This Week At School

Finally, it was a busier week at school!

I was in 4 different schools this week (and 4 different classrooms) but I ended up working all 5 days!

3 of the classrooms I got to teach in were huge!

This one was actually 2 different classrooms with a wall taken down between them. I like that the teacher made a desk area in one of the spaces and then more of an open and relaxing space in the other half.

Student Desk half of the room

I also love how these 2 classrooms had a ton of windows (I couldn't even get all the windows in the pictures - that's how many they had!)

At one of the schools this week we had a speaker come in and talk to us about homelessness and what we can do to help this season.

I planned and taught an art lesson in a grade 3/4 classroom about animal teeth (stay tuned in January for the lesson on this)

I apparently broke the intercom in one of the schools from calling down to the office. We joked that I had called down so frequently that I broke it (but I didn't call down THAT frequently, I just had one student that needed someone else to make some decisions for him). Whatever happened to the intercom it meant there were no bells at the end of the day. Whoops!

I ended off the week in a 4/5 classroom and all I will say is this... letting your children do whatever they want whenever they want at home (ahem screen time ahem) does not do them any service while they are at school. Kids should be doing some work and learning at home (in addition to having fun and playing). I've done a blog post about screen addiction before and here is a post that talks about a bunch of different online activities your kids/students may be into that might need another look. And no, I don't have children of my own so there's that BUT I do spend 6-8 hours of their day with them trying to teach them to learn which is likely a good chunk of the time they spend awake... so there is that.

Now it's going to seem like my day was awful but it wasn't. I'm at the point in my career where one person is not going to make or break my day anymore.

In other news I also made my husband an advent calendar! Well, if I'm being completely honest I actually made this calendar a couple of years ago and I just refilled it (with Lindt chocolates of course!). He thought he was getting an underwear advent calendar initially which just gave me an idea for next year (but you'll have to wait until then to see if I actually manage to pull that one together).

Homemade Christmas Advent Calendar

Summarizing Reading

Here is a way to get students to summarize what they've read that I saw a while ago:

The teacher called it CSIW (Colour, Symbol, Image, and Word).

In this particular example a student was summarizing on of the Hunger Game books.

She or he chose the colour red to symbolize the anger in the book (and explains why)

She/he chose the symbol of a fist to represent the power in the book (and explains why)

She/he chose a crowd of people where Katniss is volunteering as tribute as her image because it was what stood out to him/her.

This student hadn't picked a word yet to represent the book but you get the idea.

The template is super easy to make in a couple of minutes and it doesn't just involve writing (I think the drawing and colouring will hook a few more students).

If you are looking for other ways I've seen teachers get students to summarize what they've read here is another post I've done on the topic.

How do you get your students to summarize things?  

Christmas Bulletin Board Ideas

Now that you have some Christmas art done (or you are starting to think about getting some Christmas art done) you'll need to put it up!  Whether you decide to display it on a Christmas themed bulletin board or somewhere else here are some ideas for bulletin boards for the season!

Christmas Wish Tree

This one is pretty easy.  All you need is for students to make some white snowflakes and write a Christmas (or holiday) wish on it.  This one may not fit on a bulletin board but it's beautiful and I thought it was worth mentioning.

Origami Christmas Tree

This one I couldn't find a source to but I think it looks beautiful.  You'll need a bunch of wrapping paper though!

Gingerbread House

This one I thought was pretty cute (I can only imagine how long it took the person who set this up to do though!)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

This one as well probably took FOREVER... look at all those letters this teacher had to cut out!

Ornaments

I like this one because it is simpler than some of the other examples I've listed AND you could get each of your students to make their own ornament (or 2) out of paper to put on your bulletin board.

PS. I love the reindeer ornament in the middle!

Fireplace

This teacher had her students not only design their own stockings for her bulletin board but also some mugs of hot chocolate!

If I were doing this one I would be sure to include some of my hot chocolate activities I came up with while subbing a couple of years ago!

So, do you make a Christmas theme bulletin board for your classroom?

What does it look like?

This Week At School

This week at school was another slower week at school.

I did however give it another go at a school I was not too keen on from past experiences there... mostly because it was only a half day and it was super close to where I live.  In the end I can recall why I wasn't super keen on it (although the half day there wasn't too terrible... I've definitely had worse!)

I go to one classroom quite frequently and this time when I was there it was nice to see that they are FINALLY wrapping up a project they had going on since close to the beginning of the school year (which where I live started at the beginning of September).  Looking forward to doing something new in that class in the near future!

I observed and graded some rock cycle presentations.  To be honest, I don't LOVE marking something like this as a substitute.  In the end I gave them all full marks because from what I could tell they all understood the rock cycle and were able to present on it BUT if I'm being honest some of their presentations were not as well thought out and put together as others.

Our CFL team made it to the Grey Cup (it's Canada's Super Bowl) so this city is all a buzz.  At one of the schools one of the teams mascots paid a visit and took pictures with all the classes.. I assumed it was someone who actually plays the mascot regularly in the costume (although I'm really not sure how that works) but the kids were pretty sure it was actually the teacher that I was in for that was inside the costume... hmmm....

In other news we set up our Christmas tree!  Canada's Thanksgiving is nothing but a distant memory by now (it was on October 14) so fall is officially over and Christmas is slowly getting set up!

Christmas Tree

We got a bigger one this year that better fills out bay window!

Next year I'm thinking of doing gold, white, silver, and black as the tree is prelit with colourful lights as well that I think would go well with those colours.

Here is our tree from last year

Is your tree up yet?

Do you have a colour theme for it?

Book Trailer

A while ago I was subbing in a class that was making book trailers.

This was back when I was doing a lot of subbing in the school with just a few kids and was teaching grades 1-8 all at the same time.  It was the perfect thing for the kids to do because the younger kids could do their book trailer on a picture book they read and the older kids could do it on a novel.

First, some resources that I used:

What is a Book Trailer

I used this resource for the rubric (which I wrote on the board for my students).  I used the book trailer review sheet idea but instead we watched a couple of book trailers and reviewed them together as a class.

Book Trailer Examples

More Book Trailer Examples

It was tricky showing such a wide range of student ages book trailers that would not only be appropriate for them but picking one that might be familiar to them.  So after we watched a couple we story boarded our own book trailer.

To do this I read them a picture book (because it would be quick and fresh in everyones minds).  

Then we used the rubric that I had written on the board to add in ideas that we could use in our book trailer.  For example, according to our rubric we are supposed to pick 4 adjectives to describe the overall theme of the book so we picked 4 together and I wrote them on the board.  Then we had to have a sentence to entice people to continue watching our trailer.  Now, it was a few months ago so I don't exactly remember but I do remember the book was about monsters getting their hair cut.  So, our leading question was something like "Have you ever wondered where monsters go for a hair cut?" and we wrote that on the board.

We continued to fill in the rest of the rubric with ideas we had from the picture book I read them.

Then it was time to start creating our trailer

Book Trailer Maker

We never finished our book trailer for the picture book but together we came up with about 4 slides, what the words on them would be, what the picture would be, and then added effects like music.

I wish I could show you the one we created but in order to download them you need the upgrade (otherwise it's free!)

If you are interested in other ways I've seen students share what they are reading check out my post on Book Creator.

Christmas Art

Just like I did for Halloween/Fall here are some Christmas Art projects that I've saved on my "art for the year" file on a USB to pull out with lots of ideas at any point in the year.

One of my all time favourite blogs to visit when looking for art activities to do with students is A Faithful Attempt (seriously check it out, it's so well organized and often has detailed instructions... she makes me want to be an art teacher even more than I already do!)

Anyways, if you search through her Christmas tag you'll find all of these

Oil Pastel Candy Canes

Symmetrical Nutcrackers

For this one I might even bring in some inspiration for their nutcrackers by bringing in these from The Dollar Tree (the link likely won't work out of season or next year but it's a link to $1.25 nutcracker figures - 6 different kids!)

Wycinanki Evergreen Tree

All you need is paper, hole punch, scissors, and glue!

This reindeer is from Artventurous

Finally, I was surprised at how little Christmas themed art projects I actually did and they all seem to be a little more winter themed.  Here is one super easy project that I did with an elementary school class (all you need is construction paper).

If you are looking for an art project to do that is a little less Christmasy and more Winter based stay tuned... I'll be coming out with some ideas next month!

What art projects do you do with your students for Christmas?

This Week At School

This week at school was an easy one (and only partly because I only worked 2 days).  I lucked out and worked in the same classroom both of those days as a middle school math and science teacher.  We didn't do anything too exciting (unless you find converting between fractions, decimals, and percents fascinating) but I did learn what the latest and greatest thing to do during class time is!

Apparently if you fold a sticky note a certain way and make a really really pointy tip on it you can make it get stuck in the ceiling.  By the end of the first day I was subbing at this school there were post it notes stuck in ceilings every where and the teacher in charge (because admin was away) was not having it!  By the next day he went around to all the classes and told every teacher that if we see any student making those to send them straight to him.  Needless to say there were no sticky notes sticking out of the ceiling on the 2nd day (way to go teacher in charge!)

What is the latest obsession with you students these days (I feel like Canada is always just a smidge behind the trends of the kids in the states).

My Story Parts

I saw this being used in a grade 1 classroom a while ago:

my story parts

Students used it to tell me their story (I'm sure they also used it for writing stories too though).

What they did:

The bear started in the first circle and started their story with one of the sentence starters there (or came up with one of their own).

Next, they moved the bear to the 2nd circle and told me their next sentence using one of the sentence starters at the bottom of that circle.

Finally, the bear moved over to the red circle and once again, they had some options of how to start their final sentence.

Their stories were mostly 3 sentences long (which in my opinion, for a grade 1 student, is awesome).  I would definitely use this in a classroom where they were students struggling with parts of a story.

Remembrance Day

Out of respect for those that have fought for my freedoms and for those that continue to serve my country there is no new post for today.

I you are looking for some previous Remembrance Day posts you can find them here:

A video for elementary aged students

Another video and other activities to do
Remembrance Day Bulletin Board Ideas
Remembrance Day Art Ideas

This Week At School

This week at school started off by teaching kindergarten and nursery.  This went relatively well, although I was warned about the afternoon class (14 boys and only 5 girls) but giving them lots of time to play (and not knowing which ones needed picture retakes so just sending a bunch) definitely helped!

I also went to one of the colony schools I frequent where I taught the middle school students.  When I got there one of the primary girls was looking through the windows of all the cars in the lot.  I asked her if she was checking out the contents of the cars and she told me she was!  I then asked if there was anything interesting inside and apparently there was as well (although I wasn't told what was so interesting).  Whether or not my car was peered into next I'm not sure as I went inside.

At the colony I taught gym which was actually a delight!  We played a quick game of dodgeball and then some ultimate frisbee and remarkably it went well!  We also read through a quick play in a magazine that the kids read super well (with accents and everything!) considering it was their first (and likely only) time reading it!

Then I was a grade 2/3 teacher where we spent a lot of time working on a Scaredy Squirel project (that I'll post about in a couple of months - sorry I'm very ahead of my posts at the moment!).  We also attended a Remembrance Day assembly (and not to toot my own horn or anything but I think my class was one of the best behaved during it).

I realize it's likely a little late for this but if you are looking for some ideas for your next years Remembrance Day assembly here is a post about a different Remembrance Day assembly I attended a few years ago.

Locked Out

This is a story all about how I once got locked out of school... before school had even begun.

I try to arrive at schools early that way I have time to talk to the secretaries, sign in, figure out attendance, where to meet my class, and what we'll be doing that day, etc.  Ideally it would be about 15 minutes prior to school starting.  So you would think the school would be a bustling place already with most teachers all ready there, secretaries, educational assistance, admin, and custodial staff.  But what happens when it's a colony school?

Out of the 2 colony schools that I go to one has a secretary, they each have 1 educational assistant, and about 3 teaching staff, no custodial staff.

On this particular day it was raining (of course) so I gather my stuff and get to the door only to discover it's locked... I knocked but I didn't think anyone would likely hear and as far as I can tell there is nothing more I can do... so I scamper on back to my car where it's warmer and dryer.

Luckily, I knew someone else had to be there as there was a car in the parking lot.  I also just so happened to have the principals phone number (because he contacts me on occasion to come in and sub for him).  So I sent him a quick text saying I was there and there was a car in the lot so someone was in the school but likely couldn't hear me.  About 1 minute later I see him by the door.

Apparently he had a lot to carry in that morning and after carrying it all back to his classroom forgot to come back to the door to unlock it.  Whoops!

Surprisingly, this isn't the first time this happened.  Once I left a school during the lunch hour only to find that when I returned all the front doors were locked.  I knew they weren't in a lock down or anything as I could hear the children playing in the school yard behind the school.  I also wasn't the only one locked out as there were some kids just arriving with their parents.  Eventually I decided to walk around to the back and quickly got in through one of the back doors.  Why the front doors were locked I never found out.  My guess is their secretary takes their lunch at the same time as the rest of the staff and so the front doors aren't monitored as well as they are in the morning and throughout the day.

Remembrance Day Bulletin Board Ideas

Now that you have your Remembrance (Memorial) Day art work done you can put it up on a Remembrance Day themed bulletin board!

These first 2 bulletin board ideas for Remembrance (or Memorial) Day were from Pinterest and I wasn't able to trace them back to their original source

What I especially like about this first one is that the maple leaves (how Canadian) turn into poppies.

What I like about this one is it looks like it could have been an art activity that the class did and then displaced on the bulletin board

This bulletin board was displayed in a library

And this one comes with a whole bunch of lesson ideas to go along with it from Shawna Bluhm's e-portfolio

Do you have Remembrance or Memorial Day bulletin board you'd like my readers to know about?  

Link to it in the comments below!

This Week At School

Wow, what a slow week at school!

The highlight of this week was definitely that I was working the afternoon of Halloween in a middle school.  Naturally, they had a dance.  And of course I had to help supervise it.

There were tag games happening, a lot of jumping, but very little dancing actually happened.

What costumes were popular this year at a middle school in Canada?

VSCO girls were very popular (likely because apparently all you need is a tye dyed shirt, scrunchies, and very short shorts.  Is it really a costume though if you already are a VSCO girl?

Anything that inflates.  We had a giant dinosaur, a pinata (I think it was from Fort Nite), and things riding on other things.

Animals (specifically in the form of wearing a onesie).  I think we had multiple deer and raccoons.

Mario Characters.  Especially Luigi and Mario.

What (in my opinion) was the best costume?  One of the EA's dressed up as Count Olaf from a Series of Unfortunate Events.  Complete with ankle tattoo. 

And here was my "costume" for this year

a $7 shirt I picked up from Michaels (the sweater and black pants I already had)

In other news our pumpkins won the pumpkin carving contest at my husbands work

He came home with a big bag of candy that we [mostly] unloaded on our trick or treaters.

What costumes were popular in your school this year?