I forgot to share that my kinder bunnies and I were waiting for our five butterflies to hatch and they did this past week. Two on Tuesday, two on Wednesday and the last little one was on Earth Day. We were so excited that all five hatched. They drink watermelon juice, and carnations before they were released Friday afternoon. My first grader was very upset that he didn't get to see them before they left, but they had to go. Next, come the ladybugs and praying mantis eggs. Insects are very cool.
Happy Earth Day!!!!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
New thoughts
I was reading a rather interesting blog today, I can't find it now, but this lady rocks and she just tells the truth about teaching. I think that we get used to "watching" what we say as teachers so we don't offend anyone. Having manners is of course important, but sometimes the truth needs to be stated so here it goes. I would like my fellow teachers, you know who you are, to just do your job please. I would like you to teach the subjects that are in the curriculum and do it to the best of your ability. I would like you to try new things and be brave. If you don't know how or what to do go on the Internet and google it. I have found more support and wonderful teaching ideas and some not so good teaching ideas on the Internet. I applaud the many, many teachers who are so willing to share their craft with the rest of us teaching pirates out here. You can also ask a colleague, they will be flattered and you might just learn something new too. Teachers are supposed to model learning and growing to their students so why not just give it a try. Your students will grow and your colleagues will stop talking about you.
I also came across another great quote today/pledge which is that I pledge to read the printed word and to read real books, visit libraries and cherish the printed word in read books. I love books, we have over two thousand in our house alone and I personally have about a thousand in my classroom. I can't resist buying them at yard sales, thrift stores and even the library, yes the library. My boys love books and the printed word because my husband and I love reading. My first grader is now loving the fact that he can read to his brother. Little brother is now trying to read too. I love the computer but a real book is a treasure.
Go Teach!!!!
I also came across another great quote today/pledge which is that I pledge to read the printed word and to read real books, visit libraries and cherish the printed word in read books. I love books, we have over two thousand in our house alone and I personally have about a thousand in my classroom. I can't resist buying them at yard sales, thrift stores and even the library, yes the library. My boys love books and the printed word because my husband and I love reading. My first grader is now loving the fact that he can read to his brother. Little brother is now trying to read too. I love the computer but a real book is a treasure.
Go Teach!!!!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Memory Books
My class is going to spend the last few weeks creating their kindergarten memory books. All the students at my school were given these great hard covered blank books for Read Across America day. We wrote our own stories for that day on different paper to save these special books for the end of the year. Each month we've made calendar pieces and a poem along with a cooking project. I've also saved a writing story we've done as a class to put into their books. We will also draw each one of our alphabet animals that goes with our reading program. At the end of the book, each student will have a picture of them at the beginning, middle and the end of the year. I will also include their favorite memory of the year. The parents love this great little keepsake.
Happy Teaching!
Happy Teaching!
End of the year
Well, I have about forty days left of the school year and way too much to do with my students. We are turning our room into the ocean for our open house in May. I can't wait. I planned out our work during our break.
I will also be posting new books to teacherspayteachers soon and to another group if they take me.
On a happy note and hard to believe, I was named teacher of the year in my school district. I have been working on my application for the county over break too and wow the questions they ask are really deep and take time to think about. It's made me really focus on my job even more than before.
I have written two more ebooks and thanks to a good friend I'm going to take my poems and turn those into little books. I have so much stuff to do it's crazy but really fun.
I will also be posting new books to teacherspayteachers soon and to another group if they take me.
On a happy note and hard to believe, I was named teacher of the year in my school district. I have been working on my application for the county over break too and wow the questions they ask are really deep and take time to think about. It's made me really focus on my job even more than before.
I have written two more ebooks and thanks to a good friend I'm going to take my poems and turn those into little books. I have so much stuff to do it's crazy but really fun.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Crazy Spring Time
I really have to get better at the blogging thing. Spring has been very crazy both at home and at school. A month ago, I found out that I am the teacher of the year at my school site. I'm shocked and honored at the same time. I teach with an amazing group of educators and I thank them for allowing me to represent our school this year. It makes me sad to think that students will miss out on five of my colleagues talents next year because of budget cuts and the increase in class sizes. How anyone thinks that increasing class size and cutting down on supplies and resources will improve anything baffles my mind.
Maybe now that I'm also one of the district teacher's of the year and I speak up more on child development and appropriate instructional time??? We will see.
My class did a great job with their farm unit and we also were selected as one of the stories chosen by an great group of "school assembly" performers called The Imagination Machine. Our "Polar Bear" story was acted out and it was great.
It is now our Spring Break and it is much needed for both my class and myself. I have additional work to do for teacher of the year (exciting and new) and I have several unfinished projects around my house to complete this week.
My last seven weeks of school will focus on "The World Of Animals" our last theme and we have decided on the oceans of the world to be our focus. We will turn our classroom into an ocean for open house in May. For the last two years, my classroom has been an interactive farm and rain forest so this year will continue the tradition. My students will be refreshed from their break and ready for a great deal of work on the ocean. If I can remember, I will post pictures of our successful night. I have several wonderful parents who help on a regular basis and that will be the only way our "ocean" is completed in time.
Parents as Partners,
I can't express the importance of including parents in the classroom. There is training and trusting that needs to happen first. The teacher must believe and trust in his/her teaching style and be comfortable with it before parents can spend time in the room. The teacher must have a plan for parents in the room too. It can be as simple as cutting or tracing projects, stapling homework, putting little books together etc. No job is too small. I have one mom who takes down my bulletin boards, not an easy job in my room, and hands out all the work into the cubbies. She also runs my homework and take home book program. Without Ms. Susan, my classwork would be way behind or stuck in a box until the end of the year. I also have a "Watch Dog" Dad and his wife who come in on a regular basis too and work at table groups and sit with more challenging students or work one to one in some cases. My Watch Dog mom can speak fluent Spanish, unlike myself, so that works well for helping other bilingual parents in our class stay on top of new information. In the fall, I want to open my room up in the morning so parents can read with their students. It didn't work this year because of duty schedules, but I'm hopeful that next year it will work out so we can offer this to our families. I have so many books and I've also joined the program Donors Choose to help obtain more books for my program. I once taught under an innovative grant program called Early Intervention for School Success and it taught me that parents want and should be included in our classrooms. I want to bring it back to the school I'm at now so these kinder bunny parents can share with others as they move forward.
Happy Spring!!!!
Maybe now that I'm also one of the district teacher's of the year and I speak up more on child development and appropriate instructional time??? We will see.
My class did a great job with their farm unit and we also were selected as one of the stories chosen by an great group of "school assembly" performers called The Imagination Machine. Our "Polar Bear" story was acted out and it was great.
It is now our Spring Break and it is much needed for both my class and myself. I have additional work to do for teacher of the year (exciting and new) and I have several unfinished projects around my house to complete this week.
My last seven weeks of school will focus on "The World Of Animals" our last theme and we have decided on the oceans of the world to be our focus. We will turn our classroom into an ocean for open house in May. For the last two years, my classroom has been an interactive farm and rain forest so this year will continue the tradition. My students will be refreshed from their break and ready for a great deal of work on the ocean. If I can remember, I will post pictures of our successful night. I have several wonderful parents who help on a regular basis and that will be the only way our "ocean" is completed in time.
Parents as Partners,
I can't express the importance of including parents in the classroom. There is training and trusting that needs to happen first. The teacher must believe and trust in his/her teaching style and be comfortable with it before parents can spend time in the room. The teacher must have a plan for parents in the room too. It can be as simple as cutting or tracing projects, stapling homework, putting little books together etc. No job is too small. I have one mom who takes down my bulletin boards, not an easy job in my room, and hands out all the work into the cubbies. She also runs my homework and take home book program. Without Ms. Susan, my classwork would be way behind or stuck in a box until the end of the year. I also have a "Watch Dog" Dad and his wife who come in on a regular basis too and work at table groups and sit with more challenging students or work one to one in some cases. My Watch Dog mom can speak fluent Spanish, unlike myself, so that works well for helping other bilingual parents in our class stay on top of new information. In the fall, I want to open my room up in the morning so parents can read with their students. It didn't work this year because of duty schedules, but I'm hopeful that next year it will work out so we can offer this to our families. I have so many books and I've also joined the program Donors Choose to help obtain more books for my program. I once taught under an innovative grant program called Early Intervention for School Success and it taught me that parents want and should be included in our classrooms. I want to bring it back to the school I'm at now so these kinder bunny parents can share with others as they move forward.
Happy Spring!!!!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
100th Day and Winter Fun
My students celebrated their 100th day of kindergarten on Friday. The school year is going so fast. We made necklaces, filled in missing numbers to 100, counted and counted fruit loops, sorted, graphed and counted converstion hearts, made crowns and went on a number hunt. We had way too much fun.
Winter fun in our class as focused on learning about polar bears and water. Our theme was Sunshine and Raindrops or weather which can be interesting in southern California. We finally had rain which made learning about water much more fun. We collected over six inches of water in a half an hour. Our container was overflowing!!! We made rain drops and wrote about what we can do in the rain and then drew ourselves in yellow raincoats that idea was from kinderbykim.com. Kim Jordano has wonderful ideas and is one of the most creative teachers that I've ever met. We also made very cute polar bears, tlc style, and then wrote about them using the Step Up to Writing method. Here is what my kinders had to say about polar bears:
Polar Bears
We know many things about polar bears. First, polar bears like to scratch with their claws. Next, polar bears love to swim in cold water. Last, polar bears like to eat fish, whales, and seals. We love polar bears.
Not bad for five year olds. We've also have been writing about clouds and the wind. Our next theme is about transportation. I can't wait to read what my students have to say about trains and cars.
My next plan is to start to put homework on this site for my families to have access to. I have so much to learn about blogging.
Winter fun in our class as focused on learning about polar bears and water. Our theme was Sunshine and Raindrops or weather which can be interesting in southern California. We finally had rain which made learning about water much more fun. We collected over six inches of water in a half an hour. Our container was overflowing!!! We made rain drops and wrote about what we can do in the rain and then drew ourselves in yellow raincoats that idea was from kinderbykim.com. Kim Jordano has wonderful ideas and is one of the most creative teachers that I've ever met. We also made very cute polar bears, tlc style, and then wrote about them using the Step Up to Writing method. Here is what my kinders had to say about polar bears:
Polar Bears
We know many things about polar bears. First, polar bears like to scratch with their claws. Next, polar bears love to swim in cold water. Last, polar bears like to eat fish, whales, and seals. We love polar bears.
Not bad for five year olds. We've also have been writing about clouds and the wind. Our next theme is about transportation. I can't wait to read what my students have to say about trains and cars.
My next plan is to start to put homework on this site for my families to have access to. I have so much to learn about blogging.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!!!!
I've let myself get away from my blog once again. I'm back and have decided to update this page once a week. I hope that the new year finds your family safe and healthy. My oldest son, AJ, has learned to ride a bike without training wheels!!! This is a big deal because he's so sure he's going to fall, but he took off today and now his little brother wants to be just like him.
My own boys will be writing thank you notes this weekend for all of their wonderful Chirstmas gifts. This gives children to write for a purpose and to show off their writing skills. They can also design their own cards to get in some artwork too.
My own boys will be writing thank you notes this weekend for all of their wonderful Chirstmas gifts. This gives children to write for a purpose and to show off their writing skills. They can also design their own cards to get in some artwork too.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)