Teacher Fashion Linky

     I'm so excited for my first linky party! I'm linking up with Jessica of From Blood to Books for a  Teacher's Fashion Linky. I just began my own  personal back -to -school shopping yesterday. Perfect timing for this linky. I'll get a little inspiration from you guys before I head out on my next shopping trip! 

1.     Tell me your favorite store(s) that you like to get your "teacher's fashion".

Love J. Crew, Gap, Old Navy & Target! Also, really, really love TJ Maxx! I wish I could shop at J. Crew all of the time but that’s not always doable on a teacher’s budget! Because of my limited budget I am always on the prowl for a good deal.  I have lots and lots of super cute things @ Target, TJ Maxx, Old Navy and other lower priced stores. Just takes a little more time.

 My daily uniform looks like some version of this (but I haven’t splurged on the Tory Burch flats…yet!).

 I am super lucky because we have a very casual dress code at our school. As long as it isn't revealing we can wear whatever we’d like-- even jeans or leggings.   

 2. What  are some of your favorite accessories?

I always, always wear silver studs and a necklace. I also love scarfs because they are such an easy way to change up a boring outfit. I just bought two yesterday!

3.  What type of shoes do you teach in? (i.e. heels, flats, wedges, etc.)

ALWAYS flats. I don’t know how you girls teach in heels, but I wish I could! I can’t even do it in a wedge! I have so, so, so many flats that I pick up from all over the place. TJ Maxx is a great place to find some cute designer flats within my price range. I can usually find a fun pair of Steve Maddens which are pretty comfy all day long. 

4. Do you have a "go-to" item in your closet? (i.e. sweater you wear weekly, shoes you wear daily, etc.)

Besides flats, my go to is definitely any cardigan sweater. I love me some cardigans! They’re easiest thing EVER to wear!  I actually really love the cardigans at both Old Navy & Target and they come in lots of fun colors & prints. 

My favorite is this cute lil leopard print cardigan from Old Navy (It actually looks cuter in real life!)

I also love, love this boyfriend cardigan from J. Crew. It can be paired with SO many things!  

  

5. Have you ever had a fashion "uh-oh" at school? (i.e. heel broke, button popped off of blouse)

During my first week of school I spilled coffee ALL down the front of me! (I’m talking have of my Grande White Chocolate Mocha so there was no hiding it!)   I was wearing a cardigan (of course!) and was on my way to the first staff meeting at my new school! “Hi, everybody! Nice to meet you! I’m the klutz teaching 5^th grade.” J  Oh well! 

5 Ways the iPhone Makes a Teacher's Life Easier

 I work in a low income charter school and our access to technology is VERY limited. (I'm talking overhead projector and VCR limited!) In my own little room my access to technology is limited to one Dell laptop and my iPhone. My iPhone really is my BFF and I use it a million times each and every day. Here are just a few ways I use my iPhone in the classroom. 

1)  Running records

I use the voice recording device to record my students reading aloud. This is helpful for a couple of different reasons. A) I can replay their reading and make sure that I have accurately recorded their work. B) The students can hear their own reading!!! This is the biggest plus!

Most of my students love to hear themselves read and they are able to observe their strengths and weaknesses in reading aloud. For example, J is a smarty and can read very well but whenever he reads aloud in class he reads so fast we can barely understand him. I had been asking him to slow down for weeks to no avail. After one time of hearing himself read on the iPhone recording and he identified and fixed the problem on his own.

2) Video

My students LOVE to be in the spotlight! I use the video to capture “Author’s Chair”, a time each week that the students can read their writing aloud to share with the class. My students also used  my phone to record book projects last year as well.  They loved it! It also gave me some great videos to share with parents at Open House. 

3) Google it! (Teachable Moments) 

Picture this…we are sitting on the carpet during read aloud. I am reading a Native American legend about a buffalo hunt.  The students are all interested and listening intently and asking lots of questions. Soon it becomes clear that they are REALLY confused about what a buffalo actually is. (We don’t have a lot of buffalo roaming around this California inner-city- Go figure!) Anyway, iPhone to the rescue! I googled a picture of a buffalo and passed the phone around the circle. We were even able to find a sound clip of the buffalo stampeding. It made a HUGE difference in their understanding of the story!  

4) Timer/ Stopwatch

I use the timer CONSTANTLY! I start the timer at the start of most of my lessons. My students love all of the silly sounds on the phone that signal the end of a lesson. The stop watch is great for timing math facts tests and other timed tests.

5) Music

Love the ipod feature! I use it all the time in class. I always have quiet music playing when students come back from lunch. I also download content relevant songs from itunes which the children learn to help with memorization. They love the Anemaniac’s state capitals song! If you haven’t heard it check out the youtube video below. My students learn the capitals sooo quickly with this song playing everyday before we leave!

Those are just a few of the ways that I use my phone to make my daily life easier. All of these things could be accomplished using other tools but this is what works best for me. I’m sure that these things could also be accomplished on another phone like a Droid I just happen to have an iPhone. 

One more tip, whenever I hand over my phone to my kids (i.e. when we pass around the phone to look at pictures) I switch my phone to airplane mode. This way I won’t get any texts or calls while my kiddos have their phone in their hands.

I hope that it gave you a couple ideas to use in your own room! 

Lunch Bunch

Building relationships is one of the most amazing and gratifying things about teaching. But sometimes it is hard to fit in between the district’s math assessment, those book report project and that pesky little staff meeting. Lunch Bunch is one of my favorite ways to get to know my students and build meaningful relationships. 

A couple of times a month I invite a handful of students to have lunch in the classroom. I know what you’re thinking, “Lunch in the classroom is nothing new”. But I like to trick the kids into thinking it’s something special. We like to call it “Lunch Bunch” and this party is invite only. Don’t worry, everybody will be invited but I get to choose who and when.

Generally I choose one week a month to do lunch bunch. It usually takes me three or four days to get through my class. I divide the kids into groups of 4 or 5 (I’m SO lucky to have small class sizes). At the beginning of the week I let the kids know that this is a lunch bunch week. They all know that they will receive an invitation but they don’t know which day will be their day. Each morning they excitedly check their desks for a lunch bunch invitation. When the students receive an invite they are so excited!

Lunch Bunch doesn’t happen until lunch (duh!). When I excuse the other kids for lunch my lunch bunch friends stay behind. I usually try to bring a treat from home to make it a little more exciting. We push the desks together to create a big dining room table. Then we all sit around our big table and eat and talk and eat and talk some more.

I cannot tell you how valuable this time is for me! First of all, I can get to know my students and speak to them about their lives outside of the classroom.

 Secondly, I can observe the kids in their natural habitat. Sometimes I get real, real quiet and just listen as the kids chatter away with one another. I find out lots of valuable information about my little kiddos that I could never learn while I’m teaching math or discussing the causes if the American Revolution.

  

Another great thing about lunch bunch is that I make the groups! This lets me support new friendships and help students socially. For example, last year I got a sweet new boy at the beginning of the year. He barely spoke a word in class and at lunch he sat by himself. I did a little digging and was able to figure out some of his interests outside of school. The next lunch bunch I paired him with a couple of boys that had similar interests. He was able to chat and even joke around with the boys in the less intimidating setting of lunch bunch. Over the next few weeks he developed meaningful friendships with a couple of the boys he was paired with during lunch bunch. 

By midyear he was much more comfortable and his participation in class improved as well. Now I can’t credited that all to lunch bunch but I definitely think it got the ball rolling.

Well, I think I’ve babbled on long enough. As you can tell I heart lunch bunch! I would definitely recommend trying it in your own class. You can use these cute lil invitations to start your own lunch bunch.

 Let me know how it goes!  

Beach Books

NPR recently released a list of the Best Beach Books Ever.  Now one of my favorite things about summer is reading on the beach and I have been squeezing in as much beach time as possible during these last few weeks of summer. I've been reading a little for work and a little for fun...So here is the short list of what I've been up to...

My professional reading included: 

1) Getting to Got It
     By Betty Gardner 

Our entire staff read this book over the summer. It has lots and lots of great information about how students learn and comprehend new material. There is a TON of great information in this book. I especially loved the summaries at the end of each chapter which highlighted simple ways that you can help your students develop cognitive structures. 

2) Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis

So many, many great ideas in this book! I can't wait to use some of these strategies during the school year. Super engaging ideas that can easily be incorporated to any reading program. 

3) What Every Fifth Grade Teacher Needs to Know (What Every Teacher Needs to Know K-5)by Mike Anderson 

This is a great little book based on the Responsive Classroom . The author focused on the physical, emotional and social needs of 5th grade students and ways that a classroom teacher can meet these needs. It's a super easy read with lots of practical ideas. The series has a book for each grade level. 

And just for fun: 

4) Girls in White Dresses
     By Jennifer Close

I loved this book! For me it was the perfect summer read. Lighthearted with good characters and just enough humor. It follows a group of twenty somethings as they transition from college life to the professional world. 


5) Swapping Lives
    By Jane Green 

I have to say that this was not my favorite Jane Green book, but it was still a fun read. Green intertwines the stories of two women living very different lives in two different countries. Loved the juxtaposition of suburban Connecticut and fast-paced London! :) 

What have ya'll been reading???

Meet the Teacher

Well…I’m finally doing it. After a couple of months of blog stalking and watching from the sidelines I am jumping into this big bad blog world! So here it goes….

I’m a 5^th grade teacher in California. I love what I do and am always looking for new ideas to use in my classroom. To give you some insight into little old me I decided I would fill out questionnaire that my students completed for their memory books. You know all the important details of my life…like my favorite color. :) 

Favorites

Favorite color: it changes depending on my mood blue..green…purple…yellow

Favorite food:  I love too many to pick a favorite but avocados, burritos, Indian food and tacos definitely top my list of good eats.

Favorite subject: English (although you wouldn’t guess it by all of my spelling and grammar errors! Oh my!)  

Favorite animal: dolphins

Favorite season: Summer! Love the warm weather and the fun activities!

Favorite book: The Help

Favorite thing to do on the weekend: spend some quality time with my family and friends, sleep and eat lots and lots of good food!

If….

If I could travel anywhere in the world I would go to Paris because it is BEA-utiful! Who can resist the city of love?

If I found a magic genie and had three wishes they would be:

1) The ability to teleport 

2) A pay raise for ALL teachers J

3) Health and happiness for all of my friends and family…and the rest of the world while I’m at it …I mean if I found a genie I might as well share the wealth, right?

If a reporter asked my friends about me, they would say I’m a loyal friend and a fun person to be around.

 Okay, that’s it. Me in a nutshell! I’m excited to start this new blogging journey! Please feel free to stop by and introduce yourself!