Teaching

Has the 3rd week of school already come to a close? I am amazed how quickly time fly when  you are doing something that brings you enjoyment. Yes, I get stressed. Yes, there are times I don't know what to do right. But in those moments I know that I am learning. I might be learning what not to do in a situation or how something doesn't work. As an educator I am learning to better myself. To become the best teacher I can be. I gave a quiz today on Parts of Speech and as I started to grade them I reflected and realized that the quiz was just way too complicated for the students. Therefore, I made the decision to revise the entire quiz and give the opportunity to try again. It wasn't their fault that I made a quiz that was above the level I presented to them in class. Never be afraid to admit that I should have done a lesson, quiz, or discussion differently. We are here to educate and nurture students. Admitting that you made a mistake and correcting yourself is the best model one can be. 

Summer Reading Camp

 

I learned that teaching summer school is a totally unique experience. I taught 3rd graders who needed a little extra help with reading and writing. Through the assistance of Read to Succeed students were provided with a great opportunity to get more individualized attention. 

The students really excelled with their attention to detail in reading and writing. They built their reading stamina daily. We used the "Read to Self" strategy of the Daily 5 series. I incorporated the new SC ELA standards.

There is emphasis on inquiry based learning throughout the standards. One part of the daily reading camp was devoted to inquiry based research. The students covered two 4th grade standards integrating Social Studies and Science with ELA. The first was the Civil War. The students spent the first half of Summer Reading Camp learning more information about the Civil War. Incorporating the inquiry based learning students were encouraged through modeling on how to research a topic in more depth. The students really enjoyed the R.A.N chart.

 

 

 

Upcountry History Museum Field Trip: The Ripple Effect

My 5th graders had the opportuntiy to visit the Upcountry History Museum for  a fun-filled educational experience today. In particular, the students were able to learn about the Reedy River. The Field Trip included hands on activities, Read Aloud, partner work, and  the opportunity to explore.The staff was amazing and very helpful with the students. I highly recommend taking students to the museum.http://www.upcountryhistory.org/education/
My students were very excited and really enjoyed the trip. 

Wax Museum

My school has a yearly wax museum in the Spring. This project is so much fun for students because they get to dress up as people from history that we studied about this year. 5th grade Social Studies in South Carolina covers Reconstruction to Present. I had a large variety of characters present that night! It was a good end of the year class activity that parents got to see.  

P

The Westing Game

The smell of Summer is in the air!

I can't believe my first year of teaching is almost over! My students and I have learned so much this year! Keeping focused until the last days of school is hard on any child. Therefore, I though a fun mystery would keep their attention and it has! We started the Westing Game last week and they are loving it. A few students already asked if they could check it out at the library and I said no. I love that they are interested in the read aloud. 

To help keep everyone accountable I assigned each child a character to follow. There are numerous main characters in the book. Their responsibility is to list physical characteristics along with character traits. Each group is given a stack of sticky notes and at the end of the read are able to add them to their person on the anchor charts. Along with character analysis the students are held accountable with central questions throughout each chapter. Once we complete a chapter we reflect on what we learned and answer a central question. 

Since we are already finishing up the 4th chapter I though they had learned enough to give a good description of some of the characters. As a quick response I requested the students to complete a character analysis on one of the characters they have read about so far. They needed enough information to be able to give a good "sketch" of the physical characteristics along with personality traits.  I was highly impressed with their abilities. 

Angela Wexler

Barney Northup

Student Treasures Children Books

My amazing Principal found this incredible website a few years ago. Student Treasure  allows students to create their own book that is published for them to keep. The great thing about the website is that it is FREE! I allowed my students to choose their type of writing for the book and they created so many amazing stories. It was a fun break from all the state testing preparation!

http://www.studentreasures.com/

Brain Breaks!!!

Throughout this year I have used different brain breaks in class each week. I didn't realize how much 5th graders would love them! During this preparation time for standardized testing my students have definitely needed the break. I found them very important in helping them focus. Tomorrow is the start of our testing and I am so proud of all their hard work in getting ready.



http://teachtrainlove.com/20-brain-break-clips-fight-the-fidgeting/

At this age I let them decide if they want to get up and dance or sit in their desk and watch. Normally, after about a minute they start moving to the beat and  jump in once they realize how much fun everyone else is having!