A few days ago, I talked about creating daily classroom agendas from my SmartBoard files. I also promised a picture.
Well, here it is!
I bought 4×6 frames from either the Dollar Store or Michaels (with a coupon). They are getting cracks in them, despite my requests to my students to treat them gently.
I started out by putting an entire week’s worth of agendas in each frame every Monday; however, students began pulling them out, looking ahead, and messing with them.
I can be a bit anal. I don’t like the agendas doodled on or folded up.
Students hold me to task with regard to what’s on each agenda, and Lord help me if I switch things up! They really do like knowing what we’re doing each day.
I hope you don’t mind that I just announced your age to the entire world, because, you know, I have loads of readers.
😛
Truth be told, I don’t remember there ever being a time when you weren’t a part of my life.
I was the serious one, and you were the one with the mischief in your eyes.
While we were certainly different when we were little, over the years, we discovered that all along, we were very much the same…each with similar insecurities and fears.
We have the same sense of humor along with a love for Reese’s Cups.
You are a blessing to me, and I smile because I see the impact you have on the lives of every single person who God allows to cross paths with you.
You inspire me with your zeal for the Lord…a steadfast faith no matter what circumstances surround you.
I love you and am doubly-blessed to call you my Sister Squared (sisters marrying brothers).
Brrr…it’s chilly outside…even down here in Florida! Yesterday, when I left for work, it was 21 degrees!!! That’s crazy! My school district allowed students to be called in absent due to the weather, and many took advantage! I had between eight and ten students out per class. I really enjoyed working with the few who showed up! Can we please change the class size amendment? Every student got one-on-one help yesterday, and they thrived!
Anyhoo…you’re really here to read my answer’s to Joyce’s questions, so let’s get moving!
1. Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they’d like to see banished from the Queen’s English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse or just general uselessness (go here to read more about how the words were chosen). Here are the words/phrases they’d like to see banished in 2014-
selfie, twerk/twerking, hashtag, Twittersphere, Mr. Mom, T-bone, ____on steroids, the suffixes-ageddon, and -pocalypse added to anything and everything, from the world of politics the words-intellectually/morally bankrupt and Obamacare, and from the world of sports the words-adversity and fan base
Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you’d like to add?
Ohhhh…I would choose twerking!!!!! Can we also erase the stupid dance too? The kids look gross doing it, and adults who try to imitate it are even more disgusting. They make Elvis look mild! Everything from the name AND the dance disgusts me!
2. What one unfinished project nags at you begging to be completed in this new year?
I can’t really say that I have unfinished projects. I’m pretty much a see-it-through-until-it’s-done kind of person. If I had to select a task that I’d like to do this year, it would be to clean up the spare bedroom. It’s gotten a bit out of hand. I’ll do that this summer after school lets out.
3. When did you last have a bowl of soup? What kind? Homemade or from a can? What’s your favorite soup?
I last had a bowl of soup a couple of days ago. I’m finishing up a large pot of the Black Bean Soup that I make. I posted it here, with the permission of the Daniel Fast‘s author. It is homemade. I do use beans from a can, but the other veggies are fresh. This happens to be my favorite soup. Yum!
4. Snowed in, snowed under, snow job…which one most applies to your life in recent days, figuratively speaking.
I’m feeling a bit snowed under right now. Next week, we have semester exams. It’s a stressful time because I am trying to prep my students for that as well as get in more writing practice. We have FCAT writes in about a month. My focus is shifting, though, to focusing solely on reading skills, which students MUST have to pass FCAT and, thus, fulfill their graduation requirement. I’m not saying that writing skills aren’t important; however, when I weigh graduating versus writing for one test, graduating comes out the winner. After exams, I have to finalize grades and set up for the second semester. This, in actuality, won’t be a big deal. I’ll keep my same students, and we’ll just continue with our next unit.
5. What’s the funniest movie you’ve ever seen, or at least one of the funniest?
The movie that keeps me laughing the whole way through is Thirteen Going on Thirty, with Jennifer Garner. She was perfectly cast for the lead role, and her innocent expressions crack me up! My favorite scene is the Thriller dance, which I’ve shared on my blog before but happily do so again.
I am very clumsy! Grace definitely isn’t my middle name! I constantly have bruises on my body from running into furniture. I suspect that I live life too fast…always dashing from one thing to another. It’s another reason for me to learn to slow down.
7. Elvis Presley was born on Hodgepodge Day (January 8th) back in 1935. Are you an Elvis fan? What’s your favorite Elvis tune? If that’s too hard, which Elvis tune do you dislike the least? Click here for a list of his songs.
What a tough question! I’ve loved Elvis from the time I was a wee thing. There is a picture in my baby book of me dancing to one of his records.
My favorite song would have to be Always on My Mind. What an achingly beautiful song.
8. My Random Thought
Every time I get paid, I spend about $30 dollars on new books for my classroom.
The Mr. has often complained; however, I’m still a fairly new teacher trying to build up my library.
People who don’t work in the education field often think teenagers are not appreciative. That is often true.
I’ve seen something magical happen, though.
My students are reading…
Without complaining.
They’ve learned that they can put a book on the wish list I have posted in my room, and I will eventually buy it.
When a student begins reading a new series…one in which I only own the first book…I will often order the second…and the third…and on and on until I have the entire series purchased.
While I was on Christmas break, I received another shipment of books. Inside was the second book in the Lorien Series. The first book is I am Number 4, which you may have heard of.
One of my boys read it and wanted to start on the second one, which I didn’t have at the time…hence the order I placed.
When he walked into my classroom on Monday, I proudly held up the book.
You should have seen the smile on his face!
What shocked me, though, was watching him pull two books out of his backpack. He had borrowed them from me before we went on break.
I asked if he had read them, and he assured me that he had! He told me that he loves to read but that he doesn’t have many books at home. He loves that I have a lot of books to choose from.
That, my friends, is why I buy books every time I get paid.
The kids do appreciate it.
They love having books that have been recently published. They love books with relevant themes. They yearn for them.
I’ve got kids reading everyone from John Green to Rick Riordan. They are reading James Frey and Neal Shusterman (I’m not a stalker, but I have a grand plan to purchase every single one of this gifted author’s books).
It is such a privilege to watch my students develop a fondness for certain authors or series.
Yes, this is another teaching post. Sorry, but the return to school has me all abuzz.
As I lesson planned this past weekend, I was stressed.
FCAT isn’t until April, which might sound like a long time but, for an Intensive Reading teacher, isn’t nearly long enough.
I cannot tell you how much I need to cover in the next three months…vocabulary…more reading comprehension skills…writing (FCAT Writes is in February).
When I worked an office job, I prided myself on leaving work each day with a clean desk.
Teaching is not like this.
There’s always a lesson to plan…a unit to teach…decisions to make as to how much time to spend on what.
Even though I have my students for 90 minutes each class period, double that of regular teachers, it’s still not enough time!
As a result, I am learning to pack as much into each part of my class period as I can.
Bellwork is always a mini-lesson in something, be it root words, the current reading strategy we are working on (right now, it’s Author’s Purpose), or writing.
Read Alouds always include discussions about figurative language, story elements (plot, conflict, setting), and text connections.
One of the things I do with my students is twice-weekly fluency partner readings.
I give students a passage, and they read aloud to their face partners for one minute. The partner follows along, circles mistakes, and “grades” the reader on expression and attention to punctuation. Then, the reader becomes the grader, and the process repeats itself.
Before students read aloud to each other, we preview the text. I’ve learned, during my planning, to try to anticipate words students won’t be familiar with. I usually ask students to look for context clues to help them define the words. Other times, I provide the definitions (to save time) and include pictures.
Most students do not have a comprehensive vocabulary, and their real-world experiences just aren’t what ours were when we were growing up.
Here’s a sample of this week’s fluency passage…
Click to view a larger image
I scanned the text, added it to my SmartBoard page, and then added the definitions and the pictures at the bottom. Student copies do not have the vocabulary.
I can make the page bigger on my SmartBoard so students can see the pictures better. Giving them visuals helps make the words stick in their minds better, and I try to use the words in later days.
Another thing I use fluency exercises for is to give my students mini-literature lessons. As an Intensive Reading teacher, I mostly use informational text. FCAT is comprised of about 70% informational text that students are required to analyze. This is the type of text students enjoy reading the least.
Being able to insert literature lessons, however small, changes things up in our routine and creates an interest in a book they might not have heard of before. Before the break, we read an image-filled excerpt from Great Expectations. When I explained the premise of the story, students were eager to read more!
More often than not, our mini literature lessons create “aha” moments as students make connections to stories or authors they might have heard about.
Next week’s reading is an excerpt from a piece written by Mark Twain…
Click to view a larger image
My students will get a vocabulary lesson, and I also threw in a comprehension question that makes them think about why Twain chose a certain word in this passage. The discussions these questions lead to is what I consider to be the best part of teaching.
One of my students made me chuckle one day when she told me that bellwork and fluency are little lessons on their own.
This young lady knows exactly what I’m doing…something akin to slipping veggies into the meatloaf.
I don’t give regular vocabulary tests, yet my students’ vocabulary scores improve each year. I’d like to think one reason for this is the low-key, academically-themed “chats” that we have regularly. This is something that most of my students miss at home but that I am more than happy to provide.
Yesterday morning, I wasn’t feeling well. I suspect it was the change in my diet. I’m back on my strict version of the Daniel Fast and eating primarily raw foods…fruits and vegetables. I can already see a difference in my waist line, YAY, but what’s more important is that I feel better mentally.
As such, my innards are adjusting…crying foul, if you will…missing the Chick-fil-A French fries I’d been feeding them, with the excuse of “needing carbs.”
I stayed home from church because I didn’t want to up and leave in the middle of the preaching.
I made the most of my time, however, and was able to finish two weeks’ worth of lesson plans. I’d done most of the work the evening before, but my brain had gotten tired, and I’d become uninspired.
The new morning brought fresh ideas, excitement, and energy, making it easier to finish what is usually a difficult task.
The reason why it takes me soooo long to make my weekly lesson plans is because I create a SmartBoard file, alluded to yesterday, for each week.
I don’t know what I’d do without my SmartBoard. I group my pages by each day of the week and include everything I need for each lesson.
Putting the information in the SmartBoard software keeps me on track and acts as visual cues to my students…most of whom learn better by seeing than just hearing.
I thought I’d share one neat thing that I began doing after the school year began.
While I’d always created an agenda for each day and briefly reviewed the agenda with my students at the beginning of each class period, one of my classes mentioned that they would like to have the agenda out where they could see it.
What to do?
My mentor was in my classroom teaching a series of lessons when my class mentioned this, so she and I discussed the idea after everyone left.
I came up with what I now consider a brilliant idea…
To buy 4×6 frames and put the agendas in them.
I have a Macbook Pro…have had it for eight years now…and it can do things that a Windows-based computer cannot. One of the things I can do fairly easily is, after exporting my SmartBoard file to an Adobe format (.pdf), select and print just those agenda pages…in a 4×6 borderless format!
Here’s one of my agendas…
I wrote this post ahead of time, so I can’t take a picture of the agenda in the frame. I’ll do that and post in a day or two so you can see what it looks like in the frame and on each table. I have five student tables in my room, so I make four copies (the original makes a total of 5) and place one in the center of each table.
My students love this! Some students will run by my classroom hours before their class, take a peek at the agenda, and then run to their other classes.
At first, I didn’t include the Essential Questions; however, I later began adding them. I refer my students to them daily as a reminder of the “whys” of what we are doing…the relevance of each task.
While it is very time-consuming to create these SmartBoard files, I will continue doing so. This is the second year I’ve done this, and I’m beginning to be able to copy previously-created pages and dump them into my current files.
A bonus of exporting the files to .pdf format is that I can send them to parents each week. They are amazed at what we do each day, and I have never had a problem when I’ve called a parent to explain that his/her child is missing standards-based work when he/she is tardy.
I also upload the files to Google Drive, where my students can review them for tests or if they’ve missed days due to vacation or sickness.
It was with great pleasure and a lot of relief that I placed my school bag in my car yesterday morning. Although I’d rather not be getting up at o’dark thirty, seeing the faces of my students always brings a smile to my face.
No stressing over vocabulary, author’s purpose, or figurative language.
Unfortunately, my time of being lazy came to an abrupt end yesterday when I began the arduous task of preparing next week’s lessons.
I was really wishing for a hard freeze, which would surely send the Education Powers That Be scrambling to cancel school.
We’re not used to temperatures below the 60’s.
While I prayed for a miracle to happen, I reluctantly started working.
It took a while for my brain cells to get moving. Though I had intended to have this task completed the first week of vacation, I chose, instead, to focus my attention on Chicky and our time together.
I’m getting a little better at that…putting family before my teaching tasks. I have found that I must do this sometimes to maintain what little bit of sanity I have left.
I began working at 2pm and did not close my SmartBoard and Word files until 11pm.
I accomplished a lot during those nine hours, managing to create my Semester Exam, a review for it, a writing assignment, and lesson plans, with their accompanying SmartBoard files, for nearly two weeks.
I hate being such a slow thinker.
I’m not even sure that I like my plans all that much, but I feel as though I can adjust now that the skeleton has been laid out.
That’s what teaching is, after all…a series of instant adjustments that no amount of planning can prepare for.
It’s always difficult to jump back in the saddle…more so for me after knowing what it’s like to be a stay-at-home mom all those years.
I do it for my students, as well as my itsy bitsy paycheck, which I am immensely grateful for.
I also do it because I know that this is what the Lord has called me to, and living out His purpose for my life, while not always easy, is an act of obedience and gratefulness for all He has done for me.
I present to you my first completed project of 2014…the Leaf Lace Washcloth, a free pattern you can find on Ravelry.
I knit this as part of my Harry Potter Ravelry “homework.” It was a fast knit…only took me a couple of hours…knit while I watched a bowl game with Rooster.
I used Lily Sugar n’ Cream in Sage. Size 7 needles helped the pattern “pop.” My gauge tends to be a bit looser, so I always have to use smaller needles than what the yarn and pattern recommend.
I love the color and the pattern…so pretty! I also enjoyed the instant gratification I got from finishing a quick project.
Yesterday, I intended to grade two classes’ worth of essays.
I really did.
I got sidetracked, however, by a wee little task.
You see, for Christmas, Santa promised Rooster that he could get a new phone on the date of eligibility.
That day was yesterday.
Rooster’s previous phone, an iPhone 4s, had seen much better days. It looked okay…no cracks or scratches…but the power button was difficult to depress, and the phone shut down regularly.
A year and a half ago, I had purchased the Buy Back option on all of our phones, and boy did that pay off! Rooster got $140 for his phone.
In addition, we were given a credit for the remaining five months of the protection plan I’d purchased.
The phone he wanted, the HTC One, was on sale for $49.99.
We were banking some money, let me tell you.
Actually, what we were doing was using the difference to pay for a new protection plan.
After a couple of hours, we were finished, and we walked out…a big smile on Rooster’s face.
I got home and had to take a break to eat lunch. All of that buying makes a girl tired, you know.
All the while, I was thinking about another phone…the iPhone 5s, which I’d learned was on sale through Saturday.
Uh huh.
I started doing math.
Yes, that was smoke you may have seen in the air.
😀
I couldn’t stand not having a new phone, so off I went.
The Mr. tagged along, on the fence about getting a phone himself. He wanted the new Galaxy phone, but we had already discovered that it had gone back to its regular price. The Mr. had missed the sale price, and he was not happy.
I opted for the 32gb because I am fancy like that.
Plus, I’d used over 12gb on my previous phone. Everyone knows that phones already use a lot of memory just for running things, so in reality, I was almost at my limit.
I needed that extra space.
Uh huh.
I went through the same spiel as before…got a credit for trading in my phone along with money back for my protection plan. I came out good still, and I was happy.
The phone is thinner and taller, so I have an extra row on the screen for apps.
What I really like is the speed. It is lightening fast! I am a big multi-tasker, so this is very important to me.
The Mr., by this time, was not about to be left behind. He decided to cough up the money for the phone. He was in for a pleasant surprise when the sales guy casually mentioned that the phone was on sale for $80! The Mr. practically did the happy dance right on the spot! He made a boatload with his trade-in and the lower cost of his new phone.
We went home happy campers.
Lest you think that Chicky had been left out of the fun…she hadn’t!
She had gone to Best Buy shortly before we had but had returned home after having to wait a long time.
She went back (magically able to drive with that recovering knee), and cashed in on the same deal I got. We were going to give her the phone for her birthday, but she only had to pay $5 out of pocket, so we figured that would be a mighty cheap present…never mind that I still pay her cell phone bill.
This is probably going to change soon.
*Ahem*
I’ll tell you what, I see why our nation is in the financial straits that it’s in.
It’s all because of the Domino Effect…the one that won’t allow people to sit tight and watch others have fun buying things.
We played right into the American Way and made one store very happy in the process.
Truth be told, four people will be dreaming happy phone dreams tonight.
Last summer, when I began my adventure into vegan baking, I ran into a snafu.
I burned out the motor of my food processor…all while making some sort of peanut butter dessert.
I put this item on my Christmas list and, lo and behold, the in-laws gave me one!
Of course, they always go all out when they purchase gifts, for which I’m appreciative because their diligence ensures that the gifted items have five-star ratings and won’t tear up after one or two uses.
I was excited when I unwrapped the Ninja Kitchen System.
Here’s what it looked like when I unpacked it from the box…
Oh word, but look at all of those blades…BIG ones…and bowls (there’s a small one inside the larger one).
One of the things I had decided to do when the new year began was tighten up my eating habits. Although I don’t eat too badly, I had begun to slip…eating more fries and things with sugar in them. The roll that’s been growing around my middle is evidence of that, and having the poor body image that I do, I need to fix things.
The Ninja came with a small recipe book, so I decided to try my hand at one…Pineapple Banana Swirl…
I’ll admit that I am not a fan of smoothies. I don’t like the texture of fruit mashed up, but this recipe wasn’t bad. I’m going to stick to eating my fruit though.
I also made my black bean soup and had a lot of fun chopping up the onions, celery, and jalapeno peppers.
I’ve gotta say that this system is the BEST I’ve ever used, and though I don’t cook often, I have been married over twenty years and have used a lot of products.
If you’re in the market for a new blender/chopper system, you won’t go wrong with this!
I was not paid to write this. I’m simply bragging about a positive experience with a product. 🙂
Happy New Year’s everyone! I tend to be quite the non-traditionalist as far as this holiday is concerned, so you won’t find any black-eyed peas or ham in the AuburnChick home today. What you will find, though, is the Hodgepodge! I hope you enjoy your day, however you choose to spend it…with loved ones…curled up with a book. Let’s get to the questions!
1. Times Square is the setting for the infamous ball drop signaling a brand new year….when did you last ‘drop the ball’ on something?
My lesson planning for the first week of the new year still isn’t finished. I’d planned on doing it when I was at Chicky’s house helping her recover from knee surgery. That didn’t happen, so now I have to do it between now and the 6th, when we return to school. Oh. Joy. <insert sarcasm>
2. What is one thing you resolved to do in 2013 that you actually did?
It looks like I created goals instead of resolutions (I took a peek at the post I’d written). I’ve pasted my goals below:
Career
Finish Reading Endorsement (anticipated finish date is Fall 2013)
Finish three ESOL classes (hopefully the FLDOE will not require me to complete the full 300-hour coursework since I’ll have my Reading Endorsement soon)
Keep my lesson plans SIMPLE…don’t overthink so much!
Personal
Take time each day to maintain some semblance of cleanliness in my home, whether it’s scooping poop from the back yard, vacuuming dog hair, or cleaning the shower
Allot time each day to just “be” without thinking about work
Stay away from my tweezers unless I have a splinter (I get a bit tweezer happy…it’s a habit I am determined to break!)
Listen more
Talk less…or at least less about MYSELF!
Stop visiting Starbucks
Buy one toy or some other type of “gift” once per month…saving these items to donate next Christmas
Spiritual
Spend time in God’s Word to reconnect with the One who I owe EVERYTHING to
Be more purposeful about getting up and worshiping on Sunday mornings
Yarn-Related
Knit at least ten minutes four or five days per week
Finish knitting the Omelet Shawl I began last summer
Participate in a sweater knit-a-long (KAL) with my friend, Christina, and knit my first pullover sweater!
Learn to crochet
What did I accomplish?
I accomplished most of my professional goals…yay! In fact, I completed four out of the five ESOL classes! Woo Hoo! My lesson plans are getting easier, although they’re not exactly “simple.” They are comprehensive, which my principal likes.
Personal Goals – Not so good. My house was a bit cleaner, and I didn’t visit Starbucks as often; however, I still talk about myself too much. Dang. I did take the summer to focus on myself, and while I don’t stay up as late lesson planning, I can’t say that I take more time to just “be.”
I’m not sure I accomplished what I wanted spiritually. I need to work on spending daily time with the Lord.
Knitting-wise, I finished my Omelet Shawl and worked on my crocheting skills. I never completed a sweater, but I did join the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry and knit more this year than last year. I consider this a win!
All-in-all, I think I came out on the plus side as far as what I managed to accomplish.
3. Jack London is quoted as saying, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Agree or disagree? Why?
I don’t think there’s a clear-cut answer to this question. There are times when you have to go after inspiration. You have to put yourself in situations that allow you to be inspired; however, there are other times when you will be inspired without trying. The key is to be aware. Teaching and blogging are two areas where I constantly look for inspiration. Because I look for inspiration, I find it more often than not.
4. What was the best thing you ate in 2013?
My vegan cupcakes were probably the best thing I ate in 2013. I can’t narrow it down to one particular flavor. Simply eating something that was vegan, sweet, and delicious was monumental.
5. Share an anti-resolution…that is, something you plan to keep on doing in the new year.
My anti-resolution is to keep drawing closer to God. I don’t think this will ever be something I take off of my to-do list.
6. The Pantone color of the year for 2014 is radiant orchid. Like or no like? Would I find this color anywhere in your home or wardrobe? Will you add something in this shade to either?
I do like the color. It goes well with gray. I own a couple of dress shirts that I wear every couple of weeks at school.
7. In three words or less sum up your 2013.
Up and down
See yesterday’s post.
“Nuff said.
8. My Random Thought
I should have been grading essays or lesson planning yesterday.
Instead, I chose to pamper myself with a trip to my nail salon.
I love my nail techs. They can recreate anything from Pinterest!
Not wanting to let go of winter quite yet, I selected a winter-y theme (one free from the red that I’d tired of during the Christmas season).
AuburnChick's Adventures 