Holidays

Teacher Christmas Party:

We had a great time celebrating the holidays together at Cantina Laredo this year! We always do an ornament exchange. It got a little crazy this year when some coworkers had an ornament of Mr. C framed. It was hilarious!

The fifth grade team!

I love my A.C. Steere family!

Student Christmas Party:

The students used sharpies to create this gator keep-sake!

Selfie!

Crazy Kiddos!

Santa came to visit!

Bowling with Teachers:

Some students won a raffle to bowl with teachers! We had so much fun!

Exciting things coming to Steere:

The student council and some teacher volunteers helped create a video to teach students our school rules. The teachers got to demonstrate the way NOT to act in the hallway, restrooms, and cafeteria. The student council demonstrated the correct way to behave. Be on the lookout for our fabulous video! I'll be posting it!

Task Force:

As most of you know, I am on the ELA task force that helps create the guidebooks for the Wonders series. Next year things will be changing as far as curriculum goes. Grades k-2 will continue using Wonders. Grades 3-5 will be using Caddo Guidebooks (Which use novels) and LearnZillion to teach. My principal asked me to be on the committee that will work on those guidebooks. As a teacher, I have learned to embrace change and be as flexible as possible. We have to roll with the punches.

Here is a picture taken for the ELA Task Force:

Nicole and me

http://caddoschoolsela.wix.com/caddoschoolsela

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday break! When we come back to school we will be starting some new things at Steere. We will begin a school-wide tutoring program and a new schedule to accommodate RTI better. I'm looking forward to it!

My Christmas Break:

Hanging with my niece!

While visiting Treg's family, we had a family picture taken!

Treg and me

Swinging with my nephew!

Visiting Treg's uncle!

Our dorky Christmas card photos!

See you in the New Year!

Snippets and Snaps from the Year So Far

Hey all!

     I know it's been a while since I last posted, but it's been a very busy school year! I've been trying some new things in my classroom and feeling the pressure from the parish as far as testing goes. I won't get into any negative though. With my job, the positive far out ways the negative.

So, here are some things that have been going on in my classroom and at Steere:

Using puzzle cards to explain sequence. This is from Kagan. 

After reading a short story, students worked in teams to create a sequence graphic organizer.

Studying for our novel test using Fan-N-Pick.

Our pet rats got some new cage swag!

I dressed up as Albert Einstein the first day students presented their research projects.

After reading Who Was Albert Einstein?, the students completed a research project on an inventor. The kids had to write a persuasive essay, create an advertisement (either "billboard", brochure, or commercial), and present it to the class. For bonus, the students could dress up as the inventor. I wish I could share some of the commercial videos with you. They were awesome.

I had a great time volunteering at our school carnival!

I dressed up as Mrs. Frizzle for Halloween! 

I have been super busy with work and creating a new shop on Etsy for my artwork! I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Benefits of Classroom Pets

Hey everyone!

     I know it's been quite some time since my last post, but you know how the beginning of the year goes! It has been a great start to a new school year! I will be sure to post about some of the things we've been doing in class soon. Today, I want to talk to you about the benefits of having a classroom pet.

     Classroom pets are a great resource for teachers to make learning fun in all subjects! For example in math you could do a math problem for how much a hamster weights or in science, what do snakes eat? For geography, what part of the world do ferrets come from? or Grammar, what words would you use to describe a goldfish? You could also have your students create special presentations about the animals.

     Pets expose students to animals or nature. They can see, feel, touch, and make connections to the wide world of animals. Many students do not have pets, so this is especially great for them.Caring and observing animals instills a sense of responsibility and respect for life. Pets bring increased sensitivity and awareness of feelings and needs of others--both animals and humans. Kids learn that all living things need more than just food and water for survival. Students will see directly how their behavior and actions affect others. Studies show that the presence of animals tends to lesson tension in the classroom. responsibility.discoveryhealth.com 

     "Studies show that children from families with pets are better equipped to fight off infection than kids from non-pet households, showing significantly higher levels of immune system performance. When school attendance records were compared side by side, researchers discovered that kids with pets averaged more days at school every year than their pet-free counterparts." The study also showed that kids turn to their pets for emotional well-being, "with 40% of children choosing pet companionship when feeling down." According to Dr. Harvey Markovitch, "Being around animals is extremely good for children. They're good for morale, and teach children about relationships and about the needs of another living being--learning to care for a pet helps them to learn how to care for people." Dr. Harvey Markovitch is a pediatrician editor for The Archives of Disease in Childhood. 

Pets also build self-esteem! Taking care of a pet builds a sense of pride and accomplishment. According to Shari Young Kuchenbecker, Ph.D., research psychologist at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, says, "The child who cares for a pet knows that what he does matters, and so he'll want to do more of it. The more successfully he feeds, walks, or emotionally bonds with the pet, the more confident he'll feel."

Pets teach responsibility and become friends to kids.


Our classroom has a few pets! We just got two rat baby girls named Gypsy and Jewel. We also have pet fish!

We have 3 Tetra Fish, 2 Glo-Fish, and one Sucker Fish

Jewel (top) and Gypsy (bottom)

If you're interested in getting a class pet but are worried about cost check out this website: http://www.petsintheclassroom.org/
PetSmart also offers grants for pets in the classroom! I used a grant to help purchase our rats!

For more information on the benefits of classroom pets check out these websites:
http://petvalu.com/classroom-pets/ 
http://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2014/01/do-children-benefit-from-animals-in.html 
http://mixminder.com/pros-and-cons-of-having-a-class-pet/
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/talking-about-animals-the-benefits-for-a-classroom-and-for-the-21st-century-society/
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/more-school-life/animals-make-good-teachers

Thanks for tuning in! Check back soon for an update on what we've been learning!

Almost time!

Good afternoon everyone!

It's almost time for the first day of school! I am so excited! I have added some updates to my classroom, my lesson plans are ready, and we had our first professional development day today. Sunday is our Meet and Greet. I'm looking forward to meeting all my new kiddos!

Next year I really want to make these valances for my classroom!

I also added my pet GloFish and Tetras! Thanks to my wonderful friend Emily for giving me the tank and Tetras! There is also a little sucker fish in there, but he's dark and hard to see.

The GloFish are named Percy (yellow) and Annabeth (pink. The Tetras are named Harry, Ronald, and Hermoine, and my suckerfish is Dobby. :)

I'll post pictures from our Meet and Greet soon!