Well Look Who Showed Up

Hi everyone! Guess whose back...This girl!

So my first year teaching 8th grade is coming to a close (I know...it's sad) and it's about time I resubmitted myself to my life in the blog world of 8th grade. It has been a jam packed year in my 8th grade world. Remember...it was this year that I made the switch from 6th grade to 8th grade, Language Arts & Social Studies to Math & Science, and North Carolina to South Carolina. I have absolutely loved it! There were always the little bumps along the road, as there are in every school year, but overall it was a fabulous decision to move to 8th grade and the Clover community.

All of our tests are over for the year, PASS and Algebra EOC, so it was time to celebrate with a trip to Charleston, South Carolina for these 8th graders. We left Thursday morning around 7am and made it to our first stop at the Drayton Hall Plantation around 10. This was the first time I had ever visited this place and let me tell you...it was B-E-A-Utiful. We started the stop with a lunch from home, carried in our little lunch baggies, before moving into a guided tour throughout the house and surrounding grounds. After about forty minutes on the tour, groups from our school switched locations and we went through three stations to learn more about the property, time period, and people who lived on the plantation. Our stations covered rice mashing, blacksmith jobs, and kitchen importance. It was a great first stop!

Drayton Hall Plantation 

The ceiling in the main room. All made from hand-done plaster.

The gorgeous view from the front door.

After the Drayton Hall stop, we went to the Charles Towne Landing. This site was really cool! The only thing was...we didn't have enough time to really enjoy it. Students were rushed through the site looking for specific information relating to their course in South Carolina history. Because of our time crunch and finding the necessary information, I think students missed the importance...not to mention coolness...of the place. I would DEFINITELY take kids back there to explore for a longer time. It was a great site :)

After Charles Towne Landing we went to Patriots Point. The boys went crazy at this place! They absolutely loved it! It was right up their alley. They enjoyed the hidden passages throughout the boat, the airplanes on the deck, and every ounce of the trip. This was by-far the boys favorite place!

Finally to call it a day...we visited Frankie's Fun Park. The place was our dinner, hamburgers and hot dogs, and our kids release of energy for the day. Of course this teacher participated as well; yep, I raced go-karts. Not to mention I came in 2nd ;)

The wonderful group of girls I was in charge of throughout the trip!

Mrs. Stine and myself with a fierce go-karter!

After calling it a night around 11:30pm on Thursday, we woke up and were ready to go Friday morning. This morning started with a historical downtown tour of Charleston. We went through the visitor center, picked up our tour guide on our bus and she talked us through the historical pieces of Charleston. We visited The Citadel, Rainbow Row, and The Battery among other interesting places. Definitely got our learning in for the day!

After our tour we made a stop at the South Carolina Aquarium. This was another huge hit among kids. They loved the sharks, turtles, eagle, alligators, and other unique animals we rarely get to see. This was actually my first time at the aquarium too; I loved it as much as the kids!

Our final stop for our two-day trip was the Charleston Market. Students loved seeing souvenirs and pieces of their stay in the city. There were pieces representing the aquarium, the plantations, the historical pieces of Charleston and more. I had many students grab themselves littler souvenirs from the market. They bought everything from straw-hats, Charleston t-shirts, and candy, to bracelets, photos, and sunglasses. It was a fabulous experience. 

I have to say that the trip itself was wonderful! The kids totally enjoyed exploring a new city, new history, and places that they may or may not have visited before. I also have to say that seeing the light in their eyes throughout the trip really made me fall in love all over again with Charleston. I go there regularly to visit my in-laws, but gained a new appreciation for the historical town of Charleston. 

 We are down to a full week and three half days in the 2013-2014 school year. This week we have our final dance performance, athletic banquet, and a couple pretty cool Math and Science projects to wrap up. I'll be sure to share the wonderful goodies of this week. Until next time... :)

Waving Through the Week

This week was a week gone crazy! Every teacher knows those weeks where it just feels as though you never see your students in the actual classroom setting; It was one of those weeks! It was a four day week for students from the beginning, because of our wonderful Technology Fest professional development that was scheduled for today (more on that later!). However, this four day week was definitely not the average four day week.

Monday went smoothly. It was a normal day and students were basically awesome. :) Tuesday and Wednesday were scheduled for our PASS Practice Writing Test (every student takes this writing test at the end of the year from the state). Apparently, new to me, this is a 2-day test. Students taking the writing portion on day one by answering a writing prompt, planning, and drafting a paper before writing their final. On day two there is a multiple choice portion on grammar and mechanics. Brilliant! **So much different than that "state up north" that I came from this year. Before only certain grade levels took the writing test (7th grade was the "big big" one). No one else worried about writing tests. But that's another story for another day about how these tests help throughout all grade levels ;)

So anyways...let me get back on track... With testing on Tuesday and Wednesday my teammate and I decided that we would do 3rd and 4th period Tuesday afternoon, then 6th and 7th period on Wednesday afternoon. Well...the best laid plans....The dance performance by the first semester students was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 2pm. Needless to say, I didn't get anything accomplished in my 3rd and 4th period Tuesday. But it was definitely worth it. It was awesome watching the three grade levels perform their dances. It was organized as a "Dancing through the Decades" performance. There were choreographed dances by sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. I absolutely loved it! The students did wonderful. It was fantastic to see some of my quietest students really get on stage and show off their talents. I was, needless to say, impressed! (I still hate that I didn't take my iPad to get any pictures!)

So, only being left Wednesday (6th and 7th period only) and Thursday (Yayyy another normal day!) I had a lot to get through! In Math we were working on everything from the Pythagorean Theorem to translations of linear and exponential functions. Check out Flocabulary's rap on the Pythagorean Theorem. Kids thought I was cheesy for showing them....mission accomplished! I also found this super cute Disney video about Donald in MathMagic Land. So wanting to show my kids...just need to find the time :)

In Science for the remainder of the week we brought out studies together on earthquakes, seismic waves, and properties of waves. Students had already completed notes on the anatomy of an earthquake, the three types of waves (primary, secondary, and surface), and finally the properties of those waves. Through the notes of these activities earlier.... we created a legit foldable inside a foldable! Check us out:

 




To end the week, I decided to get a jump start on the beginning of the second semester here at Clover. One of my biggest struggles is getting make-up work to and from students. Therefore, I created a system. I believe in myself and believe that this will work ;)  I'm planning on writing the names of students on the assignments, then placing them in the period when the student was absent. Smart right? That's my plan!

Well....we are off Monday for the Martin Luther King Holiday. So it is another four day week for this teacher. I'll update how with how wonderful my kiddos are after I see the amazing things they can accomplish this week. Until next time.... :)

Starting the Year Right!

Well, well, well, look who decided to do a blog post...This girl :)

Can I tell you it's been a busy semester for me? I know, here she does again making excuses, but I can guarantee this second semester is going to be full-blog-mode for me. So, let me start by explaining a little bit of what has been going on....

I graduated!! 
Yep, this girl has her masters from Appalachian State University in Middle Grades Education. Graduation was December 14th. We did it all in one and a half years because of the "lovely" situation that North Carolina government has put teachers in...but that's another rant for another day. We had 10 hours for both the second summer and fall semesters. Along with those ten hours, I started my first year at Clover Middle School, which I absolutely love, in a new grade level, new state, and new content areas. Sooo...this girls been a little busy. And on top of that...Basketball season started November 4th. I could not have been more excited! Basketball season is my favorite time of the school year...along with softball season :)

Well now that that is over...it's time to focus a little more closely on the wonderful things that are going on at Clover Middle School. I know my 8th graders are doing fabulous things in both Math and Science and I am looking forward to finally getting the chance to share those!

But in the meantime...We started the year off right with my 7th grade girls basketball team today by attending the Clover High School girls J.V. and Varsity games. We watched the games in hopes to get some pointers and ideas about how to improve our own skills and fundamentals. We had a great time and really enjoyed rooting for the girls!

The cool crowd sits with the coach :)

7th and 8th grade girls enjoying the games!

Here's our team pictures for my lovely and wonderful 7th grade girls. I have to say I love these girls. They work hard and definitely keep my laughing through practices and games. I look forward to finishing the second half of the season with them and watching them grow in basketball everyday. 

We took a serious one...

So of course we needed a goofy one.

So until next time....promise I'll be updating weekly with the fabulous things both my 8th grade Math and Science kiddos are doing...as well as my amazing girls on the basketball court :)

My Nerves Still Work!

Ahhhh! That's how I want to start this blog post! As many of you know...I'm working on my masters through Appalachian State University on top of beginning a new teaching job, in a new state, in a new grade level, in two new content areas. Whoa...it's crazy! I absolutely love my eighth graders and I can not express how excited I am to teach Math and Science (in South Carolina none-the-less) but my life is go-go-go right now.

This week was definitely a case-in-point situation. As many of you know...again...I participated in the UNCC Writing Project over the summer and had an amazing time! I loved it and really think that it benefited me as a teacher. This week I was invited to present with my friend, Meredith, at the UNCC Writing Project's Fall Conference. Needless to say...I was nervous. We were asked to present Meredith's strength in Fine Arts (as a Drama teacher in Charlotte-Mecklenburg) and mine...apparently technology. ;)

Here are some documenting photos I took from our day...

It's Official...I'm a presenter :)

Lacy beginning our day!

Meredith and I getting ready!

The nerves are kicking in!

Loving my new day book! Especially since my last one is full!

Ahhh! Here we are! This is our presenting-room!

My homemade badge representing my thoughts on participatory learning!

The entire group ready for the fabulous day!

Overall it was a fantastic day and I enjoyed our presentation and many other's that I learned a lot of helpful information from! Not to mention I'm super excited about taking my class to Discovery Place for some Science Discourse sometime soon :)

I will be posting again soon...There's lots to catch you up on that has been going on in the fabulous life of Team 8-3 at Clover Middle...So until next time... :)

Off to a Great Start!

It's been a solid month at Clover Middle; and I can say that it has been an eventful and speedy month! I think that these have been some of the best days to start a school year that I have had. We are beginning to dive into our curriculum....Math, we started into Integers and adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers and in Science, we looked into topographic maps and how we use them within daily lives. In beginning our starting units of study we looked into hands-on activities and labs to get our feet wet. Check out some of our labs investigating topographic maps:

In Academy we began to read a novel together called The Juvie Three. I honestly have never heard of the book before this school year...but reading it ahead of my students, I can say that it is very interesting and grabs your attention from the beginning! But before we began reading this novel I decided to check in with my Academy kiddos (we have a small group of 14 that I get to hang out with during this time) and see what they were thinking about eighth grade so far. At the end of the first week of school (I know...this is a little late!) we created our first set of Paper Slide Videos. In their slides students, in groups, decided on 1) what they were nervous about, 2) what they are excited about, 3) what their favorite 7th grade memory was, 4) what their least favorite 7th grade memory was, and 5) what questions they still had. Check out their thoughts...

Until next time.....And I promise...it will be within the week... :)

We Are Up & Running!!

We are up and running and running at Clover Middle School! We started our first day of school on Wednesday and had an absolute fantastic end of the week. I am beyond excited to see my eighth graders Monday morning and continue the great three days that we had this week.

I thought I would to my first post for the "official" school year on the organize and layout of my room (since I don't have all the signed forms to put my wonderful kiddos on the blog yet). Plus, the first few days are always "Hi, how are you?" "Here's how things work..." "Here's how we run..." "Introductions, introductions, introductions." I'll share some pretty cool activities, "get-to-know-you," that we did between Thursday and Friday early this week...but to start...here's our lovely little learning environment. :)

This is my cute little Welcome door! I found this here on Pinterest and fell in love with it. I want to make sure my eighth graders feel loved...but not in a cheesy-sixth grade student way. I feel as though this Welcome door allows our 8-3 team to follow the overall "team" theme we are creating at Clover! 

This is my "While You Were Out" board. I write brief descriptions of what I cover throughout the week in case there are any absent students. This way students can check out what we covered, and come ask me specifically about assignments and topics! Great resource from Mrs. Cunningham at Cramerton (my old home!). 

I decided to make my only bulletin board my "news, calendar, and who's out" board. I keep my calendar updated with major tests, events, and projects for my students. This month is open house (for "Meet the Teacher" Night) and a Special Event for the first day of school! Underneath my calendar I will put news bulletins that come out for the school year. Flyers for events, dances, and games will be placed here. My Who's Out section is where students get their number, based on their alphabetic order of last name in each class, and move to their location when they leave the room. This helps keep track of how many students are actually out of the room and where they are! (Check out where the idea came from here!) The kids seem to pick up on it quickly and hold each other accountable for moving the numbers back! It's pretty awesome!

This is my little reading corner. I used to have a couch in my room that students loved. But I think the beach chairs are catching on here at Clover! I also have my books, most of them, labeled by A.R. grade level and points so that students know what books are on their reading level. I think I need a bigger book shelf. ;)

My awesome window in my room! It's a nice view outside and I love my navy curtains with silver chevron ribbons to hold them back! (Blinds always open!) 

The left picture is my student-resource center. I have the drawers labeled for all the materials that students need! I got this idea from a new colleague at Clover. The right picture is the side of my file cabinet that I have decorated and have an idea for....I have had students trace their hands and put goals on all fingers for the first semester. (Here's where I got this idea!) Once students finish their hands I'll put in an update :)

This is a continuation of the student-resource center for notebook paper, pens, pencils, hand sanitizer, and a pencil sharpener. Also, this is where I used black electrical tape (done by my wonderful husband) to make my homework portion of the white board. 

The finished whiteboard! Homework side, I Can statement side, with my board in the middle!

Nice little set-up :)

This is my corner! 

Bins organized with the period numbers on them. These bins help me hold onto Math and Science notebooks when students do not need to take them home. Students can keep them in my room, in these bins, rather than in their lockers. I've found this helps keep students organized too! 

This is my "Let's do our ARRRR best" board! I used blue bulletin paper with hot pink duck-tape to improvise a bulletin board! (Check out the original idea here!) It turned out not-to-shabby if you ask me. Again....my wonderful husband put this together for me! I plan on using this space to highlight students' best work and show off some fabulous students and what they are capable of. 

Finally, this is our bulletin board outside of our team rooms. All our students' names are on there and I plan on keeping this bulletin board updated with the seasons. I am super excited that we have a team bulletin board that can be used to encourage students throughout the school year. I love fru-fruing things :)

I am looking forward to beginning to document the wonderful things that my eighth graders and I are going to get into this school year. I already have my next blog planned out with exactly the activities we want to share and show-off. I am looking forward to a great year and know that my classroom is ready! 

Make sure to follow me on Pinterest here...

Until next time.... :)

Welcome Back!

Welcome Back! I can not believe that it is the middle of August and we are back in action. It has been a great, wonderful, busy, and super informative summer! I enjoyed it immensely. I was booked to the max...but it was definitely worth it. I completed 16 more hours of my Masters in Middle Grades Education; that's where I got the awesome experience in the UNCC Writing Project. Check out how wonderful that experience was in my previous blog :)

I also guess I need to make it blog-official that I am switching teaching jobs. I have absolutely loved Cramerton Middle School and enjoyed every minute of my four years. I am leaving my wonderful sixth grade world of Language Arts and Social Studies to enter an eighth grade world of Math and Science. I am moving down to Clover Middle School in South Carolina and could not be more excited! I will greatly miss the friends, students, and family that I had at Cramerton, but I am looking forward to new opportunities and experiences at Clover Middle. I am eager to teach Math and Science (they have always been my favorite subjects through school) and I am excited to extend my family into the Clover community :)

With the move, I had to pack up and clean my room at Cramerton (this definitely brought some tears) and take all my things to Clover. This was done throughout the summer and during my Masters courses. It was a busy few weeks!

My room at Cramerton...all packed up!

This week was our first official week back at Clover Middle. I began my week with New Teacher Orientation (in the Clover School District) on Monday and Tuesday. We learned a lot about the district, their vision, mission, and philosophy, as well as some helpful hints and suggestions to use in our classroom. Wednesday was our first workday back at Clover and our convocation for the district. I loved the entire day. It was definitely a lot of information...but helpful and very meaningful. Not to mention the awesome teachers in the district who put together this too-cool gem...Check them out below :)

The binder of important CSD information! 

To end the week, we had workdays filled with meetings and room time. I got to meet with my new teammate (who is awesome by the way!), my department members (who are super nice and helpful), and other individuals throughout Clover. To say that I remember everyone I met throughout the week...would only make me laugh. I can say that everyone...and seriously...I mean everyone...was super supportive, encouraging, and just as excited about me being in Clover School District as I am myself! I honestly believe that I am in great hands and company in Clover and honestly believe that I am in the best school district in South Carolina! :)

I'm Clover Middle ready :)

Next week we begin with two more workdays; Monday night is "Meet the Teacher" night and I'm already looking forward to it! Then I get to meet all of my wonderful kiddos Wednesday! Let the countdown begin! I am putting the final touches on my room, the organization, and the overall "theme"...Promise to post once it all comes together. Of course, I'll recap my first three days as a Blue Eagle too!

Until then.... :)