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

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