Getting Ready for New Year

The summer has come and gone! It went by way to fast! Today my husband helped me begin the process of getting my room back together. I'm still Price's Park Rangers and this year everything is going green. You will understand when you see the pictures.

My Family!

Here is what my life is all about! Third is teaching, Second is my family and First is my God! It is through Him that I am able to be who I am.

Pinterest

Come follow me on Pinterest!! I have lots of educational sites pinned. I've started using the Daily 5/Cafe in my classroom this year not to the extent that I want to--planning to getting totally involved with the 2012-13 school year. Daily 5 works though--my kids are READING and READING.

Christmas Time

I've decided it's time to get back into adding goodies to my blog. I realized I hadn't posted things in forever so that will be my goal this Christmas vacation. I got inspired again by looking at Mary Lirette's blog at
http://mrsliretteslearningdetectives.blogspot.com/

She's only been a blogger since early December and already has posted many things. Thanks Mary for giving me that incentive to blog again.

Kathy

You Know You're a Teacher When...

Abby (http://theinspiredapple.blogspot.com/) is hosting a "You Know You're a Teacher When"...

1. All of your vacation pictures relate to some SPI (landforms, animals, etc) that you teach.

2. You can go all day and realize you didn't take a bathroom break.

3. You get so excited when someone brings you old books their kids don't read anymore.

4. When you can't decide on a name for your own child because you think about kids you have taught with those names (harder when your husband also teaches).

5. You gag when a student brings you his backpack and it reeks of cigarette smoke.  UGHHH!

6. You get a note from a parent on picture day asking that you brush their hair, fix their collar and wipe their nose.

7. You arrange your kids' desk more often than you do your furniture in your own house.

8. You go to the mall with your husband and feel compelled to walk in a straight line by the color coded squares.

9. You are so excited when after spring break the "Light Bulb" comes on and children can recognized the same word each time on the same page.

10. You give thanks to God for a wonderful job that feels like you are on a mission trip all year long.

Measuring Frames

A few years ago my sister gave me some colored foam pieces and I didn't have a clue as to what to do with them.  They sat in my cabinet until this week.  I was working on measurement with my kids.  We spent time measuring everything in the room as I walked around with my clipboard doing informal common assessments. Then all of a sudden I decided my next move (no, it wasn't written in my lesson plans but I believe it is a sign of a good teacher--you know those impromptu things you do). I got the foam pieces out and told everyone we were going to be designing a frame with a picture. Every piece of foam we used, the students measured and wrote it down. We used words such as length and width and color words. So I wanted to share with you the fun we had.

Telling Time Can Be Fun!!

Making the clock with the kids was part of the fun.

It turned out to be pretty big!!

9:00

3:00

6:00

6:30

11:30

4:00

2:00

12:00

10:00

I wanted to do a common assessment on my students in telling time and took an idea from another first grade teacher (Christy Parsley).  She drew a big clock on the floor with dry erase markers so with that in mind, the kids and I made a big clock using tape.  We first put a piece of tape with string on it on the floor and drew a big circle. I told them it was like using a compass. (I have to bring one in so they can understand the concept of a compass).  Then I taped over the marker with blue tape.  I added numbers to the clock (the kids called them "digital" numbers).  Then I gave each student a time which they had to demonstrate using their body. Their legs (the longer part) were the minute hand and the trunk of their body was the hour. This was really a fun project. I could easily assess which students knew time and I loved the cheering on they did for their classmates!  I will definitely use this idea again.  Can't wait to share this idea with my teammates!