The End of Molasses Classes

I LOVE Ron Clark. He inspires me constantly! I love his confidence and enthusiasm. He makes me want to have MORE FUN while teaching!

I have read the Essential 55 years ago, and I enjoyed the movie starring Matthew Perry. (Great casting choice!) I believe in the Essential 55 as the tried and true, "old-school" way to expect students to behave. I wish all adults in children's lives would expect that kind of respect out of the future adults of our world. The best experience with Ron Clark is easily when I got to see him speak in person! Every year our district has a large gathering of all teachers and employees called convocation. It's like a district-wide pep rally for the new year. The fine arts departments perform, ie. dance/drill team, band, choir, etc. Teachers are honored or recognized by students, and tears are spilled. It's adorable. And the superintendent gives a speech. Every school yells and cheers whenever their school is mentioned. It's also a big deal to have cute staff shirts for each school. (T-shirts mean a lot to teachers for some reason!) Well, one year, Ron Clark came and spoke to the entire staff of my district! It was fantastic. He was lively, funny, personable, and so engaging. I want him to be MY teacher!

Now, I am recommending his book, The End of Molasses Classes. It's an enjoyable read with practical ideas to get your students, and parents, engaged in their learning. Not just for one class, but for life! The book is written in a casual tone as if Ron Clark is sitting down with you having a conversation about his experiences. It's fun and inspiring! I already have 4 ideas for songs I want to write for my firsties!!!

Book Release:

Here's a quick video of Ron Clark giving a few ideas from his book: The End of Molasses Classes.


I love what Ron Clark has done for students, parents, and teachers across the country! Probably world-wide! If everyone had the spirit and passion for creating life long self-learners, our country would not be in such dire straits educationally! Thank you Ron for all you do, and for inspiring me. :) Visit the Ron Clark Academy website, and follow them on twitter: @ronclarkacademy

Mrs Jump's class: Reindeer and Reindeer book freebie

Mrs Jump's class: Reindeer and Reindeer book freebie: Super cute printable book for kinder or early first grade readers.  Plus, a fabulous blog to follow!!

Working Together

Working Together

Check out this slideshow I made using Animoto. It show my students and our lessons over the past few weeks. :)

Election 2012 - Elementary Style

My school hosted an election of our own today. We didn't vote for President, or any other political figures. We weren't voted for or against laws or amendments. We voted on kid-friendly topics such as sports, food, books, tests, and tech. tools!

To see the images better, visit my class wiki: http://colwell2012-13.wikispaces.com/Election+2012

Check out our ballot!

Here are some of my students voting.

I used a Google form to collect all the votes. Then, I used Excel to tally up the votes! Check out these graphs that show our results!

To see the images better, visit my class wiki: http://colwell2012-13.wikispaces.com/Election+2012

Kinderella: Goal Setting

This is an awesome goal setting idea!

Kinderella: Goal Setting: You all know as much as I do how important it is to motivate your kiddies and get them to "own" their learning. (That's half the battle righ...

Our principals are encouraging us to meet with each student one-on-one and write down specific goals for reading and math.

I found many great resources on Pinterest and TeachersPayTeachers!

The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything

For Halloween next week, we are going to read The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything.

We will then discuss the plot and sequencing events by ordering the main events from the story. I have a freebie posted on TeachersPayTeachers with graphics of the objects from the story.

Download it for free by clicking here.

Check out some retelling and sequencing ideas on Pinterest.

Sight Words - Make if fun!

Well, at this point in the school year I have really gotten to know my first graders as readers. I see how much it hurts some kids to not have a wide knowledge of sight words. Most of the time, my readers who don't have many sight words memorized, also don't enjoy reading very much, and they SURE don't like to use flashcards to practice these confusing words.

I've been collecting fun and engaging resources to help students practice recognizing common high frequency words. I want to share those resources with you. (That's what teaching is all about... beg, borrow, and steal!) Check out my wiki page for Sight Words by clicking here.

Come back to it often, because I will update it as I find more great websites, videos, links, images, etc. If you have something great to share, please post it in a comment for all to benefit from, and I'll add it to my page!

Here's one of my favorite sight word videos I learned about via Pinterest.



I have also found MANY fun games or literacy center stations, or send-home games via Pinterest. Check out my "Words" board!

Endless Job

Our job is a job that is NEVER done! I had an hour and a half to kill this evening before dinner with a former student, so what did I do... went to school and worked!!!! Endless work. But, I do feel better when I get prepared, and have good quality plans completed.

Glogster in Texas!

Do you live in Texas?! Do you use Glogster!? Do want to learn more about Glogster!?

If so, click HERE TO JOIN US in the Glogster EDU in Texas facebook group! Another way to meet up and share ideas and learn from other techy Texans. ;)

If you're not a Glogger yet, you HAVE to check it out, no matter where you live! Click here to learn more about all the great ways you can use Glogs to enchange your students' learning. A Glog is a great way to try out flipping your classroom!

Classroom Freebies Too: Go Catch! Place Value Game

Classroom Freebies Too: Go Catch! Place Value Game: Your kids will love practicing their place value skills as they play this take off on Go Fish.  Click on the picture to grab your free copy!...

The First Grade Parade: Anytime Math

The First Grade Parade: Anytime Math: Do you ever have those weeks where you feel like you’re just behind?!  I had to jet outta school early on Friday because BOTH my sweet boys ...

QR Code Classroom Implementation Guide

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: QR Code Classroom Implementation Guide: Licensed for use from iStockPhoto QR Codes (Quick Response Codes) are just barcodes. There is nothing fancy about them. Just like the ...

GREAT visuals and "How-to!"