Goodbye!

I have accepted a new position at a new school and will no longer be teaching the adapted curriculum or using the Unique Learning System.  As this saddens me to be leaving my blog, I'm excited to direct you to a co-workers blog that will be blogging about the same thing!!!!  Please head on over to her page:

http://adaptedcurriculumclassroom.blogspot.com/


and sign up to receive great updates!  I will miss everything about this blog, class, and curriculum, but I'm having to move on :( 

I hope everyone has a fabulous year!

~Jessica

VACATION!!!!

I have been on vacation for the month of July and loving it!  I'll get back to blogging at the beginning of August!  Enjoy the last couple of weeks of summer!

~Jessica

Incorporating music in the classroom

Do you incorporate music in your class?  What kind of music do you like or use?  When do you incorporate it?

While students are transitioning or during work sessions, I'll play a Baby Einstein album on my itouch.  During morning meeting, I incorporate  movement music and playing rhythm sticks. 


This is the current CD we are using for our movement portion of morning meeting:

Here is our rhythm stick basket and the CD we use:

I would love to hear more about how you incorporate music!

~Jessica

Coloring in the lines

We all know that this can be very difficult task for students with fine motor problems.  Here is a picture of a work sample where the student struggles with coloring in the lines. 

With this particular student, I decided to use Wikki Sticks as barriers for coloring inside the lines.  When just a raised bump on the paper won't work, these Wikki Sticks really do the trick.  The next picture is what the Wikki Sticks look like on the paper.

This picture shows the picture colored with the Wikki Sticks still attached.  You will notice in the upper left corner of the paper some stray marks.  This student was still in the process of learning with Wikki Sticks so we had some stray marks :)

This picture is the final product. 

Wikki sticks can be found here:

http://wikkistix.com/

or

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wikki+sticks


~Jessica

Blogger app

I am having a bit of trouble with my blogger app on my android phone.  I've had several posts that I thought went through, but did not!  I will have these posts up tonight!

~Jessica

Summer unit extension books

Some of the books on the extra reading list is hard to find in our school and local library.  Luckily in our leveled book room, I was able to find some additional books that were not on the list, but may be in your leveled book room at school.  I wish I had wrote down titles and authors, but didn't.  If you can't make it out from the picture, let me know and I'll go back to my summer unit box and pull out the books!  Happy Reading!

~Jessica



Summer Unit Homework pack

This year has been a learning year for me as far as homework and the Unique Curriculum goes.  There are no homework options provided with this curriculum, so everything I send home is put together by me.  I'm still tweaking the format of homework assignments (do you even give homework?), and will need to for new students coming up to me this coming year.  Here is what I did for the summer ULS unit.

I provided a pacing calendar, an index of all items in the packet, cover for the unit, and a large ziploc bag for the contents to call home.

I created (using Boardmaker) a simple matching activity that had 2 levels.  One was a picture to picture match, and the other was a picture to word match.  I laminated the half size papers and sent home a washable marker. 

I created a Dominos game for the kids to play.  This helps them with their visual discrimination skills as well as vocabulary from the unit.

This is a cut and paste math worksheet.  This focuses on quarters and "buying" items needed for a picnic. 

Picnic Collage direction sheet.  Students were to look for pictures that realted to a picnic from magazines and the internet.  They then took the pictures and made them into a collage.  I have to admit that this was probably one of my favorite assignments.  I loved seeing their projects, and the students were so proud of them. 

This activity was a very simple writing assignment.  I gave them a sentence starter and they had to fill in one word of what they would take on a picnic. 

These were just a few of the extension activities that I created to go along with the unit.  I added in copies of their reading materials and sight words.  After surveying the parents, they all really liked this format.  Next year I will have more students that need hands on activities and communication boards to go home with their homework. 

Yes, it is a LOT of work, but you can do it!  It is worth the growth that you will see in your students come year end!  Once the new school year gets started, I will be making the intermediate grade band extension activities that I create into word documents and will post those also. 

~Jessica

Another summer unit workstation task

This task requires the child to sort the picnic food into seperate containers.  The pieces came from the unit materials.  I laminated them for durability. 


~Jessica

Summer unit workstation task

I think most grade bands of the summer unit are focused on a picnic theme.  I created a workstation task from the food pieces in the unit that required the students to pack a picnic lunch.  The student would grab a brown paper bag, open it, and then put 1 of each picnic food item into the bag.  This was great practice for them for their actual end of unit picnic.

Happy Wednesday!!!

~Jessica

Kinda quiet here for now on rm300.blogspot.com, but not for long.  We finished up testing Friday, and then I had to finish post assessments for April's unit. 
I'm not teaching the summer ULS unit this year since I taught it last summer.  I am making/creating my own 2 week unit on camping and it will start on Monday.  I'll be showing off our camping stuff over the next 2 weeks.  In between now and next Monday, I'll post pictures and ideas that we did with the summer unit last summer. 

Take care blog friends!  Thank you for the new followers and comments!  Helps keep a teacher motivated ;)

~Jessica

EOG testing

We are in the thick of end of grade testing.  Blogging will be back next week :)

~Jessica

Birthday Countdown Chart

I have some students whose behaviors start to increase around the time of their birthdays.  It is the unexpected of what the party will be like, cake, presents, people, etc.....  This is one element that I have put into place to help ease the anxiety of how many days until their birthday arrives.  Each day during our circle time, the student counts down and takes away another candle.  This is a great visual aid for them to see how much longer they have until their birthday.  Since my students do not like surprises, I talk with the parents ahead of time, and request that if they plan to do something to just bring cake/ice cream and drinks.  All of the extra stuff tends to scare the other students, including the one having the birthday.  I have a social story that I use with the kids to ease their anxieties about what is going to happen on their birthday at school. 

~Jessica

Needs vs. Wants cooking lesson

We didn't really cook per say, but our cooking lesson revolved around determining whether certain foods were needs or wants.  The students did an awesome job with placing the food in the correct spot.  This activity really seemed to click with them. 

I placed 2 paper towels in each students spot and labeled them "needs" and "wants".

I would show the students one food item at a time.  After giving each child a piece of the food, they determined which napkin "needs" or "wants" the food needed to go on.  After we went through all of the snacks, they ate!  Every single one of my students went for the gigantic marshmallows first!

~Jessica

Needs vs. Wants workstation task

Here is a workstation task that I created to go along with our Needs vs. Wants lessons which is part of the April Unit in Unique Learning System. 

This was a very simple workstation task that I created for the students.  The pictures I used came from my Boardmaker software.  Students sort the pictures onto the file folder according to whether it is a need or want.

~Jessica

Ah-mazing dollar deals on scholastic digital download books!

http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/

Unbelieveable deals on digital download books.  There are over 500 books to choose from, that ranges in age and subject matter.  I just purchased 3 new books that retailed at $31.95 and I got them for 3 dollars!!!!!!!  Sweet!  Take the time to head over there and check it out!

Here are links to the one's I'm purchasing:

1.) http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/instant-interactive-math-picture-pages-with-activities

2.) http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/sing-along-and-learn-following-directions-with-audio-cd

3.) http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/community-helpers-early-childhood-thematic-books

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

~Jessica

Teaching with Reading A-Z

One of the books listed with April's community unit is Needs and Wants.  It is a really great book that teaches the difference between needs and wants.  I made a couple copies of the book as readers and then made 1 copy to cut up and create an activity.  Taking 2 pieces of colored cardstock, I set it up to represent a picture web.  1 piece for needs and the other for wants.  Once I had the map drawn, I laminated it and the pieces from the story.  After helping my verbal students read the story, we went back through page by page and put our pieces onto our needs and wants cardstock.  This was extremely difficult for them to grasp this higher level of thinking.  Needs and Wants is a very difficult concept for elementary aged children to understand. 

~Jessica

The last of my Pizza activities

Here are 2 more activities to round out our learning about pizza restaurants in the community. 

This first one is a sensory box I created for the kids to play with.  The pieces are made from felt and actual Pizza Hut personal pan pizza boxes.  I made a order sheet for the kids to go around and take people's pizza orders.  They LOVED this!

This activitiy I created using Boardmaker software.  It was a simple vocabulary cut/paste/match activity. 

With our community unit, I will next be focusing on Needs and Wants.  I have several extra activties that I created to go along with this part of the unit. 

If you visit often, don't be afraid to leave me a comment or add my blog to your blog list!  I love hearing and seeing new blog friends!

~Jessica

practicing cooking with 1 Tbsp.

To prepare for the units assigned cooking lesson, we practiced another cooking lesson using one of the measuring tools required, 1 Tablespoon. This has been a tough item for my kids to recall. Since there is a major difference in a Tablespoon and teaspoon, we will continue to work on identifying and using 1 Tablespoon. This particular lesson we made Tablespoon brownies. After making the brownie mix according to the directions, we used the 1 Tablespoon to measure out the brownie mix and the sprinkles. The students loved this lesson and it was super friendly on the wallet.
~Jessica

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Practice making unit cooking lesson with moon dough

I found this at Toys R Us on clearance for 5 dollars! I couldn't pass it up. Great practice for the kids making mini pizzas for their cooking lesson. The only downside is when the colors mix.
~Jessica

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Using Tbsp. in fine motor task~ practice for unit cooking lesson

The unit cooking lesson focuses on using a tablespoon to scoop up 1 Tbsp. of cheese and pouring it onto the English muffin pizza. I always like to practice using these measurements and the motions needed before getting to the cooking lesson. This practice activity involves using a Tablespoon, a mini muffin tin, and a container of different sized buttons and beads. After demonstrating to the student what the objective of the task is, then they practice with the remaining slots.

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workstation tags

With each new unit of study, I create new workstation tags. These tags are used to help the children identify which workstation task they are required to complete. The pictures I choose are directly related to the vocabulary from the current unit of study. When finished with that particular unit, I store them in a ziploc bag inside of the unit storage box. Keeping the tags current with each unit helps the kids focus on the important vocabulary from each unit.

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Community Helper flash cards

This is my third attempt at getting this post made. With Blogger being down for awhile, and then a Blogger app update, I was beginning to wonder if I should even bother with this post!
I couldn't give up on sharing these awesome flash cards I found at my local teaching store! The unit I'm currently teaching is about the community. These cards are an A-Z list of community helpers. The cards come in pairs with a real life picture of a community helper and the accompanying card is pictures of items that go along with that community helper. The back of the cards hold a lot of useful information about that community helper. I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do with the cards, but I just had to have them because they fit with our unit perfectly! If you have any suggestions on what/how to use them I would love to hear from you!
~Jessica

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Yoga

During end of grade testing, we aren't allowed to follow normal routine and take our exercise break. So instead we do yoga! I found a book on Scholastic's monthly book order for yoga poses for kids. I took the book apart, cut and pasted the pictures onto large unlined notecards. Then I laminated the cards and put them into a large laminated clasped envelope. My plans are to use my projector and elmo to display the card onto the board. This will make it easier for the kids to see, and to focus on one move at a time. Yoga is great for strengthening muscles, creating flexibility, developing gross motor skills, and working on bilateral movement. There are many more great things that Yoga can do for our bodies, but those explanations are great to have in your lesson plans and to explain to others who don't quite understand why this type of activity is beneficial for our students!
~Jessica

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Happy Mothers Day!!

Here is a very inexpensive mothers day gift my students made. The yellow flowers are made from their handprints.
1. Take their cut out handprints and roll them into a cone and tape the bottom.
2. Next, you need a straw and 1 inch of pipe cleaner. Take the pipe cleaner, fold in half, shove into top of straw and tape the straw and pipe cleaner.
3. Place the straw into the hand cone and push through the bottom hole (you might need to cut the bottom of the hand cone a little to get the straw through).
4. Tape the bottom of the flower to the straw.
5. Cut out green leaves and tape to the bottom of the flower/straw.
6. Take a pencil and roll the leaves and fingers/petals.
7. Take a Styrofoam cup and place rocks in the bottom. Place the flowers into the rocks. I hot glued the rocks/ straws in cup so they wouldn't move.
8. Take strips of brown paper, crumble up and place into cup to make it look like dirt.
9. Decorate cup. You could have the child decorate the cup while you are putting the flowers together.
Happy Mothers Day!!
~Jessica

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Cinco de Mayo wall decorations

My class worked hard on Cinco de Mayo projects this week, so I had to display all the awesome work they did! There are some worksheets, sombreros, and the maracas they made earlier. Ole!!
~ Jessica

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Cinco de Mayo maracas

These were extremely easy and fun to make. I found the directions on kaboose and added boardmaker pictures to each step of the directions.

~ Jessica

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Cinco de Mayo animal matching

Here is another activity from the Cinco de Mayo package I purchased off of teachers pay teachers. This activity is a matching game of animal names in English to animal names in Spanish. You could take 10 sets of animals and flip them over to play like a memory matching game, or take a set and leave face up for the child to match. My students played this today and loved it!

~Jessica

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telling time Cinco de Mayo style!

I found an activity pack on www.teacherspayteachers.com that had some cute Cinco de Mayo activities. This particular activity has students matching an analog clock time with the digital time. The set includes telling time by the hour, half hour, quarter after and quarter til. The pack included 20-30 time matches. I plan on pulling 5 matches out a time for my higher kids to match up. My lower level kids will get one analog clock put in front of them and then 3 digital times to choose from to make the match.
The only downfall to this unit is the amount of ink it takes to print the activity.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Jessica

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What a week!

I don't know about ya'll, but it is crazy around school right now.  Preparing for end of grade testing (thanks News-2-You and Unique Learning team for providing an awesome curriculum!), teacher appreciation week, and spring fever!

After looking at Unique's summer unit that is FREE to everyone, I realized that I taught this unit last summer.  Since I track out throughout the year, this means, I'm normally behind a month or have skipped a month.  So for the rest of the 2010-2011 school year, I will be teaching April's community unit and May's life cycle/planting unit.  I know most of my followers have already taught April's unit, so I apologize that not a lot of what I'll post in the coming weeks will be relevant.  When most schools come back for the 2011-2012 school year, I will actually be ahead of traditional schools!  This will make me feel better that you can actually utilize the resources I'm putting up ;). 

With that said, I have several posts going up back to back that are in reference to Cinco de Mayo activities and Mother's Day activities. 

I hope that all of you are surviving the end of year craziness!  I know it's brutal!  Good luck to those of you that are in the midst of end of grade testing.

Happy Cinco de Mayo friends!

Jessica

royal wedding cakes

The cooking lesson with this weekly paper was royal wedding cupcakes. The student was given a pre-made cupcake and given icing to smear on. Then they were given different toppings to decorate their royal cakes. My students absolutely loved this cooking activity.

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royal crowns

Wasn't the wedding beautiful? We had the tv in CNN in the classroom and the kids were so excited. They were able to make the connection with what they learned, and what they were seeing on tv. It was awesome to see one of my kiddos talking about a current event to a Special Olympics volunteer today. Thank you N2Y for helping make this happen! The above picture is of crowns we made. We put them on while watching the Royal Wedding. The kids felt like royalty!

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resources for the Royal Wedding

Doing a quick internet search, I found some resources for the n2y weekly paper. The first and second pictures are from sparklebox. The first is vocabulary about the royal wedding. The second is playdoh mats that have the students making wedding related objects out of playdoh. The last picture is of picture/communication boards pertaining to the royal wedding. You can find those resources at WWW.boardmakershare.com . The students are surprisingly doing well with this short unit!

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