Achievements

We have arrived at the end of the year!  Final assessments are complete.  We just have four very fun filled days left before we say goodbye.  This week is going to fly by, but I'm going to try my best to enjoy every moment.  We are going to make memories watching a movie, going to a baseball game, and of course the traditional last day of school Field Day!  Looking back, I am amazed at the strong learning community we created.  The bonds between my students and I and between students is incredible.  They have all come such a long way since the first week of school.

The worst part about the end of the year is the reality that many of my students didn't meet the standards for passing to the next grade level.  It's not because I'm ineffective or because they didn't put in the effort (believe me, we all did our very best), but the kids came to me a year or more behind and with some very challenging behaviors.  As I was putting together their writing portfolios for our celebration of learning open house, I realized just how far each student has come.  I sat in awe as I watched one portfolio show a students progress from scribbles to shapes to letters to words.  It's incredible to see child development so clear on paper.  Unfortunately, developing even a great amount is not enough if the child does not meet the benchmarks.  It's discouraging to tell a parent, "We all tried.  Our team failed.  Your child has to repeat."  I know we didn't fail.  The child made a huge amount of progress and will soon be on track, but soon is not good enough because there is no time left in the school year.

Do you have any tips for having these conversations with students and parents?

The Importance of Appreciation

I've been blessed this year with a very giving class. They have shown their love and appreciation throughout the year.  Still, I find Teacher Appreciation Week to be a valuable opportunity to feel appreciated.  The week comes at a time when most teachers are burdened with the stress of state testing and end of the year assessments.  We've been testing almost all day long for a week and a half now and we still have another week to go.  As scores come in, I can't help but feel discouraged.  I lay the blame for failing scores on myself.  Certainly there is something more I could have done.  The message from the media, lawmakers, and politicians seems to be that student failure is directly related to teacher failure.

This week, I'm giving myself an excuse to appreciate myself and the progress students have made.  Even if they haven't met the standards, each of my students has made tremendous progress.  They have overcome obstacles such as lack of support at home, fine motor delays, and learning disorders.  They have struggled to make new friends and repair damaged friendships.  Just today a student remarked, "We're like family."  That's how I choose to measure my success.  It is a helpful reminder to me when my students, their families, other staff members, and community members offer their expressions of appreciation.  It reminds me that I have made a huge impact in the lives of these children.  It reminds me that they are more than test scores, they are respectable citizens and dedicated learners.

To all of you teachers out there, you are appreciated for everything you do!  Stop by my TeachersPayTeachers story for 28% savings when you use the code: TPTXO at check out.

Where has time gone?

It is hard to believe that there are only three weeks left in the school year.  Looking back, it seems to have all passed in the blink of an eye.  With the constant changes and disruptions throughout the year, I don't think we ever got into a solid routine until about two weeks ago.  As I am giving the end of the year tests, I am realizing all the things I forgot to teach and seeing more clearly the areas that my students needed more practice with.  It's not that I was negligent or wasn't monitoring their understanding throughout the year.  Actually, I think I spent so much time assessing, that I never did get much of a chance to teach.  There is just so much to cover (especially across three grade levels in one classroom) and so many state and district mandated assessments to give.  I'm confident I did my best this year and I'm hopeful that next year will be even better.  Regardless, so many of my students made huge gains that I am certain I must have done something right this year!
Here's to two more weeks of assessments and one week of end of the year celebrations!

Inspired Writing

Today we had one of those class moments that I just have to share with you.  It was a moment in which I saw clearly for the first time how strong our classroom community is and my role in it.  It was a moment in which the whole room buzzed deep in their writing work and everyone felt inspired to achieve.

Truthfully, my class and I have had a very rough year.  We've battled behaviors and constant change.  The year for the most part has been overwhelming.  It's been impossible to keep a routine with the constant assessments, changes, and days off.  Here we are with less than 2 months left in school and I am still struggling to set my students in a routine for writers' workshop.  I am seeking a balance of small group instruction and one-on-one conferences.

Today however, we had only ten minutes before the bell was going to ring for the end of the day.  We were fifteen minutes behind our schedule.  I decided not to do any group work or conferencing.  I stepped back and watched as each student busily tried to get their ideas down.  It's as if their pencils were an orchestra.  The work was smooth and uninterrupted.  As I passed by one student, he commented, "why don't you write anymore?"  It's true, we have become so pressured and rushed that I rarely sit to model writing on paper.  I always do a quick model on the whiteboard, but it clearly was not making the same connections as actually watching me write with pen and paper.

With great enthusiasm and energy, I made an expression like I had just had a great idea for a new piece of writing.  I quickly went to the writing center to get paper and pencil and sat in an empty seat.  Without much delay, I began writing as fast as I could.  One student called out, "Are you ok?"  I must have looked crazy, so intent on my writing.  In seconds, the entire class was circled around me.  They watched with expressions of awe as I wrote and sketched my piece.  One Kindergartener said, "I've never seen a real lady do that!"  Watching me write seemed like such a novel thing to them.  Another student said, "Look!  She's sketching words and pictures."  And yet another, "She's doing the dots" (periods).  I smiled proudly and kept at my work.  Before too much longer, another student said, "Let's go write!"  And another confirmed, "She needs space to write."  Their tone communicated that they had been inspired and after just a minute or two since the moment began, they were all back in their seats scratching away on their own papers their own stories.  It was amazing to see and hear them be inspired and work so diligently without teacher intervention.

For all the struggles, its the moments like these that make me so proud of my class.  They truly love learning and being together.

Mustering Motivation

I apologize for being away from the blog so long!  It can be so easy to keep putting something off, even something as much fun as writing a blog!  I have been very busy at home and at work and the blog had to take the back burner for a few weeks.  After that, I just couldn't muster the motivation to get back into the habit of writing.  After all, I have so much to catch you up on!

I have not written since Valentine's Day!  We had a great party with many treats.  Since then we've had a pajama party to celebrate Read Across America Day, a very cold Spring Break (really a second Winter Break), and made so many other memories, I can't recount them all in one post.  The biggest thing that kept me from blogging was directing our school's very first play!  50 actors grades K-6 performed Peter Pan.  It was quite the experience (my first time directing)!  I never knew how much there was to think about and coordinate.  We made it smoothly to the production day and the students performed wonderfully!  The absolute best part was the comments the actors made about increased confidence and a desire to continue the drama club next year.  The praise from parents and community members was great too!  I'm so thankful to be in a school community that supports me in providing students with a well rounded education.

That said, I have a few more projects floating around my mind and a lot of teaching to do before state testing at the end of April!  I hope to be back on the blog regularly soon with some photos from my time away.  I look forward to catching up again soon!

Too Many Toys

This year is going by so fast!  I've been looking back at how far my students have come.  Academically many of them have made great progress.  However, the behavior struggles are still there.

One of our biggest struggles is bringing toys to school.  The toys are a big distraction as students are constantly talking about them, showing them to others, and going to their backpacks to trade toys.  All of the students know the rule that there are no toys allowed at school.  In fact, we even have school toys in our classroom, so there is no need for students to bring their own toys.  I know that sharing their toys is a way for students to build relationships, but it is negatively impacting their learning.  A few months ago I began taking away toys.  Then, my desk drawer filled up with Hot Wheels, Legos, and other trinkets. 



I gave toys back to parents at parent teacher conferences and many of them commented that their kids had enough toys and they didn't intend to give these long lost toys back.  I discussed with each parent some possible new strategies for stopping our toy problem.  All parents agreed that I could throw the toys out.  I tried that for a few days, but then I had to deal with kids digging through the trash looking for toys.  So, I decided on a better strategy.  I now collect the toys all week and sell them in our class store.  It hasn't stopped students bringing toys to school, but it has helped them to improve their behavior to earn more dollars so that they can buy back their toys.  Students earn fake dollars for following school rules and helping others.

I think this is the best solution I have found so far.  How do you handle students bringing toys to school?  I'd love to hear your tips and tricks.  

Bits and Pieces from the Week

We had a snow day yesterday.  It was a pleasant surprise, but in many ways somber.  It was our last built in calamity day.  Any future snow days will be days we have to make up at the end of the year.

My class was supposed to take a field trip yesterday to see a musical.  I'm sure they were disappointed as we had been preparing and building suspense for the trip all week.  Fortunately, we have already rescheduled the trip.

Our math unit on standard units of measurement is moving along quickly.  We've been chanting the equivalent units of measurement to help students memorize how many feet in a yard, etc.  My students are comfortable measuring in inches and feet.  We still need to work on estimation and how many more.  Do you have any tricks for teaching students how to solve "how many more/fewer" questions?

I gave students a little more freedom in their word work this week.  Here is what a group of students did with the direction to use the magnetic letters to make words.

Making Up For Lost Time

I feel like a bad blogger.  Sorry for not updating all weekend!  I'm thankful for the long weekend though!  Did you have today off?  We did and we needed it.  After coming back from three weeks of Winter Break, everyone needed an extra day to rest.  Our first week back started off great!  I think it was like the first day of school all over again.  Everyone was so excited to be at school.  I reviewed rules and routines with my little angels.  Well, then Tuesday hit and we were all comfortable with each other again.  Behavior issues started up and I wasn't sure the week would ever end.  Friday felt like the longest day ever.  But, here we are at the end of a three day weekend.  The weekend has come and gone faster than Friday seemed to go.






I can't promise I'll be a better blogger this week.  It seems like this is the week for meetings, my first formal observations, a field trip on Friday, grades are almost due, and it is our first official week of drama club.  I may be a new teacher, but I believe there is no better time to establish and advise a club.  The students and parents are excited too!  We had over 50 students sign up!  It is going to be a huge production!


My goal is to snap some pictures this week. I hope you have a great 4 day week!

When disaster strikes

What a week! Students still have not come back from Winter Break. They've been home for three weeks now.

Monday and Tuesday were snow days. When teachers went in Wednesday morning, we found what looked like a waterfall in one classroom, rain coming out of the ceiling in another, and the library flooded. We're in a very old building, so I'm not so surprised that five pipes burst during the worst freeze in years.  

Teachers have been working together the last few days to document damage, clean up, and relocate effected classrooms. One teacher lost everything and our modest school library lost half the books. The building had to be sprayed with chemicals so that mold does not grow.

As awful as this all has been, it's been great to see the staff come together.  We worked together to set up a classroom for the teacher who lost everything. We made it as comfortable and familiar as possible.  It's going to be difficult for those students to come back to all of their work ruined. Hopefully we can get the students to support and help each other as the teachers have been doing.

Christmas Charity in the Classroom

The afternoon of our last day before break, my class went on a very special trip.  During the month of December, we collected candy.  Parents jumped at the opportunity to get rid of left over Halloween candy!

 Each student carried a grocery bag full of candy to a local soup kitchen.  We really enjoyed getting out for a walk!  At the soup kitchen, students went on a tour of the building and learned about resources they could take advantage of if they ever need a meal.  Then, we set to work stuffing the candy we had brought into stockings.  The soup kitchen gave these stockings to kids that ate at the soup kitchen on Christmas.

We also brought holiday cards made by our students and a few canned goods.  This was really just the beginning of our relationship with this soup kitchen.  My students were very well behaved.  They stayed on task and respected the men who live and work at the soup kitchen.  As we were leaving, my students asked, "Can we come back and help for Easter?"  I was surprised and impressed!  My students are developing charitable hearts.  They are getting out into their community and helping others.

My class was given this cute stuffed animal cow by the soup kitchen.  We affectionately named him, "Cowy."

Where Have I Been?

I cannot believe it has been almost a full month since my last post!  I'm so sorry!
Those last two weeks before break we're crazy busy!  I fully intended to write as soon as break started, but I received a rather unpleasant gift from my students-the worst cold of my life!  It made for a rather miserable break.  I guess I needed the time to relax and recharge, though.  Anyway, two weeks of break and I'm almost back to 100% health.  We have a professional day Monday and students start back on Tuesday, unless we get a snow day!

It's time to get back into school mode.  Here is a glimpse back to the week before Winter Break:

We went to the zoo two days before break began.  Crazy? Yes, we might have been.  We returned to school with all the students and they had a great time.  It was a successful trip!  Plus, we learned about elephants and rain forest animals!

On the last day of school before Winter Break, a local private high school sent a class of Sophomores to our school to do holiday activities with the kids.  They began the day making these cute paper bag reindeer.  Then, one of the highschoolers dressed as Santa and each student received a wrapped gift.  It was really impressive the thought and care put into the event by the high school students.

While the rest of the school watched movies in the afternoon, my class went on a "secret" mission walking trip.  More on that tomorrow!

Christmas Craftiness

Only two more weeks of school until Winter Break!

On Friday, we had our monthly visit to the senior center.  Our craft was ornaments made from pony beads and pipe cleaners.  It was great to sharpen fine motor skills for the students and seniors!  The seniors thought it was very creative.  I have to thank Pinterest for this one!

Follow this pin for instructions:

I put the supplies for each student and their senior partner in a bag to pass out materials quickly.  I made some with pre-formed shapes for my younger students.  Students made candy canes, Christmas trees, wreaths, and stars.  The most creative was a student who used multiple pipe-cleaners to make a Santa face.  Of course, I was so busy helping students I didn't get a photo of the final product.

Here is what I have planned this week:

(Click images to go to the sources)

Interventions

Somehow it seems that having only 17 students makes each of their needs ever more apparent.  As I analyze the assessments of each student, I realize just how different the needs of each student are.  It is hard to group students in a way that truly benefits each student and it is impossible to work with each student one on one.
In my gut, I know that what these students need is weekly extremely targeted instruction in the skills they are lacking.  However, this is a level of intervention they will not receive until Spring (waiting on money from the state).  All of the assessment data I have collected so far indicates that these students are severely behind and may even need tier 3 intervention.  I think we could be closing the gap a lot faster if we offered more individualized interventions from the beginning of the year.

Math seems to be the most difficult for me to give intervention during instructional time.  I have been thinking a lot about why this is and it finally came to me: because students require more support with reading instructions, I am not as free to work with small groups.  Now my search begins for apps and websites that will target the math concepts they need to learn, but will also read the instructions to the student.  That will allow me to do more work with small groups.

Recently we've been working on number line skills and using skip jumps to add.  We did some whole group warm up intervention by working as a class to create a number line on the floor.  Students then took turns making jumps of 2, 5, and 10.  It was a lot of fun and great for kinesthetic learners.  It's simple, but its the most intervention I can do at this point.

I would love to hear your thoughts on interventions in math with struggling readers.

Charity in the Classroom

One great idea sparks another!  The yearbook club did a canned food drive and needed places to send the cans.  I got connected with a local mission and we've been brainstorming future charity projects for the school ever since.  It seems that the biggest needs are cans, holiday candy, and holiday cards.  Unfortunately, my class didn't collect the most cans (no pizza party for us), but I'm hoping that my students really get behind me on my candy drive.  The prize will be a pinata provided by the mission!  The winning class will also take a field trip to tour the mission.

I'm amazed how the yearbook club is setting precedents in our young school.  Because of them we will do ongoing charity work with local missions.  Oh, and they also inspired me to start a drama club!  These kids are eager for ways to spend more time at school!

Monstrously Fun Alphabet App (and Bonus Spelling App!)

I was asked to review this simple alphabet app.  It looked extremely simplistic to me, but we just received iPads in the classroom and I was desperate for a way to spice up letter learning.  Some of my Kinders came in knowing fewer than 5 letters out of 52 (uppercase and lowercase).  Progress has been slow...

Now that we have iPads I can reward them with extra alphabet practice!  One lucky little guy got to be the first tester of A to Z Monsters.  He spent no more than 2 minutes on the app before there were 5 others surrounding him eagerly waiting for their turn.  I'm amazed how quickly students figure out how apps work!  Even my first graders wanted a turn at this app!  I think the app's simplicity worked to its advantage.  It was such a big hit that I even used it during transitions!  Students who lined up quickly and quietly got to press a monster and say the letter.

Here is how it works:

Select the first letter (the first time through you must go in alphabetical order). Once selected, the monster comes to life.  The goal is to squish the monster to hear the letter name.  My students loved chasing the monsters around the screen!  I found out that some of them have better hand eye coordination than others.

This app made learning letter names fun and engaging.  The animations are really cute, too.  What I love most is that it links each letter with a word.  This is really important as my letter learners are also building their reading skills.  Hopefully they will be making the transition from letter learners to beginning sound learners soon!  Get these crazy letter monsters for your students here.

And now an app that I was not asked to review...

While browsing word work apps in the App Store, I stumbled upon Spell Sam Spell.  Ironically, it is by the same app developers as A to Z Monsters!  Spell Sam Spell is like Mario Bros with a spelling focus.  My first and second graders loved controlling the little character and collecting letters to make words.  The fun never ended with new levels and quick brain break coin collections in between.  This app brought spelling to a whole new level of fun!

Now that we have the iPads, I'm sure I'll be trying out many more apps!  You can find my ever growing list of apps for the classroom on Pinterest.

What's on your wishlist?...Cyber Monday and Bonus Tuesday

Today is the day to prepare your wish list!  The TpT Cyber Sale begins tomorrow!  My store will be 20% and TpT is giving an extra 10% off when you enter the code "CYBER" at checkout.

These are the two most wishlisted resources in my store:

Here is what will be in my cart:

Keep Your Eyes on Your Finger

I found these Oobi eyes while browsing Amazon.  I thought they would be a fun way to spice up guided reading.  So many of my students are working on tracking the words or reading the whole word.  They all loved putting these eyes on their fingers and it helped them to keep track of where they were.  My students begged to keep these in their book boxes.  I'm constantly being reminded that even the smallest thing can keep learning exciting.

New Blog Design

Sorry we've been absent for a few weeks!  We've been hard at work making decisions about our new blog design.  Ok, so we had the easy job.  Thanks to Megan at A Bird in Hand Designs for her hard work (and patience)!

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

A much needed three day weekend

A month ago I would have been complaining that students seem to forget all school rules over a three day weekend. Now, I have been eagerly anticipating this three day weekend all week.  We have a professional day on Monday to complete report cards.  To me, a professional day to complete my work is still a day off. I hope I will get caught up and organized. I just received a shipment of brand new high quality hard cover picture books from The Cleveland Book Fund. Unpacking those on Monday is going to be like an early Christmas. Pictures to come!

Do you like having three day weekends?

-Olivia

Mondays

Who likes Mondays?  We call it the weekend slide.  It seems that students forget all rules over the weekend.  Yesterday my crew came back unusually unruly.  We've been battling some tough behaviors and I could do nothing but sit back and watch the chain of behaviors unfold.  I braced myself for a long day.

All morning long we took two minute quiet breaks with heads down to regroup.  We could work for five or ten minutes and then the chattiness and misbehaviors began again.  Back to our heads down we went.

Then lunch hit.  Lunch is my favorite time of the day.  At our school teachers eat with their classes in the cafeteria.  I enjoy it as a time to get to know students.  They share stories from their life.  Its a great time to just be together.  We worked really hard the first month of school learning table manners.  Now, I have the most well mannered class at lunch!  We have received many compliments.  I was especially impressed that yesterday I had to leave in the middle of lunch to care for a student and the rest of my class continued quietly talking and eating.  The other teachers hadn't even noticed I had left.  My class was that well behaved!  I praised them profusely that I could trust them so much.

That successful lunch time really turned our day around.  Despite the chaotic morning, we had a peaceful and successful afternoon of learning.

I hope you had a great Monday!

-Olivia