tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70351560437253463762024-02-18T21:44:06.806-05:00Nerdy, Nerdy, Nerdy!Wife. Mom. Teacher. Reader. Pinner. Blogger.Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-48557641132874979212015-07-23T14:33:00.001-04:002015-07-23T14:34:18.056-04:00Then & Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I'm waiting like a kid at Christmas to get into my new classroom at my new school! Here's my Timehop showing how nice and decorated my room was 4 years ago, and how it looks today. (Of course, it's not the same room...)<br />
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Look at how clean and shiny it is! And look how empty it looks! It's just BEGGING me to come in and set it up!<br />
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Tomorrow's the day, so I'm spending some time cutting out some last minute pieces of lamination to hang up in the room.<br />
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I'M SO EXCITED!<br />
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Do you get that way when it's time to set up your room every summer? Or do you dread having to get up early and climb up on step ladders?<br />
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I'll post pictures as the room starts to develop... woohoo!<br />
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~DallasDallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-18653910208163833102015-07-16T16:23:00.003-04:002015-07-16T16:45:03.767-04:00Why Instagram Is Good For Your Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I pinned something early this morning about <a href="http://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2013/10/why-instagram-works-for-small-businesses.html" target="_blank">5 ways that Instagram is good for your business</a>. It reminded me of the ways I use it in the classroom! So, being the nerdy, nerdy, nerdy teacher that I am, I whipped this up to show you 5 ways that Instagram is good for your classroom! Feel free to ask me questions, and share it with other teachers, too!</div>
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To read the original post I wrote about how I started using Instagram in the classroom, click <a href="http://www.nerdynerdynerdy.com/2014/06/using-instagram-as-classroom-tool.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-5560451205742583292015-07-14T18:44:00.000-04:002015-07-15T06:30:23.634-04:00Gearing Up for Interactive Notebooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As we're gearing up to start a new school year, I'm getting ready for interactive notebooks (INBs) for my middle schoolers in ELA this year!<br />
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Today, I'm going to let you know a little bit about how I'm getting ready. There are so many blog posts out there about how to create an INB - my recommendation is to look at Erin Cobb's stuff (I'm Lovin' Lit on TpT, and you can visit her website <a href="http://imlovinlit.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a>). She's amazing, and she has INB products available for ELA for 4th-8th grades.<br />
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If you're looking for math INB products, check out Jennifer Findley (find her TpT store <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jennifer-Findley" target="_blank">HERE</a>). She has math products for 3rd - 5th grade.<br />
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I do a little combination of cut-and-fold interactive items and some creative artsy designs in my notebooks. I do like the foldables, but sometimes, if we need something quick (and you know some days are like that), we take notes and I allow students to draw pictures, comics, or diagrams that help them process and understand the information.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcMwq1XPpMnIXErxe-rJ2wUgFmkxBdDevVQRIYwGmGKoGSyouxbIhrIxUzhbsuLRVm5SKBCudz8xBgYFKQq_LbpJz05j4IYDHmZC-mffvRtoLRIjOsE9fMIM2F8bP7dg78l_X_dY4dus/s1600/INB+Bags.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcMwq1XPpMnIXErxe-rJ2wUgFmkxBdDevVQRIYwGmGKoGSyouxbIhrIxUzhbsuLRVm5SKBCudz8xBgYFKQq_LbpJz05j4IYDHmZC-mffvRtoLRIjOsE9fMIM2F8bP7dg78l_X_dY4dus/s200/INB+Bags.png" width="198" /></a>So before my kids come in, I make INB kits. Last year, I had them in clear plastic shoebox bins with lids. This year, I'm putting them in zipper pouches. I like these because you can see in them. I purchased these at Walmart for $0.97 each. I have 14 of these, so in a class of 28, they can share a pouch for every two students.<br />
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I've included skinny markers (or do we call them "thin" in this day and age?), colored pencils, and scissors. I will include glue once I purchase some. Walmart and Target both have Crayola skinny markers for $0.97 a box. At Walmart, you can get the 12-count Crayola colored pencils for $0.97, or you can get the RoseArt brand for $0.50 a box. At Target, the 12-count Crayola colored pencils were more expensive (I don't remember the price - sorry!), but the Target brand for 12-count was $0.74. Maybe you're like me and you price shop!<br />
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I have a great Thirty-One bin that I'm going to put these in. I'm hoping I can swing by Home Depot and Lowe's to grab some paint stirrers for free so my students can use those for straight edges when needed/wanted. I'll toss those in the bin along with these kits. On days we need the kits, I'll post a note on the board, and kids can grab a kit and have a seat, getting ready for class to begin! I think the zipper pouches will be easier to grab than the plastic bins, and they take up MUCH less space.<br />
*I actually have multiple of these bins. You can view them on the Thirty-One website <a href="http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/catalog/product/243/catid/36/swid/917a/your-way-rectangle-in-citrus-medallion/" target="_blank">HERE</a>. I love these because they are really large, and if you buy the lid, they are stackable! I also like the fact that you can see into them. Visibility is huge in the classroom so you (and the students) can easily figure out where things go. (If you don't have a Thirty-One consultant, just let me know and I'll hook you up with mine - Kaitlin is awesome! Visit her page <a href="http://mythirtyone.com/kaitlinsmith" target="_blank">HERE</a>.)<br />
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For the covers, I love to have students decorate their notebooks and make them their own! You can see mine above, and my son made this one this summer. (This is not a school INB for him - he just wanted to make a personalized notebook!) I purchased full-sheet labels off Amazon for $11.64. (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ZXCWFI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DDEVBY0MMX5J" target="_blank">HERE's</a> the link.) You get 100 labels in the box. For ours, I printed out logos or pictures of the things we love. We colored them, cut them out, peeled off the back, and had instant customized stickers!<br />
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When the students decorate their notebooks in class, I'm going to give each student a half of the label page. They can draw, write, or decorate to their hearts' content! Then they can cut and peel too, and they will have beautiful, personalized notebooks. I really believe that if they make them specific to their interests, they take greater pride in what they put in the notebooks.<br />
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If you look closely at the picture of my INB, you can see a ribbon coming out of the bottom. It's so easy to tie a ribbon to the top of the coil, then let it be used as a bookmark for their notebooks.<br />
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So that's how I'm setting up my INBs for this school year. Do you use them? Feel free to share your tips below!Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-38325126353488557542015-07-07T18:15:00.003-04:002015-07-07T18:15:36.668-04:00A Summer of WaitingIf you read my last blog post, you know that I'm leaving 5th grade to teach middle school language arts next year! I am very excited about it, but this has definitely been a summer of waiting!<br />
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I don't know which grade I'm teaching yet. I don't know what room I'm working in. I don't know much of anything... except that I have a job! (I am very grateful for that fact, by the way!)<br />
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This time of year, I'm usually already in my classroom setting up. (Teachers go back in our district on July 30th this year.) Since I can't do that, I've been doing some projects at home and hanging out with my ten-year-old son instead!<br />
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Right now I'm working on decluttering... oh my word, do you ever look around your house and think WHERE DID ALL OF THIS COME FROM?! That's kind of how I'm feeling this summer, so I'm using my downtime to get rid of things I don't love or use. That can be a pretty big undertaking!<br />
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I'm going to share some of my declutter plans for the rest of this week. This is the kind of stuff we don't make time for once the school year starts. If you're anything like me, you're going ninety miles a minute once you set foot back in your classroom!<br />
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<u>Bathroom</u><br />
Clean out your medicine cabinet! (For me, it's a drawer.) Get rid of any medications that are old or expired. Do you have big boxes of tablets, like children's medicine or OTC sinus meds, and they only have a couple of tablets left in there? Get rid of that big box. I have tons of big boxes of children's Tylenol and Benadryl, but the boxes aren't full anymore. By getting rid of the big boxes, I have a little more space, plus I know to stock back up on those things. You'll definitely need lots of cold and headache medicines once school starts back, so if you spend a little time decluttering, you'll be able to purchase those important items before you really need them (and are likely too sick to go out and get them!).<br />
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Declutter your makeup drawer. Maybe you're like me and have about 7 or 8 similar shades of lipstick but only stick to one or two signature colors. Repeat after me: IF I DON'T LOVE IT OR USE IT, IT'S OKAY TO THROW IT OUT. I used to have the hardest time doing that. I'd say to myself, "Oh, but I spent money on that..." Now you're just taking up space - get rid of it!<br />
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<u>Bedroom</u><br />
Sort out everything in your dresser drawers. I mean everything. This terrifies me. I've moved to the dreaded land of plastic bins all of my closet to contain everything from scarves to extra pajama sets. IT'S GOT TO STOP. I am pretty ruthless when it comes to getting rid of clothes I no longer wear. (I went through my hanging clothes last week and took two big bags to Goodwill today.) Now it's time to tackle the drawers. I think this is so hard for me because I have so many drawers and so much foldable stuff. I have to conquer this!<br />
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Closet time. I've done this already - but if you haven't worn it during this season, get rid of it. You're a creature of habit, and you probably won't wear it in the future. Stop lying to yourself. I know. I did it for years.<br />
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Declutter that nightstand. Why is mine so full of crap?! I think I just need to chuck it all in a garbage bag. I'm fairly certain I haven't used the drawers in months.<br />
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Those are the things I plan to tackle this week. Next week will *hopefully* be my last week not knowing what I'm doing for school next year, so it will be my last ditch week to declutter. Here's what I'll probably tackle then:<br />
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*Kitchen junk drawer (God help us all)<br />
*Linen closet (I feel like I do this all the time and it NEVER EVER gets better)<br />
*Laundry room (It's truly a disaster. I don't want to. But I really should.)<br />
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Do you get the urge to clean out and declutter during the summer? If you have any advice or tips, I'd love to hear them!<br />
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<br />Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-17302836726225421532015-07-02T16:41:00.002-04:002015-07-02T16:41:22.180-04:00Moving to Middle School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I fully realize that I haven't blogged since October 2014. HOW ON EARTH do all you other bloggers balance teaching, living, AND blogging?! I am in awe of you all!<br />
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I have contemplated committing myself to one day a week to blog, but then real life pops up, and then I think about blogging, but then I say to myself, "I have nothing interesting to write about!" But I don't let my students take that attitude when it comes to writing...<br />
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So here I am. I'm going to blog more often. Hopefully. Will you hold me to it?<br />
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At any rate, here's my first blog post of 2015!<br />
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Big announcement... I'm moving to Middle School!<br />
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I've spent the entire 8 years of my career at the same elementary school. I taught 3rd grade the first two years and 5th grade for the last six. I have L-O-V-E-D teaching elementary, I loved the people I worked with, and I loved my school. So why the move?<br />
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Have you ever just felt a deep yearning in your heart for change? A desire for something different? A want for challenge?<br />
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Yup. That was me. I really found myself loving literature and teaching writing, and I felt in the deepest parts of my soul that I wanted to do that - and only that - all day long. I wouldn't have that opportunity at the elementary level, so I knew I had to move up to either middle school or high school. High school scares the bejeebers out of me, so middle school it was!<br />
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I took the GACE for middle grades and interviewed for an ELA position, and voila! Here I am - about to embark on a journey as a 7th grade ELA teacher!<br />
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Do any of you use Timehop? According to the app, I have noticed in the last couple of days that around this time in summers past, I have been working on classroom decor, new classroom ideas, cutesy organizational tools, etc. This summer is a bit different.<br />
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I don't know which classroom I'm going to be in yet. I don't know which exact classes I'm teaching. I don't really know a whole lot! For the first time ever, I'm having a hard time finding things to do this summer.<br />
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I do know that middle schoolers aren't going to want any of the cutesy-wutesy stuff of elementary school. I am, however, a firm believer in a classroom being a comfortable, beautiful place to be. I've switched my organizational tools from my sweet primary colors to more grown-up designs in red, black, gray, and white. But for other things... it's hard to plan when I haven't seen my classroom yet!<br />
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Even though I am waiting on the details, I am thrilled to become a middle school teacher. The teachers are so welcoming and fun at my new school. I am sarcastic and love to be a little crazy, so I am hopeful I will be a good fit with 7th graders.<br />
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For those of you who teach middle school, do you have any advice for me? It's a kind of surreal going from knowing the routine to embarking on something new. Any words of wisdom would be welcome!<br />
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Til next time,<br />
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<br />Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-3597365958860862952014-10-18T17:09:00.000-04:002014-10-18T17:09:03.643-04:00Why I Hope I Never Want to Give up Teaching<span style="font-family: inherit;">(I know I haven't posted in a while - busy doing this thing called teaching - but I felt like I needed to post this. Let me preface this post by saying these are MY views, not the views of my administration, fellow teachers, or school system. And - I love my administrators. They are awesome people. Now, without further ado...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I’ve seen this post floating around the
Internet, and honestly, I’ve refused to click on it in the past to even read
what it had to say. The article is titled, “Why I Want to Give Up Teaching.”
After seeing six or seven teaching colleagues post the same article, I finally
gave in and read it. This blog post is my opinion, and it’s the opposite… ”Why
I Hope I Never Want to Give Up Teaching.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To Mrs. Natale, the teacher who wrote the
article, I completely understand your frustrations. This is only my eighth year
teaching, but I have been through similar situations. We started off in Georgia
with the QCC standards, then moved to the GPS, and now we’re part of the CCGPS
– Common Core Georgia Performance Standards. I’ve seen a shift in the field
from using tests to see how kids are doing to now using tests to measure my own
effectiveness. No, I’m not a fan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m with you. I don’t think it’s fair that my
performance as an educator will be tied to whether or not one of my precious
students passes a fifth grade reading test when she is reading on a first grade
level. (We’ve been working on phonics during our lunch times together; b-a-t,
stretch out each sound, tap it out, put them together… good job, that’s “bat!”
Now let’s try another…) I don’t think it’s fair to assess how effective I am in
my classroom when I have students who break down into tears because they miss
their dad who’s passed away, or a loved one has gone to jail, or their mother
is too busy working three jobs to help them with their homework. I refuse to
say, “Buck up, buttercup, you’ve got to work harder on this long division.”
Sometimes, I put the math away and bring out the hugs and a piece of bubble gum
instead. (Hopefully an administrator won’t pop in for a walk-through during one
of those moments, or I’ll have documentation that I’m ineffective.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">HOWEVER, these are the exact reasons I refuse
to quit teaching. My students need an educator who sees all these crazy shifts
in education but still stands as a rock for her students. When times in
education are changing – and when times in my students’ lives are changing –
they need someone strong to whom they can cling. They need a rock in the storm.
They need a shelter to help them weather all the winds of change that blow
their way. And I honestly, truly, completely believe that God has created me to
be that safe place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">No matter how tough educational mandates may
be, they are likely harder on my students. I cannot allow testing requirements,
TEM (teacher effectiveness measure) scores, or changes in standards to sway me
from my goal. And my goal is to teach children. I don’t teach standards. I
don’t teach to tests. I don’t even teach novels or math concepts. No, this lady
right here teaches CHILDREN. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know the pressure – it stares me in the
face every day. I have to prepare my children for the fifth grade end-of-year
test. I also have to prepare my students for middle school. Those pressures do
weigh heavily on me. BUT I cannot change course. I cannot let it affect me. I
cannot let the pressures of teaching make me less effective. And I don’t mean
“effective” by my administration’s standards (though I do hope they think I do
a good job). I mean effective by my students’ standards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw a former student at the store today,
and as soon as we made eye contact, a huge grin came upon his face. I taught
him 6 years ago, but he immediately began to tell me how fifth grade was one of
the best years of his life. His mom recognized me as well, and we were
instantly transported back to the days when her son was just a scrawny
ten-year-old boy in my class. Now he’s a tall, beefy ball player. I was honored
that he remembered me, humbled by his mama’s sweet words to me, and blessed by
our conversation in the checkout line. HE, the countless children I’ve taught
in the past, and my students today are my fuel; when my energy tank seems low,
they keep me going. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, education is a crazy field. But to all
my brothers and sisters in this career field, it’s probably not going to get
better. My friends who have taught for twenty years or more tell me that
education is like a pendulum. It swings back and forth. What was all new twenty
years ago will swing back into popularity. What was all the rage in education
10 years ago has gone out… but just wait, we’ll see it again with a fancy new
acronym. We can’t let change keep us from doing the jobs that our children NEED
us to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mrs. Natale, you seem like a passionate lady.
Please don’t quit teaching. Your children need you. I think I’m a pretty good
teacher, and I also think my children need me. America’s children need strong
men and women to weather the craziness we call “teaching” and show up ready to
defy all odds on a daily basis. Because we all know that the odds won’t always
be in our favor, but if we can sustain our passion, we CAN defy those odds. I
may be a little biased, but I think teachers are heroes. To all of my teacher
friends who have felt this way in the past, please don’t quit. You never know
which child sitting in your classroom is desperate for a hero. So suit up,
friends. Your cape is calling. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-192449847490902182014-08-01T17:24:00.003-04:002014-08-02T07:20:10.700-04:00Classroom Tour 2014-2015Well, my friends, I've decided to go with a Jazz theme for the year! In 5th grade social studies in GA, one of our units involves the Harlem Renaissance and the 1920s, so having a jazz theme fits in perfectly! Take a look around my room - I just finished it today! (Our kids start on Thursday.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1TfCaX46jD7RwWfxzKaLAea2jlXYI5zqB762aEzMBh59oYmaVcwnH3XtIbCcxPEfztHE6Idpn7kPnq7II9CoYwmZ13dt1u_q-pEHJgSKggnlEgbgmxGFfrcklDg5iqcgy7m6E0LV9a0/s1600/IMG_6843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1TfCaX46jD7RwWfxzKaLAea2jlXYI5zqB762aEzMBh59oYmaVcwnH3XtIbCcxPEfztHE6Idpn7kPnq7II9CoYwmZ13dt1u_q-pEHJgSKggnlEgbgmxGFfrcklDg5iqcgy7m6E0LV9a0/s1600/IMG_6843.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the first thing parents and students will see when they walk through my door. Student tables are labeled with famous Americans we'll study throughout our social studies year!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm5cV9Tdl_rZXbVIHE6NKfGr5qYAMj-tYWTnNEH2LadajZAveuUpyKCakSbrBIIzjH0amBZDJ8OZr473Y8pwLdwI3KZi_YF6Z6NfDMmNrV4rp0HJip50ArUci8yDV_WCohM8f-c2O7KM/s1600/IMG_6724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm5cV9Tdl_rZXbVIHE6NKfGr5qYAMj-tYWTnNEH2LadajZAveuUpyKCakSbrBIIzjH0amBZDJ8OZr473Y8pwLdwI3KZi_YF6Z6NfDMmNrV4rp0HJip50ArUci8yDV_WCohM8f-c2O7KM/s1600/IMG_6724.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of door, this is on the front of my classroom door! I love the positive message it sends to parents and students.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBHQLGN73S75nOoyRg7sQruTKQAfNgpTS3NJPRow0nR2AGNkm35SXpwjEaG3mt-aR7KQI_bA-wBeGnmqz4Mn2i4-99IRou4uEcALxoCJMs2DUJaVL-vIbjNYcSzDmZKoDKguajS5cwbA/s1600/IMG_6828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBHQLGN73S75nOoyRg7sQruTKQAfNgpTS3NJPRow0nR2AGNkm35SXpwjEaG3mt-aR7KQI_bA-wBeGnmqz4Mn2i4-99IRou4uEcALxoCJMs2DUJaVL-vIbjNYcSzDmZKoDKguajS5cwbA/s1600/IMG_6828.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, this isn't INSIDE my room, but it's right outside the door. Our entire grade level is setting up a spot to showcase students' writing for the year! We laminated card stock and have large paperclips at the top so kids can simply slide their work above their names :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLfusEzH_6dnT4iYy6KQcqT-lkMTKjVn3ss88EDWJQpE264ceahta8oRm-yQegLgrg9UTyLqbNQ4xfLAfxxUhGuMaU2Zp1DNks1XhgzXppwjiz2UOErPydQCAkr-s2v3HN3riwCmqjTY/s1600/IMG_6831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLfusEzH_6dnT4iYy6KQcqT-lkMTKjVn3ss88EDWJQpE264ceahta8oRm-yQegLgrg9UTyLqbNQ4xfLAfxxUhGuMaU2Zp1DNks1XhgzXppwjiz2UOErPydQCAkr-s2v3HN3riwCmqjTY/s1600/IMG_6831.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students sign out to go to the restroom, library, office, etc., at this station. Also, notice the "Negativity Goes Here" sign above the trash can :) Love the message!<br />
The dry erase board hanging on the back of the door is where students sign their names when they leave. This way I know who's out of the room during an emergency or at any moment!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVelCzsB96c-VYxq9y0Udd896PrES3V0tSQDzUJr53u58F9rHrnh4xa-zjXXzentjNx5I7YzvBZav-xJiH4QuJQDosZHCtBhUe9GFJ5VrkHc1yw596H_PmJl6ANGJmu4MEStGGIwdZ7c/s1600/IMG_6832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVelCzsB96c-VYxq9y0Udd896PrES3V0tSQDzUJr53u58F9rHrnh4xa-zjXXzentjNx5I7YzvBZav-xJiH4QuJQDosZHCtBhUe9GFJ5VrkHc1yw596H_PmJl6ANGJmu4MEStGGIwdZ7c/s1600/IMG_6832.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some fun colorful character signs I found on Pinterest!<br />
(Find the signs <a href="http://www.technologyrocksseriously.com/2011/07/quotes-part-1.html#.U9wCyIBdUeM" target="_blank">HERE</a>.)<br />
The blue buckets are for kids who brought their lunches - this is the storage spot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjRPjYZxussC9csONZRDqYDkHm1x220r9g04Lg2AxGWAPBTMZVk25ImV72W3jjg6PWkIjX8jgMUY91Y9XMqjbuKlNsP-mZD0Gj_0KzbQbhsLC79n1UvK9AJuxSfiJEF-aCqpywP8_BQE/s1600/IMG_6833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjRPjYZxussC9csONZRDqYDkHm1x220r9g04Lg2AxGWAPBTMZVk25ImV72W3jjg6PWkIjX8jgMUY91Y9XMqjbuKlNsP-mZD0Gj_0KzbQbhsLC79n1UvK9AJuxSfiJEF-aCqpywP8_BQE/s1600/IMG_6833.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are going to have expectations, not rules, in my class this year! Be nice. Work hard. Let the teacher teach!<br />
I am also using the 4 stages of behavior from <i>Discipline without Stress, Punishment, or Rewards</i>. Those are listed on this wall as well.<br />
In this same spot, I have crayons divided up by colors in the red drawer container (warm colors, cool colors, and neutrals - trying to incorporate some art terms there) and my pencil drawers with the chevron front. That has a place for erasers, dull pencils, and sharpened pencils.<br />
Something new I'm trying this year is the crate with the Ketchup & Pickle folders. This is a really great idea I've adapted from the way I used to use Ketchup & Pickle in my classroom. Find out more about how it works in my post about it <a href="http://www.nerdynerdynerdy.com/2014/07/ketchup-and-pickle-folders.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-GxKopvqy3pubvtWU98GWJhrLPtIvV6PB8CBko3BhoLDb14d8fgd4_5FJJpvGdmb1DVCWHngja_t5qmygFhldMxI0k3HwZyPcoisZq4P-zn9d92v8U62pbhJqyqFi3cp64WbrwMdoT4/s1600/IMG_6834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-GxKopvqy3pubvtWU98GWJhrLPtIvV6PB8CBko3BhoLDb14d8fgd4_5FJJpvGdmb1DVCWHngja_t5qmygFhldMxI0k3HwZyPcoisZq4P-zn9d92v8U62pbhJqyqFi3cp64WbrwMdoT4/s1600/IMG_6834.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student cubbies with African artifacts on top (from my mission trip two summers ago)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjecRR2VrQzh4dHnPSSorDVL4IebG8ay4a1s0Dojaa5MOrAkp7v07CwuyFicsVOxOkE1gPoB6ZyPKKJCD73ZE3JhHtUw1AsITCLjvEudtFTdZ6QTSvSuY9_mjrxEk2r_sA7DhGRsl1I8/s1600/IMG_6835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjecRR2VrQzh4dHnPSSorDVL4IebG8ay4a1s0Dojaa5MOrAkp7v07CwuyFicsVOxOkE1gPoB6ZyPKKJCD73ZE3JhHtUw1AsITCLjvEudtFTdZ6QTSvSuY9_mjrxEk2r_sA7DhGRsl1I8/s1600/IMG_6835.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student work area with the computer that's hooked up to the Promethean Board... this is where they will turn in work, sign out books from the classroom library, and get simple class supplies (more staples, rubber bands, push pins, etc.).<br />
This cabinet also stores lots of classroom supplies. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAck2H3dttwvRCISKep-fOJKz4RogcBR51soqA8xy-oyampKqvi3-E9VzfhCi48AhWbJ8Q2t43H0XB3ula1x5-QdQrmgmjbEFztgfjd7ir5EPWggrE0yluum5v29kxYBd-FrhmHwqd-rQ/s1600/IMG_6836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAck2H3dttwvRCISKep-fOJKz4RogcBR51soqA8xy-oyampKqvi3-E9VzfhCi48AhWbJ8Q2t43H0XB3ula1x5-QdQrmgmjbEFztgfjd7ir5EPWggrE0yluum5v29kxYBd-FrhmHwqd-rQ/s1600/IMG_6836.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is just half of my class library, but I added the red curtain above the Promethean board to "jazz" the room up a little! I can open it all the way when the board is in use. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LPfykywwZ5vDyRWlbmnQ5Ulnh92G97n2k7hXxjI0LH0FB7jkTLbeRwfAEEeGO61Kj0M9A4yqFsnRnO1yCcB49NDeXehLCOpp6jBAgD2XC8qGHOgW8GqxlNXrMRVTs1n495oVbBjLA-Q/s1600/IMG_6837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LPfykywwZ5vDyRWlbmnQ5Ulnh92G97n2k7hXxjI0LH0FB7jkTLbeRwfAEEeGO61Kj0M9A4yqFsnRnO1yCcB49NDeXehLCOpp6jBAgD2XC8qGHOgW8GqxlNXrMRVTs1n495oVbBjLA-Q/s1600/IMG_6837.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our ELA bulletin board complete with our stages of the writing process clip chart! Students move their clips down the chart as they progress through the steps. And I LOVE our GROUPS poster! There are several versions on TpT.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3P4OElmgZjHA6WFeYtNwCbj3oJDsw-XThx06NFceev7cfOBQx67E7mOFDmfl60XG-NSBKZfXP3wdFrgtN8OjxJWChWVCsbXWMss8Al_aFimxQ7qOWPRZ8Pm9oIgBjeA8HRWUjSUIvjY4/s1600/IMG_6838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3P4OElmgZjHA6WFeYtNwCbj3oJDsw-XThx06NFceev7cfOBQx67E7mOFDmfl60XG-NSBKZfXP3wdFrgtN8OjxJWChWVCsbXWMss8Al_aFimxQ7qOWPRZ8Pm9oIgBjeA8HRWUjSUIvjY4/s1600/IMG_6838.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Computer station, complete with the "What STUCK with you today?" board! Students can place their "ticket out the door" sticky notes here. There is a spot for each child to place his or her sticky note. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyuMPEj3PAVPogIaX3rFhNpItq5rxR3IbjtkgRSQNKZ_-FZXpY_Si4E02ebpU0kHMjdrKf1Uhen6QL_idQeVjAxvvXVxCGAYbNpuJAkUxxWj-FQ4ZOwN8_hKbjP4XidHCRJC02ExgjHo/s1600/IMG_6839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyuMPEj3PAVPogIaX3rFhNpItq5rxR3IbjtkgRSQNKZ_-FZXpY_Si4E02ebpU0kHMjdrKf1Uhen6QL_idQeVjAxvvXVxCGAYbNpuJAkUxxWj-FQ4ZOwN8_hKbjP4XidHCRJC02ExgjHo/s1600/IMG_6839.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just love these character posters from Creative Teaching Press!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLgBmPqwkFy7niahdx041lFq7CEO3dCExC5ks0iGJbJ1GPpZj-9o0JM63J8z3ZuoyAkccPkMzbkeKUD7JM9VC8SOV6cpdLRmA94HfCVYZn-amiiAnYQEkOGE-Zo_9f4R8TqgjQizC-cg/s1600/IMG_6840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLgBmPqwkFy7niahdx041lFq7CEO3dCExC5ks0iGJbJ1GPpZj-9o0JM63J8z3ZuoyAkccPkMzbkeKUD7JM9VC8SOV6cpdLRmA94HfCVYZn-amiiAnYQEkOGE-Zo_9f4R8TqgjQizC-cg/s1600/IMG_6840.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I absolutely love my fabric drawer storage! All classroom supplies are easily accessible by myself or the students. I love having everything at hand. The kids know where to find whatever they need. This makes them more independent (and helpful when I need something, too!).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVYOb-oqRvFkAXnS3ZkWKrvdvEYQBCo_WhUe9B5iqjmVPgG7MfILaaF7CW5M5xk8BIb54Os-Ug6Hqh3hEeNub3tIvNa14b7tB9D_dyPaAVdQ7hCDLkL3upX4gMwygiiJHGkvkYCwHdps/s1600/IMG_6841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVYOb-oqRvFkAXnS3ZkWKrvdvEYQBCo_WhUe9B5iqjmVPgG7MfILaaF7CW5M5xk8BIb54Os-Ug6Hqh3hEeNub3tIvNa14b7tB9D_dyPaAVdQ7hCDLkL3upX4gMwygiiJHGkvkYCwHdps/s1600/IMG_6841.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my small group area. The drawers behind the table are for teacher storage. I keep copies for each class, supplies, papers to be filed, important papers from administration, and other items handy in these drawers. These are TEACHER ONLY DRAWERS! That's why they are behind my chair :)<br />
Beneath the drawers are crates. I have one crate per subject with all kinds of master copies in the crates. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJRBbVCWMln0b4PqWox5-4Kpn8cxehh7nPQuGWgkFItzvEnze8dlmijAV9LalwruSgMNbbNTsIKGiK8n3oEyCeIXfRvW7Vm_stjaglzOBgVFhq8-59Bh4UViRYHjm4kCfMbn5n_ZA0k4/s1600/IMG_6842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJRBbVCWMln0b4PqWox5-4Kpn8cxehh7nPQuGWgkFItzvEnze8dlmijAV9LalwruSgMNbbNTsIKGiK8n3oEyCeIXfRvW7Vm_stjaglzOBgVFhq8-59Bh4UViRYHjm4kCfMbn5n_ZA0k4/s1600/IMG_6842.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my table - a basket for read alouds and hard-back Reading Bowl books, a fun lamp, and a cool quote by Hank Green! "Read books. Care about things. Get excited. Try not to be too down on yourself. Enjoy the ever present game of knowing." Plus, a cute picture of my son! Oh, and the hole puncher. Just because it needs a place, yo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHcTU8eePqqmikCf3_v8wDp8FRII6Jq5wNYDYDNLac9adGykGKRusIr8VlR_5Kdj2ahyphenhyphenQWnsJMffYUlY3cJ3JTSISpgtFcBTzdzu_AARI06YdJzwVL06nrt-kUTeGuHVbggmpt47T2JY/s1600/IMG_6845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHcTU8eePqqmikCf3_v8wDp8FRII6Jq5wNYDYDNLac9adGykGKRusIr8VlR_5Kdj2ahyphenhyphenQWnsJMffYUlY3cJ3JTSISpgtFcBTzdzu_AARI06YdJzwVL06nrt-kUTeGuHVbggmpt47T2JY/s1600/IMG_6845.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the black on the walls with the colorful accents around the room. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Pnf_eRTinxLyL5pF8U7HAokWH8U1qMdyNNZdsmpkH_ZE5ijqH92YJBTiJeSIZs2g_DCabz8cJi3Z4JkRmrv5CUj-1Eo7KHMD_6fU3XJZHBYmPVhikxD-79csZZjcIdhe8nGV17p6xAc/s1600/IMG_6846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Pnf_eRTinxLyL5pF8U7HAokWH8U1qMdyNNZdsmpkH_ZE5ijqH92YJBTiJeSIZs2g_DCabz8cJi3Z4JkRmrv5CUj-1Eo7KHMD_6fU3XJZHBYmPVhikxD-79csZZjcIdhe8nGV17p6xAc/s1600/IMG_6846.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a folder ready with all the students' open house forms that need to be completed and returned.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsqU_t9DnKBCsNBRFDCtuNprBGonhXv_rwNebuPCL1QLqXc8Bb3s7Smzu-SYNnwQbyfu3wPf5xI2IgHt5RY1n6L8H8-C5NMFFpHLIzyybxSHAmii_ocUoVlNn3DK8doOHLei3pEWUIIg/s1600/IMG_6848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsqU_t9DnKBCsNBRFDCtuNprBGonhXv_rwNebuPCL1QLqXc8Bb3s7Smzu-SYNnwQbyfu3wPf5xI2IgHt5RY1n6L8H8-C5NMFFpHLIzyybxSHAmii_ocUoVlNn3DK8doOHLei3pEWUIIg/s1600/IMG_6848.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each student gets a special treat for open house - a bag of white cheddar popcorn (yummy and healthy!) that says, "Thanks for POPPING by! Love, Mrs. Thompson"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK60m4zUKrzUmWi9YXto4tbrkspnrGVmBbdYTTJleTyQD7VsOfKxTSbBRtHHjsWTN-EU3bIThFAYPLpcCWml1qRakpUN9eGWG9cuzWwRbwqwc7elTPPjJ8OwmzkMt4_g0B1BRL8SG9Zak/s1600/IMG_6849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK60m4zUKrzUmWi9YXto4tbrkspnrGVmBbdYTTJleTyQD7VsOfKxTSbBRtHHjsWTN-EU3bIThFAYPLpcCWml1qRakpUN9eGWG9cuzWwRbwqwc7elTPPjJ8OwmzkMt4_g0B1BRL8SG9Zak/s1600/IMG_6849.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The room... with my fancy rolling podium! I love that!</td></tr>
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So that's a quick tour of my room. Have you set your classroom up yet? Posted pictures to your blog? Leave a link in the comments below! I love looking at room decor!Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-9703762665590895262014-07-23T08:00:00.000-04:002014-07-23T08:00:03.672-04:00How We Do Service LearningI've had some inquiries about how our class (and now our entire grade level) does service learning. I consider myself very blessed to work with a grade level team filled with women who are also passionate about serving others! The entire 5th grade at our school participates in service learning. The joy of serving others has spread, and our second grade team partners with us as well! The focus on service learning makes teaching even more enjoyable, I believe.<br />
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So, why teach students to serve other people? One of my major beliefs as an educator is that I need to expose my students to the needs of others both in our local community and around the world. I believe that a focus on service learning teaches character and problem-solving with a real live audience! That is a true motivator.<br />
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In order to make service-learning successful, students need to drive the majority of it. If there's no student buy-in, it's less meaningful and you are more apt to have behavior issues during the project. When the kids are working on something they believe in, they'll all be engaged and want to produce their very best work to serve whomever they are serving.<br />
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The three projects we have done in the past are The 9/11 Care Package Project, the Partnership with The Guest House, and The Sandwich Project.<br />
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Two of the service learning ideas started out as my brainchild. I introduced them as, "Hey, do y'all want to do this?" I took the "excitement" temperature of my class, and if it was high, I asked the kids to decide how they wanted to proceed. This was how the 9/11 Care Package Project and Partnership with The Guest House began. The kids would share their ideas at their tables, then I would appoint a "project manager" to take ideas on the board and lead the class discussion. It's totally okay for a teacher to suggest a service project idea... but it's <b>very</b> important to let the students run with it!<br />
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The Sandwich Project (detailed at the bottom of the page) was completely the idea of my students. It was a beautiful thing to behold! Of course, every year after that, I had to reintroduce it to my students and see if they still wanted to run with it. Each year when we make sandwiches, the totals are announced to the whole school over the intercom, so the kids generally come to 5th grade excited about participating in this project. 2nd grade also participates in making sandwiches with us every year, so most of the kids have already done it once and look forward to doing it again!<br />
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Without further ado, here are details about the 3 major projects we focused on last year!<br />
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<u><b>9/11 Care Package Project</b></u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGm8PwvGXhw3-OwmsmHVGIlhFPy6MCxXX8tKKpE7J9pI2neRBs9fpdhd08ybMmrNSyCDYI9vzCAbagzsklssozkcxqdH_6aYAqW1uXlF33dKUsW9uksYvd2Hpl7aGx-G59WVAKD80qR2w/s1600/service1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGm8PwvGXhw3-OwmsmHVGIlhFPy6MCxXX8tKKpE7J9pI2neRBs9fpdhd08ybMmrNSyCDYI9vzCAbagzsklssozkcxqdH_6aYAqW1uXlF33dKUsW9uksYvd2Hpl7aGx-G59WVAKD80qR2w/s1600/service1.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
In honor of 9/11, our entire 5th grade decided to sponsor soldiers and send them care packages! As a grade level, we sent care packages to 12 soldiers. All of the soldiers we chose were people with whom we had a personal connection. The kids wrote letters of thanks for the soldiers' service, drew patriotic pictures, and packed some essentials for the soldiers.<br />
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Once boxes were packed, students had to fill out the USPS form detailing what was in the box, how many of each item, etc. This service learning project incorporated writing, art, and math. (I would argue that it included engineering, too, considering they had to pack, unpack, and repack the boxes a few times to make everything fit better!)<br />
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We got lots of suggestions from many different people (all of whom knew a lot about the needs of military folks) about what to include in our care packages.<br />
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Interested in doing this project? Some of the items we included:<br />
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<ul>
<li>baby wipes (sometimes the only way they have to wash up depending on the area!)</li>
<li>turkey jerky (stay away from pork as it is not allowed in some middle eastern countries)</li>
<li>toothpaste, mouthwash, floss, toothbrushes, etc.</li>
<li>deodorant, bar soap, lotion</li>
<li>cookies, fig newtons</li>
<li>playing cards</li>
</ul>
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I forget how much it costs to ship these boxes, but you could drop in your local post office to inquire.</div>
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<u><b>Partnership with The Guest House</b></u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuYnBgY0KFDM1bouHjgd9iJYxVB7uLo-itzcCBmQ7K3Uf5-LQO1Wzcm6pWwffagijwHe_EkSLsVbHi-ve-UF7kY2eC-gLxRU750LRcxULdFhfbtbanbzzcJ6FOQ-wg8unRXXJZywH9HM/s1600/service2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuYnBgY0KFDM1bouHjgd9iJYxVB7uLo-itzcCBmQ7K3Uf5-LQO1Wzcm6pWwffagijwHe_EkSLsVbHi-ve-UF7kY2eC-gLxRU750LRcxULdFhfbtbanbzzcJ6FOQ-wg8unRXXJZywH9HM/s1600/service2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
The Guest House is a local day facility for senior citizens who need some care and supervision during the day while their family members are at work, running errands, etc. They have anywhere between 8-18 people there at a time. The Guest House has full-time nursing care on site as well as several wonderful staff members.<br />
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The Guest House recently moved just up the street from our school, so it is within walking distance! Hooray! We did 3 events there this year. On Halloween, we walked up in costumes and read scary stories that the students had written themselves. They happened to have a man-and-wife duo who came to play the guitar and sing that day, so our kids got to dance and sing with the seniors. It was so much fun!<br />
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For Christmas, my students all made cards for their friends at The Guest House. I took 4 of the students with me after school to go deliver the cards and spread some Christmas cheer.<br />
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At the end of the year, the students had planned a Civil Rights Concert and sang some songs they had learned during that unit. They also made posters about famous Americans during this time period and presented those as well.<br />
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When you're working with seniors, it doesn't really matter that you do anything fancy! They just want someone to come spend time with them. I know that when I was in 4th grade, we visisted a nursing home and played cards and bingo with them. We will be doing some low-key things like this next year as well.<br />
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So far, only my class has visited The Guest House, but the rest of the grade level is excited to be joining this project in the upcoming school year!<br />
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Interested in doing a similar project? Contact a local nursing home or senior center to see what their needs are. Our seniors always love hearing kids talk or sing, and many of them love to share their life stories with kids. There's always a need to be filled! If you can't walk somewhere, talk to someone at your school about getting permission for a special field trip. There's something about service projects that defintely makes them harder to turn down!<br />
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<u><b>The Sandwich Project</b></u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9B5CRIXnGggWNALKDwNTq38pkMiVjnH-VcvTZdbgk1RZQ-q8OPdxOrZj4kzLH6pGc-q0k1MJh96di6uDlAjlFwGsqAezji6lTlkVoinaFN9SNa792UWEjR_EsFXOHdoRuu1Vl98SvRrI/s1600/service4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9B5CRIXnGggWNALKDwNTq38pkMiVjnH-VcvTZdbgk1RZQ-q8OPdxOrZj4kzLH6pGc-q0k1MJh96di6uDlAjlFwGsqAezji6lTlkVoinaFN9SNa792UWEjR_EsFXOHdoRuu1Vl98SvRrI/s1600/service4.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
This is our BIGGEST project. It all started in September 2010, and it began with a book... <i>Something Beautiful, </i>written by Sharon Dennis Wyeth and illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. <b>This has been my service labor of love, and I am so pleased with how big this project has become!</b><br />
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Instead of rewriting a post I have already published on my class website, I am going to copy what I have written on my service learning page and paste it below. To see even more pictures, visit that page <a href="http://www.mrsthompsonteaches.com/service-learning.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFSEVtDFfr9gZUTXjJQvw0PNiga1JuWc33gLeZTdlo3v1n7Xy5F-ois4_1PwKqheNGT4txLgwetnh7Js632vK96VeCIlQmVjQWU7FZ0_1JIXHEsauV_RhClAqreY00HuWqTkoGXOKCXE/s1600/service3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFSEVtDFfr9gZUTXjJQvw0PNiga1JuWc33gLeZTdlo3v1n7Xy5F-ois4_1PwKqheNGT4txLgwetnh7Js632vK96VeCIlQmVjQWU7FZ0_1JIXHEsauV_RhClAqreY00HuWqTkoGXOKCXE/s1600/service3.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">In September of 2010, I decided to read one of my favorite picture books to my fifth grade students. Little did I know it would be the start of something amazing...</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">I like to use picture books even though I teach fifth grade. To leave these books out of my reading class would be denying my students exposure to some wonderful literature. As an added bonus, picture books can be read, start to finish, in one class period. These books also often have rich details about character and setting, and we can reach the resolution of a conflict quickly. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">This one particular school day, I was going to read Something Beautiful, written by Sharon Dennis Wyeth and illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet. I met the illustrator at a reading conference, and he generously autographed my copy of this beloved book. This is a beautiful story, and I have loved it for a long time because of that. However, I have a weakness for autographs, so that made this book even better in my eyes!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">In the book, the main character, a little girl in an inner-city neighborhood, goes on a search for “something beautiful.” She sees the word “DIE” graffitied on her door, she passes a homeless woman wrapped in plastic outside of her cardboard shelter, and broken bottles in the alley. She polls her friends, neighbors, and family to find something beautiful, and finds that beauty can be found everywhere you look: in a baby’s laugh, in the sound of beads in a girl’s hair, in the fresh fruit at a produce stand. She decides to clean up the ugliness around her. She says, “I feel powerful.” At the end of the book, she asks her mom if she has anything beautiful. This is where, even though I read this every year to my students, I begin to cry. The mom tells her, “Of course. I have you.” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">This book, as I said, is a lovely story with stunning illustrations. I had planned, in my opinion, a quality standards-based lesson about the setting influencing the conflict in the story. My students, however, had a different plan in mind.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">As always, we discussed what from the book stood out to us. Immediately, one of the students said he was very bothered by the part with the homeless woman, and he said he was sad for her. Other students began to agree aloud. Another student mentioned that she had seen the article in the local newspaper about homeless people in our own community who were living under a bridge and about how tough life was for them. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">In a matter of minutes, we were off the track I had planned. I like to redirect the students when they start to lose focus on the standard I’m teaching, but something inside of me said to let them keep going. Deep down, I knew this was a teachable moment I couldn’t let slip through my fingers.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">So, we kept talking about the homeless situation in our hometown. What can we do about it? I remember, with a smile, that the students wanted to do a bake sale and buy houses for the homeless. What big dreams! I told them, however, that I didn’t think we needed to throw money at the problem; instead, we needed to use our hearts and our hands. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">I gave them homework that night - to go home and think about what we could physically do that would show love and compassion for the homeless in Gainesville.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">The next day, we had another discussion about our newest endeavor. We decided that we could make sandwiches for the homeless, especially since so many of the students were worried about them being hungry. We called this endeavor “The Sandwich Project.”</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">I asked the students if they’d like to make sandwiches the next week, and they all shouted, “No! Let’s do it now!” I told the children I’d email their parents asking them to send in supplies for the following Friday, but that wasn’t fast enough for these kids. I then told them that their parents would not be happy with me if I demanded supplies immediately. Unfortunately, even though I have a weakness for autographs, I have an even bigger weakness for puppy dog eyes. With 25 pairs of puppy dog eyes breaking down my attempt at a steely exterior, I gave in and sent an email to all of my students’ parents, describing what had happened and what the kids wanted to do about it.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">Imagine my surprise, when in just a few minutes, I had several email responses from the parents, saying, “I’ll bring bread,” or “I’ll send in some peanut butter!” The kids were ecstatic, and truthfully, I was too.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">The next day, we spent an hour making 25 lunches for the homeless under the bridge. Some students made sandwiches, other students bagged the sandwiches up; some decorated brown bags for the lunches, some packed pretzels into baggies, and some added cookies. We completed the sack lunches with napkins and mints, and I sent them off with a local ministry contact who visits the bridge.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">After we completed the first ever sandwich-making-day for The Sandwich Project, I asked the students to write me a letter to reflect on the experience. Never before have I cried upon reading student writings like I did that day. Students wrote, “I feel powerful.” (They remembered, from the book.) Some wrote that they now understood what it meant when people say that one person can make a difference. They wanted to keep doing it, and they wanted to do even more.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">We decided to make sandwiches once a month. Our first attempt took us an hour to make 25 lunches. We finished the year making nearly 100 lunches in an hour. I guess you could say we perfected the technique!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">Parents were our lifesavers - they sent in all the supplies to make this possible. Without 100% parent support, The Sandwich Project might have only been a one-time thing, if even that. I owe them a debt of gratitude.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">Students never lost their enthusiasm for making lunches. The inspirational messages that decorated the bags were heartfelt. The students had to work extra hard during sandwich-making weeks; I never gave them less work just because we spent a class period making lunches. They knew they had to work harder in order to do it, but that never stopped them from making sure we took the time to help others who are less fortunate.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">I heard from some of the parents that it had become a dinnertime topic in their families, and that they were looking into other ways to help the needy in our community as a family. I hope they continue to be inspired because of The Sandwich Project. It’s been something like tossing a pebble into a quiet pond; the goodness is rippling outwards. It’s been a beautiful thing to witness.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">By the end of the year, we fed the homeless with over 200 lunches. Wow! Just thinking about makes me smile. I have been blessed to teach such generous students. Even if they chose to throw my lesson plans out the window. And I’m glad they did.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">UPDATE: June 2014</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato-light, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">The entire 5th grade at Centennial has worked on this project together for a few years now. Once a year, each 5th grade class partners with a 2nd grade class to make lunches. It has turned into a very special project, indeed!</span></span><br />
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Interested in doing a similar project? Churches are often a great contact for working with those in need. We worked with a ministry called Under the Bridge and are now branching out to work with a local church who opens their doors to the homeless 3 days a week for food and clothing. (By the way, just because a church is your contact doesn't necessarily make it a religious project.)<br />
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So that's how my class does service learning! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! Does your class do service learning? Share what you do in the comments below!Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-65563973902657705282014-07-16T09:00:00.000-04:002014-07-16T09:00:08.820-04:00When Students Say, "I Can't Do It..."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I don't know about you, but one of the reasons I wanted to become a teacher is because I find the "aha" moment (also known as the "lightbulb" moment) so exhilarating. I love it when a student finally understands something he has found difficult in the past. I feel a rush seeing the delight on a child's face when she masters a topic in class. Oh, the triumph!</div>
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But some students, and you know you've had a few, are so beaten down by past failures that the "I can't" attitude is difficult to break through. </div>
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In college, I remember learning about the growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset. If someone has a fixed mindset, she believes that some people are smart and some are not. Period. (Oftentimes, this person also feels that she is not smart.) If a person has a growth mindset, she believes that people can improve and get better at things. (Thus, she can improve and get better at things.)</div>
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There's a chart floating around the interwebs (I've seen it pop up on both Pinterest and Twitter.) It's a way to move kids from a fixed mindset into a growth mindset way of thinkin'.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJjfb3YFzjZHYHXssxoZxXc7hZQhYc-MmfrLZcypjZUVUhKUZhD4m4Dt3zb_GJjQTkgm0leuS4wmyvSMRLaUabMzUkFHVhHHCkL-4jM_TYUIjAvsQMbQmugyt_gvvB638rXS8cMyi8PA/s1600/GrowthMindset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJjfb3YFzjZHYHXssxoZxXc7hZQhYc-MmfrLZcypjZUVUhKUZhD4m4Dt3zb_GJjQTkgm0leuS4wmyvSMRLaUabMzUkFHVhHHCkL-4jM_TYUIjAvsQMbQmugyt_gvvB638rXS8cMyi8PA/s1600/GrowthMindset.jpg" height="450" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love this! I love it so much that I made a copy to put in my classroom. But then I stepped back and thought a little more about doing that. </div>
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Here was my inner dialogue:</div>
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<i>What if this just becomes visual clutter?</i></div>
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<i>Well, I'll go over it the first few days of school. That will be nice.</i></div>
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<i>But what if they don't listen to you?</i></div>
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<i>Well, they are going to be precious little angels and hang on every word I say. They won't be so rude to ignore me!</i></div>
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<i>Okay, but what if they are just pretending to listen, but it doesn't really sink in?</i></div>
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<i>Well, then... I will just... Um... You see... I'll...</i></div>
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I'm quite used to having two sides of my brain debating and having an inner dialogue. Does this only happen to me? I digress...</div>
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So, I didn't want this to just be visual clutter. I want this to make an impact. So, in order to do that, I want the students to get more <b>involved</b> in this chart.</div>
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I typed it up in a sweet little document like this. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpjKZAuwi-oSafqM7MmSZu7mEXLpMXVkzTyixa3gkwVtPT4qMrS1iNUn9acmPD70jlrHbTzYH8Ig9wgEVmeL_BowX_S08x90kQfe9dN_6uEYqKGGEllE2Bk5_8EwS6NvRYF9PXXGMqJU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-10+at+5.05.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpjKZAuwi-oSafqM7MmSZu7mEXLpMXVkzTyixa3gkwVtPT4qMrS1iNUn9acmPD70jlrHbTzYH8Ig9wgEVmeL_BowX_S08x90kQfe9dN_6uEYqKGGEllE2Bk5_8EwS6NvRYF9PXXGMqJU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-10+at+5.05.00+PM.png" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
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I want to spend some time - on one of the first days of school - to go over this. I want the kids to know the difference between fixed and growth mindset. I want the students to know that after I failed the "gifted test" twice in 5th grade, I found myself STUCK in the fixed mindset. Those kids were smart. Obviously, I was not. Add in the fact that I really struggled with math in middle school and high school, and I was convinced I was no longer part of the "smart kids club." Then, in college, I started to move over toward a growth mindset. With unbelievably hard work, I went from being a failing math student to making a 99 average in statistics and a 101 average in an environmental logarithms class. WHAT ON EARTH? </div>
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I found out that it was true. It IS possible to get better at things. If I can become smart at math, then by gosh, anybody could! The growth mindset is for real, y'all.</div>
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So I want the kids to recognize the things they think and say. Those things are in the left column. I want them to brainstorm with partners or in small groups how they could CHANGE THEIR THINKING into a growth mindset point of view!</div>
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If they work on putting together a growth mindset list of things they could say instead of that "stinkin' thinkin'" - well, they might be more likely to use those phrases. Later in the year, if I hear someone say, "I can't do this math problem," or "I can't understand this book," then I can gently say, "Hey, love, why don't you turn this into a growth mindset phrase? What can you say instead?" </div>
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I'm hoping that having a REAL dialogue about this with the kids - and letting them discuss it with each other - will make this an idea that lasts all year.</div>
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Have you seen this chart floating around? Do you teach your kids how to think in a growth mindset frame of mind? Tell us what you do!</div>
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(Oh, and if you want a free copy of this chart for your students to use in your classroom, you can download it <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/233410775/Growth-Mindset-What-to-Say" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div>
Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-10644979517124475792014-07-09T09:00:00.000-04:002014-07-09T09:00:04.814-04:00Instructional Conversation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxV3EC4C4snI94qVoguEaQ-i4CQx7I72O85Q3B2stmwgG8AQ102ytyEtRP4sldPzjTfAd0UOGuppd59AWxg-0hKgNE5R5vUzaq8iEpZJs5VdubN11S1-gE72-kBw4yM94sBmlc1qEnNw/s1600/IC+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxV3EC4C4snI94qVoguEaQ-i4CQx7I72O85Q3B2stmwgG8AQ102ytyEtRP4sldPzjTfAd0UOGuppd59AWxg-0hKgNE5R5vUzaq8iEpZJs5VdubN11S1-gE72-kBw4yM94sBmlc1qEnNw/s1600/IC+copy.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
A few years ago, I participated in a training offered by the University of Georgia to help improve learning for all students. This was put on by their CLASE department, or the Center for Latino Advancement and Success in Education. It offered training on how to help Latino students succeed, but the research proved that it helped improve ALL student subgroups.<br />
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When I heard about that, I jumped at the opportunity to participate. (To check out their website, click <a href="http://www.coe.uga.edu/clase/" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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One of the most important strategies I took away from this training (that lasted for a couple of weeks each summer along with additional support and training over a span of two years) was the Instructional Conversation, or the IC.<br />
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An instructional conversation is a lot like a regular conversation, but it focuses on instruction. Seems simple enough! But it's quite different from what kids are used to in typical classroom settings. When we first rolled it out in a few of our classrooms four years ago, there was quite a transition period.<br />
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In most class settings, the teacher asks a question, students raise their hands, and then they wait for the teacher to call on them. In an IC, there's a small group of students having a conversation about what they are learning or what they have learned. The teacher is there only to support and clarify misconceptions.<br />
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When we first tried it in one of my reading small groups, I'd ask a question about the text that I wanted the students to discuss. I asked a question, and a couple of the kids raised their hands, and the others just sat there. I realized I'd have to TRAIN my students to have an instructional conversation.<br />
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We talked about what a regular conversation looks like. I asked my students, "Do you raise your hands to talk to your friends at recess?" They all laughed, of course, and said no! I asked them to tell me how they talk to their friends at recess in a regular conversation. (Be sure to use the word <i>conversation</i> a lot.)<br />
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They said, "Well, we all kind of just... jump in... when we have something to say!" I asked, "Sometimes, do you talk over each other?" They replied that yes, that did happen sometimes. I asked if that was okay, and they said that it was, because they ususally sorted it out. Most of the time, though, they kind of took turns.<br />
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I asked, "Is it like taking turns on the slide? You have one turn, then you have to kind of get in line and wait until everyone else has gone?" Again, they laughed, and said no, the conversation kind of bounced around. AHA! That's the key I was looking for!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvCFaKQ_3z5Zq4yKN1tbXdhVyeArjjXtPDNUtIQgn085iQ28VyvVRffm1L_rB_2a3p7NqKPU28RQtIynyN5suQuVuRvpjYOvpKYw1NFKGPNb1XehxbredK9ZvU9vpQmjuRdxn1h7fojo/s1600/photo+(19).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvCFaKQ_3z5Zq4yKN1tbXdhVyeArjjXtPDNUtIQgn085iQ28VyvVRffm1L_rB_2a3p7NqKPU28RQtIynyN5suQuVuRvpjYOvpKYw1NFKGPNb1XehxbredK9ZvU9vpQmjuRdxn1h7fojo/s1600/photo+(19).JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Conversation in an IC should have the "ping pong" effect - it should bounce around from person to person. Ideally, you want everyone to have a say at some point. You don't want any one person to take over the conversation, and you don't want someone sitting there saying nothing. This all comes with time and gentle redirecting from you (that's your only job anyway, basically).<br />
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Sometimes, though, kiddos need a little prompting on how to carry on a conversation. That's why I love to make conversation cards for the kids. I hand these out at the beginning of each IC. If they are having trouble talking, providing evidence, disagreeing politely, or continuing the conversation, I will say, "Why don't you look at your conversation card for some ideas on how to move forward?"<br />
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If you'd like these cards to use in your classroom, you can download them for free <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/232622126/How-to-Have-an-Instructional-Conversation" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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You may be wondering - what kinds of things could be discussed in an IC? Really anything where students would have to talk, provide evidence, possibly agree or disagree, and share ideas. Here are some examples.<br />
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<b>Reading: </b><br />
Read these two short texts. Determine the organizational structure for both, and support your decisions with evidence from the texts. Then compare and contrast the structure for each passage. Explain why you think the author chose to present the information in that way. (You may want to write the question down for them!)<br />
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<b>Math:</b><br />
The answer is 49.37. What is the question? You must use create at least two questions, one with addition/subtraction and one with multiplication/division. Show at least two ways to solve each question.<br />
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<b>Language Arts:</b><br />
You have been provided with short text. Choose 2 sets of sentences to combine with punctuation or conjunctions. Choose 2 other sentences to reduce into simpler sentences. Work together to decide which sentences to combine and which ones to reduce. Be able to explain why you chose which sentences and how you combined/reduced them.<br />
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<b>Social Studies:</b><br />
You have been provided with a railroad map of the United States in 1860. Using this map, discuss why cattle trails became necessary in order to get beef from Texas to other parts of the United States. Choose several routes the cattle could take in order to reach different eastern destinations. Which routes would be the best? Which would be the worst? Be prepared to defend your ideas.<br />
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It seems like it's basically just group work. It is, but there is a structure for conversational support! The teacher is present to guide students back to the topic at hand if needed and to clarify any misconceptions. Oftentimes in group work, one or two students take over, and not everyone is fully involved in speaking about their learning. <b>When you shift from "group work" to instructional conversation, the focus is on how the students are talking.</b><br />
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<b>During an IC, students should be using the language of learning. </b>They should be using the vocabulary from your unit. That is the key! The focus on conversation is what truly separates this from regular group work.<br />
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I love using ICs in my classroom! Have questions? Let me know in the comments! Do you do something similar in your classroom? Please share your ideas.<br />
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DallasDallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-15992511893168736782014-07-02T08:00:00.000-04:002014-07-02T12:48:46.085-04:00"Ketchup and Pickle" Folders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFywSkQjU5GtjSLNNgABFo5a0p3kVP5H-A74o3gP7XMU5U_a1pR1IsFRRqB-AC5Rc8RQLtFMZVSNMSVdKcBb5yf9_XUK4p5sP4WvQpUi-YgnG_w2e5Y4FDPVZd10QQ3isKYSOxsWies1M/s1600/photo+(14).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFywSkQjU5GtjSLNNgABFo5a0p3kVP5H-A74o3gP7XMU5U_a1pR1IsFRRqB-AC5Rc8RQLtFMZVSNMSVdKcBb5yf9_XUK4p5sP4WvQpUi-YgnG_w2e5Y4FDPVZd10QQ3isKYSOxsWies1M/s1600/photo+(14).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Classroom management is so important. If your classroom is not well-managed, then little learning can take place. It doesn't matter how fun or engaging you are if you don't have specific procedures and routines in place. Things will tend to get out of control, and learning time diminshes.<br />
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One of the great questions of classroom management is this: "I'm done! Now what do I do?"<br />
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In the past, I've said, "Just read a book!" Now, I LOVE me some independent reading time, but it's often hard to concentrate for some students when ther are other activities going on.<br />
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The last couple of years, I've had the ketchup bottle and the pickle on my board. Beside the ketchup, I wrote "catch up on late work," and beside the pickle, I wrote a few options (Boggle, blog, write, etc.) - but that just didn't cut it. Most of the kids who needed to catch up on work had lost it. The ideas I had for pickle were okay, but not really differentiated to meet student needs.<br />
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Here is my answer to that dilemma. This is, obviously, my Ketchup and Pickle Folders crate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJEXp8rcIA4mFW4n1JC2aE6PfONDre7a0mif9X4hQzydjIavZIM74c-Bs10JCk49Fx8J1FkPh3K7PLcKowxur90TM6fPQSfFmh5u6PjbjCa5VP8KuGyfWCVjz6BztDxYt5pGIH211jAU/s1600/photo+(18).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJEXp8rcIA4mFW4n1JC2aE6PfONDre7a0mif9X4hQzydjIavZIM74c-Bs10JCk49Fx8J1FkPh3K7PLcKowxur90TM6fPQSfFmh5u6PjbjCa5VP8KuGyfWCVjz6BztDxYt5pGIH211jAU/s1600/photo+(18).JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>What's a Ketchup folder?</b><br />
It's a fun name for an unfinished work folder. When a student has work that isn't finished by the end of the class period (or whatever designated time), they put it in their "Ketchup" folder because they need to "catch up" on it when they have a little extra time later. It's so punny that I love it! :)<br />
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*You as the teacher will never put work in the Ketchup folder. That's for the student to do.<br />
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<b>So what's a Pickle folder?</b><br />
The "Pickle" folder is the one that involves YOU, the teacher. Whenever a student has finished all of his work and everything has been turned in on time (that means the Ketchup folder is empty), he can come pick up his Pickle folder! There will be several activities inside this folder - that you have put in it - that he can choose from - or PICK(le) from - that is still relevant to his learning.<br />
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I am starting the year off with the same activities in everyone's Pickle folder. Once I get to know them a little better, I will start to differentiate what goes in their Pickle folders. Some will need math or reading remediation. Some will need an extension in those same subjects. It just depends on what the students need. There will be times you can throw the same activity in for everyone (I'm thinking holidays especially), but you may want to hae a few choices for that activity so it allows for self-differentiation.<br />
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Each of the file hangers has a number on it. Inside each file hanger is a red pocket folder with a "Ketchup" label and a green pocket folder with a "Pickle" label on it. Easy!<br />
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Since I don't have a color printer, I just printed out the sign in black and white and colored in the ketchup bottle and the pickle with markers. I trimmed half an inch off each side, posted it on yellow cardstock, and laminated it. If you want it, I've included it <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/231357618/Ketchup-Pickle-Folders" target="_blank">here</a>. If you want to make a prettier sign, then go for it! :)<br />
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How do <b>you </b>manage those early finishers? How do students in your class keep up with work they've not finished yet? Share your ideas in the comments!<br />
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Dallas<br />
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PS - I spoke with a colleague about the folders. We discussed that it is difficult to grade everything, and anything that comes in from the Pickle folder should have something done to it besides given a checkmark or a smiley face because the kids want validation that it's important. Such a good point!<br />
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We discussed doing student-led conferences, or even just a portfolio, where students choose their best Pickle work to put in their portfolios to show their parents. The portfolios can go home once a quarter if you don't do student-led conferences. This way, the student is in charge of determining what good work looks like. We think that's a good motivator for the students.<br />
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If there is an assignment from the Pickle folder that you do want to grade, absolutely go ahead and do so! Otherwise, let kids decorate a folder for their portfolio, and be sure to build in time for them to go through their finished Pickle work and choose some work to move into their portfolios. The rest of the work can just go home in their regular weekly communication folder. (With that checkmark or smiley face, of course!)Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-32689802158162601542014-06-25T08:53:00.000-04:002014-06-25T09:00:39.920-04:00Using Instagram as a Classroom Tool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you ever heard that phrase, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?" Well, that's what led me to create a class account on Instagram.<br />
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So the kids are technology pros. We get that. They know all kinds of Internet-y type stuff before I do, and I'm pretty tech-savvy myself. The kids have a billion different types of online accounts and are on them ALL. THE. TIME.<br />
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Do I believe that 5th graders should be using all this technology? That's not the point. The point is - they are using it. So, I figured, I should too.<br />
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How'd this all begin? We were getting ready for our big end-of-unit assessment on the 1920s/1930s. There's a lot in this unit; I try to make the teaching fun and interactive, but there's a lot to remember. I'm sitting in class, talking with the kids, and BOOM. It hit me. And it rolled right out of my mouth.<br />
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"Hey, I'm gonna create a class Instagram account. Yeah. Hang on..." [creating account while they are sitting there] "Okay, here's what it is..." [pause to write it on the board] "If you're on Instagram, log on when you get home. I'm going to post some review questions there. Go through and see which questions you can answer."<br />
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Student: "What if I don't have Instagram?"<br />
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Me: "That's okay. I'll post it on my blog, and you can come in and look at it first thing in the morning." (This also applies to anyone who doesn't have Internet at home. The kids know that all online opportunities can also be done in class. That's only fair.)<br />
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Another student: "But what if I go on and answer, but my answer is wrong?"<br />
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Me: "Who cares! You are actively trying and working on your learning outside of class! Give it your best shot! I will be proud of you for trying!"<br />
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Another student: "Could I use my notes to answer your questions?"<br />
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Me: "Absolutely! That's why you take these notes every day - so you can use them! Go for it!" (I use a lot of exclamation marks when I write because I use them when I speak - ha!)<br />
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Another student: "Could I look up the answer on my computer?"<br />
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Me: "You mean research? At home? About a school topic? Absolutely! I love that!"<br />
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Another student, hesitantly: "What if... I post the answer... and then someone, you know... copies off of me?"<br />
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Me: "Great question. So if you know the answer, and you post it, you are sharing your knowledge with someone else, right? I kind of see that as helping someone learn. Do you? I mean, it's not on the actual test. It's like you're helping them study, but you're at home on your phone, and they're at home on theirs."<br />
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Another student: "So... it's like we're having a study group, but we're not together, and it's more fun, because we're on Instagram?"<br />
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BINGO.<br />
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That conversation right there proves to me that it was worth doing. The kids GOT IT. They understood why this teacher stopped what she was doing to create a new account on social media at the end of class. Maybe that sounds like a no-no, but to me, the positive effects far outweigh any no-no others might see.<br />
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So let me walk you through how I use it. (I'm a visual learner, so there are going to be lots of pictures.)<br />
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<b>I use it to review content:</b><br />
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So you can see here that the kids are building off of each other or repeating, but we discussed earlier how that's okay. This is one of my first posts to the class page.<br />
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<b>I use it to send out notifications. </b>(I also sent through email and Remind101 to parents, but this was just for the kiddos.)<br />
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We had several days out because of snow and ice, so I updated them daily about whether or not we had school. Also, if you look at the comments, we had a new teacher coming in. The kids were excited to get to meet her! One of our colleagues retired in December to move with her husband for a new job hours away.<br />
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<b>Over breaks, I use it to keep in contact with them and to share some fun!</b><br />
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I found this online and thought it might be fun to share it with the kids. You can't tell from the picture, but the guessing kept going!<br />
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<b>I use it to share books about topics we've studied in class that we're interested in. </b><br />
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We had been talking about the crisis in Sudan, and I discovered these books and loved them. The kids ended up loving them too!<br />
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<b>I use it to encourage the students - with memes, no less!</b><br />
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Standardized testing isn't fun - let's be real. So I used this opportunity to share a little meme with them each morning before the test! It was actually pretty fun :)</div>
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<b>I use it to share books - in general.</b><br />
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In Georgia, we have a Reading Bowl competition. The books are selected as part of the Georgia Book Award winners for the year. When I'm excited about books, the kids get excited about books.<br />
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I shared this to-be-read (TBR) stack over Christmas break. The kids posted their TBR stacks and tagged me in their pictures :) LOVE!!!!!<br />
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<b>I use it to prepare them for big projects.</b><br />
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We went screen-free for a week in our class! Most of the students participated - some for just a day or two, but most for the whole week! This was a fun picture to get us pumped up!<br />
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One of the kids asked me to post pictures of my career project sample. I took pictures of every part of the poster and posted it on our account. The kids commented on all the pictures saying they were glad I had posted it! Wish it had been my own idea, but glad that one of the kids thought of it!</div>
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<b>I used it to say goodbye :(</b></div>
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The kids had a lot of sweet responses to this. I'll miss them!</div>
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<b>Over the summer, I have continued to use our Instagram account to connect with my students. </b>Even some 4th graders coming up into 5th grade have started following the account. I'm hoping it's getting them excited about coming to 5th!</div>
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My family and I went to Fort Sumter on vacation, and I posted some pictures since Fort Sumter is part of our social studies standards. I love that one student's response - "Respect." Indeed!<br />
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My students loved them some writing contests this year! I didn't want it to stop just because we weren't in school.<br />
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Important events or remembrances happen outside of our school year. I don't want them to lose the relevance of the important events we studied.<br />
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So, a few tips.<br />
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1) Make it private. If you're posting any pictures of the kids, then you need to know the people who are joining your account. Give your kids the name to follow and let them ask to follow you. You don't want any ol' creep coming on your account just to look at your kiddos. *shudder*<br />
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2) Be appropriate. I don't think I need to say much about this. There's a fine line when it comes to using social media, I think. Be yourself. Share enough so the kids feel like they know you and can trust you. But don't overshare, y'know?<br />
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3) You need to think about whether or not you're going to follow your students in return. I choose NOT to follow my students. The main reason is that some of them post things that bother me. I tell their parents, then I let their parents deal with it. The purpose of me having a class Instagram account is not to police them, but to share educational opportunities with them. And I choose to leave it at that. What you do is up to you.<br />
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If you have any other questions about how I use Instagram, please let me know in the comments! I did see the following on Twitter and thought it applied to this post, so I'm going to share it with you as my final comment.<br />
<br />
Dallas<br />
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@fuse711 on Twitter</div>
<br />Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-83832537329630174242014-06-22T21:22:00.002-04:002014-06-22T21:59:24.391-04:00Lazarus, Learning, and Lazy DaysOh dear readers,<br />
<br />
Do I even have readers any more?! It has been nearly 11 MONTHS since I last blogged! What?? To be fair, the year started off with my mom going into the hospital, and she was in the hospital for 8 months. She was in a hospital about 45 minutes away, so adding that on top of my day-to-day life of being wife, mommy, and teacher, and there was really no free time. But... I am here now! (Shout-out to my #nctechat friends from tonight for motivating me to pick this back up!)<br />
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So, I kinda feel like I should rename my blog Lazarus since I'm trying to resurrect it. Hopefully it will be going through some *GOOD* changes in the near future (the best of which will, I hope, be more blog posts, and done regularly to boot). Alas, as happy as I am about resurrecting this blogging thang, I still can't shake the nerdynerdynerdy inside me!<br />
<br />
In case you're wondering what's new with me, let me give you a little update. Just to remind you, I have taught 5th grade reading, ELA, and social studies for the last 6 years. This summer, I found out that I'm also teaching math for the 2014-2015 school year. I was SO NERVOUS when I found out. I haven't taught math in 6 years! And now we're using Common Core, which I know is a lot of work. (Mad props to all my math teacher friends out there!)<br />
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My biggest concern about teaching math was that I was afraid I wouldn't do a good enough job for my students. I'm pretty much a perfectionist, so this really stressed me out. However, I'm really glad that I found out while on mission trip (working with orphans and victims of sex-trafficking in Costa Rica). When you're in such a situation, you realize that all the problems *WE* think are problems really ARE NOT. It's easier to put things in perspective when you're working with people in desperate need.<br />
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So, I pulled myself up by the bootstraps (or, as I'd prefer to say, I put my big girl panties on) and decided to dive head-first into learning. I'm on my 3rd professional development book about teaching math, and now I am SO EXCITED! I can't wait to work on math with my new students. I want them to truly know that math makes sense, and that it can make sense to every single one of them! (I struggled with math in 5th grade, middle school, and 9th grade. I get the fear that some kids have with math.)<br />
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But yes, dear readers, it is summer. Some days, I am so geeked out over learning new math methods that I can't put down my PD books and paper and pencil. Then some days, I am SO LAZY! My son is almost 10 (shut up, can't believe it, say it's not so, etc.), and we have had a great time just lounging around and hanging out together. Gotta balance it all, my friends!<br />
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Well, that's about all the update I've got right now. Watching Rising Star and it is TOTALLY DISTRACTING ME! :)<br />
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Keep on keepin' on, friends!<br />
<br />
Dallas<br />
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OH, and I have redone my classroom blog... I love the way it looks! Do you blog for your students and parents?<br />
www.mrsthompsonteaches.comDallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-68364861658753070922013-08-01T08:44:00.000-04:002013-08-01T08:52:23.375-04:00Bully Free BloggingDo your kids blog? Mine do. We love Kidblog at our school. I was introduced to it on Twitter. (Shocking, I'm sure.)<br />
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Well, Kidblog is free and easy to use, but I'm not here to tell you about Kidblog. I want to talk a little about Bully Free Blogging.<br />
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I like to use paper blogging with my students before we start actually blogging. I learned about it from Notes from McTeach, and you can click <a href="http://www.notesfrommcteach.com/2010/09/learning-to-blog-using-paper.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> to read her lesson. It's great, and when I've used it, my blogging experiences have been a bajillion times better.<br />
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One of the most powerful steps in McTeach's lesson plan is to ask this question: "Why might some people feel unsafe blogging?" The answer, obviously, is that some people might be mean.<br />
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It's true. I've seen it. A student will comment on another person's blog post, "That is stupid." How hurtful to the blogger! And it sends a horrible message - your ideas aren't worth sharing. That makes me so sad! I want all my students to feel as though their thoughts and their ideas have value. And that starts with teaching respect in the classroom - and how to show respect online.<br />
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I think a lot of this stems from the fact that students don't really know HOW to comment. I also get a lot of comments that say "LOL" and "That is cool." [cringing on the inside here]<br />
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I usually find an article on TweenTribune.com to share with the students. We read it (they're always short) and then we look at the comments. Which comments make sense? Which ones don't? We talk about what makes a good comment, and what kinds of things make for bad or mean comments.<br />
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Then I teach my children this mantra:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQhbf3ORTQF1lRbfKFzg4N954G83ScwSwUPE6MwoPTk1ui5AAllh5LSmXAmDwGYSu6nha9yeL9OkugtEtmt8Whpz95yY-diBwRT2-vsv9O0bbWTZBTsM2xNmk8nJYrVRyIeMOtJvLBys/s1600/%23blogging+mustache.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQhbf3ORTQF1lRbfKFzg4N954G83ScwSwUPE6MwoPTk1ui5AAllh5LSmXAmDwGYSu6nha9yeL9OkugtEtmt8Whpz95yY-diBwRT2-vsv9O0bbWTZBTsM2xNmk8nJYrVRyIeMOtJvLBys/s640/%23blogging+mustache.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I tell the kids that some of the best comments are questions and connections. It helps that they (sort of) rhyme. I will also post this sign in my classroom this year.<br />
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After we talk about this, we practice making comments that ask questions or make connections.<br />
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There is so much ugliness on the Internet (all you have to do is scroll to the comment section on any kind of public forum - news and celebrity sites especially). I feel that, as a teacher in the 21st century, it's part of our jobs to teach students how to be civil and speak intelligently on the Internet. <br />
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Share your thoughts in the comments below! (Remember the rules, hehe!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Blogging-Mustache-Rules-803319" target="_blank">Download the poster FREE here.</a>Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-4360336572396141812013-07-28T07:23:00.002-04:002013-07-28T08:23:07.301-04:00Do you Edmodo? Plus a FREEBIE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjGerMB_y-gf4F5mQxbBq8XqCErPHuQZ47e_IZ3BzbSFEOIw5TGMyZtXnDiZqQkwbApiQf0To-e_HHm3zpsjhzNyc-O2IOIWOPw5NyH806I6li-1EPVoMDKT_2nE202pjQMiIfIrEq3U/s1600/edmodo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjGerMB_y-gf4F5mQxbBq8XqCErPHuQZ47e_IZ3BzbSFEOIw5TGMyZtXnDiZqQkwbApiQf0To-e_HHm3zpsjhzNyc-O2IOIWOPw5NyH806I6li-1EPVoMDKT_2nE202pjQMiIfIrEq3U/s400/edmodo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Hello readers!<br />
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Do you Edmodo? If not, you should! It's a learning community of over 20 MILLION teachers and students online. You know how I feel about learning communities! (If you don't know, I LOVE THEM!) Let me tell you all about Edmodo. <b><i>I've even included a super-cool FREEBIE for you at the bottom of this post!</i></b><br />
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Why do I love Edmodo?<br />
It's free.<br />
It's cool.<br />
It's easy.<br />
It's paperless.<br />
It's relevant.<br />
It's engaging.<br />
It's safe.<br />
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It's a FREE learning network for K-12 educators. I use it all the time in my 5th grade class. It's a place for you to post assignments, interesting links, quizzes, photos, videos, etc. It even stores student grades. Parents can get a password too so they can see assignments and grades for their kids.<br />
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But the cool thing is that it looks like a social media site! (My kids say it's like a school version of Facebook.) That makes it fun for students to use, and they are eager to use it. There's an app, too! Lots of my students downloaded it onto their phones or iPods last year. (The app is for iPhone and Droids too.)<br />
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Once you learn your way around, Edmodo is very easy to use. I post assignments from the computer because I usually include a link to a website for students to visit. I do most of my commenting and grading from my iPhone, however. It's so easy! When my son has practice or I'm stuck waiting at an appointment, I can easily grade several assignments in a matter of minutes.<br />
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Ooh, and I like that it's paperless - it feels like I'm doing my part to save the environment!<br />
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Using Edmodo in your classroom is a way to stay relevant with your students. I can post assignments that are on topics that INTEREST them. I use a lot of websites like Scholastic News, NatGeo for Kids, TweenTribune, etc. TweenTribune is especially great - it's national news written for tweens. It's at their reading ability level and about topics that are important to them that have made the news. Plus, it makes me seem more relevant to them - it shows that I understand them and the way they communicate. They can ask me questions, and I can answer them even before the next school day!<br />
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When I post such relevant articles, I always get great student response. Students want to answer, so they are immediately engaged when they use Edmodo. Lots of times, I will also ask students to post their own word documents or presentations on Edmodo, sharing their learning with their classmates. How much is that like our real life? Amazing!<br />
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One of the most important factors, though, is that Edmodo is SAFE. Students can send me a private message any time, but students <u>cannot</u> private message other students. Students can only post privately to me or publicly to the whole class. There's no hidden cyberbullying on Edmodo. If a student posts something that is threatening or rude, I can see it. I have the power to delete it. I have deleted a few posts in the last four years that I've used Edmodo, and when I do, I send a private message to that student, basically scolding them and letting them know that if they do it again, they will be removed from my class. That's not cool, because then they lose the engagement with their peers and must do the assignment on paper.<br />
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Edmodo has produced a quick video (less than 2 minutes) about why it's a game-changer in education - check it out <a href="https://www.edmodo.com/about/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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Here are the kinds of assignments I post on Edmodo:<br />
*Read an article, review it, answer questions (always standards-based)<br />
*Create a Prezi about a topic and share it with your classmates. I include the requirements for the Prezi, then the students must load it for me to grade. THEN they must share it with their class. I usually then require each student to comment on at least 2-3 presentations. (We discuss commenting A LOT.)<br />
*Create an online timeline and share it with the teacher and the class.<br />
*Create a Top 10 list. This is always a class-pleaser and it works with any topic. Sometimes it even requires research. What a bonus! (Reading: Top 10 reasons that Janie is the worst antagonist ever. Social Studies: Top 10 reasons that it's important to study the Civil War. Science: Top 10 reasons that electricity is important in our daily lives. Math: Top 10 reasons we need to learn geometry. Grammar: Top 10 reasons commas are important in writing. Music: Top 10 reasons that Mozart is remembered as a musical legend. PE: Top 10 reasons aerobic exercise is important for our health.)<br />
*One of their favorite assignments was related to a book about a shipwreck. I included 4 websites about surviving shipwrecks, then gave students a list of 10 items they might find in the wreckage. Students had to rank on a scale of 1-10 the importance of each item for survival. They also had to provide reasoning for each item.<br />
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Have you tried Edmodo? Do you love it? Is this new to you and you want to give it a try? Sound off in the comments!<br />
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OH - you can connect with other teachers too! Find me - Mrs. Dallas Thompson!<br />
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FREEBIE!<br />
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Edmodo-Scavenger-Hunt-731772" target="_blank">Click HERE</a> to download my Edmodo Scavenger Hunt for your students! It will take them through all the steps to log in and practice taking quizzes, completing assignments, voting in polls, etc.Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-31961495559146251202013-07-13T15:19:00.003-04:002013-07-13T15:30:25.215-04:0011 Questions<div style="text-align: center;">
Another 5th grade teacher who blogs and lives in GEORGIA (woot woot) nominated me for the Liebster Award. (Thanks Amber!) Today is a lazy day for me, so it's a good day to answer some questions and nominate some awesome blogs!</div>
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Blogs I Nominate:</div>
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The Liebster Award goes to great bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Go check these peeps out and follow 'em, 'kay? Pretty much just because I said so ;)</div>
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*Note: I'm only nominating 5 blogs, not 11.</div>
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<b>What's New in Room 202? </b><a href="http://new-in-room-202.blogspot.com/">http://new-in-room-202.blogspot.com</a></div>
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<b>Aspire to Inspire </b><a href="http://www.aspiretoinspireblog.com/">http://www.aspiretoinspireblog.com/</a></div>
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<b>Upper Grades are Awesome </b><a href="http://uppergradesareawesome.blogspot.com/">http://uppergradesareawesome.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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(I happen to agree)</div>
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<b>Teaching in an Organized Mess </b><u><a href="http://teachingwithstowe.blogspot.com/">http://teachingwithstowe.blogspot.com/</a></u></div>
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<b>Working 5 to 9 </b><a href="http://www.working5to9math.blogspot.com/">http://www.working5to9math.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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(Ain't that the truth?)</div>
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Here are the rules for the Liebster Award:</div>
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<b>Random Facts:</b></div>
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1. I like watching the TV show Castle, just not late at night. 'Cause it's scary.</div>
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2. I love Erin Condren planners. Both the school one and the life planner, too. If you haven't heard of her, oooooooohhh.... check it out! <a href="http://www.erincondren.com/">www.erincondren.com</a></div>
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3. I gave up Diet Coke and basically all carbonated/caffeinated beverages last December.</div>
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4. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. Big dog = Peanut, Little dog = Jaqq. Everyone says their names are mixed up. The cats are named Chewbacca and Jabba. Guess who picked those names? (If you said my husband, you are correct.)</div>
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5. I am SUPERDUPERINCREDIBLYMEGA excited about the birth of the royal baby! I can't wait!</div>
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6. I am terrified of seagulls. 'Cause they are scary.</div>
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7. I went to Africa on a mission trip for almost 3 weeks this past May/June. AHHHHHMAZING. I can't wait to go back.</div>
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8. I am an avid Apple user! Don't want to use anything else unless I absolutely have to.</div>
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9. My to-read stack is getting ridiculously high, but that excites me because I have a beach trip coming up, and to me, that equals reading.</div>
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10. I own a Kindle. I think I've read 3 books on it. Ever. I've had it for ages. I prefer the feel of "real books." (Not trying to start a war here.)</div>
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11. I am reading the Bible in a year, and it is awesome! I'm learning so much.</div>
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<b>Okie dokie, that's it for my random facts. Here are my 11 answers to Amber's questions:</b></div>
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1. How long have you been blogging?</div>
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Well, I'm not 100% sure. I'd have to go back and check my first post date to know... hold on... [checking] since January 17, 2011. Is it weird I don't know that off the top of my head? I have seen people celebrate their blogiversaries... Maybe I should? Hmmm... Maybe I will write that in my Erin Condren life planner...</div>
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2. What inspired you to blog?</div>
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Goodness knows I love to talk, and when I came across some really great bloggers who write like they are just sitting there talking to you, I knew I wanted to share my voice across the Internet. (That statement probably makes some people who know me cringe.)</div>
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3. How long have you been teaching?</div>
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I'm going into my 7th year. Lucky 7, baby!</div>
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4. What is the best advice you can offer a new teacher?</div>
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Search for organization ideas. If you can put everything in a place and find it, it will lessen your anxieties. (Just trust me on this one.)</div>
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5. What do you believe is the major public education issue of today?</div>
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Hmmm... standardization. Testing. Standards. It all is standardized. Which can be good and bad. During my trip to Africa and visiting some of the schools, I better understood a need for common standards to ensure that children in a country are being taught the same things and that all children are held to a high standard. However, standardized testing mandates are getting out of control. In my opinion, too many people who haven't set foot in a classroom since 1960 are making educational policies for 21st century classrooms! This is my open invitation to all policy-makers: come spend a week in my classroom. Then you will have a clue. The end. [Just realized I ranted, and that's not what you were asking. Sorry. Rant over.]</div>
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6. If you were not in education, where would you see yourself?</div>
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Marketing. Because that's half of teaching. Selling what you believe in to someone who may or may not think they need it ;)</div>
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7. What celebrity closely resembles you, not necessarily by looks, but personality?</div>
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I have NO idea. Honestly. And I love celebrities. But I don't know. They are all kinda crazy. (Note: I'm pretty crazy too, but my brand of crazy is different from theirs.)</div>
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8. What is your favorite television show?</div>
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Of all time? Everybody Loves Raymond.</div>
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Currently? Castle. Bachelorette. Whodunnit?</div>
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9. What is your favorite book?</div>
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The Harry Potter series, specifically book 7.</div>
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10. What do you do for fun?</div>
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Read. Go to movies. Hang out with my son and hubby. Make things. Waste time on Pinterest and Facebook.</div>
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11. Describe your family life.</div>
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I've already mentioned all my crazy animals. I have a husband who I adore and is a genius named Josh. We met when I was about 3 years old at church. We reconnected as adults and got married in 2006. I have an 8 year old son (who Josh adopted 2 years ago) named Ashton. He's a wild but sensitive kid who blesses my life (and gives me gray hairs) on a daily basis!</div>
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<b>Questions for the Bloggers I Nominated</b></div>
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Keepin' these light and simple, friends!</div>
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1. Favorite salad dressing?</div>
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2. Worst movie you've ever seen?</div>
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3. Favorite vacation spot you've been to?</div>
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4. One place you want to visit before you die?</div>
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5. Favorite subject to teach?</div>
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6. Dessert - yes or no?</div>
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7. Favorite way to unwind after a crazy day at school?</div>
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8. Do you tweet? If so, who's your fave person to follow?</div>
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9. Star Trek or Star Wars? (You can't say neither. Be creative.)</div>
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10. Favorite holiday or celebration?</div>
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11. One age you'd NEVER want to be again?</div>
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Okay, basically - TAG! You're it :)</div>
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If you're reading this and you just want to comment on any of my randomness, my answers, or my questions, please feel free! I love feedback :)</div>
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Dallas</div>
Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-44642321900887263412013-07-11T21:48:00.003-04:002013-07-11T21:48:55.345-04:00New Classroom Setup<div style="text-align: center;">
Well, I have been a BAD blogger - I haven't blogged since December! Yikes! Is there a blog of shame for those of us who get caught up in a school year and forget to blog? I think I need to set myself up on a blogging schedule for this website like I do for my class website. *sigh...</div>
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Anyhow, I've been busy getting my classroom ready. You may be thinking, "WHAT?! It's so early!" - after all, we don't officially go back until August 7th, and it's just July 11th. I get it. BUT my son was in camp from 9-4, so that meant I got a week to work with no interruption. AND I still have a beach vacation, a birthday, and ballgames to attend, so this gives me plenty of time to enjoy the rest of my summer without having to think about what I want to do in my classroom. 'Cause it's done! BOOM! ;)</div>
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Here are some pics of my classroom redo for the new year!</div>
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My teacher desk. I love having a small spot of my own against the wall. It's got to be here because my laptop (which is not there yet) will have to connect to my Promethean board. The fan will not be there when school starts ;)</div>
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One of my containers from Lowe's that I posted about last year (read it <a href="http://www.nerdynerdynerdy.com/2012/08/my-classroom-tour.html" target="_blank">here</a>); it holds some odds and ends I use daily in my classroom. Below is another one.</div>
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I made myself a checklist for each day for planning and afterschool. I stuck it in a little clear frame so I can check off my to-do list each day with a dry erase or Vis-a-Vis marker. Easy! (And my favorite for-school lotion, Lemon Vanilla from Bath & Body Works. Yum!)</div>
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I have the 3-drawer carts under my desk to hold literature circle books for my reading groups. The Sub Tub is there with info for a sub if it's an emergency (i.e., no plans!). Read about it <a href="http://www.nerdynerdynerdy.com/2012/07/detailed-sub-envelopes.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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These shelves are behind my desk. I gave my drawers a makeover from last year with the pretty new chevron border I'm using. LOVE IT!</div>
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Folders for each day of the week, office stuff, committees, etc. The colored crates underneath hold files for each subject I teach.</div>
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Hand signals - 1 finger for restroom, 2 for water, etc. Part of our schedule is in the blue pocket chart. I ran out of room for connections and dismissal, but I figure that 5th graders can figure that out. I'll have the full detailed schedule posted in the hallway anyway.</div>
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I made the big pencil on the right last year for students to move their clips to whichever stage in the writing process they are in. I LOVE this! It worked great last year. The shoe organizer on the left is for students to store their water bottles. I encourage kids to bring in bottled water, but I hate when they are left on the table and start to leave water trails behind (or the worst - when they leave a bottle behind and go to their next period class and someone screeches, "Whose water bottle is this?!?!").</div>
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Cubbies for all the kids' stuff. The frames on top have the ridiculous pictures that come in them. I plan to take pictures of the kids on the first day of school in their nice outfits and then put them in the frames. I think the frames and the plants make it look so homey!</div>
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The black container is my "pencil hospital" that I found on Pinterest ages ago. One of our team teachers uses it, so I thought I'd give it a try. Top drawer - erasers, middle drawer - dull pencils, bottom drawer - sharpened pencils. The red container holds crayons. The top drawer is for warm colors, the middle for cool colors, and the bottom is for neutrals.</div>
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Found "Rich Questions" on Pinterest, but the link has been deactivated! :( Questions like, "Can you prove it?" or "What is another solution?"</div>
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I love these posters! I downloaded them for FREE from technologyrocksseriously.com! I bought some star sticky notes, and I'll choose one every couple of weeks for us to focus on in homeroom by placing a star on it. The blue buckets are for lunchboxes.</div>
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Love the director's chair that I bought myself for a birthday gift last summer :) I love to read aloud from this chair. It's the best! The big cabinet there was made by my dad's company and donated to us. It stores my indoor recess games, clipboards, and books I will rotate into the library. On top, I've got a big basket with my favorite read alouds for the year. The bulletin board has some of my favorite posters! "Show Me the Evidence" from Teacher's Notebook, and it's FREE <a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/blair.falldine/evidence-posters" target="_blank">too! http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/blair.falldine/evidence-posters</a> </div>
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They will be perfect for teaching Common Core standards.</div>
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Saw the "Ketchup and Pickle" idea on Pinterest last year and thought it was too cute! This is for early finishers. The signs say, "Ketchup" on your work... So you can "pickle" another activity to do! Their choices are read, blog, Edmodo, or Boggle.</div>
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I love the chevron bulletin board border by Creative Teaching Press! The incentive charts are for students to put stickers by their names when they finish books. I did this last year, and the kids were obsessed with getting stickers! It worked so well that I know I have to do it again this year. The wire cart there is for all my writing supplies - love it! The desk is for my time-out area. [Insert ominous music here.]</div>
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Teacher resources on the big bookshelf, student resources on the shorter bookshelf.</div>
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Some mementos I brought back from my Africa trip that I can't wait to share with the kids!</div>
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Pretty obvious what those are...</div>
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Teacher supplies in all the fabric bins - I love that these are functional and colorful. Yes, it was an expensive purchase, but I added to it over the years. I will also put my iPods and iPads up there.</div>
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I got the group number signs from the same place I got the other posters - technologyrocksseriously.com. My first three groups are for Reading I, and groups 4-6 are for Reading II. They will have the same daily rotation, so I just put that part in the middle. </div>
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I love this colorful acronym for group work. I bought it on TeachersPayTeachers (get it <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Group-Expectations-Bulletin-Board-Set-333038" target="_blank">here</a>) and then had it blown up at the local school supply store.</div>
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Social studies bulletin board, pillows galore, and the two white containers on top of the cabinet are for table supplies. I got the idea from Pinterest (see it <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/195343702559923889/" target="_blank">here</a>). I'll put in colored pencils, scissors, glue sticks, and then when students need something special, I'll toss that in before the project. Since our kids switch classes so much, they don't always bring their art supplies every day. This way, it's a lot easier and everything is in one place if we end up doing an art project in class.</div>
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I even made a couple of things for Open House! I got the idea for the numbered stations from the adorable Miss Nannini (see it <a href="http://youngteacherlove.blogspot.com/2012/08/open-house-goodies-and-classroom-tease.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Parents have green numbers and students have orange numbers. </div>
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My reading tables. I had colorful stools last year, but the lighter colored ones showed dirt too easily even after being cleaned. So I just bought one more black stool and went with gray and black to accent this year.</div>
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Some wider views of the room...</div>
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Under the reading table, I have just enough room for two of these Sterilite containers. I have stored small group materials and manipulatives in here so they are at an arms reach!</div>
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I love my gator head. I placed a student station for Open House here beside him.</div>
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My library hasn't changed at all. I didn't put out all my books this year. I'm going to try to add new ones throughout the year. The new addition here is the black vinyl lettering on my board! The left is for my weekly agenda, and the other is for me to list my assignments. I'm so excited! If you're in/near Gainesville, Georgia, call my friend Amy to make it for your classroom too! Look up LuLu's Expressions on Facebook for more info :)</div>
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So that's a tour of my classroom. Thanks for stopping by! If you are going to share pictures of your classroom on your blog, send me a link. I love this stuff!</div>
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Dallas</div>
Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-44523258261319423432012-12-11T21:10:00.001-05:002012-12-12T16:58:06.656-05:00#5thchat Penpal FormCalling all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers!<br />
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After our most recent (and rather exciting) #5thchat on Twitter, we have decided that we need to start a global penpal project! We were discussing how to engage our most reluctant writers, and teachers from across the nation and other countries agreed - the best way to engage reluctant writers is to give them a more authentic audience.<br />
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When our students write for someone else, the writing becomes more meaningful. When we open our students to global connections, they feel more like this great big world is becoming open to them. We all want this for our students, don't we?<br />
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Now, in my classroom, we connect via Edmodo and Kidblog with kids from all over the place. We're about to start Skyping students in other states and countries. I connect via Twitter and Facebook with teachers from ALL OVER! However, when it comes to putting pencil to paper, we don't do that much connecting with other students. One of my Twitter peeps, @MrBillySpicer said it best when he said, "We do so much tech integration, it'd be nice to have some 'old-school' pen pals."<br />
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Someone suggested starting off with postcards because it'd be a faster introduction and it would be a little less pressure at the beginning. I loved that idea, so this project was born!<br />
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You don't have to be a 5th grade teacher to join up. We're also encouraging 3rd and 4th grade teachers to sign up. Once you sign up, I'll match you with a partner and send the contact information to all the teachers who have signed up to participate.<br />
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Now, if you teach firsties or second graders and are gung-ho to start, go ahead and sign up - I'm sure I can find you a penpal somewhere!<br />
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Don't hesitate! Sign up below!<br />
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XO,<br />
Dallas<br />
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PS - a suggestion for if you sign up before the end of 2012, a good topic would be a top 12 countdown of 2012. The kids could list their top 12s from this past year as a way to reflect on the year and let their penpals know more about them.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="1200" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dEgtZHB1WXZtdnNZbzI4d3g0clp1Rnc6MQ" width="760">Loading...</iframe>Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-82610695344539014592012-12-11T17:34:00.005-05:002012-12-11T18:05:29.779-05:0012 in '12Found this linky party and wanted to join up! One reason is because I've been home sick for half a day and I'm bored. But mostly because it's a great way to reflect on the year!<br />
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Thanks to Miss Kindergarten and A Teeny Tiny Teacher for hosting!<br />
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12. Favorite Movie You Watched<br />
Welllll... since I have an eight year old son, I usually see kid movies. Rarely see "grown-up" movies. But, here's my faves this year from both categories:<br />
Kid: Hotel Transylvania (cracked me up!!!)<br />
Grown-Up: Skyfall (usually not my cup of tea, but so glad the hubby suggested it! great date night!)<br />
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11. Favorite TV Series<br />
Castle! I just love that show! I'm so happy Beckett and Castle are together, but oh, the drama! Love the time that Josh and I spend watching the show together, predicting who dun it.<br />
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10. Favorite Restaurant<br />
Always Kiku. I love Japanese food, especially Habachi-style!<br />
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9. Favorite New Thing You Tried<br />
Skype! And I just tried it yesterday (Skyped Josh at work), ha! Can't wait to Skype with other classrooms and experts around the world!<br />
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8. Favorite Gift You Got<br />
Since I'm going to Zambia in May to teach English to orphans, my favorite gifts this year have been donations from all my friends and family! They have really answered the call to help. I've needed to raise $3,600, and now I only have $650 to go! So blessed!<br />
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7. Favorite Thing You Pinned<br />
I am going to list two here again. I love pinning stuff I find hysterical, and I also love pinning recipes. Here's my favorite of each:<br />
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Recipe: <a href="http://makinglifedelicious.com/2011/05/02/omas-sour-cream-chicken/" target="_blank">Oma's Chicken</a> - THIS IS A MUST MAKE!<br />
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Hysterical - probably because a) it's true, and b) Mr. Bean kills me!<br />
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6. Your Favorite Blog Post<br />
My favorite blog post I've written was about <a href="http://www.nerdynerdynerdy.com/2012/03/text-mapping.html" target="_blank">text-mapping</a>. That's probably because it changed my life when I read about it on someone else's blog. I modified it to fit my needs and shared with my followers. So far, it's one of the most popular things I've written. I'm so glad that others find it useful too!<br />
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5. Best Accomplishment<br />
I have been blessed to have been called to be a Deacon in my church (First Presbyterian). I was ordained in November. I am excited to be called to serve others in a new way!<br />
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4. Favorite Picture<br />
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I have a lot of favorite pictures, but I like this one because it's of my cute little doggie, Jaqq, and he just looks so at peace! I imagine him thinking, "Ahhh, this is the life!"<br />
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3. Favorite Memory<br />
This may sound crazy. We were at Ashton's 8 year checkup at the pediatrician, and I was DREADING it! He has never liked the doctor, and I just knew it was going to be the pits. We laughed so hard the whole time! I just thought it was great laughing with my sweet boy at the silliest things (namely, him having to pee in a cup. And him telling the nurse, "I'm ready to bust outta this joint and get a sticker." All hysterical, I tell you). It was a day that reminded me that it's possible to find joy in even the most routine situations.<br />
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2. Goal for 2013<br />
Spend more time with the family. I get so caught up in everything that I'm doing. The time I spend just hangin' with my guys (son and hubby) are the sweetest, and I need to build in more time for that.<br />
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1. One Little Word<br />
Blessed. I am truly, truly, TRULY blessed. That's something that I need to remember!<br />
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So, those are my 12 in '12! Visit <a href="http://www.miss-kindergarten.com/2012/12/12-in-12-linky-party.html" target="_blank">Miss Kindergarten's blog</a> to link up!<br />
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XO,<br />
DallasDallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-78047341818094770802012-12-09T22:03:00.001-05:002012-12-09T22:05:34.938-05:00Help Wanted: PBLHello fellow educators!<br />
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I want your help. I have heard of PBL (project-based learning) a lot lately, but each time I looked at it, I thought it would be a lot of work and at those particular junctions in my life, I wasn't looking for "more work."<br />
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Well, I still don't want more work (who does, really?), but I think I am ready to give it a try.<br />
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Here's what I'm looking for.<br />
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Kelly, Heather, and I do a WWII foldable lapbook every year in social studies. If you check out this link about <a href="http://www.friedtechnology.com/2012/11/whats-difference-between-doing-projects.html" target="_blank">Projects vs. PBL</a>, you'll see that this falls under "Projects" in a major way! This equates to disappointment on my end, folks.<br />
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We want to revamp this project to make it more PBL than plain ol' project (POP, my new acronym, if you will).<br />
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The first step is to start with the end in mind. WELL, DANG! That's the part I'm having trouble with!<br />
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I want the kiddos to "own" more of this project, but I do have a couple of thoughts I'd like to integrate.<br />
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Normally, along with our 5th grade social studies standards, we do <i>Number the Stars</i> for a read aloud. We also want to incorporate either all or just parts of <i>The Boy in the Striped Pajamas</i> along with it.<br />
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Here's my train of thought...<br />
1) In <i>Number the Stars</i>, the girls know something is wrong, but they aren't sure just how bad or how serious everything is until the end of the book<br />
2) In <i>The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, </i>the theme is quite similar<br />
3) In Germany, the theme is still there. People were mesmerized by Hitler, only learning later in the timeline how horrible he truly was.<br />
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I want to do something with these themes. I want the learning about Hitler, the other leaders of the Axis Powers, and their aggression throughout Germany.<br />
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I looked at <a href="http://pbl-online.org/end_in_mind/emexplore/emexplore1.html" target="_blank">this site</a>, and it also suggests tying the PBL into community service. Not 100% sure how I'll do that (though a few random ideas are floating through my brain...)<br />
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As you read this, does something brilliant pop into your brain? Please send your thoughts and ideas!!!!<br />
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Here's one website I'm using to research: <a href="http://www.pbl-online.org/pathway2.html">http://www.pbl-online.org/pathway2.html</a><br />
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Thanks as always,<br />
DallasDallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-30426459116345670192012-12-09T15:36:00.000-05:002012-12-09T15:36:01.515-05:00RAK Winner!Hi friends!<br />
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As my RAK for December (Random Act of Kindness), I put all of my sweet followers into a (proverbial online) hat and drew a winner for an iTunes giftcard. And the winner is....<br />
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Amy Lynn Marshall!<br />
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Thanks to all my followers. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Sending lots of love everyone's way!<br />
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XO<br />DallasDallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-17300768046866000212012-12-02T10:47:00.002-05:002012-12-02T18:41:47.155-05:00December Currently and a Holiday Giveaway!I love Farley's Currently posts! I haven't done one in a bit, so here's my December Currently!<br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><i>*Updated note: Apparently I cut off part of my own top line. For listening, it should read: "to my sweet boy playing mario as I'm...updating my blogs, getting ready for church"</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><i>My excuse? It's a weekend, and my brain is only operating at 50% ;)</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Now to the regularly scheduled post...</i></span></div>
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The RAK stands for Random Acts of Kindness. Farley was telling us that they had to be RANDOM, not something you do often. I do have a sweet little tradition that's an act of kindness, but it's not random because it's something I do every Saturday. So I had to think of something random that I've never done before.</div>
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Well, this holiday season makes all of us feel grateful, don't you think? I'm grateful for a job I truly enjoy, for family I love beyond measure, a Savior (because frankly, I don't stand a chance without Him), and for my blog readers! Each comment leaves a smile on my face, and I appreciate that you take the time out of your busy lives to read the <strike>drivel</strike> posts I write. I'm thankful for all the times you've shared, tweeted, or pinned my work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!</div>
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So as a thank you, I'm going to give an iTunes giftcard (electronically) to one of my followers. I'm going to select randomly! You don't have to comment, tweet, pin, or share anything (but I'd be thrilled if you did). Just sign up to be a follower to win! Thanks to all of my sweet 117 followers I currently have as I write this!</div>
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I will draw on Friday, February 7th! Drawing closes at, let's say, midnight EST.</div>
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Thank you all!</div>
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Merry Christmas!</div>
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Dallas</div>
<br />Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-83255938327757892002012-12-02T08:36:00.002-05:002012-12-02T08:42:18.654-05:00A Cross-Curricular ChristmasHi friends!<br />
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I feel like I haven't posted in about 400 years (hyperbole). I've been as stressed out about school stuff as a Georgia fan during the GA-Bama game in the 4th quarter with a minute and a half remaining (simile). As you can tell, curriculum is definitely on my brain and I am watching the Georgia game :)<br />
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I know I've been needing to post, but I wanted to have something good (and fun!) to share with all of my readers. I created a little activity that I LOVED the other day, and I knew it was just the thing to share with all of you!<br />
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I'm not sure about y'all, but I feel like there's been less time for the "fun" stuff this year as we've converted to Common Core. Don't get me wrong - I'm still teaching my heart out and we're having a good time learning, but good ol' fun? Not so much.<br />
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Wellllllll, I've got something fun for all of you! I'd like to introduce you to my cross-curricular Christmas activity!<br />
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We're studying the 1920s and 30s right now in my social studies class. So naturally, in reading, we're reading about this time period. I have a great series of books with loads of culturally relevant information from each decade (from the 20s up), and I came across an interesting article about the assembly line and Henry Ford. Wouldn't ya know that's in our social studies standards? Love it!<br />
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One of the common misconceptions our students have is that Henry Ford invented the automobile. Incorrectamundo, friends! My kids are always amazed to learn that he did not in fact invent it, and they are intrigued by the concept of an assembly line. It's not really something the kids have ever heard of in their short sweet lifespans.<br />
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So, it is interesting. Okie dokie. Not necessarily a super fun topic. UNTIL I remembered a fun treat my son made during an Advent festival at church several years ago.<br />
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Here, I present to you our Social Studies - Reading - Writing - Science Christmas snack!<br />
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We have an Advent festival every year at our church, and I remembered my son making one of these several years ago. It's just a sugar cone, green icing, and candy to make it look like a Christmas tree. How fun!</div>
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I decided I wanted to do this with my students, and then a great idea hit me! We could do our own version of an assembly line! The students would be learning about how each worker on an assembly line had a specialized job, and that this was designed to make production faster.</div>
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Well, I thought that if the students actually participated in an assembly line, all of that knowledge would be more likely to stick with them. </div>
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The first thing I did was visit our local Bruster's Ice Cream shop. They are FABULOUS there and always try to do anything to help! The owner sold me enough sugar cones at just a little over the cost to her. That was SO much cheaper than going to purchase them at the store.</div>
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Next, I headed out to the store to purchase icing and M&Ms. I ended up buying vanilla icing and these little packets of flavoring for icing. The packets made the icing green AND gave it a mint chocolate flavor. YUMMO!</div>
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After I got home from the store, I continued to get even more excited about this project. I just knew the kids would have a blast.</div>
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BUT THEN I thought that I could even include a science standard in this classroom event! </div>
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The next day, I get into class and tell the kids we are going to have a blast learning about Henry Ford and his famous invention. I asked the kids to write down what they thought Henry Ford invented.</div>
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Note: 100% of the students said... the car! (Told you that was a big misconception!)</div>
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We then read the article about Mr. Ford and his amazing invention - the assembly line. The kids were shocked and intrigued at the same time! (I would share the article with you, but I cannot do that because it's copyrighted. Dang! But anything you could find in a textbook or online would work.)</div>
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I asked the students to talk with their think-pair-share partners about two questions:</div>
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1) Do you think the assembly line REALLY makes production faster?</div>
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2) How could the assembly <i>possibly</i> line make production faster?</div>
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After a few minutes of discussion, I told the students I wanted them to design an experiment to test the theory that the assembly line makes production faster. I showed them the ingredients for the edible Christmas tree and a finished product that I'd made that morning. I asked them to turn to their think-pair-share partners again and discuss how to design an experiment.</div>
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As a class, we set up a question: Does the assembly line make the production of goods faster? (See how we're using knowledge from the reading article, knowledge of social studies vocabulary, and knowledge of procedures from science? Gosh, I love this!)</div>
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Next, we made a hypothesis: The kids were pretty evenly divided. Half thought that, based on our "research," the assembly line would indeed make production faster. The others believed that the travel time from person to person would slow down the process, so they weren't convinced it would help. So interesting!</div>
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Then we designed the experiment. One group would be the assembly line group, and another group would be the control group. They would build the whole Christmas tree themselves, start to finish, one person by him or herself. </div>
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The first group to finish would be deemed the winners!</div>
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Note: we had two assembly lines going just because I needed everyone to be working :)</div>
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Here's my assembly line working!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO6GoQaezbFIrl5E9r9W-mQuislhemaq9nwFzcPIMtQS1lAXhhp6PdK8u3wGPyk12uDlYJSRwXZdUv4TFTzla090-Haddrch_vNj7W_HWDNyzDZoqQLcdn6EJXipp_q-h3n44G8gk3cA/s1600/assemblyM-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO6GoQaezbFIrl5E9r9W-mQuislhemaq9nwFzcPIMtQS1lAXhhp6PdK8u3wGPyk12uDlYJSRwXZdUv4TFTzla090-Haddrch_vNj7W_HWDNyzDZoqQLcdn6EJXipp_q-h3n44G8gk3cA/s640/assemblyM-1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here are the jobs I created on the assembly line:<br />
1) put a cone on a plate, hand it to the next person<br />
2) remove the wrapper from the cone, pass the plate to the next person<br />
3) put two globs of icing on the cone, pass it to the next person<br />
4) spread the two globs of icing all over the cone, pass it to the next person<br />
5) add 15 M&Ms to the cone, pass to the next person<br />
6) safely transport completed product to the "finished" table<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGmjzgU4jNwho79hxa91e5Qt_bk9vj3jtc4h9-SYTKL-XJn_TZgD-StV8h-hAZPALmsob1msotRJypgOnCR3C5hz6LLbMGkFJr3tApexuA9C7ciN67obmcujjqezL0z5om9Ggql54ugE/s1600/independentM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGmjzgU4jNwho79hxa91e5Qt_bk9vj3jtc4h9-SYTKL-XJn_TZgD-StV8h-hAZPALmsob1msotRJypgOnCR3C5hz6LLbMGkFJr3tApexuA9C7ciN67obmcujjqezL0z5om9Ggql54ugE/s640/independentM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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ABOVE: My independent group working. They had to do ALL the steps themselves. The assembly line had to make 8 cones. The independent group had to make 8 cones (all the same amount of product).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLS1CvTn5SApresKrAjc-3Ul36pvXyy24huq46Wc3EHk9-5Xo5NhueQhrq7XFycKOjkKBvj3JTG-ZMP9_0t6rDVU4_ng_bbpN_qtyxYkFUYPuY9bCJ2-8wNzWjJ2busO_Go5DgHSZpXM8/s1600/winnersM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLS1CvTn5SApresKrAjc-3Ul36pvXyy24huq46Wc3EHk9-5Xo5NhueQhrq7XFycKOjkKBvj3JTG-ZMP9_0t6rDVU4_ng_bbpN_qtyxYkFUYPuY9bCJ2-8wNzWjJ2busO_Go5DgHSZpXM8/s640/winnersM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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What do ya know? In both of my reading classes, the assembly line group won by a LANDSLIDE!<br />
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After it was over, students had to clean up. Dude, it was a little messy! As they cleaned, I asked them to analyze the results from their data and draw a conclusion. They all agreed that the assembly line was faster. You just couldn't deny the results here! Then I asked students to communicate their results by doing a write up about what they had learned.<br />
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After they wrote, the students were allowed to select a cone and eat! (All kiddos washed hands before this experiment. We had a cleanliness discussion - can't touch hair, nose, face, anything while working.)<br />
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What a fun day we had! And to make it even better, it included reading, writing, social studies, and science. You just can't beat it!<br />
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We probably could've even added in some math using the time it took, etc. However, all our minds were sufficiently blown at this point. But if you're a math teacher, it's definitely something you could use as well!<br />
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So what do you think? Would you be able to try something like this in your classroom? Share your thoughts below with a comment!Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-84288503171294369112012-10-11T21:43:00.001-04:002012-10-12T09:54:15.193-04:00Literature CirclesWell, it may seem like I've dropped off the face of the earth. I didn't. Promise.<br />
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To prove it to you, I'd like to post a few pictures of what we've been up to this year. First, my "stuck on you" door theme. I found a bulletin board picture on Pinterest (click <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/195343702558386370/" target="_blank">here</a> to see the pin). I decided to put it on my front door. I like it! :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc13hLVEz4NZXg8ULXeKM2l-6bUwnT9GP8P2pxljOw1VOUORHtG__79AllaAx6o9k_ugBsbGeh4n5RY99cmN_MUq0Hghr149C8WAsZBEB8QHotRR11LJMFHQtD92SGHaxEcBXLV-uBhC0/s1600/IMG_6178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc13hLVEz4NZXg8ULXeKM2l-6bUwnT9GP8P2pxljOw1VOUORHtG__79AllaAx6o9k_ugBsbGeh4n5RY99cmN_MUq0Hghr149C8WAsZBEB8QHotRR11LJMFHQtD92SGHaxEcBXLV-uBhC0/s400/IMG_6178.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The sticky notes only stay for a few days. It's one way to be sure that you stay accountable for having the kids rotate out what they are thinking :)<br />
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But what I REALLY want to share with you is this: literature circles!<br />
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I am LOVING literature circles! I wanted to wait until closer to Christmas to start because I wasn't sure the kids would be ready. Then Kelly said she was going to start, and, not wanting to be outdone, Heather and I decided it sounded like a good idea :)<br />
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We got together and read about a BAJILLION articles, ebooks, and documents about literature circles. Can you say OVERWHELMING? Because it was. Then we decided to pick and choose and put our own spin on it.<br />
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I learned a lot about reciprocal teaching in my college reading classes, so we used that for a basis. We decided that each group needed between 2-4 group members. Kelly said that in one of the conferences she's recently attended, she learned that research shows that if there are 5 or more students in a group, inevitably one or more end up not doing anything. We wanted to keep groups small, so we had four or less students per group. Here are the four roles we chose:<br />
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Summarizer/Predictor<br />
Questioner<br />
Clarifier<br />
Visualizer<br />
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The first thing I did was bring in lots of books, and I built them up in major way. I chose books I've read and that I know I could get excited about. I have students who are on a variety of reading levels, so I had some books that were for third grade level and up. The books sat there for a couple of days, calling out, tempting the children. It was great :) I then talked them up like they were made of pure gold. The kids were salivating! </div>
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I told them that before they could pick their books, they had to learn a lot about the roles. Here's a quick overview:</div>
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<u>Summarizer/Predictor</u>: As the student is reading, he writes a summary. When he finishes his reading section for the day, he makes a prediction.</div>
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<u>Questioner</u>: Writes 2-3 questions while she reads, including the answer and the page number on which it can be found. One "right there" question and at least one "thinking" question.</div>
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<u>Clarifier</u>: Looks for 2-3 words while he reads that might be confusing to a reader. Keeps a dictionary with him at all times. Writes down the definition to explain to other group members.</div>
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<u>Visualizer</u>: Finds a phrase, sentence, or paragraph that really helps paint a picture in the reader's mind. Writes down the passage and draws a picture to share with the group.</div>
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Most days, I ask the students to do their "regular roles." Sometimes, though, I give the students a specific question or topic that I want them to write about and discuss. Students have about 15-20 minutes to read independently, and then the whole group meets for 10 minutes or so. Students make notes in their notebooks while they read (according to their roles or the topic of the day) and during their meetings (about what was discussed). </div>
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I've seen lots of printable journal pages specific to roles, and I just want to tell you right now: that's NOT allowed at our school. Plus, it's TOTALLY unnecessary. I just bought a bunch of spiral-bound notebooks from WalMart for seventeen cents each. I gave a lot of feedback on students' journal entries very early in the process.</div>
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I teach two reading classes each day, so during Reading I's independent reading time, I read all the lit circle notebooks from Reading II (from the day prior). During Reading II's independent reading time, I read all the lit circle notebooks from Reading I (from earlier that day). I never take them home, and I never look at them after school. On busier days, I just read two or three entries at a time. It really works for me.</div>
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Here are some pictures of notebook entries after 2 weeks of lit circles:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwen7cVH5FeBfmysT_nf1MrUCMcT-mgPDFSLBIN62Dyb2ZiYJa-kZHxvOl6aeN1cFv2K3__6bRUokcT0HDD6s3tzfAQTfZUEsDfailNjTvTIWh8ku2niH2Sj-MdqLvWPfrKmziCbGz1w/s1600/IMG_6233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwen7cVH5FeBfmysT_nf1MrUCMcT-mgPDFSLBIN62Dyb2ZiYJa-kZHxvOl6aeN1cFv2K3__6bRUokcT0HDD6s3tzfAQTfZUEsDfailNjTvTIWh8ku2niH2Sj-MdqLvWPfrKmziCbGz1w/s400/IMG_6233.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visualizer</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTzrWhWFl7xu0VqKtute-eLL65SgQrKHWwIchMOcXb8F8ISgfLaBG1dEzGK6ez1iFbKqkzSZdpM-LAwI7DDpTzMdsHGZC70R6NpTqyl0hlQfnfXvyHWHht3sr33dobpaCtIkStS0JF-A/s1600/IMG_6235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTzrWhWFl7xu0VqKtute-eLL65SgQrKHWwIchMOcXb8F8ISgfLaBG1dEzGK6ez1iFbKqkzSZdpM-LAwI7DDpTzMdsHGZC70R6NpTqyl0hlQfnfXvyHWHht3sr33dobpaCtIkStS0JF-A/s400/IMG_6235.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Writing to discuss elements of fiction and inferencing based on direct quotes</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxS-mWC3svbF032Xl5-oSaXwAk51xTZNrQ8tz4eBbpCoeeek6ccxXh-KzFNfXE90akdH89YkBkqLlBWOPannCeJogf45sUj0ZbaQRfcwquBMYYCDUg_sLfu3TIl88QauGhnX7n8iANV5Y/s1600/IMG_6238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxS-mWC3svbF032Xl5-oSaXwAk51xTZNrQ8tz4eBbpCoeeek6ccxXh-KzFNfXE90akdH89YkBkqLlBWOPannCeJogf45sUj0ZbaQRfcwquBMYYCDUg_sLfu3TIl88QauGhnX7n8iANV5Y/s400/IMG_6238.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inferencing using direct quotes and comparing/contrasting two characters</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc21f3YXYe67PM96f3GldiG01xwiYCMguEtOMlGEzLZZPnyyJ2Jf1AuAHyx22SOqOZ3VOH3AtEi3whKBMAmWv_FvfxPNZkV1D_8fSHNYcGQSH7Aw85C9m3HVRVkuSmryIuNFCOnbbk_sQ/s1600/IMG_6236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc21f3YXYe67PM96f3GldiG01xwiYCMguEtOMlGEzLZZPnyyJ2Jf1AuAHyx22SOqOZ3VOH3AtEi3whKBMAmWv_FvfxPNZkV1D_8fSHNYcGQSH7Aw85C9m3HVRVkuSmryIuNFCOnbbk_sQ/s400/IMG_6236.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summarizing, then two different group members' responses to inferencing based on direct quotes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Cc7gQG_PdSIwcdZUzCAsxtSCOx6iuVm6IcAl3XGVi3PX2ElFJtRvzB-FFaqbdIaHkOQJ-iRPjDqgZI1qY-XbfA6C_TDq9tYHJsi23au-gsC45rjeDa9O4Hzp17yd71uurGk7Hb8dlIM/s1600/IMG_6242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Cc7gQG_PdSIwcdZUzCAsxtSCOx6iuVm6IcAl3XGVi3PX2ElFJtRvzB-FFaqbdIaHkOQJ-iRPjDqgZI1qY-XbfA6C_TDq9tYHJsi23au-gsC45rjeDa9O4Hzp17yd71uurGk7Hb8dlIM/s400/IMG_6242.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTOlHokH7g-9vOImG9AWBjo8vp3s_X8xXR-WoRXpVg2eS7920l93svUo2HUnjwMLt75bcNBdRHKaMaeQVOR3mBAGjFMVghUqYQhOwvNbF7nQq8-ZNP_vozWwJ_fecWvrzADh_OzOlROs/s1600/IMG_6244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTOlHokH7g-9vOImG9AWBjo8vp3s_X8xXR-WoRXpVg2eS7920l93svUo2HUnjwMLt75bcNBdRHKaMaeQVOR3mBAGjFMVghUqYQhOwvNbF7nQq8-ZNP_vozWwJ_fecWvrzADh_OzOlROs/s400/IMG_6244.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You can see that students write down the date in the margin, include goals for reading in their notes, and write down how far each of their group members have read. Every now and then, students are who are a little further ahead take a day off from independent reading to blog or make more detailed notes while the other students catch up. This is working really well for us so far!<br />
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I think that the students are doing a good job, especially considering this is only our second week of literature circles! I know that as we move forward, I can get the kiddos to write and think even more. This is a pretty good starting point. (I'm not counting for spelling; this is a thinking notebook.)<br />
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Do you do literature circles in your class? How do you run them? I'd love to hear your thoughts!<br />
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P.S. The titles I chose are <i>Mockingbird, Scat, Dying to Meet You, Sing Down the Moon, Sheep, </i>and <i>Storm Runners.</i>Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035156043725346376.post-29483416958751246722012-09-04T20:14:00.001-04:002012-09-04T20:16:44.246-04:00September Currently, and 99 Followers!?Oh my friends, I've missed blogging so much! If you're anything like me, it's hard to focus on anything other than teaching, eating, and sleeping the first week weeks of school. Now that we've got a few weeks down, I feel like I'm ready to start blogging again. I'm planning a blog post to update with later this week, but tonight is about two things only: my September Currently and holy guacamole, almost 100 followers!<br />
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First, here's my currently:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOwv0mvwxXcbm6QSV3w1RgZJe9EBQalAw2Xk7_GxXd-8YwZNpZ7uJznMGYkoCa-CVddylp0WjTwxwx_mz5oczdo74hVONWxRu9UTiRK0GrkOFJZdDOEk1d_0AKjgpdY9EX3IpbeWpgYA/s1600/sept+currently.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOwv0mvwxXcbm6QSV3w1RgZJe9EBQalAw2Xk7_GxXd-8YwZNpZ7uJznMGYkoCa-CVddylp0WjTwxwx_mz5oczdo74hVONWxRu9UTiRK0GrkOFJZdDOEk1d_0AKjgpdY9EX3IpbeWpgYA/s640/sept+currently.png" width="480" /></a><br />
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If you don't know, I'm preparing for a two week trip to Africa in May 2013 to teach English at several orphanages. I'm SO THRILLED! We've had a couple of meetings lately, and the excitement is darn near about to kill me.<br />
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Please consider following my blog about my trip to Zambia so you can just learn about what's going on, and if you're a prayer-kinda-person, you can pray for me, the other ladies who are going, and all the children we hope to bless. Here's the link: <a href="http://sistersofzambiamission.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sisters of Zambia</a><br />
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My husband performs in local live theater in his "spare time." I use those words loosely because I don't know anyone among us who has time we can just call extra. He doesn't get paid for it, but he sees it as a type of mission, just as all the other actors in the group do. They provide quality, family-friendly entertainment for a very reasonable price. He loves it, and I'm proud of him. However, it means he's gone in the evenings, and quite often! I miss him while he's gone, but I can focus on my work without feeling guilty, and I get extra excited when he comes home :)<br />
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I also got my first pair of Toms. They are red. I love them. The end.<br />
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NOW.... What's this I see when I log into Blogger? 99 followers?! Wowza!<br />
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I feel like it's time for another giveaway. Last time, I gave away a $25 gift card to Erin Condren for 50 followers. Well, that was a biggie. BUT I had a discounted offer laying around in my email, so it wasn't too big of a deal.<br />
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What should I give away this time? What would be beneficial? A Target giftcard? iTunes? A set of fun customized testing confidence posters (<a href="http://www.nerdynerdynerdy.com/2012/03/test-confidence-posters.html" target="_blank">see link here</a>)? Your choice of items from my Teachers Pay Teachers store (<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Seller/Search:Nerdy%2C+Nerdy%2C+Nerdy%21" target="_blank">link here</a>)? All my love and affection?<br />
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Tell me what would benefit you. I'm excited - almost 100? Woot woot!<br />
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Look out for my blog to be coming soon about reading in my classroom. My students rock. Love!!!<br />
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Leave me comments because, well, they make me super happy!<br />
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<br />Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864758588987509392noreply@blogger.com7