One Word: New Years "Resolution" Linky-to-be

I've chosen my one word.  It is my favorite way to make a "resolution" for the new year.  I like the simplicity of it.

Last year my word was "possibility".

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In that one year, I quit my job, moved half way across the country, started a new job, discovered a new "home", spent time in 10 different states, and met all kinds of new people.  I made a lot of big changes, and embraced the possibility of trying something new.  So far, it's worked out well.

Now that I'm in a new place and everything is so fresh and so clean, clean- including the new year- I'm choosing a new word to focus my energy on.

My word this year is...

I'm choosing this as a daily word to live by- not only to stop procrastination, but also to try something new and embrace new experiences.  Sometimes I need that little extra push to get started... hopefully this is it!

So in light of my begin perspective, I went ahead and started an Instagram and Twitter account linked to the good-ole blog.  I really dragged my feet on this one, a little concerned that it would be a huge time sucker for me, but it keeps coming back to me so I'm going to go ahead and begin another place to leave a Real Teachers Learn digital footprint.  You're invited to follow me if you would like {buttons to the left, to the left}.  I still want to do my sporadic Finally Friday news posts, but will be posting more fun teacher(ish) info via Twitter, so hop on the Teacher Train and join me!

I've never done a linky.  This is new...but I'm going with my begin theme and giving it a try.  So go ahead... grab the graphic, plug in your word, and share with your teacher-blogger-followers...then link up back here in January.

So, I don't know... Join me?  I'd love to see what word you're using to guide you this coming year.

(and I really didn't do this as a plug for my own product, but if you want, you could do this with your students as well...just saying.)

I'm off and running already!  Begin!

            

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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

 Happy Holidays! 

            

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Finally Friday #14 | Happy Winter Break!

I know, I know.  It's OFFICIALLY WINTER BREAK.  And given that winter break is OFFICIALLY HERE, you could really care less about any kind of current education news because you are ON BREAK.  

Believe me, I hear ya.  In light of that, I kept this short and sweet.  Maybe a few quick reads while in the car or on a plane or in front of a fireplace with stockings all hung with care.  Possibly with some kind of spiced latte or adult beverage... Or maybe you just skip this one and catch up with me later.  No judging over here!

{Common Core Math Can be a Mystery, and Parents are Going to School to Understand It}

Washington Post

{High-Quality and Easy-to-Use Resources Draw Educators from Around the Nation to EngageNY}

U.S. Department of Education

{3 Ways the Brain Creates Meaning}

TED

Here are the incredible things I've been pinning:

A collection of general school ideas.

{Be Resourceful}

Links for tools, ideas, tricks, information and resources to help you teach.

{All My Boards}

In case you want it all and you want it delivered.  Here it is.

            

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Worry Stones | Science+Stress Free Students

Winter break is so close I can almost taste it.  I finally feel like I'm to the point this year where I can work ahead, so I've been prepping my January materials for a stress-free return.

This time of year can be anything but stress-free for teachers and students.  I'm trying to wrap up our units and possibly squeeze in a few final assessments, while my students are counting down the days to ripping open their presents.  It can be stressful.  For all of us.

During our matter unit this year, I decided to incorporate a little science/art/social-emotional lesson and create worry stones as a class.  I'm always on the look out for new approaches to use with my high anxiety kiddos, and so I thought we'd try this activity this year.  {Shout out to this post at Creative Elementary School Counselor for inspiring this concept for my classroom!}

Our science lessons are always guided by a "big question".  Our big question of the day was:

"Does the shape of a solid change it's mass?"

First we had to figure out if clay was a solid.  Because we had done so much work on classifying matter, this was a pretty short discussion.

We drew our table in our science journals, and included shapes such as "ball #1", "log", "pancake", and "ball #2".  Each group started with a ball of clay, which they weighed and recorded the initial weight ("ball #1").   After they had the weight recorded, they estimated the weight in grams of each clay shape.  Then they proceeded to make each shape and weigh it to see the exact weight.

Imagine their surprise when all the weights were the same!  Once our measurements were completed, we wrote a reflection journal entry answering our "big question".

The next day, I brought in colored clay for us to mold into little worry stones.  We reviewed what we know about the properties of a solid, and how clay fits those properties.  We made our stones {check out this post for instructions}, and I told students I was going to add heat to them by baking them at home.  We made predictions in our science journals about what would happen.  From what we knew, adding heat would melt a solid.

I baked our stones that evening and brought them in the next day, and we wrote our observations in out notebook.  Our observations led to a new discussion- why didn't the clay melt like an ice cube would melt?  I absolutely loved how these activities guided us to authentic conversations and questions about the states of matter.

Now my students and I have our worry stone at our desk every day.  Sometimes they float into our hand when we are talking or working on something.  I love how easy they are to keep in our desk and incorporate as one way to keep our hands busy and help relieve stress.  Plus, if anyone asks about it, my students make me proud and start teaching about solids.

Don't let the stress get to you these last few days before break!  Power through!

            

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Winter BB|Art Display

Woah.  This month is cruising right by me!  It's the best time of year because there is so much to do, so many great treats to eat, and people to visit.  December means holiday lights and I can't get enough of them. I want to put them everywhere!  I tried to figure out how I could use them without being Christmas-y, so I opted for white lights along the bottom as "snow".  Just doing my job to keep our hallway happy and festive year-round!

Snowflakes courtesy of my hoarding and shamelessly asking retail stores for their displays after they are finished with them... I also have them in red, and I use them every year because I love them!

My challenge this year is that I don't have bulletin boards...I have bulletin board walls.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again, these walls are amazing and also really tricky.  This year I'm sticking to student art work for the hallway rather than displaying other student work (writing, math activities, etc.).  Our boards (walls?) are behind the computer tables and they are just difficult enough to get to that I don't want to change them constantly.  If I stick to student art work, it stays looking lovely for a longer period of time and I can change them more seasonally.  I keep the work in my room on constant rotation, so I don't feel bad about it.

Our Art docents came in and had the kids do a neat painting activity based on Klimpt's 'Tree of Life' artwork.  It was gold paint on black paper, and then they put sequins on it to glam it up.

Individually, I kind of thought "eh", but all together I really love them.  Don't get me wrong, I think they each did a wonderful job on their artwork.  I just like them better together.

Frosty greets us at the door every morning, and he's the perfect addition to our winter tree and lights display.  

I figure I can leave this up until at least February...right?

            

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December 1st...

...that means the countdown to winter break has begun.  This post is a bit of a hodgepodge because there's a lot of catching up to do.

I took a quick, very real vacation, and now I'm back and feeling refreshed.  I went north to spend my American Thanksgiving in Canada with friends.  I sat snuggled in the snow capped mountains for a few days and told myself not to think about school and upcoming conferences this week and the fact that there are only two weeks after that before we are on break and what are we going to do those two weeks?!?!  I mostly succeeded.  Mostly.  I read by the fire, shopped with hot cocoa in hand, and just generally enjoyed the scenery.  So even if I did think about school, they were fleeting thoughts and things I am tackling upon my return.

How can you not love that view??  I've officially welcomed in the holiday season, and then I saw this month's Currently and it is so festive!

If you haven't hopped on the Pentatonix train, you should do it.  Their Mary, Did You Know? video has gone viral lately, but I quite enjoy all their songs.  Here it is...because I love it so much.  My fourth graders used to sing it at our Christmas concert every year, but since I switched schools that isn't the case this year.

Conferences are this week, so I'm organizing and prepping my students to chat with their parents about our year so far.  Busy bee.  I am teaching Washington history this year, and I don't know any of it so I'm learning right along with the kids.  While there are some perks to it, it generally makes me feel unorganized and a bit frazzled so I'll be happy to have this year under my belt.

Lunch Tip!  Dude!  Freeze your sandwiches!  I'm on a sandwich kick, and I can buy meat/cheese/bread (Costco + pretzel buns are my go-to).  When I get home I make up all the buns/sandwiches and pop five per bag into the freezer.  I have three weeks worth of sandwiches in the freezer right now.  It's such a time saver during the week!

And in case you're living under a blog reading rock, the TpT cyber Monday/Tuesday sale is going on right now.  Although Black Friday has turned in to a bit of cyber shopping as well, since you can get most of the deals from your cozy location at home by the fire.  (Luckily, because I was in Canada!).  My store is marked down, other stores are marked down, and if you're a super organized teacher, you are probably out scoping it all out to see what you can stock up on for before winter break....and (dare I even mention) after winter break.  I can't think that far ahead.  It's mentally impossible.

            

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