A success and an "urgh"

First up, let me get to the success. I am super proud of my students today. Yes, it's the end of the year but I have to say I've had more difficult times with my class so I'm not really complaining about behaviour. I started introducing my class to multiplication word problems as bell work that we worked through together in January. And then February got crazy busy with our International Week, etc., and we put it aside. I switched to editing paragraphs I'd typed out after that, then moved to the printing books, then another thing, and as you can see, multiplication got left behind. 


Until this week, that is! I put a word problem up and the first day, they struggled with remembering the concept. The second day, a few more light bulbs. The third day, a LOT more light bulbs. Today, the fourth day, even my lowest students were successfully able to write their very own multiplication story! For ESL kids, I am very impressed. I got the template from another blogger {I cannot for the life of me find who, even though she very cleverly put her copyright in the document} and just changed the title. Since our Ontario curriculum really only calls for us to introduce it, I couldn't be happier that they {mostly} understand the basics.

"Hessa has six toys. She shares with Aaliya. How many toys will each person get? Each person get three. 3x2=6"

Majed has tewelve toys he shares with Khaled and Talal. How many Toys will each Person get? 3x4=backward 12 {!}"

"Sheikha has 6 cherries. She shares with loulwah. How many berries will each person get? 2x3=6"

Well done, grade two!

And now, the sad. I really truly definitely loved my stars background from Shabby Blogs. I loved the colours, I loved the style, and I loved the simplicity. This is the second time, though, that they have had a malware threat of some type that has directly affected my blog since I use their code. I am so sad. But, I did find a cute {and free!} template at June Lily. I like but, it's just not...the same...you know?

- Amanda

If You're a Kid...

My class L.O.V.E.S. this dance video. I've used it all year whenever I felt like they needed a little break to move around. Since it's the end of the year, it may be just the thing to help you get through!

Have a great week.
- Amanda

Proper Nouns Center

Hooked by that title? ha - didn't think so. But it's the end of the year and the old brain's not so quick at this point, I guess.

Just want to share a quick center I made up for my kids to practice proper nouns and capitalization. I'm not a worksheet person during center time, so there is no corresponding worksheet. I'll just have them write the words under columns {proper and common} in their journals. Easy peasy. Ignore the page in the middle that has words more relevant for my class here in Kuwait if you'd like!

Click the images to download.

I'd love to know if anyone downloads or uses these :)

- Amanda

Plural Posters take two

I had a request from a reader {awhile ago...sorry, Sarahlou} to add another rule to my plural posters pack, and so I did. The fifth rule now shows "If there's a vowel before the 'y,' just add 's'." It seems a lot of people are getting some good use out of these, so I hope the update is helpful! Again, thanks to Nikki for the great art.

Click the images to download.

Good night :)

- Amanda

Class Awards

A few weeks ago I made and printed a set of classroom awards for my students. I put them up in my TpT store and they have been downloaded like crazy! Here is the original file I made for my grade 2s:

You can head to my shop to find the sets for kindergarten through grade six. Enjoy! Many many thanks to all of the clip artists I borrowed images and papers from - credits are on the last page :)

Also, I was told today that the art my class made for the Spring concert auction {see this post} sold for 100KD! That's about $360 CAD - pretty amazing! 

- Amanda

Art Expo and I guess I really am just like my mother...

This has been a Busy week! Today we had a school-wide ice cream picnic complete with games run by our student council. I'm pretty sure my class had a blast and really needed the time to get their crazy out! Afterward we went on an art walk around the school to see displays from every class, Pre-K to grade 9. {Thanks to my wonderful Jeff for organizing this!} It was really great to see all the creativity and my students loved all the compliments they got on their artwork of wax-resist paintings. Here are a few of my favourites from my class:

Last week we finished up a different art project - a collaborative piece to be auctioned off at our Spring concert tomorrow. My class created a warm and cool colours mosaic {they did it all on their own!} that was a really simple project. It was framed by our school to be sold - here's the final product:

So proud!

Also, I have to just get it out there, just say it, so maybe I can start to turn this around: I have a shoe problem. I have bought four pairs of heels since we got to Kuwait! Do I wear heels at school, you ask....no. Do I wear heels on weekends, you ask next...no. So....yeah, I know. I hear it. It's a problem, and I blame my mother for passing this one down. I bought this beige pair to wear to my sister's wedding {the day after we get back to Toronto!} and the black pair only cost 3KD {$15 or so CAD}. So now I ask you: how could I resist? 

Happy hump day from Kuwait :)
-Amanda

Story Mapping Posters Idea {and a bunch of other things because I have been slacking...}

Last week my class finally finished up their story mapping posters for The Lorax. 

I made a really simple template that you can adapt for any book to make your own. Click the image to download if you'd like.

Here are a couple photos that pretty much sum up my week in grade two:

{The blinds are closed in the background because we had just watched a video clip for a kid's birthday party in class. Usually, they are wide open because, as I tell my class, "Sunshine makes us happy!" I feel I need the sunshine the most in my room haha.}

I've struggled with my class aaaalllll year - they have trouble listening, they are energetic, they are oh-so-loud. {And that's not to mention the five dominant or defiant personalities I deal with!} But in the end, they are kids and they love to have fun. Now that the year is winding down, they're a bit wackier than usual {surprise!}. Which is, unfortunately, one of the reasons our performance for the Spring Concert is pretty awful. And I don't mean awful in the sense that they'll pull it together for performance day because that's what always happens - I mean awful in the sense that it is ... well, it is just not good. We have Sunday and Monday to practice before game day, so I need to focus and push the stress away that is teaching them this routine so we can get it done! Wish me luck :)

Last weekend Jeff and I went to a student art competition at a hotel near our apartment. Some of the art was so fantastic! We happened to score the best one {I really do think it is the best one - I'm still surprised it didn't win an award} and it only cost us 5KD! {Less than $20 CAD.} It's on a canvas about the size of regular Bristol board. This one is a paint and newspaper collage made by a fifteen year old student. I love to collect some type of art work from every country I visit, and I feel this is very suitable for our time in the Middle East.

And finally, just a quick shot of one of our favourite weekend stops: A marina near our place where we can eat Pinkberry on a patio and people watch like crazy.

Is anyone else having trouble believing we are through a third of May already?!?

- Amanda

Don't mind if I do...!

This is a bit of a great news weekend! First, one of my favourite clip artists, Miss Tiina, is having her birthday celebration throughout the month of May. She has two great options, but I chose to....

Source: Miss Tiina

This is such a great offer and I am all kinds of excited about getting my coupon in my email today! Her work is just oh-so-cute.

Second, one great blogger, A Modern Teacher, is hosting a K-2 Teacher Appreciation Jackpot where a ton of other great bloggers are giving away products from their TpT shops for free on Sunday!
And since my Sunday plans are now set, I figured I should finish up the latest activity...





It's a simple little center to help my class with quotation marks. We wrote short stories last week for our Young Author's afternoon and I noticed that many have forgotten how and why to use these. {I'm thinking, though, that we may not get to this center - behaviours are definitely high with the end of the year looming and I'm not sure I want to inflict the stress upon myself haha.} I do hope to give it a shot this week after I get my hot glue gun back - I will be gluing the speech marks onto popsicle sticks. I'll have my students record the sentences including the proper speech marks in their journals. Click the pics if you're interested.

Happy weekend!

-Amanda

A weird and wonderful weekend

It seems like Jeff and I sit around most weekends watching episodes of The League or Modern Family, finishing up school work and asking each other, "Well, what do you want to do?" We shop a lot and we eat out a fair bit. {Retail therapy is only great for so long before it becomes a problem, right? haha} But this weekend, we went out and did some things, which was really great.


First, I need to get the "weird" over with. We started out by going to Friday Market {Souq al-Jum'a} because we want to get some antique gifts for people {and we want to get them dirt cheap!}. It's really a great place - perfect people-watching, random things to see, and lots of second-hand merchandise. This time we decided to check out the "pet souq" part of it, and really, now that I've typed what literally translates to "pet market," we should have seen it coming: It is the most awful place to be. 

Yes, it looks like this should be cute! That is until you realize these dyed chicks will likely die of toxicity within a week. All of the teeny tiny cages for cats, bunnies and pups definitely tugged on the heart strings, and it makes one wonder why on earth this place exists at all... Supply and demand, I suppose.

Sorry about the image... But shake it off, because I'm moving on to happiness! Before we moved to Kuwait, Jeff and I organized most of what will be happening on our wedding day this coming July. Everything from venue to menu and right down to my actual wedding dress! I, the indecisive lady I am, just bought a brand new wedding dress on Friday that I am SO excited about! The first one was short, strapless and only a little lacy....since I'm a "grandma" kind of girl, the new one is long, has a full lace overlay and straps. I am loving this change and am just plain excited to marry my dear! {Not to worry, both were incredibly affordable.} Now to find some lovely shoes to wear with it :)

On Saturday, Jeff treated me to a spa package - jacuzzi tub, massage and a foot softening at the Movenpick - because it's my birthday this week. So getting to "almost 30" is pretty damn great, if I do say so myself.

Here's hoping all of you had a fantastic weekend, too. Now back to the grind - with such a short time to go!

Good night.

- Amanda

Subtraction Review

I'll be adding these quick subtraction review cards to my Math centers this week. I know a lot of my students need extra practice! There is a mix of regrouping and non-regrouping. Love the backgrounds from Michelle, The 3AM Teacher.

Click the images to download from Google docs. I've already shared these on my TpT store, but am just remembering now to post here. {I only opened the store to share things with a larger teaching community - sharing is caring! Of course, everything there is free, too.}

Have a great weekend!

- Amanda

latest behaviour management strategy

If I didn't deal with a lot of talking and students who generally do what they please {yesterday I had a young man walk himself - without permission! - to our counselor to gripe about another student in class}, I am definitely feeling it now as the end of the year approaches. It's also starting to get reeeeaally hot in Kuwait, which doesn't help either. 
I've done two themed behaviour management ideas in my class, both of which were big hits. The first was a birthday party theme {see here} and the last was a soccer theme {see here}. This time, since we recently read The Lorax and because I'm a little excited there is a movie {!}, I made a Lorax theme. I found the pattern on a blog....but I can't remember where :(

Every time the whole class is listening or a lesson goes really well in general, they get a Truffula Tuft. I also use it as a reward for hard work during Literacy and Math centers, since a couple of them still think this is free time... After they've collected all twelve Tufts {I still have three Truffula trunks to laminate...it's on a list, but it's a loooong list}, we'll watch the movie.

After that, I'm going to try out a Behaviour BINGO idea I found at Miss Kindergarten. I LOVE this one! 

I cannot believe there are only six weeks left of school! I'm more excited about this than I thought I'd be... Can't wait to get home in June just in time for my sister's wedding and hang out with family and friends. Jeff and I will also be putting the "finishing touches" so to speak on our own mostly-planned wedding day in July, and then off to Peru! Lots of good stuff happening this summer :) I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of the end!

- Amanda

A Tasty Graphing Activity

We are just finishing up our Data Management unit and I thought I'd share a fun little activity we did last week. It's a really simple pictograph and my students were kind of excited by it {maybe they though I was going to give them ice cream afterward?}. Click the title page to download.

Don't mind the pic, please...I really do have the worst lighting in my classroom!

And now I'm off to figure out this Spring concert... wish me luck! {I'm actually thinking of doing a no-music version of "Stand By Me" - just snapping, foot-tapping, bells, etc. Hmm...} 

Good night!

- Amanda

Earth Day

I'm sure many of you have seen this idea hopping around the blog world... I'm going to give it a shot on Sunday with my class!

Listen to the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. Ask the students to visualize what they hear. Have them illustrate portions of the lyrics using the following file. I separated the lyric lines so each of my 22 students will have one page. If you have more, you could have the extras make "complimentary" art to work with the theme. Or draw the entire song in one scene. Anyway, hope someone can use it! Click the title below to download all 22 pages.

- Amanda