Happy Friday! This felt like a long week! Baseball season has started in our house this week, so I am back to feeling like I own a taxi and live in my car. I just wish the weather knew it was baseball season! It's STILL super cold here in NC!
See ALL those papers!?! These are all of my unclaimed No Name papers for the third nine weeks! There were so many that my magnet couldn't hold them all. I still don't understand WHY it is so difficult to remember to put your name on your paper in fourth grade. Even worse I don't understand why you wouldn't go check if YOUR paper is hanging up!?! Oh, well I guess we can only hope for less of them at the end of the fourth nine weeks.
(All of these ended up in file 13.)
We spent two days learning about Joan of Arc using my Close Reading passage from my March Bundle and this book. My kids LOVED learning about her! I think my favorite part during our lesson was when my kids couldn't understand why skeptics didn't believe Joan of Arc heard voices from Angels and God. Many voiced that they believed her...made my Christian heart happy :)
I created my first interactive math notebook, well part of it. I couldn't find anything on TpT for modeling fractions of a whole number, so I made one. It isn't in my store yet, but I plan to put it in there as soon as I finish my next Science Notebook.
I cannot believe I just registered this little guy for Kindergarten! He is my middle son, so I have been through this before, but it is still emotional! I am very nervous about him going to school. He currently goes to Pre-K at my school and I love having him down the hall from me! Next year he will be in a new school without me, and it makes me very anxious. (He is ADHD, ODD, and has an IEP. The mother bear in me wants to protect my baby at all times.) At least I have the summer to prepare for the first day of school. :)
Have you started "Gearing Up for the Test"? When do you complete your state assessments? We don't test until the end of May, but have local assessments next week. I am preparing my students with my new ELA Test Prep Review Game. For a chance to win this click HERE to enter!
Jess,
ReplyDeleteStopping by from Five for Friday. You Gearing Up review pack is adorable-I shared it on FB through The Rolly Chair! No name papers are so frustrating! Though my new "trick" hasn't completely solved the problem, it's made a big difference. For the last two years I've trained my kids from day 1 to highlight their names on their papers. They have highlighters at their desk and there are some extra by the turn in bins. I'm your newest follower!
:) Ash
The Rolly Chair
Just an idea for No-Name problem....Last year I started on this on the first day of school. The tray I use for students to hand in work also contained a pencil cup full of highlighters. To turn in a paper the students had to pick up the cup- and the cup's label very clearly said, "STOP- Is your name highlighted?" We practiced this from the first day and I actually had kids that mostly highlighted their names before going to turn something in. It became a habit. One thing I would add to it in the future- instead of highlighting their name, have kids circle their name. Highlighting over a pencil makes it smear and it's hard to read.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it worked for me- I bet I didn't have ten papers without names for the entire school year! I blogged about some ideas like this right here: http://teachersareterrific.blogspot.com/2012/09/more-pinterest-items.html
Carol
Teachers Are Terrific!
Hang in there with your son, it is tough when they grow up. My baby will be turning 25 this year and I can't believe that he is that old.
ReplyDeleteTerri
http://kinderprincess.blogspot.com/2014/03/five-for-friday-march-28.html
I love your Math Interactive Notebook activity! I can't wait to see it in your store. I will keep my eyes peeled for it :)
ReplyDeleteThe highlighting idea is great! I wonder if it would work for first grade? No name papers have been a problem in every single grade I've ever taught! That and lost pencils. Your son is a cutie.
ReplyDeleteKaSandra
MemoriesMadeinFirst
I am right there with you about no-name papers. After the first quarter of school, any papers without a name get fed to the garbage monster where they can't be retrieved. The assignment has to be done over. It has really stopped the "no name disease" that was running rampant in the fall. It may be a painful cure, but it seems to work.
ReplyDeleteJennifer
Mrs. Laffin's Laughings