tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79463057935457906802024-03-12T18:59:32.711-07:00Simply Special EducationAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01699340328916386294noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-80769778759268809512014-11-16T13:04:00.004-08:002014-11-16T13:04:54.743-08:00It's the Holiday Season!I cannot believe we are halfway through November. I have been a busy little bee trying to get my classroom and home kept up. In addition to all that requires, I have also spent a good bit of time monogramming things for friends and family. If you have a machine, you know how much time and effort go into making just ONE shirt! Even though the jobs can be tedious, I have really enjoyed making special items for people. It's quite nice to be proud of your work!<br />
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I have also been reading quite a few books lately. I ordered a few for my classroom and decided to read them before putting them out for my students. I decided on <u>Treasure Hunters</u> by James Patterson and <u>Three Times Lucky</u> by Sheila Turnage as my first two picks, but I only really liked the latter. <u>TH </u>is probably going to appeal more to 10 to 12-year-old boys than 29-year-old women, and I assume Patterson intended this. The book did have wonderful illustrations though, which made the cheesiness somewhat easier to stomach. <u>TTL</u> was so good I decided to use it for a read-aloud. It starts slow, but picks up speed toward the middle. Turnage creates such lovable characters, and the figurative language included in the novel paints so many pictures in the minds of my students. We have referred to Mo and Dale several times over the course of our current reading unit. I highly recommend this book!<br />
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Another thing I have been working on is a Greek and Latin Prefixes/Roots/Suffixes journal. My students are having difficulty with this. Our school uses the Wonders program, and while I don't agree with everything in the book, I will say that this is the one reading program I have seen that truly tests the skills and not the story (looking at you Scott Foresman!).<br />
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This isn't complete yet, and my class is giving it a trial run, but I hope to have a few freebies up on my Teacher's Notebook site soon. This Sunday is wet and rainy and COLD. I am not looking forward to getting back out for the evening service, but Acteens calls! I hope you all have a restful afternoon!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01699340328916386294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-1257306097698400762014-08-31T13:49:00.004-07:002014-08-31T13:49:53.739-07:00New Look!Happy Labor Day Weekend! I hope everyone is having a restful few days at home. I have been busy with the start of school, keeping up the house, etc. As many of you know, I have moved schools. Transition is always hard, and this was no exception. It was difficult to say good-bye to all of my co-workers (I got to keep one of them!!!) and my students. It was also pretty difficult to throw away years of clutter and chaos. I wanted to make a fresh start this year, and that included my overcrowded filing cabinets. So much was chunked before, during, and after the move. Since my last post, my classroom is complete. I plan on making pictures tomorrow when I go in to finish up some work from last week (Teachers have it easy, right?!?). I am so proud of one of my bulletin boards and can't wait to show it off. I've also incorporated my love of reading into a cute directional sign. I have one blank wall that needs a bit of color. How do you decorate your larger walls in the classroom? Do you include a bunch of personal touches? Also, how do you decide what you keep and throw away?<br />
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I hope you'll come back to visit tomorrow!<br />
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8491753/?claim=9xcywwmz6qd">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01699340328916386294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-61745200374408448352014-07-11T20:05:00.003-07:002014-07-11T20:07:49.904-07:00Working on the Blank SlateI don't know if you've ever felt rushed. Not like, "Oh, I need to hurry," but "OH MY GOSH I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO AND SO LITTLE TIME TO DO IT INNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!" Because that is me, and yes I have thought it and said it in all caps. Every time I walk into my classroom I have to stare at things for an hour before I can finally make up my mind to do something, and then when I decide to get goin', it doesn't work. For example: my first chalk painting experience. I have two bookshelves in my classroom that totally don't go with my color scheme.<br />
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I have heard the wonders of chalk paint, so I made up my mind to try mixing my own, based on a formula from a friend (and she's a pro, so I know the result is not because of the paint!). I read and read and read about chalk paint before trying, and supposedly it sticks to anything. Well, I am here to say that it DOES NOT. I spent two hours painting. TWO HOURS. My butt was tired and my knees ached, but I knew I had to finish. After applying my second coat to the last shelf, I went back to the first shelf (which had already dried) and ran my finger along the inside in admiration. This is what happened:<br />
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WHAT. THE. MESS. I was in shock. I called my crafty friends, and they, like me, couldn't believe the paint had peeled. Bless their souls, because they both headed my way ASAP and worked with me to scrape the paint from both cabinets. I tried sealing the paint with wax just to make sure that it wasn't a lost cause, but it was no use. The constant push and pull of books would make a mess in no time, so we gave our arms a good workout, and by 8:15 PM, the bookshelves were semi-clean.<br />
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In the spirit of being positive, I will say that the day was not a lost cause. I learned a lot about painting. It's not easy, and it's expensive. If you want something done, you need to fully research before beginning. I also learned about a special primer for hard-to-coat surfaces. Before leaving school that night, I slapped some of the primer on the top of the shelf. I knew that if it wouldn't stick, painting was a complete waste of time. After going back this morning to check, it seems as if the primer will work! Believe me, I scraped with everything that was sharp in that classroom and not a speck of paint flecked off. So, I vouch for this.<br />
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Next Monday, I will start the painting process again. I am leaving for the beach on Thursday, and won't be back until the next Saturday, so getting this project completed is a must for me! Despite this setback, I have completed one super cute bulletin board! I used a single tissue paper border on the completed side you see completed, and a double tissue paper border on the side that is unfinished. </div>
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My advice is to staple horizontally on the sides, and staple vertically on the top and bottom. Does that make sense? The staples need to fit inside the folds of your ruffle for them not to show. <span style="text-align: center;">I have lots of work to do before August 5th! Wish me luck!</span></div>
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What are you working on this week?</div>
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Have a great weekend!</div>
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Holly</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01699340328916386294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-15715350675942709872014-07-06T20:13:00.002-07:002014-07-06T20:20:12.010-07:00#weread1415I am running out of time to get things done. When did it become July?!? Seriously, I have so many ideas in my head, and not enough hours to do them. What have I completed?<br />
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<li>I have finished <i>The Book Whisperer</i> by Donalyn Miller. It reminded me why I love reading and why I love telling students about books. I got so many wonderful ideas from this lady. I definitely recommend the read!</li>
<li>I have read <i>Smitten </i>by Coleen Coble, Diann Hunt, Kristin Billerbeck, and Denise Hunter. I am participating in my church's summer reading challenge and this book jumped out at me. It had a pretty cover, and, well, I like pretty covers. The book wasn't the best I've ever read, but it was light, and fun, and I finished it in record time. </li>
<li>I have cleaned out my closet AND all the other closets belonging to people of this household. It was tedious, but I did it. Sigh of relief that that is over.</li>
<li>I organized my bathroom cabinets. Boring. </li>
<li>I have washed enough clothes to sink a ship. I hate washing clothes, but do you know what's worse? FOLDING THEM. I know, I should just hang everything up, but as referenced above, we don't have the closet space for t-shirts, so those go in drawers.</li>
<li>I took a mini-vacation with the family to Chattanooga. It was awesome. I cannot wait to get back!</li>
<li>I have played, and played, and played with my kids. We have been to our local splash pad, restaurants, the zoo, church, and just about everywhere else in this town. We have read all the books on our bookshelves more than once, and I have taken more than enough pictures. More than anything else I accomplished, this was the best thing I did with my summer! Babies get big quick!</li>
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As much as I enjoyed most of the activities listed above, one thing I haven't done much of this summer is organize my classroom. Floors needed to be waxed and furniture arranged before I could move in, so I've done what I could around my house first. Tomorrow begins my complete classroom makeover phase. I'm excited, but I'm also daunted. Blank slates can be a bit intimidating.<br />
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Along with making over my classroom, I'm also working on some ideas I got from <i>TBW </i>and Pinterest. I am currently participating in the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlogHoppin?fref=nf">BlogHoppin2014</a> challenge, and this whole concept made me wonder why I had never thought about a photo scavenger hunt for my kids. First, I set up a classroom Instagram account (#mrsriversroom). Next, I thought about how I could encourage my students to just get their hands on books. In keeping with the scavenger hunt idea, I came up with this challenge:<br />
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The number one priority of this challenge is to have my students looking for books that might normally be outside of their typical reading zone. The second priority is to have them get their hands on books. I know I have a few people asking, "What does that even mean?" I simply want my students to touch books. I figure if they sort through enough, they'll eventually find one that might interest them. </div>
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The rules of this challenge are simple:</div>
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<li>Follow #mrsriversroom on Instagram for monthly challenges. (2-3 per month)</li>
<li>Take a picture of you completing the challenge, caption it, then add the hashtags #mrsriversroom and #weread1415.</li>
<li>Completing each challenge earns bonus points and homework passes. </li>
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SOOOOO easy! </div>
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I hope you and your classroom will participate too! Obviously, only the teacher needs to follow my account in order to see the challenges and their deadlines. If you haven't created a classroom Instagram, go ahead and do so. Have your students use your classroom hashtag instead of mine, but keep #weread1415. How cool would it be to show your students that kids across this great nation are all reading?!? </div>
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I will post more about this challenge in the next week or so. Would anyone want to start off with just a small challenge for the teachers? </div>
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Hope your Sunday was wonderful, and here's to a great week!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">P.S. If you want to follow my classroom Wordpress blog, click <a href="http://mrsriversroom.wordpress.com/">here.</a></span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01699340328916386294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-66055991984485984252014-06-25T13:15:00.003-07:002014-06-25T13:15:59.093-07:00Updates!I have had an incredibly busy two weeks. My little family of four has made two trips to Tennessee, one to say good-by to a beloved family member, and another to enjoy a mini vacation in Chattanooga. The twins have not been to daycare, because I kinda like having them home with me, and so my house is a wreck. I also have not been able to spend time updating my classroom like I had originally planned. Oh well. Summer is for rest and for fun, and we've had plenty of the latter.<br />
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While scrolling through my Google+ today, I noticed a giveaway from <a href="http://whimsyworkshop.blogspot.ca/p/clipart.html">Whimsy Workshop</a>. Click on <a href="http://whimsyworkshop.blogspot.ca/p/clipart.html">this link</a> to enter the giveaway for a $50 graphics gift card! Just think of all the fun stuff you can create with that! Speaking of creating, I am working on a pennant banner for my classroom door. I bought the basic brights pack (see my previous posts) to make a teacher planner with, and I am using the entire collection for so many things! Thanks to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAHtSkZCIPw#">this YouTube video</a>, I have successfully created my first 3 triangles for my banner. Slowly, but surely y'all!<br />
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For some reason, the exact video I used will not upload, but below is another helpful link that discusses using colors as a background instead of graphics.<br />
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Here is what I have so far:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswH7uyORE44ZwB5W0EUdygDKWcaosh34SrZ5HADeoNIn9NkA-kxz3MyCYlhd4mM-Lyw_ztKR8-CUGDSi27nncyqDqGd80nAMjA4dJnlQSgppXaw81-Q2r2R2OKjOV-XGiv4GsUGLXrzg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-25+at+2.52.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswH7uyORE44ZwB5W0EUdygDKWcaosh34SrZ5HADeoNIn9NkA-kxz3MyCYlhd4mM-Lyw_ztKR8-CUGDSi27nncyqDqGd80nAMjA4dJnlQSgppXaw81-Q2r2R2OKjOV-XGiv4GsUGLXrzg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-25+at+2.52.47+PM.png" height="320" width="247" /></a></div>
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In case you can't read upside down or sideways, that says 5th. Ha! I have done a few things with backgrounds before, so just a few tips:</div>
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1. If you do a patterned background, use a solid or fairly solid and THICK font for your letters. Thin lettering and background patterns make my head hurt. </div>
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2. I have absolutely no idea how to check my specific sizing for things, so when I insert a new graphic (my numbers/letters are not a font, but an image) I move the original off the page, and then size up my new letter to match the old one.</div>
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3. I did NOT create new triangles each time. I just moved my numbers off, then clicked on File and Place to find and insert my new image. </div>
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4. I used Photoshop Elements. It is a reasonable price on Amazon.</div>
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5. In order to have both the working PDF and the one you are copying to open, you need to click on Window, then Images, then Tile. </div>
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Photoshop is fun and handy, but it can also be a pain, so don't be discouraged if you don't get the hang of it right away. In fact, my husband was unsure of me purchasing it last year, but I have used it multiple times, and I even created our Christmas cards last year using the program, so the money we spent has not been wasted. </div>
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What are you creating for your classroom this summer?</div>
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Happy Wednesday!</div>
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Holly</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01699340328916386294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-73517354251009662812014-06-13T13:15:00.001-07:002014-06-13T13:15:03.690-07:00Creating a Teacher Planner (Part 2)I have already begun work on my teacher planner, and I have had to refresh my memory on how to use Adobe Photoshop. I am LOVING the basic brights bundle I mentioned in my last post. For $20, I got a whole lot of images and clip art to work with. So far, I have created my cover and my lesson plans page. I am not sure exactly what all I will be including, but I know I will have a section for lesson plans, a calendar, student contact information, student health information, grades, and notes. I would love to make my cover into something hard and durable, I just am not sure how to go about that. I am also not sure where to take my planner to get it bound. <i>Lots </i>of questions, but hopefully someone that is knowledgable will read this post and reply.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMaCHgNcCOsGnxDv_mquQyOXvz3_L2UNoANAIFmNtLEpLwd5ju5vY-T_x1o0njD1EG9VbvL0AkB4gTAapjoMO3Kkl5thgdD_nEezNwXk0CxLmDpAoqk6MJjMKcfd5HsjxNI9AW6X4vk4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-13+at+2.51.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMaCHgNcCOsGnxDv_mquQyOXvz3_L2UNoANAIFmNtLEpLwd5ju5vY-T_x1o0njD1EG9VbvL0AkB4gTAapjoMO3Kkl5thgdD_nEezNwXk0CxLmDpAoqk6MJjMKcfd5HsjxNI9AW6X4vk4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-13+at+2.51.57+PM.png" height="320" width="247" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEneD7oLfm4EqjpolBSJxhPjDh1uVnXlOX4mc7pqh-EbB-gN_xPG7xDlWZ2uquHOyyDtM79njbtRm5tm_wOOGy6XLxWQfUt6Wd1vfyD1GbcI4h8dH91aFk4CoM4utwHUo-nMahG7l6zOk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-11+at+11.16.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEneD7oLfm4EqjpolBSJxhPjDh1uVnXlOX4mc7pqh-EbB-gN_xPG7xDlWZ2uquHOyyDtM79njbtRm5tm_wOOGy6XLxWQfUt6Wd1vfyD1GbcI4h8dH91aFk4CoM4utwHUo-nMahG7l6zOk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-11+at+11.16.06+PM.png" height="320" width="249" /></a></div>
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So far, I think these look great! Want to know the best part? You can download the lesson plans page for FREE at my TN store! And, as a special for blog readers, the first 75 downloads of my "Student of the Week" chart are free as well! See the links below.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/student-of-the-week/ff/null/blog">Flash Freebie! Student of the Week!</a></div>
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I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. It's already the middle of June...can't believe it! I haven't spent a whole lot of time organizing my classroom, so I need to get there ASAP. When will you start getting things ready? Are you an early bird or do you work better under pressure?<br />
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Happy Friday! Have an excellent weekend!<br />
HollyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01699340328916386294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-61552998386777386462014-06-11T12:41:00.001-07:002014-06-11T12:47:11.511-07:00Creating a Teacher Planner (Part 1)I am a sucker for anything office supply related. I love calendars (big or small), planners, pens, markers, decorative paper, etc. I could not believe how many ink pens and Sharpies I had when I recently went through my classroom supplies. It's a bit alarming, actually...but I know I can't be the only one, right?!? RIGHT?!?<br />
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Okay, on to the point of this post. I recently decided I must have a good planner for the fall. I have always kept a hard copy of a grade book (I know, <i>so </i>old-fashioned), and a separate copy of lesson plans, <i>and </i>a separate calendar. Last year, I had a binder that did not get opened ONCE. It was super cute, but pretty impractical, because it was too huge to carry around. I found several items that I could buy from Pinterest, but honestly, I can't afford to spend $30-$60 on a glorified notebook. If I had that kind of money, everything Erin Condren made would be owned by <i>moi</i>.<br />
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What to do, what. to. do? As stated before in a previous post, my classroom theme this year is candy-related, so I am looking mainly for bright colors, and I'll throw a few pops of candy around the room. I was looking through some favorite blogs of mine, and found a super cute product that had all the colors I wanted on Live. Love. Math. Her post directed me to this TPT store:<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Basic-Brights-Ultimate-Bundle-Set-688836">Basic Brights Bundle</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4qUP-LNE93K-JcwbNO_YiPy7Fl7F9s3y8obE9wgA-LuxYXNysF9blaCOoWaW_auuS2Y3qmpJO_Cdp1D5toWNSQ_n7yNkE_zU1tg0fhCSiRZsuF-MKspdTpyIcqd2j1xsaDBRTlRM_qw/s1600/demoBasicBrightsUltimateBundleSet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4qUP-LNE93K-JcwbNO_YiPy7Fl7F9s3y8obE9wgA-LuxYXNysF9blaCOoWaW_auuS2Y3qmpJO_Cdp1D5toWNSQ_n7yNkE_zU1tg0fhCSiRZsuF-MKspdTpyIcqd2j1xsaDBRTlRM_qw/s1600/demoBasicBrightsUltimateBundleSet.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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(From: I teach. What's your super power? Blog link: http://www.teachingsuperpower.com)<br />
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I repeat, I DID NOT MAKE THIS BUNDLE! I do not have the time, energy, or know-how. I scrolled through the blog and found some other great stuff, so if you have time, be sure to look through all of her items.<br />
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I am going to begin working on my planner, as soon as I get a few other things out of the way, and as soon as I get Microsoft re-uploaded to my computer. Remember that computer crash from April? Yeah, my husband and I have not sat down to install everything again. Maybe this will get me motivated. As I work on my planner, I will upload ideas and photos. I don't know which backgrounds from this mega pack I will be using, but you can be sure there will be quite a few in my planner!<br />
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Have you ever created your own planner? How long did it take you?<br />
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Happy Wednesday!<br />
Holly<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01699340328916386294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-408396006275036452014-06-09T14:15:00.003-07:002014-06-09T14:15:55.789-07:00Blank SlateAh! The sights, sounds, and smells of a new classroom. I might have mentioned before that my school closed in May. While I totally hate that I will not see my middle schoolers and co-workers in the fall, I am excited that I will be back in 5th grade, and I am even more excited that I get to redecorate a classroom! I know some teachers moan and groan about having to move rooms or redecorate. I rejoice! My husband might tell you that I like spending money (which is probably true), but aside from that, I like seeing what I already have and organizing my things. More importantly, I enjoy revisiting what arrangements and layouts worked best for my students during the school year. I believe if you look at the "redo" process as an opportunity instead of a hassle, it makes things much easier.<br />
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This year I will be moving into a classroom that has plenty of storage. Not only do I have a fairly large closet in the back of the room, I also have book shelves under my big window, one large double-door cabinet, multiple smaller cabinets, and built-in shelves. I even have a small closet in the front of my room with built-in shelves that are the perfect size for paper storage! Let me tell ya, after four years of struggling to find space, I am equipped with more than enough this year!<br />
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Now, my job is just to turn this blank slate into a masterpiece. Our 4th and 5th grades have decided on a joint candy theme for our hall. My plan is to use bright colors throughout my classroom that can be re-used next year. That way big items like curtains, chair covers, etc., can stay the same, while smaller pieces can be swapped out. I will have candy-ish things on my bulletin boards and doors, but my main colors will be versatile enough to last through theme changes to come. Pinterest has so many ideas that my head and my pin boards are full. I have added a few pictures for you to see the beginning stages. I will be updating throughout on my organization and wall decor, so come back soon!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGcTLFI-PD_TncBe-ffeRis0mehGkYxhBliMRcL_jNqABMIQrt6NocSdvJYhchgJJs75FNNGj-VhELVmfvY0Hr2DY4GCcyU_3jDetlvOHbgwV4utTb4-mtDfLw5W4BRs-L7Z2NmkZi4E/s1600/classroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGcTLFI-PD_TncBe-ffeRis0mehGkYxhBliMRcL_jNqABMIQrt6NocSdvJYhchgJJs75FNNGj-VhELVmfvY0Hr2DY4GCcyU_3jDetlvOHbgwV4utTb4-mtDfLw5W4BRs-L7Z2NmkZi4E/s1600/classroom.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Do you change themes every year or keep a theme for multiple years? What kind of decorations do you keep in your classroom?<br />
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Happy Monday!<br />
HollyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-16293805844128329112014-06-01T16:52:00.001-07:002014-06-01T16:52:33.529-07:00The Fault in Our Stars (And Other Books That Got Cut!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MP8UgDedwQYbrFumZFtrq8T3DzOBfXGhU6gI0UojRiJtFse7uomTM5pgGqklIYpEF10d_J8BFgoyitmPVmMl0r2M82l7jI8mV8UXPuUE2_THyZW5oUY6RCUM6ZCstNZ8hkqJiC5bsVo/s1600/whogotcut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MP8UgDedwQYbrFumZFtrq8T3DzOBfXGhU6gI0UojRiJtFse7uomTM5pgGqklIYpEF10d_J8BFgoyitmPVmMl0r2M82l7jI8mV8UXPuUE2_THyZW5oUY6RCUM6ZCstNZ8hkqJiC5bsVo/s1600/whogotcut.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I might get bashed for this, and maybe I should, but I am on the fence as to whether <i>The Fault in Our Stars</i> by John Green was the incredible read it was made out to be. Now, I'm not saying that it wasn't a good read, but it certainly will not end up on my classroom bookshelf. Why? LANGUAGE!!! I am not naive enough to believe that my students have never heard cursing, and I am also not naive enough to believe that they don't let a few (or several) slip now and then. I honestly have no problem with a word drop here or there <i>(Shiloh, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson</i>), and some books (like <i>Maniac Magee </i>and <i>To Kill A Mockingbird) </i>even have racial slurs that are meant to show just how demeaning the English language can be.<br />
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No, my problem with this book was that I am meant to believe that the main characters are two very intelligent teenagers, who have such a propensity for language that I even had to look up a word or two, yet resort to cursing (and I'm not talking about h*** or d***) when they are frustrated. I'm sorry, but this doesn't make any sense to me. I also have an issue with being a teacher of vocabulary and placing books on the shelf that use the same four-letter words REPEATEDLY. What am I teaching my students if I put this book in my classroom???<br />
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I <i>rarely </i>take books off my shelf, but lately, I've been doing so more and more. What's made the cut? <i>The Mortal Instruments, The Fault in Our Stars, Pretty Little Liars, Witch and Wizard </i>and<i> Legend.</i><br />
I have read all these books. With the exception of PLL, they are all decent, and most are excellent reads..for me. I'm 29. I teach 5th grade now, so <i>Legend </i>was pulled only for that reason. I wasn't sure if the graphic depiction of a bullet to the head would fly with parents, or my new principal! WW and TMI were pulled because of the utter sexual fascination the main characters have with each other and the demonic/sorcery elements. I can't explain why W&W was different than HP for me, it just was, and I go with my gut! Why was PLL pulled? Complete and total filth. For real. I need some meat to my literature y'all. <i>TFIOS </i>was pulled only for the language. It was otherwise a good book. It made me laugh, then cry, then laugh some more, then question my sanity for ever beginning to read it in the first place.<br />
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Before I end this post, I would like to repeat that I read these books. I'm not making fly-by judgements. I honestly really like TMI, TFIOS (apart from the language!!!!) and Legend, and I am on pins and needles to get the next book in the TMI series. In all honestly, I believe that kids need to make their own choices in life, and I know literature is a great way to guide them and teach them about worlds different from their own. Kids who read more have larger vocabulary, make higher scores on standardized testing, and have greater imaginations. They also are never lonely because a book is a friend! I do not want you to read this post and assume that I am out to get books. I assure you, that is the last thing I want to do. I just want you, whether you are a parent or a teacher, to read what you're putting on your shelf. Decide if it feels right to you. If you think it's okay, but you aren't sure, make a section in your classroom library that requires teacher AND parent permission to check out a book. Let parents know what is on your shelf, and let them know what's in the book you are questioning. I've done it before, and the parents are always appreciative.<br />
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I know some will read this and say that my fascination with <i>Harry Potter </i>or <i>Percy Jackson </i>tells students that I am a believer in witchcraft or polytheism. They'll say that having a Muslim version of Cinderella promotes a belief in Allah, or that books about cooking and cleaning tell girls that they have no other options that being a homemaker. If that is your opinion, it's perfectly fine. I am allowed to have mine too, right?<br />
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Have you ever had to pull a book from your shelf? What was it? Why was it pulled?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-82541540507103600142014-05-19T07:55:00.003-07:002014-06-01T16:11:47.436-07:00Newbery ChecklistIf you are anything like me, you like to make goals. While some people make goals for health, or budgeting, etc., I tend to stick to my hobbies. A few weeks ago my 6th grade students and I began reading Shiloh. I noticed it was a Newbery Medal winner, and I started thinking about how many Newbery Medal books I had read. While I can think of a few off the top of my head, others I am not so sure about. I found many lists online, but none that I liked, so I came up with a checklist for my students and myself. You can download it for FREE at my TN store!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmy8-Hip0OOD-S_duO361z7ytisM6yggJb1PetMqc0rs4W9UWGBknNQpm1UMuO_dYTBLwL3Kzqnb-iFMgUEDKqX7FITxE7AKV4d9vL9n-tksMK1GfNddt7i9CW2fKnH92usTtkrjNTBI/s1600/newberyimage.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmy8-Hip0OOD-S_duO361z7ytisM6yggJb1PetMqc0rs4W9UWGBknNQpm1UMuO_dYTBLwL3Kzqnb-iFMgUEDKqX7FITxE7AKV4d9vL9n-tksMK1GfNddt7i9CW2fKnH92usTtkrjNTBI/s1600/newberyimage.PNG" height="265" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/newbery-medal-winners-checklist/31050" target="_blank">Checklist Link</a><br />
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I'm not even sure where one would go about getting some of the older titles, but it's my goal to read as many of these books as I can within the next year. I've already knocked two off the list (<i>Shiloh</i> and <i>Maniac</i> <i>Magee</i>) within the last two weeks!<br />
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If you are interested in using this in your classroom, I think it's always neat to look up authors who have won the NM more than once. I also think it's interesting to discuss what exactly makes something "great" literature for students. <i>Caddie Woodlawn </i>supposedly has racial undertones that would not fly today. <i>Maniac Magee</i> looks at racism from multiple perspectives, and <i>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry </i>focuses mainly on the injustices a black sharecropper family faced in the early 1900's. I have not read <i>Caddie, </i>but both <i>Maniac </i>and <i>Roll </i>have made lasting impressions (so much so that I distinctly remember reading them in elementary school, which is at least 18 years ago for me!).<br />
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If you don't normally read YA books, I recommend you begin! With the exception of a few books, I have been more challenged to think outside the box when reading a novel meant for teens, than with many of the books for adults I have read. If you would like any further recommendations from me, I will be happy to help where I can. I recently finished <i>The Fault in Our Stars </i>by John Green, and I plan on writing something up for it very soon.<br />
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Summer is almost here! Hold on!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-20344701375165660952014-05-17T12:40:00.001-07:002014-05-26T11:46:59.350-07:00Computer CrashA few weeks ago my two-year-old daughter decided it would be fun to flip the light switch multiple times. My husband and I caught her initially, but she snuck back in for a second go around and totally crashed the computer. I thought we had been backing everything up. I was wrong. I lost EVERYTHING. Baby pictures, Teacher's Notebook creations, grad school assignments, etc. Heartbreaking, right? To make matters worse, my camera was stolen when we had carpet put in, so I literally have no backups of pictures of the twins' birth. Thank goodness for my mother. She has probably 20k pictures (and no, that is not an exaggeration) of the babies' every move since they were born. She also purchased an embroidery machine and I have been spending my computer-less days and nights being creative. So, in short, while I hated being away from my blog, my little hiatus was much needed. My house is cleaner, supper is cooke, toys are picked up, and things are generally getting accomplished. I did create a few things at school that I plan on putting up soon. One is a Newbery Checklist that I am pretty proud of, and another is a Color by Parts of Speech. It's too pretty to be inside, so I'm keeping this brief. Enjoy your weekend!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-40169869668751045272014-03-23T11:50:00.000-07:002014-03-23T11:56:24.876-07:00Spring Break!The teachers and students at school (but mostly the teachers) are REALLY ready for this week off. Right before we left for Spring Break, my students and I finished up our Tournament of Books. I am proud to announce that the winner was the original Percy Jackson series! (Sorry for the blurry picture!)<br />
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I was surprised at how seriously the students took this tournament, especially since there was no reward other than a movie for the book that won. Next year, I would like to add prizes and have students fill out their own bracket. That's something I plan to work more on this summer. Overall, it was a great experience for me, and it encouraged my students to pick up a book that they might not have read before.<br />
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Another exciting happening this week was the arrival of our first Scholastic book box. I have been contacting the company since August of 2013, trying to get them to send me catalogs, and my first one didn't arrive until early March. That left us little time to get our book orders in and returned before break, but we made it! My kiddos ending up bringing over $100 to order books, so with those bonus points I picked out some books to put on my classroom shelves. As I have stated before, I really try to preview everything I put on my shelves, and this time was no different. I brought home <i>The Maze Runner</i>, <i>Pegasus: The Flame of Olympus</i>,<i> </i>and <i>The Lunar Chronicles </i>for a little light reading this week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlj8uIn2pU59iq_8lAJowXHOQ7WHofsmZMMUoGOgw6VYqUdWyDNaGvR0uwvOIVhx_lT3GH44urxoajuYnqCQjmuJ40jNIehbceVNbkm3Gmj4YsoN5TnPcE2dGpoDw7BaINGj9DiX0pec/s1600/597740493.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/AVvXsEgRlj8uIn2pU59iq_8lAJowXHOQ7WHofsmZMMUoGOgw6VYqUdWyDNaGvR0uwvOIVhx_lT3GH44urxoajuYnqCQjmuJ40jNIehbceVNbkm3Gmj4YsoN5TnPcE2dGpoDw7BaINGj9DiX0pec/s1600/597740493.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a><br />
<i>Pegasus </i>by Kate O'Hearn was the first book I read, and while I liked it, I wasn't blown away. Too many questions and the characters weren't entirely believable. I also really like getting to know each character in the book, and by the end, I felt I only knew 2 of them. Now, to be fair, this is part of a series, so O'Hearn may be adding more in the follow-up, <i>Pegaus: Olympus at War</i>. I recommend this for students who like fantasy and easy-reading. Percy Jackson fans might be a bit disappointed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO0YGH8gmv0nu_Mz3d9MyZzMJFC-kkQzUxxomWBd5YMiDBLV9OB_vNMmIhPX06316Sw6X0e6YoMY6XvYI1ZWfm7jvMuO2K4c7Eu8l1m-IY6HkxS_elDjInVVb1R0dQHByErCku5Ay3Ks/s1600/The_Maze_Runner_cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO0YGH8gmv0nu_Mz3d9MyZzMJFC-kkQzUxxomWBd5YMiDBLV9OB_vNMmIhPX06316Sw6X0e6YoMY6XvYI1ZWfm7jvMuO2K4c7Eu8l1m-IY6HkxS_elDjInVVb1R0dQHByErCku5Ay3Ks/s1600/The_Maze_Runner_cover.png" height="200" width="137" /></a><i>The Maze Runner</i> by James Dashner was brilliant. I keep telling myself I have to stop reading apocalyptic books because I get all creeped out, but I continue to do it anyway! Each dystopian novel I have read in the past few years<i>(The Hunger Games, Divergent, Legend</i>) have all been similar in that the world is a crappy place and it's ending because humans have made epic mistakes in how they treat the planet and its people. However, each book makes the story unique in multiple ways. <i>The Maze Runner </i>had me right from the beginning. Dashner's characters are individuals. Each have their on faded memories, talents, weaknesses, etc. Danger literally lurks around every corner and night time is scary, but beautiful. The only issue I had with the book was the lingo used by the boys. Initially, it threw me and I had a hard time concentrating, but by the end, I was ready to move right on into <i>The Scorch Trials. </i>I recommend this book for 7th grade and up. Fans of <i>The Ranger's Apprentice</i>, <i>Divergent</i>, <i>Legend</i>, etc. will probably really enjoy <i>The Maze Runner</i>!<br />
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I am only a few chapters into <i>Cinder </i>and I'm a little wishy-washy about the story right now. I'll write more after I finish!<br />
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If you are off this week as well, enjoy your break! If not, have fun at school!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-57388575424749818332014-03-08T13:24:00.001-08:002014-03-08T13:28:04.564-08:00Read Across America WeekI have just finished the best school week EVER. First, let me start by telling you about my theme for this year's door decorating contest. As you already know, I am not a huge fan of over-used Dr. Seuss books. While scrolling through Amazon a few weeks ago, I came across a book I had not heard of before called <i>The Shape of Me and Other Things</i>. The rhymes are classic Seuss, but his illustrations are a bit different in that they are all silhouettes. Essentially, the book teaches us to be happy with who we are. Using this idea, I decided to take individual pictures of my students in wild poses. Once they found out no one would see their face, they all willingly complied with my request. Next, I cut out each picture and traced it onto black card stock. I then cut out each silhouette. This didn't take super long, and it was pretty fun to look back at those silhouettes and see who I could pick out immediately.<br />
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The young man on the left is saluting and the girl on the right is telling me "Whatever!" I think these turned out great! Next, I made a little sign to go on the door asking other students and teachers to see if they could pick out their friends based on their silhouette. Finally, I decided to use the Cricut to cut out my favorite quote from the book. My mom laminated this for me so that I could keep it after my decorations came down. The final result looks pretty good, if I do say so myself!<br />
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Sadly, I came in third place yet again. (More free ice cream and water!) I must compliment the first and second place doors though, because they looked FABULOUS! We have some very talented teachers at my school!</div>
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Another bit of excitement this week has been my Tournament of Books. Initially, my students thought this was another one of my crazy ideas, but once I got it up for them to see, they LOVED it! I took inspiration from <a href="http://www.sturdyforcommonthings.com/2013/03/tournament-of-kids-books-2013/" target="_blank">Sturdy for Common Things</a> and <a href="http://blog.cathyjonelson.com/?p=3302" target="_blank">Cathy Jo Nelson</a>. The latter author stated that she used a Google Doc form to let kids vote. Since my I am part of a Technology Think Tank at my school, I decided to give this a try, and let me tell you, it is wonderful! Life is easier because it tabulates everything for me! Thank you Google!!! We have just finished our second week of voting and I don't have a picture of the Final Four, but here is our Elite Eight. </div>
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Sadly, Harry Potter got beat this week by Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Moment of silence, please.........deep breath....and...go. Life must go on I suppose. Our Final Four going into next week will be:</div>
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Hunger Games vs. Percy Jackson and the Olympians </div>
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Heroes of Olympus vs. Diary of a Wimpy Kid</div>
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I have read all of the above, and if I were a voter, I might have a difficult time. What has encouraged me is that kids run up to the board as soon as I am done writing in a winner. How awesome is that? If you want to encourage your students to read, make it fun! This is the best thing I have done so far, and I appreciate all the inspiration from fellow book-lovers around the world!</div>
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Have a great weekend!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-68859606786568433622014-02-16T13:30:00.000-08:002014-03-08T12:46:48.589-08:00Dr. Seuss DoorIt's almost that time of year again...wait for it...Read Across America! I do love Dr. Seuss, but I often find it hard to incorporate his books into middle school lessons. Yes, yes, they are cute and fun, and many have a deeper meaning, but one can only read <i>The Lorax </i>or <i>The Sneetches </i>so many times. In fact, last year I pulled out the first book I mentioned and my students groaned...audibly. "Can't we just watch the movie instead?" Yep, exactly what I wanted to hear. So, immediately after said incident occurred, I vowed to not use another tired Dr. Seuss book as part of a yearly project EVER AGAIN.<br />
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After finally making it home that day, I pulled out my personal favorite, <i>I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!</i> and read through it again like a five-year-old. It was fun for a minute, but then it was time to get serious. How could I use my trusty favorite as inspiration for a door decorating contest so I could get a FULL DAY OFF WORK??? That's right folks, one full day, paid leave. It was glorious, so glorious that I set my sights on a little Cat in the Hat bow-tie ensemble for my students to wear, because I was going to take all their pictures...reading a book...with their eyes shut! How awesome was my idea?!? Well, not awesome enough, because my original idea of a plain background and random pictures looked hideous.<br />
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So, I pulled out the ol' ELMO and traced that silly cat and his friend, AND then I colored them. My fingers cramped, but I couldn't give up. Next, I bought some blue copy paper (who decided that Dr. Seuss colors would officially be turquoise, red, black, and white, btw?) and hand drew a picture frame for each student's picture. Y'all. I can't even believe I did that. Really? I must have found some free time, because I think that took almost a week. Also, my fingers were stained black from the Sharpie I used to trace the edges of the frames so they would pop (curse you Pinterest!). I added some white stripes to my red door (and also traced the edges of those), then I put everything together with some cutesy Dr. Seuss font I found and.............................<br />
Voila!<br />
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There she is! What a beauty! I just knew I would win the whole thing, but sadly, as you can see by that little yellow ribbon, I came in 3rd place. Which is okay, really. I'm over it (a year later). Also, I ended up with free break for a week, which really just meant lots of mini water bottles and ice cream, but all's well that ends well, I suppose.</div>
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What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? Does your school have a door decorating contest?</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-138823819402573222014-02-15T12:28:00.000-08:002014-02-15T12:30:38.945-08:00YA Lit: Bella at MidnightHello All!<br />
We've been out of school for almost an entire week and I am about to go CRAZY. I love love love my children, but after 3 days of staying at home, I am ready for them to be with someone else for a while. Since I don't have as much free time as say, single people or the child-less/dog-less, I haven't been able to spend my time doing things I like. (I swear if I have to put together that silly whale puzzle <i>again </i>I will scream.) Once I finally get my kiddos to bed and my dog settled in, I am too tired to keep my eyes open any longer than an hour...because I MUST fit in an episode of Scandal before bed.<br />
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I digress. What this post is really about is a little gem I found on my local thrift store shelf titled <i>Bella at Midnight</i>. I'll be honest, I am a huge fan of YA literature. Adult books are often too full of sex and language, and I choose to steer away from that as best I can. I also try to preview books before I put them on my classroom shelf. After reading the back and noting the condition of the book (mint, by the way--hooray thrift store!), I decided to whip out my dolla dolla bill and say goodbye to $0.39.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7946305793545790680" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Much to my surprise, <i>Bella </i>did not disappoint. While it started off rather slowly, I was hooked after a few chapters. The book is divided into three sections. The first two sections follow completely different story-lines, but author Diane Stanley weaves everything together beautifully in the end. Once I finished the book, the first thing that came to mind was the story of Cinderella, but there are enough differences that you don't feel as though you've wasted your time. I was pleased that certain elements of the classic tale remained, but I was also glad that the author added her own twists. No character in this book is married to the original character and several new characters are introduced. Stanley did an excellent job of providing enough background so that, even when you really don't like someone in the book, you do understand the reason for their poor attitude.<br />
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Another element of the book that surprised me was the reference to the Christian faith. The story is set in medieval times, so the religious nature of the characters makes sense. It's not so overwhelming that a non-believer would dislike the book, but it is there, and it is out in the open. God, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are all mentioned within the pages.<br />
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As soon as I finished the book, I knew which students would enjoy reading it. <i>Bella at Midnight </i>isn't a must-read for everyone; however, your lovers of fairy tales and Prince Charmings will certainly enjoy this rendition of <i>Cinderella.</i><br />
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Purchase at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bella-at-Midnight-Diane-Stanley/dp/0060775750/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392495025&sr=8-1&keywords=bella+at+midnight" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-18484615730957156622013-10-21T19:43:00.000-07:002014-01-11T13:08:24.709-08:00Author's Tombstone ProjectsI debated A LOT about this project. I didn't want to seem too morbid, but I wanted my kids to have something that was age appropriate and Halloween-y, which is hard to find for middle school. Trust me, I looked. When I couldn't find anything that struck me, I decided to create a short project that would cover MLA citation, encourage proper grammar, and allow for creativity. My 7th and 8th graders BLEW ME AWAY with their work. Seriously, sometimes it is literally like pulling teeth for them to complete assignments, but I did not have one single complaint about this project.<br />
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First, I Googled tombstone templates and found three that I felt were large enough for what I wanted. Before passing any information out to the kiddos, I gave every child a rubric and went over it thoroughly. I have found that a rubric provides students with step-by-step instructions, and really, it's a whole lot easier for me when grading. I answered questions and then passed out the four square research template. (We use four square writing, so this template worked really well because it was a concept they had already practiced.) Students were told exactly how to follow the template, and off to the computer lab we went. The list of authors that I wanted them to use was on the back of the rubric. There was NO way I was letting them Google anything about dead people, so I just gave them options. I went with a couple of standards like Shakespeare and Poe, but I threw in some random folks as well. I encouraged students to look through the entire list before deciding on an author to research, and I was fairly pleased. I have a Wiki, and students linked to sites like goodreads.com through it to complete their research. Many stepped outside their comfort zone and went with someone new to them. After filling in their information (this took about 30-45 minutes), we went back to the classroom. The next day, students cut out a picture that I had printed for them, glued it to their tombstone, colored the tombstone, then cut it out. Finally, they used their research to write the epitaph. (Some students did this first and then colored over it, but the color was too dark to see the writing, so they had to go over it in marker. I recommend writing this in pencil first!)<br />
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Here is the finished bulletin board! (It is supposed to be a graveyard.)<br />
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Here are a few examples of student work. My sixth grade class did a tombstone for an overused word, and you'll see a few of them here too. I am SO proud of them!<br />
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Overall, this was my favorite project to date. I had a lot of fun working with the kids and getting to see them use their creativity. To top it off, this lesson does go along with many CCR standards. If you are interested in the rubric, writing template, and complete list of authors, check out my TN store by clicking the image below. Happy writing and researching!<br />
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/authors-tombstone-project"><img src="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_post_item/shops/31050/OEM2YH-Untitled.png" /></a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-50468513122702011062013-09-18T18:46:00.001-07:002013-09-18T18:46:03.775-07:00Irregular VerbsRecently, my middle schoolers began a segment on irregular verbs. These can be challenging for anyone, even me, so I decided to make things fun. First, students cut out an extensive list of irregular verbs that featured the infinitive form, past and present tense, and past and present participles of multiple verbs. These lists were pasted into their journals, along with a few notes. Next, I had students pick out two verbs, one they felt confident with, and another they weren't too sure of. We used these two verbs to help make our foldables.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/irregular-verb-tenses-for-interactive-notebooks"><img src="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_post_item/shops/31050/CB3LWH-Screen_Shot_2013_09_12_at_9.19.19_PM.png" /></a><br />
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Each student's foldable ended up looking something like this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsGXp7rE6KPcfJKucsA4OBiHZj5r7euLG7gWcab1UFu46A8wz4LGw_ypjrBakAJgQb7BnAtyZlqUit5TRRW9M0FBIvK_pD6wSUUlGLnnAwcjawtB7EuQkTAajEcL6TNjwn2YX52Eg1hQ/s1600/irregverbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsGXp7rE6KPcfJKucsA4OBiHZj5r7euLG7gWcab1UFu46A8wz4LGw_ypjrBakAJgQb7BnAtyZlqUit5TRRW9M0FBIvK_pD6wSUUlGLnnAwcjawtB7EuQkTAajEcL6TNjwn2YX52Eg1hQ/s320/irregverbs.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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There are multiple versions floating around on Pinterest, but I took the format and made it to fit my needs. It was easy to create the table and merge the cells, so if you aren't looking to buy one, make your own! After working with these for a day or two, I let my students play "I Have. Who Has?" using irregular verbs. This game is on sale in my TN shop for $2.00. If features all the verb forms that are listed on the foldable above. </div>
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/i-have-who-has-irregular-verbs"><img src="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_post_item/shops/31050/H603JL-Screen_Shot_2013_09_18_at_8.43.58_PM.png" /></a><br />
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Keep in mind, I completed these activities with middle schoolers. Certain verb tenses are too advanced for younger students, but there are lots of fun ways to teach irregular verbs. Check out Pinterest or even Google images for ideas!</div>
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Happy teaching!</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-68952917011366515082013-09-12T19:54:00.001-07:002013-09-18T18:49:43.847-07:00New Job!I have been meaning to write this post for a while, but let me tell ya, I have been crazy busy. Three days before the school year started I was asked to leave my job as a special education teacher and take on the role of a general education teacher. I have been wanting to get back into the classroom for some time, so this was a no brainer for me. However, I was (am) a bit unprepared for the job as a 6th, 7th, & 8th grade Language Arts teacher. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE the written word. I wish I had the gift some of my favorite authors possess. I want my students to enjoy reading as much as I do, but middle school is intimidating. Now, a month into the school year, I am feeling my way around. I am relearning participles, prepositions, infinitives, and gerunds. I am exhausted at the end of the day, but it is so completely worth it. We are doing a lot of fun things in the classroom, some of which I am slowly documenting. One of my favorite activities has been story mapping. It's pretty detailed, so I will get into that at a later date; however, today's activity wasn't quite so bad either.<br />
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I like for my students to do more than just take notes, so when I found a pin on irregular verb tenses, I was all over it. Sadly, the pin was nothing more than a picture...no instructions or templates. I went off the image and created my own "flappy thing" (I know, I know, I should really find the proper name, but my kids know what I am talking about when I say it, so....). It turned out to be a quick review for some students, and an introduction for others.<br />
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(To see more on the above activity, read the "Irregular Verbs" post. It has updated information, and instructions. The book I use to teach grammar is the one pictured below. It is fabulous!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmTHdT3pWKCZ_fzCBXRki9lbMGcSMS8EXs8JZx-PGFqE48lH0uaGQeb9ojBNOypkersNmFFkaXhw75aSNqvIB4VvBr0MR4p1bjG5eg0TWCgbnyGwERduSbhbW9yd0ya8raNgxIQdzDKk/s1600/easygrammar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmTHdT3pWKCZ_fzCBXRki9lbMGcSMS8EXs8JZx-PGFqE48lH0uaGQeb9ojBNOypkersNmFFkaXhw75aSNqvIB4VvBr0MR4p1bjG5eg0TWCgbnyGwERduSbhbW9yd0ya8raNgxIQdzDKk/s1600/easygrammar.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-24009116868610853122013-08-10T09:31:00.000-07:002013-08-10T09:31:32.223-07:00Getting Ready!Hello All! It has been a super busy week at my house. I have spent multiple days at the local thrift store searching for books for my classroom library. (I found a few cute tops too, so that was a bonus!) I have also spent time in my classroom and school library preparing for the year. Recently, I helped reorganize our library so that it would be user friendly. After scouring Pinterest for ideas, I found a "Staff Favorites" area I liked for the library, but wasn't wild about the theme that was pictured. So...I got out my mom's Cricut and begin creating what I think turned out to be pretty darn cute.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmD4Pw0q9AFwcfxC0hrmu-ZtlS0G_iDWyC7yGEMaqOuv-_Tj04xNxroqy0cv4DCU4dmpJl9Q8WMwZ9ZJ1hrRrpiu-dq8IOVO6OExABydbtJn3gjl2dp4_IKXGdv3A2IsbBmuuxIWN-Fg/s1600/photo-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmD4Pw0q9AFwcfxC0hrmu-ZtlS0G_iDWyC7yGEMaqOuv-_Tj04xNxroqy0cv4DCU4dmpJl9Q8WMwZ9ZJ1hrRrpiu-dq8IOVO6OExABydbtJn3gjl2dp4_IKXGdv3A2IsbBmuuxIWN-Fg/s320/photo-10.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I asked our teachers for help creating this, and they willingly complied by giving me lists of books. Enough that I can swap out displays throughout the year. I also created book recommendation bookmarks to keep in a few books throughout the library. Those can be found by looking in my posts for July.</div>
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Our school-wide theme this year is "Peace, Love, and Learning." Several teachers were making this slogan their own, and since I teach reading, I created a new display for my door.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSB0-L-GtSCQOV6q81TvsB8xBaauJAI2jCH1A7Wi-Qnq6EZY72le1Hh2ZPRkZQOai32t7-EHifW01996XBdtOpNXV36yvgIj-HX0i5ECVPlyrjxxwiFbJVyp3c_SqVSi8PjBg85aiHJA/s1600/photo-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSB0-L-GtSCQOV6q81TvsB8xBaauJAI2jCH1A7Wi-Qnq6EZY72le1Hh2ZPRkZQOai32t7-EHifW01996XBdtOpNXV36yvgIj-HX0i5ECVPlyrjxxwiFbJVyp3c_SqVSi8PjBg85aiHJA/s320/photo-9.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The felt pieces were $1.97 each at Wal-Mart, and the letters were on clearance for $2.50. I also found some peace sign ribbon for $1.97. I hot glued the ribbon to the back of each felt design, and then hung the ribbon at different lengths. When I got it how I liked, I hot glued the end of the ribbon to the top of the door itself (not the frame) and then clipped the ribbon from the roll. Overall, it took about 30 minutes to add the letters, glue, and hang. Not too bad!</div>
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Does your school have a theme, or all you all allowed to choose classroom themes? What do you do to make your classroom warm and inviting?</div>
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Hope you enjoy your weekend!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-84364714479055366272013-08-01T19:56:00.000-07:002014-03-08T12:45:47.333-08:00Chevron LabelsMost people do not understand the effort that goes into getting classroom ready for the school year. I don't know how many times this summer I heard, "Well, it must be nice to have the WHOLE summer off!" Ha! I don't know about you, but my summer was busy. I have been scouring the city trying to find copies of novels for literature circles (which I pay for out of my own pocket), creating different items to use in my classroom, taking care of my family, volunteering at church, etc. I have also spend several days in our school library, cleaning out clutter and organizing books in line with the Dewey Decimal System. So, no, I have not had the WHOLE summer off, thank you very much. Off my soapbox in 3...2...1....<br />
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While sifting through some of my classroom clutter, I discovered a lot of items that I haven't used in years. They were stuffed in a box that had no label. If you are like me, you are obsessed with office supplies, and that includes the packs of Avery labels in the paper section of Wal-Mart. I have tons of these things, but I never print any off because I can't make them as cute as I would like. After my kiddos went down for the night (fingers crossed), I got a little busy on my computer. While these aren't perfect, they do fit the 2"x4" labels from Avery, and they are a bright reminder for IEP files, binders, take-home folders, portfolios, etc. Since I downloaded the template from the Internet, these are free. I hope you can find a good use for them!</div>
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What have you been busy with this summer?</div>
<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/chevron-labels"><img src="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_post_item/shops/31050/BZWAJJ-Screen_Shot_2013_08_01_at_9.54.21_PM.png" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-23398634074068718862013-07-19T12:18:00.000-07:002013-07-28T12:42:35.973-07:00Report CardsStudents dread report card time. Why? Sadly, many kids don't value their education, but they know when they go home, they might get the beating of their life. Since my first year teaching, I have helped students cope with the dreaded report card day by letting them fill out a report card for me. That first year, I used a ready-made report card, but there were too many boxes. Over the past 4 years, I have adapted the report card to fit my needs and my grade level. Here is a sample of the first page:<br />
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/teacher-student-report-card"><img src="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_post_item/shops/31050/00A6U4-Screen_Shot_2013_07_19_at_2.10.53_PM.png" /></a>
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This is anonymous, so students don't need to feel scared about completing this. I have three open-ended questions on the next page, but those are optional.
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I am also going to be trying something new this year. Student report cards-with a twist. Instead of covering academics, I will fill out a form, much like this one, on how well students are trying, if they are being kind to classmates, responsible, respectful, etc. </div>
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Teacher's Notebook is currently down, but when I can, I will upload this document to be sold for $1.00. There are 4 pages, 2 Teacher Report Card forms and 2 Student Report Card forms. Hope you enjoy!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-76889380187723915532013-07-16T14:06:00.004-07:002013-07-16T14:06:55.019-07:00Book Box LabelsI am working on many things for the upcoming school year: bulletin boards, labeling of books, reorganizing IEP files and general ed files, cleaning out old items in my classroom, etc. Some of this is exciting, some is rather tedious. For me, labeling my books is probably what I look forward to most. (Nerdy, I know!) Because we are all moving toward common core, I have had to revamp my classroom library to include more non-fiction. Now, let's be honest, my kids don't want to read about seeds and pollination. Heck, I don't want to read about seeds and pollination. However, there are quite a few non-fiction topics I am interested in. I love arts and crafts, travel, biographies, etc., and if I can get excited about all that, so can my kids. Today, I visited 2nd and Charles, which is a little bit of heaven on earth. Seriously, if you've never been, you MUST find one and go! Right now! Well, you can wait until your next trip out, but really, it's THAT cool. Walls and shelves full of pre-loved books. I bought 14 titles today for $25, including a copy of <i>Catching Fire</i> for $0.50. Yes, you read that right. Fifty cents. Crazy isn't it?!? Anywho, I rifled and searched and purchased all but 2 books for under $2.00. After that, I looked to purchase some chevron fabric for my bulletin boards. Sadly, everywhere was sold out. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. I visited 4 fabric stores. Oh well, I'll just keep my polka dots for another year.<br />
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Since I couldn't get my chevron fix at Hancock's, or JoAnn's...or Michael's, I decided to make some book box labels using the pattern. I am loving anything summery, so my chevron ended up turquoise and purple. I made it myself! These labels are meant for 5x7 index cards. You can print the ones you need (I included a blank), poke holes and tie with a string, or just tape the labels to your boxes. There are 23 total, and some are for younger students, some for older. I have a variety of reading levels in my room, so I tried to include the books my students like and ones<br />
that are trending on B&N or Amazon. Once I hook my printer back up, I will print some off and post a picture. For now, enjoy! (Click on the picture to go my Teacher's Notebook Store.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/purple-and-turquoise-book-box-labels"><img src="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_post_item/shops/31050/K5RGU8-Screen_Shot_2013_07_16_at_3.40.56_PM.png" /></a><br />
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(Titles include: Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Time Warp Trio, Warriors, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Spiderwick Chronicles, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Sisters Grimm, The Boxcar Children,<br />
A to Z Mysteries, Junie B. Jones, Judy Moody, Magic Tree House, Fancy Nancy, Skippyjon Jones, Heroes of Olympus, Poison Apple Books, Cam Jansen, 39 Clues, Jack Sparrow, Mysterious Benedict Society, Ranger's Apprentice)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-24825599297924934962013-07-10T11:07:00.003-07:002013-07-10T11:38:47.592-07:00Solving Problems PosterWhen I taught math, I used a lot of strategies with my students. Even in reading, we talk about how to correctly solve problems involving main idea, theme, vocabulary, etc. With common core, there is a need for teaching even more strategies to students. One poster I made (and I didn't come up with this, I learned the steps at a workshop) helps students pace themselves when solving problems. It's yours, for free!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mGGRJKAHOtwDL7juKBvJRRnaqt286J8ibeWibGASrhp9n0zYArwz6QQoFaJLWWj7q3M0-I23TOj0V-5LLa1of84IW5Jz6B3l4W3Qf1mLiJOwbkggU4hzAwjMHggSdCrBclbKfwwFqfw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-07-10+at+1.02.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mGGRJKAHOtwDL7juKBvJRRnaqt286J8ibeWibGASrhp9n0zYArwz6QQoFaJLWWj7q3M0-I23TOj0V-5LLa1of84IW5Jz6B3l4W3Qf1mLiJOwbkggU4hzAwjMHggSdCrBclbKfwwFqfw/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-07-10+at+1.02.30+PM.png" width="248" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/solving-problems-poster" target="_blank">Link to Poster on TN</a></div>
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How do you know if your students are natural problem solvers? In my ABA course, the textbook listed several characteristics of strategic and non-strategic learners. These circle poster match the chevron styled poster above and are very informative. After reading through these, I was able to pinpoint exactly which students I needed to work with on their problem solving skills. Charts, notebooks, and organization are key to helping non-strategic learners succeed. I will offer more tips on binder/notebook organization later this week. Hope you are having a great Wednesday!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9X4fRVAbqG8B7vuQ4Tf48tOnW0lQMmy1EH79lRQBu75A8jZuYnYKYYl4S-h5ofAdGcG5uKAqMy4u0c23k5CvHQB0QdNPLvzdoddvEM0FqaaFhBPWz-XILDihGYkihj87-GKipcBifw30/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-07-10+at+1.32.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9X4fRVAbqG8B7vuQ4Tf48tOnW0lQMmy1EH79lRQBu75A8jZuYnYKYYl4S-h5ofAdGcG5uKAqMy4u0c23k5CvHQB0QdNPLvzdoddvEM0FqaaFhBPWz-XILDihGYkihj87-GKipcBifw30/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-07-10+at+1.32.37+PM.png" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbAUv0ltkhF2zw8-5s6er8waVSMPchihTp2OfNIHUdu7afMLNcsdkA4l9cpsOZNWcFhr2DYAry6pVuUeWsiVDs11Sz1F9tTUfeycVxpQJfTlwra4RrrvxDnNPuXxNNbFG5qyZ1DkrmlU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-07-10+at+1.33.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbAUv0ltkhF2zw8-5s6er8waVSMPchihTp2OfNIHUdu7afMLNcsdkA4l9cpsOZNWcFhr2DYAry6pVuUeWsiVDs11Sz1F9tTUfeycVxpQJfTlwra4RrrvxDnNPuXxNNbFG5qyZ1DkrmlU/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-07-10+at+1.33.36+PM.png" width="259" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/characteristics-of-strategic-and-non-strategic-learners" target="_blank">Link to FREE Circle Charts on TN </a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-3933815508752190102013-07-07T13:28:00.000-07:002013-07-07T13:28:21.701-07:00Accelerated ReaderHas anyone ever read "The Read Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease? If not, I highly recommend this for all educators and parents. If you have, you know that Trelease covers the rewards and perils of using the Accelerated Reader system in schools. Basically, he feels that if used in the right way, AR can help students reach reading goals. Some schools still use AR as a grade, which Trelease discourages. I'm with him on that one. The purpose of AR should be to encourage kids to read, plain and simple.<br />
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It's hard to get kids to pick up a book these days, especially since personal gaming systems and television are so handy. Our school rewards students for reaching a certain number of points per nine weeks. There is no penalty for not reaching the goal. For example, the first goal was for students grades 2-8 to earn 10 Accelerated Reader points. Easy peasy, right? WRONG! The students had NO idea how to finish a book. On top of that, books for 2nd and 3rd graders are rarely more than .5 or 1.0 AR points, so they were reading double the amount that the older kids were. If the students at my school had come from homes where reading was valued, the whole school would have gotten extra PE, but only about 20 kids (out of 250) met their goal. Therefore, in order to get my kids reading, I decided to create some classroom incentives.<br />
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The first thing I did was make some leader boards (see below) for each month. After my leader boards were up, I went through as many of my own books as I could to find the reading level and AR point totals. Each book was color-coded according to a certain point level and placed in my classroom library. Next, I read picture books once a week to my students. Some were a little childish, but some were though provoking. (You're never too old for picture books!!!) Students were given the opportunity to take a test on these books, and as .5 point increments were met, a sticker was placed on a large chart in the back of my room, for all the world to see. (I used my mom's Cricut to make it extra cute and eye-catching.) As students increased their scores each day, I wrote names on the AR Leader board at the front of the room. The winner for each month could choose a treasure box item, homework pass, or raise-a-grade certificate. (PSSST...NO kid is too old for the treasure box. You've got to put in items that will make them WANT to dig around it it. I had mechanical pencils, candy, stamps, journals, etc. Make it appropriate for your age group!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW96NJS2_bk8z_CwrV-HmxTgHceLFWGJTACSSPcBGZ2db96myrMrLVW3VZj0wtS81R66Gv1m_3w-lUYj9TylDWuQGfs28Jf5kBl2o8ZgJjUHvAB7ZznwBllKO04rpfGHu2xmGuYzHWU3Q/s1600/ARPPointLeaders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW96NJS2_bk8z_CwrV-HmxTgHceLFWGJTACSSPcBGZ2db96myrMrLVW3VZj0wtS81R66Gv1m_3w-lUYj9TylDWuQGfs28Jf5kBl2o8ZgJjUHvAB7ZznwBllKO04rpfGHu2xmGuYzHWU3Q/s320/ARPPointLeaders.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/accelerate-reader-leader-charts" target="_blank">Click Here to Purchase All 12 Leader Boards for Only $1.00!</a></div>
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Within a week, I had over half of my students reading during free time each day, and at least 8 to 9 of my students met the school goals because they were working to get the rewards I offered in the classroom. Did my little plan make everyone read? Nope, and I was okay with that. I am a born reader, a lover of the written word, but not everyone is. More than likely, they just haven't found the right book to get them hooked, and you, the teacher, can remedy that. Visit my blog again this week for more on great read-alouds for students.<br />
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I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer!<br />
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HollyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946305793545790680.post-26507711921224477672013-07-03T10:17:00.000-07:002013-07-03T10:17:04.628-07:00Foreign PhrasesAs many of you know, our country is moving toward Common Core standards. While I feel that half the teachers are freaking out about this transition, some of us know that really, if you're teaching what you're supposed to, you've covered Common Core anyway. No need to fret! When I taught in Tennessee, part of our state standards (which were based on CC) required that we teach foreign phrases. Out of all the concepts I was to teach, this made me want to pull my hair out. Why? Because I couldn't find any resources!!! There were none in the textbook or on the state department's website. Now that I have moved back to Alabama, foreign phrases are not specified in our CC's, but students still need to have a general idea about common Latin or French phrases we use. In the kit below, I have included 21 foreign phrases that students are likely to hear throughout their lifetime. I know what you're thinking, "I live in Podunk, ____, and my kids ain't ever gonna talk like that!" Well, if you continue to have a bad attitude, then no, they won't. But, what if we actually taught our students to use words outside their normal vocabulary??? We might have an America that can talk beyond curse words and our students might grow up to appreciate more intellectually advanced materials. Lofty goals, right? Hey, you've got to start somewhere!<div>
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<a href="http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/hrivers/foreign-phrases" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uYUSk2l-hvuShyphenhyphenkNMkmY24CEQX0XrFzswwT-a2WCKq2syPDmAHR5FBfBsv0zB-SJywn9Khm1LfihKyhdEVfktn3-PJ63QX7H-QJGRp8DumxiH3CQFu-ErcVRJuvebqd9VEzccpo15pI/s664/Screen+Shot+2013-07-03+at+12.15.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uYUSk2l-hvuShyphenhyphenkNMkmY24CEQX0XrFzswwT-a2WCKq2syPDmAHR5FBfBsv0zB-SJywn9Khm1LfihKyhdEVfktn3-PJ63QX7H-QJGRp8DumxiH3CQFu-ErcVRJuvebqd9VEzccpo15pI/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-07-03+at+12.15.02+PM.png" width="256" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0