Totally Terrific Thanksgiving Traditions

Today was a whirlwind of activities!!  Our school hosted a Turkey Trot where all the grade levels run together and the first three winners from each sex win a turkey!  Two of the girls from my class won turkeys!!  We also made acorn cookies, fact family turkeys and read lots of exciting books about Thanksgiving!  My favorite was Fancy Nancy's Thanksgiving.....I was her for one year and I love her!!

Veteran's Day 2013

This year Veteran's Day was a whirl wind of activities!!  I've just found time to post the work my kiddos did for the Veterans!  They were really awed with the idea of Veterans and I am so proud of their work.  I downloaded so many good ideas from TpT to use I can't remember who's Veteran's Day Writing Day Packet our class used.... but if she recognizes it thank you because I loved it and so did my little monsters!!  Happy Veteran's Day!!

Holiday Happenings

The Holiday Season is here!!!!  I have been a multi tasking maniac for the past few weeks.  Between taking time to travel, writing papers and presentations for grad school and watching FSU football I am all worn out!  I have recently discovered a new app on my very old phone called Tinder that is so entertaining.  Who would have thought the world was full of so many successful gentleman!!  Our district gives us Veterans Day off so I have Monday off!  YES!!  After that I have two weeks to Thanksgiving Break and it will be time to think about turning 31 and Christmas (baby Jesus's birthday).  I have a very low class this year and LAZY doesn't even begin to describe some of my first grade boys!  The demographics of our school have shifted and the word migrant is being thrown around a lot.  This is also the first year I have a student with an incarcerated parent so I am full of new ideas on how to bridge the gap here!  If you have any I will gladly take them!  The Common Core is really challenging for my students but they are growing!  Whole brain teaching is an idea I have started using to motivate my students and they love it!!

The first nine weeks!!

The first nine weeks is almost over!  My class this year is challenging.  They are wonderful but not as special as last year's. I can't wait to finish decorating my room for Halloween and complete my Halloween centers.  Hopefully I will have time to post them this year!!  I'm happy it is so sunny in Florida but I miss Michigan and the atmosphere up north!  One of the things I'm doing this year in my room this year is portions of the daily five and it is working fabulously!  My munchkins are excited I pay such close attention to their writing.  They love to share their work with the class.  We just finished swimming and it was exceptional!  All of my munchkins this year swam!

 

Classroom pics 2013-14

My classroom is finally complete!  It took forever to put together this year because I had to move classrooms which meant I had to unpack and organize everything!  I'm so excited about the way it looks!  I was able to snag some really nifty things while I was up north in Michigan!  It's so nice to be back in Florida and in my classroom.  I was able to find and use the things I printed from other teacher's blogs to decorate my room.  I absolutely love the colorful pictures and signs I had laminated!  I still need to buy baskets and ribbon for my library but it will be a job for next weekend!  This year we can share lesson plans which means a lot more time for extra planning and awesome creative ideas during the school day!  I put tissue boxes on every desk just in case there are tears tomorrow.  I think I'm ready for the first day of school.  I am using a Monster Goes to School which I got free online at Teachers Pay Teachers and I'm really excited!

 

 

 

 

the daily 5

I just finished the daily 5, my first summer read so far and it is filled with fascinating, fun filled ideas for Language Arts.  I'm going to post a quick outline if anyone is interested in using it as a point of reference.  The daily 5 builds stamina through building deep muscle during read to self, read to someone, work on writing, listening to reading and word work.  The Anchor Charts are used as a resource created by both the students and the teacher.  The charts build on ideas daily and are used at the beginning of the lesson.  There is a breakdown of information for presentation purposes to the students. 

Work on Writing

For example, the teacher models independence during work on writing.  She models a short narrative story where she doesn't stop to ask the teacher for help with spelling words.  Instead she underlines the words and finishes her story independently. 

Read to Self

During Read to Self the teacher has the students practice reading for three minutes to build stamina.  This is my favorite part of the book. 

Read to Someone

There are really good bookmarks on TpT that have the three ways to read to someone written on them for what I used to call partner reading.

Listen to Reading

The part I found most interesting during this section was the way the teacher models and has the students practice the correct way to clean up.

Word Work

This part of Language Arts is for vocabulary and spelling.  The teacher gives her students plenty of time to play with their supplies before they begin making words.

 I also found the book boxes really cute and creative!  I plan on using this in my classroom next year.  Everything the authors suggest you model is very important for classroom management.  The books a really good outline and is short!  It's definitely a suggested read!

The last day of school

The last day of school for everyone in Osceola County was last Thursday.  Our class had a ceremony to honor all the students (everyone passed including three Non English Speakers and an undiagnosed special needs student). Unfortunately as their parents arrived we had a tornado warning.  Tornado warnings are not as official in the south as they are in the north so I had some grumpy grandparents upset about the 15 minute delay before we could begin.  We were able to begin and it was a success.  My adorable munchkins retained a lot of information this year and it showed.  We started with a walk across the red carpet to honor each kiddo individually for the completion of first grade.  After the walk across the red carpet we got down to business and the kiddos were able to successfully act out standards from Math, Reading, Writing and Science!  I wrote a short going away speech and included a made up camping trip.  I was able to incorporate many of the fun facts I taught them all year.  Next, we sang Lean On Me by Bill Withers.  I taught them this song on Valentine's Day after I received so many gifts from them.  I think it has an important message inside especially after sensing the alienation felt by the Connecticut debacle.  They were able to sing it for their parents and it was FABULOUS!  I had nine parents show and take pictures with me and my adorable kiddos.  I'm officially up north in Michigan and ready to start reading the books inside my black garbage can.  Their is an Early Literacy book I am going to tackle first.  The authors last name is Cooter.  If anyone has read his publishings please drop me a line.

It's almost over!

Our last day of school in Florida is this Thursday!  This year I have had the best, most well rounded and involved parents so far!  I have had a very long blogging absence due to my hectic schedule.  I have been hosting after school make and take mini lessons every Wednesday for the parents and students in my classroom to join me in making and taking a lesson home with them.  I have to admit I used many ideas from Teachers Pay Teachers and they worked very well!  On Thursday my students are going to say goodbye to me and first grade with a going away song.  Pictures of the red carpet walk will follow!  I am changing classrooms so packing my room for the first time was a brand new experience.  This summer I will be hiding away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life at my families small cabin in Northwest Michigan!  I am hoping to learn more about blogging and making creative, crafty innovating activities for my first grade classroom!  If you have any suggestions I would love to use them!

Rubrics, Marzano Observations and me!!

I am more than just slightly excited to report that my long due absence from blogging is due to extreme pressure from my class.  However, I had an informal observation done last week or the week before..I really can't remember and I received all applying!!!  This has never happened to me and as a new teacher I am beyond excited!!  I am going to attach the rubric I use.  It's easy and my first graders understand it.  If they get it without the teacher's help they get to go to yellow which they say makes them feel happy but not joyful.  If they get the answer correct and all of question probes they go to green which they say is exiting!  The red at the bottom just mean we need some extra TLC!  I use clothespins with their names on it and I pick them by using "sticks".  These "sticks" are tongue depressors with their names on them and I draw them from a colorful basket.  My class was very excited because my mother bought them all Easter Baskets from the dollar store and I hid 150 eggs in our classroom for them to find!  They loved it and I have some students who really need me!  

 

Our team likes to write performance assessments and this performance assessment was about the central message or theme from Common Core.  Rainbow Fish is the perfect idea and is available at storyline online which makes it even more entertaining because my kids can watch and listen albeit the Smart board!  I included my take on Rainbow Fish because I usually never complete the Art project.

Last but not least at the beginning of the year I read Spaghetti in a Hotdog Bun.  I have attached an additional rubric that goes along with Writing.  This one is good b

because I used the kids examples with there permission.  I teach in a Title One School so there is a rubric example for ESOL.  Let's see.......I am exhausted just thinking about the last nine weeks and my Master's which is almost done!!

100th day and Groundhog day

Today we celebrate the 100th day of school..call me carzy maybe I was early!!!  I used a lot of really good ideas from TpT!!  Last year was a lot about instruction so I haven't been able to throw parties since the first year I taught!!  I decorated today and it was ah maze ing!!  I'm also excited to say one of my old students is BACK from the first year I taught!!!  Here are some pics of my classroom!  I love YELLOW so my inspiration is rooted behind the yellow bulletin boards!!

 

My favorite teacher

Tonight I had grad class and I got to visit with my professor on our way out and I don't often use the word blessed but I do feel blessed to know her!  She is well spoken and a role model!

AR goals and crazy hair day

Today we had crazy hair day!  I don't know if you are familiar with Accelerated Reader but when we reach a new goal we get to celebrate success with a goal!!  I wore an electic blue curly wig and it was super special for my first grade students!! 

 

I can't wait for my grad classes to finish because I am frazzled and not excited about them!!  I am however excited about joining some of my family members overseas with the ISS program!  If any of you would like to travel I would recomend the non profit organization because the schools are privately funded by dignitaries and International businessmen's children!  The college graduation rate is 98%!

Inspiration

Today has been a very long day.  I had my favorite part of the day at the very end.  I have an inspiring person in my life and she is my professor.  She is blonde and tiny and very smart.  She is my inspiration.  She can reflect on what has happened since 2004-2005 and put everything in perspective for me.  She is well spoken and nice.  I am really grateful she is my professor again this semester.  Her name is Mary Pat.  She is the best.  My finance class is easy..nothing like business finance.  So today I am grateful for Mary Pat!!!

I am a teacher because...

I am thirty and finally reday to work!!!  I must admit I have always wanted to be a teacher!!  As a little girl I played teacher a lot in Barrow, AK!!  We moved to FL when I was seven after my dad retired from the North Slope (he was a Principal and my mother was a Vice Principal).  My family is full of Educators so you can imagine what it's like to be around us!

 

I graduated from FSU with a degree in Risk Management.  If you ask me anything that has to do with Financial Planning or the benefits of investing in Insurance I can tell you exactly what to do!  I took my first grown up job in Jacksonville, FL and did not  like it!  So I decided to go to a college after work in downtown Jacksonville to an EPI program.  I moved back to Central Florida where my mother is still a Principal and am teaching first grade!!  Writing my story this way is really boring but full of facts. 

door ideas

My doors are my favorite part of my classroom..

Sandy Hook

Our first day back we made snowflakes with our names in honor of the other first graders at Sandy Hook..