Spring Break Goodness!

This girl is lovin' the Spring Break part of being a teacher...sleepin' in, gettin' some sun, shoppin' and celebratin'! 

Yesterday, I went in Kohl's and looky what I found! I LOVED Rio and I LOVE that in 5th grade we start the year out with a big rainforest study so I was super excited to find this loot...especially Blu, the macaw and the adorable tree frog! The dog I just couldn't resist because my hubs does the best "I's gots yous guud!" impression of him from Rio...the first one. Did you know the second one is coming out Friday?! WHOOT-WHOOT! I just hope it's as good as the first one! All of this was a part of the Kohl's Cares for Kid's $5.00 rack! This was the first time I've ever noticed puzzles as a part of the sets but you bet I snagged that 500 piece baby!

And yes, I did complete the puzzle in a day! Go...me! I'm really feeling OvErStImUlAtEd now! Hey, if I can do it in a day, then my early finishers can accomplish this in a couple of weeks!

:) Just look at that work...oh! and the puzzle comes with 3 different size pieces...it was a tricky one! :)

I celebrated a birfday Tuesday and well, my seester and neices know me well...

Disney, Disney music, and good reads.

 Below are 2 of the biggest pieces of my heart! If they only knew how much their Aunt Jen loved them they probably couldn't handle it! Ada, whose four, is on the left and Gracie, whose about to be 7, is in the middle! They are precious!

Take ONE!

Take TWO!

Take THREE!

I also celebrated my sis-in-law by watching her play softball this weekend! She and her dad stayed the weekend with us and I played for the first time in forever a game of Monopoly. Yes, I lost and I am a really sore loser but the brownies and milk made up for it!

And it's not even over yet...:) Happy Hump Day for those of you teaching this week and Happy R and R to the rest of you Spring Breakers!

Mistakes, Monsters, Messes, Money, & Music!

"The sky's awake...so I'm awake!" 

 Can  you believe that on my first day of Spring Break...I've been up since 7:00?!? My sweet hubby had to work today :( so I've been up ever since. I've been catchin' up on some blog readin' and some laundry all while trying not to be too noisy because Michael's Dad and sister are staying with us this weekend!

 Yesterday was our last day of testing and marked Spring Break...my kids were CRAY CRAY Yall!
After we did our math achievement tests we had a snack and I overheard some of the students talking about how easy or hard they thought the test was. One of my absolutely adorable young men said most matter of factly:

..."Uh...Mrs. Stewart, they made a mistake on that test!"

I obviously had no idea what question he was talking about and just looked at him intently for a moment then laughed out loud and then he too laughed realizing that they probably didn't make a mistake..it was absolutely hysterical...but they could of...I never told him that they did or didn't just laughed hard and loud! 

We finished testing pretty early yesterday which left us some time to emphasize geometry with a craftivity. We made these adorable geometry monsters! I found them on TPT and used them last year with my fourth graders and this year with my fifth graders and it was still perfect for the skills we've been learning!

They had a lot of fun with this "just letting off steam..."

We don't get to cut and paste much and after testing some of them were very cut happy! 

 

I can't help but SQUEAL seeing that he's reading C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series!

Oh! And you would have SQUEALED too if you had seen pieces of the back of this book cut up in the floor....

Total accident but some were Cut Happy I tell Ya! 

Look at that mess! But hey, it felt good!

  The pic below will take you straight to this talented TPT'ers store!

Not only is this a freebie, but it is also really easy to understand and follow and very well put together!

I had a surprise on my desk when I got to school...and the card inside was so...sweet!

"To my beautiful teacher 

Who is Sweeter than honey

And far more precious than money!"

Is that not the sweetest little note! I teared up! She is a sweetie! And what student remembers your birthday when it's on Spring Break?!

And the contents..mmm... I love me some Olive Garden!

Oh...did you catch all the "Frozen" references?! Yea well our entire elementary watched it yesterday as a celebration for being finished with testing! I've seen it like 6 times now but CAN'T buy it because someone plans to give it to me on my birfday this Tuesday...no idea who..cough cough...

but I really want to STEAL Abby Womack one day next week so that she can watch it with me once I own it!

Happy Saturday and start to Spring Break for some of us Georgia teachers! I'll be at the softball fields today watching my sis-n-law play ball...soaking up some sun and pollen! :)

Worry About Yourself!

     Do you have those determined "Mother Hen's" in your class or even more so in your school?!  You know the ones who are always busy worrying about what someone else is or isn't doing instead of worrying about what they themself should be doing.
   
   I've found that while my fifth graders don't "tattle" that they are constantly telling others what to do...a form of tattling.... as I explained to them this week. What's even worse though is when an adult is constantly telling and tattling on you! My Soul! Worry about yourself Peoples!

I have this sign from technology rocks. seriously posted in my classroom. She has a lot of great home and school printables. Click on the pic for the link.

 Below is also a really great video of this adorable little girl whose parents have taught her well to "worry about yourself"!! I've shown this to my class a couple of times this year!

 Two days until Spring Break!!!

Badabababa...I'm lovin' the thought of it.

CURRENTLY! & Testing Tragedies!

It's that wonderful time of the month...not the crampy unmentionable thing.....

but the Farley thing.....

Currently! 

I love linking up and I love the creativity of this gal!

 

Listening: We live super close to our neighbors which also happen to be our landlords...like actually our house is attached to theirs wayyy back in the woods! We are super thankful for them and adore their grandkids. They of course spoil them rotten like all good grandparents do. Right now, I can hear one of their grandsons outside bossing  his 'Nanny' around the yard as they play. Oh to be carefree and 5 years old again! 

Loving: I am absolutely ecstatic that we have spring break next week! Every morning this week,  I have found myself quoting aloud to my hubby..."I CAN NOT GO TO SCHOOL TODAY!" from Shel Silverstein's "Sick" while laying in the bed! Ah...so ready....3 more days! I just want to sleep in!

Thinking: I have been a really lazy wife the last couple of weeks. We probably have like literally 6 loads of laundry! My father-in-law and sis-in-law are spending the weekend with us because of some softball tournaments on this end of town that she's playing in so I know they need to be done...I'm just so...tired!

Wanting: I long to have my full strong teacher voice back and get rid of this drainage and gunk! All the changes in weather and now this pollen is really messing with me. ugh...and I can't. stop. sneezing. and my muscles hurt!!! I should also include here that I'm desperately wanting the Frozen DVD. My hubs has refused to let me buy it until after my birfday because someone...I have no idea who...coughcough....already has it for me! I can't wait! Hopefully my voice will be back and strong by then so I can sing along!

Needing: To an escape from reality! Some fun, rest, shopping, and relaxation! I'm thinking a girl's trip. What do you say Steph?!Beck?!  You can take a couple days off right?!

Hours and a Day: As far as I know (I've been having a lot of new...fyi's lately) we are 7:30-3:30 peeps but I never leave at 3:30. I figure if I'm out of there by 4:00 then it's  a really good day and I'm on top of everything! Our last day is May 28th with kiddos! I have a really good group and though I'm ready for summer break...I'm not ready to part with them yet.

We started testing today and let me tell ya...there's a first time for everaythang...

In the middle of tests I had...

a massive nosebleed,

 some ridiculous outbursts,

& 

a kid get the pukies....it. was. bad.

And I thought I was ready when I set up this cute little encouragement area for them! 

Here's to a better day of testing tomorrow! 

Keep Calm and Write/Research ON!

 We finished our personal narratives up last week....we actually finished them in one week and that includes having 2 individual writing conferences! Technically, this is our second full personal narrative. We will start our third one after spring break so look for something big headed this way...fingers crossed!

I PUT THEM IN A BOX...I  CRUSHED their creativity....yep! I did.

I made them all write about a time when they got hurt...an ouch story! My other two teamates let them pick what to write about for this one but I have used these story starters for the last 3 years just because they are so dang cute and what student doesn't have an ouch story! This year my sweet fifth grade babies wrote 4-5 pages worth for their 5 paragraph personal narratives! I loved seeing how some of them didn't think it was even possible to write that much about a time they got hurt but with some really good hooks, some dialogue action, and details...voila! They were impressive! Oh and don't you just love my band-aid cut outs...courtesy of  Irma Pro at G-Iron. She never ceases to amaze me with her oh so many talents! I told her I wanted band-aid clip art yesterday at 1:00 and that night by 9:00 I had some! Need something made and in a hurry?! Send her a message!

 Oh and if you like the printable be sure to check out the creator herself! Click on pic below for many many more! She has a lot of great schtuff and ideas!

We're concluding our chapter studies on WWII. I have one more week to add emphasis on it! It's definitely been the best part of our History curriculum. We read Lois Lowry's Number the Stars. This was their summer reading assignment but since it is all so relevant now and half of them didn't do it during the summer, I read it aloud!  It has definitely become a class favorite! I literally read it in a couple of hours and couldn't put it down! It's a must read for upper el ed especially if you at all talk about WWII!!!

We have also been rigorously working on our RESEARCH paper! First comes note taking, then comes outlining, then comes drafting with lots of revising! Anybody ever heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer?! He was a German spy and theologian that worked with the resistance to try and rid Germany of Hitler. Whelp, he's our research paper topic....I hadn't heard of him before either....ah...Keep Calm and Do research. This book wasn't my favorite and was really hard reading for them!

We start achievement tests tomorrow. I plan to use this area each day for testing encouragement! I think I'll post a different quote each day  inside of a frame and have our snacks under it in a basket! I plan to get some little cups and have a water station! Let's get 'dis over with and move on to spring break!

Last Friday, we had our 3rd quarter Carnival. I posted about my carnivals here. You can learn about how they and my behavior management system work. 2 of my sweet students weren't able to attend. I think it was wayyy harder on me than it was on them...especially given that I have such a well behaved group this year!
We had the usual carnival foods...corndogs, apples, popcorn...this one was really thrown together but the best part about it was the cupcakes! One of the sweetest teen girls ever made these Funnel Cake cupcakes for me!

Aren't they adorable!? And they were delicious...I had 3 in one day! Don't judge me!

Last but not least...I bought this expensive baby yesterday afternoon at Frys...one of the most overwhelming and largest electronic stores! I need to spend the next couple of nights backing up all the schtuff on my 2005 dell laptop...she's going through some serious therapy right now and the doctors don't expect her to recover :( This is a big deal for me...she's been such a faithful and trustworthy friend all these years! We looked at replacements while at Frys but just the idea of a new one fried my brain!

Here goes some back up action! Happy Monday!

What Works Wed. and Throwback Thursday!

What works Wednesday?!

 Comrades, Confidants, Supporters, Colleagues, Cohorts, friends, Sympathizers, Classy teaching pals! 

Nottttt to be confused with competitors, foes, opponents, archenemies, antagonists, rivals,....

This Wednesday our wild hallway of fifth and sixth grade teachers went out to lunch! We did not talk about any of our students......ok maybe a teensy weensy bit.......but rather we celebrated each others teachery life and 3 birfdays! Trust me, after the week some of my coworkers have had...we needed it! We had a great time and don't get to do it near enough!  It works. It really does but you have to avail yourself to your coworkers. If you have an "I'm way better than you" "You don't know anything about education" "I graduated from yadayadayada school" then it won't work. You have to be ready and willing to share your life with the others you work with! It works wayyy better than trying to get school advice from your hubs sometimes. We were all super tired and several of us more spiritual Christians still had church to attend that night but we made it happen!

The two tired ladies in the back have seen better days! <3  you Mrs. Joiner! 

Throw Back Thursday! 

Here's me and the first group of wonderful teaching pals I ever had! Sure do love and miss them!

Me in my skinny looking good days, Mrs. Becky (who inspired my blog name without knowing), and Mrs. Cynthia!

I promise that I have been teaching the last couple of weeks! I plan to post this weekend about what we've been up to!

 Happy Thursday!

 

Classflow's a Go!

So...my seester's beau asked me to take a look at Classflow and let him know what I thought about it. I signed up for an account yesterday and spent about an hour playing around with it. It's a lot like Powerpoint only better and it was super easy to use once I created a free account!
I created a couple of math lessons for this week and used it in my class today. Unfortunately, we're not super tecky at mi escuela (my school...did I use that Spanish right, Irmz?!) so I didn't experience the interactive part. I don't have a smart board/promethean board but I do have a projector so that is what I used.
My thoughts....I'll let my "Yea's be yea's and my nay's be nay's" here:

1. Yea..It definitely saved me time! I had the lessons ready and never turned my back to the class. I already had the examples written in and never had to write anything on the board during the lesson. Think with me...if I spend even just 3 minutes a day writing math problem examples on the white board when introducing a new lesson and replace those 3 minutes with already prepared examples... 175 days times 3=525 minutes of classtime SAVED and MAXIMIZED! That's almost 9 hours gained to our year together!

2. Nay...I  HATED the stylist/pen thingy for writing in examples.  I'm a super big perfectionist when it comes to my handwriting so I DID NOT LIKE THE WAY MY HANDWRITING LOOKED!

3. Yea...I liked that I could upload videos and documents to a lesson. I'm already planning to use it again when recaping Pearl Harbor by inserting FDR's "Yesterday" speech.

4. Yea...I liked that you could share your created lessons with other teachers and view other teacher's plans.

5. Nay...I found the "Play" button never really played. It continued to say "preparing to play" so I found it much easier to simply hit "edit" and show them each slide by clicking on it.

6. Nay...every time I added a text box, it took forever to release.

7. Yea...I LOVED that you can email your lesson to ANYONE even if they don't have a classflow account as a way to collaborate with other team members!

8. Yea...I liked that it was a cloud and accessible from anywhere!

Overall...I'd say Classflow's a Go! I know I've already planned to use it again and this is coming from one technology illiterate gal. Most of my nay's are I'm sure format issues that I don't know how to use and with a few tutorials I'm sure that could be easily fixed!

Below are some pic's of how I used it.

Just projected it up the white board!

In the above pic, you can see that on my desk I turned my computer around and simply used the mouse when I was ready to go to the next slide. This was also an easy way to go back and make references to other slides throughout their seatwork.
I'm also positive that there are a lot of better ways to use it...but working with what I know and have....I still really liked it! Sign up for a free account and see what you think here: Classflow

This post was just for you Jim!