Life of a Someday Teacher

Ipad Backgrounds

2012-11-19T20:21:00.003-08:00

These are some backgrounds I created for the Ipads in my cooperating classroom. For each corner, there is a piece of technology that corresponds with it. The five Ipads each belong to a corner.

Isn't it Fall?

2012-10-22T14:43:00.001-07:00

It's the third week of October and temperatures are reaching 80 degrees. I had so many students come up to me today and ask if they needed to wear their coats outside. No way, Jose! Just a few days ago we were wearing winter coats and freezing, but I guess it's still too early to put away the summer clothes. Fall is such a beautiful time of year but it's so tricky to figure out what to wear based on the ever-changing weather!

Candy Corn Sequencing

2012-10-22T14:38:00.004-07:00

In guided reading we are talking about plot and sequence this week! My cooperating teacher had this adorable candy corn activity. Students sequenced the story Fancy Nancy: A Boy From Paris. After reading they wrote a few sentences about the beginning in the orange piece, a few about the middle in the yellow piece, and a sentence or two about the end in the white piece. The pieces were cut out and glued onto black construction paper. Since parent-teacher conferences are also this week it'll make a fun and festive addition to the wall art in the hallway!

Tally Mark Poem

2012-10-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

This week we have been learning about money. Today we worked to create an organized list using tally marks. I found this cute little poem on pinterest courtesy of http://tekyteach.blogspot.com/2011/09/this-and-that-in-first-grade_20.html. It was a fun review for the 2nd grade kids.

Visualizing

2012-10-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

Starting this week I began teaching math. Next week I will be picking up spelling and one guided reading group. We will be focusing on visualizing during the guided reading group. I created the worksheet below to use as we work on this reading skill.

Intro Letter

2012-10-03T16:24:00.001-07:00

My cooperating teacher thought it would be a good idea to write a letter to the parent's of our students explaining to them who I am and what I'm doing. She also told me to make it cute. I think this is such a fun idea! I made the bunting and the owl on Photoshop and Illustrator.

First Week in the Classroom

2012-10-02T20:09:00.001-07:00

It's my first full-time week in the classroom! It actually feels pretty weird to have finally made it to this point. Next week I'll start transitioning into my role as student teacher.

I'm going to start with math and slowly take over the entire class. I'm pretty excited about this curriculum. The kids seem to like it and the videos that go along with the lessons explain everything really well.

It also helps that this is my FAVORITE time of year. I was so excited when I found out that I would be student teaching in the fall. I love the idea of being in the classroom while the leaves are changing and everyone is getting ready for the holidays.

Tomorrow is football day so I'm going make some pinteresty little football brownies and wear my new Tiger's football hoodie! I already love being a teacher!

Non-verbal Cues and Positive Reinforcement

2012-09-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

I am officially half way through block classes! In classroom management we've been discussing non-verbal cues and reinforcements. For an assignment, we had to create a poster that represented ten examples of each. Above is my poster.

I love the idea of sign language in the classroom for several reasons. My aunt and uncle are deaf so I already know some sign language. It's a great way to communicate without disrupting everyone. It's also a TON of fun for elementary school students. I remember when I was a kid and my friends and I used to do little secret signs for everything!

The other non-verbal cues were just ones I found online or thought of from my school experiences.

I decided to go with positive reinforcements because I think that it's important to show students that they are loved and cared about. I'm not naive enough to think that students will never need to be admonished but having a list of ways to show students some encouragement is something I think many teachers need!

This semester I've decided since I don't have time to do "pinteresty" or crafty things that I will make my homework as cute and fun as possible. :)

First POST!

2012-09-07T20:58:00.003-07:00

Hey All!

This is my first blog post in this cute little space that I intend to fill with all things teaching. I'm currently in my last semester of college and getting ready to teach in the best classroom anyone could ask for! Most of the lessons and ideas I will be posting will be targeted towards the 2nd grade since that's the grade I'll be teaching. :)

A Little about ME

I'm 23 years old and I'm married to the most awesome guy I know (cliche but true)! We have a couple adorable dogs - one is afraid of everything and the other is psychotic. When I'm not in block classes or doing homework right now, I'm a photographer and I'm an administrative assistant for Southwest Missouri AHEC. I also love doing crafty projects and traveling. And I love Jesus with all my heart. That's pretty much it.