AR Chart

And we're off!! Proud of the three students who have already joined the AR Chart wall! 😀 Malaysia, Jaylen, and Demorielle! 

First Book Report

This week we read "The Boy with a Thousand Faces" by Brian Selznik, considered to be speculative fiction. It was quick and the students were very engaged. (40 pages) Today we began our book report and I chose for them to do a Book Timeline. We created a timeline of events from the story as a class; very vague events because I wanted each group to go back and create three details for each event. My class has 26 students so I created 5 groups. Each group designated jobs (organizer, illustrator, writer). The picture below shows one student as he completes his work as the writer. I had a blast watching them coordinate, work things out and distribute ideas. I'm going to redo a couple groups but, other than that, this was a very success group work day! 

"TWT" This Week Today...

Every morning after D.E.A.R (Drop Everything And Read) I have started the morning off with a "TWT". There is this outstanding link attached to the history website that I have found and I google what happened in history each day. I scroll through and select two prompts that are relevant, interesting, and 4th grade appropriate. The students have thoroughly enjoyed this! Usually, I also try to have photos on the smartboard so they can have a visual picture of whomever or whatever we're writing about. I give them thirty minutes and they have to create a title and a paragraph about the prompt. Afterwards, they draw an illustration. If you're looking for ideas for writing, I suggest 'TWT'S!
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

Here's some of the things we have written about.

- Elvis Presley
- Hawaii becoming the 50th state
- The thief of the Mona Lisa discovered
- First victim of yellow fever fell ill in Memphis Tennessee
- Voyage 1 went to Mars
- First football player to be paralyzed in the NFL
- First balloon travelled from Maine to Paris, France
- Skeleton of a T-Rex found in South Dakota
- Black Out happened on the East Coast
- Earthquake hit Turkey leaving 250,000 homeless
- First African American graduated from Ole Miss
- First NASCAR race in Indianapolis
- First telegram sent around the world

These are the historic facts. I create a prompt to go with them :)! Happy Writing!

Teacher Wish List

People are always asking me what I need for my classroom and I decided to make a wish list! So all you giving individuals, here you go! :) 

Baskets 

Label Maker

Three-pronged folders

Spiral notebooks 

Magnetic Clips

Composition notebooks 

Scrabble 

Boggle 

Sentence strips! 

That's all for the moment! I'll come back to this post around 2nd Quarter! :) 

Week One: Wow!

WOW!!!!!

I apologize for being so slow to blog lately. It has been rather busy out here in this classroom! I mean, let me tell you! College doesn't prepare you at all for the opening school experience! How to put away supplies, how to organize binders, how to get information, send out information, the list goes on!!!!!

But, just to quickly give you an overview of how my first week went here it is: 

I started the week with a roster of 29 students. My first day I had 24 students. As of today, a week later, I stand with 26 students. Equally divided, thirteen boys and thirteen girls. 

It has been slow to get a routine because we were instructed to set procedures, rules and expectations down the first week. So, we are just now getting in the groove of a regular school day this week. 

Filing papers, finding space to file papers and stay on top of managing time has already been a battle for me. So I need ideas on how to quickly grade, check, and file papers!! (I'll take any!)

Then EVERYONE has a schedule that they want to get accomplished. The librarian, the art teacher, the computer teacher. I see now why my coordinating teachers in college said there's hardly anytime to teach because just as soon as you get started, it's time for lunch, or restroom break, or small group, computer class what have you. It makes sense. 

I have caught myself twice this week overjoyed in the fact that I have arrived. I was wiping down a table and I just stopped looked up and realized THIS. IS. MY. CLASSROOM. I've never been more content with my life right now. I'm doing exactly what I've always known I was made to do. It's the best feeling ever. I can't wait to see these children grow this year! I may be slap wore out when I get home but, I go to sleep saying I'm ready for tomorrow. :) 

Overall, great first week ever! It's in the books and I will ALWAYS remember it! 

Braswell Blurb: The Calm Before the Storm

WHEW!!!!!

What a few weeks it has been! Prepping for the first day of school has been nothing short of busy for me! With it being my first school year, I started coming to my classroom to prepare mid-July. Seasoned teachers came the week before school was in session. To them, I give mad props! I did not know how much work goes in to setting up a classroom, gathering resources and creating bulletin boards! I bet my Pinterest App is tired of me clicking it! I am beyond happy to say, as of right now, my classroom is set and I can begin teaching Monday! Over the weekend I am going to begin preparing lessons and such now that my room is in order. I just can't imagine starting Monday without a "ready" classroom. So! Just an update from my classroom! We are back on schedule for the weekly Braswell Blurb's! My next blog will be a rundown of the classroom dynamics that I will have this school year.  

Books Needed For My Classroom

A few people have asked me to send them a list of books I would like for my classroom. Well, YOU GOT IT!!! I'm always wanting more books! Variety makes my students happy! Here is the list that I have been building since a student teacher.

Beginning next week we are going to be reading Charlotte's Web. As of right now I have one book, however, I would love to have a class set of Charlotte's Web. (It's so timeless.) 24 books are needed!!!

Secondly, dictionaries. Kid friendly dictionaries. 20 would be great.

Here's the books!

Buddy - William Joyce

The Amazing Pop-up Multiplication Book

Cats - Amanda O’neill

Dinosaurs - Michael Benton

Hamburger Heaven

A to Z Mysteries : The Haunted Hotel

Derek Jeter : Surefire Shortstop

Dive! My Adventures in the Deep Frontier

The Big Buck Adventure

Cinderella Skeleton

Three Magic Balls

Giraffes Can’t Dance

Clarice Bean Guess Who’s Babysitting?

The Custodian from the Black Lagoon

Davy Crockett Saves the World

The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby

Can you See what I see?

The Hamster of the Baskervilles

ABC Math Riddles

Alice in Blunderland

Amber Brown is Green with Envy

Act I, Act II, Act Normal

Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude

Walter, the Story of a Rat

Babymouse Beach Babe

Friends: Making Them and Keeping Them

Not Afraid of Dogs

The Secret Science Project that Almost ate the School

Animals in the House

Monday with a Mad Genius

I Lay my Stitches Down

Liar and Spy

Presidential Pets

Rebel Mckenzie

White House Kids

Goosebumps

Scary Stories To tell in the Dark

September 12th, We Knew Everything Would Be Alright

The Kids Book of Questions

The Book of Values

My Great Grandmother’s Gourd

Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes

Go Away Big Green Monster

Chrysanthemum

Thank you, Mr. Falker

My Red Headed Older Brother

When Lightening Comes in a Jar

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

If you would like to know other ways to help out our classroom please comment below. There are always students who are in need of supplies who are unable to have them provided for by their family. This would be a great way to show how community can impact the classroom :). We are better together!