Educating With Heart

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Apples

It is apple time!  I stopped in at the apple orchard today for some fresh apples and my kids favorite apple salsa! I also picked up a few for my students and some apple activities for the classroom!  Do you do apple activities in your classroom?  I have some of my favorite in this FREEBIE!










Head over and grab your copy today!






Wednesday, July 5, 2023

5 Ways to Increase Your Students Learning using Desk Help Name Tags!

Have you ever stopped to think about how a name tag can unlock learning and discovery?

My students have gained independence and learning using desk help name tags for years! With everything from numbers and letters, colors and shapes, right and left, desk help name tags offer a wealth of advantages to help students with their learning every day. Here are 5 things that I included on my name tags to increase my students’ learning.



1. Name writing and recognition
Students come into kindergarten and first grade with varying abilities of reading and writing their names.  Being able to see the proper way to form their letters can help students master writing their names.  I include my first grade students’ last names to help them spell and write it as well! 
2. Mastering letters and sounds with Alphabet Strips
With a picture alphabet strip, you can see the magic of letter-sound relationships unfold right before your students’ eyes. Students will come across illustrations representing each letter as they associate the letter with its associated sound, helping them to reinforce their phonics instruction.
3. Number Lines and Hundreds Charts
Number lines and hundreds charts are fantastic tools for making math easy and fun. These visual aids are incredible for helping students understand and solve mathematical problems. With a number line, they can learn addition and subtraction by counting forward or backward. By using a hundreds chart, they can see patterns in numbers and improve their counting skills. Overall, these tools are invaluable resources that make learning math a breeze.

4. Colors and Shapes

Color words and shapes play a role in enhancing vocabulary and communication skills. These words help my young learners recognize and differentiate between different colors and shapes. By having color and shape words readily available, students can express themselves more accurately in their writing, describe objects.


5. Left and right

Navigating left and right may appear to be a minor task, but it is a critical skill for young learners to develop. Students will  never mess up directions using the  left and right reference materials. 


Desk help name tags are helpful tools that encourage students to seek answers on their own, allowing them to become independent learners. They also provide a student with a learning space of their own that they can proudly claim.


I have included my desk help name tags in my Teacher Pay Teacher, Classful and Teach Simple stores! I have a theme or color to match every classroom! You with can set your students up for independence and success with these name tags!




Do you prefer flexible seating?  The Pencil Box Name Tags are a perfect for students on the move! The Intermediate option is perfect for grades 2-5!



                                                                                                                               Happy Teaching!
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                Julie 




Monday, April 24, 2023

5 Tips for Preventing the Summer Slide!

 

One year, I looped with my first grade students and had them again as second graders. As I was doing one of my beginning of the year testing, I noticed that one of my students was significantly lower than when I had tested her in May. I asked her "Did you read this summer?" She told me "No, I had fun this summer!" *sob*

The reason she had gone back so far was due to what educators call "Summer Slide." Summer slide refers to the learning loss that occurs during the summer break, where students can lose some of the academic progress they made during the school year.

There is no reason why a student cannot have fun while also avoiding summer learning loss! Here are five recommendations to help your student avoid the summer slide::

  1. Read daily: Throughout the summer, encourage students to read for pleasure. Library programs, book clubs, and reading challenges can help with this. Reading daily helps maintain and develop literacy skills. Studies show that students that read daily during the summer actually increase their reading level!

  2. Practice math: Summer slide can affect math skills as well. Students can maintain their skills by incorporating math into everyday activities like cooking, shopping, and even  when they travel.

  3. Enroll in summer programs: Many schools, community centers, and libraries offer summer programs in academics, sports, and the arts. Many of these programs are even free! Enrolling in these programs can help students in keeping up their reading and math knowledge, learning new skills, spending time with their friends, and keeping their routine.

  4. Use educational apps: Educational apps and games can provide fun ways for students to practice skills and stay engaged with learning during the summer months. Something as simple as an online journal (or handwritten) helps students to maintain everything they have learned!

  5. Encourage curiosity: Summer is a great time for students to explore their interests and hobbies. Encourage students to learn about topics of interest to them. If your student loves dinosaurs, go to the library and check out books about them! Look for museums that have exhibits about dinosaurs. Show them something new! Teach them how to grow a garden, or learn to hike or something fun outdoors. These kinds of activities can develop a love of learning that will last a lifetime!


I send home a pack to parents that would like something
to have their kids practice every day:

You can see them both here!

First Grade

Second Grade









The end of the school year is coming soon! Make the most of every minute!





Wednesday, March 1, 2023

5 Steps to Personalize Centerpieces


Centerpieces are a great way to add your own personal touch to any of your get-togethers! Whether is it for a wedding, birthday party, anniversary, or another celebration; making your own is easier and more affordable than you might think!
  1. Choose a theme: The theme of your event can be determined by the event, the guest of honor, or even a color scheme that goes with the event. For a wedding, for example, you might want to choose a theme that reflects the couple's hobbies or interests.

  2. Choose your materials: Once you've decided on a theme, you can select the materials you'll need to make your centerpieces. Vases or jars, flowers, candles, ribbons, or other decorative items may be included. For my nieces wedding, we asked everyone important to her for extra unused vases for eclectic but sentimental centerpieces for her tables.

  3. Plan your design: Before you begin assembling your centerpieces, sketch out your design. You can create a mood board with pictures and inspiration or sketch out a rough idea of what you want your centerpieces to look like.

  4. Assemble your centerpieces: Once you've decided on your materials and design, begin assembling your centerpieces. Arranging flowers in vases or jars, tying ribbons around candles, or adding other decorative elements. Always have your centerpieces as complete as you can before the day of the event to avoid last minute stress! I always do a test run with pictures long before the big day so I have everything I need!

  5. Consider adding a personal touch, such as a photo or a message, to make your centerpieces truly personalized. Include a small picture of the person or people being honored, or make a tag with a special message or quote. We have used laser cut hearts, initials, and photos to help make our centerpieces special. For my wedding we used small pictures of us when we were children for a fun personal touch! 

Following these steps, you too can create beautiful, personalized centerpieces that will add a special touch to any occasion!



Saturday, February 25, 2023

Personalized 50th Anniversary Budget Friendly Centerpieces

 


My parents' 50th anniversary celebration:

We wanted to have something beautiful, personal, with a sentimental nod to their wedding day. We asked our local florist for filler that would hold up during our drive from Illinois to Minnesota, as it's important to ensure that the centerpieces stay intact and look their best for the celebration. We added yellow roses to the centerpieces once we arrived at the venue. My brother cut the wood slices and sanded them and added a protective clear stain.
                                                                                                                                    
\

Gold Spray paint $7 (aff. link)

12 Ball canning jars $31  (aff. link)

Words and Letters (I found these at Hobby Lobby all $1 or less) $15

Roses $40

Greens from local florist $50

Hearts from Etsy $12

wood slices- free

12 center pieces  $155 or about $13 each 

I love how these turned out! They were the perfect centerpiece for a great party!


Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Planning a successful 50th Anniversary Party on a budget!


A few years ago we were so blessed to be able to plan a 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents! We had a small get together at a hotel since most of our guests were out of town. It was so much fun! A few pictures from the party!

We served appetizers and desserts. 


Cake and cupcakes are from Sam's Club! Under $50!!!



50 Years of Blessings!
Words and hearts are a collage of pics from the past 50 years!
There were always people around this chatting about the pics. 





My mom's dress, veil, and train.






We displayed my mom's dress and put her picture and all took pictures of
her granddaughters wearing the dress as well!



Instead of a guest book we had everyone write a favorite memory!
I scanned them into Shutterfly and added them into the
memory book I made for my parents afterwards!

The centerpieces from the tables. 



Want to celebrate this milestone without breaking the bank? 
Check out these fun ideas:
  1. Host a backyard BBQ or potluck: Invite your friends and family over for a casual BBQ or potluck. You can ask everyone to bring a dish to share and provide drinks and snacks. Decorate your yard with balloons, streamers, and photos of your life together!

  2. You can renew your vows in a simple ceremony in a park or in your own backyard. You can write your own vows or use the vows from your wedding ceremony for a sentimental touch.

  3. Pack a picnic basket full of your favorite foods, grab your kids and grandkids (maybe even great grand kids!) and head to a nearby park or beach. Bring a chairs to sit on,  games to play, and spend the day with your family.

  4. Make a slideshow of photos from your wedding day and throughout your marriage to take you down memory lane. Show off your slideshow to family and friends at a gathering at your home or a nearby church or community center.
  5. Create a memory book by asking family and friends to share their favorite memories and stories about the couple. Make a memory book out of them and give it to the couple as a gift.

  6. Go out for a special dinner: Look for local restaurants that offer senior discounts or early bird specials. Make a reservation and spend a special evening with your loved ones.

Remember that spending time together and celebrating your love and commitment to each other is the most important thing. The cost of the celebration isn't as important as the memories you make!






Thursday, September 12, 2019

Tips and Tricks to having a successful teacher observation

Have a successful teacher observation every time when you follow these simple tips!  Teachers share their strategies to having a great teacher observation!



Observation.  A word that can make a teacher's blood run cold.  One colleague of mine used to always say she would rather go to the gynecologist than be observed!  But being observed doesn't have to be stressful and can make you a better teacher.  Here are some tips to have a successful observation:


Before your observation: 

You really start preparing for successful observations day 1 of your teaching.  Principals look for:

Professionalism

 Do you show that you like your job?  Do you spend your lunch hour complaining about accommodating a student's needs because it is extra work?  Are you welcoming and friendly to parents and your colleagues?  Do you contribute to the learning community as a whole?  Impress your principal by showing a passion for teaching!  Make positive connections with students, parents, and staff.   Be positive, even on those days you don't feel it.  Complain to your spouse, your best friend, your cat or your mom- but try to keep complaining out of your work conversations.  Always bring up a problem with possible positive solutions.  

Classroom Environment

Provide a classroom for your students that is pleasing and organized.  Remove excess clutter. So many teachers are savers (myself included!!!)  make sure what you keep is neat and put away.  Hang examples of rigorous and meaningful student work in the hallways and classroom bulletin boards.  Show that there is learning happening in your classroom regularly.

Routines, Management, and Structure

From day 1, teach your students your expectations and routines.  Students that know routines are better behaved, and you can be more focused on their learning.  Practice routines.  I review some parts of our routines almost every day.  Even if it is just to quickly review a procedure before we move on. For example, about once a week, I say, "it's time for lunch, please stand up, push in your chair, and walk to the door."   I don't say it every day, but often enough that they know, I still want them to do it that way.  The days I don't say it if they don't follow that routine, I make them go back and do it over.  My students just know that is what they have to do, or they have to go back.  They don't like to go back, so they just do it.
Another example is from the moment when my students come into my room, they have specific jobs and procedures that they have to do before they begin in our morning tubs.   I review the expectation once in a while, but I expect that they can self-manage themselves.   I can spend those few minutes getting myself together, talking to students that may need an extra pep-talk, and all of the attendance and lunch count activities I need to do. Having this morning structure gives me the time I need to begin teaching as soon as possible!  Principals look for routines and structure when evaluating classroom management during an observation.

Solid Lesson Planning

Good lesson planning can go a long way toward having a successful observation.  Planning out the standards being taught, student-friendly learning objectives, essential questions, rigorous learning activities (include choice if you can!) to support the standards and informal ways to assess learning as you teach can make or break your lesson.  Make sure you have every copy, manipulative, and supply and even a few extras you need to teach your lesson ready to go.  Stick with activities you would normally do! This is not the time to try a group learning project for the first time!  If you usually do group learning projects go for it, but if not, stick to your tried and true lessons that make you feel comfortable doing and you know have high engagement.  I chose an interactive Venn Diagram activity the last time I was formally observed because I knew the kids already knew the procedure, but I then added a mathy spin to it.  I tried it out a week before my observation and then did a similar, but different lesson during. The principal loved this lesson.  Stick with what works!
Have a successful teacher observation every time when you follow these simple tips!  Teachers share their strategies to having a great teacher observation!Have a successful teacher observation every time when you follow these simple tips!  Teachers share their strategies to having a great teacher observation!




Be Proactive

Ask your principal what they are looking for during your pre-observation conference.  If your district is using an evaluation tool such as the Charlotte Danielson Framework, see if your principal is willing to observe a standard or two that you need observational evidence.   Ask other teachers for advice from their experiences of being observed.  
Know what your school priorities are.  One year at our school the principal was looking for posted objectives, if you didn't have it you would be marked down, last year we had to have expert walls and listed standard operating procedures, this year we are not supposed to have expert walls, but we do need to have data walls.  Whatever the priority is for the year, make sure you have it.
Make sure you have everything ready for your lesson.  Don't forget to have a good supply of sharpened pencils!   You don't want any time of your observation to be wasted sharpening or worse, a child not engaged in the activity because they don't have a pencil and don't want to say anything because the principal is in the room!

Prepare Students

Give your students the head's up that someone is coming in to observe the learning that is going on in the classroom.  Some teachers make a point to say that the principal is coming only to evaluate the teacher, and some make a point to say that the principal is coming to see the students.  In reality, neither and both points are the truth.  The principal is coming in to observe the learning environment as a whole which includes the teacher and students.  I usually tell my students that the principal is coming in to see all of the great learning that is going on in our classroom.  This way, students don't stress over it, they just feel proud to show the hard work they do daily.

During your observation:

Set your objective

Make sure that your students know what they are going to learn.  Have it on the board, say it, have them say it.  Make it clear that they know what they are going to learn.  Research shows this increases learning!

Stay Focused on Learning

Don't try to pull off some kind of big fancy show with you as the star.  Let the learning be the star!  Every part of your lesson should be about keeping the students engaged in their learning.   Some things principals watch for is student engagement, teacher/student connections, lesson flow (don't rush out of nervousness!), classroom management, as well as student learning.  It is a lot to juggle but, relax, you do this multiple times a day!  Follow the lesson plan as best as you can, but be ready to be flexible if you need to be.  Make sure that you end with some kind of informal assessment.  An exit ticket, a journal entry, a practice page - something that shows learning was happening!.
Have a successful teacher observation every time when you follow these simple tips!  Teachers share their strategies to having a great teacher observation!

Relax

Try not to be nervous or stressed.  An observation is meant just to be a snapshot of your teaching and student learning, if it doesn't quite go the way you want, use it as a learning opportunity! 

After your observation:

Reflect

What went well?  What flopped?  The students didn't fully grasp the lesson?  Get ready for your post-observation conference with a plan of what you will do next.  Your students were writing notes on their sticky notes instead of what they were supposed to write?  Have a plan to fix the behavior.  We are not perfect, things don't always go our way.  Principals already know that you don't have a classroom where everything goes perfectly 100% of the time because no one does!  What you need to be prepared to show is what you do when things are not so perfect for making it better the next time.  We should be in a constant state of reflecting as educators...  plan, do, check, adjust!  Focus on the positives and how you will change the negatives!

Be positive

We can be our own worst critic!   Use your observation as a learning opportunity.  Don't go into your post-observation meeting, ready to bash yourself!   Make sure that you use your post-evaluation conference to highlight your positives.  Show data that shows good results if you can, such as a pre-test and post-test.  Use this time as an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with your principal about your strengths and things that you can improve to be the best teacher that you can be. 


Take Criticism as an opportunity 

No one is perfect.  Observations are not meant to "get you," they are opportunities to find out how to improve.  Listen to criticisms with an open mind and do not react defensively.  Even if you don't agree, listen respectfully and take note of what your administrator wants you to do differently.  If you would like to offer a written rebuttal, follow district procedures.  In our district, we type a letter of rebuttal, and it is attached to the evaluation.  Choose something from your evaluation to work on until next time.

Hopefully, your observation will be a great reflection of who you are and what kind of learning that happens every day!  Try to relax, you will be great!!!