Learning With Mrs. Parker

Dr. Seuss - Author Study Week 1

2012-03-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

It has been a fun filled week of celebrating reading!

Here are some highlights.

First off, The Lorax. I wanted my students to read the book and view the classic Lorax movie. Call me old fashioned but I think the book is always better than the movie.

Although, I saw many Lorax inspired ideas, I couldn't find the "right" one to fit my students' needs. I created a very simple Lorax themed writing paper for them to use with stickers I found at Michaels. Together, we came up with suggestions to help our environment.

Yesterday, we read and cooked Green Eggs and Ham. This was a perfect opportunity to practice How to writing. Amazingly, I managed to facilitate this while cooking green eggs and ham.

Our finished writing!

Next week, more Dr. Seuss!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

American Symbols Part II

2012-02-28T20:28:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time learning about the symbols of America. Here is a peek at some of our learning.

Patriotic Hearts After learning about the colors of our flag, students weaved these hearts. I added their photo to the star.

Liberty Crowns This is one of my favorite crafts. To make, I draw the crown onto a 18x12 construction paper and cut.

Drawing Lady Liberty With the help of this You Tube video, I was able to teach my students how to draw the Statue of Liberty. I originally saw this here and here.

Bald Eagles We completed this shared writing to go along with our art from Mrs. Jump's unit.

I loved how patriotic our classroom looked. I was a little sad to take these items down. But, luckily I had these beauties to put up.

When I turn 100, I want to look just like her! I definitely have the hair! Thanks, Mrs. Bates!

Happy Learning and Teaching!

March Book Picks

2012-02-26T20:28:00.001-08:00

Here are my book picks for March. I hope you will join me in sharing what you are reading this month.

Books for Read Across America

All About Weather
Between assessments and report cards, I hope to have time to teach about the weather. Here are some of the books that I will be using.

St. Patrick's Day
Since this is not necessarily a holiday that aligns to our kindergarten standards, I will read a few books but incorporate the "theme" into my math and literacy centers. Am I the only one who finds this an odd holiday to explain to little ones?

Why should you link up?
I hope you will join me in celebrating the love of reading and sharing that joy with the children we teach. Oftentimes, we get boggled down with the "have to's" in reading. Let's celebrate sharing the written word with children. I really do hope that when my students grow up, they will consider themselves a reader!

Graphics by: ©Kelli Vander Veen

I hope you will link up any book or books that you will be reading this month. Simply copy the image and use it with your post. If you don't have a blog, please feel free to comment your suggestions.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Learning how to Retell

2012-02-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

There are so many elements when teaching young children how to read. Many of my kids are so excited about the fact that they can read the words. Our next hurdle has been to think and understand what we read. I have been using this graphic organizer to help my students retell fiction stories.

To introduce this concept, I used familiar texts that my students knew a lot about. I wanted them to focus on the comprehension and not "learn" a new story. As we filled out the graphic organizer, we retold the story bit by bit. We did it whole group or with a partner.

As you can see, the retell includes pictures and words. I like this because it helps to "trigger" what to say. It also asks them to think about the story rather than just learning the terms beginning, middle and end. I don't know about your students but mine take that term literally. Many times opening right to the middle of a book. I also like that it is related to the Common Core; a direction that I am trying to move my teaching.

Would you like a copy of this to use with your students? Included is the graphic organizer and text to make a teacher poster like shown above.

What do you do to help young readers with comprehension? I am looking for books and ideas to explicitly teach inference. Any suggestions? Your comments and feedback is appreciated.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Love Bugs

2012-02-15T21:47:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day seemed extra special this year. It is so exciting to see little ones partake in an event which is centered around their love and friendship. We celebrated by making these Pinspired hats, playing a few games, making Valentines for family and friends and dancing.

The festivities began earlier when we received an extra special care package from Little Miss Kindergarten. If you don't know, this Texas native is also a super science teacher. She teaches science everyday using authentic and meaningful lessons which engage all learners. Don't believe me. Check out what she sent us.

Each child got a Love Bug Valentine!

She also included this great science lesson to go along with the Valentine. We drew, observed and recorded our data. Here is a sample from one of my students who at times struggles with paper pencil tasks but not this one. :)

Please be sure to check out her blog for more stellar ideas. I wish I could teach science like this. I am in awe of her ability to integrate this so seamlessly. It would make my day if you Follow her blog.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Read Across America 2012

2012-02-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

It has been almost one year since I began hosting Linky Parties on my blog. Currently, I host a monthly Book Picks linky party. I love finding new books and sharing them with my students and son at home. Since, Read Across America is fast approaching, I thought I would host a Linky Party in honor of this event.

Here are some of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. I love, love, love Horton! And, Seussical the musical is on rotation all year long in my classroom.

Do you have any special plans? Are you in need of some inspiration? What are you Pinning? Use the button above to link up and share! Let's celebrate our love of reading and an author who inspired young readers to love it too.

Happy Reading!

Math Centers - February Edition

2012-02-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a peek at what our centers look like this month.

Race to $1.00

Graphics by Scrappin' Doodles

Students roll a dice until they have 25 cents which they trade for a quarter. Game continues until someone wins the $1.

Nuts about Counting

A freebie by Lil' Country Kindergarten. Get yours here. My kids really like this center!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Addition

Graphics by Lettering Delights

Inspired by the book, Peanut Butter and Jelly, I created this simple addition center for my students.

Zoo Train

This addition center is from Kinder by Kim. I have used this every year I teach addition. Lots of times this includes animal cracker cookies but for this center we used animal counters. I love her items! Check her out!

Tooth Fairy Counting

This adorable dental health freebie comes from Can Do Kinders. I used white beads as counters.

Scoop and Count: V-day Edition

My kids loved last month's Snowman Scoop and Count that I made this one to use with Conversation Hearts. I bought big and small hearts to vary it up. It's a big hit. Click on the image to get yours.

A big shout out to all the teachers who have shared their creations with me and others. I appreciate your hard work. My kids love learning from you!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Day 9 of Love

2012-02-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

I am joining Ana from Ingles360.

Here is today's treat. It is two sets of I Have Who Has - Sight Word edition.

Click image to download.

Here is a sample of the cards.

If you downloaded this item prior to 2-11-12, please download again.
There was an error.

If you download, please leave a "love" note in the comment section.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Sneak Peek

2012-02-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

More to come soon!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Wheel of ....

2012-02-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

LEARNING!

My students have had a blast learning from this interactive tool. Thank you, Fran!

Take a look at some of the games we've played.

For this game, students practice blending CVC words. I selected a consonant. Students, then, blended the word. As we played, we decided if the word was real or nonsense.

We practiced making rhymes. This seemed so much more engaging to my students. It also was a great way to see which students needed more help. Next time, I would partner students.

Click image for your copy.

Their favorite game was Spin a Sight Word. My kids were all smiles and cheering. I wrote six sight words and had one space for Free Choice and another was Erase 1. They loved when the spinner landed on Free Choice. They cheered! They practiced reading and writing the words and they didn't know it! Sneaky.

In honor of Pam from The Vintage Teacher and a TBA contributor, I am sharing this document as a editable document. You can adapt this to meet the needs of your students. I am also sharing a link for all my freebies on my blog and at my Teachers Notebook Shop.

In memory of Pam Woods, a teacher whose passion was to help the teaching community.

If you use this document, please leave a comment.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Three Part Stories

2012-01-31T21:10:00.000-08:00

Did you attend the Kindergarten Teacher Expo this weekend? I did and loved every minute of it! What an easy, affordable way to learn from other teachers! I'm sure you went away from the Expo with lots of new learning and insight that you couldn't wait to share with your students. I know I did!

After watching, Crystal from Kreative in Kinder, I knew exactly how I was going to change my approach towards teaching story writing to my students. I launched my lesson by telling them that I was going to show them how to write Three Part Stories. I modeled what I wanted them to try.

And then, I let them have at it. I reminded them that it might be a little challenging but that I wanted them to take a risk and give it a try.

For their first attempt, I was so pleased with their results.

The kids felt the need to write. So, I provided PostIts.

They were very happy and willing to use this tool.

There is still plenty to teach about the mechanics of writing.

But, I see stories forming.

So thank you, Crystal!

My students and I thank you!

I can't wait to learn more from you about writing.

Be sure to check out her blog! :)

Were you inspired by the Expo? Share your stories and insights.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Wanna Play? Tag! You're It!

2012-01-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged. TWICE! Thanks to Miss Foote from Chickadee Jubilee and Shawna at The Picture Book Teacher's Edition.

The Rules:
1) Post the rules.
2) Post 12 things about yourself
3) Answer the 12 questions sent from the person that tagged you. Then create 12 new questions for the people you tag.
4) Tag 12 people and link them to your post.
5) Let them know you tagged them.

1. I wear black or gray almost everyday. It is my go to color scheme.

2. Somedays, I wish I was 2 inches taller. I'm only 5 feet.

3. I'm taller than my mom!

4. I can't sing, play an instrument, or dance!

5. Not many people know that I blog.

6. I stop by Starbucks for a grande coffee which I sweeten and add lots of half and half.

7. I worked at a museum briefly before teaching.

8. I love spicy food; mostly Thai dishes.

9. I'm a minimalist when it comes to classroom environment. You won't see much hanging up because I find it distracting. But beware of my closets. They are packed. I need to organize that space better.

10. I get up automatically by 6; even on weekends.

11. My son makes me the happiest.

12. I really want to visit DisneyWorld.

1) What blog do you most look forward to new posts from? I have so many favorites. My favorite once a week posts comes from this blogger and this one.
2) What is your favorite teaching topic/unit? Wow! That's a hard one! I love to teach any content which makes my students look forward to learning. Sometimes, I will plan a theme based on their interests. I really don't like teaching the same things over and over again. I'm always tweaking.
3) What is the 1st thing you do once all your students are gone? Check email and tidy up my desk.
4) What one thing would you buy for your class if money weren't an issue? A SmartBoard.
5) What is the best thing about your classroom? The students.
6) What is your favorite movie? I'm not a big movie watcher. I like romantic comedies.
7) If you had to choose one book to REread, what would it be? As a teenager, I read Roots many times. I haven't read that in decades. So, perhaps, that one.
8) What are your favorite shoes, for school? Anything comfortable. Today, it was boots.
9) What is your "go to" school lunch? Whatever is in the cafeteria. I never have time to make lunch. :(
10) What is your best childhood memory? Visiting my grandmother in Texas. It was like being transported to a different time. I can still remember waking up in my grandmother's bed with ranchero music in the background and the scent of fresh tortillas being made for breakfast. It was magical.
11) How did you come up with the name for your blog? Kinda obvious. A little boring, though.
12) What is your favorite canceled tv show? Lost. I hated to see that show end. One of the few I watched from the first episode to last.

The 12 questions for my 12 picks...

1. Are you a reading workshop school or do you teach using a reading series? Reading series. We are about to adopt CA Treasures.

2. What are your school hours? Kids 8:25 to 2:50. Me: 7:30 to 4ish.

3. What is your favorite subject to teach? Social studies and as of late, math.

4. What is your favorite picture book to read to your class? It depends on my mood and theirs. I try to find books that fit "our" personalities. We are just getting into the Pig and Elephant series by Mo Willems.

5. Why did you start blogging? It started out just as a new thing to try. It's turned into a lot more. :)

6. How many students do you have in your class? 22

7. What is a typical lunch that you bring to school? I usually don't bring lunch. I grab something from our school or pick something up. Bad, I know.

8. Do you watch the presidential debates? Nope.

9. Coffee or tea? Coffee. Formal tea with girlfriends 4 times a year.

10. Who is your favorite Sesame Street character? Why? Snuffy. I love his eyelashes. :)

11. Would you rather get roses or daisy's? Yellow roses.

12. Salty or sweet? Umami. I love the taste of salty and sweet together.

Many blogging friends have been tagged already. Here are a few I'd love to hear from:

1. Little Miss Hypothesis

2. Lessons Learned

3. For the Love of Kindergarten

4. Ingles 360

5. The Moffatt Girls

6. Frog Spot

7. Mrs. Rhodes' Scholars

8. Keen on Kindergarten

9. Growing Kinders

10. HeidiSongs

11. Mrs. Unger's Kinders

12. YOU!!

1. What is your favorite outfit to wear to school?

2. Would you rather cook or go out to eat? Why?

3. Do you have a favorite blog post?

4. Do you read blogs before school?

5. What do you love most about the school you teach at?

6. How long is your commute?

7. What is one area you would like to improve in your teaching?

8. Are you a morning person? Or night owl?

9. What is your favorite day of the week?

10. Is teaching your first or second career?

11. How tall are you?

12. Do you have a color scheme for your class?

American Symbols

2012-01-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

This month I will be teaching my students about American symbols. I will be using many of the books listed in my February Book Picks. (Please sign up. I am starting to feel symptoms of the Weakest Link Syndrome. )

Tomorrow, we will launch the unit. We will begin with our flag. I plan to read this book and this one. Then, we will complete a tree map about our learning. Would you like a copy of the tree map?

Click image.

I love teaching this unit to my kinders. What are some things that you do to make this engaging for your students? I am looking for new ideas.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

February Book Picks

2012-01-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

February is fast approaching. Do you know what you are reading? Here are a few of my favorite picks for the month. Link up and share yours too.

All About the America and More

February is the perfect month to learn about American symbols and what makes our country great.

Love is in the air.
Many of these books will make an appearance at our listening center. Kids always love them!

And they lived happily every after.
I will be using these books with my ELD students to teach them about describing people, places and things. I hope to use lots of circle maps to teach this concept.

Now, it's your turn. I look forward to hearing from you about these books but most importantly, seeing your book picks.

Happy Reading!

A Peek into Literacy Centers

2012-01-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

I don't know about your students, but my kiddos seem to be really getting into the rhythm of school. It is somewhat magical to see how independent they have become.

I have used Daily 5 as part of my literacy center program for several years. Here are a few photos of what the kids are doing while I work with students during literacy centers.

Buddy Reading:
This child is reading an enlarged version of our Phonics Library books. Her buddy is listening waiting for her turn to use the pointer. Reading is always better with a pointer.

Word Work:
This child is making words using stampers and Play-Doh. I decided to try keeping the Play-Doh in the container to alleviate some of the mess that it makes.

This child has made CVC words with a and i using these dog bones to go with our shared reading story, This Old Man.

Isn't it great when all the work you've put in about expectations and procedures finally start to pay off?

Happy Teaching and Learning!

A Balancing Act

2012-01-21T10:02:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, our school had a "math consultant" come and coach us in some "new" ways to teach math. I must admit, that at first, I could not see the "value" in the work. My kids could count, add, etc. We were asked to incorporate some routines into our math time. I kept it simple and added this.

What I found myself doing was talking about number in a different way. I know longer told kids that twelve is a 1 and a 2. I now say, it's one ten and 2 ones. And guess what?! Many of the kids get it because of that little gem. We visually see the number!

Well, this leads me to this week's math focus...addition. In our math book, it is introduced as pictures stories. But, what I really find is that the kids just count the items. So, I decided to try something different.

A few weeks ago, I read this blog post and it got me thinking. How do I teach this? Well, I challenged myself to find out just what do my kids really know about number with this.

I set up the thinking by talking about balance. I even modeled being imbalanced. Then, I told the kids that I wanted to challenge their thinking about what they know about number.

And, guess what! They do know a lot!

We discovered that there are many ways to make both sides equal.

In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to use this but I will add numbers. For now, I am happy that they are exploring how numbers work. This will be one of our math work stations next week.

How do you teach beginning addition? Do you have any great book picks? Please share.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Trees. Everywhere!

2012-01-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

Lettering Delights graphic

We have trees displayed in many places in our room.

Tree maps have become a rich part of our learning experience.
Here are a few that we made this week.

First up, MLK.

We read several books which helped us learn about the life of MLK. I was inspired by many, such as this, and this wonderful resource. The kids loved the new word that they learned; equality. The ideas presented on this tree map are all student generated. It came from their learning.

Here is our completed bulletin board.

Next. Penguins!

These arctic animals made an appearance during our English Language Development class.

I love this time because the students are a mixed group from every kindergarten class. I teach the highest level of English speakers. As a result, my goal is to move them towards English fluency in all areas; listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Here are some samples of the writing.

I am so proud of the writing that they produced with guidance and support from the use of the tree map.

We can do it! Yes, we can!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Math in Photos

2012-01-14T08:12:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up with Marlena at Lil' Country Kindergarten. Here is what math looks like this week. Almost all of these activities were found via blogs, require little prep and are free.

1. Scoop and Count
2. Snow Cow
3. Penguins Sequencing numbers 1-16
4. Domino Parking Lot
5. Counting Teen Numbers
6. Roll Mr. Potato Head

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Soaring to New Heights

2012-01-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

As a teacher, we are probably by nature reflective types of individuals. We tend to think about what went well, what could go better and what not to do the next time. Many times, though, we may not share that reflection with others; especially the little ones we teach. I feel that it is important that my students begin to understand the importance of reflecting about their learning.

First, we analyzed our data results from ESGI.

Basically, I explained that we wanted to fill up the pie with as much green as possible. I had shared the results with the class prior to break and many students had seen their individual results during parent conferences. As you can see, there is room for improvement.

Then, we talked about what it is like to set a goal. I gave them the analogy that many people want to loose weight in 2012. What are some things to do to accomplish this goal? My favorite answer; call 1-800-Get-Thin. I asked if eating at McDonald's would help meet the goal of loosing weight. They all answered no.

My UP inspired door

Next, we read this gem. As I read, I paused and stopped about the things Leo could do to meet his goal. To help Leo learn to read, students said that Leo would need to practice or ask for help. To become better at drawing, a child suggested that he trace over pictures from a book. Towards the end, as Leo accomplished the goal, the kids began to smile and cheer for Leo. They were so proud of him. I couldn't help but to think how some of my students were like Leo; waiting for the right moment when they, too, will "bloom."

Finally, we discussed our learning goals. I was amazed by their candor and honesty. One student remarked how their learning goal was to write their name correctly. This child was absolutely correct. No more CAPITALS. Another student said, "I need to practice my rhyming." Ding. Ding. Ding. Right again. So, now, we begin our journey. Together. Working with one another to meet our goals. Let's just hope that we all succeed.

By the way....just in case you were wondering. Here is my goal.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Happy Tuesday! Advice Needed.

2012-01-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

Today our students' had their first day back. I must say, that although, I enjoyed staying home, I did love being back at school. Unfortunately, I had five students absent. I had planned a great goal writing activity but due to the absences I postponed it. Fortunately, I had this great blogtivity printed and ready to go.

Graphics by KPM Doodles

As a result, I created this book to go along with one of our sight words this week; come.

But I need your advice. Does it make sense? I hate teaching high frequency words out of context especially to emergent readers and English language learners. I would gladly send you a copy if you like. Just leave a comment and your email. I am also thinking that I could have the students write an invitation to practice using the word come in context. But to what?

And because I value your opinions, do you know of any great shared reading songs or books that repeat the words as and/or with? I found this book for as. I don't have anything I really love for the word with.

How do you teach high frequency words? I would love your feedback.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Winner Announced!

2012-01-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Miss T!

Please email me so that you can claim your prize.

Let's Go Shopping! - Teachers Notebook Giveaway

2012-01-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love shopping?

In honor of reaching 1,000 Followers, I am giving away...

Yes, you read correctly. $50 to shop on Teachers Notebook!

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment with your wish list of items from Teachers Notebook.

2. Add a link to my January Book Picks.

That's it! Simple.

A winner will be selected by Random Generator on Saturday, January 7th.

You MUST be a Follower of Learning with Mrs. Parker.

Giveaway is open to US residents only and must enter by 10 p.m. PST, January 6th.

Thank you to all of you who follow my blog. Your readership continues to motivate and inspire me as an educator. A special thank you to those who have Followed since the beginning and to those who take the time to comment. It does make my day.

Good Luck!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

2012-01-03T11:04:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

Chinese New Year is not for a few weeks

but I thought I would share this simple math center idea.

Did you know that noodles are traditionally eaten at the Chinese or Lunar New Year feast? Why? Because noodles symbolize a long life.

This math center was created with that tradition in mind. To create, I simply cut white yarn into various lengths and put them in a bowl. Add chopsticks, measuring tools, a Math Talk card and you have an instant center in minutes! (If your kiddos have not used linker cubes as learning tools make sure you give them time to play with them first.)

Happy Teaching and Learning!

"Snow" Painting

2011-12-30T08:53:00.000-08:00

I few weeks ago, I pinned this cute picture. I knew I wanted to try the activity in my classroom but needed to "test" it out first to see how it would work. I had my four year son and seven year old niece test it out for me! It turns out this activity is great for all ages!

To get started, you will need:

Step 2:

Let's create!

End results:

Need book suggestions? Check out these.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

January Book Picks - Linky Party

2011-12-27T08:45:00.001-08:00

I can't believe 2012 is upon us. Luckily, school does not start until the 9th! Most of these books will be used for teaching during science and social studies.

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

These books are great for all grade levels.
I try to teach about the many people who
influenced the Civil Rights Movement.

Let is Snow. Let is Snow. Let it Snow.

No, snow in my parts of California!
But with these books we'll have "snow" much fun.

Celebrating Chinese New Year

The New Year begins January 23rd.
It's the year of the Dragon!

I plan to share ideas, pinspirations and perhaps, a freebie or two to go with these book picks. Now, it's your turn to link up or leave a comment about your favorites.

Happy Reading!

Do you Fold?

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

Have you used foldables in your classroom? Recently, some of my students created these foldables during our study about Friends. Here is how we created them.

Here are some uses for this activity.

We used the graphic organizer above to help us organize our thoughts. Since the kids were writing about a friend and needed to present it to their classmates, we practiced the vocabulary and the sentences many, many times as we made the Foldable.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Top 3 of 2011

2011-12-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

Where did the year go? I began 2011 with less than 100 Followers and I would love to end the year with 1,000. (I'd love your help. If I reach this goal, there may be a giveaway.)

Today, I am joining Fern Smith's Linky Party.

Here are my Top 3 for 2011

PostsMore »

Roll A Sight Word

Oct 13, 2011, 21 comments

21,385 Pageviews

The Goldilocks Rule

May 15, 2011, 28 comments

14,393 Pageviews

Writing Over Time

Aug 31, 2011, 11 comments

13,687 Pageviews

Do you ever wonder which sites your visitors come from? Here are mine.

Traffic SourcesMore »

http://www.learningwithmrsparker.blogspot.com/

5,543

http://finallyinfirst.blogspot.com/

2,725

http://www.mrswillskindergarten.com/

2,270

Thanks Deedee and Jenn!

And, here are some posts which reflect my teaching style; differentiated with bit of work smarter not harder.

3 Posts You May Have Missed
Instant Math Center Using Puzzles
On Safari to Africa
Dissecting Sentences

Happy Blogging! Happy Following! :)

Pinspirations - Linky Party

2011-12-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

I am looking for some Pinspirations.

Here is a look at my board for January.

As you can see, it is pretty bare.

Here is my social studies board. Very sad.... :(

Share your favorite boards. And because I have my Christmas shopping completed, let's make this a linky party. Share your Pinspirations.

Happy Pinning!

Counting My Blessings

2011-12-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

During the holidays, I am often reminded how blessed I am. Today, I would like to share with you one of my favorite Christmas stories. So, I created a movie using my Flip camera. (Sorry, if it is not the best quality. It is hard to read and videotape but I tried my best.) Every time I read this story, I cry. So, please excuse my crying.

As I read, I am reminded of my mother who was a migrant worker and the tough childhood she endured. But I also think of my students; many of whom live in poverty. Some, may not have any gifts to open this holiday season except for the one I gave them. I think of my former student, who sleeps on the floor because he has no bed of his own. I can't help but wonder if they are okay. No child should be without.

So, as I sit here, enjoying the warmth of my home and the wonder that the holiday season brings to many of us, I like to stop and count my blessings. I am lucky! I could be just like Panchito or many of the students that I teach; but I made it. I overcame the hardships in my life.

Are you blessed?

100th Day Find

2011-12-19T14:03:00.000-08:00

While shopping today, look what I found.

Happy Shopping!

I Survived!

2011-12-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

Wow! This week was one of the longest, busiest weeks of the year!

I survived 20 conferences, a 2 hour Student Success Team meeting, our kindergarten Winter Performance, and a walking field trip to our local grocery store! To top it off, we were on minimum days for most of the week and rainy day schedule for two of those days.

Here is a sampling of the week.
We made these as our Parent gifts. They turned out great. I added "fake" snow filler inside the ornament.

Pinterest inspired

We also made stockings which I filled with goodies to help them with homework; two dice, dry erase board, dry erase board marker, and a book. The kids were so excited when they saw the dice. They love kindergarten Yatzee and Roll a Sight Word.

For our Winter Performance we sang Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciado. Find a copy of the book here.

Click image to hear my students sing!

This audio clip is of my students rehearsing. I wish you could see their faces.

Happy Winter Break everyone! I am looking forward to three weeks of thinking about school at my own pace. :)

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Hanukkah idea....and More

2011-12-10T18:46:00.001-08:00

Whew! Assessments and report cards are finished!

We are performing for our families a collection of winter songs including The Driedel Song by Raffi. Here are few Hanukkah activities we completed during our learning.

We made these pattern candles found here. I used them to decorate the door.

My students learned how to play the Driedel game which they loved. Look at that smile! The kids could not get enough of this game.

I also made a little book for my kids to read based on the song. Unfortunately, I can't share because of the graphics but you can find the Hanukkah graphics here.

Source

And totally, unrelated, we are participating in a Gingerbread Exchange. This kids enjoy looking at the map to find where our Gingerbread is from. They are eagerly awaiting getting a Gingerbread Girl. Here is our display. We made gingerbread houses after reading Gingerbread Baby. It was a great independent activity while I finished testing.

Five more days until vacation! Yeah!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

I'm Busy

2011-12-04T09:27:00.001-08:00

It's the busiest time of the year.....ASSESSMENTS!

I ~~convinced~~ suggested that we purchase ESGI to use with our assessments. I love it! And, so do my teammates. We are able to use some on the system tests and create our own assessments. No more shuffling papers, gathering supplies, etc. Just click and go. Data in an instant! (And, I don't know about your school....but we are all about data.)

Here is the problem! TESTING TAKES FOREVER!!!!!! It is 1-1. In the pre-reading section, there are 4 tests times 21 kids. There are 3 sections. You get the drift.

My poor kiddos! They loose valuable instruction time. :( I try to only test during center time. But I still get those kids who want to show you their work or just stop by to chat.

So, I've created this little sign to remind them that I'm busy. I plan to insert it into a little frame and display at my computer where I am testing.

Click image for your copy.

What are some of your tricks of the trade to keep kids at bay while you assess? Let me know. I hope I'm not the only one who has this problem.

Happy Sunday all! I'm hoping to watch a lot of football while planning for the week and getting some report cards started.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Word Study with a Holiday Twist

2011-12-01T21:30:00.001-08:00

This week we tried something new for word study. Our usual routine involves a teacher directed lesson and independent practice. I remembered how much my students last year loved Write the Room activities so I created this one to meet the needs of my kindergarten students.

I "hid" cards around the room and the students searched for them. I loved how engaged they were as they searched. Some students worked together while others did it independently. Afterwards, we read the words and sorted them into word families. The kids loved it so much they have asked me to do it again. So, it is now an option for Word Study during Daily 5; to maintain, I move the cards around each day to a new location. Easy!

Would you like a copy? If so, click on the image above. If you like, leave some feedback at my shop or better yet, leave me a comment on my blog.

I am also looking for more bloggers to link up on my December Book Picks. To do so, go here. Lastly, I hope you didn't miss my post on TBA. To celebrate the holiday season it included a freebie and recipe.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

December Book Picks

2011-11-27T18:30:00.001-08:00

I can't believe December is almost here! Where did the time go? I will spend much of the month assessing my students and then, reporting out to parents about their child's progress.

In the meantime, I hope to be able to share with them a few favorite books that bring a little winter into our southern California lives.

Although, I love Christmas and so do many of my children, I try to teach children about other traditions that are celebrated during the winter months. Instead, if time permits, I will spend a little time teaching about Hanukah and/or Kwanzaa. Children will have access to Christmas theme books at the listening center or in the library.

Do you like this? It is a slideshow widget from Amazon. Go here to get yours.

What will you be reading this month? Link up here. I'm always on the lookout for more books to add to my Gingerbread collection.

Happy Reading!

HeidiSongs Giveaway Winner

2011-11-24T16:39:00.001-08:00

to all!

And, now to the winner of

the HeidiSongs giveaway....

Congratulations, Meghan!

Please email me with your shipping address

and which product(s) you would like.

Let it Shine

2011-11-24T11:44:00.001-08:00

Barbara from The Corner on Character and Mrs. McKown from Little Literacy Learners both awarded me with a Sunshine Award.
Thank you, ladies! I admire both of you, too.

Now, a few things about me:
Favorite color? My favorite colors are black, white and lime green with a splash of hot pink. Favorite animal? Pomeranians; my childhood dog. Favorite number? 7 Favorite drink? Coffee in the a.m. and Pepsi or Coke in the p.m. Facebook or Twitter? Facebook, I guess. But I prefer Google Reader or Pinterest! Your passion(s)? Teaching, learning, reading, and being a good mom and wife. Giving or getting presents? I love giving gifts. Favorite day? My son's birthday. I "officially" became a mommy that day. :) Favorite flower? Gardenia

These bloggers truly inspire me. I'm sure you'll agree.

A Place Called Kindergarten. I love her Friday Favorites.

HeidiSongs. Another one of my must reads on Fridays.

Mrs. Wills Kindergarten. Have you peeked into her week?

Can Do Kinders. I love her Ten Frame monthly freebie; so do my kids.

Doodle Bugs Teaching. Makes me want to be a learner in her classroom.

Little Miss Kindergarten. She helped to spark my dice game obsession. :)

ingles360. Ana is so creative and has a line of products of MyGrafico.

Counting Coconuts. Great mom blog where I learned about sensory tubs and homemade playdoh.

Oceans of First Grade Fun. She is a math Queen.

Thank you for bringing a little Sunshine into my life.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Gifts of Gratitude

2011-11-21T07:49:00.001-08:00

Here are a few more gifts of gratitude that I would like to share with you.

Even after all these years, it is still hard to say good bye.

Don't these look adorable?

He made them without any help.

Thank you!

You have 3 chances to win! Here's how:

1. Follow my blog and Heidi's Blog. Leave a comment that you follow both.

2. Visit HeidiSongs website. Click on the link on my sidebar. Tell me what product(s) you would like to win.

3. Blog about it!

There's more!

If I get 1,000 Followers before the contest ends, I will select an additional winner!

Contest ends on Wednesday, November 23rd at midnight PST. Open to U.S. residents only. Winner(s) will be selected on Thanksgiving night PST.

With Gratitude,

Thankful For...Linky Party

2011-11-20T21:31:00.001-08:00

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I would like to stop and reflect about the many blessings that I have in my professional and home life. I hope to share throughout the week including a special thank you to my Followers. :)

Weekends are family days. My son loves breakfast and pancakes in particular. This has become a standard favorite in our home; in fact, we had it today. I love that my four year old can help prepare this meal with me as he helps to peel, measure, and whisk. :)

Click image for your copy.

What are you thankful for? Link up here.

Thankful Turkeys

2011-11-17T19:31:00.001-08:00

Instead of the traditional Thanksgiving card, my students will be taking home a Thankful Turkey to adorn their home. Pinterest inspired, I love how cute they look.

Together, we brainstormed what we were thankful for. Here is a typical sample. (Is it ever to early to be thankful for presents?) Afterwards, I assembled the feathers for them.

Click here for your copy.

If you grab a copy to use or tuck away for next year, leave a comment about what you are thankful for. Today, I am thankful that I survived our walking field trip. One more day until Thanksgiving break!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Anchor Charts to Support Comprehension

2011-11-15T17:10:00.001-08:00

Here are a few charts I have made to help support my students understand basic comprehension skills. The key words are color coded so that the kids can make a connection between these words.

Be sure to include animals and people.
Some kids are literal and may think that
only animals are characters since many
early books have animals as main characters.

Both charts include pictures that have
a meaning or connection to our classroom.
Pop quiz: Can you name each
book the pictures are from?

We are putting these skills to practice during our read aloud time. It has also helped my speech students who have difficulty understanding the W words (who, what, when, and where).

I will be back soon to share a tree map that I am working on with my ELD class. I think you'll like it.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Writing Over Time Update

2011-11-13T08:00:00.001-08:00

What a difference a month can make! Here is a peek into what a few students are writing. Look at how much they have grown in such a short amount of time. Their hard work is beginning to pay off.

No words in October.

Now, he has a sentence.

Our next steps, work on rereading.

Here's another.

I keep lots of charts for the kids to use.

I don't help with spelling.

I do help students stretch sounds in words.

Last one.

She came to school with lots of writing experiences.

Look at the difference.

Would you like a copy? Go here.

I hope this new buy will also help my students as readers and writers as well. It just came in the mail. I can't wait to use it with my students. If you would like to learn more, click on the link on my sidebar.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Math in Pictures

2011-11-12T09:53:00.001-08:00

I love how these stations can be a part of our math time for as long as necessary. I change them as needed but many can be adapted. How are your math stations going? Any suggestions to make math even better? Comment away. I love to read them.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Shared Reading and Teaching Sight Words

2011-11-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

How do you teach reading? I was trained in the "old school" method of to, by, and with for reading and writing. Children need opportunities to be read to, read by themselves, and read with one another. Shared reading is an important component of my reading program; especially for young, emergent readers. I often use our shared reading text to teach sight words in context. This year I am finding it practically difficult to find books that cover our 3 to 5 Dolch words. (Our language arts adoption is antiquated an only teaches 1/4 of the words we will teach. Talk about helpful. NOT!) It has lead me to create books for our class to read.

Here is a look at what we are reading.

I am not sure if you would be interested in purchasing these for your classroom. If you are, leave me a comment and I will upload them to my Teachers Notebook Shop. I would love to hear any more suggestions about how to teach sight words in context. What do you do?

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Pumpkins and More

2011-10-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

When I saw the brace map on Chalk Talk's blog last year, I knew I wanted to create it with my students. The kids were thrilled when they had a chance to paint with our volunteer mom. We used their painted orange papers to make all the pumpkins displayed. The brace maps and life cycles were created over a period of several days due to time. I love how this bulletin board is visually pleasing but all "packed" with learning.

Today, in our attempt to have a little fun, we created this Pinterest project during math time. I must say, the kids were so highly focused on the project that there was almost no talking. It always amazes me when silence arises because they are "into" their learning.

And, now, I can look forward to the hustle and bustle of November. What are you looking forward to most about this month? For me, it is Thanksgiving (and a week long break). It is my favorite holiday; a celebration of food and family. If you'd like to find out what I'm planning on reading or join my linky party, read the post below.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

November Book Picks

2011-10-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

For the past few months, I have shared what I am planning to read to my students. I have loved the ability to collaborate with you on your book picks. As a result, each month, I will host a monthly Book Picks Linky Party where you will have the opportunity to link up and share your favorites, too.

This month is a smorgasbord of literature focusing on nutrition, Veteran's Day, and Thanksgiving.

Come back soon for a few ideas to go along with some of the stories I will read this month.

Happy Reading!

What is Working

2011-10-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today was our 36th day of school. The kids are growing as learners academically and socially. But sometimes, it can feel like I/we run a marathon; our pace is fast and almost non-stop. There is such rigor in kindergarten and I am thankful each day that I have a full day to teach all the content that students are expected to master. An additional stress this year, is that my school is in Program Improvement Year 2. :(

Despite the challenge, I am pleased with some of the changes that I have made because of you! Blogging has opened my world to a new professional learning community. As a result, I can see my students benefiting from my learning. I have changed my word wall to look more like this. We worked on patterns using Fran's wonderful resource. (I may never staple a book the same way again!) We sing and dance away our sight words using HeidiSongs (click on the side bar for more info.).

Here is a little thank you gift to all the wonderful teachers who are supporting me; sometimes in ways I never imagined. This game was created to help my students continue to count and master numbers to 10. I like how as students work on this, they are also beginning to learn about "making a 10." The kids love it! To play, place 10 red/yellow counters in a plastic container. We use these. The child counts how many red and how many yellow and colors the amount onto the Ten Frame.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Celebrating the days after Halloween

2011-10-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

What do you do the day after Halloween? Looking to incorporate art, culture, and other traditions? Why not teach about dia de los muertos. To read more go here. The mask template I used can be found on this site.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Chips Anyone?

2011-10-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

No, not potato! Paint chips. Have you seen all the great paint chip ideas by fellow bloggers and on Pinterest? Well, I created my first paint chip project.

Before

After

As I completed the project, I was thinking of other uses for paint chips. I may just have to drop by our local hardware store soon. Have you made a paint chip project? Or seen one you'd like to share? Link up.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

A Very Busy Week

2011-10-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

This week has been a whirlwind week of learning.

Here are a few pictures of the week thus far.

Readers Predict

Teddy Bear Day in honor of the letter B.

Magic

It has been a week of discovery.

Here's hoping your week has been as productive as ours!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

2011-10-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

My blog has been nominated by Circle of Moms as one of the Top 25 Teacher Mom Blogs. I am honored and humbled to be in such good company. So many wonderful teacher bloggers are also nominated. You can vote for your favorite once a day through November 8th.

Sale, Sale, Sale!

2011-10-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Shopping!

Roll A Sight Word

2011-10-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

For the past four years, I have used Daily 5 as part of my literacy system. It is always challenging for kindergartners because five year olds usually do not have a lot of "skills" under their belt yet.

My Daily 5 Pocket Chart.

We complete Independent Reading first thing in the morning. We currently have 2 rounds of Daily 5 which last about 15 to 20 minutes. Daily 5 takes place right after writing so it was a little redundant to ask them to write again. In the beginning, students had a "filler activity" such as puzzles or Lite Brite. This week, I added a new twist to writing which the kids love. I am also satisfied that skills are being mastered during this writing time.

Who doesn't love dice? During this activity students can practice our sight words; we have 2-3 new ones each week, so this is much needed practice. I like how I can make accommodations to this game based on our learning and/or student need. Would you like your own copy? I have left it as a PowerPoint document so that you may change the words to fit the needs of your students.

Enjoy! Please let me know if it works. I have never uploaded an editable document before. :)

Happy Learning and Teaching!

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

2011-10-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am joining TBA in celebrating Hispanic Heritage week! Today's topic is about sharing your favorite books or sites. I love to fill my classroom with books which represent children of all cultures. The books I have selected are my personal favorites; one which represent my students and myself.

This is a two stories about a girl's growth from painted words to spoken words. Great for older students; especially those who are English language learners.

This is the story of a little boy who must share a food for International Day.

Every time I read The Circuit, I am reminded of the hardships my mother encountered as a migrant worker. I have become the woman I am because of my mother. Me Llamo Maria Isabel reminds me to honor every child's name because each one is beautiful and important.

I hope these books become part of your classroom libraries.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Math Work Stations

2011-10-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

Here is what our Math Work Stations look like.

The I Can chart is based on our learnings thus far.

It will be revised as we continue to grow and learn as mathematicians.

There are 11 Math Work Stations in our room.

Most games involve one of the three topics from our I Can Chart.

On average, our work station time is 15 minutes long.

For now, I am monitoring groups.

Soon, I plan to meet with students.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

My Favorite October Book

2011-10-02T07:11:00.001-07:00

I use The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything for shared reading each October. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it is about a little old lady who is being followed by two shoes, one pair of pants, and "other parts." The book lends itself towards having others join in the reading.

This book is a great book to teach prediction. Many times, in kindergarten, this is the first time that children are listening to this story. Towards the end of the story, the author asks the reader a question. We pause to make our predictions.

Click here for your copy.

Here are other ways you can use the story. Last year, my first graders and I recorded ourselves reading the story. The class had so much fun listening to themselves. I found a Reader's Theatre that I would use with older students or could adapt with my class this year. Make Learning Fun has an array of literacy activities.

Do you have a favorite book for October? Please share.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Books For October

2011-10-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Happy October! I love books! Really, I do. October brings a whole new set of books to share with my students.

Here are a few favorites.

My absolute favorite book for October is....

Freebie coming soon!

What is on your must reads list for October?

Join me and share your favorites with others.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

What is it? Letter or Number?

2011-09-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

This week we worked on identifying words, letters, numbers and shapes. I noticed some students were confused with these terms when I gave them their initial assessments. This was especially true of my students who did not come to school with this basic vocabulary or are learning English. We created this chart together.

Each child was given a card and had to think where it belonged. I gave my experts the cards first and asked how they knew the answer. Later, as part of their math workstation, the students sorted their own set.

Click here to get yours.

If you plan to use these with your students, please leave a comment. Happy Friday!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Science Experiment Linky Party

2011-09-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Join me in sharing your favorite science experiments and activities from your classroom or home. I shared one recently here.

The next science lesson we conducted, tied into our mini unit but also served to support the needs of my students. My class this year is primarily English Language Learners who have limited vocabulary. I wanted this lesson to be interactive but also helped to build academic vocabulary.

This lesson was conducted over a period of days. On the first day we used our senses to describe the outside of a coconut. On the next day we opened up the coconut and repeated the same procedure.

Here is what our findings revealed.

Throughout the process, children were encouraged to think of better words than "circle" or " taste good." This was especially true when investigating the inside. They easily could say it was white but it took many times of touching the coconut to get someone to say if felt wet and to explain why. In the future, I plan to conduct a science experiment for each of the senses. I found some very simple experiments to try.

Now, it's your turn to link up. Link up, comment and connect with fellow educators about science.

Happy Learning and Teaching!

It's Science, My Dear

2011-09-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

I love to see children excited about learning! There is nothing as rewarding as when children ask when will we have science. We began our venture into the world of science during our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom mini unit.

To begin, we watched this video.

This was a perfect way to start our investigation. I loved how we were able to conduct the experiments right along with the video. Students were able to make a hypothesis, conduct the experiment and see if prediction was correct.

We also used a simple data sheet to record our learning.

Check back later in the week to see more of our learning. In the meantime, don't forget to check out other videos at

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Science Books

2011-09-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

Science Week is here!

I hope you are enjoying browsing at the amazing blogs and science books out there. Here is my list.

Favorite teacher resources

Student Books

Great for teaching properties of matter.

Many Eric Carle books are great for science.

Love the text in this series. Simple for early readers.

Great for beginning of the year.

These books are great for vocabulary development.

Coming Soon

Pre-order your copy here.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

2011-09-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great week exploring the wonderful world where anything can happen....

This book provided lots of opportunities for cross curricular study.

I enjoy this book so much and thankfully, my students did too.

Here are some of the activities we completed.

For math, we used this book to help us count.
One of our alphabet activities was to match upper and lower case letters.

Grab your copy here.

We also played this Chicka Chicka Boom Boom alphabet game from Lakeshore Learning.

Look at these adorable hats! The kids did wonderfully listening and following directions for this multi-step craft. I loved how each one turned out different!

Stayed tune for more Chicka Chicka Boom Boom inspired learning!

Happy Learning and Teaching!

Learning with Pete the Cat

2011-09-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

We have had such a groovy time learning with Pete the Cat!

Our first unit of study in math was to identify our colors. This was easy for most but there were a few who did not know this. Each day as we've learned our colors, we have colored a page from our Pete the Cat book which I adapted a bit from here.

We have also used Pete the Cat as our inspiration for writing. As seen in the above picture, we wrote together this speech bubble about the colors. Each child had a white board to write on as we created the sentences together. I also had a few helpers for this interactive writing piece as you can tell by the the upside down e. Oh, well. We wrote! The bulletin board is displaying our first opinion piece; a Common Core Standard. I highlighted the color word for them and most were able to trace over it. Some actually copied the word.

We concluded the week with the making of our Pete the Cat puppets. They look adorable! The kids were so attentive during this following directions and cutting task. Thankfully, I had the help of my once a week aide who assisted during this task.

Stay tuned for some science!
We conducted our first experiment today!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

This and That

2011-09-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

My kids are doing a great job getting into the groove of being in school. For the most part, they have a pretty good attention span and can "work independently" for about 10 minutes. I have been able to complete some pre-reading and math assessments using my free trail offer through ESGI. I really love the instant feedback you get from the assessment. So, unlike our current system. (Click on the link in my sidebar to find out more. )

I am hoping to begin Math Work Stations next week. So, this week we are practicing a few math games that will become the basis of some of our work stations. We learned about taking turns while playing CandyLand. We also played a dice game based on Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

The kids did a great job! Our mini lesson focused on recognizing the number of dots without counting. Many were able to do this at least up to four. Not bad, for our first go at this. Then, we got to use the dice to roll and color our Brown Bear Worksheet. This was a great way to practice our colors and counting without it looking like that's what they were doing. :) We even had time to share our work and analyze the data.

How are math work stations going for you? Your words of wisdom is greatly appreciated. I'd love to hear what's happening in your room.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

A Tribute

2011-09-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

Let us not forget. God Bless America.

My Turn. Your Turn.

2011-09-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

I began using My Turn. Your Turn. at the suggestion of the special education teacher to help our students who were mainstreamed into my classroom. It was a term that she used with them to know when it was "Their Turn" or "Her Turn." As an inclusion teacher, I realized how important it was to have common language. I also liked how well they responded to it. Many children have trouble realizing when it is appropriate to talk or in their cases just get up and move onto something else. What I realized while using it with them was how well all my students responded to the term. If a student interrupted, I asked "Who's turn is it?". Many times, silence followed.

Now, that I am "starting all over" in kindergarten, I have been using this with my students. They are doing very well with it too. During the teacher directed lesson, I will say, "It's my turn." I remind them that during My Turn, I will do most of the talking. I also let them know that it will be Their Turn next. If a student interrupts inappropriately I simply say "My turn." If they keep talking, I ignore. Most times, it works. I must also note, that I have a really quite class so far. (We're still in the honeymoon stage.) I also have a fair amount of students who are non-verbal; by choice right now. We will keep going over this procedure until it is internalized by most students.

Hope this helps those who were curious.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

First Day

2011-09-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school. It was an almost uneventful except for the rainy day schedule. Yes, rainy day schedule!

The kids did an outstanding job! Almost all of them, recognized their name and could write it. We got a lot accomplished for a half day. We read several books including Pete the Cat, drew a picture of ourselves, and practiced our colors.

We also learned one of our procedures: My Turn, Your Turn. This really helped them to know when they could just chat away or when they needed to focus and listen attentively.

Tomorrow is a full day. I am going to be brave and bring out the scissors and glue! We are going to look for items from magazines that are red and orange. Wish me luck! Let's hope everyone goes home without a new haircut.

Happy Learning and Teaching!

Thank You

2011-09-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my fellow bloggers who voted my blog one of their Top Ten.

Please show them some gratitude by visiting their outstanding blogs.

I Follow close to 200 blogs; all of which I love for enriching my teaching and learning.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

The End of Molasses Classes

2011-09-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started teaching, I have loved to read books written by other teachers. I find them informative and inspirational. Some of my favorites include Educating Esme, The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter, and a Room With A Different View.

This summer I was lucky enough to read The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark. I read much of this book with tears falling down my cheeks as I became immersed in the lives of the people who make the Ron Clark Academy an extraordinary place for teaching and learning. The End of Molasses Classes is "filled with the magic, the successes, the heartbreaks, and the triumphs that are the Ron Clark Academy." The vignettes are a snapshot of how the Ron Clark Academy seeks to ignite a passion for learning in and out of the classroom. At times followed by a Do This suggestion, it told how you could apply this method in your classroom or school.

The End of Molasses Classes could not have come at a more timely manner as our school is going through a period of change; new leadership, lower than expected test scores, and perhaps, a much needed time for our school to self reflect about our current practices.

This was my favorite quote in the book.

If you'd like to know more go here.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

I received a copy of The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark. This did not affect my opinions about this book.

Writing Over Time

2011-08-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first "official" day of work. Although, "unofficially," I have been working on and off all summer long.

As I start to think about my incoming students, I like to have a document that will record their growth in writing over time. Most years, I have students all over the spectrum in writing development; scribbles to phonetic spelling. As a teacher, I need to praise all of this but I also want to show how much my students with little schema or tremendous amounts of writing experiences have grown.

Artwork from Just So Scrappy and KPM Doodles

For years, I have collected a monthly writing sample from my students. At my previous school, this was based on the monthly writing prompts which we were required to give. The prompts usually contained a sentence starter. Over time, I have changed that to be more of "writing assignment" for lack of better words. Since I try to give this on the first day of the month if possible, students and I gather together and brainstorm about what the new month may have in store. For example, September lends itself to thinking about school whereas in December children can only think about toys, toys, and more toys. I make a year long writing journal. Each month, I take it out and they write a new piece into this journal. I like that it is all in one place and shows growth over time.

Link has been fixed. :)

Since, I teach kindergarten and first, there is a first grade version embedded into this document. All you'll need to do is pick and choose what to copy. Please leave a comment.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

A Sneak Peek...

2011-08-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

I have been busily working on my classroom. It is starting to finally feel ready for kindergarten. Here is a look at my calendar.

My calendar is a mixture of old and new things. The days of the week display is inspired by Today is Monday. The months of the year are from DoodleBugs Teaching. (Her stuff is so educational, creative and cute!) Inspired by her Brown Bear post, I made these color cards to go with my now Eric Carle calendar theme.

I painted the white polka dots onto black card stock. (It was an afterthought in design.) I purchased the graphics from KPMDoodles; a clipart artist and teacher. Get these graphics here. Better yet, the first three people who leave a comment and their email, I will send them the Brown Bear Color cards. Otherwise, you can find them at my shop.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

2011-08-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder, why you teach?

Perhaps, this inspirational song will help you remember.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Back To School Giveaway Winner

2011-08-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Three For Thursday

2011-08-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

I'm Blog Hoppin'. Today's topic is Three (or more) for Thursday. Here's my list.

Favorite Blogs

I have lots of blogs that I read. But some of my all time favorites are:

Kindergarten:

First Grade:

Other favorites:

The Corner on Character

Favorite Online Resources

Again, another long list. But these are my go to.

www.proteacher.net

www.scholastic.com

www.pioneerwoman.com

Thanks for blog hoppin'.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Back to School Giveaway

2011-08-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

School is in full swing for many of you but for some of us, we are just gearing up for a new school year. I could not think of a better way to kick off the new year than with a giveaway.

If you are a reader of my blog, you know that I love to incorporate music and movement in my classroom Well, I am happy to announce that Learning With Hip Hop has graciously offered to giveaway their latest CD, Get Up by Mark D. Pencil. Plus, I am also giving away a $15.00 iTunes card to buy their previous CD (or for that matter anything on iTunes.)

Get Up is aimed at getting kids moving with songs like Teamwork, The Exercise Game #4 and the Mark D. Twist. Listening to these songs will get kids moving, having fun and provide a brain break that children need in order to learn. If you want to know how much I love their first CD read here and here about how I've used them in my classroom.

Here's how to enter.
1. Leave a comment on my blog with your email please.
2. Follow Mark D. Pencil on Facebook. Tell him Learning With Mrs. Parker sent you.
3. Blog about it. Send me your link.

Due to shipping costs, this is only for U.S. residents only. The giveaway ends Sunday, August 28th at midnight PST. A random winner will be selected on Monday, August 29th.

So, Get Up and enter!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Teacher Talk Tuesday

2011-08-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

It's still Tuesday, here in CA.

So, here it goes....

Teacher Talk Tuesday!

My Advice for Teachers (new or not so new to teaching)

Be yourself.

Kids will see right through you when they know you are not "into it."

Create a safe place for children to learn.

School may be the only safe place that child has in their life. As a child, I loved school. It was my "safe haven" from a sometimes confusing home life.

Love your students.

See the good in each of your students. If you don't, they won't either.
Everyone needs to know that they are loved. Show them but also tell them.

Allow for mistakes.

Learning is all about making mistakes. No one is perfect. Everyone, including me, makes mistakes. Learning from our mistakes is what really matters.

Love learning.

Education is always reinventing itself. Keep up with it on your own or through organizations, professional learning communities. (Does blogging and blog hopping count?)

Less is more.

Teaching is an exhausting profession. Make time for yourself, family and other interests. My first year, I was in my classroom every weekend. I was also sick all the time. Over the years, I've learned to tackle one new thing instead of trying to tackle it all.

Love what you do.

You deserve to love your job and so do the children we teach. They deserve the best from us. They are the future. Let's give them the best.

Have a great school year! Let's make the best of it!

Happy Learning and Teaching!

Meet the Teacher 2011

2011-08-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Learning With Mrs. Parker.

This week

Today's topic is Meet the Teacher.

To read more about me go here.

(Don't forget to come back and take a look at my blog.)

Thanks for stopping by.

Target Find

2011-08-18T15:33:00.000-07:00

Run over to Target if you are in love with all things related to Pete the Cat! While shopping at our local Target I found these colored lunch bags. This is unusual and I knew I had to have them. The lady who was also in the aisle must have thought I was crazy as I was telling my son that it is not often that you find colored lunch bags. Okay, so my son, looked at me a little weird, too. Oh, well.

Anyways, look what I made today from that lunch bag. It is a Pete the Cat puppet! I plan on reading Pete the Cat several times the first few weeks of school as we are learning the colors. I think this will be a great craft project for my kinders to create. I am also going to make a retell center with this puppet. I am going to laminate it prior to adding the shoes. Then, I will attach velcro on the bottom where the shoes go. I am going to make several more pairs of different colored shoes. Children will then get to practice retelling the story and learn their colors. :)

If you'd like some Pete the Cat related freebies go here. There are lots of activities for this and many other books.

Happy Learning and Teaching!

Common Core Standards Cheat Sheets

2011-08-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

I have a few weeks before school starts. As I start to think about the new school year, I can not help to think how the Common Core Standards will change some of my teaching. Since I am learning the standards, I created these "cheat" sheets to help me stay on track. They are specifically for kindergarten but if others show an interest, I would be happy to make more. You can find them here.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

PS- Visit my Teachers Notebook Shop for your copy of the First Grade CCS. Second Grade coming soon!

Hello, Friends!

2011-08-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

I'm back from vacation! We spent a wonderful two weeks in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at the cottage which my husband's family built over 50 years ago. I enjoyed every minute of our trip. The hardest thing to overcome was no internet. I tried to keep up every time we were "in town" but I think my Google Reader is over 800. I hope to be blogging, commenting and creating some new items to share with you.

During my vacation, I learned something new about myself. I discovered that I'm a lot more country than I thought. I loved raspberry picking, canning, and pole fishing. I loved the simplicity that this part of the country offers. We all shed a few tears as we said goodbye but it's nice to know that we can return next summer and many summers after that.

Here are a few of my favorite photos.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2011-08-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

My blog turns one tomorrow! It has been a great year!
Here are some things I've learned since starting my blog.
1. Blogging is fun!
2. I love comments! It makes my day. I read every one.
3. I love linky parties. Please join my Teaching the Alphabet linky party.
4. Blogging has re-energized my teaching. I love the virtual collaboration.
5. Teacher bloggers are the best!

Thank you to those who Follow my blog.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

PS- I am on vacation right now and have very limited internet access. I will be back to regular posting and commenting soon.

W Is For....

2011-07-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is part of Teaching the Alphabet blog party.

(I am posting this early since I will be out of town without my computer. I wanted to make sure everything was working before leaving.)

I have the letter W.

My inspiration was this book.

This story is appealing to younger learners but also very witty for older children.

It also covers lots of standards; both Common Core Standards and California.

Included in this packet are ideas for math, reading and writing.

Kindergarten students will probably do many of these activities in a whole group setting through interactive and shared reading and writing lessons. Whereas, first grade students will be able to do some independently after teaching modeling.

Click image for your copy.

I have worked hard to create this for my classroom and yours. Please respect my work by not distributing to others, rather referring them to my blog. If you do enjoy it, please leave a comment. I would also love to see this in action. Send an email. It would make my day to see children using it!

Now it's your turn. Below is a list of bloggers who have signed up to host a letter.

Thank you ladies! :)

Click to see who is hosting.

Link up and add my button.

Didn't sign up. Don't worry. You can join in the fun, too!

I can't wait to see all the ideas!

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Teaching the Alphabet

Back To School Activity

2011-07-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for something new to do with your kids this year? Are you presenting at a workshop and need an ice breaker activity? Try this. This is a great getting to know you activity. Perfect for older students. After creating this, your students present to their classmates.

A Yard of Me:

My name is Mrs. Parker This fall will be my 14th year teaching. I will teach kindergarten but have previously taught first through third grades. I have a small family. My husband of six years and my four year old son. I don't know what I'd do without my boys. My favorite color is green and I like the number seven. I love my iPad and love to read books. I may have a book obsession. I love a good cup of coffee and pastry in the morning. My favorite place to visit is Disneyland. We go as often as we can! Currently, I love reading books with great illustrations and simple texts; Mo Willems and Jan Thomas are current favorites at bedtime.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

HeidiSongs Sale

2011-07-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

Sale ends Sunday. Go here for details.

Tree Maps for Fall

2011-07-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

I have been busy organizing for my home and classroom. Here is a what I've been working on for school.

Click image to get your freebie.

I've made a collection of Tree Maps to use for the beginning of the year. I had such success with them last year that I wanted to start planning for them now. My kids loved them! I used them often with my English Language Learners during Systematic ELD. They were perfect for science and social studies. I often left extras with our writing paper. It was great to see my kids independently research.

If you'd like more, go here.

Your feedback would be appreciated.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Sprucing Up Your Photos

2011-07-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick Blogger Tech Tip.

Is it just me or have I missed an easier way through Blogger to spruce up photos. Take this picture for example. If you click on the image, you will get an option that says Edit Image.

Click there. Then, it will take you to a screen like this.

Click on the Create tab. Then, your options become endless.

You can add text, borders, speech bubbles, etc to your photos.

Like my postage stamp?

Or how about the polaroid? Love it!

Many of these features are free although there are some premium features. Does anyone use this on a regular basis? If so, share if you like it. It looks pretty easy and fun.

Happy Blogging!

Math Work Stations Chapter 8

2011-07-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we have finished with our Math Work Stations blog study. It has been such an awesome journey to share and learn with you all. I have loved reading your thoughts, discovering your passion and meeting so many new friends through this unit of study.

I created this math work station to go with I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean. I love the repetitive language. I liked how this book would be easy enough for the youngest of learners but also funny enough to entertain older students. Students will be able to use both standard and non standard units of measurement for this work station.

For more ideas about measurement math work stations, go to Lory's Page. She has some wonderful ideas about math and more.

I will be updating my sidebar to include direct links for each chapter. You will, then, have easy access to find freebies, share, or link up.
Happy Teaching and Learning!