Budding Bloggers Showcase: For the Love of Teaching

Calling all Intermediate Teachers!  Lightbulb Minds is having their Great Lightbulb Minds Giveaway this week.  Just visit their facebook page to enter a giveaway for a FREE UNIT of your choice.  There's a new giveaway each day this week, so visit often!

Hey y'all!  I am so excited to participate in Amanda's budding bloggers showcase!  Thanks for the opportunity, Amanda!  


My name is Lana and I blog over at For the Love of Teaching!

Personal Info:  I live in the state of South Carolina, but I am a Tennessee girl through and through!  Go Vols!  I grew up in middle Tennessee, but have lived in South Carolina for almost 5 years now.  I am married to my husband, Joe and we have one son together named Easton.  Easton is two years old.  One of my favorite things to do is see him learn and teach him about shapes, colors, and numbers.   

Grade I Teach:  All five years of my teaching career have been in fourth grade.  I love my fourth graders!  I am licensed to teach Kindergarten through sixth grade.


Favorite subject to teach:  This is a tough one!  I would have to say either Science or Social Studies!  I love making history come alive and really get kids interested in Social Studies.  But, I also love Science!  Our district supplies us with FOSS kits for Science, which makes it even more fun and hands on!


What you would see if you popped into my classroom unannounced:  You would probably see us moving around the classroom in some form or fashion!  I like to begin lessons at the rug, read aloud at the rug, and let students independently read around the room.  Can you imagine sitting in the same spot all day? No fun!  I really try to incorporate movement throughout my lessons.


What gets me through one of "those" days:  When I have one of those really hard days, I buy a real Coke (I usually drink Coke Zero, so a real Coke is a treat!) and drink it on my way home in silence...no radio, no noise.  I pick up my sweet Easton and just try to forget about the day and remember that my son deserves me with my best attitude! Seeing him smile, laugh, and play usually turns my mood around.  Or hearing "love you mama"...now that always does the trick!

My "can't live without" teaching resource:  Definitely my Smartboard!  I use it all the time and love it so much!  I don't know what I'd do if I moved somewhere without one!

Summary of my favorite classroom activity/project:  I mentioned earlier about how my district provides us with FOSS kits.  My favorite one is Science is Magnetism & Electricity.  It is SO hands on and fun!  During this unit, we learn how magnets attract and repel.  

We sort bags of test objects into conductors and insulators:

We discover how a magnet attracts iron fillings and use that to find a magnet hidden in a box.  

We make a motor run using a switch.

We learn how to make light bulbs light in series and parallel circuits.

One of my blogging goals this year:  My main blogging goal this year is to take pictures of classroom activities and blog on a regular basis!  
Be sure to stop by Lana's blog for more great ideas and posts!  Go ahead and click the follow button while you're there!  You know she's great if I let her post about the Vols on my blog! hehehe...just kidding, Lana! {sort of...we're going to work on turning you into a Gamecock here in SC!} And, we're definitely lucky to have such a great teacher working here!