I have finally gotten back into "school mode", not "blogging mode" or "tpt mode", but actually getting ready for my classroom mode.  Makes sense, since I went into the room for the first time this summer to get things moved around.  My husband came in and helped me move all of the furniture around (and NOT ONCE complained as I was sitting ordering him around while he picked up my bookshelves and moved desks in place.) Anyway, I started to think about planning and how I was going to start off the year.  Math and language arts popped up into my mind but then.....science.  UGH!  Science is just so hard in 5th grade. You see, I teach at a Math/Science/Technology magnet so there is a bit of added pressure to be good at science...and quite frankly I am not.  So I have to start the year off on a good note, getting the kids to really understand the scientific process, variables, et al... Immediately I thought of something I did at the end of last year, thank...
You can see the homework here. If you are a follower of this blog, you know that there are certain things I do in my room that I am really passionate about and truly believe in.  One is Calendar Math . I could go on for days and days about it (and from all of my posts here, I probably have ;) )  Another is the Spiral Math Homework.  You see, when I first started teaching, there was no such thing available to me.  I would give the kids the problems from the math book that we just had worked on that day and never go back again.  Doesn't make for very good retention.  So when I was teaching 3rd grade for the first time (back in....gosh...SO long ago...2003)  I started to create my own spiral math homework. It was simple.  A few problems from all that we had learned, sprinkled in amongst stuff we did that day.  To my great surprise, the kids retained it all...and their scores soared!  They were learning the rote basic math, leaving me time to work on the concepts of it all. At ...
Thanks Tara for hosting the Linky! I have told you before that I am just not a crafty person.  It isn't that I *can't* do crafts...I can.  I just don't particularly enjoy them.  Most of the time, things just seem far too complicated for me to even fathom beginning, so I don't. HOWEVER, I do venture into the world of crafting every once in a while...when the project is easy enough for me to complete.  And a few weeks ago, I opened my email inbox to discover a little note from our friends at Michaels .  You know, the craft store.  They wanted to give me $100 to buy things to make for my classroom!  $100!!  Can you believe it?  So I quickly hightailed it out to my nearest Michaels to buy all the things I would need to make some simple crafts for my upcoming school year.  Today, I am going to share with you 3 projects that I created with the materials I got that were super easy....even the most uncrafty of us all can do them.  ;) 5th Grade Math Clock Now, some of...
OK....so I have been working for the past few weeks on something that I am soooooo excited to bring to you.  As you all know, I LOOOVVVEEE Calendar Math.  It is the one single subject that I have written more about on my blog than any other because it is just that good.  I credit Calendar with my students' success in math and I really cannot imagine teaching without it.  I literally move mountains in my schedule to get it in (even if it means doing a bit less direct teaching of the math lesson for the day.)  I never skip it and my students soar in math because of it. So....what have I done? It ended up being 300+!!!!!! Well, I know that starting the process of Calendar (figuring out what numbers to use, how to set it up, visualizing how it will fit in your classroom) is a daunting task.  So I have tried to take that looming doom away from you.  I have created a Starter Kit for 5th grade (don't worry....4th and 3rd...possibly 6th....is on the way!!)  I am really excit...
So yesterday I was supposed to come back at 5pm and announce the winners of the Pin It to Win It contest.  I had every good intention to do that.  However, at around 3pm, I ended up taking an unexpected detour to the hospital.  Don't worry...I am fine now.  Turns out, I have a kidney infection and some hydronephrosis (the baby is sitting on the tube that goes from my kidney to bladder, so it is making some "water on the kidney")  So....I was a bit distracted and couldn't choose the winners. BUT I am here now with the names (for those of you on the edge of your seat waiting....) I am so, so excited by your choices.  They are some of my most favorites that I use in my classroom...and I hope that each of you will be able to use the packs in your classroom as I have in mine.  If you see your name and pin above, please email me at TeachinginRoom6@yahoo.com to claim your prize.  I will get it to you as soon as possible (and I promise to stay out of the hospital until...
I don't know about you, but summer has been going by SO quickly for me.  I cannot believe it is already in the double digits of July!  It seems like things are just flying by.   You know how you start off the summer vacation with all of these grand plans?  And how you hope to get SO much done on your time off?  Yeah...I had those plans too.    So far, I have accomplished a few things (like the frame I shared with you and reading The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child ), but not all that I had hoped.  I have every intention to do it all, but then life gets in the way (namely this growing baby belly that seems to be draining my energy.)  However, I have done a few things.   1.  I joined Instagram .  It really is neat getting a glimpse into a more informal side of the bloggers that I follow.  I am still getting the hang of it...but if you are on Instagram , come join me!     2.  At the beginning of the week, I bought many odds and ends for m...
This summer has been a whirlwind of new ideas flowing into my brain.  There are so many great crafts out there to make my room look awesome!  BUT I am going to let you in on a little secret...... I am not crafty. There I said it.   I have all of these grand ideas (spurred on in no small part by the HGTV channel and Pinterest .)  But somehow, they just never get done.  I mean, I can put up a bulletin board with fancy borders, but when it comes to making things....that is best left to the experts. HOWEVER, I can do simple things.  So that is what this Monday Made It with 4th Grade Frolics is.  A simple little craft that I thought would be cute in my classroom.  (and, yes, I am aware it is Tuesday...but I am on Summer time here....) Every year, we take school pictures and, every year, I get the class composite.  I have NO idea what to do with it so usually, I do nothing.  Well, not this year.  I have made a nice EASY frame to put it in.  :)  Secret #2....I am not actually i...
Follow my blog with Bloglovin OK...so I re-read The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child (you didn't think you were going to get away with not hearing about it again did you?? ;) ) and I am really honing in on the idea of making reading a central theme of my room.  Making it so integral, that everything revolves around it. BUT I don't want to start from scratch either.  So I have been thinking about what I do have in my room that I can continue using and will promote an atmosphere of reading.  Here is what I have come up with so far. Read Aloud :  I like to end the day reading aloud from a chapter book for the students.  I generally try to choose high-interest books that I know the kids will look forward to.  This is something that I know the kids enjoy and, frankly, I do too.  We really do have some great discussion from it and the kids get so into it....I feel at times we do have those "Reader Chats" that Mrs. Miller talks about straight ...