Monday Made It: Classroom Materials

Good Morning!

This morning I am linking up with Fourth Grade Frolics for her amazing Monday Made It linky. I have come across so many fun ideas through this linky.

I am truly blessed to work at a Christian school. I get to teach bible lessons each day and share my faith with my students daily. Along with their Bible lessons students are required to memorize a verse each week. I went through our Bible curriculum and pulled verses to go along with what we are learning each week or to go along with a special activity that is happening this week. I mapped it all out for the year and then made posters and score sheets to go along with it. I also updated the first grade verses for my teaching partner so we are both ready for the new school year.

I love working with vocabulary words and I really try to make sure that my kids know what words mean no matter what subject we are in. To go along with our new math curriculum I gave my math vocabulary packet a complete update so I can better utilize it and the math vocabulary with my kids. 

My last item for today is not a classroom item or product. Our home "office" has become the room where everything we don't want out goes to hide which made it super messy and cluttered. This meant that I would work on the floor in our bedroom, my daughter's playroom or the kitchen counter. Not ideal spaces but it worked. My hubby surprised me this weekend though by starting to set up the office as a real workspace for me. I have a new printer and when its completely set up I will have all my teacher tools out in the open with easy access and a comfy chair to work in. Its a little cluttered at the moment but its a start : ). So excited for everything to be set up now that its cleaned out again!!

Have a happy Monday!

Ashley

Move Your Bus: Ways to Keep the Bus Moving

Good Morning!

On this beautiful Sunday morning Cassandra and I are talking more about Move Your Bus by Ron Clark. This Sunday's topic is ways to keep the bus moving. 

As you read through this book Ron Clark lists so many ways to keep the bus moving but there are a few that really stand out to me. The first is to be positive and not spread the negative. Every organization is going to have its problems but continually gossiping about those problems doesn't make them go away it just spreads a negative vibe and slows the bus down. Instead focus on all the positive things that are happening and all the blessings that your organization has. This will help you to keep moving through any moments of struggle. Positive vibes keep you going!

The second is to work hard. Every job requires you to work hard and continually put in effort to keep the organization successful. When you have a feeling of entitlement you put in less effort and stop striving for greatness. This slows the bus down greatly. You need to always keep working and striving for greatness. Everyone on the bus should be putting in the time and effort to keep the bus moving and keep the organization successful. You are not entitled to your position.

The last one that stands out to me is being efficient. Make sure you are staying focused and doing your best to check things of your less. Staying focused and being efficient with your time and energy is important for you and for those around you. Your efficiency contributes to the team and keeps the bus moving. Letting things go slows everyone down. Always strive to complete things in a timely manner to keep the bus moving.

Thanks for reading my thoughts. Have a happy Sunday!

Ashley

Monday Made It: July Week 3

Good Morning!

After a wonderful weekend with friends and family I am linking up with Fourth Grade Frolics I am surprised I got anything done. I have been lacking some motivation this last week, but after spending an evening with some amazing bloggers/teachers/creators I  have some motivation and creativity again : )

Last year at Meet the Teacher I had a bottle of bubbles with a cute tag waiting for my firsties. I decided that I need to do something different this year since I am moving to second grade with those same kids. I settled on a goodie bag. I have used these for various activities in my class over the years but this was the first back to school one. This is the tag I came up with. It will look great on my blue Astrobrights paper : )

 I am so excited to give these to my kids and to see how they have grown over the summer.

Well this is all that I completed over the weekend other than many pretend play activities and park dates with my sweet little girl.

Have a wonderful week!

Ashley

Move Your Bus: How to Become More Like a Runner

Good Morning!

On this beautiful Sunday morning I am teaming up with Mrs. 3rd Grade to talk a little more about the fabulous book Move Your Bus by Ron Clark. This week's focus will be all about how we can be more like a runner.

Runners set a a great example for others to follow. They have a set of characteristics/attributes that we should strive to follow. 

Runners are those people who get to meetings early and come prepared to take notes. This shows everyone, boss especially, that they are prepared to listen and participate. They will also read the mood of the room before they make any suggestions or bring an idea to the table. They won't be pushy about their idea either because their main goal is the success of the organization not whether or not their idea is used. They are present in the meeting and look interested throughout the meetings/conversations. This would mean that you can't work on your lap top or grade papers; both of which I am guilty of doing.

Runners will also dress professionally and be personable to those they come into contact with throughout the day. That means saying hello, smiling, and making eye contact with everyone, even those that you may not get along with. It is a way to bridge gaps and build relationships. 

The biggest things we need to take from runners though is how they move. Their pace and constant presence at their workplace is something to strive for. They are always participating in the events of their organization and they are always striving to improve and keep the energy moving. These demonstrate a strong work ethic and a desire to be a part of a team. 

Runners are the types of people that organizations want to have. These characteristics will help you to become more like a runner. They will help you to show those around you that you care about the organization and that you want to help keep the bus moving at its best pace. 

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Sunday!

Ashley

Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 6

Good Morning!

This morning I am linking up with Rachel from Sweet Sweet Primary to bring you my thoughts about chapter 6 of Explore Like a Pirate.

I loved this chapter! Matera has begun leading us through the actual creation of a game. In this chapter he tells us about the 4 important parts of any game: theme, setting, characters, and action/conflict. Any good game has these four elements in a very detailed and well thought out format.

The theme is where you frame your story. Its the big picture and sets the stage for the other three elements of the game. Once you have your theme you create the setting. This has to be very detailed because you want the kids to feel like they are a part of the world that you are creating in the game. Matera states that it is "one part location and two parts description."

Once your setting is in place you create your characters. Make sure that your characters are interesting and that they help you achieve the goals that you have for your students through this game. The characters need to be relevant to the story to keep students engaged and learning.

Finally you need the action/conflict. This happens in two different ways. You need to create small, quick challenges to give students successes throughout the game and a few failures so that they can learn to make changes or adjustments to their approach to the game. There are also longer challenges that flow throughout the game. These conflicts can be for individuals, small groups, or teams. We just need to make sure that they are appropriate for our students, story line, and goals.

I was so excited by this chapter that I am slowing working through the series of questions that he gives us to create a mini game for my students to play this coming school year. It won't be a year long game. I am nowhere near ready for that yet but I think I can handle a week long game to start with. I hope you found this beginning to game creation just as helpful and exciting as I did.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Ashley

Monday Made It: July Week 2

Good Morning!

 Oh my goodness where did June go and why is there school stuff already out in the stores!! I feel like we just started vacation and already we are prepping to go back. Summer seems faster as a grown up than it did when I was a kid. Although I am definitely more productive during the summers than I was when I was a kid which is why I am linking up with Fourth Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It to show you what I have been working on. 

One of my favorite things that I did with my students last year was a Thankful Thoughts book. Each week we had to right something that we were thankful for and at the end of the year it became a book. It was a great way to get my kiddos to focus on all that they have been blessed with in their lives. Since I am moving to second grade this coming year I did an update to this file. For my first grades they had half page sheets that they filled out. This year they will be writing on quarter sheets that I will put on a binder ring. The file on TpT now has the half pages and the quarter pages so that you have an option of what you want to do in your classroom.

Last year I made number posters up to 30 with base ten, tallies, and the number word for my math classes. I really liked the way they turned out so this summer I made alphabet posters using the same colors. I then made some in red and black as well just for fun. 

These are the only completed items to share with you today. I have a few other projects that should be finished soon.

Have a wonderful day!

Ashley

Move Your Bus: Why Runners are Important

Happy Sunday!

It is another beautiful Sunday in July and Mrs. 3rd Grade and I are chatting some more about the fantastic book Move Your Bus by Ron Clark. This week we are discussing why runners are important. Link up with us if you can. We would love to read your thoughts!

Runners carry a lot of importance that tends to go unrecognized or is hidden by those around them which is the opposite of what should happen. Runners need to be highlighted, built up, and encouraged. They are what will keep the bus moving. Their positive energy draws people in and keeps people interested in whatever it is that the runners are offering/saying.

Runners are also those people that you can always count on. They arrive early, leave late, are always willing to lend a hand, and they are continually reaching for greater heights. They want to give everything they can to their organization to make it great and to keep it moving forward. They keep the bus moving at a steady pace.

Ultimately runners put the most time, effort, and heart into their organization. They do whatever they can to make their organization successful and continually moving in a positive direction. They are the people that you want others on your staff to look up to and to strive to be. They need to be encouraged and have their triumphs highlighted so that their positive energy continues to motivate those around them and keep the bus moving.

These are just a few of my thoughts on why runners are so important to have on the bus. I hope that you all will share your thoughts and link up with us. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Ashley 

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Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 5

Good Morning!

This morning I am linking up with Sweet Sweet Primary for chapter 5 of Explore Like a Pirate. 

 In this chapter Matera talks about the different gamer personalities and key elements to creating games. The four personality types are summarized below.

The goal when creating games for your classroom would be to know in which group each of your students fall so that when creating teams you have a nice mix of these personalities. Having a mix of these personalities on each team will give them a nice balance. Achievers and Griefers will drive the team to gain that prestige of making it to the next part of the game first or getting a piece right before others. Your socializers will hold the team together because their main focus is building relationships and making memories within the game. Finally your explorers will push your team to find the hidden elements of the game and encourage creative thinking within the team.These personalities are very different but when placed together within a team setting they can do great things. 

After learning about the different gaming personalities Matera went on to discuss different elements that are important to include within the game. He pointed out that you want to create something that students are drawn to and can relate to so that they are engaged in the game. Make sure that the activities you create are not so difficult that students can not achieve mastery but that they are not so easy that students breeze right through the challenges. Try to find a balance to keep the confident but also challenged within the game. 

Creating competition is also good for your game environment. It encourages teams to bond as they are working together to finish before other teams. When done correctly it can also be motivating for students because they will strive to become stronger or more creative in their thinking the next time around. 

Finally you want to make sure that whatever they are striving for in the game is connected to the game. Make it something worthwhile to them so that it is desired and keeps them engaged and striving to reach the end to gain that prize. 

This was only the tip of the iceberg of information in this chapter. I am looking forward to seeing how he takes these pieces and weaves them together in the game models he will be sharing in the coming chapters. 

Have a wonderful day and thanks for reading!

Ashley

Move Your Bus

Happy Sunday!

On this beautiful Sunday morning I coming to you with the first week of the Move Your Bus book study. I am so excited to see who will share their thoughts with Mrs. 3rd Grade and myself  on this fantastic book.

Clark starts of his book by talking about the 5 different types of people on the bus. The first is a runner. Runners are very hard working and energetic. They keep the bus moving at a good pace and have a positive attitude about their organization. Even though they are very self motivated and hard working they still need guidance and support. You don't want a negative runner.

The next passenger on the bus is a jogger. Joggers move slower than runners but they still have a good pace. They are dependable and will reach expectations; however they will rarely go above expectations. They believe they are doing all that can be expected of a person in their position. Joggers also need to be noticed and have their work appreciated. Its helpful to surround them with runners as they absorb the energy of the people around them. Runners will motivate them to do more than they normally would.

Following joggers are the walkers. Walkers do not have a good pace. They just move slowly through their day with the occasional stumble. They love to point out all the things that are wrong with an organization and to spread negative energy. They are very focused on themselves and do whatever they can to get others to move at their pace with the same negative attitude.

Behind the walkers are the riders. Riders do not contribute at all to the movement of the bus. They have a very negative attitude about the organization and will do just enough to keep their job and fly under the radar. They do not contribute anything to the overall success of their workplace.

Finally we have the leader of the bus: the driver. The driver has a very important role. It is their job to guide the bus in the right direction and to work with his or her passengers to keep it on track with great momentum. One way that will help a driver to be successful is to get the riders of the bus. They are only hinder bus. The driver needs to focus on the runners. Make sure that they are encouraged and have what they need to keep moving. If the runners are supported and encouraged they will continue to move at their fabulous pace and spread their positive energy around to others on the bus.

Reading all of the descriptions of the jobs on the bus was very interesting and a really easy to follow and place into the workplace. I look forward to coming to you all again next week with why runners are important.

Have a great week!
Ashley

An InLinkz Link-up

Move Your Bus: A Summer Book Study

Good Morning!

I am coming to you this morning with some exciting news!! For the month of July the wonderful Mrs. 3rd Grade and I are teaming up to host a book study on the amazing book Move Your Bus by: Ron Clark. We will be linking up for the 5 Sundays in the month of July.

To get us started we wanted to host a giveaway. We are giving away two copies of the book. The giveaway begins today and goes through Tuesday. For those of you who want to go ahead and purchase a copy yourself we have included a link to it on Amazon below as well.

http://amzn.to/28Vgeq0

We are so excited for this study and hope that you are able to join us! Have a wonderful day!

Ashley

Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 3

Good Evening!

So today is all about catching up from visiting family and travels, hence the late post this week. In this post I am linking up with Rachel from Sweet Sweet Primary for chapter 3 of Explore Like a Pirate. This is a great read! I encourage you to join us if you can.

In the beginning of chapter he does a comparison of old world teaching versus new world teaching. He showed this to emphasize how our thought process needs to fit our students of today and not the students of the past. We need to reach our students on their level and instill in them a desire and passion for learning. They should want to learn. The chart below shows a few of my favorite comparisons. 

Changing our way of thinking and making learning exciting for our students will reap so many rewards. We don't need to make everything game complicated and over the top. Even the simple games like Jeopardy, Are You Smarter Than a (Grade Level), etc are all simple games to put together that students love. We can start their and work our way to other games full of strategies and levels as we feel more confident. 

"Trust in the process and believe in yourself." -Michael Matera

Ashley

Monday Made It (A Day Late)

Hi Everyone!!

So I am way late on my Monday Made It post. If you click on the image above you can see the rest of the awesome posts for this link up. It has been a crazy busy five days the last of which involved a six hour drive in the crazy heat from Arizona to California with a toddler. By the time we made it to SoCal I was too hot and tired to care about anything but a shower and bed. So I am here this beautiful Tuesday afternoon to catch up on life : )

So I have only accomplished one thing this last week because of visiting family and our own travels to SoCal. I love what I worked on though. I have an amazing 4 year old nephew who is in love the Avengers. Naturally with my clip art addiction I looked for and found some cute Avengers clip art that I could use to make him some fun preschool stuff. Although he would be frustrated with me for calling the Avengers cute (haha). It has some regular puzzles, letter/word puzzles, number puzzles, and some time practice. His dad and him have been practicing with clocks for fun. This was such a fun project to work on. I love spoiling him and I know he will love playing with his super hero activities.

Well that's all for this week. Hopefully I will be able to finish a few more projects this week so that I have more to share with you next week. Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Ashley

Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 2

Hello Again!

So I am returning again this morning to link up with Rachel from Sweet Sweet Primary for chapter 2 of Explore Like a Pirate. If you haven't read it yet I encourage you to start. It is an interesting read.

"Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit" --Frank Borman

This chapter goes into more detail about gamification and the myths that are surrounded with it. It was interesting to see that there are so many myths surrounding gamification, several of which I had thought myself. Matera does an excellent job of putting the 9 most common myths to rest. He makes so many valid points. As he dispels all the myths he points out how much thinking, processing, teamwork, strategy, and knowledge can come from games.

As you read this chapter you see how beneficial games are for kids. Games help them to learn from mistakes, develop strategies, process information, develop teamwork skills, etc. They need these skills for real world experiences they will face and what better way to develop them than within a classroom where they can learn, explore, and have guidance from peers and teachers. 

The challenge that I face is creating those interactive games that have challenges that will catch a students attention and get them exploring. That is not something that comes very easily to my brain which makes me grateful that he is breaking things down. I love how he mentions that there  are 3 C's that every game needs to have: content (curriculum you are working on), choice (open-ended game model), and challenges (unknown twists and turns that keep students interested). Good things to have on a checklist when creating games for your students. 

These are my thoughts for this chapter. I'm looking forward to seeing what new piece to the game making puzzle I will learn in the next chapter. 

Have a wonderful day!

Ashley

Monday Made It

Good Afternoon!

I am so excited to be linking up with 4th Grade Frolics today for my first Monday Made It. I have already gotten some great ideas from other bloggers who have linked up with her so check it out if you can.

 This next school year I am switching grade levels. I have been in first grade for 5 years and I am not returning to second grade which is where I began teaching. I am excited but I also feel a lot of anxiety about the workload that comes with changing grades. To help with that I have been putting together outlines for each subject to help me track everything a little better and hopefully make things a little easier this next year.

I also made my own calendar this year to match my classroom colors. I already entered all the important dates into and added some of our special activity days onto it so I can keep better track. I also made one for my former teaching partner to match her classroom colors. She will thankfully be right across the hall from me this year : )

Last year I started using interactive notebooks for Science and Social Studies and I loved it. I made a vocabulary interactive notebook packet for my first graders (that can be found here) and its was very helpful for us with all the terminology so I made one for my second graders. This one isn't in my store yet but hopefully this week I will have it posted.

 That's all I have completed so far. I have some other projects for this week but we will see what I accomplish with family in town. 

 Have a wonderful week everyone!

Ashley

Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 1

Happy Tuesday!

I love summer vacation for so many reasons, but one of them is the chance to actually read a book. This summer I have several books that I plan on reading and one is Explore Like a Pirate. I am joining Rachael from Sweet Sweet Primary for her book study of this book. Come join us if you can!

"Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."

--George S. Patton Jr.

This is a great quote and I agree with it. We are all creative individuals but many do not choose to let it shine through. Many have become so accustomed to just following along. Letting someone dictate how they work through situations and solve problems. Our kids need to learn that their isn't just one way to look at things. They need to learn how to use their creativity with the creativity of those around them to solve problems and look at situations in different ways. If we can teach them to do this we can give them so many more tools to help them as they learn and grow in their academics each year. Gamification is one way that we can approach learning in a fun and creative way for all our kiddos.

I look forward to seeing where this book leads me in my teaching for this next school year. 

-Ashley

May Currently

Good Evening!

Oh my goodness where has the time gone! I can't believe we are already in May. I feel like this year has gone by faster than normal. To start this month off I am linking up with Farly for her final Currently linky.

So this weekend has been exhausting so I am lacking the energy right now to move to a location in the house where I don't have to listen to my hubby's crazy TV shows. It makes for some weird background noise.

The lack of energy  is totally worth it though. We have company coming next weekend so we gave our home the deep, company is coming, spring cleaning. My house is so sparkly clean right now and I am loving it!! Its a little sad to think that it won't last long though. Either way I just need it to stay sparkly for the craziness of this week.

My mom, sister, brother in law, and nephew are all coming into town this Thursday. They are coming to help celebrate my sweet little girl's second birthday. I am soooooo excited to have my family here but at the same time a little sad. I can not believe my baby is going to be TWO already. Time goes by sooo fast. I really want it to slow down a little. Since I know that won't happen I am making the most of all the little moments that I can.

To make this coming week and weekend a success I really need to get over this head cold. The difficulty breathing is really beginning to drive me bananas. Today was a little better so here is to hoping that tomorrow is even better.

So now for some truth....I am sad to see this school year end but not because of the kids. That sounds bad but I have the privilege of moving up a grade with my kiddos next year so I don't see the end of the year as a sad moment with them. I am sad because some of my closest friends will no longer be working at the same school with me next year. I have been truly blessed to work with these amazing ladies and it makes me sad to think that I will not be working with all of them each day. We will all stay in contact with each other because we are friends, but selfishly I want them to still be working at the same school. We had made some great memories and will make a few more before our last school day together this year.

That's all for now. Have a great week!

Ashley

Five for Friday - April 22

Hello Again!

I can't believe that I am actually remembering the Five for Friday linky with Doodle Bugs Teaching. I usually think of it on Saturday night or Sunday some time. It was a great week but a crazy week! I am looking forward to the weekend and some to regain a tiny bit of sanity : )

I started this week off having a wonderful time playing outdoors with my beautiful baby girl (although she's not a baby anymore - insert tear) and my fur baby. We had some beautiful weather in AZ so we had to make the most of it while it lasts.

Monday when my sweet girl and I came home we found that our dog had left a yucky surprise in the house which he chose to lay in. YUCK!! So we had to drag him outside for a bath. He can not stand baths and he is too big for me to hold and spray him down so I ended up chasing him around the yard with a hose. My sweet girl that it was a really funny game and eventually helped mommy once I cornered the naughty doggy.

I had wonderful teacher moment this week. Our principal was visiting our classroom and one of my quietest, not always with it students stopped him from leaving and walked him step by step through the science experiment we had in the back of the room and the one in the windows. I was so shocked to hear him so excitedly explain it all in detail and so happy to know that he does actually listen to me (at least some of the time).

I started collecting all the decor and pieces for my daughters second birthday. That was exciting but sad at the same time. Where in the world does the time go?

My daughter loves this song! Whenever she is upset she will listen to it and it calms her down. I find it soothing to especially with the craziness of the end of the school year. Hope you like it!


Have a wonderful weekend!!

Ashley

Peek at My Week: Week 15 2016

Hi Everyone!!

So I can not believe that its been almost two months since I last blogged. Its been a crazy two months, but I am back and so ready to rejoin the blogging, instagram, teacher network world!!

I figured the easiest way to jump back into blogging would be to give you a little glimpse into what will be going on in my classroom this week. We are going to have lots going on.

This week we are finishing up our plant unit. We will be talking about everyday items that come from plants. This will be another activity for their interactive notebooks. I love interactive notebooks!! I am so happy that I decided to do one for science and social studies this year. They have added so much to my lessons. Anyway, we will also be using celery, carnations, water, and food coloring to watch how water travels through a plant. Finally we will take the end of unit test. This unit will be posted in my TpT store by Wednesday. Just need a few pictures to add to the packet to complete it.

We will end the week talking about bears. Our original plan was to take a field trip to watch the premiere of the new Disney Nature Earth Day movie  but it looks like it will not be available this Friday. So, in its place we decided to watch one of the older ones that we had not seen and do a unit of study on that. We will be watching Disney Nature's Bears. The kids will be thrilled and my teaching partner and I will have 1 hour and 30 minutes of grading time. That sounds so selfish, but it is a much needed sanity gaining moment.

We will be diving into 2D and 3D shapes this week. The kids got a little taste of our activities on Friday and they were excited. They will love all the shape building activities we have planned for this week. We will also be continuing our Smart Cookie math time tests. My kids were totally freaked out by these when we first started them, but now most of them get upset when I skip a day. They have done amazing with them. I am so proud of how much they have grown in their confidence and their math skills.

My plans for the week are below and under those are links to all the packets that I am using this week. 

Smart Cookie Math
Thankful Thoughts
Facts About Bears
All About Plants
Second Step

Thanks for reading through my plans for my upcoming week. I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Ashley

Peek at My Week: Week 8 2016

Hi Everyone!

It has been such a relaxing weekend at our house that I almost forgot about linking up with Mrs. Wills Kindergarten for her Peek at My Week linky. Go check it out and link up with us if you can. I love seeing what different classrooms are working on each week.

This week is a pretty tame week in first grade which I am super excited about. Next week will be completely bonkers so having a calm week before the madness is a nice relief. We will be reading the story Me on the Map and doing some activities that go along with this story. My favorite activity is a circle craft that shows my firsties how where we are is just a small piece of what we are a part of. It is a big project but I love how much learning happens with this story and activity. I included a photo below so you can see what I am trying to explain.

We will also be rocking some place value and time activities this week. My firsties will be so excited when they find out that their math centers will be games this week. They love games so we try to play some as often as possible.


Our Smart Cookie time tests have been going really well so far. The kids like them and I am seeing great results. It is already giving some of my strugglers confidence that they had trouble finding before because they can see they are finishing just like everyone else. We will be continuing on with them through the remainder of the school year.

Links to any packets I am using can be found below my lessons.

 Place Value Packet of Fun
Thankful Thoughts
Smart Cookie Math
Second Step

Have a wonderful Sunday evening!

Ashley