I've been working on my classroom all the live long day

I finally went into my classroom yesterday to get a good look at it, and spent today putting it together. I still have a lot to do, but here is what I've got so far.

 My desk...it really needs some work. I'm considering getting some fabric or contact paper to cover it.

I originally wanted to say, "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to change you is the greatest accomplishment." I didn't have enough letters though, so I found this one. I was going to place the little monsters all around the room randomly, but the board was looking a little bland and I think they look cute here. The boarder is "oh the places you'll go" by Dr. Seuss.

I did put little green labels in my filing cabinet though! I've been looking up some ideas on how to improve it. 

The place where I will write the agenda for the day.

This will be where we keep the class sets we are using during each unit. I also have my 8th grade year book, because of course they will be curious about that and a class book I made during student teaching. I got pretty contact paper from the dollar tree, but they only had enough for about two shelves. The paint on this bookshelf is peeling so I plan on covering all the shelves later.

My Boggle board. An idea I just found today. I really like how much of the blank, white wall it covers. I just threw up some random letters for the picture, but my plan is to have a new board up each week and the students will compete. Each Friday I will collect their lists of words and each Monday the winners will be rewarded. It'll give them something to do if they finish early.

I got these stickers at the dollar tree and placed them up by the clock. I think it looks pretty nice  I was going to replace the clock but I realized that I think it is the school mascot, a squire.

I found this flower boarder in the room and decided to try to spruce up this old bookshelf a little and add some color to the room.

The homework board so they can see what is due and when, and also check to see what they missed when they were gone. Also an announcements board.

Student supplies. I'm not sure if I'm going to have each container be a different type (glue, scissors, markers, colored pencils, crayons, pens/pencils) or if I'm going to have a little of everything in each container so they can take them in their groups and have all they need in one spot.

The student center. Here is where the kids can get their supplies when they come into class, see what the homework will be and any announcements, and turn in work. I have a basket for each class, I just haven't labeled them because I'm not sure which periods they will be yet. I'm also going to keep the garbage and the recycling bin under the table to prevent people from shooting baskets all class. (Something I learned from last year lol)

My name plate! I hope to have a bigger fancier one outside my door eventually.

 

Cute little dry-erase stickers I found at the dollar tree. I figured they would be nice for little reminds on the way out the door. I put two on each door. 

A little reading/writing/conference center. I plan on replacing both chairs with comfier ones or a little love seat. I also want a nice little lamp. I think it would be a nice place to hold conferences with students or talk to parents without it seeming to formal and intimidating for anyone. I also may have the kids earn sitting there or just pick two people each class.

My Bazinga board! It's really just going to be a catch-all for things I want to post. It may have really awesome student work, newspaper clipping from when kids are in the news, jokes, or inspirational things. I covered the table with orange and white chevron fabric I found at a thrift store. I think it helps brighten the room a little. This is a student work station, so I may add a little lamp and a few supplies. I need to find a Sheldon poster or a picture of his face to put here!

This filing cabinet will have the student files. I plan on making a file for each student. (One large drawer per class period) They will hold the writer's notebooks for each kid so they aren't lost and will also serve as a place for them to store unfinished work or projects, as well as being a place I can pass back papers so it doesn't take up class time.

This is my project wall. I just hate how huge and blank it is. I'm considering just covering it with anchor charts or a big word wall. I'm open to suggestions!

The one thing I have placed on my desk so far.

I love my big cabinet :) 

About to begin my first year teaching!!

Earlier this evening I accepted a job as an 8th grade ELA teacher at College Park Middle School. Looks like I'll be starting a new blog soon because I finally have officially become "Ms. Adair." I did it. I'm a "real" teacher.

A long-term sub job for 7th grade ELA? Yes please!

Last week I decided to take a substitute position for the day for a 7th grade language arts teacher. After subbing there for two days I was asked to stay until the end of the year to fill in for a teacher who has some medical issues. 

I decided to take on the challenge!

There are some difficult behavior issues I am up against with these kids, particularly because they have lost some structure and routine from having substitute teachers so often. I feel with some consistency I will begin to see more improvements, but seeing as I have already made progress, I’m simply excited to see what I can accomplish with them. I've already started doing some research for new ideas and have a list of things I need to prepare this weekend.

The hardest thing for me at the moment is that I have no idea where they are in the curriculum yet. I also heard that the district may supply the lessons. This is something that I will need to find out from the principal when we meet on Monday.

I think I may have to start out by doing some “get to know you” activities and work on a few routines. The first week may start out a little rough, but I think once they view me as their new teacher and not just another sub things will go smoother.

My Online Education Portfolio

Finally finished my online education portfolio. With only a two weeks left until graduation, it's time to start job hunting!

http://radai7.wix.com/msradairsportfolio

Holes Character Project

We are almost done with our "Holes" unit, so I wanted to share one of the projects we did during it. I created a project where the students would pretend to choose a character from "Holes" and take that character out to eat.The kids really loved doing it, and you could do it for any grade or book.

 Here is what their assignment sheet said:

Green Lake Grub
Choose a character from Holes to take out to eat.
Draw a picture on the paper plate of what their meal will look like. You may
choose to use construction paper to “build” the meal on your plate instead.
Make your paper plate creative, colorful and neat.
On a piece of lined paper you will write about why you chose to eat with this
character, where you went to eat, what you ate, and what you talked about.
This should be in complete sentences and with 6th grade writing.
Attach both the paper plate and your lined paper to a piece of construction
paper. Make sure your name is on it!
Your finished project should be set up to look like either of these:
(Here I had a diagram of what their final set out would look like, but it wouldn't transfer into the blog)

REQUIREMENTS
1. Paper plate with CHARACTER’S meal on it
2. Why you chose to eat with this character
3. Where you ate
4. What you BOTH ate
5. What you talked about
6. Colorful
7. Neatly done
8. Complete sentences
9. 6th grade writing
10.Attached to construction paper

Here are some characters we have
met so far:
Stanley, Mr. Sir, Mr. Pendanski,
Ellya(Stanley’s great-great
grandfather), Zero, Squid, Magnet,
X-ray, Armpit, Zig-Zag, the Warden, Mr.
Yelnats (Stanley’s dad), Sweet Feet
(Clyde Livingston), Madame Zeroni,
Mrs. Yelnats (Stanley’s mom), Myra

They turned out so great and I was really impressed. Here are some examples:

Some people chose to build their meal on their plate. 

This one was REALLY well written. 

I called the project "Green Lake Grub" because I love alliteration and the setting is Camp Green Lake. 

Here is the rubric I used to grade them:

Green Lake Grub Rubric
NAME:_____________ TOTAL SCORE:________________
PLATE_________ (5 possible points)
Characters meal represented on plate ______(2)
Colorful _____(1)
Neatly done_____ (1)
Attached to construction paper_____ (1)
WRITTEN EXPLANATION (10 possible points)
Why you chose to eat with this character _______(2)
Where you ate _____(1)
What you both ate______ (2)
What you talked about ______(1)
Neatly done/attached to construction paper ______(2)
6th grade writing/complete sentences _______(2)

6 Weeks

Positive Attitude Bulletin Board For Middle School 

I found this great idea for a bulletin board on Pinterest linked to this site: http://bulletinboardideas.org/7057/attitude-is-the-minds-paintbrush-motivational-bulletin-board/

I decided to place it on the bulletin board that is in the 6th grade hallway. It isn't quite as beautiful as the one from the site I found, and I ran out of paint samples, but it gets the point across and it really brightens up the hallway. 

What a great message! 

Teaching Binder

I've updated my teaching binder! 

When I open my binder the first thing I see is my lesson plan for that week. We are blocking Math and Language arts. So on Monday and Wednesday we teach Math for two hours, Tuesday and Thursday is Language Arts for two hours, and Friday is an hour of each. We also have an Advisory hour and Life Skills class. This way I can see what the plan is for the day and what will be assigned. I use these plans to write the agenda for the day on the board. We also place a paper under the document camera for each class with a list of the materials they will need for class that day. 

This isn't a very clear picture, but behind the lesson plan for that week I have a tab divider for each day of the week.

On each divider I place sticky notes for what will need to be copied for that day, what still needs to be prepared for that day, and what will be graded that evening. I also have a place to put sticky notes when planning for the next week. When I have the lesson plan ready for that week I will begin to place sticky notes for what I need to prepare and copy. This will be a huge help, and will help me stay ahead and stay prepared.

Then, behind each divider I have the materials that will be needed that day. This is behind my Tuesday tab for this week where I have a handout that needs to be copied and distributed. I also keep the keys and rubrics of what I will be graded that night behind this tab.

This is the first thing that is behind my tab for Monday, since we do math on Monday. I have the warm-up that I will place on the document camera for the students to work on while I take attendance and  check to see who has homework done for that day. I put the answers on a sticky note because I like to have students come up to the document camera and write and explain their answers to the class.

Behind all of my materials for that week is my "lesson plans" folder. It has a tab on the side so I can get to it quickly. It is where I place my past lesson plans in case I need to refer to them. The materials that I use I place back into the unit/subject binders.

This is the next folder/divider in my binder. It is titled "classes info" Here I keep seating charts, scopes and sequences for the year, emergency information, and a chart of the accommodations that should be made for some of my students.

Behind that divider is another the common core standards for the subjects I teach. I highlighted key words in them so that I can find the one I'm looking for more quickly.

Next, I have a folder/divider for notes. This is where I keep any notes or hand outs from meetings.

Last, is my folder for the seminar class and paper behind it to take notes.

This Week: 

Last week I assigned the students a project I called "Green Lake Grub." The students had to take a character from the book "Holes" out to eat. On a paper plate they had to build or draw a meal that their character would eat. Then they had to write  about what they both ate, why they chose to eat with that character, where they went to eat, and what they talked about. They had to attach both to a piece of construction paper. The kids were having a lot of fun with it last week and I will be collecting them on Tuesday. I can't wait to see what they come up with. 

We have MEAP testing this week and next week so I am trying to make the lessons fun or do something a little different than we usually do in Language Arts. On Tuesday they will be working in their literature circle groups. I figured that after sitting in silence for so long they would enjoy some time to talk and move about the room a little. On Thursday they will be watching videos and reading articles about juvenile detention centers and then learning about how to write an opinion paragraph for that. I thought it would be a good break from reading Holes and would give enrich the unit with good background information. We will probably do something similar later on when other themes or topics come up. 

In math we are finishing chapter two on solving equations and this week they will learn how to solve multiplication and division equations. On Wednesday we will review the chapter and on Monday will be their chapter test. 

Friday there isn't school for the kids, and us teachers are going to the Upper Peninsula Reading Conference. I've heard great things about it, so I'm excited to get to experience it myself. Hopefully I'll have a chance to update my blog over the weekend to let you know what I learned. I'm also super excited to see all of my teacher friends!  

I can't believe I'm almost halfway through student teaching!