Writing Station

Another station my students visit daily in pairs is our writing station. The beautiful desk that is perfect for two is from Lakeshore Learning; and yes, it was also donated by DonorsChoose.org! At our writing station I have placed a variety of writing tools, a variety of paper and blank books, and various picture dictionaries. I've also created a book with a photo of each student in our class with her/his name below so the students can reference it to write each other letters while at the writing station. The students have free choice about what they write, but we discuss as a class the importance of practicing our writing here rather than our drawing. If the students get off-task and are spending more time on their illustrations, I will simply ask them, "Is your writing or your drawing getting better right now?" It reminds them that if they want their writing to improve, they must practice it.

Unfortunately, the physical environment of our classroom does not allow us to have the writing station below our word wall. For that reason, I put seasonal and anchor charts above the writing station for the students to reference. I change them based on the needs and interests of my students. You may also be able to see that the bulletin board above the writing station is covered with fabric. I only use fabric on my bulletin boards, and it is a tip I was given by one of my cooperating teachers in college. Fabric doesn't fade, and it gives the bulletin board a very fresh, clean look!

We're not through yet! Stop by tomorrow to find out about another work station from our classroom!

A Day in the Life of Miss Jones' Class: Listening Station

This week, I want to show you a little sneak peek into my classroom and a day in the life of Miss Jones' class. Each day, my kindergarten students visit work stations. Each student has a partner, and they visit the stations in pairs. Our listening station consists of a box with a picture representing the listening station, several books, and two iPod Nanos with headphones. (Of course, the iPod Nanos and the headphones were donated from those generous folks at DonorsChoose.org!! <3) The station is mobile, and the students just take the box to an available table in the classroom. The students choose a book and listen to the read-aloud while following along.

When the station is introduced, I show the students how to use their finger to move around the circle to search for the track and give them lots of time to practice. I have taken a photo of each book and attached it to the read-aloud tracks on iTunes. This makes it extremely easy for my young students to match their book of choice with the photo on the iPod Nano. Below is a screen cast to show you how to attach your own photo ("artwork") to a track on iTunes. Hope you find it useful!

I hope you enjoyed your glimpse into our classroom! Stop back by tomorrow to see another work station we enjoy using!!

To the Victor Go the Spoils

I definitely feel like the victor today with the haul I came away with after a shopping trip spree with two wonderful friends! We began our day at Starbucks because we had to fuel up, and -BONUS- they have wifi! :) Here is a photo of Jessica from Mrs. Stanford's Class, Brittany from Keeping Up with First Grade, and me!

After a venti iced skinny caramel macchiato (say that five times fast!) we were ready to head out on our shopping trip. We went to Lakeshore Learning first! They were having a 20% off sale, and they have EVERYTHING you could ever want or need! I picked up some Dr. Seuss items to go with my theme for this year.

I also picked up a set of cards for a bulletin board I like to display at the beginning of the year that show how to say "hello" in different languages. I enjoy teaching English Language Learners in my classroom along with native English speakers, and I like to incorporate my students' different cultures.

These cards include 25 different languages. On each card is a picture of a child representing the culture. The BEST PART is that the word "hello" is written with the actual characters of each language! I love them!

I hit the bargain bin at Lakeshore Learning and found these "Star of the Week" headbands on clearance! I have a "Star of the Week" bulletin board where I display a poster the students (chosen alphabetically) have decorated with facts about themselves. This year, they will get to wear these headbands as well!

As a reward for all my purchases, Lakeshore Learning gave me this free Teacher's Plan Book. It is awesome and has tons of resources inside beyond the aesthetic, well-organized planning pages! Who doesn't love a "free" gift!?!

We also dropped by Michael's where I picked up this *SPARKLY* card stock in different colors. (I can't even handle it!!) Do you remember my dilemma about wanting to implement the clip-chart behavior plan but being instructed to stick with the school-wide behavior plan for now? Well, this *SPARKLY* card stock is going to be part of the "loop hole" solution I promised I would find! Stay tuned to see how these are transformed!!

In the words of one of my students," VICTORY IS MINE!!!!" Phew....what a great day! I'll be back soon with some pics from my classroom!

It Was an Honor Just to Be Nominated!

Okay ya'll, I'm so honored to have been nominated for 2 awards!!

I would like to give a special, special thanks to Patti from Primary Pizzazz!!

Here are the rules for the awards below:

The rules for The Versatile Blogger award are as follows:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

2. Include a link to their site.

3. Include the award image in your post.

4. Give 7 random facts about yourself

5. Nominate 15 other bloggers, include their link and let them know

Soooo....I guess it's time to share 7 random facts about myself. Here it goes...

1. I LOVE coffee!!!

2. I am a 2007 graduate of Mount Union College & a die-hard Purple Raider.

3. I recently earned a license to Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Cincinnati.

4. I can (could) speak Spanish (sort of) fluently.

5. This will be my 6th year of teaching.

6. I have taught all 6 years in kindergarten.

7. I LOVE my students and work everyday to make their lives a little brighter!

Next, I believe I should hand out my nominations for these two awards!

Greg

Teresa

Stephanie

Heather

Maria

Mrs. Dwyer

Mrs. HWhat Wonderous Love

Diving into Learning

Tammy

For the Love of Kindergarten

Miss Schinke

Keeping Up with First Grade

Heather

Elizabeth

Liz

Pam

Once again, thank you Patti for this nomination! I am off to tell my nominees the good news! Have a great Friday!

Under the Boardwalk, Down by the Sea...

I have been sort of absent around here the past couple of days, and it is because I am enjoying a vacation with family. My family has been going to the Maryland shore for about 15 years, and it definitely feels like home when I'm here. It might be part of my destiny to live on the ocean someday, or maybe just a beach house will do. I love swimming in the ocean and riding the waves! I also enjoy walking in the morning as the sun rises over the ocean. Here is a photo from this morning's walk.

It was quite hazy and humid this morning, but the temperature cooled down throughout the day. While I feel good about starting the day with a brisk 3 mile walk, I am embarrassed to say that I also stopped to pick up the best donuts in the world from the Fractured Prune. I got my favorite, carnival with honey and "jimmies," and it was delicious by the way!!

I just feel so at home by the ocean and overwhelmed by the beauty of God's creation. A storm rolled in over the beach tonight. It is just another reminder of how small we are in this great big world. Even when our problems seem too large to solve, we can remember the one that tells the sun when to shine and the ocean how far it can go. Our God is greater than all our problems. Like I said, I love it here!

I'm So Excited, and I Just Can't Hide It!

I am on top of the world today, and it's not just because of the great time I had celebrating with friends yesterday. (I hope you all did too!) One of my DonorsChoose projects was funded today!!!!! As soon as school begins again, my students will be receiving an iPod Touch for the classroom! The students will use the iPod Touch independently alongside our classroom iPad. However, the best thing about the iPod Touch is that it will be able to pair with one of my favorite materials previously obtained through DonorsChoose. The Bose Soundlink Wireless Mobile Speaker will pair with our new iPod Touch through bluetooth.

Now, all of our favorite tunes will be accessible with a single touch, and the iPod Touch will act like a remote. We will even be able to listen to our favorite artists (mostly the Biebs) through apps like Pandora or iHeartRadio. I am so excited, and I can't wait to share it with my students!!

Feel free to check out my project that was just funded! Just click here.

A is for Aromatherapy

I know all of you are just like me! You spend all summer (because it's the only time we have to really plan ahead) imagining how you are going to make your classroom--and upcoming school year--perfect. You re-map your classroom for the one millionth time to make sure you are maximizing learning spaces and have achieved a perfect zen. Zen is very important to me as I like to create a safe little world inside my classroom where students can be free to try new things and make mistakes, all the while feeling comfortable and secure. I go to great lengths to achieve this...classical music, cohesive color schemes, visual stimulation without clutter, etc. In the past, I have also used plug-in air fresheners to help create my cozy atmosphere, but I recently had a pair of epiphanies that are causing me to change my ways.

The first epiphany came in a very strange way. I began practicing yoga this year and found it necessary....or a good excuse to....purchase a fashionable yoga mat (with accessories) of my own. Upon receiving my beautiful (and expensive) yoga mat, I found that it was quite slippery. After almost falling on my head a few times, I realized I needed a quick solution to my problem. Sooo...I looked to the only reliable place for information--the internet. Anyway, many of the articles I read recommended using essential oils to clean the mat and make it sticky again. The articles also bragged that these oils would also trigger reactions in the brain that might help relaxation. I went straight to the health food store and picked up the oils. I found that I really enjoyed the aroma. While I am highly susceptible to the placebo effect, I really thought I could notice a change in ability to focus and relax. That's when I thought: I SHOULD USE ESSENTIAL OILS IN THE CLASSROOM!!

The second epiphany was when I remembered a technique of Mrs. Stanford's from

.

Since my school year ended before Memorial Day, I was excited to have the opportunity to volunteer in my best college friend's classroom before school let out for her students. As the children in her class were working, she walked around with a can of air freshener and told the students to notice the "Smart Spray." The students responded with a deep sniff and, "It's working Mrs. Stanford. I can feel it. Yep, I'm smarter now." GENIUS!! My psychology-minded friend had played a brain trick on her students, and I couldn't understand why I hadn't tried it before! I made a mental note to try this technique in my classroom. As I stood in the health food store overstimulated with essential oils, that memory came flooding back to me! I thought: I SHOULD USE ESSENTIAL OILS AS SMART SPRAY!!

I, of course, went back to the infinite source of information and "googled" aromatherapy in classrooms. I found many, many articles. The following article contains the results of a fairly recent study titled, Aromatherapy in the Classroom. It also explains the oil combination used and their effects. I plan to use aromatherapy this school year, and I can't wait to try it!

....as for my expensive, slippery yoga mat, the essential oils did not help make it more sticky. The real solution turned out to be a $10 yoga mat from Target layered on top of it. Bazinga.