Five for Friday and a Freebie!

Happy Friday!  We had a gorgeous week here in Southern Indiana. 
I'm linking up for another Five for Friday...

iRubric.  Do you?

At my school, we still do letter grades.  I am passionate about differentiation. Coming up with percentages and fair grades is difficult.  I have found a way to make rubrics work for this.  

I complete a reading rubric each week for each student.  The writing/language rubric is done every 2-3 weeks.  Math and spelling rubrics are filled out at the end of each quarter.  I've been using these forms (or similar ones) for YEARS now. They work well for me.  If you would like to get a closer look, click on the picture for a dropbox link.

I would love to know how others do letter grades with their students.

I am so excited to have finally purchased a laminator for home. While I've been too busy to try it out yet, I know it will come in handy.  The one I purchased was based on a recommendation I read on a blog (but I can't remember which blog).  It's on sale right now too!  The list price is $229.95.  I got mine for $99.95 with free shipping. Click on the pic if you want to check it out.

Guess what else I got!  For my birthday, I bought an Erin Condren planner. (I told my husband I LOVE the present he bought me... he,he!) 

It's soooo much prettier in real-life than in the pic from her site. For the past few years I've been doing my plans through planbook.com. It was handy, but I was ready for a change. Every time I look at it, I smile! Sad, isn't it? 

On Thursday, I had to pick something up at my daughter's high school.  It sits on a hill in the country.  I was struck by how lucky my kids have been to go to a school in such a beautiful location. I took a picture to share with you. Here is the view:

Is that not gorgeous?  You can literally see green for MILES! It looks beautiful during the fall and winter too.   

So, I have a freebie to share.  I blogged about Gator Gumbo back in March.  It's one of my favorites.  I have a readers' theater script to share with you.  Click on the cover for the link. I hope you'll check it out this terrific book and find the script helpful.

Have a great weekend!

Can't Live Without and News

Once again, I am joining the Wednesday Wisdom linky at Primary Possibilities.  This time the topic is "Can't Live Without."  Here's my list:

#1 is my SMARTBoard.  I don't know how I ever taught without this!  This device makes it easy for EVERYONE to see whatever is on display...a lesson, the internet, a movie clip, or a game.  Making activities for my SMARTBoard is easy and the kiddos love to write on it or manipulate pieces.  

#2 is planbook.com.  I LOVE being able to make templates for each day of the week.  Then I plug in my plans.  There is also a drop-down menu for the CCSS so my standards can be listed with every lesson very easily.  The standards can be printed out or I can choose to display the numbers only.  It's very convenient.  I print my plans out for each day and keep them on a clipboard.  Subs have left good comments about all of the details in my plans and have followed them well.  Did I mention that plans are saved from year-to-year so I can refer to last year's plans when working on plans for the upcoming year?

#3 is this awesome pencil sharpener.  It's made by Exacto. I got mine at Office Max it was costly, but it was worth every penny.  We only sharpen pencils in the morning in my classroom, so our sharpener has to be quick, easy-to-use, and dependable. This one is all three...

#4 is this set of mailboxes.  I use mine differently than most people.  My students put their homework in their boxes in the morning and get their morning work out.  This allows me to individualize morning work and tell that everyone has turned in homework at a glance.  My students turn their work folders in when they are finished for the day.  Again I can tell at a glance if anyone still needs to turn in work.  I got these from Really Good Stuff.  I had cheaper ones before but they didn't hold up well; I'm glad I invested in these.

So my news is this...I just got off the phone with my principal.  He told me I have been named the Knox County Farm Bureau Teacher of the Year.  This is my second time to receive this honor and I am thrilled!

Now I'm off to work in my classroom for the day.  I hope everyone is enjoying these last couple of weeks of summer1

Mrs. C.