Workin it Wednesday

I am loving these linkies!!! I have linked up with some great teachers to share what we have been working on!

This week I have been working on my brain break smart board activity. I have created it in various themes.

These have some awesome songs on them that the kids love.  They can be found at my tpt store!!!

I am starting some new items hopefully will be done to share next week! !

Summer linky

I am excited to join this linky and awesome group of teachers to talk about what I have been doing this summer!

Well, I have been moving my classroom and I am now moving my house!

I have created some smartboard items and placed them onto TPT. Very excited!!!!

I have bought my planner as nd d ome awesome pens which I can not wait to use!

I have read some awesome books, Teach Like A Pirate and Eating Mangoes.

I am leaving Sunday for the Model Schools Conference in Washington, DC.

My goal is to create some more products and travel some!

AAAArgh you ready for a giveaway???

I am very excited!! here is my first giveaway!! Just become a follower on my blog and in bloglovin and enter the sweepstakes below. Two random winners will be chosen!! The prizes are a thirtyone small carryall bag (great for pens, stamps and other goodies on your teacher desk) and a 15 dollar TPT gift certificate!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you a purple cow or a brown cow??? Chapter 5 Teach Like A Pirate- Transformation

So ask yourself this question:                      Are you a

                                                                              or a

We all would like to be purple cows. Purple cows are fun and exciting. That is how we all would like our students to view our classrooms. If we are a brown cow then we are ordinary. Our classroom is touching upon what is needed but not in the manner in which the students are excited.

There are two questions that were asked in this chapter:

If your students didn't have to be there, would you be teaching to an empty room?

Think about your classroom, is it one that students want to be there. Do your students come sick or not? Is the environment exciting?

Do you have any lessons you could sell tickets for?

Think about your lessons, are there any that your kids loved and wanted more of. Are they exciting, educational and keep your students on task and leaving wanting more.

These are two questions that many would not answer yes to but they are thought provoking and need to be kept in the back of your mind when creating that unit or new classroom activity or environment.

Positioning and Reframing

How do you position your lessons?  Positioning is important. How you teach will place your lessons on a scale of boring to exciting. It is how we relay the information and present the lesson that will position them with our students.

Do you reframe? Reframing is when we change the perceptions of the material by our students. many will say they hate a subject but do they hate it or how it has been taught to them? It is up to us to reframe their opinions and thoughts. Reframing is done at times with quick thinking and a simple strategy that makes it more understandable. it is taking a situation that could be detrimental and turning it into a success.

So are you a purple cow or a brown cow?

                                                                            

It's easy for you. You're creative: The six words of chapter 4 in Teach Like a Pirate

Have you ever heard those words? It's easy for you. You're creative. How do you respond and do you agree? Chapter 4 is Ask and Analyze. We all are creative, we just have to ask the right questions and analyze ourselves and our lessons.

People have this false idea that either you are creative or you are not. They put people into these two categories. What they fail to see that being creative takes work. We are not born creative. We work towards this.

As the great Michelangelo has said:

"If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my master, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all"

 

Michelangelo

When you are on the outside looking at the finished product, it is easy to say wow, they are so creative and assume that it comes natural. Those looking in from the outside do not see all of the hard work that goes into our "creativity".

Asking the right question will assist with your creativity. Analyzing our lessons will also assist. It is important that we look back on what we have done and look to see what worked and didn't work. I always stress to the teachers that I have mentored or to my student teachers that self reflection is vital for the success in our classroom. It is through self reflection that we grow as an educator!

Then we look at our failures. It is ok to fail. We all do. We then take these opportunities and use the feedback and create better activities, make us a better educator.

We must remember that it is ok to have a life outside of the classroom. Taking our experiences and weaving them into our classroom will increase our passion and enthusiasm.

This week's saying

I was blown away when I say this saying.  My kindergators do this everyday!  This is the new saying that will Greet people as they enter our room!

A new experience

I am trying out a new experience and that is placing my smart board items on teachers pay teachers.  I am a little nervous so we will see.  My first new item is my Bodacious Brain breaks. I already have November and December attendance activities but I was practicing and did not add a thumbnail.  So here's to a new experience.  The brainbreak activity is shown here.

Pip Camera App

I have been introduced to this awesome app by some of my blogging friends. This app is on both iphones and androids. It is called pip camera and it takes ordinary photos and adds pizzazz to them.

So download this app today on your smartphone and start playing. It gets to be very addicting!!

Classroom Linky

Oh, my!!! I am loving these Linky parties!!! Blogging has become a way of life for me. I am linking up with Miss Kindergaten and Ashley Reed in a linky party about classroom decorating!!!

linky party

 I love to find new and cute ways to decorate my classroom.

This linky is asking us to post ten things we find to decorate our classroom from pinterest! My first thought was only 10!!!  So after much thought and a huge elimination process, here are my ten pins. Click on the links under the pictures to go to the site!

1. 

organization idea 1

I love this site! There are so many great ways to organize your classroom!

2.

organization 2

I love the tubs and of course, they are from the Dollar Store!!! Another love of mine!

3.

organization 3

I love this listening center!!!

4. 

organization 4

I love the pictures on the tubs so my kindergators can find what they need easily!

5.

organization 5

I am in love with this and I so wish I could do this in my room! Can you say JEALOUS!!!

6.

organization 6

I love how the shelves are color coded so you can place those tubs there for easy access.

7.

organization 7

I love how neat and tidy this area is. The bins are covered nicely so you can not see inside. Love the cork boards for displays!

8.

 

organization 8

I love this area. the saying on the board just touched me! 

9.

organization 9

OMG!!!! can you say I WANT this in my room! I absolutely love this!!! It is my goal to create this for my classroom!

and finally 10

 organization 10

Awesome ideas are found here! Organization is made easy!

Well, there are my ten links. I have many many more but ten was the magical number! if I could achieve just a few of these I would be a happy camper!ten pin linky party

All I Really....

I would have to say that this has to be one of my favorite posters! I loved the book and I love my poster! When I start to get flustered because someone says to me, I don't know why you are so stressed out all you do is teach Kindergarten, I look at this poster and it reminds me of how important Kindergarten is!!!!

AAAAArgh your students important to you? Chapter 3 of Teach Like A Pirate- Rapport

How do we get our students to succeed? How do we get them to "buy into" our way? These are answered in chapter 3- Rapport.

Dave Burgess stresses the importance of getting to know our students. Knowing them and relating to them as humans not just as those who we are in charge of for the school year. Getting to know them on a personal note, what they like, do not like and using this information to tailor our lessons will increase student success. If they are engaged, they will be successful. There will be less behavior problems and more smiles. How can we create exciting and relevant lessons if we do not take the time to learn what they enjoy? How can we intrigue and hook them if we do not know what they are interested in?

Our classrooms must be safe and secure places where the students know it is ok to laugh and sing and it is ok to try new things. Will they always be successful the first time? No but this is where a safe environment comes into play. It is up to us to create an environment that is meanness free. An environment where creativity can flourish. It is important for them to trust you.

Let the students see that you are human. That you enjoy what you do. If we are enthusiastic then they will be enthusiastic. Their success and their attitude is dependent on us- the teachers. They feed off of us!

Setting the tone is vital. Dave Burgess stresses that the first three days of school are the most important. This is when they experience us for the first time. This is when the atmosphere and expectations are created. Rules are created and students meet and get to know each other.

The students must see us as humans as well. There must be trust between all and the students must feel safe when they enter our classrooms. If you take the time to get to know your students, create exciting and relevant lesson plans, create an environment that is safe and secure, allow them to know and see you as a human being,  and have fun then your students will be success.

Know what they like!!!! Learn their interests!!!

AAAArgh you a lifeguard or a swimmer? Chapter 2 of Teach Like a Pirate- Immersion

What a chapter!!! It was short but important. When you reflect upon your role in the classroom and how you are with your students, ask yourself this question: AAAAArgh you a lifeguard or a swimmer?

If you are the type of teacher who is on the side lines, not engrossed or interacting with your students then you would answer lifeguard. The message you are sending is that this moment is not important.

If you are interacting and are WITH your students then you are a swimmer. The message that you are sending is that there is no place else you would rather be. That this is it!

Immersion is what makes an effective teacher. The students know when you are there and when you are are there in body but not soul. It is immersion that sparks success, love of learning and desire. It is immersion that lights the fire.

The energy that comes from us when we are immersed is the energy that keeps our students involved. It fosters their love of learning.

So again, AAAAAAAAArgh you a life guard or a swimmer?

A quote for this week

Teach Like A Pirate!!!

I love pirates! My classroom theme is Pirates and gators. When I saw that there was a book study on the book, Teach Like a Pirate, I thought that is a book for me!! So I linked up with Third Grade Tidbits and many other awesome bloggers for the.....                                                

If you would like to order this awesome book and become part of this book study, click on the link below and go to Third Grade Tidbits and link up!

 

My book arrived yesterday and I have already read chapter 1. It truly has begun to inspire me already. Dave Burgess is an amazing author. Passion is the topic of chapter 1. He has broken it down into 3 areas of passion:

Content Passion: What are content area are you passionate about to teach?

I have been teaching Kindergarten for just shy of twenty years and I love to teach everything. I am passionate about my job and my kids.  I love to teach reading because I love literature and exposing my students to all genres. I love seeing the pride in their faces and the smiles as they read a sentence for the first time!!! I love to teach math because it is awesome seeing their little brains come up with so many different ways to solve problems and how proud they are when they can add and subtract. I am passionate about social studies because I feel it is important for them to learn whee we have been in order for them to learn about where they are going to. History is just fascinating and the kids love to learn and experience it! Science is a hands on experience where they get to become problem solvers and little scientists and do experiments. I am so passionate about teaching the content areas that my passion rubs off onto my students and they excel!

Professional Passion: What are you passionate about in your profession?

I am passionate about my kids! I love every group I get. i want to see the smiles on their faces when they complete a difficult task for the first time or the look of surprise on their faces when an experiment works or does not work. In Kindergarten, everything is a new experience. I am passionate about ensuring that this year will be one full of discovery, fascination, creativity, culture, problem solving, success and love!

I am passionate about learning new things. I love professional development opportunities, conferences, PLC's and blogging. I learn so much. All this knowledge allows me to provide my students with as many experiences possible. I strive to make then as passionate about school as I am!

Personal Passion: What are you passionate about in your personal life?

In my life, I am a single mom and I am passionate about my five year old. Every day is an adventure. I strive to ensure that she has as many life experiences as possible. I want her to love life as much as I do. I want her to love to learn and to take chances. She needs to learn that it is ok to make mistakes, that is how we learn!

Chapter 1 was awesome! If you love teaching, read this book. it will inspire you to be better!!! I can not wait until chapter 2.