Today, my 5th graders culminated.  (though we still do have a week left of school...which is a discussion for another day...)  As the door on this year closes, I am going to *partially* open the next one as I join in on my dear friend Kim from Joy in 6th Grade's first ever linky party....What I Will Do Differently Next Year (though I am a tad bit late on this.  Sorry!) 1.  Plan ahead.  We went from a regular start calendar this year to an early start.  Because of this, my timing was off on all of the teaching.  And since the timing was off....FRACTIONS got the shaft.  Fractions!  UGH!  How could I have given fractions the low end of the priority scale???!!  So next year, knowing that the timeline is a bit wonky with the new calendar, I am going to start EARLY with everything that needs to be done in the fraction realm.  Because seriously, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, simplifying, comparing, mixed numbers, improper fractions (and the list goes on) can not be done...
Over the past few weeks, as the school year winds down, I have been getting lots of emails from you guys and gals (ok, so it was all gals, but I am sure some guys were curious too ;) ) about what I really thought of the Walking Classroom now that I have been using it for some time now.   So I thought it was about time to let you in on my end of the year thoughts on this program. If I could sum up the Walking Classroom in one word it would be GREAT!  It really has been a wonderful and fun addition to my curriculum.  I was lucky enough to receive a grant for the program (which you can apply for here ) but if I had purchased it, honestly I can say that it would be worth every penny spent.  Pros: *  My students LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  They ask me daily (literally) if we are going to be going for a walk.  Then, when we are out there walking, they are focused and serious and learning.  *  The lessons are things I would be teaching in my classroom anyway.  There are lessons on idioms, ...
Every summer the internet does me a great favor by showing me all of the AMAZING things that I just HAVE to be doing in my room to make me a better teacher.  I read about how to implement the latest and greatest idea and about why it will make my students the top of the list (which, I know by the shear nature of me having a blog, I am contributing to in no uncertain terms) Well, THIS summer I saw the most FABULOUS, MIND BLOWING, MUST HAVE for my classroom.  This Teacher Tool Kit.  Here it is when I made it this summer after seeing it on Pinterest (which, could NOT be more addictive during those summer time hours)  Awesome right? The intention was to use this instead of a teacher desk.  This would free up some space in my room and allow me to have not one but *two* rugs.  Instant love. Here is what it looks like in my room now. So, was it worth the time it took to spray paint the box and cut the labels (which you can find the template on Elizabeth's blog here ....that i...
We are officially on countdown to the summer.  My 5th graders have all been accepted to their middle schools and, well, have already transitioned in their minds ;)  So we have been doing some things in class that keep up the rigor, but allow them a bit of fun. Hands-On Equations Have you tried this program?  Seriously, it is just fabulous.  I went to the training for it a few years back (maybe 10???) and was given a kit to use in my room.  I have used it every year since.  This is a hands-on way to get kids familiar and comfortable with linear equations.  The kids are so engaged when we are doing it.  They work together, are focused, and learn!  (as an added bonus, the lessons are already done for me, so I just have to "show up and teach" with it)  Here is a bit more information about the program itself.  (there is actually a free webinar about it coming up on May 23!) Root Word Eggs My kids are so into this lesson this year!  Here is where I wrote in great de...
OK...so I don't know if that is a real day or not but I am going to go with it.  I was in class today, looking over some papers from the inbox (that were stacked a mile high) and stamping them with my little "Mrs. Moorman" stamp...when suddenly it hit me.  I LOVE THIS STAMP!  It has made my life SO much easier and I just wanted to share. There really is nothing revolutionary about it.  It is a simple stamp I made with Vista Print that says "Checked by Mrs. Moorman"  That is it.  When I look over something that doesn't need to be graded, but I want the students (and parents) to know I actually did look at it, I put this little stamp on it and, viola, it is done!  Pure, simple, love. What is something you love this Wednesday?...
This year, I have been posting some of my more "crafty" (and I use the term loosely) ideas on Classroom DIY .  Have you visited?  It really is a great blog full of LOTS of fun do-it-yourself ideas.  Well, anyway, I wanted to bring you one of the ideas I posted over there to my blog too.  A Hardcover book!    This book can be used for SO many different things, from an end of the year memory book to a way to publish student writing, to a journal.  I love it, and so do the students!   So here is how you make it.....step by step.  Gather the following materials construction paper, 2 pieces, any color cardboard or tagboard white 8.5 x 11 paper stapler scissors glue (I prefer Elmer's® Rubber Cement )    First, using the white 8.5 x 11 paper (standard copy paper works best), create a little booklet where the student's story will be written.  You can put as many pages as you would like, however include at least one extra sheet of paper as this will ...
Last week we had our annual Open House.  This is a night in the spring when parents come to see all the hard work that the students have done over the course of the year.  To be honest, until I started blogging, I thought this was a normal occurrence.  I have been a part of the same district my entire life (went through my own education here, and now back to teach :) ) so Open House was just something we did.  Now I see that not everyone takes part in this outside of my own little bubble ;) Since you all don't get a chance to see the entire thing on a daily basis like I do, I thought I would take time to show off my room to you.  There are no lesson ideas here...just pictures of my room.  LOTS of pictures of my room.  All of the things here I have written about on my blog in the last few months or so though, so they can be found (and I will link them soon, I promise!)  So, without further ado....Room 6. From the front to the side of the room...basically my desk area View...
Everyone likes to make timelines, right?  I mean they are super useful for any number of activities and when studying the American Revolution, well, they fit in quite nicely.  So, I asked my students to make a timeline with several of the most important events that took place during this time. I didn't want a straight line timeline though, so we did something a bit different.  I had them make hidden door timelines! Here is how we did it. The kids created a line space in the middle of a piece of construction paper.  Then, I had them measure out the "doors" and then cut three of the four edges on the doors.  Honestly....this was hard.  So I have made a little preprinted template for you (that you can use for ANY period of time, not just the Revolution)  Click here to get it .  I would recommend copying it on cardstock or construction paper.  The thick paper will just work best for this.  Have the kids cut along the dotted line and you should be ok.  Then, the stu...