Month: May 2012

Goodbye Math… Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow….

leslie May 27, 2012 8 Comments
I love math.  I love the organization of it all.  I love that there is only one right answer but a countless ways to get to it.  The methodical approach of each step and the elimination of a number leading me to the answer.  I love my notebook filled with foldables, notes and knowledge.But now after 6 long years of always teaching something different, I finally get a year...

Linky Party: Music In the Classroom….Nay or YAY!!!!

leslie May 26, 2012 6 Comments
YAY!!! I know yall know how much I like to search You Tube for school videos.... so I thought about making a little linky party for all those great finds all us teachers search high and low for.Let me tell yall a little secret... I am not a fan of rap, hip-hop, or much of today's music.  I grew up on the alternative radio of the '90's (love it), but I now listen to Texas Country and...

The No Homework Binder: How to Document the Excuses!

leslie May 19, 2012 38 Comments
Ahhhh  homework... the dreaded word that makes kids groan... not to mention teachers when we have to deal with the million excuses as to why the homework didn't get done the next day.  Read my post on why I think homework is necessary... but evil... here...After 5 years of teaching and having to deal with the homework issue, I have found a way to document all those times it doesn't get...

MNM: Area of Trapezoids… WHY??

leslie May 15, 2012 6 Comments
WHY?!?! The most intriguing question that I ask and try to have an answer for.  So I was about to teach how to find area of a trapezoid, and I thought I could just teach them the formula and how to use it, but then the question hit me... Why??  Why is the formula like this???My students had a formula chart we refer to as the "cheat sheet" (they get to use this on their STAAR test)...

SNS: Rock Cycle Rap and Lab

leslie May 13, 2012 3 Comments
If you are a regular visitor to my blog, I am sure you know how much I love to use YouTube in the classroom.  This week I taught about the Rock Cycle (I love Earth Science), and played this song for my kids and printed out the lyrics. After we listened to it and had fun laughing and singing along (even during the 1st time it played), I gave them a sheet of the lyrics and went through each...