What's On Your List?

Recently I joined a blogging group and it has a 31 day challenge to improve your blog. I am loving it! Todays challenge is to write a list post. I love lists! Then I got to thinking about what I would write a list about and all I could think about were other lists I had going. So I decided to do my list post about lists!  (Hee hee, a list about lists!)

Here are a few lists that could be found at any given time on any given write-on-friendly surface:

• Books to read
• Does this list ever get smaller?

• Books I have read
• people tease me, but you won't be finding me reading the same book twice by accident! (cough Marilyn cough)

• Groceries
• on going on the side of the fridge

• To do list
• both at home and at school

• Ideas of things to try
• usually for school especially this time of year

• Bucket List

• Movies
• Thanks to Netflix! Not only is this list of ones to watch, but a good way to check if I have watched it or not and how I felt about it

• Blogs I am following

• Chores around house
• sometimes this is the only way I can get stuff done. I mean come one, who doesn't get satisfaction from seeing this: clean bathroom

• Food diary

• Things to pack
• I am going on a trip this weekend and one has to make sure they pack their underpants

• Book Wish List
• because there aren't enough unread books on my bookshelves

• Songs to buy from ITunes
• I like to use buying songs as rewards, usually for a workout goal, so I have a nice list of wish list songs to work towards

• People to send snail mail to

• My favorite list of all time can be found here.

Lists are a big part of life. Even as I am writing this, I am coming up with even more lists that I use and have in my life, especially at school. Even sometimes when I am bored I will make lists that are silly such as: things you find in a bathroom, songs that have one word titles, etc.

Even this challenge probably has a list written on a fast food bag, receipt or junk mail somewhere written by someone!

What are some lists you make?

P.S. If you need help thinking of a list to write, you could write one about how awesome I am! ;0)

Ms. Wilson, Don't You Have a Game We Can Play?

Good news! I heard today that my ceiling in my classroom is fixed! Which means I can get in there soon. Just knowing that it is fixed eases my anxiety.

Tonight I decided to work on my bucket list and also do work for my classroom. While watching Law & Order: SVU I am making my own flash cards.

Late in the year I came up with a brilliant idea with the help of the students I tutored after school. I have always struggled with how to get students to be more fluent with their math facts. It comes down to the fact that they just need to memorize them.

During tutoring I had each student pick a multiplication fact that they wanted to work on and we made flash cards. We practiced those for awhile and then I had a light bulb moment! I made fact families with each of the facts. It amazed me that students would know what 4 x 6 was but you ask them 6 x 4 and the acted like you just asked them the meaning of string theory.

Eureka! So for the rest of the year, every day we practiced the same 5 fact families.  I am convinced that it may just work!

Beginning this year I am going to hit the road running. I am going to work on five math facts at a time, equaling 20 math facts a day until they get them down and then we will move on to the next set.

Now I am trying to think of fun ways to practice these. My last class LOVED around the world, but there were a few students who weren't always successful. It did at times motivate a few of the students because they were tired of loosing. I want to turn it into a sort of game with a fun name. So far  I have come up with:

Math Warriors or Math Gladiators with a possible "fact" thrown in there. I was thinking of some fun "pump-you-up" kind of music to play at the beginning and get them all pumped up. It's still in the works though.


Any ideas? Either for a song to play, name for the game or game?

Blue Mug

Oh what a Sunday! I found a new *heart flutter* while visiting an old one!

I started out the day at a swim meet supporting some former students. I realized how much I missed this time in my life, both summer swim team and high school swim team.

I miss this more than a fat kid misses chocolate cake.

I had plans to take Titan Ted in to get checked out, but Honda likes to enjoy the Sabbath. So plan B was to explore an "orange sherbet" coffee shop. I found The Blue Mug and found my new little piece of heaven! I. LOVED. THIS. COFFEE SHOP! I loved everything about it.

While reading the website, the first line says,

"Think Frank Sinatra + the smell of fresh roasted coffee + relaxing music + local artists = happiness"

 

It is like my heart speaking! I did not actually hear Frank Sinatra, but did enjoy the music that was playing. I danced in my seat to songs from the 50's such as "Teenager in Love" and "Jailhouse Rock." Best part, listening to the barista sing along. He and I could be good friends!

 

I really enjoyed both baristas and how they treated the customers. At one point this little boy came in with his mom and the male barista was so friendly and treated him like he was a super star. I also got to chat with this little guy as he waited for his mom to get her drink.

 

I got my treats and found a seat and sunk down into an amazingly comfy chair with my book. There were books for people to read, cards and games to play. I took joy in the decorations and atmosphere. Plus you could drink free water out of a mason jar! I dig mason jars!  

 

 

Plus a place that has this to share with its coffee consumers, can't be all that bad!

 

 

I wish that this coffee shop was in my town and not forty minutes away. I guess that will just make it even more of a treat when I do get to go!

 

As I was leaving, I found this outside:

 

Well said!

 

Do you have a favorite coffee shop?





4 A.M Planning

I made the mistake of thinking about school as I tried to fall asleep after a three A.M bathroom break. If you are a teacher, you may know what this means. If not, I will tell you. It means that it is now 5:00 and I am wide awake with a pen and my notebook!

It is usually about this time of the summer that I consider going into my classroom and start getting a few things done to get ready for the upcoming year. There is only one BIG problem this year.

Yikes! So thankful this happened during the summer!

 

This is what my classroom looked like the last time I saw it! In the process of replacing the roof, my celling surrendered to gravity. I know that maintenance and administration is working hard to get this problem fixed in time for school to start, but it does put a damper on me going in and working. I have heard that there is no longer anything "hanging" down anymore, so progress already!

I decided that I would share a new management piece I am going to try to implement this year. I would love to give credit to where I found the idea, but I can't remember where. It was either from the Mailbox Magazine or Pintrest.

The whole class works together showing positive behavior to complete a puzzle. This will be a good activity for the beginning of the year when you are helping the students learn the routines and what you expect of them. Each time they accomplish the desired task, they get a puzzle piece. I am going to keep them in a bag or box and have a student pull a piece out without looking and then place it on the white board. I like this added challenge, because they won't be able to put it together right away, but will have to wait until they draw pieces that will fit together!

I bought a small count piece puzzle (I think 25)  at the Dollar Store (I found a tiger one, which is our mascot, but it was 100 pieces, and I wanted  them to be successful sooner than that) and  then added magnets to the back. I also numbered each piece to help me to make sure that I have all the pieces.

 

This did not work as well as I had hopped once we tried it out on the fridge. Several pieces weren't sticking very well, so I had to add more magnet. By placing another piece of magnet on each tab this helped solve the problem.

 Then after Ms. Wilson is happy 25 times....

 

Once they have completed the puzzle then they will be rewarded with the reward voted on. It seems as if extra recess is a good motivator and is easy for me to provide. We will see how it goes this year! I may try to find another puzzle or two to add some variety.

P.S. I don't plan to take away any puzzle pieces when they do not show the desired behavior, but that may change.

So now that the alarm is to go off in an hour, I am probably going to try to go back to sleep since I have  some ideas and plans written down.

If you are a teacher, what reward system do you do for the whole class?

If you aren't a teacher, do you remember how your teachers rewarded you?

Not Make Believe

I. LOVE. SUMMER BREAK! I got up this morning and went on nice long walk with one of my friends that I work with. She came to Fort Morgan and we walked all around town. We ended up at Sonic for a little breakfast.
 
I. LOVE. SONIC! I have always enjoyed this little spot of heaven and I love the commercials.

I picked this one for several reasons. 1) I had a mango iced tea and 2) a few of my students and I quoted this one during the school year and it made me laugh.

On my walk with Cassie the other day, I got blisters. Sad face. I have had my tennis shoes for two years now, and I guess that means it is time to get new ones. I. HATE. BUYING. NEW TENNIS SHOES. I just hate spending that much money on shoes that may or may not hurt your feet. I had good luck last time I bought shoes, so I crossed my fingers for the next pair.

Today on our way back to the house, our local shoe store was having a sidewalk sale. Gravy Train!  I found a new pair of tennis shoes for half price! They fit! It helped that it was the same brand as my last pair and knew that I liked the brand. Hopefully they truly will work and not hurt my feet.

What do you like to get when you go to Sonic?

What do you not like to shop for?

Stretching the Comfort Zone

I wanted to blog today but don't feel as I had much to blog about other than my amazing walk today with Cassie and not to mention a nice cup of cold Joe. So I decided to find a writing prompt and have some fun. I tried to find one that I would give to my students and found one here.  I choose a poetry one because poetry is not my strong suit. Every year we say we need to beef up on the poetry, but it just slips away from us. With the standards changing and poetry is going to be a bigger part of reading and writing, we figured we should probably get our act together and explore poetry more.

I enjoy kids poetry. The silly fun poems that you know what they are about and make you smile. Shel Silvertein knew what he was doing! The more adult poetry and I have a harder time getting along.

At first I was pretty enthusiastic about this little writing assignment I gave myself, but as I sat down to do it, the excitement drained out of me like an over watered hanging plant. Then I thought, well what would I tell my students? Just start writing. So here we go!

Find 3 interesting photos or pictures in a magazine, then write a poem that includes all 3 images.

 

 

 

 

Like a kite high in the sky

Lana's heart soared with freedom

She knew who she was and what she wanted in life

She wanted to love and to be loved.

 

She didn't have a problem being "alone"

or at least by the world's standards of alone.

Being in love with who she was helped

The friends she had in her life filled what emptiness she did have

 

It didn't take much to make Lana smile

coffee with friends, getting lost in a good book,

Dancing in the rain, reenacting Gene Kelly,

exploring the world around her.

 

Without any doubt, she knew that one day

she too would experience

the sweet innocence of Vada and Thomas J

She would be someone's girl.

 

 

Well....there she be. I probably should have picked different pictures, but I suppose that could have defeated some of the purpose. I would have much rather written a story to go with the pictures, but that wasn't the prompt!

 

I couldn't remember the names of the characters in "My Girl" so I went looking on the Internet and found the poem that Vada wrote after Thomas J dies and thought I would share it also.

 

 Weeping willow with your tears running down,

why do you always weep and frown?

 Is it because he left you one day?

 Is it because he could not stay?

On your branches he would swing,

Do you long for the happiness that day would bring?

He found shelter in your shade.

 You thought his laughter would never fade.

 Weeping willow, stop your tears.

There is something to calm you fears.

You think death has ripped you forever apart.

But I know he'll always be in your heart.

 

What are your thoughts on poetry? Do you read it? Do you write it?

 

A Picture I Love

I have just stumbled across something that could be a lot of fun! Wordy Wednesday! I was cruising around Pintrest and found a writing prompt pin. Clicking on it in hopes of finding some help for next year's writing class, I found fun for me!

I fell in love with this blog instantly and wanted to participate! So I am going to give it a try. Since it is Tuesday and there will be a new prompt for Wordy Wednesday tomorrow, I better get started!

Here is the writing prompt:

Share a favorite picture from your life (recent or not!). Tell the backstory and share the details surrounding the picture.

 

 

I took this picture a few years ago on the Fourth of July while at a friend's back yard gathering. I was giving my had at a picture project that required a picture for everyday of the year. Somewhere deep down inside of me there is a photographer. This sweet little girl went running by with a flag and I could just see the picture take shape in my imagination. I reached out and grabbed her and asked if I could take her picture. What a great model she is! I wasn't able to get the flag to stay still behind her since it was raining at that moment and as always the wind was blowing. I had a friend hold the flag steady while I snapped a few shots. Not sure why the flag came out like it did, but I like it. I titled it "Young American Pride."

 

It is now framed and up in my living room because I like it that much. I love the reminder of where we live and the lives that were given up so this little girl can live a life worth living.

 

I am still trying my hand at photography but enjoying the adventure!