Amanda Warren My name is Amanda Warren I

Amanda Warren

My name is Amanda Warren. I currently live in Clarksville. I am engaged and will be getting married in July of 2018. My fiancé and I hope to move closer to his work, Walmart Distribution Center. I am an aunt to two wonderful nieces, Jordyn & Cora. I graduated from Clarksville High School in 2011. I attended Arkansas Tech University from 2011 to 2015 and graduated with my Bachelors in Early Childhood Education. I began my teaching career at Oark Elementary in 2 nd grade. I have a passion for teaching and have since I was 6 years old. Above: My fiancé, Toby & I Below: Myself, Cora, & Jordyn My students & I gearing up for the Solar Eclipse 2017!

WHY do I teach? I was about 6 years old when I realized I wanted to do what my teachers did: teach me how to function with my peers and learn how to act in the world. It began with helping my own peers in class, whether reading or math. Granted, at a young age, I probably just told them the answers. I began my classes at ATU and as soon as I entered classrooms to observe, I knew what I was doing what I have wanted to forever. I teach and help others because of the reactions I get. When that child finally understands what we have been working on for months, it is the greatest feeling in the world. To be teaching a lesson and have students enjoy learning, be truly engaged in what they are doing; that is fantastic. I teach because it brings joy to myself. I love to learn and I am constantly learning every single day. WHAT do I strive to do? • • • Reach child where they are and use their style of learning. To ensure a safe and loving learning environment for students. Continue my education by attending professional development courses, reading teaching materials, and possibly go to graduate school.

It is important to me for each child to learn age appropriate responsibility and learn to keep their own area clean as they can. My classroom is a place where students can feel loved, wanted, and Left: Student safe. My room is… - Welcoming - Student-focused - Organized In my room, you will see… - Visual learning aids - Student work on display - Students engaged Right: My white board. I sectioned it off to be more purposeful in what I was putting on it. I added Phonics and Vocabulary to the board as part of my R. I. S. E. training. Cubby with materials, Chromebook, and headphones Below: My sound wall and reading strategies on the bulletin board

I work to have a responsive classroom. I present my expectations to my students and then actively teach them how to live up to those expectations. I model the behaviors and then have the students practice them. I want there to be a calm, orderly, safe environment for learning. By doing this, my students learn self control and self discipline. If there is any misbehavior, I work to make sure the “punishment fits the crime”. For example, if a child is having a hard time on the carpet, they can go to the Take a Break Chair until they can calm down. I’ll introduce the chair way beforehand model what it is used for. This has been successful in my classroom the last two years. Classroom Rules - Listen when the teacher is talking. Follow directions quickly. Respect others, respect yourself, respect your school. - Share and be a good friend. - Work and play safely. Typically, I also have students create the rules but those are the top choices.

Parent communication is very, very important. I work to make sure parents are kept in the loop about all things regarding their child’s academics, behavior, and school activities. Daily- Take Home Folder - I communicate daily with a calendar. On this calendar, I will put a smiley (good day) or a sad face (not so good day). I go into details about it or put that I will be calling them that afternoon. Weekly- Take Home Folder - Every week, I put out a newsletter. In this newsletter, I talk about classroom news, dates to remember, ways to contact me, spelling words for that week, what we will be learning that week, lunch menu, and vocabulary words we will be discussing. It goes out every Friday afternoon. You can see an example on my website: mswarren. com Website - I use a Facebook page for parents to communicate with me through and see what we are doing. I’ll post pictures (if allowed) of activities we do and field trips. I also have a website: mswarren. com Phone - I do not typically give parents my phone number, rather the number of the school. They do receive my email. I answer emails from 7 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday and 12 pm to 3 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Experience - - Current Curriculums: - Benchmark phonics, Guided Math curriculum, Brain Pop Jr. , Words Their Way, Phonemic Awareness by Michael Heggerty, Ed. D. Previous Curriculums: - Go Math, Studies Weekly Instruction I use my instruction in blocks throughout the day. My guided math block is in the morning and it is typically small group with centers. Phonics, Spelling, Vocabulary, and Grammar are in the afternoon before school is out. Guided Reading is after lunch. We do Brain Pop Jr. during snack time.

Personally, I love small group work. I group students by ability using pre and post assessments to guide me. These assessments guide my instruction, grouping, and seating. I find that students tend to thrive in small group as they have a chance to shine and ask questions that they probably wouldn’t have asked in front of everyone else. I have the time to work on a skill that is needed and give them my attention. I do whole group from time to make sure we are all on the same page, going the same way. I love working with the students, giving them a chance to do it themselves, and then work on other skills we have mastered. Shape of the Day: Morning Work Spelling Guided Math with Centers Elective Lunch Recess Above: Student showing off her STEM creation: Birds nest made out of pipe cleaners. Guided Reading with Centers Below: Students participating in a guided Phonics & Vocabulary math activity with measuring. Recess Brain Pop Jr. / STEM Bins Grammar & Writing

I use Planbook to plan out my lessons and units. I used pre- and post assessments to help guide my lesson planning. My groups are based on their scores from the pre- and post assessments as well as my observations of the student. You can gain access to my Planbook on my website: mswarren. com

Preparing Students for State Testing Data Samples Formative Assessments Summative Assessments Oral Assessments Exit Tickets Observations Example of a math pretest. Example of a math post test. This student has an IEP so I was accommodating.

I am a trained teacher in K-2 R. I. S. E. and actively search for training and/or ideas that resemble RISE to use in my classroom. What special trainings or classes have you taken? How do you stay up-to-date on current instructional strategies? Use this smaller text to caption your photos Where Do I Stay Up to Date? : Arkansas IDEAS Ozarks Unlimited Resources (Co-Op) Online Training Courses Blogs Taken: K-2 R. I. S. E. K-2 Vocabulary Istation Training K-4 STEM

I tend to stay involved by volunteering for events as they are posted. I am very involved in our PTO. I have served as secretary and social media coordinator. I was single-handedly chosen to coordinate a Title 1 Parent Night for K-6. I put together summer activities to help stop the summer slide as well as purchased items needed and provided food. This was a success in my book with many attendees, upwards of 15 which is huge for a small school like Oark. How are you involved in the community? PTO Involvement Concession Stand