YOU BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE!...SAFETY!

So, I know it's been a long while since I have written and shared anything wonderful; however, I MUST share this. I am taking a methods class for teaching middle and high school science (even though I do not need it...) this semester. Yup, taking a science class that I can't really use... just for fun. NERD. 
Anywho, I created a Powerpoint/PDF of science safety rules meant for older middle school or high school students. I will admit, I think I did a hilarious job making sure the rules were relevant and funny, yet very clear and serious. It's been my experience that kids respond well to humor... and even if they don't think it's funny they will laugh at me for being a giant nerd and hey, "if you're not laughin', you're cryin!"

SO here it is:

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE use this! I will be student teaching in a fourth grade classroom this fall and will probably teach elementary for a while after that, so I really can't use this stuff! :-) 

Feel free to comment below and I can send the Powerpoint file to run on a loop OR the PDF via email!

P.s. I understand that there is a great possibility this is totally useless. There is a reason I won't teach high school... I am too much of a goof! haha! If you DO bravely use any of this, comment below and let me know how it goes...there are a lot of random references to movies and books and pop culture in this thing!

Happy Sciencing! 

Love,

Miss Laura

Best Resources

I wanted to share some of the awesome resources that I use in the classroom. Of course, we as teachers never stop finding nifty, time-saving and clever resources, but we might as well share the love when we DO find something cool!

1. Education.com

Education.com is a really useful site for teachers (and even parents). Though I do not condone the overuse of worksheets in replacement of hands-on learning, I do enjoy a good writing prompt or math sheet that is a bit outside the box. Education.com provides worksheets that are visually appealing, grade appropriate and much unlike the lame, outdated worksheets you typically see, they are appropriate to our society today! You are unlikely to find a worksheet on Education.com that contains outdated information that causes the student to look at you with questioning eyes: "Ms. Dawson, what the heck is a pager?!" On top of all that goodness, their worksheets are cool and funny! You can find anything from "The History of Zombies" to "How to Use a Semi-colon (It's not just that symbol used in smiley faces!)." In this day and age, it seems any level of humor or wit engages students, especially the upper elementary and middle grades. I highly recommend Education.com as a teacher resource! 
Click here to sign up for Education.com!

2. Pinterest

Of course, we cannot talk about teacher resources without the mention of our best friend, Pinterest! Pinterest is a life-saver when your creativity has been sucked dry. What would we do without Pinterest? Why, the same old boring WORKSHEETS because we wouldn't have known about Education.com because we didn't see Ms. Dawson's blog about it on PINTEREST. Now, look at that mess you are avoiding! Aren't you so glad you are here now, reading this very blog? Pinterest is great. What makes it great? My opinion is that Pinterest's greatness comes from the fact that everything is organized and can be saved for later. I have Pinterest boards for every subject and quite honestly, I wish I had an entirely separate account so that I could go education-wild with it and separate certain things by concept or grade level, but that'd be going a little far. No matter how you manage your personal Pinterest habit, it certainly does help to be able to search up something like "fractions" and be led to a variety of sites that offer different perspectives and ideas. It's the collaboration of people without all of the collaboration work (brainstorming, talking, etc.). Like I said, it's great during a creative low point or when you are in a pinch. Thanks for always being there for us, Pinterest!
Check out my Pinterest boards!

3. Remind101

Consider this an update: REMIND101 IS AWESOME. Use it. You will be so glad you did. Remind101 is officially in my long-term bag of tricks without a doubt. For those of you who have not read my previous post, Remind101 is a reminder system that allows teachers to "text" parents without parents ever needing the teacher's phone number. Check out my previous post for more info! 
Click here to check out Remind101!

4. Edmodo.com

Edmodo.com is an innovative website used to engage students and connect all learners to all the resources (human resources included) that they need for educational success. Edmodo boasts connecting over 26 million learners and teachers worldwide. Think about it as Facebook for students and teachers with a massive emphasis on learning. All the necessities of social media and human connection are there with their mission of better learning and more information cutting out usual social media nonsense. It's a safe internet environment for students, parents and teachers to keep up with homework, assignments, and communication. It also offers teachers a Pinterest-like approach with organizing content areas where teachers share documents and ideas with others. The thing that sets Edmodo apart- it's all about learning with others- human interaction, putting a face to a name and giving things a purpose. It's pretty snazzy. 

Click here to go to Edmodo.com!

5. Teacherspayteachers.com

Teachers pay teachers is a really great resource, not just for worksheets, but for finding resources for behavior management, teacher organization and SO much more. There are so many different things you can find on TPT for FREE! What a great word! I love to peruse the free stuff every once in a while and save the different documents to my files, but what I really love about TPT is that these documents are teacher-made materials. It's about time we get some love for all those hours of making documents for our classrooms! I have yet to upload my own stuff, but I do appreciate that there are so many willing to share!
Check out teachers pay teachers here!

6. The First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong

Everything I have shared with you thus far has been a resource fueled by that glorious internet juice we love. Well, dear teacher friends, here is a resource that will require you to go a little bit old school and risk getting a dreaded paper cut...I want you, no matter who you are, no matter how long you have taught (or how long you haven't) to GO GET THIS BOOK. Right now. It's on Amazon. Ebay. It's even in Barnes and Noble. Get it. Spend the $20 or so it takes to obtain this book and just soak in it's wisdom. This is the one and only text I have used in college so far that has been worth the money and time. I have read through it a couple of times and always go back to it. I actually carry it on me in my teacher bag. It is that good. I promise. Get it. Oh yeah...what's it about? Effective classroom management, lesson planning, professionalism, etc. All that foundational stuff that I personally believe colleges should be more interested in fostering in future teacher is in this book. It really is worth the time and money. 
Oh hey it's available on kindle: Get it here!

7. Lee Canter's Record Book Plus

This record book is EXCELLENT. I highly recommend it. I don't even know this Lee Canter fellow, but I am fairly certain I love him! I found this record book at a Becker's teacher store here in Delaware. It cost a little more than I was expecting to spend, but so far it has been worth it. I believe I purchased this record book for about $14. Seems like a lot, but you cover so much with this record book. The way this book is set up is super flexible. If you have weird classes like I do (I teach 6-7th grade, ALL subjects...complicated to say the least), it helps so much to be able to alter pages as needed. Not only is it flexible, but there is ample space and pages provided to spread things out if needed. That not all, folks- this particular record book has three separate sections: records, behavior management, and parent communication. Beautiful! The Behavior documentation alone is enough to sell a teacher on this book- I am three weeks into school and it has already helped so much! The parent communication section also serves much better than a to-do list full of parents to call or speak with. It's simply good stuff. 

Well dear teacher friends, that's all I have for you for now! I hope you can use some of these things in your own classrooms!

Happy teaching!

Sincerely,

Miss Laura

Stuff I am Trying This Year

Below are some of the cool/nifty/awesome things I am including in my classroom (now 6-7th grade) this school year!

1. Remind101 
https://www.remind101.com/

Holy cow, what a resource for teachers! I have seen things similar to this website, but I have a feeling this one is going to be a winner this school year. What is it, you ask? Well, here I'll tell you: Remind101 is an online tool that helps teachers stay in communication with parents and students WITHOUT having to give out your cellphone number. Now, I am not hiding my cellphone number from my student's parents this year (because I have guidelines for contact and I am hopeful that with such a small class we will be fine); however, this is a great site to use for reminders, important info, even school delays (as our small school doesn't have an automated system). The beautiful part for the person sending out the messages (Ms. Teacher Pants) is that you type out the messages from your computer! And I really hate texting- I find it difficult to get everything out there that I need and getting a million buzzing texts while trying to punch in important info and getting interrupted just brings out the Hulk in me. (hehe, we all have our faults, right?) 

Here are some other cool features of Remind101:
-You can schedule when messages are to be sent out. So if you know that a big due date is coming up for your students, you can schedule when they get those pesky, but helpful, reminders! Great for busy teachers!
-During "Game Season" when kids are attending soccer and basketball games in the evenings, it helps to remind parents during their busy schedule that their child might have something due because we all know it is easy to forget those things! "Buzz, buzz- homework due tomorrow!"
-You can personally remind your students without them having your cellphone number. While I don't mind parents having my number, I really don't want my students texting my cell. (Srsly, tho)
-If parents would rather receive email updates, they have the option
-It's super easy to navigate 
-You can plan for multiple classes (Ex: Math, English, Science) and you can add all of your sections to one message if it is something that affects everyone. 
-For you smart phone people, there's an app!
-It's Ms. Dawson approved! 

I literally just found this thing today, so feel free to comment if you know of any other cool features, or if you have experienced any hang-ups with Remind101. (I am hoping that the messages can be saved because it would be very helpful in communication documentation!) I have only tried it with my cellphone, but I already love it! 

2. Cellphone/Electronic Prison

   

Ironic that we push for technology, yet it can be such a distraction in the classroom if not used properly! In my 6-7th grade classroom, we will have access to two computers, a Kindle Fire, a computer in the classroom next door, and of course, all the gadgets my students are bound to bring in. Will we use these devices? Yes! Will we be playing the latest trend game or surfing funny photos? Absolutely not (insert teacher glare here). 
So, in order to prevent misuse of electronic devices in my classroom, I will be including a "Phone Prison" for those devices that simply cannot get themselves together. The above picture isn't mine (I snagged the idea from Pinterest), but my prison container is similar. I am hoping the very threat of cell phones being taken away is threat enough to keep those devices in check. 
What do you do to control the device usage in your classroom? Comment below! 

3. Notebooking!

This year, notebooking is a focal point of my curriculum. I hate when work pages become the main thing students have to tackle in a subject- boring and not at all conducive to true learning. And there are a LOT of workpages in education, especially the curriculum my school uses. Our notebooks are going to be (hopefully) awesome references- a way to track what we have learned, look back and reference information, and a way to make learning fun and interactive! It promotes study habits, responsibility and allows for creativity. I love it! But- it's a lot of work to keep up with several notebooks per student. Currently, we are notebooking for four, possibly five, subjects. That means 4-5 composition notebooks per student and of course composition notebooks have black spines. This tiny detail makes transitions and organization a lot harder for students (and for me to keep my sanity in a tiny classroom). So, I have done something similar to the above picture. I used neon Avery labels, wrote my students' names on them and then used clear packaging tape to attach it securely to the spine of each composition notebook. My hope is that while we are transitioning into different subjects, I can just command my learners to "grab your green notebooks" and we will be on our merry way to learning. Small detail, but big difference. 

4. Student Library 

We have a nice little classroom library going thanks to Goodwill and good friends despite the fact that January will mark my first year of teaching. (I just love being ahead of the game!) This year, though, I am asking my students to bring in some of their favorite books for a "Student Section" of our classroom library. I am hoping this will be another classroom/home bridge and will also encourage my lovely learners to increase their appetite for reading as well as their appreciation for different genres of literature and their classmates preferences/opinions. It's a small, easy thing to implement and requires just a little effort in encouragement. 

5. The Pencil Challenge

Last year, while expressing my slight frustration with the typical pencil problem in the classroom, I jokingly remarked to my students (after seeing the above picture online), "Next year I am going to have 'I <3 Justin Bieber' pencils for those of you who cannot seem to stop losing your pencils and leaving them lying around." To my surprise, my students freaked out. I didn't think they would take me seriously, but they sure did. This led me to do some snooping around on Pinterest and I found a blog from a teacher with the same pencil frustration. I am hoping to model some of her ideas this year. (Here is her blog: http://www.ladybugsteacherfiles.com/2013/04/the-great-pencil-challenge-managing.html?showComment=1366584048941#c995318605198273943) 

I'll be honest, I don't have a pencil challenge detailed yet, however, I do know that I have exactly 100 unsharpened, brand-spankin'-new pencils in my classroom. And I am hoping to have quite a few left by the end of the year. I think J.Biebs can help with that one. 

Hope you have enjoyed the five random things I decided to share from my classroom! Look out for a "finished classroom" blog coming soon! I will show you all of my organization ideas and all that good teachery stuff! 

Love, 

Miss Laura

Drumroll, Please!

Welcome to the before-and-after teacher desk post...as promised. I am oh so proud of myself not only for keeping my promise to you readers about posting pics, but for the excellent handiwork this woman can bust out! Boy, how I love a good project (and a chance to use power tools)! 

Here is the scoop: 

I bought an older, but solid, teacher desk from a thrift store called God's Way for 25 dollars. A very small price to pay considering you cannot even buy an end table for that cheap! It was beat up in some areas, but all around wasn't too bad. 

Upon first getting this desk, I almost broke my thumb moving it into my house- it was ugly, but I guess all that pain is worth it now!

Today, I finally dragged it out of my house, set it up on a pallet (yay pallets!) and got to sanding. My little sister helped and it took a while, but eventually we had a blank slate. I ended up not having to use wood filler like I thought I was going to. 

After sanding, I headed out to purchase my paint. I already knew what I wanted, but at the store I decided spray paint would be faster, easier and cheaper- plus I have experience with using spray paint on furniture. I used 1.5 cans of black Krylon paint + primer, less than 1 can of this funky teal color, and less than one can of chalkboard spray paint (YES! They make chalkboard spray paint!). The paint was about 12 dollars.

I painted the entire desk black, painted the front panel with the chalkboard paint, and painted the top of the desk, as well as the drawers, using the teal paint. It was quick, easy and dried fast! 

Here are the pictures! 

BEFORE:

Drumroll pleaseeeee.....

AFTER:

You can see in the above picture, the desk had a pullout and I covered it with some green fabric I had laying around. I also taped off the top of the desk to create the black lines before I painted the top with the teal- I like the extra details. And the front serves as a chalkboard, too!

I would say my project was successful. I had the vision in my mind and went for it, spending a little cash on something that can follow me to my future classrooms for years to come. There are a few finishing touches that I have to add like drawer handles and I will probably purchase a piece of plexiglass to put on the top of the desk, but other than that- this project is a wrap! 

If you need inspiration for a similar project, go snoop around your local thrift stores, look for yardsales or ask around for people needing to get rid of furniture. It's simple and easy to have bright, cost efficient elements in the classroom! And of course, our dear friend Pinterest helps, too. 

Hope you have enjoyed this post! 

Here's a shout out to my helper, my little sister, Morgan!

Love, 

Miss Laura

Ms. Dawson's WORK Binders: The Contents

If you read my last blog post, you are probably waiting in utter suspense to find out what I have included in my WORK binder system for my middle school students this year! (Or maybe I am just hopeful that someone somewhere is reading my blog at all!) My hope is to share what I have put together for those that need an idea, encouragement, or to simply see that there are other newbie teachers out there experimenting with different systems in the first few years of teaching and it is OK! It's all about figuring out what works best for you and your students! 

Introducing the contents, or "guts" as I sometimes like to call them, of my WORK binder system:

Here is a reminder of what I have decided to include in the binders specifically for my students:

CONTENTS:

Agenda

Schedule

Calendar

Reading Program

SSH Log

Newsletter

Classroom Promise

Classroom Rules

HW Folder

Agenda

• If you are a teacher, parent OR have ever been a student, you know what an agenda book is. I won't go into detail, but the agenda will stay at the front of the binder as it will be used throughout the day as students complete work goals. Most agendas are able to fit in a binder and they are a great way to keep students on track, put a little responsibility in their hands AND document various things throughout the school year! 

Schedule

• Again, you know what a classroom schedule looks like so I won't post mine, but it IS color-coordinated and all matchy-matchy to the rest of the documents in our WORK binders. I really love using Powerpoint to create schedules. It isn't ideal for elementary grades because there is less room for pictures and large font, however, using the "insert table" option and then formatting it to fit your classroom needs is so simple! My schedule is not the simplest one in the world because we have an "A" day and "B" day so that is just what works for me! 

Calendar

• The school calendar will go in the binder because I cannot tell you how many times I get asked about school breaks, basketball games and days off. I am trying to give students an easy way to answer questions for themselves (plus, half the time I don't know the answers to those questions off the top of my head).

Reading Program

• Here is the fun part! I wanted to design a reading program that is different from the typical "AR Points System" that most schools in our area use. Almost every kid I have asked, including kids who love to read, really hate AR. (AR makes kids read, take a quiz on the book and then get points; they have to have a certain amount of points by the end of the year)
• My reading program is one which focuses on book genres. Students must read 16 books in the first semester (September-December). I know it is a lot to read, however, the books they will be reading won't be piled on top of other books. I am planning on using the books they are reading in English, writing and reading instead of making it a separate undertaking. 
• The form I came up with has a fiction and nonfiction section, clearly separated, so students can really understand what it is that they have read. I am leaving it up to the student what they will choose to read (sneaky teacher alert! they will choose from a book list that I provide!). Some of the books they will read, we will be reading together as a class, some will be read aloud, and some will be different from others. It really depends on the different units that I have planned which way the book suggestions will go! 
• I already love the flexibility of this system and I am excited to see how it will pan out this year. And of course, if it needs tweaking, I can certainly change it to meet my student's needs! The same plan will be implemented in the second half of the year as Part II, the same form! Easy-peasy!

SSH Log

• SSH stands for "Supervised Study Hall." This year, my students will have a time on Mondays and Wednesdays for a study hall period. This period will be used to complete homework, projects and catch up on any work they may be behind in. The study hall is built into the schedule out of necessity, but I have found a way to make it a very productive time for my students and further encourage our wonderful theme of RESPONSIBILITY! 
• It is important that the SSH Log be included in their WORK binders because they will also be using their agendas to track what work they have left to complete, what homework they can get ahead on, what they need to study for, etc. Students will be taught how to function in SSH and how to use their time wisely at the beginning of the year. 
• The SSH Log had a column for the date, what activity or assignment students are working on, and a column for the supervisor of the study hall period to sign off on their work. This should encourage accountability from all parties, as well as thorough documentation or progress and responsibility! 

Newsletter

• The newsletter is a classroom no-brainer. I won't ramble on about it. Important information, events, blah, blah, blah, will go into the newsletter. I have it set up so that I can just throw text boxes on it, type away and print! 

Classroom Rules and Promise

• These are the rules I came up with, followed by a classroom promise, which clearly restates the rules, for the whole class to sign:

We, Ms. Dawson’s class, promise to

BE POSITIVE

BE RESPONSIBLE

BE RESPECTFUL

BE APPROPRIATE 

and 

BE PRODUCTIVE.

We promise to W.O.R.K., 

not because we have to,

 but because 

WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF. 

We promise to follow through, show one another grace, laugh and have fun!

We promise to EXPECT THE BEST

 from ourselves, from one another and from Ms. Dawson. 

We promise to have a SUCCESSFUL school year! 

Consequences

• This is just a glimpse into our behavior management system (I will be posting a behavior management blog soon). Students will learn that "consequences" does not mean "punishment;" however, consequences are the results of actions. This is why I designed the following charts, one for "consequences for positive behavior" and one for "consequences for negative behavior." Each is a direct reciprocal of the other concerning rewards and penalties.  

Homework Folder

• Last but not least, there will be a homework folder for students to take home loose papers (though I am trying to prevent loose papers as much as possible). 

Each piece that I listed will be in a page protector so that the pages do not get crumpled, ripped, etc. With the exception on the logs and the newsletter, most of the pieces will stay in the page protectors permanently! 

I hope you enjoyed this post, gained some of your own ideas, or even have advice to offer! If you would like any of these documents, I will be happy to share when I have it completed! 

Love, 

Miss Laura

W.O.R.K. For It!

W.O.R.K.

In Ms. Dawson's classroom we are working hard, organized, responsible, and we know we can do it!

Hello, 2013-2014 school year and HELLO middle school! 

I am so very excited to have a sparkling new, fresh classroom to call my own this year! And I am doubly excited that I will be teaching the middle school grades! (Yes, you read correctly GRADES, as in 6, 7, AND 8th grades!)

As promised, I am writing this post to share my W.O.R.K. binder system! I snagged the idea from a 2nd grade teacher who posted her similar binder system on Pinterest. You can see her blog post here: http://simply2ndresources.blogspot.com/2012/08/update-on-star-binders.html

At first glance, I loved the idea of having a binder that held all the go-to student stuff; however, I wasn't sure how to adapt this elementary level idea to the middle school level until I sat down and really mapped out what my students would absolutely need. But that is the beauty of this idea- it can be so easily adapted to any grade, and it's contents can be modified as needed. 

I am lucky enough to work at a small school, so I already know my students pretty well! This means I am ahead of the game and I have an idea of what to expect, what their struggles are, what their parents like and need, etc. This factor definitely made it way simpler to break down (and I might modify it further as we get closer to the beginning of school). 

Well enough of my rambling, let me introduced to you Ms. Dawson's W.O.R.K. binder!

This is the cover of the W.O.R.K. binder. On the cover, you can see clearly the WORK acronym, a name badge, the guidelines for keeping WORK binders nice and neat, and the contents. 

The Rules

PLEASE:

1.Keep your binder with you at school and take it home EVERY DAY

• Taking things home when instructed was a big problem for my students last year. One aspect of the WORK binder is to help teach students appropriate levels of responsibility. 

2.Keep your binder in excellent condition- you only get one

• We also had problems treating our belongings, namely books and notebooks, with respect; therefore, it is stressed to the students that the condition of their binder is THEIR responsibility- this will be a part of procedure-palooza at the beginning of the school year. (And yes, there will be consequences for mistreatment of our super important binders!)

3.You are responsible for your binder and its contents- treat it with respect!

• This rule, though a little redundant, is reiterating the previous rule, but specifically concerning the CONTENTS of the binder. My goal is to no longer waste time waiting on disorganized students who inserted their papers backwards, rumpled, torn, etc., during class time. I also want the students to have an understanding that "I left my binder at home" is not a valid excuse- responsibility, responsibility, responsibility! 

CONTENTS:

Agenda

Schedule

Calendar

Reading Program

SSH Log

Newsletter

Classroom Promise

Classroom Rules

HW Folder

• I won't go into too much detail concerning all of the guts of our beautifully organized binders- it's pretty typical stuff. When choosing what the contents would be, I thought specifically of things that I KNOW my students would ask repeatedly (agenda, schedule, calendar), things they need constant reminding of (rules, promise), things their parents want to see (newsletter, agenda), and things they touch every day (reading program, SSH Log, HW folder). If you take the same approach, you can easily recreate a binder for your own classroom that is tailored to your student's needs! 

My goal with the WORK binder system is: 

1. To consolidate all those pesky papers that tend to get rumpled in the back of desks, but are necessary for student success. 
2. To set students up for organization and responsibility, but make it SIMPLE so that they know they are capable of functioning well as middle schoolers. 
3. To create a way to communicate with parents and families on a daily basis without worrying that papers are not making it home. 

If you have similar goals and messy, disorganized students who need a little nudge in the responsibility arena, I encourage you to brainstorm and use the binder system as your muse to create a simple, effective way to keep your students "together" (but sneakily make them do the work) when it comes to daily, classroom housekeeping! And if a binder is too much, this idea could be further simplified by making it into a folder! The possibilities are endless! 

I will be posting the contents of the WORK binder in a separate post- hope you enjoyed the teaser! 

Happy planning and happy teaching!

Love, 

Miss Laura

Summer

Hello, Summer!

It's been two months since my last post to the day. You know what that means, don't you? This teacher/student/Jane-of-all-trades has been BUSY! That's not to say my mind hasn't been swirling with ideas for the coming school year, though! I am brainstorming many ideas for the classroom (my Pinterest classroom board is overflowing!). 

Some of the things I will be posting on before the school year begins are:
-a before and after of my classroom (I get a blank slate! woohoo!)
-my binder/notebook system I am scheming up
-the spelling "curriculum" I created for the year
-some of the writing workshops and projects I have planned
-our reading plan for the year
-a personal favorite: " How to have an AWESOME middle school classroom even though the middle school years are the most overlooked in education and there are minimal resources available to teachers to make their classrooms just a tad more inviting than a prison cell..." (rant-alert!)
-anddddd, drum roll, please! If all goes as planned I will be posting a before and after of the desk I am refurbishing! (The same desk that I nearly broke my thumb on while moving it into my house!)

Most of you probably don't care about anything in this post (I don't blame you!), but writing it was my way of promising myself (and you!) that these things will be done and shared before the end of summer! Accountability! Woo! 

To those that read this, happy summer! Have fun! Catch some rays, some Z's, some lightning bugs and most certainly harass me about this post if you see me in person! 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Miss Laura