Getting in a Routine and First Birthday

 

We are well into our daily routines by now.  My two classes are comfortable now with switching classes, and keeping up with daily work and homework.  Work completion and study hall routines are in place, as well as rewards for work completed and good behavior.

 

I found the coolest download for my Promethean Board.  It is an electronic gumball, which can be preset for the amount of gumballs to earn before a reward is given.  The rewards are things like homework passes, not wearing shoes in class, extra recess, etc.  No sweet treats, or anything which is costly for the teacher.  Once the predetermined number of gumballs is collected, someone from the class is chosen to scratch off ( think lottery ticket, I guess) the winning prize.  The kids think this is cool, and are almost ready for their first reward!  If you have a Promethean, go to Promethean Planet and do a search for it.  I highly recommend it.  It is easy to keep up with and FREE!

 

Today was our first birthday of the school year.  I put a big birthday cake outside my door with the student's name on it, put their name on the Promethean Board with a special message, and give them a little treat.

 

I'm not big on giving out candy and sugary stuff, so when I saw this idea on Pinterest, I jumped on it.  You take a crazy straw, add a happy birthday paper balloon, and voila, you have a nice little birthday treat!  I added a free homework pass which I created last year, and the kids went crazy today!  My "summer"  birthday kids already want to know when they get theirs.  I decided to put the straws in a little vase and let them choose their colors.  Here's how it turned out.

 

 

I purchased the crazy straws at Walmart for about $6.00, and my room mother put them together.  She said all the other moms in the workroom went crazy for them, too!  I really like this idea, and will do it again next year.

 

You can grab my Birthday Homework Pass for free at:


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Happy-Birthday-Homework-Passes

or


http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/jeremiah/happy-birthday

Hope you enjoy them!  Let me know what you think!

Surviving the First Week and Homework

Surviving the First Week and Homework

Well, we survived the first week.  I have a great group of kiddos this year, ten boys and ten girls.  That is unusual, as the past few years I have had a lot more boys than girls.  My teammate, Joanie, who teaches language arts and social studies, has twenty, as well.  

The first week of third grade is one of tweaking schedules, getting organized, learning to use notebook paper, folders, and notebooks, and learning about our homework.  My students basically have homework three times per week.  I assign it on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings.  Joanie takes the other days.

Hamilton County is going full steam into Common Core this year, and working on Constructed Responses.  It is my understanding that for 2014 standardized testing, students will not only have to know the right answer, but have to justify it, as well.  That is asking a lot from third graders who usually respond, "I just know it in my head!"  

So to join everything together, I have made monthly homework sets of word problems.  Students will have to find the right answer, and justify it by writing an equation, drawing a model, and/or explaining in writing.  "I just know it" will not be accepted on the testing!  I also created a graphic organizer and rubric for students to keep on their refrigerators, to aid in their thinking and self-assessment.

I will send these home on Monday, and they will be due on Thursday of each week.  It will be interesting to watch their growth in these Constructed Response questions, and their growth in solving word problems.  Here is a picture of some of my work:

I am blessed to have two great room mothers this year:  Diane and Jan.  I have had their older children, and already have a great relationship with them. That makes everything easier.  They stayed the whole first day and organized my supplies, paper work, etc.  What a great help they are!

My monthly word problems are available at either of my stores.  Just click on the link:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sandy-Scott 

       
or:

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/shop/jeremiah

See ya!

Lots and Lots of Polka Dots

Lots and Lots of Polka Dots

Well, after seven days of professional development, an evening and morning of registration, and hours of work in my room, I think I am almost ready for the kiddos to come on Monday morning.  I met most of my class this past Monday evening, and I think my teammate and I are going to have two wonderful groups.  I have had the older brothers and sisters of many of my students this year, and already have good relationships with their families, so that should give us a good start!

As I said in my last post, I've been sprucing up my room a bit.  I decorated my desk with wrapping paper, dotted letters, and a sign which reads "Everyone Needs Their Own Spot".  My hubby doesn't like it much.  He says it is a "girl thing".  But I really like it, and think the kids will love it.  I even found a faux daisy with polka dots on it.  Here's a pic:

What do you think?  Isn't it cute?  It will never be this clean again.  Every evening, I straighten my desk before I leave, and by 8:30 the next day, you can't see it!  I tell my kids never to lay anything down there, because it is a big, black, hole and their important information may never be seen again!

I also wrapped my door with wrapping paper, and the sign says "Look Who's Been "Spotted" in Mrs. Scott's Class".  I used different colored small paper plates for dots with the kids' names on them.  My door is visible from way down the hall!  No one will miss my room, that's for sure.

For those of you who don't know, TpT is having a sale this weekend, August 12-13, they are matching any sale amount sellers wish to discount.  All my items will be discounted by 15%, and TpT will match that.  Check it out!

I am also having a sale on Teacher's Notebook starting today.  15% off all items now through Sunday.  See you there!  Be sure to check out my Common Core items.



I would love to hear from you.  Let me know what you think of my desk!

Welcome -- I'm Diving In!

Welcome to Scott’s Scoop, one teacher's journey into Common Core State Standards!

 I can hardly believe I am diving into the blogosphere! I’ve wanted to do it for a while, but was hesitant. Personal commitments and work were taking up a lot of time, and I wondered if I could keep up with a blog. Then I decided this summer to dive on in! 

ABOUT ME

I have taught for over 25 years, and have taught every grade from first to eighth, with the exception of first grade (how did I miss that one?) Most of my teaching career has been spent in fourth and fifth grade, but for the past two years, I have been teaching third grade math and science along with some great colleagues, and I love it!

 Our school is going Common Core this year, especially in math, and I have spent some of my summer learning about the new standards, and how our county is going to implement them. I am not nervous about the new standards, but do have some general concerns about some of the standards I’ve taught in third grade being dropped. We’ll see how it goes! 

How about you? I would love to hear from those of you who are going Common Core, or have already been using the CCSS.

 On a personal note, I’ve been working in my room lately, getting things ready, as teachers report for duty on August 1 here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I have brightened up my room this year with a polka dot theme. I have always loved polka dots—they are so cheerful, don’t you think? So I re-trimmed my bulletin boards, made a no-sew pillow cover for my rocker, and decorated my door and my desk ( with an idea I found on my newest obsession, Pinterest!)

 I  even made some polka dot themed treat cards for my students on the first day, and filled the bags with Starbursts. 


Here’s a picture of the finished products. You can grab a FREE copy of the tag card at my store on TpT or Teacher's Notebook

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sandy-Scott

OR:

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/shop/jeremiah

Hope your kiddos enjoy these!  Happy first day of school!!
I can't wait to hear from you!