Five for Fraturday 10-3-15

It has been a while since I have been able to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday, and I am so glad that I can share today. I don't know if you are like me, but I always have these great ideas to blog about while I am teaching, and then I either don't have time or forget them by the time I get home. Which leads me to...

Feeling grateful this week. I am always so busy and our house is always on the verge of being a mess (or an actual mess), but I am really trying to focus on the good stuff that this means. For example, I am always busy because I have a job that I love that I want to give 100% to. I also have a wonderful family with kids who are healthy and happy. Who would complain about either of these two things? And my house is a lot of work to take care of, but I have a house. We all (my family) has a safe and cozy place to come home to every night. That is definitely not worth complaining about.

We have had some stress at school lately, kids are moving around - two teachers had to switch grade levels. It was easy to get caught up in the chaos. I really had to work to remind myself that everything was going to be okay. This was not a tragedy. The kids being moved would become a part of their new classroom communities, and the teachers being moved would figure things out too. I am finding that there isn't really very much that we should be getting stressed about in our lives. Trust me, I still feel plenty of stress, but I am trying to cut back. :)

At school this week we started learning about the distributive property of multiplication using Engage NY Grade 3, Module 1. Last year I made a mess of this for my students. It was so weird to me that I was fumbling my way through it with them. As a result, I didn't feel like my students understood it the way they should have. This year, we are taking our time. We will be working on models and the distributive property all next week. I have going to be busy this weekend making worksheets and activities to help them become distributive property masters.

On Friday my class was able to do a really fun art project. Last year my mom traveled to southern India. While she was there she saw women decorating the dirt in front of their homes with amazing designs using chalk. She bought some stencils for the patterns and loose chalk and gave them to my kids when she got back. My kids loved making the designs.

Since our third grade team teaches cultures around the world I thought it would be a perfect activity for a Friday. My students loved it, and our principal even told the school about it over morning announcements. We had kids admiring our work all day. As you can see, it wasn't perfect (and it was definitely messy!), but we got to do some true learning. Next week, when I give them a reading passage about Kolam (the art we did), I know that all of my students will have the necessary background knowledge to understand it.

This was the first week that my husband and I have had a date night courtesy of my wonderful mother-in-law. She has offered to come over every Thursday evening, so Chris and I can go out alone. It was amazing to sit and have a conversation - that doesn't happen very often with four kids running around. We ate delicious Mexican food, had drinks, and really enjoyed ourselves.

Do you use learning targets in your school? My guess is yes. Our school is all about learning targets. This summer I read something I found really interesting about learning targets in Why Kids Don't Like School. The author wrote that giving kids the "I can" statement is kind of like giving them an unwrapped gift. You still get the good thing that you want, but the reason we wrap gifts is the surprise of it. That is what makes getting gifts fun. 

So, instead of writing an "I can" statement, the book recommends posing a question. For example, instead of "I can use the distributive property to solve multiplication problems." I write "What is the distributive property, and how can I use it to solve multiplication problems?" If you are like me your brain wakes up at the question. It is like a puzzle that my brain wants to solve. I immediately start making guesses about what we are going to be doing. 

I have been writing questions instead of statements all year, and I really think that it is helping to build a curious culture in my classroom. I highly recommend you try it.

Also, as a bonus #6, make sure you look at my post on sharpening colored pencils. If you have a classroom, I am betting this has been a issue for you. I have found something that works for me, and it is so simple!

Have a great week everyone!

Five for Friday (Fourth of July Style)

Well, it is time for another Five for Friday. Actually, yesterday it was time, but what are you going to do?

 This week was the first week I have been home all day with all four kids on my own. It was only a three day week because of our trip to the beach for the fourth, but I am still exhausted! You can't do anything while watching for kids. And I mean anything - there was a day that I couldn't brush my teeth all day. Gross, but true. Good thing they are all super cute, and they have also been very good listeners which makes the day doable. But I can't wait to go back to work. I need a break!

Here are the three oldest. So cute, right?!

 As I said above, we are at the beach this weekend! We spend every Fourth of July (with a couple exceptions) on the Oregon coast with my husband's family. They have been having a family golf tournament here for 42 years!

We have gone every year since I have dated my husband except the year my second daughter was born (July 2nd), and the year she turned five. We have created the tradition that on our babies' fifth birthdays we go to Disneyland on their birthday. (Even if it is one of the busiest times of the year!)

This year, she turned six, so off to the beach we went. However, we still had to celebrate my amazing girl's birthday. The only thing that would do was a My Little Pony Party. The best part of the party was the amazing cake her grandma made for her.

Are you kidding?! That cake is amazing! I hope my kids know how lucky they are to have family that loves them so much they will create a rainbow masterpiece!

We also have spent a lot of time at the beach. Here is a picture of me and my parents. (Dad and Stepmom)

So, it turns out I have been a member of Audible for about six months. I have no idea how that happened! But, I wasn't going to let those six book credits go to waste! I downloaded a few books for my classroom listening library, but then I got frustrated because it would have been cheaper to buy the books than pay for the credit. So, instead I downloaded some teaching books I had been wanting to read. 

I picked The End of Molasses Clasess just because it had a funny title. Well, I will tell you, it is probably one of the best teaching books I have read. It is so easy to listen to, and I am so inspired I wish I was going back to school tomorrow.

Ron Clark, it turns out, is pretty famous as a teacher. I read another of his books last summer, and I don't know why, but I didn't like it that much. I think I will go back and read it again after I finish this book.

I am also very excited because he started a school as a laboratory for best teaching practices. It is a regular school with teachers and students (fifth through eighth grade), but they also invite other teachers and administrators to come in and see how the school works. I cannot tell you how much I want to go! Here is one example of how awesome the school is: They have a slide in the middle of the school. A giant slide. Every person who visits the school must ride down the slide form the second to the first floor! I love it!

My classroom is going to be so much better next year because I read this book!

I have mentioned a few times in social media posts, that my brother-in-law is fighting cancer and could use prayers and good thoughts. Well, as soon as school was done I flew down to see them with my mom. I was really glad that we got to go and spend time with them.

He has been in the hospital for eight weeks fighting GVHD - a disease that can happen after a transplant. He had a stem cell transplant to fight the cancer. 

He had been very, very sick, but, thankfully, e was starting to turn a corner. He had some great days while we were there and I warned him that he better keep improving after we went home.

I am really sad that they live so far away because it means that I can't visit very often, but I am always thinking about them.

The picture above is pre-cancer. Aren't they adorable?! They look like models - not real people. At least no picture of me looks this good!

On a lighter note - I have finally published the last two modules in my Engage New York Interactive Notebook. It has been a long time coming, but this year was crazy! Anyway, finally they are done! You can get them on Teachers pay Teachers, Teacher's Notebook, and Edmodo Spotlight.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Five for Friday 5/29/15

Okay, so Friday has come and gone, but it is still a great time to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

This week has a little bit of a family theme.

Last weekend we visited the science museum. We now have a membership, so I have a feeling we will be going there a lot this summer. Here are some of the creative things the kids were doing...

First she wanted to draw the flowers - can't really see them, they to the left of the picture. Then, she wanted to make a list of everything she saw on the flower. We didn't know what one part of the flower was, so we looked it up. Such a smartie!

After examining the flowers, she was ready to build!

Meanwhile, I had a momma eagle playing in the other room. The best part was that the kids would all "flap" their wings while they ran around. It was adorable, and, of course, I didn't get a good picture.

This was the highlight for the boys! You can tell they are all scared because they are in a Megalodon's jaws.

One not-so-fun part of our week was the fact that my brother-in-law is dealing with some pretty nasty side effects from his recent stem cell transplant. We sent him some goodies to cheer him up. It is hard to tell, but the stuffed animal is a big foot. This was sent because my daughter won it in a claw game, and claw games are my brother-in-law's specialty.

If you have a minute, please send some healing thoughts out into the universe. We want him back on his feet soon, so my sister and he can get to work on some nieces and nephews for me.

I just love how awesome my kids are at creative play. This is a neighborhood. They are so detailed in their playing/storytelling!

My sister-in-law's family recently purchased a ski boat. We were lucky enough to get invited out on a sunny day! My kids are hooked. First question today was, "Can we go out on the boat?" Second question, "When are we getting a boat?"

I am definitely looking forward to many fun days on the water with our fun family this summer!

And finally, as a thank you to all of you who are reading my blog, I have a flash freebie!

Grab it from Teachers pay Teachers while you can! Usually $3, but free for the next 24 hours or so! Thank you for reading. Please, follow the blog to be the first to hear about new products, new ideas, and freebies!

Five for Friday 5/15/15

It has been a most exhausting week! Probably one of the most exhausting weeks since the beginning of the school year. When was that? Five, six years ago?

Anyway, I don't think I have ever been so happy to come home on a Friday afternoon. Here is a look at my week as I link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching  for Five for Friday!

Here is the thing that is most on my mind. I am going to lose a student next week. He is not moving or getting promoted to fourth grade. He is being transferred out of my room. I feel so mixed about this. First, I am sad, and I feel like a failure. 

This is a kid I have been working with all year. We have had some really good times, but we have also had some really bad times. The idea of him being transferred was brought up earlier this week when he was sent home for poor behavior. He was supposed to get it together to be able to stay. Unfortunately, though circumstances and his own choices, he was not able to do this. 

I said I wanted to keep him if we could work things out, but it was best for him (and the rest of the class) if he moved. The trouble is another kid was moved into my class (from another class in our school) a few weeks ago, and the combination of these two is just terrible! They are feeding off of each other. If I would have known this would happen, I would never have accepted the new kid. 

So, while part of me is feeling terrible about all this. Another part of me feels relieved. About 75% of all my time is taken up by this one student. Not just school time - all my time. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of ways I can help him be successful. About 90% of my school day is redirecting him. I adore this kid, but he is exhausting me. 

Another reason this week felt so long is that our school district participated in the Washington state rolling walkouts. This was a tiring day for so many reasons. First, walking around holding a picket sign is more work than you would think. Second, I had my kindergartner and first grader with me, so lots of child management going on. And finally, I do not like conflict or controversy, and that who issue is full of both. I really need to build a thicker skin.

We started our morning at a local intersection. It was great to hear the horns honking in support of the students and teachers of our school district!

It is not very much fun for a kindergartner to picket, so luckily there was a tree to climb!

Later, we meet with other school districts at a rally in downtown Vancouver. I missed the speakers here because the girls wanted to play at the park, and it had already been a long day for them. How could I say no? Plus, this adorable girl made her own sign that said "It's time... less testing, more learning." She said she wanted to take it home and show it to her teacher. Although, I bet her teacher would totally agree!

 My week started off with a wonderful Mother's Day surprise. My wonderful husband got tickets for the big girls and me to go see Varekai - a traveling Cirque du Soleil show. To say that it was amazing does not do it justice. I was blown away by the costumes, the music, and the talent of all the performers. If you have not seen a Cirque du Soleil show and ever have the opportunity - Go!

Pre-show - Aren't they adorable?!

Post-show: Practicing! 

Both girls are totally doing dance, gymnastics, and circus camp this summer. They are so excited!

 Have you seen that Edmodo is starting their own teacher resource website? It is very similar to Teachers pay Teachers. I was experimenting with it last night, and I really like how easy it is to use. I hope that this site takes off!

Well, I don't really have a 5 - and I have to go get the little kids from daycare. So, have a great week!