Fourteen in 14

I can't believe it is almost 2015.  That means the school year is halfway over.  What?  Right now is the perfect time to reflect on 2014.  Join the linky party with Hadar, Kristin, and Traci to share the highlights of your 2014.

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I love my job!

Recently I have been adding scarves to my wardrobe.  I love the chevron, stripes, and glimmer on this scarf.  So festive!  Thank you to a teacher friend for this Christmas gift.

To be honest I do not go to the movies often.  This year I remember seeing 22 Jump Street, Dumb and Dumber To and Horrible Bosses 2.  They were pretty funny!

Parenthood is my favorite television series.  I started watching it last summer and quickly became hooked.  Unfortunately this is the last season with only a few episodes left.  Here's to hoping Julia and Joel reconcile.

Mellow Mushroom!

Great pizza!

 This summer I took the plunge and finally created my teaching blog, The Positive Teacher.  I love the collaboration and feedback.  It has been a fun journey so far.  Thank you to all of my supporters!

I am fortunate to have incredible parent support.  The room parents organized a class gift for me that I will never forget.

  It's what money can't buy that leaves an impression on our heart.  In this case it is watching my students grow and realizing I impacted each of them.  

{I did not take a picture of each flower since they have student's pictures on them}

It is impossible for me to pick 1 pin from this year.  Instead I chose my favorite holiday pin.  A student made this for me and I was able to find it on Pinterest.  Now I can't wait to make it for family and friends.

Recipe HERE

I am part of #compelledtribe where we are given topics to blog about.  Recently I blogged about What Inspires Me?  Read that post HERE

Finishing my K-12 Reading Endorsement.  

In June I traveled to Chicago to spend time with 2 of my best friends.  You know how it is post graduation… tough to find the time to see all of your friends in one place.  I cherish the moments when we are able to be together.

Any opportunity I had to see my college friends:

-Chicago trip in June

-One of my sorority sisters re locating back to Ohio.  Love being an hour away instead of 12.

-White Elephant/Christmas party with my college roommates (all of us are elementary teachers)

Another favorite memory is my friend from middle school announcing her pregnancy.  I am so happy for her and her husband who will welcome their baby boy this spring.  

In 2015 I will continue work on balancing my personal and professional life.  This is a work in progress...

Inspire

What are you looking forward to doing this break?  I will be on vacation in Arizona.  Looking forward to sunshine, spending time with family, and relaxing.  Have a Merry Christmas and I will see you in 2015!

Thriving in December

Elementary teachers everywhere know how busy December is.  With only 13 days, there is so much content to cover.  Our student's can't afford to have teachers that are only in survival mode.  I believe in maintaining the structure and routine of the classroom while including additional resources to support their excitement.  Hence the title, THRIVING in December.

December is all about kindness and giving.; both in and out of the classroom.  This year I decided to join Cupcakes n Curriculum's RAK Club.  I want my students to make a positive contribution to society so I am very passionate about being a role model for my students.

To launch this campaign, students filled out a RAK Club Application.  Then each student received a RAK Club Journal.  Inside the journal students record their act of kindness, why they did it, and reflect on how it benefitted someone else.  

In addition, my students also have been writing kind notes to each other.  Melts my heart to see how excited they are to thank someone else.  They even come in each morning asking if they can write them.  Students are also witnessing that a small act of kindness can make someone's day.

Snowman Numbers: FREEBIE

Winter Story Problem Task Cards: PURCHASE

The students are excited for the holidays and so curious how many days left of school.  I took this to my advantage and created the winter break countdown, which started December 2nd when students returned from Thanksgiving Break.

On the left is shown how many days left until winter break. Then on the right are addition and subtraction story problems (with and without regrouping).  Students have a recording sheet at their seat, which they need each morning as part of our math warm up.  I love this because we are reviewing key math concepts from this semester while still having fun.  Plus, it is one problem each day so it is very easy to maintain.

Winter Break Marshmallow Reading Challenge: FREEBIE

Teachers have varying points of view when it comes to reading logs.  I came across this Winter Break Marshmallow Reading Challenge and thought it would be so fun for my students.  Although I want them to enjoy the time with their family, I still want them to read over break.  

If you look at the sheets above, each marshmallow represents 20 minutes of reading.  There are 2 pages of marshmallows with different sayings such as "read by the fireplace".  Definitely a change up from the typical reading routine.

My next post will be on our Author Celebration.  

What Inspires Me?

When someone asks me how I am doing, I try to respond with "I can't complain".  Although being a beginning teacher can be stressful, I am so lucky.  I have a job that I love and have the ability to challenge myself on a daily basis.  I love that you can never get bored with teaching.  The challenges we face help us grow. But how do I stay inspired through the tough days?

Every teacher should have a Happy File.  In the file I put positive e-mails from parents and cards/letters/stories that students have made me in the past.  When I am having a tough day, I go to this file and instantly smile.

 I appreciate the little things my students do.  They are so thoughtful and love to help.

Clearly this happened during Halloween. I was in the middle of a reading mini lesson and 2 girls (very responsible and respectful) interrupted me and told me to get a package that was outside our classroom door.  UM WHAT?  I explained to them that I was in the middle of a lesson and I would check it out once the lesson is over.  I open the classroom door and find all these Halloween goodies.  I got BOOed by a few of my students.  The students worked together to coordinate small gifts for me.  So sweet!

This was the day before Thanksgiving Break.  During word study I had each student get a dry erase board, marker, and eraser.  Since I dismiss students by table to get supplies, I allow students to write words on their board until everyone is ready.  As students were gathering supplies, I noticed 2 students going to each table whispering.  I couldn't tell what was going on, but a student told me to turn around so I don't find out the secret.  Hmm….  Once I was given permission to turn around a student shouted to the entire class to put their board up.  I walked around the classroom and each student wrote on their board what they loved about having me as a teacher or school in general.  I nearly teared up… it was so thoughtful!! Talk about being thankful!

Think about what fuels your passion.  Why do you love to teach?  When it comes to those tough days, your passion will keep you going.  I love witnessing student progress and knowing I contributed to that.  I also get excited when I find a new resource or strategy to help my students achieve their personal best.  I could go on and on about this, but I will leave you with a sample from this week.

I came across this iPhone resource online that focuses on comprehension skills.  My students have really been working on close reading so I was excited to use this.  Students were allowed to choose any book from their book box for this activity.  At the end of the lesson I saw students searching the recycling bin (thinking I made extra copies) because they wanted to take copies home to work on.  Student engagement is key!  My students decided this is what the iPhone 10 will look like haha.

Lastly, relationships are an essential component of teaching.  I am grateful everyday that I have support from my PLN and staff members at school.  This enables me to reflect on my teaching, try new things, and continue my journey as a lifelong learner.  Thank you to each of you!

Parent Teacher Conferences

I had my first round of parent teacher conferences Thursday and want to share my insight and preparation.

CONFERENCE SIGN UP

My school uses Sign Up Genius and I highly recommend it.  Parents are responsible for signing up and finding a time that works best for them.  This takes the pressure off teachers trying to coordinate siblings, etc.  

BEFORE THE CONFERENCE

1 week prior to conferences I send home a feedback form for parents to fill out.  I don't have a picture, but here are the questions included on the form:

1.  What does your child enjoy about school?

2. What area would you like for me to gather more information on?

3. What are you most proud of your child achieving this year?

4. Is there anything else you would like me to know?

A parent e-mailed me saying how much she appreciated me sending this form home because she knew I valued her feedback and as a parent it helped her decide what she wanted to discuss.  Yay!

This is what I use to prepare my talking points during the conference.  

TOP LEFT: Academic Strengths

TOP RIGHT: Areas to work on

BOTTOM: Work Habits and Behavior

Thank you Jessica from The Teacher Talk for this freebie

These handouts guide my thinking on the work habits and behavior section of my conference form. 

I also have students reflect on their work habits in the classroom.  I use a 1-4 scale because it aligns with report cards, which makes it easier for parents to make a comparison.  Students were very honest!

 DURING CONFERENCES

*Each conference is 15 minutes.

*On the classroom door I have a sign that says please knock at your conference time.  

*I set a timer so I stay on track.  My reasoning is that if I go over even a few minutes on multiple conferences, that is almost a whole conference slot used.  

This is what my table looked like during conferences.

Each child has a file folder with their name on it.  File folders are organized in the order of student's conference time.  This is where I put all student work samples, which parents take home.

A closer look….

 I gave parents 2 handouts to take home to help their child with reading.  

LEFT: focus on comprehension

RIGHT: questions to ask before/during/after reading

Thank you for reading this long post!!  I hope it helped!

Making the Most of Reading Workshop

I hope everyone is having a good week so far.  I am *almost* done with report cards.  

On another note, thank you to the bloggers that nominated me for the Liebster Award.  I am thrilled that other teachers enjoy my blog posts.

Today I want to share tips on how to help build reading stamina and managing your class while working with guided reading groups.

(sorry for the blurry picture)

Purchase HERE

In reading workshop, we have been focusing on our stamina.  Although my class loves to read, I explained that stamina is doing something for a period of time without getting tired or giving up.  Each ice cream scoop represents the number of minutes.  The goal is to get the cherry on top.  My class loves this visual!!

To develop this concept even further, graph the number of minutes each day.  Students love to see the progress they make.  I highly recommend this especially for Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers.  Plus, you can work on comparing numbers so you are also hitting some math standards.

Guided Reading groups are fully implemented in the classroom.  I try not to leave the Guided Reading table, but I struggle with not immediately redirecting students.  

Catherine from The Brown Bag Teacher presented an idea that fits my need perfectly.  I use a plastic sleeve from Lakeshore and a dry erase marker.  Then, I draw a plus and delta sign.  When I first presented this idea to my class, a student asked me why I put a triangle instead of a negative sign.  Although he was making a connection, I explained that my job is not to point out negatives.  Instead, I want to discuss what we can improve on.

As I am working with my Guided Reading groups, I take brief notes on what is happening in the classroom. The last few minutes of reading workshop are devoted to reflecting on how to become better readers.  During this time, we celebrate our success and discuss what to work on next time.  When I first implemented this I acknowledged a reader of the day.  Even though all of my students are fabulous readers, I like to praise students who are going above and beyond.  

One smart tip Catherine mentioned: Since the list is sitting on your teacher table where all students can see, make sure you use student initials.  Sometimes I write things down that can be taken care of by giving the student a verbal reminder, but the class doesn't need to know about it.

Thank you Catherine for the fabulous idea.  This has helped me a ton!!

Liebster Award

Thank you to Stephanie over at A Touch of Class, Abbie from Steppin Up to First Grade and Katie from Living the First Grade Dream for nominating me for this award! The Liebster Award is for bloggers who have less than 200 followers but have great content and potential! 

1. Why and how long ago did you start blogging? I started blogging in July.  Over the summer I became involved on Twitter and I felt blogging was the next step for my professional growth.  I strive to be a lifelong learner.  My goal is to share my ideas, experiences, and tips for the primary classroom.  I love to collaborate and meet new teachers.

2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why? Learning.  I constantly read teaching blogs thanks to the BlogLovin' app.  I love having all of the blogs I follow in one place.  There are so many times that I read a blog post and I gain a new idea or lesson for my classroom.   I hope to do the same for teachers.  

   

     3. Is there something you learned late in your blog journey you wished you knew before? I created a blog planner after a few weeks in this journey.  It is such a time saver for me.  No more post it notes filled with ideas.  With my blog planner I organize my future posts.  This tool also keeps me accountable so I don't drift away from the blogging world.

4. What is your favorite past time other than blogging? I love to travel.  Most of my college friends live in Chicago so I fly out there every few months.  My family travels to Arizona, Florida, and South Carolina every year for vacation.  My mom's side of the family has been going to Hilton Head Island since she was in high school.  

5. How many hours per week do you dedicate to your blog?  My guess would be a few hours.  I try to write 2-3 posts a week.

6. What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most? Holidays.  

7. Where does your blog inspiration come from? I have many sources of inspiration... Twitter, Instagram (teacher accounts), Teaching Blogs, or my own experiences.

8. Which post that you've written are you most proud of? My post about writing in the primary classroom: HERE
  
9. Is there any post you have been planning to do, but have postponing it for a while now?

Yes!  I have been working on a post about reading workshop.

10. What is your favorite aspect of blogging? As a (beginning) teacher, reflection is an essential component to my growth.  I like having another method for reflecting on my classroom experiences and receiving instant feedback.  I also enjoy connecting with other teachers outside of my geographic area.

11. Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you be most likely to try yourself? I will join her Teacher Tip Tuesday linky!   

So here are my nominations for the Liebster Award:

1. Abbey from Tremendous First Grade Tales

2. Erin from Super in 2nd

3. Alex from the Kindergarten Connection

4. Rachael from 180 Days to Happy

5. Abbie from Steppin Up to First Grade

6.  Kim from DomiKiddos

7. Lisa from Pawsitively Learning

8. Allyson from Going Strong in 2nd Grade

9. Colleen from Literacy Loving Gals

10. Noelle from Giggles at Greene

11. Dawn from Revenge of the Thirds

To those who have been nominated, here are the "official" rules for accepting:
1. In your post, link back to the blogger who nominated you as a thank you and "shout out."
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you (the ones I answered above).
3. Nominate 11 blogs of your choice that each have less than 200 followers. Provide them with 11 questions to answer or have them answer the questions above.
4. Let your nominees know that they've been nominated and provide them with a link to your post so that they can accept.
5. Send your nominator a link to your post so that s/he can learn more about you as well! (You can just put your post link in the comments below!)

Book Talk Tuesday- Ralph Tells a Story

I am linking up with Deanna Jump for her Book Talk Tuesday link up.

A team member shared this book with me and it is now one of my favorites for the beginning of the year when implementing writer's workshop; it fits really well with the Lucy Calkin's framework.

                                        

^Front cover and summary of the book.

{front cover}

Great intro. to the story... this demonstrates authors always need to put their name on their paper and it is ok to write multiple drafts.

The beginning of the book starts off with Ralph having trouble coming up with a story.  I am sure many K-3 teachers have had a student mention that they don't know what to write about.  Some students need more time to brainstorm or pre-write.  

Because he doesn't know what to write about,  he "went to the water fountain, roamed the hallways, and tried everything."

... I don't want to reveal the rest of the book, but it is evident that the author does a fantastic job illustrating the frustrations a young writer may experience.  I model to students that it is ok to try new things and take risks.

{Back cover}

Books that Ralph has made.  I read each title to my class so they can see that there are so many topics to write about.  

Hope everyone is having a great week.  My week is halfway over since we don't have school Friday.