September Sunday Social

Happy Sunday Social day!

Once again I am linking up with Neely and Ashley for their Sunday Social.

This Weeks Questions:
1. What is the name if your blog?   Resource Room Rules

2. What do you love most about blogging?  I love writing, and connecting with other teacher bloggers who are passionate about their careers, as well as learning about other things such as photography, travel and cooking.

3. Why did you start blogging?  I started reading some teaching blogs and was looking for special education and resource teacher blogs in general.  After reading and following so many I decided that was something I wanted to do as well.

4. What is something you’d want to tell someone just starting out in the blog world? Keep at it and take your time.  Join in with linky parties to get exposure and find new blogs and hopefully have other blogs find you.


5. Biggest blogging learning experience you’ve had? There have been lots of different things.  Commenting on other people's blogs, as well as linky parties.  Another thing that I've learned about is participating in giveaways, as well as making and selling products.  That's another thing I'd like to learn more about.  My blog is coming up on one year and I need to figure out how to do a giveaway.

  
6. What are three blogs you love? 

The Lower Elementary Cottage 
The Resource(ful) Room
Heather's Heart
 
Next Weeks Questions:
1. What is your favorite handbag you’ve ever owned?
2. What is your dream handbag you lust over?
3. What are the daily essentials in your purse or work bag?
4. What’s in your purse (with pictures)?

Welcome to September-Goals

This month has flow by!  It's been such a busy month getting back into the routine of school, and adjusting to my new school year.   Along with a new school year, comes new goals for me.  I'm really looking forward to the cooler weather so that I can start enjoying all the fun activities that being outdoors brings.

Personal-I need to find a good balance this year.  I don't want to let teaching consume me, and I want to make time for exercise, as well as spending more time with friends, family and my boyfriend.

Health-I really want to get in shape this year.  I'm planning on joining a gym this year so that I can get into a good routine of working out at the gym, going to yoga regularly, and once it cools down running and hiking on a regular basis.

School-I would really like to continue incorporating more technology into my classroom.  I'd like to get some ipads, ipods and maybe a smartboard.  I'm also on a constant quest to become more organized and start incorporating some of those cute pinterest ideas into my classroom.

Blog/TPT-I'd love to increase my followers, and learn about making products so that I can start selling, and earning an extra income.  I also need to start learning about hosting some giveaways since it's almost my first blogaversary!  I started this little blog last year during my fall break (October).  I don't even know where to start since I haven't started making products yet.

What are your goals for the coming school year?

September Currently

Well it's hard to believe that it's a new month and time for another Currently.  It's been a pretty busy month trying to get back into the groove of teaching, and trying to keep some balance in my life. 


Anyway, it's time to link up with Farley for another Currently linky party.

 

Listening-I quit cable, bought a Roku and signed up for Netflix.  I most recently discovered Parenthood on Netflix and love it.  I can't wait for Season 4 to come out and Season 5 to start up again.  It would be nice to be caught up by the time the new season starts.  Only drawback is that with no cable, and using an antennae I'm not getting NBC.  

Loving- SO nice having a three day weekend and I'm totally looking forward to fall break in a month.  I love my job and my kids, but it's so nice having time off. ; )

Thinking-This is a constant quest for me.  I really need to work on getting more organized at home, and at school. 

Wanting-Some balance in my life.  This is my biggest challenge when I'm working-keeping some balance in my life.  I need to spend time taking care of myself, as well as carving out time for family and friends.

Needing-Some cooler weather here in Arizona.  SO ready for it to cool down here.  Arizona has great weather about 8-9 months out of the year, but the heat prevents me from enjoying some fun outdoors and I'm ready to get back and enjoy the great outdoors again so I can hike and take yoga classes outdoors.

Some love-I need to work on creating healthy and organic meals.  I've made some progress, but I really want to explore some good recipes this year which will help me incorporate more of a plant based diet in my life.

I also want to work out more regularly, and do more hiking once it starts getting cooler here in Arizona.

Last, but not least do a better job reconnecting with friends, and especially spend more time dancing (especially swing) since that's one of my favorite things to do.

Come out and join the fun and find out what everyone else is doing Currently!

How do you teach multiplication facts?

Well I've been back at school for three weeks and finally feeling like I'm getting into the groove of being back in school.  It's been super busy (isn't it always).  The beginning of the school year is always a whirlwind of setting up classrooms, getting back into a routine of getting up earlier and going to bed earlier than summertime.  It's that  time of year, for a fresh start with new routines, new ways of teaching and for some teachers a new set of students.  Since I teach special education resource I have mostly the same students,  with a few new transfer in students.  That makes for a busy start of the school year, since I have to hit the ground running as far as setting up iep meetings and getting settled into new routines.  I have some sweet kids this year, but I also have some characters in my room this year.   I've been working with my students on beginning year assessments (both my own, and school wide), rules and routines.

Most of my students need to work on mastering their multiplication facts.  Mastering, and or memorizing is pretty difficult, so I work with them on at least knowing how to solve multiplication facts even though they don't have the answers memorized.   I use a mixture of ways to teach it multiplication.  I use touch math, which starts with repeated addition and skip counting which is the foundation of mastering the math facts.  

I also recently discovered Xtra Math which helps students practice and master math facts.  My students have really enjoyed being able to use it, and most of them look forward to it, and the opportunity to practice their math facts.  

 

Another strategy is using Super Speed Math from Whole Brain Teaching.  They pair up with each other and practice their math facts with a partner, and the other person has the answers and checks as they go along.  We also play math war, where they have to solve multiplication problems (using times tables), and whoever gets the highest answer gets all the cards.

 

What do you do to teach multiplication facts?  Any other great websites out there to help students practice their math facts?

Hope everyone has a great school year!!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sunday Social

I hope everyone had a good weekend!  It's been really hot here in Phoenix, so I've been doing my best to stay cool.  Usually I don't mind the heat so much, as long as it doesn't get over 110.  Unfortunately, it's been over 110 this weekend, and hasn't been cooling down in the evenings, which helps.  I've been staying indoors, watching movies, and swimming to stay school. 
Today I'm linking up with Neely and Ashley for their weekly Sunday Social.

This Weeks Questions:
1. What is something you’ve always wanted to do but are afraid of?  Scuba Diving or Surfing.  I'd love to learn how to do both of them, and probably will eventually, I just need to work up the courage to do it.


2. Where do you see yourself in five years? Living here in Phoenix, traveling all over the US and Europe, being a published author and photographer and continuing to teach.

3. What are you looking forward to before the end of 2013?  I can't think of anything specific, just enjoying cooler weather and hopefully a road trip or two.

4. What are your hopes for your blog?  I'd like to continue to grow my blog, gain more followers, post regularly, build a community and more interactions on my blog, learn how to create and sell products and start earning money from my blog.

5. Do you always see yourself living in your current town/city?  I think so, I love Arizona, but sometimes think it would be cool to live along the coast either in CA, or Oregon, maybe even New York City or somewhere in Europe. 

6. What is your morning routine? I have breakfast, watch the morning shows (Good Morning America for me) and get ready to go to work.  I'd like to work in a work out in the morning, but always lose my motivation.



Next Weeks Questions:
1. What do you miss most about being a kid?
2. Dd you have a nickname growing up? What was it?
3. What was your favorite thing to do at recess?
4. What did you want to be when you grew up?
5. Did you participate in any school activities?
6. What is the funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about?

Have a good weekend everyone!!

Found some really great resources for behavior and tracking goals! Come check these out!!

So it was back to work for me, last week.  It's been pretty good, setting up my classwork, catching up with students and trying to get my schedule figured out!  Scheduling is always the biggest headache of teaching resource, trying to coordinate with the general education teachers and figuring out the best time to pull students so it doesn't conflict with specials, lunch, and the meat and potatoes of the lessons.   It's always changing as well, as teachers make changes, and I have students joining us throughout the school year if they've transferred in, or recently qualified for services.

Anyway, I don't know about your school, but ours uses a school wide behavior system called PBIS, which is short for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.  A fellow teacher recommended a website called PBIS World which has a list of behaviors, click on the behavior, and it has a list of descriptions of the behaviors, click yes my student fits that description, or no they don't.  If you click yes they have a suggestions to help you with these students, as well as Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.  They also have all sorts of resources for tracking behaviors, interventions, and tracking data.  It's similar to the PRIM manual which is the Pre Referral Intervention Manual, which is a great resource for special education teachers (especially resource teachers).

Free Printable Behavior Charts is another great resource, and website I found through this website.  They have a lot of different behavior charts that you can use in your classroom, or that parents can use at home.

I've already talked about Class Dojo which is also a great resource for reinforcing positive behavior in the classroom.  All of these resources are free!

Any other great resources out there for helping with and tracking behavior and/or goals?  I'd love to hear about them!!

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Back to school again!

Is it that time of the year already?  I had a long, relaxing summer.  I spent time working on my blog, and catching up with friends.  Then I went to our cottage in Minnesota this summer for a month of swimming,  relaxing and spending time with family,  and friends.  My nieces came out (twins) and spent some time out there before their parents came.  I loved spending so much time with them.  

Then one last weekend getaway in San Clemente, CA before going back to school.  It was so nice to get away from the heat again!!  I love Arizona, but this time of year is really hot!!  Here is a picture of the pier.

Last week I returned back to school.  In between meeting and catching up with friends, I worked on putting my room together.  I'm lucky to have a room to myself.

Here are some of the pictures from my room-

This is where my students store their materials (books, notebooks etc.), as well as filing cabinets.

This is my main teaching area.  This is where I do direct instruction and my groups meet.  You may be able to see my new document camera which also came with a new projector that was put in my room last year.

Here is my desk.  Behind me is where a lot of teaching materials are stored.  I also keep a lot of information that I need handy access there.

Now starts the process of getting organized, scheduling students (always a headache) assessing them, and planning.  It should be an interesting year.  This is the first year our school is getting an Autism program in our building.  I've worked with some students that are on the higher end of the autism program, but not with a wider variety of students.  I won't actually be working with them, I'll still be doing resource, but I'm looking forward to learning more about them.  

Anyway, today was the second day of school!  It went fairly smoothly, and I'm looking forward to a great year.

It's almost the weekend!!  Happy Wednesday!!