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Monday, July 28, 2014

Monday Made It {Daily 5 Freebies!}


I need to first admit, my car is filled with goodies that I had planned to work on. I have this shelf that needs spray painting but I havn't even bought the spray paint. I have an unfinished banner for my word wall that was supposed to be finished by today. And, I still have a half finished birthday board. Why oh why do I start to slack off the closer it gets to the beginning of the year?!



But alas, I have worked on a few things for Daily 5. Which is good for you because it all FREE! Woot Woot! But, I will also admit that I have made these but havnt gotten around to buying some ink or getting these suckers printed off! Hopefully, I will get that finished this week! I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It to give you all these goodies!

I have been wanting some cute, easy to read strategy cards with picture cues for my kiddos. So I decided to make these! These strategy cards are from the Daily 5 Emergent Menu. I will place these underneath my cafe signs (see Made It 2) as introduce each strategy and for my students to refer to.
You can grab your FREE set {here!}
After making new strategy cards, of course I needed new CAFE MENU Signs. These signed are for the Emergent Menu.

Grab your FREE set {here!}

And you can't have new strategy and CAFE signs without some new Daily 5 Choices signs!
 


These posters are for FREE on my TpT Store. If you grab these, please leave me some love! :) You can grab these {here!}

Hope you enjoy all these goodies this week! What have you been working on this summer? Share below!

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Whole Brain Teaching {The Scoreboard}


I have to tell ya, I am loving connecting with so many of you through comments, facebook and instagram about WBT. I LOVE that there are so many of us trying it this year and so many experts out there that we can ask lots of questions!




Need to catch up on old posts? No problem!
Chapters 1-3 can be found{here}
Chapters 4 & 5 can be found  {here}
Chapters 6 & 7 can be found {here}
Chapters 8-10 can be found {here!}

Out of the request, I have made my version of rules available {here!} I discussed my rules on Chapters 6 & 7. If you grab them, I would love some feedback! :)

After the last couple chapters focused on Teach-Okay, my main question was "how will I continue to motivate my class to work hard?" Well this chapter introduced just that...The Scoreboard!

The Scoreboard

Now this has to the most simple motivator to implement and will not cost you a dime. Think about all those marbles in the jar or tickets or prize box, copies of behavior charts and everything else that you spend time and money keeping up with the system. This is so easy and all you really need is a marker and a board or a simple poster to enlarge. Nothing Fancy!

Just make a T-chart. On one side have a smiley face and on the other side a sad face. THAT IS IT! You introduce the scoreboard as a game. Tell your students we are going to play a game. All you have to do to win is to keep the scorekeeper happy....guess who the scorekeeper is..you! You will explain when I put a mark under the smiley side that means you are doing something that makes me happy and when I put something on the sad side that means that you are doing something that makes me unhappy.

Start it off pretty easy by saying by following the 5 rules...you make me happy. You want to be sure to find ways to put marks in on the smiley side. You can give them things to work for. Such as, if there are more marks on the smiley side, we will have 1 extra minute of free choice or choose your seat or pick a read aloud...choose something that is easy to do and fits with the dynamics of your class.

The FUN part! When they earn a mark under the smiley, they earn a 1 second party. All say "Oh, yea" and do quick fist bump in the air.

When they earn a frowny, its a mighty groan. Shoulder up to ears and give a big groan. This is important because it gets their frustration out QUICK but they are back on your side because they will find it fun!

Some examples of why you might put a mark under the sad side in the beginning:
  • not using gestures
  • not following rules
  • not answering to Class

Tips to Implement the Scoreboard

  • Keep a +- score of 3 on the scoreboard
  • Do not give more than 3 frownies in a row 
  • Reward too much and  your students become lackadaisically
  • Have the score end equal on some days
  • It is okay that the frowny might "win"
  • If the score is always the same it will lose its novelty and students will not be motivated
  • Understand your class. Are they motivated by "coming from behind" or do they need an extra boost in the morning?
You can grab the free poster {here!}   It is perfect to project on your smartboard or print and enlarge for your classroom!

And for all of the visual learners like me, this video shows a snippet from various classrooms using different versions of the scoreboard!

 

 Jazz it Up!

When your scoreboard starts losing its novelty, these are ways to help jazz it up/different strategies. Just remember you don't want to do all of these at once. June is a long way away! These are a few of my fav. These are not near all of them in the book!
  1. Boombox: Go in with a boombox and place it far away from where it would be hooked up. Each positive mark on the scoreboard gets the boombox closer  to the outlet.Eventually it gets plugged in, you see negative behavior it gets unplugged. Eventually they get to hear 30 seconds of music. By the end of the year maybe 3 minutes. Make those kids word for it!
  2. Doubler: Perfect for the end of the year. Everything gets double the points!
  3. Girls vs Boys: Change your scoreboard to show boys vs girls. Maybe they could be competing for who lines up first or something simple.
  4. Pirates: Label the scoreboard "captain, Crew" When crew gets a point you say Yo, ho, ho! When the captain gets a point you hold your hand out in a hook and say "arggg" You could change this to "Farmer vs Turkey, Queen vs subjects etc"
What are your thoughts?? Comment below!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Whole Brain Teaching {Teach-Okay}

Well we have finally made it to the Teach-Okay learning strategy. I have to to tell ya, it's a good one!!



Need to catch up on old posts? No problem!
Chapters 1-3 can be found{here}
Chapters 4 & 5 can be found  {here}
Chapters 6 & 7 can be found {here}

First, check out this video to wrap your brain a little bit around this teaching strategy! It is a great little video to show you how it works in a 1st grade classroom plus using the Class-Yes!



I was so glad to see the book took 3 chapters to explain how to introduce this learning strategy. But, what I think is most important to know it to understand why this learning strategy is so important to
use in your classroom.

   "Students learn best when they are actively involved in the process." (pg. 45)

 Research shows that students learn best when working in small groups and retain knowledge when their whole body is involved. Just imagine your students using gestures and constantly having the opportunity to repeat directions and repeat what you just taught them.

The goal with this strategy is to set your students up in pairs. By having 2 students you are creating accountability. Student 1 has to listen to Student 2 and then vice versa. There is no easy out. As we all know from experience, in small groups you will always have the leader and then those floaters. By keeping it at 2 partners you are eliminating the possibilities of floaters.

One of the BEST advantages of this strategy...students are constantly practicing public speaking! As we have continued to see, kids today struggle with this skill much less speaking in complete sentences. This allows for a powerful language development practice in your classroom. If you have students that have weaker language skills (ie ESOL) pair them with a student with stronger language skills. The "noise" from every one teaching is good noise to give each set of partners to allow privacy to speak without fear. Of course, you would be making rounds and listening so you know everyone is on track.

"The more we talk, the more students we lose."

WBT references micro lecturing. This is when you  present a few points, students repeat, present a few more, students repeat etc. Personally, as kindergarten teacher and most primary teachers, we teach in small spurts. This also reminded me of the Daily 5 Approach with mini lessons. I have seen the power of small spurts of teaching but definitely need to add in the students repeating to each other constantly.  This would probably be an important strategy to remember in the other grades as you can tend to get into a lecturing style with your students.And hello, think about how beneficial this would be to our sweet ADD or ADHD students!

The opportnities are endless and can easily be adjusted for any grade level by the content you are teaching. Once your students have become confident in the "teach" you can begin to add more complex and higher order thinking questions for partners to teach.

Now before you stress out about this strategy, WBT suggest for kindergarten and younger students that you do not introduce this learning strategy until several weeks in. For older grades, you can easily teach the concept on the first day of school. I will be the first to admit trying to this with 5 years old in August I would probably be pulling my hair out!

So what do you think? Does this learning strategy intimidate you? Do you think your students are capable? What do you like/dislike? Comment below!

Don't forget to grab your FREE Poster {here}


Monday, July 21, 2014

Monday Made It {Kindergarten Data Notebook}


Oh my goodness y'all! Have you checked the calendar lately?? I mean it is JULY 21!! DO WHAT?!?! Where is summer going?  Not that I am sad about school starting. Because honestly, I am one of those weird nerdy teachers that actually likes back to school shopping, the smell of new crayons, getting a classroom ready, meeting new students and a routine. The problem? Summer is not long enough to prep for the next school year! I swear sometimes I feel like my list is not getting any shorter. That is not due to the fact at all that I keep finding cute ideas to add to the list! :)


Monday has become my most favorite love it/hate it kinda day. I love linking up and finding new ideas. I hate that I find new ideas so my list gets longer. LOL Okay no, I don't hate Mondays at all. I love trying something new...especially if its cute and bright! Speaking of cute and bright, my Monday Made Its....

I have been taking the time this summer to learn more about Whole Brain Teaching. In fact, I have been posting as I have been reading {here} Of course, when ever I start a new journey with a PD book that usually means its time to create! Everything, I have been creating for WBT are all FREEBIES! WOOT, WOOT!! So if you are doing WBT and needing some new WBT learning strategy posters you can grab "Class-Yes!" {here} I will be posting the rest as I post about each chapter!


I also just recently made WBT FREE Rules Posters! I am love with how bright and happy these turned out.  A perfect coordinating product to my {Bright & Bold} Wall Decor items in my TpT Store.. These were made as 8x10 so either trim the white away to place in a frame or leave the white for a matted look and just laminate and go!  If you need some new bright and happy WBT you can grab them for FREE {here!} If you grab them, please leave some love! I would LOVE to try to get 100+ feedback on my new primary freebie. :)


This Monday Made It just might be my all time favorite!! Okay, I really made it all summer and finally finished it late last week. But, I am pretty positive this is going to help solve so many challenges that I may (more than likely) run into in my classroom this year. So it has been so worth it! I am going to be uber prepared for RTI meetings and parent conferences. Students are going to start taking some ownership (as much as a 5 year old can) of their learning and it is going to make my life so much easier! I am so excited that I finally finished this Kindergarten Data Notebook!

EEK. I am loving the idea that each of my kinders will have a binder that will hold all of their data that will be super easy for me to grab at a moment's notice. The best part is, the kiddos will help by coloring in their data. Do a little analyzing...so you know a little extra math skill thrown in there! You know that day when a parent e-mails you, you have had indoor recess, your activity was cancelled and they want to meet the second the bell rings at the END OF THE DAY. AHH you need to try to grab all of their kid's work, in between telling that boy to stop holding himself and go potty, answer the classroom phone that won't stop ringing, telling Johnny to stop touching that girl's hair oh and you know TEACH! {Are you ready to go back to school??!!LOL}

Here is a little sample of one of the ways that my kinders will be able to display what they know! Easy to read letters, big boxes to color and color coded for the 9 weeks they master each letter. Simple for me, the kids and their parents to understand WAHOO!
And in case you missed the BIG FREEBIE marked on the picture...grab you a copy {here!}
And if you are in love with it as much as me, you can go grab you a copy of the entire Date Notebook on my TpT store {here!}

Make sure you check out what all of the other fabulous bloggers have made this week. Go ahead, get you a pen and paper ready to make a list of what you need to buy this week to get to creating!You also might want to lock yourself in the closet and away from the kids so you can get through all this awesome posts! :)



Saturday, July 19, 2014

Whole Brain Teaching {Chapter 6 & 7} Freebies!

Today, I am posting about chapters 6 and 7. These chapters introduced the class attention signal and the "powerful 5 rules."



Need to catch up on old posts? No problem!
Chapters 1-3 can be found{here}
Chapters 4 & 5 can be found  {here}

Chapter 6: Class-Yes

"Instantly, magically gain your kids' attention" (pg27)
Mrs. Maestra was back in this chapter! She is described in great detail of her presence in her classroom on the 1st day of school. Her arms are raised slightly as to be embracing but her stance is very commanding. Gaining students' respect has nothing to do with a teacher's size and definitely not by their aggressiveness. 

As she speaks to her students on the 1st day of school, she quickly scans her classroom. She knew some would be listening intently and others would be staring off into space. She knew that not every student would be paying attention. And in fact her first goal was not to win over every student. But instead, set up routines that would unite a substantial amount of students behind her leadership.

This is where the Class-Yes strategy comes in effect. I would say this strategy is one that pretty much any one has heard of if you have googled anything at all with WBT.



The script would go something like this:
Teacher: Class. When I say Class you say Yes! Class.
Student: Yes!
Teacher: When I say Class, Class you say Yes, Yes! Class, Class...
Student: Yes, Yes
Teacher: When I say Claaaassss. You say Yeeess. (varying tones.) Claaaaass
Student: Yeeeesss

And so on. You can change your tone, how you say class, make it  funny or sad. Whatever you want just make it fun!

I have actually used this a few times in years past. And it is a hit! Students are instantly becoming engaged and laughing! I do plan to use this consistently....that is where I messed up. Another key to using this strategy is instantly after you have their attention you need to say something important. Not just some fluff. You know what I mean...Class? Yes? Okay settle down....and then you go back doing something and then they get wound back up again...and the cycle continues.Your students will lose faith in the "Class? Yes!"

Click {here}to grab your FREE Class? Yes! Poster!


Chapter 7: Five, Powerful Rules

 

You will want to have your rules posted in a prominent location in your classroom and preferably in a large size...8x10. I will be posting my rules at the front of my classroom meeting area. I have them printed  on 8X10 and placed in cute frames. So I am excited to already have that ready to go! #Pointforme! I will admit my rules do slightly differ from what is in WBT(see below). But I do believe, that if I use my rules in the same way they encourage in the book I will have the same results. I will have to wait until the end of the year, though, to see if that holds true.

Onto the WBT rules....
  1. Follow directions quickly!
  2. Raise your hand for permission to speak!
  3. Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat!
  4. Make smart choices!
  5. Keep your dear teacher happy! 
{side note} My rules will be:
  1. Listen when someone is talking.
  2. Follow directions quickly.
  3. Raise your hand to speak!
  4. Make smart choices!
  5. Respect others respect yourself and respect our school!
To introduce these rules, you would use your Class-Yess

An example script:

Teacher: Class
Student: Yes
Teacher: Pointing the rule 1. These are our rules. Please repeat after me and watch my hands. Rule 1: Follow directions quickly. (raise a #1 in the air and then make fast moving motion with your hand like a fish!
Student: a few would try
Teacher: smiling but firmly repeat the rule.
student: More energy
Teacher would then continue with all 5 rules.

I can see how this would be effective! However, as a kindergarten teacher, I do not know if I would go over all 5 at once. I do think they would need to take it a little slower and time to explain what those words mean. I would not want them just repeating but understanding. And for the most part, kindergarteners are scared and nervous and are going to be following directions (the best they know how) that I think I could slow down and take my time by doing a lot of modeling!!!

If you have been following me here, facebook or instagram you probably know I am have some reservations about Rule #5 . This chapter did go into some depth of the  why this important. This is the no loophole rule. Some students are going to try to find a way to maybe "break" and rule and you can always say unfortunately you broke the most important rule, keeping me happy. I will admit right here, I understand and see where this would work. Personally, I feel by using the "respect" rule can be my end all rule.

The book describes how as you teacher know that as long as your students are actively engaged and learning, that makes you happy so it is not a teacher-centered room but really a student-centered classroom. So I get what they are saying....I just personally am not comfortable hanging that rule in my classroom. Maybe throughout the year or more research my mind will change. Remember I am having a very open mind!

To make this effective, you would need to a lot of role playing. Where the teacher calls out the rule number and the student would respond with the rule and gestures. In fact, they mention doing this every day and possible a couple times of day! If you are like me and need to see it...here is a video!



            



Need Classroom Rules Posters?

Look no further! I have created a set of FREE WBT posters as a special thank you to my followers of this series! I do have one small favor to ask if you download this freebie. Please leave some feedback on these posters. I have a personal goal of trying to get at least 100 pieces of feedback on this freebie. Help me reach this goal by leaving feedback and/or pinning this post onto Pinterest for me. Thank you! Grab your FREE set of Posters here!



If you would like a copy of my set of rules, please click {here!}

 Share your thoughts below and stay tuned for the next few chapters!

Updated:

Chapters 8-10 can be found {here!}

Friday, July 18, 2014

Whole Brain Teaching {Chapters 4 & 5}


This post is focused on Chapters 4 & 5 of Whole Brain Teaching  for Challenging Kids.




You can find my thoughts on the Chapters 1, 2 and 3 {here}!


These 2 chapters were read, on the winding mountain roads through Tennessee. Did you see that I said winding...that is why only 2 chapters were read! I forgot how easy it is to get car sick and a headache. Good thing we stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch and bought some peppermint sticks...

 

Chapter 4: Charting Progress

"You can't tell where you going without a chart of where you've been." (pg. 14)


 Chapter 4 was an interesting read about Mrs. Maestra. She gave a great  example of how police officers and soldiers have to make wise decisions and have self control during "battles" or "murder scenes." Imagine, if in the midst of a horrific crime a police officer lost his cool. It could be a matter of life or death.
In a sense, it is no different for teachers (but a much easier task for us than them).

 We have to maintain control during difficult situations, challenging students etc. Our emotions must stay the same. We cannot allow our student to see us wavering. Our reactions to situations and students must remain calm. {yelling is not going to solve anything!} Mrs. Maestra decided her primary classroom goal would be to manage her behavior not the students.

She split her class into 4 different groups, not known to the students
  • The Alphas (4 points):  Your model students
  • The Go Alongs (3 points): Usually will do as teacher ask
  • The Fence Sitters (2 points): Students could go either way. New students were also placed in this group.
  • Challenging Students (1 point): The students that rarely or never followed directions.
At the end of every week, she would determine where each student fell into the groups. She then totaled the points and divided by the total number in her class. She would then have an average score for the behavior of her students. Every week, she could tell if her classroom management improved. Her goal was for each student to move up 1 level by the end of the year. She did create a group called, the Leaders that would be above the Alphas to have another level to reach.

My Thoughts

I actually had to read this chapter twice, maybe because of the hills but mostly because I needed to. Don't good readers sometimes have to read a section twice?? The first time I read this my honest thought was, seriously?? That takes a lot of time. When would someone do this? How would you do this with an objective mind? I honestly thought it was silly.

But then riding in the car, I decided to read it again with an open mind. I began to see why this could be helpful. This would perfect for a teacher to do who struggles with classroom management, a new teacher or veteran teacher. Okay any teacher. After thinking about, I really don't think it would take much time. Have a check list ready and on Friday right before you walk out the door give each kiddo a score. I actually think it would be interesting and informative to do. I am a very competitive person and I could see myself actually working hard to get my score to improve each time. It would also be an eye opener to see on paper exactly where each student falls and may help you create some sitting charts.

That said, I don't see myself doing this every week. However, it may be something you want to consider doing in the beginning of the school year to help you see which students really are you Alphas and Challenging students. It would be interesting to see how many students start as Alphas that first week and move into Fence Sitters...oh the honeymoon phase for some.

Chapter 5: The Brain on Whole Brain Teaching

  I am not a science major. I have never been completely interested of the inner working of the brain. I know there is a lot going on up there and I cannot fathom how it all works. With that said, this chapter talks a lot about the working of the brain. I will not even attempt to try to explain it all to you. I am not an expert at all in this area so I encourage you to read this chapter to get all of the technical terms and the process of the brain. It is a good read..if you enjoy that kind of thing. :)

After, I got passed all the brain jargon, then some things started making sense. The examples used, were much easier for this brain to understand... especially on a summer day. So, imagine you have this cute sweet baby in front of you. You start saying bah-bah-bah...what is the baby going to eventually try to do? They will try to say it back. You laugh. The baby begins to laugh. The child is mimicking you. Ahh now this I can relate to!

Stand in front of a class and begin to slowly clap your hands. What happens? They start to clap along with you. Now make a pattern with clapping. They will follow your lead.  They are mirroring your behavior or in more technical terms that I learned from this book, activating their neurons!

My Thoughts

Okay now this makes some sense to me. Once I got past the brain jargon. :)  I have seen this work in my class every year. The majority of my students' learning comes from when they are mirroring my behavior. I am really excited to read on about the Whole Brain Teaching learning strategies!

The Whole Brain Teaching learning strategies are discussed in the next several chapters. These are the 7 strategies that I will be soon posting about!
  1. Class-Yes
  2. Teach-Okay
  3. The Five Classroom Rules
  4. The Scoreboard
  5. Hands and Eyes
  6. Switch
  7. Mirror
Stay tuned and make sure you are following me BLOGLOVIN' to catch the next post!
If you are reading along with me or even if your not, share your thoughts below! :)

Updated:

Chapter 6 & 7 can be found {Here}


Monday, July 14, 2014

Monday Made It {Home, Labels & Freebie Style}


Where is this summer going?!?! EEK! I was just checking my summer project list and have a noticed I am a little a lot off track. But, I am completely okay with that. This week got a little wacky since I was in class all week and so when I got home all I wanted to do was hang out with this cutie!



So here are my Monday Made Its that I have linked back up with 4th Grade Frolics!

One of my personal goals this summer was to cook a new meal each week. I am happy to report, I did just that on Saturday night and it was delicious!! I bought a pork tenderloin because it was on sale. Let's face it, meat is expensive so I buy what is on sale for the week and make do. I googled a crock pot meal because seriously that is way easier then slaving over the stove all day. I found a fun cooking blog with a delicious recipe. I made a Balsamic Pork Tenderloin with roasted potatoes and a salad. This meal was so good it made it on the list. You know the list that says this was good enough that I would eat it again! Sadly, I did not take a picture but I am just not a food photographer so this picture will do it better justice! This picture is from Add a Pinch and you can grab the recipe while you are there!
Balsamic Pork Tenderloin Recipe | ©addapinch.com


My second Monday Made It was for that cute little boy's room. This was a Pinspired project! I was so proud of myself to make the stripes on the background and not just go buy digital paper. (My wallet  husband thanks me.) I have a deep respect for those of that can create digital papers and clip art because I just do not have the patience for that. So these stripes made me super excited. And thank goodness for KG Fonts! I made them as 8x10 prints and now I just have to go shopping to find the perfect frames for
these bad boys! :)





According to my calender my classroom library should be organized, labeled and ready for the first day of school. HAHA, yeah that has so not happened. I have sorted through all of my little readers and have those ready to go but I have not even attempted my thematic books for my classroom library.  
I am organizing my library in 4 parts this year. I will have a thematic books, topic books, 100 Book Challenge and have a leveled area (by number). This will be an area for my students to find books that are close to their level. It will hold those little tiny readers that are hard to place in a thematic area. My hope is that it will give my students a small selection of book baskets to choose a "just right" book. They will be able to get 3-5 leveled books, 3-5 100 BC books and 3-5 thematic books to place in their book baskets.  l love for them to have TONS of books in their book baskets for "read to self time." So these number labels are for my leveled library area.  I am in LOVE with the black glittery ribbon I am using to attach these labels! For all of my fabulous followers you can grab this set here for FREE..available in black & white backgrounds!


Make sure you hope over and check out all the other awesome Monday Made It Projects! 

 



Sunday, July 13, 2014

Whole Brain Teaching- {Beginning the Book}


I have began my professional summer reading book this week after making the choice to get rid of my clip chart You can read about my decision here! I ordered Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids to begin thinking of other ways to manage behavior.




The first 2 chapters are a brief introduction of how WBT began and the teachers behind the scenes.  They provided several statistics on crimes that happen at school. A quote that really stuck with me:

"Most Challenging kids genuinely want to be part of the classroom environment; this is why they work so hard and continuously to get everyone's attention." (page 2)

I can think of numerous students who fit this description. They don't want to be in trouble or "labeled" but they really don't know how to go about how to get positive attention.

Chapter 3: Seven Common Teaching Mistakes

"The greatest mistake we make as instructors is making our classes more difficult to teach." (pg 10)

1. Yelling at difficult students does not fix the teaching problem but makes it worse. Most of these students come from yelling families. If screaming helped our challenging students then "children of crazed families would be our model pupils." (10) So, control your temper.

2. Confronting challenging students with their peers gives them an audience which will make them braver or more likely to rebel. Talk to students without an audience

3. Teachers that lack structure will have chaotic classrooms. There should be a place for everything in your classroom and your students should know where it belongs. Be super organized!

4. Teachers that don't like teaching will have the most challenging students. This was serioulsy a DUH moment. If you don't like teaching then why in the world are you teaching??
So, fall in love with teaching.

5. The less work/prep you do the more work your classes will be.  This is what makes teaching so hard. If I left at 3 every day and did not prepare anything for the next day or do a little work over the summer to prep, I would fumble through my plans. So, work hard even when your not at school. I do believe you can have a healthy balance.

6. Your students are not like you in school. You cannot expect that they are going to super respectful/ Teachers loved going to school, we were the class pet, we chose to spend the rest of our lives in school. Some of these kids are counting down the days to get out and never look back.

7. Lack of professional growth and willingness to try new things. Our class dynamics are always changing. Don't be scared to try something new! Grow or die.

This chapter, to me, was a lot of DUH moments and I think you  would agree with me. These 7 points, I believe are facts and not opinions. And every though we know this we still have challenging disruptive students

I will be continuing to read this throughout the next week and blog about my reading. This helps me stay accountable and make sure I do a little Professional Reading this summer. :) Are you reading or have read WBT? What are your thoughts. Do you want to join me in reading this book? Order it here! Don't forget to come back and share your thoughts!



Monday, July 7, 2014

Monday Made It {Spray Paint Style}

Do you know how hard it is to find Satin Island Splash Spray Paint?! I have been working on these projects for a while but ran out of spray paint and it has taken 2 weeks, 5 stores and a phone call before finding the last bottle and asking them to hold it until the morning. I will be stalking the stores to stock up on this spray paint bottle though because I am sure there will be more projects to be completed and this color is just wayyy to perfect! Without further ado my Monday Made It Projects....


I am just in love with these frames from Michaels! I picked them up a while ago and have been completing some various projects around the house and still have several so I knew just what to do! I added my classroom spray paint color and jazzed them up and I am using them to display my classroom rules. I still have a few more frames with a couple ideas in my head of what I am going to do with them. You can read more about my classroom rules and why I am going in this direction here!


My next project is Pinterest Inspired and has been on my to-do list for a looooong time. I found these perfect letters at Hobby Lobby 50% off, for a grand total of $4.00 for 4 letters! They are the paper mache letters so extremely lightweight and can hang anywhere! Added my favorite spray paint color and ta-da! Sorry for the shadow and bad lighting but I was so excited to cross this off my list. :)


I took my old First Day of Kindergarten Frame (was not feeling the color) jazzed it up with the pretty blue paint and ta-da!! Don't you just love the glittery letters?!


 My last one has nothing to do with spray paint because lets face it, it would be gross. I am in love with these roasted potatoes and they are so easy. We had these for dinner Sunday Night with some grilled chicken and yummy pasta salad. MMMM. Just cut up your red potatoes, toss them in olive oil season with some salt & pepper bake at 350 for about 45 minutes and them ENJOY!!! I told you it is easy and a family favorite!



Don't forget to hop back over to 4th Grade Frolics for the rest of the Monday Made Its!