Back to school already?

I got a text yesterday asking if I was ready to go back to school from a friend. I hadn't received a formal letter from the superintendent like I typically do. It is only the second week in August. I forgot that in our district we go back to school earlier. She told me to check my email, and that is where I found out that next Monday is our first day back! The beginning of this school year is not like any that I have experienced in the past. Even though this will be my 18th year as a teacher, it feels like a first year. There is so much uncertainty. At least I will have some of the same students as I had last year. I taught 4th grade before, and now I will be teaching 5th grade. Now that the shock has worn off, it's time to get organized!

I have one activity I will send to them as we begin the school year. It's a great review for many of my students who probably have forgotten how to do multiplication. 

It's on sale for only $1.00 for one more day.

Here is a freebie from my TPT store that might be a huge help for you to get to know your students during the new school year.

2020 could it be worse?

Do you ever feel like this? I loved this book as a child. It's a favorite to read to my younger students when I'm teaching primary grades or special education. The funny part about this book is that the monster was him all along! It's my hope that they will find a vaccine and that everything will be safe again. In the mean time.... it's time to get ready for distant learning!

Beginning the new school year

 

Hello... It's been a while

It's great to be back blogging. At a time when parents are having to step into our shoes, I admire their perseverance. I'm reminded weekly of how much parents have been doing to ensure that their child continues to learn. Parents have taken a leave of absence from work to make sure they can help their child. I'm in awe of these incredible parents!
I'm currently working on a Novel Study for the book, "Charlotte's Web." I can't wait to use it in the classroom next year! It should be available in about two weeks. All of my lesson plans are based on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. It has been so much fun to revisit this classic book, that I loved so much as a child. Here are some of the pages so far! Feel free to download them and use them. 

When the Corona Virus hit, I decided to create a free product that could be used with packets. My students needed practice with long division. Please enjoy:

If you are interested in adding cursive to your student's/child's distance learning, this is a recent cursive resource that teaches letters in a specific order based on their design.

Bloom's Taxonomy vs. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy        Bloom's Taxonomy was created almost 60 years ago! As an educator, is Bloom's Taxonomy still relevant today? Bloom's original Taxonomy was originally designed based on three domains. These domains included cognitive, affective and psychomotor. The main focus was on the cognitive domain. It was categorized into six different goals. The original Taxonomy were based on nouns, as the Revised Taxonomy was based on verbs. The Revised Taxonomy was written with the classroom of the 21st century in mind. It also reflects how concepts are taught in modern day. 

• Both Bloom's Taxonomy and Bloom's Revised Taxonomy include crucial elements for students to focus on while reading a text, or listening to a text. 
• Though Bloom's Taxonomy was created 60 years ago, many of the same questions can be used when applying Bloom's Revised Taxonomy.
• Both Bloom's Taxonomy and Bloom's Revised Taxonomy provide students a deeper understanding of the text in a way they are engaged in learning. 
• Based on our knowledge of Differentiated Instruction and Multiple Intelligence, we know that students do not learn in the same way. Bloom's Taxonomy and Bloom's Revised Taxonomy provides a differentiated approach for all learners. 

Bloom's Original Taxonomy

 For resources you can use based on Bloom's Taxonomy and Bloom's Revised Taxonomy check out the following resources:

The best part of Bloom's Taxonomy and Bloom's Revised Taxonomy is that questions can be used in different subject areas, and at so many different grade levels. Students can either ask each other questions using the cards, volunteers, paras, and it is even extremely handy to have out during a read-a-loud with our students. 

Check out one our freebies today to see how Bloom's Taxonomy & Bloom's Revised Taxonomy works in your classroom!

Welcome back to the new school year. This will be the first time in 12 years I have gone back to teaching general education. I began as a general education teacher way back in 2002. I absolutely loved it. During the summers I had the opportunity to lead the Extended School Year from a local school district. I fell in love with teaching students in Life Skills who had physical needs, Autism, and so many other capabilities. I loved those children so much, I finally decided to go back to school to become a special education teacher. As a special education teacher I have had a lot of various experiences. I taught in self-contained classrooms, worked as an Autism Consultant. I also taught resource and as a reading specialist. The most difficult was teaching in classrooms where I was being hit. I almost decided one year that I no longer wanted to teach. I gave all of my materials to a first year teacher, and subbed for an entire school year. I also went back to school to become a counselor. As I was attending the University, I was bored with the classes. I found myself loving to sub. I realized that it wasn't that I didn't love teaching, I didn't like being hit. After 12 years of teaching special education, I will be starting to teach general education again. I'm the type of teacher who can't do the same thing every year. I love learning from different experiences. I'm so excited about this new school year, and what I will learn from the amazing 4th grade students I will have.For some amazing tips on how to start your school year on a positive note, check out the following article. It really has helped me put things into perspective.  https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/aug/27/start-new-school-year-positive-mindset-stress-teachers-tips