Day 54: Scholastic

I just want to say that I love the Scholastic Book Fair.  Every year, my school's PTA puts one on during American Education Week, and another during our annual May Fair in the spring. 

I like going through and seeing all of the shelves full of new books; the possibilities waiting to be explored and put into use.  My husband will tell you, if we are anywhere near a place that sells books (Borders, Barnes and Noble, library book sales, flea markets, etc.), the best thing is just to leave me there and come back later.  And bring something to haul off my finds.

My wallet caved to some books today after I "perused" for a bit while my students were in special.  I bought several for my children (one each to read now, and several more for Christmas--shh, don't tell!).  I also bought one for myself, titled Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 by Rafe Esquith.  Looks interesting; I can't wait to read it!

Aside from the book fairs, I rely on Scholastic book orders (as you remember from Day 16).  I use the points accumulated from the student book orders to order books for my class library.  I also like the fact that Scholastic gives teacher coupons and will send free books if your order totals a certain amount each month.  I am guilty of buying a few items to help my class reach that dollar threshold just so I can get the points and the free books.  (Don't seem so shocked; I know some of you do it, too!  Wink, wink!)  Really, it's one of the few ways I can get books without going broke.  Teachers spend enough of their own money as it is.

I am always looking for good deals on books for my class and for myself.  I would love to hear of any sites or stores that have good deals in your area.  Leave a note in the comment box with your favorite link or store and I'll list them in a Reader Resource post.  In the meantime, happy reading!

Day 53: Insects!

Today was a fun day.  We began our day with our insect speaker who shared with us the interesting world of aquatic insects.  He is the parent of one of the students in another class and is a biologist by profession.  He talked to the children about the life cycles of the insects, the difference between complete and incomplete metamorphosis, camouflage, and where to find them in the water. 

He also brought samples(!) of the different types of insects in various stages of their life cycles.  The students observed dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, and various other types of water beetles and crustaceans (like crayfish).  The students loved it and were full of questions.  They especially were impressed (and sort of grossed out) by a giant water beetle.

These are stages in the life cycle of an aquatic insect.  I think it's a type of beetle.

This is the water beetle the kids were fascinated yet somewhat repulsed by, mainly because of it's size.  It's about 2.5 to 3 inches long and is about 1.5 inches across at its widest point.  Sort of looks like a cockroach close up.  I'm not afraid of insects, but this is not something I'd want to find in my shoe!

After our speaker left, we continued with science and observed our own mealworm colony in the classroom.  We watched one adult beetle crawl around while another molted out of its pupa-skin covering.  I swear my students all want to become little entomologists now!  

That is, as long as they don't have to study the giant water beetle...

Day 51: More Cool Ideas

We've been working on some projects in class.  Last week we read the story Owl Moon and compared it with a story called Owls.  As part of a fact-finding assessment, I had the children find 10 facts about owls in the selection and create a poster.  They turned out pretty neat.

An owl fact poster.

We have also been working on our Weather unit in science.  As part of our study on clouds, we created cloud flap books.  Each book highlights four types of clouds: stratus, cumulus, cirrus, and cumulonimbus.  The students were given a packet of cloud information to read through.  After reading through, they wrote down two facts they learned about clouds under each flap.




This is the cover of the book. We used cotton balls to create the clouds.  The children thought this was great fun.

 

This is the inside of the book.  Two facts are listed for each type of cloud.

 Another project we started this week to go along with Thanksgiving is reading the Pilgrim children set.  (A colleague has been using this project for quite a number of years and passed it on to me when I joined the team four years ago.)  I use the set as a "work smarter, not harder" project.  The books are read during Language Arts, but can be combined into Social Studies for a thematic unit.  I spend two days one one book, two days on the other, and about two to three days on a writing workshop project.

I have the Samuel Eaton book and the Sarah Morton book.  (I plan to get the Tapenum book to use in the future.)  What I currently have the children listen for is: how the children dressed, what chores they had to do, and what they did in their free time.  (We do this in a four-square.)  We then use the four-square to create a writing piece where the children write what their lives would be like if they were a Pilgrim child.  The boys write about the boy's life and the girls write about the girl's life. 

The children really enjoy learning about what life was like several hundred years ago.  They have a lot of questions and we have some lively discussions about the two books, especially when I remind the children that there were no electronics (and therefore, no TV or video games) back then!

I hope you can use some of these ideas for your classrooms.  If you try any out, leave a note and let me know how they turned out.  I can't wait to see them!

Conferences

Yesterday was report card conferences.  I was here from 8:00 until 4:15.  (Some of my conferences went over, despite the fact that I use a timer to try and stay on track.  Really, 10 minutes to give the report card--which parents are seeing for the first time--and go over all of your concerns, parents concerns, and any additional questions?!?!)  I stayed on track as best I could. 

Suggestion to all of you who may not already do this:  Bring a drink!  Preferably a warm one to keep your throat from getting scratchy (or at least lesson the effect!).  Here's my tea in one of those cups I posted about a few weeks back when I was battling my cold.


Vanilla Caramel tea.  My favorite!

Once I had the beverage situation taken care of, I set up my table with the report cards, my schedule, a timer, a pen and note card for jotting down things, and my newsletter.  (Couldn't get this one to attach to anything, so I took a pic of it.)  The newsletter just tells parents what we will be working on throughout the quarter so they can have a heads up.  As a parent myself, I like these because if I know my child has problems with fractions, and fractions are going to be covered, I can at least preview some material with him. Under Language Arts, I include subcategories for grammar, comprehension, phonics, and writing skills.

Second quarter newsletter

While parents are waiting, I have a space outside in the hallway where they can sit in adult-sized chairs.  The plastic green basket is holding note cards and markers so parents can write a little note to their child while they wait.  On the table are more of my donation cards with requests for foaming hand soap, paper towels, and tissue with lotion.  The dark green wire basket has candy in it, while the light green basket on the floor had children's books in it.  (Sometimes parents bring along their children, so the books keep the kiddos occupied while the parents are in meeting with me.) 

A comfy space to wait

Overall, the day went well.  I was just tired from talking all day long.  And by bedtime, my throat was feeling a little scratchy.  It felt much better this morning.

If you haven't had your conferences yet, you might want to try a few of these ideas.  Or if you've already had your conferences, you might want to try a few for next time around.  AND, if you have any neat additions I can post for others to see, please send them in via the comment link below. 

Looking forward to your ideas! 

Day 49: Preparation for Conferences

Tomorrow my day begins with my first conference at 8:15 a.m.  Conferences are done in 10-minute increments, with five minutes between each conference.  For example, my 8:15 will go until 8:25, then I will have five minutes until the next one.  Hypothetically. I usually just go straight through.  I will finish sometime around 3:30, with an hour lunch break in the middle of the day. (And some strategically placed restroom breaks!  It's hard to give a report if your bladder's full, you know?)

To prepare for conferences, I have the report card ready (of course), but I take some extra measures as well.

I always have a newsletter available for the parents to have for reference.  The newsletter lists the skills we will be covering by subject for the upcoming quarter.  That way, if parents see something they know their child may have trouble with (like fractions), they can preview the skill with their child before we get to that lesson or unit.

I also have the following outside my door in the hallway: (I forgot to take a picture in the rush to leave today; I will post it tomorrow.)
**A student-sized desk or table to use for display.
**Two adult-sized chairs for waiting parents.
**A basket of note cards and markers so parents can leave a little note for their child while they wait.  I then put those notes on the desks of the children before they come in the next school day.
**A basket of treats.  Usually this is chocolates; tomorrow will be butterscotch or Jolly Ranchers.  (My room is nut free, remember?)  Tip: Put in a bit at a time and replenish throughout the day.  I learned that one the hard way my first conference.  Seems that while I was talking with Mom and Dad, little ones were filling their pockets!
**A basket under the desk or table filled with books for children to read while they wait.  Clearly labeled with my name, of course!
**A spread of "donation" reminders.  (Remember my giraffe cards from Parent Night?)
**An art portfolio of student artwork from the art teacher.  (At the beginning of the year, some of the projects get ruined because the students aren't careful with them.  I put them in a little folder and hand them off to the parents during conferences so they make it home in one piece.

Well, off to prepare my clothes and myself for tomorrow.  See you on the other side.

Day 48: Light at the End of the Tunnel

I'm almost there!  Just a few more entries on a sheet and I will be finished with report cards!  This weekend saw me getting some work done, but with my husband away for a church conference from Friday morning to Sunday evening, I didn't finish quite as much as I wanted. 

Grades are in, comments are finished, math checklists are done.  All I need to do is fill in the actual letter grades and attendance sections. 

Life is looking good.

Day 47: LOVE this site!

If you're not already familiar with it, check out http://www.readinga-z.com/.  I use it quite a bit for worksheets, booklets, lesson plan ideas, etc.  The site also has several sister sites that focus on vocabulary, writing, science, and other subjects/skills. 

What about you?  Any sites you just can't teach without?  Enter them into the comments section below and I'll post them as a "Best of..." for fellow educators.

Happy commenting!

Day 42: Parties and Parades

I made it in to school today.  Still froggy-sounding and a little wheezy yet, but feeling more energetic and breathing clearly through my nose.  Five hours of sleep during the day and an extra nine at night sure helped a lot.

The morning was easy because we showed our reward movie for good behavior.  (Any student who stays within the parameters of our behavior plan gets a reward at the end of the month.  Sometimes its extra recess or a special project; sometimes it is a movie.)  Those who don't earn it have to sit out in another classroom.  

Since I wasn't hosting this time, I had a bit of time to set my appointment times for report card conferences, organize my room, plan, get copies made, and catch up on e-mails and correspondence from the day before. 

After the movie, the day followed the usual routine until 1:45, when parents started showing up to set up  for the party and help children get ready for the costume parade.  At 2:15, the children paraded out of the building by grade level.  They traveled down the main hall, out and around the bus loop, and back into the building to line the hallways and watch the other grades pass.  It's a neat thing, because we start with kindergarten and end with fifth grade.  Having the children line the hallways allowed the younger kids to see the older kids as they walk through and vice versa.  The kids are excited to see their siblings and friends, and you get a chance to see a lot of interesting costumes.  From fairies to the cast of the Wizard of Oz (our first-grade team), from cartoon characters and superheroes, from cowboys to Star Wars stormtroopers, we saw it all.  One of my favorites, however, was a student who dressed as the character Phineas from the Disney series Phineas and Ferb, complete with the giant triangular head and orange pipe-cleaner hair on top. 

When the parade was over, it was time for the party.  The children had a great time making little tissue ghosts, guessing the number of candy corn in a jar (to be raffled off), bowling with baby pumpkins, searching for treasure in a jewel toss game, eating, posing for pictures, and dancing.  I didn't have much to do regarding crafts or games, but I was exhausted by dismissal time.  In all, however, it was a fun day.

On to the weekend...to sleep!