Six on Sunday

Hey guys!  I realize "Six on Sunday" is in no way a "thing," but it has been so long since I blogged I figured a bulleted list would be best to get me back in the game.  Things were busy in spring, and I just needed a blog break.  Do you ever feel that way?  I hate for blogging to become a "chore" when it's supposed to be something fun that I do in spare time, so if it ever does become "work," I have no problem giving myself a blogging time out vacation.  Anyways, onto the "six"...

1. I ran my 5th half marathon this morning!  It was an awesome race and a beautiful course on the lakefront path in Chicago.  I wasn't shooting for a PR, but I ended up coming in just 1 second slower than my PR from the Space Coast Half in November, and I felt WAY stronger--what a great feeling!  Check back for a full recap and more pics later this week!

2. Speaking of running, I am officially signed up for the Chicago Marathon in October!  Not only will I be running my first full marathon, but I will be running as part of Team Up!, the charity team for Autism Speaks. I'm thrilled to be supporting such an awesome organization and am excited I've already raised almost $2,000!  Check out my fundraising page here if you are interested in hearing more about my connections to autism and why I'm running this race.

 3. My class is completely falling apart in the last weeks of school.  One girl was out midweek with stomach flu, another went home sick Friday with diarrhea, and another threw up on the carpet Friday mid-morning.  YIKES.  My fifth graders almost always made it to the trash can or bathroom to throw up, but this was our second floor accident of the year.  Must be a third grade and below thing...oh well!  Anyways, since all of this I can't help but view my classroom as a giant petri dish of germs, and I convince myself every stomach twinge I feel is the flu...my fingers are crossed that the large amounts of hand sanitizer I've been using will protect me!!

4. Speaking of school, with EIGHT DAYS of school left, I'm reflecting on what an awesome year this has been.  The kids are totally driving me crazy right now (HELLO MAY!), but seriously this year has been a breath of fresh air.  I loved fifth grade, but 3rd/4th is totally my niche.  Yes, they cry more than 5th graders, but then they write something cute on a spelling test like this:

Adorable.  That being said, I am so ready for summer!  Pool days, nonstop reading, and vacations are calling my name!!

5. Tuesday is my LAST DAY of grad school!  I am presenting my final project, turning in my loooong paper, and calling it a day!  It all feels a little anticlimactic because I didn't walk at the graduation ceremony, but after Tuesday I will have my master's degree.  Woohoo!!  What an awesome feeling.

6. I'm not much of a field trip girl--I think I am still scared from a field trip with my insane class my first year that almost killed me or at the very least almost drove me to quit.  Seriously, it was THAT BAD.  Anyways, like I said, I'm not much of a field trip girl, but Wednesday morning I will board a bus with a billion 3rd & 4th graders bound for Springfield, IL to visit our state capitol.  It is a 3 1/2 hour dive.  We leave at 6am and will be back home at 9:45pm.  Hold me...

By the way, I have some upcoming posts in the making including ones detailing my guided reading structure and notes, a typical day in Daily 3, how I ran guided math this year, updates on my marathon fundraising, and a giveaway for tart cherry juice!

Love for my new Math Bulletin Board

When I moved into my classroom at the beginning of this year, I had big plans for the giant bulletin board that stretched along one of my (small) walls above my counter.  It was going to be my fabulous MATH BOARD, and it was going to be colorful, interactive, and just plain wonderful.  Then the school year started, testing happened, and the board ended up totally covered with a random hodgepodge (technical term) of signs displaying math terms and definitions.  There was no rhyme or reason other than, "CRAP!  Here's ANOTHER concept that will be on THE TEST that I didn't have time to teach!  Better put up a sign and hope my darlings look at this board!!!!!"  I know, I know, good teachers everywhere are cringing and shaking their heads at me with disdain.

After 2 nearly solid weeks of testing (I KNOW!), the last thing I wanted to do was look at those awful signs anymore.  Last week, instead of using my precious plan time to actually grade the gigantic stack of expository essays or poetry books that I've been carrying around in my teacher bag for far too long, I pulled out my trusty staple remover and demolished the entire board.  Suddenly, I had a PROJECT on my hands.  Before I knew what was happening, I was typing labels for the different areas of the board, mounting them on hot pink paper, and even laminating them.  (Don't ask why--I realize there is NO good reason other than that I turn on that laminator every chance I get.)  I am IN LOVE with the result!

On the left: current anchor charts with content we are working on, models, and any relevant sentence frames.  I have these hanging with clothes pins with tacks hot glued to the back--one of my favorite things to use around the classroom this year.  SO much easier to add new charts throughout the week.  I try to make them with the kids as much as possible, and if I do make them in advance, I always use them in a lesson before hanging them on the board.

Next up is our Wonderful Math Words section.  After being so annoyed about stapling and unstapling (another technical term) my old vocab signs, it dawned on me to just hang a pocket chart.  DUH.  I know any primary teachers are confused about why i didn't think of this idea in the first place, and my only possible reasoning is that I like to make my life difficult sometimes.  Love this so much more.  I wrote my vocab on large index cards rather than sentence strips so I could include brief definitions or examples on some cards.

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Possibly my favorite part is the game section.  I've never used the Everyday Math games as much as I have this year, mostly because I am doing a guided math block and have less co-teacher support for groups than I have had in the past.  This means that students are independent more frequently, and I needed something more than journal pages for that time but don't like dealing with centers.  Some games are from EDM and others I made up to reinforce the skills we are working on.  I am trying to find or create two games to "feature" on the board per unit that closely relate to the skills we are working on.  These are our "Featured Games."  I included instructions and examples/photographs of the games on the board in page protectors so I can easily slide them in and out.  (Sorry for the glare in the picture!)

Below that are the "Old Favorites"--games we've worked with earlier in the year that are also available.  I wrote all of the games on dry-erase sentence strips so I can easily change them without taking the strips down.

I've been going crazy all year, though, managing the handouts and supplies that go with each game.  I've had a mess of papers and file folders in a bin on the counter since Fall!  I knew something had to change, so I laminated file folders and stapled them along the sides before stapling them to the bottom of the board.  I wrote the name of a different game on each in wet-erase marker, along with the materials needed to play.  Any other materials needed for the available games are in small boxes/baskets at the base of the board (calculators, dice, cards, etc.) Now, the kids can go up and find what they need to play a game.  Finally everything is running smoothly, and more importantly, no one is interrupting my guided math groups to ask questions about games!!

One other new feature is a Challenge section.  Meeting the needs of my brightest math students is something I've been slacking on this year.  It can just be so hard to leave a guided group of your most needy students to work with your advanced kiddos--even though they need you just as much!  I'm comitting to finding more ways to challenge my students inside and outside of guided groups throughout the rest of this year and into next year.  While this means meeting with their groups more frequently, it also means independent and group activities that will exercise their math minds when they are not meeting with me.

I posted two Challenge Problems on the board (also in page protectors) for them to try last week, and they LOVED them.  I also found some supplemental challenge activities from EDM that I copied and put in the folder below the challenge problems.  I practiced with the kids how they could go to the pocket and take any of the challenge activities any time they finished their "Must Do" math activity for the day, and checked in on what they were working on when we met during our group.  All of my kids are assigned a "Brain Buddy" who they work with when they are not meeting in a group, and the challenge activities are something they can work on together.

1 week in, the kids told me they really like the new board.  One even said, "Everything is so organized!" Be still my teacher heart.  The most important thing, though, is that everything displayed is for a PURPOSE--enhancing the learning of my students.  Isn't that what it's all about? :-)

Do you use interactive bulletin boards?  This is my first venture into them, and obviously this board isn't really interactive, but it's still a step in the right direction!  I'd love to hear more about how you make your bulletin boards a meaningful part of your teaching!

Pumping Kids Up for THE TEST!

We are knee deep in state testing here in Illinois!  4 tests down, 4 to go.  (We only give one test a day so the kids don't get overwhelmed and exhausted, but it makes for a looong two weeks of testing...)  I wanted to dedicate a post to sharing some of the ways I pump my kiddos up for testing--both state testing and every test we take.  I try to keep testing really light and positive.  All year long I talk about tests as a "big game" or "championship"--the result of all of our practice, hard work, and "training."  When I introduce a test on a regular day, I usually do it something like this.  "You guys, we have something exciting happening this week!  We get to show our learning on a test!"  Then I have the kids cheer. :)  I know, it sounds silly, but after making tests a positive thing all year, the kids actually buy into it and cheer all by themselves. ;)  

Shared these testing treats last year, inspired by this pin

Next, when I pass out tests, I have the kids write "Bring it On!" on the top.  I use this ALLLL the time--any time we are about to do something tough, I say, "This is challenging!  What do we say to a challenge??" and the kids shout, "Bring it on!"

I've shared my affirmation wall before, and while I refer to it every day, I make sure to refer to it a little extra during testing time.  

I truly believe that these affirmations--both posting them on my walls and weaving them into the culture of my classroom--make a difference in my students' attitudes.  I hope that if there is one gift I can give them, it's that they carry these affirmations with them after they leave my classroom.  I cover the kiddos' name tags before testing because we aren't allowed to have any tools (multiplication charts, etc.) on their desks, and I let the kids doodle on them.  I also encourage them to write some positive "words of encouragement" to remember during testing.  Love this girl's:

I talk to the kids all the the time about my running, training, and racing.  Why?  Because I like them to say, "WOW, you ran that far?" and ask, "Did you WIN your half marathon??"?  Haha not exactly.  I like them to see me set big goals, work hard to train for them, and risk it all on race days.  I talk to them about how nervous I get before a race and how I have to tell myself to trust my training, tell myself, 'You can do it!', and visualize myself succeeding.  They love hearing about it, and I feel like it sets a good example for them of how hard work pays off.  I call our test prep "training" for our big event--THE TEST. :)  I like to have them visualize opening their test booklets, visualize knowing EVERY ANSWER, and visualize succeeding and proud after finishing.

My absolute favorite test motivation strategy came to me randomly my first year teaching when I had 5 extra minutes the week before testing.  I had the kids write a letter to the class, wishing them good luck and offering "words of encouragement" to make their classmates feel confident before testing.  What started as a "filler" became a yearly tradition.  I LOVE it.  The kids write the sweetest, most thoughtful notes to the class. I read a few before testing every day, and the kids love them.  Some of this year's favorites:

Please ignore the atrocious spelling...we're working on it...

How do you keep spirits high during test time?

Giveaway Winners!

Better late than never, right?  Sorry I forgot to post these days ago!  The 3 winners of Running Inspired are...

 

Pam, Holly, and Rae, contact me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com by Tuesday to claim your prize!

Why I will Always Make Time for Read Aloud

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a digital copy of Running Inspired, a great book for beginner runners!!

My first year teaching, I didn't make a ton of time for read aloud.  I remember wondering when I was possibly supposed to squeeze that in amidst the already jam-packed day.  If something was going to be cut from my lesson plans, read aloud was always first on the chopping block.  Why?  It just didn't see as important as the other 100 things on the daily to-do list.

Today, I can't imagine my classroom without read aloud.  It is one of the most special parts of my day, and I promise you this--it IS important.  In SO many different ways.   We all know that read aloud gives a great model of fluency for kids, but it does so much more than that.  I truly believe that my read aloud teaches my kiddos to fall in love with reading.  They look forward to those precious 10 minutes every day and beg me to keep reading.  Once they groaned when I had to pause the book because it was time for PE!  They cheer when the endings are happy and cry when the plot takes sad turns.  They line up at the library to put the book I'm reading aloud on hold because they love it too much to wait.  My read alouds expose kids to books that they might not ordinarily pick up on their own.

Seeing how excited this student was when reflecting on a book he probably never would have read on his own brought tears to my eyes.  Isn't teaching kids to love reading why I got into this business in the first place?

This year, I decided to use read aloud as a time to teach my kids important life lessons.  There is so much more to teaching than the content areas--we are truly playing a part in helping these little people grow up to face the world.  If I take a minute to think about the big ideas I want my students to come away from my class with, they definitely all don't have to do with reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.  I want to teach my students kindness, empathy, courage, friendship, owning their actions, honesty, and so many other things.  Read aloud is my chance to do that.  I started my year by reading Wonder, a truly amazing book with so many important themes.  While reading, I asked students to listen for examples of courage in the book.  By the end, not only did the students all understand that courage is so much more than going off the high dive, but they understand that above all other things, kindness is always the right choice.

We also read Because of Mr. Terupt this year and had some big, serious discussions about the importance of not laying blame.  When a tragedy happens in their classroom, the students in this book are quick to blame each other and blame themselves.  I repeated to the kids throughout the story, "Sometimes, when bad things happen, we look for someone to blame.  When we can't find anyone, we often blame ourselves."  This is a big idea for 8 and 9 year olds, but by the end of the book I truly felt like many of my students understood how important it is not to blame others or themselves for things that are out of their control.  They also talked seriously about how important it is to stick together in the midst of a tragedy.

Right now, we're reading The One and Only Ivan.  Vegetarian that I am, I'm doing my best not to get up on my bleeding-heart soap box preaching about the horrors of zoos and the importance of animal rights, but the book is starting some interesting conversations all on its own about kindness and living things.  I can't wait to see the deep conversations it stirs up in my little classroom.

I try to do quick writes or reading responses connected with my read alouds from time to time.  I find that my kids are able to think so deeply in their reflections sometimes, and that even my struggling readers shine.  The kids pick up on the important lessons and big ideas and are able to add their own insights in their reflections.  The kids get to practice literacy skills like metacognition, visualization, making inferences and connections, and making predictions in their reflections.  I don't often have time for them, but every time I do I find at least one kiddo who surprises me in their insights or deep thoughts.  Such a special teacher moment. :)

So, that is why no matter how intense our days become or how many new things Common Core adds to my teacher plate, I will ALWAYS make time for read aloud.  It is such a special part of our day, and there is just something about sitting so close together on the carpet enjoying a really great book that just makes our classroom community all the more close-knit.  Love it.

What are your favorite read alouds?

Running Book Review + Giveaway!

I recently had the opportunity to review The Ultimate Beginners Running Guide: The Key to Running Inspired by Ryan Robert.  (Check it out on amazon here--it's only $4.99 for a kindle edition.)  This book delivers exactly what its title promises--it lays out a step by step guide for beginner runners and covers topics like form, footwear, warm ups/cool downs, target heart rates, nutrition, and even confidence and motivation (it is, after all, a guide to running inspired!).

I really liked the way the chapters were broken up.  There is a ton of content in this book; it literally covers almost everything a new runner would need to know.  Robert does a nice job of breaking each content-packed chapter with headings, but what I most appreciated was the bulleted summary at the end of each chapter recapping the main points.  I don't know about you, but it drives me crazy when I'm trying to remember one particular tip or suggestion for a book and I have to skim the whole darn thing to find it.  These summaries would be really helpful for a beginner runner referring back to the text during training.

Robert includes several "visualization exercises" in the book.  Some people might think these things are kind of cheesy, but I think visualization can be a completely valid and important exercise for runners.  Since I'm not a new runner anymore, I don't really need to visualize myself putting on my running shoes and running down the block anymore, but I totally use visualization when I'm training for a big race.  The night before I'll try to visualize starting, running, and finishing the race before I go to sleep, and I really think it helps.  The visualization exercises in the book could be really helpful for someone who is JUST getting started with running.

Another really cool feature is that the book includes an appendix with training plans for literally every level of beginner runner, from complete couch potato to active beginner to 50+ runner.  Robert also lets you download these training plans in pdf form for free, which I thought was pretty cool.

Typically, I tend to prefer my running books to be part advice/tips and part memoir/narrative, ala The Courage to Start or The Non-Runner's Guide to the Marathon for Women, but this book really does a great job of giving a new runner nearly everything he or she needs to know to get started.  Definitely a quality book and at 115 pages, it was a quick read.

Now for the giveaway.  Ryan Robert has graciously offered to give away digital copies of The Ultimate Beginner's Guide: The Key to Running Inspired to 3 Juice Boxes + Crayolas readers!  Are you a tired teacher needing a little pep in your step?  A brand new runner looking for tips?  Or a seasoned runner who needs to work on form and nutrition? (cough, me, cough...)  See how to enter below...

Leave a separate comment for each entry...

• Be a Juice Boxes + Crayolas follower, and leave me a comment letting me know! (Mandatory)
• Leave me a comment letting me know why you want to win this book, whether it's for you or to share with a new runner in your life who needs it! (+1 additional entry)
• Share this giveaway on your blog, FB, or twitter and leave a comment letting me know (+1 entry each)

That's it!  Easy peasy lemon squeezy as we say in my 3rd/4th classroom. :)  This giveaway will close at midnight on Saturday, March 2nd, and I will choose a winner the following day using random.org.  (Seriously, how is it almost MARCH already??)  

Disclaimer: I was provided a digital copy of this book by the author for the purpose of writing this review.  I was not compensated in any other way, and all opinions expressed are my own. :)

Race Recap: Disney Princess Half Marathon + Florida Getaway!

I think it should be mandatory for every teacher to take a couple of days off and get away for a long weekend in Florida just before state testing.  Seriously, this weekend was a godsend.  It did get off to a bit of a rocky start though...remember how I accidentally bought plane tickets for the wrong weekend and had to buy new tickets last minute?  Well I WISH that were the end of my travel woes!  I had a delay getting out of the airport in Chicago thanks to a snow storm, and when I finally made it to Dallas where I had a layover, I found out that my connecting flight was delayed SIX HOURS.  My god.  Six hours in the Dallas airport (where I got to listen to a soundtrack that went between easy listening music and god awful country--this Chicago girl is NOT a country music fan) = my personal hell on earth.  All I could find that was vegetarian was some greasy Chinese noodles and veggies.  Luckily I just bought a Kindle so I at least had plenty tor read!

Needless to say, I was more than relieved when I *finally* made it to Florida!  Saturday morning my sister in law and I headed over to the race expo.  I was so happy to be there with her this year instead of with my brother and dad like last time--I actually had someone who wanted to visit every single vendor and debate which tshirt had the best slogan at the One More Mile booth!

Princess Belle & Princess Merida!

I swore I wouldn't spend any more money on this trip after buying my second plane ticket, but I threw that plan out the window within 5 minutes of entering the expo :)  I snagged this tshirt:

I also met the lovely Shannon!  She is just as sweet in person as she is on her blog and has the cutest Southern accent.  The princess race was Shannon's first half--way to go, girl!!

After the expo we spent some fun time hanging out at the hotel with my sweet niece (and playing with clementines for longer than one would have ever thought they would be entertaining!!).

Sunday morning our wakeup call came at 2:30am.  Ouch.  My sister in law and I were running with a few of her friends, so we all met up together at the hotel and headed over.  The race started at 5:30 for corral A, but the shuttles bused us to the starting area at 3am, so we had a bit of a wait.  It was so nice to be with a group--I ran this race by myself last time and was pretty bored waiting around for so long!  Too much time = crazy nerves!!

When the fireworks and fairy godmother finally set us off at the start line, we were pretty pumped up.  I promised my sister in law I would stay with her and her girlfriends for the entire race, even though they run a slower pace than I normally do, and even though she urged me to run my own race.  I wanted this race to be a fun group adventure and to support my sister in law in her first half, so I stuck with them the whole time.  To be honest though, I don't know if I could have gone any faster!  It was CRAZY humid out, and I'm not sure my training in sub 30 weather prepared me for that!  We were all soaked within the first 2 miles and pretty much immediately dehydrated.

It was a tough race even with the slow pace, but we all made it and crossed the finish line holding hands.  Woohoo!

The toughest part may have been walking around Disney all afternoon on tired legs and no sleep!  But hey, I'll power through anything if it means I get to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. :)  We spent the morning at Disney again yesterday before I headed home to Chicago last night.  Here's what Chicago welcomed me home with today:

Oh Florida, I miss you already. 

Race 1 of 2013: DONE!  On to the next!

Have you seen this tired teacher's brain?

You guys, I think my brain fell out of my head sometime between the report card comment writing and proofreading, trying to cram content into my math lessons to cover the 100 topics we haven't taught yet before state testing in two weeks, and working on prepping for two days of subs while I'm in Florida.  I spent the good part of my evening yesterday spread out here, on my classroom floor, in a mess of copies, post-its, 10 pages of sub plans, and a box of Girl Scout cookies...

Further evidence that I officially have no brain left?  Oh, buckle up--it's a good story.  Tuesday night (after a crappy, long day--seriously, aren't all days following a long weekend terrible?), I was sitting in my 3 hour grad school class--already on the verge of a breakdown--when my brother texted me asking me to send him my flight confirmation for the weekend.  (I'm going to Florida to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and niece and to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon Sunday.)  2 minutes later, my brother messages me on gchat saying, "WTF, this says January."  Folks, when planning my trip to Florida for a FEBRUARY half-marathon, I booked a flight for a weekend in JANUARY.  And didn't notice.  WHOOPS.

Knowing I was in class (and probably moments from curling up in the fetal position), my wonderful brother called the airline and booked me a new flight.  Unfortunately Flight #2 set me back $400+ more dollars which, added to my original ticket (that I can't get a refund for--seems they don't give refunds for things that fall under the "dumbass mistakes" umbrella), makes this one expensive flight to Florida!  Oh and instead of a direct flight I now will be enjoying a 4-hour layover in Dallas.  Annnd will be taking off during a snowstorm it seems...Yikes.

My whole family agrees that I officially an not allowed to book my own airline tickets anymore, and probably shouldn't even be trusted with a credit card in general...Honestly, I'm not even sure I can handle flying alone after this.  Hold me.

Boarding passes for the CORRECT day and Race Waiver--check!!

I'm trying to stay positive and see the humor in the whole thing--it really is kind of hilarious.  Thank goodness I was able to get last minute flights at all and on the dates I'd planned too!  It definitely could have been worse!!

Oh well.  I ((somehow)) made it through the week and in 24 hours I will be with this girl:

And in 60 hours I will be running here:

And everything will have been worth it :)

Shaking Up Test Review

Hi friends--it's been awhile!  I've been trying to let go of technology and unchain myself from my computer a little bit more these days, spending more time with books instead...that, and things have been crazy busy.  But what else is new!  I took a break from blogging for awhile because I just didn't have many ideas for posts, and I feel like no one cares to read my mindless ramblings when I have nothing to say!  But in the past few weeks I've finally had some ideas for a few posts, mostly classroom related things.  Today's is just a quick one!

I don't know about you, but I struggle with how to make review for math tests effective and meaningful for the majority of my class.  It feels like for most tests there are a handful of students who would benefit from some serious review and reteaching, and the rest of the class just needs a bit of practice.  In the past, I'd spend a full class period reviewing a ton of concepts, but we all know that's not exactly best practice.  One of my favorite strategies is to do a guided math format (I run guided math most days) and have the kids not working in my group complete a Math Scavenger Hunt.  Sound complicated?  It's actually the opposite.

I write up between 8 and 10 math problems like the kind that will be on our test on individual index cards and tape them up in "hiding places" around the room--on cabinets, bookshelves, the sides of desks, etc.  Then, I have my students travel the room with their math notebooks and their "Brain Buddy" (aka math partner), find all of the review problems, and answer them in their notebook.

In the mean time, I pull groups of students for guided group review.  I start with the neediest kiddos, then at the end pull bigger groups of kids who have finished the review to correct their answers and reteach as necessary.  My kids are well-trained in how to work quietly and efficiently with their partners, and of course I clearly set my expectations before we start.  The best parts of the scavenger hunt are that not only are the kids completing test practice problems, but they are actively moving around, engaged, and it takes next to no prep on my part--no copies, just writing up some problems and taping them around the room.  AND I am able to work really closely with the kids who NEED me!  So much better than a worksheet.

In other news, I'm heading off to Florida on Friday morning to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon with my sister in law and a dew of her friends.  This will be her FIRST half, and I couldn't be more excited for her!  Disney Princess was my first half a few years ago, and in spite of some injuries, it truly was magical. :)  I can't wait!

How do you make test review fun?

What have you been up to lately???  I've missed you guys since I dropped off the blogosphere planet...hopefully someone still reads this!! :)

Sprigs Winner!

Brrrr!  It's cold here in Chicago!  When I checked the hourly forecast last night and saw that it would be only 11 degrees at 4am (Tuesday is my early running day usually), I decided to sleep in instead. :)  I know I'm trying to have a "Just do it" mindset, but cold + 4am = yucky.  Anyways.  This kind of cold calls for a winter accessory winner!  Thanks for entering my Sprigs giveaway!  The winner is...

Sarah, email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com by FRIDAY to claim your prize!!  

Didn't win?  Check out Sprigs.com to get yourself a little something--you deserve it! :)