Rounding Rap Take Two

Last year I posted about a rounding rap that my co-op teacher introduced to me in her classroom. THIS year I used the video in my own classroom! :) And so it comes full swing.

Here is how it went down this year:

First, we had the students write digits 0-9 on ten index cards. On the back of each of those cards the students wrote zeros. On two more index cards they made commas. Then they pulled out a dry erase marker.

Next, my co-teacher and I showed these two Youtube videos:

Original Rounding Rap Music Video
Rounding Rap How - To Video

The students were given the lyrics and once we watched the Music Video once or twice and they got into the groove, we all started to sing along.

Once they had the song down we used the cards that we made to do some rounding! Check out our procedure.

*Sheila, my co-teacher had the brilliant idea of writing on the desks with the dry erase marker!

Here we are building our number.
Notice the rules "5-9 add one" and "0-4 the circle stays the same" written on the desk. 

Number built. Let's get rounding!!

Find the place value. Circle that digit...

Then move to the right and underline it.

0-4, the circle stays the same; but 5-9 adding 1 is the game!

Now flex your muscles just like a hero... digits to the right, change to zero!

All the other numbers stay the same. YO! You're a winner in the rounding game!

 So, I seem to have lost the last photo... Ali ended up with 580,000 using the rounding game procedures.

We love this. It was great practice. One of our kids actually told us that this was the best math lesson ever. So, that says something about student appeal, I suppose.

Good luck rounding!!

Sarah 

Whoa, Problem Solving

The first few weeks (5, to be exact!) have been a whirlwind.  Some days I am on my game and ripping it up while other days feel less productive and more like when I used to play school in the basement of our  Bayton Street house-- pretending to be the suave, know-it-all teacher when in reality, I made everything up as  I went along.  And my sister cried to play something else.  :)

I've had so many more good days than bad.  And, quite honestly, I've left school on those bad days thinking, "I can't wait to come back tomorrow and try again."  So I suppose my attitude has made this whole new teacher experience much better than it could be.  Though, I can see why some people leave the profession and never look back.  Teaching is hard work.


Here is what I am talking about:

Who knew that there would be so many little things to manage... SO many silly problems to solve?  Jeez Louise.  If there is one thing that I could tell pre-service teachers about their first year (especially their first few weeks) of teaching it would be, "Have a management plan for everything so that you can spend less time problem solving and more time planning quality stuff!"

You've seen my wonderfully donated comfy space (if not, make your way on down to my previous post).  It is so nice to have a classroom living room.  The kids love it.  They all want to sit in it all of the time.  Here is a problem I never thought would be a problem:  They all want to sit in it ALL of the time.  And they are not afraid to ask 9 times a day.

So, I didn't have a plan for the same 10,000 questions that bombarded me every time students had time to independently read: "Can I sit on the couch?" Very quickly I became very frustrated that my kids didn't just autonomously take turns (HA!).   After the third week I very nearly threw my couches out of the third story window.  Instead of doing that which is so absurd and dangerous, I bought a cookie sheet at the Goodwill and some magnets at Joann Fabrics and got to work solving my problem the way all Pinteresting teachers do:  I made something.

There is a large laminated photo of my couches tacked onto the sheet, as well as magnetic name cards-- one for each student.  This sits in my living room for everyone to see at all times.  I stow the name cards on the back in either a "This Time," or "Next Time" bag.  I change the names every 2-3 days and place the names of students who have had a turn in the "Next Time" bag.  After only three weeks we have gone through one whole cycle-- everyone has now had an opportunity to sit in the living room.  All of the names are now in the "This Time" bag, ready for more couch time.

Now, whenever students come to ask if they can sit on the couches (very rarely these days!) I just ask, "is it your turn?"  No more racking my brain trying to recall who sat on the couch during read aloud and morning reading on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Problem solved.

It's a beautiful thing.

How have you solved problems you never thought you would have?

Sarah

Three Environment Ideas

I have a couple of things that I am really excited about in my classroom!

I bought a rolling microwave stand (5 bucks!) at a Habitat for Humanity Restore and painted it yellow. So now I have a super fun yellow podium-ish stand for teaching. Yay! Shelves, wheels, and all. I am keeping a few things on the stand at all times, including: a visual timer, some prizes (for the first few days only), a book stand a small green tote for dry erase markers and marbles for the community jar, etc. I am always MOVING MOVING MOVING when I am teaching so this is going to be PERFECT for me. I can't wait to use it!

When my husband and I were married we received a lot of awesome gifts. One very cool gift that we received (but that I never used...) was this beautiful recipe stand:

It is sad to say it has been sitting in a kitchen cupboard for over 4 years! It needed some desperate repurpose. I decided to use it for my curriculum books, that is... when I actually use them while I teach. It is the perfect size for manuals, text books, curriculum resources, etc. I can finally put them down and actually know where they are when I need to pick them up again. w00t!

The last thing that I am excited about... A small space of the bulletin board behind my desk (easy access for students) has an assortment of photos of me when I was in 4th grade! My class photo, a softball card, a treehouse I built with my siblings and neighbors... all are shared with my own 4th graders. Honestly, I have no idea how it is that I have my 4th grade class photo. It is the ONLY one that I have. Ching!

Tomorrow is my first day EVER. It is a day of meetings and introductions but the first day nonetheless! Wish my luck.

Sarah

Comfy Cozy Cushiony Corner

Jeez Louise. Putting a room together from scratch is hard work. There is so much to do! There are so many little details that novices (such as myself) do not even think about when they are preparing classroom plans. They have Wedding Planners, why not Classroom Planners?

**Props to those of you who have been teaching for years and years. I hope to one day have your mad room configuring skillz.

So, ever since my first undergrad education class, I have had this hankering for a comfy-cozy reading area in my classroom. Last week my dream of cushions and comfort became a reality when my fabulous mother-in-law donated a love seat and area rug to my room! Also, my husband's grandparents donated the red chair. It swivels. CHING! Add some Lorax, Horton and Mario action and I've myself a home away from home... for the students and for me.

I'm still working on my bulletin boards (as you can see) but I wanted to give you a glimpse of the reading area... I am very proud of it! It takes up quite a bit of classroom space (about 1/5 of the room) but honestly, I think that it will be worth it this year. My goal is to get every single kid excited about independent reading. The classroom living room is leverage.

I will update the blog on the strengths/weaknesses of our reading area. If for nothing else, to document what worked and what didn't for Future Me's reference.

Peace People,
Sarah 

Curiosity Killers

My advisor, Dr. Sandra Pech, once said, "Nothing kills a child's curiosities faster than giving them the answer."

School Funding in ZA

Last Thursday I had a conversation with a teacher at the school about several education-related issues. After briefly discussing race, a theme that must be forever in the minds of ZA citizens (more on that later), our conversation moved towards funding and resources, as it tends to do with teachers. She expressed her frustrations with the Ministry of Education (also referred to as the Dept. of Education, though I like "ministry" because it sounds so Harry Potter-isk), and I couldn't help but to compare her frustrations with my own and thousands of teachers back home. It seems that there is a pandemic of apathy towards education... so, take heart teachers of Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan: you are not alone!

 Does that make you feel better? Me either.

I am going to divulge what I learned in a bulleted list. This will keep me from droning on. Also, because I love bulleted lists.

There is quite a lot that is different when it comes to education in ZA, compared to the US, but the underlying problems that they have-- funding-related-- are very much the same. Education is not really valued here. It makes me sad for our kids, for our world.


Here we go! This is going to be a bit of info. You might want to attack this in waves. :)

• The Ed. Ministry only pays for half of teachers' salaries at HH. They do not pay anything for "classified" staff. There are approximately 45 teachers, three administrators, and around 15 classified staff. The money that is used to pay the other half of teachers' salaries as well as those of the classified staff (I don't know about administrators) comes from student school fees and contributions/donations to the school. So approximately 23 teachers and 15 classified staff are paid annually through those fees/contributions.
  
• Here is a run-down of the school fees, or basically, how HH is able to pay teachers and staff.
  Keep in mind that approximately R 7.5 is equal to 1 USD (the 'R' is the Rand-- ZA currency).
  
•  A non refundable deposit of R 500 ($67 USD) is required upon acceptance. Students must apply for primary school as students back home would apply for college. The headmaster told me that there were over 400 applicants for grade one for the upcoming 2013 school year. There are only 100 some-odd openings.
  
• Tuition February to November: R 865 per month ($115 USD)
  
• Stationary Fee R 250 ($33 USD) Annually, for all writing books and textbook hire
  
• Aftercare, which can be provided by the school, costs money, though I am not sure the specifics.
  
• There are fees for music students and practice sessions. If my student played the clarinet in the band at HH and practiced from 12:45- 3:30pm, it would cost me R 620/year ($90 USD).
  
• So, for one school year (with my child playing an instrument because that matters to me) it is going to cost me R 10,020 ($1336 USD)-- not including childcare as I am a working mom, and/or single parent.
• What the Ed. Ministry gives the school for funding (resources, utilities, etc.) does not even cover the cost of electricity for an entire school year (Jan-Dec). Bearing in mind that there is no heat and the only room that is air conditioned is the computer lab. EVERYTHING else comes from student school fees and contributions/donations.
  
• There are some schools where students do not have to pay school fees. The teacher that I spoke with said, "you get what you pay for." Taking into account the sum of money that the schools get from the Ed. Ministry (very little) and how much of the staff salaries' the Ministry actually pays (maybe half), I can understand her perspective. My questions are: How do they pay their teachers? How do they keep excellent teachers? How do they get $$ for resources?
  
• Embezzlement is a serious problem here. According to the teacher I spoke with, there is little to no accountability for administrators, government employees, etc., and so taking the money that is set aside for schools is pretty simple and consequence-free.
  
• Township schools, those which, in my opinion, need the most funding and the best teachers, receive very little money. And according to the teacher I spoke with, the teachers don't always have the same degree but make the same salary as the other Ed. Dept. teachers. She was very frustrated with this particular issue. She regards the township teachers as "lazy."
  
  I have been to township schools and seen the classrooms, the teachers and students. I also have seen with what little those teachers have to work. I cannot imagine teaching effectively in those conditions-- degree or no degree.

I am not sure how funding goes for each and every school in ZA, though, I would speculate that things are very similar across the board; the government has no money. Being at HH and talking with the teachers and staff has given me so much insight into this country's education crisis. It is similar to that of the US. There is not enough money being pumped into the schools in either case, and it is causing problems. The difference is that the US has money (ha) to allocate while ZA does not. When a school has limited resources and has to cut good teachers and essential programs, no matter what the case, there are problems. 

I am worried for our world. What happens when the apathy we feel toward funding education becomes the apathy we feel toward education as a whole? Or do they go hand-in-hand? I am interested to know how other countries fund education. What, out there, is working? 

Sarah

Kragga Kamma

On April 14 (after elephant riding at Kwantu) Britt and I went to Kragga Kamma Game Park specifically to see Rhinos. We got to see them and much much more!


I'm not going to do much writing, just posting photos. Enjoy!

Ooooh, I love giraffes!

So close! 

African Box Turtle

Warthogs, or as the little girl sitting behind me on the truck called them, "Pumbas!"
The big one is the male. 

This is a Vervet Monkey. I thought he was going to attack me. Seriously. When a monkey gives you the death stare the only thing you can do is death stare back.

 He came right up to the truck and was crazily searching for food. 

Chillin' 

"Five little monkeys swinging from the trees..."

White Rhino Mama and baby & a warthog

The "baby" is only 1 year old

Male Nyala

Mountain Reedbuck

Ostrich (female)

Ostrich (male- you can tell because of the bright black feathers)

Impalla- buck (male)

Cheetah! 

Cheetah Mama and babies

We had a marvelous time. Seeing animals in their natural habitat is such an awesome thing!

Sarah

Elephant Riding

On April 14 I rode an elephant.

Britt and I rented another car and went back to Kwantu for our rain-checked elephant ride. We did not get lost this time! w00t! We rode the elephants for about 30 minutes and then were able to feed them, all four of them, tasty treats. There is no way that I can explain how cool it was to ride and feed elephants. Hopefully the photos can give you some idea...

Elephants are matriarchal which means that they are lead by a dominant female.  A majority of the elephants in a herd will be female with the exception of a few immature males. The mature males go out on their own only coming around to mate.

Elephants carry their babies for approximately 22 months.

Elephants in the wild live up to approxiately 75 years while elephants in sanctuaries, like Kwantu, can live up to 100 years. In sanctuaries they are protected from the elements, given vitamins and healthy foods to supplement their diets, and tended to when sick. 

Our guide said that training elephants is similar to training dogs: they use a lot of treats to form habits. As the elephants were coming out to play the guide called out random commands, "right," "left," "forward" and "stop." The elephants followed each of the commands perfectly. It was pretty cool. You could tell they each had their own personality. The gal on the middle right kept trying to get food out of the middle left gal's mouth. They were smacking each other with their trunks.

Here we go! My elephant was Lacey. She was gorgeous.

The elephant's skin was rough. I was warned that their skin was very coarse (hence the long pants) but wasn't imagining it the way it actually felt. Imagine the way that a callous feels. Now imagine that texture covering the enormous body of an elephant. That is exactly how their skin felt. Though their body is covered in callous-thick hide, behind their large ears is satin-smooth (I felt them, so I can vouch for this piece of info!). They have hundreds of blood vessels behind their ears which they use as fans on hot days. These keep the skin here tender and smooth.

Did you know that though elephants are gigantic creatures they can sneak up on people? They do not stomp around like we teach our kids... they walk very gently. Also, elephants can send information to other elephants through the vibrations in the ground. They can feel vibrations from up to several kilometers (even more miles) serving as warnings, information about herds, predators, etc. 

FAVORITE PART: I got to FEED the elephants!!!!

I was so excited I couldn't even stand it!

Reeeeeeeeeach.

We could put the food directly in their mouths (sticky, hot and stinky-- but fun!), or in their trunk---> they would feed themselves that way.

This gal had ants in her pants. Super impatient elephant alert.
P.S. I got hit in the head by her trunk because she couldn't wait for her goodies.

"Quick. Staring contest. You. Me. Now."

Britt putting food in the elephants trunk.

Their trunks were amazing. Elephants have "fingers" on the ends of their trunks. We dropped quite a bit of food on the ground. Getting the food in their mouths was a bit tricky. I didn't want to get chomped. No matter, the elephants used the fingers on the tips of their trunks to pick up the treats. Did you know that elephants have "fingers?" They do.

There isn't anything quite like an elephant. They are truly incredible.

"Please don't hit me again, baby girl."

This is where the elephants come to sleep at night. The ceiling has some kind of electrical heating element to circulate heat on cold evenings. The trainers tend to the elephants every day.

Going back to the wild, trainers at their side.

Would I do this again? In a heartbeat. This is by far my favorite South African adventure.

Sarah