On Target for Next Year

Hello,

I'm into the double digits of followers!  Sadly, I'm not good enough at making stuff to have any freebies for people yet.  I'll see what I can come up with, though.

The other day I went to Target and visited the $1 area.  I found these:

Target Goodies

The bookmarks are self-explanatory, but the little koosh-like balls tickled my fancy.  Now I probably read this somewhere on the internet, because I don't think I come up with very many of my own completely original ideas.  I decided to get six different colors because I usually have six table groups.  And my small groups usually have six or fewer kids.  Now how are these little balls educational?  The kids can throw them at an answer written on a board, or on a mat with the answers that's just put on the floor.  I think it would be a fun way to review sight words, math facts, or any single answer item.

Another way of using them is to have the kids in teams.  Have a target on the floor.  The kid who throws theirs closest to the bullseye gets to answer the question.  This makes it so you can ask more complex questions that don't require a single answer.  Love those Higher Order Thinking Skills!

I can't wait to try this out next year!!!

Secondly, thanks to Heidi at Heidisongs, who posted on her facebook page my plea for help, I now have three volunteers to look over my spreadsheets!  I'll be working on finishing them up this week, but I have an ipad class for 2 days on Monday and Tuesday, so we'll see how things go.

Finally, and totally on a personal note, I went to a handbell conference a couple of weeks ago.  It was so much fun and I can't believe how much I learned!  I thought I would include some pictures of the pretty bells all laid out and ready to go before us pesky ringers messed them all up.

This is from the bass bell side.

This one is from the treble bell side, and it has chimes as well. 

For any of you who are curious, I play treble bells and am learning how to play "four in hand" which is really two bells in each hand criss-crossed like in the picture.

Thanks for reading!  Thanks for getting me to double digit followers!
Joell

Help Wanted

I have created some powerpoints to help track student progress on the common core standards in language arts and math.  I'm hoping to make this my first item for sale on www.teacherspayteachers.com.  I am looking for one or two first grade teachers who would like to test them out for me.  You will get to keep the end results for free.  If you're interested, just let me know in the comments below.

Thanks,
Joell

Inspiration

Hello,

It seems like everywhere I look I find inspiration and new ideas for next year.  Last spring I read The Daily Five and though I can't fit it all in with the reading program I am required to teach, I've decided to at least do read to self, and possibly read with a friend.

Then I found Teacher Tipster's website and started watching some of his amazing (and somewhat wacky at times) videos.  He does a finished work binder with sheet protectors.  I'm going to use that idea next year.  I can't decide whether to use his one breath boxes or the excellent Whole Brain Teaching Super Speed 100 stuff.  Decisions, decisions.

Speaking of Whole Brain Teaching, I began incorporating some of their management system into my teaching last year.  I had used 1,2,3 eyes on me forever, but once I got used to class/yes, I found it easier and much more effective.

Of course I steal borrow great ideas from teachers all over the place.  I discovered teacher blogs through pinterest.  I have several boards there.  The ones pertaining to teaching are listed below.

General Teaching Stuff
Language Arts
Math
Science and Social Studies
Arts and Crafts (includes music)
Teaching with Technology
This one isn't all teaching, but it's pinterest stuff I've tried
And one more:  Educational Videos which are some videos for students to watch, and others for me to watch good teachers teach.

You may notice I have a . before each of my teacher board's name.  I did this because I pin most often to my teacher boards and I wanted them to come up at the beginning of the list so I didn't have to scroll down so much.  This way they're always at the top.

Well, I think that's enough for today.  I'll try to get some pictures going again soon.
Joell

AWOL

Just so you know, my computer is in the shop getting a check up. I will be back to posting as soon as I get it back. Joell

Professional Development Woes

Hello,

I spent 4 days this week in professional development.  This class was previously my favorite professional development ever.  Now it's being run by different people and it was a total waste of time.  I guess I got my credits and can renew my license next year, but still, I'd have enjoyed getting something out of it.

Yesterday was my first attempt at taking an entire day off work.  Yeah, I still wound up spending 4 hours working on my vocabulary word wall project.  I just can't seem to quit.  Hehehe.

Today I have been feeling ill, so it could be that it will be the day no work happens.  Due to the long professional development and lack of access to my classroom this week, I really don't have  much in the way of pictures to share.

I'm thinking about making the vocabulary cards I'm making available on Teachers Pay Teachers when I'm finished, but I'm not sure if anyone would be interested.  Since I'm getting paid for part of the time I'm using, I think they'd have to be free.  I haven't looked into being a "seller" there, so if anyone wants to help me through that, I would love it.

I just read about a blogger meet up in Las Vegas.  I really want to go, but it's on the evening after I have a professional development day.  One of these days, I'll make it to something like that.  I hope you are all having a nice summer.

Joell

Is it Really Summer Vacation?

You know, I can sort of feel it.  The huge amount of pressure and responsibility of taking care of and teaching children has been lifted from my shoulders.  Still, I've spent at least 7-10 hours almost every day this week working on school stuff.

I will still be teaching first grade next year, but it will be in a different room.  I'm trying my best to look at the positives:  closer to the copier/printer, lots more shelf space, closer to all my first grade team teachers.  But the negatives come up too:  no window, smaller room, in a noisier area of the building.

I have decided to use this as an opportunity to organize myself.  Despite my attempts to start out that way, I didn't get everything packed up before the end of school.  So, on Monday I got lots of help.  Now, I appreciated the help, but it certainly made the move far from organized.  Stuff got all mixed up and my new room looked like this.

And that's the NEAT part.  I  had stuff scattered over the top of every horizontal surface, helter-skelter.  I worked hard all week trying to organize.  I took the day off of the classroom on Thursday for common core training.  Went back on Friday and realized there was no way I'd have it organized AND everything off the floor for cleaning.  So I focused on getting all the stuff off the floor, but it's still not organized.

Next week I have 4 days of common core training, which I hope will be very good.  I'm hoping the custodian will get my floors all cleaned while I'm there so I can go back the following week and work some more on organizing myself.  Plus, then I can set out desks and figure out the layout of the room since this one is a completely different shape from my former room.

Besides the classroom move/organization stuff, I've been working on my massive vocabulary word wall project.  I don't think I'll get much of a break this summer, but hopefully next school year will go well because of all of the extra work I'm putting in now.

I'm also working on making some of my old plain stuff a little nicer looking.  I'm hoping to share some of that when it's done.

I'm going to try to blog at least once a week over the summer.  And hopefully find time to learn more about what I'm doing with this blog.  Thanks for reading!

Joell

The Last Day

Hello,

Today was the official last day of school.  One of my first grade team members retired today.  We've worked together for nearly 20 years and I will greatly miss her.

I have really loved my class this year, so it was with more sorrow than glee that I saw them go.  Trust me, I've felt the glee some years.

One of the silly items of the day is the tee shirt one of my students wore to school.  I think you'll see why I had to get pictures.

(Ms. Wilkins was Chuck Norris' 1st Grade Teacher!)

(That's where he got his moves)

And here's my response:

(You are the next Norris!  Love, Ms. Wilkins)

I'm pretty exhausted since I've had difficulty sleeping this week.  I have about half my stuff moved to my new room, and the other half still in the old.  Stuff is scattered all over the place.  So, I'll be working next week.  I'm hoping I'll be able to really organize my things in a way that will work well in my new setting.

I'm not exactly sure what happens with teacher blogs over the summer.  I guess I'll check in now and then with my summer activities or ideas for next year.  One of my summer goals is to get better at blogging.  

Bring on the summer!

Joell