I have had a great time decorating my classroom with duct tape.  For the past eight years, I have used cherries as a key element in my classroom decor.  I started with black material with red cherries for my classroom curtains.  At the time, I was looking for a color scheme and print that wouldn't be too feminine.  I was hoping for a "school" print, but at the time, I couldn't find anything that struck my fancy.  It seems cherries just keep coming to me.  I found a Mary Englebreit desk blotter and letter tray in her black cherry design at TJ Maxx.  Another time, I was shopping at a favorite shop 60 miles from home and saw a mason jar and tin in the black design with cherries.  Perfect!  This is how it has gone over the years.  Now, duct tape has come out in a gingham black background with red cheery cherries! By now, the blotter was very weary looking and I was resigned to putting it in the trash.  Duct tape to the rescue--just in time.  My blotter looks new again.  The same can be said of my calendar.  I added duct tape for a refreshing border.  I've used it for a border on my white board.  I've used it to trim the student baskets, and so much more.  Just see for yourself!

I have been wanting to revise my math lesson plan and overall "game plan".  I saw this post in The Creative Apple Teaching Resources and Blog and was very intrigued.  This is a game plan I can follow and seems to take some of the chaos of "centers" out of the equation.  (No pun intended.)  I  hope you enjoy this post and feel free to click the link below for more of The Creative Apple Teaching Resources and Blog posts.

Guided Math, Part 1

So... I've had A LOT of people ask me about my guided math model I use in my classroom along with the components of it {i.e. stations, calendar, etc.}. There's SO MUCH for me to share that for the sake of time and my sanity, I'm going to have to present it to you in parts. So, here's Part 1. We'll call this 'The Setup' of my classroom. I really wish it wasn't summer vacation so I could take you on a video tour of my classroom. Maybe I'll edit this post once I get back in my room with a video component. Until then.... I'll just have to give details and a few pictures.

Please Note: just because I teach 4th grade doesn't mean a 1st or 2nd grade teacher can't use these ideas. I think it will work great with any grade. I have been in a first grade classroom where the students were amazing and very independent during reading centers while the teacher was conducting guided reading.... IT CAN BE DONE! :)


The SetupBefore I begin, please know that my room is very large. I have one of the largest rooms in the school {Lucky Me!}. However, this model can be done in a small classroom, but you have to be SUPER careful where you set things up. Even though my room is large, I make sure to have the least disruptive environment WHILE giving the students a chance to talk and share.

For Guided Math, I have four areas of my classroom I use on a daily basis.

o Whole Group Area- this is where my mini-lessons take place. In this area I have a whiteboard on the wall, a SMARTboard, a small carpet area, and a wheasel {I love my wheasel}! During Mini-lessons, we only spend about 15 minutes here everyday. This area is located at the font of my classroom. Also, I want to add that I do not have student desks. I have two trapezoid tables put together to form a hexagon. I have five of these. At first, I was reluctant to have tables, but I love the way it encourages collaboration with my students.



oSmall Group Area- this is where I conduct my guided math to my students. In this area I have a kidney-shaped table, whiteboards, dry-erase markers, paper, pencils, and a shelf that stores any extra materials I will need for the day like manipulatives. I had an issue with having enough space to put as many chairs as I needed. I have big kids so the chairs are adult size. To solve this problem, I added a few stools to fit where chairs would not.
oCalendar Area- I use my math calendar that I created as one of my rotations during guided math. I like to use it because it is a spiral review of concepts taught all year long. Students complete one calendar per week. I made an area on my whiteboard for each section of my math calendar {I have two whiteboards in my room. This whiteboard is different from the one I use for mini-lessons}. I used blue painters tape to separate the sections. However, this year I'm going to use the cute zebra print duct tape :) Here's a picture of the board the students work from.

oStation Area- This area is probably the kids' favorite place to go. They love stations! Although I have all my stations located in one place, it's really not that bad considering only 6-7 students are there at a time {more on that later}. If you have a lot of kids going to stations at the same time, I would recommend having two or three different areas around the room to house the stations. This way, one area of the classroom will not always be congested. I've posted this picture before, but this is what my station area looks like. Nothing fancy.

My stations are on the bookcase in the tubs. The baskets on top of the bookcase are where my students turn in their work. The magazine holders above the bookcase is where I store all stations not being used at the time.


Here's a rough draft of my room layout. I'm really looking forward to using my new Flip camera once I get back to school and get everything put back together. I just made this real quick in Word to give you an idea of how my room is setup.

It's important to know that...
oCalendar work is independent. There is no talking.
oSmall Group is student-led with little teacher direction.
oStations are usually completed at the front of the room on the floor or at collaborative groups with a partner. Students are allowed to whisper.
oStudents know that stations are NOT to be completed near the small group table.
oWhole group instruction is led by the teacher AND guided by the students.


Okay, so this is my...
Guided Math Part 1


I hope it wasn't too much information. Here's what's coming up for part 2:


How Do I Group & What's My Schedule?


I'm leaving for vacation Saturday morning. I MAY BE {this is a BIG may be} able to post it tomorrow. We'll see!


Please leave me feedback {as comments} on whether or not this was useful. I hope this has answered some questions that some of you were asking. I know there are many other questions. I'll get to those, I promise :)


Have a fantastic evening!

The Creative Apple Blog Spot

I've been working on some spelling activities.  This is a variation of "Scoop the Word", that I have used in my classroom for the last few years.  The ice cream cone graphic has been a big hit, but I got to thinking about appealing to the young boys in my classroom.  Thus, was born "The Spell-I-Nator"--a robot graphic.  

Students will need a dry erase marker, an eraser, and their spelling list.  You can insert the graphic into a plastic sleeve.  Buying a class set can be expensive.  I've been experimenting with cost effective materials.  I found these clear page protectors at Office Max.  I bought the ones that are a little thicker in hopes that they will last all year.  The Spell-I-Nator is placed in the sheet protector.  Students work in pairs.  One student reads the words from the spelling list.  The other student writes the spelling word on the "Spell-I-Nator" body.  The student dictating the words, checks for correct spelling.    Any misspellings are corrected.  I have my students dictate three words/write three words and then switch roles.  The students really like this practice and all are involved.  There is a place on the head of the robot to have students write the patterns.  I have provided a couple of colored versions and one in black and white.  Feel free to copy Spell-I-Nator from the link below.



The Spell-I-Nator

I am making progress on creating this blog.  Teaching Blog Traffic School has been invaluable to helping my organize this blog, adding buttons, and links and now a live signature!

Signing up for Teaching Blog Traffic School is one of the best "Solutions" for my frustrations in trying to start a blog.  I highly recommend paying for this service.  The fee is minimal for a one year subscription.  You can work at your own pace and review the lessons, or parts of lessons any time you want.  

Perseverance is still the key to success.  I have Googled more questions and visited more sites for answers in three days than I have my entire time on the web.  Moral of the story:  Don't be afraid to ask questions and ask others for help!  Instead of feeling really stupid for not knowing how or what an RSS feed is or how to "Grab A Button" and make it "stick" in my sidebar, I have found that there are lots of people out there, like me.  Equally competent, trying to navigate the ever changing world of the web.  I am so grateful to the help I have received on the web.

Learning never ends!

Spelling Every Day!

I've been working  on my first digital package to offer for sale on one of the teacher sites.  My perfectionism is getting in the way of completion, but I want to make sure I have permission to use all clip art for commercial use.  I am learning a lot with this endeavor.  I hope to have this item ready for sale very soon!  

Learning Never Ends!

Today, I am attempting to create a blog.  I firmly believe that you can teach an old dog new tricks, and I am determined to figure this out.  I have been studying various teacher blogs and reviewing "Blogging for Dummies."  I am going to attempt to add this text, change fonts, dabble with color, and add a picture.  For this to work for the average person, it should be easy to do.  Right?

Once again I will attempt to add an image.  This is Tucker.

  My Two Favorite Boys!

I am just noodling around on this blog.  I'm trying to see what I can create.  OK, so now I've downloaded a picture of Bob and Tucker.  My two favorite boys!