Working On It: June 25

Hey everyone!

I'm linking up with the lovely KinderGals for their weekly linky: Working on It! I am sharing what I am currently working on.

I have only been out of school for about a week and I already have started working on my Summer To-Do List.

If you follow my Instagram account, you have already seen this picture.

I am only on Chapter 10 and I love this book. Many of the things I didn't consider to be the turning point to successfully interacting with your students are. For example, I have the rule that there are no toys allowed in the classroom. When students "test" your rules by bringing toys into the classroom, I have always told them to put them back in their backpacks. While that usually works for that DAY, I am having the same conversation with either the same student or another one the following day. This book points out that I have this rule, however students are noticing that I showing them that I will just give them a warning if they bring in a toy and there are not any real consequences to bring a toy to school. This is just one example of what is discussed in this book. I have found this book to be really eye opening and I have enjoyed it so far.

I am also getting my lesson plans ready for my read alouds during the year. We start the year reading Because of Winn-Dixie. 

I finished packing up my room yesterday. YEAH! While it doesn't look like it, it is ready to go. My janitor is a gem and he said that we don't need to have lids on all of our boxes. That helped a ton because I have oddly shaped boxes, shelves, etc  that was really hard to pack.

Last but not least, I am working on making my long range plans for next year. I usually don't make long range plans but I always wish I did about half way through the year. I figured I would give it a shot this year.

It is not all work though, next week I am going camping for my 30th birthday. We are actually going to the same site I used to go to as a kid! I can't wait!

Don't forget to link up with the KinderGals.

Five for Friday (1st Day of Summer Edition)

Hey all!

Today is my first day of summer! I work in a school district that goes late into June. However, we don't start until after Labor Day so it all works out. This is about the time that I wish we had year-round school but sadly there is only a couple in my state. In honor of my 1st day of summer, I am linking up with Kacey from Doodle Bugs for one of my favorite links: Five for Friday.

On Saturday we had lunch with my boyfriend's dad. I snatched these photos while we were at the park. Not too shabby for an iPhone.

Did you know the Word Cup is going on in Brazil right now? Oi! World Cup fever has taken over my house. The game on Monday against Ghana was a nail bitter, so I am hoping we can keep it together against Portugal. This is my favorite commercial I have seen about the World Cup.

Over the last month, I have seen blog posts about these wonderful books everyone is reading this summer. I have been slowly collecting the ones I would like to read. I didn't realize until today how many I have. I have a A LOT of reading to do this summer.

Wednesday was field day. Sadly I only took a couple of pictures. Here is the bouncy house station and the chalk station.

I found out that I will be moving to a new classroom next year on Wednesday. (Last day of school was Thursday) I am excited except...here is the problem. The portable has not been put in yet. As of right now, I don't have anyplace to put my boxes. Eeeeek!

I'll be going into my classroom today to work on this mess.

Happy Friday!

Behavior Management and a Freebie

Hello friends!

I am linking up with Laura from Where the Magic Happens... to talk about a subject that I struggle with every year...behavior management.

It seems every year, I try to figure out different ways to approach managing my students. Last year I tried parts of the Whole Brain Teaching model. I started by using the Super Improvers Wall that is used to encourage students to set individual goals that are specific to their needs.

Click on the picture to download this freebie.

I had students select their own goals to try to encourage more ownership. The goals could be academic or behavioral. For example, sit at the carpet correctly or turn in my homework every day. Every time I noticed a student doing this for the day, I would put a star on their chart. When the chart was filled, the student would made a new goal to work on. The different color cards reflect how many goals each student has made. The colors correspond to the signs on the left.

At first I had my doubts about how this would work in my class. After using this system for a year, I really like it. My students LOVE "beating" their goal. I made certificates for each student every time to beat their goal.

I found most of the students picked goals that they honestly knew they needed to work on. If they didn't, this was a perfect time to discuss why they picked the goals they choose. I got my signs for free from Tara West's Teachers Pay Teachers store.

In addition to the Super Improvers Wall, I also used Class Dojo. If you are not familiar with Class Dojo, it is an online system that you can use to help manage students behaviors.

I found about half way through the year, the students do not seem to really care about the Class Dojo scores. When they hear the cheerful dings of the positive points and the dongs of the minus points it doesn't seem to change their behavior one way or the other. Parents can also go online and check to see how their child is doing throughout the day. Unfortunately many of my parents do not have access to a computer. I started sending paper copies home every Friday but I still didn't notice a difference in student's behavior.

I love the idea of the Class Dojo system, however I am finding it difficult to make it work the way that I want. A couple of years ago, I tried the Clip Charts and I really liked them. My students also really liked the chance to move up for positive behavior too. I think I am going to try this system again next year.

Also I am reading Setting Limits in the Classroom this summer. I am only a couple of pages in and I already have made some great connections. Like for example, I give too many warnings. This book suggested that I am sending the message that they can continue to do the same behavior and they will just get a warning. I didn't even realize I was doing that! I can't wait to continue reading this book.

Reading while waiting for the ferry yesterday.

What are types of behavior management strategies do you use? Don't forget to link up!

I only have 3 1/2 more days of school left. I can do this, I can do this!

May Currently and What I have been up to

Hey friends!

Remember me?

It has been way too long since I posted anything and I have missed it. Last time I posted I was just getting into the National Board process. Well 5 months later and I have 2 weeks until I have to submit all of my evidence and papers. (Ekkkk!) Everyone I talked to before starting this process said that it was crazy and rewarding. I just was not prepared for how much it has taken over my life. Well thankfully I am close to completing all of my requirements.

On to my May Currently!

Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade!

Listening: My family is a soccer family all the way. Saturday and Sunday mornings we watch English Premiere soccer. It is almost the League Championship so the games have been full of upsets and really good.

Loving: This last week I have been waking up 1-2 hours before my alarm and have not been able to fall back asleep. :( One of my co-workers reminded me that the end of the year is very similar to the beginning of the year. For me this means that I have a hard time shutting off my brain because I am thinking of all the things I need to remember to do.

Thinking: All of my papers for my National Boards are due May 16th. I should be finalizing all of the corrections I need to make on it instead of getting wrapped up wasting time online with Pinterest and Facebook.

Wanting: I desperately need new shoes for school. My old flats have holes in both heels and they have started to get me blisters. It has been so hot here lately that I am really limited on which shoes I can wear to school that won't kill my feet and are still practical for school. We are not supposed to wear open-toed shoes to school however I don't have any other schools that are appropriate for school. Any suggestions? Any brand of shoes that you can't live without that are fabulous?

Needing: One of the last things I need to do is to scan all of my evidence for my Boards, proving all of the things I talked about in my paper. I just got a new printer a couple of months ago and I haven't figured out how to use the scanner feature yet. Hopefully it is as easy as it looks.

Surprise: Have you checked out Nicole Swisher's blog All Things Apple in 2nd Grade? She's fabulous! She has some great ideas and her Reading Skills Posters are wonderful.

I am looking forward to getting back to blogging and creating more units.

Happy weekend!

13 in '13

Hey all!

I have finally made it to Winter Break! Thank goodness! I know I hear teachers everywhere saying the same thing.

I am linking up with Hadar at Miss Kindergarten, Traci at Dragonflies in First, and Kristin at A Teeny Tiny Teacher to share my 13 favorite things about the year 2013.

13. Favorite article of clothing

I love the infinity scarves. I am actually running out of room in my closet because of all my scarves. I think I'll have to get a bigger closet. (haha)

12. Favorite Movies of 2013

Even before Paul Walker died, I loved these movies. Are they going to get a Grammy, probably not. However, they are always entertaining.

11. Favorite TV series

I love the Big Bang Theory! I can always count on it for a good laugh.

10. Favorite Restaurant

I love this sushi place down the street from me called Trapper's Sushi. My boyfriend and I go there at least once a week. They have some very unique sushi rolls, including some that are deep fried and topped with jalapeños. Sounds weird but it is surprisingly delish. 

9. Favorite new thing you tried

At the beginning of the year I went to a Zumba class at my gym. I love it. I was surprised at how go of a workout it actually was.

8. Favorit gift you got

A couple of weeks ago I got myself a Macbook Pro for an early Christmas present. I absolutely love it! 

7. Favorite thing you pinned

For whatever reason, the widget is not working at the moment. I have a feeling it is operator error but I can't figure it out right at the moment. It is a pin about how to organize your small group materials to make them easily accessible.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/261701428320036494/

6. Favorite blog post
The blog post that is my favorite is the one I did this summer about Whole Brain Teaching. I am still figuring things out but I have enjoyed incorporating the Whole Brain strategies into my lessons.

http://msrichardsmusings.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-got-bit-by-whole-brain-teaching-bug.html

5. Best accomplishment

This blog! I started blogging in January and I have enjoyed meeting so many people. I have been slacking a bit trying to devote my time to my National Boards. Yikes! I knew that it would be a lot of time, but I was still not prepared for it. When this is all over, I will be writing blog post on a more regular basis. I promise.

4. Favorite picture

My sweetie and I at the Kenny Chesney concert this summer. Good times had by all.

3. Favorite memory

I got to go to Europe this summer. It was a blast. I am already planning on when I can go back.

2. Goal 2014

My goal is finish my National Boards. I am still trying to figure out how to balance life, my students, and devoting enough time to writing my papers.

1. One little word

I think this quote says it perfectly.

Don't forget to head over to Traci, Kristin, or Hadar's blogs to join in the fun.

Look What We Got!

Hey friends! Remember me? I used to blog on a regular bases and actually reply to emails in a timely manner. Sigh...I can't wait until this year is done.

I did manage to enjoy the cyber sale at Teachers Pay Teachers. Did you already head over there? Wowza! There is good stuff to be had.

I bought a ton of clip art this time around from 2 of my favorite clip art creators: Krista Wallden and Melonheadz.

I also got a couple of other random units from other teacher authors. The Fry Phrases are from Christina Bainbridge. Christina includes a tons of activities for students to practice their decoding skills. I also picked up 2 "One Breath Boxes" from DK Coleman. She offers a free One Breath Box on her TpT store. I downloaded it and tried it out with my kids. They loved it! I bought two more units with some of the harder words for later in the year.

What did you buy? Don't forget to link up with Blog Hoppin' to share what you got.

I think I am going to head back to TpT for round 2 before the sale is done.

November Currenly

Hey all! It's me, Krystyn. I am alive. It had been pure craziness in my world lately. Sorry for the lack of blogging. I have missed it!

It's the beginning of a new month and you know I can't resist contributing to my favorite linky. Head on over to Oh' Boy 4th Grade for all the details on how to participate in this linky. You can also check out all the other people that have linked up.

Listening: My sweetie is watching the Manchester United game. I always make him watch all my cooking shows and dramas, he can take over the TV on Saturday and Sundays.

Loving: Yesterday, I got to enjoy an entire day free of sugar filled students. Instead I had to sit in a 3 hour training. (In my mind, SO much better than dealing with sleep deprived, sugared-up students.)

Thinking: Today is the next Sounders game. We are in the playoffs against Portland. This is a huge rival so it should be a great game. Unfortunately, it is raining so hard it work me up. Hence, the thought about trying to find my rain gear.

Wanting: My computer is slowly dying. This is my 3 laptop in the last 6 years. I figure it might be time to spring for a Mac. Everyone I talk to loves them. I just have to rationalize the amount of money. :)

Needing: I am definitely feeling the pressure this year with trying to complete my National Boards. In addition to that, next week are Parent/Teacher Conferences. This year they decided to switch things up and make them student-led conferences. Which is a wonderful idea but I have never done them before and our district is not offering any training on them. (AHHHHH!)

Yummy Pin: Doesn't this look delish? Yum-o!