Busy Summer { trainings: Kagan Cooperative Learning, Go Math!, and district requirements}

The month of July has not real slowed down this summer at all! I am continually busy! Last week I went to a Kagan Cooperative Learning workshop all week! I loved it and can't wait to try out new structures and let you know how they go! Dr. Kagan came into our workshop one day-pretty awesome he actually goes to them and speaks. He also signed my book! I can't wait for our next training during pre-planning!

 Yesterday I had a training on GO MATH! our new math series that is aligned with Common Core. It was very overwhelming to hear all the information about the series and I'm wondering how I'm going to use it all. I'm starting off with with the pacing guide and looking into my teacher edition for guidance. I like how the series incorporates math centers though and even gives to lots of resources and tools to get your started. Now this will not replace what I currently have for math centers completely. I will still keep my hand on games in place and add in the series math games. I think I'll be using the computer games for interventions (Soar to Success) and then stick to Moby Math since that seemed to fill in the gaps, keep students motivated, and pushing them to to their full potential. They do have math games in the series but you can't control what they go on when they play the games so they may be just fooling around and not doing what their supposed to. Most of our resources are online because our district in trying to move to digital curriculum. This is good because I can use everything with my smart board and look at the information now before I actually have the books and materials. This is not good because as I said it can be very overwhelming looking at all the information. I really like how the pacing guide leaves one day to introduce the new chapter and pre test the students and two days for assessing the students (practice test/review and actually test.) This is my pacing guide for the math this year.

2012-2013 ECBOE First Grade GO MATH! Pacing Guide
	First Nine Weeks	Second Nine Weeks	Third Nine Weeks	Fourth Nine Weeks
Dates	August 20-October 19	October 22-Dec. 20	January 3-March 8	March 11-May 23
Instructional days	44	40	46	50
Benchmark dates				April 8-19 (ARMT+)
Chapters	1-4	4(cont.)- 7	8-10	11-12 Getting Ready Lessons
	Chapter 1   (12 days)	Chapter 4 (6 days cont.)	Chapter 8    (15 days)	Chapter 11     (8 days)
	Addition Concepts Domain: Operations and Algebraic Thinking CCS:  CC.1.OA.1    CC.1.OA.3 CC.1.OA.6   CC.1.OA.7	Subtraction Strategies Domain: Operations and Algebraic  Thinking CCS:  CC.1.OA.1    CC.1.OA.4  CC.1.OA.5     CC.1.OA.6	Two Digit Addition and Subtraction Domains: Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Number and Operations in Base Ten CCS:   CC.1.NBT.4   CC.1.NBT.6    CC.1.OA.6	Three-Dimensional Geometry Domain: Geometry CCS:  CC.1.G.1    CC.1.G.2
Assessment dates
	Chapter 2  (12 days)	Chapter 5  (12 days)	Chapter 9  (15 days)	Chapter 12   (12 days)
	Subtraction Concepts Domain: Operations and Algebraic Thinking CCS:  CC.1.OA.1    CC.1.OA.6   CC.1.OA.8	Addition and Subtraction Relationships Domain: Operations and Algebraic Thinking CCS:  CC.1.OA.1    CC.1.OA.6   CC.1.OA.7    CC.1.OA.8	Measurement Domain: Measurement and Data CCS:   CC.1.MD.1    CC.1.MD.2 CC.1.MD.3	Two Dimensional Geometry Domain: Geometry CCS:   CC.1.G.1    CC.1.G.2   CC.1.G.3
Assessment dates
	Chapter 3  (15 days)	Chapter 6 (12 days)	Chapter 10   (16 days)	Getting Ready Lessons 1-11 (10 days)
	Addition Strategies Domain: Operations and Algebraic Thinking CCS:   CC.1.OA.2   CC.1.OA.3 CC.1.OA.5   CC.1.OA.6	Count and Model Numbers Domain: Number and Operations in Base Ten CCS:  CC.1.NBT.1   CC.1.NBT.2 CC.1.NBT.2a  CC.1.NBT.2b CC.1.NBT.2c   CC.1.NBT.3	Represent Data Domain: Measurement and Data CCS:  CC.1.MD.4	Review Projects: Make a Math Facts Strategies Book Numbers Around Us
Assessment dates
	Chapter 4  (5 days – 11 days total)	Chapter 7  (10 days)		Getting Ready Lessons 12-20 (10 days)
	Subtraction Strategies Domain: Operations and Algebraic  Thinking CCS:  CC.1.OA.1    CC.1.OA.4   CC.1.OA.5    CC.1.OA.6	Compare Numbers Domain: Number and Operations in Base Ten CCS:  CC.1.NBT.3    CC.1.NBT.5		Review Projects: Measure and Graph Building Shapes
Assessment dates
I've also being doing our district trainings this summer online. They are not required bust supposedly we get paid for them...I'm not holding my breath but I do hope so since I've spent a considerably amount of working on them. There are five classes in all. One is on building effective teachers (check) new district requirements the VAM model (check) , teaching ESE (check just finished today after 5 hours), a technology course (just started), and a Common Core class either on ELA or math. The classes are like online college courses with videos, articles, and quizzes. They aren't too bad just take up time! I hoping I can slow summer down a bit! I've only gone to Target once! I bought some tins to hold supplies in for table materials, a new plastic container, stickers (of course! I can't help myself), foam apples (for back to school/Johnny Appleseed theme stuff), and a new pictures frame to hold our wedding photo in for my desk. I saw a great blue lamp there I will probably end up purchases because one of lamps just didn't make it last year. It was at least 10 years old so it's no big loss. I also saw some great storage bins but need to decided if I actually need them. Which leads me to actually going back in my classroom and organizing/putting back together everything so I can truly decide if I need anything more! So tomorrow I might go back to school if the floors are cleaned and get some work done. If my classroom isn't clean and ready though....I think I'll bake, clean my house, and get ready for Wine Down Wednesday at my house with my best girlfriends.