Friday, August 29, 2014

Day 13... District Pep Rally

Today was a PD day for our district,  starting with the yearly pep really and competition for the coveted spirit award.   One of the highlights of the rally this year was our motivational speaker.  He was a chalk artist and this is what he drew during his speech. .. I'm in total awe of his talent!   His speech was about focusing on our strengths not our weaknesses because our weakness might go from weak to average but our strength could go from good to great.   What a powerful message!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Day 12... Whiteboarding

After the card sort,  I wanted students to practice more on Cluster vs Stratified sampling.   I gave each group the 2011 #3 question on the apartment carpet and gave them 2 minutes to "Pause and Think", followed with 2 minutes of group discussion.   Finally I passed out the group whiteboards and had them "Jot your Thoughts".  We put each whiteboard around the room and did a Gallery Walk to read other people's thoughts.   My favorite part was when one group realized on their own that they had misread the question after reading other boards.  :) 

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Day 11... Sorting Sampling Methods

After the past two days of Jelly Blubbers,  it was time to put our learning into practice.  Students were given 32 cards and asked to sort by the sampling methods.  I loved wandering about the classroom and listening to the conversations!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Day 10.. #IBelieve

Our school has a yearly theme and this year's theme is #IBelieve.   On the second day of school,  I had kids write an #IBelieve tweet but finally had the time to put the board together.   :)

Monday, August 25, 2014

Day 9... Jelly Blubbers

Today we started learning about the different sampling methods and graphed our averages on the board for discussion.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Day 8... Can you count?

Today,  we learned that a census isn't the best way to gather information because counting is HARD!  Students were given 3 minutes to count all the G's in a story and then graph their results.  

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Day 7... Literacy

One of my goals this year is to use the textbook more.   Yesterday and today,  I have the students some reading questions from their textbook.   Each group numbered off,  then read and answered the question assigned to their number.   Then they got into number groups to check their work before going back to their home group to share out.   This was a great way to preview the chapter and give them ownership of their learning.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Day 6.. Down to business

On my desk is the quote "The best way to learn is to do;  the worst way to teach is to talk."  Today,  we started doing statistics.   After setting up our notebooks, kids jumped in with reading and jigsawing some important concepts.   A few notes and then we did some practice problems.   All in all, it was a great day!

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Day 5... Welcome Back!

As a warm up today, students were given 6 post it notes to answer 6 questions around the room.   This is definitely on the keeper list for first day activities! !!

Monday, August 18, 2014

Day 4... Ready for kiddos (I think!)

Ready or not, kiddos arrive tomorrow!  The tables are ready for them!! 

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Day 3.. #IBelieve

Today we had time to work in our  classrooms,  so I tried to get everything done that I could,  including my bulletin board and one of my first day activities.   Our school theme this year is #IBelieve.  I created Twitter strips for students to "tweet" their #IBelieve statements.   I'm really excited about this bulletin board!

Day 2.. I <3 school supplies!

Today was mostly meetings but I did get a chance to test out my new pencil sharpener.   I think I'm in love!   When sharpening new pencils,  I wasn't totally convinced that this sharpener was special,  but check out those tips!   That's the sharpest I've ever seen!  The real amazement came when sharpening the dull pencils in my spare cup. .. wowzers!  This sharpener makes beautiful points every time and you know exactly when it's done. . No more guessing and checking and trying again!   Yay!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Day 1... I have the BEST friends!

One of my friends gave me this awesome gift for my birthday!   Flairs are the best best best pens for grading!!!  Love!

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Day 0... Ready for a New Year!!

After a very short summer,  it's time to return to the classroom (and to my trusty laminator! ).
Why does laminating make me so happy?  :)