April's Currently and my Disney Spring Break :)

Well this was supposed to be a book study post since I've been the worst at keeping up with them lately. But see what had happened was...(lol) I read up to Chapter 8 and noticed today's post was about 9 and 10. I'll catch back up...just wont be right this second!  So instead I'll do one of my favorite linkys, Currently by Farley

 

Let's just pause to admire how cute this layout is!!

Listening:

To good ol Saturday morning cartoons. I am so thankful to be home on the couch with my little family drinking coffee and enjoying this last little bit of Spring Break.

 

Loving:

The weather is amazing outside lately. I thought I'd be instantly missing Florida weather but TN has given me a pretty decent welcome back (not counting the pouring rain last night)

 

Thinking:

About how hard it will be to wake up Monday. This break has been amazing but Monday is creeping around the corner. Lately I've been trying to rid myself of the "Oh Crap it's Monday" syndrome, its all about perception people! But this Monday may be a slight exception lol

 

Wanting:

To go back to Disney!!!! Omg it is truly a magical place! I had the greatest time. And I have already decided I willlllll be back!

 

 

 

 

Needing:

To do some lesson plans eventually...just not that motivated yet!

 

Eggs-plain my name:

I have always taught 1st grade (currently in my 3rd year). Even when I student taught I knew 1st grade was my favorite. I want to experience other grades eventually but 1st is where my heart is!

 

Well thanks for catching up with me. Feel free to comment, especially if you share my love of Disney World! Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

Book Study - Strategy 4 Games

Well I'm a little tardy for the party with this chapter! But better late than never right? :)
Linking up with Queen of the First Grade Jungle
 

So strategy 4 was all about games which I am a definitely a fan of in the classroom. I try to throw them in whenever they can be effective and get the kids involved or moving around. The chapter starts off explaining how games can be beneficial at any grade level. They can help the students gain understanding and also motivate them to learn and show what they know! The instructional activities area contains a variety of game ideas and resources.

 

 

My math centers usually include a game like this one seen below that I created this summer. (Available in my TPT store of course!)

 

 

 

They also loveddddd hopping from seat to seat recording greater than or less than equations with this cute game by Adventures in Kinder and Beyond

 

 

 

 

Another suggestion was a game called "Loop" that most of us refer to as "I Have, Who Has". There are tons of free versions of it online!

 

 

I also enjoy quick little brain break games if we are about to transition or need a refresher. A favorite of my students is when I call out an adjective or describing phrase and the kiddos must find something matching the criteria within 15 seconds. Ex. "Yellow" or "Something with corners". I give them rules ahead of time like no running, no disrespecting someone else's items, etc. Then I have a few students share what they found and we return to seats or the rug for learning.

 

I could definitely broaden my use of games throughout the topics though. I tend to focus on math and literacy. But utilizing vocabulary game suggestions from this book in science and social studies would reach two goals at one time! Gonna be looking into that :)

 

This chapter once again just gives me a new angle to consider when reflecting on my teaching. "Where can I incorporate a useful game?" is a question I should be asking more often! What are your thoughts? Feel free to share and have a fantastic weekend!

Book Study- Strategy 3 Field Trips

Well good morning and Happy Saturday! :)

 

Hope you had a fun, productive week! Mine went well, especially with some Seuss sprinkled in thanks to Read Across America.

          

 

 

But lets get into the Book Study.
This week we are linking up through Mrs. Wills Kindergarten :)

 

Strategy 3 was about Field Trips. This is one of the chapters I could see people having a small issue with. Still some great information, but I must admit as I was reading a few suggestions I was quick to say "I can't do that with my kids!". I wasn't intentionally being negative but some of the ideas were things that I would need to tweak to fit with my group of kiddos.

 

With that being said I still found the chapter useful. One of the better suggestions was a reminder to move lessons outside of the classroom whether that means heading outside or taking an in school field trip. We used a lot of those at the beginning of the year to get our first graders used to our 2 story school building.

 

 

 

Pictures from our field trip to the Creative Discovery Museum last month :)

 

 

Who else would be excited about a voluntary book study..

Only teachers! Lol okay maybe a few other professionals but you gotta admit we are a pretty unique bunch of people. I've seen so many Instagram and blog posts about this book study it really warms my heart. It reminds me that there are still teachers out there passionate about their jobs and wanting to improve. I'm really looking forward to learning from all these amazing teachers.  So here's the book...

 

 

The book had great reviews online and a few teachers have already told me it's pretty great. I'm looking forward to adding a few new tools to the toolbox after this. Here's the schedule for the Book Study.

 

Kickin it in Kindergarten- Chapters 1 &2 (February 28th)
Mrs. Wills Kindergarten- Chapter 3 (March 7th)
Queen of the First Grade Jungle Chapter 4 (March 10th)
Fabulous in First Chapter 5 (March 14th)
One Extra Degree Chapter 6 (March 17th)
Mrs. Jump's Class Chapter 7 (March 28th)
The First Grade Parade Chapter 8 (March 31st)
In April, you will be visiting these girls for the remainder of the study:
Mrs. Ehle's Kindergarten Chapter 9 &10 (April 4th)
What The Teacher Wants Chapter 11 (April 7th)
First Grader At Last Chapter 12 (April 11th)
Erica's Ed Ventures Chapter 13 (April 14th)
KinderGals Chapter 14 &15 (April 18th)
A Rocky Top Teacher Chapter 16 (April 21st)
Mrs. Wills Kindergarten Chapter 17 (April 25th)
Little Warriors Chapter 18 (April 28th)
Falling Into First Chapter 19 (May 2nd)
Kickin' it in Kindergarten Chapter 20 (May 5th)

Join in whenever you like! If you are not a blogger you can participate in the comments of posts!

So I'm linking up with Kickin it in Kindergarten for Chapters 1 & 2

 

Chapter 1 - Brainstorming and Discussion

"When people open their mouths to talk, they send more oxygen to the brain"

Hmm..Didn't know that!

 

I'm a major fan of using discussions in my math lessons. We often have math PDs at our school and they love stressing the importance of structured math talks and partner discussions.

 However, I realized after reading through this chapter that math may be the only place it was happening. Luckily this text offers suggestions to use in a variety of content areas.

 

My Top 3 strategies

-  Utilizing the "Bloom's Taxonomy Revised" (complete with model questions) to create questions in class.

- Using the Think, Pair, Share technique when posing questions or discussion topics.

-Waiting a minimum of 5 - 7 second when asking a question

(Sometimes I flake out on the wait time or start dropping hints to soon!)

 

 

Chapter 2 - Drawing and Artwork

"Different parts of the brain are activated when people are involved in art activities."

That one I did know, but it is useful to be reminded.

 

I feel like being a primary teacher lends really well to adding art into almost any content area. Little ones are more likely to enjoy singing a song about the days of the week or rainbow writing spelling words. Even those additions can make things a bit more engaging.

 

My Top 3 Strategies

- Let students create a personal Pictionary by illustrating vocabulary words.

- Have students design a book jacket that encompasses the major concepts that have just been learned.

-Have students design a poster that shows the major details of a specific science unit. 

 

So far, I am really enjoying the book. I also like that there is room after each chapter to record ideas that you can incorporate into your classroom. Stay tuned and hop around to the other blogs participating.

Five for Friday!!

With today being my 4th "snow" day in a row, how could I not go ahead and blog? And why not link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the "Five for Friday" Linky? First time for everything :)

Well at the beginning of this lovely week I was in California living it up! I flew out to see my bestie who moved there and her new baby (aka my new Godson :)! ) And since my silly run-crazed mommy came with me we ended up running a race on Valentine's Day.

Although my trip to California was perfecttttt, the process of coming home was far from it. We ended up stuck in LA for a night because of all the snow back in TN. That was a major bummer for many reasons including my upcoming birthday and the fact that I didn't want to keep missing work! But we made the best of it! And eventually made it back home.

 

 On Tuesday I turned 25!!! Woohooo!!! I didn't expect to spend the day stuck in an airport but I was with my amazing mommy. And my school loves me so much they gave me (and everyone else lol) the week off! How sweet right? Yeah...really it was these good ol snow days (with hardly any snow but I'm not complaining!) So I had plenty of chances to enjoy my lazy day and I sure did!

 

I finished my latest book Gone Girl and now I'm beginning The Girl on the Train. Anyone read it yet? I saw a friend post about it and after reading a few pages I went ahead and bought it. Pretty good so far, but after the craziness of GG I wonder if it will pale in comparison?..

 

 

 Since I haven't been to work all week I don't have much else to share about it so I'll sneak in some pics from last week when we went on a field trip to the Creative Discovery Museum :) and my super cute Valentine's which were a freebie from an awesome teacher!

(https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sassy-Savvy-Simple-Teaching)

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend :)

Getting an early start this Sunday!

For some reason I was fully awake at 8 am this morning! After laying around for a while the family moved into the living room to our second favorite lazy spot, the couch! But since I'm up why not blog?

So I got an early start on linking up with the The Teaching Trio for the Sunday Scoop

 

3

So yesterday I got a quote to replace all 4 tires! (Gahhhh) apparently they're on their way out so I need to get some new ones before hitting the road later this week. But before taking it in I'm gonna scan through Pinterest for this year's Valentines. And I'm going to sort some clothes for the laundry...eventually

 

2

I need to get my sub plans together but that will probably have to wait until Monday so I can double check for materials. (Trip to Cali coming soon!) And I also need a new lunch box. I think I'm going to end up buying a 31 bag again but I am open to suggestions! It's kinda hard finding a nice sized adult lunch box!

1

Despite the fact that my mental to do list is growing by the minute, I'm going to enjoy being lazy for just a little longer with this handsome guy and adorable pup. Then coffee, yoga and finally starting my day.

 

Enjoy your Sunday too!

 

 

 

It's February! Yay!!

I absolutely love this month! Valentine's Day means I get an excuse to make just about everything pink and put hearts on it (score!). My birthday is on the 17th! (turning the big 2-5!). And we always get a day off for Presidents Day. Plus this year I'll be making a trip to meet my new godson in person!!

Linking up with Farley for the oh so popular currently! How amazing is it to see so many teachers blogging and sharing :)

So of course we are currently watching the Super Bowl and eating wings and nachos! It's only right. But truly here in a second I'm gonna paint my nails and then dive back into this book. I've been reading Gone Girl and so far I loveee it.

But before that..here's a few pics from our classroom

A free sight word activity in my store. These dice are from Dollar Tree.

100 day necklaces in progress! (Found on Pintrest!)

100 dots we later turned into gumball machines. (Idea from Pintrest!)

100 days brighter!!

My lovely student teacher taught the Constitution last week.

We discussed weather tools in science. Shout out to my student teacher again on the chart. :)

K off to paint my nails and such! Have a great night yall