Snow, Spring, & Seuss Shame

What can I say?  It has been over a month since I have posted!  Partly, I've been busy. I've also been obsessing over other things (including my diet, the Golden Girls, and TCAP preparation...lol).  I have to say though, I miss my blog!

Let me try to catch up!  The rest of February was eventful with Valentine's Day where kids are on so much sugar that it's like managing baby crack addicts!  Luckily, mine were sweet and I was able to detox them by banning their sugary snacks until after lunch.  I just worry about their little teeth and mine, because I'm quite guilty of consuming the sweet stuff.  Then, there was more flooding, and some of the white stuff.  I am truly a snow child, but I'm ready for spring to come this year. Its just been that weird in between super cold and wet cold...hard to dress fashionably.

What else?  Since March, I feel like I've been "worksheeting" my kids to death!  I hate to be that way, but they just need some review on the skills that are the toughest.  We've also been doing some review games and fun projects too, but I have been getting a little stricter.  The stress of the upcoming tests, after seeing them bomb the practice test, is weighing on me a little.  I truly believe the tests are necessary and I'm trying hard to use these practice tests to "diagnose" each student.  I just have to have confidence that if they fail something, I'll try, try again along with them.  It really isn't their fault, I just need to find another treatment (activity) to help them learn the skill...just like a doctor...but not as gross or quite as complicated...most of the time :)

I will admit two final things in this blog post.  Number one, I forgot to celebrate Dr. Seuss day with my kids!  I just didn't know what day it was until it had come and gone ;(  To make myself feel better and to entertain my nieces, I did a little very much thrown together Dr. Seuss play date...see the cutie in the picture below! But, we did have a rockin' A.R. party to celebrate how well they have been reading independently.  I am super proud to say that I have a few third graders reading Harry Potter...they are so smart! Oh, and we read Stone Fox as a class...it is so good and sooooooo sad.  I got really teared up while reading the ending to them...kind of embarrassing, but I just couldn't help it!  I will also admit that this post is the first school related thing I've done this week of spring break.  Hopefully, I will feel rejuvenated and ready to go tomorrow.  More than the countdown to TCAPs, I'm looking forward to hearing about what my kids did over the break... I love their crazy, cute, long winded stories!

Big Dreamers & Comic Book Capers

When you want to get a new perspective on life goals and dreams, just ask a child what they dream about!  It all started with a lesson on Martin Luther King, Jr.  As a person who loves history and uplifting stories, I surprisingly find it difficult every year to discuss MLK and the issues surrounding him.  I always start with the book, Martin's Words and a bio. video from www.brainpop.com.  Where it goes from there depends on the kids.  I don't want to stifle their discussion but I don't want to intrude on their parent's beliefs or explanations.

This year my kids' ideas about racial equality did not disappoint.  Both classes got me in an awkward corner, but in a good way.  First, I had to explain that Martin Luther King did not free the slaves, which involved me drawing a very rough timeline and briefly explaining the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln.  This involved me trying to explain that even though there was slavery in the South not everyone owned slaves and we shouldn't feel guilty now; but, we should be aware of treating people equally and not repeating history.

When we moved onto segregation, I made all of the kids put out their arms and notice that no one is the same color, even those who are "white."  My homeroom seemed touched and curious, but let the discussion kind of die out as I ended the lesson.  The other class flew me for a loop asking lots of questions about assassination and if everything, including churches and police stations, were segregated. I couldn't answer every question, but I tried my best to give true but not too harsh answers.  I was pretty upset though when one student mentioned that Obama would probably get assassinated next because of his race; however, I don't think the student wasn't trying to be mean just thinking out loud.  It is so weird when kids make scary but real connections to the world...when they realize that the world isn't always a kind place.  I hate to be the one to instigate that line of thinking, but it is part of developing a moral compass.

I tried to put a more positive spin on the lesson by having the students tell me what they dreamed about.  I had to explain that these aren't dreams that happen while we sleep, but dreams that they have for the future.  They started talking of how badly they wanted to become famous or rich, but I got them to think a little less selfishly and here were some of their more thought provoking ideas:

I dream that everything was 50 cents including "motin diwes" (Mountain Dews), "ditos" (Doritos), and "lan mawers" (lawn mowers).  (This made me laugh for days and realize a lot about southern culture.)

I dream that everyone will get into heaven.  (how sweet!)

I dream that the devil will be good and evil will leave. ( a little creepy)

I dream that there will be no more homeless on the street.

I dream that there will be no more war and the poor will be fed.

I dream that everyone will feel better and hospitals will make them healthy.

I dream that there will be a new president with no more high gas prices or Obama care.  (This child's parents must tell him a lot about politics!)

After discussing all of their dreams, we ended up having a lot of snow/flood days, helping those big ideas sink in!  Trying to play catch up, we have moved on to lighter topics.  We discussed quotations, which aren't in the book until the end of the year, but they need to know them for writing narrative essays!  So, I thought I would just touch on it.  We started with doing air quotes...a lot...then, moved onto creating comic books.  I was frustrated to find that most comics don't include quotation marks inside the dialogue bubbles so we had to make our own.  It was really fun to translate their ideas into "real" looking comics.  I was about as giddy as they were!  See pics below ;)  To make Marvel Comics, here is the website I used...it turns them into printable pdf's! Warning: Spider Girl does look a little scandalous. Lol!
http://marvel.com/games/play/34/create_your_own_comic

Gettin' Muddy!

So I have the time/energy to post two times in one day, because we are out for flooding!  I always feel a little guilty for being happy about being out of school because I really do enjoy my job (and other people with normal jobs don't get out of work).  But, I see it as one of the perks of being a teacher...you maintain that kid-like excitement about lots of things.  I, at least, have been using some of my time off to look on pinterest, teacherspayteachers, and data from some of my recent assessments.

I am hoping to do data conferences with my students when we get back because I made each of them a little packet containing their important test scores in Reading and Language (an idea I got from our reading specialist).  It is just so hard for them to understand the importance of standardized testing.  I want them to care and try their best, but it's hard for them to see why it matters, because they are in third grade for goodness sake! But, I also don't want to make them feel like failures or freak them out.  Even my best students who try hard have trouble with all of the tests.  I mean I see why they're important but I wish they could be administered individually or something. Maybe all of this Common Core stuff will do some good eventually.

Anyway, back to the title of this post...I decided to use the rainy day (before the flood) to teach about compare and contrast!  I made a bowl of mud and a bowl of potting soil, and we simply compared them using a venn diagram.  Our story this week was about landforms so I thought it was at least a little thematic.  Then we used hula hoops to diagram their responses (another steal from pinterest).  It was a pretty fun lesson, but next time I will try to make it more challenging.  It think I'm going to have them compare character traits next time and use three hula hoops.  But, we did have fun!

2 unrelated photos...my students (and teacher buddies) have been bringing me lots of owl stuff because I'm obsessed...the mug is adorable!  Below is a pic of how I'm going to try to organize my library...I get so frustrated with them not knowing their book levels, but all of the CAFE stuff says to make books more appealing by organizing them by genre...blah, blah, blah.  I've organized my library at least 3 times a year for 5 years...so I'm just going to try to do it like the real library does it- by level and also make one of my kids the librarian!  I'll let you know how it turns out ;) Looks pretty ghetto now...

Would You Like a Spot of Tea?

I truly believe that some of the best experiences I've had in the classroom are when I embrace "teachable moments."  Whether it is examining a spider you find in the room or watching and discussing the weather outside...my favorite part of teaching is enjoying the excitement of those everyday moments with my kids. (I'm getting deja vu about blogging this...so forgive me if I've said this before!)

Last week, I took the teachable moment a step further.  It doesn't relate to any standards really, but I just couldn't help but discuss my winter vacation with my students.  First, I let them all tell me the favorite gift they received and the favorite place they went.  Though I heard a lot about video games, most of them enjoyed going to their grandmother's houses...which I thought was really sweet :)  My husband and I went to London (a trip we've been wanting to take for a while), and I decided to bring London to my kids.

With the help of some BrainPop videos and my poorly (kid friendly) worded definition of a monarchy and how old the British Empire is, they were able to enjoy a little trip!  We looked at photos, did some castle worksheets, and examined what exactly is in a tea bag.  I'll have to admit that I've never opened up a tea bag so I was pretty excited!  We also drank some yummy tea.  Most of them had tried cold sweet tea, a staple in the South, but few had had hot tea.  They actually like it...but they really liked the little sugar cubes I gave them!  Needless to say, we all had fun.  Here are a few pics...

 Some of my boys are really into Harry Potter so they loved seeing the Knight Bus!

 They also loved any picture of me making a fool of myself.

 I went through this picture quickly (as well as a couple of us at pubs drinking "different kinds of soda"), but their eeew's and giggles were pretty funny!

They also loved the site seeing photos...though one of my boys said he recognized this from Grand Theft Auto...a little scary that he plays that game; but, it was also clever that he made a connection ;)

Their all time favorite picture was this one of a mummy from the British Museum.  They couldn't believe it was an actual dead body in there!  I had trouble sugar-coating the fact that it really is a decaying body...oh well, hopefully they'll understand that the spirit isn't.  I just go with my old stand-by..."talk to your parents."

2012 Wrap Up!

It has been over a month since I have blogged, and a lot has happened!  Some good things and some bad things have happened in the busy holiday filled month of December.  Today is the last day of winter vacation, and a much needed time of reflection.

I would first like to express my greatest sympathies for the children lost in the recent school shootings in Connecticut.  When it happened, all I did was see my own students in those faces flashing across the screen.  I hope that I'm brave enough to protect them, but I pray they will never have to experience such a fearful, horrendous situation.  I also hope that I never have to use a gun to protect myself in a school building full of children.  I am not a police officer, therefore I feel no more trained than a secretary to use a weapon of such destruction.  If that day comes, I worry that I won't be able to do my job anymore. I just hope that laws and procedures can be put into place to keep our babies safe.  I feel blessed to work at a school that does go over the procedures regularly and tries to make the environment as safe as possible.  That being said, there are still those with mental disorders who want to hurt children and that keeps me up at night.  I see my students more than their own parents during the week, and even though I have to get on to them and I don't hug or hold them as much as their parents...I do love them and realize the talents and beauty in each of them.  They give me a purpose in life!  So, I hope things will change for the better because of the recent tragedies.

Now, onto lighter things...I had fun doing some holiday lessons with my kiddos before winter break.  Though I feel challenged with the new common core writing standards, www.teacherspayteachers.com has given me a lot of ideas of how to teach it!  We were able to do informative, persuasive, and narrative writing all about gingerbread men.  Then, we did narrative and informative writing about snowflakes!  The funniest thing was when I had my students try gingersnaps...I happened to be out that day and left the responsibility with my co-worker.  She texted me later with lots of lol's about how the kids freaked and tried to spit out the gingersnaps because they were too spicy.  Gotta love 'em!

We also celebrated our love of non-fiction with a volcano experiment.  At first, the volcano in a box I bought from the dollar store wasn't working so I had to improvise with a coke bottle which made a huge, but awesome mess, that we all (including me) enjoyed.  We also had a great winter party with lots and lots of goodies donated from parents! I can't wait to do more experiments and activities in 2013. I'm also hoping that 2013 will bring good health (we've been a sickly bunch), safety, and success (especially on those hard standardized & common core tests coming up) to my students.  2012 brought lots of fun and memorable lessons with my students as well as many opportunities to get to know their personalities, talents, and problem areas.  I've also been reflecting on my own problem areas and ways to improve my teaching strategies for this new generation.  There are always new challenges around the corner, but I feel that 2012 was fulling of blessings and I hope 2013 is as well.

Our countdown went more quickly than I thought!

The remains of our Christmasy volcano :)

Our gingerbread stories and my favorite gingerbread girl colored by the kids!

Our snow globe stories and a close up of one of the glittery globes...I actually let the kids use glitter which was  a big deal for me...haha! 

Our christmas tree cones complete with lots and lots of icing...as you can see, some resembled blobs but they sure did love that sugar!

This is an awesome gift I got from a student...owl mania!! 

My Little Soapbox

I know the title seems like I'm going to go on some annoying rant, but really I just want the world to know that the field of education is filled with lots of "heavy on your heart" things.  We can't change kids' home lives, but we have to find some way to change their outlook on life and education.  As the holidays are being ushered in, I realize how blessed I am with friends, family, and a job (and a great class of kids!).  I can also see who really needs help, who can't focus because of their worries, and who needs me to steer them in the right direction.  I just wish I had more right answers!  I truly believe each child is talented in some way, but that doesn't mean everyone will make it through college...some even through high school.  I just wish I had several pathways I could help lead them down based on their abilities whether its higher education, a career, or just something that makes them happy.  I was lucky enough to have parents and a community to do that for me, and I'm hoping that my students have some of those resources too.

I don't want to be a teacher complaining about all of the changes coming down the pipe, because with a mom as a teacher I know that the field of education is in constant evolution.  I'm actually excited for the new Common Core standards, because of how much it will benefit our college-bound kids.  It is definitely intimidating to teach, but it will mean that they will be wonderful writers and problem solving gurus...I just worry about the kids who will be left behind.  With the new assessments, less and less modifications are going to be allowed for struggling students.  That worries me a lot. On the other hand, I've been listening to NPR lately about amazing turn around schools in Tennessee who don't let high poverty rates become an excuse.  I feel that my county is doing a good job at pushing the kids, but still rewarding them.  I just hope I can make some headway in my classroom, because every kid deserves a chance!

Alright, I'm off my soapbox.  I've just had lots of conflicting emotions lately, but the important thing is that I still enjoy what I do very much ;)  The proof is in the turkeys...see below!

Hamburgers, Lysol, & Cute Faces

I have to say that this post is long overdue...I am constantly coming across things to blog about then I forget them before I can get to the computer!  Anyway, with the holiday season just around the corner, things in my classroom are in full swing.  I can't seem to keep up with the kids or their demand for treats and rewards!

That is one thing that has been bothering me lately.  Part of it is my fault for rewarding them so much, but I often turn my lessons into games for prizes (tickets or snacks) to motivate them and get them involved.  But, I don't like when they start asking for rewards for everything!  I don't remember getting many rewards when I was that age...I remember crying when I made a B due to my own internal motivation!  I am off my soapbox no, because I do have several students who care and those who don't care don't have a good example.  I guess I should be that example ;)

Getting to the hamburgers...we used hamburger writing to start creating paragraphs.  The new Common Core writing assessment demands that students be able to create 3 different kinds of writing (narrative, informative, and persuasive) in a 5-paragraph essay format!  What?  I know it will help them so much in the long run, but it is overwhelming to teach when they can't even write sentences yet.  That's why we decided to have a little fun with it and start small with paragraphs.  I cannot take credit for this idea!  I stole the recipe from my teacher pal, Marissa Summitt, and I stole the template from someone on TeachersPayTeachers.com.  

The Hamburger Method is a visual for the parts of a paragraph.  The top bun is the topic sentence.  The lettuce, tomatoes, and burger are all details.  The bottom bun is the conclusion.  To reinforce this idea, after writing, we made hamburger cookies using oreo halves, nilla wafers, and colored icing!  Yummy!

So, the Lysol reference is because both of my classes entered the Lysol story contest!  We had a great time creating stories about germs...ewww but fun! See pics below.  

Finally, for the cute faces...I am turning into a sucker!  My kiddos do one of two things to me...melt me or light me on fire...haha...it's not as bad as it sounds.  What I mean is that third graders are mischievous but still sweet and innocent.  I get irritated when they yell out or do silly things that make messes or hurt other kid's feelings but when they apologize or look down at the ground while I'm lecturing them, they are just so darn cute!  Grrr...oh well...I guess empathy is pretty important to teaching ;)