Wait, What?

I blinked and it is week six of the school year.

I'm not quite sure how that happened, but I'm loving third grade.  I'm definitely still adjusting to the difference in ages.  When I plan activities, I'm thinking about where fifth graders are at the end of the year and quite frankly, that's a big difference when compared to where my third graders are right now. 

We've already had our back to school rodeo night:

Sorting into houses:

Potluck:

As well as received our first book orders, had book fair, and completed benchmark standardized testing. 

We've had fire drills and a practice lock down.  We've had our first Reading Rangers graduate, assemblies, I've been observed by several different teachers, and been in lots of meetings.  

Things are going well with my mentee, who is another third grade teacher in my pod.  I also have a student teacher and I'm learning how this teaching relationship works.  Both my mentee and my student teacher are doing great!

Bring on week 6!

Labeling Books

 I take a lot of pride in my classroom library.

I have been blessed with several funded {donors choose} projects which have added new books to my classroom.  I've also scoured gift shops, spent a lot of money at Scholastic, and raided my own childhood book collection.  I want my students to have a cozy, literature-rich classroom.

I did have to do some shuffling of books. I looked through my library and removed any books that might not have third grade appropriate content (boy/girl relationships, middle school issues, etc).  Those books are living in my garage.

We use AR testing as part of our Reading Ranger program, so {ar bookfind} has been my best friend.  It's a free website that lets you look up the book level, quiz number, and summary of over one hundred thousand different books.

I record this AR information on sticky labels that I put on the inside cover of my books.

With Reading Rangers, we also have books color coded by level.  These levels are grouped together and we all use the school's assigned dots.  Luckily our school provides the dots for us:

I also have my library organized by grouping similar books together. While I respect the Reading Rangers program (even though it's not perfect because nothing is), I feel it's my job to create real readers.

When I go to the library, I don't go in looking for a 4.1 level fiction book that's worth 2 points.  I might go in wanting a book on animals.  

So that's how my library is organized: bins with themes.  Inside there are books with a wide range of levels to best meet the needs of all my readers.  To help my students remember where the books go, I put sticky labels on the outside of the books that match the book tubs:

I've had conversations with other teachers who love to tell me that my organization system is wrong.  It's not wrong, it's just not what they're doing.  

One of the benefits of working at home means I can do a few books on commercial breaks.  One of the unintended consequences of working from home is help:

I've had a productive week labeling books and these beauties are ready to get into the hands of my students:

Happy reading! Show me your class libraries!

Classroom Prep

I had every intention of being super productive over the weekend, but a nap happened instead.  (We spent most of Sunday visiting B's aunt who had surgery yesterday, so I in no way feel bad about that.)

Here's where I'm at in terms of classroom set up.  Our official first day back is this Wednesday, but since I'm still not 100%, I needed extra time.

The classroom itself...

B was kind enough to come in on Friday afternoon and help move furniture.  He even helped the teacher next door, which just solidifies that he's a stand up fellow.

I have all of my bookcases along one wall and really like how the room feels open.  Granted, it's easy to feel open when I'm the only one in the room.  My two wardrobes line the back wall near the kidney table.  The long, rectangular space will be our classroom meeting space for read alouds.

Command station...

I try to set up a command station for my students to be self-sufficient.

I've found the easiest space is right inside the classroom door.  It's not complete yet (because I can't find my electronic pencil sharpeners) but it's getting there.

The teal crate is where students will get back their returned papers.  I haven't put names on tabs yet because my roster keeps changing.  The sharp & not sharp pencil buckets are this {freebie from TpT} attached to dollar store polka dotted bins. 

The Batman cup will hold pens for the bathroom sign out, which will also be found here.  Inside the desks will be where I keep my Lakeshore {privacy screens} for testing times.

The football holds my keys, the open library pass, and my simplified version of brag tags.  The black lanyards are my "math coach" badges for students to be clearly identified as helpers.  The other lanyards say "ask me about the goal I met today" to encourage praise from others about growth.  I have two other Reading Ranger lanyards (our zone's reading program) that I'm going to transform into graduate and half-graduate brag tags.

My desk space...

I've decided this is one of the few areas that I will let be "cute" and decorated.  Most of the classroom is bare because I fill the walls with activities or charts that the students and I make together.

The bulletin boards...

I have three: one outside and two inside.

The outside board isn't quite done.  I'm finalizing the sign that says "writers on the move" on white and red chevron print paper.

The border is made up of overlapping post cards.  

I was given them by a friend and had way too many, so I donated the extras to friends in kindergarten to use as a writing center.

I changed my mind about the inside boards (naturally), but here they are:

My Reading Ranger Board

It's an expectation that we have a board set aside to Reading Rangers.

I've included graduation tickets (I assume we're doing them again, they were very successful last year), graduation expectations, and the key for how book colors correspond with ZPD ranges.  

The white board will say "under five" club and students will place a clothespin (with their names) on it when they're close to graduating.  I saw something similar in another room, so I'm going to give it a try.

The rest of the board will have printed out badge reports for my students (I think) or some similar data display.

Underneath is where I have my 3 drawer tubs of math supplies, construction and lined paper, extra supplies, clipboards, etc.  To the right of this board is our 8 math practices, another {freebie} from TpT.

The other board

This one will display anchor charts that we've used in (and made) in class.  I originally snagged these gray tubs at Joann's for the purpose of supply table buckets, but I think I'd rather use them for books.  

We're picking up another black organizer this afternoon and then these will be filled with books.  The black storage racks will line up with the bookcases to have a room bursting at the seams with books (no apologies).

I've also hung my chart about {responding cups} at the front of the room on one side of the white board.  The nearby white board contains my never ending classroom to do list.

The other side...

Is where I have a classroom motivator (10 10's in specials leads to a 10 minute recess, which is a free and healthy reward), a class sign, and where I'll (theoretically) post our standards.

The white board (lined in burlap) is where I'll put our class daily schedule.  

 
Instead of using a bulletin board for our class business, I decided to put everything on the white board behind my desk.

I'll have their GATE/TAGS schedule, specials schedule, and other need to know forms up front for easy access.

Paperwork...

Business Cards
 
I've redone my business cards to include my new last name.  I'll be printing them on pink card stock and laminating them for parents.  I intentionally didn't include my classroom work number because I don't like answering the phone nor do I like listening to messages.  I know I have to include the phone number on my class welcome letter, but that doesn't mean I have to include it on my polka dot business cards:

Like them? They were free and you can snag them {here}.  Just be sure to leave the creator nice feedback.  The shop also has some colorful options if black & white isn't your thing.

I've also already made a lot of copies...and had a fight with the copier.

Half Grads

I made a half grad sheet last year, but don't love it.

So I redid it! 

 

Then I tweaked it for fellow teachers to fit their classroom themes:

Today's agenda? 

I've got a planning meeting with the other coaches this am, another visit to the ENT, and then a planning session with Mrs. H at school.  B is coming in to help this afternoon and then we're going out to dinner.

My goal is to have my classroom be totally done tomorrow so I can focus on planning and copies on Thursday.

Less than a week 'til I meet students!

#year8cantwait

The last week

We had Monday off for parent teacher conferences, which left only four days to attempt to manage students' behavior choices.  The excitement over the holidays was adorable...and loud.

We had a spirit week, which always adds to silliness in the classroom.  I reward students who participate with bonus class dojo points and let them do a fashion show. I also take a group selfie and post it to our class blog (but won't post here due to students' privacy).  That always gets them super excited.

Our spirit days:

Tuesday: Wear white or snowflakes.  I completely forgot...so good thing a coworker snagged some foam snowflakes at the dollar spot and I got crafty.

My students said I was channeling Queen Elsa, so I went with it.

Wednesday brought dress like a present day.  It was really, really difficult not to joke about this being inappropriate (cue Justin Timberlake).  I wore a green dress accented with a red belt and a red bow in my hair.  Halfway through the day, I discovered there were lots of bite marks in my belt...not sure which pet is to blame.  

Thursday was Santa hat or winter hat day.  I let my students wear hats inside, which was a special treat.  I had a tough choice to make that day:

Friday was pajama day, which is always a favorite.  I rocked Batman pajama pants with a Cardinals hoodie, much to the delight of my students.  They are very vocal about their passion for their football teams...none of which are my team.

Friday started with this treat on their desks: 

There are fruit snacks attached (I couldn't find holiday pencils) and the pass is good for one night of no math homework (much to the delight of my students).

The last week was also devoted to a Reading Rangers challenge (my favorite of the year).  The school was split into two teams (red and green) with a different leader (principal or assistant principal).  Whichever team read and passed more AR quizzes got to throw marshmellows at the losing team's leader.  I created a large paper book for my door and whenever my students passed a quiz, they wrote their name on the sheet.  For the first time in three years, the assistant principal's team won (my team) and I got to pick three students to throw marshmellows at our principal.  It was such a glorious bonding moment.  I'm blessed to have such amazing admin that aren't afraid to make fools of themselves in the name of student achievement. 

Some of the kinder classes decorated gingerbread houses and wrote letters to Santa.  Another fifth grade classroom displayed a fake fire on the smartboard during reading time and played holiday tunes (stealing that idea for next year).  Others did a book swap, classroom secret santas, and a hot chocolate party.

What fun traditions does your school have for the last week of school?

 

I'm a Reading Ranger too!

Our school participates in our performance zone's initiative of the Reading Rangers program.  It's a more structured and strategic approach to independent reading, where students work through book levels and badges, slowly increasing their ZPD and taking monthly STAR tests to track growth.

Like all programs, it has its flaws, but I've definitely seen an increase over my previous school in terms of my students' motivation levels to conquer independent reading.

On Tuesday of this week, we attended a several hour long conference on Reading Rangers.


We picked up some new ideas from other schools, definitely had the cutest boards and staff shirts, and were recognized for our performance.

One of my big take aways was to be a reading ranger myself.  So...I did.

Fifth graders have the end of the year goal of graduating Storm at the end of the year, so I gave myself that goal as well.  However, they only gave me until the end of January (thanks kids!)

I've got 2 stars done, 33 more books to read!

Thankful November, day 2: Professional Development

On day 2 of Thankful November, I'm pausing to be thankful for professional development.

The professional development I'll be attending later today is sure to disappoint on so many levels.  Some professional development "trainings" are like that.

However, I've also had the opportunity to attend some really good professional development courses that have expanded my pedagogical understanding of concepts.

Explicit Phonics

In fifth grade, I didn't think I had to teach phonics.  I figured they can read, they're fine.  Then I took Explicit Phonics, which was offered in my district.  The beginning section of the course focused on long and short vowels, blends, digraphs, and short words.  Useful for some, but not applicable to my whole group instruction.  However, the second half of the course focused on affixes, roots, and blending through multi-syllabic words which is totally appropriate for upper elementary.  We worked on flexible decoding strategies and tried it in our classrooms.  

Like most things, it got better with practice.  

I then learned about the workbooks with Words Their Way. I was familiar with the WTW program, which is a collection of word lists with specific phonics skills attached.  I much prefer this approach to spelling than the traditional 20 words of the week that are associated with thematic units.  

What I didn't know is there are five different student work books.

I ordered "D" and "E" off of Amazon.  The word lists are appropriate for my ELL fifth graders and the format is student friendly.

I take ten minutes a day of reading instruction to do explicit phonics with my fifth graders.  By the beginning of November, we've covered the six syllable types, long vowel patterns, inflectional endings, and some affixes.  

The instruction is broken into four or five day mini-units and put into powerpoints, some of which are available {here}.  I'm in the process of adding more as I revise them based off of my students' understanding of the skill.

I'm glad I took professional development on explicit phonics for the upper grades.  It makes my reading instruction better and helps my ELL students.

Nonfiction in Focus

{Last month}, I took a course on nonfiction reading and integrating it with writing.  The course was crammed into three days, but I loved the information on blogging and merging nonfiction with writing.  In elementary school, there should be a 50-50 split between fiction and informational text, but our Reading Rangers program doesn't always reflect that.

It's sometimes a challenge to integrate informational text into a reading block that is heavily slanted in favor of fiction, so this course gave us some ideas about integration with writing.

This also made us examine our reading and writing pacing guide.  Quite frankly, they shouldn't be viewed as separate most of the time.  Reading and writing should be integrated together in a more natural way, which is something we're looking at in upcoming units.  (I say we here because Mrs. H took the course with me).

Text-Dependent Questions

I'm in this course {right now}, it's finishing up by the middle of November, and I'm loving it.  The text for the course is by Fisher and Frey, who are some of my favorites.

Yes, I have favorite educational researchers, don't you?

The course is giving me a lot more information about structuring close reads in my classroom.  Once I'm done, I'll synthesize my learning and blog about it, so stay tuned!

Technology Endorsement

A few years ago, there was an opportunity to obtain a technology endorsement for free by taking courses at Nevada State College.  I had to pay for the courses upfront, but if I earned a B or better, was reimbursed.

The four courses went over the basics of jing, edmodo, wordle, and other web 2.0 tools.

I can't recall the specifics, but it was a year-long professional development and I learned that it's not enough for me to use the technology, I need my students to understand how to use it appropriately because I've got to make them digital citizens.

Mount Vernon Teacher's Institute

As a history nerd, the idea of studying George Washington's life and staying at Mount Vernon was thrilling.  I applied and was accepted in the summer of 2012.  It was an amazing opportunity and you can learn more about it {here} or {here}.

MEMTA

Summer 2012 was a busy one because once I got back from Mount Vernon, I almost immediately headed back to the East Coast to attend the Mickelson Exxon Mobile Teacher's Academy.  MEMTA pairs with NSTA and focuses on science instruction in 3-5th grade classrooms.

Oh, and I met Phil Mickelson.

 Learn more {here} and {here}. 

{DENSI}

The Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute is a week long adventure in learning and connecting with other educators.  My brain frequently feels like it's ready to explode from all the strategies and I still haven't implemented all the ideas that are swirling around in my brain.

I've had some amazing opportunities to learn more and become a better teacher.  I'm thankful for the opportunities to grow as a person, challenge my preconceived notions, and continue to learn new things.

What are you thankful for?

Teacher vs. Student

One of my students has been working on The House of Hades for about a month now.  He's on page 188 and has read other books in the mean time, but he's stalling.

I only have one copy of this book and two other students are ready to read it.  

Instead of demanding that he finish the book over the long weekend, I game him a challenge.

If he finishes his book (The House of Hades) and I don't finish my book (The Sword of Summer) by Wednesday, the class gets to pick my outfit for Thursday.  They voted on a Denver Broncos jersey and a San Francisco 49ers hat.  As an Arizona Cardinals fan, this is hurtful and they are so excited about the idea of me wearing my rival team's attire.

If I finish my book and he doesn't finish his, his table team gets to pick his outfit for Thursday.  They voted on a pink tutu.

If we both finish, there is no public embarrassment.

On a side note, he started on page 188.  I was on page 20.  I've got a lot of reading to do before Wednesday!

Typical Thursday

My desire to go to bed at five o'clock this evening should be a pretty good indication of how things are going at work.  

(I know I've shared this image before...but it's still true.  It's also tomorrow's morning meme.)

I got a new student this week.  She's number thirty four (one already moved back to Mexico, so she replaces the empty desk).  She's from a neighboring school and it appears her family moved, so luckily for me, she's already familiar with our school's Reading Rangers program.

I'm juggling planning social studies units with reading plans.  I'm making some major tweaks to last year's region works, but I will happily share (on TpT) once they're done!  I'm almost done with my beginning of the year tasks (setting up Class Dojo, getting everyone benchmarked, establishing procedures, setting up progress monitoring schedules, and so on and so forth).  I'm hoping this weekend, when I'm not doing exciting wedding planning things, will provide a lot of time to catch up and get a little bit ahead (crazy concept, I know!).  B is on call (extra money for the wedding), so I'll do my part in finishing up products.

I'm all caught up on my grading (for now), sent some positive emails to parents to try to build up that community, and tried to catch my breath.  

Our year is off to a rocky start.  One of my students had her iPhone stolen from her desk.  Granted, it wasn't supposed to be in her desk and she was showing it off to her peers.  It's unclear when the phone went missing because she claims to have noticed it gone right after lunch, but didn't tell me until the end of the day...on a Friday.  I took witness statements and handed those over to administration (who in turn handed them over to school police), we advised them to file additional reports.  Not the best way to start the school year.  I feel so frustrated and violated because it happened in my classroom.  It also brings back unpleasant memories of some of the issues we dealt with last year.  

We also had another bombshell dropped on us today.  It's not a secret the district is having money woes.  The funds are there, they are just being extremely mismanaged.  (Yes, still irritated that I got a pay cut, but new teachers got a $4,000 hiring bonus because the school district's focus is on "recruiting new talent" apparently with no regard to retaining the talent they already have.)  Apparently, sometime before mid December, I have to attend an evening or Saturday clinic put on by the Teacher's Health Trust in order to keep my insurance for next year.  The insurance that's included in my contract as part of my benefits plan.  I don't know how they can mandate that we give up additional time outside of contract hours for what will clearly be a less than helpful training, but we shall see.

For the past few days, we've been in a school wide reading competition.  Our students have been reading up a frenzy and the teachers were evenly split between the red reading team and the blue rangers team.

I take spirit days very, very seriously.  Scarves, a red Gryffindor shirt, hair bows, a belt, and an Arizona Cardinals snuggie were all part of my attire at some point today.  Twenty four of my students participated in today's red challenge.

After reading all morning (and practicing our grade level chant), we headed outside for the kick off.  We had a dozen or so cheerleaders from UNLV, district employees, an author, and all of first through fifth grade outside.  

Naturally, we seized the opportunity to snap some selfies!  Kyla is one of my bridesmaids and I'm so glad she left our previous school and joined me at school two.  We took a big leap of faith together!

They announced winners of the reading competitions and all the teachers were strongly encouraged to do the Nae Nae.  Yup, I danced the nae nae in front of about a thousand people today.  You know, just your typical Thursday as an elementary school teacher. 

Luckily, tomorrow is Friday. I don't intend for there to be any dancing...but you never know with fifth grade.

Come on in!

A few days ago, I posted some {classroom pictures}, but I thought I'd add a few more.

Tomorrow marks day one, year seven of teaching fifth grade.  I'm sure I'm in for a restless night, but I've got thirty five ten year olds awaiting me, so I'll put on my game face and make the day amazing.

We were given these updated print outs for our Reading Ranger program.  Instead of just laminating them, I took the extra step to add some polka dot borders:

I think it makes it much cuter!  As an unintended bonus, they remind me of Minnie Mouse and a little Disney never heart anyone.

I also took the print outs of the Reading Ranger level expectations and put them in page protectors.  I bundled the page protectors with a book ring and hung them on a jumbo sized push pin.  They're still accessible to students, easily moveable, and take up much less wall space.  A win for all!

While we're near those signs, here's my reading corner:

Yes, that is an ASU t-shirt pillow you spy!  The yellow text books are the social studies ones that will go inside their desks.  One entire bookshelf is dedicated to Harry Potter, the Series of Unfortunate Events, and various books by Rick Riordan...and I'm not ashamed of it!

Here's an updated shot of our classroom command center:

I moved my diffuser and electronic sharpener to near my desk so they can be closely monitored!  

Our mystery bucket:

I draw a stick and specifically watch that student in line.  This year, instead of adding student/teacher points (because I'm {skipping that} this year), that student (if successful) will earn points in class dojo.  

This is what my students walk into:

There is a large welcome banner and blank desks (minus their water bottles, which are a first day treat.  They say I hope you're thirsty for knowledge.)  There is nothing inside their desks.  We will build our desks together.

Here's the ever-growing stack of agendas I'll pass out:

Along with our 8 math practices:

Here's some of the copies I'll need the first week.  Emphasis is on some.  

I can't wait until my classroom is filled with my students. I've been a bit lonely in there all by myself!