A pretty fun day in the 5th and 6th classroom. We spent the morning doing religion, finishing our read aloud (yay, we can start the third spy school book tomorrow!), having skit practice at church, and doing Junior Achievement. After lunch/noon recess/bookmobile, we went to MLC for their spring play, "Ugly Duckling". It was about not making fun of others who are different from you. I thought it was good. A couple of my students brought books to read on the bus. Yay! :)
After school we did teacher skit practice with a special guest who's making an appearance in our skit... if you want to know who it is, you'll have to come to the show!!! Everything is coming together. We finally have the zoo bus situation figured out. Enough parents are driving that we have a lot of room on the bus, so everyone will be able to come! I'm having trouble dividing my students into chaperone groups... there's one kid in my class everyone is mad at and I'm sure there will be groans in whatever group I put him. Mrs. B (1/2 grade) and I are going to make one group so my 6th grade girls will help watch over the 1/2nd girls and Mrs. B's preschool daughter. I think it will be a good group.
We didn't pop our balloon for today. There was too much yelling across the room and putzing around and being mean in general, so I told them we weren't going to be able to do it. At first it was more just a threat to get them to be quiet. And the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like we needed to have a consequence for the class's actions. So no balloon tomorrow. The activity was supposed to be "wear a hat in school" but it's one of the lesser activities, and some of them already wear hats in school, so of all of them to miss this one's pretty good. Sigh. I hate being the bad guy.
Anyway, enough bumming around. Time to head to Mankato!
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
16
Our teacher skit is coming together! I think it's going to be even better than last time. So far we've been able to keep it under wraps... my students noticed I've been bringing my laptop to school more often but I didn't let anything slip.
My class definitely needs to practice our skits more. The group that wrote their own skit is the roughest. They are having trouble figuring out where to stand and that they need to face the audience when they speak. We spent at least half the time we were at church for practice working on their skit. The students who are doing dramatic readings/singing/playing piano kind of bummed around for the half-hour. I think I'm going to make them bring something to do when we go over tomorrow.
After school I was planning lessons for next week; there's not that much school left! Ahhh! At this moment it's an "ah" of slight panic. But I'm sure in the next few minutes that could change to one of excitement. Next week is MAY. May, already? I can't believe it. And we only have three weeks of school left. NEXT Friday is Track and Field Day. Our zoo trip is MONDAY. All these things are sneaking up on me! And Mother's Day is a week earlier than I thought it was, so now I need to adjust things so my kids can make a present for their moms... first I need to come up with an idea. Last year we painted cans and planted flowers in them. Probably shouldn't do the same thing two years in a row. Eh, I'll check Pinterest at some point; it's sure to have good ideas. If you think of anything, send it my way!
Tomorrow is going to be crazy. We have to practice our skits, have Junior Achievement, go to the MLC play all afternoon, then do teacher skit practice and map out which zoo chaperones are riding the bus/driving... there was supposed to be an IEP meeting at Nicollet tomorrow at 3:15, but it got cancelled (thanks Lord!). Now we have a little more time to practice our skit. Then I have to be in Mankato at 5:00, though if I can get there a little earlier to run errands, that would be good.
Huh, I just remembered the ice cream. I need to buy about five gallons of ice cream for Variety Night. Definitely not enough room in my freezer to store it, so I have to bring it out to church. But I don't want to drive all the way out to church tonight. Since I'll be in Mankato tomorrow, I could pick it up then and swing by on my way back to Courtland... though church might be locked then... I guess Pastor could always let me in or leave it unlocked a little longer. I'll have to check with them tomorrow...
Tomorrow's balloon activity: chew gum all morning (must provide your own gum).
My class definitely needs to practice our skits more. The group that wrote their own skit is the roughest. They are having trouble figuring out where to stand and that they need to face the audience when they speak. We spent at least half the time we were at church for practice working on their skit. The students who are doing dramatic readings/singing/playing piano kind of bummed around for the half-hour. I think I'm going to make them bring something to do when we go over tomorrow.
After school I was planning lessons for next week; there's not that much school left! Ahhh! At this moment it's an "ah" of slight panic. But I'm sure in the next few minutes that could change to one of excitement. Next week is MAY. May, already? I can't believe it. And we only have three weeks of school left. NEXT Friday is Track and Field Day. Our zoo trip is MONDAY. All these things are sneaking up on me! And Mother's Day is a week earlier than I thought it was, so now I need to adjust things so my kids can make a present for their moms... first I need to come up with an idea. Last year we painted cans and planted flowers in them. Probably shouldn't do the same thing two years in a row. Eh, I'll check Pinterest at some point; it's sure to have good ideas. If you think of anything, send it my way!
Tomorrow is going to be crazy. We have to practice our skits, have Junior Achievement, go to the MLC play all afternoon, then do teacher skit practice and map out which zoo chaperones are riding the bus/driving... there was supposed to be an IEP meeting at Nicollet tomorrow at 3:15, but it got cancelled (thanks Lord!). Now we have a little more time to practice our skit. Then I have to be in Mankato at 5:00, though if I can get there a little earlier to run errands, that would be good.
Huh, I just remembered the ice cream. I need to buy about five gallons of ice cream for Variety Night. Definitely not enough room in my freezer to store it, so I have to bring it out to church. But I don't want to drive all the way out to church tonight. Since I'll be in Mankato tomorrow, I could pick it up then and swing by on my way back to Courtland... though church might be locked then... I guess Pastor could always let me in or leave it unlocked a little longer. I'll have to check with them tomorrow...
Tomorrow's balloon activity: chew gum all morning (must provide your own gum).
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
17
God was watching out for us again! There was a chance of thunderstorms today, but the rain held off until lunch time, so we were able to go outside for reading. It was a lot chillier than we were expecting... a bunch went back inside to grab sweatshirts and jackets. Most said they had fun... sometimes it was hard to tell if they were actually working or if they were staring off into space. There was a little discrepancy about how long we were supposed to work outside. I thought we should just read outside for a bit; they thought we should spend the whole Daily 5 time outside (aka- the whole morning). We ended up staying outside for around two hours... the natives got a little restless and then we heard something that sounded like a tornado siren going off.
It's not Wednesday and it's not in the afternoon... some of the students were getting concerned that there was bad weather coming (though it was sunny and didn't look stormy). Better safe than sorry, we gathered up our things and went inside. Absolutely nothing was on the radar. Completely clear. I think it was a tractor working in the field next to us. Of course they turned on the student who made the most noise (and first brought up the tornado thing) and blamed him for us having to go in "early". No matter how many times I told them there were other reasons for going inside and to stop picking on this kid, they just kept at it!
Last night's Mankato run was successful. I had enough gift cards at Barnes and Noble to get Evil Spy School for only $0.50! (some of my students weren't too happy that we have to finish our current read-aloud before starting this new book). The book selection at the library book sale was a little slim, but I did find an assortment of books we don't have yet (or would be good additions to the prize box). I got a new light bulb for Joe, but I don't think I got the right kind. It's more of a blue light and I think it isn't as powerful as the one before. I guess that means I have to go back and return it...
I met up with some friends from college at the book sale and they invited me over for dinner. So we spent the evening catching up and watching their 15 mo. old daughter play in the backyard. She's so cute! She's super smart and is already proficient at walking. She liked playing with my hair and even gave me a kiss goodnight. Sigh. They invited me over for dinner again on Thursday. Why not? Maybe I can sneak in a trip to Pet Expo to get a different light for Joe...
Tomorrow's balloon activity: listen to music during Daily 5. They thought they got to pick the music. Ha! No, I'll put some classical music on the speakers. Probably not what they're envisioning, but hey, it's better than nothing.
It's not Wednesday and it's not in the afternoon... some of the students were getting concerned that there was bad weather coming (though it was sunny and didn't look stormy). Better safe than sorry, we gathered up our things and went inside. Absolutely nothing was on the radar. Completely clear. I think it was a tractor working in the field next to us. Of course they turned on the student who made the most noise (and first brought up the tornado thing) and blamed him for us having to go in "early". No matter how many times I told them there were other reasons for going inside and to stop picking on this kid, they just kept at it!
Last night's Mankato run was successful. I had enough gift cards at Barnes and Noble to get Evil Spy School for only $0.50! (some of my students weren't too happy that we have to finish our current read-aloud before starting this new book). The book selection at the library book sale was a little slim, but I did find an assortment of books we don't have yet (or would be good additions to the prize box). I got a new light bulb for Joe, but I don't think I got the right kind. It's more of a blue light and I think it isn't as powerful as the one before. I guess that means I have to go back and return it...
I met up with some friends from college at the book sale and they invited me over for dinner. So we spent the evening catching up and watching their 15 mo. old daughter play in the backyard. She's so cute! She's super smart and is already proficient at walking. She liked playing with my hair and even gave me a kiss goodnight. Sigh. They invited me over for dinner again on Thursday. Why not? Maybe I can sneak in a trip to Pet Expo to get a different light for Joe...
Tomorrow's balloon activity: listen to music during Daily 5. They thought they got to pick the music. Ha! No, I'll put some classical music on the speakers. Probably not what they're envisioning, but hey, it's better than nothing.
Monday, April 27, 2015
18
Work all day with markers was a blast! We never had so much fun doing handwriting... and spelling too.
Tomorrow's activity is read outside in the morning. Plans for blankets, sunglasses, and maybe even sunscreen?
My favorite quote of the day (a student looking at our daily assignment chart), "Yes! The Cold War!" They've been asking questions about the Cold War for about a week, and now we finally get to learn about it! Today we only had MN history for 15 minutes because we had an all-school activity- scavenger hunt. A kid threw up in the hallway, so I stayed in to clean it up. It didn't take all that long and I still got outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.
Now I need to book it over to church for our skit practice, then I'm headed to Mankato to run errands and do the library book sale!
Tomorrow's activity is read outside in the morning. Plans for blankets, sunglasses, and maybe even sunscreen?
My favorite quote of the day (a student looking at our daily assignment chart), "Yes! The Cold War!" They've been asking questions about the Cold War for about a week, and now we finally get to learn about it! Today we only had MN history for 15 minutes because we had an all-school activity- scavenger hunt. A kid threw up in the hallway, so I stayed in to clean it up. It didn't take all that long and I still got outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.
Now I need to book it over to church for our skit practice, then I'm headed to Mankato to run errands and do the library book sale!
Friday, April 24, 2015
19 to go!
Today was pretty much a wrap-up day.
I had a few students who need to do catch-up on their assignments... and one of them still isn't all caught up.
It took forever for people to say their memory work this morning. Only two didn't get it said. One said it during Reading Buddies, the other still hasn't said it yet. I don't know. I think I need to do something different with memory, I'm just not sure what.
We finished up Mystery Class and turned our answers in... the 5th and 6th graders got really into it, arguing over which location we should put as our official answer (but then there was the kid who used his markers as drumsticks because "this is boring." ugh.)
Our new read aloud book is The Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman. At first they were a little bucky because it wasn't Evil Spy School, but they settled down once I started reading. It helps that the teacher in the book is a football coach and acts like his class is a football team (super fun to read aloud). And the chapters are short too! Hopefully it doesn't take us long to finish it. My plan is to go to Mankato after our teacher skit practice Monday to the BEC library book sale (every book is $0.25, yeah!), pick up a new light bulb for Joe (his finally burned out this week), and use a birthday gift card at Barnes and Noble to buy the new Spy School book.
Monday's balloon activity: write with markers all day (except math).
This weekend's plans are to head down to Fulda. Tonight Dad and I are going to check out some bulls after supper, tomorrow I speak at the LCMS rally in Fulda about my mission trip to El Salvador, and Sunday will be lesson planning (and probably picking out 4H calves).
I had a few students who need to do catch-up on their assignments... and one of them still isn't all caught up.
It took forever for people to say their memory work this morning. Only two didn't get it said. One said it during Reading Buddies, the other still hasn't said it yet. I don't know. I think I need to do something different with memory, I'm just not sure what.
We finished up Mystery Class and turned our answers in... the 5th and 6th graders got really into it, arguing over which location we should put as our official answer (but then there was the kid who used his markers as drumsticks because "this is boring." ugh.)
Our new read aloud book is The Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman. At first they were a little bucky because it wasn't Evil Spy School, but they settled down once I started reading. It helps that the teacher in the book is a football coach and acts like his class is a football team (super fun to read aloud). And the chapters are short too! Hopefully it doesn't take us long to finish it. My plan is to go to Mankato after our teacher skit practice Monday to the BEC library book sale (every book is $0.25, yeah!), pick up a new light bulb for Joe (his finally burned out this week), and use a birthday gift card at Barnes and Noble to buy the new Spy School book.
Monday's balloon activity: write with markers all day (except math).
This weekend's plans are to head down to Fulda. Tonight Dad and I are going to check out some bulls after supper, tomorrow I speak at the LCMS rally in Fulda about my mission trip to El Salvador, and Sunday will be lesson planning (and probably picking out 4H calves).
Thursday, April 23, 2015
#20 (days left!)
I walked to my classroom this morning and found a giant penguin staring me in the face. That's right. A giant penguin.
When one of my students asked to bring in a giant stuffed animal penguin for beanbag day, I pictured a penguin about two feet tall (he brought it earlier this year). No, that one must've been his large stuffed penguin. This one was gigantic! Easily four feet tall. He and his pod-mate stuffed it in both of their seats (so it was lying down) and shared it. So huge. I still can't get over it.
Today was the perfect day for beanbags... we didn't have all that much left of our read-aloud book (and by not-that-much, I mean, we had about four chapters left). Religion finished a little early today so we had a half an hour for reading... I bet you can guess what happened. A half an hour later we were down to two chapters, and then came the "can't we just finish the book?" Sigh. So we did. But we don't have the third book in the series which just came out on Tuesday. I'm not planning to go to Mankato until Monday after school, which means we won't have the book until Tuesday's read-aloud! Oh no! What are we going to do!? Read a shorter book, I guess. I have a super short one we can probably finish in a few days. Or we could always read the two online preview chapters of Evil Spy School, but I have a feeling the chapters will be cliff-hangers and then the wait will be even worse.
Tomorrow's balloon activity: sit anyplace you like for the day. My only stipulation is that memory work must be said before an individual can switch spots. Right now only two people have recited this week's assignment... lots more to go!
When one of my students asked to bring in a giant stuffed animal penguin for beanbag day, I pictured a penguin about two feet tall (he brought it earlier this year). No, that one must've been his large stuffed penguin. This one was gigantic! Easily four feet tall. He and his pod-mate stuffed it in both of their seats (so it was lying down) and shared it. So huge. I still can't get over it.
Today was the perfect day for beanbags... we didn't have all that much left of our read-aloud book (and by not-that-much, I mean, we had about four chapters left). Religion finished a little early today so we had a half an hour for reading... I bet you can guess what happened. A half an hour later we were down to two chapters, and then came the "can't we just finish the book?" Sigh. So we did. But we don't have the third book in the series which just came out on Tuesday. I'm not planning to go to Mankato until Monday after school, which means we won't have the book until Tuesday's read-aloud! Oh no! What are we going to do!? Read a shorter book, I guess. I have a super short one we can probably finish in a few days. Or we could always read the two online preview chapters of Evil Spy School, but I have a feeling the chapters will be cliff-hangers and then the wait will be even worse.
Tomorrow's balloon activity: sit anyplace you like for the day. My only stipulation is that memory work must be said before an individual can switch spots. Right now only two people have recited this week's assignment... lots more to go!
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
#20
Tomorrow there are twenty days left of school. I should've waited another day (and had one less balloon) for the countdown to be accurate. Somehow I did my math wrong and there are 21 balloons instead of 20, but I have all the right numbers... one of my students pointed out that I have a #1 and a "Last Day" balloon. I should just have one or the other. Oh well. This is why Mr. E teaches math and I don't.
The 8th graders were actually pretty good today. We had science/bells. In science, we learned about the excretory/urinary system. Lovely. They were pretty interested in it though, even the boys who don't usually pay attention. We had a lab where we built a kidney to see how it filters out the gross stuff from our blood.
Tomorrow's balloon activity: use a beanbag all day. After reading the activity, I realized we don't have enough beanbags for the whole class. Thankfully, some of them had the bright idea to bring beanbags from home, or a blanket or a pillow. Hopefully they don't get to be too distracting... otherwise I'll have a big comfy pile behind my desk!
The 8th graders were actually pretty good today. We had science/bells. In science, we learned about the excretory/urinary system. Lovely. They were pretty interested in it though, even the boys who don't usually pay attention. We had a lab where we built a kidney to see how it filters out the gross stuff from our blood.
Tomorrow's balloon activity: use a beanbag all day. After reading the activity, I realized we don't have enough beanbags for the whole class. Thankfully, some of them had the bright idea to bring beanbags from home, or a blanket or a pillow. Hopefully they don't get to be too distracting... otherwise I'll have a big comfy pile behind my desk!
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Birthday Business
Today was a fairly normal day... no surprises, nothing too fancy, and that's all right with me! Lots of students wished me a happy birthday. One of the sixth graders was surprised I was already 25; she was under the impression I was turning 24 today.
My students wrote a birthday greeting on the whiteboard and the 8th graders added some doodles to it. Some of the girls made a card/poster thing for me during read aloud (they tried to get me to read longer, "it's your birthday! why can't we read extra today?"). I did get my brownies baked; they were a hit! I had some extras left over I was going to give to the teachers, but I forgot and we didn't end up having skit practice after school. I guess I'll have to take them home and eat them myself... bummer! ;)
During Daily 5, Mrs. B told me she was going to bring me some supper after school so I wouldn't have to cook! She brought over wild rice soup, fresh baked bread, and some unbaked cookie dough so I can enjoy baking them myself. The smell of the bread is making me hungry! But this post is the last thing I need to do before I leave school, so I'll be able to eat it soon.
Our lab table is a little cleaner than it has been. I didn't have time to test out the science lab I had intended to do today, so we did Mystery Class instead. Most groups are over half done. I still have some stragglers who are quite a bit behind; they brought it home to work on today. A few more piñatas are finished. One is hanging on the ceiling and the other has just a little more tissue paper that needs attaching.
The ceiling is back to being colorful again! It always looks bare when I take the snowflakes down, but now our 20 day balloon countdown is covering the ceiling. Each balloon has an activity stuck inside it. Tomorrow we'll pop the 20th balloon to find out what our special activity is for the next day, that way if they need to bring something special for it they can be prepared. When they got to school, they tried to see what was in the balloons... they're translucent enough to see that something's in there... at first the 5th graders thought it was candy. You'd think they'd know me better! Pretty soon they looked closer and saw it was paper. A few tried to read what was written on the paper... I asked them not to ruin the surprise. Of course, some of them guessed what the activities might be, but I tried not to give anything away. It's hard to believe the end of the school year is coming up this fast!
My students wrote a birthday greeting on the whiteboard and the 8th graders added some doodles to it. Some of the girls made a card/poster thing for me during read aloud (they tried to get me to read longer, "it's your birthday! why can't we read extra today?"). I did get my brownies baked; they were a hit! I had some extras left over I was going to give to the teachers, but I forgot and we didn't end up having skit practice after school. I guess I'll have to take them home and eat them myself... bummer! ;)
During Daily 5, Mrs. B told me she was going to bring me some supper after school so I wouldn't have to cook! She brought over wild rice soup, fresh baked bread, and some unbaked cookie dough so I can enjoy baking them myself. The smell of the bread is making me hungry! But this post is the last thing I need to do before I leave school, so I'll be able to eat it soon.
Our lab table is a little cleaner than it has been. I didn't have time to test out the science lab I had intended to do today, so we did Mystery Class instead. Most groups are over half done. I still have some stragglers who are quite a bit behind; they brought it home to work on today. A few more piñatas are finished. One is hanging on the ceiling and the other has just a little more tissue paper that needs attaching.
The ceiling is back to being colorful again! It always looks bare when I take the snowflakes down, but now our 20 day balloon countdown is covering the ceiling. Each balloon has an activity stuck inside it. Tomorrow we'll pop the 20th balloon to find out what our special activity is for the next day, that way if they need to bring something special for it they can be prepared. When they got to school, they tried to see what was in the balloons... they're translucent enough to see that something's in there... at first the 5th graders thought it was candy. You'd think they'd know me better! Pretty soon they looked closer and saw it was paper. A few tried to read what was written on the paper... I asked them not to ruin the surprise. Of course, some of them guessed what the activities might be, but I tried not to give anything away. It's hard to believe the end of the school year is coming up this fast!
Monday, April 20, 2015
No Math!
Today the 8th graders went on a field trip to the Drug Council. I don't think that's the real name... but I do know they were in court today and watched an actual court hearing for someone (and I think it was about drugs... the judge meets with them afterwards and talks about the system and why it's good to keep your nose out of trouble). So the 8th graders were gone all afternoon.
It was great! We had 45 minutes of MN history (and we finished talking about WWII... they started asking questions about the Cold War... patience young grasshoppers... that's next week), then we practiced our Variety Night skits and worked on our piñatas and Mystery Class locations. The deadline for turning in our location answers is this Friday! Not much time left! I think a lot of them are planning to bring it home to look for answers.
We ended the day with almost a full half hour of recess (in the gym since it's cold, rainy, and windy today). At noon recess, my 4-square students wanted me to play with them. My food needed to settle in a bit more, so I declined their invitation. They asked again in class this afternoon and by that time I'd digested enough that I could play. Oh man, was competition tough! One of the two boys tried making an alliance with the other, but then he started cheating (smacking the ball into your square and out right away before you even get a chance to hit it), and we all ganged up on him. It took a while to get him out, but then the other boy made it his goal to never let the cheater past the third square. It was all good natured fun. Pretty soon the basketball boys joined us and once they got the hang of it things really heated up! And then it was time to go in.
Dad went to pick up baby chicks today (Usually I just say "Dad went to pick up chicks today", but the other teachers would always give me funny looks when I mentioned it to them, and it took me a while to figure out why. This year, I tried putting the word "baby" in there and I got much better results). We were hoping he'd make it to school before the end of the day so my students could see them (and then compare their size when they come to visit the farm in a few weeks), but he got to school just as the buses were leaving. He still stopped in to say hi and check out my classroom.
After school we teachers practiced our skit for Variety Night. We came up with a plan for all the songs... now we just need to get props and practice with them. Since our performance is next Friday, we're going to try to have practice every day next week. We wanted to find another day to practice this week, and it looks like tomorrow is the only day that works. I guess I'll just have to have practice on my birthday! No big plans to speak of anyway. I'm baking brownies tonight to bring as a treat for tomorrow. The other teachers keep bringing it up (especially Mrs. E). I wonder if they have something up their sleeves... or maybe they're just excited about birthdays. Time will tell!
It was great! We had 45 minutes of MN history (and we finished talking about WWII... they started asking questions about the Cold War... patience young grasshoppers... that's next week), then we practiced our Variety Night skits and worked on our piñatas and Mystery Class locations. The deadline for turning in our location answers is this Friday! Not much time left! I think a lot of them are planning to bring it home to look for answers.
We ended the day with almost a full half hour of recess (in the gym since it's cold, rainy, and windy today). At noon recess, my 4-square students wanted me to play with them. My food needed to settle in a bit more, so I declined their invitation. They asked again in class this afternoon and by that time I'd digested enough that I could play. Oh man, was competition tough! One of the two boys tried making an alliance with the other, but then he started cheating (smacking the ball into your square and out right away before you even get a chance to hit it), and we all ganged up on him. It took a while to get him out, but then the other boy made it his goal to never let the cheater past the third square. It was all good natured fun. Pretty soon the basketball boys joined us and once they got the hang of it things really heated up! And then it was time to go in.
Dad went to pick up baby chicks today (Usually I just say "Dad went to pick up chicks today", but the other teachers would always give me funny looks when I mentioned it to them, and it took me a while to figure out why. This year, I tried putting the word "baby" in there and I got much better results). We were hoping he'd make it to school before the end of the day so my students could see them (and then compare their size when they come to visit the farm in a few weeks), but he got to school just as the buses were leaving. He still stopped in to say hi and check out my classroom.
After school we teachers practiced our skit for Variety Night. We came up with a plan for all the songs... now we just need to get props and practice with them. Since our performance is next Friday, we're going to try to have practice every day next week. We wanted to find another day to practice this week, and it looks like tomorrow is the only day that works. I guess I'll just have to have practice on my birthday! No big plans to speak of anyway. I'm baking brownies tonight to bring as a treat for tomorrow. The other teachers keep bringing it up (especially Mrs. E). I wonder if they have something up their sleeves... or maybe they're just excited about birthdays. Time will tell!
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Another One Hits the Bus
Most memorable words of the day: "[classmate], you should've rode the bus today. Best bus ride ever." Why was it the best bus ride ever, you ask? Apparently, the bus driver sideswiped another bus in the Nicollet parking lot. No people were harmed in the incident, but the other bus's taillight broke. One of the 6th graders was sitting on the side that got hit, and all he said was that it scared him a little, but it was pretty cool.
This afternoon we had a tornado drill. I don't think we've ever had one before... Mr. E rang the school bell three times in a row and we all filed down into the basement. Oldest kids were crammed in the back and younger kids were closest to the stairs. The boys found it was the perfect opportunity to tell the girls a mouse just ran across their feet or a spider just dropped on their shoulder...
After school, we teachers went over to church and set up the curtain/backdrop with the help of one of the school board members. It's a little shorter than we were thinking, but aside from that, it's perfect! I'm excited to use it. We also listened to the Teacher Skit playlist to try to get some ideas for our dance/skit thing. Monday or Wednesday next week we'll sit down and write the official plan.
Other exciting news: we're officially finished with the Iowa tests! The last one was today. We also had our first day of Junior Achievement (a community member presents economic topics or other real-world things dealing with jobs and reputations and images, etc.) so I finalized the paperwork while the speaker was speaking. They're dropped off in the office and now I actually have a bit of space on my desk!
Speaking of space on the desk... the IT guys have installed the first two document readers (in Mr. E's and Mr. D's rooms). This little piece of technology is like a live video feed of a flat surface. It's plugged into the projector, so as long as the projector is on, it will show whatever is under the camera lens. Perfect for showing newspaper clippings or writing on a piece of paper. I'm going to need to clear some space on my desk before there's space for a reader to be installed. I do get first try of the new iPad. It's so shiny! And thin. I'm worried it's going to break. The IT guys are going to order five more as soon as we give the thumbs-up of approval. My kids will be so excited tomorrow!
This afternoon we had a tornado drill. I don't think we've ever had one before... Mr. E rang the school bell three times in a row and we all filed down into the basement. Oldest kids were crammed in the back and younger kids were closest to the stairs. The boys found it was the perfect opportunity to tell the girls a mouse just ran across their feet or a spider just dropped on their shoulder...
After school, we teachers went over to church and set up the curtain/backdrop with the help of one of the school board members. It's a little shorter than we were thinking, but aside from that, it's perfect! I'm excited to use it. We also listened to the Teacher Skit playlist to try to get some ideas for our dance/skit thing. Monday or Wednesday next week we'll sit down and write the official plan.
Other exciting news: we're officially finished with the Iowa tests! The last one was today. We also had our first day of Junior Achievement (a community member presents economic topics or other real-world things dealing with jobs and reputations and images, etc.) so I finalized the paperwork while the speaker was speaking. They're dropped off in the office and now I actually have a bit of space on my desk!
Speaking of space on the desk... the IT guys have installed the first two document readers (in Mr. E's and Mr. D's rooms). This little piece of technology is like a live video feed of a flat surface. It's plugged into the projector, so as long as the projector is on, it will show whatever is under the camera lens. Perfect for showing newspaper clippings or writing on a piece of paper. I'm going to need to clear some space on my desk before there's space for a reader to be installed. I do get first try of the new iPad. It's so shiny! And thin. I'm worried it's going to break. The IT guys are going to order five more as soon as we give the thumbs-up of approval. My kids will be so excited tomorrow!
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Pinata Day Two
We burned through my collection of tissue paper pretty quick today. Last night I had the brainstorm of using ice cream pails for each group to store their paper squares. I gave each pail a number and put one by each piñata. This morning (before read aloud), the groups picked what paper they needed. There are a lot of abstract circles... they just wanted to do colors all over and not make it into anything. We also have a set of eyeballs, a pig, and a goose. They made good progress today once they figured out how to put the tissue paper on the piñata. Of course, they convinced me to read an extra chapter in our read aloud book... that might have something to do with it...
One of the 6th graders lost her spelling book. She looked all over school, her mom checked at home and at her sister's house. Nada. I had her look in the loft and under the bleachers. Still nothing. She enlisted the help of Mr. E and the school nurse. They couldn't find it. Since it's due tomorrow, she wanted me to make a copy of this week's spelling. Ugh! Fine, but only since it's due tomorrow. I still want her to find it. The last place she had it was at school. I don't keep track of her stuff for her, so I have no clue where it would be.
Mr. E had the 5-8th graders run the mile today. They got started late and we didn't have much time to pack up before the buses were here. Only one person puked! And I heard many reports of the incident when my students came in red-faced and sweaty from their run (I have prep time while Mr. E does PE... a half an hour of blissful silence!)
I had planned to do a science lab tomorrow, but I think I'll wait until next week. There's so much stuff on the lab table and we're doing pretty well with our Mystery Class... I think we'll do MN history instead. We've moved on to World War II. Not sure how far we'll get tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to teaching them about victory gardens, tin drives, and ration stamps! (reminds me of the American Girl Molly...)
One of the 6th graders lost her spelling book. She looked all over school, her mom checked at home and at her sister's house. Nada. I had her look in the loft and under the bleachers. Still nothing. She enlisted the help of Mr. E and the school nurse. They couldn't find it. Since it's due tomorrow, she wanted me to make a copy of this week's spelling. Ugh! Fine, but only since it's due tomorrow. I still want her to find it. The last place she had it was at school. I don't keep track of her stuff for her, so I have no clue where it would be.
Mr. E had the 5-8th graders run the mile today. They got started late and we didn't have much time to pack up before the buses were here. Only one person puked! And I heard many reports of the incident when my students came in red-faced and sweaty from their run (I have prep time while Mr. E does PE... a half an hour of blissful silence!)
I had planned to do a science lab tomorrow, but I think I'll wait until next week. There's so much stuff on the lab table and we're doing pretty well with our Mystery Class... I think we'll do MN history instead. We've moved on to World War II. Not sure how far we'll get tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to teaching them about victory gardens, tin drives, and ration stamps! (reminds me of the American Girl Molly...)
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Pinatas!
Oh it was so beautiful outside today! I didn't need a coat and ended up taking off my sweater! The perfect day for an extra long recess... it worked really well to go to lunch right away at 11:30. The only people not pleased with the arrangement were the 3rd and 4th graders because they're STARVING by 11:30 and want to eat as soon as possible. And it's no fair that we get to eat first. The funeral committee had leftover bars from Monday's funeral that they brought over. Since we were first through the line we got first choice in desserts. Yes! (another negative thing according to the 3rd and 4th graders... but really, we've had last choice all the rest of this year, so it's fine for us to have first choice once).
And now, a piñata report... It was so nice we decided to do our project outside. Yep. We took our super-watered down glue, balloons, and strips of newspapers outside. The wind only blew our stuff around a little bit. Some groups tried to use two balloons. They'd wrap newspaper around one completely and then look befuddled at the second uncovered balloon, trying to figure out how to attach the two. Only two groups succeeded.
One of those groups attempted to put a head on their other balloon body, but the balloon popped! The good news was, a different group decided not to use their second balloon. The bad news, I thought we didn't need it, so I threw it in the dumpster. The good news, the dumpster wasn't full, and I used two meter sticks to grab it out of there. Good as new! I had at least three volunteers to go dumpster diving to get the balloon out. Gross. Too much rust and too much sketchy stuff... better not.
As the groups finished their papier-mâché, they set them on the lab table to dry. Now my next question is, how are we going to do a science lab if our lab table is overrun with piñata supplies? Hmm... perplexing. I still need to test out Thursday's lab to see if it will work or not. It's kind of complicated and I'm not sure how it will work/if our supplies will work. I'm scared to test it out. I suppose I could just skip this lab and move on to the next chapter in the book. But it also seems fun... we get to make a voltaic cell out of paper, water, and pennies. Then we use a voltmeter to test how much energy is in it.
I showed my students the books I found at $2 bag day at MLHS. One of the 6th graders recognized a book I had "True Tales of Animal Heroes". He wanted me to read it immediately during school so I'd see how good it was. And when I tried to explain that I had other things to do (like teach), he said, "you can read it while we're taking our next Iowa test." Right. Slightly tempting, but what happens when someone needs help and I don't see them waving their hand at me because my nose is stuck in a book? No, better to wait until after school. That being said, I now have three books I'm supposed to read tonight... the latest Whatever After book (borrowed from a 6th grader), the Scavengers book I borrowed once before from a different 6th grader but didn't have enough time to read it before he wanted it back, and then this latest animal heroes book. Good thing I don't have a lot of correcting to do tonight!
And now, a piñata report... It was so nice we decided to do our project outside. Yep. We took our super-watered down glue, balloons, and strips of newspapers outside. The wind only blew our stuff around a little bit. Some groups tried to use two balloons. They'd wrap newspaper around one completely and then look befuddled at the second uncovered balloon, trying to figure out how to attach the two. Only two groups succeeded.
One of those groups attempted to put a head on their other balloon body, but the balloon popped! The good news was, a different group decided not to use their second balloon. The bad news, I thought we didn't need it, so I threw it in the dumpster. The good news, the dumpster wasn't full, and I used two meter sticks to grab it out of there. Good as new! I had at least three volunteers to go dumpster diving to get the balloon out. Gross. Too much rust and too much sketchy stuff... better not.
As the groups finished their papier-mâché, they set them on the lab table to dry. Now my next question is, how are we going to do a science lab if our lab table is overrun with piñata supplies? Hmm... perplexing. I still need to test out Thursday's lab to see if it will work or not. It's kind of complicated and I'm not sure how it will work/if our supplies will work. I'm scared to test it out. I suppose I could just skip this lab and move on to the next chapter in the book. But it also seems fun... we get to make a voltaic cell out of paper, water, and pennies. Then we use a voltmeter to test how much energy is in it.
I showed my students the books I found at $2 bag day at MLHS. One of the 6th graders recognized a book I had "True Tales of Animal Heroes". He wanted me to read it immediately during school so I'd see how good it was. And when I tried to explain that I had other things to do (like teach), he said, "you can read it while we're taking our next Iowa test." Right. Slightly tempting, but what happens when someone needs help and I don't see them waving their hand at me because my nose is stuck in a book? No, better to wait until after school. That being said, I now have three books I'm supposed to read tonight... the latest Whatever After book (borrowed from a 6th grader), the Scavengers book I borrowed once before from a different 6th grader but didn't have enough time to read it before he wanted it back, and then this latest animal heroes book. Good thing I don't have a lot of correcting to do tonight!
Monday, April 13, 2015
Wild Thing(s)
The wind must've blown craziness into my students today... they were bouncing off the walls!
It thunderstormed last night, but all the rain was over by the time school rolled around. We were able to go outside for recess. Of course, it was crazy windy, so we nearly blew away, but they got to get their baseball game in. The sky was nearly clear at recess... only one lone cloud was hanging out... and of course the wind blew it directly in front of the sun, blocking out the slight bit of warmth not tugged away by the wind. Eventually it moved out of the way and we were back to sun. I hoped that having a cold, windy recess would cut down on the complaining about coming in... nope. Didn't help. Same old, same old... "Recess was so short! This was such a jippy recess! Why can't we stay out longer? This is stupid."
I forgot I was supposed to bring up a potential recess lengthening plan at our last faculty meeting... that once or twice a week the 5-8th graders would eat first so we could have a longer recess. Since I was thinking about it after school (while all the teachers were standing around), I brought it up and we decided to give it a shot tomorrow! So every Tuesday the upper grades get to eat first and have a "longer recess". I hope this keeps them happy. If it works well, maybe we'll do it two days a week. Who knows? Mrs. E was totally cool with it. Mrs. B (1/2nd) thought it would be fine for her classroom. Mr. D didn't say much of anything... but he didn't say much of anything. So he's probably okay with it. Or at the very least he is willing to tolerate it for one day per week. It's not like we'll take forever to go through the lunch line; we're talking maybe five to ten minutes difference in schedule.
So, we'll see how the plan goes tomorrow.
It thunderstormed last night, but all the rain was over by the time school rolled around. We were able to go outside for recess. Of course, it was crazy windy, so we nearly blew away, but they got to get their baseball game in. The sky was nearly clear at recess... only one lone cloud was hanging out... and of course the wind blew it directly in front of the sun, blocking out the slight bit of warmth not tugged away by the wind. Eventually it moved out of the way and we were back to sun. I hoped that having a cold, windy recess would cut down on the complaining about coming in... nope. Didn't help. Same old, same old... "Recess was so short! This was such a jippy recess! Why can't we stay out longer? This is stupid."
I forgot I was supposed to bring up a potential recess lengthening plan at our last faculty meeting... that once or twice a week the 5-8th graders would eat first so we could have a longer recess. Since I was thinking about it after school (while all the teachers were standing around), I brought it up and we decided to give it a shot tomorrow! So every Tuesday the upper grades get to eat first and have a "longer recess". I hope this keeps them happy. If it works well, maybe we'll do it two days a week. Who knows? Mrs. E was totally cool with it. Mrs. B (1/2nd) thought it would be fine for her classroom. Mr. D didn't say much of anything... but he didn't say much of anything. So he's probably okay with it. Or at the very least he is willing to tolerate it for one day per week. It's not like we'll take forever to go through the lunch line; we're talking maybe five to ten minutes difference in schedule.
So, we'll see how the plan goes tomorrow.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Biomimicry Projects
The 8th graders finally finished their biomimicry projects... about a month ago they were tasked with designing and building a model of a structure that mimics some type of animal's habitat/home that could be used for a human purpose. Here are the final results:
"Weaver-Bird Playground" (African Weaver Bird habitat)
"Cactus Hotel" (pygmy owl habitat)
"Beaver Lodge" (beaver habitat)
Pretty creative, don't you think???
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