Summer Teaching, Having a Blast!

Okay, maybe not a blast-but I don't want to claw my eyes out-yet!

My district runs a summer program both for enrichment and for remedial students. The remedial program runs for 2 hours four days a week. Then students, anyone in the district, has the opportunity to attend an hour and a half enrichment program. I am teaching both and have been for about four years-eventually you lose count. 

I spend my days teaching two sessions of remedial classes (one fourth grade class of 12 and one fifth grade class of 7).  I am sharing a class with one of my teacher BFFs and the gal responsible for my entire Math philosophy. She is a math wizard and the greatest Math teacher I have ever met. Needless to say, she is teaching Math while I am teaching Reading. The class is full of struggling students, but with the small group it's not so bad. The early mornings, after late summer evenings on the other hand are not so grand!  

From remedial reading, I have a different enrichment for a different grade level each week. Week #1 had me teaching Writing through Picture Books to first graders. I only had 8 kids in the class and loved the change of teaching the little guys. We did a theme end activity and writing each day. 

Day #1:

We read The Ice Cream King and wrote about our love of ice cream and who we like to share it with. Then we used water color paint swirls as our ice cream scoops and made some cones. I ended with a Brainpop Jr video on how heat melts things like ice cream. 

Day #2:

We read one of my favorite picture books When a Dragon Moves In. We made our own creatures who moved into our own sandcastle. Think mermaids, dinosaurs, monster, etc.  The kids drew and colored their character and we made our own paper sand castles and mounted them on our water color beach. The writing task included what we would do with our new friend when it moved in.  The kids LOVED painting with the water colors so I made sure to incorporate that into each day. OOPS! didn't take any pictures that day....

Day #3:

Or third day was inspired by my buddy Kelly.  We read a nonfiction book about sea turtles and wrote a nonfiction essay about the sea creature. We used paper plates painted with water colors as the shells and used a stencil to create the rest of the turtles. A little nonfiction goes a long way.  

All our nonfiction data

Day #4:

We read the greatest new picture book I've ever found. The Day the Crayons Quit is hysterical. It had my younger brother and I literally laughing out old in Barnes and Nobles. With this book we examined the components of a friendly letter and wrote letters to ourselves from one of our crayons. These letter were hysterical!  Then, because they were dying to paint again I had them paint pictures using only the color crayon that they chose. These were funny and again, me with no camera!

Overall it was a good week. Week #2 has me teaching my remedial classes and Math through Games to first graders. 

Stay tuned for the next episode of Adventures of a Summer School Teacher. 

Damien 

Best Valentine Boxes!

Hi all, Kelly here!

So switching grade levels has had its benefits.  I was forced to search for a new Valentine box and found this idea on Pinterest.  Yes, it is an Ipod Valentine box complete with heart earbuds.  Love, love, love especially because I use my Ipod everyday to transition in my class.  First I give directions then play the music and when I lower the music the students quiet down and have to be silent when the music ends.  Works like a charm!

One of our centers was to deliver your Valentine's.

Then of course I had to find new Valentine party ideas and I found a great one called Sweethert Snack by Sarah Cooley.  Loved all her ideas so I decided to have centers for my celebration.  First center was delivering Valentines, which is always the favorite.

Center number 2 was unscramble the Valentine words.  This was a challenge for some!

Center 3 was minute to win it games with conversation hearts.  Each activity was given one  minute to accomplish.  I ran this activity because I am a big kid and wanted to take the challenge.  Yes, I am the only one to stack the pyramid.  The kiddos loved this activity.

 

Center 4 was eating our one sweet treat yummy cupcakes, strawberries and water.  I hope you can't notice the sprinkles on the cupcakes because sprinkles are a fondant which is banned from school.  Oops the parents just can't seem to remember that rule.

Having 15 minute center rotations was perfect!  I also had clipboards with Valentine's Day word searches on them in case kiddos finished before time was up to switch.  Many other cute activities came in the packet which I used later on that day.

Off to start planning St. Patrick's Day!

Hi all-

Time to visit a 5th grade classroom on Valentine's Day.  Since I have a Harry Potter theme I have been able to find a great deal of Owl "stuff" to add to my room and the Owls fit in perfectly!  

I found this ideas for my Valentine box on Pinterest.  We first painted the small tissue boxes either brown, white, or black and let them dry.  Then it was Carpe Diem as my kids were free to do whatever they wanted to decorate their owls.  

Big round eyes and 3D beaks were a big hit in my room

A more traditional owl

A few of the finished product (notice the lightning bolt scar on the far left) :0)

Aren't they adorable

It is a room #20 Valentine tradition to have chocolate fondu on Valentine's day.  We usually have a HUGE spread of dippables...well not this year.  Since the government is trying to eliminate all forms of fun in school the new food guidelines put a limit on what I was allowed to have.  However, since the conversation began that Valentine's Day was inappropriate for 5th grade I will accept the minimized fondue celebration as a WIN!

I find that this sign really sums up my feelings on the whole issue of food in classrooms...

...And it can be found in our front office.  

We hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day!

With Love and Friendship, 
Damien and Kelly