Jumpstart Student Comprehension in the New Year

Christmas break is probably my favorite time of the school year!  I love teaching, but that 2 week break is for me to recuperate and get a jump start on my upcoming units. I also think about what has worked for my class during the beginning of the year, and what I may need to "tweak" for the second half of the year.

My teacher friends over at The Lesson Deli are all talking about Jump Starting their student learning for the year.  We're also raffling off some great products and highlighting some amazing $1 deals to celebrate the 1st of the year.  Make sure to hop through our blogs, enter the raffles and check out these deals via the links below my post. 

I usually come up with 3 goals for the new year:  1 having to do with some sort of management issue; 1 regarding a teaching improvement/idea to try, and 1 personal growth goal. So, here's what I've decided on for the beginning of 2015:

Goal 1: Control the Paper Clutter

I have to do something with the amount of paper that I have coming across my desk everyday - mainly the ones from my students.  I teach 2 grade levels: 5th grade in the morning (reading, math, religion, spelling, grammar and writing) and then 7th grade in the afternoons (grammar, writing, vocabulary, and reading).  That's a lot of papers to grade.  And a lot of planning and copies. While I don't have the answer for all of these issues, a teacher friend of mine gave me an idea for my students' math pages.  We use a hardback math book, so students are required to write their work on notebook paper.  These pages pile up pretty quickly, and they can be very difficult to follow.  So, I'm going to implement math journals - not just for their reflection and notes, but for their practice work.  Then, they turn in their journals to get checked (or, if I'm really on top of things, I can check them as I'm walking around the room).  So now there's no messy stack daily of math papers getting lost in the other papers.  And, the feedback will most likely be quicker!

Goal 2: Furthering Reading Comprehension

I'm always looking for ways to increase my students reading comprehension, this year in particular. My students are generally fluent readers, and can answer general questions, but a lot of times miss the entire importance of the passage.  I see this more with non-fiction.  So, I created a center where students can develop these crucial nonfiction reading skills while researching topics that interest them.  Students will use my Elementary Research Forms to guide them through developing questions and researching to find answers.  As they complete each mini research project, they will earn a ribbon to hang on the wall for their accomplishments.  

 

You can download a free sample of these forms here:  Elementary Research Forms

For a chance to win a free copy of my Elementary Research Paper Forms, enter the Rafflecopter below.

Goal 3: Going Home Earlier!

For my own personal goal, I need to leave school earlier!  I know, that's the one thing we all know we need to do, but it's so hard with so much to do.  I'm going to determine to keep one day open for staying later to get some of the bigger things completed, like making copies for the following week.  I think if I focus on making a to do list for the day and staying on task, I might actually see my husband a little more in the evening.  And maybe, we can start exercising a bit to work off those holiday pounds (and the ones that were there before the holidays!). 

Maybe these ideas will inspire you to make some goals for this coming year. 

Make sure to hop on over to The Lesson Deli to enter the Raffle for the Target giftcard, and check out those amazing Dollar Deals!

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"Minute to Win it" Classroom Celebrations

I admit it; one of the best perks of teaching is having 2 weeks off at Christmas!  I try to keep my composure during that last day of school, but as soon as the students leave, it's time to do my happy dance (as long as I have energy to dance)!  

We all know that the last day of school before break is party day.  Maybe I am a bit of a classroom control freak, but I can't stand chaotic class parties.  I have found that when my students have a theme and something fun and constructive to do, the party goes well. 

This year, my class did holiday "Minute to Win It" games.  

 

My kiddos had fun with creating a human Christmas tree, Reindeer Ring Toss, Christmas Tree Cup Stack, and Snowball Fort Pile Up.  They had a blast!

I'd love to hear what you did with your students this year!
Oh, and please relax during your break!

Martha  from "The Owl Spot"

Saturday Linky - December Holidays

It's Linky Time!!!

Just the word "December" makes me cold.  It means, winter is here, and living up North, it means it's here to stay for a while.  And while it's cold, I'm dreaming of this all the time!

So since I can't be somewhere warm, wearing my flip flops, the next best thing to do is share with you a great winter/holiday themed product that I loved using last year.

                                       

My students LOVED this last year!  The Holiday Poetry Pack includes 6 Christmas related poems along with a set of task cards.  Perfect for a literature/reading center during these crazy, busy days. I used them for my reading small groups.  It was great for a quick mini lesson and then letting my students loose with the task cards.  I think the poem below was their favorite (they loved the onomatopoeia!)...

                              

 

So, if you're looking for something fun to do right before Christmas, but still keeping those academics the focus, check it out below, along with these other amazing products from my Lessondeli friends!

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An InLinkz Link-up

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Thanksgiving Thoughts

I love Thanksgiving time. Time away from teaching and time with family and loved ones. A time to reflect on the blessings of life. And a time to give thanks to God for his gift of salvation through Jesus.

I'm new at my school this year, and was overwhelmed (in an amazed way) with the "Day of Thanks" that we had last Tuesday. Parents and volunteers coordinated an amazing feast for the students and staff. Students (and adults) dressed up in Pilgrim and Indian costumes, making the day very festive. We ended the day with a "Praise Service," giving thanks to God for all he's done in our lives. This has been, by far, one of my favorite days this year.

Giving thanks is a healthy habit to get used to. Thankfulness keeps out bitterness and a complaining spirit. It also takes your focus off self and causes you to think about the bigger picture, and as teachers, that bigger picture is serving the lives of those precious students that God has placed in our care. I am thankful for each of them, and look forward to getting back to school to be the teacher that they need this year. But, I'm grateful for the time off. Not planning on rushing that!

Here are a few pics of our Thanksgiving festivities.

I'd love to hear what you're thankful for or your own thoughts about Thanksgiving! Leave a comment below - thankful hearts are contagious!

Supermarket Saturday!!

It's Supermarket Saturday: Thanksgiving! 

I can't believe it's already Saturday!  This week has flown by.  My schedule has been totally disrupted, because of having an unexpected day off on Friday.  Here in Northeast Ohio we had our first snow day of the season.  Crazy, I know!  Here's a picture of our playground during recess on Thursday:

You can imagine what things were like at dismissal.  Needless to say, after 13 inches of snow fell on Thursday, we didn't have school on Friday.  Not sure if this weather pattern is an indication of what the winter is going to be like, but I'm quickly hunting for my gloves and boots!  Brrr...

So, when it's cold and snowy outside, what's better to do (other than going sledding or something) than to have a TpT sale!  

One of the items that I have on sale is my 3 Dimensional Pumpkin Book Report kit.  

My students loved making these!  They each chose a book to read, and then filled in the templates for the plot elements (general book info, setting, main characters, problem, solution, favorite part).  They cut the templates out, attached them to orange construction paper circles, and glued the backs of the orange circles together to form a pumpkin.  With a little green pipe cleaner, these pumpkins were finished, ready to hang for classroom decor.  Lots of writing and analysis of the book read, but my students enjoyed the project. 

          

The 3 Dimensional Pumpkin Book Report template as well as the rest of my Thanksgiving/Fall items are on sale just for the weekend (15% off!).  

* 3 Dimensional Pumpkin Book Report

* City Mouse & Country Mouse Readers' Theater (they're THANKFUL for where they live, right?)

* Pumpkin Patch clip art set

* I Have, Who Has synonyms & antonyms game

* Thanksgiving clip art set

* It's Turkey Time ELA Games

* Fall Gourds Descriptive Writing Unit

* Turkey Story Maps

* Pumpkin Patch Board Game Templates

It's time to fill up your shopping cart for the Thanksgiving holidays!

Mrs. Hach's Owl Spot

For more great Thanksgiving products, stop by my teacher-friends' stores:

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Birthday Giveaway!

It's my birthday (Nov.1)!  And I'm celebrating all week.  My husband has a couple different date nights planned for the week, one of them being going to see the Broadway Play, Newsies (I can't wait!).

So, I wanted to extend the celebration to you!  I will be giving away one of my products everyday this week.  There will also be a free product in my store each day, so you will want to make sure to stop by frequently to see what you can get.

To be included in the giveaway raffle, you need to leave a comment for this post. Please make sure to leave your email address in the comments so I can let you know if you won something!  Along with your comment, let me know which product listed below you would like if chosen.

I'd love to have you as a follower if you're not already keeping up with my teaching adventures.  It's super easy - just leave your info in the green bar at the top of the page.  You'll get firsthand info about my posts and any freebies or contests that I have going on.

Check out the giveaway links below... I'll also have a new product at the end of the week.  Feel free to share this info with your colleagues so they can enter for a chance to get their own for free, too!

          

    

Martha from "The Owl Spot"

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Martha-Hach-the-Owl-Spot-

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Supermarket Saturday Linky

I am so excited to tell you of a new weekly linky that I'm participating in!  The Lesson Delicatessen, a group of amazing teachers from Teachers Pay Teachers, will be hosting a weekly linky on Saturdays - Supermarket Saturdays.  We will have blog posts highlighting some great products and once a month a sale on select items/themes.  

So, here's what I have for Halloween - Monster Magic Squares!  

This is a great game to teach understanding place value in multi-digit multiplication.  I probably spend more time teaching the "whys" behind what we do in math than I do teaching the algorithms.  Usually, if my students understand why it works, they can do the actual work.  

Students play by choosing a monster card and figuring out the multiplication problem on the card. Each card has 2 problems so you can differentiate for your students.  

Students use the magic squares template to solve the problem.  I've found it easy to attach the 2 blank templates to the inside of a file folder.  That way, 2 students can play.  One student chooses a card and solves it on the template.  The other student checks with the answer key.  If the player completed the problem correctly, that student keeps the card.  The player to earn 10 points first wins. Obviously, you can modify the amount needed to win.  

It's important to teach students the place value thinking in this game, since the algorithm is dependent upon students understanding this.  

Students will need to decompose the both factors into 10s and 1s (above factors - 36 X 19).  Thirty-six breaks down to be 30 and 6, nineteen to 10 and 9.  Students multiply the broken down sections and add across and down (see above explanation).  The Magic Square method doesn't have students adding random zeros to their algorithm, but multiplying according to place value.  Once students can manipulate numbers this way, multiplication becomes so much easier to understand and master.  

Follow the "Monster Multiplication Squares" link in the linky below to see this product in my TpT store.  It's a great Halloween activity (or all throughout the year), and your students will be doing something educational while having fun with the Halloween monsters!

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An InLinkz Link-up

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New Pumpkin Patch Clip Art

I love making clip art!  It's a new hobby of mine, and I know I still have a lot to learn.  But I'm having fun in the process. Here's my newest set:  Pumpkin Patch Pumpkins!

What fun project would you use these adorable pumpkins for?  Maybe a center game or a bulletin board?  I'd love to hear your ideas.  Leave your ideas as a comment, and one of you will get them for free!  

See Pumpkin Patch Pumpkins in my Just Draw Clipart store

I've been working on some new items for my Teachers Pay Teachers store, and wanted to share with you a freebie - Function Table Task Cards.  I'm using these with my students tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have some pictures to show.  They will be free through the weekend.  Price goes up to $3 on Monday.  Get your set today, and I'd love to hear some feedback!

Visit my store at www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Martha-Hach-The-Owl-Spot

Lesson Deli - iPad mini classroom ideas

The Lesson Delicatessen group that I'm part of is giving away a free mini iPad this weekend - you heard me right - a free mini iPad!  You'll have to check out the raffle information below and try your chance at winning.  (raffle opens on Friday, Sept. 26.)

Since we're raffling off a mini iPad, I thought I'd share something "techy" that I've used in the classroom.  This is something that would definitely work if you have an iPad, another type of tablet device, or if you end up winning the one we're giving away.  

I use my Kindle app all the time in the classroom!  I've come to the conclusion that I'm a "book hoarder."  I have a huge classroom library of my own, and teachers often come to me to see if I have what they need before they visit our school library.  I can't help it - I'm addicted!  

I've found that by using my Kindle app, I can instantly download books and share them with my class using my document camera, or by directly linking my phone and/or tablet to the computer or SMART board.  Amazon has TONS of free books.  If it's not free, they are usually pretty inexpensive.  My students can enjoy the book, I can teach some key reading strategies, or we can view the book as writers and see how the author accomplishes a technique we are trying in our own writing.  

I've also used my Kindle app during a novel study.  When I download the book, I can pull up a page where I want everyone to direct their attention.  I can model how to find and site evidence for a reading response question, model fluent reading, or teach a summarizing lesson.  If you can connect to a document camera, take a snapshot of your page, insert it into a Power Point template or a SMART notebook and teach context clues by covering words with boxes and having students guess what the word might be.  This gets them thinking about the text, what word would make sense in that spot, and if they don't know the word, they are probably thinking of some great synonyms.  Thinking is what we want our students to do, right?

I'd love to hear how you have used this app in your classroom!   Leave me a comment and let me know :-)  Don't forget to enter the raffle - you just might be the lucky winner!

"This giveaway is only open to teachers (classroom and home school) who are living in the contiguous United States and Canada. The winning entry will be verified and proof of eligibility may be required. Please see the complete terms and conditions at the bottom of the giveaway for more information."

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An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Welcome to "The Owl Spot!"

I'm so excited to finally be launching my new blog!  One of my goals for this year is to start blogging about teaching - everything from lesson planning, best practices, products I'm using (and creating), and funny teaching stories.

This is a perfect time for launching a blog, because I'm in a teacher's collaborative group (Lesson Delicatessen) that has a great event planned ... you'll have to stop back tomorrow for our unveiling!  

Make sure to follow me - you can add me to your Bloglovin' list to make sure you're notified when I post something new.  Thanks for checking my site out - I promise more will be coming soon!