Recapping Spring Break... in Five for Friday

I have been thinking about my Five for Friday post all week! And now I am typing it on SATURDAY! Ah, well, I'll just think of it as The Week in Review... and suggest that Friday had to be over so that I could include it in my post! (Okay, that's not really true since Friday was the same as all the other days this week, but my reasoning certainly sounded convincing...)

I have truly enjoyed Spring Break this year. Often, I travel or make a To Do list five miles long during the few days I get away from school. I didn't do that this year, and I'm glad. The break has seemed long and luxurious. I know I will be panicking on Monday morning (or Sunday night) about everything that did not get completed, but at this point, I feel rested and relaxed. Neither of those are familiar vocabulary words for me, so I am just enjoying their fleeting ascription.

If you know me at all, you can guess that one of these will be Starbucks and you won't be disappointed! So... what did I do this week?

Coffee! MMMmmmmmm. I do LOVE my coffee! It's scary how many pictures of coffee and coffee cups I have stored on my computer. And here's a new one! It's my warm weather favorite! Iced mocha with caramel drizzle. And then a little half and half that gradually mixes in. Oh. My. Goodness. That's one yummy concoction. I think Starbucks should borrow my recipe and call it Joyful Mocha. It certainly makes ME joyful!

Naps! Morning. Afternoon. Evening. There were naps. Lots of them! Some days I went back to sleep after I had only been up a few hours. Sometimes the room was warm and sunny and I was typing... and then I wasn't. I can't nap when I am stressed out by school and responsibilities. Clearly I was able to put those thoughts aside!

OhBoyOhBoyOhBoy. This is a new favorite of mine! I love many flavors of ice cream... but ice cream with a peaceful spin? My heart be still! And how's this for cool? When you eat all of the ice cream there are peace notes inside the container. It's like having some ice cream with John Lennon. "... Just give peace a chance..." (Did you sway a bit and sing along?) Did I mention that there are little tiny chocolate peace signs in there? I can't imagine an ice cream with a better message! And it's might tasty too!

 

Computer time! If I wasn't drinking coffee, eating ice cream or napping, I was tapping away at my computer. Actually, pounding away would be more accurate. When you don't know how to type, and you only use four fingers, it is hardly a gentle touch. It sounds like this Type! Type! Type! pause... look for punctuation keys... Type!

I chatted on facebook, exchanged e-mails with friends, wrote (SIX!) blog posts, bought twenty-seven (NOT kidding) items from TpT, and printed quite a few. There were linky parties (three) and blog hops (two). And then there were blogs to read, and comments to be left, and things to be pinned and... and... and then I had to eat ice cream and take another nap!

And for the record my bloggy background is purple not blue. And, yes, the cup DOES say Starbucks!

I did spend a little bit of time on school work. And I thought (and worried) about Common Core. When you have been teaching for more than three decades, it is scary to think that the whole world will be turned upside down for something new. I think there are many good things about Common Core... I just fear the "gap" that will exist as we scramble to find materials. And I fear the expectation that kids will arrive having mastered the Common Core standards from the previous year--especially in the first two or three years. I've been through this before. It will take time before the kids can catch up to the system. 

One day this week (although I can't tell you which day!) I went to a training on Common Core standards in math. I gave up a day of bliss. It was more philosophy than strategy and I found myself thinking: Just tell me what to teach! They used an example of having seventh graders build a gingerbread house to measure surface area (could be good) and then having them fill the house with frosting to measure area (could be really bad). My OCD wouldn't let me get past cleaning up after 36 frosting-sticky gingerbread houses. I'm feeling lucky that the people from our math adoption are actually stepping in to correlate and supplement their math materials to match Common Core. I was impressed. And we had a great trainer--which made the time pass much more quickly!

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Now I really need a flower that says "Negative 1" for the things I didn't do. Wait! I'll make one!

 

I was going to make the flower black, but that seemed too ominous, so I made it colorless to indicate the things that didn't make the list of things I wanted to accomplish...

I didn't clean the garage. And I didn't grade many papers. And I didn't do much of the "spring cleaning" you are supposed to do during Spring Break. I didn't read the professional books I set aside for this week (unless you count the first three pages of the one chosen because it had the cheeriest cover). I didn't start the healthy eating plan I should be following (did you SEE that ice cream?). But, for the most part, I didn't worry about what I didn't do, and, instead, enjoyed what I DID.

And that's what Spring Break is for. A BREAK. That falls during the spring. California provided warm, sunny weather and I am thankful for the time AWAY from, well, from everything!

Now, even though it is only Saturday, Doodle Bugs has over a hundred link-ups! So fill up your coffee cup and join us over there. Just click the link below!

If your Spring Break is over, I hope it was wonderful. If you are just beginning your Spring Break, I hope you have time to rest and relax and enjoy the word "Break." If you are a teacher or a mom, or, especially, a teacher-mom, a break is exactly what you need--and deserve...

 PS Don't you just love those flowers? They're from Ashley Hughes and you can go check them out at TpT by clicking HERE. 

There's a (Freebie) Party going on at TBA!

Teaching Blog Addict will always have a special place in my heart. What A WONDERFUL group of people! To me, meeting Tamara and Leslie was like meeting movie stars and they are truly among the best blog buddies you could hope for! I was also able to connect with a wonderful group of teacher-authors and I learned so much from so many of them (and I laughed a lot too!) I have always felt so honored to be associated such a great group of bloggers. My heart used to pound when I would see my bloggy button in the author section. So often, I would stop and wonder: How did I get HERE? Being involved with TBA really is a JOY!

Now it's your turn to head over to TBA because TBA is celebrating its second birthday.... and they have organized a birthday extravaganza PACKED with freebies!

There are so many awesome freebies, your printer could be kept running for weeks! (Now, if we could only teach that thing to do dishes and laundry!)

What am I giving away? I only have four products in my store (big time seller, I know!) and two are free!

Exponents are difficult for some kids to grasp. I find that my students still think that "five to second power" is ten and they routinely confused "cubed" and "squared." {big sigh}. This card game provides a little practice with exponents (cubed and squared)... and the cards are cute too! If you teach fourth, fifth or sixth grade, your kids might enjoy a little learning while they play.

Here is a picture of the cards in action. Fortunately, I washed this kid's desk first--or the picture would send you reaching for the Purell! I know that the cards look larger than life, but actually they fit in the palm of your hand. It also looks like the desk may have levitational powers as well, but that's not true either. Photography 101, I need you!

The cover of the item looks like this...

You can get this FREEBIE by clicking on the cover (above).

If you got here by way of TBA's party--or if you haven't been there yet--it's time to grab your party hat and GO! Click on the button below to get there... and have fun!

Come and Join in on the Autism Awareness Blog Hop

I am so excited to be a part of the Autism Awareness Blog Hop going on this week.

If you haven't joined in the blog hoppin' adventure, you can start your journey at Learning Ahoy by clicking the link below. There are lots of resources and sweet stories and just a wonderful, supportive attitude about supporting students with autism. I know you will be inspired as you hop from blog to blog.

At the end of the post, I will also give you the links for your next hoppin' location!

A million years ago, I started my teaching career in a class for kids with special needs. I worked with kids with significant disabilities--several of whom had autism. It was a rough road initially. Even though we were in a separate classroom, we had trouble being accepted as part of the school. For a vignette of those difficulties, click here and read the first story. That post on teaching with courage always reminds me of how far we've come!

Ten years later, I moved into a general eduction classroom, and since then I have always had friends with IEPs in my classroom. Different kids, different talents and needs, but always a part of us...

I believe that having lots of kids with differing abilities makes everyone stronger and more compassionate. It's one of my favorite parts of my job!

Many different people come into my classroom each day, and I don't always have time to sit and converse with them about the way in which our classroom runs. We have had at lest five different  people in the position of Education Specialist--the person who supports the kids with IEPs--in the past two years, not to mention the number of axillary personnel (from district teaching assistants to university affiliated tutors) who might pop in to help those kids who need a little extra support.

With this in mind,  I created two documents: one is a sheet of simple reminders for anyone who might come into the classroom. By sharing this information, I can feel confident that I have shared my guidelines with anyone anyone who works in my classroom. I keep it on a "personalized" clipboard--check out 4th Grade Frolics' next Monday Made It to see this in action.

If you would like to use this form, I've made it available on google.docs (and my blog address isn't on the real form--that just for someone to findthis post if they pin it). Since I know you will have different guidelines, I made it editable, but maybe this will help get you started. If you would like to add the "Itty Bitty Scalloped Border from Graphics from the Pond, you can click HERE to see this frame set and lots of other great clip art!

The "dance" between special education and general education is a difficult one. There simply isn't enough time for all of the conversations we would like to have or all of the collaboration we wish could occur. Since I don't always have time to collaborate on specific activities, sometimes I have to write notes to whomever might be helping my room. I realized I needed a form for adults who support kids in my room who have IEPs.The form I use looks like this...

Border from Graphics from the Pond and Hello Ali font from Jen Jones-Hello Literacy

I designed this Student Support Guide to help the various adults who might sit down to help a child without having a chance to talk to me.

You can click on the graphic above to get a "write on" form or get a "type on" copy here. Often, I just jot a few notes and date it as "ongoing," but when there is something new to consider (or a support provider new to our classroom) this form has allowed for quick communication that allows everyone to get right to work.

Here's an example of what the form might look like filled in (I usually just scribble a few notes in pencil on mine).

Since IEPs and IEP goals are confidential, I just list the "goals" as general lesson objectives such as "Write complete sentences," "Convert fractions to percents" etc. I also keep the clipboard covered with colored paper to keep the information secure from other students' interest or attention...

Your next stop on the hop is with Mandy at A Special Kind of Class.

And tomorrow there are two stops so you still have more treasures to collect and stories to read.

The hop ends on Monday, April 8th at Teaching Through Turbulence where Heather will feature a giveaway.  You will have a chance to win a great prize from Therapy Shoppe or an Amazon gift card, so don't forget to follow along to the very end.

Thanks for being a part of the Autism Awareness blog hop and supporting kids with autism with your teaching talents and with your whole heart...