Saturday, August 31, 2013
GIVEAWAY ends TOMORROW!!
Have you checked out my giveaway yet?! Be sure you do! You will have the chance to win $20 to Teachers Pay Teachers!! Seriously... go check it out!! Or click on the picture below :)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
{Great} Words of Advice
Have y'all checked out Michael Linson's website?! He has such wonderful advice on being a teacher and classroom management. I subscribe to his weekly articles and get them e-mailed to me every weekend. I have to stop and read them each time I get an e-mail. The way he talks about classroom management is just beautiful. And I loved the article this week. So much so that I felt the desire to share it with y'all so you can experience the wisdom, if you haven't before :)
He wrote about why you should take your time the first weeks of school, and it's all very true. Check it out here or I posted it below!
He wrote about why you should take your time the first weeks of school, and it's all very true. Check it out here or I posted it below!
Why You Should Take Your Time The First Few Weeks Of School
No matter what you hear from your colleagues, no matter how far they say they’ve gotten into the curriculum, or how they’re already working in groups or rotating students through centers, avoid the temptation to join them.
Avoid rushing to catch up. Avoid pushing your students along too fast. Avoid comparing yourself or judging yourself or stressing out over what anyone else is doing.
Because in just a few short weeks, when your fellow teachers are complaining about the pressure and the stress, about the misbehavior and how far they’ve fallen behind, you’ll be singing a different tune.
It pays, you see, to get it right the first time around. It pays to take a deliberate approach, to teach the details, the ins and outs, and the A to Zs of being a polite, successful, and contributing member of your classroom.
In the beginning your students’ eagerness to do well can mask the reality that they’re unprepared to hit the ground running, unprepared to fully transition to their new grade level, and unprepared for your Everest-like expectations.
This is why, even if you teach, model, and rehearse your routines thoroughly, they can surprise you with how poorly they put them into practice.
For example, let’s say you’re walking your students to lunch. You leave your room in a calm, brisk moving line. As you approach sight of the lunchroom, your students are rolling along—precisely as modeled. You couldn’t be happier with how well they’re performing the routine.
But then, unexpectedly, other classes join you in the hallway. The line backs up. All heck breaks loose.
You watch aghast as your students begin stepping out of line to goof and jostle with their friends, shout out to little brothers or big sisters, and disrupt the working classrooms lining the hallway. If you’re to be honest, their behavior is, in a word, embarrassing.
It’s easy in such situations to get discouraged, to overreact, and to question both your classroom management ability and the potential of your new class.
But you would be wrong on both counts.
Because early in the school year an occasional breakdown in behavior is expected. No teacher escapes the first few weeks without being tested or tried or disappointed. How you handle it is what separates exceptional teachers from the rest.
So when something like this happens, when you have a bad moment while on your way to lunch or the wheels fall off during read aloud or every last one of your students runs on the way out to recess, it isn’t the end of the world.
It doesn’t mean you have a bad class. It doesn’t mean you’re not a good teacher. And it doesn’t mean that you should forgo your expectations of excellence or lower the bar on what you know is best for them and their future.
Rather, when your students take a misstep—or flat out ignore your directives—it’s an opportunity to show them that you really do mean what you say. It’s an opportunity to prove to them that you’re a leader worth following. It’s an opportunity to back up, slow down, take a deep breath, and get it right.
Once you convince your class that when you say it they can take it to the bank, everything becomes much, much easier.
So slow down. Take your time. Show them what a good student looks like. Show them how you expect them to listen to instruction, dismiss to recess, turn in work, partner talk, meet in groups, ask a question, line up for lunch, and even how to have fun.
And if you have a bad moment, if your students fail to meet your standards, keep your cool, observe closely, and wait until you can be alone with your class before addressing what you saw and how it strayed from your teaching.
Hold them to it and they’ll learn. Take them back to the scene of the crime and give them a chance to fix it and they will. Accept nothing less than their best . . .
And they’ll give it to you.
**Don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY we're hosting!! Enter to win a $20 Gift card to TpT!! Seriously- does it get any better than that!!?? Three days remaining!!**
Avoid rushing to catch up. Avoid pushing your students along too fast. Avoid comparing yourself or judging yourself or stressing out over what anyone else is doing.
Because in just a few short weeks, when your fellow teachers are complaining about the pressure and the stress, about the misbehavior and how far they’ve fallen behind, you’ll be singing a different tune.
It pays, you see, to get it right the first time around. It pays to take a deliberate approach, to teach the details, the ins and outs, and the A to Zs of being a polite, successful, and contributing member of your classroom.
In the beginning your students’ eagerness to do well can mask the reality that they’re unprepared to hit the ground running, unprepared to fully transition to their new grade level, and unprepared for your Everest-like expectations.
This is why, even if you teach, model, and rehearse your routines thoroughly, they can surprise you with how poorly they put them into practice.
For example, let’s say you’re walking your students to lunch. You leave your room in a calm, brisk moving line. As you approach sight of the lunchroom, your students are rolling along—precisely as modeled. You couldn’t be happier with how well they’re performing the routine.
But then, unexpectedly, other classes join you in the hallway. The line backs up. All heck breaks loose.
You watch aghast as your students begin stepping out of line to goof and jostle with their friends, shout out to little brothers or big sisters, and disrupt the working classrooms lining the hallway. If you’re to be honest, their behavior is, in a word, embarrassing.
It’s easy in such situations to get discouraged, to overreact, and to question both your classroom management ability and the potential of your new class.
But you would be wrong on both counts.
Because early in the school year an occasional breakdown in behavior is expected. No teacher escapes the first few weeks without being tested or tried or disappointed. How you handle it is what separates exceptional teachers from the rest.
So when something like this happens, when you have a bad moment while on your way to lunch or the wheels fall off during read aloud or every last one of your students runs on the way out to recess, it isn’t the end of the world.
It doesn’t mean you have a bad class. It doesn’t mean you’re not a good teacher. And it doesn’t mean that you should forgo your expectations of excellence or lower the bar on what you know is best for them and their future.
Rather, when your students take a misstep—or flat out ignore your directives—it’s an opportunity to show them that you really do mean what you say. It’s an opportunity to prove to them that you’re a leader worth following. It’s an opportunity to back up, slow down, take a deep breath, and get it right.
Once you convince your class that when you say it they can take it to the bank, everything becomes much, much easier.
So slow down. Take your time. Show them what a good student looks like. Show them how you expect them to listen to instruction, dismiss to recess, turn in work, partner talk, meet in groups, ask a question, line up for lunch, and even how to have fun.
And if you have a bad moment, if your students fail to meet your standards, keep your cool, observe closely, and wait until you can be alone with your class before addressing what you saw and how it strayed from your teaching.
Hold them to it and they’ll learn. Take them back to the scene of the crime and give them a chance to fix it and they will. Accept nothing less than their best . . .
And they’ll give it to you.
**Don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY we're hosting!! Enter to win a $20 Gift card to TpT!! Seriously- does it get any better than that!!?? Three days remaining!!**
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Arts & Craft
Hey Teacher Friends!! Before I even get started I want to make sure you know about the GIVEAWAY I'm having right now... one person will win a $20 Gift Card to TpT! Just go to yesterday's post, {here} and enter!! It's that easy!
I haven't been able to start pulling together anything for my classroom since we're moving to Espana soon to teach, so I've been working on little things around the house to keep my hands and mind busy during this "in between" time.
On September 7th I'm throwing my family friend Morgan and her fiancé, Drew, a wedding shower.
They both went to the University of Georgia while my husband and I went to the University of South Carolina. And these two teams just happen to be playing each other on September 7th! So we decided to do a couple's tailgating shower! I've been having so much fun pulling things together for the celebration.
The invitations incorporated their initials and so I've been working with that and the color RED.
I found these cute letters at Michaels and knew I needed an M, an ampersand (&), and a D. I also picked up a cute board that was on sale and some chalkboard pens!
I had leftover chalkboard paint from some wedding DIY, so I got to work!
It was super simple y'all! I painted the letters and the board with three layers of chalkboard paint on the front and back.
And viola!!
Super cute chalkboard letters...
And the pretty board...
I plan on doing something like this with the board
or this...
and then decorating the letters with my red chalk pen with something like this maybe...
Now if someone could help me figure out the menu, I'd be all set! Any suggestions? It'll be hot and I'm on a budget!
On September 7th I'm throwing my family friend Morgan and her fiancé, Drew, a wedding shower.
 |
| She was the MOH in my wedding this past June :) |
The invitations incorporated their initials and so I've been working with that and the color RED.
 |
| A copy of the invites without the "details" |
I found these cute letters at Michaels and knew I needed an M, an ampersand (&), and a D. I also picked up a cute board that was on sale and some chalkboard pens!
 |
| The "d" backwards & halfway through painting {I forgot to take "before" pictures! Whoops!} |
And viola!!
Super cute chalkboard letters...
And the pretty board...
I plan on doing something like this with the board
and then decorating the letters with my red chalk pen with something like this maybe...
 |
| Thanks Lucky Magazine for the Image! |
Monday, August 26, 2013
Writing Unit #2!!
Hola amigos!!
Happy Monday!! Have you checked out my GIVEAWAY to celebrate my new blog design and how awesome y'all are!!?? The winner will receive a $20 Gift Card to TpT! Seriously! Go check it out and enter! It ends Sunday. It's free and you may win a $20 shopping spree! What's not to love?
I am so excited to announce that my 2nd writing unit is all ready to go and up in my TpT store. I have been working like a mad woman and just really love this product. It includes 30+ writer's workshop lessons {that's SIX weeks worth}, tons of interactive notebook pages, rubrics based on the Common Core, mentor text lists, and so.much.more!
Go check it out!!
Happy Monday!! Have you checked out my GIVEAWAY to celebrate my new blog design and how awesome y'all are!!?? The winner will receive a $20 Gift Card to TpT! Seriously! Go check it out and enter! It ends Sunday. It's free and you may win a $20 shopping spree! What's not to love?
I am so excited to announce that my 2nd writing unit is all ready to go and up in my TpT store. I have been working like a mad woman and just really love this product. It includes 30+ writer's workshop lessons {that's SIX weeks worth}, tons of interactive notebook pages, rubrics based on the Common Core, mentor text lists, and so.much.more!
Go check it out!!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
$20 to TpT GIVEAWAY & Co-Teaching Series!!
Good morning lovely teacher friends!
Happy Sunday! There's something about Sundays that I just love. The promise of a newstart week... yummy meals... quiet time. I hope you're enjoying this Sunday.
Have you noticed my beautiful new blog design!!?? I am so excited about it! It is courtesy of Beth Bradford from The Cutest Blog on the Block! Beth was so fun to work with and I LOVE what she did!! In honor of my new blog design *and* part 3 of mine and Mrs. Cahill's series on co-teaching, I am hosting a GIVEAWAY!! Enter at the end of this post for the chance to win $20 to TpT! Think of all that you could get with $20!!! The Giveaway will end on Sunday, September 1st and the winner will be announced that day!
This week Mrs. Cahill and I will be sharing about how our mentor teaching/ student teaching experience became more than student teaching!
You see, my school is a charter school and is getting larger each year! We started as a one round school and 5 years ago added a second round in Kindergarten. So every grade has become two round after each year. So last year 5th grade was the only remaining 1 round grade... looking for a new teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. And Mrs. Cahill was student teaching. So as soon as I noticed how spectacular she was and how perfect she would be in our school, I went to our principal. He loved Mrs. Cahill anyway and pretty much planned on hiring her for the next year. But I didn't want to lose her to another school. So Mrs. Cahill and I hatched a plan to get her at our school for good and maybe a little earlier than the following school year!
As soon as Mrs. Cahill was finished with her full time student teaching, she and I started looking at data. We had some low mathematicians who needed some super support. While I worked with them in our math workshop, it wasn't enough. They needed more. So we started finding common concerns and forming small groups based on the data we had collected, and before you knew it, we had some groups planned that would be led by none other than Mrs. Cahill! These weren't just intervention groups- these were also challenge groups and support groups, allowing all kiddos the opportunity to learn more no matter what level there were working on. So our kiddos would be getting the opportunity to meet with both of us multiple times a week. With Mrs. Cahill willing to help out {even after she technically didn't have to!} we documented our student's growth {that's right- growth!! There was a lot of growth!!} and took it to our principal. With that- he hired her to work hourly for about 6 hours a day, 4 days a week so she wouldn't work at any other school. :) {Guess what, y'all- she was there far more than that! She's so awesome} She also became our in-school sub!
With Mrs. Cahill in the classroom, we were able to continue our groups, changing them up about every 6 weeks. The struggling learners gained more confidence and the above level learners took off when challenged with 6th, & 7th grade work! It was awesome- for everyone involved!! Obviously you don't always have two teachers in the classroom, or a student teacher as willing and capable as Mrs. Cahill, but if you can utilize another body- a parent, a friend, anyone- you can do so much in a classroom, especially when you're purposeful about your instruction. It can be so much more than just student teaching.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Sunday! There's something about Sundays that I just love. The promise of a new
Have you noticed my beautiful new blog design!!?? I am so excited about it! It is courtesy of Beth Bradford from The Cutest Blog on the Block! Beth was so fun to work with and I LOVE what she did!! In honor of my new blog design *and* part 3 of mine and Mrs. Cahill's series on co-teaching, I am hosting a GIVEAWAY!! Enter at the end of this post for the chance to win $20 to TpT! Think of all that you could get with $20!!! The Giveaway will end on Sunday, September 1st and the winner will be announced that day!
This week Mrs. Cahill and I will be sharing about how our mentor teaching/ student teaching experience became more than student teaching!
You see, my school is a charter school and is getting larger each year! We started as a one round school and 5 years ago added a second round in Kindergarten. So every grade has become two round after each year. So last year 5th grade was the only remaining 1 round grade... looking for a new teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. And Mrs. Cahill was student teaching. So as soon as I noticed how spectacular she was and how perfect she would be in our school, I went to our principal. He loved Mrs. Cahill anyway and pretty much planned on hiring her for the next year. But I didn't want to lose her to another school. So Mrs. Cahill and I hatched a plan to get her at our school for good and maybe a little earlier than the following school year!
As soon as Mrs. Cahill was finished with her full time student teaching, she and I started looking at data. We had some low mathematicians who needed some super support. While I worked with them in our math workshop, it wasn't enough. They needed more. So we started finding common concerns and forming small groups based on the data we had collected, and before you knew it, we had some groups planned that would be led by none other than Mrs. Cahill! These weren't just intervention groups- these were also challenge groups and support groups, allowing all kiddos the opportunity to learn more no matter what level there were working on. So our kiddos would be getting the opportunity to meet with both of us multiple times a week. With Mrs. Cahill willing to help out {even after she technically didn't have to!} we documented our student's growth {that's right- growth!! There was a lot of growth!!} and took it to our principal. With that- he hired her to work hourly for about 6 hours a day, 4 days a week so she wouldn't work at any other school. :) {Guess what, y'all- she was there far more than that! She's so awesome} She also became our in-school sub!
With Mrs. Cahill in the classroom, we were able to continue our groups, changing them up about every 6 weeks. The struggling learners gained more confidence and the above level learners took off when challenged with 6th, & 7th grade work! It was awesome- for everyone involved!! Obviously you don't always have two teachers in the classroom, or a student teacher as willing and capable as Mrs. Cahill, but if you can utilize another body- a parent, a friend, anyone- you can do so much in a classroom, especially when you're purposeful about your instruction. It can be so much more than just student teaching.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Now head on over to Mrs. Cahill's blog, The Hungry Teacher, and see what she has to say!! And be sure to give her a huge CONGRATS because she just finished her first week of school! I hear she even received some compliments on her class from the Specials teachers!! Woot woot!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
It's the weekend!!
Hey y'all! The weekend is upon us- woopwoop! Although I'm not in school until we move to Spain in September {less than a month- HOLY COW!} I have been working diligently on my new product, Narrative Writing~Unit 2. It is nearly finished and I am cannot wait to share it with you! I'm putting the finishing touches on it this weekend and hope to upload it by Monday or Tuesday this week.
Here are some teasers for you!
In the meantime, I'm enjoying a few indulgences like spending a night in downtown Savannah with the hubby and lounging by the pool doing some pleasure reading... Twilight for those with sharp eyes :) I can't help it- I enjoy it!
Be sure to check back tomorrow for Week 3 of my series on co-teaching with the super amazing Mrs. Cahill over at The Hungry Teacher!! There will definitely be some giveaways involved- so be sure to stop by :)
Here are some teasers for you!
 |
| Includes 30+ Lesson Plans!! |
 |
| The 2nd of 7 Units! |
 |
| Has everything you need to conduct writing conferences! |
 |
| All the I Can Statements to be used for the unit! |
 |
| LOTS of anecdotal pages! |
{PLUS some great interactive notebook materials and MUCH more!}
In the meantime, I'm enjoying a few indulgences like spending a night in downtown Savannah with the hubby and lounging by the pool doing some pleasure reading... Twilight for those with sharp eyes :) I can't help it- I enjoy it!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)