Modge Podge.

No, not the crafty stuff. Just a modge podge of information in one post.

I have been completely MIA. Remember the impending sinus infection I blogged about? Well it hit me hard, but I taught through it. I had no choice. I feel like I've gotten nothing done curriculum-wise lately.

Pure drama in my room. I have a really tough group of boys this year. Last year I thought I had it bad. Ha! It's worse this year. On top of being sick, last week was rough. Hoping for a smooth start to this week tomorrow!

In other news, around this time every year, my principal hands out a "teacher interest" form so that she can get an idea of what everyone wants to do next year, which is great that she listens to our input! As my first choice, I said I'd like to go down to 2nd grade and hopefully loop. Well today, we had PD, and I wasn't in my third grade group for our stations. I was put with what looked like a second grade group, but with a couple of first grade teachers. So next year, it might be second grade in the first state? We shall see. My work BFF looped last year, and while she had a few tough kiddos, she saw SO much growth. I'm excited to see what next year will bring. It will be my first year as an "experienced" teacher in the eyes of the state!

Sooo, that's it. Felt the need to check in. Gotta get ready for the Bachelor, since I can't record it [still hating comcast]. SO mad I never got to watch last week's episode because of this whole debacle!!

PS. Nooooooo!  Now HEIDI AND SEAL? I'm so sad.

I love impending sinus infections..

My current facebook status: "i love impending sinus infections, comcast, and grading. In no particular order"

Very aware that this [and 95% of my blog posts] are not grammatically correct. I'm okay with it, and I hope that you are, too.

I really hope I'm okay to go in tomorrow. Ugh. I have chronic sinus infections, but when I go to the doctor, they give me antibiotics and send me on my way. I feel like there is an underlying problem. But no one listens to me. Shocker. The doctors must be on the same wave length as my students have been lately.

As for Comcast, let's just say I've been on the phone with them three times tonight, and I still can't watch my DVRed Bachelor. And my cable will probably go out within the hour. I need to go to Comcast and exchange my box. UGH. I know, not a big deal. It's just that my current mood is magnifying this situation. The customer service girl I talked to the second time was so nice. She kept apologizing. I kept saying it's fine. I know it's not her fault that I can't watch Ben. I guess she gets yelled at a lot.

*Side note: Does anyone else read Reality Steve's spoilers of the Bachelor?

And my last gripe is my grading. I don't have a lot to grade. But I hate grading multiplication facts! Over the course of the mult/div unit, I progress monitored the students [not timed] with 100 problems, just to see where they are. Such a pain to grade, but my standards say they need to be fluent! So I want to give them as much practice as possible, both timed and not time.

Anyway, sorry for the downer-ish post! I changed my layout to another free one. Does it look alright on all of your computers? Please let me know if it looks funky so I can fix!

Giveaway Winner & Freebie

Hello everyone!

First-- my giveaway winner. I realized I didn't have number comments, and I googled how to do it. Didn't work. I don't feel like looking up the tutorial that's floating around blogland that would probably work [because all of you teachers are so darn smart!], so I counted up the entries and used the random number generator for numbers 1-37. The winner is.....

Stacey, I'll comment on your blog with the details! Congrats & thank you EVERYONE who participated in my very first giveaway. I love being able to help other teachers out, even though that only puts a DENT into how much you've all helped me!

& next comes the freebie. It is a packet that you can use to guide your students through a compare/contrast writing piece, specifically using transportation. Click HERE to check it out because I can't figure out how link a picture! I need to start buying clip art & stuff to make my freebies cuter! Again, any feedback would be great!

And lastly, a few MORE giveaways to tell you about. Everyone is in SUCH a giving mood lately, it's wonderful!

1. Lindsay is having a giveaway for reaching 200 214 followers!

2. Janaye is giving away a 3-5 Seuss Pack!







3. Beth is giving away an awesome picture that she designs. So cute!

4. Adrienne is giving away software that I could reaaaaally use!




So if you didn't win my giveaway [sorry! blame the number thingy!], go check out those blogs! They are great!

In My Shoes [Great movie, now a linky!]

Okay. No freebie yet. I'm thinking I'll make it tomorrow while the BF is at the Ravens game & I'm sitting on my couch pretending that I care about said Ravens game.

However, there is a fun linky party going on right now! I've read a few of the entries, and I am FLABBERGASTED, yes, FLABBERGASTED at how early some of these teachers start school. I know high schools usually start pretty early. I think I started at 7:20 when I was in HS, and when I was in elem school, school started at 8:45.

Now, as a teacher, I start at 8:10. I hate mornings [reminder: i am garfield], but I think 8:10 is respectable and fair. Well now, I think 8:10 is a blessing! Good lord, Farley starts at 7:20? Bonnie wakes up at 4:20?!?! You'll see what I'm doing right......................

NOW!

5:40, 5:50, 6:00
First alarm goes off. Snooze.
Second alarm goes off. Snooze.
I'MMMM UPPPPPP. UGH.


6:00-7:15
Roll out of bed, long shower [i'm a water waster], watch the morning news and relax for about 15 minutes, get ready, roll outttt.


7:15-7:55
Commute. Blah. My daily dunkin donuts stop is in there, but I'm making a conscious effort not to stop every day and just make my coffee at home. I'm case you're wondering, its not going so well.


7:55-8:09
Turn on all of my technology, make copies for morning work and the rest of the morning if I hadn't made them yet, straighten up the room


8:09
Hear my children barreling down the hall way. I'm all the way at the end.


8:10
Whoever is first comes into my room screaming CAN I HAVE DOG OF THE DAY?! let me explain. last Christmas, my sister gave me this daily pull of calendar

Well, last year the kids liked it SO much, so I left it out on my desk and continue with it for the rest of 2011. Well, I asked my sister for the 2012 edition. She delivered. So they still do it. Is it obnoxious? Yes. Should I control this using some kind of management technique? Yes. But I don't. Maybe next year?

8:10-8:45
The kids are working on their morning worksheet. I make it two sided to keep them occupied. If it is Monday, then they are copying their homework for the week. When they finish this, they are to read independently and take Reading Counts quizzes. But they usually just get into squabbles and tattle. A few times a week I use Class Dojo during this time to keep the crowd at bay and accountable.

8:45-8:50
Live morning announcements. We broadcast the announcements from the library with our school social worker as the normal host, and a teacher guest. You can sign up to be on the announcements. I try to sign up once a month. If you go on the morning announcements, you can bring a few students with you. The students come up with a "morning movement" for the school to do to go along with our PEP grant. On another note, announcements are supposed to begin at 8:35, but never do.

8:50-9:20
Writing block. We are usually working on grammar or are somewhere within the writing process. This week we are going to start a compare/contrast piece. I really want to revamp my writing program, because it is totally lacking in depth.

9:20-9:50
Math RTI time. Our students are broken up according to their ability DCAS test score. Each teacher/paraprofessional has been assigned a topic to teach, as the students rotate through the stations, spending about a week at each. For the sake of length, I won't get into it fully right now. But last rotation I taught multiplication, and this rotation I'm teaching division. Any cute ideas/activities, PLEASE send them my way! ESPECIALLY higher leveled activities for my above leveled groups!

9:50-10:20
Reading RTI time. Same as math, but they are broken up by their DCAS reading score. My topic is compare/contrast, and right now we are contrasting Lon Po Po to the American version of Little Red Riding Hood. Good times.

10:23-11:03
YAY! I made it to my planning time! Students are on a 6 day rotation, either going to library, computers, counseling, PE, music, or art. I'm sitting in a meeting, making copies, or trying to straighten up from whatever destruction happened in my room earlier.

11:03-11:40
I drag myself to pick up my kiddos. We come back to do centers. My centers are new for me this year. No one else on my team does them, but I feel like everyone in blogland does. So I tried them and I love them and other people want to see me do them. Yay! My centers are kind of, not really like Daily 5, but I used that as a jumping off point.

11:40-12:20
Reading block. I'm either teaching from our reading series or teaching important skills or doing Making Meaning. As I've said before, our reading block is crazy right now with all the different programs, different expectations, lack of materials going on right now. But we do our best.

12:20-12:50
Lunch. Everyone other week I have lunch duty. Whenever I don't have lunch duty, I have recess duty.

12:50-1:00
Either finish up something we were working on in Reading or do a read aloud.

1:00-1:30
Recess

1:30-1:45
We are working on fact fluency. Students can either work alone or with a partner to practice whatever multiplication fact that they are on. I test weekly, and if they pass [30 problems in 2 minutes] they move on to the next number. We're doing this for the rest of the year, even though we just finished our mult/div unit.

1:45-2:30
Math block. We're starting our data unit on Monday. Our students are pretty good with data, so hopefully this unit will go by in a flash and we can get started with fractions! dun dun dunnnn.

2:30-3:05
Science/SS. My class and the classroom across the hall switch for this. I teach Science to both classes using FOSS science kits. I love it because all of the materials and lessons are there for you. All I have to do is write my lesson plans in our format. I choose to supplement, but you really don't have to. I'm so happy I don't have to teach social studies. I really can't get into it, but I would make do if I had to.

3:05-3:20
I check their daily planners for signatures, students sign my homework bingo board if they did their homework, and we wrap up our day.

3:20-3:40
I walk my students who walk home out the door, and I take my car riders to the cafeteria. Teachers wait with them until they are picked up. If they aren't picked up by 3:35, they go to the office to wait.

After that it depends on the day. I normally try to pry myself out of my room by 4:30, but I've been known to stay until 5 a few times a week. Then its another 40 minute drive home.

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Well that's it! Go over and visit Katie and link up! It's her first linky! =)

[[[My giveaway ends Sunday around 5pm, so go enter if you haven't already!]]]

Frozen.

Hey all.

So, I'm freezing.

We've been SO spoiled around here in regards to the weather. Now that its in the thirties in the middle of the day, I can't stop complaining about it. And I refuse to leave my apartment. But I need to go food shopping. It's like Sophie's Choice.

Anyway, thank you to Kelly at Fabulous in Fourth for awarding me with the Versatile Blog award. I actually just received this award, but no one would know it because I have to figure out how to put it in my sidebar. But as soon as I post this, I'm going to go figure it out. So thanks Kelly! & click HERE for my response to that award!

Reminder that there is just over 24 hours left in my giveaway. $25 to TPT! And there are only 25 entries right now! Click HERE to enter!

Some more giveaways to check out as well!

Chrissy at Buzzing with Ms. B is giving away a valentine's day product!
Growing up Teaching is having a giveaway that ends tomorrow. HURRY!
Made in the Shade in 2nd grade is giving away a giftcard!


So, I'm going to get back to watching HIMYM reruns. I'm going to forewarn you that I plan on posting another freebie later [I'm on a roll!], so I'll be posting twice in a day. I honestly don't know why its such a big deal, especially if both posts are awesome [check].