Tried-It Tuesday

I'm linking up with my friend Holly again (it's been a while) for a fun Tried-It Tuesday! For some background information, I spent most of my life in south Mississippi and coastal Georgia, so snow was something I dreamed of. Actually, I could count on one hand how many times I had seen snow (at all) before turning 21. And I may have even had fingers left over.

So even after being married and living in VA for almost 8 years now, there are still some snow "firsts" for me. This year, it was sledding.

It was probably too cold for us to go outside last Wednesday, but we had a 2 year old that wanted to play! He was too young to care last year when it snowed, and this was the first snow that stuck long enough to enjoy. So we bundled up and headed outside! One of our sweet neighbors let us borrow her sled, and we just went down a very tiny "hill" across the street from our house.

Every time Keagan got to the bottom, he would say "Fun!" and get ready to go again. He loved it!

I went down a few times, but I was the one with the camera, so this is the only proof. 

Hopefully the next snow will be accompanied by slightly warmer weather afterward (30s would be fine with me) so we can stay out more than a few minutes before feeling like we're going to die. The forecasts up here are calling for anything from a dusting to 8 inches (depending on which model you believe) tonight through tomorrow, so we may get that chance sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, we'll have to make all of these days up in June...

In on news, I'm thrilled to my helping my BBF Amy from Eclectic Educating with her 300 Follower Giveaway. She's SO sweet, and her blog is an amazing resource. You definitely will want to check it out! 

And finally, don't forget that my Pin It to Win It ends at midnight tonight for my brand new Olympic Literacy Centers. Visit yesterday's post for instructions on how to win!

Tried-it Tuesday

Let me just say that I am SO glad I bought Erin's Ultimate Christmas Bundle during the big Cyber Monday sale because it's really come in handy for these last few weeks before Christmas break when the kids are driving me nuts and I don't want to think much about plans. Not only are the plans already done and spelled out for you, but my fifth grade students are LOVING it! 

I haven't used The Gift of the Magi or Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer yet since I only do pull-out and don't have them for quite as long. But we are working our way through a Common Core Christmas. Yesterday we tried something different from the pack and did a video lesson. Video? Lesson? Erin included the link to this GREAT educational video about different December celebrations around the world. Hysterical AND educational.

But the way I really tied this into my instruction is through the active listening sheets that Erin provided. It was very interesting to see how well my students could listen and find information as they watched videos. They aren't very good at multi-tasking at this stage, and I noticed that even previewing the questions so they knew what to listen for was very hard for them. However, some of them did learn to work as a group and help each other gather the information.

Today, we watched the SAME video and talked about how it's hard to notice everything when we read or watch something the first time. So we REREAD or re-watch things to gather more information. I gave them the second active listening sheet, and we found things we didn't notice the first time.

I think I want to use more videos here and there for students to gather information, maybe for research projects, etc. I was honestly surprised that they struggled because I figured a video would be easier for them. I guess anything that requires deeper thinking and processing will be a challenge, though.

Tried-It Tuesday: Writing

I'm actually linking up with Holly again for Tried-It Tuesday (as I dump some pictures from my phone)! Today was my last day before Thanksgiving break, and I know a lot of you have been off since Friday, but I still wanted to share this particular activity. Maybe you can add it to your list of things for next year!

Obviously I've done writing in my class before, but I will admit that I'm not very good at teaching it. Now that I'm in a Title I reading room, we do even less because we focus more on reading. However, I really wanted to get my kids to do my Turkeys on Strike craft to go with my door. Let me say that it has been a mess, but I'm fairly pleased with the final products overall.

Here's my journey:

I originally figured this would be something fun for my 3rd grade students, so I showed them my door and we talked about what it meant to go on strike. Then we brainstormed a few examples, and I let them choose the one they liked most. Surely that was enough to write five focused sentences, right?

Umm...no. The writing was atrocious! And not only was it bad for my third grade students, it was terrible all the way up to 5th. So I tried to meet with the kids and discuss how they could stay focused on one topic. It just wasn't coming with my third grade kids, at all. We ended up switching to "My favorite food for Thanksgiving", where they mostly saw success and could give me five sentences on one topic.

For my fourth graders, I had them write it in a main idea graphic organizer. They chose their topic and then gave three examples. Then I showed them how easy it was to convert those into sentences. It was basically all done except for their closing sentence, and they were very excited!

With fifth grade, we stepped it up a notch. They had the same Main idea/Detail graphic organizer (just a simple big box with three columns underneath), but then they had to give three details under each detail. For instance, if they said that turkey was disgusting, they had to come up with three things proving how disgusting turkey was. I didn't make them write a whole introductory paragraph this time, so they just wrote a topic sentence and three paragraphs. But the writing was leaps and bounds better than the first! And once again, the kids felt successful and were excited that all of the work was done. A few mentioned that they wanted to use my format for essays in class.

We just finished today, so they won't get to stay on the wall for long. Still I'm proud of where they are. Could they be better? Absolutely! But these are kids who are terrified of writing, and this is a step in the right direction. I'll take it! Here are some pics of the final products (sorry for the poor quality):

What have you tried recently?

A Reflection on Fitness and some reminders

I'm linking up with two posts today, but they are related to one another. Plus this is something I've been struggling with lately and want to get out there. I know I'm not the only one or the first linky wouldn't even have become a topic. Click on the icons below to join each linky.

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The first is a new linky from Sunny Days in Second Grade. Each week leading up to the new year will focus on a different truth. Sometimes we need to sit back and be completely honest with ourselves. For me, I've been in a bit of a rut when it comes to fitness. It started a few weeks ago when I got sick and couldn't do my workout, but I don't have an excuse anymore. It's time for me to get back into my routine and wake up early to work out. I've lost my weight, but if I want to really tone up it's going to take some dedication. 

And that leads me to my "Tried-It". I wanted to share what I've been doing to get in shape (and what I WILL start back tomorrow). 

I bought Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred off eBay during the summer because I LOVE her on Biggest Loser and liked the idea of a quick 20 minute workout. I did Insanity at the end of last school year, and it was great. But I was waking up at 4:30 every morning, and although I was gaining muscle mass I wasn't seeing the inches go from my waist, which is my problem area since giving birth. So I decided it was time to switch things up.

This workout has three levels that get progressively more difficult. Each level has:

• a quick warm up
• 3 sets of Strength (3 mn.), Cardio (2 mn.), and Abs (1 mn.)
• a short cool down

It takes about 25 minutes for all of it. I have done levels 1 and 2, and when I started level 2, I saw my weight start dropping quickly! I actually lost about 5 pounds just in that stretch (which also coincided with the beginning of school and me becoming a little more active in general). If you're looking for a good workout, I would recommend trying this!

Two quick reminders before I go:

I know I'm a week late technically, but this Thursday will be the second Teacher Fitness Thursday, my monthly linky party. I want to talk about motivation this time around because I know I need it! What motivates you? Get your posts ready, and PLEASE help spread the word! I'll be honest. I was pretty discouraged when only 2 people linked up last month. I hope this will become more successful and really help create a community of teachers who want to get healthy.

Then be sure to stop back by my blog on Friday for the big blog hop. I can't wait to see what other great freebies have been created for you (and me)!

Tried-it Tuesday: Duct-Tape Borders

I feel like it's been FOREVER since I last linked up with the amazing Holly for her Tried-it Tuesday, and honestly this link-up today was something I tried last year. I really still haven't done much in my room other than move furniture, but we officially go back on Thursday and have all day Thursday and Friday in our rooms (at least, that was my understanding and I hope it's true because I have a LOT to do).

This post is something new I tried last year for my new room, and I'm going to be trying it in a slightly different way this year. Hoping for some suggestions and feedback!

Since my room now is super small, I don't have any bulletin boards (or a way to hang one where I need it). My walls are magnetic, so I put the little magnet circles on the back of everything. Still, I like having something behind my CAFE board to make it stand out (and add a break from the boring cream walls). I first taped up paper and a regular border, but it was falling and messy. Then I decided to try duct-tape. Some of my coworkers had done it, and they have all these cute patterns now. So I did it!

CAFE headers from Ladybug's Teacher Files

I've found a few other patterns that I may use this year:

This one's pretty pricey, but I LOVE it and may just suck it up!

I can get this pattern at Walmart, which is more convenient, but it's actually only a little cheaper.

Anyway, that's not my dilemma. I wanted to use a tablecloth or fabric so it wouldn't fade and could stay up longer. Ideally, I'd like to go with a tablecloth because it's cheaper. I can get some cute colors at Walmart for under $1. The issue is that if I have to take it down over the summer, it will probably rip from the duct-tape and need replacing.

The fabric would be sturdier, but I'm not sure my magnets would be strong enough to hold from the other side of it AND it's more expensive up front.

I'm leaning toward the tablecloth, but I wanted your opinions. And what color tablecloth would you recommend (with which duct-tape). I saw a cute turquoise that I almost bought, but that may be too much with the first duct tape. Maybe yellow? Thoughts?

Tried-it Tuesday - Summer Literacy Packets

Today is my first official day of summer break, and I'm SO excited! We had a teacher workday yesterday which was pretty relaxing for me because I always have my room packed up by the last day of school anyway. I'm a bit of a minimalist and have the packing thing down to an arm form. Part of this is because I just cover all my big furniture and put "DO NOT MOVE" signs on them. There's something fulfilling about packing up my classroom (I think it gives me a sense of closure for the year), and I actually have fun doing it!

Since it's Tuesday, I wanted to link up with Holly. I want to link up more frequently, but sometimes I just have trouble thinking of things. This week, I want to talk about putting together Summer Practice Packs. Since I teach Title I Reading, I work with students who need extra support with their reading. Most of my kids are moving up, but they need to keep up the hard work over the summer to prevent too much of a "summer slide". I decided to put together a simple packet (that does not need to be turned in) to help them have fun practicing their reading this summer. Instead of creating everything on my own this year, I browsed TPT for some activities that were already created.

Blair Turner put together these cute little task cards (which include some math, science, and social studies).

I like these because they were quick things to do to make reading more fun. An example: one card will say something like, "Read a poem in a British accent." or "Put on your pajamas in the middle of the day and read." or "Collect a name of a country for each letter of the alphabet." Simple. Fun. Educational!

If I had had more time with the kids before I sent these home, I would have had the kids color each beach ball and cut them out. As it was, I sent them home (only the reading ones) in the solid sheets of paper to let them put together. Maybe next year I'll pull them to decorate the cards and discuss ways to keep up their reading over the summer.

The other thing I put in their summer packet was a list of book recommendations by reading level. Once again, I browsed the internet to keep from remaking the wheel. This isn't the one I sent home, but I like it because it gives even more recommendations. I highlighted their current reading level on the other sheet, but for this one I would probably reformat and just print one sheet for each reading level. If you want something a little more condensed (to keep from printing multiple pages, this one lists book series by level and I like it a lot, too!

I hope those of you who are still in school have a great last few days! Go link up with Holly, then check out Joanne's 300 follower giveaway!

Tried it Tuesday - Question Strategy

This is my last week of "teaching", so I'm hoping it will be easier to blog starting very soon. However, I don't know what I will blog about because it will be testing, testing, testing for the next three weeks. Then we'll be doing running records and packing up the class.

Anyway, I wanted to participate in Holly's Tried it Tuesday, and I figured a testing strategy would be the perfect "tried-it" to link up with.


Most of us use strategies like "Slash the Trash", "Plug it in", "Prove/Highlight your Answers", "Stop and Jot", etc., but I have a different one you may not do that I want to share today. I don't know about you, but we always have a few questions that look something like this:
Which question is answered in paragraph 3?

• Why do chickens lay eggs?
• Is it safe for a chicken to cross the road?
• Why do we care about a chicken crossing a road?
• What does this have to do with chickens?

The question should be an easy one to get right, but they are always difficult for my students because it takes so much effort. I use what I have started calling the "question strategy" as a sure-fire way to get these questions right every time. It's simple, really. Students have to go back to paragraph 3 (or whatever) and physically write "no" beside the question if they can't find it in that paragraph OR write the answer to the question beside the correct one. They should only have 1 answer. This also works for the opposites (Which question is NOT answered in paragraph 3?), but they should have 3 answers and one "no". Sometimes the kids get annoyed with me for making them do it, but they always get it right if they follow my advice!

I hope this helps some of you, although I know most of you are already through with testing. Those who are like me and are just beginning, good luck! We start Thursday. Eek!

Tried-it Tuesday - Painting Class

Two weeks in a row! I'm so proud of myself. Last week, I shared about my first attempt at clipart, and I need to put together another post soon explaining how I got rid of the white background. Super easy, and I'm so excited that I now know how.
But what I want to share for Tried-it Tuesday this week has nothing to do with teaching. I've been seeing friends of mine from other places go to these classes where they all paint the same thing and get to take it home, and I've wanted to do it ever since.  This is just a random cute example from Spirited Art - Richmond
The problem was how to find those places. (FYI, googling painting class doesn't work very well). Well, a few of my co-workers found one a while back, and I've been eyeing their website ever since trying to find the perfect class for me. If you live near Richmond, Chattanooga, Huntsville, Little Rock, or Scranton, check out Spirited Art! It was $35 a person (and considering you'd pay at least that much for a piece of art, that's amazing), and then you can bring food and drinks to enjoy while you're there. The one in Richmond is attached to The Wine Loft, and they served flatbreads, sliders, and wine. Then they also had cupcakes from Frostings which I wish I had gotten. They are YUMMY!!
Anyway, you choose what night to come based on the pictures and schedule which is posted online. Then you come, and an artist walks you through the steps to make a beautiful painting. I went with the girls from my small group and we were thrilled to learn we got to trace our crab before painting (that doesn't always happen) because none of us are great artists by any means. I think our paintings turned out really cute, though! I'm going to be hanging mine in Keagan's bathroom. It goes perfectly with the colors, and we already had a nautical theme going on anyway.
From left: Kelly (The Caddell Family), Liz, Grace (The Whitlock Family), and me
Kelly and I had Entertainment books and were able to use BOGO tickets, so we actually only paid $17.50 each, which is a steal. Then Grace (a former fourth grade teacher - taking a break with her 2 adorable kids) actually won another free class! I think we need to make another trip, don't you?
This is actually only half of the class - sold out night. So glad we reserved our spots ahead of time!
If you've never done this, I highly recommend it! And you really don't need to be an artist to come home with a decent piece of art to hang in your house.

Tried it Tuesday - Reading Conferences

I'm so excited to join Holly in her very first of a series of linky parties:

With this linky, you share any"thing" that you have tried, either personal or professionally, and how it worked for you. It could have been a success or a complete flop. For my very first "Tried it", I want to share about CAFE and how I've made it work in a non-traditional setting.

For those of you who are not familiar with CAFE, it's from the sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) who created Daily 5. This is a companion program.

Daily 5 lays out what students should be doing while the teacher is working with other students. CAFE is the guideline for the teacher's instruction. It stands for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary. Under each heading, there are a list of strategies that students can use to help them gain mastery. The whole point is that the teacher holds individual conferences with students where they read a book ON THEIR LEVEL and work on the different strategies. Each students has a goal and works toward mastering one skill at a time. There's so much more to it, and I highly recommend getting a copy of the book to learn more. The program is fantastic!

Anyway, when we started this last year, I was quite pregnant and did my best to jump in wholeheartedly, but let's face it. Trying something new when you're going out on maternity leave in a few months doesn't really work that well. I came back in February and tried to get it really going again, but then it was a huge push toward preparing for tests. We sort of made it work, but most of my intentions stayed just that. Intentions.

At the end of the year, I learned that I would be moving to Title I as the reading specialist for grades 3-5. I put my CAFE board together and made my little gigantic notebook for conferences. For most of the year, it just sat there. I was meeting with students, but most of it was being done in a small group setting, and I just didn't have much to write. After Christmas, I decided it was time to get serious. I threw out the old sheet and made things as simple as possible for myself. Then I made it pretty! You can download the form for FREE here! Just please make sure to leave me some positive feedback.

With this sheet, I just quickly fill in what the student is reading, what we've been working on, and what I feel we need to focus on for next time. If I meet with them for a running record, I quickly jot down what letter I'm reading with them, their accuracy percentage and number of correctly answered comprehension questions. Then I put if they are instructional, independent, or frustrational. That way I have a quick reference to look at when it's time to retest them. I wish that I had kept up with this more throughout the year because it's helped a lot. I can see an exact date when I last met with each student and decide quickly who I need to read with and who can wait a little longer.

If you're not doing individual conferences with your kids, I challenge you to give it a try. I know it's easier to just meet with them in a small group, but you really can accomplish most of these meetings in about 5 minutes and quickly move from one kid to another. The only time it takes me longer is when I'm doing running records. Still I can get through most of those in about 15 minutes!

Now go check out Holly's blog for more ideas that teachers are trying out. See if any catch your eye!

Then go and Follow my blog with Bloglovin. All the cool kids are doing it! ;-)