Friday, February 25, 2011

On Making Dinners

Over Presidents' Day weekend, Mom and Dad came down to visit.  We spent almost all day Sunday making dinners to freeze so that once Brees arrives, we have some quiz and easy meals for dinner.  At the end of the day we had two and a half lasagnas, two bags of chili, and two bags of potato soup in the freezer.  Now, we just have to try and not eat them before the baby comes!


 Chopping onions for chili and lasagna.

Tom wasn't feeling well that weekend, so he didn't participate in making the food.



It was a great visit.  Next time I see Mom and Dad...Brees will be here! (Or on the way!)

On a Southwest Middle School Shower

The E-vite...
Tom Rees’s high school picture from back in the day!!!

The Men of the Mustang Team invite you to the Baby Shower of Baby Showers!!!!
 
 
For: Thomas and Katy Rees
When: February 9, 2011
Where: The luxurious Media Center of SWMS
Time: As soon as the kids leave!!!
 
Come out and see how the Men of the Mustang Team reinvent the fine art of putting on a Baby Shower
 
They are naming their child after us; his or her name will be James Jason Tony Rees or Jameshia Jasona Antonia Rees…….

The lesson plan...

Teacher Name

Men of the Mustang Team
Lesson Title
Thomas and Katy Rees’s Baby Shower
Curriculum Area
Adult Activities Education
Grade Level
You can come up with that on your own!!!
Curriculum Objective

The objective is to show the entire school that we as the “Men of the Mustang Team” can out do any other team in hosting a baby shower.
Technology Objective
They may have used some type of technology, but it will not be presented.  This is a rated G baby shower.

Essential Question

What curriculum related question should students be able to answer at the end of this lesson?
  1. How this gift to the world was created? 


Activity Summary
Write one sentence describing the activities you will use to help students learn and apply new information.
The activities we use today will be fun and interactive for all.
Activating Strategy
Describe the strategy you will use activate what students already know about the topic you are teaching.
Suggested Strategies:
q Anticipation/Reaction Guide
q Brainstorming
q Journals
q Written Lab Work
q Possible Sentences
q ?
q The First Word
q Think-Pair-Share
q Partner Interviews
q Walk Around Survey
Hands on! (that’s obvious!!!!!)

Activities:
1.)    Place a box and scrap paper out for people to write advice, funny stories, or comments about the upcoming birth
2.)    The first game we will play is the one with the toilet paper, the person that tears off the proper amount of toilet paper wins a prize!
3.)    The happy father to be and another person will have to dress a baby doll blind-folded, that’s right blind-folded.


Cognitive Strategy

Describe the strategy will you use to help students transform/manipulate information from one format to another.  This strategy should help students to organize and comprehend information in multiple contexts for the purpose of increasing retention and transference.
Suggested Strategies:
q Graphic Organizers
q Content Mapping
q Dump and Clump
q Problem/Process Chart
q Problem/Solution Guide
q Foldables
q Lab(s)
q Sentence Expansion
q Story Impressions
q Story Maps
q ?
q Talking Drawings
q Trading Cards
q Two-Column Notes
q Venn Diagram
q Vocabulary Mapping
During this stage of the activity, we will open gifts and enjoy the wonderful bounty. 

Summary Strategy

Describe the strategy will you use at the end of your lesson to help determine if students can answer the lesson’s Essential Question.
Suggested Strategies:
q ?
q Exit Slips
q Graphic Organizer
q Learning Logs
q Student Facilitated Review
q Sort Card Review
q Oral Review
Your ticket out the door will be your participation and your gift!


Resources and Materials

What resources and materials will you need to teach this lesson?
Assistance from all that came out to view the best baby shower ever!


Re-teaching and Enrichment Activities
How would you extend students’ understanding of the lesson concepts through another activity or by re-teaching a concept that needs more explanation?
If we have to re-teach, they will have to make another crumbsnatcher!!!!
Modifications
Are there any students for whom you need to make learning modifications?
Some of you need modifications…….


Multiple Intelligences:
Describe how you are addressing students’ multiple intelligences in this lesson
q       Bodily-Kinesthetic
q       Interpersonal
q       Intrapersonal
q       Linguistic
q       Logical-Mathematical
q       Musical
q       Naturalist
q       Spatial
You didn’t think we could do this, the MUSTANG MEN rule!!!!!

 
The food...



The friends...



The games...


The gifts....




It was a wonderful shower!  Thanks to my teammates and all our friends at Southwest!


Sunday, February 6, 2011

On a Book Club Baby Shower

I've been in my book club for about 5 years now.  My mentor and a fellow teacher invited me to come during my first year of teaching.  For those of you who have been a first year teacher, you know how much stress it can be.  So, I decided that it would be nice to be involved in something that wasn't completely school related.

Needless to say, I'm glad I did.  The best part about book club is that no one cares if you had a busy month and didn't read the book.  Or, if you started to read it, didn't like it, and decided not to finish it.  No judgement.  Just a group of ladies (most who are or were involved in the education field) getting together once a month to discuss a book....and school....and life.  Oh, and there is usually some good food too!

In January, book club threw me a baby shower.  Brees got some cute outfits, books, and toys.









Thanks Ladies!  Hope to see you next month...if Brees doesn't come early!