Checking In

I'm still here, though it might be difficult to know it considering my lack of posting.  In addition to teaching another sweet, silly and smart class of kindergarteners, this is year TWO of my graduate program, which will wrap up at the end of this summer.  I've been on the mend since the health scare wake-up-call of last spring... we've added a sweet kitty to our family... and I've developed quite the addiction to crochet. While I haven't been blogging regularly, I assure you I've remained immersed in all things #kindergarten, such as continuing to grow my classroom library with new and new-to-me titles (this batch of books was selected for one of my grad classes, and I'm unsure if Coraline would be a good read-aloud for kindergarten: let me know if your class has enjoyed it):

... treating my Stars to fun and fresh holiday pencils each month (oh Target Spot, how I love you):

... and enjoying early childhood teacher fashion, like these glasses that show just how much I love teaching and learning:

When I get home, there's lots of snuggling and cuddling and taking pictures of Tish-Tish:

(Here she is with yet another book for grad school)

... and oodles and oodles of crochet going on, which *might* have something to do with my one and only new year's resolution: to crochet one afghan per month.

Though this year has flown by in many ways, there's still so much left to do.  I have a yearbook deadline around the corner, after reaching the one-hundredth day of school, my Stars are excited to be counting down to summer vacation, and graduate school assignments and professional development meetings are in multiplication mode. 

But I'll be back to blogging, I promise.  Kindergarten is too great an adventure to go it alone, you know?  Until then, remember that you can find me on Instagram @msommerville (seriously, go check out the latest portrait that a Star drew of me; I'm thinking I need to purchase some monster hair bows now) and occasionally on Twitter @msommerville where my absence from Twitter chats is also evident but I still find some great stuff to retweet and share. 

How is YOUR year going?  Have any book recommendations for me?  What's your non-school-related hobby? 

Summer Goal: Learn Something New & A Twitter Chat Invitation

Hello Summer, it's me, Michaele.

Just wanted to let you know that I survived the massive book sort/organization project I undertook last week.  I had shelves full of books in cabinets, multiple versions of fairy tales on the floor, collections strewn across tables, and plenty of books for donation covering my cart:

But now:

That's right: my story books have been sorted by theme, letter focus, AND month, and have been shelved in instructional order.  I'm not OCD, I'm efficient.

Humor me.

I did however, become distracted from parts of today's intended to-do agenda.  Though I managed to get a load of laundry washed and dried, and have kept the kitchen relatively clean through two meal preparations, I didn't make my planned phone calls, nor did I get the last little pile of teacher stuff sorted and put away.

I blame MyCuteGraphics.com, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word.  So should you.

They conspired to make me play and create:

It's pretty plain-Jane, but to quote Nancy Willard and Tomie dePaola, Simple Pictures are Best, especially for my first attempt.  We'll see how long it takes for me to get a good rhythm going in PowerPoint as I create color/cut/sound out/glue pages for my Super Stars' ELA journals this summer.  That's right, my goal to learn something new is already underway.

I'm also interested in learning how to create my own clip art.  How do you like my Eskimo?  I had to make her.  HAD.  TO.

(You know I'm one-half Iñupiat Eskimo, right?)

She's far from perfect, but was so fun to make!

*****

What are your professional goals for the summer?  Participating in a book study?  Brushing up on technology tools?  How about joining me and my #TeacherFriends for a Twitter chat?  We're a friendly bunch, and love to help Twitter newbies learn how to tweet, share with others, and build their PLNs.

I'm looking forward to chatting with you as we share ideas of how we can refresh our minds, renew our commitment to our students, families and colleagues, and re-energize for next fall!  Check back tomorrow to see what prize I'll be sharing with a lucky chat participant.

Can't Stay Away for Long

The school year officially ended last Friday, and like many teachers, I completed the check out process with time to spare.  Materials were tucked away, technology was checked out for summer use, and my keys were turned in.

All of my plants are now nestled into their summer spots at home.  My teacher bag is empty.  I've reclaimed the back porch and have attempted to start our summer garden, despite Mother Nature's attempts to overwater the raised beds this past week. 

And where did I end up yesterday?  Back in the classroom:

Each summer I try to tackle an organization task with the hopes that it will boost my efficiency the following year.  Two summers ago I sorted and rebuilt my reproducibles binders, and last year I divvied up and organized math manipulatives, making grab-and-go lessons and spontaneous teaching moments easy to facilitate.  My daughter helped me do an initial sort of all of my books two years ago before she headed back to college, but several times after Christmas I found myself repeatedly digging and searching for books I ~knew~ I had. A year of hastily putting books away and not sorting new books purchased or received by theme or month did a number on me.

Look at the stack above: it's just a small selection of books that I use during Theme 3: We're a Family, featuring letters Tt, Bb, Nn and Aa.  Family books: check.  Letters Tt, Bb, and Aa?  Check.  Take a gander at the Nn pile. Apparently I only have TWO books, Nests, Nests, Nests and The Boy Who Cried Ninja. 

Wait, what?  Where's Noisy Nora and No, No, Titus?  How about The Nose Book, The Nutcracker,  Nini Here and There and No Nap?  I didn't loan the books out, and none of them were damaged beyond repair requiring replacement, which can only mean one thing:

I put them away in the wrong spot.

And now I get to find them.

*****

Like my reproducible binders, craft mock ups, files and curriculum map, I like to have my books organized and stored by thematic unit (we use Houghton Mifflin Reading) and for holiday titles by month, in instructional order.  At the end of each unit, I can quickly check books for damage, and replace them on shelves as I pull down the next set of storybooks, fairy tales, and poetry for my students. 

Methinks I'll remind myself to pay better attention to the re-shelving process next year. 

Do you work in the classroom over the summer? What organizational tasks do you take care of in order to prep for the upcoming year?

 

"It's One of Two Things..."

I missed a week with my Super Stars.

Lethargy.  Fever.  Chronic and juicy cough.  Sore ribs.  Tender throat.  Strange dreams.

Pneumonia:  I wouldn't recommend it.

Today was my first day back after a lot of rest, water, and antibiotics.  Armed with coffee, additional hydration, medicine, and planned centers and activities that would allow me several more opportunities to sit down throughout the day, I was ready to read our first story, Alice Nizzy Nazzy, the Witch of Santa Fe.

If you're unfamiliar with the story: a good little girl named Manuela, having been warned of a dangerous child-eating witch, encounters said villainess while searching for a lost flock of sheep, and barely avoids being eaten for dinner.

The Stars were patient and attentive, even as I paused to take a sip of coffee or clear my throat.  When the story was finished, I began to ask questions, and offer clarification, checking for comprehension.  One student observed "this is kind of like Hansel and Gretel, you know, with that witch."  I agreed, and asked "Why do you think Alice Nizzy Nazzy wanted to eat Manuela?"

No response.  "What did the witch in Hansel and Gretel like to eat?"  "Little kids!" was the chorused response.  "And who did Alice Nizzy Nazzy want to eat?"   "The girl!" they chirped.  "Why do you think witches like to eat little boys and girls?" I asked.

S-e-r-i-o-u-s, contemplative expressions at the level of my knees.  Slowly, hands began to rise.

Student 1:  I know!  It's 'cause they're monsters!
Student 2:  Who?  The witches are monsters, or the kids are monsters?  
Student 1: The witches, the witches are monsters.
Student 2:  Ummm, I don't think that's it.
Student 3:  ... because bad boys and girls deserve to be eaten?

Some silent thinking continued, which I didn't interrupt for fear of triggering a coughing marathon.  I took another sip of coffee.

Student 4:  I know.  It's one of two things.

All eyes and ears turned, and waited.

Student 4, speaking in a tone most solemn and serious:  One: We taste really, really good.  Or two: witches are carnivores. 

More quiet contemplation followed.

"Do you think this story is fiction, or non-fiction?"

Student 4, assured:  Oh, it's fiction.  Witches aren't real.

... and everyone exhaled.

*****

Prior schema.  Bravery.   Imagination.  Connections.

It's fun to be frightened, just a little.  It's okay, even necessary, to think through fear.

*****

~Michaele~

Summertime Classroom To-Do List: New Labels for Book Bins

After two years of use, the labels on the book bins that my students use in our library area were looking a bit worse for wear.  Bent, rolled, and two of them ~somehow CUT~, it was time to make new ones.

After tracking down free clip art on line, I pasted images into a Word document and added categories so that my Stars would know which bin contained books that suited their interests.  After printing out the clip art and text together, I cut them out and added them to the center of activity cards that match much of my classroom decor.  Not tech savvy, I know, but sometimes "old school" is just as easy!  

Then I used my desktop laminator:

My tubs have hook and loop patches on them so that I can change labels as needed during the year:

My tubs aren't full in August as I like to model and have my students practice respectful and responsible book handling.  I start each school year with the following categories/genres:  ABC Books, Animals, Colors, Fairy Tales, Family, Friendship, School, and Super Star Books (student-made stories).

With new labels made, I get to check one more thing off of my summertime to-do list!

*****

If you prefer ready-made, printable book labels, check these blogs:

~ Lyndsey at A Year of Many Firsts shares FREE book bin labels

~ Teacher Laura at Kindergarten Adventures made book bin labels AND sticker sets (also freebies!)

~ ... and Leslie at Kindergarten Works explains her book tub system and provides printables, along with a great tip on how to use paint-stir sticks to organize book storage.

*****

~Michaele~

Kindergarten Worries

At the beginning of the year I read Wemberly Worried to my Super Stars, and we talked about our own fears and concerns as we made new friends and learned how to work and play together in kindergarten.

Fast forward eight months: we revisited the story today, and students thought back to what it was like when we first met.  "Mrs. Sommerville?  What did YOU worry about when we came to your class?"

I worried about remembering everyones' name.  

For journal time, the Stars decided that today's writing prompt should be "I was worried..."

I LOVE journal time:

This Star was worried she'd have homework, l-o-t-s of homework in kindergarten.

This friend worried that 1) he wouldn't remember his new friends' names, 2) the teacher would eat students and 3) he'd have to eat gross food in the cafeteria.

One young lady was fearful about fashion...

... and this fella was concerned I'd have two heads:

As we close in on the end of the year, I can joke with him:  Honey, now you know I have four heads, not two!

"Yeah right Mrs. Sommerville.  I told my grandma you had five."

Ba-dum-dum-ching.  Nicely done. 

Eskimo Teacher in Oz

I'm wearing a kuspuk that I made, and my boots, mukluks, were made ~decades~ ago by my aaka (grandmother).  Certainly not ruby slippers, but just as treasured.

I wore them as part of my "costume" for Book Character Dress Up Day.  I was "Mama" from Mama Do You Love Me?

In Alaska, my garb wouldn't have been given a second glance, but here in Kansas, friends, colleagues and parents were either eagerly curious or they politely attempted to not stare, not look at all.

Why ~does~ something culturally different make us uncomfortable?

Kindergarten in October

As I wait not-so-patiently for EduBlogs to finish the latest upgrades (I still prefer typing up my blog on their template and then cutting and pasting it here, sorry Blogger!), I've realized that although it's only been a month and a half since I returned to teaching, I need to update my blogroll again. I'm also feeling inspired by the change of season and our upcoming Halloween activities~perhaps I'll change the header too!

Let's catch up, shall we?

*****
October in the classroom: pumpkins (math: estimation, measurement, comparing size, counting seeds), spiders and our bodies (science/math: identifying body parts, comparing/contrasting, developing vocabulary, living things in our world, how spiders help us, how we keep our bodies safe and healthy), fire safety (health/social studies: how to stay safe, fire prevention, community helpers, family)...reading is fun with poems and stories that help us with vocabulary, sight words, environmental print, sentence structure, expression, and even MATH with counting, ordinal numbers, etc.:

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,
the first one said "Oh my it's getting late."
The second one said "There are witches in the air."
The third one said "But we don't care!"
The fourth one said "Let's run and run and run!"
The fifth one said I'm ready for some fun!"
Whoo-hoo went the wind and *out* went the lights
and the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

*****
~Praising children is BACK (not that it ever left my classroom), thank goodness! Open Education shares Brain Research Confirms Importance of Praise for Young Children:

The overall findings were summarized in Science Daily thus: “Eight-year-olds learn primarily from positive feedback (’Well done!’), whereas negative feedback (’Got it wrong this time’) scarcely causes any alarm bells to ring.”

Ultimately, it appears that 8-year-olds are simply not able to process negative feedback very well while 12-year-olds can actually use negative feedback in a way that helps them learn from their mistakes. The young adult group was able to do the same, with the findings indicating that the older age group could learn from their mistakes more efficiently than the pre-adolescent group.

The results also reiterate some long-standing knowledge from the field of child development. Experts in that field have long postulated that young children respond much better to reward than they do to punishment. (emphasis mine)

~Amazing Mae shares the cutest footprint ghosts (I'm going to ask my fifth grade buddy class to also make these so my students can make patterns for math and sort the ghosts by size!)...

~Hostess With the Mostess shares paper pumpkin ornaments...
*****
I hope you have a GREAT week!

Bits and Blurbs While the Family Snoozes

The season of change has taken up residence in my home. Not autumn, not back-to-school time, and not Uncle-Sam-is-moving-us-again, but rather the season of No-matter-how-long-I-wait-and-hold-on-to-these-clothes-I-will-probably-never-fit-into-them-again. Trying to soften the blow, Dear Daughter reminded me that living in Oz for the next few years won't offer too many opportunities for me to wear my wool/blanket style skirts, gorgeous hand knit sweaters, or heavier-lined career dresses that worked so well in Alaska.

I ended up making Goodwill's day yesterday and feel better that my clothes will no longer just take up room in multiple closets at home when they could be put to better use by those who need them. I've held on to my clothing treasures since finding out I was pregnant with the Toddler. Four years is a long time to live in denial over hip-spread, you know?

But I kept the sweaters. Just in case Mother Nature is friends with Murphy's Law (I've heard she is).

*****

...and the HAIR. Texas was so hot and dry last year that a little hair mousse and a straightening iron kept the wavy/curly stuff neat and frizz-free. Here in HumidityLand, my hair has few options other than a french braid or being pulled up by a banana clip. If I were to cut it much shorter for some heat relief, I'd walk around looking like a poofy shrubbery most of the time (okay, a much larger poofy shrubbery than at present). To chemically straighten, or not to chemically straighten...THAT is the question. NI!



*****

I tried a "simple" sewing (and FREE) pattern yesterday in an attempt to make a stuffed Halloween Kitty. I love the creator's kitties that are featured in the current Mary Englebreight's Home Companion magazine. Mine, not so much. Apparently I'm better with a glue gun than a sewing machine.



*****

Dear Daughter wants to decorate the house for Halloween later today, rather than waiting until next weekend. I'll finish up the Halloween banner, maybe make some smaller ones for the kids' rooms, and review one of my posts from last year for inspiration. Thank goodness for blog-documenting!

*****

My aide has loaned me her copy of The Kite Runner. You KNOW you're in a good place when you work with colleagues who share book recommendations with one another! One of my parents also brought me a book about teaching in Alaska (it's on my desk at work, and I can't remember the title off the top of my head)- double SCORE!

*****

Monday's Must Reads

~Nancy at Teacher in a Strange Land advocates FOR recess, though others want to increase academic time for students by reducing or taking it away (you know how I feel, recess isn't a reward, it's a REQUIREMENT!)

~Blogwalker shares a link to Childnet International resources available in the U.K., promoting knowledge over fear when teaching students how to use the web responsibly. From their intro:

"Digital citizenship isn’t just about recognising and dealing with online hazards. It’s about building safe spaces and communities, understanding how to manage personal information, and about being internet savvy - using your online presence to grow and shape your world in a safe, creative way, and inspiring others to do the same.”

I've worked for some school districts who would benefit from shifting the fear paradigm from which they operate to a more constructive and productive one in regard to online resources and their use.

~Jim Horn at Schools Matter reminds us all, no matter our voting affiliation, that the most significant educational reform that can take place is ENDING POVERTY.

~My students just finished taking this district's required assessments (beginning of the year, but they'll take it again at the end of the year to "document their growth and progress"). I was glad to read Jennifer's post at Inside Pre-K discussing a more holistic approach to authentic/accurate assessment for our youngest students. I keep anecdotal records, work samples, and assess both informally and formally, and I ask my students themselves what they feel they've learned, have more interest in, or find confusing. How students "perform" with me year 'round is a much more reliable indicator on whether or not they're ready for the first grade than is their performance twice a year clicking and dragging words, photos, or the cursor on a computer screen.

~Finally, parents of wiggly, fidgety students (who are perhaps experiencing difficulties in school) may find Open Education's blog post "Improving Academic Achievement - Executive Function Could Hold the Secret" VERY informative and helpful. Frankly, so would many teachers! Executive function is defined as a “set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate other abilities and behaviors.” Executive function is necessary for GOAL-DIRECTED BEHAVIOR.

MindDisorders.com further notes: Executive functions “include the ability to initiate and stop actions, to monitor and change behavior as needed, and to plan future behavior when faced with novel tasks and situations.” Therefore, “executive functions allow us to anticipate outcomes and adapt to changing situations” while providing us the specific “ability to form concepts and think abstractly.”

Children must develop the skill to resist distraction before they can stay on task and focused.

*****

Here's the next book on my reading list...

Getting Back to My Teaching Groove

...and because I teach kindergarten students, this one is on my "must-practice" list:

Sing along, won't you?

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I dunno why she swallowed that fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly -
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd, to swallow a bird!
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly -
Perhaps she'll die

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat.
Imagine that, she swallowed a cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird ...
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she'll die

There was an old lady who swallowed a dog.
What a hog! To swallow a dog!
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat...
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird ...
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a goat.
Just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog ...
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird ...
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.
I don't know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat... She swallowed the goat to catch the dog...
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat...
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird ...
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a horse -
She's dead, of course.

*****

Don't forget to look for these when you visit the library or bookstore:

Links~So SEW!

It's been busy around here! The daily blog has been put on the back burner for a bit- have you missed me?

I've managed to get caught up on reading and thought I'd share some links with you:

Recipes:

Penne Rigate with Spinach and Garlic Cream Sauce from Posy Gets Cozy

Pistachio and Lemon Bites shared by Cream Puffs in Venice

The Pioneer Woman Cooks Pots de Creme

Gruyère-Stuffed Crusty Loaves from Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

Photography:

Di at Designer's Block shares Fairy Tale photography by Eugenio Recuenco

Terry photo-documents the importance of first impressions at Bent Objects

I may just have to learn Photoshop now! PhotoJojo has provided a link for Mac keyboard "skins" (covers) that show keyboard shortcuts to make things easier...

*************

Thanks to coupons at Michael's, Hobby Lobby and Joann's, I've made some affordable and oh-what-a-treat purchases this week to see me through the rest of the summer and into the beginning of the school year. I found Amy Karol's (find her at Angry Chicken) "Bend-the-Rules Sewing" book...aprons, coasters, purses, and lap quilts, here I come!



I also picked up Therese Laskey's "Softies" so I can make some cool characters for my toddler and my students (I love the robot and ice cream sandwich!)...





Some edge punches by Martha:



And a much-needed desk caddy (on a lazy Susan):



*************

I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend as much as we did!