Across Covid America - Tour of National Parks 2020 - Day 3

Day 3

11069 mileage

8:49 A.M.

9107 steps

It was a driving day,so we picked spots along the way to break up said driving. One of them was starting right there in Louisville. The Falls of Ohio State Park was supposed to be just a walk along the river. We managed to discover that this was along the route for the Lewis and Clark expedition when we stumbled onto a statue commemorating the event. . I've taught Fourth Grade in the past and would tell students how Jefferson first asked Meriwether Lewis to head up the expedition to survey the land he just purchased from Napolean. Lewis would ask his friend William Clark to join him on the group later to be known as the Corps of Discovery. Together they would use the Missouri and Snake Rivers to map a route out to the west coast, mainly due to the young native American mother, Sacajawea, who helped them to navigate. 

After walking along the fossil beds and numerous tide washed trees along the river, we headed out to find out next adventure. How could you not stop at a spot called Santa Claus if you passed it? There was an amusement park called Holiday Land, Lake Rudolph and Frosty's Ice Cream Parlor among the highly decorated roadside attraction of a town. Nothing was open so we had to keep driving. Our friend Chad was extremely jealous. He has always wanted to visit Santa Claus. 

We ended in Evansville for some lunch at a Red Robin for salads and then a walk at the River Front Park where there were #BLM protesters lining the street in support of Michael Floyd and his horrendous mistreatment by Minneapolis police. They were bearing signs and asking cars to honk their support. It was a relief to witness such peaceful activities after watching days of newscasts that showed rioting and destruction of large cities. 

Back in the car for our drive to St. Louis, Missouri. It was at 4:48 P.M. that I marked the first stirrings of Cabin Fever after being in the car for three days. Ever have the feeling that you just wanted to jump from a moving vehicle to escape the tedium? I was practicing my tuck and roll maneuver until the feeling passed, thankfully. 

By 6:12 P.M. we turned a corner on the highway and both saw the famous Gateway to the West Arch and pointed at the landmark with shouts of "There it is!" at the exact same moment. It was about 8 miles outside the city. 

Our hotel would be away from the downtown area on purpose in a town called Creve Coeur, or Dying Heart if your prefer. We ate dinner at the Granite City Brewery and watched a huge thunderstorm move in over the city. 

Thus ends day 3. 

Across Covid America - Tour of National Parks 2020 - Day 2

Day Two

6/2/2020

10951 mileage

Start 8:49 A.M.

15613 steps

Day 2 saw us headed for Mammoth Caves, our very first National Park! It had just posted operation hours yesterday, so we added it to the list. We walk up to find the Rangers had set up a station outside the main building and were wearing masks as they directed us to our entrance times I had to purchase online and where to go. 

One of them asked if I needed a stamp for my passport, and that's how I discovered that they do this National Parks Passport booklet and offer stamps at each of the locations. I was all about THAT! Unfortunately they weren't selling the books so I went for Plan B. Buy a postcard and have them stamp the back of that. Problem solved. 

We walked down to the path and they allowed us to enter two minutes before our allotted time. YAY! It had been 82 degrees already as we walk down the staircase to enter the limestone cave. A curtain waterfall splashed merrily beside the path and I stopped to take a picture. An Arctic Blast took that moment to sweep up behind me. Holy Icicles, Batman! Good thing G suggested we bring jackets in case it was colder underground. 

The first ranger we passed told us through his mask that the temperature was a balmy 51 at the entrance because of a forced flow of air and then evened out to a cool 55 degrees inside the cave. Jackets went on. 

The first part that you come to in a large round room with two off shoots. One to the left would you lead you on a 1.5 walk. The one to the right only 0.8 miles. We took the left to see how it would go along the smooth cobblestone path deeper underground. The ceiling towered above us along the lowly lit path. **Word to the Wise: be careful as you walk as the ground has a tendency to swell up and down without warning in the dimly lit cavern. 

We saw few of the purported stone formations as they had several of the off-shooting paths blocked off to encourage folks not to congregate. Blasted Covid. We did see something that looked like an enormous church organ and Giant's Bolder. At the end of this path are remnants of the tuberculosis huts that were attempted to help those suffering from 'consumption.'

The right-handed path was better lit with signage giving details about the sites in front of us. It would have been interesting to see some of the cave shrimp or albino fish that lived in the water system here, but that wasn't on offer. I did like the sign that gave us some idea of how the water had flowed through the tunnels to carve the paths we saw in front of us. Great knowledge to share with my students on erosion!

After coming back topside we were asked to walk across these soapy pads. I immediately thought it was for keeping Covid at bay, but no. There is a white nose virus going around that is harmful for the bats. I completely feel your pain, Little Ones! 

Next we drove out to Lincoln's Birthplace. We could enter the park but the visitor's center wasn't open. We walked around the grounds looking at the miniature Lincoln's Memorial building that was placed on the supposed location of the hut his parents constructed to live in. We also went and looked at the Sunken Spring that could have very well provided Abraham Lincoln with his first drinks of water. It had to have been easier than digging a well. 

Our day ended outside Louisville, Kentucky in a town called Oxmoor, where our hotel was to be so we weren't in any heavily populated areas such as downtown Louisville. We had contacted our friend, Chad, in the area and met for dinner at the fantastic Steak and Bourbon Restaurant. We all sat outside and admired the sun setting behind us on Day 2. 

Across Covid America - Tour of National Parks 2020 - Day 1

Ahh, June. What a perfect month. Summer is taking hold again and the temperature stays above 60 degrees. When I think of June, I remember all those weeks spent at the beach soaking up the sun and enjoying being outside. Growing up in New England, summer creates a primal urge to spend more time outside. Thoughts of getting out there and enjoying the sunshine replaces that 'Huddle by the Fire' mentality that winter usually bears. My mind is saying June is the time for adventure and exploration. June is time for a vacation!

Then I have to stop. Completely. And rethink how I travel for the summer of 2020 thanks to Covid-19. The pandemic that has only just slackened its iron fist on our globe. Covid-19 if you don't recall caused a worldwide shutdown on any traveling, gathering with others, boating, hiking, or any other activity where more than 10 people had to gather. It was that bad. {Key sad music} But the restrictions that began midway through March this year have recently been slackened (not completely lifted, I mean there still had to be some precautions). 

If I was going to make this vacation virus free, I would  have to follow some ground rules. So, here's the plan since we are driving the entire way:

-Bring enough Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer to fill a bathtub (who knows when you'll need a dunk)

-Starting at hotel room door wipe down EVERY surface with said wipes

-Bring a plastic trash bag to place all dirty clothes in until we can do laundry

-Bring mask and gloves to cover at least five days

-Social D.I.S.T.A.N.C.E.

Okay, so back to planning. Something my partner and I like to do to make sure we cover everything we want to see or do while traveling. With Covid hanging over us like a black cloud, this year G and I thought we'd shake things up a little. Instead of crossing the pond and exploring the vast reaches of Tahiti, Australia, or Europe (that last one having banned American travel at the moment) we decided to stay closer to home. We thought it high time that we explored all of the beauty our very own country has to offer. Both of us enjoy wide open spaces and beautiful vistas. As we were researching ideas, we kept getting hits on National Parks. A lot of them. 

G went into his Superhero Overload mode and began plotting out an entire course of places on our Must Do List. He had pages of ideas and a calendar spread out. Neither of us likes to drive extended periods of time so we looked at keeping most days to 4-6 hours away from the next stop. The most was 8 hours. By the end, there was something like 45 days mapped out. Umm, that was a little much. So after a few weeks of hemming and hawing we narrowed it down to 30 or so days that had us making a huge loop across the center of North America. 

And our home? Who would be around to protect our homestead from natural disasters and racoons? Why the best bestie that ever was the best, Katie! She promised to stop by and check the place out every now and then so we could galavant to our heart's content. 

Looks good to me!

Day One

8:49 A.M.

10321 mileage

8122 steps

So, here it is June 1 and we have begun our American Journey to see what our continent has in store for us. We left Atlanta around 8:30 A.M. on a cloudy Monday morning and headed north up I-75. Our first stop was the Tennessee Riverfront  in Chattanooga about 11 A.M. 

Walking around the area around the aquarium was a bit weird. Normally it is packed with people. It was awfully quiet and the only activities listed were the closed aquarium or the Southern Belle River Boat which wasn't doing tours although their restaurant was open for service. We sighed and continued on our way grabbing lunch at Urban Stacks where we were told we could find the menu using a QR code taped to the table. Huh, that's an interesting take on keeping customers from spreading germs.  We were out on their patio with a huge reduction in the number of tables available for seating to promote the 6 feet distancing codes from the CDC. After our tasty burgers we  made our way to our next stop, Rock City. 

I have had one of those birdhouses built like a red barn with a black roof emblazoned with the logo "See Rock City," but never actually followed its advice. I wasn't exactly sure what was in store, but it was quite an unexpected treat. Turns out it was the brain child of Garnet and Frieda Carter who wanted to create a path so visitors could walk through the odd rock formations they discovered and fell in love with around their home. Garnet, the inventor of miniature golf, let his wife create a 'Fairyland' to highlight her love of European Folklore. 

There are incredible rock gardens, actual gardens, bridges, pathways, and some really tight squeezes. There is also a beautiful waterfall and overlook called 'Lover's Leap.' Definitely not for the faint of heart. 

Rock City had developed a safety plan and instituted a timed entry and reduced the number of visitors for each slot. Park guides were stationed throughout with masks and gloves to answer questions and point you in the direction of the nearest hand sanitizer station. There were a bit more people than I would have liked moving through the paths and too many handrails to touch (hence gloves). We put our masks on as we encountered a log jam of people at Lover's Leap and kept them on for the rest of the walk. Very nice way to spend a day in the southern heat as most of the walk is in, around, and under colder rock formations. 

We continued on through Tennessee and into Kentucky for our first overnight stay in Bowling Green. 

Nice way to start our tour, eh? 

Wave-ing

Math - It's What's for Breakfast - Day Four

Whoo-wee! It's Friday. It's our last day with this group of students. Next week I will be leading a brand new group with this same information. So next week's posts will just be what I'm noticing instead of a full breakdown, just so you know!

After the math vocabulary stickers and roll call  I jumped in and took over the Estimation Problem for the day. I wanted to get my feet wet and ready for Monday. Today it was about the height of a Ferris Wheel, but they gave us a clue when they included the guy from Monday's estimation. The students had to remember that his height was 6'4". It was funny to watch them all immediately pinch their fingers on the picture and then try to count up how many of those it would take to reach the top of the wheel. Since this was an inaccurate and unsteady way of measuring many only got about half of the correct numbers of people to count.

I also asked the teacher participants to weigh in with their estimations and share their strategies. One of them brought up the idea of just counting up half way and then doubling it. Which leads right into today's Number Talk strand!

If we used 64 x 1 and then showed them 32 x 2 can they 'decompose' (ask them to use the correct terms we discussed yesterday) the 32 into 30 and 2 so that the problem could be (2 x 30) + (2 x 2)? Highlight any strategies shared that came from our lessons this week, such as Area Model or Number Lines.

Today's Activating Strategy was called Eliminate it. There's a table with four two digit numbers in them. They are just random. Tell the students that there is no right or wrong way to answer this question. But look at all four and remove one of them from the rest. Make sure that you stress that the student talks through their math reasoning behind why they selected that number. Have them refer to the place values of the numbers, or the odd-evenness, prime-composite, digit is repeated, etc.

Next was time for only one workstation rotation today.

Yesterday I gave you some homework to do research into Three Act Tasks. Dan Meyers created a google doc that he is sharing about various math problems in LiveBinders. Students watch a little video or look at a picture. Then they talk out what they notice and  IMPORTANTLY try to determine what the video could be asking. They estimate, placing their guesses on a number line with LOW choice at one end, and HIGH choice at the other. Their estimate falls somewhere on this line. Students need to determine what information is needed to solve their selected question. Then they work through the math and offer up suggestions for results, justifying their reasonings.

You get to decide if you reveal the answer, or let them walk away without solving it.


We had a survey for the students to complete, so we stopped today earlier than usual.

Next week is all me with four teachers watching me conduct these lessons for 16 students.

EEK!

Math - It's Whats for Breakfast - Day Three

Good morning Mathematicians,

If you're as bad as me at staff developments you see some great ideas and immediately want to try them out. Which translates into DollarStore Run!

My Coordinator had these great little 3x5 corkboard picture frames with the Station Labels attached to them. I had to get them and of course couldn't find exactly what I wanted. I did grab some 3x5 frames with a shadowbox effect. I removed the glass and cut up some scrapbook papers to color coordinate with my table colors (red, blue, green, purple). I have table buckets in these colors to keep materials organized. I have even spray painted the backs of my student white boards to coordinate as well.

Yesterday I noticed that the Coordinator picked out one or two students to highlight for each activity. I found these great small plastic traffic cones printed with "Great Job!" "Awesome!" or "Way to Go!" I grabbed a couple of these to give out at each table to "Make You Famous" and know who to call on when I need a student to explain. I will watch for the student who mostly seems to understand the math behind the concept to give this award to.

I also grabbed some Mardi Gras beads - 8 for a $1 with colors that coordinate with my tables. When the students arrive for my class next week I am going to ask them to select a color and sit at that table as a means of separating my groups on the first day. I will then assign tables according to ability for the next two days. This requires some quick assessment of these new students as they work through the math activities on Day One.

Now, on for today's Math Work:
Focus - Variables - a symbol that takes place of the unknown

We started with Math Vocabulary and worked through their definitions. Another estimation from this great site called Estimation 180. It has enough for EVERY day of the school year...umm, hence the name, right?

We worked through another set of Number Talks. Today the strand was Doubling and Halving where the students will try to break apart or 'decompose' one of the factors - 3 x 2 x 6 - to make it easier to handle. My Fourth Graders haven't been introduced to PEMDAS, so that conversation didn't come up. The students did fine with this and even with the Commutative Property problem. What caused them trouble was when we extended it to a four digit expression - 6 x 6 x 2 x 12. They started zoning out and were not confident in their strategies. We moved on after some extended Wait Time. Remember - Today is not the time to teach new concepts.

Currently, we are working through some Multiplicative Comparison Problems. Asking the students to discuss what they already know and what they need to know gives them a focus. The problems were picked because they included skills that the students should already posses, they required them to explain or prove their thinking, and included an engaging portion that activates what they will be learning in an upcoming lesson.

There is an Activating Question first, kind of a We Do. A Teach Question, like an I do. Then an Active Engagement Question, You Do. Students need to talk out what they already know and what is the question asking us to solve. Can they write an equation? You can refer back to the Anchor Chart to help them understand that words like 'is' and 'times' translate into math symbols. We want to get the students to be thinking about the 'variables.' They can use their number lines to show the sets from the problems.

We moved into Workstations next. There are four and students are given 20 minutes at each. There is an I\ndependent station where students work with pencil paper questions. There's a Group Work station where they are to discuss with each other how to approach and solve the problems provided. The Teacher Led Workstation has three Multiplicative Comparison problems that uses the same numbers each time, however you are guiding the students to see that the product will NOT always be the same. Students are given permission to use number lines, white boards, and snap cubes to help them solve. The computer station uses MathPlayground to check their understanding of multi-step word problems. Students work independently here and if they finish early they can choose a different game from this site to work on.

We started a Three Act Task. If you aren't familiar with teaching method, I'm going to give you some homework to research it before tomorrow's blog post.

See you then!

Math - It's What's for Breakfast Day Two

Teachers, congratulations if you got through yesterday's post. Summer Brain is a real thing, people. Once those school buses drive off the lot, it turns on. So kudos if you managed to get through Day One of Summer Math Institute with me!

 

Today the teachers arrived a half hour before the students in order to preview the day. The biggest thing our coordinator stressed was that we need to 'Step Back' and let the students take over. This session is not for teaching any new skills, it's strictly to observe how students approach and attack math problems. We want to witness their reasoning skills in action. As teachers we can notice concepts that we need to address during tomorrow's mini-lesson or bringing up in small groups as needed.

 

12 students came tumbling into our room and we got right to work asking them to pick out a Math Vocabulary Sticker to wear for the day. In their journals they have a spot for them to write out what they think their term means and illustrate it. We shared those out loud with the group. They were a bit shy and needed some coaxing, but this activity got them talking and thinking about math already.

 

We are focusing on strategies to bring NUMBER LINES into more math lessons this week. So we had some activating strategies to see what the group was already capable of doing. We handed out a plastic one that had a blank side and a ticked side. It was interesting to see how few of them actually understood how to use these as a tool.

 

Another issue I noticed to address with these students is as they approach math exemplars, or word problems, they seemed obsessed with taking whatever the first two numbers are in the problem and adding or multiplying them. To slow them down at the beginning of the year don't stress out on finding the answers but rather concentrating on deciphering the problem. What do you know? What do the numbers mean? What are they asking you to do?

 

Number Talks was a huge "Aha Moment" for me when I first saw this strategy at an earlier institute. Sherry Parrish (pdf - Number Talks video - Sherry Parrish ) is the Number Talks guru. It basically asks children to explain their thinking and use those strategies to teach the rest of the class additional ways of solving problems. It was interesting to listen to the students talk through their math. We had to cringe when students were off with their reasoning, but it helped us to see where holes were and how to address them in later math lessons.

 

The students were also asked to reflect on the class. They had a survey to complete sharing what they are already comfortable with in mathematics and then they wrote in their journals about Something I found challenging today… Tomorrow I am excited about…

 

Day One was a juggling act as we got used to the kids and they got used to us. Using the materials and showing their math thinking caused a lot of confusion. But by Day Three I think they will be experts.

Math-It's What's for Breakfast - Day One

Umm, what was I thinking? It is 8:05 A.M. on my first official day of summer vacation. Here I sit in a school cafeteria, learning about how to teach MATH! It is start of the 2017 Summer Math Institute. I have attended several of these in the past and gotten tons out of them, but only as a participant. Somewhere along the way my name was submitted to TEACH the class this year.

Our first order of business was an ice breaker called Math Mingle. Think of those fresh faces on the first day of school full of interest, yet still doubtful. Ask them to stand up and introduce themselves to other people in the room, a.k.a. mingle. After a brief period call "Freeze" and give them a task to solve such as: "Make a group of people that share the same number of letters in their first name." Students will arrange themselves into groups by calling out numbers or holding up fingers, etc. Once that is settled ask them to start mingling again and repeat the process. Depending on the age of your students you can create appropriate math level tasks. Since I teach Fourth Grade I could ask my class to "Form groups that equal the same number of cups in 2 quarts," or "Form groups that has the same number of equal sides as an isosceles triangle."

Next was a 5-minute game of Math Pictionary. One person is given a card with 18 grade level appropriate terms on it. They will draw each term without speaking, trying to get their team to say the correct word. A point is scored for each correct guess. Extra point is given at the end if the drawer used no numbers or words in their drawing. You can use this as another ice breaker to see how much they already know or retained from last year. You could also use this as a review once you are finished a new unit.

Here is a suggested vocabulary list for the beginning of Fourth Grade:

1. Commutative Property 2. Array 3. Isosceles Triangle 4. Pictograph 5. Fraction 6. Elapsed Time 7. Tens Place 8. Rounding 9. Sum 10.

Time for some professional development. We read an article on the research behind introducing algebra at the elementary level and shared sentences, phrases, and words that stood out to us. It was interesting to think that primary students could still reason out answers to expressions that ask them to solve for unknowns without any direct instruction.

Now we are thinking about Vertical Progression of a standard. Our county has broken down each standard and provided Achievement Level Descriptors in grades 3-5. They are finalizing the K-2 as we speak. We were given a table with Emerging, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished. The standard was broken into each category onto small cards. Our table was charged with the task to organize them into the correct categories. We were successful at our table, by the way. It's important to think about how students are performing on each standard as you form groups and assign tasks. This is a great way to create your small groups and differentiate according to their strengths. It also helps to think about how to reduce a standard down to its smallest parts in order to scaffold for those students that are starting at the Emerging Level.

After a short break we are smacked back awake. We are struggling through a Mobile Puzzle, or Logical-mathematical puzzle.

To me this is a Distinguished Level Task. To give this to a student who is working off of an Emerging Level, like me, they would check out pretty quickly after being easily frustrated. This task would require a lot of scaffolding for them to see the rules and patterns of how these numbers balance and relate to each other.

We broke for the day. Whew! Summer Brain is already setting in.

And the winner is...

Congratulations go out to Anna Young!

She won the TpT $10 gift certificate to use during the sale.

You can still win with the TpT 28% sale by using the code BESTYEAR when you check out.

But hurry, it's only good for today!!

I'll be sending E. Husby her favorite ScrappyGuy product because she won the second prize!!

Flexible Seating - Crate Cushions

I am so proud of myself right now. I'm jumping in the deep end of the Flexible Seating arena this year and have already blogged about some ideas I had HERE.  I wanted to create some type of cushion for these crates I bought at Walmart. The crates are going to hold student work and Friday Folder materials and to help repurpose them into stools as well, I had to get creative.

I looked around at a few people's suggestions on how to create cushions, like this one from Hands on Learning. But their cushions fit down into the crates. I couldn't do that because I am using hanging folders and the cushion might crush those pesky little white handles like crazy.

I needed something to go on top. Something that would also be sturdy for some of my larger Fourth Graders. So I measured the width and length of the outside lip of the crate.

It was 14" x 16.5".

Then I went to Home Depot and bought a 4x2' piece of particle board that was only like $4. I had them cut the two pieces I would need from that for my project. I had them cut it slightly larger to overlap the crate at 15" x 18".

When I got home I looked at the sharp edges of the boards and my Teacher Brain went to, "Uh-Oh. Someone's going to get hurt." I took a small bucket and traced rounded edges on each of the corners.

I broke out the jigsaw tool that has been gathering dust in the far reaches of my garage and cut those edges down. It was awesome.

 

Then I some 1' poly foam I bought at Jo-Ann's (hint** Look at the remnants first, they might just be perfect for you.) and took out the Staple Gun to secure the corners first.



 

 Then I worked my way around the edge of the foam securing it to the board.

 

 I flipped it over and had a cushion ready to for the next step.

 

 

 I bought some broadcloth at Jo-Ann's as well. I asked the lady what type of fabric would be good to use in a classroom. This is what she suggested. I bought it purposely a little longer so I would have some room to work with. I had them cut them at 24" lengths. I chose a blue and green for our school colors. Just easy to remember.

Once again I just started stapling around. This time I started on the longer sides, like present wrapping.

 

 

 This is what it looked like when I finished stapling everything.

 

 

 My Teacher Brain came back and said, "That fabric in the middle is not going to work. If it's right on top of the crate, the fabric will rip and the whole thing will fall apart." Flashbacks to my chair pocket fiasco.
 So, I needed to remove that middle section of fabric which required a whole lot more stapling.

 

Here's what it looked like when I flipped it over. Great, right????

 





 

 

Now, here is the finished product on top of the stools. LOVE!

 

 



 

Back to School with TpT 2016

Design by Glitter Meets Glue Designs

What a great way to start off a new school year winning stuff.

TeachersPayTeachers is having their annual Back to School Sale by providing you with 28% off of stuff on their site.

Make sure that you check out my store while you're browsing around for some great stuff to get started this year.

On top of all the goodness that TpT is providing, I'm throwing in my own. There's a $10 gift certificate to the site as well as a chance to win your favorite product from my store!

There are several ways to enter below. Make sure to check them all out.

I will be announcing the winner on Tuesday morning and sending out the winnings then as well. So start stocking up your TpT Shopping Cart with everything you'll need for the 2016 school year!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/97c4602/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Classroom Makeover 2016

Wow! Have you had the moment of realization yet?

The one where you look  up and the calendar says you only have ONE WEEK of summer vacation left?

Because I'm having it. Right now.

There's so much to do! And only one more week to do it.

Shh, don't tell anyone, but I've already been to my room and started setting it up.

That's why I am writing today. I need your help!

This year means some big changes for my little room. We have a new principal, a large grade level, and I'm team teaching for the first time in 23 years.

With the change of students halfway through the day, I thought that seating was going to have to be more of a fluid event. One where the students can be more selective about their seating choices.

A friend had posted on FB that she was trying a Flexible Seating plan this year. I looked into on the internet, Instagram, and Pinterest and thought I would take the plunge.

 

Here's a few shots of the whole room. Yes, I know. It's tiny. And yep, those are 24 desks put out. But I put the groups into different configurations. There are two groups of 9, a group of 4, and a group of 2. It's all about options, right?

 

Here is a table I raised to waist high so that they can stand up and work. Those two buckets will be holding student work to be sent home and then have cushioned seats on top to be used as stools. 

 

Here's all the room I could spare for a whole group area. I got rid of my oversized chair, my easel, and a large rolling bookshelf. Instead I exchanged it for a thin folding chair from Ikea and placing my chart paper on the wall with some Command Hooks. 

 

I tried to get rid of my teacher's desk, but the custodian tells me that it is a requirement to have one in every room. Boo. So instead I switched out my super small computer table and made my teacher's desk the space for four computers to be set up. 

 

Here's my area for small groups. I have my regular teacher desk things in the small student desks behind this table. I can put my laptop on there and have it connected to the SmartBoard. 

 

As for another seating option, I have these kind of like cubby areas for groups to meet and discuss amazing literature this year. My friend, Jennifer Howard gave me this idea too. The little seat cushions were 4 for $7.

 

 

To ensure that everyone gets to choose the different options and to cut back on the squabbling, I usually have my reading groups set up into Monday, Tuesday, etc. They will get to pick their 'Comfy spots' on their day.

 

 

Okay, so here's where you come in. What else am I missing? How can I make it look more inviting without breaking the bank? Any ideas?? Help!

 

 

Remember, I only have ONE WEEK left.

 

Thanks for your help.

Sharing Sunday - March 20

Ahh, April. The beautiful flowers in bloom, birds singing, shorts weather, and sun is back.

Working in April can be a bit of a push. The kids really (and I do mean REALLY) want to be outside instead of cramming their heads full of Westward Expansion. So close to the ending yet so far away. Plus there's testing to get through this month.

If that is already about to make you crazy then I've got an idea to help you through your struggles.

The last read aloud I like to share with my students is Dan Gutman's The Homework Machine. It's a fun read. The Homework Machine is a unique book because it is written in 'perspective' from varying characters. The tale of four children who band together to keep a secret of a machine that does their homework. It is rife with turmoil as things get out of hand. They end up giving their statements in the Grand Canyon Police Office.
My students always get a kick out of it and want to build their own machines.

Click on the Image below to see the links provided.

Here is a little freebie of a novel study I put together to  help you out.

********************************************************************************

During our Social Studies lessons in April we always dig into the fun that was the Oregon Trail. Last summer I  put together a packet that you could use to really immerse them into understanding what it was like during that time.

One of my favorite parts of that packet is the Choose Your Own Adventure tale that takes the kids on a journey where they are the main character. Along the way they have to make critical choices that could cause some of their travel companions to lose their life!

I also used a resource my grade level put together as a daily writing exercise that results in each student having a travel journal. I start off giving them some brown construction paper for 'leather' cover and white computer paper to put inside. Each day we do something different to our journal to make them more authentic. We might step on it, throw some water on it, tear it, or even crumple it a bit to make it look like it's gone through the very same trials and tribulations as those on the Oregon Trail.

Click on the Image below to see the links that will take you to that packet.

Head back to the Primary Peach for MORE April fun and freebies.

Harry Potter - Celebrate the End of First Year

I had so much fun with this unit and got as much back from the students as I put into it. It was our final day with the book before I packed it all up for next year. I brought in a ton of fun goodies to share.

I created some Acid Pops from sour ring pops dipped in water and then coated with Pop Rocks.

I made some cauldron cakes from Lil Debbie Snack cakes and Twizzler strings for the handles. I poured out some butterbeer for each. It was cream soda with whipped cream.

As a parting gift I gave each of them a small cauldron filled with sour candies, topped with cotton candy to look like flames, and of course a spider ring on top.

They couldn't believe it when I told them they could take the cauldrons home. I think they got confused because I kept telling them that they couldn't bring the copies of HP01 home because they were donations.

It took longer than the suggested five weeks, but the kids hung in there with me all the way. There were lots of groans and whines when I asked them to bring back the books. Many asked if were going to read Chamber of Secrets next. I told them I always read the first in a series to get them excited to read the rest on their own. Hopefully I've sparked a love of reading in some of them. If not for reading in general at least for J.K. Rowling's classic series.

We watched a few scenes from the movie to compare to the book. I loved sitting there listening to all the gasps when characters first arrived on the screen. The clapping at certain events such as Harry's midair capture of the Remembrall. Loads of laughs and squeals throughout.

It's over now and I'll miss it. We've only got 50 more school days together, and I think I've accomplished my goal of bringing my class closer together.

Thanks for following me on this magical  journey. Let me know if you try something similar in your classroom!