Tie Dye and Summer!!!

I have to admit....I'm a little jealous of all the blogs that keep saying IM DONE!!!! Yes, I'm almost done.....but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades (says my hubby). 7 more days and then I can brag!!!

So last week, one of my students came to school with these pretty awesome tie dye shoes! I asked her where they were from and she said she made them!! I was sold.....I had to have those shoes!! Went to Wal-Mart and ought me some white shoes and dye and "BAM"......I have tie dye shoes!!!!

I'm the yellow....and my tie dye student is the pink (I figured I would specify since there isn't much difference between the shoe sizes!!)! Aren't they awesome??!!!

So yea...7 days until summer break!! Can't wait!!!

The light at the end of the tunnel....

I can see it!!! Can you?? There are 11 days (10 days and a wake up as a fellow coworker says) left in school!! Oh hallelujah!!! I feel like I can breathe a little easier knowing its almost here!!

EOG's are finished!! My kiddos did well in terms of behavior and hard work! Their scratch paper was covered from the math test! That's always a good thing to see. Unfortunately, with a new test this year, we won't find out their scores until October.....REALLY??? At that point we will be well on our way to getting new kids ready for the EOG. But whatever.....anywho....

The next 2 weeks are going to be full of crazy kids! They are done, we are done, and there's not much more to get either of us motivated! Say a prayer for us!

So, there is this Linky out now about a summer bucket lost, so why not? Her goes my list....

My Summer Bucket List

1. Plan...

My plan for this summer is to get all planned out for next year. This year was hectic in terms of what is being taught, when, and how it should be taught. We started Daily 5 this year, which was new for me. It took a long time for me to get a good feel for it, which I'm still not 100% how I feel about it in third grade. That and Investigations in math...it has been a rather "new" year in terms of our curriculum. So now that I'm used to it, it's time to get paced for next year.

2. Paint my patio furniture.

Our patio furniture is old. It's my mother-in-laws aunts table. It is brown, but doesn't match well with our screened in porch. I've been working on painting it for...oh....a year now! I think I started last summer....and it's till unfinished. One chair is done, three and a table to go!!

3. Go for a walk at least three times a week.

I want to stay healthy and not get lazy over the summer. I have a treadmill, so rainy or freakishly hot days are no excuse!!

4. Catch up....on sleep!!!

Self explanatory!!!

Currently.....

It has been TOOOOO long since I've posted. It's amazing how busy one teacher can get!! :). What better way to come back than with Farley's Oh Boy, Fourth Grades April Currently!!!

I've been meaning to get this post up for a while, and FINALLY I got to it!!

Listening: Big Bang Theory!! Used to hate this show.......now I LOVE it!!! :)

Loving: summer is approaching, one day at a time!! This school year has gone by quickly, and needs to go quicker!! It's been a rather difficult year with SOOO many changes at our school and in our school system....new kids who are quite the little lovelies.....and other things that are to remain off the web for public access!! :) I do like my job, even with the stresses....so I'd like to keep it!!! :)

Thinking: nothing really. It was a rough day, so sitting at home relaxing is quite nice. Just wish my hubby was with me. He had to help his dad with something, and isn't home yet. He is not going to be a happy camper when he gets home. 

Wanting: a good day tomorrow. Trying REALLY hard to stay positive and strong with my lovelies!!! 

Needing: my WBC count to go down. I went to the doctor last week and my blood tests showed that my WBC count were slightly above normal. My doctor says...."don't worry about it. There are lots of things that can raise your WBC count."  She doesn't know who she is talking to.....worry wart is my middle name......I'm going back in a couple weeks to get more blood taken. I know white blood cells fight infection, and my allergies are quite ridiculous right now, so I'm hoping that's all it is!!

Advice: add humor any chance you can!! I've read some posts that have just given me the little laugh or boost that I needed. One of my favorites is A Teeny Tiny Teacher. Her stories are always full of humor and she basically explains her days with funny stories. I can almost feel like I'm in her posts sometimes. I try my best to add humor when it works, but that's my advice to any blogger out there!'

There ya go!! Hopefully I will get myself back on here more often!! I try to focus on my puppies and husband when I get home, so a lot of times my blog gets shafted for that reason!! I'll try better!

Happy Friday tomorrow!! Listen carefully at about 2:45. You may hear some teachers screaming with joy at the top of their lungs!! As much as I despise...hate...can't stand....strongly dislike the "Friday" song...ya know...."It's Friday, Friday....gonna get down on Friday.....".....I sing it almost every Friday afternoon!!! :) join me....won't you??? 

Spring Break Sale!!!!

Happy Spring Break!!!!!

I am throwing a 15% sale in my TpT store in honor of spring break, which starts for me at exactly 2:45 tomorrow when those precious, darling, wonderful children step foot onto those buses!!

Sale starts tonight, and runs through Saturday!

Click HERE to access my store!!

I have several spring SMARTBoard lessons available, related to the butterfly/caterpillar life cycle!!

Happy Spring Break! I'm not excited AT ALL!!! :)

Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party...

I am linking up with Flying Into First Grade's first linky party!!!

The rules of the linky are to share 3 things about yourself that you like or like to do, using your initials!! So....here we go!!!

 

 

A-Atlanta Braves! I was born in Atlanta, so I like watching Atlanta Braves games! It was a sad day to watch Chipper Jones play his last game! :(

 

T-Teaching! Call it cliche', but I really do love teaching.  Even though there are days I want to just pack up and leave and not go back, I really do think it was my calling.  I don't do blood, I hate teeth, I can't build things....so yea! I love kids! There ya go!!

 

B-Big Bang Theory! I hated that show when it first came out.  I thought it was such a stupid show.  Sadly, when my husband and I were in Gatlinburg for our 1 year anniversary, we watched it once....and we were hooked!! Now we LOVE watching it!! It is actually on right now as we "speak."  I really don't see how the actors on this show make it through a full episode without falling on the floor laughing!!

 

So there are my 3 things about myself!! If you are interested in linking up, click the link at the top of my blog post, and add your page.  If you do so, make sure you comment on the 2 blogs before yours on the linky page!!

 

Happy Thursday!! Almost Friday!!! :)

 

 



March Currently...

March is here....March is here......

MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!! WHOOHOO!!

Here is my March Currently...linking up with Oh Boy, 4th Grade!

1. Friends.....my favorite TV show of ALL times!! This is one show I can watch over and over without getting tired of it!! This episode is the one where Rachel goes back to work and finds out that she has been "replaced." She decides to go back on that day....best line....Rachel: Ive decides to go back to work today. Ross: oh sure, just lend me one of your breasts and ill be on my way!! Hilarious!!

2. The weekend....this week was pure chaos....state testing, fire drill, power outage, Read Across America Day, my voice disappeared, AND my final observation! Really?? When it rains, it pours in an elementary school. This weekend was nice to relax and not do anything work related!!

3. Summer.....I am trying so hard to get 8 or 9 kids that I can tutor this summer. I have 5 right now, but still need at least 3 to make it worth my time. I do have a possible backup, but it is not my first choice. I keep telling myself that if tutoring is meant to be, then it will work out. If not, then God did not intend for me to tutor!! Being patient and waiting on Gods plan is very difficult, but I know it's what I need to do!!

4. My iPad.....so Friday we were playing Minute to Win it, Dr. Seuss style. I was using my iPad to keep track of time. So I laid it down on my rocking chair, and enters STUDENT.....BUMP!!! CRASH!! There goes my iPad screen!! It still works, but the glass is shattered. $250 to trade for a new one....OUCH!!

5. 4 kids to tutor.....refer to #3. I am just trying to be patient.......

6. I had a hard time on this one......like..animals. I like having animals around. I can't watch animal movies because I get attached to the character. My own 2 dogs are my babies and are treated as that!!

A clean house....nothing like a good clean house. Which, by the way....I know this one is a stretch...but I couldn't think of anything that starts with a that I love!!

Allergies....I am squeaky and horse, thanks to allergies. My nose is full of "stuff" that is just a bundle of joy!! I hate allergies....enough said!!!

There you go!!! If you want to do your own currently, click and save the picture below, open it in a photo editing program, and add text for your answers. Thanks for reading!! I hope you have a great week in your first week of March!

Birthday month!!!! Birthday month!!!!

Area and Perimeter

Last week we started teaching perimeter and area in math.  I never knew that I could enjoy teaching a math topic as much as I have enjoyed teaching this topic!! There are so many activities and resources out there for teaching area and perimeter. 

 

One activity we did last week with perimeter was to have students create a floor plan of a bedroom of their choice using toothpicks.  They had to measure the toothpick first to see how long it was.  Then they had to use 10-13 toothpicks to create a floorplan.  This was fun because they learned what an architect is and what is included with building a floorplan for a house.  Once they had their floorplan created, they had to write and equation to show how to figure out the perimeter for the entire floorplan.  They included a door, a closet, and a door in the closet in their floorplans. 

 

Here are two examples of how they turned out:

 

They were working like little engineers during this activity! I was super surprised simply because this group tends to CHAT NONSTOP!!!!!!

 

Today, we did an activty on area that was very challenging for my group! They were using different nonstandard units of measurement to find the area of their desks.  They had a small index card, large index card, and a sheet of notebook paper.  They had to find how many small index cards would fit on the desk, large index cards, and notebook paper would fit.  Then they had to find how many square inches were in each object using square tiles.  Then the final (and most challenging) step was to see how many tiles it would take to cover the whole desk, using the index cards and paper.

 

For example:

It took 30 small index cards to feel the desk.

 

It took 15 tiles to cover the index card.

 

How many tiles would it take to cover the desk (30 X 15)?

 

My kids were FREAKING OUT!!! "But Mrs. Burgess.....we don't know how to do 2 by 2 multiplication problems!!" "But Mrs. Burgess.....that is hard!!"

 

"GOOD!!!!" says Mrs. Burgess!!!

 

Once I got them to realize it was a multiplication problem, I set them off to figure out a strategy to solve it.  It was very interesting to see them work.  I saw circles with lines in them, adding a bunch of 30's, adding a bunch of 15's, turning it into 3 X 15 instead of 30 X 15....

 

....and I actually had about 5 or 6 students who got it right without any assistance!  May not seem like a lot, but for a group who has never done 2 by 2 multiplication, I was impressed.

 

I asked them when it was over who thought it was challenging.  I saw hands FLY up in the air.  I said, "GOOD!!!"  Enter the whole "stretch your brain" talk.  I told them that if they can figure out a problem like this, then those small easy-peasy problems would be a piece of cake!  Tomorrow is going to be another challenging area problem.  I can't wait to see how they respond to it!!

 

Some people may not agree....but I believe that common core is fabulous!! It is really opening doors for higher order thinking! I think after a couple of years of feeding out the standard course of study from kids, we will see students who can actually think on their own and can think critically!!

 

So...tomorrow is Valentine's Day. All you teachers out there ready for your boxes of chocolate, fake flowers, cutesie Valentine cards?? I told my kids today that I love chocolate, diamonds, stuffed animals, and pink!! We will see what I end up with!! :)

 

Happy Valentine's Day!!! May your day of love be as great as every other day in the year with your loved one!! :)