tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89456459821118290322024-03-13T14:24:56.643-07:00When I Grow UpDeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-51024985278788802252014-04-03T13:29:00.002-07:002014-04-03T13:35:03.571-07:00Welcome & Currently April
Welcome! I am so glad you're here.
I am a teacher blogger (or at least I want to be)! I have tried to succeed in the blogging world but too many real world things have gotten in the way.
Now I am back and ready to make another go of it with a totally different plan. The new plan is to actually have a plan! :)
A big thanks to those of you who have returned after my long Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-73285622787842002082013-05-09T08:57:00.002-07:002013-05-09T08:57:26.608-07:00Common Core ConcernsOur district/state is currently making the move to the common core standards. I know many of you have been using the standards for a while now but California is a bit behind. In fact our state department only posted resources in the last six months. Because of this, I am so grateful to all of you who are already sharing your work with the common core! I don't know what I would do without you!
Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-1268073488903276822013-05-07T11:29:00.002-07:002013-05-07T11:29:12.731-07:00Teacher Appreciation 2013Since I am the assistant principal, I have been working with my principal to create an awesome teacher appreciation gift for the staff members at our school. We did some covert planning and visited each classroom to have the students write down descriptive words about their teachers. I am in love with subway art (like most people right now) and so I wanted to create something that the teachers Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-16643414258819858622013-05-01T21:20:00.002-07:002013-05-01T21:20:32.777-07:00And then it was May...Seriously...
Where did all that time go since my last post?
I have been officially back at work since March 11 and wishing I could be at home with my babies but glad to be back with my kiddos in the classroom at the same time. I did miss them for the most part. It was an interesting transition back into the classroom because my students decided they needed to "test" me and see what they could Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-54874107472443448192013-01-08T16:29:00.000-08:002013-01-08T16:29:23.044-08:00Happy 1st Anniversary!I can't believe a year has already gone by since I started my teacher blog. I started off very excited to meet new people and find new inspiration...I was not disappointed. Thank you to those of you who have followed my blog and helped me jump into the blogging world!
I went MIA in September because I found out that I was expecting my 2nd baby! I had planned on continuing to blog but the Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-67791507646625084052012-09-03T20:56:00.000-07:002012-09-03T20:56:51.042-07:00A Big Thank You!Recently I have been awarded several times for my blog and I am finally getting the chance to send out a huge thank you! I feel very blessed to be noticed and hope that my blog will be an inspiration to many and live up to these awards!
Thank You to Julie at The Hip Teacher & Mrs. Slocum Teacher's Don't Steal, They Share! for the One Lovely Blog Award:
There are only 3 rules to follow Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-86878810624045667502012-09-03T20:48:00.000-07:002012-09-03T20:48:12.360-07:00My Classroom 2012 As you look at these pictures you may be saying to yourself, "Self, where's all the awesome, cool, cute (insert adjective here) decorations? Where's the coordinating fabrics and papers? This room doesn't look like anyone lives here!" ...and you would be right on point! I decided this room needed to belong to my students just as much as it does to me. So I decorated in a very minimalist Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-73033098553510056842012-08-13T17:59:00.000-07:002012-08-13T17:59:40.684-07:00A Brand New YearOne of the awesome things about August is that I get to recreate my classroom! We have to pack up everything in June so I get to start from scratch. I used to think this was extremely annoying but I realized I love analyzing my classroom usage each year and making it better plus I love change! For example I have had my desk in every corner of the room since I started teaching. (It does drive my Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-20949305717390235292012-08-07T20:07:00.003-07:002012-08-07T20:07:20.111-07:00August Currently
Linking with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade!
I can't believe it's August. I guess I'm lucky I still have three weeks to go before school starts but most of that will be spent getting ready for school so summer is pretty much over. (Nobody told the weather that, by the way! It's been in the hundreds this week! Yuck!)
So currently I am looking for new shoes that will allow my ever Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-56898695674472544142012-07-30T22:11:00.004-07:002012-07-30T22:11:50.672-07:00What a Deal! - White BoardsAs we all know budgets are terrible right now so it's great to be able to find a way to go about business as usual but spend less money. A couple years back my partner teacher and I started to use the Mad Minutes program with our 6th graders who were lacking in basic computation skills but making copies of them was killing our allotted amount for the year! So we started using page Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-86274677397264146402012-07-04T10:01:00.002-07:002012-07-04T10:01:46.400-07:00Welcome to July!
Yes, I have neglected my blog since May. I'm not even sure how it got to be July so quickly! May was testing and open house (crazy!), then June was all the 6th grade end-of-the-year activities and after that I just fell into a stupor. Okay, that's not totally true. I have been taking mommy & me swimming lessons with my daughter and family field trips to the aquarium and Disneyland so I Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-52778392098929669462012-05-17T20:41:00.002-07:002012-05-17T20:41:47.080-07:00May Currently and Updates
Linking up with Oh' Boy Fourth Grade
I did not realize how long it's been since I posted. I have been caught up in a whirlwind that includes state testing (yay! it's done), project finishing (in history and science), a poetry portfolio (info to come), and some personal issues (good news). Open house is in 2 weeks and my classroom is a disaster area of crafting supplies and Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-25582511276069513732012-04-25T11:25:00.002-07:002012-04-25T11:25:34.831-07:00Count On MeI just had a moment in my classroom that I needed in the worst way. My class this year has been a real challenge. They are a group of kids who are most happy reading the textbook, filling in the worksheet and bubbling an answer on a test. This is soooo not my style! We have been butting heads all year long. I want to push them and they refuse to be pushed. I was talking to my husband just last Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-59858703339526606502012-04-23T22:05:00.002-07:002012-04-23T22:05:37.225-07:00Schedule ConflictsI got a phone call from the principal today. When it started with "Have you read your email recently? You're going to hate me" I knew the day was going to take a turn for the worse.
Turns out last year's principal had the dates wrong for the testing window and we're a week off. Which means we just lost a week of test prep!
Ahhhhhh! Everything was planned out so nicely!
So...here's to creative Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-49531690372136296362012-04-19T11:29:00.001-07:002012-04-19T11:29:22.374-07:00The Getty VillaThe Getty Villa in Malibu is one of my absolute favorite places to go. It went through some major renovations a couple years ago and I haven't missed a year since! It is a perfect spot for our 6th graders because it features the antiquities collection of the Getty Trust. We have a huge unit study on Ancient Greece and then we visit the Villa in the spring. Another great perk is that it is a FREE Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-82887737512071099412012-04-17T20:59:00.001-07:002012-04-17T20:59:40.226-07:00Playing TagThis is my first game of tag in the blog world so I am excited to be playing! I actually started writing this post a week ago but I decided to make spring break a real break to focus on my family. Thanks to Miss Nelson at Run! Miss Nelson's Got the Camera! for letting me join in!
Here are her 10 questions and the rules to the game:
1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the 10 questions for the Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-56716446013169001572012-04-17T11:27:00.004-07:002012-04-17T11:27:57.138-07:00Summer Reading (Teacher Edition)
I am at the point in the school year where I am gearing up for summer. Not that I'm ready for summer (we still have testing to get through!) but just getting things in order.
Every year I choose a couple of teaching books to read, digest, and incorporate for the new year...along with all the wonderful chapter books I need to catch up on! On my current list is The Daily Five and The CAFE Book Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-81050681455544073252012-04-06T13:05:00.002-07:002012-04-23T10:04:55.753-07:00Universal Themes in LiteratureTheme is one of the most difficult concepts, in my experience, for 6th graders to grasp. About half way through the year I do this activity to help them think about the themes in the stories we have read together.
Supplies
List of stories read as a class (include any read aloud books and stories from textbooks)
Theme Posters from Finding Common Themes in Fictional Texts
Post-Its (or whiteboard Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-44998209953815419102012-04-04T21:26:00.000-07:002012-04-04T21:26:07.192-07:00What's for Lunch? (Linky Party)
Check out 4th Grade Frolics and link up your lunch!
Lunch at school is not very exciting for me. Although after reading some other comments about lunches I find myself very lucky! I have a 45-minute lunch from 12:15-1:00. I usually spend the whole time in the lunch room chatting with colleagues and maybe grading some papers. I don't typically multi-task because I need the break.Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-44717654448968036582012-04-03T12:04:00.001-07:002012-04-03T12:04:34.436-07:00It Boggles the Mind!While searching for new ideas for my class this last summer I learned all about Pinterest. What a joy and a curse! There are so many things I can say about Pinterest but I won't do that now.
What I do want to talk about is Boggle for the classroom. I found a teacher that created a interchangeable Boggle board so I recreated it for my own room. I used my handy-dandy Cricut machine to cut out the Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-54486977494303996582012-04-02T19:08:00.000-07:002012-04-02T19:08:36.818-07:00Currently...April 2012
This is quickly becoming my favorite party of each month...Farley's "Currently" at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade! She such a great job of bringing everyone together to share what's up. I especially love the last category this month.
I had to think about it a little bit and went through a few ideas...the ability to create dishes and clothes that never get dirty, a shoe power toDeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-64132645021518152102012-03-29T11:11:00.001-07:002012-03-29T11:11:21.507-07:00Linking Up - Survey Says! Check out 5th Grade Rocks, 5th Grade Rules! for this fun survey linky today. Join in and share your thoughts.
1. Are you married, do you have a bf, or are you flying free as a single lady/man?
I have been married for 7 wonderful years!
2. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Southern California and have been here my whole life except for my college stint in Utah for 5 years.
Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-11493528937477561982012-03-16T19:28:00.000-07:002012-03-16T19:28:05.703-07:00The Dreaded Editing SessionMy kids are terrible at editing papers. Not just this year but every. single. year. A few years ago I was lamenting this with my partner teacher and she came up with a great idea. We use this when we have a big process paper due around benchmark time.
Group students into teams - 5 or more to a team works best. Have each team collect their rough drafts and trade with another team. Each teamDeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-82843762801937210302012-03-16T18:22:00.002-07:002012-03-16T18:22:33.060-07:00Weekend Reads - Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy #1)
{Source}
Wither by Lauren DeStefano is the story of a world in turmoil. The heroine, Rhine, has only four years left to live and she is only 16. Scientists have perfected the human race but only for one generation. Their children are dying - boys at 25 and girls at 20. Scientists are racing to find a cure and young girls are kidnapped to be brides in wealthy families to produce heirs before Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945645982111829032.post-69654537974686622462012-03-09T06:00:00.000-08:002012-03-09T07:40:43.586-08:00Weekend Reads - Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)
http://www.amazon.com/Cinder-Book-One-Lunar-Chronicles/dp/0312641893
Oh my word! I love this book. I could stop right there with this review and it would be enough for me but I won't because I want to convince all of you to read it.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a Cinderella story. I love Cinderella stories. I have done units on them with 1st grade
(during my student teaching), 5th grade and Deshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08318888438921541690noreply@blogger.com1