Use Velcro Dots to Calm Students

Today I wanted to share a little tip to help calm those students that become distracted and squirmy during lessons. I buy Velcro dots and stick them to the upper right and left hand corners of students desks. The calming effect the students get from rubbing their fingers over the Velcro is amazing!

I recommend the black because they don't show dirt, and students are less tempted to write on them. My kids love them and will often ask for new ones if their's go missing. I promise that your kids will settle down and lessons will be more effective without all of the distractions.  Try it and let me know how it worked for you.

Welcome!

My name is Renee Miler and I am new to the blogging scene. I want a place to share some of the random things that take place in my life, and in my classroom. I also want to share some of the interesting sites, blogs, and people that I come across on the web. I have seen so many awesome blogs lately that I must admit I am a little bit intimidated.  However, most are geared toward the elementary classroom and this one will be more for those of us who are crazy enough to teach in the middle.

I am a retired teacher who taught at a small rural school in Missouri. I teach 7th grade and 8th grade. and Freshman language arts (no pressure there).  I really like teaching and I love my job. I must admit though that it seems that teachers have become the "bad guys" in the last few years both in the media and with lawmakers.  If you have tenure and have devoted your life to a school district, people assume you no longer work as hard, or you are unwilling to try new strategies in your classroom. I think this current mentality is what has prompted me to start this blog. 

I have changed the way I do things every year in my room. I am constantly on the lookout for some way to make my lessons more engaging for my kids.  I will be sharing some of my finds, and some of the things that I have learned over the years in weekly posts on this site.  Hopefully, you will be able to find some ideas to help you in your classroom as you pursue your career in the ever-changing world of education.

Liebster Award Part Two

I'm so excited to be nominated for another Liebster Award! As many of you know a Liebster Award is an award given to bloggers with less than 200 followers to recognize one another! This Liebster Award is from ibteachnulanguagearts.blogspot.com

Liebster Awards do come with a few guidelines (I don't really like to call them rules):

1. Link back to the blog that nominated you
2. Answer the questions that the person who nominated you asked
3. Share 11 random facts about yourself
4. Nominate some great blogs with less than 200 followers! (My favorite!)
5. Present 11 questions for your nominees to answer

Let's get to it!

1. What is your favorite sports team?

Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Cardinals. 

2. What is your perfect weekend?

The perfect weekend is spending time with my husband and daughter. It really doesn't matter what we're doing.

3. What is a must-have at your desk?

Something that is a must at my desk is a drink! Coffee in the morning, then water, and after lunch a Diet Dr. Pepper

4. What is your favorite professional book?

The Books Whisperer by Donalyn Miller, In the Middle by Nancie Atwell, and Teaching Reading in Middle School by Laura Robb Veryare good! Gosh, I could keep going. 

5. What would a utopian society be like to you?

I teach  The Giver by Lois Lowry every year. I do not want to be part of a Utopian society! 

6. Name three things you would bring to a deserted island?

After watching Naked and Afraid on the Discovery Channel, I've decided I would make sure I had clothes on and bring:

• A lighter (there's no way I'm going to figure out how to start a fire otherwise)
• A person who has survival skills (I have none so I need to bring an expert)
• A Tent

7. If you could mentor a first-year teacher, what would be the first thing you would tell him/her?

If you have questions, no matter how dumb you think they are, ASK!

8. What is your hobby?

Crafting and Blogging

9. What would you be if you weren't a teacher?

I would probably want to be an emergency dispatcher.

10. If you could move anywhere in the U.S. where would you move to? to

Florida

11. Who is your favorite president?

Obama! Best president ever!

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I am the least coordinated person on the planet
2. I loved science in high school
3. I am horrible at math (like really bad)
4. I've been to Australia and loved it!
5. I like taking long hot showers, they relax me
6. My favorite movies are mysteries, action, or set in the era of the Vikings.
7. My favorite actor is The Rock!
8. My favorite actress is Sandra Bullock
9. I love the movies Remember the Titians and the Sandlot and have seen them countless times. I have lines memorized. I'll quote them.
10. I love rollercoasters!!!
11. I love crafting anything!

My Nominees are:

Bootcampmom.com

Questions for My Nominees:

1. If you could go anywhere, where would it be? (This doesn't have to be a real place)
2. What's your favorite sport?
3. What's your guilty pleasure?
4. What's your favorite word?
5. What's your favorite part of starting the school year?
6. What's the worst thing about starting the school year?
7. Is the glass half empty or half full?
8. What advice would you give to teachers for starting the new school year?
9. What's the last book you read?
10. What is your favorite professional book?
11. What's your favorite flower?

Let's get to it!

Academic Vocabulary

I am working on converting some of my activities to the Common Core standards. Today I completed the first vocabulary activity that I will work on with my kids. This is only Part 1 and is over definitions.   These items are in my TPT Store or you can get them from My google drive below.

You can get a copy of this PowerePoint activity and the answer key  by clicking HERE.

This set uses the same words but students will need to use context clues to get the correct answer. To download this version click HERE

Free Plot Diagram Posters

Hello everyone! This girl is finally getting back to teacher mode. It's been a great and productive summer, but now it is time to think about the classroom and all the things that need to get done. I thought I would start by giving away a free gift to my fellow teachers.

Every Year I start with short stories and elements of a plot, genre, etc... One of the projects I assign is a plot diagram over an Accelerated reader book they have read. I have had this listed in my TPT store for $5.00 but am giving it away FREE to my followers. This activity includes student guide, teacher guide, and grading rubric!

Just click on the link below to get your free copy.
Free Plot Diagram Project

Here are some examples from my students:

This is really a great alternative to the traditional book report. If you use it let me know how it went and don't forget to follow me! 

In a Million Words or Less.....

This is a homework activity that I give my seventh-grade parents at the open house every year. It really helps me to connect with my kids right away. Parents seem to like it and often share valuable information. I always send a thank you note back to the parents that participate whether it be by snail mail or email! In it, I include their grade for completing the assignment, which is always an A! (I'm blonde, not stupid) I have updated and loaded this activity to my TPT store.  Just Download it and insert it in your information. This activity really gets my year off to a great start. I hope it does yours too.

You can download your copy here: In a Million Words or Less.....

Monthly Journaling Pages

My Freshmen are using monthly journaling pages, along with other activities I have received several responses about these so I am re-posting. 

 I simply give my kids the page and check for completeness at the end of the month. I used to give them a prompt every day and make them write it, date it, and write a half-page response. With these, I set no requirements, which threw them at first, but I simply explained that it was their journal and to do what they thought needed to be done. I could tell they thought I had lost my mind, and I wasn't sure how this would turn out. When I went to grade them I couldn't believe how much work my kids had put into their journal pages! Full pages of poetry, illustrations, recipes, stories, etc... Giving up control and letting them take over has been one of the best things I have ever done.

These make good activities for interactive notebooks. Next year I plan on having a "grab a snack and write Fridays." This will allow them to share some of the recipes they have found or shared. This should be fairly quick to do and can lead to other writing activities, i.e. writing critiques, responses, memories, etc...

                   

                    

         Here are the links to the other pages:

All Journal Pages Here