It is the beginning of June and that means joining up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for her monthly Currently.

She is also collecting donations for the Wimberley Animal Adoption and Rescue. I'm sure you have heard about the devastation caused by crazy flooding in Texas. Being a Texan myself (living in New Mexico), I was very tuned into the storms COVERING THE ENTIRE STATE for days. These storms caused incredible floods in many areas.

Wimberley is about the size of the town I grew up in South Texas so my heart strings were pulled when I saw Farley's donation call.

Now on to the Currently:

Listening: My hubby is at work. My two girls are in their rooms doing their thing. 

The oldest (15) is finishing a tie-dyed shirt she been working on this week. It is precious. 

My youngest (10.....finally in her words) is cleaning her room and listening to Kidz Bop on Pandora. She's been cleaning all week and that's okay because it's summer!

Loving: My friend (and former colleague....she is moving to Fort Worth to teach 1st grade....Her new school is so lucky to have her, they have noooo idea!!) came over for lunch and to visit about just about everything. We talked about school stuff, teaching, kids, and life. So much fun. 

Thinking: We are headed to Texas in about 2 weeks and I can't wait to see everyone. We get to see both sides when we're there. Laughing, reminiscing, loving, and correcting the stories my brother has embellished over the years! 

Wanting: Our 1st grade team met right after school was out to work on our long range plan document. I have made the changes to the plan and am wanting to begin planning for my year. A little each day will keep my sane when the new year begins. 

Needing: My girls and I need to do a little shopping for the trip. Ready for some additional summer garb and beach attire. 

Summer Lovin: Happy about the slower pace of each day. Happy about being able to relax. Happy about heading to the beach later this month! 

Hope you have a fantastic June and fantastic summer!

Read more »

Lunch, Snacks, and Recess

Writing a haiku was my first grade class' final poem during the month of April.

I was very excited and a bit nervous at the same time. A haiku has a every specific syllable pattern. The first line is 5 syllables, the second line is 7 syllables, and the last line is 5 syllables. 

I had been thinking about the best way to teach and support my class as they wrote their own haiku. I contemplated modifying the poem so that instead of counting syllables the kiddos counted words. I decided to use have the kiddos count words if they were having problems with the syllables. 

At this time in the year, my kiddos have worked with syllables in reading and spelling. They have clapped, tapped, pinched, hopped, and stomped syllables all year long. 

To begin the lesson, we discussed what a haiku poem was and looked at several examples. 

Next, we quickly reviewed syllables and counted syllables in several words. 

After the quick review, we counted the syllables in the lines of several examples.

Then, I showed the class the organizer I had made. Each line had the correct syllables. I thought this would help them organize their writing.

We then wrote a haiku together. The children were amazing! They counted the syllables perfectly. When we had a line that didn't fit, they shared thoughts of words that would work and make sense.

I then, before sending them off in pairs to write, changed the organizer to the one below. The kiddos were able to write their poem and count the syllables without the original organizer. You may get a copy of this very simple organizer by clicking here.

Here are some of the poems they wrote.

After they wrote their poems, we used the app Book Creator to create a class book of our haikus. 

If you haven't used this app yet you must run and try it out as soon as possible!  Our 21st Century Learning Coordinator introduced me to it. This app allows for a simple creation of an ebook on an iPad and incorporates the features of the camera, touch screen, and microphone of the iPad to create dynamic and multimedia documents. 

After each pair completed the final draft of their poem, they added illustrations. They came to me and took pictures of their finished copies, added a title, and recorded themselves reading the poems. 

I uploaded the book as a movie and was able to share with parents. Below is the finished book!  

Needless to say, I was very proud of them and they were very proud of themselves!

Read more »

Lunch, Snacks, and Recess

Sundays can be wonderful or they can be stressful. I try to make them as relaxing and stress free as I possibly can make them. 

Today ends my Spring Break, and I am suffering from either a cold or allergies.

It is not good ending a vacation not feeling 100%. 

I am lining up with Teaching Trio for The Sunday Scoop. 

3 Things I HAVE to do:

Plan:  I love this part of my Sunday. We have Science Fair for the lower school this week. My class and I will be finishing up our volcano project on Tuesday. We have learned a ton about volcanoes and want to know if they effect the rivers and stream as the base when they erupt. You can find us in the sandbox on Tuesday morning working to answer our question.

Write a simple proposal: I've decided to offer a First Grade Jumpstart Week next fall. Any first grader, current or new, would be able to come to my classroom from 9-12 the week before school starts next year. It would give them the opportunity to see their new surroundings, meet new friends, check out all the first grade classrooms, and practice some basic skills before the work of school begins. (There, my proposal is done! Ha!). My head of school has given me permission but I told him I would write up an official proposal. 

Finish laundry: I have one more load of towels left and I'm done. Everything else is put away! Hooray!

I start my new cycle tomorrow. A load a day keeps the chaos away!

2 Things I HOPE to do:

Math Posters: I have been working all year on a math vocabulary poster set for my classroom. I have just a couple more to add and then it is complete. I hope to have them in my TPT store soon. 

Early bedtime: I did take a nap (3 hours!!!!!) after I took some Benadryl. BUT, my mom was visiting during Spring Break and we stayed up too late each night visiting. Time to get some good old fashion sleep. 

1 Thing I'm HAPPY to do:

Buddy: My friend texted over the weekend and I haven't been able to get back to her. After this I am giving her a call to visit. I just love our talks!

Here's to a fabulous week for you!

Read more »

Lunch, Snacks, and Recess