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!



 

 

 

Google Geo Teachers Institute

Wow! What a day I had yesterday...

A few months ago I heard about the Google Geo Teachers Institute. I was completely overwhelmed with other things, but I made the time to apply. Am I ever glad I did!

The Google Geo Teachers Institute was held at the Google West Campus in Mountain View, and it was a total treat from start to finish!



First of all, food is a big thing at Google. All the employees eat free in the many cafeterias... breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There were some "Google 15" jokes about the weight that new employees gain! And true to that, the day began with an amazing breakfast buffet. Why didn't I take pictures of it?!

Google Earth Outreach team members Tina Ornduff and Christiaan Adams started the day with presentations on mapping and all the interesting things you can see and do with Google Maps and Google Earth. Technology has made the world a much smaller place. Did you know that you can use Google Earth to go inside museums, view the surface of the moon and even go to Mars?! The more they spoke, the more ideas I had for applications in primary classrooms. I was typing notes from the presentation and notes from my head as fast as I could.

Next, we heard from Diane Main, who is a Google Certified Teacher. She got everyone's attention with her introduction, a rock song about Google and maps and teaching. Why didn't I record that?!

Diane had some fabulous ideas, and inspired many more in me. Two things I loved: One, the idea of creating timelines in Google Earth. Yep, I'll be spending some time exploring that idea this week. And two, she talked about creating a Google Tour from Flat Stanley activities, which got me thinking about some other books I own and use at school.

And my favorite quote from Diane: "We should totally make kids do that." This year, I will have four computers in my room, and I'm excited about getting my first graders involved with meaningful technology activities!

Next we heard from John Bailey (a real, live volcanologist!), Jerome Berg, Josh Williams, and  Cindy Lane. Even though most of the presentations were geared for teachers of students older than mine, I got something great from every single one. After more food, it was time to choose breakout sessions/tutorials/discussion groups. Allie Lieber, from Google Earth Outreach, taught her first session ever, and it was great. She is a born teacher! Her session was all about creating folders in Google Earth and inserting photos, video and text to create a story. So many options! LOVED it!



Mid-afternoon sometime, my laptop stopped working. I closed everything and restarted. And restarted again. And again. I couldn't run Google Earth (the whole point of my day!!) and eventually I couldn't even access Google Docs to continue taking notes. Thank goodness for the notebook and pen party favors! At the beginning of the day, when I saw the notebooks laid out on tables, I thought, "How archaic!" and I never imagined I'd really need one! Sad. A trip to the Apple Store is in my future.



Many thanks to Google and to the many teachers who presented, discussed, and shared ideas! What a wonderful day of learning! I'm exhausted, but inspired!

 

School Supplies... Already?!

The school supply madness has begun for me! I'm choosing not to think about the fact that I will be back to work in just one month. Instead, I'm focusing on the great deals I got yesterday!

I saw the Office Max ad and walked right out to my car! I need a stapler, anyway, I told myself.

I went intending to get just the 1cent deals... small bottles of glue and folders. And yes, I was successful. I got 20 bottles of glue and 20 green folders and one blue stapler. The manager of the store was so nice. He said as he was totaling my purchase that teachers can buy 20 of every deal in the ad. So I looked at the ad and went back for more.



They had boxes of 12 Sharpies for $1. And packages of 4 Expo markers for $1. Score!

I'm so thankful that these deals are available. I work at a high poverty school. I don't get donations, and my budget for classroom supplies is a ridiculous $100 a year. I packed everything up to take to school.

But not for a month! Enjoy July!

French Fries Literacy Center

I just loved the little French fry boxes at Target, and I had to figure out a way to use them! I took the "fr" from "French" and "fry" and made a set of french fry-shaped cards that teachers can use to help students learn and practice blends and digraphs.

All the word cards have pictures to go with them, and every one is shaped like a French fry! The set includes cards for the digraphs sh, th, ch and wh... plus lots of consonant blends! There are suggestions for use and storage.





Click on the picture above to get your own set. My students are going to love these! Just imagine... french fries without the grease!