Five for Friday...but on Sunday!

I feel like it has been an eternity since I've spent time here.  In blog time, that is probably true.  I've been busy getting my feet settled in 5th grade with a new group of kiddos.  To say they keep me on my toes is an understatement.  There are 27 of them and 18 of them are boys!  I love them, but by the end of the day I seriously need a nap!

So, to sum up my life for the past month, here's my first real post of the year! I'm going to try to link up with Doodlebugs, but I may have missed it.

This week my class started tweeting via Twitter!  We opened a class account and will be using it to share out the work that we do in our classroom.  My professional goal this year is to bust the walls of my classroom down and really show my kids that there is a world beyond our school and people will read what they write, watch what they create, and share with them if we choose to do so.  That greater audience motivation does wonders for work ethic as well.  Sure, kids will work hard when their work is being hung in the hallway, but imagine how much harder they will work if they know their work will be shared with thousands, hundreds of thousands, or maybe even millions of people through social media.

Our first tweet was about us using Kahoot! in our classroom to review decimals.  If you don't know about Kahoot! stay tuned for the Technology Tuesday post coming soon.  It's simply an online quiz site that you can customize with your content.  But, unlike other assessment sites, students earn points and compete with one another.  If you get the correct answer you are awarded points and are ranked within the class.  My kids love it!  You can play it from any device and students do not need an account to sign into it.

With 18 boys, you have to add a bit of competition.  This is a kid mid-fist pump.

 

When we tweeted out our pictures, taken by our wonderful IC, Kahoot! favorited the tweet and then shared it on their feed.  Talk about pumped!  My kiddos were over the moon when they saw it the next morning!

I'm fortunate to work in a school that is 1:1 in grades 2-5.  My kiddos are working with Dell tablets so we are able to utilize them throughout the day.  Students are keeping data notebooks in Excel, using OneNote to record notes when needed, and many other things.  I love the ability to use web based applications to keep my students engaged in the lesson.

We started our Westward Expansion unit this week and the first thing we needed to do was download Google Earth.  Students were then given "play" time prior to the lesson to figure things out and explore.  

Two days a week my challenge students leave the room and I'm left with 13 students.  We gather on the rug during that time and have deep lessons.

I've always been an early arriver to school.  There's just something about the quiet when no one else is in the building.  I'm able to get much more done than in the afternoon.  Ideally, you would think that if you get to school so early, then you would leave early.  Not really.  I haven't been able to master that yet.

I live an hour away so I leave my house at 5:30 am and arrive at 6:30.  This week, I was early and had to sit in the parking lot for the building to open.

That very same day, I didn't leave the building until 6:24pm and then drove home an hour.  Needless to say, I'm tired. 

I have a tradition and I'm not sure how it started. Since school has started, every Sunday night, I head to the local grocer and purchase one slice of cake to eat before going to bed with a big glass of raw milk.  It's shameful, I know.  Especially since I do so well during the week, but I love it. The new Publix opened this week and they have the best cake.  Couldn't resist.

Head over to Doodlebugs Teaching to see more Five for Friday posts!

Currently...September

Cannot believe that it is September 1st!

I'm keeping this one short and sweet because I don't want to be in front of the computer on my 3 day weekend.

So, I'm linking up with Farley to share what is currently happening in my life.

Listening: to "Ugly Betty."  This summer has been the summer of Netflix.  Loving the quirkiness of this series.

Loving: the quiet of a 3 day weekend.  There is nothing like it.  The ease into the morning with a cup of coffee and a pup snuggled up beside me....nothing like it.

Thinking: Each day I make myself a list of what I should do when I get into my classroom.  Yesterday I made my list because Tuesday will be crazy...graded papers home, behavior notes, all the craziness of a Monday. I know I'm missing something, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is.

Wanting: I need comfortable shoes.  I have plantar fascitis (?), my ankles hurt, and I can't find a pair of shoes that are cute and have support.  So, if you have any ideas, let me know. My days of wearing flats are gone.

Needing: My house to be FINISHED.  We are renovating grandma's house and it's not done yet! Ready to move into the other rooms already.

3 Trips:  Boston is on my top list.  I'm an American History nut and want to head there soon.  Venice is a dream vacation and hopefully, one day, hubs and I can go.  We're talking about spending the summer in Maine next year.  Can't wait to see that.

Head to Farley's and check everyone out!

Five for Friday...{Saturday Edition}

Wow!  All I can say is thank you for the weekend!  This was our first week of school and I am worn slap out.  I only had students for 3 days, but they were jam packed and action filled.

I'm teaching 5th grade this year at an elementary engineering school.  It's amazing to say the least.  Students participate in some pretty spectacular projects and programs throughout the year.  It's hard not to be jealous that I didn't have an education like I am a part of now.

I'm fortunate to be where I am and will never take it for granted again.  So thankful that I cried buckets as students arrived on the first day.  I was an emotional wreck.  Here is a glimpse of what I experienced below. I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching this week!

 This was the scene on the first day of school for our kiddos.  High school cheerleaders lined our sidewalk and cheered students as they exited their cars.  When the front doors were open, students were greeted with a beach ball arch and teachers lined up all the way to the stairway with pom-poms.  DJ JDEW was on the scene with upbeat tunes - "Happy," "Timber," and much more.  When our 4th and 5th graders made their way to the 3rd floor, they were greeted with a "highway," scooters, and "Life is a Highway" blaring out of the speakers.  We wanted them to grasp the handlebars of success this year.  The other floors had limbo bars and monkey bars to welcome grades K-3.

 The Red Cup Challenge was a hit in my classroom on the first day!  I have no idea the source for this activity, so if it is you, please know that I want to give you credit.  Students were provided with 6 red solo cups, one rubber band, and as many strings as people in their group.  My kids were divided into groups of 4 and 5.  The cups started in the following position.

Source

Students were not allowed to touch the cups or the rubber hand with their hands, but had to create a pyramid with 3 cups on the bottom row, 2 on the middle, and 1 on top in under 10 minutes.

The entire point of the activity for me was to elicit discussion afterward about what it took to be successful when working with a group.  Some students figured it out immediately.  I had one group that had a loophole and bunched all of their string up and grabbed each cup with it.  They told me, "It fit your requirements, we aren't touching the cup."  Hmph! Other groups constructed a device to grab a cup and place it into the final formation.

 On Friday I received an email that made my day...

Really?!  Did they realize that this was the ultimate career dream for me???  Two years ago I was able to see Ron Clark in person and be his personal escort at an event....loved him!  This year I get to visit.  I am still in shock.  What makes it even better, I get to see my blog friend Hope King over at Elementary Shenanigans. If you haven't checked her out, run now!

 Roller Coaster engineering happened in my room this week!  Whew!  That is partially why I am exhausted.  Engineering wears me out mentally because I'm having to challenge my students' thinking and push them hard.  I was having conversations with my 5th graders about the benefits of trusses built from straws versus vertical support systems.  My kiddos were using phrases like, "the distribution of the weight," "more stress would be on the vertical supports," etc.  Wow!

My gal Amanda over at Teaching Maddeness posted a pic of cardstock from Michael's today.  It was on sale 5 for $10. I went immediately because Michael's is just 1 mile from my house (no lie) and bought them out!  That will make creating word wall words on different colored cardstock much easier! Thanks, Amanda! Go read her blog as well!  I wish I was more like Hope and Amanda every day!

See ya next week!  Hope it's a good one,  ya'll!

My Teacher Digs

It's taken awhile, but my room is finally complete!  Good thing because students arrived today!  As always, I was tweaking until the last minute, so even these pics are out of date already!

This is year 15 for me.  I've tried to do themes throughout my career, but I've found them too hard to keep up with and maintain.  So, I've settled on bright colors.  It makes my room happy for me, especially after some of those days we all have where all we want to do is close the door and have a moment.

Blog Hoppin' is hosting Teacher's Week this week, so I'm sharing my home away from home there with a ton of other teachers!  Make sure you head there to see all of the other great spaces!


This is my door from the hallway!  My dear husband took a pic of me in the yard on Sunday afternoon and I added it to the balloons.  Since then I've added signage that says, "Reaching New Heights with Mrs. Looper."

In the windows beside the door, I have happy memories of years gone by.  That picture of the nerds is one of my favorite teams.  

And this...this is me in the 5th grade.  Whew!  Terrible

I'm focusing on geography as an underlying skill with my 5th graders.  So, each time we read a book, or study an area in Social Studies, we have a little robot named AJ that we will move around the maps.

Instead of a list of jobs that I have to keep up with each week, I've divided my kids in half and 2 kids get to do everything!  Those are Pantone paint chips from Lowe's on book rings.

 Our school is an engineering school, so everything we do utilizes the steps of the Engineering Design Process.

  My back counter set up for Meet the Teacher yesterday.  The tops of my cabinets have foam board covered in fabric to hold student work.

School wide behavior guide - GEAR
Give Your Best
Exercise Smart Problem Solving
Act Responsibly
Respect Yourself and Others

Check out these fabulous pencils my husband made from balsa wood.  Aren't they great!

This is the whole board.  The Editor's Checklist will be added soon.

My status of the class.  Students move their number to the pizza pan that reflects the step of the writing process they are working on.

I've sprinkled my expectations and school rules around the room so students will always see it.

Word Wall Words and Cubbies

 Student Work Center and the What Stuck With You poster

The Calendar math board and reading group chalkboard.

Guided Reading Table

 View from the back of the room.

See ya over at Blog Hoppin!