Yes Ma'am

Well, there goes the New Year's Resolution of blogging more frequently. This has been my first post in a few weeks and my goal was to blog once per week. Oops.

Anyways, moving on.

I have noticed on many other blogs that teachers have been visiting the Ron Clark Academy. So I decided to get Ron Clark's book The Essential 55 from my library. I had heard about Ron Clark and his book when I was in college, but I never found the time to read it. I still don't have the time to read it, but I decided to make reading this book a priority.

I started reading it and so far, I love it! In the book, Ron Clark gives 55 rules that should be included in every classroom. Not only that, but they are great life lessons, basic things that everyone should be doing anyways.

Rule number one is to respond to adults with "Yes ma'am" or "No ma'am." This may seem like a really simple rule, but I love it.

I am from Illinois and where I come from, the majority of students do not use "ma'am" or "sir" when addressing adults. However, when I moved to Texas, these words were ingrained in my students' vocabulary. I was so shocked on the first day of school when I asked the students a question and they responded with "Yes ma'am." I have also heard young parents using these words with their children. If their child is grabbing for something that they are not supposed, the parent will catch them and say "No ma'am." I think this is something worth instilling in children at a young age. I have also taken to addressing my students in the same way. When I call on my students to answer a question, I will say "Yes ma'am" or "Yes, sir."

Since reading this rule in the book, I have addressed with my class the need to speak these words whenever addressing an adult, or even another student. I believe that it will foster a culture of respect in the classroom.

I can't wait to see what other great tips I gain from reading this book! Check it out for yourself!

Michelle

Exit Slips

Exit slips, or exit tickets, are very common means of assessment, especially in the older grades. However, I believe that they can be used in all grades, even as young as kindergarten.

But first, what is an exit ticket?! An exit slip or ticket can be a small notecard or Post-It note that is used to take a quick assessment. Generally, it is an informal assessment, but I have started to take grades on a few of my exit slips in some subjects. Basically, it is meant to "take the temperature" of the class, if you will. You can quickly see who has "got it" and who does not.

I recently started using exit slips in my classroom and the students love them. I used library pockets and adhered them to the door frame. They each have their name on them. Then, when it is time to use an exit ticket, I will pass out a notecard. I try to keep the exit slip short, maybe 5 questions. For example, a recent one that I did was to assess common and proper nouns. I was pretty sure most of my students were getting it, but I wanted to check. So I had them number the notecard from 1-5. I told them that I would give them 5 words and they had to write C for common or P for proper on their notecard. That's it! So quick and easy, yet so informative. Once the students are done, they can place the notecard in their pocket and it's very easy for me to just grab them and take a look.

I have also seen various boards and displays where students have a Post-It note and they stick it on the square that has their name. Then, the teacher can also quickly see who has not finished yet. Either way, it is a great tool to use in the classroom.

Depending on the method of exit tickets that you choose to use in your classroom, I decided to create some exit slips. You can download them simply by clicking on the picture. They're FREE!

Thanks!

Michelle

January Currently

In my last post, I wrote my 2015 goals for my blog and TPT store. And now, here is my January Currently! I can't believe it's already January!

Listening - I get to be at home until tomorrow and I love being able to listen to everyone talking. I love my family!

Loving - Again, I love being at home. My husband and I are visiting Illinois from Texas and we are enjoying all of the holiday activities and down time.

Thinking - As I wrote in my previous blog post, I have a lot of goals for my store and blog for this upcoming year! I just need to get started...

Wanting - One of the best things about being home is having people to play board games with. My husband got two new games for Christmas - Ticket to Ride and Pandemic. We have had so much fun playing together!

Needing - In order to accomplish the goals that I have set for myself both in my store and at home (working out more, reading) I need some more free time. There never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done. I think I need to start making lists and crossing things off. It will keep me more accountable.

Yes to working out more! I want to join my husband's gym and take some spinning and body pump classes. I have never done either, but I'm excited to try to make exercising more fun!

Maybe to getting a new blog design - I have been wanting to get a new blog design for a long time. However, I want to establish myself a little bit more before I take that step. Perhaps a birthday present?!?!

I wish to go on a short vacation - Now, I know that I am currently on *vacation* - vacation from school, spending time at home, etc. But I want to go somewhere like Disney World or the Carolinas just to get away and think about nothing.

What are you currently doing? Head on over to Farley's blog and link up! 

Happy New Year!

Michelle

Resolutions and a Sale!

It's that time of year again when everyone sets their resolutions for the coming year. This past year was one of the best and I am looking forward to what 2015. Even though 2014 was great, there are still some areas that could use a little improvement. One of those areas is this blog and creating products for TPT. So I decided that I would post some of my resolutions on my blog this year (considering I didn't have the blog last year to do so!) I am posting these resolutions in the hope that I will stick to them a little bit better this year.

Resolution #1: Blog at least once per week. Sometimes I have really good ideas and think to myself "That would be really great on the blog!" But then life happens and it never seems to get done. I really want to try to blog at least one new idea per week. I also need to take advantage of scheduling my posts, whether it's on my blog or on Facebook.

Resolution #2: Create at least one new product per month. I am very pleased with how my TPT store is taking off in the past couple of months. However, I know that I can work much harder to create new products in a timely manner. Again, I have some great ideas and things in the works, but then I never have enough time in my day.

Resolution #3: Pin a little bit every day. It doesn't matter when I do this: before school, after school, late at night...whenever. Just pin a couple of things at some point throughout the day.

Resolution #4: Read the forums more often. When I first started selling on TPT, I read the forums constantly. Granted, I had more time on  my hands. But I learned so much just from reading the forum posts every night. Now I occasionally read them. I need to put more effort into making my store the best it can be.

Resolution #5: Finish Teaching Blog Traffic School. I have had the subscription for awhile now and it really helped me out at first to design my logo, find my name, start my Facebook page, etc. But now that I have done all of that, I am at a standstill. I still have many lessons left but cannot push myself to finish it.

Now that you have read all of my resolutions...thank you to those of you who did...here comes the best part! For today and tomorrow only (Wednesday and Thursday) my entire TPT store is 20% off!! What a great time to stock up on items for the upcoming semester! Stop by and check it out: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Dabbling-In-Differentiation.

Have a great holiday!

Michelle

Christmas Conversation Linky!

Hop on over to The Inspired Apple to participate in the Christmas Conversation! Here are my answers below!

Happy Saturday!

Michelle

Cyber Monday and Tuesday Sale!

As many of you know, there is a Cyber Monday (and Tuesday) sale starting tomorrow! You can save up to 28% on items on TPT. I will be putting my entire store 20% off for the next two days. Also, if you enter the code TPTCYBER at checkout, you can get an extra 10% off!! I decided to link up with Ideas By Jivey and share what are the most wish-listed items in my store and what I plan to buy as well! Here we go!

The item that has been added to wishlists the most is my Mystery Picture Bundle!

I also have a Mystery Picture Christmas Edition!

Click on the pictures to add them to YOUR wishlist!

Another item that has been added to a lot of wishlists is my ABC Book. It's perfect for preschool and Kindergarten students. There are many different versions included, as well as both black and white.

Click on the picture to add it to YOUR wishlist!

I only have a few items on my list for this sale, but I still love a good deal when I see one!

The main product that I will be snatching up is Kourtney Payton's Map Skills & Landforms Unit. My students will be starting this unit this week, so purchasing this product comes at the perfect time!

Have a great start to the week and happy sales!

Michelle

Liebster Award!

I know I am late to the party, but thank you Reading Recipe Pals for your nomination for the Liebster Award! I was so excited to see this in my inbox! I am still a beginning blogger so I was so happy to see that I was nominated!

Here are the answers to the Liebster questions and then I will be sure to pass on the award!

Why and how long ago did you start blogging?

I started blogging back in May, but because of the the end of the school year, getting married over the summer, and then starting a new job, I really haven't had as much time as I would like to dedicate to my blog. I started my blog to share tried and true tips for differentiating in the classroom.

What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?

Differentiation - it's in the title! I wanted to write a blog that shows how all students can achieve their learning. Whether, it's math, reading, science, or social studies, there are so many ways to make learning fun and engaging for everyone!

Is there something you learned late in your blog journey you wished you knew before?

How much time it takes to maintain a blog. As I mentioned, I haven't had the time that I would like to dedicate to my blog. I always think of ideas while I'm at school, but I never find the time to actually write them down.

What is your favorite pastime other than blogging?

Traveling and exploring new places

How many hours per week do you dedicate to your blog?

0-1. Like I said, I could use some work in this area.

What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?

I would say that I love educational blogs as well as homeschooling blogs. I love all of the creative ideas!

Where does your blog inspiration come from?

Everything that is in my blog is something that I have done in my classroom, or plan to do in my classroom.

Which post that you've written are you the most proud of?

Sight Word Folders - I just really like how I laid out all of the steps to create sight word folders, which I think are a very valuable part of my reading program.

Is there any post that you have been planning to do, but have been postponing it for awhile now?

Fruit Loop math - different types of graphing. Stay tuned!

What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

I love that I can share my ideas and then hearing that other people want to use those ideas in their classroom is a great feeling.

Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you be most likely to try yourself?

I really like the reading websites that you listed in your post here. I like that these programs have placement tests that place the students at their level. It's all about the differentiation when it comes to reading!

And now...time for my blogging friends!

11 Favorite Blogging Friends:

Mrs. Dow's Little Owl's Nest

Mrs. D's Corner

Tricks of the Trade in First Grade

My First Grade Backpack

Grasty's 2nd Grade Goodies

Here's an idea

Mrs. Landry's Land of Learning

Mrs. Alexander's Amazing Ants

Nicki's Notepad

1st Grade Salt Life

A Trendy Teacher

To those who have been nominated, here are the "official" rules for accepting:

1. In your post, link back to the blogger who nominated you as a thank you and "shout out." (Follow their blog if you haven't already!)  

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you (the ones I answered above).

3. Nominate 11 blogs of your choice that each have less than 200 followers. Provide them with 11 questions to answer or have them answer the questions above.

4. Let your nominees know that they've been nominated and provide them with a link to your post so that they can accept.

5. Send your nominator a link to your post so that s/he can learn more about you as well! (You can just put your post link in the comments below!)

Thanks again and have fun!

Michelle