Monday, January 27, 2014

Read Like A Pirate!

We began reading our pirate books today that we received through the Donors Choose grant that was funded! The kids loved reading them and using the reading phones. Two kids got to sit in the pirate boats to read their books. It was so cute listening to them take the picture walks through the stories and read in a pirates voice.

The kids aaaargh very excited to read like  pirates!

Thank you Donors Choose!!! :-)

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Awesome Pencil Sharpener

Hello, everyone!!

I am so excited!! I got the opportunity to receive one of these awesome pencil sharpeners from Classroom Friendly Supplies to use in my classroom, review and even give one away!!!! This is very exciting!!!

These are known as the
I have to say it really is! I received this in the mail and brought it to my classroom immediately. I teach Kindergarten and they are obsessed with the electric pencil sharpener. Well, the noise during pencil sharpening time is enough to drive anyone crazy. I showed them all how to use our new bright pink pencil sharpener (of course, the girls went bananas over the fact it was pink and then the boys  oh great a pink sharpener! ha ha). It was so quiet! It was easy for my kids to use and the amazing thing was it made the pencils sharp to the point where we went from sharpening three times a day to basically once, maybe twice because of an accidental breakage! 

Here is my new sharpener in my pencil area!
The cord that you see is not to the sharpener. It is to my laminator that is on the left side! The pencil baskets are from Big Lots and I painted them with the Sharpie paint pens!
I love how the sharpener is not big and bulky, It does not take up a lot of room so if you have very little space, this is the sharpener for you!

What else is nice about this sharpener is it holds the pencil tight into the sharpener so this helps my kindergators sharpen the pencil without taking forever because it will not sharpen. 

Here is my sharpener with the pencil in it ready to be sharpened!
This is the front view


This is the side view
To insert the pencil you just pull out the front, press the two levers on top insert pencil and you are ready to go. 

It takes very little turns of the sharpener to make the pencils sharp. Another awesome thing is it does not eat the pencil. The pencils will last longer! This is great because I go through a lot of pencils with my kindergators because the sharpener eats them! Look at how sharp the pencils get with just 3-4 turns of the handle!
sharp!!
Look how sharp!!!!!!

These sharpeners come in other colors as well. They come in green, blue, red, black and pink. Here they are:

And for those who use the larger pencils for your little ones, they even have a new large hole sharpener!
This is a sharpener for every one. Here is a little video about this amazing sharpener!


So now who wants to win one of these awesome sharpeners! It is easy to do! Just leave me a comment on my blog, like my Facebook page, like classroom friendly supplies on Facebook and enter through Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

   

So there you have it! This is an amazing pencil sharpener! Check it out! I will never buy another kind of sharpener again!!!
                                          

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Arctic Animal Padlet

I have made a padlet for my Arctic Animals Unit. please feel free to use! I love these and it makes it easier to access different videos and book readings for my topic.

Here it is embedded:



Here is the direct link: http://padlet.com/wall/arcticanimalsk

Just Me January

I am excited to be linking up with Kindersisters for their linky, Just Me January!


In this linky, we are getting to know each other!

So here we go, all about me:
My name!
My name is Cindy Price

What is your hometown/state?
I was born and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts! I lived in the Berkshires! I lived not far from Norman Rockwell, Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson and Fenway Park. These are just a few!!!!

Photos of Pittsfield - Featured Images
This photo of Pittsfield is courtesy of TripAdvisor



Are you a morning or night person?

I am definitely a morning person!



Are you a collector of anything?

I am a collector of many things!!!! I love knick knacks!
I collect: Willow tree Angels, snowmen, Precious Moments and alligators!










What is the most used app on your smart phone?

The most used app on my smartphone is Instagram!!!


What is your favorite cereal?


I love Fruity Pebbles. Yes, I know it is not the healthiest of cereals but I have loved this cereal since I was a kid!


What is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet?

The oldest pair of shoes in my closet is a pair of slippers I got 8 years ago in Alaska! They are Moose!

What is your favorite snack?

My favorite snack is Special K Bars and Fiber One Brownies!

City or country?

Both have things I love so I would want to live in the country close enough to get to the city!


What is your favorite thing about teaching?



My students are my favorite thing about teaching!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Top Ten Tips

I am linking up with Lauren over at Love, Laughter and learning for her linky party of top ten tips for new teachers!



I remember when I walked into my classroom for the very first time! Oh, how I was excited, nervous and scared! Will I be successful? Did I make the right career choice? These are all thoughts and concerns that most if not all new teachers have at one point during their first year!

So here are some "words of wisdom" that I have after 20 years in education:

1.  Top Tip for Classroom Organization

Plastic tubs and a label maker are or will be your best friend. I store all of my units, papers and books in tubs. I label each one. This keeps all of your stuff at your finger tips. I also have a container that stores all of my crayons by color.I have tubs and containers for everything. I also make sure all cabinets are labeled. This makes it easy to find thins when you need them.


2. Top Tip for Behaviour Management

Be consistent and firm. The first 6 weeks will determine how your school year goes. During this time, remember you are their teacher not their friend. I use the book David Goes to School to teach how they should act in school. We talk about being Peacemakers and Peace Breakers! I use Classdojo and this is amazing for behaviour management!

3. Top Tip for Being a Team Player

Remember, It takes a village to raise a child. Rely on your team members. be cooperative and collaborative. Ask for advice and share your ideas and units. 

4. Top Tip for Time Management

I have a set of drawers that I put all lessons and books in for the week. There is a drawer for each day. I also set up my classroom the night before. That way, my room is ready to go the next day and I am not wasting time setting up. I also make sure that all smart board lessons are pulled up for the day at the strat of the day. That way, i can just tap them on as needed!

5. Top Tip for Engaging Students

Multi-sensory!!! Focus on all senses! Make the lessons engaging! Integrate technology, music, literature, poems, hands on activities and anchor charts. Be creative! Think outside of the box! Make sure there are plenty of brain breaks throughout the day!

6. Top Tip for Getting Along with Parents

Be open, honest, accessible, consistent and cooperative! Use all media for communication! Make them feel that your classroom is a safe environment for their child as well as for themselves. Make them fell like they are a part of your classroom. remember, you are all a team working for the same goal, their child's achievement and academic success!

7. Top Tip for Teacher Fashion

Be comfortable! Remember, clothing must be able to be washed not dry cleaned especially in the lower grades because you never know when you will be decorated by your students (paint is one that I always end up wearing!)since temperatures in a classroom never seem to be consistent, always keep a sweater or sweatshirt of a neutral color in your room!

8. Top Tip for Bargain Hunting

Amazon, blogging, etsy, educents, yard sales, etc!

9. Top Tip for Eating Well at School

Keep healthy snacks in your drawer. Avoid the staff lunch room and snack machines when feeling overwhelmed or stressed. This will lower your calorie intake during these times! Pack your lunch!!

10. Top Tip for Staying Sane

Balance! You need this! Balance your work life and your personal life!

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This is a unit that is so important and loved by my students! I am a creature of habit when it comes to most of my units. I teach things using the same books and the same activities. My Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. unit is one of those units. I have found that one of the best books to teach the concept and importance of Dr. King is The Crayon Box That talked.


From the inside flap of the book:
While walking through a toy store, the day before today, I overheard a crayon box with many things to say..." Once upon a time, Shane DeRolf wrote a poem. It was a deceptively simple poem, a charming little piece that celebrates the creation of harmony through diversity. The folks at the Ad Council heard it--and liked it so much that they made it the theme for their 1997 National Anti-Discrimination Campaign for Children. Following on the heels of nearly a year's worth of televised public service announcements, Random House is honored to publish the picture book, illustrated in every color in the crayon box by dazzling newcomer Michael Letzig and conveying the sublimely simple message that when we all work together, the results are much more interesting and colorful.  

My students loved this book. We talked about the diversity of us all and how in order for the classroom to be successful, we all have to work together like the crayons! We talked about how we are all unique and that we all have something important and valuable to share. The message of Dr. King runs throughout! The students then made a crayon that was unique like they are. This is on display in the hallway!


We also completed a follow me activity! The students all received a 8 x 10 piece of brown, an 8 x 10 piece of black, a 6 x 10 piece of white, a 12 x 18 piece of colored paper and a 3 x 10 piece of white paper. The students then followed my steps and directions. They did not draw anything first. They listened and followed me. Here are the directions:
1. Pick up the 8 x 10 piece of black paper and hold it tall like a tree.
2. Cutting from one corner to another, make a hill. This is his body. 
3. Glue the black hill onto the colored piece of paper at the bottom. Make sure this paper is tall like a tree.
4. Hold the piece of 6 x 10 white paper in hand. Cut into a triangle and glue to the top of the black hill.
5. Hold the 8 x 10 piece of brown paper tall like a tree and cut an oval. This will be his head. Glue this at the top of the black hill.
6. Using the scraps from the brown paper, cut out two circles and glue them on each side of the oval. These are his ears.
7. Using the scraps from the black paper, cut a rectangle and a circle. This will make his bow tie. Glue the rectangle under the brown oval and then glue the circle in the middle of the black rectangle.
Here is what they may look like so far:


8. Hold the 3 x 10 piece of paper, long like a hotdog, and fold it in half. Holding the paper shut, cut a circle. This will make two circles of the same size. These will be his eyes. Glue them to his face.
9. Using a black crayon, color in the pupils, draw a nose, eyebrows and mustache and draw some hair. Then using a red crayon, draw his smile.

Here are the finished pictures:




What I love about this project is that the students all create a picture that is different. They are not cookie cutters. Although they have the same size paper, all of their Dr. King's are different!

Here are some of the books I read during this unit. My favorite one is My Brother Martin. It is written by his sister. I actually met her and she signed the book for me. This happened when I was teaching in Georgia! Click on the books for links to purchase them!








These are just a few books that I read. Also check out the following videos:














Happy Birthday, Dr. King!!!