Friday is coming!

Yeah! Tomorrow is Friday! It means the weekend and then next week I just have to work for 2 days. We will be off 5 days for the Thanksgiving Break. It is a long awaited break; a time to rejuvenate myself and bring some energy back into me.

TEKS Checklist

Earlier this week I was in a staff development session and another teacher shared this excellent resource that can be used by teachers in Texas.  The web site lists all the TEKS for grades K-5 along with activities for each TEK.  These activities can be used as an enrichment for the TEK that is being taught.

I did mention that it can be used for teachers in Texas, but I think it is a great resource for any teacher to use in any state if you want to find activities for division, multiplication, addition, problem solving, etc. 

The web site is called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Activities.  The link is posted below.

 http://jabba.edb.utexas.edu/depts/edp/projects/teks/index.asp

Field Trip Today

Today we had a field trip. Many of my students commented that it was the coolest field trip they had been on. Of course it was educational. There was Native American and African dances. The children were intrigued by the costumes. There was also animals that the children got to pet.  The one that the students were amazed at was the American Bison. They were in awe of the size and the texture of their fur. The field trip was a success! A bit tiring, but I am glad that my class had a great time.

Friday Good News!

This week ended well at school after a slow and tiring start. On Fridays we have assessments. My students' test scores went up from previous weeks'.  That was an awesome feeling.  They are remembering their reading, writing, and math strategies! Yippee!! I elimnated the multiple choice on math and reading.  They were actually "forced" to show all their work on the assessments.  I have found that students tend to quickly chose an answer on a multiple choice test instead of thinking it out and showing their strategies. I am so elated for them.

School Year So Far

Wow I completely forgot about this blog. I have been so busy with teaching. It seems like the demands of the job have increased this year. It has been a draining year so far. However, I can say that teaching is still my passion.

I took 2 days off; not including the weekend. Today is my last day off and back to work tomorrow. Hopefully I can make it until the Thanksgiving break.

Promise to post more on this blog.