Aphelion Day 2018: Earth Is Farthest from the Sun Today

Aphelion Day 2018: Earth Is Farthest from the Sun Today

Happy Independence Day!

In the 1700’s, the people living in the United States, were living under British rule. The colonists, did not like Britain taxing them nor making laws for them.

On July 4, 1776, a group of leaders gathered and decided to become independent of British rule.

They wrote a document called the Declaration of the United States. It announced that they were to be a new country, the United States of America, no longer under British rule.

So, to this day we celebrate with parades, firework displays, family gatherings and cookouts! We celebrate our independence as a country!
Enjoy this day!
Froggy About Teaching

                   

Fathers Day Tribute

Sentences: Predicate and Subject

This is the packet I put together while I was working with a group of 2nd graders that were struggling to write a complete sentence. It provides a variety of practice in identifying the subject and predicate parts of a sentences. Then it leads them to writing complete sentences. Check it out!

     Froggy About Teaching

Struggling Writers

Struggling Writers 
They were struggling with writing. Their classroom teachers noticed that they were not progressing with the whole group instruction. . 
These students were unable to write a complete sentence. So, I broke a sentence down to it's parts and had them learn to create the concept of a complete sentence using pictures. 
They had trouble seeing the difference in the pictures. The girls were not seeing that some pictures were things, people or animals (subject) and the other pictures were showing an action, what an object was doing or what it was like (predicate). We spent a significant amount of time talking about the pictures and learning how to see the pictures.

 I wanted them to see that the subject part of a sentence is a noun or pronoun. 
Then we tackled the predicate part of the sentence, with the understanding that it is the action part of the sentence or tells what the subject is like.
We did a lot of sorting to help them see the difference between a subject and a predicate. They did this with  labeled pictures, non-labeled pictures and word cards. 
 








Then, I had them cut and paste the sentence puzzles to create a complete sentence.

                                                           

Next, they progressed to writing the missing subject or predict to complete the sentence.  

Finally, they were highlighting the parts of the sentence. Now, they could see that a sentence has 2 parts. Now, the girls had the idea of what made a sentence a complete sentence and they were writing them!

It was time to send them back into their classroom for the whole group lessons. 
The joys of teaching!  I have put these activities together in a packet, Sentences: Subject and Predicate. Move on forward educating our kids!
Froggy About Learning

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

The week began with the staff walking into morning community and walking the red carpet as if we were movie stars! What a way to begin the week. 😉😉😉

Our principals, who are so appreciative of the staff members, then gave us many gifts throughout the week. I love the travel coffee mug we got that has our school name and mascot.

We also have some great moms who simply out do themselves every year to show us their appreciation. This school year was no exception! They brought in several food trucks and we had a delicious free lunch. The week ended with the mommateers making us a heavenly taco bar!😋

What teacher can ask for more? I have a job I truly love. I get to work with kids and help prepare for the future. I am also blessed to work with a great staff. I am grateful!

Froggy About Teaching

Teachers End of the School Year

Teacher's End of the Year

Here are some things to think about. The end is almost here for most of us. The time is coming when you’ll need to organize, sort, file, and give away materials, and supplies, and send home student projects and papers. It can be a tremendous amount of work.

Your students have been a part of your classroom. This is the time to have your students help with the cleaning, taking down bulletin boards, and boxing up materials. You haven’t started to do all this work in closing up your classroom, but you can plan for it!

Classroom Stewardship

When your students were placed in your classroom, they became a part of your classroom community. There is a need for stewardship. They are living and learning in your classroom every day of the week necessitating they do their part in keeping materials organized, notifying you when supplies are low, cleaning up their work area, etc.

Some Cleaning Ideas

The same goes for the end of the school year. Having your students help with the sorting, storing, and cleaning can help them to bring their school year to a positive close as well!

Some things the kids can do. Have them go through the classroom containers with crayons, pencils, markers, highlighters, and anything else that is used commonly. They can throw away the broken pieces and dried up markers. What is still in good shape can be stored. Containers can be cleaned out. Surfaces probably need to be wiped down.

But When Can It Be Done??

You are probably thinking you still need to keep teaching and following the schedule. When can this be done? During the transition times, students can take time to clean out their desks. At the end of the day, as they are preparing to leave would also be an ideal time. Some kids would rather stay inside for recess and do some of these things. Why not let them, especially if you don’t have recess duty.

I hope some of these ideas have been helpful. These are some of the things I have done so that the cleaning and putting away didn’t become so burdensome at the end of the year. This way you can spend your last “workday” organizing your file cabinet and bringing the school year to a close.

I hope your year end goes smoothly!

Debbie - Froggy About Teaching on Amped Up Learning

        Froggy About Teaching on Teachers Pay Teachers

#teacherlove #endofschoolyear #teacherdeclutter @froggyaboutteaching #terrifcteachingresources

Teacher Resources: Teachers Pay Teachers

When I was a young teacher, I used to make all of my own supplemental resources. Then I got a life.  I no longer had all the free time to make materials.  Then I found out about Teachers Pay Teachers.  Not only did they have a variety of materials, but they were also made by teachers. Who better to make resources for teachers!
Then I went from being a regular elementary classroom teacher to a bilingual teacher. I needed new teaching resources. I did not need to look too far. I found what I needed on TPT. The prices were affordable!
Once again, I found I was needing new resources when I took a position as an ESL teacher. Now, I was working with different grade levels and my resource needs changed. I have found what I needed at TPT.
Then it occurred to me that I had knowledge and years of teaching experience that I could put into making teaching resources for my teaching colleagues. Last year, 2017, I became a teacher-author.  I am proud to share my knowledge and experience with my fellow teachers!!
I love Teachers Pay Teachers!
If you have not visited TPT, you are missing out.
While you are there, check out my store:  Froggy About Teaching.
Teachers Pay Teachers

Students Struggling to Learn #'s 1-5

Students Stuggling to Learn #'s 1-5

    If you teach young students in Pre-K, Kinder and 1st grade, you have had the kids who struggle to learn those first five numbers. I have found that either they need more time to learn this concept or there is another circumstance interfering with their learnng.

   Sometimes they'll learn to orally count up to 5 or higher but do not recognize the very numbers they are counting.

   I try to provide different opportunities for them to interact with these numbers. The hands on approach seems to be the best where they are creating the numbers in a variety of ways. Also, having the repeated exposure, helps the concepts of these numbers to become a part of their permanent memory

   I have created a math packet where the kids have some traditional worksheets for counting and matching, but it grows into activities where they are cutting, glueing, coloring and identifying the amounts up to 5 in a variety of ways. This packet includes a number maze that will help the students learn to follow the number order n a maze. 

If you have any of these kids that continue to need working on these skills, consider taking a look at the preview of my packet.

Check it out!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/1-5-Number-Activities-Packet-3648529

Opinion Writing Unit

I have created several products as a teacher-author for Teachers Pay Teachers. Today I just completed, Winter Opinion Writing for 2nd or 3rd grade. It is a comprehensive package teaching students how to write an opinion statement, how to write reasons about the opinion statement using linking words, and how to write a closing sentence. It includes pages for the students to publish their work so that it can be posted in the classroom or school hallway. Check it out!
Winter Writing Unit

Organizing Your Classroom

CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION

The new school year is very much on my mind. I want to organize the furniture and the materials in my classroom in a more efficient way. I want to place materials where students can easily access them. I also want to make the traffic flow move smoothly.

Classroom Materials

I will be making notebooks with grammar and sight word activities for my second and fourth graders.

Where will I put student materials so that it is easy and quick for them to pick up without a traffic jam? Ah, a bookshelf against the wall in a tub for pick up and return. 

What about student supplies? Baskets will work! They are foldable, have a handle, and are made of cloth. This will work!

foldable baskets

Student Desks and Tables

I want to create a walking path between rows of desks and with one-way paths for smooth traffic flow. The tables will be along the wall separated from the student's desks to create a separate section of the classroom. I want the calendar rug area also in a separate part of the room. Each of these areas will also have a one-way path to prevent accidents and traffic jams.

What will you be doing new or differently this year? Set up your rooms in a way that will make you happy and not frustrated.

Have a good start to the year!

Debbie - Froggy About 'Teacher

Froggy About Teaching Resources

FROGGY ABOUT TEACHING Resources 

My name is Debbie and I have been an elementary teacher for many years. I have decided to make teaching resources, blog about the resources and my teaching experiences, and sell the teaching resources.

I really am froggy about teaching! I have worn several teacher hats. I've been a  classroom teacher, a Spanish teacher,  and an English as a Second Language teacher. I have taught Kindergarten through 4th grade. Being a teacher is a very challenging career with very few pay raises. So those of us that do it for a long time, it's because we love teaching and the kids!

College Education for Teaching

I started attending the University of Texas at El Paso. I was working on a general education degree K-9. When I started taking the education classes, I decided to also work on getting certified to teach Bilingual Elementary Education, which also qualified me to be an English as a Second Language teacher. It took me longer to finish school, but I got it done! So I started teaching with plenty of education behind me.

Continuing Education

As teachers, we are constantly learning. Every year there are so many hours of in-service that our districts require us to attend. Usually, in the summertime, our districts offer teachers a variety of workshops. Then, of course, there is the learning that happens with each year that we teach.  Most schools allow grade-level teachers to work as a team. So together we become familiar with the curriculum, we plan together, and we discuss issues relevant to what we are teaching and the students we have each year.

Then there is the on-the-job learning. Children learn in different ways, so we modify each year, how we teach our students to meet their needs and learning challenges. We use different teaching strategies to help the kids to learn.

Graduate-Level Education

After 10 years of teaching, I decided to pursue a Master's degree. See here  I go again, back to school! So I got my graduate degree in Education with a focus on English as a Second Language.

So I have shared all of my educational background with you so that you can see that I do have much to share in teaching resources and teaching tips!

I have begun to create teaching resources and sell them on Teachers Pay Teachers. Look for my blog posts and teaching resources!

Teachers, you do a very important job!! Keep strong! You are making a difference!

I will be sharing my thoughts, teaching ideas, and teaching resources. Hopefully, this will come in handy for some of you.

Debbie - Froggy About Teaching

#teachingresources #teachingtips #terrificteachingresources