Helloooo?

Hi friends! It has been entirely too long since we have posted on this blog so I wanted to see how everyone feels their first year has gone! I have just finished up a stint as lead teacher while my partner was away on maternity leave. It was so much fun to delve deeper into the classroom and I especially loved teaching an entire unit on Caldecott books. This probably sounds totally mundane to everyone else since I think I'm the only one in the assistant position, but it was so much fun for me! As of this coming Monday I will be demoted, so it will be interesting to see how it feels having to step down. I am going to stay on for another year and will be working at school this summer as a camp counselor (no, I have no idea what I've gotten myself into!). I know several of you are planning on making the move to a new school next year. Any updates? I miss everyone and hope you're well!

What about lesson plans

Hope everyone's years are going well! I have a question about lesson planning....I am not required to turn in any lesson plans, but certainly still need to write down what I'm doing! I have tried typing them on the computer, but then I end up spending WAAAAY too much time on them because typing doesn't really bother me. I have tried writing them in a plan book, but that doesn't really suit me because I always am trying to copy down the exact performance indicators that we're supposed to be meeting (which takes even longer than typing them--and then my hand cramps up!). I know that SOMEBODY must have found a method that works! Care to enlighten me?

word walls

One thing you can do to make it more geared toward 6th grade is let them have control of the word wall. Let them write the words, put them up, etc. I would separate it into different subjects and different colors, so it's very distinct. I have to do a word wall too, as do the rest of my team. Good times...

Word Walls

I thought that 6th graders might be a little old for Word Walls, but apparently this is a requirement of any classroom at my school (maybe in Metro). Because I teach three science classes, one math, and one reading, I would like to include ALL vocabulary...not just typical reading vocabulary. I also don't do a ton of direct vocabulary instruction.

Anyways, how do y'all think it would be best to organize such a wall? I could do it in subjects after dividing the wall into three parts. Or, I was thinking I could just post ABC headers and then put the words under the letter they correspond with. I could do all the science words on green, math on red, and reading on purple--or something like that. I'm quite indecisive, so I need a little help here!

white boards

I am not sure how much access you have to a laminator but we have made a several dry-erase surfaces by simply laminating a piece of paper. The colors don't seem to erase as well, but black works just fine.

We have our first field trip on Monday to the apple orchard! I have planned the whole thing, so I am crossing my fingers that we come back with the same number of children we take. Here's to hoping it doesn't rain...

white boards

ashley,

you can get them to cut pieces of shower board for your white boards at home depot. also, i have about 10 extra boards if you'd like them! my parents brought in a couple dollars at the beginning of the year to pay for the white board markers and i got the skinny black expo ones. they have been good. we have mini erasers, but socks work just fine. 

:)

Funny stories

I'd love to hear some funny stories from people!! Here's some from my funniest (and by funniest, I mean ditziest) student.

Every day after my second reading class, we switch back to our homerooms before going to lunch. This student is in my second reading class as well as my homeroom, so she (and a handful of other students) stay in the room. However, every single day (well into the second week with the same schedule) she left the classroom with the other students switching. And, every day, I'd remind her that she needed to stay in my room. Finally, on the last day of the second week, when she tried to leave after reading, I asked her where she was going. Her response: Spanish class. Which was bizarre enough...making it even more bizarre: our school doesn't offer Spanish class...

My second favorite story (much shorter) was about halfway through the third week. I was helping another student with something when I hear a shriek from across the room. I look up, expecting to see either blood or a bug (the only two things that could warrant such a shriek.) Instead, I see this same girl, with the velcroed part of her messenger bag stuck to her cornrowed hair. I had to try really hard not to laugh as she said, "Miss Peterson, I'm STUCK!" How she got stuck, I have no idea...

My final story is about a different student (and Ashley, you'll appreciate this one.) On the very first day of school, I was chatting with the first student to come into my classroom. So, I asked him what he liked to do outside of school. His response: redneck stuff. Oh Bronson...

Ok, I wanna hear other funny stories!!