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