Weekly Review

We started our basal series… Reading Street  this past week.  Our story was Frindle.  Our skills were character traits and plot.  We studied the four kinds of sentences in language and place value in math.  Over all it was a fun week.  We decided as a school that the GO MATH! with the common core standards was a little difficult so we are all teaching the ….getting ready for __ grade lessons.  Did anyone else using this series have this problem?

This week we are starting our AMSTI investigations in science. The kids are already pumped about it.

I also missed out on Where it All goes down Wednesday for teacher week so I am leaving some pictures of activities and what my room looks like:

Linky Party

Yay a place 5-8th teachers to post their blogs~

Teacher Talk Tuesday

I still consider my self a new teacher, but I have learned a few things in the past four years.

1. USE YOUR SICK DAYS!  That’s what they are for.  Don’t go to school ill or sick or tired…if you arent up to it then TAKE OFF!  your co workers will appreciate it and sooo will your students.

2. Do what your principal says to do.  If they say turn in your lesson plans on Monday then email them Sunday night.  Don’t be that teacher that says well I forgot… if you worked at McDonalds and they said be here at 5 and you werent then you would be fired!

3. Don’t complain in public.  People who are not teachers CAN NOT COMPREHEND….don’t try to explain…find a support system your mom, husband, BFF, and VENT to them.

4. Keep up with what is recent in education.

5. Further your education.

6. Share Share Share then steal, borrow and beg great lessons!

7. Have a sub tub!  Pinterest has a great one!

8. Always make friends with the secretary, custodians, and the lunchroom ladies.

9. Do your job for the kids. Remember what was like to be in _____ grade!

10. HAVE FUN!!!

Meet the Teacher Monday

 

 

Tell us a little something about you...

I'm Laura, Coach Hill, Mrs. Ledgewood, babe, and hey!  I answer to all of the above.  I;ve been married for almost two months!  I love the safe feeling it gives me at night to know he is with me.  Along with being a newlywed, I coach JV volleyball and was just named the head softball coach for my alma mater {my daddy actually started the program} {no pressure! huh?} Carter and I have a basset hound that is just precious:

How long have you been teaching?

I am starting my fifth year of teaching.  I was an aid for 1/2 a year, then taught 5th grade, then 6thgrade/k-2 title 1, then kindergarten, then first grade,and now 5th grade again!  Whoop Whoop! I’ve got lesson plans out the waz-u! They were all my choices to move and I loved all of the moves.  I’m currently at my home school where I went k-12 in my home town and love it, but I do have to say that first grade was my favorite so far.

You might not know...

I’ve wanted to be a teacher since the inception of my life. My daddy was a teacher and a principal and we had school everyday in the summer time.  I used to draw out my classrooms and newsletter by hand… I never dreamed I could make one on the computer much less blog about it. 

What are you looking most forward to this school year?

I'm most looking forward to being held accountable!!  Sounds crazy right?  Well the past 3 years I’ve been doing my job with no corrective criticism OR praise!  I love that my new principals have already been in my room more than my last two put together. I love feedback positive or negative…its what makes you a better teacher. Also we are doing fun things like fundelicious friday teachers all bring a themed food, secret pals, etc all so we can have a {H.A.P.P.Y.} HAVING A POSITIVE PRODUCTIVE YEAR!

What do you need to improve?

I would like to work on perfecting my reading stations and learn about the Daily 5 and how I can incorporate it in to Scotts Foresman reading street.

Also planning, but not over planning!  I seem to be a bit of an over achiever and sometimes, all the time, often my plate runneth over

What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?

new expo markers

dt. dr. peppers

shakem ups for my water

a good coffee creamer

a great manicure and pedicure

also I try to remember to wear my perfume!  I can still pick out my 4th grade teachers perfume..it make kids feel safe

* * * * *

Teacher Week 2011

Get Pumped UP!  Last year I started my blog about a week after teacher week was over, but I loved re reading everyone’s posts!  It is a great way to get introduced in the blog world and an even better way to find resources at your grade level. Head on over to Blog Hoppin, as brand new and authored by some of the best bloggers and the best teachers!

Have a blessed week!

Laura

Kentucky Derby Pie

Yes I know it is no where close to May, but this is my favorite pie that my Momma makes and I wanted to attempt it for myself.  It is great for a chocolate pick me up when working 15 hours a day getting ready for a new school year..or any occasion really!

         

Please ignore the fancy plate… haha!  No dirty dishes during back to school time! The recipe is below I hope you enjoy it as much as Carter and I do!

1 unbaked pie crust

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 sugar

1/2 brown sugar

1 and 1/2 sticks of butter, softened

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

PREHEAT oven to 325

Beat eggs in large mixer on high till bubbly. Add Flour and sugars. Beat in butter, stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy with ice cream and SOME MILK!

I Survived the First Week

I am amazed at all of the hard work that goes into the first week of school even after four years of teaching and now starting my fifth year.  Grade 5 Year 5 and it is going to be the best yet!  We’ve assessed and grouped and have gotten acquainted and we are ready to dive in head first on Monday! Highlights from our first week were:

LessonPlanSOS Back to School Bash Unit: What Smart Are You? Lesson… Most of my Ss are nature smart so I can’t wait to start science with them.  WE have a science assessment in AL in 5th so hopefully we are one step ahead!

I surprised myself in being self smart!  I thought for sure I would be people smart because I. Love. to. Talk. but I have to agree more that I love to write, organize, make list, etc. What Smart Are You?

 

 

 

 

Frindle: It is our first reading story in Reading Street, but it doesn’t include the entire book so we started in early and are going to read the whole thing.  I wanted to “wake” my Ss brains up slowly so they wouldn’t be over loaded.  We started with a few Story elements and focused on Characters and their traits and setting.  These are our anchor charts and I will post a picture of our character activity tomorrow I forgot to snap it before I left school on Friday!

I can’t draw squat diddly hardly but isn’t it so fun when your kids think you are an amazing artist?  Remember that on Monday and find that kid that seems to always have chicken poop…compliment them and who knows? Maybe he will turn is chicken poop…into Chicken Salad!

We also came up with our own “words” and gave three clues…to what they meant.  Ss got into cooperative groups and shared their new words and the other students had to guess what it was for ex.:

Warful

{pronounced War-Full}

1. Holds a state of matter

2. Useful in the mornings

3. Mostly for adult use

Comment back if you can guess my object and for a great 5th grade read choose Frindle!

Happy Happy Teaching!

Laura

so far so good

Great second day.  WE did our What Smart Are You? lesson from Lesson Plan SOS, a name glyph which we are using for our spelling test, a classmate bingo, and review our rules and procedures.  I decided to use a clip system, which I will post a picture of tomorrow.  Along with our chores chart.  I am delegating more this year so I am not so stressed out with the “mess” like sharpening pencils and sweeping. Tomorrow we are starting Frindle in reading, Multiplication and division review in math, and map skills in Social Studies.  What are yall doing?  It is such an awkward week for us. We are used to starting to school on Friday having the weekend to recover and plan and jump in head first on Monday!  So now we are winging it…which I hate… till next monday after all of our assessments are over, etc. My kids are being sooooooo well behaved.  We are using a new attention getter/positive reinforcement as a school.  We raise our hands and smile and the kids have to do it back… It is taking mine a little long to get it so I am using my verbal attention getters and then doing the hand and smile technique.  It seems silly but the smiling part is the best part… just try it tomorrow and see how it works for you.  My other attention getters are:

Green Acres…T: ba da ba da da S: da da

I can clap or “sing” green acres

T: All set S: You Bet

Power Teaching:

T: Class Class

S: Yes Yes

Hands and Eyes

I am thinking about making cute signs and hanging them under the board.

Happy Teaching

Laura :)

wow

I never thought that I could be this tired but happy!  We had a great! first day of school today! I went from 27 to 24 students on my roll which is a great number.  They were awesome. I can’t wait to start our new year.  I was absolutely technologynessless so I was kickin it old school!  Can’t wait till the rest of the week!  How was your first day?

almost wordless wednesday

I am seriously too tired to type!

More to come tomorrow with the recipe

Tomorrow

First of all as soon as I have time I am going to change the font to my post titles… I cant read them so I am sure that you cant either….Tomorrow is our first day of school for teachers.  It is technically a workday but we will see how many meetings we have and how much socializing we do  and how much work we wont get finished!  Below are some before pictures of my classroom. between me my mom and my volleyball girls the room is looking great!  I forgot my camera and will post some after pictures tomorrow

.this pic is actually an after pic

Can’t wait to show you the after pics tomorrow! Also if you are like me I always need a little chocolate pick me up this time of year so I will be leaving you a recipe for my mommas delicious Kentucky Derby Pie. Also look forward to my first day of school lesson plans and what I think is an adorable welcome back bulletinboard!

Happy Teaching!

Laura