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!

Engage New York Math: Interactive Notebooks

Last year my grade level decided to teach using Engage New York (also known as Eureka Math). Our school district does not provide a math curriculum, and we decided that we needed some help teaching the new Common Core standards for the first year.

I really liked the Engage New York curriculum. It is designed to get kids thinking, not just memorizing. Plus, it covers all of the Common Core standards, so I don't have to search through tons of resources to make sure I cover all of the standards.

However, the lessons can be a little dry and repetitive. One way that I found to help insert some creativity and fun into Engage New York was to build interactive notebooks to go along with the modules.

Every module has guide pages to help you see how I put the notebook together. I tried to focus on the most important take away ideas of the topics in the modules when building the notebooks, so they would help kids review.

You can buy one module at a time, or the entire set at Teachers pay Teachers, Teacher's Notebook, or Edmodo.

First Currently Ever!

I feel like a grownup blogger! This is my first time ever linking up with Oh' Boy 4th Grade for Currently, but I have been a reader for a long time.

So, here it is... my Currently for July.

I realize that this chart makes it seem like I hate staying home with my kids (and maybe that I am not doing that good of a job at it - hello, diapers). However, I would like to make it clear that I do like staying home with my kids, but they never leave. And they don't not need attention. Being a stay at home mom is a 24 hour job with no lunch breaks. It is exhausting!

My hat's off to any mom (or dad) that stays home with their kids. It is hard! This is one reason why I work - I need a break!

Anyway, I am feeling the crunch to get things finished before Vegas, so I would say that today I am a little more antsy than usual.

Plus, we are headed to the beach for the weekend tomorrow which means that I won't be getting a lot done over the weekend either.

On the positive side: My kids have been awesome. Yes, they take a lot of work, but they are kind, creative, and really fun. We even have the baby now, and she takes about 99% of my attention. The big kids could be sad about this and start acting out to get attention, but they aren't. They adore her. I am super lucky!

Okay, I better wrap it up because I was not kidding about the diaper thing. There is probably a stray diaper hanging out at the bottom of the diaper bag or in the back of the car, but we are down to zero that I can easily find. Yikes! Off to Costco!

Setting Up Classroom Routines for Third Grade

A major focus I have for next year is setting up classroom routines that encourage students to persevere and problem solve independently. I want them to have the structures in place to learn how to think through problems instead of memorizing what to do.

One way I intend to do this is by using Daily 5 for ELA and math. Although, I won't be doing five rotations of either of them.

I will have three rotations of math. I have created a graphic organizer for every day of math for the entire first trimester.

I got the basic plan: Teacher Time, Lesson Work, and Math Centers from 3rd Grade Thoughts. I also put a question above the graphic organizer, so students would know what to expect during Teacher Time. I did not put the learning target because I read that kids are less interested when they know what they are doing. It is like giving a child an open present - not nearly as fun as a wrapped present.

Then, for ELA I made four rotations.

I chose four rotations (and included Teacher Time and Lesson Work again) because we just don't have time for five stations. Lesson Work is like Read to Self, but sometimes the kids will have other assignments in addition to reading. For example, when they are learning how to use dictionaries they will do this work during Lesson Work time.

I will only have three groups of kids to move through the rotations. That way I will always have one rotation that I can meet with individual students. This was the only way I knew that I would definitely get to meet with individuals every day. This was always the hardest part for me in years past.

I built the graphic organizers for the students, and I will project them during our rotation time. This way kids will know exactly what to do at every rotation. I will write more on how that will work in my classroom soon.

I also built a plan for me as the teacher:

I am having so much fun working on this project, but it is very slow! I will share more later!

Five Steps to Building Positive Relationships with Your Students' Parents

We have all had those e-mails from that parent. The ones that make your stomach hurt. That can ruin your whole night. That make you question your worth as a teacher.

I would say that those e-mails are the thing I hate most about being a teacher. Even after all of the years I have been teaching, they still get to me.

I was so lucky this year to have an entire class full of helpful and positive parents. That isn't to say there weren't issues that we had to work through, but it felt like we were working together instead of against each other. These positive relationships were just one of things that made this year so incredible.

I think there are a lot of reasons for this magical year. First, I worked really hard to communicate with parents. I was also on maternity leave having an adorable baby for a couple of months in the fall. It is really hard to get mad at someone who just had a baby. Finally, I think these were just a great group of parents.

Looking forward to next year, I want to have the same kind of year with the parents of the class. I will also be working on my National Boards, and parent relationships is a big part of that.

After reading a blog post on it, I have started reading Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day by Angela Watson. She has some really good ideas about self-care and using time efficiently.

My favorite parts of the book so far are her ideas for establishing positive relationships with the parents of your students right away. Here are my top five ideas for getting on the right foot with parents:

1. As soon as you get your class list, write short post cards home to each student. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but your students (and their parents!) will love getting something from you in the mail. It will show them how much you care and how excited you are to work with them this year.

2. Call every parent after the first day of school to let them know their child had a great day. If you can, mention something specific about each child, so their parents know that you are working to get to know their child. Even when a kid has been in school for a while (like a new third grader), parents still want to know that everything is going smoothly at school. It is another way to show you care, and will build up your positive points with parents right away.

3. Pre-address good news notes with students' names, and send home a few a month. You can mail them or send them home in backpacks. By pre-addressing the notes, you know you will get something home to every kid, and it won't take much of your time. Parents think their kids are wonderful, and showing you agree will help keep you on the same team.

4. Use a class website, blog, or other page (like Edmodo) to post important class information and make sure that parents know how to access them. Believe it or not, kids are not that great at communicating information between home and school, and parents will appreciate having a place to go for information at the last minute without having to wait for you to respond.

5. Once a month, or once a quarter, have a special event for families in your class. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but if you hold it on the same night as a school special event, it really won't be much more work for you, and you will get a huge payoff! For example, have a small art show the night before a school movie night. Hold a poetry reading before Bingo Night. Another great way to bring parents in to the classroom is to having a "Reading Breakfast". Parents can come to the classroom a half an hour before school starts and read with their child while enjoying donuts and juice.

I don't know about you, but I am definitely going to try these ideas next year. I will keep you updated on how they go!

What do you do to keep positive relationships with your parents?

Birthday Pool Party Blog Hop

I am very excited to be linking up with The Education Highway for her Birthday Pool Party Blog Hop! She put so much work into this, and everything looks amazing!

First up - Ideas for kids this summer. I don't know about you, but when summer hits the real work begins for me. I have four kids at home, and they are all under seven! So, during the summer it is really important for me to have our days scheduled to maximize the good times.

Rule one at my house - the mornings are for activities and the afternoons are for resting or playing at home. I don't know if you have tried to take a toddler out in the afternoon, but it is hard! They are tired, hot, and cranky! Get out in the cool(er) morning sun, but be home for lunch and rest. This is also important for mom.

One of my daughters' favorite games is school. They set out all of their stuffed animals and pretend their are the teachers. They even take turns having "teacher breaks" when one of them has to watch the entire class while the other comes down to have a snack :). It is so funny to hear the things they say when they play this game because you know they are parroting things their teachers have said to them.

So, my idea for kids during summer is to encourage their "school" play. It is great imaginative play that builds their brains, it is a quiet game, and you can give the kids math problems, worksheets, books, or whatever that they can "share" with their students.

A freebie you can grab from my TpT store for the duration of the blog hop/giveaway is Multiplication Task Cards. They have a cute underwater theme, and right now they are $0! Next week they will be back up to $3, so grab them now! Click on the picture to get to the product.

Next up, you can download an Ebook that has all of the contact information for all of the participants in the blog hop and giveaway. As you know from reading our blogs, we are pretty cool, so you will probably want to link up with us to keep up to date with what we have to share :). Click on the picture to get to the book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finally, I have contributed to Giveaway Pack 3. You can get my Informational Reading Passages (a $10 value!) if you are the lucky winner. These are listed as for 3rd Grade, but they would totally work for 4th as well. Each standard in Common Core Informational Texts is included! Click on the picture to get to the giveaway.

Well, have fun exploring the rest of the Birthday Pool Party Blog Hop! Don't forget to follow my blog to keep up to date with me!

Planning by the Pool Blog Hop!

Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for visiting my very first blog hop! Make sure to work your way through the entire blog hop because every participant is offering an amazing freebie! (Not to mention their great ideas about planing over the summer.)

I don't know about you, but I always have big plans for the summer. If I end up getting half of what I plan done, then I consider that an accomplishment.

One big thing I am working on this summer is planning an entire curriculum for the year. My goal is to have every worksheet, test, exit ticket, and homework assignment created and ready by September. This sounds absolutely crazy, but I have to try because I know how good life will be next year if I can get this done. Our school district does not have a curriculum for anything, so things get pretty hectic throughout the year!

This year I used Engage New York (or Eureka Math), and I really liked some parts of it. However, my biggest complaints were that I didn't really like the order, especially at the end of the year and it didn't spend enough time focusing on elapsed time or area and perimeter. So, I am taking what I like from there and reworking it to fit my needs.

Another area that I really want to focus is my literacy block. I started the year doing Daily 5, but that kind of fell away as I worked to teach all of the standards. This summer I am going to spend some time researching and thinking about how to do Daily 5 and teach all of the standards. If you have ideas, I would love to hear them!

Finally, I want to refine how I do Genius Hour in my classroom. We have been doing this to end the day most days, and I love that it offers kids some choice right when they are getting restless. It made the ends of our days so peaceful and refreshing. However, I feel like I gave them too much choice this year. Next year, I want to have kids come up with a plan and work towards a goal. For example, learning how to knit and then knitting a sweater, drawing a comic book, scoring a certain number of points in chess. I think that I will come up with sample plans this summer. Kids can choose these plans, or create their own plans. That way their progress can be measured throughout the year, and Genius Hour doesn't become synonymous with "free time".

Now, for my freebie. This product has become one of my biggest sellers, and as a big thank you to all my readers as the summer starts, it will be free for one week. You can get it at either Teacher's pay Teachers.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my summer plans! Now, please visit the next stop on the blog hop!