Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!  

Looking forward to what 2015 will bring for me!  Hopefully it will be more blog posts!

The More You Read...

This week ends our first trimester for the 2014-15 school year. All of my students were required to read one chapter book per week which would total 10 books! I am so proud to say that most lived up to this goal! Reading is the heart of EVERYTHING and it's so critical that they read each and every day & night. One of my favorite quotes from one of the best authors says it all...

Brain Based Learning ~ Physical Movement

Want to improve the learning in your classroom?  

You will need to implement brain based strategies into your classroom.  

Strategy Number One-  Physical Movement

We know that we grow neurons through our lifetime and they are highly correlated with memory, mood and learning.  This process can be regulated daily with exercise.  When students move, good chemicals are produced to help thinking, focus and learning.  Our brain "run on empty" when they don't move, so it is critical as educators we get our students moving in the classroom.

What can you do in your room to make sure students get physical movement?  

State Changes & Energizers!

Here are some examples:

Cross Lateral Movements

Sit Ups/Push Ups

Jumping Jacks

Snow Balls Fights (Crumble up paper and throw at each other)

Stand and Sing YMCA

Thumb War with a Partner

Wall Squats

Trading Places (Students change seats)

Mingle, Mingle, Find Another Single (Have students walk around the room until you say stop. Then, have them  

I will post more examples soon!

Random Acts of Kindness and the Wonder Connection

For the first time in my career, we asked our incoming 6th grade students to read a book over the summer.  Our pick was Wonder by R. J. Palacio.  We choose the book because of it's amazing themes- Kindness, Acceptance, Friendship, etc.

We have decided to start our school year discussing kindness and how being kind to others truly impacts the world.  On September 11th, we watched a video clip called:  9/11 Anniversary Call for 10,000 Acts of Kindness.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taQt42zqrKs

Now, even though this "call" for kindness was a few years old, I decided to challenge my own students to this.  They all were asked to do a Random Act of Kindness.  Then, we would share our acts in hopes of inspiring others to continue to do more kind acts.  We also journaled about our experience.

Well, one of my students decided to do his Random Acts of Kindness on me!  This is what I saw on my desk:

I was shocked and SOOOO excited!  I love the fact that my student gave it back to me!  I decided to then, copy the sheet and pass it on to two students in my class as well as 5 teachers in my building!  Looking forward to this lesson impacting tons of other lives!

Anecdotal Observation ...Who Does It???

How many of you observe your students and record what you see?  

How about conference with them and take notes?  

Doing both will help drive your instruction!  

It has been proven that by systematically collecting and analyzing anecdotal comments, teachers can evaluate students' progress and abilities to inform and plan appropriate instruction.

Anecdotal Means: An anecdotal record is "a written record kept in a positive tone of a child's progress based on milestones particular to that child's social, emotional, physical, aesthetic, and cognitive development," notes the American Association of School Administrators (1992, p. 21).

There are two overall purposes of using anecdotal records: 

1.  to identify the instructional needs of students
2.  to provide information about students’ development over an extended period of time

Interested in a variety of anecdotal forms and conference forms?  Check out my latest product on Teacher's Pay Teachers!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/50-Anecdotal-Record-Conference-Forms-1429227

My last day of summer break...

Today marks my last day of summer vacation.  I would have to say it's bitter sweet for me.  In 19 years of being a teacher, this was my first summer not teaching summer school, tutoring, working at a restaurant, teaching a graduate class or facilitating professional developments for teachers!

AND.....I have to say... 

I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

We had so much fun as a family doing so many things from going to the pool, to skate parks, to traveling, to reading endless number of books!  Seeing summer vacation again through my children's eyes was magical for me.  I am looking forward to next summer already!

With that being said, I am also SOOO EXCITED for the start of a new school year!  I love setting up my classroom, to planning team building ideas and lessons to the professional development!  (I will post pictures of my classroom this weekend!  I love the new set up!).  I also get excited to see what my colleagues did over the summer and reconnect.  Lastly, I LOVE the school supply shopping!  Every year, it's like Christmas for me when I get to buy new supplies for my classroom.  :)

How are you feeling on your eve of going back to work for the 2014-2015 school year???

It's a SUPER SUMMER SALE!

August 4th and August 5th all my products at my Teachers Pay Teacher's store is 30% off!  Great time to stock up on those reading and writing lessons, checklists, projects and more!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Nichole-Barnett

What have you read this SUMMER???

Summer is a time when I get caught up on all the books I could not read over the school year!  I am looking for more suggestions on what I MUST read before school starts.  What are your suggestions???

What have you read this summer???

Ever Thought What Do I Need To Teach???

Knowing what mini-lessons align with the Reading, Writing, and Language Common Core State Standards for 6th Grade and 21st Century Skills is tough.  So, I made it easy for you!

I created two lists that are organized Reading & Language and Writing & Language to help you determine what to teach your students!  Each mini-lesson is aligned with the CCSS or 21st Century Skill.  In addition, there are columns to let you date when you teach that concept as well as for comments on how the lesson went.

Check this product out as it will SAVE YOU TIME!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mini-Lesson-Lists-for-Reading-Writing-Workshop-6th-Grade-1311415

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/6403624445617641/

I am featured today on TpT!!!!!

WOW!  I am so excited to actually see my store on the TPT website as an author/teacher!

I am Having a 20% Off SALE on TPT!

It's almost the end of June...why not stock up for next year with my amazing 20% ENTIRE STORE SALE???  Sale runs from Friday, June 27-30th!

Start planning your lesson plan book...

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Teacher-Binder-Super-Pack-Lesson-Plans-Teacher-Documents-Calendar-Etc-759475

Noticed your students need more practice writing paragraphs???  Check out this Paragraph a Week Unit.  It comes with writing prompts, rubric, etc.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paragraph-a-Week-MEGA-Unit-Common-Core-Aligned-964649


Get your student journals ready....

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Show-Me-the-Evidence-Poster-Common-Core-Connection-553629

A Student Thank You

In high school is when I found my true calling...being a teacher.  I have never looked back and have enjoyed everyday I spend in my classroom.  I started my career teaching a variety of elementary grades and I truly loved it.  About 8 years ago, I made the switch to middle school.  It was a hard choice but needed at the time.  I quickly found out that the "light bulb" moments you get being a K-5 teachers does not happen as frequently in middle school.  However, I have learned to accept it and still believe that each day "light bulbs" are turning on they just are not as bright or as loud!  :)

Last week was the final week with my students.  It is always a bittersweet time for me as I am sad to see them go but I also know that I have given them the wings to fly even higher.   Once of my students wrote me this note and it made me cry.  Yes, I did challenge this student because I knew she could learn amazing things and go places she never thought with her learning.  This note proves that my high expectations does pay off.  I know Jenny thanks me in this note, but it's me who really should be thanking her for what she taught me.

Love My Job!

It always makes you smile when a students tells you, "Mrs. B, you were the hardest teacher this year that really made me work. Thanks for that. I have become a better reader and writer." Yep, high expectations yield high results! Love my job!

http://rochestersage.org/2012/04/17/they-made-a-difference-for-gifted-children/

Out of My Mind

Have you read the book Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper?  It's amazing!  I have read it out loud to my 6th graders for 3 years now and every time I read it, I like it more and more.

Out of My Mind is the story of a middle-school girl named Melody with cerebral palsy, extremely intelligent but unable to speak without the aid of a machine (which she obtains only midway through the story) and unable to complete basic tasks like dressing or feeding herself.  Out of My Mind chronicles Melody’s struggle to fit in when she is allowed to attend regular education classrooms.  It also describes her struggle with not being able to express herself to a world that largely sees only her disability. Melody has a photographic memory and she enters a quiz bowl competition, surpassing her classmates in trials, providing her with the opportunity to show the world her intelligence or at least her ability to comprehend, compete, and retain information.  Unfortunately, because her disability makes her classmates uncomfortable, her chance is stolen, and her inability to communicate effectively, swiftly, and without aid leads to further tragedy, which ultimately is resolved happily enough, but was quite a gut punch from Draper to her readers.

http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=35

If you have not read this book, it's a must read!

WE WON!!!!!

We just found out that our 6th grade video for the "Jackie Robinson, Breaking Barriers"  Colorado Rockies contest is the GROUP WINNER!!!!!!!!

I am so proud of our students!  They will be honored on the field before the game tomorrow night as well as on the jumbotron!  Lastly, they will be in the May edition of the Colorado Rockies Newsletter!

Here's a link to our video if you would like to see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUUYj6U3ei4

A Teacher's Impact

Ever have the feeling that you know you were born to be an educator?  Today, was one of those days for me and it's the best feeling in the world!

Today, I was stopped in the hall by a previous student's parent and we were talking about how quickly her children have grown up.   I can't believe her daughter who I had in 2nd grade and in 6th grade was graduating high school this year.  I asked her how she was feeling as a parent to have her first born graduate and head off to college.  She told me she felt Mae was ready, she was excited about her going and this new adventure she would have.

I agreed with her (matter of fact, Mae was ready in 2nd grade to go off to college... :) )  But, what she expressed next really made my heart melt.  She told me that because of me and the impact I had on Mae, she has decided to enter the elementary education program at her school.  She said that Mae always talks about my teaching and the bond I created with my students.  Mae wants to have the same thing with her future students.

WOW!

They always say we never know the true impact we have on our student's lives and that's so true.  Who knew, 10 years ago when Mae entered my classroom as a scared, shy young girl that I would plant the seed to truly help her figure out what her passion is in life....to become a teacher.

Thank you God for the gift you have given me as an educator.  I am truly honored and blessed to spend my days with such amazing, young children.

Do you have a story you would like to share.  Please leave it in the comments!  I would love to hear how you are impacting your students!

Choice...Who Loves It?

As I entered my classroom today I thought to myself, it's Monday, the kids will be tired, unmotivated to work and excited to have a four day week.  Was I wrong?  YEP!   Every single one of my 6th graders were eager to work on their Biography Narratives.    Some even asked as they entered the room, "Are we spending the entire LA Class on our outline or rough draft?"

Quickly, I told them, "Yes, but we needed to  write down this week's quote of the week, respond to it, share it and then talk a little about revising our work. "

A group of students asked if we could skip all that so that they could get to reading about their person and take notes.  Normally, I would say yes to them and allow them the entire class time  but today we needed to discuss the weekly quote as it ties in to our read aloud.  So, instead I shorten the share out part and let them continue their work on their narratives.

As I put up my student conference sheet, I thought to myself, "Wow, these students really want to work on this project."  Then, I looked around the room and all 30 of them had their noses in their books reading, taking notes and engaged.

At this point of the year, I think most students are done with school (As with lots of teachers...thank goodness for summer break).  But, not these kids.  It's not that they are all eager learners or that I have some special touch.  It's the fact I gave them CHOICE.  I allowed for them to pick whomever they wanted to research about, decide what's important about that person and how to relay that new information to the class.

All year long I have done that.  I give my students CHOICE.  Choice on what they read, what they write and how they share their new learnings.  I don't dictate any of that and I truly believe by giving students this freedom, they are more motivated learners.  Today proved my theory.   So, if ever your students are checked out...bring them back by giving them some choice (i.e. control) and see where it takes their learning.  I bet far!

Comic Strip Inferencing

As a teacher, I think it is so important to make sure your teaching is fun, interactive and exciting for your students.  Therefore, I am always trying to find new ways to be inspired so that I don't always use the same lessons in the classroom.

One of the hardest reading strategies for me to teach is inferencing.  A few years ago, I was at home with my own kids and my son asked to read the comics.  Of course, I quickly found them in our Sunday paper and handed them over.   He started to read them and started to ask questions about what was the purpose behind some of them.  As we discussed them, I realized at the age of 5 he really didn't have the background knowledge (schema) to read between the lines.  That's when the lightbulb hit...my 6th graders could do this AND it would be a fun, interactive way to teach them how to infer.  Quickly, I read all of them and came up with a teaching plan.

The next day, I started explaining to my students that in order to infer, you need to read the text and take that textual evidence and add it to what you already know about the topic (schema).  Then, you can make an inference based on putting those two things together.

(textual evidence + background knowledge (schema) = inference)

Here's an example of what we did.  Using this comic, first we read the comic.  We talked about what the words said,  "Pssst, how do you turn these things on?".   Next, we looked at the picture and discussed what we saw, book, student asking another a question, "back to school" on the board, etc..  Using all of those pieces of information (also known as textual evidence) we asked ourselves what do we know about "turning things on", what kids do and don't do in the summer and books?  We then came up with the inference that the young man in the comic must not realize that not all things are devices to be turned on, or that he has lack of experience with textbooks or that all summer he did not pick up a book rather he played with devices all summer long.

My students LOVED reading various comics and practicing their inference skills.  I hope this quick idea leads into something creative for you and your classroom!

My next post will be about how my kids created their own comics!

A Teacher's Impact

You will never truly know the impact you have on your students life.  

Make sure each and every minute you spend with them is meaningful.  

Followers Freebies!

Yeah...it's Saturday!  

I wanted to let you all know that if you follow my blog you will be entered to win FREE products from my Teacher's Pay Teacher store or on one of my future professional development classes!   Once a month one lucky person will be selected!  

That lucky person could be you so follow me today!

Wonderful Writing Thoughts

Happy Friday!  I wanted to share with you some quick thoughts I have about writing!

As we all know, writing is a way to express your thoughts, whether it be through a story, article, poem, book, note, blog, text message, etc.  Often times, it seems like students struggle getting those "thoughts" down on paper.  I can't blame them.  It's hard to find the right word(s) to use and especially hard when there are restraints put on you as a writer.

This year, I am teaching 6th grade language arts for the first time ever!  It's been quite the eye opener for me as an educator and I believe my craftsmanship of teaching has really benefitted from the challenges.  My learning curve has really been uphill for most of the year.  Now that our school year is coming to a close in 7 short weeks, I feel like I finally am grasping the art of writing instruction.

Where am I on teaching writing?  Well....

Writing is a process (a transition).  It's a connection made between the writer and the reader.  It gives voice to something that would otherwise be silent.  Writers want to spark emotion in their reader and they can only do so if they take risks, which means making mistakes.  Giving students the permission to make mistakes allow for growth to happen.  As the process of writing unfolds it's messy but well worth the time and energy.

All students bring to the classroom a different viewpoint on writing.  Some love it.  Others can't stand to pick up a pencil.  I never liked writing as a student, so I can understand the frustration some students feel when they are asked to write something.  This is why I make sure to not only say but to show my students why the written language is so important.

Each and every day my students write whether it's a free write to build fluency or it's a short informational text article to recap what they read.  Either way, they are given the opportunity to practice this skills that need time, energy and elbow grease to master.  Happy writing!

Finally...My First Blog!

Everyone has a bucket list of things they want to accomplish in life.  For me, one of those things was to start a blog and finally I can say...it's done!  A huge thank you to Megan from "A Bird in Hand Design" who has designed this blog for me and has helped me every step of the way!

This blog will be filled with inspiring ways to dream up the most creative lessons, activities and projects for your classroom.   It will also be a place for me to share my journey of teaching with all of you!  I hope you enjoy reading and following me!