Currently {and a Favor!}

I've been waiting for this for, like, weeks!  I want to get back into blogging on a regular basis.  I'm planning on working it into my weekly schedule - I've had a blog planning sheet for years (you can get it here); this year I'm really going to use it.

The problem in the past was I hid the planning sheet from myself by putting it in the back of my plan book.  This year, it gets its own clipboard on the wall next to my desk.  That way I'll be sure to see it.  And use it!

Anyway, here it is: the first in what I hope will be a more active blog...

There it is!
the first in what will be many more to come!
Like that positive thinking?  I'm turning over a new leaf!

While your here - I have a favor to ask:
See the top left corner of my blog design?
There's supposed to be a really cute bird house looking thing up there.
Only when I log on, I don't see it all the time.
Can you see it?
Let me know in the comments, please...
Not sure what's goin' on up there...

Thanks!

Now go link up!

What I See

I think I may have said in a previous post that I use Facebook as a big part of my PLN.   One of the groups that I follow is the Centurions of 2011: 111 Books by January, 2012.  I know - it's out of date - but it works and they just kept going.  

Anyway, tonight I saw a post that led me to stop by Mrs. McGriff's blog and her July list.  This was her FB post: "

Didn't read the quantity I hoped for in July, but the quality was outstanding!

When I clicked the link, Mrs. McGriff had read 24 books!!  That's quantity in my book!  I'm going to be vigilant and see how many she reads in August...

But what I really wanted to share was this poem that is on Mrs. McGriff's About Me page.  I love this idea, and maybe I would use it as a model for my students to follow in my classroom if I was teaching ELA.


What I See

I see a room
where students overflow with words,
where books are passed from mind to mind
and writing spills across every page.

I see students
who devour book–
poetry and stories,
biographies and memoirs,
how-to guides adn graphic novels,
magazines and websites–
who read during every spare moment.

I see students
eager to take about what they read:
to questions and challenge deeper truths,
to connect with the spaces in their lives.
They invite their friends and family
to read and talk, to celebrate books
at Survivor Book Club.

I see students
who discover that writing has meaning for their lives,
who discover that words have power to challenge injustices
and change their lives.

I see students
who share their writing–
entering contests,
submitting works to magazines and websites,
giving gifts of writing,
plastering the school with their words–
who are not afraid to be heard.

I see a community
where we are free
to share our words,
to think new thoughts,
to try and fail, then try again.

I see colleagues
who value time together–
to share ideas and build on successes,
to share problems and brainstorm solutions,
to read and research together–
who continually seek to stretch beyond
and make ourselves better.

I see my life
where reading, writing, teaching
come together
to point the way.


--------------------------------
Lovely, right?  Would you use this model in your ELA classroom?  Maybe this would be a great back to school activity - set the stage for a great year!

 

Currently in August

Can it be August already??  This summer has absolutely FLOWN by!  I start new teacher in-service next Wednesday with three days of workshops and lectures followed the next week by pre-service for all the teachers and home visits.  So, essentially, my summer is basically over.  CRAZY!

Here's my currently:

It's a big news day here in Cleveland!  That horrible man who kept the three girls as prisoners for more than a decade was sentenced to life + 1000 years!  (Yes, I know his name, but I refuse to give him that much respect!)

I went to school today for  an optional meeting and stayed and worked in my room for a while.  My room was used for summer school until yesterday, and it was filthy.  Today I just cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned!  Next week I'll go in on Monday and Tuesday to put my own touch on the decor.  And get some of the stuff out of my garage!

Wow!  I only worked for about 4 hours in my room and I. am. whipped!  It's amazing how quickly I lose my stamina for long days of work during the lazy days of summer.  

After I lost my job at the end of last year, I made a conscious effort to keep in touch with my teacher friends.  We have gone on a lot of great excursions - movies, lunches, plays, museums.  Before we all start at different schools, I'm really hoping to organize one more lunch.  I love those ladies!

What I truly need?  A summer rewind.  It's been the best and worst and quickest summer of my life.  I'd like to go back and do it again without the stress of looking for a new job!  The stress made me feel icky and it made the summer go WAY TOO FAST!

My Back to School must haves are easy!  And coincidentally, they all start with P - and so does Purple!  Dorky cool!

#1: Post-its.  They make me happy.  I use them for absolutely everything.  'Nuff said.

#2:  I live for these pencils.  They aren't easy to find in the stores, so when I find them I usually buy two or three packs.   Wonder what makes them the best?  It's the erasers!  And the refillable-ness of both the lead and the erasers.  Hmm... maybe I should stop buying 'em and just buy the refills?  Duh.

#3: Seriously.  I just bought this thing last summer, and I have no idea how I lived without it for my whole life!  The laminate is so, so much better than that flimsy stuff they have at school!!  My sister bought mine for me.  And Amazon sells the pages for super cheap. 

Your turn.  Go link up with Farley and join the Currently Craze!

Me - by the numbers!

I was searching for a great get-to-know-all-my-new-kids-that's-mathy game on the internet and came across this super cute linky from 2011.   Y'all know I love a linky, and even though I can't link up, I'm totally stealing borrowing the idea to use with my classes.

So.. Amanda wrote out things about herself that went from 1-10.  I've done the same thing, but I think this might be super hard for kids to do... so for their projects, I'm just going to let them use any 10 numbers (or less, if 10 is taking too long).

Anyway.. here's me - by the numbers.

ONE
I have one sister.  We didn't always get along as we were growing up, but as adults, we are pretty close.  We spend a lot of time together going to musicals -- both professional and community theater!

TWO
My ONE sister is the mom of my TWO nieces!  They are my favorite people in the world.  I love, love, love being an aunt.  I do whatever I want with them (i.e. - get them all sugared up, or let them buy whatever they want at Toys'R Us) and then take them home, kiss them goodbye and leave!!

THREE
I have had exactly three cell phones in my life.  The first was way back in 1998:

Don't laugh.  At the time it was super cool because you didn't have to pull out the antenna.  State of the art, I tell ya!

Phone #2 was the opposite.  My students always commented that it was 'soo cute!' or 'soo tiny!'

This one was cool because it had games!!  Does anyone else remember SNAKE or MANCALA?  I loved this phone, but I couldn't send or receive text messages, so eventually I had to change.  But I still miss it!

My current phone is not much better that my last one:

I kinda don't love this one.  Sure I can text, but I have to use the number pad to do it.  It's easy to use, but it can't do all the cool things my friends' iPhones can do!  But when you talk to me, I will never mute you like my friends often do!  So it has pluses and minuses!

Someday I'll get a new phone - maybe even I iPhone.  I would like to crush candy on the go...

FOUR
I have four knitting projects in the works. I may never finish any of them!


FIVE
Fifth grade was the year I first got glasses.  I remember the day I got them comparing everything on the way home the way I'd always seen them with how they looked corrected!  It was amazing!  I especially remember the McDonald's sign, for some reason!

SIX
I have six months left on my current lease, and I'm getting too close for comfort on the miles.  I will be looking to replace this car early in about October so I don't go over the miles!  It's a good little car, but getting a new car is always exciting!

Thank God - again - for a new job and a pay raise!  I can actually afford to get something a little more my style this time around!

SEVEN
Even though it seemed like a LOT longer, I was only unemployed for about seven weeks this summer!  The stress of not knowing what I was going to do was unbelievable, but I tried to stay positive and keep the faith...  It worked!  I'm so excited to start my new job!

EIGHT

I am currently reading eight (!) books.  I never leave the house without a book in tow; I am also listening to a book in my car (not one of the eight).  Wanna know what they are?



NINE
I have visited nine states.  That's not very many really, and I certainly didn't visit them all this summer.  But throughout my life I've been to:  Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maine, North Carolina, Illinois, Tennessee, South Dakota, Indiana, and Washington.  I've driven through other states on the way, but unless I visited someone there or the state was my destination, it doesn't count, in my opinion.

TEN
Ten year olds are my favorite.  They are the best age to teach - they are clever-funny and smart, but they're still kids enough that they want to please.  Give me a bunch of ten year olds any day, and I'm a happy camper! 

These are not my kids; I took this, and all, the pictures from Google.

There you have it.  It's not easy to come up with this list.  FIVE especially was tough. 

Try it!  If you do, leave me a link in the comments; I'd love to see your 10!

Top 6 Linky

For the past two weeks, I've done nothing but obsess about my new room.  I cannot wait to get in there later this week and make it my own.

So in the spirit of wishful thinking, I'm linking up with Courtney @Swimming Into Second for her weekly top ten.  But I can only think of 6 things to put on my list!  And three of them I already have!  Yep - I'm pretty blessed!

The first thing I want in my dream classroom is an iPad for every child.  I started using the iPads at my old school only towards the end of the year, but I wish I had done more.  The possibilities are endless and kids love them!

BTW, my favorite app for the classroom is Socrative.  Students can enter answers to the questions, and I get an email that I can print out and use for assessment.  Love that!

 Next, I would love to have these stools.  Do you know about these yet?  They are so cool; they wobble just enough.  Kids who can't sit still get to move - while they're sitting! 

Third up would have to be lovely window coverings! The windows in my new room are old and ugly and the shades are not much better. Not to mention, one of them is missing (??). I am not a seamstress, nor do I plan to become one, so I'm not sure how to make this happen yet. But when I was classroom shopping the other day, I contemplated shower curtain panels. Not plastic ones, but pretty fabric ones! They are larger than window panels and come in great patterns that might be fun for a large classroom. Has anyone tried this? Do you have other great ideas for covering my ugly windows?

The last three things I need in my dream classroom, I already have!!! I cannot imagine living without them, though so I'm including both of them in my dream classroom layout!

Some sort of interactive white board.  I don't care if it's Promethean or SMART but I need a board that I can teach from.  I absolutely cannot go back to chalk!!  :)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener!  This thing is the best!  I got my to review last summer, and my kids used it all year long!  It is the best evah!

And finally - carpet!  If you have it, you know what I mean.  If you don't have carpet, you probably are like, what's the big deal?  Well, let me tell you.
1) It's quiet.  There is no chair noise or stomping feet noise.

2) It's comfortable.  Kids can sit on the floor and I don't have to have to have carpet squares or an extra rug (which, when I had, I always tripped over the edges, or somebody would pick at the edges and ruin the binding).

3)  And it's homey.  I love the idea of making our classrooms more homey and comfortable.  Carpet goes a long way to creating that atmosphere!



There you have it!  My list.  Go link up; I can't wait to find out what other things I should be coveting for my room!

Looking Forward

Whew!  It's h-o-t, hot here!

And it's going to stay hot and humid for most of the week.

Welcome, summer.

I am the first to admit I am not a fan of being hot.  Give me a nice sunny, 75 degree day with a cool breeze and I am content.  So I guess this week, I'll stay inside and read!  Nothing better!

Funny enough, I just found a book that I love - and it's all about fall!

Ivan's Great Fall is a cute little picture book that I can't wait to share with my {future} class on the first day of school.  Ivan is a little boy who loves summer!  He loves the long days full of adventure, baseball, and fun - and he's not looking forward to fall.

This story is a great read aloud for the first days of school.  I think kids and teachers alike all relate with Ivan's love of the freedom that comes with summer.

But the best aspect of this book is the format.  With the exception of the beginning and the end of the story, the rest is quotes from famous poets.  Super creative!  Everyone from William Blake to Emily Bronte to Ernest Lawrence Thayer is quoted.  Not in entirety, but enough to move the story along.  Each page tells of an adventure Ivan enjoys.

Every year, my kids write poetry books.  This would be a great book to revisit at the beginning of the unit.  I can totally see my kids writing a similar book on a topic they love and using the more contemporary poems by poets they love - Sara Holbrook, Shel Silverstein, Judith Viorst to name a few.

from A Giraffe and a Half by Shel Silverstein

If you haven't read these authors, do so.  They are great!

What a great way for kids to explore poetry with a purpose!




What are your favorite kids' poets?  More importantly, is there room for poetry in the CCSS?

Welcome to Room 102!

I'm ready for Open House tomorrow!  Can't wait.  There are some little things left to do, but my room looks great and no one else will know what's missing.

See the chair pockets?  When I went to Home Depot to buy them, I mentioned that they were for school, and Beekeeper Bill got permission from the higher-ups to donate them!  Although I am super grateful to Home Depot, I covered the logos with duct tape to match my theme colors!

Word Wall.  Don't call it an alphabet!  :)

My math board is a mix of CFC and Laura Candler's math stations.  Love how this turned out!

Bucket Fillers

My library area.  Love this, too!  Please ignore the chart paper laying in the middle of the floor!  I still need to drill holes in my new easel (thanks Dad!) to hang it from.

A little closer of the seating area.  The two square pillows I made from school t-shirts.

My books are sorted by genre.  I don't worry about levels; as long as they're reading!

Close up of my genre baskets.  The labels are courtesy of CFC!

The view from my desk.

My objective board.  Easy to update; dry erase.

I even changed out my toolbox to match my new theme.  Sorry for such a blurry picture. I swear it looked fine on the camera!

Locker Magnets.  Lockers are a HUGE deal to 5th graders because it's their first year to have lockers!

Close up of locker magnet.  I wrote the names on the magnets using dry erase marker, so I can use them year after year.

I'm linking up!  You should, too!  This is one of the best times of the year, and I love looking at everyone's spaces!