Welcome 2013-2014

I am happy you are here.
You can link back to mrscarterscalling.blogspot.com to catch up on previous year activities.
I would like to keep this updated more...the homework and such on the side is not up and running yet.
Enjoy.

24 Hours Later

Happy weekend Friends!

Hope you are enjoying time with your family, I know I am!

Here are some pictures of our ants, 24 hours later!

 It is hard to take a picture with the glare.  They are busy doing what worker ants do best!

 I love watching them.  Jay checks on them about every 5 minutes!  They are cutting away the gel and then carrying the gel in their strong pinchers to the top.

Busy ants extract the gel in order to make tunnels.

Scientists will often study the rocks around ants nests.  These ants tunnel well below the Earth reaching beyond 25 feet.  Their subterranean life often uncovers fossils from long ago.  They simply carry them out of the tunnel and place them around the mound! Follow the story here! 

 No fossils in this container, just mountains of well placed chunks of gel.

Ants live a maximum of 45-60 days.  They live in colonies of 40,000-60,000 ants typically.  Each ant possesses 250,000 brain cells.  A human has about 10 million brain cells.  Collectively, a mound of ants have the brain cell capacity of one human being.  Below you will see an abandoned ant mound that researchers excavated.

I was fascinated as I watched this!  It is exciting watching our harvester ants in the classroom and the children are documenting their observations.  Here are some great pictures of harvester ants I have found online(**NOT ONE OF THEM ARE MINE, NOR AM I TAKING CREDIT!**):

Above:  You can see the compound eye of the ant.  Below:  Here is a picture of the Harvester ant queen.  Ask your child if they know where the heart and stomachs are located.  In the head, mesosoma, or the metasoma?  The 3 jointed, 6 legs are connected to the mesosoma.  The ant tastes, hears, and feels with its antennae. 

 These ants are working to move this piece of dogfood back to the anthill.  Ants are able to lift 20 times their own weight.

This week has been full of activity.  We have been busy setting the expectations for our reading workshop, STAR testing on the computer to find their just right reading level, understanding the difference between fiction and nonfiction, and actively practicing math fact review of additon

You should have received your child's rough draft, noted as RD and circled in purple on their paper, friday afternoon.  All week we had been reading "If you give a ___ a ______" books by Laura Numeroff.  On Thursday we wrote our rough drafts and Friday the final copy in PEN!  They loved doing this and really worked hard!
We cover so much ground in a week, I could never list it all!  I will say your children are super excited to write their own stories and share them with the class.  It is especially enticing now that I have introduced the punch cards!

The Ants Go Marching

Good evening families!

Exciting news...the ants have arrived!

It was a tense few moments as I transferred them from the test tube to the ant farm.  I thought they would love going into the home...wrong.  They ran in every direction across my kitchen counter.  5 escaped and ended up being caught and released into the wild.

I am sorry the children were not able to watch me put them in the home, but I could not make those ants sit in the tiny tube another second!

Looking forward to a fun Friday!

Off to a fantastic start!

 It is true...I have an awesome classroom full of first grade students!  They certainly do work hard.  Since school has started, we have been busy learning the routine and getting to know one another.

 The "brag tags" from www.imagestuff.com have truly been my most favorite addition to my classroom this year...save for the students!  (Who are completely obsessed with and want to wear their necklaces all the time.)  However, this is a special treat saved just for Fridays!  We do not wear them to recess or PE so they are not a choking hazard.  Pete the Cat is my favorite charm by far!  It says, "Joined the club, I can tie my shoes!" 

 The message that Pete brings to the children is that when things go wrong, not to worry, because it's all good!
We are building our stamina in reading and learning the skills necessary to become readers that comprehend what they are reading.

  This fall I am leading a Professional Development at Sabal Point for the teachers on the CAFE Book. 

This book helps as teachers begin a more deliberate practice of reading instruction.  I continue to teach the children that good readers turn into good writers.  Below you will find a rubric of sorts that visually explains what makes an okay piece of writing and what makes an outstanding piece of writing.

 The first weeks of school are full of fun, hands on, creative outlets.  Allowing the children time to get back into a routine and retrain their little bodies on the "school schedule" provides opportunities for low stress and high interest activities.  The goal is to build a love for learning and maintain it.  Most importantly, it is of the utmost importance I learn who your children are and build a relationship with them. 

  The children will begin to keep track of their daily behavior the first week of September.  This calendar will keep you informed of how their days are going in the classroom.

 The children are not just being disciplined or positively reinforced. 

 I am teaching and modeling appropriate interactions with their peers, introducing life skills necessary for success, and building character in the children that will prove beneficial for their entire lifetime.  Fair and balanced.

 Science is among one of the favorite topics my class expresses an interest in on a daily basis.  I wholeheartedly enjoy the engaging conversations we have about "blue moons", sun flares and the consequences, as well as the effects of gastric acid on food in the stomach.  No...these were not on my agenda for the day.  However, these topics and questions arise and we explore them as far as interest allows.  I am learning new things every day from your children. 

 The second highest interest activity in my class is the chance to be creative both in thinking and in expressing themselves through multiple means.

 The skills being taught are the nationwide Common Core State Standards.  These are appropriate and meaningful to the success of the first grade student.  Below are the Florida Frameworks written in understandable language.  Here they are in their entirety.  You can click HERE to find them.

Our school is piloting a special type of clustered classrooms for the gifted and talented.  My classroom is made up of several gifted students and children who have shown a talent or high aptitude for certain endeavors.  I have found that this class is first and foremost, just children.  They have their own personal struggles they each must overcome and areas of strength they are able to share with the class.  I am merely the vehicle to provide opportunities and experiences for the students to best meet their needs as students.  I am their coach and we work as a team.  

There have been some questions as to how to study for a comprehension test and what it is.  Please see this old post I had written that helps explain it.
http://mrscarterscalling.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-study-for-comprehension-test.html

This week we will be digging into nonfiction books and learning all about Ants.  Be watching for some real "ant"ics on the blog!

Welcome!

Welcome to our 1st Grade blog, "Mrs. Carter's Calling"!

This has a two fold meaning. You can interpret the title as if I was calling to fill you in on all the new details or as teaching being my calling in life. Both are very true!

My name is Mrs. Jessica Carter.

I am married to Michael

 who supports my passion for teaching!  You will see him here reading to the class as a guest reader! :)

My three children Jacob(15), Jayda(14), and Jay(4).  Lots of J names and happened much by accident.  Nice thing is, I call Jay and mumble the last part and they all come running to help! :)

I enjoy many activities that include boating, salt water fishing,

 (This photo below was published in the Florida Sportsman Magazine of a black drum I caught in Marco Island.  The photo above is a Goliath Grouper, a protected species.)

art, reading, paper and digital scrapbooking, jewelery making, attending the theater,

photography, bike riding, exploring the local area, my children's sports, and volunteering with girl scouts.

I was born in Orange County, California and raised in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania. (About 15 minutes from where Punxsutawney Phil makes his appearance every February 2nd!) I attended Gannon University in Erie, PA where I received a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. I attended Gannon on a Volleyball scholarship. We were ranked 5th in the nation for Division 2 and this had me traveling all over the USA. It is actually how I came to love Florida!

I arrived in Seminole County, Florida in 1993. I received my Early Childhood degree through Rollins College. I began my teaching career at Winter Springs Elementary where I taught Kindergarten for 5 years. I took a couple of years off to be home with my two older children before returning to the classroom in 2001. At that time, I was placed in 2nd grade where I taught for 2 years. I then was placed in Kindergarten, where I taught for almost 4 years before another blessing put me on maternity leave. After almost two years of maternity leave, I returned to the classroom. I have been teaching 1st grade since 2009.
Here was what I looked like in 1st grade!
Teaching is my gift. I knew when I was in 2nd grade I would be a teacher. There was never a question about what I wanted to do "when I grow up"!
Just a note on blog pictures: to make the picture larger click on the picture.

I love every day as a teacher, each day is different and full of it's own rewards! It is my goal to create a well rounded student/child who gains a love for learning! I believe every child possess gifts and talents.  I help them find their area of expertise and easily adapt to meed all students needs.
I look forward to a wonderful school year together!
You can contact me by e-mail by clicking on the link that says "EMAIL ME" at the top. I look forward to a great year!

I am going to be using this website as a means of bringing you into our classroom through words, pictures, and videos! I will go over safety features and permission forms during open house (as well as many other topics).  I am looking forward to getting to know you better in the next couple of months.

This is the second blog, the first one started here:
Mrs. Carter's Calling (Original) for those who want to take a walk back through time! 
I needed to start again as there was a problem with blogger and I lost access to my account.