Getting in the Groove

Miss Barker

The Stache Class

My classroom is coming together!

Teacher friends and UNG Graduates! Ready to be at the home of the Mustangs! #3rdgrade #4thgrade 

Home, Sweet Home! Loving this first teaching job and my sweet 4th Grade babies!

Louisiana Purchase "Deal or No Deal"?

The kids played "Deal or No Deal," in Social Studies to learn about the "deal" Thomas Jefferson made when spending "the winning case," $15,000,000, on the Louisiana Purchase. It was a fun hook! Kids loved it and learned it! This is gonna be an "every year" lesson.

ZOMG!! Zondle

Can I just say how much I love Zondle! The kids love it too. It is the perfect website to get the kids studying standards we have practiced throughout the year. For each unit, I construct 10 question quizzes that serve as study guides prior to unit tests. Students are competing to receive the most 100's each week.

Links to Learning CRCT Prep

As an incentive to review previously addressed standards prior to the CRCT, my class has been testing for a Pizza Party. The website Links To Learning, contains quizzes as practice for the CRCT for each grade level. Each subject area, (math, reading, language arts, science, and social studies) has 10 practice tests. 50 tests must be taken and passed in order to attend the pizza party. As students complete each subject area (10 tests) they may add one of a total of five toppings to their pizza slice. This symbolizes their progress towards being able to attend the party. Students who take their tests until they have received a 95% overall or higher on all tests combined, are also invited to a "build your own cookie cake" party. QRcodes lead students to the appropriate test taking pages and are a part of Daily 5 Time. 

CRCT Prep

My 4th grade students are preparing for the CRCT using Scootpad. This great website, allows teachers to assign quizzes based on the standards that give each student trouble. This study tool helps students focus on individual standards and areas of weakness. Teachers can log on the teacher page and see the scores their class receives. My classroom is doing a competition to see who earns the most points (points are earned for correct answers). Each week I tally the scores, and the student with the greatest difference in points earns a reward for their hard work. 

Whole Brain Scoreboard

During my student teaching, I created this classroom scoreboard: The class versus myself. Every day, we take a tally on the board of points and each day there is a winner. Every won day represents a tally on the Scoreboard. Tallies are earned when the class is well behaved in the hall, respectful, and on task. I win points for the opposite situations. 

Quiet Critters

I LOVE these little guys! The kids love them even more! They are my 4th and 5th grade version of "Quiet Critters." The guys with the squiggly eyes, no mouths, and no ears (that only come out when it is quiet), GOT AN UPGRADE! Perfect find for $1 each! The squiggly eye puppets are great for reading groups as we'll!

Brain Break Bouquet

Loving these Brain Break flowers I worked up. What a great find these premise Brain Break circles were. Teachers Pay Teachers is what's up. Had to craft them up into my future room decor and color scheme. Love that black, mint, and cream!

Missing The Heat

Going on day 3 of my county being closed, I am itching for a little sunny weather. Two weeks into my student teaching, I was on a roll! I don't wanna stop now! Not when I just got going! However, to ease the distress, I looked back on some of my time in Italy this past summer under that Tuscan Sun. I would enjoy nothing more than to be back there right now, sipping a cappuccino, lounging on a sunny rooftop. Maybe after graduation, a whopping two months from now, I can venture back there for the summer to celebrate. If not Italy, maybe Nica, or somewhere entirely new. Currently, I have my sights on AFRICA! Lions, Tigers, and Bears, OH MY!

Thought Catalog

"23 Lessons My Students Taught a 23-Year-Old-Me"

Find the article here: 

23 Lessons

Vascular or Non Vascular, That is the Question...

One of the four plant centers... I love science, it is my absolute favorite subject. Having a mother who was a Horticulture major at UGA, and now a 4th Grade Science teacher... how could I not LOVE this unit!!

Vascular & Non Vascular Plants from Katie Barker on Vimeo.

Venus Flytrap Discussion

Intro to Plant Classification Lesson: students respond to my question, "What is a Venus Flytrap?"

Plant Classification Venus Flytrap Intro from Katie Barker on Vimeo.

Throwback to Junior Year of College

When I was interning in a first grade classroom, I taught a lesson on "Greater Than and Less Than" using this song and activity.

Ally The Alligator Math Song from Katie Barker on Vimeo.

This lesson involved the 5th grade students rotating in 4 centers throughout an hour and fifteen minute class period. Students dissected flowers, examined vascular and nonvascular plants, noted key differences between gymnosperms and angiosperms, and watched countless videos online via QR codes. Students were assigned different tasks which helped them discover the characteristics of plants in a hands-on, discovery-based learning environment. Students even saw a Venus Flytrap "EAT" my finger!!!!

Dragon Lab

Students interacting with the genetics Dragon Lab. Probably one of my favorite lessons ever! The lesson, which filled up an entire science block was too long to post as a video. The screenshots in the above video show a few interactions with the students. Using a key chart, the students determined genetic traits of dragons by building dominant and recessive genes with different color M&M's.