Back to the Grind

So, I've been in my classroom every day this week trying to prepare for the upcoming year. I spent like 3 whole days just organizing and labeling my classroom library into baskets. We are undertaking reading workshop this year at our school so I thought it would be helpful for the kids to finally have an organized library!

I feel like I haven't really gotten much stuff on the walls, but I have tons of ideas bouncing around in my head that go along with our "Learning is a Treasure" theme. I'm going to make a large treasure map game board on one of my class bulletin boards. Students will move along the board based on their behavior. At every increment of 5, there will be a reward and then at the end, they will get the treasure chest prize!! I will post pictures when I'm finished!

I'd like to do my reading area with "The Pirate's Cove: Set Sail with a Good Book." I purchased some pirate themed reading strategies signs that I will laminate and clip to a net.

To do the lunch count, I will have a sign titled: "Catches of the Day," and then the students will move their stick to the corresponding cup.

The EQ sign will be titled "Today's Treasure Map."

I am still working on my idea for the outside bulletin board and my door. Any ideas??

Pictures of the classroom to coom soon, so stay tuned!!

Help!!

I was perusing Abby's blog The Inspired Apple and saw her adorable "School Rocks" theme and it got me thinking about classroom themes.

Our school wide theme this year is "Learning is a Treasure." Soooo, that's where you come in. I need help coming up with ideas for things to do/display/etc... in my classroom this year to go along with the theme!

Back from the Dead

I am so sorry for my prolonged absence but I hit a little summer fever back in, oh...April...

I still haven't really started thinking much about school yet, but I am getting there with only 3 weeks of freedom left!

I will begin my comeback soon! I promise and I will share all that I can!!

On another note, if you are interested in art, I have just posted some new paintings in my etsy shop. Please click here.

Happy summer!!

Busy Busy!

I have been super duper busy at school and sort of overwhelmed. I haven't had much of an opportunity to visit the blog world and so for that, I apologize. We recently studied the American Revolution and read, "The Revolutionary Swamp Fox," by Idella Bodie. It is a biography about the life of the infamous Swamp Fox. If you have ever seen "The Patriot," starring Mel Gibson, that movie is based on his life, although not entirely accurate. Anyhow, the students got really into learning about him because he was from South Carolina. After we read the book, the students created Bio Bodies. They had to draw him and write what he would think, say, do, feel, and where he would go. Here are some really cute examples.

We have also learned about habitats and animal adaptations. We made some cute habitat lotus diagrams (another quality tool to be blogged about later.) Here are a couple of the better examples. We discussed the types of animals and plants that live in each one and how they have special feature and adaptations.

This time of year always makes me feel stressed out, but I really hope to work on posting more fun things going on in our classroom. You other teachers out there are so inspiring and you all doing such amazing things that it inspires me to want to be better about posting the things I am doing as well.

Stay tuned...more to come soon...

Tool of the Week: Affinity Diagrams

So, I realize I was supposed to do another quality tool last week, but I got busy. Such is my life. Here is another example of how you can use a consensogram in your classrooms. I think it's really important to track student progress and growth throughout the year and this is a great way to let kids see their growth. We take the MAP test three times a year. It tracks Reading and Math progress throughout the year and then gives us correlations for how our kids will perform on the state standardized test at the end of the year. Anyway, the picture below shows our first MAP scores of the year in red and our mid year scores in green. Look at how all of those dots moved! Well, most...

Another quality tool that I have just fallen in love with is called an affinity diagram. An affinity diagram is a great tool for sorting and grouping things based on common characteristics. Here are a few examples.

It's important to have your kids come up with all of the information, but you guide them in the sorting and grouping. You also help them name each group based on their commonalities.

I hope everyone is well! I will try to be good and post again soon!