The Teacher's Chatterbox

Happy {oooopppsss...late} Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:40:00 +0000

Hope you teacher moms had an awesome Mother's Day!

My kiddos enjoyed making these goodies for their mothers. Hope your day was extra special...mine sure was.

at Zanies Comedy Club

LOVE me some Murr, Q, Joe, and Sal!!!

Hubby and I ready for the show...

LOVED it!!!

I got to go see "my" funny guys...IMPRACTICAL JOKERS!!!

Oh what FUN we had! The next day, our oldest son and family

took us to dinner at my FAV Mexican restaurant! What a GREAT time!!!

Skype with my sweet grangirl, and will get to celebrate with our other son, daughter~in~love, and precious girl soon! I am so blessed!

2 Linky Parties and Patricia Polacco Author Study

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:56:00 +0000

SO HERE'S THE FLASHBACK FOR THIS WEEK...

In my last post, I promised I'd have more pics for you from our author study on Patricia Polacco...so here they are!!!

My kiddos giggled and laughed through this book, Babushka's Doll, as the doll did to Natasha what Natasha had done to her Babushka...lesson learned.

Appelemando's Dreams was a great source for getting kids to use their imagination and create their own dreams. The Keeping Quilt had lots of uses through the years...and students got a glimpse into the Russian culture and one Russian family's life as the quilt was passed along. We learned about the quilt designs, and their meanings...as well as, life of the slaves that used those quilt patterns for finding safety. Great math lessons can come out of a quilt study...patterns, measurement, symmetry...

The Bee Tree, with it's sweet lesson about chasing after what you want, gave students a chance to see what bees "can, have, and are".

Mrs. Mack...What a sweet story that teaches us not to judge others by their looks, as well as, never giving up..."get right back on that horse!"

Learning the process and making pysanky eggs was a favorite activity! What a sweet story Patricia Polacco has written in Rechenka's Eggs! We saw pysanky eggs again in Chicken Sunday, as the kids sold their eggs to buy Miss Eula a hat.

In this story, we hear how the old Indian lady, Lillian Two Blossom, took the kids on a boat ride to explain how things in nature work...and becomes young again while doing so. The kids loved making this flip page!

The little "plain" girls in this story, Just Plain Fancy, found out just how "fancy" some things can be in nature!

We made a little "Patricia Polacco book" and placed it in a front pocket of our P. P. booklets. We found out some very interesting...and inspiring... things about this author....like... Patricia Polacco had a learning disorder. She didn't learn to read until she was 14. She was bullied by other kids. A meteor hit her family's farm... and the meteor is now the headstone for her Babushka's grave. She started writing children's books when she was 41. She has a very cool website!

Then, to wrap up this 2 week author study, we shared the book Thunder Cake...and learned about conquering our fears...doing things to get your mind off of worrying...about thunderstorms...and reading recipes! We ate our own "thunder cake" on a very stormy day!

And we broke up into 5 groups, each taking a Patricia Polacco book, and creating/performing a skit for the class. Yup! This author study of Patricia Polacco was a hit with everyone!
This is the first time I am joining Doodle Bugs Teaching for "Five For Friday". So here goes...

We were SO excited to watch our very own GREYLAN JAMES, age 16, on THE VOICE!!!

No one turned around, but that's OK...He was in the top 64 out of 64,000 that got a blind audition! We love you and are SO PROUD OF YOU, GREYLAN!!! You are going to make it BIG someday!!!

My kiddos LOVED our "Thunder Cake"!!!

Yum-O!!!

Enjoyed skyping with my sweet grangirl! I love her to the moon and back!!!

I'm doing well on my "new healthy lifestyle".

I've been sticking to my Nutrisystem meals...with an occasional salad or something I fix on my own. Biking has begun again! YAY!

Spring has sprung here and things are beginning to bud... and bloom!

Be sure to click on each of the linky logos to visit the parties!!!
Many Blessings...and... Waving from The Teacher's Chatterbox,

Storms in TN and Thunder Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:07:00 +0000

Today was a great end to our two week Patricia Polacco Author Study! We had storms in middle Tennessee, so we made THUNDER CAKE! Tomorrow we will get all of our pages in our P.P. book. The kiddos have had such a great time with this!!!

Here are a few more of our pages...I'll add more pics of our pages soon!

Rechenka's Eggs...Pysanky eggs were SO MUCH FUN!!!

Boat Ride with Lillian Two Blossom "FLIP PAGE"...here you see the young Lillian Two Blossom...

and now the old Lillian Two Blossom!

Mrs. Mack...and Copper Penny

Chicken Sunday

So, I'll share more pages in our P.P. booklet soon!

Waving from The Teacher's Chatterbox,

It's A Boot Scootin' Blog Hop!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Elizabeth at Kickin' It In Kindergarten is hosting a blog hop of Tennessee Teachers.

Flowers...Bees...Bunnies...

Spring has sprung at The Teacher's Chatterbox

and in middle Tennessee...finally {I hope!}!

And speaking of spring...

I have a FREEBIE of spring clip art for you!

It is for personal and commercial use!

{click HERE!}

I hope you can make lots of goodies for your classroom and/or shop.

AND

I have a "Bunnies" freebie for you, as well!

{click HERE!}

If you get a chance after you finish the blog hop, bound on over to my clip art shop, Speckles and Spots and then make one more hop on over to my TN shop, The Teacher's Chatterbox.

THANKS!

NOW...

Your next spot on this blog hop is

Smedley's Smorgasbord!

OMG! If you haven't visited Greg's blog, you've been missing out!

I you

to go over and visit him! {hee hee}

He has the cOoLeSt experiments and hands-on activities! The kinder-kiddos in his class are learning some awesome stuff!

Now, hop on over to Smedley's Smorgasbord {just click on the button below}. And THANKS for hopping by! Many Spring Blessings,

Currently April...

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:36:00 +0000

Oh boy! Not only is it time for our monthly currently...but it is APRIL FOOL'S DAY! It will be our first week back to school after a two week Spring Break, so I wonder what my little darlins will come up with...I never can think of something good to pull! Are you a big prankster on April Fool's Day? If so...do tell! Above you can see my April Currently. A HUGE thanks to Farley for hosting this monthly blog party for us! It's always such fun! I must say that over break I have gotten quite a bit added to my shop. Here's what you can find in my TN shop and my TpT store. I must also say that ALL of the graphics in the sets are drawn by me. I've had such fun with this!

Hope you all have a terrific week! Watch out for those little pranksters! Many Blessings,

FREEBIE TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:05:00 +0000

Hope this finds you all doing well! This is my last week before my two week Spring Break! So excited! I have created some Non-Fiction Common Core posters and put them in my TN shop. So, go grab them! Hope you enjoy! Spring Blessings,

Dr. Seuss and Read Across America

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 02:01:00 +0000

Our school celebrated Dr. Seuss and Read Across America this week. What a fun, exciting, but exhausting week! But here are the highlights...
MONDAY Horton Hears A Who We wore crazy hair because Horton was worried like crazy over the Whos of WhoVille!

TUESDAY Bartholomew and The Oobleck

WEDNESDAY Oh The Places You'll Go

THURSDAY The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

FRIDAY

If I Ran The Circus

Great Dr. Seuss/Read Across America Week!

Now...ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL OUR 2 WEEK SPRING BREAK...

OH YEAAAHHHHH!!!

SpRiNg BlEsSiNgS,

FREEBIE: heart graphics

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 02:36:00 +0000

I've added some FREEBIE heart graphics tonight to my shop. You can find them here. This is a mixed pack of black and white images and colored graphics. All terms apply. ENJOY!

National Title One Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 01:03:00 +0000

Recently, I attended the National Title One Conference in Nashville, TN.

This awesome four-day conference was held at the gorgeous Opryland Hotel! My teaching team had the best time and learned some good stuff!

On Monday, our keynote speaker was Dr. Steve Perry {sorry Journey fans...not THAT Steve Perry! hee hee} I could have listened to him all day! AwEsOmE!!! and...

You know how I love to learn more about and implement Brain Based Activities, right? So, I LOVED the session, The Brain Campaign, led by Rick DuVall. My next post will be dedicated to what I learned in this session! But then.....

The highlight was hearing Harry and Rosemary Wong! Oh yeah!!! It was a GREAT way to end the conference!!! Ok...so I'll leave you with some photos of our FUN after the sessions were done each day!!!

(picture from our balcony)

Getting our hair "did" for dinner!

This was a great place in the hotel to sit and unwind...

overlooking the waterfalls, sipping your beverage of choice, relaxing, and hanging with your friends!

One of the bridges in the hotel

Checking out this HUGE hotel!!!

We found Shrek's house, but no one was home...or at least, he wouldn't open the door for these kuh-Razy teachers!!! tee hee

EATING at some awesome places...

AND SHOPPPPPING, baby!!! Ok...so not only did we learn some awesome, beneficial stuff, but we ate well and had LOTS of fun hanging together which we rarely ever get to do! It's awesome to get to know your cohorts outside of the walls of the school building! My teaching team is AWESOME!!! Until next time...waving from The Teacher's Chatterbox,

Currently...It's February

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 05:09:00 +0000

Be sure to head over to Farley's to see everyone else's Currently...and maybe you'd like to join in the FUN!

February Blessings,

So Where Have I Been???

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 02:58:00 +0000

Well, I can tell you where I haven't been!!! I haven't been to the post office to mail two special packages to two sweet, patient teachers! I haven't been on my blog daily...or even weekly for quite some time now...I haven't been visiting my sweet bloggy teacher friends! Arrgghhh! So much to do...so little time to do it! Ok...so rewind to Christmas... here are some pics from Christmastime in my classroom...

Second grade enjoyed The Nutcracker at South Jackson Civic Center! We got to sit in the balcony!

Our Santas were so FUN...and oh-so-cute!!!

We enjoyed making gingerbread houses and gingerbread men during our Jan Brett Author Study!!!

Aren't they YuMmY looking???

Everyone got involved in The Gingerbread Baby skit!

REAL yummies to eat at our Christmas party!!!

We had such fun in our reindeer antlers at our Christmas party!

Even Mrs. Wrinn wore her antlers! Hope your Christmas holiday was merry and bright! {I know I'm just a tad late on recognizing it! HeeHee!}

Dress Up Days

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 22:51:00 +0000

This past week, not only did we have Halloween dress up...but it was our Red Ribbon Week...and we had dress up EVERY day! Check it out...

Monday was RED DAY...so that was pretty normal. A good start to the week!

Tuesday we wore ridiculous clothes and hair to show that Drugs Are Ridiculous! Now, the fun begins...kind of a wild day, to say the least!

Of course, Halloween was Wednesday...right there in the MIDDLE of the week...aacckkkkk! I was Sleeping Beauty...that wig was HOT let me tell ya...and not the good hot! bwahahahaha Thursday was Red/White/Blue Day...to show our American pride to be drug free...or something like that. Didn't get a pic of that day...sorry!

We ended the week with PJ Day! That was my FAV!!! Hope you had a great week! It was fun, but I'll be glad to get back to a normal schedule next week! Many Blessings,

Currently And Former Student...

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 17:07:00 +0000

Really? Another month has begun? It seems that's all I ever post about lately. I've got to get caught up...I have 2 pkgs. that I am soooo late in mailing out, no blogging, no freebies...that's got to change!!! Today, I'll share my November Currently, and then hopefully get back to post an afternoon post...even though it will be two in one day...It's overdue, I think!

Ok, so do you see my first item...listening? Well, this little guy is moving up in the country music industry....and he is a former student...from when I taught preschool! O*M*G If you haven't heard of Dustin Lynch yet, you HAVE to check this cutie out! It was sooooo awesome to see him on the red carpet at the CMA Awards the other night! One of his songs, Last Lap, is actually about our town. So cool! Go check out Dustin and fall in love with his music!!!

Cowboys and Angels She Cranks My Tractor And if you feel so inclined...you can vote for him here. Thanks for taking a peek!

Currently...AND...Fall Break!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 01:55:00 +0000

I am beyond excited that tomorrow is the last day before break. October is such a GREAT month anyway, and that is the icing on the cake! My hubby's birthday is the 8th, our grangirl's birthday is the 9th, and mine is the 11th. There are other special people that have October birthdays, as well. I'm so ready for this break...it seems like forever since we started in July!!! We have a royal ball to attend for a very special little soon-to-be-3 year old girl...

...our beautiful grangirl, Kennedy Grace. Oh how I love that girl! I am putting the finishing touches on my royal costume, and Pa is finishing up his as well. It is sure to be a grand time with our little Princess!!! Then, the sweet Princess will be visiting us for several days, as well...so much FUN planned for us! And then there is more sweet fun on Halloween! I heart October!

Ok, so it is Currently again...my how 2012 has flown by!

For the "BOOK", we are suppose to share our favorite Fall, Halloween, etc. book...I adore Stellaluna! The story is heartwarming and the pictures are precious...take a look...

Last year, I created a Stellaluna unit. I plan on using it again this year. You can find it here. I have other fall books that I love, as well...since autumn is my favorite time of year! Like...

Hallo-Wiener and Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet! So, what are your favorite fall books? Head over to Farley's to check everyone else's out! October Blessings,

Wrapping Up September and MIA

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:41:00 +0000

Wow! This is only my third post for the whole month! I tell ya...it's been KuH-rAzY Busy! Here's what we've been up to at school...

A little of this...A little of that!

Johnny Appleseed Unit We began a lapbook on Johnny Appleseed and All About Apples. Last week, we finished our Johnny Appleseed part, and we'll add the All About Apples to our lapbook. Thanks for the emails of concern! I know several of you have been following the case of Megan, my neighbor's daughter that was murdered, dumped and burned back in July, that I posted about here. Here's the latest...It has been a nightmare...to say the least. There is a prime suspect, and he is one BOLD person! He has made threats to the family and has had contact with one of Megan's sisters at a local ballgame where introduced himself to her as "I'm the prime suspect...I'm Donnie Mother Effin' Jones and you don't want none of this!" He has a rap sheet a mile long and seems untouchable. We've had police patrolling our neighbor constantly. I've hardly slept at night for fear of this guy. He has raped before among other things, and has gotten off because his mother and her boyfriend are known in the community. They have hard evidence against this guy, and at this point, we are just waiting on the DA that is over the county where the location of the murder actually took place. I won't go into the horrific details, but I will say that she was lured by this person's wife who commuted to nursing school with Megan. She was raped, beaten with a crow bar, dumped, and burned. There are too many twists and turns to go into it, so if you'd like to find out more, here are some links for you to do so. This past Friday, the suspect's home was searched after a tip...and since he is a 4 time felon, and they found a firearm, he was arrested. He won't be getting out anytime soon...we can all now breathe a sigh of relief! And maybe this will help the DA to get his act together to charge him for this horrifically brutal crime against Meg!!! Anyway, you can do your own research on this if you choose to from the links below. Blink On Crime...Suspect Blink on Crime...Suspect Arrested Be blessed and hugs your loved ones tight! God Bless,

Speckles and Spots

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Hi all! Just wanted to pop in and let you all know that I have added two new cute clip art packs to Speckles and Spots...Johnny Appleseed and Lil Spooks are awaiting to be added to your Fall/Halloween creations!

Thanks for taking a peek!Many Blessings,

Classroom Pics and Currently

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 22:05:00 +0000

Our Meeting Area/Reading Rug{The area above the board is starting to fill up with I-Can charts. More pics to come.}

Our Daily Five

Our Rules

Writing Area

Poem of the Week

I have the best helpers!

Jobs and their descriptions

Our Book Boxes and Our Buckets

Reading Rod Center

Cowboy-Opoly

Our Book Barn...a class favorite for sure!

My messy area...YiKeS!

Our Center "I Can" Charts are placed above our Meeting Area board for easy access for students to refer to as needed.

Practicing our *Read To Self*

{When I first saw this pic, I thought, "Where are all the book boxes?!!?" Duh! The kids have them. bwahahahaha}

We are really working to build our stamina!

We LOVE activities that involve food! lol

And WOW!!! It's time for another "Currently"! Be sure to drop by Farley's!

Ok, so that kinda catches you up. I look forward to getting back to regular blogging soon! Thanks for stopping by!

Many Blessings,

Remember Me???

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 16:40:00 +0000

Obviously, I've been away from Blogland for a bit! I have hardly had time to turn around since school began! After some switching around of teachers {thankfully not me, but in my grade level} due to increased enrollment, and shifting of some kiddos {which did effect my class}, I think we are settling in. Then, those little kiddo germs attacked! I hate being sick so early into the school year but a doctor's visit was in order, and with that, orders to stay home for a day!

Now, here we are with a three day weekend...Yay, right? Wrong! Kidney stones aren't something to celebrate!!! Friday morning I was in a dress and heels, taking school pictures with my class...two hours later, I was in a hospital gown, hooked to an IV, and begging for drugs! OMG! It came on so fast! I've never experienced kidney stones before, and I hope and pray I never do again! I got home yesterday afternoon, and now resting comfortably! PTL!!! But we did have to cancel our trip to the Tennessee Aquarium with our sweet little grandgirl. :( We'll make that up soon though!And I pray that this isn't how the rest of my year will go.
And I am going to break the ultimate blog rule...I'm going to post more than once today...EEKKK...so I can get caught up some. I hope that's ok!Many Blessings,

August Currently

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 02:36:00 +0000

{click on pic to read} So, I started back to school on July 25 {inservice} and had kiddos for the first time this past Wednesday. Our school building is just a year old, and we are already bursting at the seams! We keep getting kiddos daily... So, yesterday afternoon our principal called an after school meeting. We are getting two new teachers starting Monday...one in kindergarten and one in second grade. So, some of the kiddos I had the past three days may not be in my class starting on Monday. :( We shall see how this plays out, as things are changing daily. I am thinking that rezoning of schools will take place next year! Anyway, here is my August Currently. Be sure to head over to Farley's to see what everyone else is currently doing. I'll be back soon to share more back-to-school happenings!Back 2 School Blessings,

We Have A Barn!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:24:00 +0000

It is completed! My hubby is wonderful! On Monday, when I got home from the chiropractor and running errands, my sweet hubby had it already painted for me. He could have done a number of things on this day off, but he finished this up for me so I wouldn't have to get out in the hot garage to paint. I just love him!Today, I met my former teammates {two of which I have worked with for 14 years and 7 years, respectively} for lunch. I'm excited to be moving to second grade this year, but I am sure gonna miss these two! They are the BEST teammates and friends ever! We had a nice time, and vowed to do this often! We are too good of friends not to, and I know we will!

Tomorrow...is my first day of the 2012-2013 school year! Yep, you read that right...I start back TOMORROW!

So, I'm enjoying this tonight. :)
Kiddos start next Wed. I can't believe summer is over and the new school year is upon us...but I'm also excited to start a new year...in a new grade. So, when do you start back??? I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!Many Blessings,

P.S. Be watching for some freebie Back To School graphics soon!

Beginning On The Barn...

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 06:33:00 +0000

Recently, I shared a picture of a barn that I found on a teacher's blog. So, I talked my sweet hubby into making it. We worked together on the design to make it fit my needs, and we went to work.

Cutting out the first side of the barn...

So then we used the first one for a template for the next one.

Cutting the two by twos went much quicker!

The frame went well.

This was the fun part...putting it together.

I will use the top of the barn for holding book baskets. There's a bar at the top for support, that I can use for hanging things.

Now, it is just awaiting some red paint and white trim. I'll post pics when we get that completed...but I'm loving it so far! I think my kiddos will love it too!Many Blessings,

Must Have Picture Books Linky Party

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:25:00 +0000

Oh how I adore picture books. I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I have spent in bookstores such as Books-A-Million, Hastings, Barnes&Noble, etc. in the picture book section! So, when I saw Lindsey's Linky Party, I had to join in!I am suppose to list my Top 5...OMG...just 5...I'll try!

1. Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook by Michael GarlandZack is not excited about second grade at all. That is until he meets his new teacher that can really bring a story to life! You can find this book here.

2. Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester LaminackNothing ever happens on the Tucker Farm...that is until a peacock shows up. The hens and the peacock think they work the hardest. After the old hound dog suggests them to swap jobs, they find out that others jobs aren't as easy as they seem.I adore Lester Laminack! He is the best storyteller and author. I have had the great pleasure of hearing him a couple of times at conferences, as well as, as a guest author at our school. You can find it here.

3. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

This book holds a special meaning to me. Every time my sweet little 2 year old granddaughter goes back home {in another town} she gets a little sad {and so does Gramma}. I kiss the palm of her hand and gently close it for her. I tell her that whenever she is feeling sad and wants me, just open up her hand and kiss it, and it will be like me giving her a kiss.That's what happens in this story when Chester Raccoon has to leave his Mommy to go to school. You can find it here.

4. The Giving Tree by Shel SilversteinThis story is a bit sad, but shows the unconditional love the tree has for the boy.You can find it here.

5. Chrysanthemum by Kevin HenkesI know that everyone probably has this book, but I just love it. I always use this book during the first week of school. A sweet story to teach about how hurtful it is to make fun of others. You can find it here. Oh, I have SO MANY more but I narrowed it down to these five. They are all great books that are a must have in the elementary classroom.Be sure to head over to Lindsey's to see what books other teachers are suggesting!Loving this linky party,

FREEBIE Circle Frames and Tickets

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Click the above image to get this FREEBIE!ENJOY!Creative Blessings,

Theme Linky Party and WINNERS!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 02:29:00 +0000

It's another Linky Party...and Winners announced!

Corinna at Surfin' Through Second is hosting a Classroom Theme Linky Party. So I'm going to share everything that I have done so far for my Cowboy/Western theme for next year....some of these pics you have seen in previous posts.

This is a sample of things that I made for my Helper Board. My Welcome Wagon is a small group of kiddos that welcome newbies to our class and help them learn the ropes.

This is a small sample of my notebook that I created.

...and a sample of pages in the kiddos' H.O.R.S.E. binder, desk plate, horse clip art and Wanted poster {both of which I drew}.

Cute cowboy stuff that I bought at the teacher store

More stuff that I bought

CUTE borders!!!

The Buckaroo Board area that I have started to work on in my room already...more work needed though!

My Buckaroo Board upclose...much still to do!

I set this up in my dining room so I could share these goodies from Shindigz.

The glitter horse shoes came in three different sizes. The barbwire garland is so cute, and I love the red barn backdrop.

Adorable red book barn that I found here...and my hubby is using this for inspiration to build ME a book barn! I adore that man! Thanks, honey!

And last but not least, my cowboy and cowgirl puppets. I adore them! And that brings me to my WINNERS for my "naming my cowboy/cowgirl puppets"...

I had SO MANY wonderful names and ideas for these two cuties. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT PARTICIPATED. I have decided to let my kiddos name the puppets after we share several cowboy/cowgirl books {that were suggested}. Four people suggested that I let the kiddos name them, so I put those four in the hat first. So, I will announce the winners now...

For the naming part of my contest...and winner of the above prizes is...

Christina doesn't have a blog, so I will contact her my email. Congrats, Christina!

So then I put the other three in the drawing with everyone else...And the winner of the above prizes is...

I'll be notifying Peggy by email as well.

Thank you all for sharing in the contest!

Now be sure to head over to Corinna's at Surfin' Through Second for lots more theme ideas!

Blessings to all,

Classroom Management

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 18:36:00 +0000

To me, Classroom Management is different than Discipline. Classroom management is good management by the way of procedures and routines that are established first thing in the year by the teacher, and consistently used throughout the year. I feel that if you have good classroom management then you will have less behavioral issues...notice I didn't say no behavior issues but less.

Model and Practice are biggies for me! I spend the first few weeks teaching/modeling the procedures and having the students practice them over and over. This way it becomes routine, and everyone knows what is expected of them. I also spend a lot of time on community building, through books and activities. This sets the tone for the year.

Here are a few books that I use. I haven't used Lester's new book, Three Hens and a Peacock, but plan to this coming year!

Our school has a high rate of transient students. So, I choose two or three {I recommend 3} to "welcome" new students to our school, and help them with procedures and routines. I choose responsible students that have been most successful at modeling our procedures. This year since I'm doing a cowboy/western theme, I'm calling them "The Welcome Wagon". I will work extra with these students to prepare them to help new students that come to our classroom. They love doing this and are successful at it...but I've always taught 3rd grade. I will be teaching 2nd graders next year, so we'll have to see if they can handle this!

Ok, so you all know what a proponent of WHOLE BRAIN TEACHING I am! I feel that this is a biggy in my classroom management. Students are so interactive in the lessons, that they are on task, doing what they should! They especially love the "Class-Yes", "Teach-Ok" and "Practice-I Got This". I walk around during the time they are teaching their partner, so I can see who might need a little extra help, someone that might state what I did in more "kid-friendly" terms, and to assure that all students are on task.

A clip chart will be new to me this next year {I've never used it with my 3rd graders}. Some might consider this more for "discipline" but I think it's classroom management too in the fact that the clip can change as student's behaviors change. I like that!

So, what kinds of things do you use for classroom management? I'd love to hear all about them!

You will also want to check out this linky party at Teaching In Room 6.