Weekly Planning Guides

Like I have said before, my summer vacation includes quite a bit of school work and planning for the upcoming school year.  I have been working on getting my first semester goals written for each subject that I am going to be teaching.  A planning guide help me see what I need to accomplish in order to have my students ready for the state assessment in the spring.

There are some important parts of the first semester that drive my planning, such as the first and second quarter math common assessments that are given district wide.  Another guiding force are the reading fluency passages, SRI reading tests each quarter, and a writing prompt that all of my students need to complete.

Here is a peek at the first 5 weeks of my Weekly Planning Guide:

Click on the picture to see a larger version that is much easier to read.

~ Mrs. Dean

Summer Reading List

This summer I have dedicated myself to reading the twelve Mark Twain Award nominee books. The award is presented by The Missouri Association of School Librarians.  Students in grades fourth through eighth can vote for their favorite title that is nominated for the award.  Some past Mark Twain Award winners have been: Sounder, How to Eat Fried Worms, The Dollhouse Murders (the book I picked to win when I was in the fourth grade) and The Man Who Loved Clowns.

The 2012-2013 award nominees are:

Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

Drizzle by Kathleen Van Cleve

The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein

Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret

Half Upon a Time by James Riley

Hide & Seek by Katy Grant

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Twenty Gold Falcons by Amy Gordon

So far I have loved the three books that I have read.  I can't wait to suggest them to my students who love to read when school begins in the fall!

~Mrs. Dean

Back to School Bulletin Board Ideas

Right outside of Room 209, I have a large rectangular bulletin board that I traditionally decorate welcoming my students to their new classroom on Meet the Teacher Night.  Every student can find their name on the bulletin board welcoming them to their new home.

I know it is only the beginning of July, but does a teacher really take the summer off?

Here are a few of my favorites:

(Click on each of the pictures to learn more from the website where I found these awesome ideas)

  

 

Other great bulletin board tips
(Click on each of the pictures to learn more from the website where I found these awesome ideas)


Use old frosting containers to store your bulletin board boarders.  Cut a piece of the boarder and taper it to the front of the can.  Why didn't I think of that?

Another great boarder storage tip uses binder clips and 3M Command hooks to hang them in your storage closet.

Keep your holiday bulletin boards ready to use again the following year by placing all of the parts of the bulletin board (boarders, letters, fabric,  into a gallon size Ziploc bag and store.

~ Mrs. Dean