Number Talks/Monitor And Adjust!



Hey Kinder Friends,

Oh me, oh my did the first five days fly right by? I think they did. We had the first day and we had the other four days too. I think it was a blur it was so busy and frantic. Kids here and kids there and kids just about everywhere sums it up. The good thing is that we survived to live another day. I have been asked how number talks went the first week...It didn't. It just didn't. Remember I said that if you plan for kids before they arrive you may have to adjust and monitor? Well, I am taking my own advice. Wonderful, my own advice ringing in my head.

As I entered my classroom and finally got a glimpse of my class list I knew I had to monitor and adjust a little on the fly! So to be fair, I would say I have cycled back to the planning phase after meeting my large group of kids and learning about some visual limitations that my new crew has. No big deal, we rip it down and now get to build our math area...together. Honestly this is the best way. I have a good pocket chart holder helper already. And she has a good eye for when things are not straight.

After moving and adjusting I knew I had to allow for more space. I have pushed and turned and tweaked every single little thing to make as much space for this special part of our day. And I had to really take a long look at how some of our resources were displayed. I knew I needed some large visuals so I have spent some time just trying to eliminate visual barriers. And as I was moving things around I realized that I had little space for where I was going to sit. But after much searching I was able to find something I like. I found this online at Wal Mart.

I think this will work because it will slide right under my white board easel that holds my supplies so it is out of the way and taking up no space when it is not in use.

As I was gathering all the tools I thought I would need for number talking I knew I needed something to store them in because over the summer two great, wonderful and supportive math teacher friends gave me some tools to help me with number talks.

 

So lucky to get the teacher one! But it gets better. I also got some student ones too! I know, enough to make a teacher squeal! I love them. I adore them. I am thankful for them.

And finally I have some of these...

And I needed something to keep these math cuties all in the right place so I went back to Wal Mart online and bought these to keep things all together.

 

 

And just when I thought I was well on my way... I realized that my first plan for my new addition to my math wall was just...terrible.

I wanted a number line. I searched high and low and everywhere else. I called here and there and nothing just nothing. So, I created my own. Finally, a kinder friendly big, gigantic number line. If you travel to space, I swear you can still read it...just what I wanted. So, where am I in this process? Well, we will be up and running probably by Thursday of this week. So between now and then I have been adding to the printables of my Number Talking Teacher Resources Pack. If you have previously purchased this item please go and re download to get the 1-7 random images I have added and the small management signs that are now included. If you need more information just click on the image at the top of the post to take you there. And I hope you will come back to see the new and improved math wall and number talking area!

 

 



And You Don't Throw A Fit!

 

Hey Kinder Friends,

Gotta love this... You get what you get and you don't throw a fit! I think that about sums up the last 24-48 hours and seems to be my motto right about now. Sometimes it is just best to roll with it and keep moving on and singing your song. I swear, I think mom was the one who taught us that years ago. And it is funny that all these years later it still fits so many situations. This time of year it is so busy and hectic that nobody has time to worry about the little things because there are too many other things to worry about. I mean seriously, school is about to start! We have kids arriving soon! But if you need this little motto hanging around in your little world just click on the image above to take you to it. It is available in my store. And with all that said, we can keep moving on and singing our song! Happy days friends!

My Name Starts With...



Hey Kinder Friends,

Well we are in full Back to School swing around here. It's been fun with all those last minute sales and such. It kind of feels like an episode of The Amazing Race as we dash a little closer to the finish line. In just a short week we will have a new group of Kinders on our hands and the days will take on a whole new meaning. If you are looking around for something to do for Open House or Parent Night that ties to learning about letters or names this just might be what you need. This download includes:

Project Photos
Lesson Objectives
Supply List
Directions For Editable Printables
2 Color Printables-Teaching Watercolors Independently
1 Blackline Printable-I Can Work With Watercolors Independently
Lesson 1 Guided Step By Step Watercolor Lesson
Lesson 2 The ABC’s of Me!
1 Color Printable-I Can Be An Artist Mini Poster
Blackline Printables For Art Buddies Craftivity
26 Editable Alphabet Letter Blacklines
26 Print And Go Alphabet Letter Blacklines
Minimal art supplies needed-paper, watercolors, crayons, Crayola oil pastels ($5) optional but so worth it! 

For more information just click on the picture above.

 



Back to School Sale!

Hey Kinder Friends,

Seriously, no time for panic. I swear I am not having any waves of that going on here. Maybe an eye twitch or two just thinking about the circus ring I am running around in. I swear I am calm. I swear I have "got this" all under control... I think I left my "to-do" list somewhere between here or there and I am not going back. Like I said previously, I have worked on school stuff all summer long. I have organized my life in fact. I pulled it all together in true ADD style and looking back, I will be glad that I did give up a large part of my summer doing it. And if you know my situation, you already know I had to wait to pick up my school keys. You know I have been to several, lots, a bunch well every one's classroom but my own...until today. I got a little dizzy when I opened the door. Hey, kids are coming in a ding-dang week and look at this place. This is seriously NO LAUGHING matter. So what in the world is a kinder girl to do?

Yeah, I did it. I called mom. When the going gets tough and things are going south, you gotta call your mom. And in good time she arrived with buckets, bags and bottles...bottles of Mr. Clean of course! We pushed and pulled and PURGED like a great episode of Clean Sweep. Six hours of deciding where 14 years of stuff goes or doesn't. Yep, we were making plans on the fly... You know all those plans you had in your head that you could never pull off... Just hand those ideas and wishes and half baked plans right on over to your mom and somehow she will manage to pull it all off, right? Yep, knew she could! And with all this hullabaloo what's a kinder girl gonna do to get the rest of the stuff ready for back to school?

 Girls, even mom knows it is time to call in Teachers pay Teachers to finish this Clean Sweep episode in grand style. Because we all know...NOBODY has time for more creating and making and all that stuff. It's time to TEACH so lets get to it. Mom said get on the computer and click away because we need to be ready for the very first day! So we clicked and we clacked and got it all in. Now we are sitting and waiting for the BIG sale to begin!

The sale starts soon and it starts late tonight!

So listen to MOM because she's always right!

 

Before Number Talks!

 

Hey Kinder Friends,

You asked for it so here you go. You wondered if Number Talks could be started the very first week of school and the answer is yes. Maybe not the first day but when things settle down a bit... So where do you start and what do you do? The good news is that there is not exact right answer here so you can make it your own. I have thought about it long and hard and finally decided just how I am going to start.

I wanted to start with a book for my first Number Talk. And I thought I was going to spend some time searching high and low for the perfect book and it was handed to me. Once I looked inside I realized I had a connection to the book and it would give me a great opportunity to begin my Number Talks. Just like the character in the book, as a child I counted everything. I counted every place I went. I still do it at times. I picked this book because it conveyed a love of numbers and it was also a book that I could see I could revisit when I was talking to the children about numbers and real world connections and I noticed a page I could use to talk about counting strategies. Considering there were at least 3 or 4 different teaching points or examples I could pull from just this simple book, I decided to start with Christopher Counting.

Last year I jumped in and started a little too fast. This year I am starting from the beginning and taking it nice and slow. I want a deeper understanding and development over time and not quick results. I am starting with my goals set and a plan in mind. So we are taking it slow. So, this is not an official step or Number Talk but rather setting the stage. I will do the talking and I am sure they will chime in and that is ok.

I guess you could say this will serve as the beginning of "building a mathematical community" but before we dive right on in to that we are going to experience the book and have the opportunity to hear what we all think about numbers. In the process we will get to know a little about each other.

Taking it slow will also give me the chance to test out a few things before we formally begin. I want to make sure that I have planned for enough space. I want to make sure that I have the materials that I need in the right place and everyone can see and participate. I learned through my first experience that you can plan for kids before they come but you have to adjust when they come. And while we are working this all out I will be reading and preparing for the next steps. When you break it down into small manageable chunks it doesn't seem so hard does it? So look around and find the book that speaks to you and conveys your message and consider starting Number Talks right along with me.

 

 

Worried? No!

Hey Friends,

If you are stressed and not ready for school well, I am about to make you feel a whole lot better. If I open my door for the FIRST time this Saturday and it looks like this I will actually be happy. Yes, I said happy because I have not been inside that room since JUNE. Am I in a panic...no. Should I be? I think so.

I have spent the summer doing two things. I have organized my entire house. I mean almost every inch of it. I have worked my way through a huge "to-do" list and I am so thankful to say I have reached the end almost. I have had a walk down memory lane with the past nine years of my life in the process.

And the second half of my summer has been preparing for staff developments. After preparing for multiple sessions of new Math TEKS, Number Corner, Number Talks, Weather Camps, New Teacher Academy and Back to School, I can finally see the end. I am so grateful for the experiences that I have been given and for what I have learned along the way. At times I was pushed to think about my beliefs and understandings and defend them. I have had to think outside the box and there were times I just felt like I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have asked more questions in two months than I ever have in my life. I have presented with teachers I knew, teachers I didn't, teachers in the same grade level and teachers who teach upper grades. I think I have had all combinations this summer. I have been to San Antonio, Austin and many schools around me but not my own!

And what I have learned has been worth the miles. For every experience and every conversation and every question I have had, I have grown as a teacher. I have listened and learned all along the way. And along the way through my struggles to prepare for this or that, there has always been a teacher by my side. Maybe it was the teacher helping me through the parking lot with all my bags of stuff, or the teachers that brought me cokes or pocket charts, or the teachers calling, texting or talking to me. The fact is. that another teacher is always around to help. And the teacher who dragged me into her car to take me to lunch, I can't thank you enough. And if you saw me in passing and smiled and waved, I assure you it was noticed and came at the right time... I thank you all for helping me and making me a better teacher.

And to the teacher (CB) who gave me all these wonderful opportunities...I thank you. I know you have given your time at work and after work to answer text messages, emails, calls and special meetings. Every single question or clarification has been addressed and answered. I have picked your brain more times than I should but I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I feel so lucky to have had those conversations to move me from point A to B and it will be my students who will benefit from all the above. Words probably are not enough.

Just this week I was asked for the best advice to give a new teacher. I knew the answer. The best advice is to surround your self with other teachers who share the same passion. Surround yourself with the best. And when you are looking don't forget to look next door or across the hall because sometimes that teacher is closer than you think. And look a little wider. Don't forget those teachers who teach something different you will find you have more in common than you might have thought. And then reach far and wide and include teachers across the district and even further and reach out. It makes all the difference. And when your build your "teacher army" you will know it because someone will be there on any bad day and someone will be there when you have those good ones too. And once you are friends with all these fabulous people you can pick their brains for great ideas and strategies. And because of THEM you become the teacher you always wanted to be.

So to the teacher next door and the teacher across the map and all the teachers somewhere in the middle, I thank you and wish you a wonderful school year.

So as I set up my room tomorrow I will be thinking of all the things I am thankful for and how blessed I am that our paths have crossed. 

Gearing Up!

Hey Kinder Friends,

It is that time again...sale time! I have been out and about trying to pick up those last few things that I need to get started for school and it seems that big crowds are out for tax free weekend. I kind of love it when the deals are too good to pass up. I am still searching for a few extra things to make this year the best one yet. I was super excited that Office Depot gave me a class limit of glue and I was so darn happy that they still had some. I swear, you can never have enough glue. Honestly, I am glad that this sale lasts for so many days. I have enough time to add to my wish list and get the products I need or have had my eye on for a while. So what is new in My Teachers Notebook Shop?

 

 

 

 

And this one is my favorite for Back to School!

 

 

 

 



You Got An UPDATE!



Hey Kinder Friends,

Well...you asked for it and you got it...another revision that is! Now the Texas Teacher I Can Objective Statements including the new Math TEKS come in a black border so that you can print these on colored card stock in 10 nifty colors so that you can have a color per subject and now if you want to have different colors for writing and reading it can easily be done with different colored paper. So if you want lime green objectives to WOW your objective detectives...just go for it and don't look back! But we can get even a little more crafty because we ARE teachers, right? After several text messages and a few teacher lunches I have now been given yet another idea or tip from one of my fabulous teacher friends.

 



If you want another alternative to holding those objectives in an organized manner, so you can zip in on Monday morning and post them in a flash, then this might be the option for you! Instead of making the pockets what about grabbing a few of these on your next trip to Dollar Tree?

I took the objectives in the store and tried it out myself and they fit all snug as a bug inside. And I loved the idea so much I had to grab a few. And then I started to realize that they also fit these!

 And I would like to thank Mrs. Jackson for all of the feedback, brainstorming, listening, lunches, text messages, emails and just being available even at midnight to just talk about "all things kinder" it has been a true blessing to have a fellow teacher to kick around ideas with!