Moving On...

Well...the STAAR has burned out.

Burned out my students, burned me out, burned out my friends.

Burned, burned, burned.

However, I will fix that with a new haircut, some new clothes, lunch (and maybe dinner), and a few couple of glasses of Moscato with a friend I haven't talked to in 10 years or seen in 14!!! I'm driving to meet her on Saturday.  She was one of my closest, dearest friends for many, many years.  She was in my wedding  22 years ago.  But life took her one way and me the other.  The best part...and I know this sounds cruel...but she is NOT a teacher.  So I will not talk about school, curriculum, testing, students, etc. for one whole day!!! (My husband is thinking, "What the feathers???? I have to listen to it all the time and I'm not a teacher!"  Too bad, kemo sabe!)

Sometimes I am a "immediate gratification" chick.  I admit it.  I love my Kindle for that reason.  But the waiting for the test scores is craaaazzzyyyy.  We may not find out until next school year.  "What?!", you may ask.  I thought the same thing!! How do I fix what I "broke" this year if the new school year is already upon me when I find out my scores???!!! ::: rant, rant, rant::

My quarters worked hard...and as usual, I'm second guessing every single decision I made when it comes to teaching.  I know, I know...I can't change a thing.  But, ya know, I can't let things go sometimes...just ask my husband!!!

It is time to move on...

My quarters are soooo ready for some fun.  And, of course, they will get it.  Our campus has so many activities going on this time of year.  We have our field trip, a party day...need I say more?  But today, we just relaxed, read, and wrote.  They actually did really well "out of the routine."  They talked A LOT.  But, what should I expect?  They are kids for crying out loud!  (I did have to take two Motrin, though.)  One of my major talkers sweet boys didn't wear his glasses today.  I asked where they were and he told me they were in his locker.   I asked him why and he said, "The STAAR test is over and I don't need them anymore."  He had the evil grin sweetest, biggest smile.  In my best teacher's voice I said, " Go. Get. Them. NOW."  I can only imagine the next few weeks.

Most of my quarters finished their free verse poems today!! They were so gooooood!!!  Over the last couple of weeks, they wrote poems about many things.  They chose what they wanted to write about.  One day, we had a "classroom tools" write.  We played "I Spy" and wrote a poem about that.  They wrote about family, friends, food, feelings...you name it.  Today, I let them choose their favorite piece and take it to final copy.  Here are a few samples:

A lot of them liked their "stuff at school" one the best...I don't know why.  But, for having two classes of 21 with 13 ELLs in each class, I'm liking what they've got going on. (Well, there's the STAAR...back on topic, back on topic....)

I found this great quote...I only wish the people who concocted these crazy tests for kids "got it"!!

"But the person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, perseverance."--William Julius Wilson

Preaching to the choir!!! 

I KNOW, I KNOW!!!!  Letting....go....now.....

Always,

Aaaannnndddd...done!

Well, today is the day before our big state assessment, the STAAR.  Last week, I strayed from the norm and did not do any test prep passages.  Today, we did do one paired passage to remind quarters of the strategies they should use to work through their assessment.

Tomorrow, the quarters will take the STAAR Math exam.  I don't teach Math, so I'm feeling no stress.  I think my partner teacher and I have resigned ourselves to the fact that we have done what we could and what will be, will be.  My quarters take the STAAR Reading exam on Wednesday.

It was sad leaving my room this afternoon.  But that is only because I had to take down all of my anchor charts and my parts-of-speech word wall .  My room looks so bare and uninviting!

Preparing charts for their trash can funeral!

We usually begin each class with vocabulary builder work.  However, since we've done as much as we can, quarters created "reminder" posters for their lockers  using our STAAR reminder chart that we put up back in March.

They hung these inside their lockers (no STAAR things to "help" them when they walk down the hall to the restroom...haha).  I could insert a smart comment but I'd better not...Anywho...my quarters had a good time adding their flair!  We all know...if you do it, say it, color it, invest in it...you just might remember it!

My team teacher and I created and signed the poster below.  I believe we can hang these on the outside of their lockers (but I will check with our AP before we hang them in the morning).  Please excuse the lighting...

We printed them on many different colors of paper.  They are not fancy, by any means, but we want the quarters to know we believe in them.  I have put up the outline under my "Free Printables" tab, just in case someone is interested!

I'm just excited that, on Thursday, I get to return to the ART of teaching!  6 more weeks to go!!

“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” -Abraham Lincoln

I hope my quarters think this way and realize that tomorrow is their "chance"!

I now wipe my hands clean of the Texas STAAR!

::slaps hands together like a casino guy::

Well...until next year...

Always,

A Wonderful Ending...

We had a great week!  Whether it makes a difference on the STAAR test or not, I will truly never know.  But my quarters seemed to be engaged, so it was worth it, to me!

On Thursday, we reviewed sequencing.  Quarters used the chapter we were reading in The Hunger Games to sequence the events.  There are three words/key vocabulary I wanted them to review and remember:  organize, order, sequence.  We put the three words into a "sing-song" type rhythm and counted to three on our fingers.  As they said each word, I had them hold up a finger.  While I know this seems rudimentary, most of my quarters are ELL.  Movement and memory seem to make connections for them.  I wanted them to associate  (#1) with organize, (#2) with order, (#3) with sequence.  We repeated this several times.  I encouraged them to remember that if they see the words organize, order, or sequence in a STAAR question, they are being asked to put things in 1, 2, 3 order.  I really think they may have "gotten" it...finally after months of discussion!

Today, we had a special guest.  I was so lucky to have my daughter come to my school!  She is an education student in college and will graduate in December.  She wants to teach K-4.  She needed 5 more hours of volunteer time for a class she is enrolled in this semester.  So, I rounded up some classrooms for her to visit and help out in.  She also helped in my room.  She had an assignment to complete on "cause and effect" and  had to tape herself teaching it!  I got to watch her in action!!  I was very proud!!

As a class, we read another chapter of our book.  We focused on how to infer.  The quarters did an awesome job inferring and predicting.  They were able to connect prior learning and knew that schema + evidence = inference.  It was a great week of review!!

We also had time to continue working on our research magazines, in which students chose a person, place, or thing to research and write about.  I have a few that are not finished, but most of them only have one page to go.  Here are some pics of one that is almost complete:

They are not perfect...but...

They are non-fiction...

They have many text features...

They are informative...

They are researched....

They are creative....

They are unique....

And the students will remember them!

"Memory...is the diary we all carry about us"--Oscar Wilde

Hopefully, the lessons they reviewed this week will be part of the "diary" they carry in their memories...for testing and beyond!

Always,

Getting Our Fun On...

I just wanted to follow up on the activities I am doing with my quarters to review skills for the STAAR Reading exam next week.  As I've noted in previous posts, I have strayed a little from the test-prep norm to hold student interest as the days to the "test" tick down.

Each day, we read a chapter from The Hunger Games.  I can honestly say, my quarters are totally engaged.  We are having awesome conversations (better than I ever expected) about the text.  A quarter even mentioned how the book tells us so much more than the movie!  Yay!!!

On Monday, we reviewed  character traits using the FAST paper found here  and here .  Quarters talked about Katniss Everdeen.  They wrote about her feelings, actions, sayings, and thoughts in the text so far.  I asked them several question stems and assigned them "thinking" questions for homework.  Their answers were in paragraph form and a few of them did really well.

On Tuesday, we reviewed summarization.  This time, in addition to our plot anchor chart (found here ), quarters used the "Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then" to write their summary of the what has been read so far.  Since they work in collaborative groups, I was able to notice who really "got" it and who needed a little more support.  Again, they were assigned questions for homework.  When I read the answers aloud this morning, they were REALLY good.  A lot of quarters thought about what was happening, how they felt, and what they could say about the story.

Today, we reviewed main idea and details.  This was FUN!  We read our chapter and quarters built a "table" to represent the main idea.  The legs were the details.  Now, this is not a unique idea.  I have seen it on a blog, or Pinterest, ...I'm not sure where!!! I thought it was wonderful!!  If you know where the idea came from, please let me know! 

My quarters were sooooo proud of their work!!  When we were done, we came back together to discuss/compare our tables to what we might actually see on the STAAR test.  We completed an anchor chart to remind us!

I hope that if they see a bubble map on the STAAR test, they will remember this chart and their tables and make the connection.  I think they just might!!!

On another note, we have worked on poetry and finishing up our portfolios for writing.  Our district uses Lucy Calkins (sp???) as a curriculum resource.  While I've found it difficult, throughout the year, to teach her way, I have tried.  I haven't been a big fan, unfortunately.  It's the one thing I feel I struggle through.  That being said, I have found her poetry unit VERY helpful.  As I work with it, my quarters have really began to embrace poetry, especially free verse, and some of them even do poems at home, on their own, without being assigned!!! WOW!! 

Here is an anchor chart we use to remind us that "looking with a poet's eyes" means using visual language!

I'm very excited to finish this week, make some "goodies" for them this weekend, play games and review with a passage or two on Monday.  I just know that I have enjoyed "teaching" this week!

Here is a quote that is spot on!!

"Teach me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."--Chinese Proverb

Yes!!

Always,

Testing Strategies....ppbbtt!!!

I feel like I've been neglecting my blogging duties lately.  Other than my giveaway, I really haven't had much to add...until tonight.  Yay, me!!

We are counting down to the Reading STAAR here in Texas.  There are six more days to cram their little noggins with every bit of information possible.  What's a teacher to do??  Usually, at this time, I am practicing test taking strategies and passages DAILY.  But, to be quite honest, I have finished doing that as of last Wednesday.  My quarters have practiced so much, that I feel they have given up.  So...I decided on a different approach.  I will review strategies the day before the test, but as of this week, I am reviewing the TEKS, or skills, in a completely new way.  We have started reading The Hunger Games.

Yes, you read that right.  I am reading The Hunger Games to my quarters.  Now, I am the one reading it.  Quarters do not have their own copies.  As the reader, I can edit parts that I don't feel are important to the message in the text or are too graphic. Before you question my abilities, hear me out.  (I had this conversation with a parent, and she said she "trusted" me with her child and has confidence in me.)

Right now, this movie is the be-all, end-all for my students.  Many of them have seen it. (I don't necessarily agree with that, but...) And all they talk about are the "killing parts".  I am a firm believer in movies as a support to texts, not in place of them.  Sometimes the message is lost in search of clever movie ideas.  In reading the text, I can discuss, and focus, on the parts of the story that are relevant and important.  For example, the oppression of the poor. I teach in a Title 1 school, so many quarters can relate to the "poor" message.  They didn't "get" that from the movie.  My hope is to have them think of the text and change their conversations. They are so desensitized to violence that they miss the point. This is my chance to talk about the story, not the gore. I am also able to introduce new, unique vocabulary, etc. We will spend the rest of the school year on it.  All parents signed the permission slip and many bought their children copies of the book.  As I told one parent, as an educator, I don't feel that it is my right to censor literature (as in not allowing them to read things they are interested in.)  However, it is the parent's right to do so.  And if that means the child cannot participate in the story, I have alternative materials for them.  They are not ostracized or put out.

Anyway, as we read, we work on all of our skills...context clues, plot, main idea, details, fact/opinion, summary, etc...the possibilities are endless.  Each night, their homework is to write about what we've read (a chapter), but I will ask them a STAAR question stem that they have to answer. (We do this in class, as well.)  This idea has really sent me on a more open learning path with them.  And it holds their interest!!

In writing, quarters are putting their research into "magazine" form.  I love this!!!  They have a written text, but the magazines put the research into perspective and they are able to see the non-fiction/informational side first hand.  This is coinciding with our poetry unit writing, so we have many things going on at once.  (Testing, practicing, and practicing has put us a little behind!!)

Here is a beginning example of their magazines:

As you can see, they use their flipbook to compile information.  They also have their internet printouts, with pictures, available.

They create a table of contents, etc.  (Ignore the spelling error!!!)  As we go along, I will post more pics and final examples.  But this is the path we are taking and the quarters are thrilled!!!!

Since I'm trying something new with my quarters, I think this quote will do:

"Never be afraid to try something new.  Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic." --Unknown

I LOVE IT!!!!!

Always,

Party Day!

This has been a tiring week!  And the sad part is, it's been a normal week...so I don't know why I'm so tired.  I come home everyday and take a nap for 45 minutes to an hour.  I think some of it has to do with the fact that I am not working out.  I may not have lost any weight, but I definitely had more energy!  Ugh...and, because of my ankle, I have another excuse not to go!! Yay, me!   I might as well just throw $33 in the trash each month.

**Pity party over**

Today, 3rd and 4th graders took a "mock" STAAR in Language Arts and Math.  I chose to handle mine a different way.  (These were teacher created and not required by the district.)  One of my team members compiled the 4th grade copy.  Instead of giving the test like a "mock" exam, I'm going to break it into pieces over three of four days.

My theory behind this is that my quarters are burnt out! Period.  They just finished the STAAR Writing test.  And now it seems like we are doing nothing but drill, drill, drill.  My ELLs seem to stress out and get anxious.  I understand why 3rd grade did the practice...they haven't tested since the benchmark.  I also understand Math in 4th, to an extent.  It's a good idea, I just don't think it's worth it for my quarters...at least not in the way intended.  After my quarters finish the test next week, I'm going to disaggregate the data and see where we stand.  Then I'm only going to focus on the areas we need severe help in.

Of course, life has a way of biting me in the a@@,  so I may regret my choice when the STAAR rolls around.  But I guess this is the year to make mistakes...

**Grumpy pants party over**

Always,

Awesomeness....NOT!

Today was the first day of the STAAR Writing test.  I think my quarters did OK!  I say that because no one finished in 45 minutes (happened on benchmarks).  Every one of them seemed to be on task (did NOT happen on benchmarks).  No one fell asleep or was caught daydreaming (also happened on benchmarks).  They seemed calm and relaxed.   I was really proud of them.  We won't know the results for quite some time.  But tomorrow is another day of STAAR Writing...

And I won't be there.  Yep.  After four hours of "active monitoring", I could no longer take the pain in my ankle/lower leg.  So, when they were done testing, I left and went to the Dr.  It's not my ankle (according to her).  It's most likely my lower leg.  Possible fracture.  Yep.  So I have to stay off of it tomorrow while I wait for them to call with the second round of x-ray results.  NOT HAPPY.  I WANT to be there. But I just cannot walk on it anymore.

Most of my quarters are ELLs and they have a problem with confidence.  They also love routine.  I'm afraid that they will freak out that I'm not there!!!  They know what to do and me being there really doesn't matter...it's not like I'm teaching or anything.  But there's comfort for them in the "known".  Maybe I'll call them in the morning, while they are eating breakfast...

And the class I test saw me fall!!! They were the talkers!!! ARRRGGGHHH!!!  It's not their fault, of course, but I have some sweet girls who will take it to heart.  You all understand about wanting to be there on testing day, I'm sure...

I won't be able to text my blessed team teacher or my dyslexia pal because they are testing, too.  So I will have no idea how calm or upset my kids are until after 12:30.  I don't want to miss school!!!!!!

So, I will blog-stalk, comment reply, and pin all day tomorrow...

Well, I chose the following quote from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire because it mentions pain...and I did try to "numb it" by ignoring it...

"Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.” --JK Rowling

You have NO idea...

Always,

The Day Before...

Well...today is the day before STAAR!  My quarters have had a lot of fun the last week getting ready for the test.  Yes...you read correctly...they have had FUN!  And so have I!!

I really enjoyed making surprises for them each day.  "The Writing Games" were awesome!  I know that, typically, we teachers tend to review and reteach the week before our state tests because...well..that's what we think we should do.  But, the truth is, if we've taught them to the best of our ability and done everything we can to meet their needs and have them grow, then we have done what we should do.  When we know better, we do better.  I realized that they can still review using games and fun ideas.  I have spent two months teaching how to take the test (bubble in, plan, final copy...).  If they don't know it by now...cramming them full of things on the day before the test is futile.

With that in mind, I had my quarters just write today.  No urgency, no pressure, no "if you don't do this, I will not be happy."  They practiced narrative and expository writing at their own speed.  I was available to conference with them throughout the day.  My team teacher was AWESOME.  She kept her class all day and allowed them to write as well.  I talked to them and gave them their assignments and she did the rest.  It was great!!  Don't misunderstand...I had a few who did very little to nothing...but most of them tried.

However, my kiddos were a little wild at the freedom of writing without pressure!  They were very loud in the hallway after lunch, so I turned them around to walk down the stairs and back up again. (Our building is two-stories!)  Anyway, as we were going down...I FELL!!!  My. greatest. fear.  As I was walking, I turned to make sure the rest of the class was following quietly and I skipped the bottom step.  Another teacher was standing there and I fell on my butt!!! I also twisted my ankle badly! I had to do everything I could not to cry in front of my quarters!! They had to get the nurse and everything!!!  It also seemed like every teacher in the building walked by, getting full view of my idiocy!!!!  A couple even mentioned how unfortunate it was that they didn't have their camera phones!  My kids were in shock, though!  I'm alive, in a little pain, but I will be there for the STAAR!

Now, I was super excited to give my quarters their final surprise to help them be confident during STAAR.  Since most of my students are ELLs, they sometimes lack confidence with what they can do with the English language.  But everyone received a "STAAR Survival Kit".  Here are some pics!!

 

Inside each kit, was a special note explaining what is in the kit.

Here is your STAAR Survival Kit!

1.  A pencil

to help you record your answers.

2.  A pencil top eraser

to help you correct your mistakes.

3.  A rubbing rock

to help you relieve some stress.

4.  Peppermints

to keep you awake and alert.

5.  A tracking card

to remind you to ask for one if you need it!

If this is of interest to you, you can download it from my "Free Printables" page.

I believe in my kids and their ability to succeed.  They will be fine!  So I leave you with a Potter quote that reminds me of what I want my students to believe...

“Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure.” --JK Rowling, (Ravenclaw motto)

Indeed...

Always,

Most. Fun. Ever.

My title sums up my day! I had a FANTASTIC day with my quarters!!! We had "The Writing Games"!!!!!!  I would love to know your thoughts about our day!

(Disclaimer:  Please ignore the brown butcher paper hanging on my walls.  We have our state tests in writing next Tuesday and Wednesday, so I had to take my anchor charts down and cover up things on the walls. Hahahaha! I still have more to do on Monday!)

I cannot begin to explain how wonderful my quarters did and how much they loved it!  I did, too!  So, I've decided to tell you about it...in pictures!

The quarters were greeted by this poster letting them know today was the day!!  We started off discussing the book.  I gave them a "back of the book" summary and told them that I HOPE they read the book first, before they see the movie.  (A teacher can dream, can't she???)  Next year, I will DEFINITELY introduce the book before STAAR Writing!  We then watched the trailer on IMDB.

I talked to them about key terms used in the series.  We used these terms during our games, too!  Then...we had our REAPING!!!  Each quarter wrote their name on the back of a ticket.  I drew one name at a time, announced them (extravagantly), and assigned them a district.  Our desks were already set up in groups of 4, so I named 5 districts.

I then told them what the saying/quote (below) from the books meant for us and what it meant to the Tributes in the book.

Some of my girls were so into this!! They held hands while I called out the Tributes!!! So awesome!!!

 Then, (dun dun dundun) the game began!!!!!  This is District 2 playing "Kaboom Writing"!

District 5, also playing "Kaboom Writing"!

 Quarters were allowed to write on the desks with dry erase markers!  Tissues helped them erase!!! District 1...

District 3 and 4 played "Go Fish--Parts of Speech"!

I llloooooovvvvveeeeedddd it when quarters or answer monitors went to the Word Wall to check answers!!!!!  The monitors took their jobs seriously!!!

After several rotations, the winners of each round had a "Spin Off" to the death (figuratively, of course!).  They used the spinners that they made and decorated at the beginning of the week!

We ended the games with two teams competing in a game of  "ZAP!" MiMi from 5th Grade Rocks, 5th Grade Rules! listed this game on her blog a couple of days ago and I stole borrowed it.  The kids LOVE it!!

The team with the win challenged members of the losing team to spin-offs!  The winners in each class (AM/PM) were the quarters with the most spinners collected!  I also gave a small prize to one girl Tribute and one boy Tribute!

While we were playing "The Writing Games", our 5th graders (by TOTAL coincidence) were finishing up their Olympics in the library.  They had a parade throughout the hallways to celebrate.  So our 4th graders lined the hallway to cheer them on!  It added to our theme because I correlated their parade to the parade of Tributes in The Hunger Games! I could not have asked for a better day!!!!

They had such a good time and so did I.  And it was such a great way to review!  I can rest tonight, knowing that I've done all that I can!  I love teaching!

As a special treat, my Megan came to visit my classroom during the games!  She met my students and had a chance to see what some of 4th grade is about.  Of course, my kids loved her.

I close with a quote from one of my favorite authors.  It's not a Hunger Games quote, because I couldn't find anything on my quote list that fit how I felt about today.  But my students realize every day how much I love books, and if I hadn't read The Hunger Games series, then our games today would never have happened.

“I don't believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.”
― JK Rowling

I agree, Jo, one hundred percent...

A Day Like Any Other...

 You know, today was a good day.  Nothing special happened.  My quarters didn't do poorly on our STAAR prep activities. (They didn't exactly do well, either.)  But it was a drama-less day and that's saying something...

Yesterday, we reviewed "CUPS" for the editing part of writing.  Today, we reviewed "ARMS"--add, remove, move, or substitute-- for the revising portion of writing.  Here is our anchor chart:

 
Not very "decorative", I know...but I'm way past cute at this point.  I only have  2 more school days to remind my students of all of the things they have learned (but, in some cases, forgot).  All of a sudden, I feel like I haven't done enough to prepare them!! I hate the "testing feeling".

Oh...yeah...our state assessment for writing is next Tuesday, which is technically 3 school days away,  bbuuuutttttt...

I lose one day of review because my ESL quarters from both classes, (26 of them, to be exact) have to take the TELPAS Online Reading tomorrow for four hours.  Geez, Texas...test much???????

...I need to stop the rant before I get started...

As  I've blogged before, I am using some new game ideas to help my quarters review for STAAR writing.  One of the games I taught them is called "Kaboom!"  It is a game created by MiMi at 5th Grade Rocks, 5th Grade Rules .  I downloaded it for free from her TPT store.  I actually downloaded "Kaboom--Oceanography".  I don't teach Science but I thought the game was fantabulous!  So, I changed the questions and changed it to "Kaboom--Writing".  With MiMi's encouragement, I have downloaded my writing version of her "Kaboom" on to my Free Printables page if you are interested!

On Friday, we are going to have "The Writing Games".  I've called them that, in honor of The Hunger Games. Don't worry, they aren't writing to the death.  But I will incorporate things, such as "May the odds be ever in your favor!"  I have not read the book to my quarters, but plan to at the end of the year.  However, I have no doubt that many of them will see the movie this weekend.  I love the book and I wish I had time to read it to them before the movie,  but alas...  I hope to have more info and pics this weekend.

In the spirit of the games, I will stray from Potter...

“Scores only matter if they’re very good, no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones.”
-Portia, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Well, that's not entirely true...


 
[Glitterfy.com - *Glitter Words*]

A Little Love and A Spin Class...

 I can't believe it's only Tuesday!  It really seems like a Thursday...in my mind, anyway.

I have been blessed with a "One Lovely Blog Award" by an amazing new blogger, Jillian at Jillian's Just Tinkerin' Around .  (Isn't that a neat blog name??)

 

 I feel extremely honored and I have enjoyed the linky parties that have joined us bloggers together!  I'm approaching one month of blogging and I feel like I've been doing it for months!  It's so much fun!

As a recipient of this award, it is my duty to pass it on to my fellow bloggers.  Here are the rules:

1.  Link back to the blogger who awarded it....(check)
2.  Follow the blogger who sent it to you...(check, check)
3.  Pass the award on to 15 other lovely bloggers...(uhhhhh....here we go!)

I have found and followed so many awesome blogs, but I have several that I check daily.  I know that many of them have already received this award, but I feel like I can't skip over them...they have inspired me in both my teaching and blogging!  So here they are, in no particular order:

1.   Misty at Think, Wonder, Teach  (I absolutely love her book recommendations!)
2.  MiMi at 5th Grade Rocks, 5th Grade Rules!  (Her games are fantastic!)
3.  Lindsay at My Life as a 5th Grade Teacher  (Her blog inspired me to start!)
4.  Kim at Finding JOY in 6th Grade (She went crazy for Pi!)
5.  Elizabeth at Fun in Room 4B (I totally get her "tip-toeing" into Balanced Literacy!)
6.  Heather at Beg, Borrow, and Teach (Her freebies have me hooked!)
7.  Miss Rowley at Peace, Love, and No. 2 Pencils (She's a newbie with promise!)
8.  Jessica at Dandelions and Dragonflies (I'm so waiting for a grading fairy at my house, too!)
9.  Heather at Heather's Heart (She helps me remember my first grade roots!)
10.  Rayann and Tiffany at The Lemonade Stand (Their ideas are inspirational!)
11.  Sally at     The Fearless 5th Grade Teacher  (The "Fearless" Declutterer!)
12.  Amy at The Resource(ful) Room  (Mad respect!)
13.  Kaitlin at Beyond Teaching  (Creativity is key here!)
14.  Terri at The Creative Apple  (Love, love, love the privilege jar!)
15.  Thoughts of a Third Grade Teacher  (Excellent resources!)

So, there it is.  Check out these websites...you won't regret it!!

Ok...the spin class...

All of you "exercise junkies" can go ahead and log out.  It's not that kind of spin class! Ha ha!  Oh, and political experts can log out as well!  I'm talking about the infamous "Spinners" students create every year!

Before spring break, my students taught me how to make them.  I wanted to incorporate them into a game somehow.  I was trying to brainstorm ideas, when my son enlightened me on how spinners are played. (Obviously, at my age, I'm out of the loop...my 19 year old son, however, remembers well!  Guess I know what he did during elementary school...)

Here are the "regular" rules:  Two students spin their homemade spinners.  The one that lasts the longest wins.  It's that simple.  (That's why I have confiscated 8,000 spinners from one quarter. And  I owe my quarters from last year an apology....I always accused them of making ALL of them during class...)

Anywho, today I had all of my quarters make one spinner.  My partner teacher and I combined both classes for 30 minutes so I wouldn't have to waste time doing this!  Shout out to Morvessa!  On Friday, we are going to play "The Writing Games".  Spinners are the prize!  After they compete, the winner of the game at the time gets to challenge another quarter to a spin-off!  The top spinner collector wins a big prize! My quarters took their spinners home to decorate them and make them more "spinable".  If they lose them or get them taken up by another teacher...too bad.  They are out of "The Writing Games".   Here they are practicing:

They seem extremely excited!  I hope that tying in something they love to do with writing games
on Friday, may boost their attention levels and retention!  (Hey, at this point, I'll try just about anything!!)

Before I leave, I want to share our editing review chart we did today.  When the quarters write their expository or narrative essays, one of their jobs is to edit.  We use "CUPS"...capitalization, usage, punctuation, and spelling.  It's extremely important that they use their CUPS on their sloppy copy.

I was really happy to hear them give me instances of what they should look for in their writing!  Good day, my friends, good day indeed...

I leave you with another quote...(yes, yes, there are 7 books...I have lots to quote!)

“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.” --JK Rowling

We just need to show the quarters how to use it!
Always,


[Glitterfy.com - *Glitter Words*]