Finally an Update!

 Well, considering the summer is almost over, I figured I needed to update you all on what's been going on. Whew! This summer has been so busy and so wonderful. I've been reading a lot, attending workshops, growing in my relationship with God, making new friends, tutoring, and working on our Task Force Committee. Instead of just updating you on my week, I'm going to give you a brief update over the last month. lol

A teacher friend of mine introduced me to Classroom Economy. Why have I never heard of this? I'm so excited to use this in my classroom! I'm going to slowly integrate it into my class and tweak it for my sanity. Classroom Economy is essentially enables teachers to teach financial responsibility and is a great classroom management tool. "The program is designed to overlay a classroom curricula and connects to many Common Core Standards." For more information click {HERE}. 

I created THIS FREEBIE for you all! It is a poster of the Classroom Jobs I'll be using! Click the image below or the link to download it! (The document is 3 pages.)

This summer I got two new tattoos and two new piercings. Y'all, I love tats and piercings! I know some people don't think teachers should have them, but hey, I have to be true to myself. :-p

Here you can see my new cat tattoo! This picture was taken of my friend, Emily, and me at my friends' wedding. :)

Here you can see my new tragus and nose piercing! We'll see if my principal lets me wear a tiny one to work! lol I may just have to wear a clear retainer. Boo. haha

I had a great Fourth of July! My grandparents came in town! I always love getting to spend time with them. :) My Grammy is so sweet and bought new sandals for me (a very early birthday gift). I absolutely love them! I have received so many compliments on my orange Chocos!

After meeting with my teacher friend yesterday for coffee, I got word of another great idea for my classroom! She told me about Plickers! It's a way to use QR codes in your classroom. OMG! I can't believe I haven't heard of this before! I can't wait to utilize this in my classroom! It can be used to gather data, as an introduction to a subject, as an exit slip, as test prep practice, and much more! Of course, we have to remember to keep our class novel! Kids will get tired of doing anything if we over use it!

I love my job! I'm just not quite sure I'm ready for summer to be over! lol I have really enjoyed this time of growth! The last week in July I'll be spending almost every day in my classroom, and Friday the 31st is our Teacher Lock In! Gosh, it's just flown by.

I hope you have a great rest of your summer! I'll update again soon!

Five for Friday: Field Day, Crawfish, and Sweet Students

Today was our Field Day! We had such a blast! My homeroom class won 8 out of the 10 events!!! :)

This is a picture of the fourth grade teachers and me. We call ourselves "The Four Corners," because our classrooms make a square at the end of the hall. In the picture, we're making a square! lol

(Left to Right: Kelly, me, Cheri, and Rachel)

Some of my homeroom kiddos

Some of Mrs. Montgomery's girls and me! I love these little ladies! 

Montgomery's boys and me

Mrs. Mill's homeroom with all the teachers!

One of Mrs. Mill's lovely ladies and me

Before going out to Field Day

We had our annual crawfish boil this week to honor two of our women that are retiring! One year ago on Wednesday, I became a Gator and attended my first crawfish boil at Steere! As you can see, I am not a fan of crawfish! lol For those that don't know, I'm a pescetarian. Which means I am a vegetarian that still eats seafood. However, crawfish like this is not my thing. I will eat it in gumbo though. lol

A very sweet student made this scarf for me! It's yellow and green for our school colors. My kiddos spoil me! I'm really going to miss them when they graduate! 

I am absolutley in love with my new "I can" statements! I ordered them from Jason's Online Store at TPT. He has Common Core objectives for ALL grades with pictures to explain each standard. How awesome is that! You can check them out HERE.

I really enjoyed Mother's Day with my mom!

~~~

Next week will be the hardest blog post I'll have to write. It will be the last week with my 5th graders. I will miss them terribly. Next week we are doing a lot of memorable activities, parties, and I will watch them graduate! I will have new students next year, but I will always remember my first class at A.C. Steere! They are very special to me. I know I will cry when I see them cross the stage!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Five for Friday: Whip Nae Nae, Freebie, and Projects

 So much has happened this week! The closer it gets to summer, the busier we are! Check out what's been going on this week!

This week my students turned in their 5 Contributions to Medicine Timeline and summary. They presented their projects, and I was so impressed with how well they did! They really have improved when it comes to project. They are so ready for middle school!

If you're interested in this novel study or project, check out my TPT store!

I love my students so much. This week two boys gave me fabulous drawings of Katniss from The Hunger Games. (I dressed up as her for Halloween).

I also got a Starbuck's gift card just because! I don't deserve these sweet kiddos!

This week my students worked on Test-Prep packets with partners. I used my new FREEBIE, Partner Pair-Up Cards, to help students find a partner. Towards the end of the year, my students get fussy and don't want to work with each other. So, to solve the problem of students getting their feelings hurt or someone being left out, I made these cards! 

Also this week while going over test prep, we used the Kagan structure Numbered Heads Together.

Here's how it works:

1. Divide the students into groups of four and give each one a number one to four.

2. Pose a question or problem to the class.

3. Independently, the student thinks about the question and writes an answer on his/her board.

4. Students then "put their heads together" and share their answers. The group comes to a consensus.

5. The teacher calls out a number. When that number is called on, the student stands and answers for his/her team.

I love brain breaks! This week we danced to Watch Me (the whip nae nae) per many of my students' requests! lol Check out how awesome they are!