Sydney's School Stories

I am officially moving from Newport --> Woodridge Elementary. I am leaving Newport because as a first year teacher you're last to get an assignment and teachers with continuing contract get priority. I will be teaching 5th grade math & science at Woodridge and doing the expertise model (this is where I partner with an ELA/social studies 5th grade teacher and we share 2 classes of kids who switch mid-day). Sad to leave Newport, but excited for new opportunities!!

The medium sized colored bins from Target are amazing for organizing science materials (you can find them at Target for $3 and Dollar Tree also has great deals on all sized bins.  Put ALL of the materials a group will need in a bin for each group- I do this the night before or have student helpers come in at recess to help gather supplies Give directions BEFORE you pass out the bins and write them in a place that students can easily refer to during the lesson (after the bins are passed out- it is hard for kids to concentrate on teacher directions) Give kids a chance to touch/explore the materials- this gets the "newness" of working with materials out of the way  Have a basket that contains extra supplies that groups might need in the front of the room. If your class can handle getting out of their seat for more supplies, assign a "grabber" for each group - this will be the kid who gets more supplies as needed. If your class is too rowdy or distracted by getting...

Top 3 Tips for Teaching 5th Wrapping up my first year of teaching was so fun! I learned a lot from my fabulous group of 5th graders and want to share 3 top tips I have learned so far about teaching 5th graders. Listen To Them. 5th graders have a lot of opinions and are able to deconstruct a lot of information about the world around them- and they want to share what they think with their teacher. I was really open with my class that it was my first year teaching and I wanted their feedback about how class was structured, what books to read next, etc. I gave out surveys to students and listened to their feedback in morning meetings. Students in upper grades want to feel like their voice is being heard and when they see their ideas put into action are more likely to join the class community. 5th grade is also a time of change and transition for a lot o Hold Them To A High Standard. At most elementary schools students in 5th are the oldest kids in schools and may think they are ...