A Day in The Life

I thought I would link up with Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits to share what a day in my life looks like! We have an extended day and year, so our school hours are 8:00-3:30. My school network encourages us to utilize the purchased curriculum daily, so much of my day is defined by Saxon and Superkids, but we are allowed flexibility in how we incorporate it. 

Although it is not specifically on my schedule, we brain break with GoNoodle pretty often throughout the day! I can't remember what my teaching life was like without it!

Before School

My alarm goes off at 5:20. I get ready for the day and am out the door by 6:00 for my thirty minute commute. I am not a high maintenance person, so 40 minutes is more than enough time for me. I usually pack my lunch and lay out clothes the night before.

6:30-7:30 Prep Time

This is my most productive hour of the day! I love coming to school before anyone else. I grade, prepare anchor charts, lesson plan and prep for the following week, pray, eat, and read the news. At 7:15 two of my kiddos from last year come in to sweep, sharpen pencils, and talk my ear off! :)

7:30-8:00 Morning Duty

I am usually in the gym or cafeteria. Our school is Prek3-6th, so there are lots of little people to help get breakfast! In the gym, students may read, write, or study. I also sometimes am at the door greeting parents and doing uniform checks.

8:00-8:10 School Assembly 

Prayer and morning announcements. One of my favorite parts of teaching in a Catholic school is that all students and teachers come together in the morning to pray. We pray, say the pledge of allegiance and our school pledge, and practice the "Principal tip of the day" which is usually a character trait.

8:10-8:30 Morning Work

We quickly unpack and start working! While the kids work on calendar math (which is a freebie in my TPT store) I check their blue folders, take attendance, and talk to students about their homework.

8:30-8:40 Morning Meeting

We go to the bathroom and come back for morning meeting. I use the morning meeting packet from Third Grade Thoughts. It is one of my favorite moments of the day. Our school is primarily students living at or below the poverty line, and this is our chance to discuss social and emotional issues. No matter what craziness is going on that day, we always have morning meeting!

8:40-9:45  Math

Our math block is pretty similar every day. We do fact practice using Super Speed Math, do a mini-lesson (or not so mini-lesson depending on the content!), and use our Saxon pages for spiraling review. Our entire school uses Saxon, and I really like how it is always reviewing. My principal lets us be really flexible with the mini-lesson, so sometimes it is what Saxon wants and sometimes it is something that we are struggling with. What I really love is the daily spiraling review pages. So great for repetition!

9:45-10:15 Phonics and Grammar

This block always begins with what Superkids calls the "Daily Routine". Decoding practice on the rule of the week, spelling practice and review, and editing sentences. This takes about half of the block. The last fifteen minutes is either a phonics or grammar lesson that I teach, we practice, and then they work on independently during reading.

10:15-10:30 Read Aloud  

Every day we read a poem and discuss it, then I read a chapter or two of a book. I tend to read fiction, but occasionally I'll read a non-fiction book. At the beginning of the year I read a lot of first books in a series (the first Magic Tree House and Calendar Mystery), but then I move on to the classics or just my own favorites. Right now we are reading Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, which we are loving!

10:30-11:30 Reading

One of the best parts of Superkids is book club. We alternate weeks of non-fiction magazines and fiction trade books. The magazines are from the curriculum and so beautifully done! Very colorful and engaging. Depending on the week we read alone, in pairs, with small groups, or as a class. If we read in anything other than small groups, then we always have some time to discuss as a class and with a partner. After discussion, we work on the reading skill. The program spirals most skills through every two week unit, but I try to pick an over-arcing skill for the week to emphasize.

11:30-12:30 Lunch, Recess, and Bathroom

Since I teach at a small school with few aides, we do our own lunch and recess with the kids. We eat with first grade and have recess with either first or third grade depending on the day.

12:30-1:30 Title I/Enrichment

This time is where all of my students are in small groups and get either intervention or extension. The lowest two groups go to Title I, the highest to the Liberian for novel studies, and the middle group stays with me to extend our lessons from the morning. It is awesome that each group is no bigger than 6, so all of the students really have a chance to shine.

1:30-2:15 Specials

This year we have PE, Health, Spanish, Art, and Library. Our Spanish and Art teacher is out on Maternity leave for the rest of the year, so I take my students to do computer lab at that time, which means these days I have a planning period three days a week. One of those days I meet with the two first year teachers I am mentoring.

2:15-3:15 Science/Social Studies/Religion

After specials (and a bathroom break!), we hit our non-tested subjects of the day. I alternate between science and social studies every week or two. I primarily teach them through reading informational texts. We also have religion in this block. I also incorporate a lot of reading into religion, mostly through reading Bible stories and Saint biographies.

3:15-3:30 Handwriting/Packing

Last semester we worked on printing and this semester we are starting cursive. I love using this time for handwriting because their little brains are so dead by this point in the day! It is also a nice way to unwind and keeps them occupied while I prepare for dismissal. While students are working on handwriting, we rotate through going to the hall to pack up and get their agendas signed.

3:30-3:45 Dismissal 

We dismiss from our classrooms, so after prayer, parents come inside and pick up their children from the classroom. It is nice because I see a adult for about 75% of my kids every day, so I can update them on any issues. My students can read, eat a snack, or do an end of day job. at 3:45 any leftover students go to after care. Mondays we have faculty meetings, Tuesday-Thursday I tutor for an hour, and Friday I fly out the door with the kids :) 

When I get home I eat dinner, work on grad school assignments, and spend time with friends. By 9:00 I am exhausted and heading to bed to start it all over again! 

100s Day and Valentines Fun

They say as you get older, time seems to go faster. I hope that I am peeking at 23, because time is going too fast! This year still has plenty of challenges, but is going so much more smoothly than last year! I am so much more confident and creative. I am also almost done with my MEd! I finished my thesis and just have to finish the class I am in, then I am done! I am excited to finish an really be able to focus on teaching. 

 

Recently I have fallen in love with Instagram. It is so easy to post a quick picture and continue with my day! But I would like to try to get back into to the blogging swing. While waiting for me to (finally) blog, you can always see my latest pics by following me! 

We had such a blast on 100's day! We have about a hour and fifteen minutes between specials and the end of the day, which is the perfect time for fun. Our morning was pretty routine, but after specials we got to work! Each pair got 100 of something and had to make arrays, skip count by 2s, 4s, 5s, 10s, and measure the length of our items using feet and inches. 

Measuring cubes.

These cuties were very into making their line as straight as possible. 

Sorting pennies into groups of five. 

Counting dice! 

Making groups of four. 

After we finished measuring, I brought out the goldfish! Each group had to estimate how many goldfish they had, then count their fish and see if their estimate was close. 

We tried and failed to take a nice picture, so silly picture it is! School spirit dress out day and fun activities was the perfect way to celebrate! 

The next day we were back to uniform, but still having fun. We have been learning about arctic animals, so we had to try blubber out for ourselves! I had bags of crisco for everyone to put their hands in, but at the end of the experiment, the birthday boy asked if we could cover his hand in the "blubber", and I couldn't refuse! 

Our next big day was Valentines day. We were not allowed to have parties this year, so instead we had fun with conversation heart math and science. It went really well! The kids had a blast and were sad when the day ended. 

Graphing candy hearts. Notice her improvisation for a pencil with no eraser. 

So focused! 

We also tried stacking our hearts to see how how we could stack. It is an adorable freebie from Sweet Integrations. 

This sweetie is stacking, and you can also see the cups in the middle. We did an experiment with candy hearts in vinegar, water, sprite, and mouthwash. We made notes about the first minute, twenty minutes, and forty minutes. They were amazed! My recording sheet can be found here. 

The joy of learning! 

Again here you can see stacking and the cups. Lots of learning and lots of fun! 

Two of my favorite little cuties. I love both of their reactions to her stack! 

We continue our inability to simply smile for a picture. I guess it is the age! 

I was absolutely astounded by the outpouring of love from my students and former students! Their generosity was so humbling. I teach in an impoverished area, so I know it took a lot for some of these families to buy gifts. So touching! 

Today is yet another snow day. We only went to school one day this week. It has been nice to have a surprise February break! As a Texas girl, this cold and ice has been quite a shock! Thank goodness I have been able to spend most of this cold weather inside with coffee and a book. Now I am ready to get back into the classroom to see these precious faces! 

Currently

I'm not sure what I was doing on October first, but apparently not blogging! I thought my first year of teaching moved quickly, but the second year is flying back even more quickly. We have encountered a lot of changes recently at my school, but of course the most important piece is the students, and my energetic little learners are too distracted by their own selves to notice anything else going on.

listening

Okay, so this one is equal parts smelling as hearing, but it is what I am thinking of! I think every meal should start with some sauteing onions. 

loving

I have been ready for cold weather for a while now. Bring on the scarves, jackets, boots, tea, and blankets! Being a true southerner, I think anything below 60 is cold, so this weather in the 50s has been perfect. 

thinking

I have realized recently that some of my lessons just aren't working because there is no schema. How can I teach coins when students have no concept of skip counting? Or 3d shapes when not all of my students know the difference between a square and rectangle? Time for some major reteaching, but it is tricky when we are so tied to our curriculum. 

wanting

When I started this currently, it was Sunday. Even today, I still wish we had a few more days to recover. On Friday we were all dressed up in costume. Our school had a fashion show, class parties, and my students' teacher from last year came to visit. What a crazy whirlwind day! 

Halloween costumes with a coworker! 

Two of my students from last year that come and help me clean before school. One of them asked if I would take a "shelfy" with them. :)

needing

My MEd thesis is due in a month...AHHHHH!! 

reading

Wonder is a wonderful book. I was reading it to see if it was appropriate for 2nd grade, but I don't think so, at least not for my class this year. What I love about this book is that it is told from several different perspectives, which would be great for point of view discussions! 

Make sure you check out Farley for more currently fun! 

Apple Week

We had a blast with apple week this year! We spent every afternoon learning about apples, Johnny Appleseed, and incorporating apples into all types of activities!

Practicing math with apples from Sunny Days in Second Grade. After we made our apples, we cut them up and took turns putting them back together. Their favorite part? The fact that they got to use markers to go over the pencil! It is the little things...

After we read a poem and several books on Johnny Appleseed, we used this freebie to show what we had learned. Since we read everything from tall tales to non-fiction, the focus was pulling facts out of all the stories. They did great! 

Ready to eat apples! I saved apple week until I hit this lesson in our math curriculum. Granny smith apples won by a landslide, much to my distaste. Gala apples are my personal favorite!

  

Applesauce! Not the most attractive thing to photograph, but oh my goodness, it was SOOOO good! We wrote a recipe and mixed it together in the morning, then let it cook all day. My classroom smelled incredible all day long. We cooked in the crock-pot on high for a few hours, then on low until almost the end of the day. My kiddos ate every last bite! We made a graph about who liked it and who didn't, but it wasn't a very helpful graph because everyone said they liked it. 

The hallway this week. I adore the ease of changing these out! It takes about two minutes, and then the hallway looks totally different! 

Currently September

It is the first of the month, which means it is time to link up with Farley for the September Currently!

Listening

To Criminal Minds while I work. I think the psychology of the show is fascinating. 

Loving

Three day weekends need to be a regular thing. Who do I talk to about changing the law? Every weekend needs a day to rest, a day for chores, and a day for school. 

Thinking

Last year was my first year teaching. I am using the same curriculum again this year, and it is kinda fun/sad to see how bad my plans were at this point last year. At least I can be amazed at what a difference a year makes! 

Wanting

I am going to a wedding this weekend and will be out from school for a few days. I hate writing sub plans! Teaching is absolutely more work to be absent for than to just show up. Now I just need to get these plans done so I can focus on being excited for this wedding! 

Needing

I am almost done with my master's program! This semester I will present my research capstone, which of course means I need to be making significant progress right now on my capstone! Just another reason why my three day weekend thing is such a great idea. 

Three Trips

I lived in Rome for a semester in college and got to see a lot of Europe. The one place I didn't go that I really wanted to was Sweden. I've always been interested in Russian history and architecture, although I am not sure how wise it is to go to Russia right now. I'm not sure I can narrow it down to one country I specifically want to visit in South America. Brasil, Chile, and Peru are all high on the list. 

Have a great Labor Day and don't forget to check out Farley for more Currently fun! 

 

Back in the Swing

This three day weekend is perfectly timed! We just finished up our third week of school. Routines are starting to flow, but my to do list is a mile long! Yesterday I didn't touch anything related to school for the first time since school started. Now I can tackle my list a little more relaxed. Since I am still relatively new to the iPhone world, I keep forgetting that I always have a camera around. I have managed to snap a few pictures.

Day one and already hard at work! It is amazing how attached I was to last year's class, but this new class is sneaking its way into my heart! Overall they are a very sweet class, though I am already racking my brain for ways to control my little chatterboxes. 

We love Go Noodle! Seriously, I use it just about every day. We have a three hour block of instruction time in the morning to do math and ELAR, which is great, but so hard to keep little minds and bodies focused for so long! Depending on our needs we usually do a Zumba or Airtime break in the morning and a running one in the afternoon slump. They adore it as a reward for good behavior and it always perks them up when we are having a bad day. I usually can't help but join in, it is so much fun! 

My Whole Brain Teaching rules. We say them every day after morning prayers and again after lunch. This is my second year incorporating some of the WBT methods, and I am always impressed with how well the kiddos retain our lessons. 

I have a confession to make: I am not at all artsy. Crafty? Yes. Capable with a marker in hand? Absolutely not. To make anchor charts I find the one I like, project it on my board, and start tracing! I usually trace the basic outline and then add in my own flair. I found this image here, but there is no blog post to it. If it is your anchor chart, please let me know so I can give you credit! I made the punctuation names and people before the lesson, then we described each type and wrote examples together. 

Our tattling vs reporting chart. I got the idea here, but then added some of my own. This one the kiddos directed me in the difference between the two with some gentle guidance. I also have a tattle box for those who can't help but tattle. Whenever they come running up during recess my first questions is always "Is this a tattle or a report?" and for the most part, they have gotten the difference. 

Original chart found here. 

Between making this chart and doing WBT motions, everyone in the class rocks at identifying nouns! I was so happy to have everyone pass the grammar assessment this week. 

Happy Labor Day! 

! 

2014-2015 Classroom

School starts in less than 24 hours and I am ready to go! At least, I think I am. Today I am linking with Swimming into Second Grade to show off my classroom this year. As I mentioned before, I am in the same classroom, though with a different set of desks. It was nice to walk in and already have a few things on the wall or at least know where I wanted them to go. Sticking with my polka dots and sock monkeys was an easy choice. I love them both and already had the decorations! 

The outside of my door. Each year my principal picks a theme that we have to incorporate into our doors. This year it is weather. I love that I was still able to use my sock monkeys! This door stays the same all year, but since I usually keep my door open and against the wall, I am the only one that gets to enjoy it. 

The inside of my door. In theory, each time we read a book we will put it on the door. I haven't decided if it will only be for whole class books or not because I am afraid of opening a Pandora's box with a million umbrellas. Since we don't have bulletin boards in the halls, this door changes for the seasons. Hopefully this door will last me until Christmas!

The view when you walk through the door. I only have sixteen kiddos right now, but last year I had twenty-three, so I am holding my breath to see if I get to keep this delightfully small group. On each desk is a new book, their crayon bag, and the Welcome Back Pack from Sunny Days. 

My Conduct, jobs, objectives, and school-wide engagement posters. Across the school we use the same language in behavior so it is consistent from year to year. Most of my students will be used to this system coming in day one. 

My carpet, word wall, and genre posters. I love to read aloud, so we spend a lot of time here. I mostly use my word wall for math and reading concept cards, which I will hopefully finish soon! The genre posters can be found here. We talk a lot about the genre of the books we read in small group and on the carpet so we can check them off of our genre bingo cards. 

View of my room from the carpet. My lovely shower board only looks clean from this far away! I mostly use my document camera that I was able to get last year through Go Fund Me. My projector will hopefully be installed this year, but currently it lives on a cart that I wheel around. In this picture you can also see the Home Depot bags tied to each chair. Students keep their crayons, scissors, glue, dry erase marker, and sock (for an eraser) in a quart size bag in one pocket and a chapter book in the other pocket. 

Visible thinking wall. I went to Project Zero last spring and was able to incorporate some strategies last year, but I plan on doing more now. 

Anchor chart wall on my other cabinet. My math curriculum has a lot of graphs we will make throughout the year and I love making charts for reading, so this will stay pretty full! 

Small group table and phonics wall. I use SMILA methods, which is an offshoot of Slingerland, to teach and review phonics daily. Once I get another pocket chart, our weekly spelling patterns and rules will go next to my phonogram chart. 

This is the view from desk in the back corner. You can see all of my calendar math up on the front wall. On the right is my station table with crate seats. 

My classroom library! Between Go Fund Me, Scholastic Book Orders, and several expensive trips to the used book store, I have a pretty large library for a second year teacher. All of the basket colors match the school library coding for the different AR levels, which makes picking books easy in both places. Most of my students take 1-4 AR tests a week. 

Panorama view from the door. If only the room was as big as it looks here! I love walking in every morning and am so excited to meet my new class tomorrow!