Class dojo translate - transforming

I don't know if you heard but class dojo is offering translation. What! You say,I say right on! This is an amazing addition to the an already amazing app  and it aligns extraordinarily well with PBIS. Positive Behavior system we are developing at my new school site. I am going to use this for my intervention groups so that I can provide both feedback for classroom teachers and parents so they have a clear idea of the interventions being provided. Song in my head; Selena gomez, I just want to look good for you uh huh! I think the class dojo team is always singing this song to educators across the nation. Dojo team continues to provide amazing resources. 

Check out their blog post to find out more: https://blog.classdojo.com

Who has time to put on makeup?

Who has time to put on make up?

The most important question is: should I invest financially in Mally makeup or take my chances at the  drug store. I often jam out the house to get to work early so I can leave early (on time) to be dance/soccer mom alongside soccer/dance dad. We divide and conquer. So, hair brushed,cute outfit,neat makeup don't always happen a few things have made me appear more put together though. They are pixie cut,stitch fix and mally makeup. 

Mally makeup is the best for a couple of reasons. First, off the quality of the products is top notch, these are not drug store quality palettes. I have nothing against drug store make up it is great and the right price point for a teAcher salary. However, since I grew up with brothers very little of my life as a teen or child revolved around make up. So, my skill level in application of make up is very small. I stumbled upon Mally when I was watching a shopping channel. Soundtrack in my head while watching" put your make up on, gets your nails done, grow your hair, run the extra mile keep it slim. Do they like you?" Collie Caillait, yeah, save your money you don't need pricey make up. Mally ,Mally her personality is contagiously she is an excellent sales person, but also she did not have peaches and cream skin, she was an Asian caramel color. I too have a caramel color and find it hard to believe the color  advice of the peaches and cream folks. Sometimes lipgloss/lipstick is completely lost on my skin tone. Then I saw things like this.

Yes, completed organized color kits from Eyes, to brow ,to cheeks ,to lips . Whoa no hunting and pecking through tons of products then applying them like clowns le up. I thought it is worth a shot. Bozo was a clown not a teacher. It was more than my normal make up budget however the product is so good it has lasted for much longer than normal  drugstore makeup  and looked a ton better as well. I bought a kit it lasted almost the entire school year. I replenished over the summer with some fresh summer colors. Mally is really on point with today working woman. I just bought a new kit to create a smokey eye but I don't know how to apply a smokey eye. Well, Mally took care of me and my no make up knowledge by giving me instruction book and labels on the back of the palette in case I forget which I will.

Thank you Mally, I was able to follow the guide and walk out the door 15 minutes later looking put together with my smokey eye. I felt finally like my face and makeup represented who I am on the inside I waked into work the next day with my Mally make up and this  Soundtrack " Say what you wannabe say and let the words fall out,Honestly I wanna see us be brave." Not that I am not brave on no bake up days but this was a fun day. Now,I have not received a dime from Mally this is just my tip to teachers/ moms. Oh, did I forget to mention it lasts throughout the day without making me look like Ricky raccoon because Ricky raccoon is not a teacher. When I come home from soccer and my glamourus folding chair I still look pretty good. So, if you can try it Mally is a time saver and a brain saver( because I have no more space in my brain to learn make up application techniques) Yes, Mally is worth every penny.

Happy  workday mornings!

Who is Michael Haggerty?

I first remembered it from watching a Teach Like A Champion video on joyful learning. Mr. Davis Joy Factor. It was a video with a kindergarten teacher reviewing phonics and phonemics with kinders in a quick joyful way using a flip chart. I was curious about the flip chart. Found out it  might beMichael Haggerty. So, I went on line downloaded the samples and fell in love.  Soundtrack in my head" Darling I will be lovin you till were seventy" Ed Shearan 

Well, he is the creator of this amazing Phonemic Awareness Curriculum, Literacy Resources. So, at the beginning of this year I was faced with a group of lovely little learners. However, many of my lovelys had very limited reading skills. Research time, re design curriculum time.  Soundtrack in my head" Reunited and it feels so good." but not really that good, me and my excel file/planner are not Besties.

I needed to really redesign my small group work because it was not going to meet their needs. I was not going to give them a choice, they just were going to have to decode during small group building up their accuracy was top priority. I also had a large group of English Learners who just were not hearing the English sounds, meaning I need to hit some phonemic awareness hard.

How on earth can I do this without giving them work that looked like kindergarten stuff. Michael Haggerty to the rescue. He developed this amazing Phonemic awareness program for kinders, English learners and Second grade intervention what rewind that is right Second grade intervention.


The design is totally teacher friendly/ mom. I have 2 very active little girls and I wake up early get to work early so I can leave early and drive them around town, soccer, dance etc... It is organized day by day and divided into areas like syllabication, segmenting, onset and rime, it spirals. YES!.  I just call my group back and run through the lesson activities quickly. It is all verbal so no copies needed. Subs and helpers can do it to with little training/explanation.

The lesson that really opened my eyes and made me stick to this was the compound word lesson. Where I say" cupcake" if I take off the cup and add pan what word does it make? Wowzer, the groans the silence, the looking up into the air for answers. Not one of my little lovelys had any idea. I used a little hand motions. Still nothing! I finally gave them the answer. In fact I had to give them all the answers for 2 days. Then they started to get it Whew! but the element was removed from the curriculum plans, they were so relieved. Spiral remember a week or so later it came back and they were grumbling" This one is so hard" but they did so much better.



Now, I also paired this with seriously focusing on integrating Word Studies into our daily plans. I then began to do more research and found Orton-Gillingham which helped them again!! but that's another blog post.


The Results these guys are still struggling with spelling and reading but this last week I really slowed down the spelling test for them and asked them to listen closely to each sound I was saying and they were hearing. It was amazing I saw an instant increase in their scores I really have only one little guy who still has not shown the progress I wish for him so I will really focus on him. All the others, after the prompt" I am going to say the word again look at what you wrote and listen to what I say?" they would go Ohhh! I am missing an l, or that right I hear and r in words like drive (where that r is hard to hear)  Now, That's what I am Talking about!!! Who is Michael Haggerty? A really smart guy who has really helped my kids bridge the gap in their reading and writing. T

Whose Penguin Flag was flown in Antarctica and a Performance Task Freebie?

I'm Whose Penguin flag was flown in Antarctica? Well, Well, Well, it was the 2nd Grade Robots. We have been working on a writing unit of study on Penguins.

The students have been very excited and interested in this unit of study it has helped them grow into more diverse writers and it has helped me harness and develop my google facilitator skills.

We started using Google Apps for our informational writing and it has been quite amazing. I thought I was merely preparing my students for SBAC testing in third grade but Whoa was it so much more.

The biggest take away for me to invest more time into learning Google Apps for writing was the students eagerness and ability to edit and revise in Google Apps.

Day 4

Here is a quote" I know, I know you won't spell it for me. My teacher is not my spelling resource google is my spelling resource. I will type it in and see if I get a red line."

Day 7
Same girl new day, she was eavesdropping in on my writing conference with her neighbor then she chimes in with this gem. " You know what Chris, you need to use google as a spelling resource. Let me show you. You type your word, then you press space. See you have a red line. It is spelled wrong. Go to Tools Spelling and Google will help you. Look there it is that is how you spell it, click and it is now in your writing.
Soundtrack in my head"Girls hit your Hallelujah, (WHOO) Girls hit your Hallelujah (WHOO).
Don't believe me just watch!"Bruno Mars( FYI sometimes these soundtracks don't just stay in my head I actually sing them in class but I think it is okay it creates joy in learning and helps me connect with my little guys at a neat level(I know the songs they hear in mom's car, or uncle house).

 I mean yes, how many times have I gently paraphrased  words from Lucy Calkins." Have a partner read your writing to make sure it make sense to readers, that the words are written neatly and spelled correctly." to end up with their writing partner saying I don't know what it says and the writers so discouraged they just give up and correct one or two words and submit the piece with little revision. ( This is not to knock Calkins, I feel she is a real genius and this is often an effective strategy) Google has created a safe environment for partners to help with revision and tools that are easy to implement multiplying the reach of Calkins as computers usually do. Thank you Google for Education.  Well, because the students have amped up their writing game I amped up mine I took the time to develop my skills using Doctopus a google add on. So, I began to learn from a tutorial how I can better use Doctopus. Here is the tutorial that helped me. Click here 
So, I did a test run with our Performance task assessment. Which I borrowed from Lucy Calkins Pathways to Writing it is truly a great tool and aligned to SBAC. Here are the Anchor Chart pieces I used: Performance Task Anchor Chart Freebie Combined with Google apps and Doctopus I feel really empowered as an educator to be able to meet my students needs.

We are second row 1st flag. La Verne Science and Technology.

Well, to sum up the unit and provide a little bit of art and global connectedness to this unit the we created a flag and sent it up to the Antarctic to an Adelie Penguin research Center. Our Flag was hanging Jan 15-16 and we just got it back in the mail. This was a fun an exciting piece to our writing. If you are interested in doing this next year here is the link: Classroom Penguin Flags Website
Check us out!!!
Soundtrack in my students heads: " We are so fancy, you already know. We are in the fast lane from LA to Tokyo, We are so fancy, Cant you taste this gold. Remember our name"
I just love it when I can make my students understand how big yet how small the world is and that they can be a connected so many parts of the world through learning. Happy Penguins,Happy feet, Happy Learning!

Who is a Class Dojo Mentor?

Who is a Class Dojo Mentor? Well, it is me I got the amazing news this Wednesday from the amazing Class Dojo team.  Guess what I heard in my head when I read this email" I know you like it sweet, so you can have your cake, Give you something good to celebrate, So make a wish, I'll make it like your birthday everyday." Katy Perry Birthday
Take a look at the super cool email I received.

So, I guess I can stop singing when I see the Class Dojo Mentor Community on Facebook " Cause you're too sexy, beautiful, and everybody wants a taste, that's why(that's why) I still get jealous."
Well, if that was not enough Class Dojo had a super week as well the were voted Best Start Up. Well deserved Class Dojo.  Truly I have been using Class Dojo for about 4 years and I really love it. I love the support and I love the community of educators that I have been a part of and now a new learning community the Class Dojo Mentor Group.  Most importantly I love the way it has transformed my classroom room into a real community of learners who begin to self regulate. Looks like they might have this as their soundtrack" Got Chucks on with St. Laurent, Gotta Kiss myself I am too pretty, I'm too hot ( hot damn) Called a police and fireman."

So,  I thought I need to go in and make some changes to our Class Dojo now that I am a fancy Class Dojo Mentor, also we are having a PD share out session this month at my school to talk about what is working in terms of behavior in implementing Conscious Discipline in our classroom.  This is an interesting program my daughter used in preschool and is suppose to develop a community of learners in your classroom. I have found that some of the language I have learned is super helpful. If you have not had experience working with students in poverty this program really is helpful into understanding their behaviors, I found it very affirming because I have spent most of my career in schools of need and I have had training in the process to adopt my daughter from the foster program.

Anyway, so I have been sort of integrating the 7 basic skills into my ClassDojo. I have put one of the skills as a behavior on Class Dojo at a time and focusing on this and really rewarding for this skill, this is after we did the lesson and implemented the vocabulary into our classroom. What I have found is I spent to much time on one basic skill so I just inputed all the 7 basic skills so they are there and ready to go and ready to remind me to move on as well as spiral back to hit some previously learned skills. While doing this I came upon an article about how a teacher used Class Dojo for small group instruction. Here is the link to the article: https://storify.com/jennakleine/classdojochat-going-beyond-behavior-w-classdojo.
Really, Cool, right, this will give teachers very specific information about student learning some examples of what she did was create a behavior for annotated text. So, I thought I need to amp up our ClassDojo behaviors. I have just inputed everything I need into the behaviors it is a little awkward because it is so many behaviors but I think it will really help me look for these skills, standards all day long and use the specific language. I equate this to posting the standards in a place where you can see them, because as teachers we are running 6 million "open windows" in our brain at all times and some get pushed back or forgotten.  Anyway, I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders because, I inputed the, 7 basic skills of Conscious Discipline, 8 math practice standards, 6 traits of writing, NGSS,Reading CAFE, and because I have several English learners Speaking and Listening CCSS.  Wow! I feel so much more organized and I feel like I have a ton new ideas of how to more fluidly integrate these skills into my lessons. Check out some of my behaviors. Well most of them!

I now have a super comprehensive template and I can go back in and add more specifics (so basically " I got some blank spaces baby, and I'll write their names.") for example we are working on a biography unit of study, for Writing organization I could add student, organizes biography in chronological order, Math we are working on multiplication and division we could add, MP 8 students understands/compares repeated addition in multiplication.
One completely new idea I am going to add to my Reading Workshop is to include and ipad recording station, where students record their listening and speaking skills, at an independent center. So, right now I have a group of 5 I work with and we have begun to integrate Edmodo into this guided group, and two other groups reading online and reading hard books. This would really help me gain a ton of data and another way to engage students in powerful learning. I will post next week on our progress with looking forward to collecting more data and being more effective because I am more prepared and organized. HAPPY CLASS DOJO MENTOR DAY!

What! Am I the worst Blogger ever?

So, tonight was our winter program which came out a million times better than this mornings run thru where, 1st grade powerpoint failed, my imovie would not work on the cafetorium PC, the lights on the back of the stage fell on top of my students as they danced, a 1st grader punched  another on the stage while decorating the Christmas tree as part of their performance. What!

But tonight my little Frozen people did a fantastic job they looked quite amazing in the suits, and gowns. We even had Elsa and Anna and Olaf( he was a crowd pleaser). I uploaded my Frozen imovie to youtube and launched it from their without a hitch.

Here is the link if your want to do a fun sing along in your classrooms.

http://youtu.be/sgueVu4mSa8

Anywho tomorrow we  continue our frozen theme with a few games that I will posts photos of.

1. Snowball race- straws cotton balls and cups  Who can fill the cup with cotton balls by sucking through a straw.

2. Freeze dance- We are playing freeze dance and winners get Candy Canes

3. Candy Cane  Dissolving Experiment -  Here is the link with more info on this fun Christmas Science.
http://lemonlimeadventures.com/dissolving-candy-cane-christmas-science-for-kids/

4. How to draw Olaf-  We are going to sit in front of our Smart board and learn how to draw Olaf.
http://artforkidshub.com/how-to-draw-olaf-frozen/


And I must not forget it is the last day for our Elf friend so guess what she hacked our Class Dojo.
Here is the link from Tatooed Teacher on how to change Avatars. She also reset all our points for the upcoming New Year. The kids will be excited to see this it is a great way to close the Elf on the Shelf.

http://mrslambsclass.blogspot.com/2013/12/changing-class-dojo-avatars.html

The Grand Finale and best part of my night before the last day of winter break was when my old student from another school Angelina showed up at my classroom door with her little cousin and she said" Do you remember me?" I said no tell me your name. She said" Angelina" and it hit me like a lightening bolt I remembered her with her cute little bob, no braces and sweet smile. She was so excited and did not believe I remembered her. Then her mom and aunt walked over and I remembered them as well. She is in middle school now and quite a lovely young lady. I was in the midst of sending my current students off with their parents so I stepped away to dismiss a student. Angelina did not leave she was just standing outside my door.  Then, her mom came over and said"She wants a picture with you. Is that Okay?" I said of course but you are going to make me feel old though. She was very thrilled to have a photo with this old lady. It was great to see one of my little people grow up and become  an amazing young lady. In this hectic time when I just want to give up this experience reminded me to continue and do the little extras, book exchanges, winter shows, family projects, Frozen themed parties because they do remember and it does matter.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
My News Years Resolution is be a more consistent blogger!

What am I lovin right now?

I am lovin the chronicles app from powerhouse education!





I am lovin my new Poly 8 pocket folders to plan and orgainize my groups!




I am lovin Language Wall! I finally feel it is of learning to the kids!



I am loving Math Wall but I need to revamp and amp it up a bit!