Did You Know?

Greetings, Apples,

Welcome back from summer vacation and welcome back to reality! My summer turned out to be a "working summer" with many projects both at school and the District Office, including moving my classroom.

Obviously, moving is a complete pain in the you-know-what, but it did give me the opportunity to revamp a few parts of my classroom that needed a face lift.

One of my new spaces this year is the "Did You Know?" board (from Pinterest, obviously…). With the  movement toward the new Common Core standards in California, students are expected to read more non-fiction texts than ever before. I loved this fun, attention-grabbing board as an idea to excite kids to read more non-fiction. If they have an interesting fact for me, I ask them to write it on an index card with their name and the source of their fact. I change the board about once a week, and if the kids haven't submitted anything new, I put up a fact of my own.

Here are a couple of our fun facts…

So, Apples, what are you doing to incorporate more of the Common Core inside your classroom?

Miss H.

Summer Goals

Greetings Apples,

I am so sorry I've been away for so long! I won't waste your time with excuses, but here's a quick rundown of what's happened since we last met:

• STAR Testing
• Open House
• Report cards / Creating classes for next year
• Packing up my classroom to move

Oh, and…I finished my Master's Degree! Here's a picture from the big day:

April and May were packed with activity. I felt like I constantly had something to do or somewhere to be, and I am thrilled to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Summer break, here I come!

That being said, I still have a pretty busy summer ahead of me. I have fun things planned (a couple of small trips, beach days, and a birthday I don't want to talk about..), but I also have a Summer To-Do List of projects I hope to accomplish while I have free time.

Work? In the summer? I know, but I try to accomplish a few "bigger" tasks when I don't have all of the daily demands of the job to deal with. Here's what I hope to accomplish before I go back to the grind:

1. Fill in gaps in my Smartboard math lessons. I have created a lot of Smartboard math lessons over the past few years, but I want to fill in gaps for the lessons I am missing (mostly toward the end of the year when I begin getting tired and less diligent.) I also am trying to scan in my workbook to correct on the board, as well as create progress monitoring quizzes throughout the units to take advantage of my Smart Clickers.
2. Learn our new ELA curriculum. Our district adopted a new Language Arts curriculum to align with the CCSS. Obviously, I won't be able to read every single thing that comes in my new kit (the amount of items I am getting is insane!) but I'd like to get a general feel for how this program works before the kiddos come back.
3. Create a new teacher binder. I have decided I want something more specific for my planning needs. I am working on creating pages in Microsoft Word that are unique to how I like to write out my plans, and I hope to put together a binder where I will also have space to carry things like a copy of Bloom's Taxonomy, my Year Plan, and the CCSS for easy reference.

Those are my main goals, though in my head, I will also create and implement every cute idea I've pinned on Pinterest in the last six months (I wish..)

What are your summer goals? Do you tackle any big classroom projects or block out work until your email starts dinging incessantly in August?

Miss H.

Book Projects

Greetings Apples,

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a relatively large number of GATE students in my classroom this year. One of the "extras" I have available in my class for these students (and any other motivated students looking for something different to do when their classwork is done) is a binder filled with book projects.

Book projects are various independent study projects that a student can do to illustrate a particular book he or she read and loved. When I began teaching, I was given a huge library of teacher materials that I had no time to read through and process at the time. I dedicated a chunk of time this past summer going through these materials and marking the things that were useful to me. One common theme I began marking were these reading projects. I ended up creating a binder of book project choices from which kids could choose something that interests them. The projects are totally optional and are completely driven by the student - they select the project, the book to use, and write out a rough draft for me. Once I approve the rough draft to see they are serious about completing the project, I give them whatever supplies they need to complete it.

Here are the word documents for the project options in the binder: https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0BwdTV-aIHkLpcUxHRW9RckZpMTQ/edit?usp=sharing

Below are some student samples of book projects. These book projects were created by my GATE students after finishing reading From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler for our book club.

"Story Quilt"

"Advertisement Poster"

"Design a Board Game"

"Diorama"

Below are a few more student samples. The first is the "A New Cereal on the Shelf" project a student opted to do while our class was reading Island of the Blue Dolphins. The second two cereal boxes were book projects two students opted to do after finishing independent reading books they both enjoyed.

"Dilly Dally Dolphins" designed for Island of the Blue Dolphins

"Magic Candy Flakes" designed for The Candy Shop War

"Owl Treats' designed for Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Capture

If you have something similar in your classroom, let me know about it! I'd love to expand my project selection. If you start trying book projects in your classroom, let me know what are your class' favorites! (Our most popular are "A New Cereal on the Shelf" and "Design a Game.")

Miss H.

Feel Good File

Greetings Apples,

When you are a student teacher, you are absorbing as much information as possible about everything you need to run your own classroom. But there are little things that cannot be taught or fully understood until you actually are solely responsible for your own classroom.  One of my master teachers along the way taught me to keep a "Feel Good File" to reflect on after those tough teaching days.

So often, when dealing with children, parents, colleagues, and administrators, it is easy to hear about what you are doing wrong, rather than what you are doing right. If you allow yourself to wallow in the negative for too long, it can be really emotionally draining.

My master teacher, Mrs. M, told me that she has a file folder where she tucks away positive notes, kind thoughts and uplifting emails she has received from parents and kids along the way. Then, on a particularly rough day, she can pull out the "Feel Good File" and immerse herself in the good to shake off the bad. I didn't totally understand the need at first, but regardless, I began to hang on to the sweet notes and pictures I was receiving from families in my classroom.

Now … I totally get it! I won't always be able to make everyone happy with the way I run my classroom, but if I ever feel like I am wallowing too much in the negative, I can pull out my "Feel Good File" and remember all of the good things I've done and all of the positive, supportive families I've been fortunate enough to have in my classroom along the way.

Do you do anything to ward off the bad day blues?

Miss H.

My Students Need Your Help!

Greetings Apples,

I was so inspired by the incredible educators at the CUE conference and what they are doing with technology in their classrooms, that I sat down the first night and wrote my first project proposal for DonorsChoose.org.

For those of you unfamiliar, DonorsChoose.org is "an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need.  Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on our site, and you can give any amount to the project that most inspires you.  When a project reaches its funding goal, we ship the materials to the school.  You'll get photos of the project taking place, a letter from the teacher, and insight into how every dollar was spent.  Give over $50 and you'll also receive hand-written thank-yous from the students."

I am asking for donations of any size (even $1) to help my kids.  For the next week, any donation you make to my project will be doubled!  If you know anyone who is passionate about education, please pass this along.  Your donation will brighten my students' school year (and many new students' for many years to come!), and you'll get photos and thank yous from our class.

Here is my classroom request: Excited Explorers Seeking iPads

To have your donation matched dollar for dollar, enter the match code INSPIRE on the payment screen. This awesome match offer lasts through March 24, 2013.

My students and I greatly appreciate your support,

Miss H.

The Home Stretch

Greetings Apples,

I realized I haven't talked much lately about what's going on with graduate school. I'm nearing the end, which is both very exciting and incredibly overwhelming, as many things are due in a very short period of time. (Whenever I feel completely stressed trying to balance my responsibilities at work and my deadlines at school, I check my district's salary schedule to peek at my pay increase next year!) I have a little more than half of my thesis done, and I am slated to walk in the commencement ceremony on May 17th.

As I am preparing to participate in my school's commencement ceremony, I have been reading a lot about the various traditions depending on the degree being earned. It is all very interesting, and I had no idea there were so many variations of caps and gowns, as well as what they all stood for.

Here is how my university explains the clothing traditions:

Significance of Hooding
The history of academic dress reaches far back into the early days of the oldest universities.  Gowns were worn for warmth in unheated buildings frequented by medieval scholars.  The most outstanding feature of all academic costume, the hood, originally seems to have had three uses: as a head covering, as a shoulder cape, or, when hanging from the shoulder, as a bag in which alms could be collected or provisions carried.

In institutions of higher learning, the gown is generally black in color.  The style of the sleeves denotes the various degrees: the bachelor's degree is signified by full-length pointed sleeves; the sleeves of the master's degree are oblong in shape and extend well below the knee, the arm coming through an opening at the elbow; and the gown of the doctoral degree has bell-shaped sleeves that may be worn open or closed.  The gown worn by one retaining a doctorate is additionally distinctive by facing down front with velvet of the color characteristic of the subject to which the degree pertains; three bars of the same material are found on the sleeve of the gown.

I have a meeting on Tuesday to order my master's hood (light blue in color to signify a Masters in Education) and tassel. A friend of mine who graduated from the same university last year was kind enough to loan me her cap and gown so that I didn't have to spend money on something I would only wear for about two hours. (Thanks, Amanda!)

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, Apples!

Miss H.

CUE Conference: Day 2 Highlights

Greetings Apples,

My brain is on overload right now, so I am just going to give you a list of great (and mostly free!) websites I learned about today. Some of these are well-known, but others I hadn't heard of yet.

Edmodo - classroom social media site / classroom website
Khan Academy - academic tutorials
Education Place - e-manipulatives, games, glossary, and graphic organizers
Sync.In - student collaboration tool
Quizlet - interactive flashcards
Study Jams - short, interactive video lessons on a variety of topics
A Maths Dictionary for Kids - an animated, interactive online math dictionary
Apperson Prep on YouTube - educational math videos (in the same vein as BrainPOP, Max and Morty teach you math.)
Math Train - same idea as the Khan Academy videos, but they are student-created by kids at a school in Santa Monica.
Math TV - math tutorial videos
That Quiz - math test activities

We also watched some great stuff about how to teach keyboarding to elementary school students to prepare them for the Common Core shift. That presenter recommended Micro Type as a tool for effectively teaching keyboarding.

I also saw another great 6th grade teacher from SDUSD present about incorporating technology into her math class. She had the brilliant idea to use Google Earth for teaching geometry, area and perimeter. Her students located their school on the app, studied it from a bird's eye view, outlined geometric shapes they observed, and used the ruler in the Google Earth app to measure the sides of buildings to figure perimeter and area.

Enjoy!
Miss H.

CUE Conference: Day 1 Highlights

Greetings Apples,

Last summer I attended ISTE in San Diego, an international technology conference. I don't know if it was that the conference was so big that I was overwhelmed or that I just didn't pick the right seminars to see, but I didn't come away from the three days feeling like I hadn't learned very much that was practical and exciting to me.

I just spent five hours at the CUE Conference, and I feel like doing cartwheels. My brain is buzzing with all of these great new tools and ideas to take back into my classroom. I feel so instantly inspired being around all of these incredible, creative educators.

Here are some of the best things I took away from today:

Virtual Field Trips with Google Earth

I started the morning in a seminar taught by a 6th grade SDUSD social studies teacher where she whet our educational appetites with a taste of Google Earth. She engages her class by extending the meager social studies textbook with virtual field trips. She showed us how her class has visited Ancient Greece, the Great Wall of China, and the inside of the Great Pyramid of Giza through Google. The program allows her, as an educator, to link text, video and images to the virtual tour to bring the social studies textbook to life. She has also used the program to involve her students in teaching the standards. After a tutorial of how to use the program, she has her students work in cooperative groups to design virtual tours for their classmates on an assigned topic.

Think of the possibilities! A primary grade teacher in the seminar suggested using it to give her students  a visual representation of the difference between a city, state, country and continent. A science teacher shared that she and her class use it to check tectonic plates for recent earthquakes and to track movement along fault lines. Google has mapped out the Titanic! I can use it to take a virtual tour of the California missions when my students are writing their reports. We can "visit" San Nicholas Island when we are reading Island of the Blue Dolphins. My fifth grade colleague in the seminar with me searched the site and already found a pre-made virtual tour of the Liberty Bell for her class.

I could feel myself smiling like an idiot throughout her presentation. As soon as I finish this post, I will be playing on Google Earth until my coworkers drag me out to dinner.

Edmodo

I've heard of Edmoto before, but hadn't really had the time or inclination to learn more about it on my own. I met an Edmoto representative in the convention center vendor area and was quickly sucked in. In a nutshell, Edmoto is a social media website build for schools and teachers. A teacher can create a class page where he or she can post discussion questions, quizzes, videos, and more. Students are assigned their own user names and can respond to discussions, answer questions and pose new questions to each other. It's basically an amped-up wiki space that seems to be very user friendly.

Mathological Liar

I think all teachers are suckers for school supplies and classroom products.  Naturally, inside the convention center they had a big vendor faire set up pushing teacher "crack" (curriculum books, flashcards, games, manipulatives, etc.). We found this awesome game called Mathological Liar (2-4 players). Each student gets a "case file" card with a math "whodunit" word problem on it. Each card has the same problem on the front, but on the back of the individual cards are suspect names and clues. Each student reads their suspect clue on the back of the card aloud, and by using the clues given in the case file and the suspect clues, students try to figure out which suspect committed the mathematical crime. 

Well, all in all, I had a very productive first day. With all of the work stress and school stress I've been under lately, this conference was just what (I didn't know) I needed to reenergize me in the classroom. 

I'll be back tomorrow with more technology goodies!

Miss H.

Tech Time

Greetings Apples,

I am blogging to you from sunny Palm Springs, California where the annual CUE Conference is taking place.  I am a huge technology fan, and I am thrilled to be attending my second technology conference where I can be a sponge and soak up ideas from technology leaders around the country.

I'll be here until Saturday, and I have a busy schedule to get in all of the sessions and workshops I am interested in.  Some of the classes I will be attending (or attempting to attend based on crowds):

• Technology in the Common Core Classroom
• Digital Tools for the ELA Common Core
• Technology for Planning and Teaching CCSS
• Write Here, Write Now: Developing Young Writers
• Bringing Technology into Your Math Class

...as well as informational sessions (called CUE-Tips - cute, right?) on Moodle, Common Core Keyboarding, and Edmoto and the 21st Classroom.

I'll be trying to keep up with my blog each day to give you the best of what I am learning. If you're looking for any specific ideas, websites or tools, post me a comment  below, and I'll keep my eyes peeled for you.

Miss H.

Interactive Notes

Greetings Apples,

Every year I try to introduce my students to note-taking through our science curriculum. This year I tried to "spice" it up by introducing interactive note-taking. For each chapter's vocabulary, we create a flipbook in our notes. For our Rocks and Minerals unit, I decided to create an interactive chart to help the students learn the rock cycle.

Here's the final product:

The cover

We color-coded each arrow to represent the different processes of the rock cycle.

Underneath each flap is a note about the type of rock and inside each arrow is the name of the process. 

The flaps help the kids study by hiding the information until they are ready to check their answers. The novelty of the flaps makes note-taking and studying seem fun for the kids, so it's a win-win! Once our Rock Cycle chart was complete, we glued them into our Science Journals to keep with all of our other notes.

Interested in trying out interactive notes in your classroom? Here are some great resources that got me started:

Ideas for Prefixes and Suffixes

Math flipbooks here and here

The Scientific Method

General flipbook shapes

and a great book I purchased with a lot of reproducibles and a CD-rom to print templates...

Enjoy!

Miss H.

Incentives

Greetings Apples,

One of the most important things a teacher needs to have is good classroom management.

While I do have consequences in my classroom, I really try to have a lot of different incentives for positive reinforcement.  One of the things I do with my students is a raffle jar. The kids receive raffle tickets for being on task, returning their weekly behavior folder on time, doing their homework, getting a parent signature in their assignment notebook, etc. Kids can put their tickets in the raffle jar right away or save them up. We hold the raffle once a month, at the end of the month.

I have always had a prize box for my raffle winners, filled with things like novelty school supplies and little trinkets from the Target dollar bin. I also offer a homework pass to winners, which is good for any one item of homework on any night of the student's choosing.

Over the summer while scouring Pinterest, I saw "incentive coupons" popping up. (Remember making your parents coupons as presents when you were little, before you had an income? Five minute backrubs and car washes that you never really intended to pay out, but the sentiment was there? Same idea...) Incentive coupons are great for so many reasons. First, aside from the materials to create the coupons, they cost nothing. And let's face it, teachers spend enough money out of pocket to run their classrooms, so something that costs nothing is a welcomed treat. Second, I liked the idea of offering the kids privileges as rewards, rather than things.

A friend of mine just donated her old love sack beanbag chair to my classroom, so I figured it was a great time to buckle down and set the incentive coupon system up. I still plan to offer the prize basket, too, as I have a ton of things left to raffle off, but as the basket empties out, I won't need to replenish it.

To make sure the coupons hold up for more than one use, I printed them on cardstock and plan to have them laminated. I can't take credit for the design of the coupons. I found them on the Teachers Pay Teachers website here and here. I liked the pre-made ones by Mel D. very much, but I didn't like that I couldn't edit them. Some of the wording and rewards won't work for the way I run my classroom, so I found the second (free!) set of coupons that I was able to edit to my needs. I also got a plastic bead holder at Michael's (use a coupon - it ends up only being a couple dollars) to sort the coupons.

Here's the final product:

Here are the coupons that are inside:

1. Teacher's Chair: Kids can use my chair at their desk for the day.

2. Stinky Feet: A student can take his/her shoes off in class.

3. Job Swap: The kids are all assigned weekly jobs - they can switch their job to a job of their choice for the day.

4. Teacher's Assistant: I will give a student odd jobs to help me throughout the day - you'd be surprised at how excited they get to erase the board and turn the lights off and on!

5. Show & Tell: Kids can bring in something special to share with the class.

6. Feeling Lazy?: A student can pass on the morning warm-ups on the board.

7. Teacher, Teacher: A student can prepare a lesson to teach his/her classmates - making a paper airplane, how to draw something, etc.

8. Teacher's Desk: A student can sit at my desk during independent work time.

9. Ink Pens: Kids can write in pen all day.

10. Cool Cat in the Hat: Students aren't allowed to wear hats in my classroom. Redeem this coupon, and a student can wear their hat indoors for the day.

11. Tech Break?: A student can go on the computer throughout the day as soon as his/her work is finished.

12. Thirsty?: Students aren't allowed to get up and get a drink during class time. This coupon enables them to make as many in-class water fountain trips as they please.

13. Learning from the Love Sack: Kids can sit in the beanbag chair in the front of the room all day.

14. Chew Gum in Class: I will provide gum for the student that he/she can chew in class.

15. Read Outside: A student can sit on the lawn outside and read when his/her work is completed.

16. Lollipop Learning: I will provide the student with a lollipop that he/she can eat in class.

17. Listen to Music While You Work: A student can bring in his/her MP3 player and listen to music during independent work time.

The Rules:

• Students need to turn in the coupon they want to use first thing in the morning.
• If students want to redeem the "Teacher, Teacher" or "Show and Tell" coupons, they must let me know what lesson they want to teach or item they want to share ahead of time, and I will plan a 10 minute block of time for them as soon as possible.
• If any student is not redeeming their coupon responsibly or if a reward is causing a distraction in class and preventing any student from learning, I reserve the right to revoke the privilege. 

I'm introducing these on Monday afternoon when we hold our December raffle. I'll let you know how they go over!

Miss H.

Sandy Hook

Greetings Apples,

I have been wanting to write something about the horrific tragedy in Connecticut, but I needed time to process.

When I first heard what happened, I was in the middle of teaching when my cell phone buzzed.  I glanced down at my desk and saw a news story text alert that there was a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. As I directed my attention back to my students, I didn't have much time to give it a second thought. Our principal was off campus for meetings that day, and a short while later, the teacher-in-charge called my classroom to let me know about the shooting and notify me that some parents had begun pulling their kids out of school. Obviously, we were all instructed not to say anything to the children.

This all took place on a Friday. By the time I got home from work, more information was being reported on the news stations. I spent the whole weekend trying not to read or hear too much, but Sandy Hook was everywhere. It was hard not to see my children in the faces of those children. It was hard not to see my coworkers in the faces and stories of their teachers and staff. It was hard not to see myself in faces of the three young teachers who died trying to protect their students from horror.

Tragedies happen every day. Shootings, disgustingly, have continued to become more common since the Columbine shooting that took place while I was in high school. But when something so profoundly horrible happens that is so completely relatable to a part of your life, it is very hard not to feel affected by it.

The weekend progressed, and emails began pouring in on my phone from the district, the superintendent, and my principal. We were having a staff meeting first thing Monday morning to discuss protocol, how to handle students with questions and any lingering safety concerns.

I cried on my way to work on Monday morning. Seeing the faces of all the children on campus Monday morning felt impossibly sad. Sitting in meetings listening to the schedules of the school psychologist and counselor on campus all day for grief counseling was too real. The moment the bell rang, and I switched into "teacher mode" was a lifesaver. While I was in my classroom with my students, I didn't have any time to think about what was going on outside of those walls.

Since all of this has happened, my district has been hard at work identifying potential safety issues at all of our schools and putting plans in motion, both short-term and long-term, in an effort to protect our schools. There has been some surprising resistance from parents to some of the changes, but as far as I am concerned, everything we are doing is in the best interest of keeping the children and the school staff safe, so that we can do our jobs and help children learn without fear of anything else.

Will all of these new changes guarantee completely that something bad will never happen? Of course not. But at least we were trying. The deaths of all of the innocent at Sandy Hook Elementary School - the teachers, the principal and staff, the small children - can't be for nothing. My school and I may not be able to weigh in on huge national decisions like gun control or mental health awareness, but we can work on a smaller scale to protect our school and our children.

My heart goes out to everyone in the community of Sandy Hook Elementary School. For all the tears I have cried and bad dreams I have had, I can't even begin to imagine the depth of their sorrow. To the brave, heroic teachers, both who died and survived, I am honored to share this noble profession with you.

Miss H.

Who Doesn't Love a Rapping Camel?

Greetings Apples,

Want to get your kids to not only understand but remember information?? Teach them a song! I showed my kiddos this hilarious adaptation Youtube video last week, and they are still singing it back to me. I can't wait to teach them the Figurative Language Rap I have up my sleeve for later in the year...

(Warning: The following video is highly addictive...)

Miss H.

Halloween Hoopla!

Greetings Apples,

I know we're way past Halloween and rapidly chugging toward Thanksgiving, but I had to share some photos from our costume parade. This is the first year the entire school dressed up and held a parade for the parents. The teachers went all out and coordinated "Super Teacher" costumes. We had a total blast, and I look forward to doing it again next year! (Have I mentioned I love the people I work with??)

Miss H.

The "D" Word

Greetings Apples,

I've got a confession to make...

I didn't always love school.  I was a relatively bright kid who teachers would probably say didn't work to her "full potential." I loved (and still love) the idea of school - the structure, the routine, the familiarity - but I didn't always dive into my work for the pure joy of learning. I did what was asked of me, with the minimal effort required to get the job done. I was a B student, though I was capable of more. This is not to say that I didn't have some exceptional teachers along the way who challenged me, let me be creative, made me think and work harder, and make me want to learn. (Shout out to Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Cooley and Mrs. Fleishman!) But overall, my experiences and memories of school are of the end destination, not the journey.

Looking back now, I realize that in general when I was a student, my teachers weren't differentiating to meet the need of all their students. (One of the many glorious buzz words we teachers hear and use constantly...) I wasn't being challenged or pushed to rise to my full potential. Even in college, when I got to choose my  course of study (English!), I still found myself bored in certain classes that I was required to take to earn my degree. I loved The History of Shakespeare, but had to choke down Chaucer, too, if I wanted that coveted diploma.  Much like my students today, if I couldn't find the relevance or the purpose in what I was asked to do, I wasn't engaged.

It wasn't until I entered my credential program that I became self-motivated and saw the worth in what I was doing. Yes, I was focused on the end goal of earning my teaching credential, but I also wanted to soak up every tiny lesson or bit of advice along the way to be the best teacher I could possibly be. I did all of my assigned work, and I didn't take shortcuts. I asked questions, I researched, I practiced. I wanted, and still want, to be one of the teachers I had along the way that made me feel smart and creative, and most importantly, made me want to learn. I know I am in the right profession (or at least in the right field) because I still want to learn. I want to know more and do things better each time I try them in my classroom.

I attended a GATE conference this morning (voluntarily...on a Saturday...). This is the first year that I have (what I feel is) a large cluster of GATE students in my classroom. Just like any other student in my classroom, I want to do right by them, but I am still feeling shaky on best practices. The conference this morning was just what I needed. I walked away with a ton of ideas to test out and a little bit more confidence that I can teach gifted children just as well as I can teach special needs children, English language learners or any other student that passes through my classroom.

I wanted to share with you some of the things I learned this morning that I am going to try to implement this year in my classroom. Hopefully the things I am trying will not only benefit my GATE children, but also set the bar higher for all of the students in my class.

1. Friday Math Challenge
Fridays tend to be a pretty lax day in my classroom. We are winding down from the week, and this is typically the day where I will assess, especially in Language Arts, whatever skills we were working on Monday-Thursday. This is also a big review day to reinforce whatever I think we need more of before I send the kids away for the weekend.

I typically don't introduce a new math concept on Fridays, but we may play a math game or do independent practice to reinforce skills. One of the presenters this morning talked a lot about Math Challenges that require and build problem solving skills and showed how easy it can be to differentiate.

So, my new plan is to do a weekly Math Challenge time on Friday mornings. I will have three leveled challenge problems that students can work on with a partner. Once they have solved their problem, they will need to be able to articulate what they did to get the answer.

Some recommended resources for GATE challenge activities were:

Websites

• http://www.world-english.org/puzzles.htm
• http://expandyourmind.com/logicproblems/logic_puzzles.shtml
• http://www.techinterviews.com/google-interview-questions
• http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/math-puzzles.html
• http://thomer.com/riddles/
• http://www.justriddlesandmore.com/Brainbusters/BB%20archive%201-25.html
• http://puzzles.nigelcoldwell.co.uk/
• http://www.mystfx.ca/special/mathproblems/
• http://www.syvum.com/teasers/

Books

• Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics by George Lenchner
• Math Olympiad Contest Problems for Elementary and Middle School Students by George Lenchner
• Challenge Math for the Elementary or Middle School Student by Edward Zacarro
• Become a Problem-Solving Genius by Edward Zacarro

I'd also recommend Marilyn Burns books for great problem-based math challenges and Marcy Cook math puzzles if you haven't already looked into these resources.

2. GATE Icons

I have seen the GATE icons around several times, but have been too intimidated to learn more about them or even try them out. I learned a great deal about them today and feel confident implementing one or two of the symbols in my classroom to get my feet wet. (If you haven't seen/experienced the GATE icons, you can look here to get started.)

My class already writes in their Creative Writing Journal on Fridays, but I think I am going to switch it out to every other Friday and alternate with an ethical dilemma. As one of the presenters demonstrated today, she effortlessly implements the GATE icons for every student across the curriculum. One of the things she does is an "Ethical Envelope" where she pulls a card out with an ethical dilemma on it and asks students to respond in a journal about what they would do based on the given prompt (i.e. You see that your best friends cheats on a test in class. What would you do? Why?) I think this is a great way get kids thinking. Things aren't always black or white, there isn't always one clear-cut answer to a problem. 

The other thing this presenter did that I really like was to give groups of students a poster with one of the GATE icons on it while watching a video in class. Each group was responsible for reporting back on what they noted in regards to their specific focus while watching the video. I think it's a great way to keep kids engaged when watching a video and hold them responsible for being an active-participant in their leaning.

I heard so many other great things today, but these are going to be my focuses for now. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten from a fellow educator was when trying something new in your classroom, focus on one or two things until you're comfortable with them, and they've become routine.

Do you have GATE students in your classrooms? What are some of the things you've done to keep them challenged and engaged?

Miss H.

Teachers Are People, Too...

Greetings Apples,

Tomorrow marks my four year anniversary of being cancer free.

When I was first diagnosed, I was in the middle of student teaching and had to withdraw from school in order to undergo surgery and a few months of recovery. After sitting out for a semester, I was able to return to the credential program, and finish one semester behind what I had initially anticipated. In a beautiful twist of fate, that one semester delay enabled me to be placed as a student teacher at a school in the district where I was desperate to get a job. I was very fortunate, especially with the current lack of jobs in education, to be hired on immediately at that same school, and I have been working there ever since. (Talk about a silver lining!)

A dear friend of mine, who is also a teacher and a cancer survivor, once told me that a parent put in a request not to have her child placed in that class in case the teacher got cancer again and had to go on leave. She didn't want her child to have a long-term sub.

I was shocked.

Our jobs as teachers are important, and the work we do in the classroom each day is crucial to the success of our students, but teachers are people, too. We have families and obligations and hobbies like you do. We get married like you do. We have babies like you do. We get sick like you do, too.

Our job is to teach your child, but we are also real people with real lives, just like you.

After hearing my friend's story, I was very careful never to make mention of my cancer history at school. I never wanted it to be something that overshadowed my work or reputation as a teacher.

As the years have passed, I've become less tight-lipped about that time in my life. I have realized that what I went through has not only made me a better person, but a better teacher, too. I believe I am more compassionate and understanding than I was before. I am able to more easily sympathize if a child has a major life event causing them stress at home. I believe I am more patient, and I am able to not take things (including myself!) so seriously.

What I have been through at a relatively early age in life has helped shape the teacher I am today, and that's something worth sharing and celebrating.

Happy Anniversary to me!
Miss H.

"Tummy Time" with my nephew in the hospital.

#ootd

Greetings Apples,

When I was student teaching in Kindergarten, I used to have to choose my clothes carefully. Could they withstand gluesticks? Dirty hands? Fingerpaint?

Now that I have older kids, I look forward to getting dressed each morning. Here are some of my recent outfits now that the weather is cooling down (finally!)

What are your work wardrobe essentials?

Miss H.

Over the Hump

Greetings Apples,

While I love the start of a new school year for its fresh-start-feeling (who doesn't love pristine notebooks and newly-sharpened pencils?), it is also the most strenuous time of year, in my opinion.

First, you have a group of new students to learn about and "train" in the routines of your classroom. On top of that, there are meetings and district trainings galore. Before you know it, your first set of progress reports are due and it's time to set up parent/teacher conferences.

Parent/Teacher conferences, in theory, should be pretty simple. You have a 20-minute chat with each child's parents about his or her progress in class. The kids have minimum days, so you are only teaching until 12:30 each day.

Simple, right?

In reality, I find parent/teacher conferences exhausting and my least favorite time of year. Yes, the kids leave at 12:30, but starting at 12:40 you begin back-to-back 20 minute sessions with a revolving door of parents. There are translators to be scheduled, talking points to be written, data samples to be copied for each parent, and a tight schedule to be made that is nearly impossible to stick to. Talking for two hours straight is even more exhausting than teaching! Plus, to accommodate working parents, I offer two morning slots beginning at 7:30. Which means that this not-a-morning girl had to get herself up between 5 and 5:30 each day to get to work in enough time for my 7:30 meetings.

This year, I completed 34 conferences. I averaged between 6-7 conferences a day, and found myself working until 5:30ish each night to get caught up on all of the mundane clerical-type tasks I had been putting off in recent weeks.

While I do feel caught up after this past week, I am mostly relieved conferences are over (with the exception of the two that I have to re-do this week).

Now I feel like I cam just solely focus on the kids and their learning needs. (Until it's time to write report cards, of course...)

What is your least favorite time of the school year?

Miss H.

Full Plate

Greetings Apples,

School is in full swing, and I am already feeling the pressure of due dates and career demands. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have returned to graduate school this year to finish my Master's degree.  In addition to tackling that beast, I have a career full of demands and time commitments. On top of the actual "teaching" part of my job, I run our school's recycling program and sit on the RTI and Technology committees. (I swear I scaled back this year...) Those things alone keep me busy from Monday to Friday (and if we're honest, at least one day of the weekend, too.) Add on to my plate 31 progress reports due on Wednesday; scheduling and attending about 35 parent/teacher conferences in the coming weeks; SST, 504, and IEP meetings I am required to attend early in the mornings before work actually begins; and the first chapter of my thesis due in a week...

I am one frazzled girl in fancy ballet flats.

To offset the stress, I am trying hard to get enough sleep each night. I am also trying to do little things to treat myself when I can, like putting fresh flowers in my bathroom to enjoy while I am getting ready in the morning or getting a manicure so I have something pretty to stare at while I am typing my thesis.

I keep trying to remind myself that this level of stress I am feeling will only last for a short period of time. If everything goes as planned (which my dad has emphatically told me IT WILL!), I will be donning my cap and gown in May of 2013. Eye on the prize, right?

What things do you do to help yourself manage stress?

Miss H.

The Germ Factor

Greetings Apples,

One of the worst parts of teaching (Yes, we get summers off, but there are downsides to the job, too...) are the constant germs floating around in the classroom. I hear veteran teachers talking about having built an "immunity" to cold viruses over the years, but that has yet to happen for me. I certainly get sick fewer times throughout the year than when I began teaching, but I do definitely still get taken down by the little green Mucinex man every now and again.

We're barely into the start of the school year, and I already have my first cold. Surprisingly though, I can't blame my students for this one...I caught this bug from cuddling with my sweet (and sick) nephews on Friday afternoon. It was too hard to turn down pjs, Toy Story 2, and a cuddle after a long week, and now I'm paying for it!

So, for now, I continue to live on a diet of Vitamin C, Advil and water until I'm back on my feet again.

Miss H.