Monday-What are you reading? 5/6/13

This is why I LOVE my job!! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!! I am so inspired by the amazing teachers I get to see daily, I have worked with in the past, and the ones I read about on their blogs. Enjoy your week. Hats off to you!!

 

 

One of the things I really look forward to about summer is getting back on track with my reading. I get so busy with school stuff that I neglect my own reading for fun.

 

Part of my homework for my students each night is to read 20 minutes and then write about what they read in their read and respond notebooks. I figure since I have my own students read 20 minutes I should do the same. I have been ok about my goal, but not the best. I really need to work on this!

 

I adore this link up  (What are you reading?)as it helps me to get my list created for my own reading this summer.

 

 

 

The last book I read and just finished is Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos This is the 2012 Newberry Award winner. I love the Newberry books as sometimes they are books I normally wouldn't want to read or select on my own.

 

 

 

Jack finds himself with a sudden change in his summer plans. After accidentally shooting off his father's Japanese WW2 gun, he finds himself being forced to stay at home or go to an elderly lady's house to help her out. He must help her type out obituaries while learning the history of his town. Jack and the neighbor find themselves on a wild ride learning about Eleanor Roosevelt, Girl Scout cookies, a homemade airplane, and many other shenanigans.

 

I really found this book to be laugh out loud and a surprising read. I didn't love it as much as last year's Newberry, Moon Over Manifest, but nonetheless it was a good read. I think kids will love to read about the kid with endless bloody noses and his many adventures.

 

Here is the link to purchase it on Amazon. Dead End in Norvelt

 

 

 

I am going to be getting my summer reading list put together for my own reading. Do you have any suggestions for adult books as well as literature that my 5th graders would love??

 

 

So, what are you reading this week?

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Five for Friday!!!

I heart Fridays!! I still feel like a little kid when I get this excited. For some reason Friday means the start of fun. This Friday found me in inservice preparing to end the year and tossing around ideas for next year. Don't forget with each linky to comment or follow the two bloggers before you!

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for their Five for Friday.  I feel like it gives me a little insight to the rest of the teaching world.

1. Starbucks has FINALLY come to my town. I used to live in a big city where I had 7 Starbucks just on my commute to work. (A 15 minute drive) Then I moved here where the nearest Starbucks is 20 minutes away. So Hallelujah I can get my Peppermint Mocha, Raspberry Latte, Mocha Chip Frap and go home on a Saturday morning. I can even go and get some work done there. This girl is happy and will soon be on a caffeine high!

 

 

2. I baked chocolate chip cookies (I promise not everything will be food related) today when I got home from inservice. This is not your break and bake store bought cookies. This is a recipe from your mom baked from scratch cookies!! I love my mom's cooking and these are super yummy. I love making my mom's recipes there is just something special about it. Not to mention my house smells delightful. I am quite sure I am gaining weight as I smell them.

 

 

3. 3 weeks of school remain. While I am sad to see this group of kids go and am looking forward to summer, I really am excited about the upcoming activities I have planned: Summer Send Off Day (which you can get at TPT- the link is below), Camp End of the Year, and working on our specialists notebooks. It should be a fun 3 weeks. Plus we have a field trip coming up!!

Link to TPT: Summer Send Off Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. My students finished their Autobiography project (its a 6 week project) this week and turned them in. I am quite proud to say they ALL turned them in on time. YIPPEE!! This project is amazing and I learn so much about the students with these projects they turn out incredible. I will post more about this and post the actual project later. I now have to grade them all (5 chapters plus artifacts)

 

 

5. Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I don't mention this because I want or crave the appreciation. I mention this because I want you to take the time to reach out to a teacher you had that made an impact upon you, a teacher you work with that deserves to know you appreciate them, or a teacher that changed the life of your own child. You don't have to give them a gift just a note to tell them you recognize their hardwork and want them to know what a great job they are doing. Next to parenting this is one of the most important jobs in the world. Every child is impacted by great teaching.

I am also linking up with Oh Boy Fourth Grade and their Currently linky party. Yes I know I am late with this but I didn't stumble upon it until last night. I can't wait to do this the first of every month. Happy May!!

What A Week!!

I don't like going a week without posting on my blog, but when your modem at home crashes and then you are frantically finishing things for the school year I found that the week slipped away.

Its been a full week that found me prepping school stuff and having fun personally. I created several new TPT items (one is listed below), tied up loose ends at school, planned end of the year activities, and did some fun things in my personal life. (I went turkey hunting with my BF and am providing pics to prove it! I actually loved listening to the birds and watching the sunrise.  

We were busy in Room 117. We have been to the middle school 2x already in a week to prepare the kids for the transition and introduce them to band. Preparing to say good-bye to our student teacher as well as our para. We also made our Mother's Day gifts. The students had 4 glass stones that they traced and then put Modge Podge over the drawings to make magnets for their moms. They actually turned out VERY great!

This week I have been working on creating our Summer Send Off Day materials.

 This day is a lot of fun and involves a lot of stations. I will put up some pictures after our actual day. Students will recieve a canvas bag and a beach ball when they enter the room. They are free to explore the stations. I originally thought i would have it structured but I think they need time to explore. After the stations students will have an opportunity to sign each other's beach balls to take home and keep for the summer. Below I have listed the stations with a short summary of what I envision will occur.

Summer Fun Ideas
*This is a station where students can gather ideas of where they can visit or things to do over the summer to beat boredom. I tried to find a lot of cheap/free ideas

Book Swap
*Students will trade books that they bring at this station. I have included a letter to send home to parents in the packet.

Math center
*At this center students will use QR codes and a QR reader to show them different math games and a site they can explore. This one is a ton of fun as students can create math art as well. Students take home the QR codes to help them find the site at home. Along with some printables.

Just Right Books
*There are two websites that are displayed on computers along with a sheet that students fill out to locate books that interest them based upon books they have already read, authors they love, or genres.

Supply Stock Up
*I lay out extra papers, pencils, etc that students may take home to keep them occupied through the summer.

Make a Book
*Students staple together colored paper to make a book that they can use as a journal or create a book over the summer.

Photo Booth
* I created lots of photo booth props (found online) and laminated them to use to create memories.

In the TPT product I have included directions for the day, signs to put up at each station, and printables that you will need for your students. I can't wait to see what this day will bring.

Here is the link: Summer Send Off Day

What do you guys do that is fun, meaningful, and keeps kids engaged the last few weeks of school?