This and That... Here and There...

Sheesh! It has been a long time since my last post. I've definitely been VERY busy and VERY tired! The good kind of course. :) I come home each day exhausted and beyond ready for my life to start. Grown up life is hard to adjust to compared to having class from noon-4:00! Here's some highlights from the past couple of weeks...

I absolutely LOVE how many opportunities there are for students to learn and discover on their own without direct teacher instruction. This has been most apparent in Math. The lesson we're currently working on is mass. Prior to that, we did a unit called "Cubeland." (Look it up if you haven't heard of it. GREAT unit for teaching volume and height.) Each of these units has allowed students to try things out and figure out methods that work the best. Students are much more engaged and interested when this is the method of teaching used. Definitely noted for my future classroom. :)

Subject change... We found out yesterday that we will be getting a new student! Woo hoo! Should be fun. :) I'm interested to see if they are ahead or behind our students.

Yesterday the students played a concetration game for Block 10 +/- 9. An amazing Saint 2nd grade teacher from another school made fancy PowerPoints for the Smart Board to go along with this unit (and many others). The students were so excited! They broke off into teams (evens against the odds). Their goal was to find an addition problem and its matching solution. I love to see them so excited about learning!

A strategy my cooperating teacher uses in her classroom is P.A.T. which stands for Preferred Activity Time. Students can earn and lose minutes throughout the day. At the end of the day students can do an activity of their choosing. This may include working in their stop folder, reading silently, listening to a read aloud, free time, etc. It normally ends up being about 10 minutes we squeeze in sometime at the end of the day. This is such an easy strategy to implement and a great motivator for the students!

Speaking of motivators... students also can earn virtue stickers for demonstrating the "Blue Valley Virtues." These include self-discipline, acceptance, perserverance, compassion, respect, honesty, responsibility, kindness, and cooperation. They'll do anything for a virtue sticker! These stickers can be redeemed for various prizes and rewards at the end of the month.

I guess I should also give an update on what I'm actually doing here! I'm going over morning work with them along with the learning targets. I'm GRADING. I'm also helping out with spelling pre/post tests. More GRADING. I do some of the Vocabulary and Social Studies lessons as well. Did I say GRADING?! My cooperating teacher has done a really great job of easing me into everything and making sure I'm comfortable. How could I forget... GRADING?! Let it be known, I'm loving every minute of all of it. :)

Well friends, I have 3 dozen muffins to make for seminar tomorrow. Say a prayer for me... I'm cooking! Stay posted. I'll be doing an Economics lesson soon! Eek!

Squeezes and smooches, Miss Lathrop

Introduction to Miss Lathrop!

What a fabulous Monday it has been! Today I presented my first lesson- an introduction of myself. I tried to come up with something fun and active instead of just sharing information. I showed the students a PowerPoint of myself. (If I was talented enough, I would post it). Each slide had a question, such as, "What is my favorite team/food/color?" or "How many siblings do I have?" or "What animals do I have?" etc. Followed by four images of the item discussed in the question. Each image has a number next to it. The number next to the image corresponds to a corner in the room. The students go to that corner in the room (which I labeled) that they think is the correct answer. The next slide reveals the answer to the question. The students in the correct corner receive a "1 point" token. The student with the most points wins! The kiddos absolutely LOVED it! (The even loved my silly little paper tokens!) They spent lots of time deliberating and coming up with the perfect answer to describe Miss Lathrop. :) In the end we had a four way tie. Success? I think so!

After the game, I had the students fill out this worksheet so I could get to know them as well. Some of the kiddos answers were absolutely precious!

Getting To Know YOU!

I finally feel like I'm grasping routines, procedures, schedules, etc. I'm getting to know the kiddos and their personalities better which always make things more fun. Today, we also started reading groups. This will give me the opportunity to meet kiddos from other classes. In one station we read/will be reading The Littles. Another station the students did Rainbow Spelling. The students write their spelling words in marker alternating colors (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet). Such a great idea! At the third station, the students worked on decodeable text with "The Clean Team." This was a small little "book" the students read then answered questions along with it.

In math the students are doing a unit called "Cubeland." They work with cube math manipulatives to create different "plans." They can then switch them with other classmates. (There are a TON of other activities that go with this unit... I'll share more later.)

The students are also finishing up their New Years people. The ones that have finished look so cute! They worked very hard writing out their New Years resolutions. These were then pasted on large pieces of construction paper. They then added faces, mittens, New Years hats, etc. I'll try to take some pictures and post later.

Early dismissal tomorrow! Looking forward to talking with some other 2nd grade teachers in the area and swapping ideas. Time to write my letter to my parents!

Squeezes and smooches, Miss Lathrop

A Quick Post With A Few Fun Ideas...

I have to hurry and do this before my computer overheats! Eek! Clearly, I'm too broke to afford a new fan sooo let's make this snappy!

So today was another fabulous day. It's fun getting to know the other teachers. I know I've said this before, but everyone is seriously making me feel SO welcome! I jotted down a couple notes in my planner today about some ideas I've seen that I've absolutely fallen in love with. It probably sounds like I've never been in a classroom before. Every time my cooperating teacher shows me an idea or a system they've worked out, all I can reply is, "Oh how fun!" or "I love that!" or "Great idea!" I've honestly never seen or heard of a lot of this before. It really is all fun and great and I love it! :)

- Heads down: The kiddos were super chatty and restless today while my CT was giving instructions. After trying to get them to stop talking with no success, she instructed them to stop and put their heads on their desks. I've literally never seen something so effective and amazing in my life! The kids stopped what they were doing, took a little breather, and in 30 ish seconds sat up completely quiet and ready to listen. GENIUS!

- Sit on your pockets: When the kids sit on the floor for Smart Board or read aloud many of them are up on their knees or rolling on around. She frequently tells them, "On your pockets please!" This is a friendly reminder for the students to sit on their pockets (or bottom). So cute.

- Notepads: I've saved the best for last! At the beginning of the year the 2nd grade teachers had notepads made with the students in their classes names on them. There are boxes for writing the assignment names (up to 3 different assignments) at the to, as well as boxes next to the students' names for check marks. When an assignment is complete, you can check it off next to their name. I seriously can't believe I haven't seen this before! They have also made notepads for their "mom helpers." It has boxes along the left side and blank spaces on the right. The teachers can write in what they need help with that week. The moms can checkoff what they accomplished. Simple, easy, effective. I realize I've done an awful job explaining...

Well this has clearly turned out longer than intended. Off to grade! (Whew! That's fun to say!)
Squeezes and smooches, Miss Lathrop

Day 1: Check!

Whew! What a day! It was weird getting up before the sun and wearing something other than my jammies all day! Definitely couldn't have been a better first day though. I met TONS of faculty and staff who all made me feel very welcome. However, it will definitely take a while for me to get all of their names down. :)

My cooperating teacher is incredible! It was fun seeing her in action. I've already gathered lots of great ideas and resources for use in my future classroom. The kiddos are awesome. I'm really looking forward to building relationships with them as the semester goes on. I have my very own "teacher desk" as well which is exciting!

I was very impressed with the school and the principal. Everyone is very professional (more so than what I've seen in other schools). The teachers are required to write the daily "Lesson Objectives" on the board. This is to ensure that the students, principal, and anyone who may walk in the room, know what is being taught. LOVED this! Instrumental music is playing in the background as the students walk through the halls (never seen this before either). This is a cheesy thing to mention BUT I was very impressed with their after school procedures for students who get a ride home from their parents. K-5 signs are hung on the outside walls. Each grade gathers in front of their grade sign. Students have to stand behind the red line. Parents pull around the circle drive to pick their child up at their assigned grade. It was amazing how seamless and effective this was!

Well friends, that's all I have for today.
Squeezes and smooches, Miss Lathrop

It's Almost Here!

Hello and welcome! I have started this blog in hopes of capturing and sharing some of my thoughts, feelings, ideas, reflections, lesson plans, pictures, etc. during my student teaching semester. I've never been good at keeping a journal or diary so this will have to do! I am new to the blogging world, so hopefully I can keep up. :) Maybe I can even benefit more than just myself in the process. Feel free to borrow any ideas you may find!

I will start student teaching tomorrow (Wednesday, January 4th) in 2nd grade at Cedar Hills Elementary in the Blue Valley School District- voted the kindest school in Kansas City. :) I believe I am as ready as I'll ever be. 3 1/2 years of education all for this! My noggin is stuffed full of fun ideas, theories, instructional techniques, etc. Time to put them to good use! Cody bought me a new, Fossil teacher bag. It's something different than my Vera Bradley bags, which I like. For Christmas I got TONS of teacher clothes- pants, sweaters, shirts, you name it. We had quite the heyday at Ann Taylor Loft! I have met my teacher (over Starbucks- how fabulous) and we seem like a perfect fit! We've been texting, emailing, and facebook messaging back and forth- so fun. I am beyond excited to start working with her and her students!

Well friends, that's all I have for now.
Squeezes and smooches, Miss Lathrop