Week 8 in Mrs. A Rod's Class
OMG how are we already about to start week 9??
This year has flown by, but the days go kinda slow...anyone else feel that way too??
Anyway, this week was super short for me *woo!*
On Monday, I walked into my classroom and saw they had delivered my kidney table, 5 small chairs, and a shelf. OMG I was so excited! The leg of the table fell off during one of my guided reading groups too, so that was cool (I hope you read that last part sarcastically). I was happy to have some of my old classroom with me again. I had missed my table so much!! Some normalcy was back!
Monday was the first day of a new month, so of course I had to announce who was in the Homework Club. I keep track of who turns in their homework all month (they turn it in on Fridays...and it's only 1 page of math work). I know, you hate homework (or maybe you don't). I always have them read every night. I send homework because parents like it. I also send it so that the kids have to be responsible for turning it in after they do it. I've seen a lot of them do the work and not turn it in. Also, a lot of my kids don't have the support at home to work on lots of pages, but this one page they can do alone (for the most part) and can turn in to be included in something so fun! So don't be mad at me.
So, on the first few days of the month, I will announce who's in the club. I give them a certificate to take home and we take a group pic that I put up on the wall every month. On the certificate, there are two reward choices. I usually have it say 10 mins of ipad time (during our morning work, so they skip morning work for that day) or they can choose from our treasure box (a parent donated a BUNCH of little happy meal toys or I'll have some lollipops in there too). They choose their reward and that's that. It takes maybe 5 minutes total to print certificates, announce the club, and choose the prize. It has been AWESOME and it makes them so happy. I love it.
We also started talking about subtraction strategies this week. We discussed counting backwards, using manipulatives, drawing pictures, and using dots to subtract. I feel that it's super important to give the kids lots of strategies so they can choose the one that works best for them. We worked with partners and on our own. More strategies! They've been doing well with subtraction. I always get nervous when we start subtracting because it can be confusing and tricky, but so far so good!
We also took our I-Station test! Most of the scores went up so I'm happy and the kids are happy. Do you use I-Station? Their test scores are how we get evaluated (plus observations, attendance, and parent surveys).
I took Wednesday off...and I highly recommend taking days off on a Wednesday. It's such a great break in the week. Do it for you. You need time to be a person and not only a teacher.
I did have to come back on Wednesday night for Open House. I met with only a few parents because it's too far for most parents to drive over. I usually don't do anything special for open house. They just come in and look around. What do you do?
Thursday was more of the same :) That night, we had our music concert! They played musical instruments and worked on tempos. The kids did such an amazing job and seeing them all dressed up was just so cute!
Friday, we had the day off. It's our parent conference day, but since we've been doing conferences after school for the last 3 weeks, we get to take the day off. I spent it with my family moving out most of my things out of my old classroom. They worked super hard and I appreciated it all! It was sad to do a last Teaching in the Dark in my old room, but I had to do it! I'm not too sure when/if I will ever go back into that school, so it was necessary! Go check it out on my Instagram Highlights of Teaching in the Dark!
So that's that! It was a great week. A busy week. I am glad I took a day to rest and just be me for a few hours. Don't ever feel bad for needing a break.
I hope you're having a great year. What have you been up to? As always, feel free to leave a comment or message me on Instagram!
This year has flown by, but the days go kinda slow...anyone else feel that way too??
Anyway, this week was super short for me *woo!*
On Monday, I walked into my classroom and saw they had delivered my kidney table, 5 small chairs, and a shelf. OMG I was so excited! The leg of the table fell off during one of my guided reading groups too, so that was cool (I hope you read that last part sarcastically). I was happy to have some of my old classroom with me again. I had missed my table so much!! Some normalcy was back!
Monday was the first day of a new month, so of course I had to announce who was in the Homework Club. I keep track of who turns in their homework all month (they turn it in on Fridays...and it's only 1 page of math work). I know, you hate homework (or maybe you don't). I always have them read every night. I send homework because parents like it. I also send it so that the kids have to be responsible for turning it in after they do it. I've seen a lot of them do the work and not turn it in. Also, a lot of my kids don't have the support at home to work on lots of pages, but this one page they can do alone (for the most part) and can turn in to be included in something so fun! So don't be mad at me.
So, on the first few days of the month, I will announce who's in the club. I give them a certificate to take home and we take a group pic that I put up on the wall every month. On the certificate, there are two reward choices. I usually have it say 10 mins of ipad time (during our morning work, so they skip morning work for that day) or they can choose from our treasure box (a parent donated a BUNCH of little happy meal toys or I'll have some lollipops in there too). They choose their reward and that's that. It takes maybe 5 minutes total to print certificates, announce the club, and choose the prize. It has been AWESOME and it makes them so happy. I love it.
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| September's Homework Club |
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| Showing how to use dots. We draw and cross out. |
We also took our I-Station test! Most of the scores went up so I'm happy and the kids are happy. Do you use I-Station? Their test scores are how we get evaluated (plus observations, attendance, and parent surveys).
I took Wednesday off...and I highly recommend taking days off on a Wednesday. It's such a great break in the week. Do it for you. You need time to be a person and not only a teacher.
 |
| Thanks, Beyonce. |
I did have to come back on Wednesday night for Open House. I met with only a few parents because it's too far for most parents to drive over. I usually don't do anything special for open house. They just come in and look around. What do you do?
 |
| I made this on my day off and made sure to put it up before Open House. None of the parents said anything about it, but I love it. |
Thursday was more of the same :) That night, we had our music concert! They played musical instruments and worked on tempos. The kids did such an amazing job and seeing them all dressed up was just so cute!
Friday, we had the day off. It's our parent conference day, but since we've been doing conferences after school for the last 3 weeks, we get to take the day off. I spent it with my family moving out most of my things out of my old classroom. They worked super hard and I appreciated it all! It was sad to do a last Teaching in the Dark in my old room, but I had to do it! I'm not too sure when/if I will ever go back into that school, so it was necessary! Go check it out on my Instagram Highlights of Teaching in the Dark!
 |
| My husband and parents doing the work while I take pictures. |
I hope you're having a great year. What have you been up to? As always, feel free to leave a comment or message me on Instagram!
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