My friend Lorraine at Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies is having a neat little linky that I thought I would join.  :)  She is asking us all to look at the first 12 posts we made in 2012, since most of those posts will probably be applicable to now anyway!  Since I had just started my blog then, I am thinking there is going to be a lot of randomness.  You see, when I first started, I just went on a posting spree!  December, my first month of blogging, had a bazillion posts...I totally broke the law of blog posting then!  January was pretty much a repeat.  So without further ado, here are my first 12 of 2012. 1/1/12  Student Book Recommendations This was my first post of the new year, and I shared with you how I get my students to recommend books to other students.  They fill out these cute little forms I made on Vista Print and they post them on our recommendation board.  1/2/12  Head Problems Ahh.....EXACTLY what I am doing now in my room!  I told you about how I do Head P...

The Reading Olympics is something that I find to be a motivating force in my room.  My kids just like to read now because of it.  Something about earning a medal and having some sort of recognition just makes reading all that much better for them. In the past, I have told you about the various levels, how I implement it, and all of that good stuff...but I never shared with you the Silver and Gold levels.  That is mostly because I didn't make those leveled brochures myself.  My amazing teammates Kristi and Debbie did...and I didn't have a jpeg scanned on my computer. BUT, I have since entered the 21st century and now have an actual scanner on my printer!  I know, I know...about time right?  Well, now that I have it, I have scanned those brochures in and now....without further ado...here they are! All you have to do is click on the picture and it will enlarge enough for you to read the projects.  Are you implementing the Reading Olympics in your room?  How is it go...

I saw this on pinterest and it just struck a chord with me.  I all too often think about this in regards to my math instruction.  I find that I am spend far too much time feeding the answers to the students and not letting them think it out.  There just isn't time. But really, if I am constantly feeding the students the answers, they will never be able to do anything without me.  This learned helplessness will happen where the students just wait until someone comes along to tell them exactly what to do, never letting them think for themselves.  I really have to force myself to schedule time devoted to mathematical thinking.  It is just too easy to let it go but I KNOW that when I teach my students to think, the way their brain works in my class changes for the better. What I am finding particularly successful this year in getting them to think more deeply in math is asking my students to solve one problem in two different ways.  You see, every year I teach a math concept (any...

Christina over at Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge is having a linky party about the Best things in Blogging in 2012 and I thought I would join in the fun! There are so so so many things that this year has brought me to brag and share about the blogging world, that it really is going to be hard to narrow it down.  I want to just say EVERYTHING...that everything about blogging has been fantastic and positive and life altering, because, in truth, it has.  But I know that would make for a very boring and short post (and if you know anything about me by now, you know that short posts are NOT my thing ;) )  So here we go...some of 2012's bests.   Best Freebie I usually share no frills freebies with you.  A form here, a printout there.  Things I use in my class that I thought you might as well.  But this little gem that I shared really seemed to resonate with you all.  I got so much great feedback from this Book Order Form Math page I did...and I am so so so glad you all liked...

The past year or so has been rough for our profession.  We faced a constant barrage by the media, labeling us all as greedy, lazy clock punchers who were doing nothing more than glorified babysitting.  Our salaries and benefits were questioned because there is NO way anyone who is currently in the classroom is there to actually teach anyone anything.  I mean, we are all there to go home at 3pm and have the summers off.  Then, with revelations of horrible atrocities at the hands of a TINY MINUTE HANDFUL of teacher, ALL of us have been vilified and looked upon with suspicion.  And now, in the wake of a sad, mind-numbing tragedy, many of us are thinking about how...about WHY we should go on. Well, let me tell you why *I* teach. I teach because of Bryan M. who, while we were studying the rows of teeth that sharks have and how there is always one waiting behind it in case it breaks off during a feeding frenzy, made the connection to the American Revolution and how soldier formation mimi...

One of my favorite units to teach (as you probably know because every.single.time I talk about it I shout that to the roof!  hee hee) is the American Revolution.  At the beginning of the unit, I ask my students to find artifacts that would represent the time period, and then write WHY they believe these artifacts are appropriate.  In doing this, the students are not only getting their brains focused on the American Revolution and what we are going to be studying, but also begin the process of critically thinking about objects, making inferences about them, and justifying their answers to others (just like they will on the state test....ahhh....always trying to make connections....) Anyway, I give the students this sheet .  They then set out to find things that really, truly help tell the tale of the Revolution and set the stage for our future learning. The students came up with a variety of different things.  Some of the objects were homemade, like these tea bottles...

Today begins my first day of winter vacation (officially!) so while my kids are preoccupied with a little resting time, I thought I would take this time to announce the winners of my One Year Blogiversary giveaway! For the Math Pack...Ursula G won! For the Reading Pack....Sara V won! For the Writing Pack...Peggy P won! Each of you ladies will be getting an email from me with your prizes attached!  For everyone else, it is not too late to get the party favor.  Just head on over and leave me a comment...and I will send it out to you :) And with this little extra time I have, I thought I would do a little shopping while I was at it.  I don't know if you saw this LifeSpan TR1200-DT Treadmill Desk (2013 Model) when I posted it on Facebook...but it is PERFECT for me.  I have it on my wishlist (because exercising AND blogging would be awesome!)....but somehow, I don't think my husband will go for it ;) I also wanted to be sure you had heard that Jen Wagner, of ...

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Today was the last day of school before our three week vacation.  I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to be with my students today, enjoy the laughter we had at our holiday party, and then to send them home on their merry way to their families (they even went home excited to do their Element Project during the break!) I am also very grateful that I was able to then go pick up my own daughter from kindergarten, see her smiling face, and give her a huge hug as our winter vacation together began. My heart goes out to those in Connecticut who can not say the same.  Their pain is unimaginable to me.  My thoughts and prayers are with them all. Bloggers, on Sunday we are observing a day of Blogging silence, as a way to honor and remember those lost.  Please post this badge, and this badge only, on your blog on Sunday.  Thanks Farley at to Oh Boy, 4th Grade for setting this up and Michelle, the 3AM Teacher for designing the badge. ...

One year ago, on December 16, I logged onto my computer, signed up on blogspot, and began writing down the different ideas and activities that were going on in my room.  My intention was simply to share the things that I was doing with others because I thought a few people might like to read about it.  Little did I know how much this year would mean to me. In one year I have made new friends to bounce ideas off of and learn new techniques from.  Some of these people (and you know who you are ;) ) have become true friends, even though we have never met. In one year I have been welcomed into a community of other bloggers, which is endlessly supportive and fabulous. In one year I have gained a new set of teaching "tools" with which to draw from in my lessons. In one year I have come to depend upon you, my readers, for support and a "shoulder". In one year I have streamlined my instruction, making better choices, heading in new directions, trying things out, an...

A little dramatic of a title, huh?  Well, since we are studying early exploration, I thought it fitting.  :) We have moved into our unit on Early European explorers and this time around I thought I would start off a bit general before we moved into specific explorers.  So we did two things to introduce the era that I thought I would share with you. Reasons for Exploring Flipbook We started out by reading an informational article about the various reasons WHY explorers would venture out into the new land.  There were basically 5 reasons:  seeking adventure, the lure of gold, searching for spices, gaining new land, and to spread Christianity.  We found information in our article (though if you read this post a few days ago, you will know that there was little bias to be had in that article!) and in our social studies text.  Then, each of those five reasons became one flap on our flipbook.  The students summarized each section, finding key words, and then wrote the information in...

I am pretty lenient when it comes to using the bathroom in my class.  I really only restrict it when I am teaching or we are in the middle of something that a trip to the bathroom would ruin.  I wasn't always like this.  I used really be strict on bathroom use, until I had a class that pushed me to my breaking point.  You see, this 4th grade class just wouldn't use the restroom....ever.  They preferred to go right in my room.  Yeah.  It was lovely.  I was almost at the point that I was just going to conduct class in the bathroom itself so as to avoid what was inevitably happening with 8 or so of my students (yes, I said 8...4th graders....8 of them) So anyway, after that year, I really loosened up.  I want my students to go to the bathroom whenever they have to, without me questioning them, but still with them being held somewhat accountable to going.  So, since starting the classroom economy a few years ago, I started "selling" the students bathroom passes.  Thes...