Teacher Work Zone

Classroom From the Back

Book Zone

This is home base.  Pretty organized and clear right now.  Since it is July.  I love my new striped basked I found at Michael's (Clearance plus teacher discount, cha-ching!)  It gives me a handy dumping ground location for manuals, 'to-do' files and my ever-present notebook.  The green baskets are for handouts and materials, they're labeled with the days of the week, plus, to make the number even, the last one is 'next week.'  Symmetry is good!



And my classroom from the back.  It's still pretty bare bones, but every laminator in the school is down, and I am kind of stalled on some things, like my number line, until I can laminate them for longevity. (Yes, I do love alliteration.  Thanks for noticing.)  I like to post a lot of anchor charts that we'll make together as a class, so starting the year without much on the walls is all right.







And the book zone.  I'm not satisfied with the shelves on the wall- that's where I need to store...well...pretty much everything, and it is major visual clutter.  It seriously gives me a headache, so I know it will disturb the kids.  The tropical toppers help, but they're too short and it looks choppy.  Today, I ordered green grass table-skirts.  The 'grass' is plastic, so no allergy worries or fire hazard.  It should look more uniform and less cluttered when that's put up.  I hope.

A New Normal

It's been a grueling spring and summer.  Because of restructuring and downsizing in my district (2 small country schools closed forever in June, so sad!)  I've been in the process of packing, unpacking and organizing in a new, much smaller classroom.  It's been challenging, to say the least, my body is tired, my brain is going tilt, and my heart has been broken and is well on the way to mending up.

Soooo...since there is now a light at the end of the hallway (which had previously been blocked by 5 head-high pallets of boxes I was responsible for) and my new room is feeling like home, I can happily say I'm back to the blog. Yay!

One big decision left to make- do I keep my desk, which I love as it gives me a work space, excellent storage & a kid-free zone in the room, or exchange it for a half-circle table that could be a place to meet with small groups. Very difficult choice.

Pics of my new room soon!

Mystery Plant Race

Gorgeous blooms really wow the kiddos.

Check out my mad graphing skills...wobbly as a Dr. Seuss tree!

Spring is time for flowers, and our Mystery Plants bloomed right when we all needed a boost of color and a promise of more to come.

After Christmas, when they were a little cheaper, I picked up four Amaryllis bulbs.  They came with pots and growing medium, which was a bonus. Near the end of January, I made a big deal of passing around the bulbs and discussing what might grow from them- nice practice in making predictions. Then the kiddos worked in small groups to follow directions and get them planted.

The next day, we measured the plants and took a look at the graphs we would use to record the growth.  We planned to measure the plants every Wednesday for about 6 weeks, but two of them never really took off, gave us half-hearted blooms on stumpy stems, and then died back.  So by unanimous decision, we adjusted the plan and stopped measuring those after a couple of weeks with no growth. 

My firsties were SO excited as the remaining plants shot up over 16 inches then the flowers opened, huge scarlet beauties, and they were just over the moon.

The flowers are slowly wilting now, but they lasted long enough to really brighten up the room.

I love this project for the way it extends math and science thinking, and the relatively low cost- I can't wait to do it again next year!

Graphic Organizers At Last!

Joy!  A pair of students took initiative today and started a graphic organizer during 'Love a Book' time (aka SSR).  I push encourage the use of organizers provided in our district curriculum, LBD, and some years the kiddos latch on right away but this year they wanted nothing to do with them.  Today, two boys actually asked permission...um, yeah, like I'd say no...and then happily set to work asking questions using David Shannon's 'It's Christmas David.'  Little David is much loved and the source of endless giggles and lots of whispers due to the first-grade-shocking bare-boy-bottom illustration in each of them.  I LOVE the series, and the heck with seasons, if those little guys want to read Christmas books in February, more power to 'em. Can't wait to see their completed organizer tomorrow!

Q&U, Happily Married

The bride and groom were carried in the ceremony by randomly selected firsties.

The Wedding took place on February 15th, but not without challenges.  Our Principal got stuck at a meeting, so at the last minute, our school counselor rushed in from another building to officiate.  My planned and much anticipated reception dances were a bust because my ancient, slightly decrepit retro-cute and well-used CD player wouldn't read the disc. 

Even so, the kids were darling, no one fell down or had restroom issues,  and no one cried.  The girl elected to scatter q-tips and flower petals went nice and slow down the 'aisle' across the gym, as did the girl who carried Miss Q.  The poems the kids read were a big hit. Lots of compliments and smiles. Wishing I had more pictures to share with you, lots were taken but they are all full of kids.  I need to give big high-fives to the volunteers and staff who helped out to put the whole thing together, way too big a job for just me!  Whew.

For the wedding day, the boys in class dressed as quarterbacks- some even had helmets- and the girls dressed as queens.  I always make a big deal of telling them this is for fun, and queens can wear anything that makes them fell special and queenly, and the quarterbacks all have to go to college, so if they don't have sports-wear, they can dress like a college student, which is slacks or jeans and a sweater or sweatshirt.

Boys Poem/Song from http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/songs/q/quietquarterback.htm

Oh, I wish I was a quiet quarterback
Oh, I wish I was a quiet quarterback
I would sneak around and score
and the fans would yell for more
Oh I wish I was a quiet quarterback

Girls Poem/Song.  I made it up to compliment the boy's poem/song.  It was a little tricky geting them to say 'decree' instead of 'degree,' but that gave us something to focus on since energy was very high.

Oh, I wish I was a queen and in charge
Oh, I wish I was a queen and in charge
I would make a firm decree
No homework for me
Oh I with I was a queen and in charge.

They can be sung to the tune of 'If You're Happy and You Know It.'

A Wedding Postponed

Well, I was all ready for the annual Q&U wedding today, but it is snowing like crazy and school is cancelled.  Good news is that since the snow is supposed to stop, it's simply rescheduled to tomorrow afternoon, and my wonderful principal volunteered to call all the parents of my students and let them know about the change.  Almost like having a wedding planner to deal with the frustrating details!

So tomorrow, I'll wear my 'Queen Jeans,' as all the girls are to dress as queens, and I'd rather be comfortable than costume-y on a busy day.  Love that in first, rhyming makes almost anything work!  I'll throw on a faux-fur vest and the tiara I wore at my own wedding, and that will be queenly enough for anyone.  We'll spend the morning decoration and doing QU things like word lists, bingo (I know, lame, but the energy is so high, the activities need to be pretty basic) and studying quarters.

At the ceremony, the kids carry a Q bride and a U groom into the auditorium and stand as attendants.  Our Principal will reads vows and the boys (dressed as quarterbacks) and girls (queens) recite QU poems.

For the reception my awesome happy hubby burned a CD of wedding songs so we'll be Chicken Dancing, Hokey-Pokeying and Macarenaing for a while, families too I hope.  After that,  we go back to the room for the class Valentine's Day party.  I have a cupcake display with tiers and a volunteer mom made the cupcakes,  and there will also be pizza donated by a local delivery place.  I didn't hunt that down, a mom thought of it and pursued the donation, and I am so grateful for her help!

QU wedding is a little over the top of what's needed for a simple sound lesson, but it works on other levels too.  One of the things I love about doing this on Valentine's Day is that it diverts attention away from the boyfriend/girlfriend aspect of the holiday that I REALLY want to discourage among six and seven year olds.  Although we all need to like each other and get along, they don't need to be 'liking' each other at this point!  The focus on QU is a great distraction and it keeps the party day a little more academic.  I barely spend any class-time on the wedding other than on 'The Big Day,' so it doesn't put me off-schedule with district plans.  And it is a lot of fun for the families, with so much positive feedback and interest in helping out.  If anything I have had to rein in some enthusiasm to keep it kid-centered and casual and not a full-on black-tie affair!

It's Time

It's time...I need to join the ranks of teacher bloggers.  I want to be able to add to the amazing dialogue and marketplace of ideas that I rely on and need so much!  More to come!