Mrs. Tanner

 Thanks to all those who came out to celebrate some local history with me, our school's 40th anniversary. The idea for a party came about last year with a group of my students who decided a party was in order for this historic event. The plus side of this event was that it was major fun, the down side was that it took up so much of my time from other things. Thanks for your patience with me. While you're waiting for me to catch up on my email backlog, check out the imovie from the evening:

 

This week, we did lots of moving around and having fun.

 

The students in my class completed stations focusing on several geography topics including why the earth has seasons, latitude zones, types of maps, and atlas practice. Most of these stations served as review for what we'd previously discussed. They used atlases, large maps, earth/sun relationship models, colored pencils, and (most importantly) their brains!

 

The highlight of the week was when my on-grade level classes got to use play doh! The students were given landform definitions and used play doh to shape what the landforms would look like based on the definition. Then the name and a picture of the actual landforms were revealed.  This lesson was fun, engaging, and built the student vocabulary in a way that just defining the words may not have.

 

I am looking forward to next week when all my students will begin the great Geo Race! They will design a country with landforms appropriate for the coordinates they will be assigned. They will come up with a country name, flag, and country map. Throughout the year, their countries will battle to advance by earning points/commodities achieved through their group's grades, teamwork, and completion of challenges.

 

So far I'm thinking the "serious" Geography themes could be:

Last night's Open House was fantastic. I felt a real rush of excitement to see my old students and to meet some of my new students and their parents. Now I am in my classroom frantically trying to tie up all of those loose ends and scratch the last items off my teacher's never-ending "To Do" list.

 

I just got an email from a future student saying how excited he is to start middle school. It made my day and made me realize that this work is all worth while!

It is August 3rd and I'm feeling the excitement and anticipation I feel every year at this time of the summer--it's time to put my brain, relaxed by weeks of summer vacation, back to the school planning. The stores are stocked with Back to School sales, feeding my school supply addiction (who doesn't get a little tingle of happiness when they see 25 cent glue stick packs???) I just went to Staples and got my 5 packages of loose-leaf for 5 cents (I paid in pennies!)

 

I have already been to a PTSA meeting (join!) and a Team Leaders meeting to discuss this year's WLMS vision. Planning of this year's WLMS 40 year celebration is well underway.