Summer is Winding Down.....

What an amazing summer! From a family vacation to the Cape to a mother/daughter trip to San Francisco to visit family, this has been a summer to remember. I stepped out of my comfort zone flew across the country, explored an amazing city, and biked the Golden Gate Bridge. There is nothing better than spending time with family.

During my trip to San Francisco I got to catch up with my aunt Diane, cousins, Todd and Jamie, and really get to know my new (two years new!) cousin-in-law, Taryn. We were so lucky to get some real bonding time over great dinners and wine country! Taryn works for a great organization called Common Sense Media.  (www.commonsensemedia.org ) This website is a great resource for anyone who works  with or has children. For educators there is an amazing technology curriculum - check it out!  

Here is their mission statement: "Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. We exist because our nation's children spend more time with media and digital activities than they do with their families or in school, which profoundly impacts their social, emotional, and physical development.  As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, we provide trustworthy information and tools as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume."  (www.commonsensemedia.com) 

Check out their site and follow Taryn's blog! 

Taryn, Todd, Aunt Diane, Marsha (my mom!)

I'm riding a trolley! 

Shaving Cream Fun!

To go with my "end of year - keep them entertained - but we must also clean, teach, and pack the room" posts here is a short one on the joys of shaving cream. Years ago I was teaching in a small town in southern Rhode Island (I now teach in North Eastern Rhode Island - and yes, to us this is almost like being in another state! To everyone else this would translate to "30 minutes away". hahaha)

Anyhow, a teacher in that building opened my eyes to the cleaning power (and wonderful scent) of shaving cream on school desks. There is some magical ingredient in shaving cream that takes just about everything off tables and desks. Now, I'm not recommending this as an every day activity as it can get messy and does take a big chunk of time, but for the end of the year ( or once a week)  it is perfect! 

The OT in my building also uses it as therapy and has the children write in the shaving cream ~ this is an added educational bonus. :-) 

Here is a picture of the kiddo's that were left that last day. It was fun having such a small group but we missed the other students! Looking in the background- my room is so bare! We have to take everything down every year for cleaning.....

I had to cover their faces but under those bubbles are huge smiles! 

Creation Station!

The end of the year can be full of paperwork and organizing, cleaning and surviving the brutally hot classroom. (This year the high temperature in room 4 was 94*. Add one fan and 23 students and it gets pretty hot!)  I try to find activities for the kids that are different than the rest of the year and allow them to be a bit more creative. Although teaching is now more inquiry based, kids don't get to use their creative sides too often.  In September I place a huge Tupperware bin in the coat closet. When we do projects and there are left over scraps we put the pieces in the bin. Sometimes this will mean pom poms or straws and other times I will put old posters in. Parents hear about our "creation station" bin and will send things in they find around the house.  Even the art teacher helps out!

Come June the bin comes out and the kids get their first peek at the goodies inside. CREATION STATION is OPEN!

The kids are so creative and come up with the neatest projects. It truly brings out a different side. My students think it is so funny that I used to make projects like that all the time as a kid. Our mom and dad used to get us refrigerator boxes to cut and create into whatever our brains could imagine.

I learn so much from my students and how they learn through Creation Station. Some students dive right in and start cutting and gluing. Others watch each other to see what they are making. I even have some students that will sit and draw out a design. It really shows their learning styles and personalities. This coming September I am going to have Creation Station on Friday's to get a sneak peek at my students as learners.  I think it will provide me extra insight into their learning styles and help with grouping.

Jump in and Create! 

The design planners! 

End of the School Year Writing

The end of the year is full of testing, paperwork, and packing but it is important to remember that these are the last few weeks with your students. All of the hard work you have put in this year can be seen in the behavior and academic accomplishments of your students.

Every June I have the students complete a few fun writing assignments.  The kiddos are just finishing them up and then I will post some pictures. The first is a book they make titled "My Teacher". I got the idea a few years ago when a group of students started illustrating me.  We had just read the book "I Love My Hair" and I was explaining the importance of drawing what you see. How we interpret someone or something is our own vision and it could never be wrong. Well, I got some creative drawings alright but it made me think about how the children saw me. This idea morphed and now every year I have the children illustrate and write a biography of me, their teacher! They are so funny and incredibly eye opening. It is important to see how they see me and what they remember. This helps me reflect on my year...... and get a good laugh. (One year a student drew me with very bad dark roots! I brought the picture to my hairdresser immediately! hahah)

Another writing project I have them start in September. One of the beginning of the year projects is for students to draw themselves and then write 3 things I should know about them, two things they want to learn, and one thing they worry about. I keep them in their portfolios. At the end of the year they draw themselves again and write three things they loved learning, two things they want to learn more about, and one thing they worry about. I place them side by side in a book and they love reflecting on them. I also make a copy of the June one for their third grade teachers. It is a little hint of the student they will have.

Our last writing project is the one the students like the most....or so they have told me. They write letters to the first grade students coming into second grade the next year. The students write a paragraph on the manners and rules of second grade, another on the academics, and a third on advice for the new year. It is hysterical to read what they write and fun for the first graders to read. Many parents have told us they enjoyed this little surprise in their end of year report card envelopes and it has relieved a bit of the anxiety of the upcoming year.

I will upload images soon! Happy June!  

Science Fair

Every June our third, fourth, and fifth graders compete in an science fair. They work in groups of three and for weeks they conduct experiments. To involve our younger grades and help increase interest in science, every classroom grades K-2 explore the scientific process and conduct an experiment. This year we decided to work on absorption. The students started by asking questions about how plants absorb water. We conducted the generic colored water and flower experiment first. Students observed how the water is absorbed into the stem and traveled all the way to the petals. They turned blue!  After discussion and research on plant cells, the students wanted more. I found some great ideas on Pinterest and below are the results.

We started by placing a circular dot about the size of a quarter.  This team had red and orange markers.  We put about an inch of water in the bucket and placed the paper towel side without the dot in the water. 

This group used blue and purple markers. 

This experiment was just as easy and I had all of the materials in my cupboards. Place a paper towel from each cup and see what happens. Best results in 24 hours. 

The kids had learned all about primary colors in Art so their prediction about the color that would end up in the middle cup was right on! 

Reading Week Fun!

I feel as though I have neglected my blog as end of year craziness set in around April. I received an inspirational email from a new teacher who was using my blog as a guide to her first year in teaching. What an amazing compliment.  So to all of you out there enjoying this space for me to share- thank you for your emails and hope to see some of your blogs out there soon! 

Reading Week this year was a blast. We used the text Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier as a focus text. Go to her website here for everything you need.  For those of you who have not yet read this book it is about a student who mishears and misunderstands a weekly vocabulary word. The book is full of vocabulary blunders that the kids love.  The artwork is equally as wonderful.  

We held our Reading Week the week right after April Vacation. Students had the week off to come up with a vocabulary word and create a costume.  The entire school participated and the results were amazing! Unfortunately, many of our students can't be on the web otherwise I would have shared the vocabulary parade video. But, here are a few pictures. I made the giant dictionary out of boxes from the new tables. Our custodian is great and knows I will come up with a use for anything. :-) 

Melancholy- She wore all black and walked around all day with a frown! So creative! 
Idea- He covered a box with tin foil and taped a light bulb on top. Very original! 

Reading Week Fun!

I feel as though I have neglected my blog as end of year craziness set in around April. I received an inspirational email from a new teacher who was using my blog as a guide to her first year in teaching. What an amazing complement.  So to all of you out there enjoying this space for me to share- thank you for your emails and hope to see some of your blogs out there soon! 

Reading Week this year was a blast. We used the text Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier as a focus text. Go to her website here for everything you need.  For those of you who have not yet read this book it is about a student who mishears and misunderstands a weekly vocabulary word. The book is full of vocabulary blunders that the kids love.  The artwork is equally as wonderful.  

We held our Reading Week the week right after April Vacation. Students had the week off to come up with a vocabulary word and create a costume.  The entire school participated and the results were amazing! Unfortunately, many of our students can't be on the web otherwise I would have shared the vocabulary parade video. But, here are a few pictures. I made the giant dictionary out of boxes from the new tables. Our custodian is great and knows I will come up with a use for anything. :-) 

Melancholy- She wore all black and walked around all day with a frown! So creative! 
Idea- He covered a box with tin foil and taped a light bulb on top. Very original!