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2016: Transformation

2016: Transformation


As we start off a new year, I will be beginning a new journey in my own personal life.  I really want Cannon's Crafty Curriculum to not only be curriculum for your teacher life but for your personal life as well.  I was praying earlier this week for my one word that I want to describe this year....TRANSFORMATION.

Whatever I had been doing from August-December last year just wasn't working.  In my teaching life, personal life, and spiritual life.  I felt so disconnected with everything and everyone around me.  I kept praying that God would just change my situation or fix the people or situations around me to make my life easier.  WOW!  Was I wrong!  I was so focused on all the chaos around me that I didn't take a look inside to see if something in my needs to grow and transform so that I can take on more chaos in my life.  So of course, the only place I can really go is on my knees.  It's like that Hillsong United song..."I touch the sky, when my knees hit the ground."  And I truly did once I finally fell to my knees asking, "What needs to change in me in order for you to use me to your greatest potential?  Please help me transform my mind, body, and spirit so that I can take the chaos surrounding by the ropes and put it in full control."  I had to surrender it all.  It was as if a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  After the first week back to school, I honestly haven't been this happy most of the school year.  I did have one bad day this week, and to be honest, didn't handle it very well, but where there is grace is also forgiveness.

So to summarize all of this, I wanted to write about my goals that will go with my one word for the 2016 year.
(1) One of my biggest goals is honestly to get healthy again.  I know it cliche at this time of year, but when better to start than NOW.  I have joined the Camp Gladiator world this month in hopes of making myself much stronger than I have been.
(2) Another goal is for me to be able to better balance my personal, teaching, and spiritual life.  I tried to put all of those three as a #1 priority, but the reality is that they have to be in an order of priority.  As teachers, it is so natural for us to put our sweet babies first.  However, at what cost does that come to us as educators if we don't take care of ourselves personally, physically and mentally?  You can be rendered less effective than your potential allows you to be.
(3) I hope to also be able to grow as an influential leader in the positions that I have taken on this year.  Ineffective leaders are not impactful and I wish to be able to impact the people and kids around me on a daily basis in such a positive way that it carries over to them.

All of these goals have to do specifically when some kind of TRANSFORMATION in my life.  I am praying that I am able to have the strength to reach all three of these goals by the end of 2016.  It is going to be a long journey but God willing, He is going to make a path and with his grace and power, will transform me with the renewing of my heart, mind, and soul.  Here is my first sweaty selfie of the new year and I hope that it encourages you in whatever changes you may be seeking for this new year. :)

CAMP GLADIATOR!!!
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Anonymous
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DEVOLSON Take Over Has Ended!!! I've Missed You!!!

DEVOLSON Take Over Has Ended!!! I've Missed You!!!


Well....it has definitely been a while since I last made a post!!  Let's just say that DEVOLSON really took a toll on little ole' Mrs. Cannon this year.  Oh wait!  You haven't heard of DEVOLSON?!?  I had a friend share an article with me two years ago about this strange word and let me just tell you...IT'S ALL TRUE!!!


Its that long stretch from the time when you are just getting used to your alarm clock ringing at 5:00am again every morning all the way to "When will Thanksgiving break ever get here?!?!?!"  The article by blogger Love Teach explains very nicely exactly what DEVOLSON is and some ways you can cope with this dark vortex.  This is probably coming a little late, but its never to early to plan for next year!! :)

Here is the article link: http://bit.ly/1qV8SBg

I hope you all have a great a few weeks with your students before the next holiday break...which honestly, can't get here fast enough! :)


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Lizzie
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First Week of School

First Week of School



WHEW!!! Can I just say...this past back to school week was a whirlwind tornado of craziness!  Meet the Teacher night, sorting supplies, labeling journals, creating About Me posters, talking to worried/inquisitive parents, teaching students how to use the bathroom correctly, how to stand in the hallway correctly, how to use the classrom supplies, how to sit and speak to a partner but also be a good listener.  If I kept going it would be the list that never ends!  I know some of you have left your summer behind been back to school for a few weeks now, some have just started last week, and some of you may be starting this week or the next.  No matter when you start back to school, it is definitely a crazy time but it is also an exhilarating and exciting time.

Students are leaving the unstructured days of summer and TRYING to settle back into a routine at school.  My poor thirdsters are just exhausted by 12:00.  As a teacher, you know when your students have had enough and have completely checked out.  I have learned over the last few years that you have two kinds of students after the clock strikes noon. The "Walking Dead" Zombies or the "I Am Legend" Zombies. The "Walkind Dead" Zombies are slow, shoulders slumped down, their arms slide on the floor right next to their dragging feet, drool is starting to come down the side of their mouth, while their blood-shot eyes are beginning to roll to the back of their head.  The "I Am Legend" Zombies are ravenous, raging with terror and constantly running around the room with some kind of mission to lose their shoes and cause all kinds of madness and maham. 

Can I get an amen?! :)  Even though we are tempted to become one of those zombies ourselves just have a bad afternoon, we must become the great actors and actresses that we are and help our little ones see that even though we may be exhausted, we can still hold it together, get the job done, and still show all kinds of love in the process.  A friend shared this video below with me a couple of years ago and I make sure I watch every year before, during, and after the first week of school.  I will be completely honest, I am completely wiped after the first week and into the second week and sometimes the question, "Why did I choose this job?" will come into my head during weak moments.  But I love watching this video over and over again to remind me why I am here and what my ultimate job is: To SERVE the kids that I given and to love, empower, and encourage them for the next 10 months.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! :)



HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL EDUCATORS!!! :)
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Implementing Daily 5 - Word Work

Implementing Daily 5 - Word Work


If you have been following my blog posts lately, I am writing about the different compoents of the
Daily 5 and how the first 5 days of each component can look in the classroom!  So today...I am writing about...WORD WORK!  *I can feel your excitement!* :)

Word Work is the center where students work on developing their skills in phonics and grammar with meaningful and purposeful work. 

This work should consist of many different kind of work that can be hands-on, differentiated, and targeted towards the phonics and grammar standards that students are learning in their Readers’ Workshop time.  Students can work to complete this center in a small group setting or they can work independently.  Putting in hands-on activities in this center can make it much more enjoyable for the students.  You can even crossover different subjects into this center.

Stephanie at 3rd Grade Thoughts and Reagan at Tunstall’s Teaching Tidbits have many awesome resources for Word Work depending on your grade level.

First 5 Days of Word Work


Day #1:

Surprise, suprise! I will bring all my students to a whole group lesson about the expectations of Word Work.  We will create another T-Chart together about what it looks like the when the "Students" are practicing Word Work and what the "Teacher" is doing during this time.  I will take a few moments to model what I want those expectations to look like, then I have the class model and practice those same expectations.  I then partner them up (just for practice) and have them go about into the room to find a place with their partner so we can practice our stamina.  We also graph this stamina.  When in 1st grade I started with 3 minutes but in 3rd grade we start with 5-6 minutes.

**You may notice that my friends in the picture are not necessarily sitting in the EEKK position, this was taken later on in the year after they had been practicing Read to Someone for quite sometime. :)

Day #2-5:

These last 4 days and on are usually just spent working on building our stamina.  If I ever see any of the paired students not following the expectations we have set for Read to Someone, I will either bring them back over to review the expecations or I can just correct it right there.  Either way, if we don't meet our stamina goal for the day, we try again the next day until we reach our ultimate goal of 20 minutes!

When implemented with fidelity, Daily 5 is amazing tool to use during your independent practice time inside your literacy block.  I will be posting more about the last 3 componenets of the Daily 5 framework very soon!  :)
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Lizzie
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