Blogging and Growth

I keep putting off blogging, which is not going to do myself any favors in the long run! The perfectionist part of me wants to wait until I have something noteworthy to say, or a product to share...but the idea behind this blog is about my growth so I need to remember to post along the way. Formative assessment for myself, in a way ;)

I am so very inspired by the other teacher bloggers out there. Sometimes I get home from student teaching and barely have enough energy to move...yet here are all of these fabulous teachers making products and curriculum on top of everything else! So, I know it's possible...and I think once I have more of my own routine it will be probable for me.

I have started taking over the math and science parts of the curriculum, and within the next few weeks I will start on reading and writing as well. I have so so many ideas for reading and writing...what I really should do is write them here so I don't forget!
I want to make their independent reading more purposeful, and work on more comprehension mini lessons. I'd like to be more purposeful about the workshop format for reading, writing, and math.

I've been using many ideas I find online and adapting them for my own content, such as Scoot and I Have, Who Has? I'm trying to always remember that kids need to be moving and interacting, so this using small groups and rotating even when doing workbook-type math.
Of course, it's a work in progress. It always will be, won't it? Lessons could always be better, more engaging, more authentic.

My mantra for the upcoming weeks needs to be:

"Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are". (Theodore Roosevelt)

Monday Musings

After the last math test, I realized how much many of the students needed help with multiplication. Here we were multiplying decimals, when the majority of them still needed help with single-digit multiplication, not to mention multiple digit! This is going to be something that we constantly work on. Today at the end of the math lesson, we did a multiplication I Have, Who Has? game.

Click here to find the free game on TPT (created by All Things Teachery):











This was the first time any of them have played I Have, Who Has? and they LOVED it!

It made me want to create game sets for all of the content areas. I think it's a great review because it involves the whole class and everyone must be paying attention in order for it to work! I used a stopwatch while we played and wrote the time it took us from start to end on the board...we are going to try and beat our score next time!

Whiteboards might be the way to go for multiplication review tomorrow. They love any chance they have to use them!

I've got math and holidays on the brain...thinking about how I can incorporate content areas with art to create some nice hallway displays :)

We have angles and polygons in October, division in November, and fractions and decimals in December.
So far I have a geometry zombie (and maybe some spider web angles?) set for this month...but I'm still searching for other festive things to do!

October Currently

Doesn't it seem like it was just September? 

I'm linking up to Farley for October Currently

P.S. Oops, I just realized I was supposed to leave a treat, not just share one that I have been enjoying ;) so much for telling my students to read the directions!
On pinterest I came across this site for creating your own posters. I have yet to use this in the classroom, but I love the idea...either for classroom decor/motivation or student projects!

Art & End of the Day

Four weeks in, and I'm still shocked at how fast the days fly by! With a late start tomorrow and then music class, I know the day will be over before I know it. I'm learning that 1) everything takes longer than planned...and 2) flexibility is absolutely essential. As important as it is to have a plan, I can see how it's necessary to "plan" that things will go differently.

Art.
On Friday, we had an artist come in to give a presentation about some of her sculptural work in a local competition. The students were enthralled, which showed me:
1) How awesome guest speakers can be for expanding knowledge (who could come in for math? science? social studies? writing? authors? etc etc etc...my mind is spinning)
2) How important it is for students to see themselves as artists too, and all of the connections between art and their content-area subjects. Some students thrive in art...this should be celebrated!

End of the Day.
I'd like to learn more about how teachers make the most of this "empty" space at the end of the day. I am so blessed to work with the CT I have...however I still like to dream about how I would do things in a classroom of "my own". There are usually a good 15-20 minutes at the end of the day that the students spend talking or wandering once their jobs (picking up the floor, cleaning up) are completed...I envision this differently in my own classroom!

Some ideas I have:

• Boggle (or I have seen "Noggle" for numbers!)
• I Have, Who Has games
• Educational clips (School-House Rock, Youtube)
• Hangman with vocabulary or word study words
• Sparkle with math multiples

The tricky part is this...school ends at 3:40. At 3:25 bus buddies and safeties are dismissed. At 3:30 "sibling pick up" is dismissed. The rest can leave around 3:35. So, I'd just like to plan something a little more structured with the students who stay until nearly the end. I'm still pondering...maybe just having them stay in their seats and free-writing or reading would be enough. Oh the possibilities.

bits of this week

Each day, at the bottom of my planner, I've jotted down a few things I want to write about. Here we go!

1) On Monday, I was given an apple from a student. I think that officially makes me a real teacher ;)

2) The students LOVE this prime number rap:

What is even funnier is some of the dance moves I've seen while they listen to it...who knew 5th graders   could "raise the roof" so well? But really, it's been so great because not only are they singing it all the time,     but also referring to it in math lessons! When I ask them how they know a number is prime, they'll tell me     the lyric "the only factors are one and me"...and it's a great way to remember that 2 is a prime number.

3) I'm learning some neat tricks for learning vocabulary. I'm sure there are entire books about vocab               activities...but a few we've done this week that could be adapted for any content area are speed sorts and      vocabulary quilts.

4) On September 17th, (Constitution Day!), we watched the School House Rock preamble video. Again, they loved it. It was so cute to hear them sing along.

5) Another thing they love? Whiteboards. At the end of the math lesson today, I put up some quick problems on the board (such as prime numbers, factors, square number) and had them write their answers on their individual whiteboards. When I said "okay, this is the last problem" I heard I collective "awww" from the group. Looks like we'll be doing that again tomorrow! Plus, it was a great formative assessment for me to quickly see who got it or who needed some extra guidance.

Stars and Wishes

(I am a big fan of student self-assessment, and formative assessment in general...so this post today is going to be in the form of three stars and a wish) :)

Three stars...

* My favorite part of this week is when we did the classroom library sort. I love nothing more than to see a student get excited about a book. I couldn't even get frustrated when I saw a student stop with the sorting because their nose was in a book. That is joy.

* A hug from a student at the end of the day? Nothing better. Okay so these "star" posts are getting a little sappy :)
* Fifth graders know a lot more than I think they do. This is both scary and cracks me up at the same time. When creating an "All About Me" page with their reading buddies (this one was formatted like a Facebook page) I saw a 5th grader write his status as : #single #LOL #OMG
...I had a good inner laugh at the that one.

And a wish...

* I've been teaching the math lessons this week (a lot of responsibility, but such good experience!) while my CT does assessments down the hall. I have an hour to myself for math...and I can't believe how fast it flies by! But one wish of mine is to improve with differentiating. The Everyday Math program is set up for more of a whole group, but I think that small groups and workshop-style lessons are the way to go. I don't think I can overhaul the math program ;) but I'd like to incorporate more small-group, rotating activities as I gain more responsibility of the classroom.

First Time for...Exit Slips

After much pinterest-ing (that's a verb, right?) over the summer, I knew I wanted to make an exit slip board for the classroom I'm student teaching in.

Today I taught my first math lesson (Everyday Math Unit 1.3...Factors) and also used the board I created!

I liked the idea of framing the board in a positive way by calling it "Show What You Know", so I wrote that at the top.

At the end of the factor lesson I had each student write their class number on a sticky note. They then needed to list the factor pairs and whole number factors. Not only did they think this was "cool" (something about the sticky notes...) and were able to move around, but it was SO helpful for me to do a quick check to make sure the lesson stuck. Stuck, sticky note...get it? Ha.

I was able to see that a couple students missed a factor pair, or didn't quite understand how to list the whole number factors...so this is something I'll address tomorrow. Quick formative assessment for the win!

I realized I need to take a picture of my board when not filled with post its!

And now for some exit board eye-candy (yes, there is such a thing)

I got my original design idea from Teach A Roo (links to printable TpT page)

I loved the bright green against the black!

And now, I just found this one...which I think is so cute I'm tempted to redo mine immediately (though it took me a silly amount of time to find the perfect numbers, laminate, and cut out the size of sticky notes)

Does anyone know where this picture is from? I found it on Pinterest and the link was broken. I wish I could give credit because it is adorable! Love the use of scrapbook paper.

Miss R's Classroom

And THEN...I found this one. I'm in love with the use of pockets, bright colors, and the "show me your bright ideas!" header.

And THEN...I realized that thanks to Jessica at Heeren's Happenings, all of the number/sizing/font work has been done for you! There is an awesome google doc (free on her blog) that you can just print and go.

SO, in conclusion...I loved using my exit slip board today. I have made my own board, but have some major exit slip envy over some of the beauties I've linked to.

Now, this is something I'm learning from teaching: not everything can be perfect. There is not enough time in the day to be "finished" with all the work that needs to be done. These little details (like perfectly symmetrical exit slip boards) can wait, and must wait. But for now, I have a nice little collection of links for when I do decide to redo mine ;)

Positive Things!

Even if I am the only person that reads this blog, I know it will be helpful for remembering all the lessons student teaching has taught me...both big and little.

Today's theme (I have just decided) was "positive"...

Positive Environment

• The student's morning work was to write a letter to us (the teachers) about themselves. I'm so excited to read these not only to get a glimpse into their lives but also into their writing skills. From walking around the room during this time I can already tell there are vast differences in ability
• My CT read the book "One" aloud today. Oh my goodness. I think I'll read it on the first day of school for the rest of my life. What an awesome message about being "the one" to stand up, and how not taking a stand against a bully can be just as sad as bullying itself. 
• Affirmations...I think I'll need to expand more on this later (with pictures!) but the gist is that students write affirmations, affirming each other's character. These are placed in pockets (really an over-the-door shoe holder) on the wall. When each student has received two, they are allowed to bring them home on Friday afternoons. The motivation the students had for this was so amazing. Within hours, I saw each student's pocket quickly fill up to hold two each (or more!). I heard some kind students saying "let's write one to someone who doesn't have one". Lots of warm fuzzy hearts from this lesson, especially mine. I can't wait to see how this progresses!

Positive Framing

• I've noticed that my CT will frame directions positively such as "quiet voices please" vs. "no loud talking", or "please raise your hand" vs. "no blurting". I want to focus on this so it becomes ingrained in me as well!

I'm Positive I need to...

• Remember that even Fifth graders need directions broken up for them in steps. I started giving directions to make a paper frame that included me showing how to trace, fold, and cut all at once. Well, I quickly found that it left 29 students rather confused. For my next explanation, I did it step by step, pausing in between to make sure we were on the same page, having them hold up their frames before they made the next cut. Much better. Lesson learned.
  
  (But, to keep it positive...their self-portraits turned out SO cute! The idea is from Create Teach Share. While the frames were a little extra work, I think it was worth it!)

The First Day

What a whirlwind!

Things that surprised me:

• How long it takes 29 5th graders to accomplish things :)
• That my "comfy" flats were no longer enjoyable after 8 hours on my feet.
• Despite being "rulers of the school" (as one student put it), they are still adorable.
• That I made it until lunch time before needing to use the bathroom (yay for developing a teacher bladder!)
• The quiet, wonderful calm that happened during Read Aloud. I loved it.
• I never knew that a 40 minute lunch break could feel like 5.

Things I want to remember: 

• Make sure bags of supplies are labeled at parent night! Believe it or not, most 5th grade boys don't remember which school supplies are theirs and at some point it became a free-for-all. In my own classroom, I might sort through these before the first day of school because my OCD tendencies prefer things to be labeled perfectly. 
• I love my CT's idea to have the students create the monthly calendar numbers. It's just a little thing that allows them to personalize the classroom more. She hands out half a blank index card to each student...students with birthdays that month get to decorate their day, and any holidays are specially decorated as well. I need to take a picture of this!
• Students LOVE to choose their own names for the table groups. My CT switches groups monthly. Each month, every table picks their own name under the same theme. It helps for team building and management (calling groups to line up). 

September Currently

How fun to do one of these for the first time :)
Can't wait to explore some of the other link-ups at Farley's!

The Night Before

Part of me feels as excited as on Christmas Eve, another as if I have a huge test tomorrow. And that is because...it's the night before school starts!

My Cooperating Teacher (CT) says that she barely sleeps the night before. I imagine that tonight will be the same for me. Back to School time has always been exciting for me (backpacks! school supplies! schedules!) but now being on the side of a teacher is an entirely new feeling of anticipation.

I've tossed the idea around in my head of starting my own blog, and since tomorrow marks the first day in my teaching journey I feel like there's no better time to start. For the past year, I have spent countless hours on teacher blogs...I like to think of it as doing my homework ;) ...so I am SO excited to start being part of the online teaching community I've been lurking in at a distance.

I hope that with time (and experience), this blog will grow to be something that I can inspire others with as well as keep a record of my teaching and learning :)