Currently AND Five for Friday!

Ohhhhh y'all. I'm tired. It's FRIDAY! We finished up our MAP testing this week, and my kiddos worked so so so so so hard. I'm immensely proud, but my little heart can't take the stress! Testing, boo.

Anyway, every week I see people with their linky parties going on, so I decided to hit all of them in one fell swoop. First, it's MAY! So ... linking up with Farley for a "Currently ..." 

AND  with Doodle Bugs for Five for Friday! If you follow me on Instagram {my new obsession} you might have seen many of these ... 

Currently reading Zen Shorts by John J. Muth (close reading!), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (read aloud!), The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein (another close reading text!) and Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist by Jane Yolen (AWESOME for our poetry writing!) {all wonderful, beautiful fabulous books, and you KNOW I love a beautiful book} ...

These two - Mr. BBZ and our pup Cecelia - are my favorite.

We set off rockets this week as part of our forces and motion unit. The kids LOVED it {duh, so did I!}.

A happy Friday outfit that matches my classroom! Aerosole shoes ... #comfy. ;)

Got a haircut yesterday ... it was time. I don't include too many pictures of my face around here, so I figured this one was a great one to start with. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!@#)($&&$#!!! {I'm tired} #crackingmyselfup

And a BONUS .... another teacher clothes outfit! My favorite rodeo princess boots and Spring-y scarf, with a jersey pencil skirt that is, quite possibly, the closest thing I'll ever get to a real pencil skirt in an elementary classroom.

That's it for me - I'm off to bed. ;)  Don't forget to enter the MEGA giveaway of AWESOME TpT supplies!! 

Choose Your 'Tude: Neutral or Happy

As I've shared when I introduced my "hook" for motivating boys with "Motivation Madness," character education is on my mind as we roll into the end-of-year festivities.

I wanted to share two things I use that work pretty well for me. First, "neutral or happy." This is a fairly simple concept, but it really cuts down on something that all second graders need help overcoming: the pout. You know ... the bottom lip pokes out, the nose wrinkles, eyebrows lower ... feet stomp, shoulders slump ... etc. I help my kids understand this with a simple phrase - "neutral or happy." 

I explain at the beginning of the year that it's totally okay if we don't feel happy all the time. In fact, *I* don't feel happy all the time! {Especially when I don't get my cup of tea in the morning ... not nearly as cool as coffee, but it's my jam, man.}

Rather than pout, I keep a neutral or happy face and voice. If I am upset and need a moment, it's okay for me to close my eyes and count to three, but then ... neutral or happy. If I'm upset with a friend, first I get to a neutral or happy place and then I can use the peace window. 

Here's a little {FREEBIE!} poster I made up for the classroom - grab it from my TpT store if you like it, and leave some feedback for me! :) 

The second thing I wanted to share - morning meeting read-aloud. Every day in morning meeting we have a different topic (math, grammar, character ed., etc.). Wednesdays are the read-aloud days, and I try to make them books with a strong theme - if I'm really on top of things, a theme we're struggling with in class. Common Core Standard RL.2? BAM. {Ha. Too much?}

This week we'll be reading Maya Was Grumpy by Courtney Pippen Mathur to discuss ... grumpiness. We all get up on the wrong side of the bed sometimes. {Especially when it's light for so long and our bodies don't let us get enough sleep. ahemMs.BBZahem} This is the story of a little girl named Maya who just wants to be grumpy ... until her grandma comes up with a funny way to get her out of her funk.

The illustrations are BEAUTIFUL, and there are quite a few examples of alliteration and personification {what.do.you.know.that's.what.we're.studying.right.now} ... #integration. 

Add in a little watercolor technique and a craftivity? #doubleintegration

                  

Annyyyyway - the whole lesson plan set, art cards, templates and response sheets are up in my TpT store, so if you're so inclined - grab it! Either way, I highly recommend the book to chase away those grumpy days! :)