Martin Luther King Jr. [Positive/Negative Art]

Once a year, a strange thing happens, a blog that I no longer write on starts to get a crazy amount of 'traffic'.  And that traffic is thanks to pinterest, and one art project that I'm insanely proud of, and can't wait to do with my students next Tuesday!  Some of this post is a "re-share" from my previous thoughts on this project, and I will make sure to share this year's results in their full glory sometime after the holiday, plus I've added a few new links to help you create your own Martins.

Inspiration: In my third year of teaching I walked into a teacher's classroom and she had a beautiful bulletin board celebrating MLK's life and achievements. Now at this point, five years later,  I cannot even remember what exactly her art looked like, but it inspired me to create a project of my own. I had been strangely entranced by positive/negative space art and was determined to develop a classroom project around the concept.  I have taught this lesson with both 5th and 6th grade classes, but I have seen even 2nd and 3rd grade teachers successfully create their Martins following the same lesson.

Now, I may be a tad challenged when it comes to this concept of positive/negative space art, but from reading a few other posts that have since tried the project with their own classes, they all agree - PRACTICE and make a few examples before guiding a class through the process.  Here are a few more tips and tricks I found from many years of practice.

This website was the only one that helped me understand how to create this style of art. See it here. 

Every year I like to change the written piece that corresponds to the art.  My first year they created their own "I Have a Dream" speeches, and then we aged regular old construction paper to look 'authentic'.  Here is an image of the original Martins in all their glory!

Last year I played around with personification and my students wrote a poem personifying EQUALITY.  Man, did they really run with this idea, even though I must admit, I knew they could do it, but I really hadn't mapped out exactly where their poems may go.  And, in true 'poetry teacher' fashion, they far exceeded all expectations.  Read more here about their personification poems, and find a basic lesson on how to teach it.

Here's one example (they conveniently forgot to put their name on the front of the paper, which dinged them a couple of points because that was a project expectation, but hey, it works well for blog example purposes).

This year we just completed a whole school 'booster day' on the positive behavior support system we have on campus, and part of the history lesson that day was teaching about assumptions.  They wrote a personal poem about assumptions they have experienced in their own lives, and I'm thinking that we may take these drafts and connect them to Martin Luther King Jr., because let's face it, so much of racism comes from assumption, so I think it may be the perfect fit for this group of students. 

Finally, I wanted to share a resource that Nicole from Teaching with Style created to share with fellow teachers[I'm not sure why the images on her blog no longer come up with this link - sorry!].  I am so happy that she has done this, because let's face it, I was always an 'inspiration' teacher blogger, never organized enough to be uploading google docs and such, but wow, are we lucky that there are teachers out there who do!  So thanks again Nicole for finding my project, and spreading the love.  Here is the free link to the outline you will need to create Martins of your very own, all you will need is the construction paper! 

And just one more thing, I get pretty excited this time of year when I see the enthusiasm for this project, or when I stumble on others having successes in their own rooms.
Here are a few of the images I found of other bulletin boards created from this project:
Cortez's Corner
Borrowing the Best...and Making the Rest

If you create your own Martins using inspiration from this lesson - PLEASE comment below, I would love to compile and share these projects being created across the country!

Also, you can see how this project inspired a woman from across the globe with her country's own influential figure.  See her project here!

year seven, check

Year seven has officially come to a close.  This year I consider myself to be one of the lucky teachers. This year I did not get pink slipped, this year I am not moving schools, or classrooms, or grades. This year I have been able to teach a lesson and reflect daily on how I will do it better next year. This year I got to enjoy my last days of school with my students I worked so hard to get ready for seventh grade, and they've put the work in too. This year I said goodbye to my students for two months, knowing I will see them again in August. This year my students said goodbye knowing where to find me in the future, even after I'm no longer their teacher. This year, taking down the projects from the walls did not make me sad, because this year, it didn't mean the end of another job, with no idea of what's next.  This year I challenged myself to teach gifted students, and this year my successes were clear. This year I worked longer hours than I hoped, but I can say I'm proud of the hours I put in. This year I learned a little more of balancing teaching, and mothering, and wifing (if we can make up words for artistic reasons). This year I found a home that I can see myself being in for the long haul. This year I started to settle into room four, a room I hope to see my kids come back to years down the road to share with me their successes and joys in life.

Last week I had two high school girls walk right past me as they entered my classroom after school, coming to visit the teacher who had been there before me. They stood in the middle of my room asking themselves where their former teacher was.  I explained the room was mine now, they looked surprised, and very sad to not see their former teacher. And so, this is the year I realized I'm starting the next little legacy at this school. And I couldn't be any luckier. 

This year was pretty amazing for so many reasons.  Here are just a few moments that made me smile in my seventh year of teaching.

I look forward to two entire months of freedom.  Two months of recharging and spending every minute with that little girl of mine.  And best of all, when I think of next year, I have so many exciting ventures to look forward to.  Year eight will also be great, and that makes me the luckiest.

Come see what I've been doing outside of the classroom over at Olive Everly Blog!

why I know I will be a teacher blogger again...one day

Teachers are busy people.  I will argue until the end of time that we are some of the hardest working people on the planet.  I can't tell you how many dedicated teachers I am lucky enough to know that understand that your "teacher brain" never stops.  Waking up in the middle of the night with a new idea for the classroom is something that really does happen.  However, being so busy also means we don't always have time to get out into other classrooms.  Wouldn't it be awesome to have time to really see into other classrooms?  Well, teacher blogging is one way that us busy teachers do just this.  And even though I do not have the time it takes to be a dedicated teacher, mom, and teacher blogger, I do need to share one thing, something that made me realize that it will be my goal to get back on this space more in the near future. 

I was looking through the stats on this blog and realized I was getting insane traffic from a site I did not recognize.  So I decided to click on over to see what it was, and to my surprise, I got to see this...

Yep, that is my Martin Luther King Jr. project from my 5th grade classroom three years ago.  This continues to be my biggest "pinned" classroom art project, and getting to see it as the inspiration for a Bulgarian teacher was awesome.  The blog is Moments in the Classroom by Antoinette Milanova and she used my project as the inspiration to create a similar project for a Bulgarian revolutionist, Levski.

I love knowing that something that I created with my students and enjoyed inside the walls of my little classroom have now spread to students across the planet.  On a funny side note, I decided to take a break from my history pacing this year and enjoy this project with my current 6th grade students.  The only problem was I forgot that I shared this project with my great friend who I co-wrote my thesis with.  That wouldn't normally be an issue, except I moved into a position this year where her 5th grade students from a different school fed into the IBMY programme at the middle school I work at.  So I was all excited to share this project with my students, only for many of them to kindly raise their hand with the phrase no teacher wants to hear, "um, Mrs. Lewis, we did this project last year".  At first, I'm thinking "HOW?", this was something I created out of thin air, it isn't from any teaching manual.  And then it hit me, oh geez, I shared it with my friends, never thinking I would get their students the next year.  Oh well, my kids were great sports about it and made their Martin again, and thankfully I had decided to change the written piece, or we would have really been in trouble.  

With that being said, my goal this week will be to take some pictures of our Martins this year, and share the updated written piece [that really knocked my socks off].  

See Antoinette's blog in it's untranslated version here - and thank you Antoinette for loving my project enough to bring it into your own classroom!

middle school teacher...

I haven't written about my classroom lately.  This is for many reasons.  This year has been overwhelming, and I find it so hard to even blog my updates on Everly, let alone talk about my work day, that seems to keep getting longer and longer.  However, today was a day that I want to remember.

It was a great day.  And for a very simple reason.  I had a really great day with my kids.  I teach two very different groups of students, one is an accelerated group of amazingly well behaved students, and then my other group is low socio-economic students who have been known to give their teacher's a run for their money.  My "challenging" group has a variety of needs, including 6th graders who are reading at a first grade level.  And guess what, when you cannot read, you typically are not the most attentive student in your middle school history class.

But I've been working hard with this group.  I want them to love history, or at least the history they learn with me.  They are my first group of the day, and I've got energy, and use a "whole body" approach when teaching.  You should see me acting out a hominid hunting scene, by myself, in front of thirty tweens.  Really, it has got to be a funny picture.  But hey, it keeps their attention, so you better believe I have my "man discovering how to make fire" act all lined up for tomorrow.  

Today we were learning about our second hominid group, and it was pretty classic history lesson model.  Read textbook, fill out our interactive notebooks.  We read together, I read a paragraph, and then everyone reads the next one with me.  So the kids who don't speak English aren't singled out, the kids who can't read aren't either, and the one who is having a hard time waking up, well, maybe the loud choral reading gets them what they need.  We were just having fun today.  I wasn't stressed about staying on schedule.  Today we learned about one hominid, and I'm okay with that.  They were engaged, participating, and enjoying the whole thing.  

At one point in the lesson we were circling important details in the photos in our interactive notebook when one student pointed out I had made a crazy smiley face with all of my circles.  And sure enough, I had.  We all laughed about it, and it seems like nothing now that I write about it, but it was something.  One student even said out-loud that "this is the best class ever".

So, what made this so magnificent?  It wasn't some ridiculous new teaching strategy.  It wasn't the fact that I used all of the current buzzwords in my classroom.  Instead, today was the day that I realized I have built a community in my second period.  This is the same group of kids who seems to always have a hard time on campus, never doing the "right thing", but they are enjoying each others company, and they seem to enjoy mine.  They are safe in my room.  They are excited to talk about whatever craziness I'm throwing at them.  They know that they can point out something as silly as a smiley face I accidentally had drawn on the board while being super serious with my hominid notes.  

Today was a good day.  That's it.

ten on ten [september 2013]

yesterday, I tried to write here on my little space

but all of the ideas I had

just couldn't come out quite right

my days have been long, and hard

and I am finding it very challenging to be a very good teacher

and mom, all at the same time
[and wife to a husband I rarely see]

last year, I did my job, but that was about it

this year,  I'm really trying to gain balance

and do everything well

but man, the days are long

today, I tried to find a little beauty

in these days where I am finding the need to prioritize even my minutes

so I picked up my iPhone

and caught this -

-organized purees makes a happy mama-


-ready to ride to work, had to wait a few minutes for the sun to come up-


-love walking in my room to find parent donations-


-someone eats breakfast at school, and it isn't me-


-we try to do this-


-she always steals a carrot out of my lunch-


-feeling very lucky to have acquired a retired teacher's library-

-this bike is going to get me my teen legs back, or maybe early 20's-

-trying to keep this classroom organized, since student teaching, I've struggled with my paper stacks-

-my newest vintage purchase, I bought it because my mom has an identical one-

-everly took a nice nap in her swing this afternoon, and I did this, 

maybe in 18 years I'll get some real "me time"-

joining the ten on ten project with Rebekah today!

p.s. I shared 11 photos, shhh, don't tell

getting all techy in the classroom

Well, not really, but kind of.  This week I began doing an online based assessment system with my students to replace our outdated, not useful, benchmark tests we have been using for far too many years.  Our district is ramping up for our state standardized testing that will be computer based here in the near future, and wanting to make sure our students were becoming "digitally literate" when it comes to assessment.  I have always been the youngest person on staff, at every single school I've worked at.  Not always the newest, but always the youngest.  And guess what, being born in the 80's means when there is an opening on a tech based committee at school, you are probably going to be asked to take charge.  Besides having to be out of my class one day this week for the training, I had no problem getting on board.  And after today's successful staff training that I led with another teacher, it feels good to be getting back into the swing of being a teacher.  Last year was a blur.  I swear no one even knew I existed, so today, getting to teach teachers felt pretty great.

However, the past two days I've been using the fancy new Chrome Books we got for this testing, and I hurt my back.  No, it wasn't the ounce that these slim little devices weigh, but I clearly twisted and jumped around my classroom trying to help students with connection issues one too many times.  Oh, and I wasn't wearing orthopedic shoes.  This morning I woke up feeling like an old lady, which I find ironic, because tomorrow I turn twenty-nine.  Not old.  In fact, I get to celebrate the last year of my twenties.  The decade that anything goes and you don't have to act too grown up.  Well, clearly I'm ready for thirty, when the time comes, because I technically fit all of the adult criteria, even though I don't quite feel like I do.  I think I'll milk this back issue of mine for one more day so I can get another ride to work in the morning [even though I am really enjoying my bike rides, it does a nightmare to my hair, and I would like to not look like a hot mess on my birthday, just saying].  And for one more year, I'll pretend to be young and crazy, because next year, I'll just be young, and a little less crazy.

working mom [it's all about mindset]

When I went back to work in March, I was NOT ready.  Due to some misinformation from HR, I was originally going to be out until April, and going back a month early just threw me for a loop.  I was emotional, upset, moody, and most of all, did not want to talk about it.  Summer could not come quick enough, and man, I have enjoyed being a stay at home mama.  At the beginning of summer I told the mr. that I wanted to spend every minute with Everly, like, every minute.  However, something strange happened a few weeks back.  I started to think about going back to work, and I didn't have the same reaction as the first time.  I began to realize that I was having a very hard time being a mom, all day long, every single minute.  Sure, the mr. was there in the evenings to help, but guess what, Everly will have her mommy moments, and just need me.  And lately it seemed like those times were happening way more frequently, and it was hard.  Even though Everly is such an amazing baby, I found myself feeling very overwhelmed by it all, and needed to do something else.  The other night I started sweeping outside, and the mr. offered to do it for me.  I politely told him no, I NEEDED to sweep right then, and I NEEDED him to hold Everly.  And so that's what we did.

Sure, there are so many things I am going to miss about being at home with Everly.  But here is the thing, I don't have the option to be a stay at home mom, and if I did, I would probably feel different about things.  But I have to work, so I better make the best of things.  Maybe that's what my brain is doing right now, tricking me, and I'm ok with that.  Your attitude when it comes to life makes such a big difference with everything, big or small.  This week I've been back in the classroom, and my kids come on Thursday.  We are getting back to our routine with Everly, and she is doing great.  Because this girl loves her daddy, and does so amazing with him, especially when it is just the two of them.  So I will share her.  I think if I was always at home he would never get to have the type of relationship with her that I so greatly want for them.  Not to mention, I really do love my career, and I think that is also key.  I will work hard this year to figure out my balance with home and class, be thankful that I am done with my masters, learn to cook healthy dinners for one and a half people, and hopefully get back to blogging some more of my classroom this year.  I really missed not having the passion for posting last school year, it just wasn't in me.  So we will see, I only make half promises.

And on a side note, I won this little treasure today at our professional development.  Thank you pinterest for giving this idea to our leadership team.  I think it may stay in tact on my desk for some time.  It is just TOO pretty!

saying goodbye to another school year [almost]

I can honestly say I am pretty shocked to be saying goodbye to my sixth year of teaching

today was our last friday of the year, and we only have two and a half days more

[I really wish today was the last day - that last days of school are tricky]

with all that has been going on lately, I have neglected to share something awesome

this is the first year, ever, that I have not been laid off

craziness

and even better, I get to stay at my current school site 

[thank goodness, because my commute is about five minutes!]

last week I had a student leave school early to spend the summer in the middle east

and as he said goodbye, he said

"see you next year Mrs. Lewis"

now, that doesn't seem like much, but to know that I have students that I will get to see

me again is pretty amazing

I almost got emotional, almost

so the walls are bare

and stacks of paper are needed to be given back to students

[and a ton of grading too, but we will ignore that for the moment]

and so this year comes to a close

and it has been a weird one to say the least

never before have I left my class for half a year

but having a baby will do that to you

and I really struggled to find my passion in teaching

which was hard, because I really felt like last year I was on an awesome

teaching roll

so I say goodbye to the year, thankful for many things

ready to spend so many hours with my everly

and will do it all over again, next year

we share the same expression these days

going back to work seemed manageable for the first week or two, but lately, I'm feeling like nothing is getting done, or to be more specific, nothing is getting done well.  and that folks, well, it is putting me over the edge.  yes, I am forgetting my yard duty these days.  In six years of teaching I don't think I ever missed a duty, and since I have been back to work after Everly, I haven't been to a single one.  and today, that was pointed out by a teacher who didn't even know my name.  ouch. I almost cried. 

I'm trying my best, but I am spread SO thin, and everything seems to be suffering.  I know that things will get better, and I will be done with my masters in June, but that date could not come soon enough.  so I will be trying to keep things short and sweet around here, so I can get the most time possible with my little lady, because right now I am not getting enough time with her.

and why is Everly rocking this face?  well, we have been introducing solids, and she still is not having it.  rice cereal, blah. homemade sweet potatoes, bleh.  I think we will be trying a banana puree next, fingers crossed.  she is making all the "I'm ready for food" motions, but still seems pretty confused about the whole thing.  so we will take it slow, and for now, we will just have grumpy faces together.  or, I'll just give Everly a little food break, and I'll pretend like I have no work calling my name, and we will blow strawberries on Everly's little bare belly and call it a night.  ok, we're going with plan b.

the argument of "too bad, so sad" [and the middle school classroom]

Lately I have really been grappling with the idea of "too bad, so sad" in the classroom.  Being prepared for class and caring are some of the biggest issues I believe in middle school.  Countless students walk into my room with nothing, absolutely nothing, and do not see the issue with it.  If I don't have my binder, you cannot make me turn in homework.  If I do not have my notebook, you cannot make me take notes.  And if I do not have a pencil, well, you pretty much can't get me to do anything.  Elementary school just doesn't have this problem to this magnitude, because, well, they have desks, and stay in one room all day long, etc.  But middle school.  I get you for less than an hour, and then you are off to someone else.  So for those fifty-five minutes, let's get some work done, shall we?  Well, we do for those who are prepared.  But for those who aren't, what do you do?

Before maternity leave, I had a container of sharpened pencils.  I would start the day with 12 or so, and end third period with none.  We tried a check out system, a "you take something, you leave something" system.  But ultimately, I would never be able to stay on top of those darn little yellow things, and they would surely disappear.  Not to mention, the pencil fairy hasn't visited my room lately, so going through 12 pencils a day isn't practical.  Lately, I tell the kids, if they don't have something to write with, they can use one of the old crayons I have out for them.  This works, until I have a project that I really don't want them using a broken, dull, magenta crayon on.  Yesterday, things just about boiled over in my class of 7th graders when, I am not exaggerating, half of my kids did not have a single pencil to use in class.  We are starting a big project that will be displayed for open house, so I was in a dilemma.  NO WAY were they getting to go to their locker to get that almighty pencil.  So I delved out a few shiny new pencils just to get something done.  Meanwhile, I am handing out these pencils right as my principal walks in to bust one of my kids for what I can only assume had something to do with his locker and illegal substances.  I know he had bigger fish to fry than my handing out of pencils, but I wonder what his stance is on the topic [or how it is handled site wide for that face, hmmm, staff meeting agenda item?!?].

But what SHOULD I have done.  Is middle school an acceptable age to start the "too bad, so sad" mentality?  No pencil, no work.  But then they get exactly what they want, to get out of work.  And hey, you would think a grade might persuade them to do something, but bottom line, it does not.  Middle school you fight not only the students perception of grades being important, and in my experience, you also fight the parents on occasion.  These two-three years are seen as complete throw away years by too many.  Kids know that these grades have little effect on their lives, and if they also hear that message from home, well, then there you go.

So, do I supply pencils?  Make extra copies of the handouts and notebooks when they do not bring theirs to class?  Or do I let them sit there, take the F, and call it a day?  Because they need to learn some how, some way, that the world is not always going to supply them for their unpreparedness, and is this the way to do it?  Last year, this issue was minimal, and I seemed able to put out the fires with ease.  But man, this group is killing me when it comes to being prepared, and even though it is the fourth quarter, I need to figure out my attack plan for the next seven or so weeks.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Or maybe this post will just turn into one big rhetorical rant, and I'm ok with that too.

[image from this ten on ten, when I had pencils in my classroom]

it's official, I'm a working mom

Yesterday was the day I may have dreaded since the day Everly was born.  My life has been dedicated to nothing but teaching since I was 21, and I continue to work towards my masters to help me become even better at my craft.  Even so, I really battled with the idea of being a working mom, because let's face it, since she was born, she has been my world.  I was lucky enough to have my mom at home with me growing up, and I knew that having a stay at home parent was a priority when I had my own family.  As I got into teaching I really did not think that I had the desire to stay at home.  I worried I would become stir crazy, be bored, and feel the need to be back in the classroom.  Well, I cannot say that this ended up being the situation.  Turns out, stay at home mama fit me pretty well.  And as I worked ever so hard to stay at home as long as possible, the date was finally set that I would return to my classroom exactly five months after leaving it.

Now first off, I am thankful that I was home with Everly for the first four and a half months of her life.  Many moms do not get more than six weeks off, and that would have put me back in the classroom before Christmas break!  Seriously, you must be kidding me!!!

So I have now been a working mom for two whole days.  And I can proudly say that I have gotten through each work day without crying, something I was pretty sure wasn't going to be possible.  However, I'm spoiled.  A few things have caused me to get to have my Everly come and visit me twice while I'm at work: once during my prep in the morning, and once during my lunch.  Thankfully we just moved about four minutes from where I work, which makes this crazy schedule possible, not to mention, Everly is already a very petite eater, and refuses the bottle.  If I did what the dr. suggested of "she will eat when she is starving", my daughter would just not eat.  She barely nurses as is, so take away the one source of food she loves, well, let's just say I think she would be below the 10th percentile at her next checkup!  Not to mention, I cherish these times when she comes to see me, and it has been an amazing way to get my Everly fix, while still teaching.

As an extra bonus, my kids were very ready for me to be back.  I have never left my students with another teacher for longer than a few days, so coming back after five months was a little scary.  Had this teacher won them over with all sorts of awesomeness?  I knew that I wasn't on my "A game" at the beginning of the year after having to move schools again, especially at 6 months pregnant, so how would they receive me?  Well, it continues to be true, start a class, and they are forever yours.  Come in mid-year, and be prepared to work your butt off and never really get anywhere.

I can now add one more thing to my badge of accomplishments, working mom.  Going back to work didn't mean that the world was ending [but if you talked to me last week you would have thought differently].  I still see Everly a lot, and she is really getting to bond with her daddy now that I am out of the picture for more than a few minutes at a time!  So now it is all about being creative with time.  For example, I may have finished my lesson plan for my 7th graders yesterday while typing in the bathroom, sitting on a folding chair, while Everly was in her Bumbo being entertained by the mirror.  I'm going to call that a working mom success.

what we can all learn from our littles

the month of march is going to be one filled with many amazing new beginnings

it will also mark the day I take the step into working mom territory

and while I still am trying to keep looking forward to everything positive in my life

I realize there is a lot to be learned from the littles

Everly is the happiest baby around

she wakes up, and within seconds of her eyes being open

she is smiling once again

she knows that life is good

she has people there for her

food to eat, a warm bed to sleep in, and lots of love

and sure, we could say, well yeah, she's a baby

of course life is good

but when it comes down to it, most of our lives look pretty darn similar

to the things that she loves every day

sure we have other stresses as grown ups do

but maybe I just need to focus on the little great things that we have

look at that pure joy

just so excited to be hanging out on the bed while I switch over laundry

and man, does this little girl love watching me fold laundry

sure, I'm singing and talking in several voices while doing it

but I can say one thing, laundry is a ton more fun

with miss E hanging out with me

and that's not going to change any time soon, working mom or not

and for a side note

I'm slowly figuring out my new camera

and I love that these images were all taken and no editing was needed

go figure, shooting on manual has its perks

life lately [according to my phone]

yeah, still trying to take everything in

here is a glimpse of my days lately

so besides this face, that I cannot get enough of

I'm mentally juggling writing a rationale for a masters class

and knowing I have only two more classes until I'm done 

isn't really helping it get done any faster, but that's ok

if you look closely, you may see moving boxes

yes, we are moving, which will get it's own post here soon

so excited for space, but leaving our beloved midtown life is bittersweet

and the biggest thing weighing on my mind...work

oh yeah, that whole career of mine will be coming my way soon

too soon

and no, I'm not ready

but I'm sure I'll have lots to say about it here soon

I think I might be doing some "writing therapy" 

because, go figure, stay at home mom actually suites me pretty well

but that is not in the cards, so blah

so, I now wish to revert your attention back to the cute baby faces above

because this post got a little too real, a little too fast

celebrating Dr. King with positive/negative art [out of the files]

it is no surprise that I do A LOT of art with my classrooms, and many times I re-use and tweak art lessons to fit any of my classrooms.  However, one of my favorite art projects of all time is one that I have only had the opportunity to do ONCE with my own students.  So, seeing as how it is that time of the year again [happy birthday Dr. King] and once again I have no chance to do this art project with my own students, I'm sharing it here so hopefully many kids out there will get to experience the awesomeness of the project!

I have shared this lesson on this blog twice now [here & here].  I have only taught this lesson with my 5th grade students, but I would say that it is very doable with 4th graders on up.  If you teach 2nd or 3rd and your students have been introduced to many art projects, are fairly proficient with scissors, then go for it.  When I taught my 2/3 combination I was really my students first introducer into the world of art, so we skipped this project for the year [they would have been able to do something of this level by the end of the year, so you just have to judge your own class].

Now yes, I know that it is the Friday before the holiday for Dr. King, but it is not too late to do something with your classes to celebrate his birthday.  In fact, a four day week sounds like a perfect time to fit in some Dr. King art and writing.  I am guilty of being an inspiration only teaching blog, and I'm not one to add linkable resources for the projects I do here [sorry, that's probably not going to change].  However, Nicole over at Teaching with Style is one of those awesome teacher bloggers who includes the goods with her posts!  So, Nicole was inspired by this lesson, did it with her 2nd graders, and linked up some freebies to do the lesson with your own kids.

If you haven't done positive/negative art before, I suggest looking at the Blick lesson plan to help you out [it was the only one that made sense to me, and Nicole used it too, so it must be helpful].  I would also make sure to make your own Dr. King example [probably a few to make sure you really have it]before starting this with your class, or disaster may strike!

This lesson will really challenge your kids with following directions, something that all our kids need practice with!  Also, I was lucky enough to have a document camera [ELMO] to use while doing this project with my kids.  It is a STEP BY STEP project.  Because you need ALL the paper you are cutting, having kids go off on their own can turn out problematic.  Also, make sure your kiddos have clean hands before starting this project because once you get glue stick, dirty ball wall hands, and white construction paper together you can kiss those squeeky clean projects goodbye!  I love baby wipes to get this done quick and easy by the way.

I paired this art with some "I Have a Dream" poetry writing with my kids, but you could really take the writing portion anywhere that works for your kids.  Good luck and if you try this project out, I would love to hear how it goes [and see a picture if possible].

birth keepsakes for practically free

lately I have been seeing some great birth keepsakes online

however, I cannot bear to spend $100 on a throw pillow

but seeing these outrageous products did get me thinking

I really want to show off all of E's birth details in her nursery

and that's when it hit me

in one of our early masters classes we were introduced to wordles

wordle is a free website that allows you to make some fun "word clouds" 

now yes, you could make something like this in photoshop

but I love how this website organizes, and re-organizes 

your words for you in seconds

you just click the button and the words go flying into a new position

you can change fonts, colors, and word alignment

however, as you play around with wordle you will quickly find one thing out

if you find an arrangement you like - save it as a PDF

because you will never get the same exact word cloud again!

I've made two wordles below

[and saved about 20 to my desktop because let's face it, 

this website is a tad addicting once you get started]

I couldn't decide which one I liked the best to share here

so here's two

plus, this way you can see how different you can make the word cloud

depending on what type of design you are going for

now these wordles can be used in the classroom too

[hence the reason we were shown them in our masters program]

and hey, I haven't talked about the classroom for a while

and since this blog used to be all about teaching, many of my readers are teachers

so here you go...

whatever word is typed into the website the most 

becomes more prevalent on the wordle

a few classroom suggestions include:

-spelling practice

-vocabulary

-teaching genres

-character education

-writing units

-typing practice

-getting to know you activity for the beginning of the year or for Open House

just to name a few

and the best news is, the website is free

so if you have access to technology in your schools

I would suggest giving this a whirl

if the adult students loved playing around with it, I'm pretty sure kids would too

but since I'm currently playing stay at home mama

I'm going to figure out which one [of my 20!] I like best

and hang it in Everly's nursery

I'm thinking I can get everything printed and framed for less than $20

so that sounds pretty good to me

not many words these past couple of days

since friday morning with the events that took place in Connecticut

I have been without much to say here

so today I want to just say this -

I am so thankful for my beautiful daughter that has completed my life

in more ways than I could imagine

I am so blessed to have a husband who is my perfect match 

and partner for all that comes our way

I have the most amazing family and friends who keeps me close to home

and I wouldn't have it any other way

and finally, I am so proud to be a part of a profession that has shown such heroism

the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary did the unimaginable

and are proof of the dedication and love that teachers have for their students

maternity leave has officially begun

and it is already rockin'

getting to sleep in

having time to tidy things up around the house

and starting to run some baby errands felt pretty great

however, leaving my classroom yesterday was a very odd feeling

knowing the room is still mine, and has all my stuff

but knowing there will be another teacher there for six months was kind of giving

this control freak some mixed emotions

with that being said

I left gladly

this year has been a challenge for me

and I quickly realized that my focus now was outside the classroom

I never got planned in for more than a couple of days at a time

something that has never happened before

so now I am very glad to spend this year becoming a mom

and knowing that I will get my passion back for the classroom

it is just not going to happen right at this moment

instead, it's baby time folks

life lately

according to my phone

[1] seeing as how we showed up to our birthing class today an hour early

[because I didn't really check the time too closely]

the mr. and I had time for a little coffee date

and since this was officially the first coffee drink my husband has had

it was a photo moment for sure

and yes, this is how we prepare for parenting

[2] still feeling pretty zen after our birthing class today

wish I could say the same for the other women in the class

a few looked like they were going to cry in the bathroom during our first break

[3] nursery is getting there & I'm loving it

[4] you may be thinking we are super prepared parents to be

but really, the mr. just finished another tattoo [as seen in image one]

[5] trying to get caught up on grading and my overall motivation in the classroom

four weeks to go, four weeks

[6] still trying to think outside the box for my two English classes

and I've also decided that I'm a history teacher through and through

go figure

happy saturday

I've got myself positioned on the sofa, and I'm thinking 

that's exactly where I'm staying for the duration of the evening

today I worked harder than my "no raise this year" salary

yeah, today was one of those days
and it wasn't really my students causing the issues
we will just leave it at that
but needless to say, today I could have really known a bigger paycheck
was coming my way
on tomorrow's payday
but instead, thanks to some furloughs and a pay freeze that won't be happening
and so instead, I'll talk about my love of the season premiere of New Girl
because, believe it or not, it kind of goes along with my day

image here
I've talked about my love for New Girl before
and a lot of my lovin' for the show is because of Miss Day
the ridiculously quirky teacher, who in the very first episode this season
gets laid off, something I am very familiar with
and how she is pretty much at a loss of what to do with herself
if she is not teaching, because teaching is what she is
and in those times at the end of each summer when I'm still waiting to get hired back
I think the same thing to myself
what in the world would I do everyday if I wasn't a teacher?
and I never come up with anything
so, with that being said
I'll move on from today
and I'll remember that teaching is a profession that you do not go into for the paycheck
which is good, because, to reiterate my point
today, I worked harder than my salary

sometimes you just have to think of the simplest thing

reading and following directions is hard

at least, that's what it seems like every time I'm in the classroom

I work very hard to make sure every lesson is clear

and expectations are clearer

however, there are those times when I need my students to be able to complete a project

or assignment with multiple steps

and being able to read and follow directions is key

but I'm finding that even in middle school I am having to teach very simple

direction following skills

in the past I have given directions with a nice little numbering system

to let them know the order in which to complete the steps

however, even this has not always proven to be successful 

this week I stumbled onto something so simple

and it actually worked

give them a check list to complete while working on the project

I'm telling you, that little line where they actually "check off" as they go

made my life so much easier

and for the most part, it seemed to be the best my kids have ever

independently followed written directions

there must be something to the hand to paper connection as they go

or maybe it is just "interactive" enough to keep them focussed

whatever it is, I'm doing it again

here's just one example of our "Good vs. Evil" character comparison posters

from the story we read this week

and yes, guns can be "school appropriate" if found in our literature

or history lesson

so there you go