What's Making You Feel Excited About Starting a New School Year?

I'm starting my year with some big changes! There will be lots of little changes, because there always are when you work with children! It's the big changes that have my attention this summer. I've been thinking and planning and discussing, and now I'm starting to feel excited!

1. Technology

Finally! I will have modern, working computers right in my classroom! And because of that, things like digital cameras and videos will be much easier to integrate into lessons. I've got all kinds of things planned, beginning with how to use each tool in the classroom. The real goal is for students to learn some new ways to connect with others inside the classroom, around our school, and beyond. Twitter? Yes, it's on my list. Skype? You bet. YouTube and a class blog? Yes, yes, of course!

2. Classroom

"I had all the desks moved out."

When I said those words to a colleague, she was beyond stunned. I wish I had a picture of her expression. O.M.G.

Early in the summer, I saw my new classroom for the first time. It was very similar to my old classroom. But the orientation was just a little different. The new/old rooms weren't mirror images. A few things were the same, but other, major things were different (like the location of the door, sink, a few cupboards.) Where would I put my cubbies? There wasn't really a logical place near the door. Where would my teaching easel go? And how would I arrange all those desks?

Soon after seeing my room, I started thinking about Genius Hour and the spaces I wanted available to students. And then I realized that those awesome new iMacs would need a home, and then there was a giant furniture snowball of information in my head. And it made me dizzy. So I laid down and closed my eyes, but all I could see was a room full of desks. Thirty desks.

The thing is, when I started thinking about why my students needed desks, I couldn't really come up with any good reasons. A place to put their crayons? A place to keep a notebook? Somewhere to sit? Yes, but I was quickly able to think of alternatives for all of those uses. I thought back to last year... what did we use the desks for that was so critical? The only thing I could come up with was that they were a place to keep children contained. "Please go to your desks."  Was this just a case of continuing to do something because that's the way we've always done it? Maybe.

So I started making lists and sketches and jotting down ideas. Pro: storage, a place for everyone, work space, order. Con: makes the room crowded, difficult to change students to a new work space, kids get territorial. My students spend a good part of every day doing things that don't require that they're anchored to a desk. I use a workshop model for reading, writing and math, and students often work on the floor, in a beanbag chair or on a small rug. What if the desks weren't there at all? What would it be like, I tried to imagine. I thought of a friend's art studio and the Montessori school where I worked in college and the Exploratorium.

And then a few weeks later, I saw Alice's post. This is a high school classroom, but wow! Her room has some great collaborative spaces, it's totally set up for conversations, and it looks so warm and happy. Her video made me think of a Starbucks. And you know how much work gets done there! Alice's video nudged me over the edge.

So my room doesn't have thirty desks anymore. I'm still arranging everything and I will share pictures next week.

3. Genius Hour

Talk about a perfect fit! Genius Hour will work great in the physical classroom and with access to technology. I am eager to get started with my students! Two books I plan to read with them right away: Big Plans by Bob Shea and Lane Smith, and Swimmy by Leo Lionni. I want students to think big! They can change the world! And Swimmy is a lovely little book for discussing collaboration.



What new things are you trying this year? Any great new books you have found that you love? What's getting you excited about going back to school?

Happy Wednesday!

 

A Cute Classroom?

There's some discussion on Twitter, blogs, and Facebook about classroom cuteness. Have you been on Pinterest lately? My  goodness, there's a ton of cute there. A.TON. There are some really great ideas, and I love that teachers can share with other teachers clear across the country and around the world.

But in some ways I don't love it.

Many teachers are really focused on their classroom decor. I get it. I'm in my room all day and I want it to look good! I want to be surrounded by the colors I love, and I want my environment to be inspiring. Sure, I've gotten some good ideas here and there. But I guess what sets me apart from some of the classroom fashionistas is that I want everything to be functional. I'm in that room to teach.

I do spend time thinking about how I want my classroom to look. Absolutely. I am certain that part of the issue is just a matter of taste. I'm not a fan of having every single thing in my room match to a fault. I know that some people love it. But it's just not a priority for me. Nor are lots of the other ideas of seen. In two weeks I will have 30 little people in that room with me. They will need to learn to read and write and add and think and communicate. My focus really needs to be on what will help my students. What part of the environment will be inspiring to them? What things can I include in my classroom that will make them eager to learn and comfortable working with others?

My room is very clean. It's organized. It's coordinated color-wise. But not everything matches. It coordinates. My favorite color is blue, so as I've gathered things over the years, I've chosen blue whenever color is an option. I knew my students would love to read in beanbag chairs, so I chose blue ones. I needed little baskets to put crayons in, so I chose blue ones.  I have tons of pointers that students use to read the room and I put them in a blue container. I have a few blue chairs, a blue carpet, and I did make a blue valence for each of the small windows in my room.

Confession: This summer, my daughters wanted to make bunting (you know-- the string of flags) for their rooms. We are swimmers and I had made a mini-set of "backstroke flags" to decorate a bathroom years ago. So we pulled out all the fabric scraps and got to work. I made a long string for my classroom because it was a fun project to do together and I have no need for bunting at home. That's my big, fancy, frivolous item for the year. It serves no purpose but to look cute. I spent an afternoon sewing with my daughters, which was fun, and the expense was minimal. But I didn't set out to make that decoration for my room, it just happened.

I have made lots of classroom labels that are cute, too. It started when a couple of friends asked me if I would whip up a few things for them. I made labels with a ladybug theme for Kara, and then someone asked for monkeys. And another friend loves owls, and someone else wanted robots. And suddenly I was making a new, *cute*cute*cute* set of labels practically every week. But the labels are functional. They are for print awareness, letter identification, and they support children who are learning to read. The labels aren't just cute. They serve a purpose.

I'm a great multi-tasker, I really am. I have four children of my own, I read multiple books at a time, and I almost always have food in the oven, clothes the washer, and a million ideas in my head. All at once. But I just don't feel like I can focus on creating a boutique-style classroom and an amazing curriculum at the same time. There are issues of time and money to be considered. I really want a Boogie Board for my students to use, and I'd like some iPad minis, and I'm working on researching apps that are appropriate for first grade. I'm busy planning new lessons for the Common Core and I'm trying to cram in a few more professional books before school starts. So in these last days before school starts, I'm probably not going to be buying ribbons or making seat cushions or mod-podging anything... unless I can figure out how to work it into a lesson!

I read something on the web (I can't even remember where I saw it or who said it, sorry!) about first impressions, and the argument was for over-the-top cute decorating, "because first impressions are so important!"

When children and parents walk into my room in two weeks, I will feel a little pressure associated with that first impression idea. I want my room to look good, and maybe even a little bit cute!  I'll be nervous. I want students to feel at home right away, I want them to see books that they can't wait to read, and I want them to feel excited about the year ahead. I want students and parents to see a classroom in which children come first, and where technology, science, literature, collaboration, creativity, exploration, critical thinking, art, communication, and individual ideas are valued. I want them to see a place where students can learn, grow, think, feel accepted, rest, work, and thrive.

Yep, the pressure's on. Perhaps if I start feeling too much stress this week, I'll just take the edge off with a little craft. I'm thinking tissue paper flowers sound like a relaxing project...

Of course I'll post pictures of my room when it's done!

Tons of Ten Frames

Okay, I admit it. I can be ridiculous.

Here is a perfect example.

I created a gigantic set of ten frames...one for every month in the school year, plus some extra thematic ones, plus one with a cute Pete-ish cat, plus one for Earth Day, plus one Cat-in-a-Hat-ish, plus one with a beach theme, plus more. Seriously?! Yep, I'm afraid so.

I made two versions of each theme, too. The first version has two ten frames on a page. Each page is meant to be cut in half (I included a dotted line for cutting.) The second version has two ten frames on a page. This one is to use for numbers to twenty! It should not be cut in half, but used as is!



I will be doing lots and lots of lessons with ten frames this year. They are perfect for teaching Common Core math standards for kindergarten and first grade. Hungry for more?



OMG. That Brown Bear-themed one is definitely one of my favorites! You can bet we will start the lesson with some quick color review, a little oral language, and some reading!



I like classroom materials that can do double duty. Pattern isn't included in the Common Core State Standards, but I've heard several experts say that it's assumed. Children will still need practice with pattern at every grade level. So, on the rainy day ten frames, I included boots lined up in a pattern. Take advantage of a quick opportunity to discover the pattern and count by twos with your students!



I made sure to several generic ten frames in this pack, like this colorful one. This would be good for any day of the year!

What about manipulatives, you ask? Well, how about buttons for the Pete frames? Tiny pumpkin erasers for the Halloween frames? There's a beach ten frame that is just begging to be used with shells! But really, any small object will work just fine. Try Unifix cubes, pompoms, pattern blocks, glass beads, tiny base ten blocks, paper clips, foam pieces (like the kind they sell in giant tubs at Michael's), erasers, tiny die cut papers or even construction paper squares. So many possibilities!

Summer Reading

I wonder if I'll ever have one of those model-home-perfect/Pinterest-type nightstands next to my bed?  They always look so pretty. Two matching nightstands, each with a nice lamp, and maybe a small clock or a little vase of flowers...

I'm thinking not. We have lovely matching nightstands. We even have nice, matching lamps. We even having matching piles of books! Bahahahaha! Nope, not at all the way they do it in the Pinterest photos or Elle Decor. Ooooops.

But guess what? I've had a ton o'fun reading this summer. Fiction, non-fiction, teaching-related, humor... a little of everything. (I read the book for my book club meeting, and then ended up not being able to go that night. Such a bummer! I love to talk about books.) I've read some new books, but I've also re-read some older ones just because.

A few highlights:



Okay, if you haven't read this, you really must. Pathways to the Common Core is a quick read, and it will help clear up some Common Core mysteries. Go. Read.



A friend (who is a principal) recommended this and I read it. It's more applicable to her job than to mine, but since I always want to improve myself, I dove in head first. Why don't we have really excellent teachers everywhere all the time?



I know. It's not new. But I love this Six Traits book by Ruth Culham. I've read it dozens of times. My copy is full of Post-It notes. I marked the things I loved, plus jotted notes about related mentor texts, YouTube videos, writing pieces my students have produced, other ideas for application... Every time I read this book, I think of several new ideas for teaching writing in my classroom.



Okay, totally not teaching-related. EXCEPT... My reward for starting school when it's still practically the middle of summer is that I will get a week off in October. And I'm going to Paris with three wonderful friends, Stacey, Allison and Kim. We're working on finalizing the details now, after planning this trip for ages. We're going to celebrate a birthday (one of us just had a big one-- not me!) and it is going to be a blast! CANNOT WAIT. The book is full of interesting photographs of two dogs all over Paris. Totally amusing!



I love this author. I stumbled upon one of her books, Arranged Marriage,  just after it was released in 1996. I was instantly a fan, and began reading everything she wrote. In 2002, I lucked out big time! She was a guest speaker at my local library. She was a wonderful speaker-- so intelligent, so humble and completely enchanting. Hers are books that I've read more than once. Sister of My Heart is one of my favorites, and I've read it at least six times. I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of One Amazing Thing a few weeks ago.

Next on my list?



Can't wait until Tuesday! Love my Amazon Prime!

 

Google 20 Percent Time

More Google thoughts... I just might be obsessed.

There are lots of benefits of working at Google, I hear. Need a hair cut? Get one free on-site! Want to work out?  Free on-site gym!  Need to do laundry, get clothes dry-cleaned, eat, swim or see a doctor? All those things can happen on-site at Google.

Yes. I'm jealous. Incredibly jealous!

One little Google perk that I find more fascinating than luxurious, however... the Google 20 Percent Time.

Google employees are allowed to spend up to 20 percent of their time working on projects that are not a part of their job descriptions. That's one whole day per week! They can use the time to develop new ideas, fix things that aren't quite working right, explore, and engage with others to work on projects. Gmail is one Google product that came out of this 20 Percent Time.

Yep. Still jealous. But I love the idea! And I've been thinking about it for a month... How can I do something similar in my classroom with my students? Unlike the Google 20 Percent, projects in my class wouldn't have to provide a benefit to me. (Haha! That's a funny thought though! Children could explore recipes using chocolate?) But the students could certainly benefit! And perhaps some of their ideas and projects could help other students or the greater school community? (I'm also exploring Choose 2 Matter this week!) It's all about empowering children to take charge of their learning and their actions. They can do research or experiment or explore. So exciting!

Other teachers have done similar things, and I've heard some impressive ideas, topics for study, and results: fundraisers for seriously ill children, school landscaping, building websites, ways to make money, cancer, pollution, food, music...

I've spent lots of time thinking about what this would look like in a first grade classroom. The projects and classrooms I've heard about involve older students, but I think Genius Hour would be amazing for first graders! Six-year-olds are so curious and energetic! But I truly can't dedicate 20 percent of our instructional minutes to this idea. So we are going to have Genius Hour for an hour at a time. I'm thinking I can work it in twice per week, but I haven't got that part figured out for sure. I'm hoping that I can find ways to integrate it with reading or writing, so that we can do it more often.

I'm going to start our Genius Hour with some exploration activities. I want to combine creativity and collaboration, and increase students' knowledge of the ways that people explore and learn. I'm going to provide toys for scientific exploration: magnet toys, a spirograph, wind-up toys, plants, magnifying glasses, prisms, mirrors, bubbles, a lap harp, etc. I'm also going to provide play dough, art supplies, and building materials like toothpicks and popsicle sticks and paper and random containers.



And I'm going to provide these Creativity and Critical Thinking cards for my students... to really get them thinking!



During this time, students will have access to digital cameras to document their creations, and they can computers to gather information.

Next, I will use books, short YouTube videos and discussions to get students thinking about their own questions, the needs of others, and ways to make a difference. Some students might forge ahead with a question or project idea, while other students take a little more time exploring. I totally expect that, and it will actually work well: I'll have more time to help individual students get started on their projects.

 

 

What Good News/What Bad News (I Got the Key to my New Room)

Okay the good news first: I got the key to my new room. And more good news: when I went to get the key, I also got to meet my new principal!  (I'm thankful that she offered to hand out keys a little early. I don't want to spend the rest of my summer vacation getting reading for school to start, but I do like to have access. I've been working on a few things at home this summer, and I was very happy to get a pile of projects out of my entryway and into the classroom!)

And more good news! My room is in a great location. It's close to the parking lot and the office. It's also much closer to the cafeteria than my old room was, and it's very close to the bathrooms, which will be great for first graders.

Carmen, my next door neighbor from last year, is smart, supportive, and funny, and I just loved having her next door. Guess what? She has moved to a new room, also, and we will still be pretty close. So that's good news!

Bad news, you ask? Really? Are you sure you're ready? It's pretty bad.

What's that saying? "A picture is worth a thousand words?" Are the thousand words more like screaming sounds?

The bad news: my new room.



That's a lot of boxes, friends. You can barely even see the counter!



Are you thinking that it looks like it's pretty disorganized? Yeah, me too. It bothers me that I see at least one bookcase on its side. I should have fixed that before taking a picture...



And this picture couldn't be more misleading! Doesn't it look like the room is just gigantic?! I can assure you that it's not!



The doors in the first picture lead to the classroom next door. The doors in this picture lead to a closet. It's not big enough for too much, but I'm planning to put my little fridge and microwave in there... and if there's room, I'll fill the rest of the space with textbooks.

Total side note: In the last picture, you can see a little pink dollhouse. It was given to me by a principal from a few years ago. She is a total gem, loves kids like crazy, and passed this dollhouse along to me when her daughter decided she was too old for it. I love it! Every time we have Choice Time, my students get that dollhouse out first. And I always think of Michelle, and what a treat it was working with her!

So I have some work to do... and this year I'm going to shake things up just a bit.  When the room is unpacked and organized and ready for students, I'll take pictures and let you know...because it will be good news!

Talk Blocks

When I ordered the Talk Points I talked about in my last post, I also ordered a set of five Talk Blocks!



The Talk Blocks are pretty much the same idea as the Talk Points.  You can record messages on them and play them back later. But there are a few differences:

1. While the Talk Points hold a ten-second message, the Talk Blocks hold a thirty-second message.

2. Talk Blocks are more expensive.

3. Talk points are cylindrical, and the Talk Blocks are a square shape.

4. The Talk Blocks have a clear, removable cover. Big deal, you say? Well, you can remove the cover and place a picture under it. Or a word. Or a drawing. You know, each Talk Block can be personalized in some way.

So I have a couple of ideas to use right away. You knew I did, right?

My first idea is to use the Talk Blocks for book recommendations. Each week five students (five because I have five Talk Blocks, but I'm hoping to get a class set at some point!) would get turns to recommend books. Each student would choose a favorite book, write something about it, and then record himself reading it. The written piece might include elements from recent reading comprehension lessons, if applicable. It could be along the lines of the children's recommendations in Reading Rainbow episodes. After the students have completed  their recommendations, each Talk Block, along with a copy of the book being recommended could be placed in a central area to be shared with other students.

Another thought I had was to use them for science and art. We do lots and lots of animal studies in my class. A student could research an animal, complete a writing piece, and record himself or herself reading it. The Talk Block could be placed with student- created diagrams and maps related to the animal, as well as texts, and the class could take a gallery walk!  Other students could view the diagram and push the Talk Block to learn more about the animal.

I'm so pleased to have two interesting new technology toys tools to use with my first graders when school starts.

Need some Talk Blocks of your own? Click HERE.

Talk Points

I'm so, so excited about my new Talk Points!

One day, I was exploring all over the web and I came across these little gems. I saw this picture on Amazon and read the descriptions.



Talk Points are little recordable devices. There's a switch on the back that you flip to record a message. Then move the switch to "play" and press the button to hear your message. I saw them and thought that they would be so useful at literacy centers. Sometimes when the activity is new, students need a reminder about what to do, even if I've already given directions. If I had Talk Points, I thought, students could press the button, hear the directions again, and get on with their work.

I began reading reviews... and honestly, they were mixed. Some people said that the Talk Points were really useful for classrooms, that children thought they were fun and engaging, and they were easy to use. A few people said that they were great for giving students directions. Others complained that it was too easy to erase the recorded messages on the Talk Points, that they were not made well, or that students played with them rather than using them for their intended purpose. A few reviews said that the time limit, ten seconds, wasn't long enough to be useful. (I got out my iPhone stopwatch and recorded myself giving a few different directions that I might use for literacy centers. I figured that if I was going to need more than ten seconds, then perhaps I need to teach the center better to start with.)  So those negative reviews sounded more like management issues than product issues to me, and I decided to order the Talk Blocks, anyway.

Of course, that two-day, Amazon Prime shipping was a little to slow for me. Haha. I was so excited thinking about the possibilities that every time I heard a truck drive by I nearly ran out to the front porch!

And two days later...  they arrived, right on schedule! Here's a photo to show their size.



I unwrapped them immediately and began trying them out!

Though I haven't used them with students, yet, I think they are going to be just exactly what I wanted! No, the sound quality isn't nearly as good as the Bose speakers in my car. And no, ten seconds isn't even close to an entire lesson. But for a quick review of instructions (for students who can't read instructions!) they will be great.

I had another thought, as well. The set I got has five Talk Points, all different colors. I was thinking that I could record a different math problem into each one, and put all five at a math center. Students could listen to the problem, discuss with a partner, listen again to clarify and solve together!

I just know I'm going to come up with tons of ways to use these! I can't wait to try them out with my students!

 

Finding Technology Where I Thought There Was None

When teachers talk about their amazing tech tools, it used to make me feel a little jealous. A whole class set of iPads? I wish! But after going on a treasure hunt in my own house, I am feeling excited and lucky. I have more than I thought I had!

Of course, I still have a few items on my wish list. I'd love love love to have a few iPads or e-readers for students to use. And I found a little gadget today called a Boogie Board.

 



The "Rip" model allows students to make sketches on the pad, and then save their work as a PDF. Aaaaaaagh! Fun! Want!

But I'm still feeling pretty happy! Look what I found!



Let's see... what have we here? First, that's a third generation iPod nano in the top left. Funny, that iPod just "appeared" at our house a few years ago. Someone left it at some point, but we can't figure out who it was! We've asked everyone we know, but there have been times when lots of kids are coming and going, and I'm guessing that it belonged to a teenager. One of life's mysteries. Thank you to it's original owner... I'm taking it to school!

Next, in the top middle is a Nikon CoolPix camera that one of my daughters got for Christmas a few years ago. She loved that camera and has taken very good care of it. But now she has an iPhone, which is super convenient... and the camera doesn't get used. Isn't she sweet to donate ithe camera to my classroom?!

In the top right, an "OLD" iPhone. It's actually an iPhone 4, so not completely ancient... I'm going to load stories and Reading Rainbow episodes onto it and let my first graders enjoy it! Of course, it can also be used for still photography and video recording.

Bottom left: Check it out!...a near-antique! ...Kids, that's an iPod. When it was purchased, that's the only name it had. Now it's referred to as a Classic. Purchase date was 2006, and my husband used this during his very long commute on the train. He watched movies and listened to music and frankly, we were all a little amazed. You can hear the hard drive spinning away... Gone is my husband's long commute, and with it his need for this iPod. It's mine now! My students can use it to watch Reading Rainbow or listen to reading.

That camera in the middle of the bottom row is a Flip Video. It's a great little camera, and the students will be using it in a completely "hands-on" way.

And finally, my iPod nano. I've been running with this little gem for years now. And I love it. But my wonderful husband upgraded it for my birthday last week. The addition of the radio on my new iPod is a treat. Now I can tune in to television shows at the gym! So the old nano goes straight to my classroom, too.

Look around your house! See what you can find!

 

 

Technology in First Grade on the First Day

Did I mention that the day I spent at Google was inspiring? No? Well, I've been thinking of everything school and Google and technology and collaboration and creativity ever since... and while I can't give Google credit for all my ideas... that day made a difference for me.

I had an extremely hard year last year. I had unbelievable challenges. The population at my school is not a particularly easy one anyway, but last year was extra special, if you know what I mean. It was one of *those* years. Times a hundred. Or maybe a thousand. Egad. I worked way, way too hard. I'm feeling the need for a margarita just writing about it!

When school ended, I didn't feel relieved right away. My husband jokes that I was experiencing a little Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Whatever it was, it took a few weeks for it to sink in--- That. Year. Finally. Ended. Soon after that, I let a few thoughts about next year sneak into my brain. And when I went to the Google Geo Teachers Institute, I admit my expectations were low. Heck, I was still trying to forget last year, and I wasn't ready in the least to begin thinking about next year. But then I met some talented teachers and learned about some amazing tools and I got all excited.

Last year, the technology in my room was limited to the four iPods my students use to listen to stories. I take that back. I also had a MacBook Pro (district issue!), a LCD projector and document camera, and my own iPhone. I used the camera on my phone every single day for both still shots and video. And the document camera, LCD and MacBook got quite a bit of use. But I didn't have a lot in terms of "hands on" technology tools for my students.

Our school had two beautiful computer labs.



Okay, I'm not so sure about "beautiful," but I was really pretty thrilled when I first saw them. Brand new iMacs! There were thirty computers in each one, so during my lab time (every day for 30-40 minutes) my students each had an iMac to use. However, they had limited choices for how they used those computers. Wait. Who am I kidding?! Their choices were so limited that THERE WAS NO CHOICE. Two days a week, students used an online math program. Bleh. Three days a week, they used an online program with a reading emphasis. The math program was somewhat engaging, and the students liked it better than the reading program. The reading program caused many children to throw tantrums and refuse to participate. Honestly, I can't blame them. It was as close to a drill and kill phonics ditto on a computer that I've ever seen. But even worse than a ditto, if students missed any questions on a level, they had to re-do all the "activities" on that level. And there wasn't any teaching happening in this program. Omg. I could go on for hours. The kids hated it and I hated it, and despite the "research" praising the program and outlining all the magical things it could do, it just didn't work for my students.

Every day, I thought about those instructional minutes. Thirty to forty minutes per day were dedicated to those two programs (mandatory, with each students' minutes monitored by the district,) and yet I felt like I never had enough time to teach everything I felt I needed to. I started to share my feelings, and explain the reasons why I thought the time was not well spent. Every child, no matter his reading/math levels, was required to be "on" that computer for  the prescribed number of minutes every day. I just didn't see the point. They weren't engaged, it wasn't good instruction, and at least twenty students asked to use the bathroom during the computer lab time every single day. That was telling!

Thankfully, I was heard. At the end of the year, the decision was made to break up the computer labs and distribute the computers among all the classrooms. Yahoo! So now I can add "four iMacs" to my classroom technology inventory. And although I probably won't be able to completely wiggle out of having to use those online math and reading programs (it will likely be required for some students), I have bigger plans for  those iMacs!

And so... some of my plans for incorporating technology on the first day of school:

1. I am going to teach a quick lesson on how to use Photo Booth on the iMacs, and on the very first day, I will have students record themselves talking about... themselves! I plan to put all those recordings together into a little show about our class. Students can learn about each other when they watch it, and you can bet I'll have some writing activities to follow up the viewing! (Likely they won't watch it the first day, but probably a couple of days later.)

2.  I'll be using my iPhone... to take pictures and video of students on the first day. I always send a note home with students during the first week. Last year, my notes looked like this:



I had ordered those post cards from Vistaprint several years ago. This year, I'm going to create my own cards and I'm planning to include a photo of each child. I will also be taking video to use in my Back to School Night presentation.

2. While scrounging around home for any technology bits to take to school (more on that later), I found the Flip Video camera that I got for free a few years ago. All I had to do was attend a workshop to learn to use it, and it was mine! I know that there are better versions. I got my Flip Video about four years ago. But it takes decent video and it is simple enough for a first grader to use successfully.



And those first graders are going to use it a lot this year. I want students to take videos of each other, and we are going to start the first day. Our first project is going to be a presentation about the rules. After I teach procedures to the students, I am going to have one student record while the other students practice and demonstrate. Behavior is a gigantic issue at my school! Last year some of us were on a committee to help establish new procedures based on PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.) I will review those procedures from last year, have students record each other, and we will compile to create a group project. And I know I can find a way to share that project with the other classes at our school. Bazinga!

4. And my last bit of technology for the first day... my students will be taking lots of digital pictures! I know, I know, my plans are pretty heavy on the visual technology side. But we have to start somewhere, right? I want students to have practice using the digital cameras I have (old cameras my children and friends of mine used before we all had iPhones!) First they need to know how to use the cameras, and then later they can do great things with the pictures!

I'm actually getting excited about going back to school! I can wait to share lots of technology tools with my first graders, and watch them use them in meaningful ways!

New Pete the Cat Book!

I ordered two copies of this new book today. My little darling "A" wasn't the only one in my class who loved Pete last year... all my students loved Pete!



I can't wait to read it and share it with my first graders!

And guess what?! There's another new Pete book coming out in October! Such fun!



 

Listen to Reading

I remember spending hours on the couch snuggled up with blankets and a cat or two, reading with my children. I have so many fond memories of reading them the same book, over and over.  With my daughter, Alexandra, that favorite book was Red Is Best by Kathy Stinson. For Cameron, it was a little board book called This Is Me by Lenore Blegvad.



He loved that book, and I  loved it, too. "This is my bed. This is my light. These are my kisses and this is goodnight." It was so worn and falling apart by the time he was three that I bought a second copy. It's a treasure.

So many of my students at school haven't had the experience my own children and I had. Lots of my students last year have parents who cannot read in English. Others have parents who work two or three jobs and just aren't there to read.

While it's obviously not a substitute, providing a time and resources for children to listen to reading gave my students a way to listen to stories... and for some students, it was the same story, over and over again!

A few years ago, I wrote a grant and got four iPod Nanos for my classroom. I loaded every recorded story I could find onto the iPods... some were from CDs I'd purchased, a couple were from iTunes, and some were free mp3s I found online. I had four iPods, so I made four totes of books. In each tote, I put a copy of every story on the iPod. And then I let the kids loose with them.

Oh my! They LOVED the iPods!

One student found his favorite book thanks to the iPods. Darling little "A," who is pretty tough on the outside, absolutely fell in love with Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. And Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes. And Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. If there were a "Pete the Cat learns Calculus while standing next to smelly garbage and juggling knives," he would love that, too. Pete just somehow spoke to "A."



Every change he got, "A" grabbed an iPod, and listened to one of the Pete the Cat stories. And after a few days, he was singing along. And magically, his reading skills improved dramatically over a month or two. Now, "A" is hooked. He's a reader for certain. I can't let the iPod take all the credit, but the opportunities "A" had to listen made a huge difference for him. I fully expect that he'll be back at the beginning of the year, asking if he can listen during recess or after school!

So yesterday, I got a new iPod for my birthday (THANK YOU KEN!) so I'm going to take my old iPod to school. It's a second generation... so it may not last forever! My students have been really careful with the other iPods, so I don't see why this one can't last a while longer. Of course, I'll erase all the Lady Gaga, ACDC, U2, Black Eyed Peas, and Wicked songs that were on my running playlist!

On that note, here's a tip for iPods in the classroom: Don't make playlists. I can't tell you how many times my students erased the playlists. It was unintentional, and it confused them! I showed the children how to go right to the "Music" section and match the file names with the book titles. My first graders were completely able to do this---even those who were not yet decoding proficiently.

First Day of School... August 14th

Although my first day of school dress is ready to go, I'm starting to have that feeling... that I can't possibly be ready in time. Can you believe this disaster?! At the end of the year, I had to pack everything in boxes to be moved to a new room. And here's the new room. Ugh. Doesn't it just make you tired looking at the picture? Lots o' work ahead!



I went to school today to drop off all those school supplies I bought last week. The bags of folders and Sharpies were taking up too much room in my entryway. The custodian let me in because I don't have a key, yet.  And without a key, I can't really start arranging and prepping... which is good, I think. I might be able to get it next week, but I'm not sure I'm ready to start. I still have things I want to do during my vacation... I want a weekend trip to Monterey with all my kids, and I have a pile of things to sew and I'll need a couple of days for that. The new Exploratorium is open in San Francisco and I want to go check it out. And I've been watching Downton Abbey with one of my daughters and we are not caught up yet!

Nope, I'm just not ready!

What's still on your list of things to do before school starts?

 

Google Today!

How cute is this?!



When I saw this I was eager to mouse over it to see what the occasion was... and then I realized that I must have entered my birthday into my Google account! When I mouse over, it even says, "Happy Birthday, Melissa!" Haha! It's been such a Googly week for me! Love!

So I have just a few more weeks of summer ... and we all know that teachers do nothing all summer long besides sit by the pool, sleep late, eat bonbons, get our nails done... NOT! My life is nothing like that description, save the occasional pedicure! Instead, I've been reading, cutting out things I laminated at the end of the school year, reading professional books, connection with other teachers, planning for next year, etc. Sound familiar?! Yep, I thought it would.

Yesterday I spent some time working on plans for writing lessons for next year. I love Units of Study by Lucy Calkins, but I have supplemented over the last few years. And this summer, I decided to try to organize the supplemental lessons. So I did that, and I'll share soon.

I also shopped for more school supplies. A big-box store which shall remain unnamed had notebooks and crayons for 17 cents and 50 cents, respectively. It's not Target. Keep thinking...

And I spent some time organizing my iTunes. iTunes has been on my list for literally months. But I never found the time to organize playlists and import the educational CDs... Greg and Steve, Jim Valley, Kathleen Rushing, Charlotte Diamond. But since it's *summer* I somehow found the time. I created several playlists, including Calendar, Quiet Time, Writing, Rainy Day, and Content.

The Calendar playlist has all those days of the week, months of the year, counting, alphabet, phonics-kinds-of songs. It feels so good to have them all in one place where I will be able to find them easily. The Quiet Time list includes very calm and quiet and relaxing music like Classical lullabies, very mellow jazz, and Baroque music. The Writing playlist is a step up from quiet time. It's not quite so calm... some of the songs have lyrics, and the tempos are a bit more upbeat. Still, the music is meant to be in the background, so it's not too loud and crazy. The Rainy Day music list includes songs that are good for students to dance to (G-rated versions!) and movement albums. I put "Hand Jive" and "I Wanna be a Dog" (Charlotte Diamond---one of my favorites!) on that list, too. And lastly, the Content list has just what you'd expect... music with some content. That's where I put the nursery rhyme songs, Hap Palmer color and number songs, Schoolhouse Rock, and things like that. I'm so excited that I'll be able to access those songs quickly and easily this year! I should have done this a long time ago...

What are your favorite CDs/songs for your classroom? Anything you would put in the "must have" category? I'm always looking to add to my collection!

Technology Thoughts

Yikes! I can't stop thinking about my day at Google. It's going to have an effect on me for a long time. I met lots of inspirational and talented people and just got a million ideas. I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed... like I need to sit down and make a priority list. But I can't stop reading the tweets and blogs! And every time I read one, I think of more ideas and questions.

There are so many fabulous ways to get technology into our classrooms. Great ideas are everywhere, but it's challenging to use most of them with non-readers (or very beginning readers.) I don't have a class set of iPads, or I'd be thinking about some of the many apps and eReader applications. The iPods I've been using with my students have been exciting for them, but seem so dated... as if they're not really technology anymore at all!

 

[caption id="attachment_301" align="aligncenter" width="171"] Image from Bill Ferriter[/caption]

I'd like to have my students create with Wordle this year, but I'm a little concerned about the amount of support it will require.  Sometime this summer, four computers are supposed to be moved into my room (Where they will fit, I'm not sure!) and I'm hoping to use them with small groups so that each child has an instructional session once a week. I envision using Wordle at the beginning of the year for some autobiographical presentations. Later in the year, I think Wordle could be used as a tool for presenting students' responses to literature and as a way to highlight important concepts and vocabulary in science. Wordle seems like such a basic place to start. But we're talking first graders!  It will give my students some experience with computers that is not just the drill and kill language and math programs that my district loves. I want the children to begin to see that computers are tools for communication and creativity. They are a means to an end. Something like a Wordle should be taught as a tool for expression, and then used for expression/digital writing that is meaningful.

I created a set of Robot-Themed classroom labels and you can get them here.



 

MacBook Air, School Supplies and New Ladybug Labels

So it was an expensive day at the Apple Store. To quote Liz Lemon, "Blerg."

I spent HOURS trying to decide what kind of computer to buy. My trusty, white MacBook was definitely on its last leg after my *amazing* day at Google. Truthfully, I've had problems with my laptop for months. I knew it was coming.

I ended up getting a MacBook Air. I got the Apple discount for educators, and because they're doing a Back-to-School promotion, I got a $100 gift card good at the App Store or iTunes. Of course, I parted with a pile of cash at the same time...

So far, so good. It took all night to transfer everything from my old Mac (via Time Machine), but the MacBook Air is up and running now! Yahoo! So fast! So shiny!

More school supply sales are being advertised now. Crayons are on sale for 50 cents a box at a few different stores. I just can't remember if that's a good deal or not! What do you think? I'm still waiting for bargain composition books and spiral notebooks...

And the New Ladybug Labels... I updated a set I made several months ago. I added many classroom objects, numbers, colors and a student page. There are nameplates, too! Click below to get your own set!