Let the planning begin...

Summer school came to a close last Thursday, and the 4th of July holiday has passed... so all you teachers know what that means - Back to School planning!  That is where I find myself these days.  Looking at blogs and getting ideas how to set up my classroom, activities for the first few days, processes and procedures I want to integrate or tweak, and making sure my classroom wall embellishments are completed.

I don't know about you but there is always that anxiety ... what am I going to do with my students that first day of school?  My administrators want us to go over processes and procedures for the first 2 weeks of school but, seriously??  I could understand doing that with the younger kiddos but 6th graders, I believe they can learn as they go.  Yes. it is very important to set straight the expectations with your students what they are going to experience as a new 6th grader in your classroom but for 2 weeks ... especially when my district sets out doing baseline/benchmark testing the 2nd week of school.  We got some learning to begin.

So, as I was perusing the pages of Pinterest (my secret obsession ... got a few minutes to kill ... troll Pinterest and file away the ideas) I came across a blog from The Thinker Builder on Setting the Tone of the classroom within the first 10 minutes of the first day ... and there was a really good idea/activity to use while the students are getting settled in on that fated first day.  To read all about this interesting way to start the year click on the image to your left and you will be linked right to this interesting way to plan the first few minutes of the new school year,




I don't know about you but I absolutely fell in love with the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio.  My 4th graders liked it but I don't think they understood the real meaning behind the story.  So. next year with my 6th graders I am going to read the book with them as a book study ... hopefully starting the first week of school so on that note Pinterest showed me this delightful treat which I want to incorporate in my classroom with my students.  Click on the lower right image to get the free download for these "kindness cards" which you can print and use.  I want to initiate their use first with my students then encourage them to distribute them among their classmates and staff throughout the school.  Sometimes making someone else's day a little brighter will bring wonderful joy to your own.  I really want to help guide the students to think about the well-being of other people they interact with on a daily basis and not just themselves.  I believe in turn they will find they help themselves more than they would ever know.









These are just a few things which are going through my mind or I am jotting down in my notebook to remind myself of what I could potentially utilize those first important minutes, hours, and days of the 2017-2018 school year.  What ideas have you come across?  I would really like to get some collective ideas which we could potentially use to make the school year start off smoothly and enjoyably.

I really hope to hear from some of you ... any of you...

I'm Back!!

Well, that didn't last long!!!

I know I have been absent from my own blog but, when your heart really isn't in the content you are teaching it's kinda hard to write on it.  I love teaching and that is what kept driving me this past year.   I don't know what it is about the 4th grade age group but, wow their mouths don't stop.  In the past, with my 6th graders, yeah they talked, a lot of time when it wasn't warranted but, seriously I these 9-10-year old mouths/jaws should be exhausted because they were non-stop last year!  I liked my team and there were some highs last year but getting used to a whole different age group, curriculum, school, and administration did not leave a lot of time or drive to keep up on my posting.... and for that, I apologize  - to those who actually read my ramblings on...

Now I am excited and rejuvenated for the next school year.  This will be the first year I will be teaching in a contained 6th grade class since my 1st three years of teaching 6th grade was semi-departmentalized in which I focused on ELA & Social Studies.  Now, I will be covering all subjects so I say ... Bring it On!!  My Pinterest boards have been getting refreshed with new content and removal of some old (4th grade Social Studies especially).  I will keep quite a bit of what I did with my 4th graders this past year as a resource for interventions and scaffolding for content which some of my lower students may not have mastered as expected before entering  6th grade.  Planning has begun and it has created quite an excitement for me.   I LOVE 6th GRADE... the content and the kiddos.  I know there is the chance of great drama and anguish but, I deal with it really well and the kids seem to really get me at that age.

I already have my 1st activity of the 1st week of school planned ... I am going to do an Escape Room activity to help create teamwork, collaboration, and community with my new group of students.   I actually completed the activity with my summer school colleagues and  I LOVED IT!!  the thought process, critical thinking, and  challenge  presented  to get through the tasks to "Escape" was fun and gave a great sense of  accomplishment when you were able to solve a series of problems which in turn allowed you to earn your freedom.  Along with this activity will be a series of community building activities which will segway into starting the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio.  I fell in love with this book last year and want to have my 6th graders read it and implement many of the teachings and lessons which are integrated with the book towards our classroom environment.  This will also allow us to have a field trip in November when the movie is released in theaters to see it on the big screen then compare/contrast between the book and the movie.   Anytime I can use a movie to enhance a lesson I am all over it!!  Mary Poppins for setting being a background character, a montage of Disney movies to help hone in theme, comparing/contrast the literature to the movie... all that fun to help solidify the expected content is one of the many tools in my arsenal to help my students achieve success for the year.

See, I jump from one area to another because I am that excited to get the 2016-2017 school year started and back to my wonderful and delightful 6th grade.  I cannot wait and I will try to make this a better habit ...  I need to reflect and grow and this platform will give me just the avenue to do this.

On another note, I have decided, along with 2 other colleagues to pursue our National Board Certification.  Please pray for me as I begin this journey...  hopefully I will still retain my sanity and some hair when it is all done.