What Can You Infer? {Carousel Style}

We only have 3 more days till our fall break and I couldn't be happier...seeing as how I'm on that downward slope of the teacher curve.  I am so looking forward to being able to sleep in a little, head to the gym for those morning classes I miss from my summer off, reading, and cleaning house...okay, maybe not the cleaning part.

So I just finished grading and checking my students inferencing (AKA RL.1)  post assessment today and my students did so much better than they've done in the past.  I wanted to share one of the activities I do, which I got from THIS free resource on TPT from The Teacher Treasury.

RL.5.1:  Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

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These are meant for a Carousel type activity...and it has to be silent!  This is the coolest part of the whole thing.  Once you paste up all 15 pictures around your room and students have at it, you won't believe the intensity in their thinking and how silent they can stay.  The idea is, you don't want them sharing their opinion with others.

But let me back up...first (as our warm up or lead-in) we watch this awesome 3-minute animated YouTube video, The Defective Detective, I discovered via Pinterest last year. We watch it once to start forming inferences and students can jot down key words, phrases, and anything else they notice in the video from the sounds and sights. They discuss it together and compare inferences.  Then we watch it again to try and catch clues they may have missed.

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For our "I Do" we take a look at this Promethean/ActivBoard flipchart I found many years ago on Promethean Planet.  If someone knows of the source, please let me know here! We use some TPR motions for each part of this little "math equation" and use those TPR motions consistently throughout our work with inferencing.  You can see we used a sentence frame in order to practice using evidence as we form those inferences.

You can see our day's goal here...

I do love to have students use either Rally Robin, Round Robin, or even Timed Pair Share afterwards to get them chatting about their inferences and why they came up with what they did.  My students did a really nice job of citing their evidence and on several occasions one student changed another's mind about their inference because they missed a piece of information in the picture.

At the end of this lesson, I introduce a quick and simple paragraph and ask my students to complete an exit ticket.  I wrote a paragraph about a boy who wakes up late and rushes to get ready for school. He gets annoyed his mom didn't wake him up, but then as he is walking to school he hears church bells, an empty school parking lot...and then he suddenly realizes...So, this gives me a chance to see how they do with inferring from text after practicing with the sentence frame, hand motions, and picture discussions.

What do you think?  Have you tried something like this in your classroom for inferencing?

Vocaroo {A New and Simple Way to Record Audio in your Classroom}

I am so sorry I haven't posted in almost a month!  This school year is going well, but with all the new requirements being rolled out with Common Core and our school's mandates (which I'm actually enjoying and fully supportive of) life has become quite overwhelming.  It's tiring to keep up with it all.  But this is how I roll...I like to take a new idea, strategy, or mandate and try to implement it immediately and as best as I can.  Is anyone else like this, even though it tires you out?

Speaking of Common Core and trying to get better at something, this brings me to our new RI.5.5 (Informational Text) standard, which is all about text structure.  This one was quite tricky for our team because our adopted curriculum doesn't have enough material for it.  So, we consulted BetterLesson.  Have you heard of this site or have you used it?  We found a seriously nice set of lessons from one of their master teachers here.

Through this find, I was able to read up on a new Web 2.0 tool...or maybe it isn't new except to me. Please tell me I am not the last one on the planet to find out about Vocaroo!

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Any who, the master teacher mentioned using this website for workstations.  She had her students read a Reader's Theater script about text structure and record their reading for a fluency check.  I decided to give it a try since we have 3 iMac desktops in our classroom.  My students were all about being able to use technology and didn't mind having to read to a computer at all!  Anything to get them excited about something that might not be all that exciting right?

Since it's a Web 2.0 Tool, it is completely free and pretty easy to use.  It took a quick 5-minute intro to show my students how to use it and they didn't need any help once they started.

Once they press record (see the screenshot from above), they press "Stop" and get this screen you see below.  They can listen to their recording to make sure it worked, the volume is fine, or to possibly redo it.

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Once they are happy with their recording, they click "Click here to save" right there at the bottom of the screen (see above).  

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For my students, I set up a Google Form so they could copy and paste the link you see above.  It was super easy to set up and my kids were able to send their links easily and quickly.  This, again, only took a couple minutes to show them and they took off with it.

I am able to now click on the links in the "Responses" Google Form document and listen in on their fluency.  Easy peasy!!  Did I mention it is free?  Did I also mention it gets students' attention...and keeps it?!

So, what do you think?  Will you be trying Vocaroo in your classroom?  How do you think you could implement it?  I'd love to hear some other ideas!

Close Reading is Cooler with Transparencies!!

This is just a quickie little post to show all of you who are in the same situation my grade level is in...well, our entire district really.  You see, this is the first year where we are FULLY implementing Common Core in our classrooms.  In my grade level team's case we were using some of the standards last year to get started despite having to also teach state standards for our district benchmark tests and our state's standardized test.  So, we already had a jumpstart...BUT, and this is a big but...we are really beginning to experiment with ways to stick to our district's adopted curriculum while holding strong to Close Reading.

We came up with the idea to make shrunken down copies of each of our basal stories...but our district's Print Shop had to start charging this year and we can't afford to do it. Waaaaah!  So...being teachers and all (AKA being used to figuring out how to be frugal and successful) we decided to order boxes of transparencies and use white board markers!!  Funny enough..my students seemed to think this was the bee's knees and were very enthusiastic.  They delved right in!

Today was the first day we tried this in our classroom.  We were working on finding interactions between concepts and ideas (a Common Core Standard we are all struggling with...but it seems very similar to cause and effect).  So they were trying to scope out some of those interactions between text events.  My kids are still learning how to annotate and so this in no way shows exactly how it should be done.  I am finding my kids are not used to citing evidence...le sigh...and so they are having a rough time annotating too much or not enough.  We will get there soon!

And just because...we used GoNoodle for the first time this school year.  It went so much more smoothly than last school year when our wifi was insanely bad and our videos would freeze a couple seconds in to the brain break.  My students are already HUGE fans and were pretty darn good at hurtling...as you can see in the photo.  Ha!

Currently September

It's been awhile since I coveted Currently on my blog and now is about time!  With the coming of September, this means I have already been in school for a month...whaaaaaaa?!  We finished our 4th week of school this past Friday and it already feels overwhelming.

Listening

We are settled in for the night after being out all day on our much needed date day.  So, this means one of our three kitties is sleeping soundly between the two of us on the couch.  The UFC fight was a PayPer View fight and we couldn't watch it till tonight...plus, both of us didn't really want to see it badly enough because the main card was changed when one of the fighters didn't make weight and had to drop out.  I may be speaking Japanese to some out there at this point...but we enjoy it!  :-)

Loving

I've said this a ton to so many friends and on Facebook in the last few weeks.  But it really is nice to be a teacher since we get to start all over each school year.  This means we can take the time to figure out what to change, improve on, or keep the same each summer. 

Thinking

I posted this on Facebook yesterday...

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Sure I could do some swimming or barbecuing tomorrow...but I have a HUGE to-do list of things I haven't been able to get done in the last couple weeks.  In fact, my hubby came to my classroom with me today (on a Sunday) to help me scan and put away about 50-60 new library books that have been sitting at the back of my classroom since the week before school started.  Sigh.  This is the life we lead.  

Wanting

So speaking of which, wouldn't it be nice to have a 3-day weekend every week?  How many of us say this every time we have a 3-day weekend though.  

Needing

Only educators could really understand the enormity of how hard it is to readjust to life with a paycheck again.  The first couple months are always a time to play catch up.  That is all I really have to say about that.  Know what I mean?

3 Trips

I've been lucky to do a lot of traveling, when I was younger, so my list probably looks different than most.  On the other hand, it was really hard to pick just 3 places because I was bit by the travel bug a long long long time ago.  Out of the 10 countries I've visited in Europe, I'd love to go back to every single one of them.  But I didn't get to visit Spain on my two trips to Europe in my 20s, so that is a place I definitely want to go some day.  My hubby, the pitmaster, has been to Austin, Texas a couple times and there are so many cool places I want to be able to go...including several of the famous BBQ spots like Franklin's.  Enough said there.  I have been to France, but didn't really enjoy Paris at all. But I would absolutely love to go to the Riviera to hit up the awesome beaches and scenery.

Join up with Farley and a ton of other teachers for a Currently linky party here.

The Obsession Continues...Fabletics is Here to Stay!

It has been a busy busy summer and couple months as I got back into the swing of work/school. So, I have a ton of outfits and pics to share that I haven't been able to blog about...but I'm slowly getting back to my little ol' blog here.  I would blush out of embarrassment, but there's no need!  I'm still motivated to head to the gym and there's no doubt it's because of my Fabletics obsession.

Back in May and June, I posted all about Fabletics!  Well, the obsession is still going strong and I have ordered something (sometimes more than one outfit) every single month since then.  Going to the gym now feels effortless and I seriously still love putting different pieces together from different outfits...just like I do with every thing else in my everyday and work wear parts of my closet.  Oh and I've now become one of THOSE people who wear my gym gear outside of workouts!  I never ever thought I'd be that person, but it is hard not to leave everything on because it is so dang comfortable and flattering.  I catch people giving me side glances or double-takes and looking when I walk in the gym and even fellow class-goers have complimented many of the pieces (including my Pilates instructor).  In fact, I've now changed a flat tire and worked in my sweaty humid classroom over the summer in my Fabletics.  Ha!

In case you aren't familiar with Fabletics...here's a quick rundown for ya.

• Monthly VIP membership for VIP prices or just purchase as a regular customer at a regular low cost.
• Your first 2-piece outfit is only $29.95...50% off the regular price!  Here's mine in case you'd like to see an example of what you get to buy as an intro to such an awesome brand.
• Complete 2-piece outfits for $49.95 and a customized boutique for you - take a stylized quiz for the types of workouts you love and your needs too
• Skip if you don't want to purchase by the 5th of the month or you can choose to get charged and earn yourself a credit for another month or a time when you'd like to purchase.
• New collections and items are released the first of every month!
• Competitive quality and fit with companies like Lululemon and Nike but with much more affordable prices!
• Accessories like headbands, socks, hats, yoga mats, and gym bags are also available!  (I own the headbands, a gym bag, and a pair of the yoga socks...and I seriously love them too!)

I've been hoarding these photos on my phone (and Instagram) for a couple months now and figured it's about time I put a blog post together.  So...bring on the overload of "I am obsessed with Fabletics" photos!

Part of my June Outfit:

Gaviota Mesh Capris in Black

(only XXL is left but they have the gray version in all sizes)

Not Seen - Miri Tank in Black and the Sevan Bra in Purple

July's Outfit:

Lima Capris (my fav) in High Intensity Print | Sevan Bra in Black | Aventura Tank (my fav) in White

Seen on me below...

Pardon my, "People are staring, and I can't seem to take this random selfie in the middle of the studio" look on my face in this shot.  LOLOLOL

And then...even more exciting?!  I got to host a Fabletics event for some of my friends in July!  We had a great time doing some yoga together and checking out my obsession.  I was seriously excited to introduce my friends to something I'm so in love with and several of them already tried their first outfits too...and they love them just as much!  There's something about helping others feel great when they are working out that I can't get enough of.  We ladies deserve to feel goooooood!!

Sporting my Gaviota Capris, a new Embra Tank in White Mesh, and a Sevan bra in black above...the white mesh is seriously perfect for sweaty workouts!!  It has the most awesome cutout in the back and it kept me cool.  Sooooooo...now I'm obsessed with tops that have cutouts because of it.

And my latest outfit from August!...notice the shorts?  I am so not a shorts-during-my-workout kind of girl.  But I really wanted to try them out and I am definitely a fan.  Plus?  Look at those colors!

Left:  Oula Tank in Cobalt, Koia Bra in Cobalt, and Suva Run Shorts II in Blue Lava

Right:  Twist Tee in Cloud Nine (gray) and Moro Shorts in Pink Lava (seen on me below)

And I've already grabbed up the Twist Tee in Mulberry (a sort of light magenta color) because these are the best for yoga and pilates.  

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Tomorrow is the first day of September...which means a whole new collection!  I've already decided on what I want.  Fabletics puts up sneak peeks a couple days before the end of the month on their Facebook fan page and Instagram.

If you don't want to buy anything at the start of a new month, all you have to do is pass by the 5th. They send out reminders via email, Facebook, and Twitter.  I myself put a reminder in my iPhone calendar just in case.  You can earn your reward points by passing on the love of Fabletics, so I'd love for you to try it out for your first outfit at $29.95 by clicking my referral link.  And please share what you get, because I'd love to know!  So what are you waiting for?!

**This is not a sponsored post.**

It's a Book Frenzy!!

Soooooooooo...we have been back in school for 8 days now.  I've had zero chance to take pictures of some of the lessons we've been doing.

With that being said, I HAD to take pictures on the first day of school during the book frenzy in our classroom library.  After reading Reading in the Wild and being a part of the book study (see all of those posts HERE), I was ready to implement wild reading in my classroom alongside the procedures.

I gave a couple of book talks and also gave what will now be my annual "I love reading," speech a la Colby Sharp's inspirational speech.  I wish I would have had a student film it...but maybe next year. Since I was wearing a dress and heels...I refrained from jumping on tables.  But I really really really wanted to.  My kids were cracking up and very much into it.  I had so much more fun presenting my true passion for reading this way instead of just sort of talking about it like I did in years prior.  The impact was HUGE.

Once I laid the groundwork and my students gained an understanding into just how much reading was going to become part of their 5th grade life...it was time to let them loose.  Oh, and because I gave a couple book talks from the nonfiction section of my library, so many of my kids went in that direction!!!  If I knew it was going to be that easy to get kids on that side of our library, I would have done it a long time ago.  So many new things were learned from this year's book frenzy, I love it!!!

Notice all the kids on the left side?  That's the nonfiction section!

Many of them selected books a lot faster than I've ever seen before.  This makes me nervous though as they may have just grabbed the first book they saw.  But only a handful of them have abandoned them since that first day.  The vibe in the room was also completely more positive and electric versus other years.  I even felt different watching my new group discovering how much fun they were going to have.  Wild readers are in my room already!...now it's a matter of showing them they can do it without me.

It also looks like I have quite a few World War II fans...so I am going to try to get my hands on as many fiction and nonfiction books as possible to provide for them.  I can't wait to share my interest in WWII with them as well!

This fellow has had this Pearl Harbor book since the first day and is still deep into it 8 days later.

This is what I saw after only telling them once to sit down and start enjoying their first book.  

All in all, this year's book frenzy was a success.  My students clearly have a love for reading already, at least most of them.  So, we can focus more on getting books they love in their hands and teaching them how to become wilder readers throughout the school year and beyond.

Did you have a book frenzy this year?  How did it go?  Let me know!

A Dress Made Just For Me by eShakti!

I was recently contacted by eShakti to browse their store and choose a dress I would like to try out and show to my lovely blog readers!  Another blogger friend of mine had chosen a dress a little ways back and I was really itching to try it out for myself.  In case you've never heard about them yourself, eShakti makes both custom and regularly sized dresses, skirts, and tops.  If you want a customized dress, all you have to do is send in your measurements and from there they create a well-fitting garment!  They have a ton of very retro-inspired dresses to boot, along with trendy fashions.  For someone like me who is pear shaped and has to be careful about styles or cuts of dresses, I was really excited to pick out a form-fitting dress to see just how well the customized fit would work out.

So, I went searching through pages and pages of different dresses, skirts, and tops and finally came to this one...completely out of my realm:

Draped Cotton Knit Pencil Dress

Before I ordered, I took all my own measurements.  I must admit, this was a mistake.  But my husband was at work and they had already sold out of several styles I was going to try.  So, I measured my shoulder span as best as I could (they even recommend you have someone else do this part) and all the other spots like the length of my arm, bust, under bust, waist, etc.  I also had the chance to change the length of the sleeves (no thanks) and the length of the hem (I picked at the knee for work).  Surprisingly so, the dress itself was made in record speed and arrived one day after it shipped.  I'm not sure if their shipping is always this fast...but that was definitely a plus!

I did wash it first because it was quite wrinkled from the trip over to me and I didn't want to have to iron it. Heh heh.  For a sheath dress, this one first very well and the draping is quite flattering as well. Where else can you get a sheath dress that fits well?  (as long as you have someone else measure you that is)  So, by no mistake of eShakti's, the first thing you'll notice is that it is too big around my upper back. The only thing I can think of is because I did this measurement myself, but it is off by at least an inch as there is quite a lot of extra fabric there (see above picture...it is quite fitted in that area). I do plan to take this to a seamstress myself and get it fixed so I can enjoy the dress.

I've never had a form-fitting dress fit me well in the waist AND the hips.

What do you think?  It fits pretty well every where else except my upper back! 

I do wish it wasn't so long, since I thought by picking the hem at the knee would mean right above the knee.  I'm not sure if I will get the seamstress to fix it though.

All in all, the dress is good quality and the fabric is nice and thick.  Since it is cotton, I know it will breathe really well in the horrible heat here in Arizona.  I would really like to try out another dress, possibly a skirt since skirts tend to fit me in the hips but not the waist.  My hubby already said he likes it and even said it's so different than what my other dresses.  So that's a plus!  As I was putting together this post, I noticed their site is having a buy one get one sale!!!

So, here are a few other dresses I have my eye on for possible customizations.

1 /  2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Want a customized eShakti dress of your own?  If you go on now, not only can you take advantage of their BOGO sale, you get $25 off when you register.  I really think number 4 and 5 need to become part of my wardrobe...they are totally not my normal style either!!  Make sure you have someone else take your measurements.

So...what dress or piece are you eyeballing?

Please note:  This dress was sent to me by the company, but all opinions expressed are my own.