Do Something Different

We have done so many things in 3rd grade since my last post that I can't possibly catch up at this point, so I am just going to highlight a couple of things.  The main thing I want to talk about is how much students love surprises.  This year I have been trying to "do something different" and throw in a lesson once a week that the students didn't see coming.  Something super exciting and gets them excited for it all week.  Something that they absolutely can not wait to get to school to be a part of each week.  One week we had a "snowball fight" to learn about compare and contrast. They had so much fun doing this and their absolute favorite part was that I was willing to get in there and have a snowball fight with them. Students love to see their teacher be a part of the game and learning.  ALWAYS!  Another week we read the book Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun so on the following Friday we had spaghetti in a hot dog bun and completed a writing project about our reaction.  Last week we finished up the week playing a game about making connections.  Students love to break out of the ordinary and do something different. It is exciting for the students and it is exciting as a teacher, as well. So if you really want to change things up and have a great day...DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!  Here are some pictures from our last few weeks:

Stay tuned for the next few weeks because we kicked off our PBL today!  I can't wait to share our journey with you!  Here's a little preview:

Have a great Monday night!

In Times of Change...

 Here we are in the second week of another new school year.  I have always loved the fact that I have a job that every year I get a fresh start to do all of the things I wish I had learned the previous year.  We never stop learning and wisdom definitely comes with age.  I always think back to my first class of first graders I had and hope that I didn't mess up too bad considering all of the learning I have had since those days.  This year we are in another new year, with all new things, but this time MUCH different.  It has been a challenge like no other.  I think all teachers have felt like first-year teachers again.  It's hard, it can be scary, it can be exhausting... but OH the rewards of being back in the classroom are like none other.  Students have a way of lighting up your life and filling it with pure joy, despite a crazy world going on.  I learned this for the first time a few years ago when we had a tornado suddenly change our school life with no warning.  I remember feeling exhausted, confused, and wondering how to continue on and still yet trying to put everything back together in a weekend.  Amazingly, when the students walked in on Monday it was like every care was gone and they were just kids, and all the stuff going on didn't matter. Yes, we were in a gym.  No, we didn't have walls.  Yes, we had three grade levels in one gym. It was loud. It was uncomfortable to teach like that. However, through all the chaos, students were still able to learn.  Overall, they recognized how much we loved them and care about their well-being and future.  That is a calling like no other.  Yes, it's hard some days but it is going to be ok.  A new normal will return and the students will still learn.  They will always, above all, remember the way you care for them every single day.  So teacher friends, keep on showing up.  Keep on doing what you are great at...LOVE your students every single day they are with you.  You will not see the wave in the ocean right now but I promise the ripple matters.  EVERY MOMENT MATTERS!

As these uncertain circumstances continue on I want to share snapshots of our classroom for the first two weeks.  We may have different protocols, we may be wearing masks, we may sanitize A LOT, but the learning and love....it NEVER stops. 

Have a great weekend!

Reflecting...

Yes! It’s true! I am an over-thinker. I think about every decision I make until it can not be thought about any more.  I tend to run conversations in my head continuously, wondering if I have said everything right.  I will even probably run this blog post through my head a thousand times before I let it go.  As much of a pain as this can be for myself and those around me there is something positive I have learned through being an over-thinker. I can use that over thinking to reflect on my practice to help me become better. Three years ago I started a practice of daily reflection at the end of each day.  This practice has helped me become a better teacher, co-worker and an overall more positive person.  Each week I try to think of two students and two teachers I can champion each week. I love going into each week being intentional and watching for the great things I can bring out in others.  Sometimes we get so busy we forget that a persons greatest need is to feel noticed and appreciated.  This helps with intentionality in making sure you notice the things students and co-workers are doing to make your class and building a better place. Every person contributes to the good of the school in one way or another. Are you looking to notice the contributions of your students and team members? Second, I reflect on the things that went well that day. What did I do to reach my goal that all students learn at a high level?  Did we have any “aha” moments? Did I give 100% to my students and co-workers that day? What celebrations are worth noting? Lastly, I reflect on what I would like to do differently. We all have those moments that we would like to do again.  What are the changes I will make next time? What could I have done better? What will I do better tomorrow to make sure I reach all students? 

Tonight I encourage you to think about daily reflection.  You will find that the things you find out about yourself along the way will help you improve as an educator and person.  You will also become more intentional about your days and overall feel more satisfaction with your practice in the long run. I promise... It’s worth the time! 5 minutes a day! You won’t regret it!

Learning with LEGOS

We had a great day in 3rd grade celebrating “Rock Your School Day!”  We used LEGOS to learn the entire day.  Here are our highlights from today!

Writing Goals!

     Today we had the very best day in third grade!  I will be honest, yesterday was a little rough so I came in wondering what today would be like.  Oh WOW!  They knocked my socks off.  They made transitions quickly, they came into the room at a level 0 and sat down ready to learn, they worked hard and the most amazing thing is that I didn't even have to ask them.  It was the coolest thing to watch!  I am really hoping they are all feeling well today because it was a night and day difference with yesterday.  Praying for another "perfect" day tomorrow!
    I want to highlight an activity I like to do before every writing unit.  I always start every unit by giving the students a benchmark assessment to determine where they are at in writing.  I use the same rubric I would use at the end of the unit and I score their writing.  I really stress to the students that I do not expect them to have mastered anything because I have NOT taught them a single thing in the unit.  I give each student their piece of writing and their scored rubric.  They use this to highlight two goals they want to really focus in on in this writing unit in order to improve their writing.  Then they take this information and write it in the section of their binder labeled "writing goals" with today's date.  This way throughout the unit I can refer back to their goals and also elaborate on their goals with them.  I can also go into this section of the binder and give them feedback on how I think they are doing at meeting their goal.  I always date this so they can measure their progress over time.  I have found in doing this that my students always make a lot of gains in writing.  It is always exciting to compare the first product to the finished product.  The students find a lot of excitement in doing this also.  
    

You can see the pictures below:

Our objective for the day:                                           A scoring rubric:

A students goal sheet:           

 



HAVE A GREAT WEEK!  Make today the best day!

Back to School 2019!

After two years of being relocated because of a tornado, I am so happy to be back in Goodman!  These last couple of years have had some great learning experiences as a teacher but sometimes they came with a great struggle that couldn't be witnessed to the outside world.  We learned patience, perseverance through difficulties, and that sometimes you can't control the things going on in your world but you can definitely control your attitude about your circumstances.  I am in awe  of the number of experiences that the last couple of years brought.  From walking out of the old Goodman for the last time not realizing it would be the last time, to the next day setting up a gym to be our home for the next 6 weeks.  It was amazing to watch a space like that transform to a space for grades 1-3 with bookshelves to divide us.  Next to being relocated to the middle school for two years, to where we are now...  HOME.  It is just breathtaking to see the new school.  It is so beautiful and I feel so blessed to have a learning space like the one we have today.  Tonight we had our "Back to School Night" and it was so great to see the smiles on the student's faces and the excitement that they had for our new school.  I truly can not wait to get this year started!  I am looking forward to all the learning this year holds for both the students and myself.  Happy Back to School!

See some pics from my classroom below:

A Great Month in Third Grade!

It has been a great month in 3rd grade!  We have definitely had a great time learning in our classroom!  I want to highlight our month of learning about volcanoes.  We started by using a Mystery Science lesson to increase our curiosity about volcanoes.  We investigated the different characteristics of volcanoes and tried to decide the difference between exploding and non-exploding volcanoes.   Here are pictures of our experiment:

We also researched various volcanoes.  We learned their characteristics, last eruption and other cool and interesting facts about our volcano.  We spent time writing about this in our writing binder.  

We also went on a virtual reality Google Expedition to look at different volcanoes around the world.  We were able to see the differences in volcanoes depending on the environment that they are found. The students found this to be one of the coolest experiences they have had.  If you ever have an opportunity to use the VR goggles in your room I would highly recommend it.  It was a really exciting experience and the students learned a lot from it.  

Our unit will finish in G3 Lab this Thursday.  The students made volcanoes out of paper mache and they will erupt them this Thursday.  It has been a great month of learning and I can't wait to start our next unit!  Until next time...

HAPPY MONDAY!!!