Teacher Idea Factory

Teacher Idea Factory

ROAD TRIP + D5 TAKE 2

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Hey y’all  . . . I am back from a wonderful weekend with my dear sweet hubby and our wonderful friends.  We hit up the BIG city on Friday night and truly did it up right.  Hotel Vitale, The Ferry Building, Market Street Bar, Bourbon & Branch, and Delarosa made for a magical evening.  

Gotta heart the Ferry Building!  It’s a SF must 🙂
Hotel Vitale . . . definitely recommend this place!
This was the view from the roof-top lounge at Hotel Vitale.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself!
We kicked off our Saturday morning with a gluten-free cinnamon roll (I heart you SF) and a cup of Blue Bottle Coffee.  Then, we stuffed ourselves with my FAVORITE lunch at my all-time favorite spot – Yank Sing has the very best Dim Sum in the city (so not gluten-free . . . don’t tell my dietitian).  Then, we traveled to Napa for a friend’s evening birthday BBQ.  The indian food was absolutely amazing (we’re talkin’ homemade naan people) and the company was even better.  Our adventure ended with a big Settlers Of Catan late night bash in Sacramento with our dearest friends (yes, I am a huge dork . . . I heart this board game).  Boy, did we get around!
I almost went out on the corner with a sign …
WILL WORK FOR PORK BUNS!
Guess who won?  It’s all about brick, wood, and that longest road!
Now on to my reflections of the Daily 5 – Chapter 2 :).  My last post initiated some great comments on this and I learned a lot about this program, myself, and how I may be able to make D5 fit my personal style.  I am excited to chat it up about each of the foundations of the Daily Five – TRUST, CHOICE, COMMUNITY, URGENCY, STAMINA, and STAYING OUT OF THE WAY. 
TRUST
As soon as I read this, I wrote in BIG RED MARKER, “This is the key to everything!”  I believe that from day one this is the essential ingredient to a successful school year.  As soon as they get in that door, you have to figure out a way to not only get your kiddos to trust you, but to also quickly learn to trust them.  If you take your time practicing behaviors and building stamina, while fostering relationships with your new children, this one typically falls right into place.  I have found that once you have earned trust, behaviors and work ethic are only an issue with a select few.
CHOICE 
I do indeed offer up some choice in my classroom, but it does not fit the D5 model.  Children have the opportunity pick which activity to work on during their daily independent work.  However, all items must be completed by the end of the week.  The teacher (my district requires OG phonics instruction as well as other phonics activities), computer (my district requires 20 minutes of Lexia per day), and parent helper stations do not come with a choice.  
In addition, children get to choose what they want to do if they finish a station early.  I have a handful of rotating bins containing “I’m Done” choices.  I would like to offer up more choices during reading groups next year, but not exactly as the D5 model outlines (I just don’t have the time in my day and it doesn’t fit my style at this time) . . . however, I am willing and ready to squeeze in more choice.  Any ideas for me?  Maybe I could shake things up at the parent station.
COMMUNITY
My favorite thing about teaching is watching the “classroom family” form.  From about one month in through the rest of the year, a magical thing transpires.  If you’ve played your cards correctly, your crew is working together, helpin’ each other, and lovin’ one another.  I don’t think that this stops here.  Community also encompasses the families as well.  When you can get your parents on board with this one too (i.e. attending functions, keeping open lines of communication, volunteering, supporting their children and the class as a whole), your “family” gets even stronger.
URGENCY
Why . . . why . . . why . . . WHY!!  If I say this enough maybe I will be able to remember to front load each and every one of my lessons (not just the reading ones) with the “why” we are doing this.  Again, I have gotten so much better over the years, but sometimes the pressure to “fit it all in” causes me to skip over this part from time to time.  Helping kids understand “why” you are having them do something, makes them buy-in more.  This, in turn, causes motivation, productivity, and overall behavior to improve.  The sister’s nailed this one!
STAMINA
I talked about this in my last post.  You have to go slow!  I always start out the year with quick whole group activities and short reading centers.  As the year progresses, these get longer and longer.  Every school year is like training for a marathon.  Again, you gotta embrace the “What About Bob Baby Steps.”  
**If you read my last post, you may have noticed that I blew this movie reference and couldn’t fix it until today as I was out of town.  What a dork!  I am going to try this awesome joke again . . . hehehehe**
STAY OUT OF THE WAY
Over the years I have gotten better at this one.  My first year I often “blew up” my lessons or activities without even knowing it.  Have you experienced this? However, as I have been in the game a bit longer, I have come to realize that some of the best moments occur when you step back and let the kids go with the flow!  It is indeed all about letting go.  I am still perfecting this one 🙂
To read more thoughts on this chapter and/or to join in the fun, visit Teaching With Style and Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations or Cheryl over at Primary Graffiti.
Well . . . I am off to finish my thank you notes to my kids.  I decided to write to each child (whether or not they gave me a gift) a special note addressed just to them.  I am also throwing in a photo of them in action – one that I thought they would really like to have up in their rooms.  It cost a few extra bucks on my part, but if I can make this crew feel special just one more time, I am all about it :).  Thanks for visiting and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Comments

  4. Katie says

    It looks like a fun trip!

    P.S Your last photo made me laugh. I get so mad at myself when I take pictures of things on a counter/table because I always manage to get my toes in the picture! haha. I do it a lot when taking pictures of my son too. I'm glad I'm not the only one who manages this 😉

    Katie
    Dirty Hands and Lesson Plans

  5. Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly) says

    Thanks for coming by today. Yes! I agree with the urgency piece. It's so important to tell them what's in it for them or, like most of us, they don't really care.
    I love SF! It's such a great and beautiful city. That reminds me…I should get up there sometime soon. 🙂

    • teacherideafactory says

      Thank you so much for swinging in for a visit. I loved visiting you as well . . . as soon as your name popped up, I remembered your clever post . . . fish sticks . . . well, sort of 🙂 I think this is the start of a super-swell bloggy relationship!

  9. ashley says

    I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this chapter! I agree with you that trust is essential. I think I have some difficulty in that I try to get my students to trust me without really trusting them. I need to remember that the trust should be mutual!

    ashley
    iced lattes and interventions

  11. Anne Tussing says

    I totally agree with you on the building of trust and school family! I also need to work on the urgency piece…there seems to be so much to do and remember in a day:)

    • teacherideafactory says

      I am so glad to hear that someone else feels "rushed" as well. Sometimes I am not sure if I can fit one more thing into our day 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting and sharing!

  12. Mrs. Saoud says

    Oh Wow! Love the pic from your hotel roof. What's on the island that the bridge went to?

    I like the idea of "I'm done bins" for Daily 5! We too have to have computers but I'm hope to fit this in somewhere else… Still thinking on that one.

    I send summer notes too. I often include a printable book to remind the kids to read. =D

    Cheryl
    Primary Graffiti

    • teacherideafactory says

      Isn't that view priceless??!! That is Treasure Island . . . a man-made island in San Fran. There isn't too much there, but I guess it is a pretty good place to watch sea lions 🙂

      I will be keeping tabs on your D5 posts and watching to see if you figure out that computer thing. Our day is so crammed as it is . . . I just don't know when I would slip it in any other time.

      A printable book is a killer idea. I will remember this one for next year. Thanks again Cheryl 🙂

  13. planning2learn says

    Hello 🙂 It's nice to meet you and my first blog book study.

    Choice: I am hoping with the common core we will have more flexibility. Supposedly CCSS only uses 85% of our time leaving 15% for more depth and creativity.

    Best wishes and I look forward to learning from you 🙂

  15. Tammy says

    I enjoyed reading your post today. What you said about TRUST is very true!!
    I am impressed that you have a parent station. Does that mean you have a parent in your room every day for literacy time. Could you tell me a little bit more about that?

    I visited SF once and loved it. The atmosphere is so much different than Western Kansas. My daughter has decided that she is going to live either in SF or NYC. (We have gone to both.) She loves the big city life. We shall see what happens when she finishes college.

    • teacherideafactory says

      Thanks Tammy. I do have a parent station and it just depends on my parent involvement for that year. Two years ago I only had three weekly helpers, but last year I had six which allowed me to have at least one every day (Tuesdays and Thursdays I had TWO). I was very lucky. I ask for volunteers at the beginning of the school year. I will post my note for free right after the 4th for you to take a look-see at. I have parents come in from 8:20-10:45 (literacy time) and they run a word work game or help with independent work. It's fantastic! Feel free to email me if you have any more questions (kelleydolling@gmail.com).

      SF is such a fun place to visit! Your girl loves the big city life, huh?? I admire those people. I am a country bumpkin all the way 🙂 I sweat a lot in traffic!

  16. Tammy says

    I am with you. I love the country life. Thanks for your email. I will definitely email with questions soon. I love the idea of asking for volunteers.

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