Amazing, Astonishing, and Academic Adjectives

 Adjectives lend themselves to an array of engaging and rigorous activities...WHO could resist all this descriptive fun.  I wanted to start off with giving my students some experience into the wide range of adjectives.  We created a flip book and decided on the categories as we went along.  The kids were just about to jump out of their seats with descriptive words so we switched up our procedures for this one.  I put 3-5 minutes on the timer and we all just fired away tossing out adjectives that would fit well in the particular category.  There were some sections that had over 50 words!!!  Another super motivator was having the students count how many they had written down!

   

 After getting our feet wet with the variety of adjectives out there, I brought out one of my favorite activities of all time!  I have used this bag in Kindergarten, First, and Third!  We start the lesson by adding adjectives that appropriately describe the gift bag.  Throughout the lesson the students were so excited to see what was actually inside!  The students also recorded them on their sheet.  We then had some real fun by FINALLY getting to see what was in this mystery bag! 

POP ROCKS

After the students and I finished making our individual word webs, I knew the revelation of what was inside the bag would create a bit of organized chaos.  In order to keep the students focused on the task I shared the pen for a chart we make collaboratively to describe the pop rocks outside and inside!

 This was another activity that I loved from teaching a different grade.  I wished there had been more time for the students to get actual photographs of their bedrooms for the visual part of this assignment.  Nonetheless, it turned out great!  The assignment to describe their bedrooms not only served as a grammar activity, but also a writing one as well.

 Culminating our studies, the students chose some personality adjectives to describe themselves.  Vocabulary, writing, art all wrapped into one!! You can snag a free copy of the personality adjectives below!

Happy Easter & Mother's Day!

As many educators are enjoying Spring Break and others are gearing up for Easter Break, I wanted to share some activities we have been completing to continuously develop empathy and perspective.  Spring is the time for Reconciliation at our school and we usually spend some time talking about the Greatest Commandment.  Each year these sweet little otters turn out so unique and adorable!  After learning about the Greatest Commandment, or the Golden Rule for public schools, the students complete a directed drawing and a writing activity about how they will live out the rule!  Click any picture below to find this product in my TPT store!

To fully embrace the upcoming Easter season and in celebration of Holy Week we started our week off by completing a Crucifixion silhouette.  Again, these ALWAYS turn out amazing!  I am so proud of my students every year for making their creation one of a kind!

During Holy Week we spent a bit of time reading about Jesus' last days on Earth and completed a retelling of the events!

 We also did a super fun and challenging Easter fill in activity that you can get from 

Sunday School Resources website!

Planning ahead for Mother's Day

I am planning a super quick and easy activity for Mother's Day this year!  I printed these out 2 per sheet so the kids could just fill in the blanks and make a quick and easy card to decorate for their mothers. I also have a child in my class who lost his mother so I whipped up a matching activity for his dad!

  

Switching Grade Levels

As educators many of us have taught more than one grade level.  Some placements changes are welcomed.  Maybe you are ready for a change or are interested in challenging yourself to take on something new.  However, the real struggle comes when placement changes are out of our control.  Speaking from experience, as I have taught four different grade levels in my 8 years of teaching.  Everyone's circumstances are different, so hopefully I can share some tips that will help get you through a move that may be making you panic.

First, let's discuss some of the things that may be compounding on the already instrumental task of tackling a new grade level. 

1. The previous teacher has left and now you are stuck with a room full of materials. 

There was a time when I had packed up my entire classroom for summer break and was well into summer when I received a phone call from my administration.  I was told that they needed me to move three grade levels from my current position to fill a spot that had just abruptly opened.  The teacher was retiring and had years of papers, materials, and resources in the room.  I spent the entire month of July sorting, organizing, and minimizing those materials.  Although this wasn't exactly how I pictured those days going, I knew if I just spent a couple hours here and a couple hours there when I WANTED to be at school, the entire job would be less painful.  Not only did sifting through the endless amount of resources rid the lot of unnecessary items, but it gave me an opportunity to see what all was there.  I was able to organize the materials in a way that made sense to me and then when I began teaching I was able to quickly use those things to create less work for myself.  Part of the issue with moving to a new grade level is how exactly does one know what to get rid of?  For me, I was able to get rid of a lot of duplicate copies of papers and a lot of universal office supplies like pens, rubber bands, and other school supplies that I knew I already had.  You might get or have gotten lucky to receive a room that is already beautifully organized.  In my case, just simply condensing and organizing the materials created less.  I was able to discard ripped and broken totes, books, furniture etc. The previous teacher may have also left decorations or teacher items that you don't see yourself using.  These items can be offered to other teachers at your school or given to a local thrift store if in good condition. 

2. You now have materials of your own that may not be suitable for the new grade level.

At one point in my career, I had three grade levels of materials that I wasn't using.  I had gotten so sick of lugging and storing these items that I just had to unload somehow!  Not to mention I had almost all of these original files on my computer in my Google Drive.  So, I decided that if I could re-create it easily, then it had to go.  I also had a lot of games and center materials that were pre-made when I bought them.  Some of these items were just too big to hold on to and I wasn't sure when I would be moving back to a grade where they could be used, so out they went.   The items that I found were most worth keeping are those that were expensive and could still be easily stored.  If I knew that a lot of money or time had gone into purchasing or creating an item then it was worth it to keep it.  I also kept a lot of my own furniture.  You would be surprised at how many grade levels thoroughly enjoy writing on a chalkboard table. In my years teaching and across different grade levels I have committed to having one tall filing cabinet and one short filing cabinet.  Deciding on how much space you are willing to give up for storage can also be helpful in starting to weed out things that are not 100% essential to keep. Maybe you can get all your materials saved into one tote or one cabinet in your new classroom.  Remember, anything you are getting rid of could be first offered to other teachers in your building or donating before just throwing into the trash.

3. The change in placement could mean you have to physically move to another room and/or building.

It may be as easy as carrying or using a rolling cart to get totes from one end of the building to another.  Or you could be lucky like I was and have to cross an entire parking lot to move one classroom's supplies into another room.  Again, a rolling cart or dolly will help with this job.  Before you begin to figure out how to move the items you need to decide how to package it for transportation.  If your school has reams of paper....KEEP the boxes.  These boxes have lids and are made for carrying heavy items.  Ask around at Wal-Mart or other big box stores, even factories, might be willing to donate boxes before you buy totes or spend any of your money.  Lastly, the most important thing is ASK FOR HELP!  No one will fault you for asking for help to complete the heavy lifting, especially if you have everything all ready to go.  Administration may be willing, but there might be some high school kids that can help and get it all done in less than an hour!

4. You will be joining a grade level that has increased class sizes and has had to add a teacher, therefore starting with an empty room.

Starting with an empty room can be equally exciting as it is dreadful.  Before you do anything....I suggest visiting grade level teacher's rooms to see what they have and where.  The first thing to decide is what spaces you want to create and where those spaces will be.  Designate areas that will be for only the teacher, only the student, spaces where the kids will work in small groups, and of course a space where you can gather as a group.  After this, expect things to look much worse before they get any better.  Other than teaching materials, I suggest hitting up yard sales, thrift stores, and sellers clubs to get larger items that would be very expensive if buying brand new.
 

Through all the struggles remember: 

1. This is the one year the students get in your grade level.  Everything is new to you and one must find balance between doing it all and doing nothing.  Just keep in mind that this is the only first grade, third grade, or sixth grade these students receive.  You should not run yourself ragged, but find joy in your students and teaching.

2. Teachers who love teaching, forget about grade levels.  It does not make someone lesser than amazing to prefer one grade level over another.  However, if you are in a situation where you can't control what grade you are in...then let it go.  Embrace all the things you do enjoy about where you are at and what the students are learning.  Tweak as many things to your personal style so you can feel as comfortable as possible!

3. Experiencing different grade levels will help you grow as a teacher.  Knowing where students have come from and where they are needing to go will help you immensely as a teacher.  You will get a chance to see discrete skills that are lacking in subsequent grades and previous skills that your students have been exposed to when they declare the skills is brand new to them.  You also might gain a new appreciation for the progression of skills and vertical alignment.  This has helped me determine which parts of our curriculum is too easy at certain levels and too hard at others as well as which district wide assessments are most useful for what grades.

4. You will get an opportunity to see just how easy it is to adapt a lesson to another grade level.  Once again, you will grow as a teacher and your skills in differentiating and modifying activities will benefit.

5. Spending time in other grade levels will allow you the time to connect with more teachers at your school.  This could possibly be the first time you have spent extended periods of time getting to know your colleagues.  Hopefully, you will learn and grow from these people and in turn your school's culture will be positively impacted!