Teacher Tuesday - Ornament Color by Number Activity

 Hey, friends!  Today I'm sharing a fun project I did with my students that doubled as Christmas decorations...  LOOK HOW FUN!!!  These pics are from last year - I felt like I shared the post too late in the season for y'all to plan to use it in your classrooms so I'm hoping that this year you have more time if you'd like to do this with your classes ;)

Teacher Tuesday - 7 Questions

Happy Tuesday, friends!  Today I'm combining my 7 Questions and Teacher Tuesday series and answering 7 "teacher related" questions.

Teacher Tuesday - Trashketball

Teacher Tuesday - Binder and Bookwork Edition

So last week when I mentioned that I FINALLY had a binder system in place that I was loving y'all pretty much demanded to SEE THE BINDERS!  So today I'm going to show you what is in all of my binders and why I'm loving this system :) 

Teacher Tuesday - Stickers and Snowballs Edition

Today I'm sharing two of my simplest teacher tips - but I think I can safely say that they're two of my students very favorites :) 

Teacher Tuesday Classroom Tour

Today I thought I'd give you a little tour of what my classroom looks like this year.  I didn't do anything major but I did switch a few things up and thought I'd invite y'all in to see.

Teacher Tuesday - Escape Room

Y'all... I have HEARD you guys and am excited to share a bit more from my classroom this year.  Best practices, activities, planning, etc.  If you're not a classroom teacher I hope that you still find these posts interesting and can maybe even adapt some of the ideas for use with your kids at home ;)

Teacher Tuesday - Decimal Cards

Today I'm sharing a super simple but CRAZY versatile set of printable cards that I use ALL THE TIME in my classroom.

Teacher Tuesday - Ice Breakers

Back in 2014 (which seems like forever ago!) I shared a little bit about my "road" to becoming a teacher (spoiler alert - it wasn't a career path I set out on but I'm so glad I'm here!) as well as my philosophy on education.  You can read that post  HERE.

Part of that post detailed why I feel so strongly about building relationships with my students...

I love getting to know my students – I like to ask them what they did on the weekend, find out what their most embarrassing moment was and what they like to do off campus.  I share funny pictures and stories, we laugh at the occasional Tim Hawkins video and I engage in their community.  What I've learned is that by giving my students an opportunity to know me and by showing interest in their lives in and outside of school, they work harder for me and feel more invested in performing well in my class.  When I started teaching nine years ago, the Headmaster used to talk often about “the informal curriculum” being the moments that aren't in our lesson plans that impact students the most and how something we say or do outside of a lesson might be the most impactful thing a student takes away from our class in the entire year.  I hope that through their experiences in my classroom, students will grow academically, personally, socially and spiritually.

Teacher Tuesday - Sub Planning

The number one request I get on my blog is to share MORE teacher stuff.  I'm often hesitant to do that because I'm afraid that 90% of y'all will find it extremely boring, but I'm going to go for it more often and see how it goes :)  I'm actually NOT at work today and as I was getting everything ready for my sub yesterday I decided to snap a few pictures and share how I plan and prepare for not being in the classroom.  

First of all, I think ALL teachers will agree that being out of the classroom is WAY more work than being in it.  Leaving your classes with a substitute is no joke and there's a LOT of prep that goes into it if you want to come back to some semblance of order.  

Teacher Tuesday - Funny Stories Part II

Before Christmas lots of y'all shared your funny teacher stories with me on Instagram.  I shared a dozen of them last month and today I'm so excited to share the rest!  

Teaching is exhausting and draining - and then these hilarious things happen and your whole class makes A's on the pop quiz and you get another 2 weeks of energy and encouragement ;) 

Planner Life (Teacher and Kids)

I feel like planners are a topic I've addressed a few times before - but after posting a little bit about my teacher planner last week on Instagram and getting an OVERWHELMING response I thought it would be worth writing about how I'm currently staying organized in the classroom and at home.  

After 12 years of teaching I have FINALLY found  a planner that works for me.  Most teacher planners and lesson plan books I've looked into are designed for elementary school teachers and are split up into 15 minute time blocks and/or subject areas.  I teach 6 sections of two different preps and needed space to do a brief note about what I was teaching in class that day, make notes about attendance, behavior, etc. and have room to make my to-do-lists for the day and when I stumbled upon this planner I knew exactly how to make it work.

This is what a typical weekly layout looks like for me...

Teacher Tuesday - Classroom Tour

If I'm being totally honest I've been looking forward to this post for well over a year.  When they broke ground on the new high school and we got word that we'd be moving back to the "quad" area of our campus I could barely contain my excitement.

I spent my first 5 years in a classroom in the open air quad and then 6 years ago all of our middle school classes moved to portable buildings at the end of our lower school deck area and while I definitely made the most of my "cozy" space I missed the spacious room I had before.  

My excitement grew even more when I found out that I'd be moving BACK to my original classroom!  It was such a surreal moment unpacking in there this summer since the last time I set up this classroom I was 22 with no kids and ZERO teaching experience.  Now I have 11 years under my teaching belt and I get to look out those windows and watch my kids play every day :)

So... without further ado... my new (old!) classroom...

Teacher Tuesday - You, By The Numbers

I'm always on the hunt for a first week activity that lets me know a little bit about my students without putting them on the spot.  Because what's more intimidating than having to come up with something interesting about yourself on the spot in front of a whole class, right?!?! 

I gave each student a paper divided into eight sections with a circle in the middle.  They were directed to put their name in the center circle and then through numbers tell me a little bit about themselves. 

Here's the example paper I  made about myself...

Back-To-School Season

Well... August is here which means that back-to-school ads are airing, pool water temperatures are rising and Fall decorations are starting to appear in stores (unless you're Hobby Lobby in which case you've had Christmas decor out for a month!).

We got out before Memorial Day which means that we go back earlier than a lot of other schools - but I'm ready and excited!  Today I thought I'd share all things back-to-school in the hopes of maybe getting some of y'all excited right along with me :)

Show and Tell Tuesday - The Struggle is Real

Today we're sharing things we struggle with and I thought I'd share a little bit about some of the struggles that I find myself dealing with as a working mom.

- Working Mom Guilt -

Most days I feel 100% assured that being a full-time working mom is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing.  I love my career, adore my co-workers, feel passionate about teaching my subject well and feel privileged getting to pour into the lives of teens... and then I get behind on laundry, forget to bring the snack for the Valentine's party or can't volunteer in the library "like so-and-so's mom" and I feel completely defeated and inadequate.  When my kid has to sit in the nurse's office with a fever while I wait for my sub or when I am completely and totally drained by 4:00 and KNOW I don't have the patience left that I should.  When I miss watching my kid walk across the stage and accept his award because I was proctoring an exam or when I'm grading papers during "family movie night"... the guilt creeps in and can occasionally reduce me to tears.

West Texas Trip

Every year our middle school grades go on a class trip in the Spring.  Sixth grade goes to camp, seventh grade goes on a tour of important places in Texas History and eighth grade goes on a science trip.  This is my 11th year of teaching and 3 of the years I was too pregnant to go, 1 year I went with 7th grade, 1 year I took a high school group to Jamaica and five years I chaperoned the eighth grade trip to NASA.  This year the science teacher decided to switch the trip up and we headed to McDonald Observatory in West Texas and I was so excited about the change of pace.

Teacher Tuesday - That One Time I Got Called The Hulk Edition

I didn't set out to be a teacher and I certainly didn't think I was going to be spending all day every day with 100+ pre-teens.  But here I am and I can't imagine being anywhere else.  

Middle schoolers are weird and awkward and so much fun!  They're figuring it all out and experiencing some serious growing pains in the process.  They're impulsive and emotional and I absolutely adore how stuck in the "middle" they are.  They desperately want to be big, mature high schoolers... but then they stop by your room on the way to lunch to ask how long you think they should heat up their leftover spaghetti :)

My very first year I was 21 years old and monitoring the lunch room full of 12, 13 and 14 year olds.  I was sipping my tea and walking the aisles when all of a sudden I watched a 7th grade boy stand up, look around and then CHUNK an orange across the lunch room.  It hit a girl square in the eye and chaos ensued.  I pulled said 7th grader out into the hall and asked him WHY he threw the orange.  His response.... "I don't know".  I prompted a bit, "were you trying to be funny?  Impress a girl?  Was it a dare?  Did someone pay you to do it???" and again, he responded with, "I don't know".  It was in that moment that I realized that middle schoolers are a unique and impulsive bunch and that I was in for a fun ride.

 

I'm currently in my 11th year of teaching middle school and you'd think by now I would have heard it all.  But alas... I find myself amazed and in awe of the things coming out of students mouths on the daily :)

Middle Schoolers will say (pretty much) whatever is on their mind, typically it's in the middle of a lesson you're teaching, and very rarely do they think through what they're saying.

For example...

"Mrs. McAnally, if your baby is growing in your stomach isn't it being eaten by your stomach acid???"

Student: "Mrs. McAnally, you wouldn't get it... you're like middle aged" (insert me gasping here)

Me: "I assure you I am NOT middle aged."

Student: "Suuuuuuuure you're not (he said sarcastically)

When I was wearing a turquoise maxi dress and had my hair down and wavy... "Mrs. McAnally, you look JUST like a mermaid!!!"

Student: "I mean... math isn't going to be that important for me to know.  I'm JUST going to be a teacher."

Me:  "Thanks"

Student: "My cheek is bleeding"

Me: "Okay....."

Student: "What should I do about it?

Me: "What do you think you should do about it?"

Student: silence

Me: silence

Student: "I'll sit down now"

I had a student who asked me daily if he could remove his shoes.  Every day I said no.  Every day he asked.  #maybethistimeillsayyes 

Me after doing a FULL class period of test review: "Any questions???"

Student: "Do you think I'd look better as a brunette???"

Me: stunned silence

Me: "And f(x) = x is also called the parent, or mother function"

Students: Uncontrollable laughter

Student: "Mrs. McAnally!!! You look JUST like The Hulk today!!!"

Me: "I'm sorry... what?!?!?!"

Student: "The Hulk! You know... the green and the purple???"

Me: "Um... I do NOT look like the Hulk"

Fast forward a few hours.  I arrive home and...

I looked just like the hulk.

My bad.

I feel like teaching Middle School helps keep my "young" (I mean, I know what dabbing is and could quote several popular vine videos for you at any given moment), but they also make me feel old on the daily...

Me: "What do you mean you don't know who Chris Farley is???.... the SNL skit?  Black Sheep? Tommy Boy???

Middle Schooler: I think I've heard my dad talk about him.

While working on a word problem involving developing film from a camera...

Student: "I don't understand this word problem"

Me: "Well, let's look at it and figure out what it's asking"

Student: "No... I don't understand what film is"

Me: "Am I being Punk'd???"

Student: "What's Punk'd???"

Me: "You know... that show with Ashton Kutcher where they played jokes on people???"

Student: "Is he that guy from Shark Tank?"

Let's not even get started on how I can blow their minds talking about how I had to use REAL BOOKS to do research papers in high school, how we passed notes between classes because there wasn't any texting and how there was no such thing as selfies when I was their age. ;)

Middle Schoolers are also some of the most thoughtful and genuine people I've ever met.  If I'm absent because me or one of my kids are sick I can guarantee you I'll have emails from students checking on them.  If I seem "off" they're the first to notice and ask what's wrong (sometimes it's not the most tactful way of asking... "you look TIRED!!! are you okay???" hahaha) and they notice things like my favorite snacks and will think to bring me some!  Sweetest!!!   I've had students save their OWN money to buy me a gift card for Christmas to a store that they know I like and have had some of the kindest words spoken to me through notes written by students.

When someone asks me what grade I teach and I respond with Middle School I typically get a response like, "Oh my! There's a special place in Heaven for middle school teachers!" or "I don't know HOW you spend all day with middle school kids!" ;)  The truth is, that's exactly how I feel about elementary and high school teachers!  I think it just goes to show that there's a niche for everyone.  So, teachers... have you found your niche?  And what's a funny thing that a student has said to you or that you've found yourself saying to them?

Happy (teacher) Tuesday!

Oh! And if you have a minute, check out THIS article!  It's soooo funny and soooo true!!!

Teacher Tuesday - Exams are Coming Edition!

The end of the school year can be exhausting and overwhelming... for teachers AND students ;)  A co-worker of mine tagged me in this on Facebook and I laughed way too hard...

There is a LOT going on at the end of the year including lots of tests and exams for my classes and so I thought I'd share a couple of review games I like to use to keep things fun and still productive.

Four Corners

I haven't played Four Corners with my classes in a LONG time... but I'm planning on bringing it back for this Spring's exam review days.  This game is awesome because it gets the kids moving and you can use it for any age, grade and subject!

Before class starts

- Create four large posters and label them A, B, C and D.  Post one sign in each corner of your classroom.  

- Get enough index cards for your entire class.  Write the word PLAYER on about 80% of the cards and write the word FIBBER on the other 20%

I have a "class set" of these that I made a while ago so I didn't have to continue to make the cards and posters every time we wanted to play.

If you want a copy of my cards you can click HERE to download the PDF and then just print it front and back.

- Prepare your multiple choice questions.  I usually make at least 10, but it depends on what we're studying/working on.  The questions need to have four possible answers labeled A, B, C and D.

I like to make my presentations on the SmartBoard so kids can see the question and the answer options (and don't ask me to repeat myself a dozen times. hahaha)

The Game

To begin the game, give each student an index card face down on their desk.  Instruct students to look at their cards secretly to find out if their role in the game is that of a Player or a Fibber. Tell students to not reveal their roles to their classmates... because it's WAY more fun if nobody knows!

I like to run through a couple of practice questions before beginning the game.  Gather students in the middle of the room and show the first question and four possible answers. Ask students which response they think is the correct one. Have students who think the correct answer is A stand by the A sign. Students who think the correct answer is B, C, or D gather near their respective signs.

Here's the catch! Students who hold the Player cards go to their appropriate corners while students who hold the Fibber cards are free to go to any corner. The Fibber's movements are intended to throw off the other students. 

Perhaps some of the brightest students are Fibbers and some players will be tempted to follow those students to the wrong corners. Doing this encourages students to think for themselves, not just follow the crowd.

When all students have taken their corners, reveal the correct answer to the question. Ask students who chose the correct answer to explain why they selected that answer. Then you're ready to pose the next question.  If students seem to be catching on to who the fibbers are then pass out the cards again and reassign roles.

Round Robin Post-It Review Activity

Before Class Starts

- Create a worksheet with four questions on it (I like to use use word problems).  The questions need to be CLEARLY numbered 1 through 4.

- Split your white board into four sections and label them 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The Activity

- Split the class into groups of 4

- Give each group 4 sticky notes, 4 pieces of scratch paper, 1 copy of the problems and 1 pair of scissors

- Have one member of the group cut the page with the questions on it so that each question is on a separate piece of paper (I've made these before where I distributed the four questions already cut... avoiding the extra step as well as giving them scissors! Win-Win!)

- Each student should have one piece of scratch paper and one question on their desk. 

- Set a timer (I use my SmartBoard timer) and give them a designated amount of time to work out the question on their scratch paper.  They are NOT collaborating with each other at this point - it should be silent.

- When the timer goes off, have them pass their question clockwise and then restart the timer so each group member is now working on a different question.  The solving and passing continues until all students have answered all four questions.

- Next, set the timer and allow group members to share their answers to each question.  Did everybody in the group agree on the answer to each question?  If not, they will need to come to an agreement about the correct answer.  When they have agreed to the answer to the first question they will need to write the following on a sticky note...

- Then each group attaches their sticky note to the board in the section numbered 1.

- They'll continue this activity, coming to an agreement about the answers to the other questions and making their answers official to each question by placing the post-it on the board next to the question number.

- When all groups have posted their answers to all four questions, check the answers and assign a group grade.  Discuss any errors to be sure everyone understands the correct response.

If you can't split your class into groups of four, you could easily do groups of three with three questions (or keep the four questions and have them rotate to an "imaginary person").  I like this activity because of the independent work and then collaborative effort.  Depending on the material, I'll usually do about 3 minutes per question and then about 5 minutes to come to a consensus and post their answers on the board.  If we have a lot to review sometimes I'll shuffle them into different groups of four and then repeat the process with four new questions.

If you missed it last year, you can find out how I make exams fun (for real!) HERE

and you can read about one of the coolest ways to review HERE.

Happy Studying, Friends!!!  And here's to helping our students avoid this moment :)

Teacher Tuesday: Thanksgiving Edition

Hey, friends! Today I'm sharing a REALLY simple and fun way to change an otherwise monotonous lesson into something engaging and memorable.  When my classes learn ratios, the typical lesson plan would be to put up a data set on the board and have them write ratios using the numbers of apples and oranges, or monkeys and tigers, etc.  Instead of putting up a set of data, we create our own using these fun "would you rather" questions. 

I put these slides up on the board and we go around the room and they each tell me their response to the question.  We tally up the answers as we go, write the ratios (typically in three different, simplest forms) and then I ask two of three of them to tell everyone why they picked the choice they did.

Next, there are only a few class days left before Thanksgiving break, and I love having these little conversation questions available as a fun way to start class or a way to fill an extra few minutes at the end of the period.

1) What was the best gift you ever received?

2) What is something you love that you would like to share with someone else?

3) Tell us about a time when someone did something thoughtful for you.  What was it?  What about a time you did something thoughtful for someone else?

4) If you could give one present to the whole world, what would it be any why?

5) Do you think it's more important to be kind or happy? Why? Let's discuss the importance of kindness and ways you can display kindness every day, even in small ways.

6) If you could start your own charity, who/what would it help?

7) What famous person would  you invite to Thanksgiving dinner?

 Last, we're gearing up for exams and students are starting to feel the academic pressure.  I give a couple different quizzes before break and on one of them I stick this graphic on the bottom of the page...

... and I write a little note telling them how/why I'm thankful for them.  I'm sure it means more to some students than others :), and it takes FOREVER, but I have a great time reflecting on each of the kids and my hope is that it's a little confidence boost and sweet memory or them.

Happy Tuesday, Friends!!!