Monthly Archives: December 2012

12 In 12

Date
Posted by
Comments0

Miss Kindergarten is hosting the 12 in 12 linky party.

All you have to do is think back at your favorites in 2012 and add a few pictures. What a fun way to remember the year, huh!? You can use these prompts if you’d like, or just type up your 12 favorite things!

12. Favorite movie you watched:
Django Unchained – Although I don’t think it is an entirely accurate depiction of that time period, it was definitely entertaining. Definitely QT fashion with all the blood…all the blood, but I’d go see it again.

11. Favorite TV series: Scandal
Who doesn’t love Olivia Pope? I am so addicted to this show!

20130101-205328.jpg

10. Favorite restaurant:
Anyone who knows me knows I love I eat! I don’t just have one favorite….Outback, Olive Garden, Longhorn, Chickfila, Cookout….I better stop, I’m getting hungry right now….

9. Favorite new thing you tried:
Hmmmm, I usually would say I’m adventurous, but this year I’ve been pretty tame….so one goal for 2013 is….to be more adventurous….try something new….

8. Favorite gift you got:
The gifts from my students. Each and everyone of them are special, because I work in a very high poverty level area. If I received a gift from them, it means all the more to me because I know they had to sacrifice to give it.

7. Favorite thing you pinned:

20130101-205634.jpg

I am not a fan of Steve Jobs, more like indifferent, but I definitely admire all that he had done during his lifetime. And I absolutely love this quote.

6. Favorite blog post:
I had a difficult time determining this one, but I finally made a decision. This blog post describes how I felt after the first quarter and showcased some great work that my students had dne.

5. Best accomplishment:
Being selected as a Top 25 Middle School Blog! 🙂

20130101-211047.jpg

4. Favorite picture:

20130101-210109.jpg
These are my kiddos (well about half of them). They have the best personalities….In the words of Farley, I {puffy heart} love them to death!

3. Favorite memory:
I have so many, but my current favorite is this Christmas. My DD didn’t wake up until 8:30 and when she did she wasn’t all loud about it. DH and I heard her moving around and shuffle up towards the den. Her gasp of surprise and quiet exclamation of “Santa came!” warmed my heart.

2. Goal for 2013:
To get back to healthy eating and exercise.

1. One Little Word:
Favored

How to link up:
Create a blog post sharing your favorite 12 things in 2012. Go to Miss Kindergarten’s website, add the button to your post, and link it to this blog post. Then link up below, making sure to link directly to your post, not just your blog.

20130103-221315.jpg

You Really, Really Like Me!

Date
Posted by
Comments0

My blog has been selected to a list of recommended middle school blogs.

Teacher Certification Degrees is a career site for teachers that provides helpful information for individuals interested in becoming a teacher. Their content is researched and written by teachers and our site is recommended as a trusted resource by universities, teacher blogs, and teacher associations.

Visit their site here.

20121230-201630.jpg

20130103-221356.jpg

Book In A Day

Date
Posted by
Comments0

This year, our Christmas break didn’t begin until 3:20 on Friday, December 21st. That’s right….as I imagine your slack-jawed expressions….we kept our kiddos aaaaaallllllll day on the Friday right before Christmas!

But, we came up with a wonderful idea that made that Friday a day to be proud of. Our sixth grade team decided to have do a “Book In A Day” activity. On this day, we listen to an entire book in one day, with students hearing different portions of the book in each class period. We divide the book into 30-35 listening sessions allowing time for a journal reflection at the beginning and team games using questions from the book at the end.

Dr. Ertzberger, Dean of Technology at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington, created a website that has a plethora of games using Microsoft Office. The great thing about these games is that most of them don’t require any prep. You can use questions that you’ve just written down or typed up. Here is the link here: UNCW EdGames

We decided to do The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. If you’ve never heard of this story, here is a quote from Amazon:

“The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale — the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating — has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year’s pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.”

This book is absolutely hilarious! Let me tell you there is a scene in the book, where one of the Herdmans brings their cat to school (which is kinda described as a demon wildcat), and he destroys the class – eats the goldfish and another student’s pet mice; as well as scratching everything and everyone in sight. Oh the imagery…….

20121230-195606.jpg

At the end of the day, we watched the movie that was created based on the book (which I found on youtube by the way) and the students created a Venn Diagram comparing the movie to the book. They had a great time and we had a nice quiet last day of school.

But, more importantly, it gave us another look at the wonderful miracle of Jesus’ birth from the eyes of children who had never been exposed to The Christmas Story. So as I close out this post, I must quote Gladys Herdman, “Hey! Unto you a child is born!” I hope everyone continues to enjoy their winter break. We don’t have to report to school until January 7th so I know I will!

Happy New Year!

20121230-200327.jpg