February Bulletin Board

It has been a week!  I'm just going to leave it at that...  and add that I cannot wait until I walk out of the school tomorrow afternoon.  Gracious!

I wanted to share the bulletin board I put in the 3-5 hall today.  Every teacher has one month on a bulletin board somewhere in the school.  This is what I came up with:

I'm really not all hearts and flowers, but this bulletin board turned out pretty well!  I made the pennant banner using word.  It reads, "Sweet Books We Love!"  Cheesy, I know. :)  I had four students (one from each 5th grade class) write a "book talk" for a book they loved.  Left to right, Coraline (graphic novel), Don't Read this Book Whatever You Do!, How to Steal a Dog, and Charlotte's Web.  I made the "book talk" hearts in Word, and I used the poster printer to blow up/print them out.  I did the same for the covers of the books.  I just put all four books on one page and used the poster printer.  Obviously, I didn't cut out all of those hearts.  They were made with an Ellison Die.  Some of the students got a first glimpse at the board after tutoring was over and they seemed to like it.  

Tell me what you think!

Last year, I had October.  I was really bummed that I didn't get it again this year.  I thought I would share what I came up with last year in case someone needs ideas next October!

We Were Made to be Awesome!

This is a Sunday afternoon pep talk.  I thought it was just precious.  Enjoy the video!

"It's everybody's dream to give the world a reason to dance."

{Lazy} Early Release

We had an early release today due to ice.  The district called it yesterday for 11:00 this morning, but around 9:30 this morning, they announced that we would dismiss at 10:00.  The system moved in faster than they were expecting.  We made it through math and guided reading before the kids lost all focus.  I've spent my day napping on the couch.  It's been great! :)  Anywho,  I have a short video I wanted to share.  My principal shared it with the staff in her "Friday Focus" (an email with important info and usually ends with something inspirational).  I just feel this video speaks the truth.  At my school, we are doing a great job with #7! :)

I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend!

The Attitude is Everything Movie

Proud Teacher

I have a couple proud teacher moments to share!  For a second week in a row, my class has won our school mascot, Rammy, for the week!  Background info:  for positive behavior in the hall, specials, etc, the students can earn "ram heads" for their class.  At the end of the week, the ram heads are counted, and the class with the most wins Rammy!  It's completely silly, but they love to win.  My class has become really competitive, too!  I have NO IDEA where it's coming from, either.  {Yeah, right.  It's totally me!}

Yesterday, I had a proud moment in math.  We started our Geometry unit, and my students were sorting shapes in groups.  I walked around to one group, and they had drawn out a Venn diagram!  Heck yes!  I'm not even sure I've said that word this year {oopsie}!  Woot!  Gooo kiddos! :)

On last thing, we introduced a fundraiser the kids are quite familiar with... Spare Change Challenge.  We have made it a competition between the four 5th grade classes, and the class that brings in the most money gets to PIE their teacher.  Every kid.  Again, my kids are being really competitive with this fundraiser, and I have no idea why!  {Ha!  I told them we have to win!  And I love being pied! ... It's probably not a good idea that I'm being this competitive.}  The money is going toward our field trip fund.  Working in an area with a very low SES, we try to raise as much money as possible to make our field trips somewhat affordable.  Wish us luck!

Have a great rest of the week/weekend!

2-Hour Delay Workday

The Big Snow wasn't quite as big as they were predicting for me; however, further north in Guilford County, my co-worker friends got much more snow!  Our district called a 2-hour delay mid-day yesterday.  They don't take chances when there is a possibility of ice because of a tragic accident a few years ago.  As long as they don't cancel, I'm happy.  We don't make-up delays, but we do cancelations! :)

For the rest of the day, I'll be at school catching up on months of grading!  I've become so lazy when it comes to grading.  Oops!  I'm not sure I'll be doing much talking, today.  {Yeah, right}  I've had the upper respiratory crud, and when I woke up this morning, I could barely talk!  I might bring some movies to watch on the SmartBoard.  We'll see...

I hope everyone has a great day and weekend!

Rainy Days and...Snow?!

After three days of rain (and no recess ... rain, rain, go away!) I don't have the energy to share much; however, I did want to share this "somecard" I saw on Pinterest.  I don't know about you, but everyday at 3:00, this is how I feel:

Am I alone? :)

On a positive note, we finished our unit on fractions!  I have to say, and you may judge me for this, but I'm not sure I ever fully understood fractions until I taught them.  The way we were taught was just stupid!  It made no sense!!  Anywho, we test tomorrow!  Cross your fingers and toes for our 5th graders!

Also, cross your fingers for the teachers!  We have another rainy day tomorrow!  It's also looking like we will have snow tomorrow night.  Thank goodness Friday is a workday (no makeup!)!

A Great {Accidental} Lesson

This week in whole group reading, we have revisited the Cause/Effect strategy at the Interpretive level. (You Jan Richardson fans will know what I mean.)  Basically, they find the effect, turn it into a "What caused..." question, and then infer the cause.  I really like the strategy.  Anyway, my team and I take turns planning different subjects.  For the last few weeks, I've been planning whole group.  The plans I came up with this week, were good.  I'm not too modest to say that; however, on Monday, I completely threw my plans out of the window (Smartboard lesson and all).  I really wanted my students to have a lesson on Martin Luther King, Jr. and I wanted them to do a writing activity.  So, my intent was to [secretly] skip the strategy for one day.  I decided to read aloud, Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Would you believe, there was all kinds of effects where the students had to infer the cause?!  IT WAS PERFECT!!  The students loved it.  :)  For their writing activity, I am having them write a short paragraph about what peace means to them.  I printed the writing paper out on different colors and I will put these on the wall.  I was told that I don't have enough student work on the walls.  Yeahhhh, so, what I'm seeing looks really great!  They have wonderful ideas in their heads! :)

What are you doing to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. in your classroom?

New Seating & Wandering Desks

I just wanted to share my new seating arrangement.  Well, it's not really new.  I've had it since we got back from break, but I really like it.  I'm able to position certain students so that they are facing the front, but they're still in groups so they can collaborate.  I also feel like it's taking up less room, which is always good.  We started DARE today, and not only do I have my class in the room, but there is also another class sitting on the carpet.  We need the room!  I actually pushed all of the desks back about 4 feet after I took this picture.  (If you're wondering, my overhead lights are never turned on.  This was taken before the sun was completely up, so it was a little dark.)

There is a crazy phenomenon happening in my classroom.  Desks are mysteriously wandering out of position.  I've asked my students, and all of them say they're not moving their desks.  It's not all desks, though.  Really it is one particular desk that is causing a few other desks to move.  Does the "Wandering Desk Phenomenon" happen in your classroom?  I have a solution.  ZIP TIES!  I actually told a particular student that if the desk didn't stop moving, I would zip tie her desk to another desk.  She didn't believe me.  So, last week, I got out the zip ties and tied her desk to two other desk!  One student said, "You were being serious?  I thought you were just joking!"  While another student said, "I knew she was being serious."  And...the mysterious phenomenon has suddenly stopped!  Just a suggestion!

Please don't judge any typos you find.  My brain shut off shortly before our book study this afternoon.  I'll fix them as I find them.  :)

Dandelions {Perspective}

Just now, on Pinterest, I saw a canvas that I loved!  Since my handwriting, quite frankly, stinks, I decided to try to recreate this using Powerpoint.  I like to put inspirational words in the area behind my desk.  It's nice to take time to read it on tough days, and I've also caught my students reading them during guided reading.  The quote reads, "When you look at a field of dandelions, you can either see a hundred weeds or a hundred wishes..."  I just love the quote, because life really is how view it.  It's all perspective.  :)  This is what I came up with... Tell me what you think.

I hope everyone has a nice Sunday before we start a new week!

*I would be more than happy to share this... just comment or send me an email.  I'll send the pdf and/or jpeg files.

Baking for Good

My entry is mainly about a great, delicious cause.  One of my friends and co-workers ordered cookies from the website Baking for Good.  What they do is donate 15% of the proceeds from your order to a cause of your choice.  Pretty great!  Katie ordered the cookies hoping to try them herself, but they didn't arrive until after she started a fast.  Thank goodness as far as I'm concerned!  They were delicious!  Please visit Katie's blog {cardiganway.com} and check out her post!  Really, you should read her entire blog... it's great!

The second part of this post is about Science/Global Awareness.  Yesterday, we were talking about weather instruments.  When we got to the thermometer, I mentioned that many thermometers have either alcohol or mercury inside, but most thermometers that go in your mouth don't use mercury anymore.  (You know, because it's toxic)  One of my students raised her had and started telling me about a show she saw on the History Channel.  It just so happened that I saw the same show over Christmas break.  What it was...  The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, was obsessed with immortality.  His alchemist made him mercury pills that were supposed to make him immortal.  They did not.  They actually killed him.  So, today, I gave them all of the correct information, showed them where the Qin Empire was on the map, and also told them about Qin Shi Huang's terracotta army.  I think they thought that was the coolest part.  We found a 5-minute video on Discovery Education to watch to sum it all up.  That was, really, the first 100% genuine global connection we've made, and I can thank a student! :)  Fun, fun!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Making Clouds {So Cool!!}

I really wanted to write this post yesterday, but I left my Mac at school.  The Blogger iphone app is not so great, so I'm writing it at school.  I got here early just so I could write this post... and because I woke up 2 hours before my alarm... and because I couldn't go back to sleep. :)

With our weather unit, we are studying clouds right now.  Surprisingly, our kids have a good bit of background knowledge on the types of clouds.  Well, some have the background knowledge.  Yesterday, we { I } made clouds using a water bottle and matches.  The kids and I both LOVED the activity.  I've never taught weather before, so I'm having to learn most of this information.  There is nothing like being thrilled like a kid when you're learning the info with the kids and something cool happens!!! :)  One of my students took pictures for me.  Please don't judge me by the second picture.  I was, literally, in the process of saying, "OH COOL!!!" :)

School Unrelated {Les Misérables}

Since I was young, around the angelic age of 11, I have been in love with Broadway.  Have I ever had the pleasure of seeing a show on the actual Broadway?  No, but I have seen several off-Broadway shows and have enjoyed soundtracks to many shows.  One of my favorites is Les Misérables.  I've never actually seen the show, but I've had the soundtrack memorized [verbatim] for about 15 years.  LOVE IT!  You can imagine how excited I was when I heard it was coming to the big screen.  I've been anticipating this movie for months.  I've watched so many youtube videos about the making of Les Mis and previews.  For, I believe, the first time in Hollywood, a soundtrack was recorded around the acting instead of the acting being filmed around the soundtrack.  It's genius - and it shows.  Last Monday, I went to a noon matinee (by myself) and was so impressed.  They stuck so closely to the original Broadway score.  That never happens!  Usually something important is always cut out.  Not this time.  If you haven't seen it, you must go.  It will be the best 2.5 hours of your day! :)

A while back, on my birthday actually, the Navy LDO Lieutenant brother and I were talking about possibly seeing Les Mis when it came to Charlotte in February (He saw it earlier this year while stationed in San Diego).  Well... that isn't happening.  We waited too late (forgot actually) and tickets were gone (or $315 each).  We checked online and found that Les Mis would be in Richmond, VA the last week in March (He lives in King George... Perfect, right?).  So...  We have tickets!  We're going to the 8:00 showing on March 30th!  I am SO EXCITED!!  We're sitting at the orchestra level.  We're going to get dressed up, go to dinner, and then see the best musical in Broadway history!! :)

So, for your viewing pleasure, The 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 in London.

[Sorry the video was removed from youtube.  Sad day.]

Global Awareness?

Today was the first day back at school, and I must say, it was a really good day!  I was expecting craziness and non-stop talking, but it didn't happen; however, by no means were they asleep!  Well, I take that back, I did have two sleepers today.  Miss R. definitely wasn't ready to come back to school today.  I couldn't read correctly, write correctly, spell correctly, or speak correctly.  The kids had several laughs at my expense today. :)

We started our gigantic science unit on weather today.  I prefaced it by letting my students know how much and deep the content goes with this unit.  I think I scared a few of them, but I need their attention!  :)  Besides, after the crazy easy unit on genetics, they can put forth the effort.  While I'm thinking about it, I never shared anything about the genetics unit.  Basically, what it focused on was inherited vs. learned traits.  I had them make "Trait Trees" and they turned out pretty cute... I think.  We (teachers) did this activity at one of the County Office meetings last year.  They traced their hands to make the "leaves" of the tree.  On their left hand, they wrote their inherited traits, and on their right hand, they wrote their learned traits.  (One per thumb/finger)  I had to laugh at my hall display, though.  It reminded me (because of the handwritten "title") of 1990s hall displays.

New this year with the NC Teacher Evaluation (I think or it might have been new last year), is a "Global Awareness" standard.  I was lucky in that I met this standard in my first observation, but a lot of teachers have been stressing about it.  How exactly are we supposed to get Global Awareness in every lesson?  (Well, that's irrational.  I can't always happen and be genuine.)  What are we supposed to do if the principal doesn't see it in the particular lesson he/she observes, but the teacher does it on a regular basis?  Those were just a few concerns that were vocalized.  Our principal suggested to us that we have examples of global awareness on our walls... Maybe keep a folder with examples throughout the year.  One of the first year teachers took her suggestions and went into action.  He came up with the idea of recording whatever global awareness (I prefer to say global connections because we're connecting it to our lesson) that come up on the whiteboard, taking a picture of what is written, marking it on a map, and printing everything out.  It was a great idea, but a lot of extra work, I thought.  I took his idea of writing it on the whiteboard, but I decided to have a poster of the world printed/laminated so I can record the locations of the connections.  This map stays up all the time.  I also made a folder where I can store the articles or slide of the connection that was made.  We're not quite sure this is what NC wanted when they added the Global Awareness/Connection standard to our evaluation, but my principal/assistant principal are happy with it, and it works for my classroom.

Next week is going to be a full week!  That hasn't happened in a while.  I will need to rest up this weekend.  :)

Until next time...

January Currently (on time, too!)

January Currently!  Head over to Farley's blog to link up!

Most of these are self-explanatory, but I will go over "Needing" and "OLW".

Actually, Loving: My Clemson Tigers kicked a field goal with two seconds left and beat LSU 25-24!  It was amazing!  Check out our coach, Dabo Swinney, after the game!  Such a great man!  (Video Link)

Needing: School consumes me, and it is not because I cannot keep up.  I just have nothing else to occupy my time/thoughts/energy.  I don't live near family, and all of my friends are people I work with (and I love them dearly).  I'm making it sound worse than it is.  I do find time with my friends to enjoy life away from school, but I'm looking for something... I can't find the word... reliable? predictable?  I can't explain...

OLW: I just need to trust in all aspects of life.  Actually, I would rather not get into this one.

I hope everyone has a great first day back at school whether you have professional development, a work day, or actually have the kids!  The rest of you that don't start until later: I'm SO jealous. :-)