Teacher Week: Monday Fun Facts

Today, I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' for their Teacher Week 15 Linky. Each day this week, they have a different topic to share with you. Today's topic is to share five fun facts about myself. Here we go:

1. I teach literacy classes at a university. Just over a year ago, I finished my master's in Literacy Instruction, quit my full-time position teaching fourth grade in order to teach at the university and be able to have a more flexible schedule. I only teach online, so I'm able to create my own schedule almost completely (it's amazing!). Other than teaching online, I fill my working time with TpT, subbing, and this year I'm actually going to be teaching P.E. a few afternoons a week. It's fun to try new things.

2. I taught grades 1-8 in one room for four years. Think of it as a modern-day Little House on the Prairie. In this small private school, I taught all grades (with the help of a teacher's aide), as well as did the job of a principal, janitor, librarian, etc. :) These small schools are a unique and different environment than a larger school, but allow for a great amount of differentiation since most students are in a different grade already. It's a lot of work, but a great experience.

3. My husband and I spend as much time as possible on our boat. We enjoy all sorts of water sports - mostly wakeboarding. My dream is to one day live on a lake. There's a beautiful property that I'm eyeing right now, so I'm slowly saving my pennies!

4. I love Hawaii. We try to go at least once a year, if possible. Some day we'll branch out and go somewhere else, but for now, it's our favorite spot. Kauai is my favorite island, and the Marriott is my favorite place to stay. We'll be back there in November :).

In Kauai. My husband and I have a hard time taking normal pictures...

5. I did gymnastics for a long time. When I was young, I competed in gymnastics (artistic gymnastics - so vault, bars, beam, and floor). After I went to high school, I switched to coaching, where I coached for 8-9 years all throughout high school and college. Nowadays, I stream every gymnastics competition live (including waking up on Sundays at 6 am for the Olympics!).

A long time ago...

So there you go. A few things about me. Hop over to the Blog Hoppin' blog to read a bunch of posts from other great bloggers.

Classroom Decor Inspiration

Sources clockwise from top left: Angie Campanello, Live, Laugh & Learn in Second Grade, Angie Campanello, Appletastic, Schoolgirl Style, Schoolgirl Style

I love setting up my classroom for the new year. It's honestly one of my favorite times of the school year :). However, I don't have my own classroom this year, so I will just share some things that I'm swooning over in the hopes that they help you as you set up your own classroom.

First off, I love clean and organized spaces. I'm not a very cluttery person. I love this piece from IKEA. I've used their Expedit bookcases before that are similar to this, but I love the desk. This could work for a small teacher desk or as a workstation for the students (computer area?).

Source

This rug isn't cheap, but seriously cute. Love the teal color.

Source

I think your classroom can be cute and color-coordinated, while still being functional. Here's a great bulletin board that serves a purpose, but is very neat and pretty.

Source

Having a specific color scheme can help your classroom seem less cluttered and more organized. For me, I wanted my classroom to be homey since I was going to be in it for a minimum of 8 hours a day. Other than while I'm sleeping, that's more time than I was going to be at my house. Here's a space that I think is somewhere that I could be comfortable in for a long time.

Source

This was my reading nook the last year that I was full-time. My students loved it (and that bench is now in my home office :)).

Here are a few other classrooms that I love right now. Hopefully they'll inspire you to organize and create a comfortable space.

Source

Source

Source

Making Grammar Fun

Grammar is one of those things that many students do not like. However, it was something I loved as a kid. I'm not sure why, exactly, but I think it had something to do with the fact that for most parts of grammar, there is a specific right answer, and I felt good knowing that I knew what that answer was. I liked math for the same reason (though my engineer husband tells me that high level math often does not have a "right" answer).

When I started teaching, I looked for ways to make grammar fun for students. I know that many people like to teach grammar within other writing and reading units, and I do too. However, sometimes I think it's necessary to start teaching some of the concepts explicitly and by themselves, and then integrate it into your other units as a review.

So, here are a few things you can do if you teach the parts of speech in your classroom to make it fun.

GROUP ACTIVITIES
Not only are group activities fun, but they also provide opportunities for the students to communicate with each other to learn the concepts even better.

I like to have groups work to solve problems. This seems easy in math or science, but it works for grammar as well. When learning about a part of speech, I like my students to work together to create posters of rules for using the part of speech.

I also like to use songs. Who doesn't love a fun song? Here's a way to have students remember helping verbs by creating a song about it. Click on the picture below to download:

GAMES
Students always love games. Games are great for grammar (and everything else), because the students practice the topic with repetition without usually even realizing it.

I subbed in a 6th grade classroom last year, and I played Zip, Zap, Zop - Verb Style with them-but didn't take any pictures :(. This is a simple, fast-paced game that originally was a type of ice breaker. I changed the rules a bit to make a grammar version. Click on the picture below for directions:

ENGAGING WORKSHEETS
I know - people don't like the term worksheets anymore, but we are running out of different words to call them by. The thing is, worksheets/graphic organizers/activities can be engaging and not a waste of time, if they are the right ones. I like worksheets that make students think. When I teach the parts of speech, I like to have the students really know the differences between the parts of speech and how they are used, so I put that into the activities that we do. Here is a picture of some worksheets that will make your students think and are more engaging than the traditional workbook.

Follow the link below to download a free excerpt from the pronoun unit - includes the first lesson, group activity, and activity pages.