What a Week!

Just finished my first full week, and wow was it busy! Good, productive, but busy and tiring too!

Here are some of my accomplishments:

1.  All of my running records and initial math assessments are complete!

2.  We reviewed how to work on Problem Solving Path, and the kids began working in their journals.  They will be using their journals when I am working with a small group – my version of Math Centers.  Because I am teaching in a multi-grade classroom, we have two different sets of problems.  Grade3/Year4 and Grade 4/Year 5 – (We are working off of UK standards, and they begin counting grades at Kindergarten.)  Feel free to grab the posters free at my Problem Solving Path site, and grab the first month’s questions for Grade 3 and Grade 4, all of which are aligned to US Common Core and UK National Curriculum from my TPT store.  If I get a chance to breathe soon, I’ll get the rest of the year done and uploaded.

3.  We learned the words and movements to “Hello Neighbor” and performed in front of the parents at our first bi-weekly Morning Meeting.  If you’ve never heard of this song, it’s so cute!  It’s by Dr. Jean and my kids have had such a blast “giving a bump” every day – click HERE for the lyrics.

4. We started working on our reading strategies and began using our Reading Response Journals to record our responses.  I love seeing my kids think about what they are reading.  Granted, some of the responses this week were half French/ half English or half Spanish/ half English – but still I know they are thinking about what they are reading. (You can grab the Reading Response Journal from TPT, a prompt for each week for $10.)

5.  We completed our first Vocabulary Packet – Back to School.  It went very well, giving my brand new English Language Learners (I have 3 who have almost no English.) to build some base in those basic school supplies and giving my higher level students some new vocabulary as well.  Grab this Back to School Vocabulary Packet for free from my TPT store.  Next week, we’re going to work on building our Body Parts Vocabulary. 

 

6.  We finished our Voki introductions.  My students used Voki to record introductions of themselves.  Next week, we’re going to share the introductions next week.  Here is the example Voki I recorded for my kids. 

 

What a busy week!  What was your week like?

School Just Started–And I’m Already Behind

Today was the 3rd day of school and already I am behind!  Seriously, I haven’t blogged in a week, I am behind in my math lessons already – blahhhh!   Okay, vent over, I will catch up, I know it, I’ve been teaching for 8 years now and I know this too shall pass, but the beginning of the year can be so stressful!

Now, for the good stuff – since I have gotten so far behind, I have for you in this post: 2 free resources, a website suggestion, an IPad app suggestion and classroom pictures!  Here’s what I’ve been up to in my first 3 days of school:

The first two days, I introduced my kids to my classroom.  We reviewed procedures, procedures, procedures, of course, but we also started calendar, and got all signed up for our Edmodo accounts.  (Here’s that website suggestion I promised you.) Edmodo is a website that helps you monitor all of the technology and communication with your students.  I am using it to allow my students to complete their homework assignments online.  This website is amazing, and I promise to post later in the year (when things calm down) on how to use this to manage technology, assignments, homework etc. for your class.

Here are some pictures of my classroom this year:

  

Our tables – work and guided reading

 

  

Bookshelves and Organization

 

 

Ticket Out of the Door – Update your Facebook Status, someday I’ll get pictures added!  (Note to self – learn to print pictures from the IPad.)

 

 

Our Problem Solving Path – Should have my packets ready by this weekend if you are interested in downloading these.

 

   

Getting to Know You Activities – Grab the “My Numbers” page free from Google Docs.  It was nice to see students connect numbers to themselves!

For more pictures of my school – check out the Global School Tour at Global Teacher Connect.

One of the procedures we learned about was taking attendance.  We are using this super cool app called TeacherKit, which allowed me to upload pictures of my kids.  The kids come in, tap their face, and they are marked present.  Anyone not present gets two taps before I close attendance for the day.  Once a month, I e-mail my attendance to the office – it’s amazing!  There is also a section that allows you to make behavior notes (hello anecdotal notes!) or e-mail parents directly from the app – super sweet!  The best part – it’s FREE!

Today, we began our Vocabulary Packets.  I am super lucky to only have 7 students right now (3 fourth graders and 4 third graders), but within those 7 students, I have at least one student who falls in all 4 of my Vocabulary levels.  This week, we began working on our Back to School Vocabulary.  You can grab this differentiated packet for free at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Okay, my friends, that is all I have been up to in these first 3 days of school.  How are you spending the beginning of your school year?