ORGANIZING

     Organizing - I love the word but I am not good at actually doing it.  At the beginning of every school year I make myself a promise that this year will be better and I bet you can picture the outcome.  Stacks of papers piled on my desk with nowhere to go and then in the end or in a fit of mass clean-up, they either go in the trash or get stuffed in my file cabinet for review later - kind of out of sight, out of mind. 
     Another area that drives me completely up a wall is my classroom library.  In the beginning last year it was small and sad.  I added some books from my own personal collection and then the "Book Fairy" discovered us and we got boxes and boxes of wonderful books.  Next, my Grant was funded and we got more books!  Now, that classroom library is good size and....a mess.  The thought of organizing it was giving me an absolute headache until-  I discovered, through a colleague, the most wonderful site that uses the technology of my smart phone and my computer to scan and organize my bookcases!  The site is so simple and easy to use, as well as addictive!  If you don't have a Smart phone you can still use the site with your classroom computers.  All I have to do is scan the bar code with my phone and the book name appears - I set up a location for it and poof done!  All of books cataloged in one spot. 
     Not only will this app and program catalog my books, but I can set up all my students and scan the books out to them and back in again - no more notebook which they forget to write in, or just walking out of the room with my books.  I can scan the books in their book baskets as well and know where all my "friends" are at all times!  I feel like a "real" library!!! 
     Here is the link if you would like to try it yourself.  It is free, but does require a that you sign up for the site.  I can't wait to get started at school.  Enjoy!  Now if they will only find an app to take away those stacks of papers I would be happy.

   Classroom Organizer       

Summer- Why Doesn't My Teacher Brain Stop Working?

     I'm not sure what my problem is, but I do know that it is summer and my brain has not adjusted as yet.  I think I am going to go on for just a few seconds to check on family and friends and ZAP I am hooked into something that looks so good for next school year.  My Pinterest board is filling up fast with all kinds of sites for technology, math, ELA...alas not much for personal time. 


     I just finished an awesome grad school class about technology in curriculum.  One of my assignments was to design a unit and make it into an interactive website.  I had such a good time researching and finding things to fit in my chosen unit.  If you need ideas about Figurative Language I invite you to take a look at my site.  It is still a work in progress, but ties in with Common Core and technology.  Let's Dive Into Figurative Language   Many thanks to all those who had composed things to use for this important element in ELA.  I am far from creative!


     My students did well on their EOG (End of Grade Test) and so our fourth grade team did a dance down the hallway in their honor.  We all laughed and had a great time.  The celebration idea calmed some nerves, so it was worth it!  Hope you have a great summer.  I hope my brain turns off just a little to allow me to rest and refresh!

Spring - testing - The new Synonyms

  Spring has sprung around our house!  We have cleaned out the old stuff that reminds us of winter and now we are opening doors and windows to let that fresh air flow through the house and chase out the winter blahs.  Although our winter was very mild, it was still gray and it is with wonder and thanksgiving that we welcome the greens, pinks, purples, reds, and whites back into our yard.  

Spring is also the time, alas, of testing.  I wish I had great words of wisdom for this time of year but I find myself quite speechless.  I am at my computer trying to write lesson plans knowing that in a few, very short, weeks that is all we will be doing and then my "babies" move on to the next grade, hopefully successful and prepared.  

One of the things I have told my students is that this test is a celebration!  Celebration?  Have I lost my mind?  No!!  My husband told me the story of a teacher he had who never gave tests.  I found that hard to believe, but he assured me he was right.  Instead, he held a celebration day.  Every student got a chance to celebrate their learning...some with pencil and paper, and some in more inventive ways (this was the days when computers took up whole rooms!)  What a GREAT idea!  So, I too have decided that in my classroom we only have celebrations of learning, not tests, and the state tests coming up will just celebrate all that we have learned this school year.  I am hoping this takes the "sting" out of the long, arduous task of testing.

In conclusion, let's celebrate what our students have achieved this year and not stress over what may have been.  Enjoy your spring!  Summer is just around the corner!

Some cool Websites to visit:

Socrative- You don't need one of those kits with the clickers all you need is a computer or I pads and you can do an assessment complete with grading and charts!  Go explore.  I love it!

zooburst - a wonderful site that allows you to create pop-up books.  My fourth graders love this site!  For the basic site it is free, but if you want the full version there is a charge.  It is minimal for teachers - maybe even your Principal will spring for the cost!

Winter Theme

After we return next week we will have a school wide theme of winter.  We also have to teach expository writing in 4th grade and the prompt will be about hurricanes - so trying to integrate these two have been a challenge.  I'm kind of excited about the hurricane power point that I developed the other morning - after it flew around in my dreams all night. 

Now, on to winter.  I found some great downloads that will help us use the winter theme. 



There are some super ideas for grades K-5.  There is a great science project using mittens and reading the book

which will help us fit right into the school theme.  We will also be making snow globes from baby food jars, which are turning out harder to find then I anticipated because apparently baby food is being packaged, more and more, in plastic.  The plan is to compare hurricanes and blizzards, which will also tie into the theme. 

Enjoy looking at these resources.  I know, for me, it made planning this theme a lot more fun and not as hard as I thought it would be.  Stress relieved!