Last week before school

My Plan for the week:

It was an extremely busy week. I barely had time to think much less clean the house! With school starting in just a few days, I have been working on new lesson plans for the beginning year and preparing my documents to be printed. The school printer (her name is Anita) requires everything to be turned in at least a week prior to needing it. With everyone throwing their orders in, it is going to be difficult to have everything I need for the first week of school. Wish me luck!

What I did/Where I went:

This week, I was able to visit with family as much as possible. I've been visiting my father at his hotel to sit in the jacuzzi. I've needed it this week more than any other week. I found out this week that I may not be able to start my English Masters until the spring semester. All of my references have returned their questionnaires so I'm hopeful to be accepted. I've also visited Arizona. There are so many mountainous areas to die for. I'm often impressed at the grandeur of the canyons and obvious faulting of the mountains over the years.

What I learned:

 

Book talks - Book talks are one of my favorite things that I have ever put together. Because I chose to take English classes in addition to my degree in science and social studies, I was fortunate to take young adult literature and library media as a class. In these classes, I was required to create book talks to be used with an English language arts class. Book talks are so important in creating interest and desire to read. I have many to share with anyone that would like to use!
#Hashtags! - who doesn't love hashtags? I will definitely keep the list of hashtags on the website provided.
Facebook as an educational tool - Call me old fashioned but I have noticed that my 8th grade students are starting to pull away from facebook. They have begun using other social media sites and these are often on a one-on-one basis and less on a group of people together. Examples include - twitter, instagram, and vines.

What I decided for my website:

My website will be a work in progress. Originally, I thought I would upload as many lessons as possible but I have decided that would confuse my students. It will be important to keep up on my website on a daily/weekly basis as to decrease the amount of confusion my students will face when looking for an assignment.