Catch Up!

I have taken a break from blogging, with the exception of one post, since November. But, I have some unexpected free time today and some ideas I'd like to share. So, you will soon see an influx of posts dating back from the winter months through now.

I'm Back!

Thank you to my fellow teachers who have emailed to see when I will be blogging again. I've taken a hiatus from blogging since mid summer while I transitioned from teaching first grade to elementary art. I am LOVING my new art position! Since I teach over 600 students now, I've decided that the most manageable way to keep up with the blog is to show general photos of student work rather than specific individuals. I will most likely only blog once or twice a nine weeks as and may include some more general education resources I have found to be useful as well.

Keep Calm and Teach Art

After teaching first grade for six years, I have decided to switch gears! Starting this year, I will be teaching Elementary Art at the same school, Moseley Elementary in Grand Prairie. I am very excited about this change but know that I have a lot of learning and work ahead of me. With this change, several people have asked me what I am going to do with this blog. I am still undecided at this point for the future of the blog as far as art is concerned. I am wrapping my brain around the logistics of getting permission to display student created art online for a school of over 600 students. But, at this point, I will continue sharing various ideas for Elementary Education as a whole. I will share ideas I've stumbled upon from other sites, creations I have made for Teachers Pay Teachers, and more. You can also follow me on Pinterest here. I will continue to have boards for first grade as well as new boards for various art topics.

Taking a Break...

I have been taking a break from blogging this month. Although I love sharing ideas and gathering ideas from other bloggers, sometimes you just need to relax. With that said, I have a backlog of pictures that needed to be uploaded. So, new posts are coming soon.

Spring Break!

Happy Spring Break! I have gotten a little behind on blogging lately. I will be updating the blog soon with some of the highlights of February and March. Stay tuned!

Voting Open: 2012's Most Fascinating Elementary Teacher Blog

Bishop's Blackboard has earned  a nomination for 2012's Most Fascinating Elementary Teacher Blog. Voting is now open and the blog with the most votes by May 21st will win. It is nice to know that others read and value what I write. So, if you find my content useful, feel free to vote by visiting the link above . If you do not have Google+ you will need to sign up. Once you sign up, you will see Bishop's Blackboard listed first under the comments section. You should see a +1 next to my blog. Click the +1 and you have voted. Thanks for your support!

Winner! Winner! Samson's Classroom

Congratulations to Miss Nelson from Run! Miss Nelson's Got the Camera for winning a year's subscription to Samson's Classroom. Thank you to those who entered the giveaway. Miss Nelson, check your email soon for login information. The winner was chosen using a Random Number Generator. The widget can be found at Random.Org.

KidBlog

The students recently started publishing their own blog, hosted by KidBlog. You can visit the blog here. For their first entry, the students wrote to describe the concept of an addition double. They then listed examples of doubles. The purpose of this assignment was to assess their understanding of the concept. The following week, the students used facts learned during our space research to write a few "Did you know?" facts about space. Their KidBlog will be used in computer lab and on the classroom student stations as a way to write about what they know, write personal narratives such as they do in their journals, to show technology products created in computer class, and to share affirmations with one another. Check back often to see what the students have added. Parents, I sent home passwords to the KidBlog previously. The students are welcome to add their own entries at home. They will not appear immediately because I have to approve them first, so if you do not see them right away, do not worry. If you need the password again, please feel free to ask.

Blog on Fire Award

Thank you to Rebecca at Teaching First for giving my blog the Blog on Fire Award! It is very sweet of you. If you have not had a chance to check out her blog, click here! I love blogging and reading other people's blogs so it is very rewarding to know that others find my blog useful and relevant. Thanks to all who read my blog and thanks to all who share their wonderful ideas through this crazy online world!

So as a part of receiving this blog, I am supposed to tell you seven things about myself and then pass the award on to seven other blogs.

Here are seven non-educational, completely random things about me...and I mean completely random:

1. My newest obsession is Pinterest - follow me here! But, if you follow me on Pinterest, please don't blame me if you get addicted!
2. I am a technology junkie...why else would I be blogging when I'm sleep deprived?
3. I am addicted to Diet Coke. If only I could have it pumped through my veins...
4. Concerts are my favorite passtime - I saw Steven Tyler two weeks before he fell of the stage (the first time that is), a real-life Beatle (Sir Paul, himself), was in the background of a Bon Jovi video, and experienced my first "mosh pit" thanks to Jared Leto.
5. My new favorite t.v. show is Revenge. Once Upon a Time looks promising too - I like all of the literary references. (Speaking of...I'm watching Revenge right now; the life of the teacher is multi-tasking.)
6. I used to love reality t.v. until it became more fake than Kim Kardashian's wedding!  
7. I cannot put furniture together to save my life...I read the first direction and give up. So, although I love to look at IKEA, I probably will never buy anything there.

Now, to pass on the award to seven fellow bloggers. It is very hard to choose, but these are the blogs that are new to me that I have been reading lately:

1. First Grader...At Last
2. Learning With Mrs. Parker
3. First Grade Fabulous Fish
4. Rowdy in First Grade
5. Pencils Glue and Tying Shoes
6. The First Grade Jungle
7. Castles and Crayons

Thank you to all of these teachers for sharing their expertise with the rest of us!



Thank You!

Thank you to Lori at Bee the Change for passing on the Versatile Blogger Award to me. It is very nice to have fellow teachers share their ideas with me and I hope that my blog provides a variety of ideas for both my colleagues and parents of sweet little first graders! If you get a chance, check out Lori's blog!

Vote Now: Really Good Classroom Blog

If you enjoy reading my blog, you can vote for my blog or any of the other many great blogs out there in Really Good Stuff's 2011 Really Good Classroom Blog Contest. Voting begins today, July 1st, and goes through July 7th!

Really Good Stuff Classroom Blog Contest Nominee

My blog has been nominated for the Really Good Stuff Classroom Blog Contest in the K-4 Blogs category. Voting begins on July 1st so if you get the chance, head over to their site and vote for Bishop's Blackboard: A First Grade Blog!

KidBlog Update!

The students have been blogging away! They have written over 250 posts so far. Their latest blog entries are about additive patterns. When they wrote about additive patterns, they first created patterns in Kidspiration which then then exported to our class' shared folder. They then had to import the photo into their blog. Although the steps to export and import seemed tricky at first, the students were up the challenge and were very successful. They have also been using our writing strategies from Write From the Beginning to write personal narratives. They have also been practicing writing sentences using word wall and phonics words as well as using adverbs from our grammar lessons. When you get a few minutes, read their great posts at their KidBlog.

Fraction Caterpillars

To review parts of a set, the students made fraction caterpillars. Thank you to Mrs. Carroll from The First Grade Parade  for inspriing this wonderful idea! The students used three different colors of dot paint to create a caterpillar. They then told what part of the set each color was on their caterpillar. The students then added them to their hallway garden display.

Stylish Blogger Award

Thank you to Mrs. Johnson at Wild About Kindergarten, Mrs. Adcock at The Joy of First Grade, and Miss Griffin at Fantastic First for awarding my site the Stylish Blogger Award!

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Award 5 recently discovered great bloggers

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

7 things about yours truly:

1. I grew up in a very small North Texas town, Nocona. I am a proud product of their public education system.
2. I moved to Arlington, Texas to attend The University of Texas in Arlington where I earned a degree in English and Sociology. Go Mavericks!

3. This is my third year teaching first grade. I was honored this year to be chosen to represent my school as Teacher of the Year!

4. Prior to teaching first grade I worked in a faith-based early childhood center and then as an administrator in Montessori education.

5. I am an organizational crazy woman when it comes to work and my classroom but could care less about organizing at home.

6. In my free time (what little there is, ha!) I enjoy reading James Patterson and Nicholas Sparks books. I also enjoy watching all of the Real Housewives t.v. shows...gives me brainless relaxation time!

7. I'm addicted to blogging!

5 Stylish Bloggers

1. Not Just Child's Play: Teaching Gifted First Graders

2. The Inspired Apple

3. The First Grade Sweet Life

4. Mrs. Patton's Patch

5. First Grade Best

KidBlog

Our class recently started their own blog site through http://www.kidblog.org/. You can visit our class site here. Each student has a password to log in which has already been sent home. If you would like another copy, please let me know. The students have already written about 40 blog entries in one week. We are using the site as a place to journal personal narratives, to write critically about recently taught concepts, and to write affirmations to one another. Writing affirmations is a part of the Capruring Kids' Hearts program we use district wide. Parents, feel free to leave your child comments in their blog entries; please leave your name if you do. The comments are moderated before posting so you may not see it appear immediately. I encourage you to let your child blog at home through this site as it helps with their writing and spelling as well as giving them an opportunity to show what they know.