ClassDojo Ambassador!

I've mentioned ClassDojo in previous posts. It's a classroom management tool that I've completely fallen in love with. It's a FREE app on Smartphones and can be accessed on PCs as well. 

I love it. My students love it. My students' parents love it. Seriously, nothing but love.

In my classroom, I use Dojo as a documentation and communication tool for parents. They love being able to see how their student is doing in class in real time. 

My students use their Dojo points every week to get to buy things out of my "store". Students with 80% positive (or better) get to spend or 'bank' their points each week. 80% also gets them the Cub Events each month (school wide incentive for good behavior), class compliment parties, and field trips. 

Students who go above and beyond 80% and earn 90% or better for a month, get to earn Dojo Belts. Using the martial arts belt levels, my students have the opportunity to earn a belt per month, ending with Double Black Belt Ninja status at the end of the year. I have students who are already on their way!

I've been the ClassDojo Mentor for my building for 2 years now and I take my job seriously. My teachers who chose to use Dojo in their classrooms are very well taken care of. I make sure they have all the tools they need in order for them to feel successful. :)

So, imagine my happiness when I was chosen to be a ClassDojo Ambassador for my region! I get to represent and share ClassDojo to those in the Southeastern Tennessee/ Northern Georgia area! Whoop!!

I look forward to sharing the Dojo love with one and all! If you're an educator looking for a classroom management tool that's fun and inclusive, look into ClassDojo. Feel free to contact me with questions, or look through their site! Also, you can follow #dojochat on Twitter every Wednesday to see what Dojo teachers are up to in their classrooms. 

Thank you, ClassDojo for creating such an awesome resource! I'm proud to be able to represent something that encourages teachers, parents, and students to be the best they can be!

My Babies- aren't babies!

When General Delk's Army started, I was teaching first grade. After a year in first, I was moved to third, so I got to have some of my babies again.
Now, my original blog babies are gone. They graduated fifth grade this week.

I know I shouldn't take it so hard. I mean, I taught second grade for six years before starting the blog, so I've seen kids leave the building. But this class I got to watch grow up, so they are near and dear to my heart.

So, this is my tribute to my babies, who aren't babies. Some I had only in first grade, some only in third, and some in both.

 

 

  

Good luck, Soldiers! Come visit soon! 

(after summer vacation, of course)

Science Tubs: Made with Units in Mind

This past Monday I had the pleasure of taking a Professional Day to go do something I've wanted to do for at least a year now: take an inventory of science tubs at Barger Academy.

It was a dream come true! (Yes, really!) It all started when I attended the Hamilton County science PDs. (Professional Developments) I also started attending an extra PLN (Professional Learning Network) for elementary science teachers. Susan Dorsa at Barger Academy allowed us the use of her room and equipment.

She has tubs. For everything.  

Great, big tubs full of wonderful science magic and happiness!!

 She would bring a different tub to each of the sessions; each full of materials organized by topic of study. And these tubs are available to the Barger teachers to borrow and use whenever they need. Simply wonderful!

So, my idea was to inventory these tubs to see what makes them so magical, then take the inventory back to my building to see what we can recreate. I know we have the materials floating around the building, it's just a matter of getting them in a central location for classroom consumption.

Below are pictures of what Mrs. Dorsa had. Some of the tubs were for large units, some were for mini lessons, and others held random materials for different lessons. If you'd like a PDF of the materials list, you'll find a link at the bottom of the post.

Space

Sound

Light

Electricity and Circuits

Rocks and Minerals

Bird Beaks: Animal Adaptations

Cell Making

Chemical Reactions 

(This tub was bought, not created. The PDF has links to where you can find the Student Manuals and other activities)

Sea Turtles: Adaptations and Conservation

(The PDF has a copy of a game you can play with your students.)

Food Chains and Food Webs 

(You can find a link to a Food Chain War Game HERE! Leave a comment on this post and I'll send it to you for FREE!!)

Heredity 

(PDF file has link to printable activities)

Inherited vs Acquired

(PDF has a printable version of the game included)

Extra Materials

(full list of extra materials included in the file)

She also had a Magnets tub, but 3rd grade had checked it out. 

I was like a nerdy kid in a science candy store. It was wonderful. I can't wait to share my findings with my school. I would love for  my school to have these kinds of easy-to-access materials. (And I'm just the Type-A personality to get it done!)

Thank you, Mrs. Dorsa for allowing me to invade your space! 

I had a wonderful time!

Want a guide to help you make science tubs? 

Click HERE for a PDF!

Shout Out- Ms. Kovacs

Are you tired of hearing bad news when it comes to education in America? Do you wish you could find a place where we can praise teachers the way they deserve?

Well, my friends- THIS IS THE PLACE!

I had the privilege of attending a literacy professional development today hosted by East Ridge Elementary. There a plethora of sessions from which to choose, but I had the good fortune of attending the session held in Ms. Kovacs' classroom.

I'd never met her before, but from what I could understand, hers is a 4th grade classroom.
The reason I chose to spotlight Ms. Kovacs was because of her anchor charts! They were beautiful!

In fact, her charts were so great that I was completely willing to look over the fact that she's a Yankee. (Originally from Connecticut, bless her heart.) :)

It looks like her class is working on writing informational text, which is what we are working on as well. I totally had to get some pics.

 This one is my favorite! ^

It lays everything out beautifully!

 Easy lay-out for students to understand.

Basic poster to show that any topic can be broken down and written about.

But wait! There's more! 

As teachers, we are constantly looking for ways to make our lives easier. Work smarter, not harder. 

In this vein, I love what Ms. Kovacs has done in her classroom library.

All of her books are separated into their different genres in tubs, then all of her students' names are written on clips. When students get a book out of a tub, they put their name clip on the tub to remember where to return the book! Genius!

So, well done, Ms. Kovacs! 

Thank you for allowing us to use your classroom, and thank you for all you do for your students. 

YOU ROCK!!

Same Place, New Face!

Welcome to another year at Clifton Hills Elementary! This is my 10th year at the Hills, and my 3rd year in 3rd grade. This past summer, Mrs. Kapp and I ran the Reads & Seeds reading program held at the school. We had a great time seeing our students each week, and our school garden continues to grow!

Technically, school started about 2 weeks ago, but this is the first time I've had to sit down and document how wonderful I anticipate this year being. Currently I have 21 students in my classroom.

We have a plethora of new teachers in the building, but we also have a new Assistant Principal! Mrs. O moved north to be with her family and we will miss her greatly, but Ms. Newson is here and she's already rockin' the Hills! (In a good way)  :)

To start the year, I decided that we needed to get on Ms. Newson's good side. So, the students and I read the books The Emperor's New Clothes and The Principal's New Clothes.

We compared the stories and created a chart. (sorry about the picture quality!)

To go along with the stories, I had my class create a new wardrobe for Ms. Newson.
Now I've had my students do this activity for Mr. Evans, but I don't think he fully appreciates the idea of a new wardrobe. (Unlike the principal in the story.)

Ms. Newson was thrilled to get so many fabulous outfits! In fact, she was so happy that she chose three of her favorites and wrote the students notes explaining what it was about their outfits that she enjoyed so much.

Here's a picture of all the outfits:

Here are the 3 favorites:

Here's a look at the whole board:

Thank you, Ms. Newson for helping us get a great start to the year!