tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49855730286022661212024-03-13T00:38:57.274-04:00Teacher of ScholarsMy adventures with teaching third grade scholarsKatrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-29664643940254226032013-09-21T14:59:00.001-04:002013-09-21T15:18:11.971-04:00I'm Back and Mentor SentencesWow! I can't believe my last post was in June. My goal was to post several times a week over the summer but that definitely didn't happen. I'm not completely sure why, but I was very unmotivated to do much this summer. There were many things that caused this lack of motivation, but that is the past. Now I'm back and excited about the new things that are happening in my world.<br />
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The first bit of big news is that I am now teaching third grade. I really can't explain how excited I am about this. After teaching fifth grade for the last four years I am now back to my beloved third grade. Fifth grade had its advantages, but my passion is working with kids that are a bit younger. And I must say that I lucked out with my group of 22 students. I am in love with my class and can't wait to continue their third grade journey as their teacher.</div>
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Now to the main purpose of this post...</div>
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I ventured into the world of mentor sentences. I first read about mentor sentences last spring from <a href="http://ideasbyjivey.blogspot.com/?m=1" target="_blank">Ideas by Jivey</a>. I made the decision then that I would give a try this year. When I found out that I would be teaching third grade I questioned that decision, but after thinking about it this summer, I decided to jump in. </div>
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I used a sentence from the book, Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes. The sentence was Lilly's parents were amused when Julius blew a bubble.</div>
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I chose this sentence because of the plural noun and possessive noun. I have already noticed that my students have been mixing up when to use the apostrophe and when not to.</div>
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On Monday when the students walked into the room I had them glue the sentence into their notebook. Together we did the Invitation to Notice. This is where they notice all of the elements that make this sentence worthy of being a mentor sentence. This is what we came up with.</div>
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I was shocked that one of my students came up with the fact that blew was a homophone. (He didn't actually use the word homophone but he explained what he meant.). If I hadn't introduced mentor sentences I wouldn't have known that he knew that. My students have also found several other homophones over the last week which tells me that they are already connecting to what they are learning.</div>
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On Tuesday we did the Invitation to Notice-Parts of Speech. I had the students copy the sentence in their notebook, skipping lines. Today was very informative for me. I realized that they knew vey little about the parts of speech. In fact, they only really knew what nouns were so that is all we labeled this week. This is what we did.</div>
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I will introduce the other parts of speech starting next week.</div>
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On Wednesday we did the Invitation to Revise. I spent some time explaining what it meant to revise. I don't think many of my scholars had heard the word revise before. I showed them my example.</div>
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Overall I was satisfied with what they came up with. Most of them just added an adjective to describe the bubbles but that works for me for now.</div>
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On Thursday, we had the Invitation to Imitate. I spent some time explaining what it meant to imitate and that writers imitate others all the time. I showed them my examples.</div>
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We talked about what parts of the sentence was imitated and then I had them get started. I was very nervous of what they would come up with, but I was extremely surprised by what they came up with. I checked them as they finished and selected four of the best ones and had them write them on sentence strips. </div>
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Then I hung them and the mentor sentence in our classroom window.</div>
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On Friday, I gave them an assessment where they had to correct the sentence and then circle the nouns in other sentences from the book since we focused on nouns this week. We completed this first assessment together so that they knew exactly what I expected.</div>
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I can't believe how well my first attempt at mentor sentences went. I'm excited to see the growth of my students as we venture further into our mentor sentences. </div>
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You can learn more about mentor sentences from Jivey <a href="http://ideasbyjivey.blogspot.com/p/mastering-mentor-sentences.html?m=1" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-52616489884172753272013-06-14T14:31:00.003-04:002013-06-14T15:55:19.507-04:00Five for FridayHappy Friday! Time for Five for Friday with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/06/five-for-friday-linky-party-june-14th.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodle Bug Teaching</a>. <br />
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1. Last Saturday, a group of friends and I participated in and for the second time. Activities included dodgeball, survivor volleyball, dizzy bat, pie eating contest, an obstacle course, and several more activities. We had a blast. I will definitely be participating again next year.<br />
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2. Our kids' last day was last Friday. But teachers had three workdays to close out our rooms. Monday we had a staff meeting as our final Common Core training of the year. My district required a certain amount of Common Core days this year. I'm not quite sure why they would have one after the kids left. Thankfully the training wasn't too long and I was able to complete my student cum folders and work in my room a bit.<br />
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3. I finished packing my room on Wednesday. And therefore said goodbye to the classroom that I've occupied for the last 4 years. (I'm changing grade levels, therefore changing classrooms.) I'm not looking forward to moving rooms but I'm excited about the change in grade level.<br />
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Goodbye, Rm. 419<br />
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4. Thursday was an amazing day. I had the opportunity to sleep in and relax the entire day. It was much needed.<br />
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5. This summer I will be teaching summer school. I'm not super excited to be working this summer, but it is necessary. Today I attended the first if two trainings. I will be teaching literacy. Today's training was for Making Meaning which is a reading comprehension and vocabulary program and Monday's training will be for Being a Writer which is the writing component. Both of these programs require read alouds to teach the material. The amazing thing is that because I am teaching literacy this summer, I get to keep all of the teaching materials I received which means I just added over 50 books to my classroom library which I'm extremely excited about.<br />
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Being a Writer<br />
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Making Meaning<br />
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There are some amazing titles included so I will be reading a lot this summer to see how I can use these books next school year. <br />
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Well that was my week. How was your week? Don't forget to stop by Doodle Bug Teaching and link up.<br />
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-33647421036976141652013-06-12T21:00:00.002-04:002013-06-12T21:00:38.656-04:00Goodbye Rm. 419As of 3:00 this afternoon, I am on summer vacation. I also had to say goodbye to my classroom today. Due to my move to third grade, I have to change classrooms. I have been in this classroom for four years which is the longest amount of time I've been in the same room. In my 10 years of teaching I've been in 6 different rooms so it was nice to settle into a single room for a while. This room has been my home away from home for the last 4 years. I love this room.<br />
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Because of the change in grade levels, I spent the last few days separating my personal materials from the school's fifth grade materials. That was a dreadful task. I did however throw a lot of stuff away, which was nice. Then I had to pack pretty much my entire room into boxes to prepare for the move. Classrooms have not been assigned yet so I was unable to move anything out of the room. I think I know where my new room will be and I'm not excited about the location. It is on the main hall and every class will need to pass it to go to lunch and out for recess. Therefore there will be a lot of extra noise that I'm not looking forward too.<br />
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Even though I am looking forward to teaching third grade again the process of packing and the thought of having to move everything in August is not a happy thought. But being in a grade level I love will make it all worth it.<br />
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So I want to say goodbye to my beloved classroom, but along with the move comes positive changes which I'm super excited about.<br />
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Goodbye Rm 419!<br />
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On a brighter note, I'm obviously looking forward to next year. I've already started creating things for my classroom next year. I will be sharing a lot of things this summer.<br />
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-52971308741970214802013-06-07T20:37:00.001-04:002013-06-07T20:37:10.715-04:00Five for Friday - The Last Week of SchoolSchool is officially out for summer. (Well, at least for kids. I still have 3 teacher workdays next week.) But I'm happy to say that I survived my tenth year in the classroom. This weekwas crazy busy but a ton of fun. So here is my Friday Five....<br />
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1. Field Day<br />
Tuesday was field day. The kids enjoyed all 16 stations including the two water stations in which most of them got drenched. It was an amazing day, despite the irate parent who caused a scene in front of my entire class by trying to start an argument with me. Thankfully my principal was there because of the possibility of this occuring. She was escorted away from the area an banned from the school for the rest of the year. I was extremely proud of how my students remained calm and focused on their activity while thiswas going on.<br />
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2. Staff vs. Fifth grade Soccer Game<br />
After a long, but fun field day, we held our 3rd annual staff vs fifth grade soccer game Tuesday evening. There was a great turn out with about 35 kids and 10 staff members. After all was said and done, the staff remained undefeated by winning 4-1. <br />
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3. Fifth Grade Dance<br />
Wednesday was a very busy day. We had our annual fifth grade dance Wednesday morning. This was the best dance we've had in the four years that I've taught fifth grade. Most of the kids danced most of the time. We also had a dj.<br />
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This is one of our former teachers and who currently tutors. He also happens to dj part time. He graciously offered his time to give the kids a great dance.<br />
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4. READ, READ, READ<br />
I've mentioned in a couple of previous posts that my school had a book drive with the goal of collecting enough books to ensure that all of our kids would take home at least 5 books to read over the summer. We exceeded our goal by collecting close to 7, 000 books. Throughout the day there were guest readers who volunteered to read to various classes. We also had an assembly on Wednesday afternoon as a kickoff to summer reading. There was music, cheering, dancing, mascots, and more. At the end of the assembly we passed out the bags of books. The kids were so excited to get their books. It warms my heart to see kids so excited about reading.<br />
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5. Saying Goodbye<br />
We had our Fifth grade promotion ceremony on Thursday morning. Many students left early so I said some final goodbyes then. A few others knew that they would not be at school today so there were some final goodbyes yesterday afternoon as well. All of those were easy compared to today. After a pretty uneventful day, it was time to make our final walk to the buses. After I had given each student a big hug, I was headed out to our usual spot where the staff waves goodbye as the buses pull out of the lot. Another teacher walked up to me and said that three of my boys were crying. Yes, 3 now sixth grade boys, two of which were behavior issues were crying. I went back over and gave each of them another big hug and I started to tear up. (This was the first time that I've cries on the last day of school in ten years.) I just couldn't help it. Seeing two of those students crying just broke my heart because I know how far they have come and despite how hard of a time they gave me this year, they really do care and relied on me. It breaks my heart and yes, I'm starting to tear up again. After getting them to calm down a bit, I head over to my coworkers to wave goodbye. As we are walking back towards the building, I see another student who was a behavior issue crying while he's waiting for his bus to come. I couldn't believe it. I teared up again. I'm really going to miss this group of students despite the difficulties that they gave me.<br />
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TIME TO PARTY!!!!<br />
I know this is officially number 6, but I couldn't stop at just 5. Once back in the building, it was time to party. Yes, we dance in the halls each year once the kids are gone. We did all the line dances: The Wobble, The Cha Cha Slide, The Cupid Shuffle, and The Electric Slide. I always look forward to this. Many of the staff then headed out to continue the celebration with a few drinks. Always a fun time!!<br />
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It was a bit of a rough school year, but I learned a lot about me as a teacher. I will be writing a post soon to reflect on the school year.<br />
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Well that's my Friday five (six) for this week. Stop by <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/06/five-for-friday-linky-party-june-7.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodle Bug Teaching</a> to link up.<br />
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-69334674718753026882013-06-02T17:44:00.002-04:002013-06-02T17:44:54.630-04:00Currently June GoalsToday I'm linking up with two different linky parties for the first time. <br />
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First up is Farley at <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2013/06/june-currently.html?m=1" target="_blank">Oh Boy 4th Grade</a> with the June Currently. I've seen this link up for several months so I'm finally taking the time to link up.<br />
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Listening: I'm listening to the Cincinnati Reds gam. Baseball is one of my favorite things about summer.</div>
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Loving: Last week, I was issued a iPad from my school. I'm loving the time "playing" with it. I'm looking for some usefuk apps to use. All suggestions are welcomed.</div>
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Thinking: I'm thinking about going to Walmart, but I'm struggling with leaving the house. It's so hot outside.</div>
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Wanting: I really want to stay on my couch and do nothing for the rest of the day, but unfortunately I have some stuff that I need to do.</div>
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Needing: I desperately need to do laundry. I have no clothes to wear this week.</div>
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3 Vacation Essentials: I love reading a few good books during the summer. I also ccouldn't do without my phone. It serves multiple purposes especially as a camera. I definitely need my camera when spending time with friends this summer. I love recording the memories.</div>
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Secondly, I'm linking up with Jess from <a href="http://iheartrecess.blogspot.com/2013/05/june-monthly-goals.html?m=1" target="_blank">I Heart Recess</a> to share my June goals.</div>
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Personal: My closet is a disaster area. I will take everything out and reorganize it. </div>
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Family: I just finished talking to my mom on the phone. With our busy schedules, we hadn't talked for over a week. I will make the effort and time to talk to her more often.</div>
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Health: In an effort to live a heathier lifestyle, I will walk at least 3 days a week.</div>
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School: I am teaching summer school starting in a couple of weeks so I need to start preparing for that. I also already have an extremely long to do list to prepare for teaching 3rd grade next year. I have already started tackling that list.</div>
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Blog/TPT: I will blog at least 3 times a week. I don't want to forget about my blog over the summer.</div>
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Read: I've heard great things about the book Wonder so I'll definitely be reading that this simmer. I've wanted to read The Book Whisperer since last summer, but I haven't had the time. It is a must read this summer. I'm sure I will also be reading many other books this summer too.</div>
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That's all I have for today. I guess I'll put on some real clothes and head out to Walmart now. Well, I'll do that after I start a load of laundry. </div>
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Don't forget to stop by Oh Boy 4th Grade and I Heart Recess to join in on the parties.</div>
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Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-28205442284249258432013-05-31T19:49:00.002-04:002013-05-31T19:49:44.238-04:00Five for FridayHappy Friday everyone! I survived another week. Only 1more week left before summer vacation. That's 5 days, 35 school hours, 2,100 minutes, 126,000 seconds! Can you tell how excited I am? Although I am definitely ready for summer break, I will miss mu students. This was a rough year, but I will miss each and everyone of them. <br />
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Since it's Friday I am linking up with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/05/five-for-friday-linky-party-may-31.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodle Bug Teaching</a> for her weekly Five for Friday linky party. (This is the first time in about a month I have actually posted on a Friday.) <br />
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This was a great week so here we go.<br />
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1. Book Drive<br />
About 6 weeks ago, my school initiated a Book Drive with the hopes of collecting enough books to send 5 books home over the summer with each student. We sent flyers home with students, placed boxes around the building, and reached out to the community and our friends and families. After all of the books were collected and counted we had a grand total of over 6,000 books.<br />
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This week, each teacher "shopped" for the books for their students. We are going to have a Summer Reading Kickoff Assembly next Wednesday and students will receive their books then.<br />
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Here are the carts of selected books ready to be delivered.<br />
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After all 36 teachers had shopped for books, there are still a lot of books left over. Therefore, students will be able to take home two extra books.<br />
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I'm super excited to pass them out next week.<br />
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2. Puzzles<br />
After testing each year I pull out puzzles for my students to work on. This year the selected a puzzle of all the Disney villains. Here is our progress.<br />
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3. Summer School<br />
I was interviewed and hired to teach summer school this summer. I'll be teaching a third grade transition class. Ideally I'd love to take the summer off but since that's not possible, I'm happy I'm working with an age group that I love.<br />
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4. Third Grade<br />
Speaking of third grade.....It's finally official, I'll be teaching third grade next school year. Words can't express how excited I am. Third grade is where my heart is and I can't wait until next year. I do have a lot of work to do over the summer to prepare for the change of grade level but it will be well worth it.<br />
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5. IPad<br />
My district is starting a new program to test the reading levels of our students in grades K-3. In order to use the program we have to use Ipads. We are all required to go to a training this summer, which means that the Ipads had to be issued prior to vacation. I received mine yesterday. Although it technically belongs to my district, I am allowed to use it personally too. I love that I have the entire summer to learn how to use it. However, I did allow a few of my students use it today. Here they are working on it instead of playing at recess today.<br />
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Now I need some help from you. What are some free apps that you use on your iPad? I'm looking for both professional and personal suggestions. Thanks in advance.<br />
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I'm off to enjoy a relaxing weekend before a hectic last week of school. There's so much paperwork and packing that needs to be done but I also want to spend the last few days enjoying the time with my scholars. I'll have to find the balance.<br />
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Don't forget to join the party by stopping by Doodle Bug Teaching to link up.<br />
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-34158144718178665362013-05-25T11:06:00.002-04:002013-05-25T11:08:58.379-04:00Five for FridayHappy Saturday! This week has been crazy busy and I got home yesterday and passed out so I completely forgot about creating this post. I also never wrote a Five for Friday post last week so I'm combining the last two weeks in this post.<br />
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So even though it is Saturday, I'm linking up with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/05/five-for-friday-linky-party-may-24th.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodle Bug Teaching</a> for Five for Friday (two week edition).<br />
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1. Testing, Testing, Testing<br />
We took our End of Grade Tests this week. Reading was Tuesday, math was Wednesday, and science was Friday. For the most part, my students worked really hard on their tests and I'm extremely proud of their hard work. Unfortunately we won't find out how well they did until October. Fortunately I don't have to see the disappointed faces when delivering bad news of any students who may not have passed.<br />
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Now testing is over and its time to have some fun and enjoy the last two weeks of school.<br />
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2. Puzzles<br />
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After testing each year I always pull out some puzzles. This year was no different. I pulled out the puzzles yesterday afternoon. This one is a compilation of all the Disney villians. There were about 6 kids working on it and they loved it. Unfortunately we will be working on this puzzle blind, I can't find the picture of the puzzle so it may be a little difficult. I love doing puzzles so I love sharing this love with my students.</div>
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3. End of School Year Activities</div>
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This week my team and I planned the end of year activities for our fifth graders. Activities include staff vs. fifth grade soccer game, fifth grade dance, talent show, and fifth grade promotion ceremony. There are a few other activities but thankfully my team isn't in charge of those.</div>
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4. Mother's Day Weekend</div>
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I know this was two weeks ago but I wanted to share my weekend with my mom. This yearwas the first ttime in about 10 years that I spent Mother's Day with my mom. It was an amazing weekend and I'm glad she was able to come visit me that weekend. I don't get see her as much as I'd like to so any time I get to spend with her I</div>
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is great. Here's a picture of my mom and I when I was 4 years old.</div>
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5. Now for the best news of the week...<br />
My principal has been working on grade level placements for next year. And I'm finally getting my preference. I'll be teaching 3rd grade next year and I'm extremely excited about it. I already have so much floating around in my head that I want to do next year. I've learned a lot while teaching fifth the last four years but my heart is truly in third and I'm happy to be returning.<br />
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Well that's my Friday five. I'm ready to enjoy the long weekend and then the final 9 days of the school year. Don't forget to stop by Doodle Bug Teaching to link up.<br />
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-86989992485775249882013-05-11T19:51:00.002-04:002013-05-11T19:59:16.556-04:00Five for FridayI know it is Saturday and I'm a little late but yesterday was pretty busy. (I'll explain later.) So now it's time for my weekly Five for Friday with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/05/five-for-five-linky-party-may-10.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodle Bug Teaching</a>. <br />
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1. Teacher appreciation week waFriday and I really did feel appreciated. I hope everyone enjoyed their week as well. As part of Teacher Appreciation week, we had a drawing for massages. A massage therapist will be at our school next Tuesday and only 15 teachers won a twenty minute massage. I was one of the lucky 15. I'm super excited about it.<br />
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2. I've mentioned before that I have had a lot of behavior issues in my class this year. Let's just say that I have a very needy class this year and it has been a struggle. Well, yesterday a student surprised me. He brought me this watch.<br />
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It's hard to tell from this picture but there is no glass on the face of the watch and the hands don't work. But this was the most precious gift I received this week. This child and i have a long way this year and this present symbolizes the hard work that we have both put in this year. He was so proud when put it on and wore it the entire day, even though it was my least favorite color. And I plan to wear it for the next 19 days as well.<br />
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3. Wednesday we had our final orchestra concert. I'm so proud of thr 2nd-5th graders who played. Here are pictures of some of our violinists and our bucket band.<br />
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Three of my students are in the orchestra. Their playing has come so far this year. I'm so proud of their musical growth. <br />
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4. My school is holding a book drive wirh the attempt to send five books home with every child over the summer.<br />
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One of our teacher assistants told her mom about the drive and she jumped in to help. She held a drive at her school in Mississippi and they were able to donate almost 3,500 books. Rhe books were delivered on Friday morning. With that donation and what we have collected at our school, we are extremely close to our goal.<br />
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5. My mom is visiting me for the weekend. This is why this post is late. Last night I had to finish cleaning my house and then headed to the airport to pick her up. We had a great day today and I'm looking forward to enjoying the day with her tomorrow as well. I don't get ro spend as much time with her as I would like so I will cherish every moment while she is here while celebrating her for Mother's Day. Here's a picture of us goofing off today.<br />
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Well, that's my five random things from this week. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend and Happy Mother's Dat!Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-7717843400054756422013-05-03T19:45:00.004-04:002013-05-03T19:58:51.227-04:00Five for FridayHappy Friday!! Two more weeks until testing and onl. 5 more weeks until summer. This was a strange week so I'm glad it's ovet but we did have some fun along the way.<br />
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Therefore, I back to share five random things from my week by linking up with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/05/five-for-friday-linky-party-may-3rd.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodle Bug Teaching</a> for Five for Friday.<br />
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1. This week was spirit week at my school. On Wednesday we had Bring a Stuffed Animal to School Day. Here are the stuffed animals brought in by students.<br />
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All but 5 of my students brought in a stuffed animal. I lent out the rest. (I'm a bit of a collector.) The Cincinnati Bengal bear up front was my contribution. The students kept their friends with them all day, except for lunch and recess. There's nothing like a line of fifth graders walking down the hall with stuffed animals. I loved it.<br />
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One of my students wanted his animals to read for themselves.<br />
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So cute.<br />
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2. Thursday was Wacky Tacky Day. Here is my outfit for the day.<br />
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3-5. We've been in test prep hell all week. (I obviously hate testing.) Therefore I try to do many activities yo break up the test prep.<br />
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3. We did a sort of gallery walk to work on math problems. Several problems were posted on the wall. The kids walked around the room and solved them.<br />
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It's funny how allowing them to wonder room makes solving math problems more fun.<br />
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4. I also pulled out the tangrams for the first time. They got a kick out of making the different shapes. <br />
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5. We made acrostic poems using our names to give test taking tips. They turned out really good.<br />
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I originally saw this idea <a href="http://teachingwithatouchoftwang.blogspot.com/2013/04/tried-it-tuesday-acrostic-poems.html?m=1" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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Well,those are some of the highlights from my week. I'm glad the weekend is here. Don't forget to stop by Doodle Bug Teaching to join in on the fun and share your five random things.<br />
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P.S. I just realized that this is my 50th post. I can't believe it's been that many.<br />
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-3784081138836645982013-05-01T17:37:00.001-04:002013-05-03T19:07:13.609-04:00Workshop Wednesday: Favorite Reading Group BookHappy Wednesday! I can't belbook it is already May. Only 12 more school days before End of Grade testing begins and only 26 more days of school. I can't believe we are so close to the end. <br />
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Since we are still in full test prep mode, things have been really busy but I'm still finding time for small groups to participate in book clubs. Therefore, I'm linking up with<a href="http://ideasbyjivey.blogspot.com/2013/05/workshop-wednesday-favorite-reading.html?showComment=1367441766144&m=1#c1389099029846087930" target="_blank">Jessica from Ideas by Jivey</a> for her weekly Workshop Wednesday.<br />
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A few years ago, I read the book Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan for a grad school class. I instantly fell in love with the book. It's about a little girl who lived in a wealthy Mexican community with her parents and grandmother. They had servants who took care of their every needs and Esperanza gets what ever she wants. Then tragedy strikes and he r father is killed. Her entire life gets turned upside down. Esperanza, her mother, and their former servants must flee the country to America and become migrant workers. The book focuses on her struggle to adapt to het new life in America. This book is great for theme and context clues. I've read this book with my highest reading group for the last three years.<br />
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This year I decided to do an author study on Pam Munoz Ryan. I wanted to allow my students to discover the connection between the various books by an author. So I had them read Becoming Naomi Leon which was another greay book about a little girl of Hispanic decent who had to relocate and learn to adapt to her new life. (Just like Esperanza.) This book was also really good for theme. My students were able to make so many connections between the two books. I was actually amazed. <br />
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While they were in the middle of reading his book, the kids found Paint the Wind in our classeoom library. I was only planning to have them read the two books, but they were eager to read another Pam Munoz Ryan book. (I love their eagerness to read.)<br />
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Paint the Wind was also about a little girl of hispanic decent who was forced to relocate and had to adapt and adjust to the changes in her life. They were immediately able to identify this common theme. This book is good for teaching kids to follow multiple story lines. <br />
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Finally, my kids saw an ad in this book for Stealing Freedom. Luckily I was able to find this novel set in my school's bookroom. Although it was an easier reading level I knew they would love this book too. And I was right. This book also focused on change in a young girl's life. More connections were made after reading this book. <br />
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Through all these books, students were able to see how similar themes are developed differently.<br />
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As a culminating project they are researching Pam Munoz Ryan to see if they can find out why she has the tendency to write novels about girls who must relocate and figure out how to adapt to the change in their lives.<br />
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Over the past couple of months, I have grown to love Pam Munoz Ryan and I will definitely use her books in future years.<br />
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What books do you love to use with your small reading groups? Link up with Jessica from Ideas by Jivey to link up and share.<br />
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Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-66251639274856848792013-04-26T22:21:00.001-04:002013-04-26T22:21:38.386-04:00Five for FridayThis has been a crazy yet exciting week. I've been looking forward to writing this post since the beginning of the week because I knew this week would be jammed packed with excitement. So once again I'm linking up with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/04/five-for-friday-linky-party-april-26.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodle Bug Teaching</a> for Five for Friday.<br />
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1. This week I tried something new. After publishing a piece of writing, I had each of the students read each others pieces and then write comments telling what they liked about the story. This worked out very well. Read more and see more pictures <a href="http://teacherofscholars.blogspot.com/2013/04/tried-it-tuesday-commenting-on-peers.html?m=1" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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2. On Wednesday I was out for a workshop entitled Innovation Institute. This workshop is a series of four days and Wednesday was day three. The focus of this workshop is for the participants to discover their creativity while beingallowed to be very reflective about their personal and professional lives. I'm extremely happy that I took advantage of this opportunity because it was only offered to a limited amount of people in my district. Here are two products from this week.<br />
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I plan to do an entire post after the final session.<br />
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3. If you have been reading my blog, you know that I'm a member of a skeeball league. Our skeeball season started on Wednesday. Each week each team of three play against another team. Team and individual scores are tracked and after 8 weeks we have playoffs and then a championship Saturday. I just wanted to share that I played really well this week and I'm looking forward to continuing this throughout the next few weeks. <br />
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4. Thursday was a huge day for my school. To begin we had our spring concert. There was an international theme. We had students singing, dancing, and stepping. It is truly amazing at how talented our students are.<br />
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Here is a video clip of three students from my class performing a Nepali dance that they created.<br />
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Here is a picture of the fifth graders singing their song at the concert.<br />
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Thursday evening we had an International Festival. There was a school wide pot luck dinner in which families and staff brought food to share. There were over 300 people crowded in the gym for this event. Once most people were seated the performances began. Out step team performed again, some of the students performed their dances from the earlier concert, one of our teachers performed an Irish folk dance, and our TD students performed an African drum and dance number. It was truly an amazing night.<br />
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5. Friday was another jammed packed day. We had our third quarter awards ceremony this morning. After school I went to visit a friend who just had a baby. He was so cute! And then a friend and I headed over to see our Latin dance group perform this evening. This group of dancers is sponsored by a local Latin American group. Our students along with two other schools combined for a final performance tonight. We were a little late so I missed them dancing but I got a picture of them when they were receiving their medals.<br />
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Five of my students are in the group and they were extremely excited to know that I was there to watch them perform.<br />
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After a week like this I further realize that I am extremely fortunate to do what I do each day. I work with some amazing students. I am also very happy that my students are given the opportunities that they are given. <br />
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Well that was a glimpse into my week. I hope you had a great week as well. Don't forget to stop by Doodle Bug Teaching and share your week. <br />
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</tbody></table>Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-37918685393604969942013-04-25T19:08:00.002-04:002013-04-25T19:08:58.749-04:00Peace, Hope, Love, and Kindness LinkyToday was an extremely long day. I left home at 6:45 this morning and just returned home around 7:00 tonight. And yes I was at work the entire time. We had International Night this evening so I stayed to help and enjoy the program. I definitely love attending after school programs, but it just makes for a very long and exhausting day. We also had our Spring Concert, which also had an international theme, during the day today but I'm preparing a post for that later.<br />
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I was thrilled when I first heard about this linky party from Jessica from Ideas by Jivey. With all that is going on in the world, it's nice to see what good things are happening. <br />
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A few days before Easter I posted about an amazing blessing that was provided to one of my students. Her family is struggling due to the incarceration of her father. This means that her mother is now bringing in the only income to feed a family of 6. Luckily, my school received some donations that allowed us to feed four families Easter dinnee and thenalso provide some canned goods for spring break to make sure that the kids had food while they were out of school.<br />
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Here is the original post.<br />
<a href="http://teacherofscholars.blogspot.com/2013/03/thankful-for-easter-blessings.html?m=1" target="_blank">Thankful for Easter Blessing</a><br />
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Stop by to visit <a href="http://ideasbyjivey.blogspot.com/2013/04/peace-hope-love-and-kindness.html?m=1" target="_blank">Ideas by Jivey</a> or<a href="http://collaborationcuties.blogspot.com/2013/04/peace-hope-love-and-kindness.html?m=1" target="_blank">Collaboration Cuties</a> to link up and share some love and happiness happening in the world.Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-90309014345009193712013-04-23T20:09:00.001-04:002013-04-23T20:12:37.358-04:00Tried It Tuesday: Commenting on Peer's WritingIt's Tuesday again which means it is time to link up with <a href="http://fourthgradeflipper.blogspot.com/2013/04/tried-it-tuesday-shared-writing-journals.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+FourthGradeFlipper+(Fourth+Grade+Flipper)&m=1" target="_blank">Fourth Grade Flipper</a> for her weekly Tried It Tuesday.<br />
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After completing out book projects last week, I wanted to give my scholars a bit of a writing break on Thursday and Friday. I knew that they were super excited to read each other's stories so I took advantage of their excitement. <br />
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I printed out copies of their writing and stapled it inside two pieces of construction paper. Then I placed the booklets around the room and gave them instructions.<br />
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They were asked to walk around the room and find a story. Read it and then provide a positive comment stating what they liked about the writing. <br />
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Here's a picture of one of my scholars working.<br />
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Here are a few pictures of some of their comments.<br />
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What I Loved About This Activity<br />
1. My scholars really enjoyed being able to read each others writing.<br />
2. Everyone was completely engaged in the activity. (It was amazing how quiet they were. I have an extremely talkative class this year so anytime they are quiet for longer than 10 minutes is amazing.)<br />
3. I was able to see exactly what they focus on while reading. (Some comments were really generic.)<br />
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What Needs to Be Improved<br />
1. Some of the comments were very generic. I should have modeled the types of comments. I will definitely do a better job a modeling next time I do an activity like this.<br />
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After we were finished, I gave them time to decorate the cover of their booklet and then I placed them on the bulletin board.<br />
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This was a very simple activity that I will definitely try again.<br />
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Now it's your turn. Stop by Fourth Grade Flipper to link up and share something that you have tried.Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-76194929849118510962013-04-21T11:12:00.004-04:002013-04-21T11:12:49.716-04:00Let's Get AcquaintedIt's Sunday so that means it's time to link up with <a href="http://flyingintofirst.blogspot.com/2013/04/lets-get-acquainted.html?m=1" target="_blank">Latoya from Flying into First Grade</a> for her weekly Let's Get Acquainted linky party.<br />
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Today we are sharing our favorite parts of our classroom. Since we spend so much time there, our classrooms say a lot about who we are.<br />
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Welcome to my classroom.<br />
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CLASSROOM LIBRARY<br />
I am in love with my classroom. I posted about it <a href="http://teacherofscholars.blogspot.com/2012/08/classroom-library.html?m=1" target="_blank">here</a>. It definitely doesn't look this neat at this point in the year, but it is still pretty organized.<br />
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CLASSROOM DOOR<br />
I also love my door. It definitely sets the tone for anyone entering my classroom.<br />
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DATA WALL<br />
Here is my data wall. We track data for each of our assessments in reading, math, science, and social studies. For more information about my data wall click <a href="http://teacherofscholars.blogspot.com/2013/02/data-wall.html?m=1" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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</div>That's a quick glimpse into my classroom. Now it's your turn to stop by Flying into First Grade and link up.<br />
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Have a great Sunday!<br />
Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-67838714840486951882013-04-19T20:34:00.002-04:002013-04-19T20:34:14.536-04:00Five for FridayHappy Friday!! We have survived another week. That only means that it's time to link up with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/04/five-for-friday-linky-partyapril-19th.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodle Bug Teaching</a> for Five for Friday.<br />
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1. Test prep<br />
It's that time of the year again. It's time to prepare for the dreades test. We still have 4 weeks of school before we start testing so there is still plenty of time, but I hate shoving test taking strategies down their throats. It takes the fun out of school. My class is a little behind the rest of my grade level so we are only ready to review reading, but the kids are already dreading that subject each day. I definitely need to make it more exciting.<br />
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2. Kidblog.org<br />
I mentioned this amazing website last week but I had to mention it again because my scholars have become obsessed with it. It's a blog for kids. I left it pretty open for what they can blog about and they have mostly written posts about personal things but one student shocked me yesterday. I viewed her blog and she had posted a blog about what they had learned in science lab yesterday. I also have a student who had to go out of town for the week for family reasons. She was constantly blogging and commenting and I was able to share some things that she had missed with her. I'm so proud of both of these scholars.<br />
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3. Book Drive<br />
Our school is having a book drive so students will have the opportunity to take some books home to read over the summer. The fifth graders were asked to decorate the boxes. Look at the picture below. I'm not quite sure why she was laying inside the box. I just had to take a picture.<br />
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4. Fifth Grade Olympics<br />
To control behavior issues, we have started an incentive program where we hold competitions between the five fifth grade classes. Well behaved students are allowed to participate. Today we held our third event: egg and spoon relays. It was hilarious to watch and the kids had so much fun.<br />
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5. I got a new phone this week. My last phone, th HTC Incredible kind of just died. I had it for almost 3 years so it was time for a change. I was talked into getting the Samsung Galaxy III. I'm enjoying it so far, but it is a lot larger than my old phone so I'm still getting uses to the size of it. Well I'll have plenty of time this weekend to play with it.<br />
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Well I hope everyone has an amazing weekend. Don't forget to stop by Doodle Bug Teaching to link up.<br />
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Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-72747626448284208352013-04-17T18:14:00.001-04:002013-04-17T18:38:30.132-04:00Workshop Wednesday - Cut and Grow Revising<br />
Today I'm linking up with <a href="http://ideasbyjivey.blogspot.com/p/workshop-wednesdays.html?m=0" target="_blank">Jessica from Ideas by Jivey</a> Workshop Wednesday. Today's topic is our favorite writing mini lesson. <br />
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Let me first say that until recently writing was always my least favorite and weakest subject to teach. I have recently started to appreciate the subject and have become a much better writing teacher.<br />
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One of my favorite writing mini lesson deals with revising. I teach that revision improves our writing. The revision strategy that I use is called cut and grow. <br />
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I start by preparing my own piece. I make sure I use some very weak sentences in my story. I share my writing and then explain that I now that I have finished my first draft, I now need to look at my work and see how I can make it better. I select a sentence and grab a pair of scissors and cut the sentence out of the paper.<br />
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After doing this I am left with two pieces of paper: the part of the story before the eliminated sentence and the part of the story after the sentence. I then tape the first part of the story on a piece of large construction paper. <br />
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Then I write my new sentence on the construction paper, under the beginning of the story. I may add more description, more details, vivid verbs, transition words, etc. After I write my new sentence, I attach the bottom part of the paper. <br />
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Here is my picture of the example I did for this mini lesson at the beginning of the year. I think my original sentence was "I hadn't ridden it before." See how much my sentence grew.<br />
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Using this strategy allows students to see how their writing can grow. They are able to have a hands on experience with their writing and they always love being able to cut their paper. This strategy makes revising fun for my scholars and provides a visual of what revision is. <br />
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Below are some cut and grow examples from later in the year. My scholars did an amazing job at adding, substituting, and removing parts of their original draft. They weren't this good at the beginning of the year. I'm so proud of their growth.<br />
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<br />Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-72498829481308855752013-04-15T20:09:00.001-04:002013-04-16T20:11:53.591-04:00Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party<br />
I can't believe that it's already the middle of April and that there are only 38 more days of school left. Where has the school year gone? At least that means that summer is almost here and I love summer. But for now it's time to link up with Latoya from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_960867150"></span><span id="goog_960867151"></span><a href="http://flyingintofirst.blogspot.com/2013/04/lets-get-acquainted-and-freebie.html?m=1" target="_blank">Flying into First Grade</a> for her weekly Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party.<br />
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Here is the code: <br />
Red- Favorite Ice Cream Flavor <br />
Orange- Favorite Memory from College <br />
Yellow- Favorite Sports Team <br />
Green- Favorite Fast Food Place <br />
Purple- Wild Card(Tell anything about yourself) <br />
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RED - FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR<br />
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When it comes to ice cream, I'm pretty plain. I like to keep it simple with vanilla. Cookie dough is my second favorite, but nine times out of ten I'm going with vanilla. (Now I really want some ice cream)<br />
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ORANGE - FAVORITE MEMORY FROM COLLEGE<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNzAhzY-4Fo/UWyJz2pO4nI/AAAAAAAABlo/IovpR9S-C70/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNzAhzY-4Fo/UWyJz2pO4nI/AAAAAAAABlo/IovpR9S-C70/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D" /></a></div><br />
When I got to college, I dreaded speaking in front of groups of people. That was until I became a BGSU tour guide. I loved the experience that this gave me. I was forced to talk in front of large crowds and I loved it. Since then I've never had trouble speaking in front of groups of all sizes. So my favorite thing about college was being a tour guide because it helped rid me of my fear of public speaking.<br />
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YELLOW - FAVORITE SPORTS TEAMS<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b2B7J5lRmiw/UWyLKnE5AzI/AAAAAAAABmM/CXGkz7Af-gk/s1600/CincinnatiReds" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b2B7J5lRmiw/UWyLKnE5AzI/AAAAAAAABmM/CXGkz7Af-gk/s320/CincinnatiReds" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Being a Cincinnati native, I have always been a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals in football and Cincinnati Reds for baseball. I've endured some awful teams over the years but I will always be a fan of both. Since moving to NC, I haven't been able to go to as many games as I did growing up and I really miss them, so I have to settle for watching them on tv. (I'm currently watching the Reds game.)<br />
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GREEN - FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE<br />
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I don't really eat a lot of fast food, but my favorites are Wendy's and Chick fil a. It's hard to choose between the two.<br />
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PURPLE - WILD CARD (Tell anything about yourself)<br />
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l was raised as an only child by my single mom. A couple of years ago I learned that my father, whom I don't know, also has a son, which means I have a younger half brother. We have talked a bit, but I've struggled with forming a relationship with him because the thought of having a brother is still weird to me. I've been struggling with the decision to contact him again, but I'm just not sure where to start. <br />
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Well that's a little more about me. Don't forget to stop by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_960867150"></span><span id="goog_960867151"></span><a href="http://flyingintofirst.blogspot.com/2013/04/lets-get-acquainted-and-freebie.html?m=1" target="_blank">Flying into First Grade</a> and get acquainted with other amazing bloggers.Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-85809288166005542622013-04-12T23:16:00.002-04:002013-04-16T20:14:38.172-04:00Five for FridayHappy Friday everyone! We made it through another week. I had a pretty good week, but I'm exhausted. After doing so little last week during spring break, it was tough getting back on schedule. But this week seemed to fly by. <br />
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Well, since it's Friday, it's time to link up with<a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/04/five-for-friday-linky-party-april-12.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodle Bugs Teaching</a> for her weekly Five for Friday linky party.<br />
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1. Free Student Book Publishing Project<br />
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We are currently working on a book publishing project. Using the company <a href="http://www.studentreasures.com/" target="_blank">Student Treasures</a> my school is currently working on a writing where our students have the opportunity to become published authors. The best part of the project is that it is completely free. Although I'm excited that we have this opportunity, this project can be a bit labor intensive but the final product will be worth the work. I wrote a post about it earlier this week. Click<a href="http://teacherofscholars.blogspot.com/2013/04/tried-it-tuesday-student-treasures-book.html?m=1" target="_blank">here</a> for more information.<br />
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2. Kidblog<br />
I read about Kidblog from <a href="http://fourthgradeflipper.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-first-tried-it-tuesday-linky.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+FourthGradeFlipper+(Fourth+Grade+Flipper)&m=1" target="_blank">Fourth Grade Flipper</a> last week. I looked it up and loved it so I created an account and introduced it to my students this week. They are already obsessed. I can't wait to explore this writing opportunity with my students throughout the rest of the school year. <br />
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3. Substitutes<br />
I hate missing school, but I was given the opportunity to attend an amazing workshop that would mean that I would be missing 4 1/2 days. I couldn't pass up this opportunity, but unfortunately that means that I would have a substitute for several days. Wednesday was the second day of the training. Even though I had one of the best subs at my school, I feel like Wednesday was a wasted day for my scholars and I had to play catch up the rest of the week.<br />
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4. Skeeball<br />
I've mentioned before that I played in a skeeball league. Well, we were on tv yesterday. Click <a href="http://www.wcnc.com/charlotte-today/Charlottes-skeeball-league-202536851.html" target="_blank">here</a> to see the broadcast. <br />
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5. Wiffleball<br />
I can't think about anything else so I'll talk about what I'm doing this weekend. My friends and I are getting together to play wiffleball tomorrow. There's no special reason, but someone mentioned it earlier this week and several of us jumped on the offer. Looking forward to playing. I haven't played since I was a kid.<br />
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I hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm looking forward to mine.<br />
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Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-69414077943051063022013-04-11T23:48:00.002-04:002013-04-11T23:52:02.250-04:00I'm on the News<p>As a teacher who is an admitted workaholic, I firmly believe that it is crucial to have some type of release. Somewhere that I can relax, forget about work, and spend some time doing something I enjoy. For me, this is playing skeeball. Yes, that's right skeeball. I've been playing in a skeeball league since 2007 and I've enjoyed every moment of it. Well, we made the news today. We are starting a new season in a couple of weeks and we had the opportunity do a news reporter to come to an event a few weeks ago to do a story on the <a href="http://www.skeenation.com/">Charlotte Skeeball League</a> .</p>
<p>Click <a href="http://www.wcnc.com/charlotte-today/Charlottes-skeeball-league-202536851.html?fb_action_ids=10151345673762373&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B465804593489694%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.recommends%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D">here</a> to check out the story.</p>
<p>I highly recommend that everyone find a similar league in your city and join. It's so much fun.<br></p>
Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-13247614528467508502013-04-09T06:17:00.001-04:002013-04-11T19:24:32.416-04:00Tried it Tuesday - Student Treasures Book PublishingHave you ever wanted to allow you students actually publish real books? <br />
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Well there is a company that will publish hardbound books for your students and it is absolutely FREE!! <br />
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The company is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1483398761"></span><span id="goog_1483398762"></span><a href="http://www.studentreasures.com/" target="_blank">Student Treasures</a>.<br />
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I'm linking up with <a href="http://fourthgradeflipper.blogspot.com/2013/04/tried-it-tuesday-task-cards-galore.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+FourthGradeFlipper+(Fourth+Grade+Flipper)&m=1" target="_blank">Fourth Grade Flipper</a> for Tuesday Tried It.<br />
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<center><a href="http://fourthgradeflipper.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="225" src="
http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/04fallingstar/3AM%20Blog%20Design/3am_triedittuesday_3_zpsd7a240d4.png" width="225" /></a></center><br />
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This how the Student Treasures Book Publishing project works:<br />
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1. One representative from you school contacts the company to schedule a publishing date. <br />
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2. Teachers sign up for the type of book they want.<br />
- Grades K-3 create 1 class book: You will receive 1 free copy of the book<br />
- Students in grades 4-5 each create their own book: Each student will receive the free original copy of their book <br />
- Teachers may choose to order books that are portrait or landscape<br />
- Teachers may choose to order lined pages for students to write the text or blank pages for students to type the text<br />
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3. School representative order the number of necessary packets.<br />
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4. Envelopes arrive with all necessary materials.<br />
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/IMAG0462.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><br />
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5. Students work on books: writing, editing, and then publishing their books by either writing or typing and printing on the provided pages. Students also illustrate their stories. <br />
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6. Prior to completing the project, send home the parent letter. This letter invites parents to purchase extra copies of the book for about $20. Parents must check whether or not they want to buy extra copies, sign it, then return it to school. In order to receive free books ALL parents must sign and return this letter. But don't worry, they provide enough copies of the letters to send home a second form if necessary. <br />
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7. About a week prior to the publishing date, all envelopes are collected by the school representative.<br />
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8. The school representative boxes up all the envelopes and ships them back to Student Treasures using the provided mailing labels.<br />
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9. About 2 weeks after the publishing date, the published books arrive at the school.<br />
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Your students are now published authors.<br />
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I first tried <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1483398761"></span><span id="goog_1483398762"></span><a href="http://www.studentreasures.com/" target="_blank">Student Treasures</a> about nine years ago. At that time students in 3rd grade could each make their own individual books, so my third graders made individual books. I completely fell in love with the company because my students had an amazing experience, their books turned out great, and of course, they were free.<br />
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Since then my school has used the company 2 more times. The books pictured above are from the year I taught second grade and made a class book. We decided to do a second grade ABC book. Most of the kids had two letters to contibuted to the book. They typed the text and then did the illustrations. I received the original copy and I had a few parents purchase extra copies. <br />
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This year my school has decided to use <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1483398761"></span><span id="goog_1483398762"></span><a href="http://www.studentreasures.com/" target="_blank">Student Treasures</a> again. I introduced the project to my students yesterday and they are super excited about it. The idea of becoming published writers has them super engaged in the process. They have come up with some very interesting ideas for books. I'm excited to see their final products. <br />
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I am also going to print out all of their research projects which included an essay and PowerPoints. I will create a class book of those. We also wrote essays about Martin Luther King Jr. that I am going to create another class book of. I will be able to use these for examples in future years. <br />
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I'm glad that I could share this amazing project with you. I hope you can take advantage of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1483398761"></span><span id="goog_1483398762"></span><a href="http://www.studentreasures.com/" target="_blank">Student Treasures</a> at some point. Check out the website for more information.<br />
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Stop by <a href="http://fourthgradeflipper.blogspot.com/2013/04/tried-it-tuesday-task-cards-galore.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+FourthGradeFlipper+(Fourth+Grade+Flipper)&m=1" target="_blank">Fourth Grade Flipper</a> and link up.<br />
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Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-63605923916794128022013-04-05T17:53:00.001-04:002013-04-05T19:19:01.013-04:00Five for Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YHjwfxD04I/UUO4RDfrGeI/AAAAAAAAA-M/P8b1omJbkcI/s1600/fiveforfriday_thumb%25255B3%25255D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YHjwfxD04I/UUO4RDfrGeI/AAAAAAAAA-M/P8b1omJbkcI/s320/fiveforfriday_thumb%25255B3%25255D" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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It's Friday again and I'm linking up with Doodle Bug's Teaching for Five for Friday again. Unfortunately, Friday means that Spring Break is over and I'll have to go back to work on Monday. Luckily, there are only 9 more weeks before summer vacation. <br />
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1. Spring Break<br />
This was the first year in a while that I stayed at home for spring break. It was nice to spend the week relaxing. It was much needed. It was just what I needed. Now I'm ready to finish the year strong.<br />
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2. Friends<br />
Two of my friends met for dinner on Tuesday night. Although we work at the same school, we rarely get the chance to spend time together outside of work and talk about things other than school. So it was nice to be able to spend some time together to catch up on our personal lives. We ended up staying for almost 4 hours. <br />
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3. Skeeball<br />
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I mentioned in a previous post that I played in a skeeball league. We had a free skee/registration event on Wednesday night. Our next season is starting in a few weeks, so we always hold free skee events leading up to the season. I have been playing for about six years which equals 16 seasons and I love it. It's very competitive so it allows me to compete while hanging out with great friends. <br />
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Every week the SkeeEO of the league creates Rolling Times covers. This one was created after our last free skee event. Rodric and I won the random draw tournament. Click <a href="http://www.skeenation.com/2013/im-focused-man-says-the-guy-in-the-very-unfocused-picture/" target="_blank">here</a> to read the entire article.<br />
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You can find out more information about the league at <a href="http://www.skeenation.com/" target="_blank">Skeenation.com</a>. There are leagues all over the country.<br />
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4. Doctor's Office<br />
I'm currently sitting in the lobby of a sports medicine doctor's office. Thankfully, I'm not the one who is hurt. My friend, Lindsay, injured her right leg playing soccer Tuesday night. This means that she is currently unable to drive, so I have been her taxi the last two days. I drove her to get an MRI yesterday. Last night she found out that she tore her ACL so we are back to doctor's today for her to get a knee brace. Luckily, she does not need surgery right away.<br />
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5. School Work<br />
As of yet, I have not done any school work over spring break. I plan to do some tomorrow, but I must admit that it has been nice not to think about school all week.<br />
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Well, I hope everyone has had a great week. I have enjoyed my week extremely relaxing week. Don't forget to stop by Doodle Bug and link up.<br />
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Have a great weekend!!<br />
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Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-77530156548929437202013-04-02T17:50:00.001-04:002013-04-03T12:24:36.721-04:00Tried It Tuesday: Easy Data Collection<center><a href="http://fourthgradeflipper.blogspot.com/"><img src="
http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/04fallingstar/3AM%20Blog%20Design/3am_triedittuesday_3_zpsd7a240d4.png" width=225 height=225 border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center> <br />
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Today I'm linking up with <a href="http://fourthgradeflipper.blogspot.com/2013/04/tried-it-tuesday-donors-choose.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+FourthGradeFlipper+(Fourth+Grade+Flipper)&m=1" target="_blank">Fourth Grade Flipper</a> for her weekly Tried it Tuesday linky party with a great way to review content and collect data all at the same time.<br />
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About a month ago I came across this blog on Pinterest. In the post, <a href="http://tonyastreatsforteachers.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/instant-data-idea-plus-font-friday.html?m=1" target="_blank">Tonya at Tonya's Treats for Teachers</a> explained how she had her students create the data tracker while they reviewed a test.<br />
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I immediately fell in love with the idea so I tried it last week. I decided to try it while my class was playing a game to review for our geometry unit.<br />
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This is how it works.<br />
1. I made and printed strips of paper numbered 1-24. Making the strips was simple. I just created a table in Microsoft Word then cut it into strips. <br />
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2. I passed out the strips to my students and asked them to write their initials in the first space.<br />
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3. We started our review. The questions were on the smartboard and students wrote their answers on small dry erase boards. I gave them a couple of minutes to write their answers and then they held up their boards to reveal their answers. Once answers were revealed, we discussed the question and I then gave the correct answer.<br />
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4. If students got the answer wrong, they were asked to color in the corresponding rectangle.<br />
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5. When we were finished, I collected the strips and glued them to a file folder. I can now see which questions we really need to go back and review. I can also very easily see which students are struggling most with geometry.<br />
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Here is the final product.<br />
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WHAT WORKED<br />
I loved the fact that I could easily collect the data I needed to tell that they were not completely ready for the assessment. I also loved that it required very little effort from me because there is definitely a limited amount of time to get everything done. <br />
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Students were also very honest when filling out their chart. We had a discussion about that it was important to be honest so that when I looked at the data I knew exactly who needed help, so being honest would benefit them.<br />
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WHAT I WILL CHANGE<br />
Next time I will make sure that all students are only writing in the appropriate spaces. (One of my scholars decided to write her initials in the space when she got the question correct. I didn't see it until we were almost done.) I will also make the spaces shorter. There were 3 students absent so they all fit. Next time I use it I will change the size so that all strips will fit. It would have also been better if students had done a better job at coloring in the boxes. I think I will require all students to us a crayon or marker next time.<br />
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I plan to use this idea again. Students were able to see their data immediately which I love. <br />
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I hope this is an idea that you can try in your classroom. Stop by Fourth Grade Flipper to see what other teachers are doing in their classrooms.Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-48419029550853581942013-03-29T17:41:00.002-04:002013-03-29T17:41:56.215-04:00Thankful for Easter Blessings!!I know it is bad blogging form to post twice in one day, but after I posted my Five for Friday post today something amazing happened and I couldn't resist.<br />
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I work at a Title I school in which over 90% of the students at my school receive free or reduced lunch. This means that the majority of our families live below the poverty line. Many of our families struggle to effectively feed and clothe their children.<br />
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Well, most of our students eat both breakfast and lunch at school, but once some of them leave the school building at 2:45 they don't eat another meal until they return to school the next morning. Usually this is because their families just can't afford to buy food to feed them. This becomes a huge issue over extended breaks like spring break.<br />
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As a teacher at this type of school I am always concerned about what my students will be eating when they aren't at school. I worry about some students whose families I know struggle with this issue. <br />
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Well, today I was able to help out with this situation. We had a teacher workday today. While I was at school, my principal made an announcement that someone had donated 4 meals complete with a ham, veggies, dinner rolls, other sides, and an apple pie. (The perfect Easter meal.) She asked if there were any families that we knew of that would benefit from these meals. I headed straight to the office because I had the perfect family in mind. <br />
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This family has been struggling all school year. There are four children in the family; a fifth grader, second grader, and 2 more that aren't yet in school. Grandma lives with the family to help with the younger kids while mom is at work. Unfortunately, dad is in the process of being deported. (The kids are struggling with this issue as well.). Mom is bringing in the only income to take care of this large family. Despite all of these difficulties, the two school aged children are the sweetest kids you will ever meet.<br />
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After I referred this family to my principal, she called mom and asked if she would like the donated food. She said yes and I volunteered to deliver the food. I was then led to het office and told to pick up as much food as I wanted to take. Not only was there the ham dinner but tons of canned foods as well. I grabbed two box and a shopping bag worth of canned goods and headed over to their house.<br />
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What I loved most about delivering the food was how gracious they were about receiving it. I know that this food is truly a blessing for them and they appreciated it greatly. I am so fortunate to be able to experience this. I only wish that I was able to give this gift to more of my families. Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-86975209979226284872013-03-29T13:00:00.001-04:002013-03-29T17:44:48.465-04:00Five for Friday<br />
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Do you know how excited I am about not hearing my last name for over a week? Super excited!!!! More excited than I've been in a very long time. Why will I not be hearing "Ms. Cade" for a week? Because SPRING BREAK is finally here. And I'm so excited. No alarm clocks, no fifth grade attitudes, no lessons to prepare, no parent phone calls. The best part is that I have no plans for next week, which means sleeping as long as I want to, staying in my pjs all day if I choose to, watching some trashy tv talk shows, ("You are NOT the father!"), and relaxing. I'm really not sure about how I will spend my week of freedom, but whatever I do I know I will enjoy it.<br />
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Well, I guess I'll start my spring break by reviewing my week with <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/03/five-for-friday-linky-partymarch-29th.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodlebug's </a> weekly linky party Five for Friday. This was a pretty good week with lots of highlights so its hard to choose, but here we go.<br />
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1. Behavior<br />
I have the class this year that every adult in my building knows about. That's right the class with the most behavior issues. While I love every one of my students, this year has been a struggle. I have tried everything in my power to fix the numerous behavior issues, but nothing has worked long term. I just have a room full of boys who make a lot of bad choices. Luckily, my girls are the complete opposite. (For the most part) They are so sweet and loving. They have definitely been my saving grace this year. Well, the behavior in my class was amazing this week. (with the exception of 2 boys). Usually when there is a full moon behavior gets worse, but I guess the full moon had the opposite effect on my class this week. Or maybe it was our behavior inventive program. Or maybe it was the looming spring break that had them behaving. Whatever it was, I will just take the time to be appreciative and hope this behavior continues after spring break.<br />
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2. Fifth Grade Olympics<br />
It's spring and kids always start getting restless and excited for summer. Because of this, my assistant principal encouraged the fifth grade team to develop some type of behavior incentive to encourage appropriate behavior for the rest of the school year. Therefore, the Fifth Grade Olympics was born. <br />
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This is how it works. Each of the five fifth grade classes is a team. Each class will compete against each other in a series of events. The chart below will be kept in the fifth grade hall to track how well each class does in each event.<br />
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The catch is that individuals can only participate if they have appropriate behavior. Our first event was about 3 weeks ago. We played tug of war. Each class competed in a match against all the other classes. (My class only won one match, but they had fun, which is what's most important.)<br />
The second event occured on Wednesday in the form of three legged races. One pair from each class competed in each heat. As they crossed the finish line, they were given points. Five points for first place and one point for last. After all the heats, points were totalled and places announced. Two teams tied for third place, two teams tied for second, and one winning team. Unfortunately, my class was third overall and we needed to have a conversation about sportsmanship because my scholars hate losing.<br />
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The good thing is that out of the 102 students only 5 of them needed to sit out because of behavior. (3 of them were from my class). But pretty good odds for the entire grade level.<br />
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3. Living Wax Museum<br />
After we spent the last 6 weeks researching and writing an essay about an influential African American, it was time to invite the school to the Second Annual Fifth Grade Wax Museum on Thursday. All the fifth grade students were asked to portray the African American that they researched and prepare a brief speech to explain who they were and why they were influential. Each student created a prop and dressed similar to their subject. Once inside the "wax museum" they became wax and had to stay frozen. When a guest stopped in front of them, they had to recite your prepared speech. They did an amazing job. They were so proud of themselves. All students and staff members were invited to the wax museum and they enjoyed learning about the various historical figures.<br />
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Here are a couple of figures from my class.<br />
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Madame C.J. Walker - This student created the apron and place hair care products in it. She also brought in the doll to pretend like she was doing her hair. She also brought in money because she was the first African American self made millionaire.<br />
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Joe Louis - This student made a title belt to wear out of construction paper. Great creativity!!<br />
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After the wax museum, my scholars were extremely thirsty and exhausted. They kind of passed out in the hall as we were waiting for dismissal. <br />
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The wax museum was a huge success. I can't wait until we hold the wax museum next year!<br />
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4. Intent forms<br />
Every year around this time we are asked to turn in intent forms explaining our plans for next year. I'll definitely be at the same school next year, but I think it is time for a change, so I asked to be moved to a different grade level. I'm currently in fifth grade, but I'd love to move back down to second or third grade. I loved teaching those grades. We were also asked if we would be interested in team teaching. That has been something that I have been interested in trying for years. So hopefully, I'll be team teaching in second or third grade next year. Fingers crossed!!<br />
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5. Teacher Workday<br />
I love teacher workdays. Yesterday was the last day of the quarter, so today we had a teacher workday. Although I haven't completed everything on my to do list, I am happy I had the time to work in my classroom today.<br />
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Time for Spring Break!! I can't wait to get some much needed sleep.<br />
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Don't forget to stop by and link up to <a href="http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2013/03/five-for-friday-linky-partymarch-29th.html?m=1" target="_blank">Doodlebug's </a> linky party. <br />
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Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985573028602266121.post-58831594966531412862013-03-24T19:23:00.001-04:002013-03-24T19:23:34.265-04:00Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qelTPxC_YyM/UU98s_bc68I/AAAAAAAABLg/9Czdfj_I6v0/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qelTPxC_YyM/UU98s_bc68I/AAAAAAAABLg/9Czdfj_I6v0/s1600/%255BUNSET%255D" /></a></div><br />
Today I'm linking up with <a href="http://flyingintofirst.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-get-acquainted-linky-time.html?m=1" target="_blank">Flying into First</a> for the first time for her Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party. This time we're playing the Noun Game and naming our favorite person, place, thing, and animal<br />
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1. Person: my mom<br />
My favorite person in the whole world is my mom. I would not be where I am without her. She was a single parent and raised me to be a strong and independent woman. She sacrificed a lot for me and made sure I had many opportunities in my life. She is pictured below with my grandmother, who is my second favorite person in the world. This picture was taken last October at my granny's 90th birthday party. (Doesnt she look great!!)<br />
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I am very fortunate to have these two amazing women in my life.<br />
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2. Place: my house<br />
My favorite place is my house. It is where I am most comfortable. I love coming home after a crazy day at work and enjoying the silence and solitude of my house. As an introvert, the solitude helps me refuel so that I'm ready for all the craziness of work the next day.<br />
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3. Things: sports and puzzles<br />
I know I'm cheating here by naming two favorite things, but I couldn't pick one over the other. I love the competition and excitement of sports. (I'm watching the NCAA tourney right now.) And I love the calmness and reasoning of puzzles. I love all types of puzzles; word puzzles, number puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles. I actually glue and frame my puzzles and hang them in my house. Here is one of my favorite puzzles.<br />
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4. Animal: tarantula <br />
Well to be honest I have never really had a favorite animal. I'm not really an animal person. So I'll take this opportunity to introduce you to Theresa. About 4 years ago I went to a science conference. One of the booths was selling tarantulas and scorpions. I decided to buy a tarantula for a class pet. I was teaching 3rd grade at the time and my scholars named her Theresa. I keep her at home now because our school building gets too cold for her. <br />
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Meet Theresa the Tarantula! <br />
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Don't forget to stop by <a href="http://flyingintofirst.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-get-acquainted-linky-time.html?m=1" target="_blank">Flying into First</a> and join the linky party. Katrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177967840487611772noreply@blogger.com7