Art Partners Program

Fun-filled, Fantastic Friday at the Woodruff Arts Center for an Arts Partners Program! 
     Our fifth grade team attended this program to get a good look at how we could incorporate music in the classroom.  We were shown a lot  of fun and interesting ways to make this happen with every subject.  The program focused on how the teachers could successful step back during their lessons and how they could get the students to successfully collaborate together.  (We all discussed how collaboration is an important skill to teach because it is a necessary life skill and students have to realize that sometimes they cannot achieve certain goals on their own.)
    At the end of the program we were broken up into smaller groups.  Our groups had to create a song that went with a specific fifth grade standard.  The standards that were used for this activity focused Animal Classification, Chemical Changes, and Graphing.  Our standard was focused on graphing and the song we created goes with a 4:4 tempo with eight beats for each line.

Chorus: Cartesian Coordinates and coordinate planes, start at the origin before you begin (2x)

Verse 1: X is a cross so x is across, from left to right you'll never get lost. (2x)

Verse 2: Y is up high you've walked now fly, from bottom to the numbers don't stop. (2x)

Verse 3: Order your pairs and mark your point, now your graphing we rocked this joint. (2x)

We had a lot of fun creating and presenting our song.  We all agreed to use it in our classrooms and we also shared our song with everyone else! 

Math Mega-Lab!

   --> Today, we had another Mega-Lab with all seventy-five students in the auditorium.  This time, the Mega-Lab was focused on Math!  We had four centers: Equivalent Bingo, “Frac-Chews”, Hop-Scotch Decimals, and The Mad Math Minute.  All of the centers focues on different fifth grade math standards, such as: equivalent fractions, adding fractions with like and unlike denominators, adding decimals, and multiplying decimals.  I really enjoy these large labs because it allows all of the teachers to work with students who are not in their own classroom.  It also gives the students variety and changes up their everyday routine.  I think this definitely contributes to the fact that with each Mega-Lab we have never had any discipline problems.  These Mega-Labs have been a wonderful inspiration for me because I will implement this idea at my future career site. 

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to the blogging world!  I hope Everyone had a Wonderful Thanksgiving break!  

Today, it was quite hard to get back into the swing of things.  I was sick this morning and had a hard time reminding my students of the rules.  They may not get back into their routine until Thursday!  I think that with the break.....they forgot how to act at school!  But, no worries......they will be in tip top shape once again ;)  I have learned enough classroom management skills this semester to properly direct all of my students (and keep them in line). 

Overall today went very well.  The students eagerly participated in our writing and group activities for the day.  The work they produced was up to the standard so they were not lacking in that area.  However, when I tried to play a new math game with them.....they did not do so well.  The game was a simple review of simplifying fractions.  The students had to simplify fractions, I called out, and were to record the correct answer on their card.  However, many students had forgotten how to simplify fractions.  This was an issue because this is a fourth grade standard and this week we are supposed to be covering adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.  After our review didn't go so well, I realized that I would have to rearrange the lesson plans to add review time for the fourth grade standards that the students did not remember or did not learn.  Sometimes this type of thing happens and you have to be ready for it!  That is why I am glad I was prepared with extra review material from KHAN Academy and Promethean Planet!  I will always keep this incident in mind because I need to remember to have review materials for all subjects at all times in case a similar situation ever arises in my own personal classroom.

Today, we also had our faculty meeting.  The guest speakers provided us with material about SST and data tracking.  The materials given in this meeting were especially helpful for myself because I did not have a clear understanding of the job of a SST.  I always knew that it was a program to help those students who were struggling to receive extra help but I did not know that process was a three tiered program.  I am glad that I was provided the materials to better understand this program and its components because I know I may have to be apart of a SST one day!

After the faculty meeting, I took some time to change my door decorations for the last time!  :(   It is very sad for me because I am now realizing that my last day for student teaching is approaching quite rapidly!  I will miss working with these students and decorating the room to make learning fun!  

This is my Winter Door!  

"Fall Fell and it's in the past......now it's time for a Winter Blast!"

The boarder is snowflake ribbon from Michaels and the paper snowflakes have all of my students names on them!  I drew the two polar bears on poster board and laminated them to add some Winter 'cuddliness.'

Happy Thanksgiving Week! (11/19-11/23)

I want to wish all of my fellow teachers and students a Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope that everyone takes this week off to rest and be with their friends and family!  :)

Blogging Break: 11/19-11/23

New Interactive Math Board

We have a new Interactive Math Board!  It focuses on multiplying and dividing decimals!  It shows the work of four (imaginary) students.  These students may or may not have gotten the correct answer.  The directions for our fifth graders are to write down who got the answers correct or incorrect and why.  They have slips of paper to write on and they cast their votes in the clear boxes hanging from the board.  I have had a lot of students try this activity and it is a great way for me to see if the students understand these mathematical concepts.  Here is a picture of our wonderful new board:

New door Decorations for Fall!

FALL HAS FELL......and now it's time for hay-rides, apple cider, festivals, and Thanksgiving!  Fall is my favorite season, so I was very excited to put up my Fall door!  On it, it has Fall poems and facts about the First Thanksgiving.  All of the students loved reading the poems and learning interesting facts about our country's Fall holiday.

Election Day!

All day faculty/staff meeting!  Then......time to go and vote!  I encourage everyone to GET OUT AND VOTE!  Every vote counts and one person can make a difference!