My Little Addiction

Yes it's true.  I'm a little obsessed.  My name is Tammy and I'm addicted to nice handwriting.  Yes it's also true that I want my kids to show pride in their handwriting.  I'd really like the world to be able to read the amazing things these young writers can write.  The good news is that I don't have to spend a lot of instructional time on it and come January, I can integrate it in a meaningful way into what I'm already doing.

Here's my handwriting timeline for the year:

August and September - 15 minutes a day on whiteboards
October, November, December - 20 minutes once a week with direct instruction  
January through the end of the year - 10 minutes a day using chat books (click here to read about them)


Each child keeps a handwriter's license in their chat book.  If they use their best handwriting in their chat book, they earn the right to keep their license.  If they break some handwriting speed limit rules, then I keep their license until they earn it back with good handwriting.  They don't particularly like losing that license, so it helps motivate them to do their best for a very short 10 minutes out of the day.  

I believe I found the license in a teacher magazine years ago. I'm sharing it with you.  I hope that's not illegal or something.  Click on the picture for your own.  (Pardon the fact that it's not the most beautiful copy.)

On a different note, I'm joining a linky party although I must admit I'm not sure exactly what that means.  Here's a link to Kindergarten Lifestyle to find out more.  

Saturday Sayings: Don't Get Too Comfortable

Anyone new to my little world of blogging will quickly find out that I like educational quotes.  I've got one to share with you today that is high on my list of favorites.

I almost feel guilty saying this, but I have my share of dusty teacher's manuals in my room.  I'm just not a fan of programs.  I don't want to give off the impression that they're all evil.  I know they have some good to offer.  I'm sure they provide especially new teachers with a vision and plan, which are both very important.  I think Regie's basically saying though, "Don't get too comfortable."  A program is simply a resource that should be in a continual state of adaptation.


The closest thing to a program that I embrace in my room is Lucy Calkins' Units of Study for Primary Writing.  Do I teach it exactly like Lucy?  Nope, and I know that's just what she would expect of me in order to meet the needs of my students.  Modify, adapt, pick and choose, make it your own.

Regie also says, "...none of the exemplary teachers were tied to commercial materials.  Exemplary teachers taught children, and typical teachers taught programs." (185)

I understand this is only one person's opinion, but she inspires me to be exemplary.

Routine, Boring, and a Necessary Evil?

It's lovely how something considered routine, boring, and a necessary evil can actually be turned into a jam-packed opportunity to build better thinking.  What's more routine, boring, and a necessary evil than the lunch count, right?  I've found a way to use it as a great learning tool.  It really doesn't take but five minutes, and the fact that the kids do it every day means they're going to have more than a few opportunities to practice the skills they need.  (And we all know some kids need more than a few opportunities.)

Every morning we spend a few minutes making sure that our hot lunch, cold lunch, and absent numbers equal the right sum.  Here's how it goes down...

1.  I write the equation on the board.

2.  Kids spent a few seconds discussing their strategy for figuring out the answer with a neighbor.

3.  I ask for volunteers to share their thinking while I draw it  on the board.  (Several kids are involved, because I like to ask a new kid to take over after each step is drawn.)

4. I always ask them to explain their reasoning.  "Why do you want to do that?"  "How do you know?"

5.  Sometimes we have enough time to draw two or three different solutions.

Here's one such solution that the crew recently walked me through.

At this time of year, a few days a week, I ask them to take out their whiteboards and draw how they would solve the problem.  I often see things like this.

Before erasing our work I've gotten into the habit of asking, "Is that the only strategy we could use to figure it out?" and they've gotten into the habit of emphatically responding, "Of course not!"

They Amaze Me

We Idaho math teachers are very lucky.  Our state is making us take a math class, and it's probably the best thing that we've ever been forced to do.  I took it a few years ago.  I thought I was a decent math teacher.  Well, this class put me in my place.  I'm amazed now to see what my mathematicians are capable of.  I've still got a lot to learn, but I'm heading in the right direction.


For me, math journals and contextual problems that press student thinking are my favorite fruits of this class.  I ask my kids to do some heavy duty problem solving and to show it in as many ways as they can.  I started a wikispace as an educational tool for parents to see how kids are problem- solving on their own in meaningful ways.  I post the contextual problems and the kids' solutions on the wiki.  I'd love for you to see what they've been doing.  Look here to check it out.  It also explains my math journals in more detail.


Here are a few problems that we've recently worked on.  See if you can dissect their strategies.

Miss McMorrow's class started out with some stars from the lunch lady.  She gave them 10 more.  They ended up with 17 stars.  How many stars did they start with?

Miss McMorrow was lifting weights at the gym.  While working her calves, she used 45 pounds, 25 pounds, and 5 pounds.  How much weight did she lift altogether?

They amaze me!

In Honor of Antonyms and Awards

I'm all about making classroom books.  They're very popular with my kids.  I've mentioned before that we make so many that each child gets to take at least two home at the end of the year as souvenirs.  Click here if you just might be interested in seeing some of the books I've posted about so far.  

The book below is in honor of antonyms, as well as learning a concept by way real reading and real writing.  I partnered up the kids and together they worked on an antonym pair.  One word was illustrated on one side of the paper.  Its antonym was on the other.  It's not massively creative, but it's worth reading by kids, simply because it was authored by them.

Before I put this post to rest, I'd sincerely like to thank Natalie from Teachery Tidbits, Sandy from Soaring Through Second Grade, and Mandy from Mandy's Tips For Teachers for thinking my blog is worthy of the One Lovely Blog Award.  I'd also like to thank Amy from The Crazy Adventures of a University Grad, Kelly from All That Glitters in First Grade, and Mrs. Cook from First Grade Smart Cookies for sending the Top 10 Award my way.  I consider it an honor, and I'd like to honor these gals by inviting you to visit their blogs.  I know they'd love to hear from you.

I'd love to send you all to visit these gals as well.  They're now awarded with the Top 10 too!

Miss Russell from Thoughts of a Student Teacher

Jennifer from The First Grade Dream

Ashlyn from The Creative Classroom

Kelli from Tales From a Traveling Teacher

Lisa from Stories From Second

 Ms. Wilcox from Oh, Kindergarten & K-5 Sped I Go!

Ann from Mrs. Greene's Kindergarten Korner

Staci from Let's Teach Something

Amanda from Learn, Laugh, Grow

K. Mo from Flamingo Fabulous in Second Grade

Saturday Sayings: Hook, Line, and Sinker

I'd love to share another one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite literacy role models.  

I'm lucky enough to teach an age group that believes what I say hook, line, and sinker.  If you teach first grade you know what I'm talking about, right?  How many stories have I heard from parents over the years about a little argument their child had with them over how the parent was going about something?  First graders can be very adamant that their teacher does things the right way.  "Well, Miss McMorrow says..."  


The idea that my word is bible comes in really handy especially at the beginning of the year when I'm setting the scene for their lives as future readers.  I tell them over and over about my love for reading.  Pretty much every time I pull out a book I say, "Hey guys.  Have I ever told you how much I love to read?"  After the umpteenth time, their response is almost comical.  "Yeeeeees!" they say with a little roll of the eyes.  I love it!  


If you have a moment, please visit Lori at  Conversations in Literacy to see one of the ways her staff shares their reading lives with their school of readers.  It's pretty special!

22 Times Over

Pinterest inspired me to have my kids draw the Cat in the Hat today, but unlike the Pinterest activity, I opted for just his top half.  I'm glad I did, because I think he turned out awfully cute 22 times over.