Getting all my ducks in a row... so to speak

My final "observation" by my principal is on Tuesday. I have had 3 total so far and they have gone very well. The third one did not go as well as I had hoped... and so I have to really work to make this one go better than good... and darn near perfect.

She is coming at 9, when we work on the letter of the week. On Tuesdays, (yes that is when she will be there) we usually make our letter of the week bags, which is gluing a die cut capital letter and a lowercase letter on a brown paper lunch sack and they take it home and fill it with items that start with that letter. I am thinking we will do the words that start with the letter of the week on Tuesday instead.
Then we have phonics for 15 minutes, and I finally gave in and purchased a cd and the book for the letter we are doing. Now if I could only afford the other 25 books to go with the cd... perhaps next year, or maybe I can get the remainder of the ones I will teach this year... regardless, I have one for this week. I will review the letters and sounds we have done so far and then I will show them the computer center where they can practice the letter sounds on starfall.com.

The letter of the week is D. The words we will generate are probably: duck, daisy, dragonfly, do, dig, dirt, dog, dandelion, daffodil, Dad, don't, dragon, doughnut, drink, dawdle, drank.... what others can you think of? let me know.

I am using a Duck and Daisy theme, so the centers will have duck or daisy patterns. I am still working on the literacy centers, so if you have an idea let me know. I am looking for rubber ducks to put numbers 1-10 on and the words 0ne through ten on another set and have them match them, in a extra small wading pool with a bit of water. Another will be a poem on sentence strips that has D words and they put them in order by looking at a printed copy of the poem. One will be daisies with numbers 10-20 and they will place that many dragonflies on each flower (tape flowers to floor).

For the technology tie in, which I haven't really done yet, in an observation, (We do more than any other kinder class, but it hasn't worked out that we are going to be working on the computers when the Chiefs show up) I am making a power point presentation with the d words above, having the letters fly in one at a time, and then a picture to go with them...d-o-g (dog picture). Then it will be one of the centers.
The last fifteen minutes she will be there, the students will be in literacy centers. I have 22 kids and like to not have more than 2 or 3 at a center.... so yeah I need some more centers that "reinforce skills" and that is the component she will be looking at the hardest I think. Centers are the one thing I haven't done before this year and I haven't found my niche for them in my classroom... they are awkward and time consuming beyond belief. I need to find a better way to do them, but it isn't going to happen before Tuesday... feel free to consult... I am up for advice, ideas, etc... (really in all areas, but this one in particular)

While the students are in centers, I will be doing guided reading with a small group... I like this because it is one of my strengths... nearly half my class is just about to read with 3 students that are reading and most of the others will be ready or will be reading by the end of the year. I have one or two that are not ready, will not be ready for First Grade. But hey, I was just suppose to have them ready to start reading by the end of the year... so we are strong in that department... anyway..

So far, it is looking pretty good, which is amazingly calming... so now I can go to breakfast with RJ... yeah, he is doing ok, but I told him I would hang out this weekend, my pleasure of course, and later we are going truck shopping for him and I get to be the mean wife.... I know it's a stretch, but he needs them to come down on the price... lol

oh... the price of being a friend...lol... oh did I mention we are going to Panchitos for breakfast? .... it pays to be a good friend... it is a great restaurant, esp. the migas (add sausage).