Cube Control

My fourth grade boys have a difficult time keeping their mouths shut in class. Not really a surprise, but it was getting pretty bad. Hm, yes, by the way I have a tiny class of fourth grade math students and they are all boys, three of them. Yesterday they had a little detention with me because of their lack of control. Today I had a lightbulb moment and it turned out better than I expected. Here's what went down...

First of all, I have these colorful mini cubes I used. They are fun to look at and handle. Each time one of the boys raised his hand, I gave him a cube. If a student talked out, I took a cube away. At the end of the class period they could pick one small object from the Goodie Box for every ten cubes they had earned. In the future, we will collect cubes all week, keep track of how many cubes each boy has, and take a prize only on Friday. I might do a system where some things take more cubes than others, or for every fifty cubes they can pick from the box, or something else like that. Maybe they can choose to collect cubes for a longer period of time and get a larger prize. It all just occurred to me today so I haven't worked out the details. Any ideas are welcome.

The best part of all this is that the boys thought it was a super fun game and asked if we could play it again next week! Several times they caught themselves talking out and turned in a cube. Then they corrected their behavior and worked on remembering to raise their hand. No one got mad if he had to put a cube back. Weird, but hey, if it works...

For me, it means they're being quiet and raising their hands. And now we're all happy.

Shout Out

Here's to my fifth graders - Audrey, Caitlin, Abi, Kara, Maddie, Paul, Keegan, Jacob, Katie - for all A's on their first math test! Way to go, guys! I am so proud of your hard work already this year.

Ten Things I've Had To Remember...

at the beginning of this school year:

 

1.  I have to go to bed early.

2.  Prayer is a must.

3.  Things will have to be explained many times.

4.  Patience = sanity.

5.  Something is going to change - new student, different schedule, something!

6.  I will make mistakes; students will make mistakes.

7.  I can't be too prepared at the beginning of the year.

8.  Early morning meetings are inevitable; just go with it.

9.  Everyone else is tired and overwhelmed, too.

10.The rest of the year isn't like the beginning; it does get easier.  

I am My Mother

As I get older I am amazed to see traits of both my parents manifested in my own lifestyle, personality, etc. Sitting in teacher meetings yesterday and today, I had the thought, "I am my mother!" and I had to chuckle. For those of you who know my mom well or have taught with her, you'll get this - I was sitting in our meetings taking notes, making lists and plans with my mom's signature blue Bic pen and yellow lined legal pad! Not only that, I am working in the same school with the same staff (mostly) teaching the same class she did! And I am happy to say that if I have to be like somebody, I'm so glad it's Chris Dykstra.

Here We Go Again!!

Up at 6:00, ran 2 miles at 6:30, left for school at 8:15! I'm back in the school mode, almost into the school schedule and routine, and I LOVE it.

rainy day funnies

"It's right. I did math." Charlie, figuring out if the pasta had been cooking long enough

"Dear Heavenly Father...oh, I mean 1,2,3..." Charlie, her turn to count for hide and seek

"Miss D. I see you...Miss D, I see you!...I found your pants so don't think I can't see you!" Syd, during her turn as seeker

End of the Year Review

This week is our last week of school at Lakeshore Christian Academy, and let me tell you we are all excited! The kids want to have a party week, but it ain't gonna happen, no siree. We are going to work work work til we absolutely have to quit and clean up. One day they'll thank me. Since we finished up our last vocab unit last week we have been reviewing the units we've covered this year. Today I printed Mad Libs for students to fill out using their vocab words. They loved it! Working in pairs they filled in four different stories and had a chance to share two with the rest of the class. The Mad Libs activity would mostly review the part of speech for their vocab words, but at least it's something. And, in the curriculum I use students have to know just about everything about each word so it works fine to just review part of speech. I think this activity would be good for any one unit, but it might be best with a whole bunch of units to choose from like we had. Either way, it's one more way to put into practice vocabulary words being learned.

If I could have my way...

"One day I would have all the books in the world, shelves and shelves of them. I would live my life in a tower of books. I would read all day long and eat peaches. And if any young knights in armor dared to come calling on their white chargers and plead with me to let down my hair, I would pelt them with peach pits until they went home."

--The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Read Aloud

As I wrap up this school year, I'm thinking back on the read-aloud books I've used this year and in years past. I thought I'd share some of the titles with you. These books would probably be best for 4th grade and up. This is by no means the entire list of books I've used in the last six years - just the ones that come to mind right now.

Bartlett and the Ice Voyage by Odo Hirsch
Airman by Eoin Colfer*
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting (1923 Newbery Medal)
Masterpiece by Elise Broach
Harry's Mad by Dick King-Smith
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Di Camillo (2004 Newbery Medal)
Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke**
Fearless by Elvira Woodruff
Toliver's Secret by Esther Wood Brady
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton
Star in the Storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

*Favorite of my 2010-2011 5th and 6th grade class. They loved this book more than any other class loved a book! It is also one of my top picks.

**My fifth grade class of 2009-2010 actually listened to Dragon Rider on disc, read by Brendan Frasier. I highly recommend the disc version, especially if you've never read the book!

Where can you find a brawl?

Part of my students' assignment during each vocabulary unit is to find all twenty words somewhere in the world around them. (Billboards, TV shows, newspaper, people saying them, etc.) Looking through our new vocab unit, my students were dismayed to see twenty really unusual words. For instance, one student commented, "Like brawl Miss D., where are we going to find that?" Another student piped right up in reply, "At Victoria's Secret!" (Gotta love 6th graders=)

I Smile

Though of no eternal value whatsoever, the following items are a few little luxuries I have been enjoying lately....maybe you will too! (I've added links to them all in case you want to check them out further.)

SHAPE magazine - full of helpful hints and real-life success stories, this magazine makes living a healthy life look like loads of fun!

Hayley Westenra, vocalist - think Charlotte Church, only way way better

Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai Tea - "100% Natural, Heart Healthy, Dairy Free"

Champion yoga pants from Target - long, semi-fitted, perfect for lunging or lounging

Udi's gluten-free bread - whole grain and cinnamon raisin; gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free yet tastes like real bread!

Suave Naturals apricot & orange blossom exfoliating body wash - who knew a $1.97 body wash could be the perfect fragrance, texture, everything?!

Spot It! - unique card game I was introduced to at Mackinaw Kite Co. recently. Fun for all ages!

Hold Me by Jamie Grace w/ Toby Mac - lighthearted and a bit shallow, but fun and perfect for a triple-step swing!

Cover Girl fresh complexion pocket powder foundation - finally, a foundation that feels good and lasts all day

North Ottawa Dunes trails - conveniently located in nearby Ferrysburg, Michigan, these trails are perfect for running, hiking, and getting away from it all.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution - Tuesday nights at 8:00 on ABC; so good it's almost awe-inspiring

Read To Me

Noteworthy

My students did so exceedingly fantastic on their vocab quiz today that I wanted everyone who reads my blog to know about it!! Each month they have twenty vocabulary words to learn. They learn the spelling, meaning, antonyms, synonyms, part of speech, and placement of the accent mark. It's alot! And the words aren't easy....we're talking about inimitable, controversial, entrepreneur, firebrand, vengeance, adjacent and many others. Today the kids had a quiz over this unit's first ten words. I gave the definitions and they had to give the correct word. Not only that, they had to spell them accurately. For bonus points, students could list the part of speech for each word. Most students got an A+, but all of the grades were above average and absolutely acceptable. Let it be known that I am so proud of my students and thank God for their hard work in preparing for this quiz.

What Happened?

It's 5:11 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon. I'm still at school, and that's ok because I don't have anything I have to do later. I love these long evenings at school when I can relax and enjoy doing all those teachery things I usually have to rush through. So what did my day look like, you ask? And why am I still here after 5? Here's what happened....

7:30 arrive and prep for the day
8:00 meet students; collect homework, say pledges, pray
8:15 5th/6th off to morning classes,; 4th in for math
9:21 late for 2nd grade math cause I ran eggs from Hyinks out to my car; made kids sit in the hallway so Ashleigh and I could have a potty break
10:20 5th/6h Class B arrives for math, my signal to dismiss 2nd grade
11:10 Class B successfully through math test 12 and on their way to Social Studies, Class A in for math
11:47 Class A finished with math test and we're late for lunch cause I was working on my best bulletin board yet
12:25 in from a lovely recess out in the gorgeous sunshine (I could even smell the lake on the breeze! benefits of being so close to the water)
1:05 just finished two chapters in our read-aloud book, Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle
1:40 5th/6th off to typing after a great intro to our new vocab unit, they already can use some of the words in sentences!
2:28 finished up a meeting with PNB about youth group stuff and back to meet 5th/6th graders
3:06 wrapped up our Samson lesson with a fun crossword puzzle review (they've really enjoyed our study of the book of Judges!)
3:13 still coaxing students out the door..."I love you, but you need to go home now!" (besides, I needed another potty stop!=)
3:21 back to work on the new bulletin board; this one is super cool but it's taking enough work to justify leaving it up the rest of the year; pictures possibly to follow
5:00 had to stop with the bulletin board - hoping some time away will help me think of the last perfect detail I need to make it complete.
5:10 done grading Class A's math tests and vocab assignments; checking email; writing on blog

I'm sure there were a few more potty breaks in there, but pretty much that's it. I LOVE being a teacher and can't imagine doing anything else!

The Tongue

"You did not know what you were saying because your tongue is out of control. It is always walking away on its own and leaving your head behind."
from The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith

"But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the image of God...my brethren, these things ought not to be so." from James chapter 3, the Holy Bible

Multiplication Week, Days 3, 4, 5

Ok so I got a little behind. Teaching is a busy profession! And mentally exhausting. But it's worth it. I would not ever want to do anything else. Anyway, let's get caught up with the events of the rest of our multiplication week.

Day 3 - We wrote some more facts and found some fun places to recite them. We went in a "secret" hallway in the building that is one of those places that kids just love because you don't really know it's there and there's this huge gorgeous window. Anyway, the kids were in awe! Next we did a fun worksheet called a Multiplication Mosaic (Google that and you'll see the book I use). The bottom half of the worksheet has multiplication facts with one factor missing; beside each fact is the name of a color in parentheses. For example: 8 x ___ = 72 (purple). The top half of the page is a blank coordinate plane. After filling in the missing factors at the bottom, students use the two factors as coordinates, and instead of plotting a point on the grid they color the corresponding square with the color listed beside the fact. When they are finished plotting and coloring in the squares they see a special design. Our design for the day was a beautiful blue, black, and purple butterfly. The kids asked to do more! This activity is great because it gives a little different multiplication practice than the usual, plus they get practice with the coordinate plane which is something they will be using all through high school even.

Day 4 - More writing and reciting facts. We said the tens and elevens times tables to Mrs. Norman, our church secretary. Our big game was "King/Queen of the Class." I made a super fun crown for the current King or Queen to wear. Each time they beat someone the current King or Queen received a point to represent one year of their reign. No points were given for winning the crown from someone; they had to win it then beat another person to get their first "year". The kids loved this method! It added to the imagination of the game, rather than just keeping "points." Points are boring. To say that "Kara won because she reigned for seven years!" is so much more fun. =)

Day 5 - We reviewed our tricks and reminders; fun to see the progress even from Monday. Worked on one multiplication table worksheet. They spent the last half of the class doing a scavenger hunt. They were all over the building with the rules to walk, whisper, and work together. They did it great. To figure out each clue they had to answer multiplication facts then match the answer to a letter on a list I had made. The last one was to find me, where I had a new pencil for each of them as a reward for all their hard work this week. Difficult, tedious work can be made funner than fun, you just have to know how!

2nd Grade Quote of the Day

"If I win it, I'll be the Queen of Cute!"

When the second grade math class heard about the super fun game the fourth grade math class got to play, they begged to play it too. It's a simple "King/Queen of the Class" game. I made a crown out of some colorful, glittery paper I had; the winner got to keep the crown. One student wears the crown and sits on the "throne" (the stool I sit on to teach sometimes). I show a math flashcard - for second grade we did subtraction - and whoever says it first gets the crown. There's no points for winning the crown away from someone, but every time a student wins once they have the crown they get a point to represent one year of reigning as King or Queen. That point system I just thought of on the fly this morning and the kids liked it. My second graders thought if they won the crown the could be the boss of me too, so I had to remind them I was still in charge. I told them they could be King or Queen, but I was the High Supreme Ruler of the World. Can't beat that! Youngsters love to imagine, so why not incorporate it into things that can be terribly mundane...like math class?!  Imagination makes everything much more fun and we're still accomplishing our goal. True, such activities are a bit more time consuming so we can't do them every day. Whenever we can, though, it's totally worth the time and effort. Seeing the kids' gigantic smiles and hearing their laughter during math class is the best thing ever!

Multiplication Week, Day 2

Today for 4th grade multiplication week we wrote and recited our 6-9 times tables. First we wrote out the 9's then stood to recite them. We did the same, then, for the next three sets, facing a different direction each time we stood to recite. To liven things up we clapped twice after each of the 7's facts and stomped twice after each 6 fact. The last half of the class we played Go Fish, my own homemade version. A match consisted of a multiplication fact and an answer. For instance, if a student had a card that said "4x5 and 5x4" that student would ask for "20" on his or her turn. It was a super great game! The kids seemed to enjoy it. I let the winner choose out of my small-item goody box.

Multiplication Week, Day #1

Since my fourth grade math class is struggling with multiplication facts, I decided to dedicate an entire week to just that. Each day we will practice saying and writing facts, as well as doing many fun activities. Today was our first day. To start with we worked on some tricks and reminders. Here are a few: "5,6,7,8.....56 is 7x8!" and "5x5 is 25, I just saw a big bee hive; 6x6 is 36, let's go stir the cookie mix; 7x7 is 49, don't sit on a porcupine" (the kids got to create the rhymes for those doubles facts). We also use "nines hands", a cool strategy for figuring out the 9 times table with your fingers. (Yes, it's ok to use fingers!) After going over the tricks and reminders students wrote out their own flashcards to add to the ones we made last week. On one side they put the fact and its twin (4x5 and 5x4) and on the other side they wrote the answer. Finally, I called out multiplication facts and students wrote the answers with dry-erase markers on a large, round, clear plastic table protector. We did this sitting in the middle of the church foyer, simply for a change of scenery (something simple as that can make an activity a hundred times more fun!)

All-Nighter Nonsense

Kenzie and me being way too silly....and it was at the beginning of the night!

Success

"If at first you do succeed, try not to look too surprised" (anonymous)

Instant Inspiration

This is a quote from Audrey Hepburn. Not a person I usually attempt to emulate, but I thought her words were poignant. I think you can find some Scriptures similar to these words, and that's even better!

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."

Pastor Muri's Suggested New Year's Resolutions for Christians

These are sort of paraphrased. As I went through them I thought of a specific area in my life to which I can apply each resolution. That was exciting! Lots of cool stuff to work on this year.

1. Spend less; give more
2. Serve and make a difference in the church
3. Do a Red Book study with someone
4. Read through the entire Bible
5. Pray with more frequency and fervor
6. Reduce the amount of frenzy in my life
7. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude
8. Master a new skill
9. Expand my circle of friends
10.Read some good books and reduce use of electronics