There's No Place Like Second Grade (And now Third!)

#DoYOU: Just Say No "One Size Fits All"

2016-04-16T20:05:00.004-04:00

I've been an edublogger for almost four years now (although that term should be applied lightly as I've been more educator and less blogger as of late). I've noticed a trend: four years ago you'd see post after post about the goings-on of individual classrooms (with lots of authentic, unpolished images). Now the blogosphere and social media is filled with posts, images, and videos telling you (the reader and teacher) to do x, y, or z and why you should abandon a, b, and c.

As a teacher first and edublogger second, I have to say that I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated for new teachers, who may feel pulled in 1,000 different directions - and likely pit against the realities of their classrooms and the window dressing of social media (which the fantastic Jillian Starr talks about here). I'm frustrated for veteran teachers, who may feel like the many strategies and practices used during their successful teaching career are being called into question or labeled as "what not to do". I'm frustrated for "in-between" teachers just hitting their stride in the profession, like myself, who now feel stuck between "what's new" and "what's working."

After biting my tongue for months and scrolling on past image after image and post after post with the "you must do THIS" tone, it hit me like Monday morning on a full moon. We are, in many ways, doing to ourselves what we so ardently fight against legislators doing: making assumptions about classrooms other than our own and prescribing a one size fits all solution.

So this is my version of "you must do x, y, and z and NOT a, b, and c."

Not every child will learn best sitting on the floor, a wobble chair, a rocker, a yoga ball, or while standing up. Some children will learn best at a desk.

Not every child will learn best with an iPad, or scanning a QR code, or making a video. Some children will learn best without a piece of technology in their hand.

Not every child will learn best by completing a craftivity, doing an interactive notebook, or finishing a recording sheet in a center. Some children will learn best with just a paper and pencil.

Not every child will learn best with a room filled from ceiling to floor with fluorescent anchor charts, laminated posters, or more bulletin board border than the teacher store. Some children will learn best with less stimulation.

Not every child's behavior will be managed by classroom currency, a positive clip chart (yes, even mine!), brag tags, Class Dojo, or a positive note home. Some children will need a clip chart, color system, or "old-fashioned" phone call home.

Every child, however, will learn best with a teacher that considers their needs - not the needs of the child in a classroom clear across the country viewed through the lens of Periscope, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or a blog.

What's one size fits all in education? The need for a critically reflective, life-long learner in the role of teacher.

I believe fully that our community of educators in this digital space is a blessing. I have learned so much, and I have grown so much as an educator. I feel blessed to have shared my knowledge with other educators, too. But with an audience of this size, those of us that participate in these conversations about our practice have to acknowledge that we don't know the reality of those on the other side of the connection - and must frame our opinions, strategies, and experiences accordingly.

If your students benefit from alternative seating? Rock on! If your students learn better by reading on an iPad? Do it! If your students are motivated by themed decorations and lots of color? Keep it!

At the end of the day, I don't know what's best for your classroom. I don't know your students - or you! I can't possibly give you better advice or insight than you can give yourself by making something your own. Do whatever is best for your students and leave the rest in your browser history.

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Why Teachers are Silent on Race Relations

2015-09-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

When I started writing this post, I found myself focusing on explaining the concept of privilege -- and particularly white privilege. I feel led, however, to just write from the heart rather than by the book. If you want to read about white privilege prior to reading the rest of this post, there are some great resources here, here, and here.

When you're finished reading, please go and read what Tamara, from Mrs. Russell's Room, has to say about discussing race. I'm thrilled to be partnering with her to start a dialogue on this important issue.

I'm white. I say this first because while it's an obvious fact if you're staring at my smiling face on the sidebar of my blog, it's important to emphasize that I am writing this post as a white woman.

I'm writing this post as a white woman charged with educating primarily children of color.

I make that distinction because it's a distinction I have to be aware of each day. While I do share some common experiences with the children I teach -- living with extended family members like grandparents, for example -- I cannot directly relate to their experiences of being a racial minority. I cannot understand what it is like to lack the societal, economic, and cultural privileges attached to being white.

As educators, I firmly believe we have a responsibility to talk about all manner of privilege in our communities -- socioeconomic, ability, gender, language, and yes, racial privilege. We have to know how to advance our community, and to do that, we have to acknowledge the barriers that may exist. In order to fight for equity, we have to know what it is that we're up against.

Because it is we not them. As we love our students, their families, our colleagues, and neighbors -- and want the best for them -- we have to see their success and place in this world as our own.

So how do we talk about privilege? How do we talk about race?

I know firsthand how uncomfortable it can be to enter into these conversations with our colleagues and peers. I know that it can often feel, as a white educator, that we have no business engaging in conversations about this. I hear that, all too often, whether for reasons of not wanting to offend or genuinely thinking it's not our problem.

It is our problem. It's our responsibility to be uncomfortable so that we can learn and grow. So that we can be an ally. Love thy neighbor enough to experience that discomfort and thrive in it.

So what CAN you do?

1. Check your judgments and reflect. When you find yourself making a judgment about a student, their family, or colleague, stop. Ask yourself -- "What is this judgment rooted in? How did I get from point A to point Z?" The answer may be your own prior experiences, it may be what you've seen or heard from the experiences or others, or it may be prejudice. Whatever it is, ask yourself -- "Is this really true about this person? Do I know this to be fact? What is the benefit to me believing this?"

Where our own thoughts are coming from color our worldview. We can't begin to make a difference and be a positive force in our community for equity if we are not first looking for the answers at home in our own hearts and minds.

2. Before anything else, LISTEN. When you're engaged in a conversation about privilege with someone, listen far more than you speak. Actively listen and consider their perspective, even if it varies widely from your own. Listen as if your life depends on it because theirs may.

Everything isn't about you. We can't begin to understand how privilege works in our world and how it impacts our students if we do not truly listen when others reach out to help us understand. Listen, especially when it comes from a place of anger because behind that anger is a world of hurt that we have a responsibility to honor.

3. Affirm. Be an ally. When you're engaged in that likely uncomfortable conversation, use the words "I hear you. I'm listening and thinking." more than any others. Mean them. Before you ask questions or share your perspective, consider what has been said. Think about what you want to convey.

It's okay to take your time. You don't have to say anything just to say something. If you aren't sure what to say because you need more time to consider your position or reflect, say so. Validate the feelings and perspective that's been expressed to you. Ask for feedback -- "What can I do?" -- and use it.

The discomfort I feel talking about race, socioeconomic, ability, male, and language privilege is necessary. The world does not seek to make me comfortable, and to feel uncomfortable is to grow. I ask my students, day-in, day-out to do hard work. I, too, must do the hard work to brick by brick take down the wall that impedes them -- that impedes their family, that impedes some of my colleagues. Love thy neighbor enough to seek out that discomfort.

Three Ways to Build Character with GoNoodle

2015-09-06T10:40:00.000-04:00

I am so thrilled to be a part of GoNoodle's Back to School Blogger Blitz! If you've read my blog or followed my Facebook fan page for any length of time, you know I have a deep, deep love for GoNoodle. I've guest-blogged for them before, and use it DAILY in my classroom. It's simply put, my favorite instructional tool. {Make sure you read to the bottom of the post so that you can WIN, WIN, WIN!}

Today I'm excited to share with you the three ways I use GoNoodle to build character in my students. Building character, to me, is the daily piece that makes all other instructional and non-instructional tasks easier. I cannot overemphasize the important of strong character in students and how it relates to classroom and school culture!

1. Visualizing Success

I want my students to have a "can-do" attitude, to see the positive in all situations, to persevere when the going gets tough. School, for many of my students, can often be a place that is daunting and where success sometimes feels far away. I want them to be able to weather those moments with confidence and ease -- and I use GoNoodle's "Think About It" feature to build that.

Before ANY graded assignment or test, we watch the "Try Your Best" video. My students close their eyes, take deep breaths, and repeat what's written on their name tags. I've had students even request this video in the past when they've felt like they need that extra reminder to use their perseverance to their advantage -- what an amazing testimony to how this reaches kids!

2. Developing Positive Peer Relationships

I want my students to understand the importance of their classmates in their school life. I want my students to feel like they are a part of a classroom community, not just a classroom. I use the "Think About It" feature at times when there may be a teachable moment with peer interaction. The "Be a Good Friend," "Be a Team Player," and "Make Someone Happy" videos have really helped to refocus our energy on the positive.

I follow that up with an energizing team-building video like Koo Koo Kanga Roo's "Secret Handshakes" or some of the fantastic newer "Brainercise with Mr. Catman" that require coordination between partners. This allows students to directly relate to their peers following a moment of mindful reflection on being a positive force in our classroom.

3. Being Disciplined

Becoming skilled at a whole-body task like yoga requires discipline. For any primary teacher, developing discipline -- particularly self-discipline -- is an on-going challenge. We also know that cross-body coordination is critical for brain development. I love to use Maximo's yoga videos to develop discipline in my students.

We start small, with an easier video like "Hug it Out" to get the hang of the discipline required to stay quiet, centered, and breathing. Eventually we work up to more challenging videos like "Eagle Pretzel" or "Willow Willow." The students love to challenge themselves, but also to have an opportunity to have a calming, reflective moment. I love participating with them because of the opportunity to center myself!

I hope you'll consider using GoNoodle to expand your students' character! I love using it for a variety of things, including plain 'ol movement brain breaks, but I also love using it to enhance our classroom community.

Now for the GOOD stuff -- who's ready to win TWENTY-FIVE GONOODLE SWEATBANDS?!

Enter by completing the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The fabulous folks at GoNoodle also gave me a coupon code to share for their shop. From now through September 11th, my readers can get 15% off any purchase by entering the code BTSwithGoNoodle at checkout.

All of YOUR Questions Answered

2015-08-07T16:55:00.001-04:00

The response to my character education clipchart, Clippin' for Character, has been absolutely overwhelming. I am so humbled by and appreciative of the feedback, Q&A's, e-mails, Facebook posts and comments about this system I use in my classroom. I've tried my best to respond personally to each inquiry, but wanted to also answer questions in a central location so that you're able to share this easily with your colleagues, administration, and parents. {You can read the original blog post here.}

As with anything, YOU know YOUR students best. The way I implement this clip chart in my classroom isn't necessarily the best way for you to implement it in yours -- please make it your own, and let it be a reflection of YOU and YOUR classroom community... that's the best possible feedback you could give me!

Why bother with character education at all?

I'm a big believer in spending time up-front to develop a strong classroom community so that I don't have to spend that same time (or more!) later writing discipline referrals, making negative phone calls, or redirecting a child in the midst of an important learning opportunity. While it can be tempting to skimp on developing rules, procedures, and norms at the beginning of the year -- because we "shouldn't have to do this" -- I think it's critical to a successful classroom. Students that have high expectations for themselves in their words and deeds are a lot less likely to be distractors and disrupters later in the year when time is at a premium.

I choose to use character education as a huge piece of this because let's face it -- rules & procedures may differ from room to room... but the importance of developing strong character does not. Being caring, fair, respectful, responsible, trustworthy, and a good citizen is valued in each and every classroom or space in our school. I also believe personally that I should play a role in shaping a child's personal character -- after all, they spend 7.5 hours with me over the course of 180 days. It'd be awful hard NOT to do so.

Can I use this WITH a traditional clip chart?

ABSOLUTELY. While I do not use one myself, I have heard from many readers that have used it successfully in conjunction with their traditional clip chart. Most readers have used a different color clip {sometimes patterned}. For clip charts that already have additional positive levels (above green), I've heard from readers that have had students clip to the character trait they exhibited at the same time they move their clip above green.

For example: Suzy displayed empathy toward a classmate that was having a hard time -- Suzy moves to blue on the traditional clip chart and also places her special clip on "caring" on the character education chart. This allows you to give parents extra information at the end of the day -- why was Suzy on blue? Well, Suzy was on blue because she displayed the "caring" character trait. It's a great way to make your praise specific.

How do you teach children the traits? Can 2nd graders (or 1st graders or Kindergarteners) really understand them?

I teach my students each trait in multiple ways, as I know that a best practice in teaching is approaching any topic from multiple entry points. Each trait is taught through read-alouds, role-playing, writing prompts, anchor charts, group discussions, and day-to-day interactions. While I do front-load these learning opportunities at the beginning of the year, there is not a day that goes by that I do not reinforce them, even if it's a 30-second connection during guided reading or in the hallway to/from specials.

A child's age or grade level does not preclude them from internalizing the meaning of these traits, though the time it takes to do so may differ. Integrating the traits and clip chart into your classroom on a daily basis allows the students to learn by example in addition to learning from the lessons. Modeling the traits and highlighting peer models is a great way to teach them.

In the resource you'll find links to books that I've personally used to teach the traits. I will be adding teaching resource units for each trait to my store this fall, as well as a classroom rule/community building pack to jumpstart your positive classroom management!

Do you make sure students go on the chart every day? Can a child be recognized more than once? Do you monitor how often they're on the chart? Do students monitor themselves?

I do not put every child on the clip chart every day. At the beginning, I do make an effort to recognize an instance of one of the traits in each child every few days so that they internalize the system. This isn't forced -- the students are still earning it, I'm just putting in more effort to actively looking for the behavior.

If a student is already on the chart but earns their way on to another character trait, I put them there. I don't keep multiple clips for each student, so they simply move their clip. They're generally SO PROUD (and I am too, and make a big deal of it with hugs & high-fives) that they do not forget to include the second (or third) trait at the end of the day when they mark their chart and I mark mine.

I track the students that are on the chart at the end of each day using an easy checklist that I keep on a clipboard at my desk. At the beginning of the year I'll just tally, since I'm actively looking for the behaviors more often. After we've established and integrated the chart fully in our day-to-day activities, I will write dates instead of tallies so that I can tell if it's been a while since a particular child has been recognized.

My students are responsible for bringing me their take-home folder at the end of the day to mark their charts. I set out my stickers {simple colored smileys, sometimes smelly if I've got them!} and they pick the corresponding sticker. If they clipped on two or more traits, I have some smaller stickers that they use or they use my smelly pens to draw smileys. In the beginning, I tend to do a lot of this myself as students learn the procedure -- but then I let them take ownership and I get to just give lots of high-fives and hugs!

What do you do if a child isn't earning their way on the chart?

I consider this chart to be a Tier I intervention, meaning that it should reach 80% of my students. For the remaining 20%, this chart should be a part of other interventions (such as an individualized behavior plan, check-in/check-out system) that we have in place in our tiered PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports) system. I've found that this chart reaches more than 80% of my students, and even for my students that receive Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, is an important part of the PBIS process.

I follow a few steps when a child hasn't been on the chart in a week or more. First, I look at myself. Am I missing subtle instances of positive character? I give myself a day or two of more purposeful monitoring of that student before deciding if next steps are needed.

Next, I look at the student. Are they displaying negative behaviors, or are they meeting expectations? If a student is displaying negative behaviors, I follow our school's PBIS program to intervene with short-term Tier 2 interventions. I also take this time to coach the student through checking-in with them 1:1 more often, pairing them with a student that consistently exceeds our classroom expectations, and just generally giving them positive attention whenever possible.

Finally, I involve their family support system. I call home or catch them at dismissal to just check-in -- are they noticing anything different at home, has anything changed in their situation, etc. Families are a GREAT first line of defense when something is "amiss" and I really value their partnership.

How do you communicate with parents using this system? Do they expect their child to be on the clip chart each day?

Each of my students has a take-home folder that goes home each day and comes back each morning. This folder is used for basic home-school communication -- we send home flyers, graded papers, etc. It has prongs in the middle, which is where the character calendar is placed.

The purpose of the character calendar is to allow a child to celebrate their successes and character development with their family. At the beginning of each year I send home a sample calendar as well as discuss it at Open House and the first parent-teacher conference. We talk about the goal of the character clip chart (to develop positive character among students and strengthen our classroom community) and the expectations.

I am very clear with parents and my students: being on the chart is earned, not given. Their child will not be on the chart every day. That does not mean that they were bad or had inappropriate behavior -- it just means that today they were not specifically recognized for an instance of positive character.

How do you use the brag tags, certificates, and bracelets? Do they get one each time?

The first time a student has earned their way on to a particular trait they earn the corresponding brag tag. By the end of the year, I've always had every child earn all six of the corresponding brag tags. Some take a month to earn them all, some take until the last week of school. It's all about the child's journey and progress, not the speed with which they do it.

Students take such pride in putting them onto their tags! Rather than award the tags in the middle of a lesson, I award all the tags for the week at once. My students wear their brag tags each Friday (to minimize distraction), and are given their new tags during our morning meeting that day. {They also wear them to assemblies or on other special occasion.} Their necklaces are HUGE sources of excitement and pride, and they love taking them home at the end of the year!

I award the certificates to students monthly. Each month, my school focuses on one of the particular traits (or a combination of two or more) as a part of our PBIS initiative. Any student that has earned that particular trait that month is awarded a certificate. I like to make two copies -- one color that they take home, and one in black & white that they color and we string on our walls {since some students don't have a fridge at home to hang it on!}. I award the certificates during the last Friday morning meeting of the month.

I keep a large stash of the paper bracelets in the clip chart basket. This basket also holds all of the student's clips on its edge, as well as our class mascot, Toto. If I have it, I do copy the bracelets on the coordinating colored paper, but the kids love white copies just the same -- mostly because they will color them during indoor recess or after morning work in the morning. At the end of the day when they're filling out their character calendars students grab one and tape it on so that they can make a big deal out of it the minute they get home!

If you still have a question about Clippin' for Character after reading this FAQ, please let me know by leaving your question in the comments! I will be happy to respond and add an answer to the post.

If you're interested in sharing Clippin' for Character with your team or staff, I do have a 25-license pack available at a deeply discounted price! I'm also available to do staff development via Skype, Google Hangouts, and in-person on the East Coast. Please e-mail me for more information at noplacelikesecond@gmail.com!

#VATeacherBloggersMeet

2015-08-07T12:51:00.001-04:00

Last Friday a group of 30 fabulous Virginia teacher bloggers {including myself!} descended upon the Jefferson Lakeside Country Club for an afternoon of networking, laughs, food, drinks, and some incredible swag and prizes! It was an incredible time, and well worth all of the planning and logistics that went into it. I want to share some of the experience with you!

First of all, I have to tell you how absolutely AMAZING all of our sponsors were to work with. If you are making any back-to-school purchases this year, I really urge you to consider purchasing from these businesses and individuals -- they truly value teachers and aren't afraid to show it!

A HUGE thank you goes especially to Educents (one of THE best companies around!) for helping with the costs of the meetup and providing some FANTASTIC swag! Make sure you check out their new Educents Wallet feature to get all of those resources for your classroom at a steep discount! If you sign-up for a new teacher wallet account you'll receive $10 to spend on your classroom -- who couldn't use $10?!

GoNoodle provided us with a great tote to carry all of our swag in, as well as lanyards. I'm *super* thankful for the lanyard because mine broke during summer school and I did not want to rock a lame lanyard the first day of school!

We had over $4,000 in prizes thanks to these fantastic folks! I have to say I was torn between two prizes: one of the Ellison die-cutting packages and the SitSpots giftcard. I am SUPER excited to report that my raffle ticket was pulled from the SitSpots bag, so I've got yellow brick road SitSpots coming my way -- WOOHOO!

Check our our FANTASTIC sponsors:

[Educents] [GoNoodle] [ESGI] [Learning Resources] [Ellison] [A+ Images] [Science4Us] [SNAP! Learning] [VocabularySpellingCity] [SitSpots] [Classroom Friendly Supplies] [Kasefazem] [Really Good Stuff] [Planbook.com] [Teacher Created Resources] [Jessica Saunders, ThirtyOne]

And some AMAZING TpT sellers that contributed raffle prizes or digital swag:

[Teaching in the Tongass] [Janiel Wagstaff] [Kimberly Geswein] [Polka Dots & Pals] [Laugh, Eat, Learn Designs] [Whimsy Workshop] [Jewel's School Gems] [The Joy of Teaching] [The Teacher Studio] [KristyBear Designs] [Chalk & Apples] [Teaching in Progress] [There's No Place Like Second Grade]

1. Seeing everyone milling around, getting to know each other while they played their "Find Someone Who..." for an extra raffle ticket was so special. Many of us had never met each other in person, but you didn't see a lonely person in the bunch! I love our group because we are so diverse but also so welcoming and collaborative. {Have I mentioned we're starting a Virginia collaborative blog?!}

2. Seeing everyone's face when they saw the prize table and picked up their swag bags! No one except myself and my fantastic co-hosts knew about the swag or prizes. We wanted our fellow teacher bloggers to be pleasantly surprised and they certainly were! So many of my colleagues walked away with incredible prizes that will help get their years off to a GREAT start.

3. We had a HUGE Oprah moment at the end of our meetup. You see, our incredible sponsor Learning Resources worked so hard to get our swag there on time but we weren't sure it'd make it. Nikki's husband and son were on the lookout for the FedEx man and they brought it to the meetup site as soon as it arrived. We got to play Oprah -- "YOU get a set of magnetic border! YOU get a set of magnetic border!" -- it was SO MUCH FUN.

You can see more fun meetup photos by looking at the hashtag #VATeacherBloggersMeet on Instagram, or by looking at the photo album below!

On Friday, July 31st, a group of 30 fabulous Virginia teacher bloggers {including myself!} descended upon the Jefferson...

Posted by There's No Place Like Second Grade on Friday, August 7, 2015

Some of the fantastic Virginia teacher bloggers from the meetup are linking up with me to share their favorite moments and photo memories from the meetup, as well as share their swag and prizes! Be sure and check-out their posts!

Why I'll NEVER Get Rid of My Clip Chart

2015-08-02T11:22:00.002-04:00

I will never get rid of my clip chart. Ever.

I've read so many thought-out, well-meaning posts on clip charts -- on both sides of the spectrum. I don't know what's right for you or your classroom... no one knows that but you. This post isn't about what YOU should do. It's about what I've done and will continue to do until I pack-up my classroom for the final time. Should you get inspired, invigorated, and motivated to do the same? Well, that's just a bonus.

My clip chart helps to shape my classroom -- and my beautiful students -- into a caring community of productive citizens. Without it, I have no doubt that counselor and office referrals would rise, I'd spend a greater portion of my time on the phone telling parents negative things about their children, and the teacher-student relationship would suffer miserably.

I teach in a school of children in transition. Children that come from low socio-economic status households, many with both limited English language skills and limited educational attainment. Children that may change phone numbers, homes, and/or caregivers multiple times during the school year. We are a PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) school, which means we spend a lot of time front-loading expectations and use a tiered system of interventions. For many of my students, the only constant is me and my classroom.

I'm sure many of you reading this can relate.

It can be hard. Emotionally draining. Mentally exhausting.

It has been for me. It was almost too much.

Until my clip chart saved me. Saved my classroom. Saved my kids.

Last year I spent the first month of school tying my clip chart into each and every language arts lesson. Every read aloud. Every writing assignment. We spent hours discussing our clip chart.

Caring, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, and Citizenship are big words for children. For any children, but especially children whose primary concern is where their next meal is coming from, whom they are going home to, and where they'll sleep that night.

They're big, important, tough words.

But my kids? My kids lived them.

I have to tell you that as a teacher, no moment will ever be as important to me as the moment last Fall when one of my kiddos was having a hard time. He felt inadequate. Nervous. He felt stupid because he wasn't sure he could finish an assignment.

One of my sweet little girls leaned over to him and said, "Remember that learning is a great responsibility, like Mrs. Plum says. Part of being responsible is trying. Just try. Put your heart into it and try. You're going to do it -- just believe in yourself. I believe in you and so does Mrs. Plum."

Cue. the. tears.

As I (tried to) cry quietly in the darkness of the back of the room, I watched my sweet little boy try his hardest. And though he didn't get it all right, he did his best. He was proud of himself. And I was too.

He came up to me later and said, "She really made me feel good about myself. She made me feel cared about. Can I put her clip on the chart and give her a tag for her necklace?"

Yes. Of course you can.

That was just one of dozens upon dozens of moments last year when my kids recognized each other's character on our clip chart. There were many more moments when I did too. Small moments -- helping someone up when they fell, sharing a piece of technology when their friend missed out the day before, turning their full attention to the speaker -- and bigger moments, too.

Moments like the one when we had a few rough days. When we just weren't in sync. When we sat down on the carpet, talked about what we wanted to do with our lives and then figured out a plan to get there. A plan that involved six little traits hanging on our wall, put into action.

Moments like that, that seemed almost too big for an eight year old to grasp... and yet, they did.

This isn't your average clip chart, by any means. Students don't start on the chart each day -- they earn their way on. Each day is a new day, and not every day will end with a student's clip on the chart. There were, of course, moments where we used our clip chart as a reference to talk about something they did that didn't meet their expectations, their classmate's expectations, or mine.

But it wasn't about clipping up or down -- there wasn't any of that.

In particular, there was a time last year when one of my girls lied to me -- as kids are sometimes prone to do. Instead of clipping down, or calling home, or sending her to talk to the counselor, we talked privately during recess.

She and I had a conversation -- not a lecture -- about why we value trustworthiness. She understood what it meant and we it's so important to our classroom family. She was sorry. She apologized to me. She apologized to herself. We hugged. She ran off to play with her friends who gave her hugs too.

And that was that.

She didn't take her clip off the chart (she had earned her way on earlier that day for demonstrating caring with our part-time inclusion students). Taking her clip off the chart would send a message to her I didn't want to send: you're only as good as your last mistake. Her breach of trust in lying to me did not erase her actions earlier in the day. It just showed us both that it's an area we need to work on... together.

The culture that our clip chart developed in our classroom is one that I will always look back to for the rest of my teaching career. We are a family because we have a core set of values that we think about as we interact with each other day after day. I can hold myself to those same values and reflect on whether or not I've met my obligation too.

I am immeasurably blessed to get to spend another year with my kids, this time in third grade. I'd spend the rest of their days in school with them if I could -- we're that bonded.

I know I owe so much of it to our clip chart.

I'll never get rid of it.

{You can read more about the components of my clip chart alternative here and purchase it here. If you have any questions about it, please leave a comment and I will answer it.}

"Fish are Friends, NOT Food!" {Shark Week Blog Hop!}

2015-07-05T03:22:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited to be a part of a team of bloggers coming together to help your students take a BITE out of learning with a theme your students are sure to love! I promise that our shark-themed freebies are MUCH friendlier than the sharks patrolling the East Coast these days!

I love teaching math, and I pride myself on pulling out all of the stops to dig deep with my students and make sure that they understand the process, not just the outcome! This past year I worked hard to put together a monthly series of differentiated word problems geared toward first and second grade students (as well as third graders that need remediation). I'm extremely proud of them, and the growth that they helped my students make throughout the year!

What I'm bringing to you today is a fun, shark-themed sample of a mini-lesson (illustration with modeled examples) and two additional practice problems. These are just like the monthly packs, except they've got a fintastic theme to them!

Don't miss out! Be sure to go for a swim and visit the fantastic Megan Wheeler at Mrs. Wheeler's First Grade! Each and every blog in the Shark Week Blog Hop features a jawesome freebie for you and your students- but hurry! Shark Week only lasts until Sunday, July 12!

An InLinkz Link-up

Close Reading? It's a SNAP!

2015-05-12T00:58:00.001-04:00

I recently contacted SNAP! Learning for a demo of their close reading portfolios. My students currently have access at home and at school to Reading A-Z's RAZ Kids program, and have previously used iStation. While my students are happy to utilize technology in any form during reader's workshop, I have felt like something has been missing -- a focus on reading closely, and reading for deeper meaning!

I had seen a few of my blogging pals chatting about SNAP! Learning's close reading portfolios and I was intrigued. I liked that students would be led through a series of tasks, and that it was more than just clicking multiple-choice answers like they do currently on RAZ Kids.

Once I got my login for my demo, loading students was a breeze! I used their downloadable Excel spreadsheet to quickly load students in. One feature I really loved off-the-bat was the ability to group my students into their reading groups. This feature tied into the assigning of tasks, which made everything seamless. All told it took me about 20 minutes to setup my class with logins and create initial assignments for each reading group.

As I teach ELL's, modeling is a MUST. I created a "dummy" account for us to use as a class, and we went through one of the close reading portfolios together on the SmartBoard. This was an AWESOME experience, as it let me see already how students were responding to the open-ended tasks, and gave me some great ideas about how to incorporate this into their daily digital learning.

One thing I really appreciated about the way the close reading portfolio was setup is that it doesn't rush kids. We didn't complete the portfolio in a single sitting -- we experienced the text the way it should be when reading closely, and really dove in head-first! We took turns typing our answers, which was admittedly a bit of a learning curve for my kiddos that aren't totally used to typing a significant amount of text.

We practiced logging in and out, and picking back up where we left off. It's important to me that my kiddos return to a task until it's completed, rather than just clicking through things randomly (as I've seen them do with RAZ Kids). Their time spent with technology should be valuable, not just technology for the sake of it!

After we'd modeled all aspects of the program, I allowed students to use SNAP! during their technology rotations in reader's workshop. Students were able to use it with a high-level of independence, and while not perfect, their responses signal to me that they are thinking and reading for meaning which was my goal!

As a teacher, the reporting and resource side of the SNAP! products is phenomenal. I love that unknown or tricky words highlighted by students during the first part of their close read show up in their wordlists! This gives me such insight about the academic and tiered vocabulary that my ELL students are still in need of.

I also am in complete and utter LOVE with the guided reading companion lessons for the close reading portfolios. We're starting life cycles this week, and it just so happens there's a 2nd/3rd grade portfolio for the life cycle of the butterfly! This text is an ELL-teacher's dream, as the three-lesson setup complete with cloze notes, vocabulary, and text-feature focus is PERFECT for creating accessibility for your varying ELL levels.

I'm thrilled to be able to use the close reading portfolios and companion lessons the rest of this school year, as there's so much instruction to be had! I'd highly recommend requesting a demo (click this link here) and seeing for yourself all that this product has to offer!

Disclosure Statement: I was not financially compensated for this post. I was graciously given an opportunity to review this product, and all opinions are my own and based on my direct experience with the product.

BIG news -- and a giveaway!

2015-04-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

I've got some awesome news!!! Educents is opening a marketplace, which means now you can purchase items from seller stores any day -- in addition to the great deals they already offer! There are over 500 stores in the marketplace ready for you to save some money, including MINE! Some great bloggers and I are joining together on this blog hop to introduce ourselves and show you the great products we have in our stores!

My name is Sarah Plum, and I'm a second grade teacher in Northern Virginia! My passion for teaching is deeply rooted in the population I currently serve, which is a very diverse population of primarily English Language Learners. In everything I do, I strive to reach my incredible students and open doors for them so they can achieve their dreams!

In addition to being a second grade teacher, I'm also a Mom to two very sweet boys! My oldest son, William, is currently in Kindergarten and is LOVING school. My youngest son, Henry, is about to turn two and is in love with all things musical -- he loves to move his body and dance!

My husband, Rich, is also a certified teacher. He is the absolute best part of my life (other than my two sweet boys) -- and my partner in crime! If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be able to continue to do what I love and create resources for other educators to use in their classrooms.

When I'm not working or creating, you'll find me exploring the D.C. Metro area with my family! We especially love visiting the zoo in the spring and summer, and we know the Natural History Museum by heart! (The above picture was taken this winter when we FINALLY got to tour the White House -- talk about COOL.)

Besides creating resources (which is something I truly love to do) and explore D.C. with my family, I love to read! I know, I know, shocking that a teacher would love to read, but it's true!

My favorite professional read lately has been Number Sense Routines by Jessica Shumway. Developing number sense is something I'm super passionate about in my classroom, and I'm always looking for ways to beef up my daily instruction in that area. This is a quick, easy read with a WEALTH of information -- I'm on my third read!

My favorite read-aloud is (no surprise here) The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Reading this with my class changed our whole dynamic -- and my life as a teacher -- but it is genuinely just an amazing book to read aloud. The chapters are brief, the characters are endearing, and the content drives MANY discussions. I'm very passionate in my belief that every educator should read it!

My favorite pleasure-read is The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. I first read it in high school and I've since read it four times, discovering something new each time. I love a good thriller -- both in print and on film -- so this is the PERFECT book for me. If you haven't read it, you should! If you have, try reading a few of Dan Brown's other great novels -- I've read many of them!

I'm super excited to share with you this EXCLUSIVE Educents freebie, direct from my Matter Matters pack, just released (and on-sale). This freebie features a 20-question SCOOT game to help your students review the key elements of matter, its three states, and the phase changes that can occur.

If you're not a big SCOOT fan, but you love task cards, you can use this game all the same and make it a science station or task for an early finisher. Likewise you can also change things up and do a daily review throughout your unit by featuring a single question or use it as a write-the-room -- the possibilities are endless!

Be sure and follow my store for more freebies and exclusive sales -- you can do it by clicking the image below, and then click on the gray heart that says "Follow Me!" below my store name. If you're not sure where it is, don't worry -- I've got a handy graphic below!

I'm THRILLED to be linking up with some other amazing educators to give away some Edubucks that you can use in the brand new marketplace or on the always-fabulous deals. Enter below, and then be sure and head to visit my other pals to see what freebie they're offering up!

An InLinkz Link-up

Open The Door and Teach

2015-03-30T10:52:00.000-04:00

When I entered the teaching profession, I often heard this advice -- "sometimes you just have to close your door and teach." It was almost always uttered in conversations surrounding standardized testing or the collection of data, and it was always said in hushed tones.

It's tempting... it's tempting to just close my door and teach. To pretend that the data doesn't have to be collected, or that I'm not responsible for it.

But it does and I am. That's not changing.

What is changing is me; how I teach when I find those moments where I can, when I need, to depart from the plan. What is changing is what I do with that precious time I have with my students.

It all hit me when I opened my Scholastic box (you know the one -- red, white, and full of joy) a few weeks ago. One of my bonus books was The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. I recognized it because a blogging buddy of mine (Rachel from Mrs. O Knows) had blogged about it during our Virginia is for Book Lovers Blog Hop.

I took it out, read the back, and thought about my journey as a reader. The one I wrote about so passionately just a few days prior. I had said of that journey:

"And yet again, Mrs. Butkus changed that. The Giver changed my life. Her handing me that book is such a large part of why I became a teacher. I've read that book DOZENS of times. I've given it as a gift to every adolescent child in my life. I've given it as a gift to adults that need to be book lovers, too.

Each time I read it, I think of Mrs. Butkus. How she knew, just knew, I needed it."

I knew instantly, my kids needed this. And so did I. I needed to know that somehow I'd leave my mark on their hearts the way Mrs. Butkus did on mine. I needed to know that they would remember something important, something beautiful, something incredible about their time in second grade.

And so each day, for twenty minutes, we sat together. We sat together and we read Ivan's story.

I wasn't sure how my kids would respond. I wasn't sure they'd sit through twenty minutes of reading without pictures. I wasn't sure they'd understand all of the nuances.

But they did. They didn't just sit through it -- they connected. They grew.

Before I knew it, twenty minutes would become thirty. One day we skipped guided reading altogether and read for an hour.

And all the while, tempted to close my door, I didn't. I kept it open.

I shared what we were doing with others. I implored them -- you have to read this book. Read it with your kids! Come read with us! I got some strange looks, because of course, reading for an hour from a 300 page chapter book wasn't on the plans.

But it was important. It was necessary. It was life-changing. For them and for me.

By mid-book we had cried together, laughed together, and gotten angry together. At one pivotal moment in Ivan my kids asked to write sympathy cards for the characters. Their words of hope and connection and love were beyond all understanding for me as a teacher. Reluctant writers poured their hearts out onto the page along with a few tears. Never had I seen them take something so seriously or participate so fully.

Until the end.

One day last week we read Ivan for 30 minutes before dismissal. There were 15 pages left when the announcement to pack-up was made. My kids were panicked -- they wanted to stay and finish. They desperately wanted to know how Ivan's life would end up. They begged to stay afterschool but reluctantly trudged home.

I sat quietly in my classroom that afternoon, thinking of what to do. Do I throw out the lesson plans the rest of the week, shut my door, and teach about this text? I'm supposed to be doing x, y, and z from our reading unit. I'm supposed to be teaching letter-writing and compound words and giving three tests.

I looked at a note one of my kiddos had left me -- "what's next?" it read.

The next morning I opened my door.

During math we sat together, like we'd done every day for the previous weeks, and we finished Ivan. Tears in our eyes, shaky voices, we finished. One of my sweethearts raised their hand -- "what's next?" he said.

I paused, and said, "What's next?" right back.

I made this during a workshop I went to on Saturday.
We were asked to illustrate & write about a recent moment that impacted us.

Suddenly a thousand little second grade voices chimed in -- let's research the real Ivan... can I go and check out gorilla books? I want to learn to draw Ivan... let's have a party to celebrate him... Can I write a sequel?

Yes. Yes. Yes. YES.

We did all of those things.

Some of fictional Ivan's favorites and a few of the real Ivan's favorites.
We ate them while we watched a documentary on apes.

The One and Only Ivan, The One and Only Me.

I threw out the lesson plans, opened my door as wide as it could go, and I taught. I invited everyone in to experience the joy and love of learning that was happening in Room 108. This special, amazing thing that you can't bottle, you can't replicate -- it just is for however long you can keep it.

When we sat down and talked about Ivan later that day, we talked about why we loved it. Then we drew him as a part of an art installation we're making to convince others to read it. Three things happened that blessed me immeasurably as a teacher.

Ivan was declared to be "inspirational" because, as one little girl put it, "he made you really think about your attitude and outlook on life, and by the end of the book... well, you change. Not just him... you too."
A character's death (I won't spoil it for you) was declared to be a favorite part, and when I challenged the student on why death would ever be someone's favorite, she said -- "because it made me feel. No book has ever done that."
And when another student lamented that their drawing was terrible, a classmate -- unprompted leaned over and said, "just believe in yourself and what you're doing will turn out just fine. Believe, like Ivan."

Open the door. Open the door and teach.

Find a week, a day, an hour, a minute and don't worry about the data or the lesson plans or the pacing guide. Don't worry about thematic math centers or whether your anchor charts are just so. Let your students decide what's important -- "what's next?" -- what's authentic.

Find that moment where you are sitting with them on the carpet and they are breathing life into themselves as readers, writers, and mathematicians... where they're breathing life into your teaching. Don't get lost in the reports, the grades, the pressure.

Open the door.

If only for an hour... open the door.

A Peek at My Week Ahead - 3/15

2015-03-15T13:01:00.000-04:00

Two weeks in a row?! YES ma'ams and sirs! I am on fire!!! Or, I've just figured out a routine for myself so I can bring you my visual plans each week. Either way, I am so excited to be linking up again with the one and only DeeDee Wills to give you a peek at my week ahead!

Disclaimer (Again): I have to do extensive lesson plans for my district, so rather than reinvent the wheel and put them in a more standardized format, I'm going to be giving you the "big picture" of what I'm up to. At the end of the post, you can download a PDF version with clickable links. Anything that's outlined in black is clickable and will take you to that resource, video, or product. I use a mix of free and paid resources, so definitely check it out if you like what you see!

We finally took our unit assessment (the kids did GREAT, wahoo!!!) and so now we're moving on to our next unit. We did some review last week of money concepts and place value, and now those skills will be put into our centers for independent and guided practice. I like doing that because I don't have to waste valuable whole-group instruction time, but during guided math students still get to access, practice, and receive feedback on those skills.

This week is ALL about word problems. Two to three times a year I do a week-long "Word Problem Bootcamp" to refresh our word problem strategies. I utilize the 4.5 Step Plan, based on Polya's problem-solving framework. My kids eat, sleep, and breathe this framework and it helps them TREMENDOUSLY. I can confidently say without it we would not be the effective problem-solvers that we are.

This week we'll be using our March themed word problems to practice showing what we know at each step of the problem-solving process. (You can grab a freebie St. Patrick's Day sampler, here.) With the snow days and distance between us and our last "Word Problem Bootcamp" some of my friends have gotten a little lax and it's beginning to show in their "My Answer" boxes. So! We are going to fix that up by going back to basics, doing a little interactive note-booking, and TONS of practicing. Toward the end of the week we're going to focus on writing our own word problems (I'll be posting those resources shortly!).

We took our making predictions assessment (they did fabulously, by the way!) and now we're ready to head into two weeks of intensive reading instruction before we have Spring Break. We're continuing to meet for 25 minutes daily in a small group setting with each student. We're continuing our "Bootcamp" to refresh our centers -- pictured above -- and really work on those decoding and fluency skills. I'll be infusing another one of my favorite close reading resources with our series' reading books too. I'm excited to continue getting to know my students as readers even better than I already do!

We're also going to continue our group read-aloud of The One and Only Ivan, which has stolen our hearts. Friends, please please please run out and get this book and read it with your class. I have never seen my kiddos more engaged, invested, and just in tune with themselves as little humans. It is unbelievable.

In writing, we're beginning our persuasive letter-writing unit! I adore this unit because I get to bring out some of my favorite mentor texts, including one that I was read when I did my own letter-writing unit in second grade! We won't be doing a lot of formal writing this week, but rather we'll be responding to each text, deconstructing what letters have, etc. I look forward to sharing our anchor charts with you toward the end of the week!

This week we'll be diving into compound words (with silent letters) in our phonics unit, so I'll be using two great resources from some TpT friends -- Compound Words Task Cards from the awesome Teaching With a Mountain View, and Bloomin' Compound Words Craftivity from the awesome Applicious Teacher. I'll also be using my bloggy BFF's new phonics card games again for review -- we love them!

It's still MATTER time!!! Gosh, I could just teach this unit all year. Really, I could! With me being unexpectedly out of the classroom a few days last week (writing a 21st Century Grant -- more on that later this week), we're still at the beginning of our study. We'll continue to lead with our visual vocabulary posters, co-creating an anchor chart, having a learning experience using our interactive PPT, and then close with our vocabulary four-square. We're going to do some experiments toward the end of the week which I'll be documenting in detail... And we're going to incorporate some informal assessments (with the exit slips pictured) as well as some interactive flipbooks for them to study at home. {My matter printables will be up on TpT by mid-week.}

If you'd like to download my visual plans and have ALL of the links to click on and refer to, click the button above. :)

A Peek at My Week Ahead - 3/8

2015-03-08T23:17:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to FINALLY be linking up with the one and only DeeDee Wills to give you a peek at my week! I have always always always wanted to do this, as I absolutely love going through and seeing what everyone else in blogland is up to.

Disclaimer: I have to do extensive lesson plans for my district, so rather than reinvent the wheel and put them in a more standardized format, I'm going to be giving you the "big picture" of what I'm up to. At the end of the post, you can download a PDF version with clickable links. Anything that's outlined in black is clickable and will take you to that resource, video, or product. I use a mix of free and paid resources, so definitely check it out if you like what you see!

We're catching up from an INSANE number of snow days since we returned from winter break -- we've been so behind, so this week we're taking our unit test on patterns {number patterns, repeating patterns, growing patterns, and even/odd} and then review some key concepts before we dive into regrouping.

One of the things I'm relying heavily on this week are the anchor charts we've made together, our interactive notebooks {where our vocabulary pages pictured above live!}, and my money strategies pack. My kids did really well with our money unit test, but we're increasing the amount they must be able to count {up to $2.00 mixed coins and bills} and they definitely need a refresher after our snow days. We'll also be playing Prince Padania's Race to $1.00 which is one of my favorite quick, low-prep games!

In reading we're going to be taking our unit test on making predictions at the beginning of the week and then buckling down. It has been so difficult these past two months with snow days to consistently do guided reading groups! Between required assessments, once-a-year ESOL testing, and mid-year testing, we haven't done guided reading in WEEKS.

So this week and next we're forgoing the mini-lessons and doing extended groups! I'll get to meet for 25 minutes daily in a small group setting with each student. We're going to do a "Bootcamp" to refresh our centers -- pictured above -- and really work on those decoding and fluency skills. I'll be infusing some of my favorite close reading resources with our series' reading books too. I am SO READY for this change of pace with my kiddos and to give them a strong foundation for our big push toward on-grade level at the end of the year.

In writing we're going to work on finishing up our research unit. Boy, you want to talk about difficult? Try doing a research unit with snow days all over the place! Luckily my kids have been able to keep up with things, and I really attribute that to the simple research resources pack I made with them in mind. We do a 5-10 minute mini-lesson on the carpet where I model things using a famous American (Rosa Parks) that none of them are studying -- then they break into their research groups and work! I get to meet with each group as-needed, and they can continue working on it beyond the writing block because of the scaffolded supports.

We'll also be working on getting back on track with our phonics focus, as well as reviewing those pesky skills that somehow they always seem to forget! I'll be using my bloggy BFF's new phonics card games for review, and one of my favorite suffixes resources from Ladybug's Teacher Files to work on our weekly skill.

In social studies we're doing a quick review of vocabulary {look at that FULL vocabulary reference wall -- finally!} before we take our big end-of-unit test on Tuesday. I don't know what I would've done without this visual vocabulary pack I made... my ELL kiddos have just soaked up this vocabulary as you can see from the anchor chart I dictated for them (and they illustrated). Fingers crossed that as we review our vocabulary four-squares and make our vocabulary word posters they are ready to go on Tuesday!

Y'all, I'm so excited. It's MATTER time!!! This is hands-down one of my favorite science units, and this year we're doin' it up big with some brand new resources. I am kicking myself for not having made these resources sooner, but I'm jazzed to have them for this group of kiddos! We'll be doing the same thing we did with economics as far as vocab -- leading with the visual vocabulary posters, co-creating an anchor chart, having a learning experience (experiment or our interactive PPT -- which will be posted this week on TpT), and then closing with our vocabulary four-square.

I am so ready for them to rock this, and I am so ready to get in there and be a mad scientist with them! Woohoo for science!!!

If you'd like to download my visual plans and have ALL of the links to click on and refer to, click the button above. :)

One thing not pictured in my visual plans is a last-minute but always present addition -- our Word Problems for Success. We do these a few mornings a week and then we do two at the end of the month to take as data that we track to make sure our problem-solving skills are where they need to be. I'm excited about some of the complexity of the problems this month, as I know it's going to lead to a great discussion amongst the kiddos.

Speaking of that -- would you look at the mathematical thinking that's going on?! I am so stinkin' proud of my kids.

Grab your free sample on TpT just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

VA is For... Book Lovers!

2015-03-06T17:56:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to be teaming up with my fellow Virginia bloggers to celebrate our love of reading! As teachers -- even math teachers ;) -- we all can appreciate the power of a good book, and I hope that you'll discover some amazing new books through this hop... and win some too!

HOW A BOOK LOVER IS BORN

Scene. You've just come in from recess on a blistering hot day at the beginning of September. You're still in the awkward stage of third grade -- where you're not sure who to sit with at lunch, or line-up next to on the playground's blacktop. You've got this teacher, this wacky teacher, and for some reason there's a patio set in the middle of your classroom library. It's just been sitting there since the first day of school -- untouched, unused.

Finally, though, at the end of this first week, you're led in to that untouched space and asked to sit down. You and your classmates, sweaty and tired, sit crisscrossapplesauce, still breathing heavily from an epic game of kickball.

"One of my favorite traditions," your teacher begins, "is sitting here, under our patio umbrella, reading." You look at the people next to you. Reading? Reading? This can't be good. "The first book we're going to read is My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville." Jaws dropped. Suddenly, the sweat and heavy breathing and tired eyes are erased. Aliens? In third grade?!

She begins reading. The way she turns pages seems to take a thousand years. The voices she makes when reading each and every character... like the best voiceover actor in Hollywood. And when she stops? The anticipation for the next day -- under your reading umbrella -- begins immediately and eclipses the anticipation of just about anything, expect maybe Christmas morning.

That... that was Mrs. Butkus. I remember every moment of every day under our reading umbrella. I remember every book -- and own them all, even as an adult -- because she WAS reading. When I think of reading? I think of her, the gray plastic patio set, and the moments where I learned that books were cool. Books MEANT something to the human spirit -- whether they be mysterious and funny or serious and life-altering.

HOW A BOOK LOVER IS RAISED

Fast-forward to the end of third grade. Mrs. Butkus took me aside, voice hushed, and handed me a book. The Giver. The cover jarred me -- just an old man... a look about him that I couldn't place. "Before you read it, ask your parents if it's okay. It's not a happy book, Sarah. But it's an important book."

I had been a reluctant reader. Despite my ability, a reluctant one. Despite my parents filling my bedroom with books, weekly trips to the library, deep-down I was reluctant. Reluctant to invest and relate in what I read.

And yet again, Mrs. Butkus changed that. The Giver changed my life. Her handing me that book is such a large part of why I became a teacher. I've read that book DOZENS of times. I've given it as a gift to every adolescent child in my life. I've given it as a gift to adults that need to be book lovers, too.

Each time I read it, I think of Mrs. Butkus. How she knew, just knew, I needed it.

HOW I'M RAISING BOOK LOVERS

Reading, to me, is an experience. I want my students to feel the way I do about reading -- to love it, to cherish it. Some students have barriers -- no books at home, limited ability to read the ones that they do have -- and some just haven't yet had that moment, the moment when you become a reader.

In December, I took my students to see a play at the Kennedy Center. Most had never been to a play, much less to one at one of the most beautiful theaters in the nation. They were in awe (as was I). Gosh, I wish you could've seen their faces. The joy it filled my heart with must have added ten years to my life.

The Gift of Nothing was the basis for the play. A story of a cat and dog -- unlikely friends -- it lightheartedly allows students to see through the "I want that toy!" and "I want that video game!" culture that we've seemed to cultivate to what's really important: each other. The time we have on this earth... with each other.

We laughed, we smiled, we sat in important silence at times, and yes, some of us cried. And when we came back? We talked. "What was the message, friends? What is the gift of nothing?"

One of my sweet little friends uttered these words of beauty: "The gift of nothing is the gift of your heart." Another: "The gift of nothing is showing someone you care." And another: "The gift of nothing is playing with a friend on the playground when they're alone."

They got it. Not only did they get it, but they started to live it.

We, of course, read the book together. And then we celebrated what we learned by making our own boxes filled with nothing -- and everything, all at the same time. The boxes on our bulletin boards didn't have anything in them. Except, they had everything: the hopes, the dreams, the love, and the passion of 20 little readers, thinkers, and joy-filled hearts in Room 108.

Not all books have to mean something. Funny books, books that make you smile... those are nourishing too. They help raise readers, too. But sometimes, sometimes you need to read a book that gives you a gift of nothing, a gift that is everything. The gift of becoming a book lover.

I'd love to giveaway The Gift of Nothing to one of you and your students. Please enter in the Rafflecopter below. CONTINUE hopping through to enter the rest of the giveaways and for the grand prize!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please enjoy this FREEBIE writing craftivity to celebrate giving The Gift of Nothing -- and the gift of reading -- to your students.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my history as a book lover, reading about The Gift of Nothing, and grabbed your freebie! "Turn the page" on this blog hoppin' adventure and see what my pal at SOL Train Learning has up her sleeve...

Attention Virginia Educators! There are several SOL support pages based on grade level to join on Facebook if you are interested. These pages are a place for Virginia teachers to share ideas, resources, links, and ask questions of each other specifically related to teaching to the Virginia Standards of Learning.

Teachers K-2 SOL Support

Teachers 3-5 SOL Support

Teachers 6-8 Support

Teachers VAAP / SPED Support

Five for Friday (And it's actually Friday!)

2015-02-20T18:31:00.001-05:00

Y'all... can you believe I'm actually posting, and I'm posting a Five for Friday ON Friday no less?! The stars have aligned! Or I was gifted a "cold" day today. Either works as an explanation.

Henry, enjoying a bowl full of snow!

Many of you have been on winter break, which initially I was jealous about. Mother Nature apparently does not like to disappoint me, as she gave us enough snow and a cold front so that we only went to school for 4.5 hours this week! I love love love winter -- but only when there is snow on the ground and I can curl up in front of the fire with my family. This week was especially a blessing because...

While I'm exhausted, I know he won't want to snuggle me forever! *sniff sniff*

Our entire house has been a walking pharmacy for two weeks. It all started with William (my Kindergartener) and his second stomach bug in a month. THEN I started getting sick, which turned out to be double ear infections (apparently I need tubes) and a sinus infection. Then the littlest, Henry, started getting VERY sick with every symptom under the sun. We're talking irritability, refusing food and drink, etc. Now he has an ear infection, hives, and he got Mr. Plum sick. So if it weren't for Mother Nature, Mama would have no sick leave left and a lot less sanity! We are all on the mend now, PTL. Seriously.

Not my picture, but totally making my mouth water right now.

Despite the sickies invading every space in our house, I managed to have an AWESOME day yesterday. I've been teaching our PEP - Parents as Educational Partners class to about half a dozen Hispanic parents for the past two months. After school yesterday we held our graduation and had our feast! The parents were SO sweet and brought in some of my favorite foods, including pupusas! If you have never had pupusas you must find a reputable place to purchase them immediately. Do not forget the curtido on top, it's the best part! (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out pupusas here.)

Right after our feast, several colleagues and I drove a half-hour north to the Kennedy Center. I know, right?! On a school night?! Well, luckily in mid-feast we were notified school was called off for today so we DEFINITELY got to enjoy ourselves! We saw Matthias Pintscher conduct the National Symphony Orchestra and perform the North American debut of his concerto, Mar'eh. It was incredible. Seriously, y'all, this was life-changing. It has inspired me BIG TIME to find ways to enrich my students' lives even further with the arts -- I can't wait to share with you how I'm planning to do that!

Please don't tell the Kennedy Center that I broke the rules and took a picture. :P

Now that I'm feeling better I'm catching up on blog posts, e-mails, and my VERY long to-do list for products. I've been meaning to play catch-up and get my next word problem pack out LONG before the 1st of the month, so look for March's "Word Problem for Success" sometime in the next few days... It's going to be a SUPER fun one, with lots of leprechauns, rainbows, and LOTS of springtime things to get you ready to say bye-bye to old man winter! {You can download February's sampler, which includes the above pictured visualizing mini-lesson for FREE! Still plenty of time left to celebrate Chinese New Year in your classroom!}

If you made it through ALL of that, I'd love for you to leave a comment with your favorite snow or "cold" day activity and your e-mail -- I'll pick a winner Sunday night to win my March Word Problems for Success pack. You'll get it before I post it! :)

Getting Festive for Fall with Virginia Bloggers

2014-10-17T01:00:00.000-04:00

You know what my favorite thing is about Fall? It's when I feel like I finally get back in the swing of things! September is so busy and such a transitional period that October -- especially late October feels like a wonderful respite. The cool night air, changing leaves, and all things pumpkin doesn't hurt, either!

We've been hard at work in Room 108 on lots of things! Most notably we've been hard at work on problem solving using the 4.5 Step Plan.

For students, word problems can be extremely challenging, especially if they already struggle with vocabulary development as many emerging-bilinguals (ELLs) do -- but this is probably not news to you! Most students are able to identify and apply strategies we teach them when given number sentences, and yet many still struggle in identify operations within word problems.

That's where visualization comes in. I use the strategy of visualizing to assist students in determining what information in the problem is important, and what action (operation) is occurring. This is an addition to Polya's original 4-step process for problem solving.

Students read, and then re-read the problem in order to make a mental picture. They then sketch the action in the problem and begin thinking about the information that's important -- which is when students move to the "understand" step.

As students learn to really visualize they may need some support and plenty of practice, which is why I'm developing themed 4.5 step word problem packs to give 1st and 2nd grade students differentiated and scaffolded practice throughout the year.

Each of these packs will have five word problems to use in mini-lessons that come with a visualization poster, scaffolded pages for guided practice, and completed examples. There will additionally be 15 problems for independent practice.

I like using the visualization poster for think-alouds, checking student understanding, and supporting students that are struggling to grasp concepts.

I also like to use completed examples in a variety of ways -- including hiding various steps, and asking students to brainstorm or consider what would precede or follow a given step. It also helps my more visual learners to "see" my think-aloud.

I'd love for you to check out and enjoy one of these mini-lessons. Let me know what you think, and thanks for stopping by and enjoy a Festive Fall resource with this Virginia blogger! And before you leave, please enter my giveaway for a copy of my 4.5 Step Plan pack as well as an item of your choice from my store!

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Cooking Up a Great Year

2014-08-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

I am THRILLED to be teaming up with 24 other amazing bloggers to offer you ideas, recipes, freebies, and best of all -- a giveaway of awesome prizes! -- to get you prepped and ready for a great year! At the end of this post you'll find a way to enter the giveaway and links to the next stop on your hop, but I hope you'll settle in and enjoy what I have in store for you first!

I love using cooking as a part of my classroom because it is such a concrete, real-world application of skills and often integrates multiple content areas. One of my favorite activities I did using cookie last year involved cooking-play, writing, and oral language!

What kid doesn't love pizza? In all my years of working with children, I've only met one. And that one child had a good 'old time sharing his opinion of why he didn't like pizza, and what toppings he thought would make pizza the worst.

But for everyone else, they love this activity! I start a menu checklist of sorta for each student; this serves as a brainstorming activity for both the play and writing aspect of this project. Then, I provide each student with blacklines of dough and sauce. Each child then "shops" a "buffet" of toppings -- but they can only choose three. I do this so that the writing component is manageable for each kiddo (and me, when editing). Students have the freedom, however, to choose how much or how little they want of each topping!

Next, students make their pizzas at their desks like chefs. I often play music while we're doing this, music that will transport them to the kitchen of their favorite authentic-Italian pizza place! (For me, this would totally be my mother-in-law's kitchen, as my husband is Italian, but this music from YouTube is the next best thing!) I love seeing their creations and how VERY different they are! Students love to pile on the cheese, but surprisingly, tomatoes and peppers too!

After their pizzas are made, we work on a graphic organizer to help students get their opinions on paper. I model for them writing a good opening statement, and then they -- with the help of their pizzas -- write their own. Next, we work on giving a clear and compelling reason we picked each topping. This is totally where the drama happens! I suddenly become very opinionated and pushy with my kiddos and then a little light-bulb goes off -- they need to be opinionated too!

Next, we use our graphic organizers to write rough drafts. Students will often use their word dictionaries at this point and also rely on their peers for a little peer-editing! (Which I *love*.) Finally, after I've conferred with them, they write their final copies and prepare their pizzas for their pizza boxes! {Sometimes you can get your local pizza place to donate personal-sized boxes -- definitely ask and mention why you're using them, they may even throw in some coupons for your kids!}

This writing project is one of my favorites all year because it is something that is so relevant to the kids and their writing just soars! I'd love for you to be able to do this project too, so click below to get it as a forever-freebie from me to you!

Before you go, I'd love to share one of my favorite school-year meals! My husband and I have two little boys that take up a great deal of our time, so between commuting, teaching, and mothering, dinner is always a challenge!

I love utilizing my crockpot to make things easier. I've found I can make the most delicious BBQ you'll ever eat with just three simple ingredients! Fire up your crockpot, dump them all in, and cook on low for 8 hours!

Ingredients: pork loin {we use about three pounds at a time}, Stubb's BBQ dry-rub, and Stubb's BBQ sauce. That's it! Serve with coleslaw and your other favorite fixins and it's a TOTAL hit!

Alright -- who's ready for some prizes?

Enter to win all of the awesome prizes above using Rafflecopter:

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Now that you've entered, head on over to your next stop, Kelly and Kim's Kindergarten Kreations, to see what they've cooked up for you!

{2-For-Tuesday} When Inspiration Strikes...

2014-08-12T05:27:00.001-04:00

I'm linking up today for the first time with the Teaching Tribune for 2-for-Tuesday! I'm putting two resources 50% off for today only.

Have you ever been so inspired you just can't sleep until you've completed your project? Well, that happens to me A LOT. Way more than I'd like to admit! It happened to me tonight when Krista Wallden {of Creative Clips} posted these new Rock Star Kids:

I was instantly inspired. I mean to tell you my brain was FLOODED with ideas.

And so this was born - We Will Rock You {Activities for a New Year}:

Seriously. Seriously. I was over the moon!

This resource is PERFECT to supplement your first week routines and procedures -- and includes options and differentiated activities that truly can be used from Kindergarten through Fifth. I've also included what seems to now be a recurring theme in my packs -- fun reward bracelets!

Why yes, that *is* a craftivity that looks just like a CD case. You can use the included writing prompts underneath the CD, or customize your own with the blank template! {Excuse the Instagram photo -- I'm headed out to training this morning and the light wasn't there since it's still dark out!}

To continue with the Back-to-School theme, my second item for 50% off is my Place Value Through the Year: Back-to-School edition. I haven't blogged about this yet, but I will at-length soon -- once my room is setup and you can see the dedicated center. SO MUCH love was put into this, though, because place value is near and dear to my heart!

This includes FIVE fully-differentiated centers with recording sheets and extension options. The centers will remain the same in future editions so that students do not have to relearn procedures or a new game! What will change is the level of difficulty, and of course the theme! It's a great way to keep students excited and engaged about math.

So there you have it -- two awesome resources for 50% off, today only!

Click here to go to "We Will Rock You {Activities for a New Year}"

Click here to go to "Place Value Through the Year: B2S Edition"

Happy shopping!

Another Monday Made It?!

2014-08-11T03:43:00.001-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm on a roll! I am so excited about today's Monday Made It because I've got THREE!

Last week I shared with you my new take on the clip-chart -- Clippin' for Character.

I made a basket this week to store student clips for the chart, reward bracelets {that are new and freshly added to this pack!}, and hold my beloved Toto. I did my best to make my own take on Dorothy's basket from Oz!

Students will keep their clips on the basket until they are recognized for exhibiting one of our six character traits. They will then remove their clip, place it on the chart, and take a bracelet of the trait they exhibited. This is a SUPER quick, specific way to praise kids without any cost involved! While I made the bracelets in color and blackline, I'm going to use the blackline and let my kiddos color their bracelets before wearing them.

Aren't these clips the cutest? They're sturdier than normal clips, and best of all, I didn't have to decorate them myself! I bought them at Michaels for $3.99, less a 25% coupon!

All of the bracelets use the same wording and graphics as the clip-chart, which keeps everything cohesive and memorable for students.

A few examples of the bracelets outside of the basket.

My second Monday Made It is new storage for my brag tags! Most of these are from my Oz pack, though the bottom row is from the Clippin' for Character pack. {Again, using the same graphics to keep it consistent!}

My last Monday Made It was on a total whim; I saw this faux-leather "P" and had to have it for my desk! Then I was hot-gluing ribbon to the basket above and thought, you know, this would look cool on that letter! Then I attempted to mimic my favorite KG font -- can you guess which one?

Five for Friday! {RAWR!}

2014-08-08T04:19:00.001-04:00

It's Friday! We're one week closer to Back-to-School... which the mere mention of gives me anxiety! I'm not ready! I want to soak up more time with my boys, get more things made for my classroom... but that's how it always is, isn't it?

How about that Back-to-School sale?! I hope you guys got as great a haul as I did! I have to say that my favorite purchase were Krista Wallden's dinosaurs... I mean, seriously. Stop. the. world. I bought them not knowing what I was going to use them for and then I heard my two boys "RAWR!"ing at each other. It was then I knew... and this was born!

I am totally on a place value kick right now and I love it. It's a skill that kiddos need all the time, and I know they are going to beg to place this regularly. I differentiated it so if your kids are working with two-digit numbers but you have some ready for three-digit numbers both needs are met in one game. It's 50% until tomorrow, which makes it only $1.50! {Leave me a comment with your favorite dinosaur and I'll pick a winner on Sunday night to get this game!}

My little guy had his Kindergarten screening yesterday and got to meet his prospective teachers. He was so nervous before we went, but then he turned into a totally different kid. We're talking saying hi to others, using his full name, playing tag, and calling his Nana in New York after we left and speaking to her for almost 10 minutes! I nearly cried because it's like some little switch was flipped in him. It was SUCH a blessing.

Yesterday I also did my least favorite thing: I went to the dentist. I had to get my first-ever filling {not bad for 28 years old!}. Luckily it wasn't too painful, but there's still just something about going to the dentist that is the worst. Here's to hoping there isn't another filling in my future!

On Tuesday I went to a fabulous 1/2 day training presented by Yvonne and David Freeman on academic language. I teach almost-exclusively students that speak a language other than English {and next year will have a 100% ESOL class}, so I'm very much immersed in strategies and thinking about teaching through that context. At the training there was a HUGE piece of food for thought that I really think applies to more than just students that come from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Why don't we make sure our terminology and "labels" highlight what students have rather than what they lack? We do that when we use person-first language, i.e. "student with autism" rather than "autistic student" -- but we don't do it with students from a diverse linguistic background. Instead we frame it as they lack English.

Discussed was the idea that any student that speaks one language and is in process of learning another should be called an "emerging bilingual." I love this as it places value on what they come with, rather than what they lack (English). This is especially important in settings where two languages are used, because it truly reflects what's happening! English-speakers are learning another language, speakers of another language are learning English -- both are emerging as bilingual students.

Ugh. This is what I'm bracing for as I'm going to bite the bullet and finally head into my room on Monday to start setting up. I've put it off long enough. This meme is also totally relevant because before I start living in my classroom again my husband and I are going to finish binge-watching season 4 of Game of Thrones. We've watched ALL four seasons of it this summer. We're totally behind on all TV shows, but that's life with a 4.5 year old with special needs and a 15-month old!

Clippin' for Character

2014-08-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

When I was a student teacher, I remember being asked what my classroom management would be. Having little to no experience at the helm, I looked around the room, fixed my eyes on the famous stoplight and uttered the word "clipchart." It just seemed like the natural (popular) go-to. It's concrete. It's an easy way to communicate an overall snapshot of a day.

But it didn't sit right with me. The tears when a child made it to red were upsetting (deserved or undeserved) and distracting. The stagnation of the child that sat on green all day even though he or she was an exemplary student was frustrating. The public nature of it all felt like shaming rather than shaping.

So I added colors up top. And then I started moving clips "off the chart." That made some kids happy -- their consistent good behavior was finally recognized by a purple smiley in their agenda. But still... there were my kiddos on yellow. Or red. Always.

I asked myself what I was doing wrong, because it was me, not them. I felt that there had to be a better way.

There is.

I believe that my goal for behavior management should not be to manage student behavior; it should be to shape it. I cannot shape it if I am not providing students with effective examples, opportunities to reflect, and praise.

There is no better way to praise a child than to say, "I saw your character just then. You displayed respect when you worked out your disagreement with your friend. You are a respectful kid."

"Clip up to purple for your awesome behavior!" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

This isn't to say your clipchart doesn't work for you, or for your students. It may. It just doesn't work for me, or my kids. But I needed something. Some visual -- some concrete experience, some way to track, to communicate... all while praising effectively and shaping character.

When I return in a few short weeks, I'll have a clipchart at the front of my room. But it won't be about behavior. It'll be about character.

We'll read books, model each character trait, and reflect.

We'll celebrate the small acts of character --

... and the bigger ones.

I'll track -- privately -- to see where I need to shape.

The kids will celebrate themselves and each other. They will recognize one another's character. They will write about how their neighbor showed compassion, or grace, or was honest, or a team player.

They will run home to share that today -- today red means they cared.

That they made a difference.

They showed their character.

I hope that you'll consider going with praise, and shaping character this year. If you are interested in seeing all that "Clippin' Up for Character" includes and represents, you can do so here. It is 50% off until this evening.

The Key To Communication: A Link-Up

2014-08-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Communication. It's an obvious focus for teachers and administrators, but it's not an easy focus. There are many barriers to communication, including, but not limited to: time, money, language, and energy. Despite these barriers, however, it's critical to student and teacher success to establish open lines of communication between home and school.

The district in which I teach is very diverse. There are DOZENS upon DOZENS of languages spoken. In my classroom alone last year there were six different languages represented. Unfortunately, I only speak two: English and Spanish. Luckily, my district provides translation services of both print materials and in-person or on-the-phone communication. Many districts across the United States offer similar resources -- you just need to know where to look and how to access it.

But even within your own classroom, there are several things you can do to start the year off right with strong communication. Here are a few that I use myself:

Before the year even starts, and before "Meet the Teacher," I send home postcards to my students. I write a short, personalized message to them and their families, and include the date/time of our Open House event. Whenever possible, I write in the language noted on their emergency card -- even if it means planning ahead and enlisting the help of colleagues that speak another language. {You can head over to my FB fan page to grab these as your August freebie!} These postcards set the tone for communication between parents/students and you; they are friendly, inviting, and put families at ease. It's a small way to show you care.

If money is a barrier and stamps aren't something you're able to come by before school starts, have these ready to hand students at your "Meet the Teacher" event. The sentiment remains the same, and you can add a smile-bonus as you hand it to them! {Tip: place a fun sticker over the "Place Postage Here" spot!}

When you first meet families -- at "Meet the Teacher" -- or have your first opportunity to send home communication, send home a business card. I made this simple business card in PowerPoint -- and you can too! I made a text box 2.5" wide by 1.5" tall, added a graphic, and typed in my information. I then grouped it all together {CTRL+A and then "group" in the "arrange" menu}, and copied them several times on the page.

When I handed them out I gave families two copies: one laminated with a small magnet on the back (for quick fridge reference!), and one unlaminated for their wallet. All of my parents LOVED receiving this and several remarked throughout the year how easy it was to contact me because they had my information on-hand. If you make it easy for parents to contact you, they will. Establish open lines of communication with a single card!

The last thing I do at the beginning of the year is have parents fill out an information form to establish a contact log. This form isn't intended as an emergency contact form, but rather as a tool for me to hear what *they* want me to know about their child and what they, as a parent, expect this year. Expectations are SUCH an important, and in my opinion, overlooked piece of the puzzle when it comes to communication. I urge you to try something new this year and ask for parent's expectations -- I think you will find it gives you a great foundation from which to build key communication.

This form then goes into my teacher binder where I house student information pages, data, etc., and I use it nearly-daily. When I make contact with a parent, I log it. Documentation of parent contact can be important when issues arise, but it's also important for you, the teacher.

Are you making contact with parents regularly? Are you sharing a child's successes, not just instances of misbehavior or academic deficits? Regular positive communication is critical. I've linked a free copy of this form for you to use -- keep the lines of communication open, and free of cobwebs!

Three simple, low-to-no cost ways to establish communication from the start of the school year and keep it going all year long: send home a postcard, send home a business card, and establish a contact log.

I would love for you to link up below and share what your "Key to Communication" is for the beginning of the year! Grab the graphic at the top of the post {right-click, "Save As"}, link back here, and join the linky below. I look forward to hearing from you and reading your tips & tricks!

An InLinkz Link-up

Five For Friday and a TpT Gift Certificate Giveaway!

2014-08-01T01:47:00.001-04:00

Whew -- that is a LOOOOOONG title. And I'm going to take a wild guess and say that your favorite part is that teensy-weensy little word "giveaway." Yes, that's right, there's a TpT gift certificate to be had, just in time for the HUGE Back-to-School sale.

But first, it's Friday, and I'm linking up with Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

I have been working like a mad woman this week to finally fulfill all the requests from last school year and get more products up in my TpT store. Let me tell you, PowerPoint has never gotten such a workout! I'm still working on a few, including the debut of my year-long bundle of place value centers {Place Value Through the Year}. Be sure and follow my TpT store because there's going to be a fan-exclusive freebie released through the "note to followers."

My sweet, sweet cousin left on Tuesday. {Insert super sad face here.} I had such a wonderful time catching up with her, and I am so so SO happy she finally got to spend some quality time with my boys -- including a mini-photo shoot by the river. Family time truly is important, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to soak it up during the summer months.

Speaking of family... my INCREDIBLE {seriously, y'all, they are the best} in-laws have invited us to come to the beach with them and some of our other NY family. The best part about this -- other than seeing them after 8 months! -- is that the beach is Ocean City, MD! You might remember me talking about it before, but if you don't, my heart belongs to Ocean City in ways that are hard to express! I look forward to spending my last few days off {we get back and then I immediately have inservice days} in such a beautiful place with those that I love.

I have decided to get rid of my clip-chart! Stop. the. world. I've never been a huge fan {for me, personally; I know they work for others and that's totally okay} of using them in my classroom, but I have had to as a part of grade-level collaboration. This year I'm trying something different, and I cannot wait to share with you what it is. I'm so excited I almost want to spill the beans now... almost. ;)

I am SO excited to be giving away a $10 TpT gift certificate for you to use during the big sale, as well as the first installment of {Place Value Through the Year}, the Back-to-School edition. Enter using the options below, and be sure to share with your friends -- that way they can enter, and you can earn more entries for spreading the word! I so look forward to giving one lucky winner some extra spending money to buy those awesome items on their TpT wishlist! Hurry and enter, it's a quick one -- the giveaway ends when the clock strikes 12 on Sunday night!

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What Lies in the Middle

2014-07-31T11:53:00.001-04:00

I've talked before on my blog about my family -- my two beautiful boys.

My role as a mother is the most important role I have. It always comes first -- day or night, sleep or no sleep. I know that many of you can relate.

But I'm also a teacher. That role is important, too {oh-so important}. It seems to be such a close second to my role as a mother that sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference between the two -- but it's there.

This is the year where they both meet. They meet in the middle of that Venn diagram.

Last year, when William turned 4, I remember thinking to myself -- "this is it. The countdown to Kindergarten." Since then, the apprehension and anxiety has slowly built.

How do I let him go? How do I learn to balance Mom and teacher in this new way? How do I live in that tiny space in the middle of that Venn diagram?

In some ways, I already live in that space.

William has some challenges. We are still working to discover what to call those challenges {a diagnosis}, but they're there. Difficulty relating to others, frequent physical outbursts, difficulty communicating emotions or needs, difficulty transitioning, difficulty focusing on tasks outside of narrow interest areas, difficulty with sensory experiences -- including writing and drawing.

Those challenges are where I live in that space now -- half feeling the sting of those difficulties as a mother, half trying to lessen them as a teacher.

But soon I'll share that job with someone else.

And that... that's going to be hard.

If you're a parent and you've already sent your firstborn off to school, you understand that challenge. If you're a parent and you're about to send your firstborn to school or will in the coming years, you may be feeling some anxiety about it, like me.

As a Mom, I don't have all of the answers. I don't have a magic piece of advice to help you ease the transition into the space where you share your child so greatly with another human being and relinquish some of that control.

But as a teacher, as a teacher who has been the other half of that equation for 20+ mothers {and fathers, and grandmothers and grandfathers} each year... I can give myself, the mother -- now Teacher Mom -- a piece of advice.

Trust.

Trust that he/she will love and care for your child when you are not there. Trust that he/she will want the best for them; that they will hurt when he/she hurts, that they will laugh when he/she laughs, that they will feel a deep desire to see your child succeed no matter what.

Trust that whatever difficulties or exceptionalities your child may have he/she will work tirelessly for them. Even, and especially when they are separating themselves from others, or having an outburst; even, and especially when they don't have words for how they're feeling; even, and especially when they're still two tasks behind; even, and especially when they haven't started.

Trust that they will be there for your child.

It is a leap of faith.

But it's one worth taking. For you, for your child, for the man or woman that will teach them.

This is the space I am choosing to live in as Rich, William, and I embark on this new experience together. I trust. I trust you, the teacher that will teach him this year. I trust you, the teacher that will teach him next year. And the year after. And the year after.

I trust you.

{I would love for you to share your experiences -- as teachers, as mothers and fathers, or both -- with trust.}

Monday Made It, Teacher Tourism, and a Giveaway!

2014-07-28T02:42:00.000-04:00

I'm linking up for the second week in a row (woohoo!) with Tara for Monday Made It! The past few days I've spent rather unplugged while my amazing and sweet cousin from California visits with me and my babies. It's been SO nice to have this time with her and my boys, especially now that summer school is done. DONE. DONE! (Can you tell how excited I am?)

So -- while I haven't spent a whole lot of time on school-related things these past few days (and last week while I was tying up loose ends with summer school), I did manage to give my classroom alphabet a facelift and FINALLY bundle it as requested. It's been a HUGE undertaking, but I'm really happy with the results.

I also made two things for my upcoming kiddos that I think are really important: a personal word dictionary and word wall. Why both? You might be asking that -- and I have an answer! I use both with my kiddos because they need both. The word wall is for those high frequency words that we learn in whole and small group, words that they frequently need to spell correctly. We use our word dictionaries for those words that we do not use as frequently, but students still wish to spell correctly (and I'm so glad they want to!).

I'm planning on shrinking down several sets of my alphabet posters. {This is SUPER easy to do just from the print menu.} I plan on using them for a variety of tasks.

Some of my students will use the smaller (four to a sheet) cards for letter-recognition practice. They can play a "war" rapid-fire style game to help their letter-recognition become automatic.
Some of my students will use the smaller cards not for letter-recognition, but for word sprees! Their partner will show them a card and they will list all the words that they know the begin with that letter while their partner tallies the number of words they know. They'll take turns and see who can list the most!
I'll be printing the cards half-size to use as word wall headers on my cabinet, and yet another set of half-size posters to use at my small group table.
The blackline versions will be used as morning work the first week -- students will decorate their own poster and it will be used in a "letter of the week" display where we'll do whole-class word sprees, a vocabulary focus, etc.

In second grade we begin the year honing our print handwriting, and by the beginning of the 4th quarter we start the transition to cursive. I change our alphabet at the front of the room from print to print and cursive during the 3rd quarter so students are exposed to cursive before we begin to use it. I love having both displayed, as it really helps the students naturally incorporate more cursive into their daily writing.

This year I'll be also using the cursive blacklines to help students practice their cursive -- they'll trace the laminated copies with whiteboard markers at our handwriting center.

I've posted all nine versions of the alphabet {primary print, cursive, and both in rainbow brights, rainbow chalkboard, or blackline} as well as three bundles -- primary print, cursive, and print/cursive -- on TpT. As always, they are discounted 50% for the first 24 hours, a total STEAL as each file includes a personal dictionary AND word wall for your students!

I'm also giving up copies on Facebook and Instagram, so head on over to enter to win your choice of bundle!

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite photos from the past few days. We traveled the short distance north to Washington, D.C. to spend the day there and take my cousin to all the places we went as kids. It was a BLAST and truly makes me feel blessed to have D.C. as my backyard.

Happy Monday! And good luck to those of you that are already back-to-school!

Throwback Thursday -- A Teacher Tip, FREEBIE, and a Giveaway Winner!

2014-07-24T15:25:00.001-04:00

What a week this has been! It’s the last week of summer school {PtL!}, I released the “NOT Your Average Teacher Planner” {thank you to all of you fabulous folks that purchased it or have contacted me with compliments on it!}, I’ve started working on a HUGE year-long math project {more on that later this week}, and I’ve been preparing for one of my favorite people in the world to visit me! Phew -- I need a frappuccino just from typing that!

Today is Throwback Thursday, and I’m sharing with you a freebie {my most downloaded} I made at the very beginning of this blog and a tip that has saved my perfectionist self in the classroom more times than I can count! I hope the freebie {which is on my “to update” list, just in case it’s not already long enough} is something that can be of use to you, and that you enjoy the teacher-tip that comes along with it!

But before I go and do my last minute errands before picking up my sweet sweet cousin at the airport {1:30am y’all -- I’m going to need some coffee since I trek home, get her settled, then head back to summer school at 7am!} I need to announce the winner of my giveaway!

I’ve been so touched by the increased support this week, and I hope those of you that liked my Facebook page, followed me on Bloglovin’, and commented will stick around -- I look forward to many giveaways, freebies, tips, and products to share with you in the coming months. Your support means the world!

Without further adieu, the winner is…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So Jessica, congratulations and I’ll be e-mailing you shortly!

If you didn’t win, be on the lookout for a FB Fan Freebie in the next few days… you may just get yourself a little taste of my planner so you can be ready for August! :)

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One of the things I do throughout the year is have my students to think like scientists -- because they are! So we talk frequently about science process skills, and the components of each. I created a set of process skills posters to help me (and you, too!) discuss the skills with students and make them a more intentional part of our science discovery.

I do have plans to make a kinder and firstie-friendly version.

I put all the posters together and hung them vertically -- using binder rings -- to save space. Space is a premium in ANY classroom, but it's important to refer to academic vocabulary often and have it available for students to see.

Hanging also makes it easy to remove, move, or store.

When I was making these originally I was SO frustrated in my quest to hang them. I'm a total perfectionist {duh, I mean, have you met me?} and getting the holes for binder rings aligned was a *beast*. But I did it! How?

I used your regular, cheap, and most importantly -- abundant three-hole reinforcers! All I did was measure where I wanted them on each poster and placed a reinforcer. Then I was able to punch the hole using it as a guide (you can actually feel the hole-punch "sink" a small amount to the right spot) and they turned out perfectly.

So the next time you need the perfectly aligned hole -- use a reinforcer! And don't forget to head on over to my TpT store to grab your set of science process skills posters. I hope you enjoy them!