So Cal Bloggers Winter Freebie Blog Hop -All Summer in A Day

Can you tell I LOVE San Diego?

My Dutch View

For those that don't know, I spent the vast majority of my twenties living abroad. I adored hopping from place to place.

I LOVED actually living new cultures and really getting to know different cities and the cultures that make them unique.  I got to live in The Netherlands, Spain, Korea, Turkey, Mexico and visit so many more wonderful places!

For a long time it was really hard for anyone to think of me as coming home for more than a summer. I lived in such GORGEOUS places with such wonderful people and got to visit other countries at the drop of a hat! What's not to love?

 Nonetheless, a special part of my heart was always in San Diego. This blog hop is filled with other teachers who share my love! For those of you who have been hopping, you know the drill! Each blogger will share why they LOVE Souther California, and then link to a freebie. Once you've snagged it, you can keep hopping to the next teacher! There are SIXTEEN for teachers from third through eighth grade, so that's plenty of freebies for you.

Plus, there's a contest, so be sure to read until the bottom!

Yummm!

Two years ago I moved back home and I couldn't be happier. While my all time favorite part of living here is my family, I'll be honest and say the thing that I missed the most when abroad was the food! It isn't just the quality of food in Southern California, but the variety.

I LOVE that I can have Vietnamese pho for breakfast, then hit a Mexican (as in Mexico City) place for Micheladas, and have Ethiopian food for dinner (not pictured). What an AWESOME place to live, right?

Of course it isn't just the food, I also adore the diversity my classroom brings. I love when I ask students who are studying Martin Luther King if anyone has been to a Baptist church and hands spring up!

When we study the rhetoric used in poems about immigration, many of my students can tell their own stories of coming to America!

But the best part is that San Diego has COMPLETELY spoiled me with awesome weather! I am a big wimp for anything under 80 degrees! Sadly so it my cat. When the weather gets cooler he is the first to curl up by the fireplace or heater despite his fur.

This was me in November!

As a result, I figured I'd offer a freebie that most teachers can use whether they be teaching third grade or tenth! All Summer In a Day is a great short story to read especially if there's a blizzard or rain pouring! Students can really get into the characters' brains as they long for sunshine.

I use ink pinks with my fast finishers. I create a bunch before each unit that use the vocabulary words in our unit.

For example here's an All Summer in a Day packet that includes an Ink Pink worksheet. I have taught All Summer in a Day to fifth grades through high school! It is a simple short story, but filled with figurative language, topic starters and a great lesson for any ages.

As for the Ink Pinks, you can do these as a class, or use them for fast finishers. Despite their juvenile appearance, they are GREAT at helping students use their critical thinking skills and, depending n the level, reinforce or introduce new vocabulary.  Download your free page here and have fun!

 

Well I hope you had fun! Hopefully you've enjoyed the freebies you have found so far. The next blog is with Teacher Ms. H has one too. Check out her blog to see what she loves about San Diego and find her freebie.

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Workout Wednesday - Resistance Bands

Not all working out happens at the gym!

I'll admit it. I've really slacked off when it comes to workout out! In Mexico I was always WALKING somewhere, but now, I seem to be driving everywhere. That, and the stress of starting a new school year were not good for my body.

So, this year I have my school year resolution! I have to do SOMETHING active every day. In can be ANYTHING. Shopping, walking an extra lap around the school,  pedaling a bit, doing crunches... anything, but I have to do it with the intent of being active. No thinking, "Well I played with my niece earlier so that counts." This has to be something I am really thinking about. If I purposefully jump in the pool to be active with my niece, it counts.

I haven't been the best at it, but part of what has helped me is I am starting to do a lot in my classroom.

My students went one-to-one this year which means that they have their own laptops in class. This means I am getting a bit creative. We're doing a lot of videos (animated and live). This is great, but it means I have to spend a lot of time sitting down and watching them.

Ugh, more sitting time right? Kinda. First off I don't need to be sitting to watch videos. I can stand and watch them while actually moving! Reference ID: pmdd6e83b6da55d90f5740e0dd3f3e5a13

Click this image to go straight to Amazon

See I recently got these resistance bands from Egnergy fitness for free to try out and let them know what I thought. They are pretty cool! Super easy for me to pack in my purse (or even pocket) and take wherever I am going. While I have done a bit with the home-school and back, now these pretty much stay in "my" class drawer (the one with my coffee, Chapstick etc.). When I am about to start grading videos, I just pop out my resistance bands and watch while doing something.

What do you do with resistance loops? Tons! I found some YouTube videos I like, and there are some tips on random websites as well.

An easy way to use the bands is "lateral walking" Slip one side around one ankle and the other side around the other loose but secure. Now move your right leg to the right tightening the band, then move your left leg close to your right leg (basically walk sideways). The resistance makes the walking take a bit more effort! However, the action is easy enough it doesn't require a lot of my focus. There are also workouts that focus on my weak upper arm strength, (a big one for me). I've only been using these about a month, but in a few cases I've found that I need to start selecting higher resistance bands (as the lower ones just don't push me hard enough). I am IMPROVING!

Now if you already have resistance bands, or can snag some from a friend, I am sure they're awesome and will work great. I've never used any other brand, so my statements are only valid for these.

Here's what I like:

• They come with a great warranty (no being afraid it'll snap and I am done)
• They have five different strengths (I an adjust resistance as needed)
• They are ridiculously easy to transport
• The different colors make it easy for me to grab one and not have to look and read carefully
• They let me do lots of different activities (it isn't just arms or just legs)
• They are thick so they don't cut off circulation or pinch when I am working out

Normally priced at $50, these resistance bands are only $16.75 now, and (here's the good part), I am hosting a giveaway! That's right, you can get these for free! All you have to do for a chance to win is comment below with how you fit your workouts in. It's OK if you haven't been fitting your workouts in this year, just share what has helped you in the past, or your plans to change your habits. Anything that may help another teacher improve.

There are other opportunities to increase your chances to win: answer a quick survey about when you workout, follow me on Twitter, or like Egnergy Fitness on Facebook.

Top Ten WORST Class Management Techniques

I write a lot about classroom management because I feel it is an important topic for so many teachers. If you are a great teacher, but you can't control a classroom, your students will never learn. If you are an adequate teacher with great classroom control, then your students will probably learn more.

I know it can be frustrating. I am not a big praying person, but when I teach...I pray about twice a day. Once is usually a devotional, it tends to be positive, "Bless this room and all who walk in it to open them up to learning."Then, there are the prayers that are a bit more negative, "Dear Lord give me the patience not to react to this students goading. Help me understand that they are young, and I am the responsible adult who should not react poorly."

I have posts about great classroom management books, props to use, and general ideas to quiet a room. This post is different. This post will tell you what NOT to do. It uses examples found online via newspapers.

1. Don't use fear! There are reports of some students who were told there was a monster in a closet and then locked in their when they misbehaved. The students often shouted and cried (sometimes to the point of puking) while the teacher kept the door shut. See the related news piece here

2. Don't threaten to get physical Even if you have no intent of following through this is not why you want students to listen. One teacher was put on probation for threatening to stab her students with a fruit knife she kept in her desk drawer according to this article.

3. Don't get jokingly physical! Even if you are trying to be amusing, slapping or hitting a student is NEVER acceptable. In this article the teacher actually slapped a student several times trying to allude to the recent movie Bridesmaids.

4. Especially don't get seriously physical. I know that violence can seem like the best answer in the heat of the moment, but how can we expect our students to pick another path if we ourselves can't. Here's one example of a student who was punched by his teacher.

5. Don't spit on them ... really? I need to say this? While it can be hard sometimes, spitting is never the answer.

6. Don't duct tape them to the chair. I know most teachers have that one student that just can't stay still. I understand how duct tape can, at times, be tempting, but more than one teacher has tried using duct tape in the class. One was accused of bullying, the other teacher was just said to have used an inappropriate technique.

7. Don't put them in a bag and leave them in the hallway. You can call it a "therapy bag," if you like, but putting students in a bag and then putting them out of your eyesight is not the best way to help a situation!

8. Don't have them wear a doggie cone. I see some online memes that joke about this too, but I think we can all are that there are better options for classroom management before even considering a doggie cone.


9. Don't strip search them. When I was in high school one of the dress code rules was no thongs. This was clearly rarely enforced as no teacher was going to request to see your underwear. One third grade teacher felt strip searching a student was acceptable.

As you can see this list is only at nine right now. If you have another technique you have read about, seen or heard about let me know! I'd love to get your feedback.

The problem with trying too hard.

I recently saw this video that made me laugh especially because I know some teachers like this.

I am ALL about innovating and trying new things with students. I enjoy reading about new techniques and how to best reach my students. However, I think it is important to remember to stay true to myself when teaching.

Note some graphic language is used in this video.
 

Here are some questions to ask yourself before you try something in the class?

Why am I doing this? Am I doing it because other teachers are? Am I doing it just because it is new? or Am I doing it because it works well with the lesson and I think my students will enjoy it?


What do I need to do this well? If others have succeeded because of an attitude or technology do I have access to this? How could I change this to best suit my class?

How much time do I really need to do this well? Do I need to transition from the lesson before? How do I transition to the next lesson?

Most importantly: Is this the best move for my students?

Don't try so hard to be cool that you end up not teaching!

A Breakdown of Teachers Hours

We've all heard the jokes about teachers and their easy schedules. For those of you who either believe it, or want to defend yourself this infographic is awesome. Check it out


    Created by Knewton

What do you think; is it accurate? I know I am often at school from 6am to 9pm, so I don't doubt the 11 hour average.