On Friday we had a Pep Rally to pump up the kids for TAKS. When I told the kiddos what we were doing, one kid kept asking what a Pepper Rally was. Pretty funny kid! The 3rd Grade teachers and our principal did this fantastic rendition of "Stop in the name of TAKS" and my principal REALLY sang it!! The kids would have cleared the gym if it was me! Then, the 4th grade teachers did a cheer and Aggie athletes came and spoke. We have a band that made a school song for us and they performed it and handed out free CD's. It was pretty neat to see the kids so excited!
In my next career I'm going to design t-shirts. I designed two for the TAKS to wear on the days of TAKS. I'll get some pictures of them and post them on here. I think they are rather cute myself. If you are a prayer, we can use some prayers! The TAKS is this Tuesday and Wednesday and I am ready for this to be over! This time is so stressful and I try to take on the stress instead of the kids but they take it on also. So, prayers are much appreciated!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Hopeful ...
First, I want to apologize in advance for all of the TAKS posts. With the test a few days away we are in major prep mode! Yesterday I told my kiddos that if they could make A's and B's on a practice passage then we wouldn't have to practice any more. Well, all but 2 got grades that would pass!! I'm feeling a lot better about the reading scores. I am still concerned about the math scores, but the kids always manage to surprise us. I am hopeful that the kids will do well next Tuesday and Wednesday. Please pray for a calm spirit in our classroom and wisdom for the kids.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Freak the Mighty Part 2
Yesterday (Friday) we finished "Freak the Mighty". If you have not read the book, I highly recommend it. For the first time, I almost cried in front of my class. I have been very emotional lately and the end of the book is very sad. It was interesting to read the students' comments about what happened. No, I am not going to tell you because I want you to read it for yourself. Upon finishing the book, I was flipping through the back and found that there is a sequel and the kiddos BEGGED me to get the next one so we can read it. I love it!!
In math, we are studying probability and collecting data. I split the kids into two groups to collect data on 2 different things. Group 1 watched cars to see if they stopped all the way at a stop sign or rolled through. Group 2 collected data on the color of the cars that drive by our school. We were outside for 20 minutes and the kids were amazed that 25 cars rolled through the stop sign! Not only that, every car that drove out of our school parking lot, didn't stop AT ALL when pulling out! We were shocked! I think we may talk about civil action this week and discuss things we can do as citizens.
In social studies, we are discussing Texas' role in the Civil War. It has been interesting to watch the interest grow in slavery. The kids are hungry for more information on it. We have gone over our "time" for social studies every day because we are deep in discussion, which is great! We are ahead of the other classes in social studies and since it is not a high interest subject, I am going to take advantage of the interest level and teach them some more about slavery and people who were pivotal in ending it in the US.
Our TAKS test is in 1 week. I am trying not to stress the kiddos out. We have been doing relaxation activities every week and pumping them up. I'll have to take a picture to post, I have a stop sign that says "Don't Stop Believin' " hanging up in my classroom. It is my motto. I want to change the words so it talks about strategies to use. Even though it is corny, it works! Last year my kiddos were saying it to themselves throughout the test. So, as long as there are standardized tests, there will be prayer in school. This Edugator will be praying daily for my kiddos to have the necessary knowledge, as well as a calm mind and environment. Wish us luck!
In math, we are studying probability and collecting data. I split the kids into two groups to collect data on 2 different things. Group 1 watched cars to see if they stopped all the way at a stop sign or rolled through. Group 2 collected data on the color of the cars that drive by our school. We were outside for 20 minutes and the kids were amazed that 25 cars rolled through the stop sign! Not only that, every car that drove out of our school parking lot, didn't stop AT ALL when pulling out! We were shocked! I think we may talk about civil action this week and discuss things we can do as citizens.
In social studies, we are discussing Texas' role in the Civil War. It has been interesting to watch the interest grow in slavery. The kids are hungry for more information on it. We have gone over our "time" for social studies every day because we are deep in discussion, which is great! We are ahead of the other classes in social studies and since it is not a high interest subject, I am going to take advantage of the interest level and teach them some more about slavery and people who were pivotal in ending it in the US.
Our TAKS test is in 1 week. I am trying not to stress the kiddos out. We have been doing relaxation activities every week and pumping them up. I'll have to take a picture to post, I have a stop sign that says "Don't Stop Believin' " hanging up in my classroom. It is my motto. I want to change the words so it talks about strategies to use. Even though it is corny, it works! Last year my kiddos were saying it to themselves throughout the test. So, as long as there are standardized tests, there will be prayer in school. This Edugator will be praying daily for my kiddos to have the necessary knowledge, as well as a calm mind and environment. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Freak the Mighty
Every year I try to read books that would spark my students' interests. Recently, we read Percy Jackson. Now, we are reading "Freak the Mighty". If you have not read this book I highly recommend it. It is about two boys, Kevin and Max, and the friendship they form and the ways they help each other out. It is a heartwarming tale and with my emotional roller coaster lately, I am sure I will cry when I finish it. So far, my students have complained a LOT about having to read this book. However, it got very interesting today. As I walked around the room, I saw a lot of comments in the reaction journals about how fun the book is now. :) HOORAY!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Where has time gone???
It is hard to believe that we only have 6 weeks left in the school year. Where has time gone!?!?!? We have two weeks until TAKS and we are busy at work to make sure we are all ready! I am seeing so much growth in our students and I am very proud of how far they have come. Our caterpillars came in the mail today and we are looking forward to the process of the butterfly life cycle.
Every year, I get a group that does not love reading as much as I do, although that is with most people I meet. :) Throughout the year, I try to show my students how much I love reading and hope to instill that love in them. In my great quest, that means I try various things. Last year we had a "Passport to Reading" and students kept track of books they read, with the purpose of reading various genres. This year, we are doing the same thing but instead of a passport, we have bookmarks. My kiddos have been reading machines lately! I read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief to them and the rest of the Percy Jackson books are flying off my shelf!! I have a student that loves the Goosebumps books, which is great. However, I also want my students to broaden their horizons and read different types of books. The bookmark allows me to challenge them in reading different genres while giving them something to work towards. I would love to hear any other reading ideas. Now, my next goal is to figure out ways to encourage my kids to love math. If I could figure that out, maybe I would love it also!
Every year, I get a group that does not love reading as much as I do, although that is with most people I meet. :) Throughout the year, I try to show my students how much I love reading and hope to instill that love in them. In my great quest, that means I try various things. Last year we had a "Passport to Reading" and students kept track of books they read, with the purpose of reading various genres. This year, we are doing the same thing but instead of a passport, we have bookmarks. My kiddos have been reading machines lately! I read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief to them and the rest of the Percy Jackson books are flying off my shelf!! I have a student that loves the Goosebumps books, which is great. However, I also want my students to broaden their horizons and read different types of books. The bookmark allows me to challenge them in reading different genres while giving them something to work towards. I would love to hear any other reading ideas. Now, my next goal is to figure out ways to encourage my kids to love math. If I could figure that out, maybe I would love it also!
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