Elf on the CLASSROOM Shelf

 Day One: 
May I introduce you to Hugo, my Elf on the CLASSROOM Shelf! Hugo arrived this morning on the tippy top of my little baby tree... :)

For those of you not familiar with the tradition, the elf sits on your shelf watching the children. The kids can talk to him and he will always listen but they cannot touch him because they will damage his magic. Every night while they are sleeping the elf flies to see Santa and tell whether the children have been naughty or nice. This is obvious because every morning the elf is in a new place...often getting himself into a bit of mischief! The wrapped present under the tree was his accompanying book, "The Elf on the Shelf" My kids were thrilled to see that our Elf arrived and will be staying with us until Christmas. They voted on names and we landed on 'Hugo the Elf' which also happened to be my favorite! Many children said 'goodbye' to Hugo and blew him kisses just before leaving today...it made me so happy! :) I will keep this post updated with Hugo's daily escapades....be sure to check regularly! :)

Day Two:
Hugo decided to make himself at home in his new classroom!

He arrived with a poem because, naturally, elves must always speak in rhyme! :)

Hugo is a name that is just so very cool

That my elf friends are jealous they’re not at your school!
I told Santa how well you all did on Friday’s big test,

He said he believes you are the best of the best!

Without you all here I was so very lonesome,

I hope you don’t mind that I made myself at home some!

I don’t need much except a fake window and a fan,

Throw in a few friends and a bed, my home is built for a gentleman!

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for today,

But before you go to P.E. to play,

I have a quite the surprise for Miss Wooten’s class!
Just follow the directions and you’ll have a blast!

Each morning after you find me wherever I will be…

Take a look underneath your little baby tree

For a poem and some papers for each of you to do…

A gift from a little elf to every one of you!

Day Three:

Hugo is preparing for his gift wrapping test at Elf School! :) The tag says, "Education is a Gift, Use It!"

 

Boys and girls must always go to school,

Because learning new things is always super cool.

But children aren’t the only ones with learning to do!

Scout elves who live in Santa’s north pole,

Must also make learning a very important goal

For an elf without an education is as silly as a troll!

We learn to make toys and cocoa that’s the best,

But now I must study for a very important test,

For I have to do work before I can rest.

On Friday I’ll show off my ability to wrap,

A toy, a bicycle, or even Santa’s cap!

I borrowed Ms. Wooten’s things, to practice before my nap.

Wish me luck!

Days Four/Five:

Unfortunately, Hugo was unable to do much other than move around the classroom the last couple days. He was feeling down because Miss Wooten was sick and he was worried about her, but I'm pretty sure he'll be doing much better tomorrow and be ready to come in with a few surprises for our students! :)

Days Six:

Miss Wooten is doing much better and so is Hugo! He brought us a very special North Pole gift! I apologize that a few of these pictures are late...I may or may not have misplaced the cord that goes with my fancy shmancy new camera! :)

I have a special treat,

For boys and girls to eat,

You see, way up in the North pole

We have many fun things to grow,

I’ve brought you a special pack of seeds,

Plus all of the supplies you will need.

Begin with the cleaned up bowl,

And pour in the special snow,

Take all of the seeds and push them down deep,

And for all weekend let them steep,

And Monday morning you shall see,

How many great surprises there will be!

Days Seven: 
We were all very excited to see if our north pole garden would grow! Check it out! 

So that's how they're made! Hugo has snacked on one candy cane and is now leaning against my pencil holder from sugar exhaustion! :)

Your garden has been growing,

Nearly all weekend long.

I’ve kept on eye on it knowing,

You’d be here before too long.

I’ve sprinkled some precious elf magic,

A little here, a little there,

You see, I knew you’d be ecstatic,

To see what grew where!

I hope that you don’t mind,

But I had just a small snack…

And you’re all so sweet and so kind,

I don’t think you’ll take it back!

Please enjoy your treat

But always remember the rules…

You must only have good things to eat

If you promise never to make a mess at school!

Days Eight: 
For one of the first times this year the temperature here in Florida has dropped below 70! Hugo must have been an elf scout though, because he came prepared! (Get it, Elf Scout? Hehe)

He brought each of our kids a pair of gloves, the girls got beautiful pink one with stars and the boys received handsome green gloves with a basketball on them. Either way, all the kids had toasty fingers when we went to P.E.!

 

Days Nine: 
Hugo arrived by our tree again with a gentle Christmas reminder!

 His note says, "Don't forget your letters to Santa, he will be writing back this Friday!" Almost every child wrote a letter, a few wrote two after I reminded them that they must use their best handwriting! :) Like my mailbox? I fell in love with it at Michaels so my mom bought it for me as an early Christmas present for my classroom!

Days Ten: 
Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the surprise on my students' face this morning as I had a half-day training. Luckily Hugo had some foresight on that front!

His note says, "Behave for your sub today! Don't forget I'm always watching! <3 Hugo P.S. Good Luck on today's math test, I know you'll do awesome!" What a sweetheart! Unf ortunately I forgot to leave a note in my sub plans to tell my sub not to touch Hugo....there was a bit of a mishap and several of my students were REALLY upset when I walked in around noon. I really wasn't expecting that much of an emotional reaction but I did as much damage control as possible and we'll hope that Hugo wasn't too hurt. 

 

Days Nine: 
Luckily Hugo was able to return on our final day before break with a special surprise!

Hugo returned with letters to each child written from Mr. Claus himself! :) Santa was very kind to each of the children and they loved it! He also returned with a small elf band-aid just over his heart, looks like he visited the elf doctor during his North Pole return. We will miss Hugo but we can't wait to see him next year!

Thank you for sticking with me during this year's Elf on the Classroom Shelf posts. Our elf loved sharing his story with you as did I. Check back next year! :)

~Farm Girl Teacher

Refurbished Rocking Chair

Growing up I was convinced that every teacher needs a rocking chair! I vividly remember Ms. Sample's wooden rocking chair, there were certainly many wonderful memories there including read-alouds of my favorite stories, calender math every morning, and show-and-tell. (She didn't call it that, but I can't remember what it was called. It was pretty cool though, each week a different student got to do the calender in the morning and share things about themselves.) It was awesome getting to stand in front of class that day in my red tights and get the morning started! :)

Unfortunately a rocking chair is one of the pieces of furniture I was missing. Luckily a teacher at my mom's school was changing careers and asked Momma if she knew anyone looking for a rocking chair! It was well loved, to the point where the seat had busted through but I knew with a little handiwork it would look good as new for the next generation to love. :)

As you can see the paint is chipped a bit and a few screws were coming loose (haha, clearly a sign it was meant for me!) The overall structure of the rocking chair was actually really pretty, I particularly liked the runners. Over the course of about a week I fixed it up and I'm proud to say it has gotten plenty of use already in my class....

I started by ripping out the old seat and reinstalling a plywood one I'd cut based on a template I made from a piece of cardboard. (Let's face it, my dad cut the corners because my saw work was a little wonky...but I did everything else, I promise!)

Afterwards I tightened some of the screws that had worked their way out from normal use and sanded the old paint in the areas where it was chipping. Then I primed the rocking chair once, and gave it two coats of paint. This color is actually called, "Biltmore" one of our family's favorite vacation destinations! :)

Unfortunately the seat was still a little rough so I added a cushion and, viola, my very own rocking chair! :) So far I've mostly used it when reading "A Land Remembered" to the class. The students also take turns sitting in it during silent reading. I was worried they'd fight over it but they've been particularly considerate with each other about taking turns! They make me so proud sometimes. :)

Enjoy your Wednesday!

~Farm Girl Teacher

Class Jobs

Class Jobs

 Shortly after graduating I was able to spend some time substitute teaching. I actually learned quite a bit through this and I loved to be able to see how different teachers do things. I saw all kinds of neat ideas and saw what worked and what could use improvement. I also feel much more comfortable writing sub plans now as I know what's helpful to share with my sub.

One of the things I liked when coming into a class was finding that the students had very clear jobs they were aware of. This really makes the day go by smoother when they know what their responsibilities are. Additionally, I feel that class jobs encourage students to work together to accomplish a task as some of my jobs are actually team jobs. I also liked that many teachers used picture frames and ribbon to display various things. Combine these ideas...and an awesome job chart is born! (It's hard to see but each section has a simple but related picture)

My jobs are:

Line Leader: Self explanatory. :)

Door Holders: I have two, necessary for the layout of our school.

Pencil Sharpener: This person takes the basket of dull pencils and sharpens first thing in the morning.
This person is the only one who sharpens pencils and it only happens in the morning to avoid unnecessary disruptions during instruction.

Postmaster: Helps me collect/pass out papers and take notes, papers, etc. to other teacher or rooms.

Maintenance Crew: This crew consists of four students. They must work TOGETHER to keep our room clean. Two handle dustpans, one cleans desks and makes sure all chairs are stacked, and the fourth cleans the whiteboards. I don't assign these specific jobs, they must work out the disputes among themselves and take turns when delegating tasks.

Snack Team: At our school classes receive snacks certain days of the week that come in a rolling laundry baskets. Two students take care of the basket, one takes it to the room, one drops it back off in the cafeteria in the afternoon. Again, students must work together when delegating tasks.

Class Assistants: Two students who help with miscellaneous things. These tasks can range based on what we're doing during the day and where I actually need assistance.

Technology Manager: This person turns the lights on/off, turns the projector/document camera on, makes sure the student laptops are plugged in to charge, and helps other students use the laptop if they need it.

In Training: This section is where the 'extra' students hang out. They aren't specifically assigned to a job, but they fill in for absent students. I actually have a small enough class that none of my students are in training, they all have jobs.


Please feel free to email me at thatfarmgirlteacher@gmail.com if you'd like me to send you the jobs I created. If you'd like the colors to match your ribbon, let me know and I can change it before I send it.

~Farm Girl Teacher

Take a Peek at my Classroom!

 Hello! Today I wanted to share a few things I've incorporated into my classroom. Enjoy!

Displaying Student Work 

One of the challenges I knew I'd be facing with my classroom is the lack of wall/bulletin board space. One wall is taken up completely by windows, while this limits areas to hang things, I have to say I really do love the amount of sunlight it lets in. :) We have a beautiful oak growing outside our window and I find myself rarely turning the lights on and allowing my students to work from sunlight instead. :) Two walls are bulletin/white boards, and the last wall is cabinets and shelving. While I do like the storage capacity of this wall I felt like it would be impossible for me to display student work. I believe this is important as it improves my students' self-confidence and allows me to display work that meets or exceeds my expectations. In order to optimize this space I created these little ribbon strips that fit over the door...

The holder is a giant loop. The front part of the loop is made from ribbon and the back part is elastic. This allows the holder to fit snugly on the door without damaging the door with adhesives, nails, tacks, etc.

Back side (inside of door)

The clothespins were hot glued on the front and each student is assigned a pin. For the most part I allow them to maintain their own clips, however I occasionally have them all post similar things. In this case each student had an ice cream cone hung. As the students learn their multiplication facts they get to color each of the related scoops. (There's a 'two's' scoop, 'five's' scoop, etc.)

The clothespins are spaced just far enough apart for 'computer -sized' paper.

Positive Behavior System

I firmly believe in the power of a Positive Behavior System. The school has a system already in place that consists of handing our tickets when we catch students being good. I wanted to add something within my own classroom though and my "Seeds of Success" were born...

The bucket in the middle is filled with seeds (colored cotton balls). If students are able to meet my expectations for a task (i.e. good behavior during lunch is worth 5 seeds, specials are worth 3, and each of my subject areas are worth 2. Perfect behavior during fire drills, tornado drills, lockdowns, etc. are worth 15 seeds.) they get to place the specified amount of seeds in their jar. (The decorated jar.) If they are unable to meet my expectations they gradually lose their seeds and have to give them up to me. (My jar is the undecorated one.) At the end of the week if they have more seeds than me we do a fun activity. (Ideas include no shoes day, choose your seat day, homework passes for everyone, eating lunch outside, cool science experiment activities, math games, SmartBoard games, etc.) If I have more they don't get their reward.

To build on the PBS ticket system used by my school. I also hand out gemstone rocks to the individual students. Once they earn five rocks they can trade them in for a ticket. These cute little buckets were purchased at Target. They have little chalkboard shapes on them where I write their names.

I know the lighting is bad. Sorry :(

~Farm Girl Teacher

The buckets line the windowsill and students can keep their rocks, tickets, lunch tag, special pencils, etc. here.

The students really love just having this little area just to themselves!

Throwback Thursday: School Firsts

Kindergarten 1997

First Day of Teaching 2013

This week our summer ended and it was time for students to return. I have to say I was nervous, however my excitement that I had finally reached the big day kept the butterflies at a minimum. I have many exciting stories and fun pictures, but teaching is exhausting and I am going to take a few moments to breathe before sharing them. Right now I want to use my Throwback Thursday to share an idea that's been floating around in my very chaotic brain for a few weeks now. In celebration of my first First Day of School (as a teacher) I compiled all the previous first days into a video. :) I am thinking of showing this to my students Friday just for fun. For those of you who did not know me as a child, fair warning, I wasn't always the glamorous trend setter I am now. :D For those of you who know my mother, yes she bought the house just so that she could have a fireplace to take pictures in front of....lol, enjoy!

 

Living the Dream

Don't you just love logging on to Blogger and finding two wonderful posts from two of your favorite bloggers? I have to share their blogs with you because, honestly, I'm just addicted! :) Farmish Momma is one of my favorite Florida ladies and posted the most adorable pictures of a Seussical Baby Shower she helped throw! The photos were adorable and I have to say...I think I've found a theme for my future baby... (which is a long way away, don't get excited!)

 Katy, my favorite lady for tutorials over at No Big Dill also posted an awesome tutorial on how to make a beautiful thimble necklace! (Seriously, I'm in love with this!)

On a different note, today is my last official day of summer. It's interesting how life is, one chapter of my life is closing but so many other doors have been thrown wide open. My classroom is almost ready to go (just waiting on curriculum materials) and I will begin planning with my team Friday. I really feel that I have the best possible team anyone could ask for at one of the best schools possible. One of the teachers I interned with is my team leader and next door neighbor, while the other is just down the stairs. (I will miss her though, she's no longer teaching fourth grade ): ) I have truly been nervous about beginning this new adventure; I've been having horrible dreams for weeks.

A few days ago I began creating an idea I've had in my head for a while now. Next to my classroom library, I made a large paper tree. (I've got a sort of garden theme going in my classroom) The tree is a way to record and celebrate student success as well as motivate the students. As a team we decided that students must earn 10 AR points per month. (AR is a program that tests students on books they've read to check comprehension. They are leveled and more difficult books are worth more points.) The tree I created has levels representing this goal. Each student will make a small owl that will 'climb' the tree the more points they earn! The lines on the tree are sticky Velcro, they will also have Velcro on their owls. I will post more pictures later, when I do my big classroom post, but here is a preview:

As I stood back to admire my work it really hit me that for the first time I was standing in MY classroom. I was living the dream, I was living my dream, a goal I've been picturing for so long has finally come true and I was so overwhelmed with joy that I just stood in the middle of my classroom crying. I can't explain how absolutely wonderful it feels to know that you are doing what you are meant to do. The emotion is so overwhelming, so joyous, and so hard to put into words. I truly hope ever single person gets to experience this feeling once in their lifetime, my goal going forward is that with my help, my students will be able to achieve all of their dreams as well. I am so thankful to the many people who have helped me along my journey, but mostly I am thankful to my parents, they have done so much for my sister and I and wouldn't be standing in the middle of an empty classroom balling my eyes out if it weren't for their love and support throughout the last 21 years. Thank you Mommy and Daddy, I hope to make you proud as I begin this new part of my life...

Carrots in the Classroom?

During my internship, the other teachers and I were trying to encourage the students to read more books. Well I had recently gotten my Angora's when inspiration struck! I had been struggling to name them and had found the perfect way to combine two of my passions...teaching, and caring for the newest members of the family! Thus, Name That Hare! Was born!

Female (Later named Fiona)

Male (later named Shrek)

Prior to the competition I allowed the students to choose six possible names for both the male and female rabbits. (Two names per rabbit per fourth grade class.)

Here's how it works...

1. Students read books on their level and take an AR (Accelerated Reading) test that tests their comprehension of the book.

2. Students who score an 80% or higher show their reading log to me and I gave them a ticket that they could used to vote on their favorite names. (One boy name and one girl name).

3. On the bottom of the poster I kept a tally of how everyone voted so they could easily see which of the names were winning.

The students LOVED it. They became very competitive and read more so they could vote for the names they loved the most. The winners were Shrek and Fiona (although I thought Mr. Fluffystein was really cute). The competition lasted a month and to keep them encouraged I brought in short videos I taped of the bunnies playing in their pens.

Sometimes it's those impromptu things that just work the best! :)

~That Farm Girl Teacher