Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Students, lessons, and school..OH MY!

My first teaching job is four days under way! I am loving it, and I am stressing about it at the same time. I have been so busy that I have been very lacking in my blogging time. However, I think I have finally got my shoulders above water now, rather than just my head. I am taking some time to share what has been happening in my Fabulous Fourth Grade classroom!

The first two days we spent all of our time building a community. I want all of my friends to know that they can take risks because that is what creates a learning atmosphere. Therefore, we spent time getting to know one another. I have been able to use some of my favorite Pinterest items in the past few days to allow my friends to build relationships.

My students absolutely loved this activity! They loved hearing about their new friends in the classmate scavenger hunt! I highly recommend this because the students are able to make connections to one another. As I walked through, listening to their conversations, they were all sharing stories of their experiences. They listened with interest as their classmates told them about their summers and lives. It made me very happy.

 In this activity, the students did a carousel around the classroom to answer the questions on the chart paper. I told them to think about their responses before they answered because these posters will dictate our lesson designs. It gave me useful insight into what my students want to learn and what they feel as if they need throughout the school year. I still have them in the room as I begin to design my daily lessons. I want to remind myself daily of what the students need AND want. That should dictate what I am doing on a daily basis. I LOVED THIS ACTIVITY. The kids were able to move about the room and discuss their responses. It was a win-win!
This is another useful printable that allowed me to learn more about my students' hobbies, interests, and lives. I was able to see what their favorite subjects are and where they feel the exceed. We did it in the morning, as I figured out transportation home, attendance, and of course ICE CREAM MONEY! Haha! Then, we turned and talked to our partners about the responses, and we shared in whole group as well. As we shared, other friends were able to make connections with each student, yet again. The whole time was about building relationships and connecting with one another.

I am certainly not in the clear. There are plenty of things to do on my TO-DO list...However, I am confident. As soon as I make some good pictures of my classroom, I will share those as well.

My workout for today really helped me to release my nervous and stressful energy. I went through the routine twice. It was rough after a long day at school, but it definitely helped to relax me! I love releasing all that pent up nervousness. I am excited to get back into a workout routine. I need motivation! When I get home from school, I work, work, work...AND! I am already tired from school...Working out falls to the bottom of my list, but I know I need to, and I really WANT to. Hopefully, I am figuring it out this week since I am falling into a routine. My goal is to walk three times this week, do 3 strength trainings, and do relaxing yoga every night before bed. What are your workout goals?

Question of the Day?
1. How do you get motivated to workout after a long day at work?
2. Have you had an exciting week? What happened?

Anna

HERE'S SOME PICS FROM MY PAST WEEK

My students created images and patterns using pattern blocks to explore math



I finally brought him home! The best part is....HE IS A DCI WORLD CHAMPION! I am so proud of him!


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