Phonics Phones

Hey all!

This past week I was at my mother's because she was having knee surgery.  Since she was pretty much stuck in a chair we decided to tackle a DIY for the classroom that she could sit down for.  We decided to make the DIY Phonics phones that you see all over Pinterest.  The link shows where I found the materials needed.


First, I went to Lowe's and purchased what I needed:

(1) 5ft long 1 inch PVC pipe (I know the link above says 3/4 inch but I really wanted them to be a little bit thicker/ sturdier)

6 bags of 1 inch elbows (My Lowes only sold bags with 5 elbows in each, but online they sold 10 in a bag)

PVC glue (my mom already had that)

Duct Tape (Pink and Green)

We started by measuring and cutting the PVC pipe.  We cut it so that it was 3 1/2 inches long.



Next, I used the glue and swiped it around the inside of an elbow.  Then I pushed it into the end of the long pipe.  I did the same with the other side.  Now the PVC glue dries SUPER quickly, so you need to make sure that you have it lined up with the other elbow so that you can actually use it as a phone!

I didn't capture too many pictures but here is what they looked like when we were done gluing.

Next we needed to use the duct tape to cover the middle.  Most were long enough that the tape fit across no problem.  Obviously some were longer than other because we needed to slim down the tape.

And there you have it!  The phonics phones that I will be using for my classroom this year.  I am going to also make a job where someone is responsible for cleaning these with a wipe daily and ensuring that they are back where they belong.  Overall this took me about 45 minutes total to make (keep in mind my mom was helping).  I can't wait to tackle some more DIY projects with PVC pipe-  Maybe I'll go for the Anchor Chart Stand?!  Or this site that shows how to make lots with PVC!!!!!

Best,

Stitch Fix #1

Hey all!


SO I have been obsessed with my fellow bloggers who use stitch Fix- like Maria at Kinder-Craze.  So I finally decided to check it out for myself.  I was really just interested in seeing other clothes besides the same stores I shop at and my first fix didn't disappoint.  If you are interested check out the site here.


What is Stitch Fix?

Stitch Fix is an online service that picks different fashion items based on a style profile you complete.  IT is pretty extensive too.  It asks you for the normal things like your top size, bottoms size, how tall or short you are in relation to pants or arm length.  Then they ask you to look at a series of pictures with different styles of clothing and decide whether you would love that look or not.  Last they have you decide how you prefer your clothes to fit.  Do you want them to be fitted or loose.  If you have anything important about the fix you would like them to know (you have an important meeting, an anniversary, just want more relaxing clothes).

When your pick is ready to be shipped they will charge you $20.  However that $20 is used as a credit towards what ever you would like from the fix.  And if you choose to keep the whole fix than you will receive a 20% discount.

Here is the box that it comes in.  I love that it has the name all over- makes it feel different and special. :)

Here is my letter from Paige!  Notice in her letter to me she makes sure to explain why she chose the different pieces.  She tried really hard to make sure that it matched with what I wanted (pieces for going out on dates).  

Here is the beautiful inside of the box.  I really do love the way they present the clothes so it does not feel like you just mail ordered the clothes.  I hate when they show up in plastic bags- feels very warehouse like.  I also like that the inside also explains how you choose the clothes.  I didn't take a picture of this but they give you a self addressed return bag so that you can just put the clothes in the bag and stick it in the mail.  I LOVE this feature because it really does give you ease to return the clothes.  I knew you had 3 days to return the clothes and I was very concerned with how you do that.  I didn't want to have to run around to the post office and mail it back myself every time I had a fix.  They really do think of everything!

Now onto the clothes!  This is the first thing I tried on.  I looked at the card first and then tried on the clothes.  The card made this shirt look almost maroon.  I thought I would hate it but when I saw it in the pile I was in love!  Then i tried it on and it was a little too boxy and big.  While I thought I could get away with it I knew deep down that every time I put it on I would feel fat and take it off.  I wanted to be sure I only kept the things I knew would fit me well.

(PS don't mind the bathroom- I don't have a full length mirror next.  Don't worry I will get one for the next fix)

With the shirts I had I tried on the pants they had.  These pants were super comfortable, but I am not really a fan of black jeans.  So I had to return these too.

Next the blue dress.  This dress really looked super cute and comfortable when I held it up.  I was very excited to try it on.  Unfortunately it wasn't as comfortable as I hoped.  In the center where the top and bottom were attached, it was very tight and wasn't a really soft binding, so it rubbed on my stomach.  Not really ideal.  Back it went.

Last I tried on the henley knit shirt.  Before I tried it on I was afraid this one would also not fit well, but it really did fit nicely.  It is also a super comfortable fabric that will be great in the classroom and great out at night with the husband.  This was definitely a keeper!

I really loved the earrings too.  I didn't take a picture of them on but they were super cute and I love earrings so I kept these too :)

Here is the final receipt of everything.  Notice that they not only gave me the $20 styling fee towards the final bill, but they also show you how much everything would have cost if you purchased it all.  Even though I didn't purchase it all I still was able to use the $20 styling fee towards the clothes.

Now that I have had my first fix I am hooked!  I can not wait for the second one to come right before school.  I made sure to let my stylist know that I wanted clothes that would be appropriate for back to school.  I like to dress up for school so I am hoping that I get some more professional looking pieces.


Can't wait for my next fix!

Angela's Review of Falling in Love with Close Reading

I have finally finished reading the book :)  (better late then never right?)  I am ready to share my opinions on the book and how I think it will impact my students.

Monday:  Overall thoughts on the book  Would you recommend?  Why?

Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book.  While I do know that research matters, I struggle to finish books that solely rely on just data.  I was able to finish the book easily because it relied not just on what they know what works, but how we can best use it in the classroom with concrete steps and real world examples of lessons taught based on the different ways we can close read a text.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants their children to start to slowly read a text.  Sometimes we often push a high quantity of texts on our children because  we need them to be able to read more/longer passages for tests.  But we never take the time to dissect the passages so that not only do they understand more, but they can get in the habit of understanding a passage better. 

Tuesday:  Favorite passage/quote

My favorite chapter from the book was Chapter 3:  A Way with Words:  A Study of Word Choice.  I loved it because it really starts to show how we need to expose our children to not just what is being said, but how it is being said and what the choice of those words could mean.  My "aha" moment came when the authors wrote:  "One way to invite students to live looking for word choice is to study television advertising, those thirty-second spots that flood our screens, day after day.  We can help students see that in all media, as well as in daily life, everyone chooses their words for a purpose."  This section on page 35 starts to explain how you can teach understanding word choice through advertisements.  It encourages you to not just look at the overall product, but to look at the words they use to describe the product.  It wants you to stop and ask:  How do those words influence you the viewer?  How do they give us insight into the author.  

Wednesday:  Didn’t care for didn’t understand

There wasn't much I didn't care for.  The beginning was a little wordy, but it's how they planned to bring the reader in.  It did take me a few pages to get into the groove of the book, but once I started to read the chapters that gave real world ways to bring in the different ways we can close read, I started to enjoy reading it more.  

Thursday:  How can you apply this to your every day practice next year?

This past school year we opened our eyes to close reading but never did any research or learning behind how to effectively close read.  This year I plan to use a chunk of time (maybe my Friday centers) to really dive into close reading.  I would like to say that EVERYDAY we will close read, but I gotta start somewhere ;).  I hope that if we focus on a new close reading objective, that by the end of the year we will be close readers.  I would also like to then make close reading happen during morning work time.  I like to have something independent for my students to do daily so that as other children are arriving we are not wasting time.  I was planning to create something similar to the Rise and Shine Binder's that Ms. Tunstall has, but I wanted to also include some time where students repeatedly read a passage for understanding, not just for fluency.  Still just a thought though.

Friday:  Final Thoughts
Overall I really enjoyed this book.  As I said before I am not a huge fan of books that just rely on data, and don't really show you how to apply it- but this book really does a great job of showing you how you can introduce close reading to your students.  I love the exact steps that are given to show students how to close read- and that the same steps can be used no matter what you are close reading for:  word choice, point of view, text evidence, etc.


I am so glad that this book study has kicked off!  I can't wait for next month when we read, The Together Teacher by Maia Heyck-Merin. 



Best,