Black History Night

 Black History Projects!

Black History night (along with the whole month of February) is an important time for us as a community to research, honor and appreciate the lives of past and current African Americans who have made an impact on the world around them.  At our school, we dedicate an evening to Black History, where we have a beautiful dinner, singing, and a Gallery Walk to share student work on their research.

Our grade level team usually plans to present a biography writing unit in February, which lends itself perfectly to the research of the lives of African Americans.

We wanted to add an artistic element this year, to allow for students to demonstrate their learning in more ways than their writing; we also have 2 grades, and needed to determine how to raise the expectations for the 3rd graders in the writing they produced.

We came up with a pop-up scene idea for the artwork, which turned out very well.  It was simple to create, yet allowed for students to make their scene very different from one another, depending on their chosen subject.  Check out their fabulous work!

 Louis Armstrong was a popular subject this year.  Check out the microphone!

You can tell the 3rd graders' writing because they were expected to break their writing up into paragraphs, with 3-5 sentences on the topic of each sentence.  They also wrote in first person, to explore writing in another person's point of view.

 Maya Angelou

 Wilma Rudolph

 Bessie Coleman

 Martin Luther King, Jr

 This is what the work looked like along the Gallery Walk Wall.  What a great night!

 Valentine Heart Trees
Posted by Heidi


I got this fabulous art idea for a Valentine's Day project from my friends on Pinterest!  I needed new ideas.  By 2nd and 3rd grade, the kids have done the traditional Valentine crafts with heart animals and woven heart baskets in previous years, and I like to spice things up a bit.

They made these great heart trees by tracing their hands and adding hearts on top for the tree leaves.  The kids who traced most of their arm had more success with the overall design looking more like a tree (some just look like hands throwing hearts all over the place).  Next time, I may use light blue backgrounds, as the patterned paper I had for the hearts had lots of white in it.

 Overall, however, it was a fun project to do, and the kids will take them home on Valentine's Day as gifts for their families.  They looked nice with the black border added after the project was finished.

It was a good reminder to me, also, that even 2nd and 3rds need more time with paper cutting practice!


Happy Valentine's Day.

Tour of Katie's Classroom

Welcome to my room!  Below are some of my favorite parts of my classroom.  This year I teach a 2nd/3rd multi-age class.  I work hard to make the classroom a welcoming place, but still functional.  By that, I mean what's hanging on the walls are used by students every day.  I make my materials easily accessible, from my writing center to my math manipulative area.  Let's start the tour!

This is the view as you enter my classroom.  Students are arranged in three large table groups.  I recently purchased water bottles for each student (cheap on Oriental Trading) that you can see on the desks.  This has really decreased the number of times students are getting up out of their desks and is helping them to be healthier!  Students also have a book box on their desks, which holds their "just right" books and folders, enabling them to easily take their work with them.

At the front of the room, I have a few tools that I use often.  I love the visual timer and having the students' job chart allows me to easily see who is responsible for what each week.  I also showcase different books up front, depending on the upcoming holiday or time of year.  Right now the books promote Black History Month.

My primary management tool for whole group rewards is based on a point system.  Each month I have a different theme to visually represent the points we are earning.  This month, students are trying to get all of the fish into the fish bowl!  Students really enjoy seeing the different theme each month!  I made these on my Cricut and attach magnets to the back.



I have most of my library leveled by guided reading levels and then have a section of books sorted by series.  I made labels on the computer with the different series names and pictures, which really helps students to put the books back into the correct bin.  I also love  this because students who know of a favorite character can easily find more books to read.

The blue carpet is where I do all of my mini-lessons with the whole group.  I like to have it at the back of the room, so students are not disrupted by people coming and going from the room.  I have attached hooks to the wall to hang a flip chart, so I always have a place to create anchor charts.  I keep a calendar area here as well, for when I teach 2nd grade math.





Here is my science word wall!  I put out science books that relate to our current unit on the shelf below.  Also up front (to the left of the word wall) is my daily schedule.

I am fortunate to have two computers in the room for students to use.  I primarily use these during math workshop, but students also use them for research and to play educational games.  On the back wall I have a "special reading spot" seating chart, so students know when it is their turn to use the bean bags and pillows during reading.

This is my math tools and manipulatives bookshelf, which frames my group meeting area. Students are allowed to come and use the tools as needed during math workshop.  On top of the shelf is my listening library and individual CD players.

This is my brand new kidney table (thank you Donors Choose!) for my small groups in guided reading and math.  I face towards the rest of the class, so I can still keep an eye on what the rest of the students are doing.

Something new I'm trying this year is for the students to have a personal goal each week that they are working toward.  Each Monday, when students are entering the room, they read the goals that I have identified and choose the one they want to focus on for the week.  During the week we recognize when a student is making progress towards his/her chosen goal.

I hope you enjoyed my room tour!

Tour of Heidi's Classroom

Tour of Heidi's Classroom


Before we start posting about our upcoming projects with our fabulous 2nd and 3rd graders, we thought we'd welcome you to our classrooms.  I'll go first!  I like to think of my classroom as a highly organized tornado of learning.  In other words, I know it looks a little overloaded, but everything has its place, we use and refer to all of what is out, and I take down old and tired wall art.

The view as you enter

One thing you'll notice about both our classrooms is the wall colors!  A little paint after hours works wonders.  :)

 Next is my front nook, where I keep student mailboxes, our classroom contract, and birthday chart.  I take kids' photographs the first day of school holding favorite books and post them around the classroom contract.  These serve as our classroom rules for the rest of the year.  The timer on the right side of the picture is a VERY HELPFUL management tool.  it counts down anywhere from 1-60 minutes for me, and teaches students to be self-managers.  My voice is saved by this little puppy.

Over here is my math corner, where I teach small groups. I keep pocket charts over the teacher bookshelves with math vocabulary and other important charts.  I used to have math small groups on the carpet, but this table keeps them confined a little better, and I won't ever go back again!



I have a weird little jog in the wall in between sets of student backpack cubbies.  I turned this into a sight word wall.  I have 60 or so sight word lists, ranging from K on up.  Each list of words, I printed on 3x5 cards and put on a binder ring.  We try to use these almost every day.  When it's word study time, partners will take leveled rings off of the wall, and use them to test each other or just practice the words however they choose.  Each student knows what number of list he/she is on, and they are tested at least once a week.  A fun way to learn more sight words!


This is my attendance board, and it requires a bit of a back story. I do not have the best memory.  I used to get in trouble for recording my attendance incorrectly.  I would mark some students absent who were sitting in the front row, or I would mark students who were sick, as here in the room.  Not good.  To help, I turned a frame into a magnetic attendance board.  Now I have a student in charge of attendance each day.  That student listens as I call out names, and he/she moves a student's magnet to "absent" if the student does not say "here".  The visual reminder of who we have marked absent seems to help us!  Now, if a student comes in late and their magnet needs to be moved up, the attendance helper sounds the alarm and we get things sorted out.


This is my listening library and Independent Reading seating area. Students are assigned a day to read books on CD (they can't wait for their day!).  They also get to sit on the special spots (hedgehog, turtle, spider, Mario pillow, etc) sometime during the week.  I don't have a better place to put the huge pillows, but they seem to get them stacked back up just fine.

Above the listening library is my reading anchor chart wall.  Right now we're studying reading genres.

I found a hanging shelf at Ikea that is a perfect place to store my personal CD players.  When a student is assigned a CD player to use on a certain day, he/she is also assigned a number (CD 1, for example).  The blue plastic bin just slides out of the shelf, and he/she is ready to go.

My Words Their Way schedule is posted in this area, too.  Each day a new kind of sort is assigned, and students use this chart each day to remind themselves of the task for that day.


 This is a new section this year!  I am now teaching 3rd grade math, which brings the excitement of memorizing multiplication facts.  I wanted to have an interactive, fun and motivating way to keep track of which facts a student has learned.  Each student has a card that has a 3X3 grid on it, with a multiplication set labeled in each cell (one cell is for their 1s facts, another for the 2s facts, and so on).  Attaching the card to the blackboard is a magnet with the student's name on it.  Each time a student passes a multiplication test, he/she gets a sticker to put in that cell.  Once all the cells are filled, they get a reward!  I better think of one quickly.

 This is a vinyl sticker I made over one of our holiday breaks.  I get hoarse reminding students to have enough books at their independent reading level in their book bag, so they don't get bored or run out of things to read.  This is a great visual, and it has helped a lot!

One of my students likes to respond out loud to this sticker.  "Yes, thank you, I DO have my five!"



Students use this chart to know where they are reading each day.  It seems like a lot to keep track of, but it keeps things interesting, students get to read around the room, and if I mess up and don't move a card on a certain day, they are actually quite flexible.  It's worth the time to make.

Giving the seats a predictable schedule also ensures equal access to the seating for all students.

 One of my favorite things for math!  I saw this idea on Pinterest, but adapted it for multiplication.  They are essentially Speed Stacks, but for math.  I have nine sets of them, and each set corresponds to a set of multiplication facts.  This one is for the x6 facts.  On each cup, there is a fact on colored paper.  If a student does not yet know the answer, there is an array on the back to help.  Students must call out the answers before stacking.

 I have gone through many, many editions of student book bags.  I always knew I didn't want students to keep books in their desks - too messy!  I also didn't want them on the back of their chairs as I have lots of students traveling around the room to read.  I came up with a book bag, and this summer I made a class set of them out of sturdy canvas.  With my love of silkscreening, I had to add the bookworm to the front.  I added a clear vinyl pocket so students could put nametags on them.  I attached them to desks with Command hooks, and they are magical.

 Another summer craft project.  Sew magnets into canvas bags!  These are the bags students store their Words Their Way words in.  Easy to grab, and start sorting.   These are helpful, as we only have about 15 minutes for our word study time, and I don't want half of it spent searching for the words.

 This is the view of our group meeting rug.  Daily schedule to the right, daily goals and Reading Workshop learning targets to the left.  The bins below have leveled books in them.  My library wraps around the room, so we can grab something to read pretty much wherever we are.

One last fun craft.  A must for new teachers, or really anyone!  I cut out craft paper with letters on it, and made magnets spelling out my name.  Fun to have on our white board, and they are very sturdy!





Well, that's it.  Welcome to my classroom.

Now it's Katie's turn.

Welcome

Welcome to Our Blog Hello and welcome!  We are Katie and Heidi- elementary grade level partners in Seattle.  We love teaching and we want to start a blog to share what we do!  Some people say that teaching can be a lonely job with little adult interactions - false!  We work hard to plan (craft!  dance!  laugh!) together, as well as with other educators around us.  We are truly "better together"!  From math games to writing units or art projects, we are constantly bouncing ideas off of each other and working together, while still keeping our own personal styles and setting expectations high for our students.   Whenever possible, we love to empty out our craft bins and MAKE things for our classrooms instead of heading down to the local teaching supply store.  We hope to inspire (or at least entertain) other teachers with our lessons, projects and other classroom ideas.  Thanks for reading!