Mr. Balcom

welcometojapan.MOV

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:48:25 -0700

Starr Reads! Video (Fall 2007)

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:11:36 -0700

This is an introductory video to the book for this year's book club.

Parental Involvement in Elementary Schools

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:56:59 -0700

Welcome to 42: Mr. Balcom's Blog: Conversations on Teaching and Technology

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:43:12 -0700

Spelling Lists: An Antiquated Waste of Instructional Time.

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:43:12 -0700

Homosapien-Tattalous: The human tattletale

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:43:11 -0700

Spelling Lists: An Antiquated Waste of Instructional Time.

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:15:55 -0800

Spelling Lists: An Antiquated Waste of Instructional Time. I must begin this conversation by saying of course DON'T PANIC. I do believe that spelling should be addressed in schools. I must also disclose that in my first year of teaching (admittedly a short time ago) I too thought the students must memorize spelling words each week. What I discovered that year and through subsequent research (including the article No More Friday Spelling Tests? by Kelly A. Loeffler) was that I was only teaching what was taught to me. I asked myself if memorizing spelling words, one week at a time, was actually working. The answer was no. Students who spelled every word correctly on the Friday test were misspelling those same words the following week in their daily writing. So why was I wasting time. I was wasting time printing the lists. The students were wasting time studying words at home, doing busy work like writing them three times each or alphabetizing them. I was wasting 20 minutes a week giving the test and another 30 minutes scoring it. All this led to frustration at why the students weren't getting better at spelling. Then I remembered a familiar quote from Anthony Robins: "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." I studied spelling lists for my entire elementary career and I just now had trouble spelling the word career. Spelling lists didn't work then and continuing to use a faulty strategy is poor or lazy instruction. It is the 21st century and it is time for a new model for spelling instruction. Read the rest here: http://mrbalcom.wordpress.com

Parent Teacher Conferences

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 22:06:34 -0700

Parent Teacher Conferences I would like to begin by thanking all the parents in the class for attending conferences this year. Our classroom had a 100% turn out! I appreciated the time and conversation we had regarding your student. Secondly, I would like to reassure you that parent teacher conferences are not simply a twice-a-year phenomenon. We will continue to share and discuss your student through out the year. If I have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for your student I will contact you immediately and I hope you will do the same in return. Thank you again for your support of your child and the other children in our classroom and school. We truly could not do it with out your help. Have a wonderful fall and a amazing rest of the school year. -Mr. Balcom

Topic-less but Searching

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:51:24 -0700

There is a chill in the air. The leaves are beginning to change. Football is back. Fall is nearly upon us. I cannot believe school has been going for a month already. The time has certainly flown. I could not ask for a more wonderful group of students this year. There have been a few changes in the past weeks. Our schedule has fluctuated greatly. We are getting used to a new fourth grade teacher and a new ELA teacher, not to mention a new principal. But change has come easy and school runs smoothly on. I am honestly not sure what form this blog will take in the future (though I do believe it needs to have some structure and purpose), but for today I will use it to update you on our classroom. We are about to conclude our second unit of Math and our first unit in the Scholastic anthology. Chapter two in Social Studies will also be concluding shortly. We have been training in the use of the Daily Five as well as how to use the SRA Laboratory effectively. And since my mind is dwelling on the Husker game this evening I will conclude by mentioning that parent teacher conferences are going to be held the week of September 24th. I look forward to seeing you there. Have a great weekend and a pleasant week. -Mr. Balcom

A Wond-zoo-ful Trip

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 22:46:07 -0700

This past Monday a group of twenty-five students traveled to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. The students earned the special field trip by reading books this summer. Kindergarten through second grade students read forty books, while third grade through fifth read twenty books. This culmination of the summer reading experience was amazing for the students, staff, and parents who participated. We began the trip by meeting at school around eight o'clock. We then boarded the Arrow Stage liner and departed for Omaha. On the ride down many students enjoyed watching Charlotte's Web (live action version) and the first half of Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron. Soon we saw the desert dome cresting over the horizon. But before we entered we had a nutritious picnic outside of Rosenblatt Stadium. At the zoo we broke into groups of five students and enjoyed amazing exhibits such as: Cat Complex, Lied Jungle, Cheetah Valley, Dairy World & Petting Zoo, Desert Dome, Bear Canyon, Giraffe Complex, Scott Kingdoms of the Seas Aquarium (my personal favorite), Hubbard Gorilla Valley, and Kingdoms of the Night. We concluded out zoo outing by meeting back up at the Wild Kingdom Pavilion. On the ride home, many of us were tired from miles of walking. We sat back and enjoyed the remainder of Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron and followed that by watching Shark Tale. We finished Shark Tale as we reentered Grand Island and arrived at school just before five o'clock. Some walked home. Others were picked up by family. But all of us had truly amazing trip. Thank you Mr. Hauser for this opportunity to enrich the lives of our students. And thank you to those students who have been reading this summer, keep it up! You can all find out more about the Henry Doorly Zoo at www.omahazoo.com

Summer Winds Down

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:41:36 -0700

Let's face it, summer vacation is nearly over. We are now three weeks out from school beginning and I couldn't be happier. As I have spent my summer teaching Summer School and attending Library Checkout on Wednesdays I have been able to reconnect with some students. The good news is many of them have spent time (as I have) reading this summer. If you haven't finished a book this summer, there is still time (around 480 hours) so get at least one read, please. Many of you may be wondering if I have read the new Harry Potter book, and the answer is yes. I will not however discuss any of it with a "non-read" individual. Just finish the book and then we can talk. I had better cut this post short now. Look for more frequent updates as we move closer to the first day. I would like to thank the University of Calgary website for helping me to get this blog feed embedded in my classroom webpage. Have a wonderful rest of the summer!

The walls are falling, the walls are falling

Thu, 17 May 2007 12:10:12 -0700

The walls are falling, the walls are falling. Well, not really but it seems like they are about to. Well actually I'm just taking things down off the walls of my classroom. Used posters, old artwork, yards of butcher paper. It's all coming down. My least favorite part of taking things off the walls is removing the staples. There is also the challenge of deciding what can stay up and what needs to be taken down (for trashing, laminating, or reuse). What stays? What goes?

Summer Vacation is Near.

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 12:25:32 -0700

The last month of school is nearly upon us. There is a buzz in the classrooms. There is a buzz in the gym. There is a buzz on the playground. Summer vacation is near. Personally I am having mixed feelings about the end of the year. The classroom is running the most efficiently it has run all year. I feel close to the students. Testing is nearly finished, so our stress levels are not as high. We are settling in for the last stretch together. On the other hand, I am excited to plan and prepare for next year. I constantly find myself jotting down new ideas for lessons, tweaking management, activities, and so on... So now we are at the crossroads. I feel we have accomplished great things this year. We have had fun. We have all learned. If you are as anxious/nervous about summer as I am, then settle in and enjoy the last few weeks of school. It should be a blast!

The Second Week of April, 2007

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 22:17:44 -0700

Winter in the Spring. What a terrible thing. As I sit and write this, I reflect on a Spring day in which I saw no sign of the sun. Clouds hung over the city, from horizon to horizon. Oh the gloom. I long for warm summer days. I long for the smell of sunscreen and fresh cut grass. I long to pack my sweatshirts away and not get them out again. Soon it will be true Spring. Soon it will be true Spring.....I wish before I fall asleep...Winter, please let go of Spring. You have had your time. A new season has begun. Escape Spring, escape!

Getting Started

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 13:45:49 -0700

Just getting started on Virb. It's been a while since I posted on a regular blog.