It's beginning to feel like Christmas!

I've been such a neglectful blogger. Shame on me. I've been caught up raising my Baby Boy and keeping up with 25 5th graders :)

I'm off for the week and to get ready for the holidays in school, I made my own version of the 12 Days of Christmas: "12 Days of School-mas" a math version. I hope I can upload the science one soon. I so look forward to doing this with my students.

Also, when we go back next week, we'll be diving right into non-fiction and FRACTIONS!!! Wish me luck!!!

Great site for Spanish resources!

I just came across this fantastic site with some great Spanish resources. Enjoy!!!

Borrowing a borrowed a idea!!!

Tomorrow I have to teach inference (YIKES!!!). It is such a hard skill, especially for struggling readers. I am going to try a great "trashy reading idea" from Miss Khlon @ the adventures of a 6th grade teacher. As I type, my hubby is helping me gather some "trash" to begin my lesson. I'm going to begin with the trashy reading lesson, then I'm going to have my students make a 3-tab foldable (evidence + schema= inference). I am excited about this lesson!!! I think I'm going to follow that lesson with having my students make inferences using simple sentences (Example: She blew out the birthday candles. I can tell it's her birthday because people normally blow out candles on their birthday.), and then practice with our read aloud. Wish me luck :)

It's been a while....

I've been gone for a looooong time! I am finally feeling like I can catch my breath. I worked really hard this summer reading books and many teacher blogs to learn how to improve my instruction and (this is my 5th year teaching-2nd year self-contained) I finally feel like things are truly off to a great start. I have put into practice and reviewing routines and expectations for behavior on a daily basis and this has truly made a huge difference in my classroom. I have also implemented lots of GLAD strategies in my classroom and I am already seeing the benefits for all my students, especially in language acquisition.

I've also been using thinking maps and foldables in my classroom. I am really enjoying language arts because I am trying to follow the word study, mini lesson, practice & guided reading model (kind of like reader's workshop). In math, I am incorporating many hands-on activities and stations. In science, I am loving all the activities we have done so far to learn about the scientific method.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing- we have TONS of documentation to do, sooooo many meetings to attend and we hear ACCOUNTABILITY EVERY DAY, but I am not letting it rule my life. I am going to put my knowledge to practice and enjoy every day with my students. I hope this feeling of accomplishment never goes away!!!

Two things down...a million more to go.

I have been working like a mad woman trying to get everything done for back to school. I finally finished copying, laminating, and cutting these question prompt cards that I will be using during my reading instruction. I feel that last year my questioning could have been a lot better, so I created these question/thinking stems for fiction, non-fiction, poetry & drama to keep handy at all times. I tried hard to mirror the language of testing to get my students accustomed to higher-level questions.  (I've linked the bundle, but these are also available individually for fiction, non-fiction, poetry & drama).

I've also borrowed a fantastic idea from Stephanie @ 5th Grade Dugout and created a handy questioning ring using Stephanie's science questions, I also added a few, but her list was a HUGE help. I'm also going to use popsicle sticks like she does to put at my tables so students can use them in their discussions.
Now.... so many things I still have to work on!!!!!

Newbie Bloggers Blog Hop

Grade Three is the Place For Me is hosting a  Newbie Bloggers Blog Hop and I've decided to link up. I have learned so much from reading other teachers' blogs and finally worked up the courage to try blogging. If you're interested in joining, share the following with fellow bloggers:
1. what state you are in- Texas
2. your current teaching position 5th grade, self-contained teacher. (We test in reading, math, and science. Can you say PRESSURE!?!)
3. your teaching experience This month I will be starting my 5th year of teaching :)
4. when you started blogging I started blogging a little over a month ago. Super rookie.
5. share a blogging tip / blogging resource I am REALLY new to blogging and are still learning so much. The tip I can provide at the moment is to visit fellow teacher blogs to learn more. I like to visit Techy Things by Mrs. Stanford because Mrs. Stanfordshe offers many technology tips for teachers.

I look forward to blogging and learning from my fellow teachers :)

How do you plan?

Mrs. Stanford

I am linkin up with Mrs. Stanford to share how I plan.  I usually like to stay at least 2 weeks ahead of the game. Of course, this is much easier said than done.
I typically begin with the end in mind. I like to look at how I plan to assess a concept and then I think of the skills my students will need to master the concept. It is always helpful to have a scope and sequence to know a reasonable timeline of when concepts should be taught.
I like to have my resources listed for each concept I plan to teach. This is something new I will be trying. For example, my first unit in math will be place value. I gather the picture books I plan to read to my class, the games I want them to play, the stations they will be using... and anything else related to that unit so that I do incorporate it all into my teaching. I want to start a notebook where I keep a record of all this because there are times when I forget to use an activity. I make all necessary copies. I then go to my grade level, share and get their feedback. I like to be prepared with all materials when I share with them in case it is something they would like to use in their rooms. :)