October PICTURES!

Hello!  I've made it through the first half term! 

As I've started my third year now at this school, the curriculum is finally clear and much easier to navigate! But with three new teachers to guide through the English...well I am still learning how to communicate expectations without being too overwhelming. How do you do that anyway? 

2 of the teachers are doing fine, but the other one is still finding her feet and I think I've stepped on her toes (not my intention but ...). Sometimes I think I do a great job as English Coordinator and then other times I really wonder.

Hopefully she will see me as someone who is here to help and our relationship will change.

ANYWAY!

Here are some pictures from my Year 5 classroom (so thankful to all the wonderful teachers that inspire me with ideas for these charts)! In Year 6 we've just finished reading Holes and lots of great creative writing with that (love it so much!!) and in Year 5 we're nearly done with Thief and the children have some fantastic writing in connection with that book. Favorite time of year, not just for the books we're reading but also the leaves and weather! I wish I had some pictures of the leaves (remember I'm from Arizona so I love changing leaves).

So I hope things are going well for you! Would love to hear from you!

I finally finished it!!!!!!!

That's it! I have finished putting my resources together for K-2 Math Journals!!

Today I finished addition and subtraction for second grade math journals and it feels so good!

And such good timing-there is a TPT sale Monday and Tuesday! Did you know this?!! So glad my friend told me about it! I guess it makes sense as a Back to School Sale...I forgot since I'm on a different school year from The States. What is on your list?!! I think I need to check up on some literature circle packs I put on my wishlist...

I'm off to bed! Hope you're having a peaceful summer or nice start to your school year!

Summer time! Freebie at the end...

Well it's been nearly a month since I last posted and now that I'm a couple weeks into summer break, I can post again!

Summer is off to a great start! My husband and I moved to a new flat a couple weeks ago, so we are settling in now and I am loving this place. A lot bigger than the other place and still a great location.

My friend and I are on a 21-day break from refined sugar (I have a serious addiction) and I am feeling heaps better already. I've been reading the book, I Quit Sugar, and I hope to continue limiting my sugar even after the 21 days. My biggest weakness is cookies/biscuits at work, so I figured summer time away from work was the best time to start this habit.

This summer I'm also trying to get outside as much as possible. There are so many places to explore in and around London, so I am determined to make the most out of it. Last week I met a friend in Richmond and it was stunning! The actual cafe was under the bridge, and the trees were massive. It felt planets away from Arizona.

Yesterday I browsed around Teddington and Twickenham. They had so many amazing charity shops! I love going to charity shops for unusual dresses or random stuff for decorating. But this trip was strictly for children's games and children's books for school. I can't wait to get it to school!

Now I must finish this up and get to the gym! Here's something I just added to my TPT store: pictures of journal/notebook ideas for social studies/science (Second-Sixth Grade). Hope it can give you ideas if you use journals in your classroom.

Have a good one!

March travel and more notebook ideas (of course!)

Well 6 weeks on, here I am again. I've seen a lot of amazing things going on in classrooms around the world...I LOVE YOUR BLOGS EVERYONE!

My life at the moment can be summed up in 4 words: Bible, Dates, Yoga, Library.

This is all I have time for these days. The classroom libraries are done for now though! I updated the libraries (labeled book baskets and all) for Year 3, 4, and 6! I am so excited to see if this help kids to find the books they want and read even more!

As for dates, the latest one (Christmas present this year: 1 meaningful date each month) was a visit to Brighton last weekend!

Here are some notebook ideas for those that do that sort of thing!

I'd imagine that many of you are spring break? I will be on Easter holidays in just over 2 weeks!! The only sad thing is that means only 1 term left with my Year 6's which makes me want to cry. I can't believe they will be leaving to go to secondary school : (   
I still love looping, apart from the fact that I feel more attached.

Have a good one!

January fun AND history & geography notebooks

Hello!!

Well it seems I can only get to this a couple times a month. Ah well. Here I am. How are you? 

After another doctor's appointment for my nose, I've been feeling a lot better in the past 1-2 weeks and have been able to do so much more! I have a CT scan for my nose in February to get more info on that situation. Here's what I've been up to:

I am excited about more game nights with friends and an IKEA & Costco date in a couple weeks (some of my friends have never been to Costco as there's not many in the UK-we're silly! And IKEA-who doesn't love it there?)
  

Here's what we've been up to in History and Geography at school for those that want any notebook ideas:

why is this spelled artefact or artifacts? weird.

Also I've finished Part 2 for Math Journals: Second Grade Place Value. There is so much packed into second grade addition and subtraction.whoa.

I hope to be back on here sooner than later. Love reading all your blogs. I may not comment on them much (am trying to get better at that) but I am constantly inspired by all of you amazing educators!!

Christmas...journals...freebie!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe I haven't been on here for a month! My husband and I have spent the last 2 1/2 weeks visiting family and friends in Phoenix for Christmas. The focus was on loved ones, so no time for lesson plans or journal printables.

Needless to say I'm feeling super behind.

Meetings at work tomorrow. Lesson plans. Gotta get Book Week sorted. Field trip in 2 weeks. Hope the playscript I picked got OK'd. Lesson plans. Eeek.

Anyway the past several weeks:

1) last day of term 2) easiest gift I made for my students
3) Christmas dinner  4) new shoes!  5) hiking in Phx  6) reading


I found some pictures of some kdg/first grade literacy journals back at home for those that want some ideas or are ready to start journals for the first time!

Now, the freebie! Money Printables: Part 2 (for second grade) is FREE until Tuesday 1/7/14! Get it here!

Finally...here is what I hope to be finished with next weekend! 

It was supposed to be Place Value: Part 2 (for second grade), but my goodness 2.MD.5 is long!! So there will have to be a part 3 in the future until I can get it all put together.

Off to bed now for me! Have a great day!

Our Big Writing Programme & some anchor charts

Hello!

The countdown is on. Just finished conferences, I've got a class trip Friday, carol service next week, staff Christmas party and then we're on a plane to go home for Christmas on the 15th! Can't wait!

So what have you been up to? 

Have you been Christmas baking and enjoying Christmas-y things? I'm jealous.

I can't wait to wear my polka-dot pajamas and watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with a hot chocolate and not think about school.at.all.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look at this stamp that we use to mark English. Love it! This stamp helps focus my feedback:

I got it here in the UK, but I'm sure they make something similar elsewhere. Totally worth it.

Individual target cards guide me so I know what goals the students are working towards.

Our school does Ros Wilson's Big Writing programme. All week the children do a variety of activities that lead up their 'Big Writing' session at the end of the week. On that day, they have a double English session-the first session (1 hour) is a summary/overview of things learned that week, with the last 10-15 minutes for planning their Big Write (a set writing task). Then they have recess, and when they come back, the lights are low, classical music is playing, there are little fairy lights, they have their Target card, plan and paper....and they have sustained writing for 45 minutes.

There are some kinks that I'm working out (trying to get more 'free' writing in, and add in the actual writing process to get to an occasional final copy)...but really this runs alongside the style of exams in this country and all in all, it does seem to highlight needs while also giving students a focus when writing.

Sorry, that went on a lot longer than I thought. How about some random pictures?  These are some anchor charts (perfect size-about 11 x 17 paper) that the children and I brainstormed together over the past couple weeks/months.

Bit of a photo dump.

 

To bed now.

How are you? Would love to hear from you!