Where did December go?

Man, I am horrible at this blogging thing! I thought this would be something to do once a week and apparently I am lucky if I post once a month. Oh well. December was short, quick, and hyper! We all know that is expected when you combine the excitement of the holidays with a lot of sugar. We spent the last half of the 6 weeks preparing for our next Math benchmark. In the past I have only had a few kids pass the test. Unfortunately, that didn't change but my kids did jump in their scores. Several students went up 20 percentage points from the previous benchmarks! I will take baby steps because let's be honest, progress is progress. :)

We had a fantastic holiday party. Our room mom planned an exciting day with delicious food. Instead of making the typical picture ornament for the parents I taught the kiddos how to cross stitch. It was very interesting to see which kids loved it (or did not love it!). Kids that usually have very little patience for ANYTHING, sat for hours working on this project. It was amazing! Every day I am amazed at how far my class has come and the gains they have made socially, emotionally, and academically.

January starts a new semester and a new schedule. We are starting to focus a large part of our day on math, which is an area of focus for our district. I am sad that we are taking time away from science and social studies since those are the subjects that really interest the kids but we have to do everything we can to meet their needs and get them ready for fifth grade. The idea of preparing for next year excites my fourth graders so I am sure they will adjust to the change better than me. Along with the schedule change, we will have a student teacher. Ms. Mini-me is going to be a great addition to the room, not only because she will give me an extra set of hands and mind to assist students but she also is working on a degree in secondary math!! (going right along with our focus)

I have thought of some things over the break to try in the new year. Here are some of my ideas and I will try my best to update you on the trial and error that I am constantly implementing.

* Karaoke to increase fluency
* Journal where students and I write back and forth to each other
* Playing more team building games
* Implement ways for students to help each other solve problems.

I wish you the best as the new year begins. I know I am looking forward to a better 2010!