"Done what?" you wonder.
I have moved, yet again. This time to a website designed to help teachers find ideas and projects for their classrooms. I've taken all of the ideas and tips from "Spilled Glue" and "180 Days" and compiled them into one site.
Come and visit!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Dust and Cobwebs
I know. My blog page has been neglected, VERY neglected over the past several months. So much has been going on that I haven't had time to write.a.single.word.
So what's been shakin' bacon? In a nutshell, school, school events, family, church, and school. In the past several months I have taken two grad classes (finishing with a 93 and 98, respectively), continued to work my full-time teaching job (which may or may not be there in the fall--more on that in a minute), coached for my local chapter of Girls on the Run, ran a 5K, guided my oldest through a season of track and field, shuffled children between dance, choir, etc., and began house hunting. It's been a whirlwind of activity.
Girls on the Run was a fantastic experience. If you've not heard of it, check out the link. If you have and you have time, be sure to check out your local chapter and/or volunteer. It is SO well worth it!
Regarding my job, my district is furloughing 84 positions, 74 of them teachers. Guess who is on the list? The whole process is one huge mess as no one seems to know anything that's going on. I've been told I am to be furloughed (two days ago), but there is no information as to what I am supposed to do next; it hasn't been fleshed out by the powers that be. So we'll see what the next few weeks bring. Oh, and WHY are such drastic cuts? Let's see, steep education cuts from the governor and poor financial sense on the part of the school district. And here we are.
So, that's where I've been. That's why dust and cobwebs have settled on my web page.
Time to get the Swiffer out.
So what's been shakin' bacon? In a nutshell, school, school events, family, church, and school. In the past several months I have taken two grad classes (finishing with a 93 and 98, respectively), continued to work my full-time teaching job (which may or may not be there in the fall--more on that in a minute), coached for my local chapter of Girls on the Run, ran a 5K, guided my oldest through a season of track and field, shuffled children between dance, choir, etc., and began house hunting. It's been a whirlwind of activity.
Girls on the Run was a fantastic experience. If you've not heard of it, check out the link. If you have and you have time, be sure to check out your local chapter and/or volunteer. It is SO well worth it!
Regarding my job, my district is furloughing 84 positions, 74 of them teachers. Guess who is on the list? The whole process is one huge mess as no one seems to know anything that's going on. I've been told I am to be furloughed (two days ago), but there is no information as to what I am supposed to do next; it hasn't been fleshed out by the powers that be. So we'll see what the next few weeks bring. Oh, and WHY are such drastic cuts? Let's see, steep education cuts from the governor and poor financial sense on the part of the school district. And here we are.
So, that's where I've been. That's why dust and cobwebs have settled on my web page.
Time to get the Swiffer out.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
A Little Science Surprise
Sunday morning I was privy to a surprise waiting for me upstairs. Not a planned surprise, like breakfast in bed or anything, but a surprise nonetheless.
My youngest adopted a crayfish from his teacher after the students finished their science unit. (The crayfish would have been destroyed otherwise, so the teachers let the children apply to adopt the crayfish.) This was right near Thanksgiving.
So I'm downstairs and I hear him yelling, panicked, "Mom! There's something wrong with Sarah!" (The original name was going to be Spike, but then he found out it was a girl.) I yelled up and asked him what was wrong. He proceeded to tell me that something was hanging from her tail. At which point I go up to investigate.
I get to the tank and Sarah is hidden away in her little cave, so I lift the cave up to get a look at her. Surprise, surprise...she's got a brood of eggs tucked under her tail! Like 50 of them. (We don't know how long they've been there because Sarah is always in her cave and crayfish are nocturnal, anyway.)To which my first thought was "What?!?" My second thought was to call the pet store to see what we should do. My third thought, teacher that I am, was to do some investigating online about crayfish and take some pictures to share with his teacher so she could share with the class; it's not something they ever get to see during their unit. So then I talked to my son about what was going to happen and the look on his face was priceless. He wasn't worried or anything, it was more like shock mixed with awe. We joke with him that he's going to be a grandfather. =)
Some research, a phone call, and a trip to the pet store later, Sarah is now in a breeding tank that separates her from the eggs once they hatch, otherwise she will eat her young. So now the whole household is waiting like expectant parents in the hospital, even walking softly and taking care not to bump the table the tank is on so we won't give Sarah "mommy stress."
It's been an adventure.
My youngest adopted a crayfish from his teacher after the students finished their science unit. (The crayfish would have been destroyed otherwise, so the teachers let the children apply to adopt the crayfish.) This was right near Thanksgiving.
So I'm downstairs and I hear him yelling, panicked, "Mom! There's something wrong with Sarah!" (The original name was going to be Spike, but then he found out it was a girl.) I yelled up and asked him what was wrong. He proceeded to tell me that something was hanging from her tail. At which point I go up to investigate.
I get to the tank and Sarah is hidden away in her little cave, so I lift the cave up to get a look at her. Surprise, surprise...she's got a brood of eggs tucked under her tail! Like 50 of them. (We don't know how long they've been there because Sarah is always in her cave and crayfish are nocturnal, anyway.)To which my first thought was "What?!?" My second thought was to call the pet store to see what we should do. My third thought, teacher that I am, was to do some investigating online about crayfish and take some pictures to share with his teacher so she could share with the class; it's not something they ever get to see during their unit. So then I talked to my son about what was going to happen and the look on his face was priceless. He wasn't worried or anything, it was more like shock mixed with awe. We joke with him that he's going to be a grandfather. =)
Some research, a phone call, and a trip to the pet store later, Sarah is now in a breeding tank that separates her from the eggs once they hatch, otherwise she will eat her young. So now the whole household is waiting like expectant parents in the hospital, even walking softly and taking care not to bump the table the tank is on so we won't give Sarah "mommy stress."
It's been an adventure.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Wait! There IS a Pulse!
Yes...I'm alive.
I know it's been SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long since I've shared with you and you probably figured I didn't love you anymore. Alas, that was not the case; I have just been SO. DARN. BUSY. AND. EEEEEEXXXXXHAAAUUUSSSSTTTTEEEEDDDD. from everything that has been going on.
Let's see...
Where to begin?
Well, you are aware that we had the whole flood/tropical storm remnant issue back in September. (Many of my students and colleagues have recovered fairly well, as has most of the area. One local business (that was literally WASHED AWAY) opened in its original location last week with a celebration dinner (free) for all of the first responders, employees, and their families). It was open to the public the next day and has been busy ever since.
From there, I have been trying my best to stay afloat of all of the changes going on within our district policies. Let's see: we had a principal get fired two months into the school year (said principal is now suing district), we were told to change our reading intervention program YET AGAIN (and the curriculum person in charge left the district--again--to pursue a career outside of public education just a month or so after putting this new policy in place), more responsibilities have been heaped upon us (with less support and supplies) under the guise of "it's better for the children" (trust me, it is SO NOT), I've been preparing for grad classes (starting this month), and trying to keep my personal/home/spiritual life moving along.
Whew.
I have been with this district five years. In that time, our reading intervention program has been changed three times, not counting my first year where we did guided reading with our own students. We have gone from RTI to RTII to some new version of guided reading (I honestly cannot remember what it is called. Pity.). The longest program lasted two years. Even with this, the DATA is showing that the students are not making "enough" progress. (We are not an academically struggling school. In fact, we--until the last two or so years--have been known as a school of academic excellence. Ironic that title has changed since we started those new programs four years ago.) Anyhow, this new program cuts my 2-hour language arts block in half, yet I am still expected to cover anthology, vocabulary, phonology, grammar, comprehension skills, and writing skills in an HOUR. Oh, I am supposed to have phonology lessons for my struggling students 30 minutes three days a week--DURING THAT TIME. And I am supposed to make sure I am teaching writing so the students can have work for their writing portfolios (4 required pieces minimum, from organizer to drafts to final draft). Doesn't sound like much, but when you are talking about teaching seven-year olds how to go from making a complete sentence to organizing thoughts to proofreading and everything in between, it sort of builds up. Oh, and those required pieces don't take into account the other writing projects I aim to do every other week.
Oh yeah, the new program now brings together two grade levels to share a skill group, with the idea being that since students are on the "same reading level" then it should be more beneficial to them to be taught at the same level. Trust me, it's not. I have nearly 20 students in my "small group" reading skills group. They are a mixture of first and second graders. I have had to break that group into three groups because of ability level. You know as well as I do that just because a child can read the material, doesn't mean that they can demonstrate that material as well as someone who is a year ahead of them academically. In short, the first graders are struggling to keep up no matter what I do. Reasons being: They don't have the comprehension or writing skills to keep up with the work required in the skill group (which happens to be a midyear second-grade level), nor are they mature enough to be able to work well independently, which means I spend a lot of time with that group. Which also means the other children are not getting the attention they need. This is the same conversation/gripe we had with our groups from last year. When brought up, we were told simply that this was a directive from the top and we are going to do it this way. One of those, "Sounds great, let's do it!" policies that looks good on paper but doesn't translate well into practice.
Because of this new method, I have eliminated Friday math review games/activities to do Writer's Workshop (otherwise I truly can't get it in because I refuse to sacrifice reading strategies, grammar skills, and phonology in the limited time I am given for language arts). I have doubled on math skills where I can to make sure the children get all they can in the hour I'm given for that. I throw it in morning journal and anywhere I can disperse it through science and social studies. I have also taken a portion of their daily independent reading time (supposed to be 30 minutes as part of a school-wide program) in order to review grammar, vocabulary, and writing skills for 15 minutes. I don't think my principal approves, but these are skills they need. Besides the fact that I assign a minimum 15 minutes of reading homework each night.
Just last week we were told to change our phonology program back to the program's original order. (Second grade changed this order about seven years ago to align with the order that was being presented in our anthology series. All of the lessons are being taught, but in an order that would benefit the children better since they wouldn't be learning two different phonology sets in one week. The weekly stories have a specific phonics and spelling focus that align with the unit tests as well.) Change it back?!? WHAT?!?!
Another major change is in our math curriculum. The committee has literally cut the requirements of what the children need to master each quarter (and subsequently, the year). In my grade, those requirements are almost half. Oh yeah, and we are to score only the first portion of the test for the grade; the rest is to be used for "planning purposes." Problem is, that first portion sometimes only has four or five questions and may not even cover material that we learned in the unit. (This is a professional math program, too, not one made up by my district.) So I'm supposed to base mastery of skills on four or five questions? (Of course I give quizzes and things through the unit as well.) These four or five questions count as the unit test? Sure does. Makes sense, right? Definitely NOT. Do I still teach the things I used to? Yes. Do I still require MY students to have ALL of those things mastered before they leave me? Darn right.) To do otherwise would be criminal.
There is more, but these are the issues that make me the most aggravated. I look at what my students are doing and where they are in comparison to the first class I taught here and I truly feel that this year's class will be the least prepared of any class I have taught my entire 11-year career. They are coming to me less and less prepared because of all these changes over the past few years, more and more of our time/schedule is being taken away, less and less support is being given to us to implement these changes, and it continues. I am working myself to near exhaustion just trying to meet these expectations and teach my students the way they deserve to be taught. Why? Because you don't get do overs in education. You have to get it right while the children are in your care. My students don't benefit if I slack off.
I look at my own children, who attend school in the district, and how their academics are faring. I know where the holes are in the curriculum and address them at home as best I can. But I also know that every parent in the district does not have that benefit, so I try my best to teach my students as if they were my own children.
I am at the point where I don't feel I can continue in the classroom in good conscience. I have been thinking about it for a while now, and I do not see myself in the classroom in another two to three years. My goal is to work in curriculum development or something similar that will take into account all that teachers do in a day before saying this is the end-all-to-be-all in academic achievement. I know that that's only part of the issue, though. Administrators/policymakers need to be made aware of the day-to-day issues facing teachers. I really think they should be required to do one to two weeks in the classroom before they make final decisions on any policy. I also think they need to allow teachers to give input instead of always trying to treat us like sheep.
Just sayin'.
I haven't quite decided what I plan to do, but in the meantime I am going to finish my grad classes so I can earn my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction (and secure my final level of teaching certification in the process, just in case). I truly want to help other people, mainly teachers, be as successful as they possibly can. Will bureaucratic nonsense get in the way? Yes. It always does. But if I can help someone not feel the way I am feeling now by getting back to basics and using common sense in education, then I'm willing to try.
I'll keep you updated.
I know it's been SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long since I've shared with you and you probably figured I didn't love you anymore. Alas, that was not the case; I have just been SO. DARN. BUSY. AND. EEEEEEXXXXXHAAAUUUSSSSTTTTEEEEDDDD. from everything that has been going on.
Let's see...
Where to begin?
Well, you are aware that we had the whole flood/tropical storm remnant issue back in September. (Many of my students and colleagues have recovered fairly well, as has most of the area. One local business (that was literally WASHED AWAY) opened in its original location last week with a celebration dinner (free) for all of the first responders, employees, and their families). It was open to the public the next day and has been busy ever since.
From there, I have been trying my best to stay afloat of all of the changes going on within our district policies. Let's see: we had a principal get fired two months into the school year (said principal is now suing district), we were told to change our reading intervention program YET AGAIN (and the curriculum person in charge left the district--again--to pursue a career outside of public education just a month or so after putting this new policy in place), more responsibilities have been heaped upon us (with less support and supplies) under the guise of "it's better for the children" (trust me, it is SO NOT), I've been preparing for grad classes (starting this month), and trying to keep my personal/home/spiritual life moving along.
Whew.
I have been with this district five years. In that time, our reading intervention program has been changed three times, not counting my first year where we did guided reading with our own students. We have gone from RTI to RTII to some new version of guided reading (I honestly cannot remember what it is called. Pity.). The longest program lasted two years. Even with this, the DATA is showing that the students are not making "enough" progress. (We are not an academically struggling school. In fact, we--until the last two or so years--have been known as a school of academic excellence. Ironic that title has changed since we started those new programs four years ago.) Anyhow, this new program cuts my 2-hour language arts block in half, yet I am still expected to cover anthology, vocabulary, phonology, grammar, comprehension skills, and writing skills in an HOUR. Oh, I am supposed to have phonology lessons for my struggling students 30 minutes three days a week--DURING THAT TIME. And I am supposed to make sure I am teaching writing so the students can have work for their writing portfolios (4 required pieces minimum, from organizer to drafts to final draft). Doesn't sound like much, but when you are talking about teaching seven-year olds how to go from making a complete sentence to organizing thoughts to proofreading and everything in between, it sort of builds up. Oh, and those required pieces don't take into account the other writing projects I aim to do every other week.
Oh yeah, the new program now brings together two grade levels to share a skill group, with the idea being that since students are on the "same reading level" then it should be more beneficial to them to be taught at the same level. Trust me, it's not. I have nearly 20 students in my "small group" reading skills group. They are a mixture of first and second graders. I have had to break that group into three groups because of ability level. You know as well as I do that just because a child can read the material, doesn't mean that they can demonstrate that material as well as someone who is a year ahead of them academically. In short, the first graders are struggling to keep up no matter what I do. Reasons being: They don't have the comprehension or writing skills to keep up with the work required in the skill group (which happens to be a midyear second-grade level), nor are they mature enough to be able to work well independently, which means I spend a lot of time with that group. Which also means the other children are not getting the attention they need. This is the same conversation/gripe we had with our groups from last year. When brought up, we were told simply that this was a directive from the top and we are going to do it this way. One of those, "Sounds great, let's do it!" policies that looks good on paper but doesn't translate well into practice.
Because of this new method, I have eliminated Friday math review games/activities to do Writer's Workshop (otherwise I truly can't get it in because I refuse to sacrifice reading strategies, grammar skills, and phonology in the limited time I am given for language arts). I have doubled on math skills where I can to make sure the children get all they can in the hour I'm given for that. I throw it in morning journal and anywhere I can disperse it through science and social studies. I have also taken a portion of their daily independent reading time (supposed to be 30 minutes as part of a school-wide program) in order to review grammar, vocabulary, and writing skills for 15 minutes. I don't think my principal approves, but these are skills they need. Besides the fact that I assign a minimum 15 minutes of reading homework each night.
Just last week we were told to change our phonology program back to the program's original order. (Second grade changed this order about seven years ago to align with the order that was being presented in our anthology series. All of the lessons are being taught, but in an order that would benefit the children better since they wouldn't be learning two different phonology sets in one week. The weekly stories have a specific phonics and spelling focus that align with the unit tests as well.) Change it back?!? WHAT?!?!
Another major change is in our math curriculum. The committee has literally cut the requirements of what the children need to master each quarter (and subsequently, the year). In my grade, those requirements are almost half. Oh yeah, and we are to score only the first portion of the test for the grade; the rest is to be used for "planning purposes." Problem is, that first portion sometimes only has four or five questions and may not even cover material that we learned in the unit. (This is a professional math program, too, not one made up by my district.) So I'm supposed to base mastery of skills on four or five questions? (Of course I give quizzes and things through the unit as well.) These four or five questions count as the unit test? Sure does. Makes sense, right? Definitely NOT. Do I still teach the things I used to? Yes. Do I still require MY students to have ALL of those things mastered before they leave me? Darn right.) To do otherwise would be criminal.
There is more, but these are the issues that make me the most aggravated. I look at what my students are doing and where they are in comparison to the first class I taught here and I truly feel that this year's class will be the least prepared of any class I have taught my entire 11-year career. They are coming to me less and less prepared because of all these changes over the past few years, more and more of our time/schedule is being taken away, less and less support is being given to us to implement these changes, and it continues. I am working myself to near exhaustion just trying to meet these expectations and teach my students the way they deserve to be taught. Why? Because you don't get do overs in education. You have to get it right while the children are in your care. My students don't benefit if I slack off.
I look at my own children, who attend school in the district, and how their academics are faring. I know where the holes are in the curriculum and address them at home as best I can. But I also know that every parent in the district does not have that benefit, so I try my best to teach my students as if they were my own children.
I am at the point where I don't feel I can continue in the classroom in good conscience. I have been thinking about it for a while now, and I do not see myself in the classroom in another two to three years. My goal is to work in curriculum development or something similar that will take into account all that teachers do in a day before saying this is the end-all-to-be-all in academic achievement. I know that that's only part of the issue, though. Administrators/policymakers need to be made aware of the day-to-day issues facing teachers. I really think they should be required to do one to two weeks in the classroom before they make final decisions on any policy. I also think they need to allow teachers to give input instead of always trying to treat us like sheep.
Just sayin'.
I haven't quite decided what I plan to do, but in the meantime I am going to finish my grad classes so I can earn my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction (and secure my final level of teaching certification in the process, just in case). I truly want to help other people, mainly teachers, be as successful as they possibly can. Will bureaucratic nonsense get in the way? Yes. It always does. But if I can help someone not feel the way I am feeling now by getting back to basics and using common sense in education, then I'm willing to try.
I'll keep you updated.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Oh My
Well, it has been a busy first few weeks of school. And also a bit surreal. In the first three weeks of school, we have had the aftermath of a hurricane, a tropical storm, and massive flooding. We started school on August 29, but because of the effects of the above, we just finished our 11th day of school on Friday.
The routines have been slow going because of the interruptions. We had a full week the week of August 29th, followed by a week comprised of one-and-a-half school days. We had Monday, September 5 off for Labor Day, then we had school Tuesday and half of Wednesday.
Wednesday was an early dismissal due to the pouring rain and flooding occurring here in the northeast. (In some nearby areas the water came so fast that the students weren't allowed to leave until the state police gave clearance to leave. Some students (and parents who came to pick them up when the weather turned) had to end up staying in the schools overnight.) Thursday and Friday we were off because of the flooding of the Susquehanna River in our area. At one point we had part of our interstate, the turnpike, over 150 state roads, and many local roads closed due to flooding of the roadways, sinkholes, or buckled roads. Some are still closed.
My family fared pretty well, only having to deal with a boil water advisory for four days and closed roads. We also took in a few members from our church who had to be evacuated from a flood-prone area. (Good news, they didn't get any water.) Others, including many of my students and colleagues, are still dealing with cleaning/repairing/replacement of flooded basements and homes and the headache that comes with dealing with insurance companies.) By the time we came back on Monday, September 12, it was like the first day of school all over again.
It'll take some time, but we'll be back on track soon. Keep us in your thoughts.
The routines have been slow going because of the interruptions. We had a full week the week of August 29th, followed by a week comprised of one-and-a-half school days. We had Monday, September 5 off for Labor Day, then we had school Tuesday and half of Wednesday.
Wednesday was an early dismissal due to the pouring rain and flooding occurring here in the northeast. (In some nearby areas the water came so fast that the students weren't allowed to leave until the state police gave clearance to leave. Some students (and parents who came to pick them up when the weather turned) had to end up staying in the schools overnight.) Thursday and Friday we were off because of the flooding of the Susquehanna River in our area. At one point we had part of our interstate, the turnpike, over 150 state roads, and many local roads closed due to flooding of the roadways, sinkholes, or buckled roads. Some are still closed.
My family fared pretty well, only having to deal with a boil water advisory for four days and closed roads. We also took in a few members from our church who had to be evacuated from a flood-prone area. (Good news, they didn't get any water.) Others, including many of my students and colleagues, are still dealing with cleaning/repairing/replacement of flooded basements and homes and the headache that comes with dealing with insurance companies.) By the time we came back on Monday, September 12, it was like the first day of school all over again.
It'll take some time, but we'll be back on track soon. Keep us in your thoughts.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Let the Countdown Begin!
I know it's been a while since I've posted; I've been doing all of my back-to-school duties. School starts Monday in our district, barring any possible power outages from Irene. I am not located on the coast, but I am located inland in one of the affected states. My area is calling for wind and rain, but not much more than a regular thunderstorm. We'll see what happens.
I've been debating on whether to continue my daily blogging, and I think I'm going to try to post a one to a few times a week. (Gotta take some grad courses for my next certification level, so I'll be taking time to do that.) I will continue to post new ideas and neat happenings throughout the year for you, so don't go anywhere!
If you have already started, I hope your year is going well for you. If you have not already started, I hope your year will go well for you. And, if you feel the urge, send me a comment from time to time and let me know how your 180-day journey is progressing. (You can be anonymous if you want!)
Let the countdown begin!
I've been debating on whether to continue my daily blogging, and I think I'm going to try to post a one to a few times a week. (Gotta take some grad courses for my next certification level, so I'll be taking time to do that.) I will continue to post new ideas and neat happenings throughout the year for you, so don't go anywhere!
If you have already started, I hope your year is going well for you. If you have not already started, I hope your year will go well for you. And, if you feel the urge, send me a comment from time to time and let me know how your 180-day journey is progressing. (You can be anonymous if you want!)
Let the countdown begin!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Where Is My Summer Going?!?
Just last week we celebrated our nation's independence with picnics and fireworks. The stores celebrated the holiday with Fourth of July sales, only to be closely followed with Back to School sales. Haven't checked your newspaper flyers lately? I can assure you...it's begun. This week's Target ad has a two-page spread with specials on lunchboxes, lunchbox containers, backpacks, notebooks, and writing utensils. Not to be outdone, Wal-Mart also has a flyer out this week solely dedicated to all things school, whether that school is college or K-12. As my daughter said when the flyers came, "I just want to enjoy my summer!"
Ditto.
I feel like my summer just began. I finished school (with students) on June 10th, was away for a conference that following week, took four days of teacher inservice courses the week after that, and served as preschool director for my church's Vacation Bible School the week after that. And now the papers are advertising for school supplies.
Just. So. Sad.
I know some of you have been planning for the next school year already, but I figure I'll give myself another week or so before I really get into it. In the meantime, I am undertaking a new adventure. I'll be trying my hand at being a freelance education writer for Suite 101! This is pretty exciting because I can write about what I do and I can do so whenever I choose. If you don't remember, I worked in the writing field for a number of years before changing careers to be a teacher.
I know what you're thinking: Aren't you busy enough? Yes and no. This year my husband and I will not be full-time weekend houseparents at the facility for underprivileged children. It was too hard on my children, who missed out on a lot of their own activities (like sports) because we were on duty every other weekend. We are still on the on-call list, but we are not obligated to go in just because there's a need. The second reason we are not working full time on the weekend has to do with me; I have to take some courses in order to attain my next level in teacher certification for my state. There is just not enough time in a week to get everything done.
So what am I doing in the meantime? I'm reviewing and previewing academic skills with my children, catching up on my personal reading, running when my knee permits, and enjoying my family. I can think about school in another week or so...as long as I don't look at any more flyers in the paper!
Monday, July 4, 2011
(Day 3 of Scholastic Trip #2)
Okay, so Day 3 wasn't really a full day. Actually, it wasn't even part of the original plan for the trip, but one of the members of the editorial team asked if any of us would be available Thursday morning to talk about the focus of publishing from the standpoint of the teacher.
I got up and showered, ordered and ate breakfast, finished packing for the trip home, checked my bag at the front desk and ordered my cab to the train station to be ready when I got back from the meeting, and met the three remaining advisors for our trip over to Scholastic.
We met with a member of the editorial team who talked with us for about an hour. We talked about how well the books fit into the curriculum, what areas and levels still need materials, how to address the needs when state standards are so different (although the new Common Core Standards may help with that issue), and how test preparation materials fit into the grand picture of things. There should be more materials in social studies and science coming for the lower grades; one of my complaints was that the materials offered for the lower grades are either too simplistic or too far above grade level for the students to understand. We'll see what happens. We also found out how to submit our own material if we so choose. There's no guarantee we'll be published, but it's nice to know the option is there.
After our meeting, I went back to the hotel, picked up my bag, and got into the cab. My cab ride to Penn Station was just as harrowing as the one I took the night I arrived. I was glad to get out of the taxi! An hour later, after a purchase of a french toast bagel with cream cheese (and a drink), I was on my way home.
Ahh. Home.
I got up and showered, ordered and ate breakfast, finished packing for the trip home, checked my bag at the front desk and ordered my cab to the train station to be ready when I got back from the meeting, and met the three remaining advisors for our trip over to Scholastic.
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| Breakfast. Fuel for the day. |
We met with a member of the editorial team who talked with us for about an hour. We talked about how well the books fit into the curriculum, what areas and levels still need materials, how to address the needs when state standards are so different (although the new Common Core Standards may help with that issue), and how test preparation materials fit into the grand picture of things. There should be more materials in social studies and science coming for the lower grades; one of my complaints was that the materials offered for the lower grades are either too simplistic or too far above grade level for the students to understand. We'll see what happens. We also found out how to submit our own material if we so choose. There's no guarantee we'll be published, but it's nice to know the option is there.
After our meeting, I went back to the hotel, picked up my bag, and got into the cab. My cab ride to Penn Station was just as harrowing as the one I took the night I arrived. I was glad to get out of the taxi! An hour later, after a purchase of a french toast bagel with cream cheese (and a drink), I was on my way home.
Ahh. Home.
(Day 2 of Scholastic Trip #2)
Day 2 began much the same as the first: meeting Carol in the lobby, walking to Scholastic headquarters, and having breakfast. The meetings for the day covered changes to the teacher reward (bonus point) program, back-to-school promotions, some new web applications, and a preview of the new bonus catalog. Lots of exciting things in store!
One of the things I am excited about is the change to the bonus point system. We had complained in the February meeting that sometimes it was hard to reach that minimum requirement to get the 5X bonus points for that month (or whatever the promotion was in any particular month). Many of us stated that we were guilty of padding our classroom orders just to reach the minimum dollar amount threshold. (I suspect many of you do the same thing.) Well, there is good news: Beginning this fall, all bonus points will be lumped together, no matter which book club/flier you use. No more minimum dollar amounts! Your bonus points will be awarded based on the total number of dollars for your order. (There will be a chart explaining how the new system works in the teacher portion of the flier.) I don't know about you, but I use my bonus points A LOT. And to know that I won't have to pad orders anymore and still get the benefit, well, that's just icing.
Another exciting aspect is this year's back-to-school promotion to get children excited about reading. I can't tell you all of the details, but I can tell you it has something to do with a partnership with Wal-Mart and Kellogg's. Just keep your eyes peeled!
Some of the new web applications being put into place (besides easier navigation of the company site and book order links) include a link where teachers and parents can rate books according to specified criteria. The idea behind this application is sort of like Pandora Radio; readers can rate books and move books into categories by title, author, series, skill sets, illustrations, message, age group, etc. There would also be a place to solicit feedback or leave a comment about a book. You know as well as I do that sometimes books can be used for more purposes than the publishing company thinks of or lists on the description/book jacket. Sometimes just a snippet of a book is perfect for supplementing a lesson or a series of similar stories is just right for a concept study. This new site would allow people that are using the books add to the details and description of the book. An example would be the Junie B. Jones series. One of the other advisors uses snippets of the books to do grammar studies. I would never have thought of using the series that way. Through the site, those ideas would be available to whoever clicks on the link.
For those of you who are fans of Book Talk, there are plans to have five new titles from the book clubs highlighted each month. There would be book highlights from preschool to high school. Scholastic plans to have some of the editors and writers do short videos about the highlighted books. Teachers would also have the ability to link to those videos through their personal, class, or school web pages. The book videos would also be archived for later reference.
Regarding the book club fliers themselves, our meeting with the design team revealed quite a few changes. The team has reworked the fliers so that they are going to be less cluttered, a larger section will be available for your class online ordering code, there will be a highlight page featuring authors or series in each, there will be a section for book reviews from the teacher advisors (much like those we do for the Scholastic Facebook page), the layout of the order form on the last page will be MUCH easier to read, and there will be a section with preview pages from different book levels to help parents and children choose "Just Right" books.
I know it's a lot to take in, but it was a busy day. So busy that we had a "working lunch" that day; lunch was brought to the room and we continued on. Our day of meetings ended at 5:30. We had about half an hour to freshen up and/or walk around Soho before we left for dinner.
Dinner that night was held at the Mercer Kitchen. The restaurant had little menus made up for us to choose our three courses. I had the fried calamari with spicy mayo for my appetizer, the Mercer burger for my entree (delicious, and I'm not a burger person), and the sour cream cheesecake with cherries for dessert.
Just. So. Good.
One of the things I am excited about is the change to the bonus point system. We had complained in the February meeting that sometimes it was hard to reach that minimum requirement to get the 5X bonus points for that month (or whatever the promotion was in any particular month). Many of us stated that we were guilty of padding our classroom orders just to reach the minimum dollar amount threshold. (I suspect many of you do the same thing.) Well, there is good news: Beginning this fall, all bonus points will be lumped together, no matter which book club/flier you use. No more minimum dollar amounts! Your bonus points will be awarded based on the total number of dollars for your order. (There will be a chart explaining how the new system works in the teacher portion of the flier.) I don't know about you, but I use my bonus points A LOT. And to know that I won't have to pad orders anymore and still get the benefit, well, that's just icing.
Another exciting aspect is this year's back-to-school promotion to get children excited about reading. I can't tell you all of the details, but I can tell you it has something to do with a partnership with Wal-Mart and Kellogg's. Just keep your eyes peeled!
Some of the new web applications being put into place (besides easier navigation of the company site and book order links) include a link where teachers and parents can rate books according to specified criteria. The idea behind this application is sort of like Pandora Radio; readers can rate books and move books into categories by title, author, series, skill sets, illustrations, message, age group, etc. There would also be a place to solicit feedback or leave a comment about a book. You know as well as I do that sometimes books can be used for more purposes than the publishing company thinks of or lists on the description/book jacket. Sometimes just a snippet of a book is perfect for supplementing a lesson or a series of similar stories is just right for a concept study. This new site would allow people that are using the books add to the details and description of the book. An example would be the Junie B. Jones series. One of the other advisors uses snippets of the books to do grammar studies. I would never have thought of using the series that way. Through the site, those ideas would be available to whoever clicks on the link.
For those of you who are fans of Book Talk, there are plans to have five new titles from the book clubs highlighted each month. There would be book highlights from preschool to high school. Scholastic plans to have some of the editors and writers do short videos about the highlighted books. Teachers would also have the ability to link to those videos through their personal, class, or school web pages. The book videos would also be archived for later reference.
Regarding the book club fliers themselves, our meeting with the design team revealed quite a few changes. The team has reworked the fliers so that they are going to be less cluttered, a larger section will be available for your class online ordering code, there will be a highlight page featuring authors or series in each, there will be a section for book reviews from the teacher advisors (much like those we do for the Scholastic Facebook page), the layout of the order form on the last page will be MUCH easier to read, and there will be a section with preview pages from different book levels to help parents and children choose "Just Right" books.
I know it's a lot to take in, but it was a busy day. So busy that we had a "working lunch" that day; lunch was brought to the room and we continued on. Our day of meetings ended at 5:30. We had about half an hour to freshen up and/or walk around Soho before we left for dinner.
Dinner that night was held at the Mercer Kitchen. The restaurant had little menus made up for us to choose our three courses. I had the fried calamari with spicy mayo for my appetizer, the Mercer burger for my entree (delicious, and I'm not a burger person), and the sour cream cheesecake with cherries for dessert.
Just. So. Good.
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| Sorry about the flash. This is one of the windows out front. |
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| Our menu cover. |
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| Our menu options for dinner. |
During dinner I sat near the guru of the bonus catalog, Tanya. I just have to tell you; when you get the catalog in the fall with your beginning-of-the-year Scholastic materials, HANG ON TO IT! There are SO many good things in there! (And I'm not saying so because I helped choose some of the items, but because there are a lot of neat things in there. My bonus points are already spent for this year!)
After dinner we said goodbye to those folks who were heading out early the next morning. Several of us were going to hang around the next morning before our departures to have an informal meeting with one of the editors from the book club division. More on that to come.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
(Day 1 of Scholastic Trip #2)
The first day of Scholastic meetings started off with us meeting Carol in the lobby of the hotel, getting our clearance badges for the next few days, and a walk from the hotel to the Scholastic headquarters. (The walk took about 10 minutes. You would be amazed at how relatively quiet Soho is at 8:30 a.m.)
We arrived at the building and were taken upstairs to have breakfast and meet with another Carol; this Carol is the VP of the eCommerce department. She and her assistant Sean walked us through the new website design and further picked our brains for improvements to the book club ordering sites for teachers and parents.
Some of the new changes coming this fall are: a searchable index of all book being offered by the Scholastic clubs, in Club Shop, or teacher materials. (This is one of my favorite new features!) You will now be able to search for titles by author, subject, grade level, genre, skill set, or title. I believe they will be adding a feature that will allow teachers and parents to keep a snapshot of students that will allow recommendations to be made based on the child's grade level, age, and/or reading level. (They were still working on the details for that one.)
Another feature coming this fall (and is already in place in some areas of the country through test markets) is the e-reader feature. Scholastic will be offering e-books for sale through the website to be downloaded to the Scholastic e-reader software, which is free. The software can be downloaded onto a computer, tablet, or smartphone; I think you can download up to five per household. Anyhow, once books are purchased, they go to the device of your choice. Each child has his or her own "bookshelf" where they can store their digital books. The program itself reminds me of a LeapPad combined with an e-book. The students have the ability to look up words, take notes, highlight, play games, and do comprehension activities throughout the books. (This was the one I tested out this past spring; I couldn't tell you the details until it went live.) I can't wait to start adding books for my kiddos.
After the discussions about the above, we stopped for lunch around 12:30. We went to Miro Cafe for lunch and had a few minutes to walk around before we went back. The afternoon was filled with the actual preview of the websites. My take: much easier navigation, especially if you have coupons to enter with your order. The whole ordering process has been streamlined for ease. There will also be a change to the form letter available on the site for parent online ordering.
We also talked about how to get parents interested in book clubs and online ordering. Some of the things the other teachers use are: a Smartboard presentation showing parents how to get on the site during parent nights (if you have a Smartboard. I don't.), an "All About Me" letter indicating student reading preferences, adding a link to your class web page, and providing the "How Book Clubs Work" link to parents.
At 5:30 we ended the day with a little shopping at the Scholastic store. I bought my kiddos some new books: Fairest for my oldest and a Ricky Ricotta book and activity book for my youngest. Here are some new pictures from this trip:
At 6 we went to dinner at Bar 89.
Dinner was delicious, but I'm not going to talk about that. The thing to talk about once you've been to Bar 89 is the BATHROOMS! Yes, the bathrooms. There is only one word to describe them: Freaky. Let me show you what I mean.
Once dinner was over, we went back to the hotel to prepare for Day 2.
Stay tuned.
We arrived at the building and were taken upstairs to have breakfast and meet with another Carol; this Carol is the VP of the eCommerce department. She and her assistant Sean walked us through the new website design and further picked our brains for improvements to the book club ordering sites for teachers and parents.
Some of the new changes coming this fall are: a searchable index of all book being offered by the Scholastic clubs, in Club Shop, or teacher materials. (This is one of my favorite new features!) You will now be able to search for titles by author, subject, grade level, genre, skill set, or title. I believe they will be adding a feature that will allow teachers and parents to keep a snapshot of students that will allow recommendations to be made based on the child's grade level, age, and/or reading level. (They were still working on the details for that one.)
Another feature coming this fall (and is already in place in some areas of the country through test markets) is the e-reader feature. Scholastic will be offering e-books for sale through the website to be downloaded to the Scholastic e-reader software, which is free. The software can be downloaded onto a computer, tablet, or smartphone; I think you can download up to five per household. Anyhow, once books are purchased, they go to the device of your choice. Each child has his or her own "bookshelf" where they can store their digital books. The program itself reminds me of a LeapPad combined with an e-book. The students have the ability to look up words, take notes, highlight, play games, and do comprehension activities throughout the books. (This was the one I tested out this past spring; I couldn't tell you the details until it went live.) I can't wait to start adding books for my kiddos.
After the discussions about the above, we stopped for lunch around 12:30. We went to Miro Cafe for lunch and had a few minutes to walk around before we went back. The afternoon was filled with the actual preview of the websites. My take: much easier navigation, especially if you have coupons to enter with your order. The whole ordering process has been streamlined for ease. There will also be a change to the form letter available on the site for parent online ordering.
We also talked about how to get parents interested in book clubs and online ordering. Some of the things the other teachers use are: a Smartboard presentation showing parents how to get on the site during parent nights (if you have a Smartboard. I don't.), an "All About Me" letter indicating student reading preferences, adding a link to your class web page, and providing the "How Book Clubs Work" link to parents.
At 5:30 we ended the day with a little shopping at the Scholastic store. I bought my kiddos some new books: Fairest for my oldest and a Ricky Ricotta book and activity book for my youngest. Here are some new pictures from this trip:
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| The entrance to the lobby. |
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| With the last installment of the movie series coming out, I thought it only fitting to take this. |
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| Just thought this was really cute. |
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| This is my pic from inside the stall. I am standing in the corner. |
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| Totally fogged. I can see out, but no one can see in! |
When you go into the stall, the door is all glass. Once you shut the door, the stall glass fogs up so no one can see you and a lighted "Occupied" sign appears on the door. When you are finished, you open the door and the fog clears. A shock at first. Once dinner was over, we went back to the hotel to prepare for Day 2.
Stay tuned.
(Day 181: Last Teacher Day and Scholastic Trip #2 Travel Day)
This is my room at the beginning of the school year before the children came in on the first day:
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Notice how shiny everything is and how bare bones the room was? Throughout the year I've added games and projects and papers and all the other things you accumulate over the course of the year. (Where does it all come from anyway?)
This is the room on the last teacher day of the year, looking sort of the same, but not really.
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All of my stuff has been cleaned, sorted, thrown out, or filed away for use next year. Any furniture that does not belong to the school had to be moved into the coat area so the floors are clear for the cleaning crew. (The crew will move all the deks and tables.) The counters all needed to be cleared, too, so the coat area is filled with my mailboxes, centers organizers, my desk chair, fans, file bins, book bins, etc. My posters get to stay because they aren't doing anything with the walls this year. The other picture I took didn't come out clearly, but there is nothing on the counters by the windows. My desk is (gasp!) totally clear, too.
After cleaning, sorting, filing, and moving, I left about half an hour early so I could dash home and get a shower before hopping on the train to travel to New York for a special (read: not a usual occurrence) set of meetings with Scholastic. The company asked any advisors who were able to make it to come back and see the updates and changes before the print deadlines for the fall. (These would be the updates and changes we talked about during our February meetings. Read Day 111, Part 1 and Part 2, and the Saturday Meetings links.) I made it to the station with about half an hour to spare before departure.
I made it to Penn Station (which is in the same building as Madison Square Garden) around 9 p.m., took a nerve-wracking taxi ride to the Tribeca Grand Hotel, checked in, took another shower (even riding in the train felt gross), and prepared for a day of meetings. FYI: I slept much better this time; no construction going on outside my window!
More to come on the meetings; you are going to be so happy this fall!
Notice how shiny everything is and how bare bones the room was? Throughout the year I've added games and projects and papers and all the other things you accumulate over the course of the year. (Where does it all come from anyway?)
This is the room on the last teacher day of the year, looking sort of the same, but not really.
After cleaning, sorting, filing, and moving, I left about half an hour early so I could dash home and get a shower before hopping on the train to travel to New York for a special (read: not a usual occurrence) set of meetings with Scholastic. The company asked any advisors who were able to make it to come back and see the updates and changes before the print deadlines for the fall. (These would be the updates and changes we talked about during our February meetings. Read Day 111, Part 1 and Part 2, and the Saturday Meetings links.) I made it to the station with about half an hour to spare before departure.
I made it to Penn Station (which is in the same building as Madison Square Garden) around 9 p.m., took a nerve-wracking taxi ride to the Tribeca Grand Hotel, checked in, took another shower (even riding in the train felt gross), and prepared for a day of meetings. FYI: I slept much better this time; no construction going on outside my window!
More to come on the meetings; you are going to be so happy this fall!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Day 180: Last Day of School
Friday, June 10 was...
The.
Last.
Day.
Of.
School.
The last day was actually a half day for the students. The first portion of the day was a slide show presented by the PTA. Every year the PTA gathers together pictures from the first day of school until about the last two weeks of school. The show is set to music and covers everything from holiday celebrations, PTA assemblies, functions like Read Across American Week, the May Fair, classroom speakers, classroom projects and lessons, time on the playground, field day, lunch, time in specials, etc. The show is about an hour long. The children really enjoy the show because they see themselves or friends, and there's a lot of "Oh, I remember that!" It's really pretty cool.
After the slide show we had snack and finished off our last chapter book of the year. Then we went out for recess. Once recess was over I passed out the report cards/summer newsletter/summer practice work packet and read a short story. By then, the dismissals had begun. As the children went out, they hugged me and wished me a good summer. I told them to send me postcards from wherever they traveled or to stop by at the beginning of the school year to tell me about their summers.
Once the students have gone, the teachers had a potluck lunch. (We do this every year.) After lunch, we worked in our rooms and/or on cumulative folders. Whatever didn't get finished was pushed to Monday, our last teacher day in the building. (I finished my folders, but my room still needed work!)
The.
Last.
Day.
Of.
School.
The last day was actually a half day for the students. The first portion of the day was a slide show presented by the PTA. Every year the PTA gathers together pictures from the first day of school until about the last two weeks of school. The show is set to music and covers everything from holiday celebrations, PTA assemblies, functions like Read Across American Week, the May Fair, classroom speakers, classroom projects and lessons, time on the playground, field day, lunch, time in specials, etc. The show is about an hour long. The children really enjoy the show because they see themselves or friends, and there's a lot of "Oh, I remember that!" It's really pretty cool.
After the slide show we had snack and finished off our last chapter book of the year. Then we went out for recess. Once recess was over I passed out the report cards/summer newsletter/summer practice work packet and read a short story. By then, the dismissals had begun. As the children went out, they hugged me and wished me a good summer. I told them to send me postcards from wherever they traveled or to stop by at the beginning of the school year to tell me about their summers.
Once the students have gone, the teachers had a potluck lunch. (We do this every year.) After lunch, we worked in our rooms and/or on cumulative folders. Whatever didn't get finished was pushed to Monday, our last teacher day in the building. (I finished my folders, but my room still needed work!)
Day 179: End-of-the-Year Party!
Day 179 was our End-of-the-Year Party. If your school is like mine, the "party" is somewhat of a wrap-up to everything.
The day started with my kiddos taking a survey. Every year I give the students an evaluation to fill out. The first past is about them: what they've accomplished/goals they've met, new friends they made, etc. The second part is about the class/classroom: what lessons they liked best, what lessons weren't their favorites, and suggestions for improvement. (I always have to clarify on this one because I can't change things like the school-wide discipline policy, recess times, etc. There are always a few kiddos who want to adjust those!) The final segment is about me: Did I treat them fairly? Did they feel safe? What was the best/worst advice I gave them? I tell the students to be honest; they are not going to hurt my feelings by their responses. I take the surveys and read them over so I can gauge my teaching for next year. I have actually taken some suggestions from students in previous years and changed things from time to time. I've been thinking of doing a smaller version of the survey at the end of each quarter or semester as well. We'll see what happens.
After that, we cleaned out the last few items from their desks (crayons, pencils, and final "fun" sheets) and cleaned up the room a bit. By that time, it was time for recess and independent reading time, which led us into lunch.
Lunch was held in the classroom. We had pizza, chips, and juice. Some of the children also brought an extra snack or two, so they also had those. During lunch, the students watched a slide show of the year, courtesy of one of our parents who took pictures of a lot of our class activities.
After the slide show, the class had a surprise for me so I was asked to step out of the room for a few minutes while they got ready. When I was given the signal to come back in, I came in to see my students standing at their desks with roses in their hands. Each student then came up to me, gave me hug, presented me with a rose, and told me thank you or some other appreciative statement. After that, each of the parents came up and presented me with a rose and said something nice about me and/or the year. The whole thing was very sweet and slightly overwhelming. I was a little teary by the end. Here is a picture of the final bouquet:
After the hugs and tears and more hugs, I took the students to special. During that time, the room was cleaned up and the desks were wiped down. The room parents prepared the afternoon activities to be ready to go when the students were out of special.
Once the children were picked up, we prepared to go outside for about an hour (not much longer, as there was a heat advisory that day. Even with that, it was cooler outside because of the breeze than it was in the building.). We went down to one of the fields and played water games: Duck, duck, goose (where you threw a water balloon at the person's back instead of tapping them on the head), balloon toss, water tag, and the student favorite, free for all. When everyone was sufficiently drenched, they stretched out on their beach towels and had juice and Popsicles. After that we took a group picture and prepared to go in for a craft activity.
Back inside, the students painted picture frames to be filled with a copy of a class picture (courtesy of the same parents who provided the slide show). The students finished their paintings and went outside as they finished. After recess we read under the fans and waited for dismissal.
A long, hot, fun-filled day.
The day started with my kiddos taking a survey. Every year I give the students an evaluation to fill out. The first past is about them: what they've accomplished/goals they've met, new friends they made, etc. The second part is about the class/classroom: what lessons they liked best, what lessons weren't their favorites, and suggestions for improvement. (I always have to clarify on this one because I can't change things like the school-wide discipline policy, recess times, etc. There are always a few kiddos who want to adjust those!) The final segment is about me: Did I treat them fairly? Did they feel safe? What was the best/worst advice I gave them? I tell the students to be honest; they are not going to hurt my feelings by their responses. I take the surveys and read them over so I can gauge my teaching for next year. I have actually taken some suggestions from students in previous years and changed things from time to time. I've been thinking of doing a smaller version of the survey at the end of each quarter or semester as well. We'll see what happens.
After that, we cleaned out the last few items from their desks (crayons, pencils, and final "fun" sheets) and cleaned up the room a bit. By that time, it was time for recess and independent reading time, which led us into lunch.
Lunch was held in the classroom. We had pizza, chips, and juice. Some of the children also brought an extra snack or two, so they also had those. During lunch, the students watched a slide show of the year, courtesy of one of our parents who took pictures of a lot of our class activities.
After the slide show, the class had a surprise for me so I was asked to step out of the room for a few minutes while they got ready. When I was given the signal to come back in, I came in to see my students standing at their desks with roses in their hands. Each student then came up to me, gave me hug, presented me with a rose, and told me thank you or some other appreciative statement. After that, each of the parents came up and presented me with a rose and said something nice about me and/or the year. The whole thing was very sweet and slightly overwhelming. I was a little teary by the end. Here is a picture of the final bouquet:
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| There are more than two dozen roses in here. Every time I think about it, I get a little teary eyed. It really was a thoughtful gesture. |
After the hugs and tears and more hugs, I took the students to special. During that time, the room was cleaned up and the desks were wiped down. The room parents prepared the afternoon activities to be ready to go when the students were out of special.
Once the children were picked up, we prepared to go outside for about an hour (not much longer, as there was a heat advisory that day. Even with that, it was cooler outside because of the breeze than it was in the building.). We went down to one of the fields and played water games: Duck, duck, goose (where you threw a water balloon at the person's back instead of tapping them on the head), balloon toss, water tag, and the student favorite, free for all. When everyone was sufficiently drenched, they stretched out on their beach towels and had juice and Popsicles. After that we took a group picture and prepared to go in for a craft activity.
Back inside, the students painted picture frames to be filled with a copy of a class picture (courtesy of the same parents who provided the slide show). The students finished their paintings and went outside as they finished. After recess we read under the fans and waited for dismissal.
A long, hot, fun-filled day.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Day 178: Talent Show!
I told you all a little while back that the second grade was going to put on a talent show as a tie-in to our last language arts theme of the year, which was named, "Talent Show." We scheduled it during the last week of school for a few reasons: the grade level would be finished with the theme, the students would have sufficient time to practice, and we wouldn't get in trouble for taking away from "instructional time." (Our principal frowns on anything that takes away from classroom instruction; if we schedule a speaker or something, it must have a direct connection to the curriculum. Not that we would just waste time, but it's better to be on the safe side.) Moving on...
Permission slips were sent home during the second week of May; those who wished to participate had to send their forms back two weeks before the show date to give me time to double-check song lyrics (ALWAYS do this!), arrange performances, reserve the space, and make arrangements with the custodian for mikes, lights, etc. Even with the deadlines, there were some changes as late as the day before (lost slips so notes were sent in, people dropping out or changing what they were doing, etc. It was a little crazy for a minute there, but we got it all together.).
Talent show morning began as a scorcher. The show was scheduled to begin at 9:30 and last until 10:45-11:00. It was a humid 84 degrees at 8:45 when the children came in. Let's just say that once all six classes, teachers, and various family members were in the cafeteria/multipurpose room at showtime, the place was toasty, even with the doors open!
Any students who were performing came up the to cafeteria first so we could arrange them in the order they were going to be on stage. (Their classes came up later.) Then we could have one act on stage while another was getting ready and the third was "on deck." This way we could keep the flow going with a minimum of interruption. Once the children were finished, they came back and sat in their seat; we returned them back to their classes afterward.
We broke the show into three sections to allow for changes. (Some acts had mats or needed to have the area cleared, props put up, etc.) This also allowed our hosts (students from the classes) to have a break. In all we had about 30 performances, so the hosts introduced about 10, as well as our "laugh breaks." Laugh breaks are segments where two or three students tell jokes to the audience; our version of a commercial break.
Once we got started, things went along pretty smoothly. We had one student forget her dance routine in the middle of the song, but she came back later and started over. She rocked it! We also had quite a few singers (with music and a capella, solo and in small groups), some dancers, a few gymnasts, a pogo stick act, hula hoops, piano recitals, baton twirling, a comedy skit, a guitar act, sports demonstrations, cup stacking, and several students who created artwork for display (portraits and sculptures).
Overall, the show lasted just over an hour and a half, and we were able to get out of the cafeteria in time for kindergarten to get in and sing their farewell song for their parents. (It was a little hairy there for a minute; I wasn't sure we were going to make it!)
The children enjoyed the show and were able to show off all of their talents. I would say that if you plan to do this with your class or grade level, allow plenty of time for organizing and a few extra minutes in the show schedule to allow for little mishaps (because they will happen!).
In years past, we also provided refreshments after the show, but we didn't this year because it would have been cruel to keep the parents in that heat much longer! But if the idea floats your boat and the weather (or air conditioning) works for you, then go for it!
Permission slips were sent home during the second week of May; those who wished to participate had to send their forms back two weeks before the show date to give me time to double-check song lyrics (ALWAYS do this!), arrange performances, reserve the space, and make arrangements with the custodian for mikes, lights, etc. Even with the deadlines, there were some changes as late as the day before (lost slips so notes were sent in, people dropping out or changing what they were doing, etc. It was a little crazy for a minute there, but we got it all together.).
Talent show morning began as a scorcher. The show was scheduled to begin at 9:30 and last until 10:45-11:00. It was a humid 84 degrees at 8:45 when the children came in. Let's just say that once all six classes, teachers, and various family members were in the cafeteria/multipurpose room at showtime, the place was toasty, even with the doors open!
Any students who were performing came up the to cafeteria first so we could arrange them in the order they were going to be on stage. (Their classes came up later.) Then we could have one act on stage while another was getting ready and the third was "on deck." This way we could keep the flow going with a minimum of interruption. Once the children were finished, they came back and sat in their seat; we returned them back to their classes afterward.
We broke the show into three sections to allow for changes. (Some acts had mats or needed to have the area cleared, props put up, etc.) This also allowed our hosts (students from the classes) to have a break. In all we had about 30 performances, so the hosts introduced about 10, as well as our "laugh breaks." Laugh breaks are segments where two or three students tell jokes to the audience; our version of a commercial break.
Once we got started, things went along pretty smoothly. We had one student forget her dance routine in the middle of the song, but she came back later and started over. She rocked it! We also had quite a few singers (with music and a capella, solo and in small groups), some dancers, a few gymnasts, a pogo stick act, hula hoops, piano recitals, baton twirling, a comedy skit, a guitar act, sports demonstrations, cup stacking, and several students who created artwork for display (portraits and sculptures).
Overall, the show lasted just over an hour and a half, and we were able to get out of the cafeteria in time for kindergarten to get in and sing their farewell song for their parents. (It was a little hairy there for a minute; I wasn't sure we were going to make it!)
The children enjoyed the show and were able to show off all of their talents. I would say that if you plan to do this with your class or grade level, allow plenty of time for organizing and a few extra minutes in the show schedule to allow for little mishaps (because they will happen!).
In years past, we also provided refreshments after the show, but we didn't this year because it would have been cruel to keep the parents in that heat much longer! But if the idea floats your boat and the weather (or air conditioning) works for you, then go for it!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Day 177: Letters to Incoming Second Graders
I wish I could say this idea was mine, but it isn't. This idea was given to me by a former colleague, who used to do the project with her students.
So what is it?
I have my students write a letter to the next group of second graders. I have my students write about what they learned this year, projects we did, field trips we had, etc. They also get to tell their favorite lesson from the year (insects and mobiles were favorites) and give a bit of advice to the reader ("Don't lose your pencils!" and "Always listen.").
After the students write their letters, I file them away for the first day of school. When the first day comes, I place them on the desks in a random order and use them as an icebreaker/introduction as to what we will be doing over the course of the year. In the case that I have more students than letters (which I think will happen this coming year with classes being cut and all), I will have the students share with a partner and keep the extras to read aloud.
An alternative I have heard is to have the students write persuasion letters to their teachers at the end of the year. My daughter did this as a project in fourth grade. Her teacher had the class write to her and explain why they thought they deserved to go on to the next grade/why they would make good fifth graders. They had to include things like study habits and attitude. Very eye-opening, I'm sure. She also had them write letters to the fifth grade teachers to introduce themselves. I haven't tried either with my second graders, but judging by the enthusiasm in which they wrote their letters, I think they would enjoy the task.
So what is it?
I have my students write a letter to the next group of second graders. I have my students write about what they learned this year, projects we did, field trips we had, etc. They also get to tell their favorite lesson from the year (insects and mobiles were favorites) and give a bit of advice to the reader ("Don't lose your pencils!" and "Always listen.").
After the students write their letters, I file them away for the first day of school. When the first day comes, I place them on the desks in a random order and use them as an icebreaker/introduction as to what we will be doing over the course of the year. In the case that I have more students than letters (which I think will happen this coming year with classes being cut and all), I will have the students share with a partner and keep the extras to read aloud.
An alternative I have heard is to have the students write persuasion letters to their teachers at the end of the year. My daughter did this as a project in fourth grade. Her teacher had the class write to her and explain why they thought they deserved to go on to the next grade/why they would make good fifth graders. They had to include things like study habits and attitude. Very eye-opening, I'm sure. She also had them write letters to the fifth grade teachers to introduce themselves. I haven't tried either with my second graders, but judging by the enthusiasm in which they wrote their letters, I think they would enjoy the task.
Finally Here: Day 176: Haiku Hike
Monday, June 6, was Day 176. To keep my students involved, we spent a portion of the day on a "haiku hike." We read the story Haiku Hike, which is a student-published book from Scholastic. I love the book because the students explain what a haiku is, use haikus to lead us through their hike in the woods, and give extra little facts about the things they write about.
After reading the story and giving a few more examples of haikus, I took the children on a hike on the school grounds. I told them to write any ideas they could think of while observing their surroundings. I told them to focus on movement (i.e.,swaying), color, shape, feel, etc. I was amazed at the number of things they were able to find: lilacs, blackberry bushes, spiders, robins, butterflies, forget-me-nots, poison ivy (on the other side of the playground fence near the fields), ants, cherry trees, daisies, and so many other things.
When the hike was over we came back to the room and I gave the children a few minutes to look over their notes and add to them. Then I went over the expectations of the haiku, stressing the syllables in each line (some children like to count the words instead). After that, the students began drafting their poems. Through several drafts, syllable checks, format checks, and spelling checks, all of the students were able to publish a haiku with an illustration. Below you will find a few examples:
The children really enjoyed the experience and were very proud of what they had done. I was proud of their effort and creativity. Try this one with your kiddos!
After reading the story and giving a few more examples of haikus, I took the children on a hike on the school grounds. I told them to write any ideas they could think of while observing their surroundings. I told them to focus on movement (i.e.,swaying), color, shape, feel, etc. I was amazed at the number of things they were able to find: lilacs, blackberry bushes, spiders, robins, butterflies, forget-me-nots, poison ivy (on the other side of the playground fence near the fields), ants, cherry trees, daisies, and so many other things.
When the hike was over we came back to the room and I gave the children a few minutes to look over their notes and add to them. Then I went over the expectations of the haiku, stressing the syllables in each line (some children like to count the words instead). After that, the students began drafting their poems. Through several drafts, syllable checks, format checks, and spelling checks, all of the students were able to publish a haiku with an illustration. Below you will find a few examples:
 |
| If you can't read it, it says: Daisy Soft as a blanket. White, yellow, green. Colorful. Swaying in the breeze. |
 |
| This one says: Hostas Soft green and white leaves. The back of the leaf is rough. They are small and wide. |
Friday, June 17, 2011
Computer Update
So...
(Notice the CAPITAL LETTERS? And punctuation other than a period? EXCITING!)
I made it back from New York late yesterday afternoon. Once I settled in and got some sleep, the first thing on my agenda for today was getting my computer to connect to the Internet. A call to Comcast, a trip to the Geek Squad at Best Buy, and some fiddling with wires later, I am wired and ready to go again! (Of course, after I clean out both my work and personal inboxes...ugh.)
Stay tuned. There will be a lot coming your way.
Thanks for hanging on with me!
(Notice the CAPITAL LETTERS? And punctuation other than a period? EXCITING!)
I made it back from New York late yesterday afternoon. Once I settled in and got some sleep, the first thing on my agenda for today was getting my computer to connect to the Internet. A call to Comcast, a trip to the Geek Squad at Best Buy, and some fiddling with wires later, I am wired and ready to go again! (Of course, after I clean out both my work and personal inboxes...ugh.)
Stay tuned. There will be a lot coming your way.
Thanks for hanging on with me!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Awaiting Help
i am not in any distress. physically anyway. my computer is. which is why i am sending this update vvie my phone. this is sort of annoying because the keys are too small to do what i want and i cannot type in caps or use any punctuation past a period. grr.
my computer was the victim of an early morning thunderstorm. i tried everything to get it to connect and called my provider to no avail. my modem is fine and the computer is fine but they are not talking to each other. so i have to take it someplace to have it checked.
i have five days to catch you up on as well as another trip to scholastic...where i am heading via train right now.
hope to update you soon.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Day 175: Class Lists
It's that time again. Time to sort out the students for the class lists. This year we had to condense six second-grade classes into five third-grade classes. As you know, this is not always as easy as it seems, and we had our own share of problems this time.
First, one of the third-grade teachers will be out on maternity leave until December. We were asked to pay attention to the students because there are a few in second grade this year whose teachers have been on leave in much the same fashion for their kindergarten and first-grade years. So this year has been sort of a catch-up year for them.
Add to that the fact that there are two classes that will have no less than six learning support students in them. (We group them by class so the aides can be available to help instead of having them run back and forth between the rooms. We follow a push-in model for special education, so the students are only pulled out of the regular education rooms if they are in a life skills class. Even then, the students still visit the rooms for socialization purposes.)
Add to that the fact that there are a lot of immature students in the grade level this year. Immaturity often leads to behavior issues. It was an interesting process getting all of those students split up between the classes. Even so, each room has about three students that still have some social growing to do.
Mixed in with all that, we have to make sure the students are grouped heterogenously by rank (low, low/medium, medium, medium/high, high, gifted). Then we have to make sure the balance of girls and boys is as even as possible in each class.
Needless to say, it was an interesting meeting, but we managed to get it all sorted out. All is well.
...As long as parents don't submit special requests to the office...
First, one of the third-grade teachers will be out on maternity leave until December. We were asked to pay attention to the students because there are a few in second grade this year whose teachers have been on leave in much the same fashion for their kindergarten and first-grade years. So this year has been sort of a catch-up year for them.
Add to that the fact that there are two classes that will have no less than six learning support students in them. (We group them by class so the aides can be available to help instead of having them run back and forth between the rooms. We follow a push-in model for special education, so the students are only pulled out of the regular education rooms if they are in a life skills class. Even then, the students still visit the rooms for socialization purposes.)
Add to that the fact that there are a lot of immature students in the grade level this year. Immaturity often leads to behavior issues. It was an interesting process getting all of those students split up between the classes. Even so, each room has about three students that still have some social growing to do.
Mixed in with all that, we have to make sure the students are grouped heterogenously by rank (low, low/medium, medium, medium/high, high, gifted). Then we have to make sure the balance of girls and boys is as even as possible in each class.
Needless to say, it was an interesting meeting, but we managed to get it all sorted out. All is well.
...As long as parents don't submit special requests to the office...
Day 174: Summer Reading!
Thursday, June 2 was Day 174. Our school was visited by a librarian from the local public library to talk about the summer reading program. The idea for this year is to explore your world and other cultures through books. The children are supposed to read 10 hours to earn a free book. Time past 10 hours qualifies them for additional prizes. Several of my students already signed up for the program; I hope the rest do, too.
I have quite a few books on my summer reading list. What about you? What can't you wait to get your hands on this summer? Leave a note in the comment box!
I have quite a few books on my summer reading list. What about you? What can't you wait to get your hands on this summer? Leave a note in the comment box!
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