Summer, Summer, Summer Time...

 

Summer break is days away!! I hope that each of you have plans to rest and relax, travel, do home projects, read non-school related books, see movies, dance, visit the beach, spend time with family, etc. Your rest is important to recover from the stressors of a rigorous school year!

For some of you, your team has planned a summer planning (trade) day. I figured I might share some tips and blog posts about planning just in case you'd like to have some resources...I know, I know, I'm off topic of relaxing, haha. But you know that I love to make sure you are prepared with resources. :)

Suggestions:

-When planning for science and social studies...
     1. Create a Focus Calendar over the summer based on standards
         (Use the IFG and grade level standards for assistance).
     2. Start your Pacing Guide for Quarter One or Month One and
         then adjust during the school year, and continue pacing each
         quarter or month.

-When planning for reading and math...
     1. Review the county's IFG pacing, and see where adjustments
         would be helpful.
     2. Create a Focus Calendar using your grade level standards and
         the IFG.

Did you Know?

-Next year, we most likely will be moving away from the CPT template and moving towards common lesson plans. Start brainstorming important lesson plan components and take a look at the template I shared via email.


Helpful Blog Posts:

5 Ways to Learn Through Writing Lesson Plans
https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2014/01/28/power-of-planning/


Keep Calm and Pretend It's On the Lesson Plan
http://elementaryorganization.blogspot.com/2012/08/keep-calm-and-pretend-its-on-lesson-plan.html


Pacing Guides (high school level, but still great tips)
http://www.eatwriteteach.com/2013/07/pacing-guides.html  and her video How to Plan a Full-Year Curriculum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTeLiTbiMjA   


Tips for Curriculum Planning
http://www.cfclassroom.com/2013/07/CurriculumMaps.html     

End of Year Reflection Blog Post:
http://teachingtoinspire.com/2017/05/end-of-year-reflection-for-teachers.html

Happy planning and relaxing!! 

National Poetry Month and Financial Literacy Month

How did we get to April already??

Every April, I join the morning announcements crew to share a daily poem with our students. Students get to enjoy these poems, but also are seeing fluency, rhythm, and tone modeled at the same time. How do you model these reading skills in your classroom? Are you interested in engaging students through poetry activities this month? Did you know that there is a poetry section of books in the Teacher Area in the Media center?? Amy can direct you to the correct area if you're interested...See below for some poetry activity options:

25 Great Ideas for Teaching Poetry:
http://minds-in-bloom.com/25-great-ideas-teaching-poetry/

Poetry Across the Curriculum:
https://www.edutopia.org/article/poetry-across-curriculum-brett-vogelsinger

Poetry Creation Station:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/231583605817311935/

April is also Financial Literacy Month! The USF College of Education Stavros Center has created quick resources for you to use throughout the month. They created Money in a Minute (should take only 1 minute), which are daily images with economic/financial literacy questions aligned to K-5 standards. Each week they will post the next round of activities! Find the link below.

http://sunnymoney.weebly.com

 

 

Anyone who shares how they are celebrating Poetry or Financial Literacy in their classroom in a comment will be entered to win a Target gift card at the end of the month!