Friday, July 31, 2009

BULLETIN BOARD, step #2, and the whole room

step #2-Put the background material and border on.

The material that I bought at the Antique Store, just hoping it would maybe fit. . .
did fit the bulletin board perfectly! It is gray, not usually the color I would pick, but I think it is going to work great for the background to look like the sky, and to be a calming background.

I am really having fun getting the room ready. . .trying to make it a pleasant learning environment for the students and for others to step into.

I bought a soft brown chair cushion, tied it onto a yellow chair, for my chair at the circle time area. (think Sunflower)

I think it's really neat that I just happened to decide on the Sunflower theme, and it seems that someone has chosen that for the whole building decorating theme also!

THE BULLETIN BOARD-Step #1

Ironing the material. . .
I am not much of an ironer. I just finished ironing the material that I bought for the background of my bulletin board, then I had to fold it back up! I don't even know if this going to work. I am working on creating a special bulletin board
.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

ABOUT ME-EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

I graduated from East Central University in Ada, OK with my Bachelors in Elementary and Special Education in 1985. That Spring semester, I did my student teaching-1/2 in 1st grade and 1/2 in special ed.

I began teaching special ed. in 1985. I stayed home with each of my own children at different times since then. This will be my 15th year to teach. I taught 11 years at 3 different schools in Oklahoma and 3 years at 2 different schools in Texas. This year, I am back in Oklahoma, at a different, great, really small town school, 15 minutes away from my home.
The years that I didn't teach, I taught my own child (preschool) and/or substituted.
Last year, I substituted at every school in Durant, OK the first half of the year, and worked the second half as a one-on-one aide for a very smart, special 7th grade male student. I enjoyed it very much and would have wanted to continue doing that this year, except that God gave me this new job.
I am now excited and getting ready for the new school year.

I received my Masters in Special Education in 1994.

Sunflower Glyph

Something that isn't in my Sunflower unit book that I'm going to do.
This is will be a great project to get to know each student and to have a great art project on the wall that is also a Language Arts project, and each one will be different.

Materials:
orange, brown, green, yellow construction paper
circle template (head)
petal template
stem template
leaf template
sunflower seeds
glue
scissors

Head:
Do you have pets?
Yes-Cut a brown circle.
No-Cut an orange circle.
Place it at the top of the stem.

Seeds:
What # month were you born in?
Place that many seeds on the head.

Petals:
How old are you?
Cut and place that many yellow petals around the head.

Leaves:
How many brothers and sisters do you have?


Glue the Sunflower parts in place.

THEME FOR THE YEAR-SUNFLOWERS

SIMPLY SUNFLOWERS,K-2, Lasting lessons Mini-Fun Themes
Reinforces Reading First Components

I bought this little book a year or two ago, and haven't used it, yet, but it seems perfect for this year.
I will be teaching special needs children, 4 years old through 3rd grade, in a nice school, in a small town in Oklahoma.
Now, I have just about gone crazy buying everything Sunflower that I can find to add to the decor of my room.
The Teacher store that was suppose to be open til 3 today was closed when I stopped by at 2. So, I drove on down the road, and stopped at an Antique store that had some really great things to decorate with.

This theme isn't just to decorate my room.

I am going to emphasize the fact that The head of the Sunflower turns to face toward the sun throughout the day. . .students should turn to face toward the person speaking throughout the day!
Also, I want to try to help my students' self concepts and positive attitudes, by telling them to stand proud like the Sunflowers.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Getting Ready for School to Start!

I don't know my new students, yet, but I am getting their room ready for them!
I am looking forward to meeting each one of them.
I have a very nice classroom.
It is being decorated by Dollar General in bright colors.

I wrote an acrostic on the whiteboard, the school mascot and all of our class rules right there.

Listen.
Expect to learn!
Organize your thoughts and work.
Positive
Attitude!
Read, Respect others and yourself.
Do your best!