Open House teaser...

21 days, 17 kids, iPad minis, math, dot cards, science tools, responsibility, rules, Zero the Hero, laws, sense, writing, reading, RAZ Kids, and 1 VERY proud teacher...

Trying to keep up with the blog, Twitter, Instagram, and oh so much more...oh but it is so fun.  Tomorrow night is Open House and I finally got the Open House teaser trailer done.  I sent it out late using the fabulous Remind app but maybe some parents didn't get it.  Won't they be in for a surprise in the morning. :) I can hardly wait for all the parents, the kids, the Book Fair, and oh the smiles.  I will have to take more pictures imagine that?  Watch this trailer and prepare for a classroom like no other...

Happy Grandparent's Day! 2014

YIPPEE today is Grandparent's Day! This week was so fun listening to stories about grandmas cooking, grandpas fishing, Nanas shopping, and Poppeys playing Legos.  Seriously I remember my grandma like yesterday.  I am so blessed that my class 2 years ago sent me this plant after her funeral and it is a lovely reminder of her each day.

Each friend wrote about a grandparent and we decorated a page to give them.  We even made handprint hugs to send in the mail to some far away.  They are so proud of their efforts.

 Watch as we share an extra special wish for a Happy Grandparent's Day!

Week 2~Top 3 things for the week

Labor Day or more important September 1, really where did August go?!?  The second week was just as busy as the 1st week.  Our class gained a new friend, Johan.  We are so excited to have 17 friends to make our class family this year as the Wright's Rippers! Let me get on to the top 3.
#3 Go Noodle is a favorite.  We are learning to be a little quieter during those Maximo yoga poses.  These yogis are the getting the hang of it.

The class favorite is Walking up the Stairs.  They are too funny.  I might have to play this one during Open House so you can see the excitement!

#2 ActivExpresssions get a cheer from these firsties!  What is an ActivExpression?  It is a learner response system.  In short we can answer true/false, mutiple choice, number, and even text-ok we haven't gotten to that just yet but remember I have only had them for 10 days.  Give me time...

#1 has to be the fun we shared with our friends across the hall playing short a BINGO on the iPads.  

We even learned how to scan QR codes to get different BINGO boards.  Great fun and all while practicing those short a words.  Can't wait for this next week.

First week went too fast...

So the first week went too fast because I ended up sick. Can you believe it and my sweet, sweet firsties were so kind and loving.  Just love the firstie friends! Here are my TOP 3 favs for the moment and I have more pictures to look through so check back because there might be more than 3 favs before the week's end.
#3 Journal writing and sharing is the best way to start out the day.  Better yet the parents have a year long journal at the end of the year to treasure.  When I went to introduce journals on the very 1st day of school I showed them Carson's journal and this year he went to middle school.  I had to hold back the tears remembering how my cutie man wrote like a big boy and all his favorite moments were captured in that journal. My favorite was when he wrote about losing his 1st tooth and I wanted it.  He said no way it was too special and he got a whole $1 for it!-just love that kid!

 #2gonoodle.com is the favorite part of the day and if you don't believe me ask you kid about walking up the stairs! Too cute for words! Maximo is a close favorite but they are still talking during yoga so maybe I should dim the lights so they get the hint.  They are all falling over themselves-balance not so much but we will get oh so better before it Christmas I bet!

 #1 Come on doesn't this picture say it the best? Who doesn't like playing with every piece of science equipment a teacher can fit into a Rubbermaid container? They had the best time and EVERYONE passed the science tool assessment with flying colors.  They are scientists for sure!

There are so many things to share make sure to follow our class Twitter and Instagram to get the latest.  Until next time...

New Friends 2014

Meet the Teacher was Thursday and it was an exciting time!  I got to meet all 16 of my new friends. I even had one that brought me homemade chocolate chip cookies!  Super sweet and yummy because you know I ate every last one of those guys!  There were smiles and siblings and parents ready for the school year to start.  I have to say I am excited to see what these new friends bring to the classroom and to one another.  I know they will make me a better teacher because I can already tell by their awesome personalities in the short time I got to talk to them.  All I can think of is the "Everything is awesome!" song from the Lego Movie.  I quick sent them a video message this evening and I read the Night Before First Grade by Natasha Wing.  I will admit I have butterflies and right now I can't fall asleep just thinking about what the new year will bring...

I did some thinking, reflecting this summer and while talking to my hubby, came up with the Wright's Rippers motto: Be the I in Inspire! I can, I want, I will, etc.  Which brings me to my challenge.  Everyone that is anyone in the tech world will be gathered at @MiamiDevice in November. I WANT TO GO TOO!!! These people must think I am their stalker @techninjatodd @kleinerin @techchef4u 2 guys and some iPads, and @tonyvincent!!! I have been all over Twitter, listening to podcasts, and reading blogs to get the info I need to take our school to the next level.

We have worked the past year and half on raising funds to purchase iPads and we have 2 sets of 20 iPad minis.  In all my searching I have hooked up with incredible teachers willing to share what they do and I then pass that on to my firsties.  It doesn't stop there we then teach others and I mean 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even 5th graders.  We have taught them how to use Pic Collage, create tutorials using Explain Everything, and even create pages for class ebooks.  There is so much more to learn and I need to get to Miami Device!  Hopefully they will see my excitement and bring me to Coconut Grove so I can hang out with the coolest tech people in the world! Inspire to be better, inspire to learn, Inspire others...

ThingLink

Today's Twitter Chat on #1to1ipadchat talked about creating ThingLinks.  ThingLink is an image with live links and of course you know I am game for anything techy and sparkly right?!? So here is my 1st attempt.

There are 3 live links to get you to the school website, our blog, and our youtube channel.  Did it work for you? Let me know.  Now the ideas are spinning in my head.  Can you image my firsties learning and creating ThingLinks, I can! I am even toying around with maybe Kidblog and the firsties blogging and adding their creations. Can't wait for a new year to begin...

Where is our side of the story?

Summer? WOW I have to catch up on so many events but that will have to wait.  I need to get this story out as soon as possible so sit tight and read this story. I think you need to know how sad and disappointed I am…

A few months ago a reporter from the New York Times interviewed me over the phone to talk about parents, the Common Core, and math. EXCITED-yes! I was but I kept calm and talked from my heart about what I have learned over the past three years.  

I gave her stories about kids' misconceptions I would not have found if they merely completed worksheets.  For example, I asked one day “Cameron wants to share his cookie with Logan.  Who gets the bigger piece?” The kid responses: "Cameron does because it is his cookie."  "Logan does because Cameron will give him the whole cookie.  When my mom tells me to share I have to give it to my brother." and another,  "Wait if they are sharing they have to have the same size piece."  This was 2 years ago and I have taught fractions in some shape or form for 17 years. I had students complete hundreds of worksheets but had no idea this might be a misconception shared by children.  This is just one of many times I learned from talking to my students to think about math and become mathematicians and not just calculators.  

Being a Mathematician, that means something in my classroom.  It means being a problem solver, discovering a strategy to make numbers easier to work with, and seeing the relevance of math in our everyday world.  Math time is joyful in our classroom.  Yes, we struggle with why?, word problems/situational stories, and bigger numbers but we are working on really understanding math concepts and not just procedures for a better foundation. What about the parents?

My parents have questioned Common Core and how we are implementing it in the classroom.  How could they not when all they read are stories bashing the Common Core and how parents can't do the kid's homework? My thought-Parents shouldn't be doing the kid's homework. I conference with parents and show them samples of their child's thinking.  I explain pitfalls and provide strategies so they see the relevance and most important I ask them to talk with their child.  Talk about money-earning it, spending it, estimate how large or how long it would take to do something, about how 10 is such a powerful number and building on that helps add and subtract double digit numbers in the 1^st grade and yes they regroup with understanding and not borrowing.  Borrowing means you are giving something back and that is not the case in double digit subtraction.  I had parents upon parents willing to talk to Ms. Rich but they were never called.  Parents have told me:

• Wow finally a way I do math and now my kid can do math a different way than a book.
• I wish my 2 older children would have learned math this way because they have no idea why they do the steps they do and rely on a calculator.
• I am so excited to learn right along with my child because I see math differently.

Not everyone has a Common Core bashing story but you rarely hear about the success.  Common Core is here and we are learning, teaching, collaborating, and creating as a community.  We need to hear success stories so I beg you read this story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/us/math-under-common-core-has-even-parents-stumbling.html?_r=0

After, know our story and send this reporter a comment in support of Common Core.  By the way after 30 minutes of praises and stories I did invite her to visit and she said she would talk to her editor.  We never heard from her again. Maybe she would rethink that visit to Cypress Creek Elementary in Port Orange, Florida.  Sad…