Teachers Pay Teachers Store!

"I like it better here where I can sit just quietly and smell the flowers."

-Munro Leaf (The Story of Ferdinand)

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I am very excited to now have my Teachers Pay Teachers store up and running! Here's the link:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jenny-Rynearson

I LOVE creating materials to use with my students! It has been super fun creating products that I am proud of both in terms of content and design.

So far, I have several sets of "Partnership Slips" up. I use these every morning with my students as we get ready to come to the carpet for our Morning Meeting. I pass them out to student while they are working on their Morning Work independently at their desks. They find their partner (to do our daily sharing routine with once the Morning Meeting has begun) by finding the match for their card. It has been a great way to learn new vocabulary, practice important skills, and build classroom community by mixing up student partnerships every day!

I have also posted some Community Activities I created for the first couple of weeks back to school after Winter Break. Kids need to spend time reviewing and practicing routines and procedures, as well as solidifying and refreshing their classroom community. It is also an excellent time for reflection and goal-setting. This pack is full of TONS of ways to do these things! Please check it out! :)

Every time I see someone new has visited my page, I get so excited! My husband has his Fantasy Basketball stats to check - now I am addicted to checking my Teachers Pay Teachers stats! HA!

Thanks for visiting!
Jenny :)

Welcome Board!

“Slow and steady wins the race.”

-- Aesop, The Hare and the Tortoise

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Whew! It has been awhile since I’ve been on here… because I have been very busy with the living and breathing world of teaching! But I have been checking things off my to-do list slowly and steadily, so I thought it was time to make an appearance back here!

Setting up my classroom is always one of my most favorite things. My grade-level colleague and I were discussing how much we enjoy the freedom of classroom decoration – it’s okay to go with a trend, because you can take it down and start over again next year! Not so easy to do in one’s house, but great in the classroom!

I always have a bulletin board welcoming people into our classroom, and this year, I got a little inspired from Pinterest and used some leftover scrapbook paper to create a hot-air balloon design! I love it because the clouds are 3-D – I (with some help from my mama!) folded and stapled them together so they protruded slightly from the wall. It really looks cheerful and fun. The kids just seem to know, too, that if they keep their fingers off of it, it will continue to look nice, because it still looks just as good as the day I put it up! J It’s nice to see as I walk in my classroom every morning. I thought about purchasing a welcome bulletin board, but I love having projects and hopefully this will help to inspire the kids to be creative, too!

Do you have a welcome board for your classroom?

Ready or Not!

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me ... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”

-- Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends

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Ready or not... here I go!

I am so excited to begin this crazy adventure called blogging. I have been a fan of so many fantastic teacher blogs out there for awhile now. I can’t wait to have some great conversations about teaching and learning, reflect on my own practice while planning for the future, and interact with all those amazing teachers out there. 

So who am I? I have been a classroom teacher of fourth and fifth grade kiddos for the past 10(!) years. I love what I do because I know it’s important. I love getting to be creative every day. I love the challenge of wearing a thousand different hats every day and having to solve a thousand different problems every day. I love that kids are funny and sweet and sometimes not-so-sweet. I love getting to work with kids on their way to something great.

Every summer, I like to think about what I’m going to do better come September. So what better way to start my blog than thinking about the start of the upcoming school year! Here are some of the things that have been on my mind:

• Bring Back Morning Meeting - I had a weird schedule last year in which 2/3 of my class rotated to another room 5 minutes after the first bell rang. There was no time for a Morning Meeting, and I really missed it. While I always stand by the door and greet my kids by name each morning, there is something about an official Morning Meeting that makes such a solid positive start to the day. I will elaborate on some of my thinking about Morning Meetings this year in another blog post.

• Increase Parental Involvement - Writers’ Teas, art celebrations, help with classroom projects...I want to see more parents more often! I know there is a lot I can do to extend more invitations besides just needing field trip chaperones.

• More PROJECTS! - Last year, I felt like I had some good learning routines going, but I didn’t do enough projects that were truly memorable. Kids keep three things: art, writing, and projects. Projects are motivating and provide an opportunity to teach some super great skills. Assigning projects versus actually teaching research and presentation skills are two different things, so I want to make sure I do the latter.

• Start Book Clubs Sooner - Watching kids read with excitement and burst out their ideas in a book club setting makes me happy. Plus, there is something that feels so good, no matter what age you are, about finishing a chapter book. So many kids start books but never finish them, but I think being part of a book club will facilitate this.

• Integrate More Technology - Technology is hip. Enough said.

• Re-Evaluate Homework Policy - Should I do weekly packets? What should be included? How much? Should I provide some sort of incentive for kids who complete it? Lots to think about here still! I need to talk with my teaching team.

• Bring Better Lunches and More Snacks to Work - I get hangry (hungry + angry). Time for more fresh fruits and veggies and less microwavable foodstuff.

Soooooo... these are just a few of my ideas. I have other ones swimming around in my head...but that’s one of the things that makes this job so fun! What are YOUR thoughts for your classroom for the 2013-2014 school year?

:) Jenny