Five for Friday and Saturday Snapshots

Completely and totally random thoughts and happenings, five of them for Five for Friday with Doodlebugs {First Grade Rocks} and some of them for Saturday Snapshots with Run! Miss Nelson's Got the Camera.

1. I have become a TV freak this summer! I have discovered that I LOVE BBC programs, especially the dramas... LOVE "Downton Abbey" and "Copper." I'm wild about "Larkrise to Candleford!" So what am I doing watching "Primeval?" Seriously, like all 36 episodes this past week? I guess one never outgrows a love for dinosaurs! LOL!

2. I love learning new things on the computer and try to constantly keep up with the latest. It seems that the latest is QR codes combined with teaching resources. I've been seeing loads of QR task cards being offered on TpT and Teacher's Notebook. I thought QR codes were only for use with iPods and iPads and SmartPhones... NOT SO! I found an app for a regular old PC. It's called QuickMark. By downloading and installing this little beauty I am able to work with, create, and read QR Codes. Here's what I created for my eighth grade Language Arts students. They had to read The Coffin Quilt by Ann Rinaldi over the summer. This is what waits for them... a QR code takes them to a Padlet wall whereon is posted a question. Sure beats the typical question and answer worksheet. I also included a "short" url in case they have no access to a QR Code reader.

3. I had the chance to work a little bit on my classroom this week. I started by spreading all the things that I have been working on this summer. There's my class jourrnals, my table signs, my MOVIES bulletin board... all the polka dot monster themed materials.

4. Here are some of my bulletin boards. You'll notice all my polka dots and monsters but you'll also see Sabra from Teaching with a Touch of Twang's genre posters... LOVE them!

5.... and a must for every Saturday... Ms. DaisyMae who is NOT very happy with me once again. She had parked herself on my lap, promptly fell asleep, and stayed there for nearly an hour while I was watching "Primeval." (see no.1 above). I was pestering her, interrupting her beauty sleep by shifting about in my rocker. I happened to have my camera nearby for a change and was able to catch this pic of her. Too bad it wasn't a video because she was muttering a bit as well. However, if she were able to speak English we would not be able to include her words.

Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teacher's Desk 6

Check out my 20% off EVERYTHING Back To School Sale on Teacher's Notebook!

Throwback Thursday... FREEBIE!

I almost didn't make it this week for Throwback Thursday with The First Grade Parade! I worked in my classroom for most of the morning and early afternoon, then came home and immediately began working on my initial activities and lessons for my eighth grade English students... a prezi and project menu for the novel Underground by Jean Ferris and a set of QR Codes that lead to Padlet boards for the novel The Coffin Quilt by Ann Rinaldi. I'm tickled with how everything turned out. I'll probably share more about this next week for Tried It Tuesday as this was the first time I tried Prezi and QR Codes.

Anyway, I'm off topic... back to Throwback Thursday.

On  March 13, 2013, I blogged about an activity that I developed more than 25 years ago out of desperation.... and I'm so glad that I did.

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I've been up to my elbows in things from my old Teacher's Desk website. Sorting through all the drawers has been tedious but also a trip down memory lane. For instance, one of the activities I found in the English drawer is called Quiet Hour Journals. I remember a class of sixers that I had about 26 years ago. Goodness, were they ever chatty! Every one of their teachers complained about the incessant talking whenever they were in their class. We talked about strategies to help them overcome this behavior. Our principal even had us trained in Lee Canter's Assertive Discipline Program. However, nothing seemed to work. Out of frustration one afternoon came this brainstorm of an idea  Quiet Hour Journals.

Directions:

1. Give each student a sheet of 9" by 12" construction paper. Have him/her fold it in half to form a booklet cover.
2. Instruct each student to take five sheets of loose-leaf paper, fold them in half, slip them inside the cover, and staple all the pages together.
3. The Quiet Hour Journal is now completed and ready to go.
4. Give each student ten bingo chips and these instructions:
   • For the next 60 minutes, no conversation is permitted. All communication is to be done via writing. Write any message or question in your Quiet Hour Journal and pass it to your intended recipient.
   • The recipient is to read your entry and respond in kind.
   • If the recipient catches any proofreading mistake you made, he/she may take one of your bingo chips.
   • If anyone catches somebody talking, he/she may take one of your bingo chips.
   • If at any time you run out of bingo chips, you may no longer participate in the activity.
   • At the end of 60 minutes, the person with the most bingo chips is awarded a small prize.

I use to participate with my students.  Sometimes, I was called upon to settle a dispute. If a student challenged another's proofreading correction, I acted as a moderator, communicating with the pair through my journal. If the challenger was correct, he/she took back the lost bingo chip plus one of the student's chips who was challenged. This makes for more careful initial writing and proofreading.

I haven't done this activity in a few years. Actually, I haven't needed to do it so I pushed it to the back of the desk drawer. I'm glad I spent time today cleaning. This is the PERFECT activity for this year's sixers, another chatty bunch. Can't wait to try it this week!

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I did try it with last year's crop of sixers! They LOVED it and begged to do it repeatedly! I was able to use it as an incentive to behave... LOVED it! This year' incoming sixers will not NEED this activity; however, I think I'm going to use it anyway. Here's a little FREEBIE if you decide to do Quiet Hour Journals with your class. I made it to match all the cute Polka Dot/Monster themed decor I made this summer. You can download the cover HERE or by clicking on the graphic. ENJOY!

Before you leave hop on over to my sweet bloggy friend Jamie's 200 Follower Celebration at Sixth Grade Tales. She's got a really nice giveaway package waiting for a lucky blog visitor!

And also stop by my bloggy friend Heather's 300 Follower Celebration at Peacocks and Penguins. She's got a HUGE giveaway going on. You won't believe the prizes!

Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teacher's Desk 6

Wednesday: Lovin' It and Pinnin' It

It's my favorite day of the bloggy week, all because of...

 
Today I'm linking up with Covered with Glitter and Glue for What I'm Loving Wednesday and with The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pinteresting! Wednesday.

I am lovin' this last day of vacation! Yep, tomorrow will be my first day in the classroom. Mind you, this is an unofficial start to my school year. The official start is Staff/Faculty Report Day on the 19th, but my school year begins when I start working on my classroom and that's tomorrow! Actually, I can't wait to get started. I've got some really cute and useful things to decorate with this year and I'm anxious to get it going. Pictures promised for Snapshot Saturday this week!

I am also lovin' that I found a TON of really good, simple, and easy recipes on Pinterest this week. I love having my family over for dinner. During the summer it's easy to cook whatever I like. I'm home all day and can fuss. However, once school is in full-swing, it becomes difficult to cook unless it's made in the crockpot (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my crockpot). Here are just a few of the taste-tempting crockpot recipes I pinned this week.








Don't they sound yummy? I know... most of them are for chicken, but my family LOVES chicken! Can't wait to try them out.

Finally, I'm lovin' some giveaways! There have been some really awesome giveaways this summer and I've been the recipient of several wonderful products. My bloggy friend Heather at Peacocks and Penguins is kicking off a 300 Follower Celebration. Stop by for a chance to win some terrific teaching resources. She is giving away 4 different packages for a total of 25 prizes. WOWIE!

Happy Wednesday,
Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teacher's Desk 6

Tried It Tuesday: Smilemakers

I'm linking up for the first time with Holly over at Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried It Tuesday.

This week I tried something really cool that brought a smile to my face and the faces of two young people, one who happens to be a thirteen year old boy, and if you can make this creature smile, you've got a winner!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a representative from SmileMakers, a company dedicated to helping teachers create smiles for over 35 years. They offer unique, fun items for the classroom as well as supplies and teaching aids.

I was invited to preview a product of my choice in exchange for sharing it here on my blog. It took me but a second to accept the offer, but it took me several days to make a decision regarding which product to choose. I looked through the SmileMakers website, which is easy to search and navigate, and settled on an item that would directly benefit my sixth grade Language Arts students.

Classwords arrived last Friday while I was away for the day. I couldn't wait to open the package when I saw it waiting on my porch. My niece and her two children (ages 12 and 13) were with me. We had to unpack and start getting dinner ready, but as soon as those two chores were done, I was into my SmileMakers' package. Boy, did the four of us have fun while we waited for dinner to cook!

We looked at the outside of the box and read it carefully. The primary objectives were stated: give clues, guess words, get smart... LOVE that last one! There were also semi-directions on the box, enough to give us an idea of how to play... it sounded just like PASSWORD...

... and once we saw this side of the box, and how the cards were designed, we were ready!

Inside the box was a set of cards, a timer, and a direction sheet.

We didn't bother with the directions at first, we just dived right in. Here's the first card that I pulled from the stack.

I started with reading the word "different" aloud. My family began shouting out words related to "different." After each of their incorrect guesses I would read the next word on my card. By the time I got to "unusual" my grand nephew guessed "unique." He was hooked! We played like this for more than 30 minutes straight. If they got stuck, I just continued giving clues related to the word's definition or part of speech. If they were really stuck I just started slowly spelling the word letter-by-letter. We didn't keep score, we just had FUN, and exercised our brains in the bargain!

Eventually, I did take time to read the directions which are concise and easy to follow. There are three different partner style games described, each with varying degrees of difficulty. Additionally, suggestions for variations and ways to extend the game are provided. There is even a template that can be enlarged and printed for making your own cards.

I'm so happy that I received Classwords. I know that my students will enjoy playing it and learning from it just as much as my family did. I can't wait to try it with them. It won't be long; we start back to school on August 22nd, but before then I think I need to make another visit to the SmileMaker website. I saw a few things that I really would like to order for my classroom, and I can take advantage of their Teacher Perks program, earning additional savings and discounts on shipping and handling. I'm really glad that I tried SmileMakers, and I think you will be, too!

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Something else to try for some other great teaching products, these crafted by fellow teachers: head on over to Preslar's Palace for her great Back to School Linky Party where teachers are featuring their favorite back to school creations both free and paid.

Happy Teaching,

Angela

The Teacher's Desk 6

Monday Made It and a FREEBIE

I'm once again linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It linky!

This week I've been busy working on things that cute-ify my classroom but are also useful. First up is something that many of you have also made... glitterized clothespins. Simple and quick to make, all that's required is clothespins, glitter, and ModPodge (loooove this stuff). Just spread the ModPodge with a brush on the pin where you want the glitter to be. Sprinkle the glitter over the ModPodge and let dry. One more coat of ModPodge over the glitter will set it and keep it from shedding. I chose to just glitterize half of the pin. On the other half I wrote the names of all my 5th and 6th grade Language Arts students so that the pins could be used as part of my Writing Process Clip Chart (last week's Monday Made It).

Something else I made this week was a set of table signs. I had seen these on several blogs and on Pinterest earlier in the summer. Having found out that the sign frames came from IKEA I was thoroughly disappointed. The nearest IKEA to me is nearly a three hour drive, and because the frames only cost 99 cents they are not available for purchase online. I decided I REALLY wanted these signs. They are just TOOOOO cute! Ebay was my next stop. I  was able to get nine white signs for twenty dollars... not as cheap as at IKEA but what I paid in excess was definitely less than what I would've spent on gas.

On the front of my signs are cute, colorful monsters from MyCuteGraphics welcoming students to the table. I found the fluffy ribbons in my room colors at The Dollar Tree... two to a card... and popped them on top of the sign. On the back of the signs are anonymous quotes that I found on Pinterest. These quotes will serve as talking points for group discussions with my fifth and sixth graders and a writing lesson for my eighth graders.

I also worked on MANY new items for my classroom, all of them in my cute polka dot/monster theme and all of them available in my TpT Store. I finished my Six Traits posters, Sentence types posters, and CAFE signs. Next up are genre posters and grouping cards. If you'd like a copy of my CAFE signs they are a FREEBIE available HERE or by clicking on the graphic.

Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teacher's Desk 6

Saturday Snapshots piZapped

I'm once again linking up with Run! Miss Nelson's Got the Camera for her Saturday Snapshots linky.

I've had some more fun playing around with snapshots again this week. Last Saturday, I introduced Get Loupe. I decided to revisit the website and see what else I could learn. There are a lot of options and fun things that you can do to manipulate your photos at this site. Here's another collage from all the snapshots on my computer that I made of my favorite subject, Miss DaisyMae done with Get Loupe. LOVE the shape! Other shapes that you can choose to arrange your photos in are an airplane, an apple, a giraffe, a bunny, a bird, a car, and on and on! I played for well over an hour, changing the shape and just having fun! I discovered that you can all arrange your photo collage into a text shape. Click the "T" for text tool, type in a bit of text (limited number of characters), and click. Your collage will be in the shape of the characters.
AND here's yet another snapshot of my favorite subject, Miss DaisyMae. I had been trying to capture my wee one sticking her mug in the air stream from the a/c unit. She looks absolutely hysterical. However, she was not cooperating this evening. After about eight or nine attempts she gave me this look. You can actually read what she is thinking from her expression... she is not happy with  me!

Notice my nasty feet are in the shot. I love the expression on Daisy's face. It is quintessential DaisyMae. However, I do NOT like my feet sticking out on either side of her. I uploaded the original to piZap, an online photo editing tool that I actually found via the Google Chrome app store. I installed an extension into my Chrome browser and can go there with a simple click. There are some VERY fun special effects and options that you can do with this website. Among them, removing backgrounds from photos and exchanging them with artistically designed backgrounds.

I simply selected "Edit a photo" from the menu and followed a few onscreen prompts to "paint" Daisy's image. It was a bit tricky at first, and I did need to use the eraser quite a bit. Eventually I got the hang of "painting" and succeeded. After "painting" the original, Daisy was selected, the rest of the photograph removed, and framed with a new background. Again it's just a  matter of following a few onscreen prompts and making selections much as you would when working with a word processor or blog editor. Here's what my new photo looked like.

You can then continue manipulating your creation with all kinds of special effects. This is not Photoshop or some other professional editor that requires many steps. It really is just click and go. Here are just a few of the effects that I chose...

Papyrus effect

Simple black and white

With a frame

EMO

Before I left piZap I did explore one more area: Facebook Cover Photos. Again, another fun feature. Upload a photo, use one from Facebook, or stored online elsewhere, center it, manipulate it and VOILA! You've the perfect cover photo for your Facebook page. See my new cover photo...

I'll be going into my classroom this coming Thursday for the first time since June 7th. I'm hoping to spend Thursday and Friday setting up my classroom so next Saturday I should have snapshots of my classroom, all cuted up with polka dots and Monsters!

Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teacher's Desk 6

August Currently

I'm once again linking up with Farley at Oh'Boy Fourth Grade! for her once a month Currently linky.

Listening: My family (niece, grand niece and grand nephew) has been with me all day, since around 7:30 this morning. We planned an outing to the West Side Market in Cleveland (monthly trip) today and then dinner at Auntie's house this evening... crock pot Beef Broccoli thrown together before we left this morning. It has been non-stop laughter and shenanigans all day... good for the soul but not for the head...two aspirin and quiet time in the other room typing this post... LOL!

Loving: The weather in NE Ohio has been PERFECT... at least perfect for me. Partly sunny, cool, breezy with temps in the mid-70's. There are NO complaints from this gal! Sure wish I could bottle this weather and bring it out for the start of school, because sure as shootin' come the first day we will have the hottest temps we've had all summer... NEVER fails!

Thinking: Enough said.

Wanting: I look around my hovel and cringe. I have piles of STUFF everywhere! Granted it is school stuff and will be moving out starting next week, but.... arrrgh! It's really bad when I start complaining about it 'cause I'm a bit of a slob! What you see here is from a couple of weeks ago. It's MUCH worse now!

Needing: My house needs to be painted; however, I am NOT going to do it this time. I spent the summers of 2000 and 2001 painting my house. I do NOT want to be on a ladder again. I do NOT want to use a scraper again. However, I do not have the money to hire someone to do the job. Meanwhile... my house is beginning to look YUCKY!

B2S Must Haves: Numero Uno is sticky tack or something similar so that I can hang up posters, anchor charts, and all the new decor I created this summer in my classroom.

A second must have is as many pens, pencils, and markers in as many colors as I can find. I use them for everything, from grading papers to writing notes, from making games to writing anchor charts. I LOVE pens, pencils, and markers. There, I've said it! And the third must have is a comfortable pair of shoes. Last spring I discovered Skechers Go Walks... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! No more heel pain, no more calf pain, and even less knee pain. Since spring I've bought four pair and will get another this fall... just heard they came out with leather ones. Can't wait!

Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teachers Desk 6

B2S Goals

I'm linking up with Jess from I {heart} Recess for her monthly goals linky. I look forward to this each month. It really keeps me focused on personal improvement. I didn't really do too badly for the month of the July. I met four out of six goals... not bad, but if we were grading... uh, that's not a great score. Let's see if I can do any better with our newest set... Back to School Goals.

Personal: Once school rolls around I often get so involved that I forget there is more to life. I need to work hard and do my best for my students, but I also need to do my best for my family and me. So, my goal is to find the "off switch" for school and use it regularly.

Organization: All I can say is that I'll try! I really am organized, but it doesn't always look it. I have everything mentally prepared well in advance, but it doesn't usually look like it! What's that old saying, "A messy desk is a sign of genius." Well, you can call me Albert!

Planning: I can NOT wait to start using my Erin Condrin planner. I'm hoping that it will help me with the topic directly above and make me WANT to do planning... I'm hoping!

Professional: I've gotten a bit lazy of late not reading professional material, keeping up with what the gurus are saying. I made a dent in this area this summer with reading "Teach Like a Pirate," and I recently purchased a book about Whole Brain Teaching. Now to just keep this up during the school year.

Students: Because I work with older students who are BIG, some taller than I, I sometimes forget they are kids. The CCSS I think sometimes forget this also. The demands being put on my aged students are incredible, bordering on age inappropriate. This year, I need to remember even more, because I'll be working with eighth graders, that they are still kids, kids who need time to just be, to just have fun, to just enjoy learning.

Motto: Try it! Do it!... When faced with new things I sometimes raise an eyebrow, smile, and just say NOPE! I almost did this when my principal called in June asking if I would teach eighth grade English. I've been teaching 5/6th Language Arts so long. I was in a nice, comfortable niche. How in the world was I going to add this section to my workload; nothing was being taken away. Try it! Do it! So, I am!!!!!

I am planning on printing out a full sheet copy of my completed goal list. It's going in my Erin Condrin planner, right in the front where I will see it frequently. Hopefully, this will serve as a reminder and give me that shot in the arm to keep me on track with these goals.

When Jess started this linky back in the Spring I was really taken with it. So much so that I contacted her and asked her if it was all right if I did something similar with my fifth graders. With her permission, I created a sheet similar to what she had created for us and gave it to my fifth graders. They were so excited. We took time to talk about goal setting and strategies for sticking to our goals. During the month we returned to our sheets (we kept them in our literacy journals) and talked about our progress. It was a great learning experience.

As part of their summer homework, I sent a summer goal sheet home with the fifth graders. This is what it looks like. Because I teach in a Catholic school, I have included the category "Spiritual" on each of the sheets we have done.

I'm anxious to see how the kiddos are doing with it. I ran into one of my students tonight at Wal-mart and we actually talked about this part of her summer assignment. She said that she had hung the goal sheet in her room and checked it all the time. Ain't that cool??????

THANK YOU, Jess!!!!!!

Happy Teaching, 

Angela

The Teacher's Desk 6

Time Travelin' on Throwback Thursday

I'm linking up with Jess at I {heart} Recess for her fun Time Travel linky and with Mrs. Carroll over at The First Grade Parade for her Throwback Thursday linky.

I never thought to share my sixth grade picture with my sixers as Jess does with her fourth graders. However, the more I thought about it, the more I really like the idea. I'm gonna do it this year!!!  I knew I had a picture of me in sixth grade somewhere. Before my mother passed away three years ago, she had gone through all her photos, separated them into piles, and gave each family member the photos she had of him/her. In her pile to me were all my school photos she had kept in her wallet ALL those years, and I mean a LOT of years. It's taken me three days to find it... ta da... here I am in all my sixth grade glory!

grade: 6th
school year: 1969-70 (gulp!)
school: State Road Elementary
teacher: Mr. Frank Knudsen... my favorite teacher and the reason I became a sixth grade teacher!
favorites: cable TV (just became available in our city), The Addams Family (on TV), The Muensters, Monday night ABC movies, Little Kiddles dolls from Mattell, super balls, Barbie, and Spirograph (still have mine)
Memories: being able to finally ride my bike to school, wearing culottes to school... this was a BIG thing back then since girls could NOT wear pants to school and culottes were like shorts, wearing fish net stockings with saddle shoes (what were we thinking?). One of the most vivid memories I have of sixth grade is of writing a puppet show script based on The Addams Family, making the puppets from milk cartons, and getting to perform it for the fourth and fifth graders. I was sooooo proud of my group's script and puppets but didn't one of the boys act up royally and we were not allowed to perform ours. I'm still mad after all these years. I had the boy's child in school about ten years ago and took great pleasure in telling her stories about her dad in sixth grade... revenge is sweet! LOL!

Continuing with the theme of traveling back in time, I'm sharing a post from the very early days of this blog  for Throwback Thursday wherein I talk about being a Language Arts teacher for quite a long time...

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March 1, 2013

I've been a Language Arts teacher for a LONG time! I've seen many changes in teaching methods, philosophies, best practices, Common Core, etc., etc., etc. Some of the old becomes new again, and some of the new becomes quite old. What hasn't changed is that a good teaching activity is still a good teaching activity!

I've been sorting through The Desk lately and have come across many good activities that I've been using since my early days. One file I found was titled NOVEL RESPONSES (one of the first ideas I posted on my original website in 1996). In it are numerous ideas for having students respond to the novels that they read. I still use most of these in either my fifth or sixth grade classes. I'll be sharing many of these novel responses in the coming days.

Here's a sampling with which to begin:

• Write a letter to one of the characters in the novel. Ask him/her questions as well as tell about yourself. Pay particular attention to letter format.
• Create a newspaper page for one of the novels. Summarize the plot in one of your articles. Cover the weather in another. Include an editorial and a collection of ads that would be pertinent to the novel.
• Summarize the plot by creating a cartoon version of the novel. Use about six to eight frames.
• Rewrite a chapter or section of your novel from another character's point of view.
• Pretend you are a newspaper reporter whose job is to interview one of the characters. Write your interview.
• You have become a character in one of the novels. Describe your experience during a conflict.
• Write a poem about one of the novels. Touch on the characters, setting, plot, and theme.
• Rewrite a portion of the novel as a play.
• Choose a familiar melody, such as "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and change the lyrics so they pertain to the novel.
• Develop a mini matrix for your novel... more about this activity in a later blog post
• Create a mini story wheel for your novel... more about this activity in a later blog post
• Create a story chain for your novel that consists of at least ten links... more about this activity in a later blog post
• Compare and contrast one of your novels with another that you have read for class this year or last. Remember to include how the novels are alike AND how they are different. Create a Venn diagram to show your findings.
• Redesign the front and back cover of your novel. Include the pertinent information as well as a blurb on the back.
• Develop an award for your novel. Explain the criteria for the award and why this particular book was selected to receive it. A good place to start this project is by reading about the Newbery and Caldecott awards. Notice, too, the other awards particular books have been given.
• Create a triorama for your novel that depicts the most important scene. Write a summary of this scene, explaining its role in the storyline.
• Design a story map for your novel. Include important information such as characters, setting, and the plot. Write a brief explanation of your map.

As I read through the list, it dawned on me that even though these ideas had been posted almost 20 years ago, most of them align nicely with the current Common Core State Standards. Sounds like another project for me to work on!

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And now back to the present.... There are always projects to work on for us teachers, aren't there? I still have tons of laminating to cut out and I'm still making classroom items to match my new theme for this: polka dot monsters. Yesterday I finished up my sentence signs. I really like how they turned out. There are nine signs in all and are available in my TpT store.


Today I'm making Literature Circle Job posters. Next will be genre posters and figurative language signs... gotta get it done... I go in next week to "cute-ify" the room. The kiddos will be back before I know it!

Happy Teaching,

Angela

The Teacher's Desk 6