DonorsChoose – The Teaching Texan

Mini-mathematicians, parent conferences, and the in between

theteachingtexan — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 01:33:00 +0000

Can I please just start by saying one thing?

I SURVIVED PARENT CONFERENCE WEEK!!!

Ok, but really, I think I should get a t-shirt or something to commemorate my first ever parent conference week. It was truly a blur and I was passed out by 8:30 every night (this is crazy early for me), but I am amazed by the level of support I see from the parents of my scholars. Doing 22 parent conferences in one week (one less that my total number of scholars due to a mom having a baby) was not an easy feat for me, but I was able to get activities together targeted for each of my scholars. The Florida Center for Reading Research was a HUGE help in this! Here is where I got a bunch of the reading (mainly comprehension) activities that I sent home with parents: K-1 Activities.

In the midst of parent conference craziness, I got an unexpected highlight to my week. One of my scholars who is new to our school tested at a level aa (Fountas and Pinnell – F&P) earlier this year. For those of you who don’t use F&P, a level aa is considered to be a “non-reader.” Well… drumroll please… after lots of work with our intervention specialist and myself, he just passed the level D test with 99% accuracy!!!

So I’ve actually been on top of my game lately and have snagged some pics of activities we have been doing in class. Check them out in my Five for Friday section below

1. We have been working on addition and subtraction for the past couple of weeks. I have been focusing on teaching lots of strategies so that my scholars can pick one that works best for them. Right before we were going to work on doubles in specific, I ran across this awesome template for a doubles rap/iPod! The kids LOVED learning the doubles rap and making the iPods. I added on to the idea and folded a piece of paper in half to make the iPod a pocket. Then, the kids made flash cards for doubles facts up to 20 to keep in their iPods and practice at home. We have been having contests in class to see who can remember all of the doubles facts! You can get a copy of the template by heading over to the FirstGradeFresh TPT store!

2. We have also been working on different sentence types (statement, question, and exclamation). We did a week of nothing but Mo Willems and searched through the books to find examples of the

sentence type of the day. Then, the kids got to pick their favorite sentence each day to put on a sentence types foldable. To end the week, they got to make their own pigeon and pick a sentence type to use for the dialogue bubble. I’m pretty sure my teammate created the template for the pigeons on the fly so I don’t have an uploaded version of the template. If you recognize the dialogue bubbles, let me know so I can give credit to whoever made them!

3. Even though I have been working at getting better at planning for guided reading, I will admit that one morning this week I was in a crunch to find a writing center prompt. I ran across a fun prompt on TPT for “If I had $100…”. I did NOT expect some of the writing my kids drafted on such a last minute center idea. If you’d like a copy of this awesome and simple writing prompt, check it out HERE.

4. Due to the success of my first DonorsChoose project, I went ahead and created another one! This one was only active for 2 days before being fully funded. Kia Motors has been doing a 1/2 match for projects and with their generosity, we will soon have our own classroom iPad! The kids are SO excited to use our new learning tool!

5. It’s been a while since we decorated for Fall/Halloween at the house, but I haven’t had a chance to upload the pics to the blog! So…. here you go! I just get so excited about this time of year and everything it brings with it… the fair, cool weather, sweaters, and PUMPKINS!

5 for Friday and DonorsChoose

theteachingtexan — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:54:00 +0000

My first week of summer classes is OVER! Clearly that means that it is time for a brain break and to share my week with everyone. Let me just say that this week back in grad school has me feeling completely drained! Two courses (Learning Environment & Professionalism and Diverse Learners) being covered in 3 weeks and 2 days of M-Th classes is a blur and I almost never feel “caught up.”

So what better way to take a break and share about my week than to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for her 5 for Friday linky party.

1. First of all, I am so excited that my DonorsChoose project has been approved and is now live! I have become overwhelmed lately thinking about all of the materials that I need to have for my scholars to be successful. I know that many teachers say that you can accumulate a classroom library over time, but I am worried that my scholars will be at a deficit if I can not provide them with a rich library filled with fiction and non-fiction texts during my first year. I am so humbled that my DonorsChoose project has already been doing so well. If you would like to view the project please go to MyDonorsChooseProject. DonorsChoose is even matching donations dollar for dollar by typing in the code ‘INSPIRE’!

2. As I have already mentioned, classes have started back! This has honestly consumed the majority of my time this week. It is very stressful moving through courses this quickly, but both of my professors are great and I have been learning SO much the past few days!

3. Today is our 2 year anniversary! I am so happy to have reached this milestone and look forward to many more.

This is us in Berlin over our New Year’s trip in Europe!

4. We got our Pedro the donkey pictures into the reclaimed barn wood frames that we picked up last weekend in Canton!! It felt so good to get the photos that we bought almost 2 months ago into proper frames. Our bedroom is finally starting to take on the feel that we are looking for. Here is a peek at the finished work!

5. Finally, beginning on Thursday afternoon I have started going through staff development training at the cheerleading gym that I coach at. I know a lot of people don’t really like to go through staff development, but ours is definitely a great time while also getting a lot done.

5 for Friday

theteachingtexan — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:21:00 +0000

In an effort to keep my blog moving forward I decided to link up with DoodleBugs and do a Five for Friday. This week was pretty busy for it being summer break and here are some of the highlights from it!

1. One of the biggest things that happened this week was orientation on Monday for my new teaching job! I was very excited to meet some more teachers that will be working in the same charter school network and was very impressed with the overall day (despite that it is very hard for me to sit still for 7 hours)! We got to learn a lot about the history of the organization, about each of the schools, and the different insurance packages available. Who knew that insurance would cause such a headache!? I still have NO idea what packages I will be selecting!

2. Over the course of this week Honey Bunch Blog Design has been working hard on a new design for my blog – please tell me you didn’t really think it would stay stark white forever! I have approved their design and it should hopefully be live soon. I am so excited for everyone to see it!

3. To start off our week we took a visit to Canton for First Monday Trade Days to grab some things for the new condo.

We were able to maintain our composure for the most part and only walked away with 2 barn wood frames for pictures that we bought at an art festival a few weeks ago, 2 nightstands, a bench for the foot of the bed, and two awesome burlap pillows featuring where we each attended graduate school! If you love these pillows, she has a ton more for different colleges in TX, LA, and OK and I’m sure could make them for anywhere else – here’s a link to Caliente Company’s FB page. Basically it was an all about decorating the bedroom trip!

4. Last night I set up a DonorsChoose account and created a project so that I will hopefully be able to get non-fiction books donated for the classroom library and read aloud choices that I’ve been compiling. I know the importance of good literature, especially non-fiction texts at this age but I have no idea how teachers manage to accumulate an effective classroom library their first year! Hopefully my project will be approved soon and I can provide the direct link to it.

5. Last, but certainly not least, I have to share the recipe that we made last night for chicken enchiladas with avocado sauce! These are now one of my all time favorite enchiladas and the recipe could not be more simple! If you happen to make them, please let me know how much you love them!

Happy Friday everyone!