(part 1)
Or is it part 2? Or potentially part 4? I have now spent at least four hours each day this week on back to school prep. Yes, Monday was mostly about catching up with my principal, but it was also about wrapping my head around the jobs that need to be done. On Tuesday I found some IB "posters" (you know, Word flyers) for display and printed and laminated them. Well, not so much some, as many. I printed and laminated two sets of the learner profile attributes, and one set each of the key concepts and attitudes. Just poking around online took quite a bit of time, but using the little hot laminator I got with Scholastic bonus points several years ago is a very slow process, and required a run to Staples to buy more plastic pouches. I also created a welcome back to school post card I hope I will be able to mail to the incoming fifth graders before school starts.
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| My favorite IB online find from Tuesday |
On Wednesday my new partner teacher, Kate, told me she was going to be in her room from about 10-2, so I went in again - this time with cleaning rags at the ready. I cleaned every flat surface that is not a counter or inside a cubby, cupboard, or shelf. I moved furniture and think I am ready to check two items off of my initial list from my last post. Kate even gave me two bookshelves out of her classroom, so I ended up rearranging one more time toward the end of the four hours I was actually in my room yesterday. I also printed out the postcards I created on Tuesday, and Kate and I signed them, each taking half home for if/when we get a list of addresses for the incoming fifth graders.
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| What was accomplished |
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| What has yet to be accomplished |
When I got home on Wednesday, I pulled up some files I created in summers past, and did some printing and laminating, with cutting thrown in for good measure. I made states and capitals bookmarks and math reference sheets for my homeroom kiddos. I prefer to use the small at home laminator for these because it is a thicker lamination than the bigger (much faster) machine at school. I emailed the files to Kate, because there is a limit to how much time I can preside over a hot laminator in 80 degree weather without AC, and because pouches for the little machine are expensive.
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| Wednesday's and Thursday's at home accomplishments |
Today I stayed away from my classroom, but did make another run to Staples. I think that that's the third one for my classroom so far this summer. (Dang - eventually I need to make a trip there for my own kids rather than my students.) I am planning to give over my book report bulletin board space to IB this year, so I came up with another way to display the short book reviews I have my students create. The theme is "A Good Book is a Treasure" and I have had my students fill in one form a month telling their classmates why they should or should not read a particular book. I found myself brainstorming ways to do the same thing, but without the bulletin board space, as I was trying to sleep last night. I settled on a solution this morning, which had me out the door early to pick up the necessary supplies at Staples. I think I only worked on the book review solution today, but since it involved an Internet search (for the cheapest prices), a trip to Staples, creating a new Word document, printing, cutting, gluing, and disc assembly (see photo), I'm confident it was at least four hours of today's time. And I meant to write today. Not that blogging isn't writing, but it's not the writing I had planned for today. Darn. There's always tomorrow...
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| New individual booklet format |
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| Bulletin Board format from the past |
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