Thank you so much for supporting my classroom!!
You all ROCK!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Seriously?
I absolutely LOVE reading all the comments on my blog...and I read each and every one. Sunday night, as I was scrolling through I saw a really mean comment. I know this has happened to others in the blogging world. I'm really not sure why people choose to be negative towards others. I would hate to know that I spent my life that God gives me to be mean to people. The comment that was left was under my Native American Pow Wow post. Anonymous (A.) suggested that I had offended her because my students were wearing headbands with feathers and vests. A. isn't Native American as she stated in the comment. I guess she overlooked the fact that REAL Native Americans were present at our Pow Wow. I'm not sure if A. is aware of the course of study standards to be covered, but it's all in it...she should check it out at http://alex.state.al.us/browseStand.php. If A. is a teacher, I would hate to think that her students aren't learning what it was like for people to live long ago and how they managed survival. Anonymous also stated that I did not have "good teaching" and that I "should be ashamed of myself". I teach my students about respect, kindness, and manners. Maybe A. should join my students to learn a lesson or two.
To A.: Don't you have anything better to do than to search for things you don't like and to be negative?
To everyone else who supports me...THANK YOU!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Yay!!
I'm so excited! I got an e-mail saying my blog had been nominated for Really Good Stuff's 2011 Really Good Classroom Blog.
Thank you Gladys for nominating my blog. You made my day!
Click on the button on my sidebar to nominate your favorite blog today! There are some REALLY GREAT ones out there!
Voting begins on July 1st.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Last Call...
Last call for participants for our 3rd annual Northeast Alabama Early Childhood Conference!
Kim Jordano is coming!!
I am so excited about seeing this girl...I've heard she is GREAT!
We also have some other great presenters.
Mike Artell will be our keynote speaker.
If you are interested in making a road trip to Alabama, visit:
to register or find out more information.
Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Teaming Up...
Yay! Deanna Jump and I are teaming up to create literacy and math center packets just for you! We are so excited about this! The first one will feature centers for August/September and will be ready at the beginning of July so you can start planning. Thoughts and ideas? Comment below!
Monday, June 13, 2011
My Schedule
Okay. Tons of you have asked me to blog about my schedule. So, here goes. This is what a day looks like in our room minus the picking noses, tattling, potty accidents, teeth falling out, they're not my friend drama, and all things 5 year olds....BUT, you gotta LOVE them. Listen, I'm teaching music at VBS this week and I tell ya, I could NOT teach the older kids. Quite intimidating if I say so myself. They are just not for me. Bring on the K kids!!
I'll map it out for you and explain it all too...This was my schedule last year...it could change this year. Maybe not!
7:30-7:45- kiddies enter the classroom and go to the restroom first thing...we have snack carts that visit each hall so students that bring snack money buy their snack from the cart.
7:45-8:00-morning announcements-I sometimes use this time to "finish up" work from the previous afternoon such as writing our fact for an activity, or finishing something that had to dry b/c of paint. Otherwise, they begin morning baskets. There is ALWAYS something for them to do.
8:00-8:30-Intervention/Morning baskets-this is when I do my 4th dose of small group intervention with my struggling students even though it is first thing in the morning. Throughout the day they will receive 3 other interventions...tier 1, 2, & 3. My other kiddos are completing morning baskets. These are some of the centers you see on my posts within units.
8:30-9:00-Theme study or Specials-Three days a week we have a special which are music, library, and enrichment/counseling (these two swap and are every other week)...This gives us an hour of planning these three days...the other days I introduce my unit of study on Monday at this time, and on Friday we complete some type of thematic activity.
9:00-9:30-p.e. everyday
9:30-11:00-90 minute literacy block
9:30-10:00-whole group reading-our school adopted Scott Foresman Reading
Street
10:00-11:00-guided reading groups and literacy centers for my students
11:00-clean up and wash hands
11:10-11:40-lunch
11:40-11:45-use restroom
11:45-12:00-calendar and whole group math
12:00-12:30-math centers-I sit with one table for "teacher activity"-this usually includes me working on a new skill or new game
12:30-1:00-ABC/ELL-this is when my ELL students go work on English and vocabulary and where 3 of my struggling students get their tier 2 intervention...the other students in my classroom are finishing up math activities or we are doing some type of enrichment activity
1:00-1:30-rest time-yes, we are allowed to have rest time. I think it's so important that they get a break to rest their brains and bodies b/c we are hitting it hard all day long. At the beginning of the year most of my students literally fall out and could sleep for hours...we only get 25 minutes at the most...a few just rest quietly without sleeping. This gives me time to get folders and notes ready so we can pack up. After Christmas, we begin slowly taking away nap time to "get ready for first grade". Some days we do not rest at all, others we may put our heads down for a few minutes. The days we don't rest, we are filling this time with theme type activities that require much more time than at the beginning of the year.
1:30-2:00-Sciene/Social Studies-this is our regular theme time each day. This is when I read books on our unit, complete maps, and do activities.
2:00-2:25-snack and free play on playground
2:30-buses dismiss
2:40-cars dismiss
Yay! We made it through one whole day....wish it were that easy!
I would love to hear about your schedule!
I'll map it out for you and explain it all too...This was my schedule last year...it could change this year. Maybe not!
7:30-7:45- kiddies enter the classroom and go to the restroom first thing...we have snack carts that visit each hall so students that bring snack money buy their snack from the cart.
7:45-8:00-morning announcements-I sometimes use this time to "finish up" work from the previous afternoon such as writing our fact for an activity, or finishing something that had to dry b/c of paint. Otherwise, they begin morning baskets. There is ALWAYS something for them to do.
8:00-8:30-Intervention/Morning baskets-this is when I do my 4th dose of small group intervention with my struggling students even though it is first thing in the morning. Throughout the day they will receive 3 other interventions...tier 1, 2, & 3. My other kiddos are completing morning baskets. These are some of the centers you see on my posts within units.
8:30-9:00-Theme study or Specials-Three days a week we have a special which are music, library, and enrichment/counseling (these two swap and are every other week)...This gives us an hour of planning these three days...the other days I introduce my unit of study on Monday at this time, and on Friday we complete some type of thematic activity.
9:00-9:30-p.e. everyday
9:30-11:00-90 minute literacy block
9:30-10:00-whole group reading-our school adopted Scott Foresman Reading
Street
10:00-11:00-guided reading groups and literacy centers for my students
11:00-clean up and wash hands
11:10-11:40-lunch
11:40-11:45-use restroom
11:45-12:00-calendar and whole group math
12:00-12:30-math centers-I sit with one table for "teacher activity"-this usually includes me working on a new skill or new game
12:30-1:00-ABC/ELL-this is when my ELL students go work on English and vocabulary and where 3 of my struggling students get their tier 2 intervention...the other students in my classroom are finishing up math activities or we are doing some type of enrichment activity
1:00-1:30-rest time-yes, we are allowed to have rest time. I think it's so important that they get a break to rest their brains and bodies b/c we are hitting it hard all day long. At the beginning of the year most of my students literally fall out and could sleep for hours...we only get 25 minutes at the most...a few just rest quietly without sleeping. This gives me time to get folders and notes ready so we can pack up. After Christmas, we begin slowly taking away nap time to "get ready for first grade". Some days we do not rest at all, others we may put our heads down for a few minutes. The days we don't rest, we are filling this time with theme type activities that require much more time than at the beginning of the year.
1:30-2:00-Sciene/Social Studies-this is our regular theme time each day. This is when I read books on our unit, complete maps, and do activities.
2:00-2:25-snack and free play on playground
2:30-buses dismiss
2:40-cars dismiss
Yay! We made it through one whole day....wish it were that easy!
I would love to hear about your schedule!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Finally!
Oh, how I wish I was there...Soon!
Happy Summer! I think I've been busier this week now that school's out than when school was in session. Whew! Anyway, I finally have a project on donorschoose! Yay! I know many of you have been e-mailing asking when I would have a project posted...so here ya go.
It's here at http://www.donorschoose.org/julielee
If you liked my ocean unit or any others, just hop on over to donate! If you go this route, PLEASE e-mail me and let me know that you donated so I can help you out. Although I LOVE and read EVERY comment on this blog, it's hard to keep up b/c I have to sift back through all of them to find e-mail addresses, so please e-mail too instead of just leaving the comment. My e-mail is jlee@albertk12.org. DonorsChoose does not give me e-mail addresses so I have no way of getting in touch with who donates. Oh, and if you donated and I missed you, just give me shout. Thanks!
Coming up: My Daily Schedule
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Oceans of Fun!
Wow! It's been a long time! School is finally out and summer is here! I said good-bye to my K sweeties last Thursday. Our school had K graduation at our new fine arts center and it was the sweetest thing. Here are pictures of some of our ocean/beach fun we had the last couple weeks of school.
ending sounds sunglasses
flip-flop rhymes...in case you're wondering...I ran 12 on color and 12 on white...a colored flip-flop matched a rhyme on a white flip-flop...I did this so they would not just match up the two colors and not try to rhyme...I wanted them to actually "know" the rhyme.
counting to 30
octopus addition book
paper plate crabs...idea from Kim Jordano
paper plate killer whales...Kim Jordano
TLC style shark with fact
Whale fact books...idea from Kim Jordano
counting and tallying
digraph mystery
practicing ordering and counting by 2's
practicing ordering and counting by 5's
they had to make 8 words using the "beach balls" in the box...
practicing first grade sounds
paper bag jellyfish