End of the Year Plans...Getting Through Till the End of June!

Here is an activity my class and I did to celebrate the end of the year last year...and that I plan to repeat this year.

Stephanie from Teaching in Room 6 posted about these great goodbye posters her students made for a staff member that was leaving her school and I just loved how they looked. I decided that I wanted to do a smiler project with my Grade 4's because we had been studying perspective in art and language so it would be a good "curricular" tie-in for the last week of school. 

This year I think it will just be  a fun "end of the school year" project, especially once we are done our EQAO (standardized testing) in two weeks. 

Each student traced their hand and then drew themselves "waving goodbye to Grade 4". In the speech bubbles we wrote all the things we would miss about Grade 4. They turned out super cute, I think! Thanks to Stephanie for such a great idea.

I am also thinking I would like to do this Watercolour Journal Page that Tara posted about over at 4th Grade Frolics.

Don't they look amazing?

Photo via 4th Grade Frolics

Lastly, this is an art project I did at the beginning of the year last year when I taught art and I LOVED it. I didn't get to teach my own art this year (sad) so I think it would make a good ending project!

These are the finished Name Art Projects my students completed last year when I taught Grade 4. 

Here are a few of my favourites!

What are your "go-to" activities for the end of the year?

Next Year I'm Definitely Going To.... (and a FREEBIE)

I am a huge planner for next year. I start taking notes as early as February each year when I start to think about how I want to "fix" things in my classroom. That's why I was so excited to see this great linky party from Finding Joy In 6th Grade!

 

On a separate note, we started our province wide testing for Grade 3 today. The students were pretty pumped about it, I think. Not too nervous and they did well (from what I could see!). Most took their time, checked their work and filled out every question. One section down, six more to go.

I created a spin-off of the "Recipe for Success" that I've seen al over the place for the start of school and made one for the test- "Recipe for Test Success"! I put together some small goodie bags for the kids and surprised them with it when they came in this morning. 

If you'd like a copy for yourself, click on the image above to grab one.

Don't forget about our upcoming book study! 

Get your copy soon.

Summer Book Study...Get Your Math On

I am very excited to be hosting my annual summer book study this year for the third time and this year I have a partner in crime! Brenda from Primary Inspired!

Last year Brenda hosted the Guided Math book study that was amazing and seems to have transformed a lot of people's teaching, mine included. I am excited to be jumping back into the world of math with Laney Sammons for this summer's book study; Building Mathematical Comprehension.

As someone whose background is mainly language arts and literacy, I am very interested to see how I can apply my strengths to my math program. There's been a lot of discussion at my school lately about teaching rotary versus core (that is having a specialist teach math and a different specialist teach language, whereas with core one teacher teaches it all) and I am in favour of core. I can already tell that this book is up my alley because it talk about the importance of integration and that all teachers are reading teachers!

From Amazon: "Building Mathematical Comprehension provides a solid foundation for incorporating familiar reading comprehension strategies and relevant research in mathematics instruction to help build students' mathematical comprehension. This stand-alone book demonstrates how to facilitate student learning to build schema and make connections among concepts. Teachers will learn how to help students ask good questions, visualize mathematics, and synthesize their understanding of mathematical concepts."

Grab your copy and get ready to "get your math on"!

Are you interested in hosting a chapter? Email me at thinkingofteaching@gmail.com

The End is Near....

But not near enough!

I know for some of you the end is now, or at least imminent. However, here in Ontario we go until June 28th. Yes, you read that correctly...JUNE. 28. th. 

Aaaaaargh.

(Which also happens to be the day my old house and new house are closing AND we are moving....le sigh)

Between now and then I have a tonne to do, both at home and at work, but I find that my thoughts have already turned to next year. This happens every year about this time. The problem this year is that I will only be working for 2 months, at the most, by the time the baby comes....

I'm a little sad because I feel like I have learned so much this year and really want to implement and change all sorts of stuff for next year...but of course, I'm also super excited about having a baby!

I have started recording everything I want to change, modify, adapt, overhaul about my classroom for next year/the year after that. I have all these great ideas that I won't even be able to implement for at least 2 years...grrr. But I have them, and that must mean I am reflecting right? Plus, I'll have a cute little cuddly baby at home to keep me occupied.

How do you keep track of your ideas? Do you have a summer to-do list? What's your must do for this summer??

Teacher Planning Binder

I want to revamp my teacher planning binder and would live to hear your suggestions. What do you love about yours? What would you change? Leave me a link to a post!!!

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all the moms, grandmas, aunts and every woman out there who helps a family grow has a wonderful Mother's Day!

I know I will.... This is what I get to hug everyday.