Unfair Science Fair

I wrote this post during the school year, but decided to wait until summer to add it to my blog.  So, here it is, and I hope you enjoy!

I recently posted a blog detailing how to deal with angry parents (find it here if you missed it).  And wouldn’t you know it, I had to deal with a very upset mommy the next day.  (Isn’t it funny how that works sometimes?)

The kids are in the middle of completing their Science Fair projects.  This is the first year they are doing these, so I’ve broken down the project into 4 chunks.  That way the students can get their work checked by me as they’re completing the project, and I can make any corrections along the way if needed.

Well one of my students (let’s call her Jane) was completely unclear about her experiment and left out a lot of detail and I was confused about what her whole experiment was trying to prove.  Another area she missed points on was the section requiring the students to keep a journal of their experiment.  Jane only completed 3 out of the 5 entries required.

So I get this angry email from a mommy telling me that Jane’s father was furious with her, the school, and myself for giving her a bad grade.  She proceeded to tell me that they spent $85 on plants and supplies for the experiment, and it was all for nothing since she got a bad grade (really?  $85 on plants?  What did they buy, palm trees?).  So it was the parents’ understanding that I didn’t give Jane a good grade because they didn’t spend enough money on the Science Fair project.

Really?  I mean come on.  Really?  If that were the case then I would’ve required the parents turn in receipts.  Come on now.

It always amazes me when people expect the worst of me as their child’s teacher.  Like I’m teaching because I enjoy the huge paycheck (I have mentioned before how much I love shopping at the DOLLAR store, right?).

Freebie

This is my first summer blogging. In the beginning, I thought that I would be stranded for ideas, but I'm still finding that there's lots of things to blog about even though I'm not working.  One of the things I'd like to start doing this summer is giving away some free resources.  Today is the day I begin!

Below you will find a rubric for grading Step up to Writing T-Charts.  I've kept the number of points possible blank for teachers' discretion.  Click on the picture to download it!

I also have more writing resources here!

Favorite Fonts

Hey everyone, I'm linking up with Teachery Tidbits, showcasing my favorite fonts!

 

 

That's all for now.  Be sure you visit Teachery Tidbits and link up there as well!

Currently June

June is here again and I couldn't be more thrilled.  This is the first time our school has ended so early.  So, in celebration of that, I figured I would complete my first June Currently.  It comes from the awesome blog, Oh' Boy 4th Grade 

Stop on over to Oh' Boy 4th Grade and link up your "Currently" for June! 

Favorite Picture Book

The extrememly creative author, Mo Willems, has written several books starring his beloved creature: The Pigeon.  

I did an activity with my students where I read 3 of his Pigeon books to the class.  Then I separated the students into 6 groups and they created their own Pigeon stories.  Some of the more creative titles the kids came up with were: Don't Let the Pigeon Fall in Love, Pigeon Wants to Travel, and Don't Give the Pigeon 10 Dollars.  The pictures below show what the writing process looked like.  

   

On a side note, the illustrations were quite simple for the kids to do.  I even drew a few on the board so the kids could copy them.

   

Rockin' Resources

Kelley over at Teacher Idea Factory is having her first linky party about resources we just couldn’t live without.

 

Here are my Rockin’ Resources

Individual white boards

These are great for test-prep, check for understanding, free time, etc.

Video Projector (whom I’ve named Hector the Projector)

I use Hector pretty much all day, every day.  It keeps the kids' attention ALL day long!

Writing station

I’ve used this station since my first year of teaching.  The students bring their writing sample over to the writing station and use the flip books to help them revise and proofread their work.

Red Buckets 

I keep these red buckets filled with items that kids use on a daily basis like extra pencils and erasers, hand-held sharpeners, hand sanitizer, and flash cards.

iPod Docking Station with Speakers

I use music all the time in my classroom.  This docking station allows me to play music for my kiddos while charging my iPhone at the same time!

My Online Store

I’ve used Teachers Pay Teachers for a while now, and while I’m happy with their level of service, I have a difficult time giving up some of my proceeds to the site.  That’s why I created my own teacher store where I get to keep all my earnings, therefore my prices are able to set at a lower cost because there’s no overhead charge.  I’d be happy to share with you how I’ve been able to do this.  Shoot me an email at info@theresourcefulteacher.com

You Know it's Summer Vacation When...

I'm joining up with Kindergarten Lifestyle to finish her question of "You Know it's Summer Vacation When..."  

Here's what I came up with

This is My Obession

Living a Wonderful Life is having a linky party about the things we obsess over.  I have plenty so I’m going to narrow it down to just a few (I can be a bit neurotic at times... haha).

Pinning home remodeling ideas on Pinterest

I’m hoping to become a first-time homebuyer within the next few months and I can’t stop pinning home ideas on Pinterest.  

Germs

More specifically I’m obsessed with ways to stay AWAY from germs.  I’m not OCD, but I understand how one could be!  I even wrote a blog about it.

Fiji Water

If you haven’t tasted this water, you are missing out.  It is the best tasting water in the world.  You won’t know the magic until you try it.  

The color PINK

It’s always been my favorite color and it always will be.

My Dog

She’s just the most precious thing in the world (I do NOT have kids, by the way).  She can be a little monster sometimes, but she’s the best pup I’ve ever had!

                  

Books I'll Be Reading Over Summer Break

Clutter-Free Classroom and Mrs. Stanford’s Class are having linky parties about the books we will be reading.  

    

Here's what I will be reading

Jesus Calling

This book is a daily devotional that I read every morning

Bossy Pants 

This one is just a fun, silly read

The Time Traveler’s Wife

And this one looks like a good love story.