A Few Favorite Websites

I know I've been kind of "out of it" on the BLOG lately and for that I am sorry.  But I am treading water.  You should SEE my laundry pile! And I have laundry that has been washed and is in the laundry basket- but I'm not sure if it can still be considered clean it has been there so long!  My job is getting to be more and more work by the day, but I do that to myself. It is my life's work to do my best for students and teachers and therefore I am always looking for what I can to do help.  I find that my day extends well past the time I leave work. Once a teacher, always a teacher, and I am always tired! I know all of you reading this can relate.

So... here is a short but sweet BLOG post tonight. If you don't know about these two websites... fire up your endurance for some world wide web (www) fun and get to clicking!

Math Wire
My advice for navigating this website. Start a folder on your desktop and when you find a file you like- SAVE! This is a website that takes you all over the web and sometimes when you find something you won't be able to back track your way to it. File... Save! Trust me!

The Balanced Literacy Diet
This is one of my newest favorite sites! There is a lot to see and a lot to explore! Videos too. Balanced Literacy-what's not to love?

Happy Friday everyone! I know we have all earned a relaxing weekend!

Before and After

I just have to share the BEST before and AFTER ever! I recently traveled to a school in Texas to do some training on Writer's Workshop, and while I have a lot I could post about writing, I am choosing to post a school makeover instead! Walking the halls there was a lot to see... look at this bookshelf! 

 

This is a take a book leave a book kind of exchange! See the explanation! Why can't every school have something like this? For students... for parents.... here is the explanation of the bookshelf. 

I made it to the BEST place EVER in Denton. If you live in Texas, you need to take a road trip to the biggest, bestest USED bookstore you ever did see!  I only wish I would have had unlimited time and unlimited weight in my suitcases back to DC! I would have bought a lot more than I did. If you are from Denton, this is called the Purple Building. If you are not from Denton, Google Recycled Books. 

Take a peek at the inside.. this is the children's section... I was in heaven! 

Also on the same street were some great antique shops. But the kind where you can afford stuff! Look what I found! It took me traveling ALL the way to Texas to find it. But now it is mine! Pretty appropriate since I live a mile from the his house now! 

Another pic from the school.  How cute is that?! Better than the yellow yarn I used to use! 

So about this BEFORE and AFTER... I was walking through the halls when I saw this awesome "Get College Ready" display! Look closely... do you see the disgusting display from Ann Arbor Michigan? 

Why on EARTH would a school in Texas have an advertisement for U of M? It just didn't sit right with me. So I took care of it. Look again! BEST makeover ever!

Now if I could just get rid of the Texas Longhorns.... 

Show and Tell from Birdville ISD

I was in Birdville ISD last month and took so many pictures of CUTE, CUTE, CUTE stuff! I am sharing that CUTENESS with you today.

 





My photo taking skills are not so great here, but look at those curtains! No sewing necessary. Just pinking shears to cut strips and tie on the curtain rod! Done! I love it!















This was a fantastic school wide display of writing that greeted me when I entered the school.  These are big poster frames and student work samples blown up! I love it! I wish every school had something like this!

Then in another classroom I went to, a teacher has a bulliten board dedicated to quotes from books! Kids have pinned their favorite book quotes to the wall. This teacher also has quotes all over the walls of the room! This is so Donnalyn Miller/Book Whisperer and I love it!














I just love this! I may have to do this to my office! Just because I don't have a classroom, doesn't mean I can't have an inspiring work space!

Keep the greatness going! This whole classroom had a MOVIE theme! Look at this big bulliten board. I had this board above my students cubby areas too, but look what she has done with black paper and a few red sheets.  Now it is a stage! Teachers are so clever!

Fitting with the movie theme... look her her students can get a new pencil when they need one!

More teacher genius. Look at the tension rod between two bookcases and the shower curtain clips to display her magazines in the reading corner.

I've never dones this before have you? A toothbrush drive in the month of February? I love the idea! It's so many small things and big great ideas that make me want to be back in the classroom so often! 

More brilliant ideas! How cute is this. Kids have reccommended their favorite books. I need to remember this one for Heart Day next year! 

My poor husband is going to be a BUSY man when I go back to the classroom someday! I'm going to have to have this over my door! 

Clever, cute, functional! 

Well done! 

Why didn't I think of this? 

March Currently

I'm a few days late, but I needed a SNOW DAY to get this done evidently. Thank you Mother Nature for the Winter Wonderland this Wednesday.

Here is my March Currently from Oh' Boy 4th Grade!

Listening: I have so much stuff on my DVR I am running out of space! Uh oh! I need DAYS to catch up. Right now, I'm trying to catch up on Idol. I gotta be honest, these girls don't sound very good if you ask me.
Loving: Snowmageddon hit us in DC! Or at least they SAID it was going to hit so we got a snow day. I haven't seen too much snow in the city on the news so far. We have this wet mixture in our back yard in Alexandria. Great packing snow for sure. The dogs don't know what to make of it- but I took pics of their cute footprints in the snow.  I'm still in my PJs. Seriously... still in my PJs and it is 3:00 in the afternoon!  I should go unpack my suitcases from my trip to South Carolina- but I don't want to.  What a gift to come home from travel to a day off.
Thinking: This girl on Idol right now really can't sing. Another girl is singing now and she is bad too! Yikes! These are the finals. How did they get this far?
Wanting: Just remembered I have some Ben and Jerry's in the deep freezer in the basement. Is it bad that I hide the "good stuff" from my husband down there? He would never walk down there to see what's in the freezer! SCORE!
Needing: There is ALWAYS laundry at this house! I don't mind washing it or drying it, but when it comes out of the dryer it just sits in baskets. I HATE folding laundry. I need to do it- I just really don't want to.
Like/Love/Hate: I really do love Motown music. What's not to like about Motown?! :) My husband is pretty awesome. He is letting me just have this day to myself and I think he's proud of me for being so lazy. I'm NOT a sit around kind of girl, but today I am.  Mean people... just smile. It's not that hard! Seriously.

The View from DCPS

I spent the morning at a school in DCPS today! I just love being in a school! I love being around kids! I love seeing teachers do what they do and do it well!

So this morning I was part of a walk-through for the Literacy Team and Central Office at Thomas Elementary. I was snapping pictures like crazy, because I know teachers like you, who read this blog, will appreciate seeing some of the great things I saw!

Thomas Elementary had lots to offer my camera today! I wish taking pictures would have been my only purpose while I was there or there would be many more.

First up is a Pre-K classroom with a restaurants theme! I have seen LOTS of great pretend play scenes, but I have never seen a Baskin Robbins! I wanted to stop and play in this ice cream shop.

Look at the ICE CREAM SCOOPS??!! So cute! So clever!

Next up was a Kindergarten classroom. I loved this display of fingerplays and clapping chants they know! As a teacher, I was always forgetting my go-to songs etc. Now they are posted for all to see and for kids to reference.  I can only imagine the way this teacher must use these in Literacy Work Stations. I imagine kids also have copies of all of these chants/fingerplays and can read/sing/clap them during stations as well.  This could be a Fluency Work Station too! Oh the possibilities....

Can we say KEYBOARDING?! Not the kind I grew up with however! This was the keyboarding lab! I am so excited that elementary kids in DC get to learn how to play music at such an early age.

I continued to see cute everywhere I went. Seriously? Look at these classroom curtains made from paper! The entire school was such a welcoming learning environment.

I love seeing LITERACY and MATH meet! Here is an example of a Math Word Wall. I love the pictures with the definitions.

A Poet Tree! Seriously!

This was my last stop of the day. I just had to get a picture of this! First of note here is that the kids are reading at the Guided Reading table with ANIMAL NOSES ON! I love that this teacher is keeping some novelty and fun involved at this work table too! The other kids get all the fun "stuff" to work with in Stations, but this teacher is keeping it FUN at the Guided Reading table too!

Next of note, is how she reminded the kids (who were reading at a level C) to point under words.  She asked kids to fly their finger UP like an airplane and then down under the words.  Another teacher I saw said WIND it up and kids spun their finger like a helicopter roter blade... up and then down to the words. I have to admit- that is a lot more fun that what I used to do which was just tell them to point to the words.  BORING! Wind up... fly in... so much more fun than I ever was at the Guided Reading table.

Finally, can you see the SIGN at the table! This is her READING RADIO SHOW! Kids come to the table and read into those fancy plastic microphones from the dollar store- you can see one on the table. The idea is, they are broadcasting to listeners.  Motivation for kids to read for real, and to think about what their reading sounds like. So much fun! Very clever Mrs. Carroll.

I am already looking forward to my next school visit in DCPS and the next classrooms I will get to see. If you are a DCPS teacher reading this- leave a comment- invite me to see the good things you are doing at your campus and out "In the Trenches"with DCPS kids!  I can't wait to visit you too!

February Currently- Better Late Than Never

Better late than never- that's an expression I use very infrequently because I'm rarely ever late! But, I kind of forgot to do this until I was looking at my friend's blogs.  Thanks Frizz in First for reminding me- even though you learned it from me last month! :) 

Thanks to Oh Boy Fourth Grade for posting this so I could LINK UP. 

Listening: I love it when my husband plays with our dogs. I have to admit- I don't do it enough. My husband knows how to do what really matters. Stop and be present in the moment. So as I type this blog post I am watching him enjoy our puppies- enjoy the moment. I do wish I played with them more. Oh wait- I had to just STOP typing to help clean up dog vomit! Guess one of them was not feeling well enough to be played with! Oh disgusting! 

Loving: I do love that it is almost Friday! I started the week with family and friends in Michigan and presenting at the SDE MI Common Core Conference! It was fun- but it was a LOT of work. Then I got home and my house is a wreck! I need the weekend to get ready for another week! Isn't that how it always goes? 

Thinking: See above! I've been gone. It's like my husband doesn't even SEE the DOG HAIR floating around the hardwood floors in BIG TUFTS! Maybe he just doesn't know where I keep the broom? Regardless- I am the only one who is bothered by a dirty house- and my house is DIR-TY! I used the broom and the vacuum tonight after work. And my dog getting sick got some bleach and other chemicals out.  But there is still so much more to do. Maybe I need a maid? That's what I am needing! 

Wanting: When do I not want ice cream? Mint Chocolate Chip is what I'm craving right now. Yeah... I want ice cream! 

Needing: Above it says nothing- because I really do feel so blessed. I think about it so often driving home from D.C. I'm still amazed that I live and work here.  But, the more I think about how dirty my house is (it's not that bad- but I wish it were cleaner) maybe I just need a maid! 

Pet Peeves: Emails that get no response-so annoying! That's all I want to say about that! 

Vocabulary Go Fish

I'm working on a presentation called Purposeful Planning with the Common Core right now.  One of the things we will be learning about in that session is Vocabulary and the call of the Common Core for explicit vocabulary instruction of Tier 2 words.  DCPS (DC Public Schools) work on this in every unit through a vocabulary lesson plan. Part of that lesson plan every day involves playing GAMES with the new vocabulary.  Marzano tells us the importance of this!

Vocabulary Go-Fish is one of the games that can be played. I hope you will find a way to use this file in your classroom and will start searching for Tier 2 Words in the texts you are reading with students. Tier 1 words are basic vocabulary (car, run, horse, orange). These are words kids already know.  Tier 3 words are specific to a content (isotope, Civil War, protractor) and are not used often outside of that content. Students will learn these, but they do not transfer well to other texts/domains. Focus rather on Tier 2 words. Tier 2 words are words that are used in complex text and may also be multiple meaning words. They also have a characteristic to "travel well" to other places- like other texts, and into student writing and conversation.

Be sure to visit my TpT Site to get your FREE download and start on your way to making Vocabulary Go-Fish with texts you read in your classroom.

Keeping Up With All the WRITING in Writer's Workshop

I had a teacher contact me with this question:

"I am in DESPERATE need of suggestions on how to handle the writing that is done during Writer's Workshop.  I am using the two taped together folders right now, but I need suggestions about how to go about saving some of those writing samples when their folder of drafts is overflowing?!  Any ideas?" 

I decided not to just write her back, but to tell the world (or at least the people who read my BLOG!) First, the folder idea she is talking about is one that I share in my Writer's Workshop trainings. Its very simple really- two folders stapled and taped together. The front could even be a bradded folder for even more writing awesomeness! The front two pockets become a Writer's Toolbox. Students can keep anything in here that will help them do their writing. Spelling Words, editing checklists, word wall words, personal dictionaries, small copies of anchor charts for use in the current genre study, you name it. Anything that helps kids keep their eyes down and focused at their desks during writing time. Let the rest of the day be spent having them search around the room for their resources- but during writing workshop- I want focus to stay on their writing.

The second two pockets become a place for kids to put their writing. One side is what they are working on right now and the other side is work they might work on later. You might label it "Writing I'm Working On" 

"Writing to Work on Later"

http://pinterest.com/pin/40532465367196512/

This teacher's question is about how to keep up when the Writing to Work on Later section is overflowing. First, can I just say, this is an amazing problem to have and I wish every classroom across the country was experiencing this "problem". Right? Classrooms where kids are writing so much they are running out of folder space! I love it! 

So here's how I have combatted that problem in my classroom. And it is typically this time of year when there is a need for an activity like this. Happy January Writing Folder CLEAN UP!

I ask students to look through their drafts- keeping ones they may want to come back to and work on- about 5 of those- and the rest go in a storage file that I keep.  Kids are so cute when they look through the writing that they did back in September! They can't believe they "used to write like that".  If you want to add a reflection piece to this assignment- have kids write down some things they "used to do" in their writing that they don't think they do anymore. Some kids say things like "I used to scribble and now I use my letters" or "I used to not put any spaces in between my words" etc.

What they don't keep in their folder, you will just file these away- a file folder per kid.  You'll want to hold onto the writing from back in August/September, but you don't need kids to keep it in their folder all year long.  

My FIRST Guest Blogger...

Let me introduce my "kid sister teacher". That is what I feel she is. She is a doll. She has been a participant in many of my trainings and she is just cute as a button. Here is a picture of the two of us... now you know who that girl is with me on Facebook too! My teacher little sister!

Now I will turn it over to The Frizz In First Grade!

****************************************************************************

Hello!  Or should I say “Howdy?” 

I am the Frizz in First Grade, and I am very excited and honored to be guest blogging from Texas.

Today I want to share with you a great procedure to incorporate into your Writer’s Workshop.

 It’s called “No Walk. No Talk.” and it’s simply brilliant. 

I cannot take credit for this great idea.  I thought I had learned it from a Writer’s Institute Training with Melissa, but when she asked me to guest blog about it she also mentioned that it was not from her workshop.  Needless to say, this idea is like one of those pinterest ideas that never actually links back to the original source.  I will try not to disappoint you in that same way. 

Here are the basics of “No Walk. No Talk.” 

I teach my long winded half an hour 10 minute mini lesson and send them away from the carpet to do their writing.  The first part of writing time is No Walk No Talk. 

This is what it looks like for the first 10 or so minutes of writing time: No walking and no talking.

My students know that this time is their 10 minutes of real, authentic WRITING. 

With a pencil.  Without talking.  (And you may not get out of your seat.  Or raise your hand to ask me how to spell a word.  Or talk to your neighbor about your story.  Or get up to get your ninety-ninth tissue of the day even though you don’t have a cold.  Or talk to your friend across the room about your birthday party.  Or raise your hand to tell me you are wearing new shoes or what kind of birthday party you are having.  Or come tap me on the shoulder to ask me if it is time for PE.  Or walk around the room.  Or talk.  PERIOD.  End of story.)

Don’t get me wrong.  There is a time and a place for all of those things. I am not a crazy-uptight, control-freak teacher (on most days).  Because I set clear expectations and procedures, my students are fully engaged in the writing process. By telling my students what they can and cannot do during this time allows the class to settle into writing and actually WRITE.  It gets them started quickly and sets boundaries for the workshop. 

After the ten minutes is up, I flip the anchor chart to the other side so that the students know No Walk No Talk has ended.  This signals a different set of expectations.  During this time, students are allowed to whisper read their story to themselves, talk to their writing partner about what they are writing, glue ideas into their Writer’s Notebook, move around the room, and ask me questions (although they usually don’t because they are too busy writing!) 

This time usually lasts for 10 minutes depending on our schedule for the day. 

We always We usually We try to end our time with the share chair.

Now that you know how the time is structured, let’s get back to setting the expectations of No Walk No Talk with an anchor chart. 

Here is the one I use.

The most important thing to remember is to make guidelines based on what you, the teacher, are comfortable with. For example, I noticed that my students were spending a LARGE portion of their writing time coloring their pictures.  This is an important part of the writing process, but I felt like it was getting in the way of their writing.  So I decided to ban crayons during No Walk No Talk.

I also noticed that students were spending way too much time gluing ideas into their Writer’s Notebooks instead of actually writing.  Again, I told them “No Glue.”

Before you get caught up in what you DON’T want them to do during this time, think about what you DO want them to accomplish. I wanted my students spend a large amount of time writing words with their pencils because I know they need lots of exposure to the writing process. 

I wanted them to be able to draw a quick picture to help them brainstorm their story parts. 

I knew they would need to use their Writer’s Gum and their Writer’s notebook when they got stuck.  Those were the things I focused on.  Those were the things I made sure to model a LOT of before I introduced No Walk No Talk.

Practice makes perfect better than the next day. Get out there and try it!  You will be surprised at how quickly your students become comfortable with writing. 

Special thanks to Melissa for letting me guest blog. 

http://thefrizzinfirstgrade.blogspot.com/

Reading with the Stars

First let me say that this is NOT my idea! But I loved it so much that I HAD to tell all of you about it! First... this is the blog post I read about it. You can find it here. Peace, Love and Learning

So, what is the idea? It's called reading with the STARS and it is so simple. You print out pictures of STARS and then have those STARS available for reading in a center. How simple is that? The hard part is coming up with the list of stars! Yes, I will admit it, I am not cool and I don't know what is happening out there in the lives of kids because I don't have any and am out of the classroom trenches.

I started the list. I didn't get very far. Then I found myself on Google searches. I spent the night in front of the TV watching every commercial for new ideas to add to my stars list.  I even found myself at CVS looking at an issue of Teen Beat... yes they still make it... but when I used to buy it, it had the cast of 90210 and New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) on the cover.  So I have compiled a list. Maybe you are cooler than me and you can add to it? Then it was a Google Images search to find pictures. I would share my picture file with you here- but I'm sure there is a copyright issue.  So you have to find the pics on your own.

I have uploaded the list however, and the label for the front of the folders.

Enjoy!

I can't wait to use it for my training on Guided Reading and Literacy Work Stations for DC Public Schools in January.  (I've since used it and teachers loved it! So I hope you will too!)