Hello All! I'm taking a break from the madness of completing Quarter 1 report cards and lesson planning to link up with the adorable Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade.
October was a hard month on some of my friends, so I'm happy to move onto a new month where hopefully we will see some positive and uplifting changes!
Listening: The silence is beautiful and quite necessary at this point. It's been hard to stay focused and on task with these report cards this week. Good thing I'm not distracted by Pinterest, Bloglovin, and Etsy....whoopsies ;)
Loving: I absolutely love the chilly fall weather in Chicagoland area. There is so much fun to be had outside and I love snuggling in my big comfy scarves. What I don't love..wet, gray fall days.
Thinking: That brings me right into October 31st where I thought the snow flurries were a very unnecessary preview of winter. I don't know if it had something to do with all of the Elsa and Oleg costumes, either way, I was NOT a fan.
Wanting: These dang report cards done. This is my second year using a Standards Based Report Card, and it is difficult! I see the benefits as well as some issues using one. I just am taking my time as I carefully evaluate each piece and each child. *Insert exasperated sigh here*
Needing: Speaking of those precious children, we are in need of some more consistency in our daily schedule. I'm not sure about them, but there poor teacher just might lose her marbles by Winter Break if something doesn't get figured out. I'm feeling like my classroom is a revolving door of aides and specialists. While I know all of these people are absolutely wonderful and greatly appreciate everything they are doing to help my students...sometimes I would just like to shut the door and for everyone else to pretend that we weren't there. I hope you don't think I'm too awful of a person for admitting that...
Reading: I've been reading all sorts of fun things lately...here is what's currently on my bedside table
Children's Lit:
Map Trap by Andrew Clements
I LOVE and can't wait to use this for a map skills unit.
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
ADORABLE, I just presented this book at school to 100 students who were rolling on the floor! It's quite cute and great for a lesson on point of view or voice.
Professional:
Nonfiction Mentor Texts: Teaching Informational Writing Through Children's Literature, K-8 by Lynne R. Dorfman & Rose Cappelli
Proving to be a great resource as I plan for my upcoming writing unit.
Personal:
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
SPOOKY and perfect for this season.
Don't forget to check out all of the awesome teachers linking up with Farley this month!
Happy Fall Y'all!
Oh, Erin I feel your pain. I am currently in the middle of report cards too. Picking the "perfect" comments are the hardest part for me. I am jealous you live near Chicago. It's one of my favorite cities to visit. I am NOT jealous of snow on Halloween. Doesn't see right. We had a small amount of rain though, which is unheard of. I hope November is a wonderful month for you.
ReplyDelete-Jaime
Bright Concepts 4 Teachers
What a great set of books! I am lucky to finish one ( unless it's SUMMER)! Good luck with report cards...time consuming! I feel your pain with a consistent schedule. My kiddos now leave every 20 minutes for the first 80 minutes of school ..4 groups with 2 kids each coming & going...I hope it is worth it...test scores...Happy November! Wendy 1stgradefireworks@gmail.com 1stgradefireworks
ReplyDeleteHA! It totally was snowing because of all of the Elsas! So funny.
ReplyDeleteWe do standards-based report cards too, meaning we have to give each student THIRTY grades. It's completely insane, in my opinion.
Thanks for the book suggestions. Have a great November!
Kristin
My Carolina Classroom
Oh girl, I feel you. We just changed to a standards based report card and they didn't even TELL US until two weeks ago. Grades are due tomorrow. I finally got access to mine on Wednesday. Like this past Wednesday. I am not happy. I would have tracked grades SO differently if I had known what this report card looked like :(
ReplyDeletePS The original Mentor Texts book is awesome too! :)
You know, I also saw the flurries on Halloween and I was so mad. Usually I anxiously await the first snow, but when it comes this early, I do not like it one bit!
ReplyDeleteHave a great November!
Michelle
BigTime Literacy
Good luck with your report cards! I am usually a huge procrastinator, waiting until the last minute to finish those up!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand your comment about the "revolving door". That's how I felt last year. So many pull outs that I couldn't keep track! And it's hard to keep up when you have students being pulled out of math for literacy support or out of writing for reading support... Sometimes I just want to say "Let me keep my children!!" lol. I know they are there to help, but sometimes it can be stressful juggling it all! Keep balancing it all and hopefully those students will come out ahead! :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Amanda
First Grade Garden
I can't wait to read The Day the Crayons Quit! My kids have been checking it out from the library. I actually just finished the Dorfman and Cappelli book. I loved the ideas in there. I can't believe y'all had snow on Halloween! That's crazy. We at least had cooler weather. Sometimes it's too hot here for costumes.
ReplyDeleteAh, complete silence! I love it! What is Sharp Objects about? Is it as crazy as Gone Girl? That Nonfiction Mentor Texts book looks interesting, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDestiny
Terrific Teaching and Learning
Erin, hi from Oregon! Your blog is so cute! Do you guys use an electronic grade book that keep track of the standards you've assessed for you? Is your standards based report card electronic? Just wondering. Happy fall!
ReplyDeleteHeather from Mrs. Renz’ 4th Grade Class
Hi Heather! Thanks for stopping by! Yes, my district uses an electronic program called Skyward which includes our grade books & report cards.
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