Barking About Being Sick

It's that time of year when people are starting to cough, sneeze, and feel rotten.  It is flu season in Pennsylvania.  Last week we had a large number of teachers out sick, and it reminded me that I need to get my "emergency sub plans" written up.  Writing sub plans is always a daunting task for me.  I want the day to run smoothly for the substitute, and I also want the children to have a meaningful day of learning while I am out.  Many teachers have often said "It's more work to be out of school than actually being there".  When we write sub plans, it has to be spelled out exactly how we do each part of the day.  I sat down at the computer to put together my emergency plans, which are plans that a substitute could follow if I were too sick to write up real plans.  I thought, there is so much information a substitute must have at the tip of his or her fingers.  So I decided to make a sub binder.  I thought about all of the things I would want to tell a substitute, and then used that information to create my sub binder.  Now that I am finished, I will house it in a prominent place on my desk.

My Substitute Binder


I would love to know what other teachers do to prepare for substitutes.  Feel free to add a comment!
And stay well!

     As teachers we are always taking courses, right?  Well this fall I am working on a fabulous course through Learner's Edge called Refocus and Recharge.  It is an excellent class, and I highly recommend it.  It has been helpful for me in learning ways to feel less stressed on the job as well as at home.  So why am I writing about this course?  Funny you should ask.  One of the assignments is to write about some of the topics that have been discussed in a blog.  I am choosing several topics to discuss in my blog today.  The first is about ways to manage stress, as discussed in the course book, The Well Balanced Teacher, by Mike Anderson.  There are some great ideas in the book, that I am sure you are already aware of, but it is helpful to read about them to remind yourself.  For managing stress we start by eating well-balanced meals and healthy snacks.  He gives several pages of ideas for meals and snacks, as well as ways to avoid the unhealthy foods that we come across as teachers, such as birthday treats from students.  His second suggestion is one I am very guilty of, and that is to drink plenty of water.  We as teachers are always using the excuse that we "never have time to pee!"  But we really must stay hydrated in order to help manage stress.  He suggests having a neighbor teacher cover your class, as well as a support staff member or even an administrator!  Drink your water!  The author then gives some great ways to get some physical exercise into each day.  I loved the one that says to exercise with your students.  We need to be sure we are getting a good night's sleep.  Don't stay up too late marking those math tests if you want to be fresh and ready for those smiling faces in the morning.  Something we don't all think about is our physical safety at school, but if we feel threatened we are undoubtedly stressed.  The physical conditions of our classroom can also be a place to help us relax.  He suggests painting the walls, covering up cluttered spaces, and eliminating unused furniture, and bringing in a homey touch.  Finally, the author suggests that we should connect with nature in order to refresh our minds and spirits.
     In the class, we are learning that teachers that build relationships with colleagues, administrators, families, and students are less stressed and happier.  Some ideas for building relationships that I thought were useful were starting a book club, or a walking club with colleagues and administrators.
     There is an entire chapter in the book on self-efficacy, and I feel that it is a valuable one.  Anderson tells us that it is okay to be proud of yourself, and to become less dependent on the approval of others.  We must eliminate negative self-talk, and the one that I am really going to work on is just say "thank you" when someone compliments you. So often I receive a compliment on my classroom or and activity I created, and I deflect the compliment so that I don't seem boastful or cocky.  We must give ourselves permission to feel good.
     I am certainly going to try working on many of the suggestions in this course, and right now I am going to start by having a tall glass of water!  How about you?  What ideas do you have to refresh and recharge yourself?
       
    

Back To School- 2 Weeks Before...

Before

Going back to school means rethinking my classroom setup.  This is the perfect opportunity to think about room arrangement, and what worked well last year, and what did not.  My classroom is a clean slate, because every single thing had to be boxed and moved out this year.  I was moved 2 doors down the hall, so I also have a new classroom. 
     I started by thinking about the main areas that I like to have in second grade.  I need to have a small library section, and a large area for whole-group instruction.  I keep my teacher desk in the back corner next to the coatroom, so that it takes up as little space as possible.  I am lucky enough to have a kidney table for Guided Reading, and again, I keep that in a corner so that it takes up less space.  Once I have those areas established, I start unpacking boxes.

     I love my aqua colored chevron fabric, and my zebra valance.  I found zebra print sheets on clearance at Kmart, and cut them up for accents.  I even made a milk crate seat with the zebra fabric! 

Library Corner- Almost finished!

My teacher desk in coatroom area; also have my writing table here.

Guided Reading area with all ELA materials at my fingertips.

Calendar and birthday chart in front of room.

There is a lot more to be done, but my main areas have been established.  By the way, if you like my dog themed classroom job chart behind my desk, you can get it here:  Dog Themed Classroom Jobs

If you like my chevron Daily 5 labels, you can find them here: Chevron Daily 5

Barking About Research

In Second Grade, we research sea creatures.  Children choose a sea creature and locate information in various locations.  I have my children use our school library books, as well as websites such as PebbleGo! and Enchanted Learning.  Students begin by taking notes about the sea creature, its habitat, diet, enemies, appearance, and other interesting facts.  My grade level partners came up with a great note-taking sheet.  With lots of modeling, the students spend a few days writing the facts in paragraph form.  They do some peer editing, and then have a final conference with me.  Finally they write their published report.  A cover is made by the children, and we found so many wonderful "scuba diver" ideas on Pinterest to display all of their hard work. 

I found the idea for these on Mrs. Linnabary's blog. We loved how they look in our windows.

How do you do you research in second grade?

Barking about Field Trips

I just took my sweet second graders to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ to culminate our research on sea creatures.  We had an amazing field trip! The students have spent the past two weeks gathering information from PebbleGo! and Enchanted Learning, as well as from books in our school library.  The students had to gather facts about the sea creature's appearance, habitat, diet, enemies and self-defense, as well as other remarkable facts.  The kids really got into the research, and became experts on their sea creature.  It was so rewarding seeing the excitement on their faces when they were able to see their sea creature in real life!  They were able to actually touch the stingrays and sharks.  All in all, it was an incredible day; one they'll always remember.  Where do you take your students?

More Tips in Creating a Dog-Themed Classroom

I found some really adorable doggy borders, name plates, bulletin board sets, stickers and more on Carson-Dellosa's website.  I loved the turquoise and black color scheme, and thought it would look great in my second grade classroom.  

 

Then I went over to Jo-Ann's Fabrics and found some fun chevron fabrics that went with my color scheme.

I made some black and white pompoms to hang in the reading corner.  I am so happy with the way it looks.  I will have more pictures coming soon. 

Next Step in Creating a Dog-Themed Classroom

After finding the lovely paw prints on Really Good Stuff's website, I decided to use the "dog theme" in my behavior management system.  Many teachers are using a clip chart these days, similar to the one in my picture.  I decided to turn my clip chart into a very large dog bone.

 Next I labeled wooden clothes pins with each student's name.  At the bottom, if a student lands on red, the label says "In the Doghouse".  I love the clip chart because my students have the ability to move up and down throughout the day.  They are never "stuck" on red, yellow or orange.  Do you use a clip chart in your classroom?  What other behavior management systems are you using out there?  Feel free to share on this post.

Creating a Dog-Themed Classroom

Since this is my 7th year hosting a therapy dog, I have slowly created a dog-themed classroom.  It's just adorable, and what second grader doesn't love dogs? 
I began by purchasing these cute paw print cutouts from Really Good Stuff. I use them for all sorts of things.  This year I kicked off my year using these cutouts with the name of each child in my class.  They are so colorful, and kid-friendly.

Second Grade Has Gone to the Dogs

I host a Therapy Dog once a week for one hour in my second grade classroom.  The organization is called Norwester Readers  This has been an amazing adventure for me.  I started with the idea that it would basically be something fun and enjoyable for my second grade students.  They would get to read to the dog.  I had no idea that this program would help students in such profound ways.  My students began to relax as they stroked "Wes", and as they read to him their hands would either rest on his fur, or they would pet him.  Fluency began improving, along with test scores.  Parents noticed their children practicing their oral reading with their pets and stuffed animals at home.  What an awesome program!  If you are an animal lover, like me, you may be interested in looking into a therapy dog program in your school district!