Motherhood & Workstations

As a full time working mom who loves her job, I never think about being a stay at home mom...

until one of my kiddos (or myself for that matter) are sick.

So true!!

Sub plans...ick.

So with much dismay, I have been out of school the last two days due to sick kiddos at my own house. 

And while I LOVE LOVE LOVE my kids, I had to LAUGH OUT LOUD and totally agree when I read this...

Phew...even sick, every game we own was taken out, multicolored pens were pulled apart, holes poked in tablecloths (yea, sure it was only plastic but still), demands for "nacks" (snacks/meals) every 10 minutes (yes he was fed meals just chose not to eat), and into E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G!!!  

He's lucky I love him.

And then there's this...

We've now advanced to not everyone busts in...now we just scream, "MOM!!" as soon as I get in there.  Geez!!

Hilariously enough, my own mom asked if I needed anything and I said I wanted to be an octopus and have 12 more hours added to each day.  She told me, "not possible."  

Thanks, Mom! {note the sarcasm!}

Then I found this...

Guess I'm not the only one feeling this way.  Ahh!

I'm certainly not complaining about these three little joys in my life...{sort of}...but more the price I pay for balancing being a teacher and mom of 3.  I would love and enjoy the little snuggles and alone time if it weren't for looming sub plans and that guilty feeling that I should be someplace else right then.  Oh well.  Moving on...

Tomorrow I'm back to school now that everyone is healthy.  Thank goodness!  I'm so thrilled because my kiddos have been doing so fabulous with their literacy workstations during guided reading time.  While I haven't posted any new products for a while, I've been working on a plethora of them.  One of the newest I've been revamping are my Workstation Packets.

Since my students are expected to work independently and silently while I pull guided reading groups for an hour, I want them to be engaged in a variety of activities to help with the management/noise/boredom/chaos.  I'm a firm believer in holding the kiddos accountable...not at every station...but wherever possible so that they're "play" is still educational and not just a time to play with magnets or cut magazines aimlessly.  This lets students know that they should be doing something during those 15-20 minutes they are at that station and that I will be checking on them and how they did.  

Each week I have tweaked/added to their workstations to make them better and I'm thrilled that tomorrow, I'll get a chance to see how the newest revamp rolls out.  

Here are some of the things I'm lovin' so far.

1.  I love that my kids know the songs to set up/rotate stations and the song to clean up the stations.  

I use music all day in my classroom for different purposes.  The most difficult part for me in using the music during guided reading/workstation times was having to get up and change songs.  I lost the flow in my group and kids saw it as an opportunity to come ask me every question they could possibly squeeze in in that short walk to and from the iPod stereo.

Now, I have my focus (baroque) music playing softly all throughout the hour from my iPod stereo.  When I'm reading with groups, I take my iPad with me and when it is time to rotate, I hit our switching song on nice and LOUD.  The kids hear it and start moving!  Smooth as butter!  I allow them a minute and then stop the transition song.  The focus music continues to play softly and kids go back to work at their new station.

When we finish, I do the same thing but this time I play our clean up song.  I will brag and say that this group I have right now has been the smoothest and most wonderful at rotating and cleaning up.

2.  I am loving my workstation frames for student groups.

As soon as the music starts or they know we are starting stations, they go and get the frames and place them around the room where the stations typically go.  These frames were my summer find at IKEA for 99 cents and I love them!!  Plastic.  Colorful.  Durable.  And kid friendly!  

I have 10 stations (2 stations on each frame back to back).  The station names I printed and slipped inside the plastic covers.  With dry erase marker, I wrote on the outside of the frames.  At the end of the day, I quickly wipe off each one and write the names for the next day.  I thought of tabs or post its for the names but I love how this looks so for now I'm sticking with it.

3.  I love the new workstation packets I made.

I'm not sure that they would be relevant to anyone else so I'm still working on a way to package them.  Since my workstations change each week, I try to teach a new activity whole group first.  Then the following week (or sometimes the next day) the kids will do it independently at a workstation.  Right now they are working on skills such as reviewing short i words, practicing new short o words, listening to stories and identifying characters and setting, making/designing maps, learning about continents leading us into communities, practicing sight words and handwriting.  Lots going on!  The packets I make match each station.  Typically I have never done one for computers or Smartboard, but to help with again the management and consistency, I added a new "rules/directions" page for those ones.

Here's a sneak peak at some of the pages in my packet.  

4.  I LOVE that they are doing so good at workstations so that I can have that time to focus on my small groups.  

I have always used centers/workstations in my classroom...even in third grade.  When I made the leap from third to first, I had terrific success that first year.  I attribute it 95% to the kids I had that year!  Fantastic!  The next few years brought some challenges...what I wanted to happen and how I wanted workstations to look wasn't what was happening in the classroom.  My ideas and organization were not matching up.  Typically it meant that we would try workstations for a while and when I reached frustration, we would do seatwork instead while I met my groups.  After a while, I would reteach the expectations and try it again.  Sometimes success and sometimes not.  

This year it feels different.  It seems more organized and matching what I wanted it to be.  I'm sure the kiddos feel that and that's why they have responded so positively.  Hooray!!  

Mostly, I love creating new workstations for all literacy and Science and Social Studies activities so really...the better they do and continue to do...the more I can create!  Win, Win!

Since this week has been such a hot mess (and will continue to be since I will be at an all day training Thursday also and we have an early release Friday), I'm looking forward to starting a fresh set of workstations next week and working through a "normal" (is there such a thing?) week.

Now...it's off to bed because it's off to work finally tomorrow.  

Is it possible to still feel 28 when clearly I'm not anymore?

Although the years seem to be flying by and my own loves continue to get older, I am blessed to still feel only 28 each day.  Not sure why 28...I think in my head I just stopped advancing after that. 

At 28 I had some great teaching experiences already.

I had a fantastically new and precious daughter.

I was married to a great guy.  

I was healthy and happy.

Now...older...and even more blessed!

My teaching experiences and "tools in my belt" have grown and improved.

Instead of one daughter, I am lucky to have three sweet and amazing children.

Instead of just a "great guy," I am married to an incredibly self-disciplined, healthy, loving, and doting husband.

I teach one of the greatest ages.  (third grade will forever be in my heart also)

I have the greatest friends from all parts of my life...and for all my crazy, hyper, chatty, venting, stressing, silliness...they seem to all still love me.  {I'm so lucky!}

What could top all those blessings you ask????

The feeling that internally I still feel 28!  

Can I get a Hallelujah?!  ;)

(I'm hoping all this self-talk reminds me of how good I am feeling now despite how I may feel in a very short while when the actual birthday is here.  Yikes!)

And although I feel 28...that doesn't always mean I have the time like I did when I was 28 sadly, so...

I had every intention of adding a couple new things to my sale tonight...but then life happened and well, I'll be adding it this weekend.  (insert giant boo hoo here!)

#neverenoughhours   

Until then, check out the sale, pass it on, enjoy your Friday, and appreciate the good things in life! 

(They will help keep ya feelin younger!  Cheers!)

Mark Your Calendars!

In need of a sale??

Mark your calendars!  This Friday through Sunday I am hosting a sale in honor of 

my birthday.

(Cue the Beatles rendition of the Birthday Song!)

Everything in my store will be on sale this entire weekend starting Friday.  So if you have anything wishlisted or you've been eyeballing for a while, now might be the time to snag some new goodies!

I am hoping to upload one or two more products tomorrow before the big sale...HOPING!  

Time for some beauty sleep.  

This YOUNG VIBRANT lady

(are you reading this, Mom?!  wink, wink) 

needs some!

Another weekend gone...

Anyone else getting the Monday blues tonight?

Not that I don't absolutely LOVE my job.  Totally and definitely.  

But every once in a while, I could use an extra Monday off.

There is just never enough time to fit it all in in a two-day weekend.  

This is totally me.

The weekend was spent running, chasing, cleaning, playing, walking, washing, hole-punching, and cutting.  All that done, and I could still use about 3 more days to just be ready for tomorrow.  

Monday.  Eek!

For sure I will be feeling this exact way tomorrow morning.

This has A LOT to do with the Monday struggles.  

Having two of these...

It's so hard cutting the cord, ripping off the bandaid, tearing lovies off my leg every Monday after a weekend together.  Ugh.  It's brutal.  Luckily, the oldest is there to help rip off the bandaid with one.  Phew!

But..."This Is It!"

So tomorrow morning, I will rock it in my school shoes just like Pete!

Put on a ginormous smile.

And remember...

And I certainly LOVE teaching!!

Guided reading time...regroup, reorganize, reteach!

Truth be told...I started this posted on Tuesday after feeling discouraged and frustrated from my guided reading time earlier in the day.  It was one of those times in teaching where what you believe is developmentally appropriate and what you are told to do just don't match up and you find yourself struggling with the presentation of it all in your classroom.  

That's what my Monday and Tuesday morning time looked like.

A struggle.

Now to the outside observer, maybe they wouldn't think it was that awful, but to me it felt like the world was exploding...in my head (insert complete and total exaggeration here).  The kiddos were chatty.  The stations were not perfectly working even though we went over it several times.  And the "workstation rules" were never posted.  Oh sure, we talked it to death about what was expected over the last few weeks during all our mini practices but they never received any visuals from me. 

Shame on me.

As with anything in my teaching, if it's not going well, the first person I have to take a look back on is myself.  Did I teach it the way I wanted?  Was I clear in my directions?  Did I have visuals (clearly if I'm giving directions on 10 stations a 6 year old cannot remember all that info)?  And the list just keeps on going....

The answer was no.  Plain and simple.  Remember how I said I was struggling with what was developmentally appropriate and doing what I was told to do????  That's how my struggle showed itself in the classroom.  I needed to regroup, figure out my clear and purposeful goal, and decide on a way I could make both myself happy and still meet the district requirements.  

(So it's Saturday morning now and I've had a couple days to finish this post with a more productive and positive outlook from the last few days.)

Here's how my guided reading time looked the rest of the week....(minus the surprise fire drill, book check out, and special grandparents day activity to finish before they came).  Is there ever a truly "normal" week?  Anyway, I digress... :)

First, I let students share at their tables why we even need rules for workstations (guided reading time).  I heard some great conversations which some surprised me with their insight!  Then, I shared my Workstation Rules posters.  (Last year, I did this poster with my kiddos but since this year requirements have changed and I had already technically started guided reading/workstations, my focus was more on making sure they understood the rules rather than creating a new list.)

It's not pretty or fancy but it works.

We especially focused our attention on numbers 1, 4, and 5.  One of my biggest struggles when meeting with groups was the amount of chattiness going on.  Sure they were working, listening, or playing too, but I wasn't.  I felt like I couldn't really listen to my readers because I was managing the noise everywhere else.   Number 1 got LOTS. OF. ATTENTION.  As it should.

Secondly, I focused on number 4...Follow the directions.  We talked about the difference between "reading" the directions and "following" the directions.  Very distinct difference and happily my kiddos got the message I was throwing out there.  I think early in the year it is important to establish the "You can do it.  Just try!" mantra....otherwise, you will find yourself with one or more students who are constantly looking for that reassurance and are always by your side asking questions that you just answered.  I am hoping to prevent this early on...because yes, developmentally, they know the difference and can change those behaviors still.

Number 5 went along with number 4 for me.  I have a group of loves in my room that are either unsure of "what's next" or how to complete something or just want to share with me something.  Clearly, I want to listen to every little thing they say, just NOT DURING GUIDED READING.  As we went full throttle into guided reading this week, that's what happened.  Every story, every moment, every question they ever wanted answered, they brought to me during guided reading.  (Personally I think they saw the fact I was sitting instead of my usual bouncing around the room and decided to take advantage.  Perhaps.)  :)  Either way, for the sake of my small group of readers, this needed to come to a crashing halt. Hence the super strong focus on number 5.  Worked like a champ.  Just the visual alone was enough.  Thank goodness.

Then came the organization piece.

I have had these bins for several years now and LOVE them for workstations.  I keep all materials (that will fit) inside and students simply take the entire drawer to the station location they are headed.  (Makes for quick, easy clean up, too!)  My numbers coordinate with my workstations around the room.  The numbers are not included since I recognize people do guided reading workstations in various ways, but I do have a collection of signs and I Can posters that you can grab here if you are still in need.

Last year I posted my I Can posters and placed them in my bins for kiddos to reference back to if needed.  This year (due to space) I only have them in bins which so far I like.

Then I tweaked my group set up from previous years.  I have seen it done one hundred and one different ways.  All our great and even my old system was GOOD.  

But...this summer my family took our usual beginning of the school year venture to IKEA (because I'm always sure to find lots of inexpensive goodies that I'm SURE I can use in the classroom!).  This year, with my watchful husband's eyes on me, I tried to not buy everything in the store but simply what I could put to use immediately.  These were them.

Two frames for 99 cents!!!  Love IKEA!  Check them out!

I needed all the colors and this is how I put them to use.

I made new, smaller signs for each group.  Rather than posting names on a wall somewhere (as I have done in the past), I wanted the groups to be written near their locations.  Especially since this was what I was noticing.  They were struggling with where to go...again, it was the lack of visuals from me.

I typically have 10 stations that way groups get no bigger than 2-3 for each station.  Another way to manage the chattiness.  I have 5 frames and on each frame there is a station on each side.  The station cards are on the inside of the frame and the names are written with dry erase marker on the outside.  You could use a post-it to move names each day if you prefer.  (I had about 6 different ideas of how to use these but this is what I came up with for now.)  I set the frame at the desk station with that group facing toward their spot and the other side of the frame points out at the other station.  Clear as mud, right?!

For example, station 4 is handwriting (the frame sits at that table so the handwriting group sees that's where they are sitting).  Station 5 is Smartboard.  The Smartboard group knows they simply go to the Smartboard and begin.  Better??  :)

I rotate 2 stations a day to help with the management piece, also.  Our district requires that we meet with guided reading groups for an hour which I think is fabulous!! I love having the time set aside to meet with that many groups daily.  The struggle was thinking how developmentally these kiddos are not ready to work independently at stations without my guidance or attention for one. whole. hour.  Yikes!!!  

In addition, expanding our guiding reading time, limited our whole group instruction time.  I still think it's important to practice our weekly reading skills more than just at one or two stations during the week. My hour of guiding reading looks more like this now:

15 practice skill at desk with independent activity/seatwork

15-20 minutes of station rotation 1

15-20 minutes of station rotation 2

10-15 of SSR

This allows for the kiddos to do a multitude of activities throughout that hour but all are independent, quiet activities to help me be able to meet with my guided reading groups.  #score

I'm excited to launch next week with a full on successful guided reading time.  Now that I have found a way to mesh developmentally appropriate with an organized system and still meeting district requirements, I feel so much more successful.  Thank heavens to Betsy!

On a completely other note, as one of our Patriot Day activities, we had made American flags.  

Finally hung and ready to share!  :)

I love hanging them around our classroom flag and the National Anthem lyrics.  Every day when we do the Pledge, I think it makes a huge impact and gives the kiddos many things to think about when we hear the word "PROUD!"   Just wanted to share.

Enjoy your weekend!

Go Noodle It Monday

It was definitely a Monday for this...

How many of you out there have discovered this site?? It's absolutely incredible and my kiddos LOVE IT! I discovered it last year and it was just what we needed to bring our year to a close. This year, we have a new mascot and have been having fun trying out new breaks.

If you haven't discovered Go Noodle...let me give you a quick run down. It is a fabulous site aimed at giving your class the brain breaks you desire throughout the day. Best of all...it's absolutely FREE! And everyone loves FREE!  Simply create a free account and get started.

You will need to put in how many students you have, pick a class mascot, and name your class/team.  (This, in it of itself, is a nice break from the rigorous Common Core curriculum.)

After you have it all set up, you are free to explore different games or activities to help gear your students up or even wind them down.  I love the variety!!

My kiddos last year loved to play different songs and spend their 3 minutes dancing around in their spot while singing...quite loudly.  (Thank heavens I've had really understanding neighbors to tolerate my loudness!). Rest assured, not all the activities are loud.  

This year, my firsties are loving the Olympic races and challenges! Hurdles and the javelin toss seem to be amongst the favorites. To help us bring it down to a respectable, learning level, we have even done some of the breathing, yoga type activities.  Not as much fun for this energetic bunch...but still needed at times. ;)

When you finish your brain break, it is added to your previous total.  After you reach your grand total, your mascot enters into metamorphosis (the "transmorph...." something) and morphs into a bigger, better mascot.  This is of course the most exciting part! The littles start trembling with anticipation as they await the changes.  It's too fun!

One of the things I love most about it is being able to see the time for each one.  If we have been working on Math for 90 minutes, we may want to take a 3-4 minute break to stretch, energize, and refocus. If we only have a few minutes to spare, I can choose an activity that is only one or two minutes in length.  And we all know, time is precious, valuable, and limited in the classroom so ths helps to be able to manage that.

So....if I haven't convinced you yet, check it out for yourself.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

Best kind of weekend!

What more can I say??

Over 6 beds in this house and this is what I was lucky enough to wake up to on a Saturday morning.  

A king size bed none the less...I think there was a sliver left for me.  

Either way, I woke up happy and rested and excited to not have to leave the house if I chose not to.  (which I did not!)

  My favorite kind of weekend!

No football games.

No school.

No daycare.

No drop offs.

No errands.

No makeup.

Nothing.

Needless to say, I spent A LOT of time kickin' around the house getting lots of little things done that have been hanging over my head but always seem to be last on the priority list.

Like cleaning out the fridge.  Love the end result and yes, I do the periodic weekly check but examining dates on bottles, condiments, and containers...last on the list to do each week.  

However, I was so glad I got to it this weekend because I was left this little note afterwards from my oldest love.

Talk about filling my bucket.  Made me smile!  What a keeper.

After a morning spent cleaning and organizing, it was computer time.  The kiddos were all playing (usually in the office with me), be-bopping around, and enjoying staying home also.  I managed to check off quite a few things hanging over me.  Like this one...

I uploaded, err....finally...my coupons I started in the summer.  Oops!  

I love using coupons for rewards as one of my incentives in my classroom.  I have everything in there from pick a spot to sit for the day to pick our brain breaks and lunch with a friend.  There are 20 coupons included and I've already started on the second set.  Due out in June...KIDDING!  

Hopefully, soon.  Hopefully. 

Grab your coupons here.

They would have been done a lot sooner but somewhere over the last 8 years, WHAT?!?!, I lost the original file of what I already had made.  Thought they just needed a little tweaking only to realize I couldn't get to any of the masters.  In all fairness, I didn't realize it had been 8 years since I made them until talking with my husband.  Could've saved me a lot of searching time...

Oh well.

The bonus was I found this site!!!

Most of the images I had on my original coupons were stolen, uh, found on Google images.  I decided to do it the more ethical way this time.  (My originals were never sold or shared...just used for my own classroom purposes.)  I'm sure many of you already know about this site.  I had stumbled across it before but not for the same needs.  It had just about everything I needed so yeah!! 

I was able to work on quite a few other projects as well and check things off that never-ending list teachers have once school starts.  

Like these little goodies that I picked up at the Dollar Tree a year ago.  

I had great intentions for them and knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.  This is how they looked earlier today...  A little dusty from sitting around for a year.   

Can you tell my intentions and time to do these things don't always sync up???

Well, I finally got a chance to make what I had planned.  I am putting them to use in my class this week so I will be sure to snap a few pics and share!

While I was busy working and creating, I had a couple teachers in the other room giving directions and instructing their own students.  What is it about little girls playing school that melts my heart every time??  Luckily, they both have fantastic teachers in real life and I am blessed to be good friends with both.  I LOVE hearing my girls "teach" because I can hear both of my friends in their voices and it is too sweet for words.  I can tell how much they are learning already and the kindness and respect shown in the classroom.  That, to me, means more than anything!!  Blessed, for sure!

And finally....

I just have to share this.

Yes, the smile is to die for and of course, I think she's too cute for words.  But...the reason I'm sharing is for the artwork.  For sure this girl will someday be a graphic designer or do something with art.  As she completed her Math the other day, she was asked to draw trees, bees, socks, rocks, and people.  Of all the things she had to draw, rocks is what she couldn't figure out.  Cracked me up!  Everything else was spot on...especially the details in her people.  

I love with a little guidance, modeling, and reassurance (and oodles of time to practice!) children can create such amazing things independently.  #oneproudmama

As for tomorrow...it's Monday.  Oh goodness.  This mama better get some sleep for tomorrow brings no breaks and a full group of energetic 6-year-olds.  Here we go...

With Appreciation

Never do I get the chance to be on the computer while my littles are awake so the shear fact that I can post this during daylight hours, alone makes me appreciative.  

Which leads me to my purpose today....

appreciation.

In honor of today being September 11th I want to take a moment to appreciate 

all the special things in my life.

Heroes, survivors, family members, Americans effected by today...

I appreciate my talented and amazing friends stretching across the United States

(I'd insert pictures here but......too many to share!!)

XOXOX

I'm appreciating simple messages that speak to the core...

My Sweetest Inspirations creation

I appreciate my fabulous firsties, former firsties and third graders,
a dreamy classroom, fun coworkers, and a wonderful school that I get to be a part of...

And most importantly I'm taking the time to appreciate...my family 

(immediate and beyond!)

It's so cliche and so true that life goes too fast and things change quickly.  Taking the time every once in a while to hug a little longer, smooch on those littles a little harder, listen to all the stories a little more carefully, praise and celebrate great efforts, and acknowledge those that support, protect, believe in, love, and adore you seems like a great way to keep those blessings in your life present and growing.

Today I want everyone in my life, and those protecting my freedoms, to know...

I appreciate you!

Thank you!

A Day to Remember

September 11, 2001...

It was a beautiful morning.  Perfect weather outside.  Blue skies.  

I began teaching my first class the January before so I was truly in my first full year of teaching.  My great friend was getting married that weekend and several of my highschool girlfriends and I were flying out that Thursday to celebrate with her.  We were so excited and looking forward to some time together and being a part of my friend's big day.  

And then my principal knocked on my door and asked me to come into the hall.

When I got out there, his face told the story and seared into my brain a moment I will never forget.  It's probably what the generation before me feels when they talk about where they were when JFK was shot.  That's what I felt like.  

In that immediate moment, I didn't recognize the enormity and calamity of what had just happened.  

I went back in my classroom, pasted on a safe and happy smile, and taught my kiddos as if they were all that mattered to me in the world.  

Every year at this time, I feel the need to do the same thing.  Time has passed.  I can't say wounds have heeled.  Although I would like to imagine they have mended, I cannot imagine those people who were directly effected by the events that transpired that day will ever be the same.  My thoughts and prayers are certainly with them...always.

So with that, each year, I make a point in my classroom to pause on the core curriculum to honor and remember September 11th, now known as Patriot Day.  

Teaching third grade at the time allowed much more in depth conversations to be had about what had just happened.  It was relevant to the students because it was on tv and the internet and third graders had a greater understanding of it all...or at least what their parents had told them.  As the years have passed, and now teaching first grade, the activities I do and conversations I have with the littles, are very much centered around the idea of patriotism and honoring heroes rather than the events from that day.  

We listen to patriotic music (which everyone who hears my patriotic playlist laughs at me...but I'm ok with that) and learn the words to the National Anthem.  

We make a couple crafts like designing ribbons and people to show that while we are all different, 

we are still united.

We also create a mural using the lyrics of the National Anthem.

Students come to school wearing red, white, and blue and while they don't know it, all day long I flash back to that day years ago when I was called into the hall.  

Everyone may have their own political views and feelings about that day.  

For me, the message is simple.  

Honor those who worked so hard to save so many.

Remember those who lost their lives that day.

Empathize for those who lost someone they loved or knew that day.

Respect each other and take pride in our country.

Hug those in your life a little tighter.

I apologize for not posting sooner but if you're still in need for activities to do with your class tomorrow, check out my Patriot Day Mini Packet.

While it's an emotional day for many (myself included), I look forward to a day to celebrate our country with my firsties.  I'll be decked out in my patriotic colors, singing (off-key) the Star Spangled Banner, and wearing down my red, white, and blue crayons making some ribbons to honor the day.  

A Peek at my Week

My challenge (to myself) last week fell short of a day or two.  In all fairness though I should've counted out a Friday night post.  That's the one night I allow my brain to shut down and not think school...mostly just because I can't.  I can bank on falling asleep (passing out) on the couch either with kids or shortly after they go to bed.  Needless to say, I tried posting from my phone after waking up briefly but have yet to master that.  

So...here I am now.  Sunday night...prepping for this week.

Contrary to my usual posts, this one will be brief.  Still have more to do and a bed calling my name.  LOUDLY.

Later this week I'll be uploading some new products I've made to go along with several of our upcoming units and themes.   Here's a sneak peek of what's in store.

For our literature unit, I'm launching one of my favorite books.  

A couple years ago I read this for the first time to my first grade class and was astonished at the interest levels of my littles.  They loved it which in turn made me love it more.  Of course, there needed to be some thorough explanation of certain dated concepts in the story and also higher vocabulary but they never seemed to mind.  They asked some great higher order thinking questions and a lot of terrific conversations were had.  I'm excited to start our chapter book this week as we dive into some of our comprehension strategies.  More to come about that later this week.

In addition, we are wrapping up our Science unit about the 

Five Senses

We integrate all of our Science and Social Studies units into our Language Arts time.  Having an Early Childhood trained brain...I was programmed to think in themes and units.  I enjoy creating lessons based on a certain theme and developing Reading, Writing, Word Study, and even some Math lessons around the units.  This week I am finishing up my unit on the five senses.  You can snatch up some great five senses activities later this week, also.

And closer to my heart...this week we will be celebrating...

Patriot Day, September 11th.

As a proud American, and a teacher who had a class full of third graders that day, I feel the need each year to honor and remember the events of September 11th in an age-appropriate way with my students.  We focus on talking about America and doing activities to show our patriotism...

as well as teaching what patriotism is.  :)  

Tomorrow I will be sharing those activities with you if you are interested in using them in your classroom this week.  

And lastly...tomorrow I will also share our new daily calendar we will be starting.  Even though school has long been in session for us, we have not been able to do our daily calendar as has always been our routine.  This year our district adopted a new Math series and we have been asked to follow it in it's entirety without supplementing or modifying.  It's a pretty extensive daily lesson from start to finish and we are barely finding time to finish the whole activity each day.  

So, while I've never been a lover of calendar time (boo!  snore!), I know it's essential for students to know the days of the week and months of the year.  I've recreated my entire calendar time to be more time efficient and work into my morning routine.  My calendar time has always been student led will continue to be with even less interaction from me (besides the initial modeling and training).  

We are launching it tomorrow.  After my guinea pigs, er...I mean students, test it out tomorrow, I will make adjustments and changes where needed and then post.  

Phew...it's already shaping up to be a full week.  

Be sure to check back in for goodies throughout the week.

Happy almost Monday!

Day 3...Let's get motivated!

Back again for my daily post challenge.  Since my blog was so ignored and under-appreciated (by myself!) lately, I thought I'd challenge myself to post at least one picture each night this week.  So far I've managed to be successful at my goal and well...I couldn't quit tonight.  So here I am.

Yesterday I posted this pic.

Here's the backstory... (I'll try to be brief but honestly, that is not my strong suit.- and everyone who's reading this and knows me, is smiling and agreeing right now!!)

Years ago, in my former teacher life, when I taught third grade, our school took part in a reading challenge at the start of every basketball season for our community's high school.  Every time students read a certain number of minutes they were able to turn in a slip and earn a prize.  Over time students seemed less and less interested in earning some of the prizes our school was offering.  

As a motivator, I hung a small Nerf basketball hoop outside my classroom door.  On the paper "pole" holding it up, I had marked the 3 mile markers/minutes to read in order to earn our school incentive.  Each time a student brought in his/her slip, I let him/her shoot two baskets.  As they earned the minutes and shot their baskets, they would write their name on some small paper (such as a book cut out, basketball, or paw print cut out) and post it next to the amount of minutes he/she read.  It was a great incentive just in it of itself.  Kids LOVED shooting baskets and it became a real team builder.  It was a quick way to recognize students for doing something above and beyond that was intrinsically motivating (which is what I'm all about).

Each year, just as we do with our academic content, I added something to it to make it work for the new class or myself.  I wanted to continue to use it all year but wasn't quite sure how since it had become something special we did only for our yearly reading challenge.

When I moved to first, I felt the struggle of moving down two grades and having to alter my expectations.  Obviously, the hoop couldn't be used in the same way but I wanted to incorporate it somehow.  It took me a bit but I found it's place.

Now I use this hoop year-round as my homefun incentive.  Perfect!!

I have a weekly checklist that I use to check in homefun or assignments each week.  Throughout the week, I keep track of which students not only turn in work but also on time.  In first grade, homefun is all about reviewing concepts taught throughout the day.  One of my main purposes is to create and establish great homefun habits demonstrating responsibility....taking it home, doing the work, returning it the next day, and putting it in the right spot at school.  Those are typically new procedures and higher expectations for our firsties so I want to start them off on the best foot possible for years to come.

That being said...when a student turns in every assignment for the week AND on time, on Fridays he/she gets to shoot two baskets.  If a student misses one assignment, on Friday he/she can make only one shot.  If the student misses several assignments, he/she is not able to make any shots that Friday.  For every shot the student makes (which in first grade is rarer than you may think...even sometimes with help) the student gets to pick a prize from my prize drawer.  Each Monday we start over on a new list and everyone gets a fresh start.

It seems like a big to do, but again, I think it is important to establish those routines and habits while they are little and still eager to please.  I have had several students over the years that were much more into sports and athletics than school.  This played right into that for them.  They may not have wanted to do the work, but they sure did want to shoot the baskets.  For them, that was the only motivation for turning in homefun.  Which I am totally fine with...if that's what they need to buy in with, I'll take it.

Being so set on instilling intrinsic motivation into my students, the prizes in my drawer are a huge variety.  Everything from miscellaneous pencils left over from previous years to Happy Meal toys I've stolen (er...collected) from my own children (obviously both of those are more tangibly rewards but I believe in the balance of both) to coupons for things to do in the classroom (eventually I will post these...eventually!).  Kids who are not athletically motivated may just shoot for the prizes and that's okay, too.  

Again, the idea is to help create good habits...sometimes no matter how we get there.

One of my favorite things about this hoop system is that it is soooo gender neutral.  Both boys and girls LOVE shooting...even if for different reasons.  Anything I can do to appeal equally to both genders makes me feel like a winner inside.

So that's how I motivate in my classroom.  One way, at least.

And here's what motivates me at home...

This happy guy keeps me smiling. Keeps me running.  Keeps me on my toes.  Keeps me feeling complete.  #thankgoodnesshescute

This little love keeps me crafting.  Keep me hugging.  Keeps me laughing.  Keeps me remembering that karma does happen...my payback for me as a little love.  Oh heavens!  #sorrymom  #gottalovethatface

This awesome chica keeps me constantly thinking (always, always asking questions!).  Keeps me creating.  Keeps me proud.  Keeps me going.

And of course, the Mr.  

Keeps me thankful.  Keeps me happy.  

Keeps me grateful for some of the best blessings I have in my life.

To which I will add...I am grateful that tomorrow is Friday.  Although, it was a short week, it has definitely been a full one.  Looking forward to meeting my goal again tomorrow.

Hmmm....what will it be???

Stay tuned...