Save the Nurse!

I don't know how things go down at your school, but I can tell you how things work at my school.  There are kids that always seem to  have an injury.  We are talking about the same few in your classroom that need to go to the nurse after EVERY recess.  It doesn't take long to identify them at the beginning of the year, does it? Those are the kids who are constantly waiting in triage at the nurses office while he/she deals with students who really have a medical issue.  These are the same kids that continue to miss out on your beautifully planned lesson hooks and the reading of the objectives.

This year, I have decided to take $2 and help save our school nurse some time and some sanity! I went to Family Dollar and invested in 1 pack of jumbo sponges.  I made ice packs out of these sponges and will keep them in my classroom freezer -inside my little mini-fridge.  This way, I can help those students right in the classroom! The nurse won't have a line (at least from my classroom), and those students won't miss my anticipatory set! 

Here is what you can do to help out your school nurse:

Before posting this I consulted with my WONDERFUL school nurse and she said as long as the sponge doesn't touch the student and you change the bag after each student, this is a great idea to help minimize the amount of trips some students make to the nurses office! 

Of course, even the students who are always "sick"  really do need to see the nurse sometimes. So, be sure to use your professional judgment! 

Can you relate?

Reading Speeds

Many times I have noticed my students reading every detail when they should have been skimming for one piece of information or skimming when they should have been reading for pleasure. 

As fluent readers, you know that we read at different speeds, or gears, for different reasons. Sometimes we read very slow- like when we are doing a close read or learning new information. We read even slower when we want to memorize something.  You also know that learning the art skimming and scanning can save you valuable time as you study or look for information.  As a teacher, I skim and scan EVERYDAY - especially using technology!

I have found that my students have not mastered when to use each speed.  In an ever-changing world, where technology is becoming more and more present in our lives, I know that my students really need to know what the speeds of reading are and more importantly WHY we use them.

I will be doing this lesson during the first few weeks of school this year and then I will store one set of sticks in a cute vase close to my desk.That will make it very easy for us to review which speed we should use before we take on new texts.

I have created two versions of this lesson that are for sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store:

One for K-2: http://bit.ly/1zGU8NY

and

One for Grades 3-6: http://bit.ly/1t0G7WP

I hope this helps your readers choose the right speed for the text they select! 

What is one lesson you teach in the first few weeks of school?

Calling ALL Teachers!

(Keep reading for more details!)

I promised in an earlier post that I would let you know what my new adventure is.  My new adventure has been fun, rewarding, and came with an awesome support team! Now, all of those things are great, but the biggest game changer for me is how much money I have been making.   I am assuming that most people that read my blog are teachers and are in need of extra money to do fun things with their families, support their habit of buying things for their classroom, buying comfortable shoes to stand in all day, and the list goes on and on!

I have recently joined Charity Preston, of The Organized Classroom Blog, on an exciting Jamberry Nails adventure.  I started by hosting a party, then I decided I should be hobbyist to get my product at a discount, then soon after that I realized how silly it was to not be selling it, because it sells itself! Now, I am building my team, hosting parties, and making some serious fun money!  This morning, I used my PART of my commission from last week to buy two pairs of Dankso shoes for the start of school! It was great to not have to pull that out of my regular funds!

So, you are probably wondering what Jamberry Nails are, right? They are vinyl stickers that have heat activated adhesive on the back that you apply with pressure! They are available in over 300 designs! They will last up to 2 weeks on your fingers and four or more weeks on your toes! There is no drying time, they won't chip, and they are made in the USA! 3 of the pictures below are my actual fingers! The patriotic fingers belong to my friend and business partner, Julie!

So, how would you like to host an online Jamberry Facebook Party, that earns you FREE money for your classroom? 

We are accepting party dates now! Fill out this form, choose a date, and leave us a comment on the form that you want to have a FUNdraiser and we will get your party scheduled!

Are you interested in having a party that is not for your classroom?  Click here and fill out the form! 

Are you interested in joining our team?

 Click here to get started! 

I can't wait to hear from you!

July Currently

Happy July, everyone! Today I am linking up with Farley from Oh Boy 4th Grade with "July Currently".

L:istening:  Seriously, I am little bit of a bird nerd.  Some mornings, I take my bird book out on the deck  and check off which birds I see.  We don't get a ton of variety, but once I saw a Cedar Waxwing in the tree in the backyard and that made my day! 

Loving: As I was cleaning yesterday, I had brilliant idea to bring up this table/desk from the basement and rearrange a little bit to make room for a desk in the living room.  It is AMAZING! I have room for everything I need, plus I have this super awesome leopard print chair to sit on! I will have to get a pic for you soon!

Thinking:  I have lots of my agenda today including work on my Jamberry business, cleaning, grocery shopping, organizing and blogging.  Not too mention finishing up the latte I am almost done with! Do you love your morning coffee or latte?  It totally relaxes me and makes me take just a few minutes to myself in the morning! 

Wanting: My amazing hubby has requested that I make him a pan of Baklava.  Of course, I obliged and told him I would do it yesterday.  Then I got busy setting up my new desk area and cleaning the floors that I didn't even make it to the store! Oops! 

Needing: Okay, so the house needs to be cleaned.  I despise cleaning, but I love how it feels and looks when I am done.  That should be enough motivation to get me through the next couple of rooms! What do you do to make your cleaning go faster?  Hire someone? LOL!!!

4th Plans: I am super excited to be going to visit my mom and dad at their new lake lot.  It sounds funny to say visit them because in reality they live 2 miles away. However, they have always wanted a place to park their travel trailer and now they have it! It is a gorgeous lot with the most beautiful sunsets you have ever seen. (This is what I am told, anyway)  We will take some time this weekend to go check it out! We are mega excited! 

Thanks for checking in with me as we start of this first full month of summer vacation - WOOT WOOT!

What is something you have going on this July?