Gingerbread, Sparkles and Surprises

Follow my blog with Bloglovin I love this time of the year! I know it tends to be crazy . . . crazy schedules, crazy kids and crazy time crunch, but I try to throw some fun into it and relax wherever I can. My class has been reading different versions of "The Gingerbread Man," including the version from Karen Schmidt, Jim Aylesworth, "Gingerbread Baby" by Jan Brett, and "Gingerbread Man Loose in the School" by Laura Murray. We do the usual compare and contrast activities. Their favorite activity, however, is when we act Karen Schmidt's version out. I have laminated 9x12 pieces of posterboard and tied ribbon on it to put around their necks. We go through the story and write each character name on one of the pieces of posterboard. (The gingerbread man, fox, 3 farmers, etc.) Then the children get to choose a character (sometimes I draw sticks with their names on it so there isn't any fighting). I also have a narrator. The narrator reads the story and the kids act out the parts. I usually have to do this twice so everyone gets a chance to be in it. It is such a fun activity!

Today is my birthday (yes, 29 AGAIN!!!!), so I made some special gingerbread cookies as a surprise for my class tomorrow. I think they will be excited. I have a few ready to go . . .

I hope you are taking some time to do some fun activities with your kids. It's amazing how the simplest things can make the biggest impression. Here's to a magical season of gingerbread, sparkles and surprises! Have a great week!

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Too Hard, Too Soft, Just Right

No, I'm not retelling "The Three Bears," although my firsties love the song that I taught them about the beloved story. (Thanks to my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Hines, for teaching us that song way back in the dark ages. I still remember it!) I am actually referring to leveling my classroom library. This daunting task has hung over me for years. Do I level it by subject? By reading level? I prefer by reading level, but I have never found a solid way to accomplish this task, so it gets pushed aside in favor of the million other tasks I can finish.

The other day I was reading some Facebook posts and someone mentioned an app called "Level It" which gives the reading level for many, many titles. I'm not one to jump on the app bandwagon easily. I checked out this app, and found that it has many uses. It will give the level for many books, including the GLE, Lexile level, and DRA level. They can be found manually by typing in the ISBN number, author or title, or I can simply scan the ISBN code. Eureka! I can also build my library on the app and search popular titles by grade level. Wow!!! That makes me happy! It does cost a small fee, but I am willing to pay it for something like this. I'm thinking if I take a few tubs a week, it should be accomplished easily. This app can help me find new, appropriate titles for my below-, on- and above-level readers. Suh-weet!!!! Have an amazing week! (Here's a screenshot of one of the screens from the app. Happy leveling!)

I'll Love You Forever . . . .

How many of us, as mom's or teachers of very young children, both love and dread that beautiful story of "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch? It's a beautiful story of the circle of life and the love of a mother for her child. I cherish the love I have for my step-daughter and my son. I am, also, dealing with the second Mother's Day without my mother. She passed away last April 5 after a brief battle with lung cancer. I lost my dad 27 years ago (when he was 48--the same age I am) from the exact same disease in the exact same timeframe. Both were diagnosed around Christmas and Dad died March 26, Mom in April. Sadly ironic. . . I admit, I'm trying my very best to avoid recognition of this day. I would rather clean the pantry than celebrate. It will get better in the future, but not for right now. This makes me think about the kids that I have in my class and the ones from the past. So many of them have issues with their families. Sometimes school is the only safe place for them to fall. I can't imagine never being able to know that someone loves me so much that they would crawl in my window and hold me during the night. I hope and pray that I am sensitive enough to each of "my kids" that they will know that I will always be there for them. That's what we teachers do, isn't it? We love them forever . . . even if they are on our very last nerve? Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

The Clock is Ticking . . . The End is Coming and So is a Sale!

It's such a strange time of the year, isn't it? The clock is ticking to the end of the year and the beginning of summer. You are finishing up units, testing, testing, testing, and there is not a "normal" routine day in sight! What to do? I've come up with an easy, free activity for your literacy centers or for your "done firsties" to do while the rest are finishing up. Feel free to download it from my TpT store!

Summer Dreaming Make a List Tic-Tac-Toe click here.

Also, I'm throwing a sale! Yes! I'm participating in the TpT 

TpT Love Teachers 2-Day Sale!

Have an amazing week and I hope you feel appreciated for what you bring to your kiddos every single day!

Spring Has Finally Sprung (I hope!)

Wow! What an absolutely GORGEOUS day we had in central Ohio! It has been a long time coming! I was fortunate enough to be able to spend it at a tennis tournament at our school that my son played in. He is a senior this year, so each event is bittersweet. I'm sure many of you know how that is! We even took the puppy, Lola, along for a while. (Some day I'm going to start a blog about our puppy. . . she is QUITE a character! Notice where she is sitting! She gets up there with a vertical leap!)

But, enough about that character! I am SOO excited about the new Egg-cellent Spring and Easter Phonics Games pack I finally finished. Egg-cellent Spring and Easter Phonics Games {Aligned to the CCSS}This is one of those intense, short weeks this week. First of all, it's Holy Week. As a pastor's wife, our life takes on a whole other intensity during this most blessed of weeks. On the school side, we only have four days of school, but we have to pack in a reading unit test, Fountas & Pinnell testing on each of our students, and all of the usual stuff. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but these games will definitely help keep the class on task while I work individually with kids. I hope you find them helpful, as well!

Have a wonderful week, and a Blessed Holy Week!

It's Time to Kick It Up a Notch!

I am SO excited! I have had this idea floating in my brain for over a year, and I've finally put it down on paper! I have created a reading journal to go along with a chapter book for my high-level reading group, and I can't wait to get started on it!  I get a lot of gifted children in my class because I like to do fun and challenging activities with them. They love reading the Magic School Bus Chapter books, but I don't like to just read and move on. I created this journal using Bloom's taxonomy so it will challenge the kids to higher-level thinking skills. I can assign 2 chapters a day, and they can complete the pages as they read and then share them during reading group time. I'm anxious to get started, and if it works well, I will be creating more journals very soon, so STAY TUNED!

February Fun for Firsties Linky Party! Yeah!!!

I'm trying my first linky party with Primary Inspiration for fresh February ideas! Check them out, when you have time! I can't wait to try some of them!

Seriously, Punxsutawney Phil?

Seriously, Phil? What were you thinking? I don't know about all of you, but I'm wintered out! We have had SOOOOO many snow days and delays! (GASP! I NEVER thought those words would come out of my mouth!) I thought this week was looking more hopeful, but I see snow in the forecast for tomorrow and Thursday, and more sub-zero temperatures. Sigh . . . On a brighter note . . . Valentine's Day is coming! I love that day! My team decided many years ago to forego the "parent" party that day and just do it ourselves. The kids would get cranky when we made them put their cards down to play a game and do a craft. They just want to look at their valentines and eat sugar, sugar and more sugar! Whoa!

I have a few items in my TpT store that teachers seem to enjoy. Valentine Phonics Games for Literacy Centers seem to be very popular.

I also have Valen"times" math games and Valentines Critter Word Slides to help break the winter doldrums! I hope you have a safe, warm, wonderful week!

And Phil . . . . go back to sleep!

It's Here! Let the Christmas Craziness Begin!! (And Cyber Monday Sale, Too! Yeah!!!!!)

It's finally here! December! Christmas! Oh, how I love all of the fun of December! Christmas stories, crafts, lights and fun! What are your favorite things to do with your kids during these weeks? Alas, it also comes with challenges. One of the biggest that I find is keeping some sort of routine for the kids. "Business as usual" doesn't always work. Last year I created "A Math Problem a Day 'Til Christmas" which has a fun problem for the kids to solve each day. This is something you might like to use also!

I am participating in the Cyber Monday sale at Teachers Pay Teachers, and this is one of my items that is on sale! I hope you find it useful! A Math Word Problem a Day 'Til Christmas

Have an AWESOME week!

Fun and Learning in RTI!

How does your school handle RTI requirements? We have just begun instituting an RTI system this year, as required by the Third Grade Guarantee in Ohio. In first grade, the children that are identified for RTI go to teachers who have a Master's in reading or a reading endorsement. The kids from their classes are divided amongst the other three teachers to work on topics such as handwriting or grammar. Since we have no "official" RTI materials, I have been using a combination of Fountas & Pinnell's Phonics book, and some items I have created. The biggest struggle for me is that there is no certain "pathway" for the RTI. It is driven by the data collected to meet the needs of each child, but that does not always let me know what  or how I should be teaching. Finding ways to grab and keep their attention, make it fun, but very meaningful is such a HUGE task! Then there is challenging the rest of the class . . . the on level and above level kids. . .

Last week, the kids worked with some of my Short Vowel Word Slides

The kids really enjoyed using these word slides, and I have created them for all of the short vowels. The kids pull the slide through to create new words with each word family chunk. They write the word in the shape boxes and again on the line. I use the empty space to help them transfer the word chunks to create new words such as "then" and "Ben" on this particular example. I also have some for my other reading group levels, including a free download of a Thanksgiving themed  word slide Thanksgiving Turkey Digraph Word Slide. My on-level and above-level kids are ready for the digraphs, and even the Winter Penguin Consonant Blend Word Slides that I will be putting in my centers soon.

I can't wait until our Thanksgiving Feast next Tuesday! I will be sure to post some fun pictures! Have a great week!

Dianne

Cooking Up RTI

I admit it . . . I am a cookbook addict! Are there any others out there? I love looking through new cookbooks for that perfect mix of ingredients that will make my family's mouth water at the thought of it. I think, however, every time I am looking at a new cookbook, that I need one like a hole in the head. What I really need to do is go back through the ones I already have and use the recipes in them. Refine them, perfect them, and save the money and space in my house!

I am feeling that way about RTI and the Ohio Third Grade Guarantee. I am overwhelmed by the expectations, at this point. What I need to do is to go back to what I know. Refine it, perfect it, and present it to the kids in small portions so that they can begin to understand the concepts of reading. Obviously, if they have been selected for RTI, they have some "holes" in their learning, and I need to find ways to help them connect the reading dots so that they can be successful. I have spent a lot of time looking through a lot of websites with the latest and greatest recipes for reading success. What I really think I need to do is to take a deep breath, and start back at the beginning. I was looking through my vast stock of books and materials and I came across the Fountas and Pinnell Phonics books that I purchased many years ago. These are some very sound reading activities that should fit the bill. Whew!

It's so easy to feel overwhelmed with all of the unrealistic expectations placed on teachers today. I love the analogy of holding the dentist responsible for the number of cavities each of his patients have upon a visit to the office. Sometimes it seems the same for us. However, when I look into those small, trusting faces, I realize that I am the person, in their lives right now, who needs to help make a difference at this moment. That is my call . . . .

Where to Begin?

Where to begin? That's what I've been pondering for many weeks now. Ever since I decided to create a blog, I have been trying to decide about the direction to move with it. I was thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of my teaching style, and I keep coming back to differentiation in the classroom. That is, trying to teach the kids in different ways to match their learning style and their academic level. I think that is, or should be, the goal of most teachers. Sometimes I would consider this both my greatest strength and my greatest weakness.

I love to work with gifted children. (I do believe that every child is "gifted" in some way), but the ones that I am referring to here are the traditional idea of gifted where the kids tend to think and even work, somewhat "outside of the box." Sometimes this is at higher academic levels. However, often, it is a different way of thinking . . . a different way of coming at an idea or a project that doesn't follow the "norms."

In every classroom, a teacher usually has a mix of children. Most are working somewhere in the range of the average child, a few struggle with the basics and a few are out there in the advanced-to-gifted realm. The most difficult job is, of course, to find ways to reach all of them with the small amount of time allotted to us throughout the day.

As a first grade teacher, I am continuously working to find new or different ways to achieve this. I have always tried to differentiate the reading levels. That is not too difficult, except for the time factor, through reading groups. I give a regular spelling list and an alternate list each week, which is relatively easy to accomplish, also. Three mornings a week, I try to have an alternate math group for some of my higher-achieving math students.

I know I can do more . . . I know I can do better. With the new Third Grade Guarantee and it's requirements being organized in Ohio, our schools are trying to find a way to differentiate even more. I have my Master's degree in Elementary Reading, so I'm going to be right in the center of it. That requires even more small group work for the "at-risk" readers, so that will be a stronger focus.

In a nutshell, I am hoping, through this blog, to help other teachers work through some of the issues of the differentiated classroom with me. I will try to keep it light, keep it fun, and keep it relevant!

Talk to you soon!!!!!!