5th Grade, Here I Come

It's Thursday. So that means I'm joining Annie at Home of Malones and Natalie from East Coast Chic for their Thoughts for Thursday link-up...

So what's on my mind today?

I'm going to be teaching 5th grade here at DA next year. That means I get to move up with my current crew. I'm super excited! And thankfully, they were all fairly excited about it too, with the exception of the boys who thought it'd mess things up because I couldn't teach them about "manly stuff." It took all I had in me not to bust out laughing right then and there :)

My very first teaching job was a long-term sub position as a 5th Grade Special Education Teacher. I loved working with those kids. And while in the States this past year and a half, the majority of my kids were in 5th Grade. So I've spent quite a bit of time with that grade level.

So when our current 5th grade teacher told us he and his wife were going back to the States for a year's furlough (or home assignment/itineration, depending on which group you're with), our principal asked if I'd be willing to move up to 5th grade next school year. I didn't have to think long about it. I jumped at the chance. 

5th Grade is a fun one to teach. They're old enough to do more involved work. They can do more of a variety of assignments. And when you have a class like mine, who truly loves reading, you can incorporate so many different reading projects too! I love it! 

It's been I have some great ideas for next year...

1. Wax Museum - I've seen a few different teacher friends on Facebook doing this with their kids. My goal is for us to choose influential figures from around the world and become those people. The kids can do research, write/type reports, and present their findings as they take on the persona of that person. This would help them in Social Studies, Reading/Writing/Grammar, Communication, etc. I think it'd be super fun. And my kids are quite the actors. So I know they'll love this!

2. Book Seller Convention - The current 5th grade teacher has done this for years. The kids choose a book, read it, and then not just write any ol' book report. Rather, they become the "seller" of this book. They have to give you so much detail and share all the goodness of the book so much, that you as a "buyer" want that book.

3. Sign Language Bible Memory - As I've mentioned, one of the resources our class has is a family fluent in ASL. One great way to memorize things is to add motion to it. And since I have a class full of hands-on/kinesthetic learners, this is a great way to help them.

4. Classroom Bill of Rights - I've seen classrooms that had this and I love it. On the first day of school, we'll learn what the Constitution/Bill of Rights of a country is. Then we'll write one just for our class. It'll be the rights (rules) of our class. The reason I love this so much is that it gives the kids ownership of the rules and the classroom. And typically, if they have ownership in the rules, they'll work harder to follow them.

5. Groups, Groups, Groups Everywhere - Since I'll have quite the wide range of ability levels next year, my goal is to do a lot of centers/work stations with my kids. I plan to definitely do this with Reading/Writing/Grammar and Math. And I may figure out how to make it work with Science and Social Studies as well. So for example... In each subject, we'll start in a whole group "setting" while I introduce the lesson. Then, they'll divide into groups and rotate through different stations (independent work, group work, teacher work, etc.). This will most definitely require a lot more prep on my part. But in the long run, in my opinion, it'll be the best thing for my kiddos and the easiest way to meet the needs of each and every student.  

6. STAR Binders - I used these with one of my classes a few years back, just with a different name. My goal will be to follow in the steps of the current 5th grade teacher and help these sweet babies get ready for the big world of middle school. So if I start giving them more and more responsibilities throughout the school year next year, maybe that'll help. Plus, it'll be so much easier to keep our desks neat if all those papers are nicely organized in a binder and not loose and falling out all the time. *Insert annoyed teacher face at the amount of papers EVERYWHERE. 

I also have to find a rewards AND consequences plan that would work with my kiddos. And I need to find a Speech curriculum to use with one student (maybe others). And then I have a few mini posters and things to make while I'm in the States and can print at home (or Kinko's) on a colored printer. But I'm excited. I can't wait to get back here in July and start putting everything together. 

5th Grade, 

Here I Come