The 5....4....3....2....1 Challenge!

The Whimsical Teacher's 5....4....3...2...1 Challenge!

Periscope was being annoying...so, I've decided to post these here & try Periscope later in the week.

Here they are:

5 Places I've Visited:

1.  California- My sister in law lives in the San Francisco/Oakland area.  We took our 2 boys last summer & it was a blast!

2.  Switzerland/Austria/Germany- I chaperoned a high school field trip about 15 years ago.  This area is beautiful...but I speak zero German & am not a fan of sausage products or carbonated water...so it was a long 2 weeks for me.

3.  Mexico-My in-laws are extremely generous and take us somewhere warm every year for Christmas (well, they go every year-we try to go at least every other year).  So, we have visited several different places in Mexico.

4.  Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic- this is our very favorite place that my in-laws have taken us.  We are going back this year over our winter break & I cannot wait!

5.  St. Louis, MO- I was born there.  We moved to Wisconsin when I was five following my father's death to be closer to family.

4 Hobbies/Activities

1.  Flower gardening- I LOVE planting & taking care of flowers outside around my house.  It is stress relief for me.

2.  Crochet- I taught myself how to crochet a few years ago by watching YouTube videos.

3.  Sewing- my mother taught me to sew when I was in middle school.  I make pillows, valances, some clothing items (PJ pants for my kids).  I wish I had more time for this one.

4.  Running- I started running a few years ago using the Couch to 5K app.  It is such a great stress reliever for me.

3 Pet Peeves

1.  Toothpaste left in the sink.  Why????  I am trying to train/teach my boys how to NOT do this...it isn't going well.

2.  People who tap/click things repetitively...so annoying.

3.  People who talk during presentations/meetings/have side conversations.  This one is not only annoying to me, but it is also rude.

2 Favorites
I could list SO many things here...but currently, my 2 teacher favorites are:

The Book Whisperer   This book is a current favorite of mine!  It is SO good & I think should be required reading for all teachers.

These pens  -So amazing!  I use them in my planner daily & for correcting student work.  They are erasable & amazing.

1 Goal
To be better tomorrow than I was today.  A better wife, mom, teacher, friend, neighbor...you name it.

I am definitely going to use this activity with my advisory students!  Such a great idea.
Thank you SO much to The Whimsical Teacher for this idea.
Go and check out her blog HERE

Have a great week!

Back to School!!

Hello Teacher Friends!

It is back to school time once again!  I say it every single year, but summer always seems to fly by.  
In my school district we have 2 days of in-service this week and the students return September 1st.  I am ready!  Last year, I was dreading it so much...this year, I am so excited to meet all of those new faces!

This year, my plan is to start updating this blog at least once a week.  I have been a terrible blogger.  

Later this week, I'll post pictures of my classroom.  It is pretty much set up.  

Have a great school year! 

Books I'd Recommend

During the school year, I try to read as much young adult literature as I can so that I can keep up with what the kids are reading.  I also can then recommend books to students.

Here are some books I've finished recently and would recommend:

1.This book is SO good!  It isn't very long & I finished it in a night.  Really great book based on a true story.

2. 
This book was interesting & a good read.

3.  
This is the book I'm currently reading aloud to my classes.  Each chapter is told from a different student's perspective.  My students have really gotten into the book & the characters.

4.  
I am currently reading this book & really like it so far.  I love that it takes place in Wisconsin-I recognize many of the cities referenced.

All images are from Amazon.  

Here we go!

I LOVE blogs.  I love reading blogs and I have found so many great ideas for my own classroom on blogs.  So, here is my attempt to document the wonderfully crazy world of sixth graders.  I hope to share lessons ideas and updates on what we are currently working on in 6th grade ELA.

Currently, we are ending our year with informational text.  I have a class subscription to Scholastic Scope.



This is a GREAT resource with so many great activities to go with each issue.  Completely aligned to the Common Core and worth every penny!  What I also love is that some issues have activities where students read two articles and work on skills comparing & contrasting the two articles.

Students have been using the articles in the magazines to work on close reading, reviewing text features & text structure (which we covered in detail first quarter), and critical thinking questions.

We are finishing up our end of the year M.A.P. testing this week as well.

Less than 30 days left of school!