it would really help me if it was right at my fingertips.

Also...

I finally broke down and joined the world of Pinterest.  I was worried it would consume me and GUESS WHAT?  I'm checking my phone every chance I get.  I knew it would be like this.  I held out as long as I could.  But now, I have joined the masses and I'm loving it! Feel free to follow as I obsessively pin all summer.

 

Finally...

I just got back from the gym and spin totally kicked my bootie! I am so going to feel that tomorrow and perhaps even this afternoon. I think I have earned a few hours poolside, book in hand.

Oh, and speaking of books...check back tomorrow for the launch of Fiction Fridays: A Celebration of Children's Literature! It's going to be great!

Okay... one more thing...

Don't forget to check out my list of Web 2.0 Tools I'm looking to use next year.  I'd love to get your feedback.  Thanks!

Goal Grid and Web 2.0 Tools

Happy Wednesday!

First, thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. It was reassuring and helpful  to know that I'm not alone.  I feel reinvigorated to just keep doing what I love to do - teach, learn, share, and blog! So, let's get on with the blogging!

Recently, I was thinking about something my principal said at a meeting. He said, "Let's not expect kids to do what we ourselves are not doing."  I was thinking about how this applied to goal setting.  I expect my students to set reasonable goals, think of strategies to reach those goals, and reflect on their progress.  We write it all down and make it official. But, do I walk the walk? 

I goal set too... in my own way.  I have list of roughly 100 goals...in my mind. I rarely write things down or say them out loud, so they may or may not come to fruition. But, I have GREAT intentions. Anybody else have this problem?  Please...please... say yes.

So now, it is time to turn my intentions into action.  I made myself a plan regarding technology use in my classroom. 

My goal: To get my students using more technology and creating more products on the computer.

My strategy: Use my technology grid to introduce different programs and activities to my class. 

My progress:  TBA.

Here is my goal grid.  Each box represents one activity or program I want my students to experience this year.  I will cross off each one once I have used it at least once, hopefully more than once.

If I get through all of this I would be SUPER impressed with myself, but I think creating this goal grid will help me prioritize and focus. This is definitely a working document.  

What do y'all think?  What am I missing? Please help!  Add your own post-it to my Linoit Interactive Bulletin  Board  at the bottom of this post with suggestions for other great online web tools for students.  It would be helpful if you would include it in the comments below too... ya know... just for safe keeping. Thank you in advance and I can't wait to see what you'll add.

Really quick, here are links to the activities I have on my board (just in case you need/want them):

Taxgedo

Wonderopolis

Kid Blog

Illuminations

Wacky Web Tales

Animoto

Edumodo

Fodey

Timetoast

Wordle

Glogster Edu

Read, Write Think

What are your favorite Web 2.0 Tools for students?

Missing the Good Old Days, Are You?

Alright. I've started typing and there is no turning back.

Warning...long post ahead... may contain some ranting... I apologize in advance.

My husband thinks it would be better to just go to bed, but I just have to know...

Has the world of blogging really changed so much in the past nine months?  

Admittedly, I have been out of the game most of the year.  There was an occasional post here and there, but there were also some months that were completely forgotten.  Y'all know. Teaching is consuming and exhausting.  By the time I got home each day I was doing well to make myself more than a bowl of cereal for dinner. But in the past nine months, it seems like a lot has changed and I just can't keep.

I used to log-in to my dashboard and find tons of cool ideas: lessons, crafts, projects, room decor, websites etc. It was teachers sharing information and ideas. I followed all kinds of different blogs because even if it wasn't my same grade level I could adapt an idea and make it work for myself and my class. I learned a lot from so many amazing teachers all over the country.

I think the key word here is IDEA.  That, to me, is what blogging is about. I love reading about ideas from other people.  What books have you read that your students loved?  What read alouds work best for different reading strategies?  How did you take a boring concept and bring it alive in the classroom?  What lessons did you teach and how did you do it?  Freebies and printables are nice.  I love them just as much as the next teacher, but what I'm really interested in is ideas.  I've got a bookshelf of books with worksheets. Now, they may not have all that adorable clip art and cute fonts, but they provide what a worksheet provides - practice.

So, here's what I don't understand.  What changed?  What memo didn't I get?  Now, I find a lot more reviews of products and promotions for TPT and TN.  I feel like I am being bombarded by advertisement and promotion everywhere I look.  All the giveaways have 35 ways to enter.  I just have to follow their blog, follow the five other blogs that are supplying something from their TPT store, follow all their stores, follow them on facebook, tweet about the giveaway, follow them on twitter, like the company on facebook.  OH MY GOSH! Why can't I just follow?  Why can't I just read your blog and share teaching ideas with you?  Why do I have to be connected 25 different ways?

AND, if I choose not to be connected in 25 different ways, is my blog no longer interesting?  Am I not relevant? Do I have to have a Facebook page?  How about a TPT store? I'm starting to feel very inadequate.  Perhaps I'm not equipped to be part of this new blogging phenomenon.  I just want to share some ideas and hopefully inspire a few other teachers along the way.  I don't have an arsenal of cute clip art or fonts.  I do have a love of books, a love of teaching, and a love of sharing and learning with others.  But, is that enough?

Now, please don't misunderstand me. I'm amazed at what teachers everywhere have created and I think TPT and TN are great.  I have even tried my hand at creating a Teachers Notebook account. (I have a whopping 4 items!) I get it  We spend a lot of time creating things for our classroom and these sites create a wonderful platform for teachers to share with each other and earn a little extra money for all the hard work.  That's awesome!  I just don't understand why that is what is flooding my dashboard. Perhaps, I'm just nostalgic for the good old days of blogging.  Am I the only one?

Wonderopolis

Does anyone else have the problem over the summer where they can't seem to turn off their brain?  Mine just seems to go and go.  Seriously...it's keeping me up at night.  Well, that, and the copious amounts of caffeine I have been drinking lately. Anyway...

One of the things I couldn't stop thinking about was... The Wonder Wall.

I'm sure I saw this idea somewhere (forget where - sorry!) and it has been percolating in my brain for months...adapting and reinventing itself the more I think about it.

Basically, I wanted to create a small bulletin board in my classroom where kids could post things that they wonder about the world.  I was hoping that once a week, we could investigate as a class and answer one question.

I teach at a Title 1 school and many of my students have had very few experiences outside of their neighborhood.  We even had one child tell us this year that she had never been to a movie theater! Ah! Can you imagine?!?  My whole team just wanted to leave school and take her to the movies. Anyway, I wanted some way to help them expand their world and I stumbled upon this fabulous website.

Wonderopolis! 

Now, I'm obsessed and check it daily.

The website is through the National Center for Family Literacy and highlights a different "Wonder of the Day" and explains it. Questions can range from "What is a hybrid?" to "How do you zorb?"  and "Where is Motown?" Explanations include a video, interesting information, and a try it out opportunity! 

So... I have a new plan now.  

I'm going to add the widget to my school homepage for my students and myself to access. We can check the widget daily and learn about all kinds of cool new things in just a few minutes. Hopefully some kids will go home and get back online to learn more and even submit their own wonders.


So, hurry over to Wonderopolis and get answers to questions you didn't even know you had!

Psst....where did May go?

As one of my all-time favorite picture book characters says...

HOLY GUACAMOLE!  Where did the month of May go?

I'm astouded... I'm speechless... I'm confused... I honestly do not know what happened in the month of May.  It's all a blur.

One - School Ended

I'm excited to have finished up a year teaching 4th grade in Texas. And... guess what?!?  I'm coming back to 4th grade again next year.   Although it will actually be my 4th year in 4th grade (say that 5 times fast), it will only be my 2nd year teaching 4th grade in Texas.  Hooray for teaching the same grade level two consecutive years!

Two - Classroom Packed

Did you have to pack E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G?

Boy, I sure did.

My school is having the carpet ripped out this summer and putting in tile, so we had to pack everything...including district materials.  It - was -  crazy.  They started collecting textbooks a few weeks before the end of school.  Let me tell you...my students were thrilled to see those go, which I found humorous, because we we rarely use them, but whatever...

Anyway, I also had to take home ALL of my personal items and considering I have only been at my current school for 2 years, I sure had a lot of crap junk stuff educational materials. I ended up having to rent a storage unit to house all my "educational materials". 

To be fair... it's mostly books...tubs... and tubs... and tubs of books, but still.

Three - We Bought a House

My husband and I bought a house or at least we are in the process of buying a house! It's our first home and we are really excited. We decided to buy sort of suddenly and had to do everything in May.  It was crazy!  We had like 2 weeks to look and find something so that we could close before our current lease ends.  Fingers crossed that we close on June 29th and I will acutally have a place to live come July.

 

So... the packing continues with occasional breaks to blog, read blogs, eat, sleep, and lay by the pool.  Ha, I love summer! Hopefully I will ACTUALLY get some packing done.