Change of plans!

Well this year, I'm trying out something new. I said so long to 2nd grade (kind of) and now have many different titles!

Here's what I do--

So, I said "kind of" for saying so long to 2nd grade because I'm actually still teaching (co-teaching) 2nd grade Reading! Don't worry, I'll share all my awesome common core ideas with you! My teaching partner and I have picked up a few new tricks & I can't wait to share them with you.

I also teach a little bit of 1st grade.... 1st grade Math, Library, Computers and Art! So I'll be sharing some of that good stuff with you as well! (yay -- more freebies! See this change is good for you too!)

Let's not forget about the Tier 3 groups I am seeing, too-- I see one 2nd grade group and one 3rd group. We are working on vowel sounds with my 2nd grade group. My 3rd grade group is focusing on fluency, comprehension and close readings. (yes yes yes, I'll share all of that with you as well!)

Anyone teach library or curriculum here? I also am helping with that curriculum! I'd love to share some of the resources I've put together for those classes. I'm focusing on 1st, 2nd and JRH-- but if you need another grade level, let me know and I'm sure I can help you out!

Last but not least, I have a group of JRH students. We are working on literary elements at the moment. I found a TON of awesome freebies on Teachers Pay Teachers so I will share that with you as well!

So, see, change isn't all that bad! I am really enjoying my new position and all of the new challenges I am facing. In the long run, I think it will benefit me greatly and make me an even better educator! After all, I can't stay in 2nd grade forever!

My TeachersPay Teachers Store CLICK HERE!
Close Reading-- Using with my 2nd graders
Free Close activity- using with my 3rd Graders

Winter bulletin board!

Things have been crazy busy in 2nd grade! Here's a quick picture of our winter bulletin board.... I'm obsessed with chevron! Notice that yellow pennant thing? Best purchase ever. I've used it on every bulletin board so far but just switching the letters on it. Keeps it trendy along with the double border!

Parent Teacher Conference Check List

With Parent-Teacher Conferences right around the corner, I thought I'd share a checklist I made that has been extremely helpful when conducting a meeting with a parent. I included strengths, concerns, and suggestions for parents to work on with their children. This checklist has been a lifesaver for those times when I've gotten nervous while talking with a parent (who hasn't!?), it's kept me on topic, and has helped me so that I never have those "drawing a blank/blonde moments"! I think it's very important to provide the parents with some strengths their child has so that a conference doesn't come across as  totally negative. It is also important to have a course of action for what we can do, as parents and teachers to help the child get where he/she needs to be. If you're interested, check it out here: click here to go to teacherspayteachers.com

Online Parent Newsletter

So I decided to set up a parent newsletter (blog) online. I'm feeling a little more confident in my blogging capabilities so I figured why not?!

At least I'd be saving a tree by doing my newsletter  electronically. :-)

So here's the link: Www.whatsnewgrade2.blogspot.com


Check it out. See how I keep my parents informed. I added the "subscribe" button and sent home a flyer asking  parents to subscribe. That way they can get email alerts when I've posted & they can stay informed!

Speaking of keeping informed have you heard of the remind me app? All I had to do was go to the website, set up an account & add a class. Then I sent home a flyer with my class information so parents could subscribe with their email or phone (text). Then every day my teaching partner and I send home a reminder email/text. Our alerts can be general like "Don't forget to read 20 minutes tonight" or "spirit day tomorrow--wear blue!" Etc. We've gotten a lot of positive  feedback so far. Best part? Parents will never know your phone number/personal email and they can't reply back. If they have questions they'll have to contact you another way--in person, phone, or work email. That is a plus because you don't want to be texting back and forth! That could become very time consuming!

But anways, it's pretty neat &  very easy to use! Go to www.remind.com

You're welcome ;-)

In other news, we've done some pretty neat art projects recently. One involving cool and warm colors... go check it out here: click here!

Until next time.... keep calm and teach on!

On my mind...

My life is crazy. I have a 3 year old and an 11 month old. I'm planning birthday parties and trying to stay in touch with friends, packing lunches, giving baths, making dinner, cleaning the house...waking up at 2 a.m. with a screaming/teething baby. We're selling our house as well... so that's always fun getting a call the night before a morning showing (even more delightful  after putting in a 12 hour day) My mind is constantly on overdrive and I'm always on the go (and I'm always very tired). Now let's add my responsibilities of being an educator into the mix. Absolute chaos.

Beautiful, wonderful, wouldn't-trade-it-for-anything chaos.

As I'm sitting here reflecting upon my day listening to my baby boy giggling in bed with his dad, I have come to one conclusion. I am so blessed that I have the two most rewarding (and most tiring) jobs on this planet. My jobs as a mother and teacher are very demanding but endlessly rewarding.

Im so very proud. Proud of my students' achievements,  proud of my dedication to being the best teacher I can be, and proud of my endless & unconditional loving heart for my kids at home (and the ones at school, too).

It truly takes a special person to be a teacher. I'm not going to say I don't have my moments when I lose my patience  or get stressed out. (Because I definitely do--I'm only human.) But at the end of the day I can honestly 100% with all my heart say I chose the right profession. I always thought that if I could make a difference  in just ONE kid's  life,  then that'd  make it all worth it. But as I sit here and reflect I think of all the students I have taught & how they've impacted me--how they've made me more compassionate  than I ever thought I could be. I've  realize that while I'm teaching my students how to read and how to measure in inches, they're teaching me what life is all about. Both Hudson, Nora and school teach me how to stop and enjoy the little things in life...because as you get older you realize the little things are really the big things-- & the most important  things in life aren't things.

And that's all she wrote (for tonight anyways)

I'll leave you with my latest bulletin board.

#makeadifference
#feelinginspirational

Making students accountable for their learning!

 New to Mrs. Mueller's Room this year... our "I can!" Bulletin Board. The plan for this board is to have our "I can" Statements posted for whatever standards we are working on. The "I can" statements will change from story to story (lesson to lesson). I created "I can" statements for all the informational text and literature standards. The Big Idea and theme objectives will also be listed (to be changed when the unit/theme is changed) (Our first theme is Perseverance--a picture of what it looks like is posted below!)

Here's our 2nd theme! "The World Around Me"

 

Work in progress!! Need to cut and laminate and label the standards still. If you want to purchase the 2nd grade Common Core I can Statements click here!

Update!!!!

I'm sure you're wondering... what about data tracking? Each student has a data tracking folder inside of their Daily 5 binder. The students can track their progress by rating themselves and tracking their assessment scores.  This is what it looks like:

Students struggling with their sight words? Here are our sight word folders. 

Inside are two envelopes-- one envelope for words they've mastered. One for words they are still practicing and learning. I only assign 5 words at a time. The words are based on a sight word test we gave them at the beginning of the year (dolch words). I chose the first 5 words they missed on the assessment and I test them two times a week. If they can read a word, they get a smiley face on the word card and it gets placed in the "Words I Know" envelope. Every week, I make a point to pull out the "words I know" cards and review them with the student. If they "forget" a word they already learned then it gets placed back in the "words to learn" envelope. For every word learned, they are given a new word they missed from their sight word assessment. This continues until they've mastered all of their sight words. This is one of our RTI Tier 2 interventions.

At home, they are supposed to do an activity a night from the activity envelope. Every few weeks we switch out the activities with new ones so that it makes it more exciting!

Science Plant Experiment

Lima Bean Seed to Plant experiment-- This experiment is about learning how seeds grow. We made predictions, observations and recorded our results. The kids were shocked at the results. Many of them thought that the seeds would not sprout because they did not have real soil.

What you need:

• lima bean
• baggy
• wet paper towel
• window/direct sunlight
• spot in the dark

Students will make observations every other day. Each day, the plant will sprout a little more. The students will draw a picture documenting their observation each day. That way they can see that the plant is really changing and that it is a living thing! 

At the end of 3 weeks, the students will compare how the seed in the sun grew to how the seed in the dark grew. They will also be able to draw conclusions based on the results. 

Update! 3 weeks later...

This is the one from inside of the bathroom. Notice it is growing, but the stem is white. The plants growing by the windows have green stems! What can the students infer from this!?!