Musical Monday: Telling Time With a Little Rhyme

Hello! A new week is upon us, and thankfully I was able to spend some much needed time in my classroom over the weekend.  It's far from finished, but definitely in the ballpark of where I wanted to be by now.  Whew!   

So today, for Musical Monday, I was inspired by a Target Dollar Spot item.  Shout out to my sister for grabbing one of these Dr. Seuss "One Fish, Two Fish..." foam clocks for my classroom!  Ca-ute!  

So, I took a little chant I've done in the past with my classes, and added some "meat" to it.  I'm hoping this time-telling diddy will be fun as well as helpful!  Let me explain something really quick.  I hope it makes sense... when you see the (ticky ticky) in the chant, it's meant to be high pitched and your hands do a motion like a DJ pushing a record (see picture below).  Try to keep up with my hip-ness.  

So here it goes (clearing my throat)...

Tick-tock, tick-tock, what (ticky ticky) time is it?
Tick-tock, tick-tock, what (ticky ticky) time is it?
When you tell the time, there's things you gotta know.
And once you do them all, you're tellin' time fo sho!

The hour hand is short.  The minute hand is long.
Say the hour then the minutes and you can't go wrong!
Say the number for the hour.  For the minutes, count by fives.
Then you're tellin' time with swag and you can do a tick-tock jive...WHAT!


Well, now that I've thoroughly embarrassed myself, I'm going to close this post with a LINK to one of my posts from last year with another fun time-telling idea!  I hope you all have a MARVELOUS week!!

Why I Teach Wednesdays: A "Beautiful" Story (And Catching Up on the Week)

Well I'm behind on my posts because I've had three LONG days in a row of professional development (yippee!).  So this is going to be a quick post to catch me up with Monday through today and then hopefully I'll be back on schedule.  

Musical Monday

I saw this on Pinterest and absolutely LOVE it!  It's not academic but it'd be a cute song to sing together for a brain break and/or to encourage a positive classroom environment.

Click here for the link to the YouTube video!

Teacher Tricks Tuesday

I love this vocabulary boosting activity.  Every day when I introduce a new vocabulary word from our read aloud, I put the word on a reward chart like this: 

Then every time a student says, hears, reads, or writes that word in the classroom we put a sticker next to the word.  Once the chart has a decided number of stickers (I usually put a star at 10 so it doesn't take too long), we do something to celebrate that word.  For example, one year we had the word "enormous." Once we filled up ten stickers next to the word, I had them come the next day ready to find all the enormous things I used throughout the day.  I wore enormous sunglasses to pick them up from recess in, I used an enormous dollar store pen to check attendance, I used an enormous eraser, etc.  They had a blast spotting all of the enormous things throughout the day, and it was a fun connection to the word so they hopefully won't forget it!  There's all kinds of things you can do with the different vocabulary words.  It's a great chance to be creative! If all else fails and you can't think of an activity to do, you can give them label stickers to wear that say "Ask me what _______ means today!"  I've really enjoyed this engaging method of teaching vocabulary, and I'd love to hear other fun ideas that you may have!

Why I Teach Wednesday
So I was working in my classroom last week, dusting the layers upon layers of filth that had built up, when I walked over to an area that used to be home to one of "those" students.  A student who required ALL of my energy and patience some days.  But those same students are usually the ones that hold the most special places of our hearts, aren't they!?  Ok, not all the time, but this was certainly true for this little fellow.  He drove me crazy, but he also had the sweetest heart and just needed love.  And I loved that boy as hard as it was sometimes.  Anyway, I was over in his "spot," which of course was in his own "special" area for behavior purposes.  Then I noticed some cut up sticky notes stuck to the wall in front of where his desk sat.  Three little pieces.  With three words.  "Mrs. Guillo......is......beautiful."  And that, folks, is why I teach.  No, not so children will call me beautiful (although I could certainly get used to that! ;).  But I choose to teach so that I can be there for a child, so broken and hard on the outside, yet God's child, craving love and acceptance on the inside.  I'll never forget the ups and downs I had with that particular student.  And in my 6 years of teaching there are so many that have touched my heart the same way.  Sometimes I wonder, as I'm sure you all do, if I ever make a difference in their lives.  Do they know I care?  Was I too hard on them?  Why did I get myself into this (and where's the Excedrin!?)  But then we get those little reminders that all those headaches and even tears are worth it.  Why do I choose to teach?  Because all children deserve a chance to know they're loved.  And I believe God has called me to show them that.

So, We Meet Again

Oops, I did it again.  I have been thinking about getting back to blogging for a few weeks now and I just couldn't resist any longer.  So, here we are.  For all two of you (hi, mom!) who are interested, I'm back and I hope to share my side of the teaching world with everyone.  Some (read: most) won't even be my original ideas, but I hope to share things that may be new to you because we teachers like to STEAL, save money, and spend more time with our families than doing unnecessary work!

So, we find ourselves at  "Musical Monday," a day where I share some of my favorite ways to incorporate songs and chants into the classroom! 

I teach first grade, and one of the common core (gasp, sigh, groan, grumble) standards for 1st is to write opinion pieces.  Even before this standard came along, I found that a commonly used word, yet a hard-to-spell word for firsties is the word "because."  Thus, one day I lied and told my students I had a song to help them with it so they'll never forget it again.   And as I spoke , the stars aligned just right, the clouds opened up, and little diddy popped up into my head:

The BECAUSE Song
(To the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb")

B-E-C-A-U-S-E
U-S-E
U-S-E
B-E-C-A-U-S-E
Because, Because Because!

I know.  You're thinking, "that's it!?"  Yep.  I never promised it'd be super brilliant or exciting.  But it works!  And now they're held accountable for spelling that all important, frequently used word to justify their opinion!  Cool!

I also want to include a song I whipped up for could/should/would, also frequently used and difficult words:

The COULD/SHOULD/WOULD Song
(To the tune of "BINGO")

There is a word that we should know
And this is how you spell it
C-O-U-L-D
C-O-U-L-D
C-O-U-L-D
And "could" is how you say it.

(Repeat with "would" and "should."  Say "S-H" quickly when you sing the "should" verse!)

There you go, folks.  It's good to be back.  As always, I'd love to hear your input and ideas, so comment with love or one of your own original songs.  Do you use songs or chants to help with spelling?

Musical Monday: Singin' 'Bout the Strategies!

If you’ve ever observed in my classroom, you know that I can and do put anything to a tune to help with my lessons.  I have many, many favorites and will share one or two each Monday.

Today I’m going to share a series of songs I’m MOST proud of…the reading strategy songs.  I hit the mother load when I began Googling to find some songs about reading because I wanted to put together an end-of-year program for my parents for the spring.  I found nothing.  Then more nothing.  Then…jackpot!! I came across THIS website which had a bunch.  YOU HAVE GOT TO GO TO THAT SITE! Now!!

My students were doing so well with the comprehension strategies after learning these songs that I ended up creating a Christmas-themed program instead of waiting until spring!  I called it “Season’s Readings” and invited parents, administration, and our 4^th grade reading buddies that come read with us on Fridays.  They wore jeans, white shirts, and Santa hats.  I had each student memorize one short line to help explain the strategies in between each song.  It turned out A-DORABLE! 

And even though it’s not the Christmas season, I’m spreading a little holiday cheer by giving you the two additional songs I wrote to supplement what was missing from the website…AND if you comment with your e-mail address I'll e-mail you the script I typed up for my class in addition to the PowerPoint I created for our program!

I hope you enjoy!  Let me know if you choose to use this in your classroom.  It’d make my day!

Here are the songs that I added to the ones from the site:

Predictions

(to the tune of “Jingle Bells”)

When you read a book

And you find a certain clue

If you use your brain

You’ll know just what to do

Good readers will predict

Just what will happen next

It makes you want to read some more

And helps you get the text

(Chorus)

Oh! Let’s predict! Let’s predict!

What will happen next?

Look into the crystal ball and give it your best guess.

Let’s predict! Let’s predict!

What will happen next?

Look into the crystal ball and give it your best guess.

Yes!

I Can Read!

(to the tune of “Let it Snow”)

Oh when I was in kindergarten

My reading was just startin’

But now I’ve got what I need

I can read, I can read, I can read!

When I open a brand new book

I can’t wait to just dive right on in

And now when I take a look

I know strategies to begin!

Oh at first reading was quite frightful

But at last, it’s so delightful

‘Cause I’ve got the tools I need

I can read, I can read, I can read.

(Slow)

I can read…..I can read….I can READ!

Long Time, No See!

Well, I had quit the blog because I didn't feel like I had enough time to update, but I have made a (not so 'new' year's) resolution to get it going again.  This time, I have a plan....

Musical Mondays- Music is my favorite method of teaching concepts, so Mondays will be dedicated to how I incorporate chants, songs, and music in the classroom (or songs I find on line and want to share)

Teacher Tricks Tuesday- Classroom management/teaching tools I use or the good ideas I find and want to try

Why I Teach Wednesday- Stories of things that happen to me throughout the week that remind me why I chose to teach in the first place- whether it's funny or sweet, I'll share my favorite story/stories here.

Thrifty Thursdays- This is when I'll share my exciting dollar store/re-purposing finds.  Whether it's an idea I see somewhere else or one of my own, I'll be sure to pass along the frugal finds on Thursdays!

Favorite Finds Fridays- This is usually where I'll post awesome teaching ideas I find on Pinterest and other blogs! 

I can't wait to get going again!  And I'm looking forward to your feedback and ideas as I go!  I hope you all have a great week, and just to get it started (enter Black Eyed Peas song here), here's a "Musical Monday!"

*******

This morning during my planning period I was thinking about my lesson on commas.  I wanted something to make it "stick" better with them.  So, thanks to my mother's genes, I pulled out my old faithful trick...rewriting words to familiar tunes.  I whipped up this little diddy just in time for my class to return to me.  I taught them the lyrics today and they loved it!  I think it's a keeper for the future!  Here it is:

(To the Tune of the "Be Careful Little Eyes What You See" Song)

A comma tells you "pause" when you read.

A comma tells you "pause" when you read.

When you're reading in a book,

Be sure to take a look.

A comma tells you "pause" when you read.

A comma goes between the date and year.

A comma goes between the date and year.

When you go to write the date,

Use a comma to separate.

'Cause a comma goes between the date and year. 

A comma goes between a town and state.

A comma goes between a town and state.

When you want to name a place,

Put a comma in the space.

'Cause a comma goes between a town and state.

Use a comma when you write a list of words.

Use a comma when you write a list of words.

When you want to make a list,

You must remember this:

Use a comma when you write a list of words.

**FYI I didn't write anything about commas in friendly letters b/c we weren't focusing on this.  If you want to write your own verses for those, feel free to and don't forget to share! :)

I hope someone who reads this finds it handy!  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the song, other methods for teaching about commas, and as I said, additional verses you may decide to make up!  

I hope you have a wonderful week.  Stay classy, teachers!