Changes

We just finished our first week, (well three days) back at school and as I told you earlier, I have taken a new position as the instructional coach. To be honest it has been a little strange to have a different role as the school year is gearing up to go. There is a feeling of excitement, anticipation, and yes, stress in the building. I am feeling all of those right along with my teachers just not with the same intensity as I did when I had my own classroom, and it not good or bad, just strange.

I think I noticed the biggest different on our Meet the Teacher night. I was able to give hugs to all of those returning faces but I have to admit to being slightly jealous of those who were meeting their new students, their new parents. I finally settled  on the fact that rather than only having one group of students this year, they were all mine, including the teachers, and that was pretty amazing. So, I hope to do my best and be a big help to all my students and all of the teachers who are counting on me to be someone in their corner.

On another note entirely, before I learned of my job change I turned one of my most successful writing lessons into a packet for TPT! I hope to continue creating packets because it's something I LOVE to do.

When I came up with this project my 4th grade students were in serious need of some inspiration in the nonfiction writing department. They were sick of the “pick your favorite animal” and “teach me how to do something,” prompts. I noticed they were seriously wearing out all of my nonfiction books that were about various disasters. I told them to think of a disaster or dangerous situation: volcanoes, earthquakes, bears, sharks, lightning, snakes, tarantulas, the more exciting, the better. The only stipulation was that it had to be real. That was so we wouldn't have trouble making sure our facts were accurate.

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They had a lot of fun doing their research because they were reading about something that was exciting to them. It was some of the best writing I got out of them all year. We printed out our final copies and made big posters with them. You could do anything with it, but I usually got writing out of my kids more easily if there was an art component when they finished the writing and it is something for my early finishers to do. 

Well, I'm off to get my "Sunday chores" done. Good luck to everyone this week!