My transition room has been in a great deal of transition this year. Trying to find a schedule that works for us, curriculum that is on our level, and just getting a flow together has been exhausting! But, it's finally coming together!

As you may know, my district is 1:1 so every student in my room has an iPad mini. With that luxury does come some requirements. We have to use the tech obviously, but we are being asked to use Canvas (a learning platform mostly used at universities) in our classrooms. I could not wrap my head around how to get this to work with my T1 kids, but after much thought I finally developed interactive phonics lessons.

I created these lessons to follow my Saxon Phonics lessons. I will eventually have all the letters of the alphabet. Currently, I am creating on an "as needed" basis so it's random. I kept thinking I'd get ahead over Thanksgiving break but my house was hit with a nasty cold, so that didn't happen!

I was required to teach using Canvas for my long 40 minute observation. I used the following lesson for that observation and my admin loved it!

Phonics Lesson - Letter Z



These lessons are meant to be interactive. My students write in the missing letter, circle, draw lines, and get moving during these lessons. And the best part? They love them! I can keep their attention for the ENTIRE lessons. That's major for my wiggly kiddos.

I hope you find these lessons as useful as I do.

Enjoy!
-Tracy

P.S. If you love this lesson and want more just like it, please head to my TPT store.

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The Knit Wit Teacher

I love being a teacher. It's all I've ever wanted to do. But, it doesn't pay the bills.

Especially when you are a family of 6 and have a special needs child and 3 more accident prone boys. Within 8 months 2 of my kids had major surgery, and I was left with thousands of dollars in doctor bills.

I started looking around for an online teaching position and I stumbled upon VIP Kid.

VIP Kid is an online platform for Chinese students ages 5 - 12 to learn English. It has been a perfect fit! I have to work a minimum of 7.5 hours a week but I have the option of working more. I teach 25 minute classes and then switch to another student.

VIP Kid makes the Power Points that you use and you have 25 minutes to teach a 25 - 35 slide Power Point. I typically teach phonics with some grammar, math, and geography thrown in.

Beijing is 12 hours ahead of Indiana so I teach a 6:30 am class followed by a 7:00 am class and then I leave for work Monday - Friday. On Friday nights I teach a class at 9:00pm, 9:30, and 10:00.

Saturday and Sunday I teach from 7:00 am to 9:30 and then I teach again Saturday night. I'm teaching while my kids are asleep so I'm not missing out.

And I get a nice pay check around the 15th of the month. I'm finally making a dent in all of my doctor bills!

If you'd like to learn more just follow this link.

Don't freak out about not having an ESL license. I don't have one either. If you know how to teach Phonics, you'll be great! 

-Tracy

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The Knit Wit Teacher

I knew that this school year would be full of changes. I was moved from 4th grade to a new Transition to First grade room. I spent the summer planning and thinking my students to be lower first grade students. Turns out, it's more of a repeat kindergarten room with 11 students. I had to completely change my mindset.

At the beginning of the year I had 11 students that didn't know 26 letters / sounds. We didn't know our numbers, shapes, or colors. Not 1 student knew how to write a sentence or even how to write with spaces between words. I had 3 students that were spelling their names wrong, and 11 students that could not login to their iPads with their usernames/passwords. What we knew on Monday, we didn't remember on Wednesday. To say it was a shock would be an understatement.

I had to completely revamp my entire curriculum. I had to find resources. I had to figure out to make my schedule work. I'm just now starting to get into a routine. We are 32 days in, and I'm still not certain that my routine is working. I'm constantly making changes and pulling new resources.

So what resources am I using? Good question. I'm trying to stay away from curriculum they've already used. Instead of the new Reading Street series I'm using Reading Street 2008 and scrambling to find resources. If anyone has the weekly selection test book for Kindergarten please send it my way. The Reading Street Common Core assessments are entirely inappropriate. I want the weekly selection tests that were over the story we working on all week, but I can't find it anywhere!

For Math I'm using the Kindergarten Harcourt book.

After we finish the kindergarten book I'll move on to the first grade edition. 

I love the Scope and Sequence of this math series. I had to order 1 copy of the student workbook from Amazon and I make copies each week. But it's worth every penny! My district currently has enVision and I'm not a fan of it at all! Being given the freedom to go back and use Harcourt was a major plus. We are adopting Math this year and I hope we adopt Go Math for Indiana. It's more in line with this Harcourt series, and has a digital component. Fingers crossed! 

For some Harcourt Math resources click here. 

For Phonics our district uses Saxon. I tried to start with the first grade Saxon and that was kind of working until we hit blends. That was a major disaster and I went home in tears that day! After talking with our Title 1 Reading Instructor we decided to go back to Kindergarten Saxon. I'm only doing the last 2 days of each letter as that's more our level and will get us through the letters and onto blends/digraphs. Once I finish kindergarten, I'll go back to the first grade Saxon and start it over. 

I'm also creating digital Phonics Lessons that follow the Saxon Scope and Sequence. I plan on using these with Canvas our digital platform. It's similar to Schoology. Students will be able to annotate the slides with me while I monitor them using Apple Classroom. Stay tuned to my TPT store for these when I finish! I can't wait to share them with you. 

I'm also implementing Minds in Motion in my school. Minds in Motion is an AMAZING program that helps students with hand eye coordination, motor skills, balance, and this all carries over into the inner ear. You would be amazed at how much the inner ear has to do with student success. 

And on top of all of this I've started a second job as a VIP Kid teacher, and I'm in the middle of a basement remodel.

LIFE IS CRAZY!!

Stay tuned for a Blog post about being a VIP Kid teacher. I absolutely love it!
-Tracy

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The Knit Wit Teacher

When I received word that I was being moved back to Scottsburg, I was also told I would be teaching a new classroom.  This classroom would be for students that did not need to repeat kindergarten, but they weren't ready for first grade either. It would be a "Gift of Time" room. I would have a max of 15 students. I would teach kindergarten the first half of the year, and first grade the second half of the year. At the end of the year my students would be promoted to first grade for the following year. 

I was told that I wouldn't follow the kindergarten curriculum or the first grade curriculum. I also wouldn't use the textbooks for those grades. I would have free rein on my curriculum. 

Hmmmmmm.......sounds like a dream doesn't it? 

But, this means that I'm winging it. I have no standards, I have no Scope and Sequence. That first week of school I will see where my students are, and I'll go from there. 

I'm a planner. I like to know what I'm doing, and how I'm going to do it. 

Right now, this new assignment feels very vague. I've tried Googling Transitional First Grade, and there isn't a lot out there. My TPT cart is full of materials that I think I could use, but again, I'm not sure. 

These are a few of the TPT products that look promising: 

Phonics Bundle

Math Bundle

Fluency Strips

Sight Words

Reading Fluency 

Comprehension Pack

Anyone else a T1 teacher out there? How does your classroom look? Pros/Cons? What works? What doesn't? 

-Tracy

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The Knit Wit Teacher

Last night I was sitting in the yard with my sister when I heard the words every mother dreads to hear.

"Don't tell mom!"

I quickly jumped up from my chair and ran around to the side of the house where I found my twins, my dog, the neighbor boy, and 3 dead baby birds.

It seems that the neighbor boy wanted to check out the birds in the nest in the tree by the house. Gavin decided to get a stick and tilt the nest so they could see. As you can imagine, that did not end well. The poor birds along with the nest fell out of the tree, and my dog got to the birds before I did.

I was traumatic for all of us. I was beyond upset that the boys went against the "Stay away from the birds" rule that has been in place for weeks. I was alarmed that Gavin didn't seem to know how to act after the fact. I was upset that they their first instinct was to hide what they had done, instead of calling for help.

The neighbor boy was sent home. I disposed of the birds. Both boys were sat down and we talked about hiding things is not the way to handle things. We also talked about how animals deserve to be treated just like humans. It doesn't matter if it's a cat, dog, baby bird, etc. Neither of the boys were wanting to talk about how it happened, they were more concerned about why the dog attacked the birds. We talked for awhile, and the boys were sent to bed.

This morning both boys woke up and came and hugged me to say they were sorry. They then sat outside talking to me about the birds. This is when they told me there were 4 birds, not 3. I immediately put the boys and the dogs in the house, and I ran around to the side of the house. I quickly found baby bird number 4. He was still alive, and huddled up to a drainage pipe.

How my dog missed him, I have no idea.

I ran inside to get my husband to help me, and then donned my gardening gloves and went back out. I picked the bird up and we tried putting the nest back in the tree but it was crumpled and the baby bird kept falling/jumping out of it. Mommy / Daddy bird were close by and ticked off that I had the baby at this point. You can imagine the scene. I was huddled under the tree trying to get the baby while dodging Mommy / Daddy.

Hubby went inside to get a small box that we set the nest/bird inside of and we wedged it into the tree. We quickly backed away and Mommy / Daddy bird immediately went to the baby. We watched from a distance and Mommy / Daddy bird quickly went about feeding their baby.

Owyn and Gavin were thrilled that one bird survived. They are now banned from going near the tree and can only watch from a safe distance away. We then talked a great deal about how even if you think you're going to get into trouble, you have to ask for help when you need it. If you don't, others could be in danger. Animals should be given the same respect as people. I think the boys finally realize it. But I know that curious minds don't always think clearly. 

Gavin is our curious child. He always wants to be right in the middle and asking "Why?".  As a parent, it's hard to keep that curiosity strong, while keeping him and others safe. I don't believe for a minute that he wanted to hurt the birds. But, he didn't understand the consequences of  his actions either. Being young, and trying to figure out the world around you can be a challenge. 

Today I'm thankful that 1 bird did survive. I'm thankful that the Mommy / Daddy bird didn't abandon him, and I'm thankful for the teachable moment. 

Parenting is tricky business. 

-Tracy

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The Knit Wit Teacher

I'm sure most of you have read a sexy shower scene in a romance book at some point in your life. #noraroberts fan anyone?

Keep that in mind while I tell you how that works in real life.

I was in the shower yesterday when my husband came in to check on me. I've had a terrible cough lately and I thought the steam would help. He did what any husband would do when looking at their wife in the shower and he kissed me, and then our oldest son started banging on the door yelling for my hubby.

Hubby closes the curtain and opens the door. Oldest tells him that our youngest son was messing around with the bird nest in the tree by the front porch. Hubby deals with that, and then shuts/locks the door again.

I hear him shaving. At this point I know I'm going to get kissed again, with no whisker burn. Woot! Woot!

Hubby walks across the bathroom. He reaches one hand up and grabs the shower rod while pulling back the curtain with the other hand. He leans in to kiss me and.....

He pulls the shower rod / curtain down on top of me.

While he's falling he somehow hits the shower head and pulls it down so water is now hitting me in the face.

He continues to fall and grabs the shower dial turning it to freezing.

He's half in the shower at this point fully dressed.

I'm frantically trying to untangle myself from the curtain, and trying to get the water to stop spraying me in the face at the same time. I finally get the curtain sorted, and I'm able to turn off the freezing water.

Hubby stands up dripping wet and looks mostly pitiful. I just started laughing.

Hubby turns around and grabs a towel for himself while I get the shower rod/curtain hung back up.

This is real life.

In romance books the shower is romantic.

In my life the shower is where I have a few minutes to shave my legs. Most of the time.

Often times my husband will come in and talk to me or a kid will sit down on the floor and talk to me. Why do we talk in the bathroom? I have no idea. It's just happened.

I have found out more about my kids while I'm washing my hair or shaving than at any other time. I know it's weird, but it's life. It's not unusual in our house and privacy is respected.

While my shower scene may not be romance book worthy, I wouldn't change it. It shows that hubby and I can laugh at ourselves and we get it.  Life, or even a moment in life, doesn't always go as planned.

Enjoy it anyway.

And if you get a sexy shower scene, I hope it doesn't end in cold water. ;)

-Tracy

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The Knit Wit Teacher

When I was in 5th grade I had a very strict teacher. In his class you always had to fold your papers a certain way, turn things in number order, and stand up when answering a question. Everyone else in the class had to turn and face you. 

One day he called on me to answer a math word problem.  I stood up and gave the wrong answer. He read the problem again, and I gave the wrong answer again. He read the problem for a 3rd time and I again gave the wrong answer. He made some comment about me getting the problem wrong. 

At this point I broke out of my quiet shell and shouted "Maybe if you actually explained the problem to me, instead of just reading it, I could figure it out!" 

I was sent to the hall......and this is the day I decided I would one day come back and teach at that school and not make students feel like I felt in that moment. 

That dream came true. My first full time spot was indeed at my home school. My husband also worked in that school. 

I taught at Lexington for 3 years and then had to move to another school in my district, Scottsburg, so my youngest boys could be picked up from preschool/daycare on time. Then I transferred back to Lexington last year. A few months ago my husband was offered the principal spot at our school. Under 1 condition, I had to leave. 

Saying I was heartbroken would be an understatement. I couldn't stand in the way of his dreams, but I was going to have to leave mine behind for it to happen. 

Once again, I had to pack up my room. (My 5th move) 

At first my school board was going to move me to the Middle School as there were no elementary spots open. I was going to work on an emergency license and teach Family and Consumer Science. I had a minor freak out over this. I looked at the State test for that license and it wasn't pretty. I can cook, but the questions on the sample test were crazy. 

A week later my Superintendent came back and told me there was an opening at Scottsburg elementary, and I was now moving to that spot. 

I am now going to be teaching a Transitional First Grade class. It's a "Gift of Time" program. Meaning,  it's for a small group of kids, no more than 15, that don't need to repeat kindergarten, but aren't ready for 1st grade either. They will be with  me for a year and then the following year move into first grade full time. Half of my year will be kindergarten material, and the other half 1st. 

I won't be using our kindergarten curriculum, or our first grade curriculum. I'm winging it! 

I hate that I'm leaving my home school behind. I truly love it. It's been my dream for a long time. 

I'll miss my knitting kids and the staff that have become my second family. But, I have worked at this school before. I already know the staff and routines. That makes things easier. I'll be spending this summer figuring out my curriculum and once again preparing a new room. 

My friend Michelle was kind enough to go into my new room and take pictures the last day of school.

Bathrooms, sink, and water fountain in my room!!! Woot. Woot! 

I hate carpet. 

See the hidden closet behind that cabinet?? I'm scared to see what's in there. 

Do you see those walls!!! I can't handle those colors. I plan on painting, cleaning out the closet, and getting everything ready by August 8th. 

It's going to be a busy summer! 

-Tracy

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The Knit Wit Teacher

Beginning a new hobby can be overwhelming. What tools will you need? How do you get started? Who's going to join me on this crazy adventure? Oh wait, I may be the only one that thinks that.

After you've purchased your first set of looms you may want to look into some tools to make life easier. I highly suggest buying extra loom hooks. I have a tendency to misplace mine so it's nice to have a few spares. I do not like the Boye looms but I like their hook. I've bent other brands or had the middle come out completely. The Boye hooks are sturdy and can handle constant use.

 

The only negative to this hook is it can make your hand hurt if you use it for an extended time. To help with that you can easily make a grip for it. If your child has a ton of those little rubber bands around the house you can borrow those instead of buying more! Win. Win!

 Once again I'm suggesting LoomaHat for instructions. 

To help keep track of your stitch counts you can get this handy dandy little clicker. 

I always click at the end of a row so I can keep track of the row I'm on. This is useful when the pattern calls for knit and purl stitches or any other combo of stitches. If I don't use the clicker I can't keep things straight. 

To hold my place I like these lock ring markers. 

 Every now and then I'll need to pull a row out of a project. Getting it back on the loom can be tricky. To help with that I put a marker in each stitch of the last row before I remove from the loom. I fix what I need to fix and then put it back on the loom. These counters are also useful when you are working with socks or for when you need to mark the beginning of a row.  If you also crochet and are working in the round I highly suggest these markers.  They have saved me many times. 

I also keep several yarn needles on hang along with scissors. You can never have enough. 

I also have a knitting bag to keep my current project in. I have this bag from Hobby Lobby and I love it!

It may look small but don't let it deceive you.  This baby comes with 6 pockets on the outside and another pocket on the inside! I've had this bag for 2 years and it still looks brand new. It can carry several skeins of yarn, looms, hooks, needles, and whatever else I throw in at the time. It's the perfect size. 

I have some kids in my knitting club that have yarn organizer bags. This helps them keep their yarn from getting tangled. You can find this bag at Herschners.com 

Or this one, on Amazon.

 

If you don't want to purchase a yarn bag, an empty Folgers can works great too! 

Enjoy! 

-Tracy

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The Knit Wit Teacher

If you are interested in beginning looming you have several options ahead of you. What brand to use. What type of loom to begin with. What should my first project be.

My name is Tracy, I have a loom addiction. :) 

Let me share my thoughts with you. I've tried out several looms and started my knitting club kids out on several. One thing that has become clear. We are not a fan of the Boye brand looms. The Boye looms have a little notch to hold your yarn in place. It sounds good in theory, but in actuality it becomes more of a pain than anything. Your yarn gets stuck in the notch and it's a pain to push your yarn down to wrap the next row. 

I recommend the Loops & Threads circuluar loom set from Michaels. (Don't forget if you are a teacher you get a 15% discount at Michaels. Just show your school ID)

My kids and I prefer this brand over the others. 

If you prefer to shop at Amazon Darice has a set that I also like to use. 

For your first project I suggest making a hat. They make great gifts and you can never have enough! I love this video from Melanie Ham. She talks you through how to make a brim and how to use the e-wrap stitch. The e-wrap is the easiest stitch and great for beginners. 

Let me know how it goes! If you make a hat please share your photos for the rest of us to see! You can make hats for everyone using this chart from Loom a Hat. 

After you've mastered the hat you can try scarves. This video is also from LoomaHat.

I hope you enjoy looming as much as I do!!!
-Tracy

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The Knit Wit Teacher

My students always struggle with Plot structure. They take it as summarizing the story. This doesn't carry over so well into their writing. My goal this year was to really make Plot Structure sink in and make since for them. I started with hooking them in.

(Ignore that Climax wasn't a perfect point, I fixed that later.)

I put this blank diagram up in the hallway.  Then I didn't tell them what it was. Everyday students were asking me what this was for. I countered and asked them what they thought. A few said roller coster, others said it was something for math, and still others had crazy ideas. I remained silent for almost 2 weeks! The suspense was driving them crazy!!!  

The day of my lesson I asked my class if they could finger draw the diagram in the hallway. Every kiddo put their finger in the air and drew the diagram.  They won't be forgetting what this looks like for awhile! 

I then took them to the hallway and added the labels. 

While I was explaining each section they were taking notes. 

Once they were done taking notes we went back inside for a Prezi. This is a public Prezi that was created by Tim McNamara. 

            

We had just finished reading HP so this worked out perfectly and saved me some time! I loaded the Prezi in Canvas and each student was able to access it with their iPads. Once everyone was logged in, we went over it together adding any details and answering questions. 

For a take away project they were given a Plot Diagram Choice Board. Glogster is an app that we hadn't used much in class. It's not the friendliest of programs to use, but I wanted to encourage them to try it out again. I also gave pts for any app or project that was more challenging. I want to push my students to try new or harder things without me baby stepping them through the process. 

I only had 2 students draw their diagrams. Every other student picked one of the apps or created it using Keynote. Glogster was tricky for them but they gave it a try and for that I rewarded them. Don't get me wrong, I like Glogster, it just needs some work. 

We continued with Plot through the week and my kiddos finally started carrying it over into their writing. Success!!!! 

-Tracy

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The Knit Wit Teacher

Did you know I'm an introvert? It's true.

 

 I've always been incredibly shy but I am getting better. The Teacher/Blogger Retreat in French Lick is one of my favorite events, but it does make me nervous. My goal is always to introduce myself to new people but it is something I struggle with. I always seem to find myself on the fringe never sure how to proceed. This year I was able to meet some new people and next year I hope to come out of my shell a little more. Third times the charm!! 

One of the highlight events, the Teacher Tool Swap, is an event that I didn't participate in this year. Openings gifts in front of people makes me extremely nervous. When I was pregnant with my twins I almost cancelled my baby shower because the thought of opening gifts made me so nervous! The tool swap is the same way. This year I just watched from the sidelines but I enjoyed seeing all the neat gifts. (Sorry if I seemed rude, that is never my intention)

This is the 4th, 5th, 6th grade swap. Amanda from The Primary Gal is enjoying her gift below.  She's kinda my hero. :) 

(Photo Credit: Joshua Stears) 

I love this retreat because it's refreshing to be around so many like minded people. No one is complaining or grouchy. We are a happy, positive, and excited group of people. And how could we not be with this motto: 

(Photo Credit: Joshua Stears) 

Teaching truly is my passion. It's easy to get discouraged with ISTEP and outdated thinking from the higher ups, but we all need to remember why we took this path. I' never thought of another career growing up. Teaching has always been my passion. I need to make it happen regardless of what's going on outside of my classroom. 

The French Lick Teacher/Blogger Meet Up has some AMAZING sponsors. 

(Photo Credit: Joshua Stears) 

(Wow, I'm short! I'm even wearing heels!)

This year I won a book set from Maria Dismondy. I LOVE it! Her book, Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun, is a cute reminder about being who you are. It also teaches showing kindness to others even when they are not showing it to you. A great lesson for kinders and my 4th graders.  Especially this time of year when Girl Drama tends to start! 

Don't you just LOVE this bag. Vera Bradley once again donated bags to every attendee. I love these bags for summertime sports. They are truly fantastic. 

(Photo Credit: Joshua Stears) 

I am a girl that loves the simple things in life. That being said...let me show you my favorite "swag bag" items. 

A giant magnet from TPT and Udderly Smooth lotion. This lotion is phenomenal. Your hands are so smooth after using this! If you haven't tried it, run out and get some. You won't regret it. 

I love these giant magnets because I am a forgetful person. I've found that if I use them to put papers on my classroom doorframe I'm less likely to forget to copy them or take them to the office. They are truly a lifesaver. I also use them to hold work for a student that has been absent. Otherwise I tend to forget what they need to make up. Keeping it on my door gives me the reminder I need. Thanks TPT! 

We had some amazing sponsors that I am truly grateful for. Check it out! 

Kirsta Wallden from Creative Clips and Digi by Amy, you ladies rock. Thank you for the amazing clip art. 

#ABCmouseteachers showed teaches some love with their program. I can't wait to see how Owyn and Gavin do with this program. I also plan to share it with all of our K & 1 teachers. 

I love all the support that these amazing sponsors showed to each one of us. THANK YOU! 

Check back soon for my blog post on the Hue document camera and the PencilGrip company. These are 2 of my favorite products and I want to showcase them specifically. They also love teachers and deserve a major shout out. It's time to show them some love. 

My favorite part of the event? The Round Table Discussions. I was able to visit with Exploring is Elementary, All Things Apple in 2nd,  The Primary Gal, and A Bird in Hand Designs. 

Cindy from Exploring is Elementary showcased NearPod. My group kind of highjacked her presentation and she was kind enough to let us. NearPod is a great tool to use in the classroom and one I definitely plan on looking into more. Cindy is also a Sherlock fan. For that reason alone I will forever be her friend. 

Nicole from All Things Apple did an amazing job of showing how she runs her Lit Circles. She knows what she's doing and I can't wait to try her flaps out in my classroom. 

Amanda was amazing as always. Her school has streamlined their curriculum and made it easy to teach using topics. I hope to visit her classroom soon to gain some more ideas. 

Megan from A Bird in Hands design talked about the importance of having a blog that is mobile compatible. Stay tuned for my new blog design coming in May! I can't wait to see what she comes up with this time. I loved the design for 4th Grade Dynamic Duo and I'm sure this one will be just as fantastic. She does great work! 

All in all, it was an amazing day and I can't wait for next year. 

Holly Ehle and Brittany Banister you ladies are amazing. Thank you for all your hard word. We truly appreciate all you do. To every person that helped organize this event, thank you. I can only imagine all the work that goes into making this event the success that it is. 

Thanks again to all the wonderful sponsors.  (Keep reading for a chance to win a prize pack) 

 

(Photo Credit: Joshua Stears)   

All in all our AMAZINGLY GENEROUS sponsors donated over $15,000 in prizes and giveaways!

We all felt the love! Thank you sponsors!

 

  

 
  

   

     

   

Would you like to connect with more amazing educators from this weekend? Check out the linky below!
-Tracy

An InLinkz Link-up

Want a chance to win a prize pack featuring a HUE document camera, a year subscription to ESGI and more? Enter below! Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Knit Wit Teacher