T is for Teaching

Sand Dollars

2012-09-17T19:35:00.006-04:00

My class this year is so well behaved. I don't necessarily need a positive incentive but on those days when my students are a little less angelic it really helps boost them back up. Plus it is helping my students who behavior is a little less desirable become awesome!

I started this year with Terrific Tickets but I rarely used them. The plan was to give out a terrific ticket for terrific behavior then I was having raffles on Friday to see who wins a prize. 2nd graders don't respond well to not getting a prize if their name doesn't get drawn. Does this surprise you? It also kills their motivation to earn these Terrific Tickets so tickets got thrown away already and Sand Dollars were created!

They are printed are green card stock, so cute!

I pass them out to students who show awesome behavior then my class store opens every Friday and they can go shopping! My class store has basics like fun pencils, erasers, and book marks for the bargain price of 2 dollars. Then it has some candy for $5 and for $10 they can buy a coupon such as a no shoes day, sit in the teachers chair, or they can buy the bean bags for a week so it is all theirs for reading. I'm trying to keep it simple but my students have so many requests on what kind of things they want in the store I might add some neat toys (from the dollar store) that they can really save for. Talk about motivation.

My students work really hard for a sand dollar. I like how it teaches them responsibility and to save but is easy to manage. They keep their sand dollars in their 'buckets' which are on my door. Laminating the pockets are keeping them looking new all year!

Student's names are now hot glued to their pockets.

I also have my clip chart that students move up or down on. That is more used for negative consequences rather than positive.

I love my clip chart and couldn't imagine how my classroom would run without it. I also love how seriously my students take the clip chart. They do NOT want to clip down so even if they have to move their clip to yellow, most of them act like complete angels in hopes of moving their clips back up.

My student's write what color they end up on at the end of the day in their agendas then I initial. Love putting the work on them, not me. They are so fast at it now too!

I'm linking this up to the behavior management party over at What the Teacher Wants:

ps. I unfortunately have gotten sick. Head hurts and nose running, no fun! Any good remedies out there? Must get better since our open house is Thursday!

Desk Fairy, Princess, Duke. Prince, and Frog

2012-09-04T20:36:00.002-04:00

In response to questions about my Whole Brain Teaching scoreboard from my WBT update yesterday, here is the scoreboard:

Unfortunately I can't tell you where to buy this little whiteboard with the handle, it comes with our math curriculum. Everyone has a class set, I use Go Math if your curious.

Like I said before, it goes EVERYWHERE with me. Love how portable it is! Hands on my easel by the carpet and on the dry erase board for when students are in the desks.

On another note...

My students are allowed in their desks this year. No, no, they can't actually fit in their desks but they can put THINGS in their desks. Its a big step for a very controlling teacher.

Yes, last year my first graders desks were turned around so they couldn't put anything in there. Teaching them how to sit in their desks was hard enough so teaching them to sit AND how not to put their hands in there AND keep it organized was just too much. It was basically having tables in my room rather than desks.

But I figured I needed to teach my 2nd graders some independence and organization skills so students have access to their desks. That means cleanliness and organization is another skill I teach my kiddos regarding their desks.

In order to ~~bribe~~ motivate them to keep desks neat, spotless, OCD organized I have created some mythological creatures named the Desk Fairy, Desk Princess, Desk Prince, Desk Duke, and the frog.

Check them out:

Click the picture to download your own set for free :)

I personally think they're ADORABLE! I made them diverse since I have a diverse class and I wanted some for boys and some for girls!

One of my class jobs is the 'Desk Monitor' so he is currently in training to take these cards and place them in student's desk he thinks need to be cleaned or should be rewarded for exemplary cleanliness.

He will be on the lookout for clean or messy desks, place desk ticket in the desk (right in the front, no hiding), then the student will bring the ticket to my desk to redeem for reward or if they got the frog.. just to give back to me.

They will be placing them in this little pocket on my lamp so everyone is clear where they are and where they go.

My favorite part is that you print a set or two and laminate. These are good all year people! So easy! I'm obsessed.

I introduced them to my class today and their eyes got HUGE, they were so excited! Can't wait for the students who got the cards in their desks during dismissal to find them tomorrow morning.

Click any of the pictures to download your own set for FREE! Just please leave me some feedback on TPT, I really appreciate it!

How do you keep your student's desks cleaned?

Whole Brain Teaching Update

2012-09-03T11:09:00.002-04:00

The past two weeks I've been implementing Whole Brain Teaching.. I wanted to chat about how it's going because no one at my school does WBT so I need some friends to exchange ideas with me! If you have also been implementing it please share how its going!

Class-Yes

Love it, use all day every day. If my students are being super chatty (like after recess and their eating snack) I just say 'Class' over and over again in different voices which relieves my frustration since it is silly and to make sure they all get quite and stay quite!

Teach-Ok

My first graders last year didn't really grasp this too well. I introduced it towards the end of the year but they just never waited for me to say 'Teach' and then say 'Ok.' My kiddos this year have it down. They are pros!

I tell them I want to talk to your partner about ............. and they sit and listening and look at me until I say 'Teach' sometimes I forget and I wonder why they are still staring at me like brillant little listeners and some of them will give me a hint but moving their hands like I do when I say 'Teach.' So cute.

But I'm loving this and my kiddos are doing GREAT. I will say I fuse WBT and Kagan together since I do pull random sticks from my 'Cup of Chance' and they have to tell me what their partner has said. This really holds them accountable for listening and for making sure each person has a chance to speak. I only do that when they are sharing opinions, predictions about books, etc. Not re-teaching something like in WBT.

Scoreboard

I started the scoreboard hour 1 of day 1 and would never go back.

I love it. I have it on a personal white board (even has a handle) so it travels with me to the carpet, when I sit down for morning meeting, when I stand in the front of the room and students are at desks, when they are in line I bring scoreboard with me by the door. I think this is key... having a traveling scoreboard so you don't have to be standing by the board all the time to award points.

Also I can't handle giving out another prize on Fridays. I have so many rewards happening on Friday we just couldn't play for another one. So my class voted on earning a class pet.. they convinced me and I agreed on a fish or a turtle (I'm not sure turtles are even allowed but I'm leaning towards a salt water fish tank thanks to my dad also convincing me and telling me he will help fill it up with what he catches in the bay).

So each day we play to earn another point towards them receiving a class pet. They have to have 20 points to earn it which means 20 days of more smiley face tally marks than sad face. This week out of 4 days they only earned one, just ONE, smiley face point. I've been a little strict but Friday they did shape up and are learning that in the afternoon they still have to be as good as they were in the morning.

Super Speed Math

Thursday we spent 15 minutes setting up our Super Speed Math folders and then Friday we began to practice it.

There are some rules in Super Speed Math that are a little tricky for some of my kiddos like where to start next time you play. But I think after one day of practice most of my class has got it. My students really had to focus when I was explaining the rules but after a lot of modeling they have it down.

I'm proud of how they were doing! I will say some of my students love it and some of my low ones still aren't quite sure about it. They have a hard time with the 0's but with some practice and continuous play they will also see growth. Some of them already did and got more into it.

Overall, I think it is going to be GREAT and not a lot of work at all to practice math facts. Rather than playing Around the World with math facts, we can just do Super Speed Math and there is 100% engagement rather than just the two students answering math facts for Around the World. Upgrade!

Rules

We say our rules every morning with gestures. Download them here.

My students are taking a while to get into the gestures (whats up with that?) but now are into them just when we do rules. I love saying them every morning. I love how they are numbered so I can say class what is Rule #1? And then they repeat it. It reminds students of the rule without calling them out.

I love how my students are nudging each other and saying the rules with them with their fingers and gestures rather than talking. They are holding each other accountable to get points on the scoreboard.

Universal Homework Model or Star Homework (Read more about it here)

We are starting Star Homework this week! I can't wait to see how it will go. I'm sure the first week might be a little rough but we can only go up from here.

I'm anticipating a lot of questions from parents but am ready to answer them. My parents are so much more involved than I anticipated which is great, I'm just hoping they embrace this homework model! Wish me luck!

Gestures/Mirror

I do gestures a lot and have students repeat after me and do them with me. I just don't use 'Mirror' often. I need to go watch more videos on this to implement it so it is a little less flawless. My students kind of catch on though when I want them to use their hands and when so I don't always need to say 'Mirror.'

This is something I need to work on, how about you? How do you students do with Mirroring you? Keep in mind, my students do not like using gestures! I use them, they use them, then when they teach their parents they don't use them! Must practice this...

I think that is mostly it. I thought about implementing the 'Six Common Procedures' like lining up, handing in papers, etc. but it is a little too much for me. Do you use them? How does it go?

On a different note, this is my first time linking up to Oh' Boy 4th Grade's Currently but I'm thinking it is going to be a new monthly tradition.

Please share your experiences with WBT so far! I love to get more ideas for my own classroom and how to improve it :)

Have you filled a bucket today?

2012-09-01T12:32:00.002-04:00

Most teachers have heard of this book:

They are both pretty much the same. I read it to my class last year in hopes we would all become bucket fillers which is complimenting others and doing kind things for one in another to make them feel good (have a full bucket). It caught on for a few weeks. We wrote positive notes to each other right after we read the book. Then it was over.. after a few more months our class was no longer bucket fillers and the kiddos probably didn't really remember what it was all about.

I wanted that to change this year. I wanted it to be continuous and really embrace complimenting others and writing positive notes to each other. Maybe it is because I LOVE positive notes and specific positive feedback but then again who doesn't?!?

In order to make this really catch on I devoted my door to bucket filling. Every time students walk in and out of the class they are reminded of our buckets. Our bucket fillers are located right next to our door which are little slips of paper student's write on to one another.

I don't know where I got the heading sign. I printed it our before my first year teaching and laminated and then never used it. I found it as I was prepping my room this year and thought it would work! I made my own set of headers to use but just never got around to printing/laminating them all.

But you can download my set here for free. They look a little like this:

So last week I read my students How Full is Your Bucket?, it took towards the end of the book for some of my boys to really catch on. Afterwards I modeled complimenting students and they complimented me. Then they raised their hands to begin complimenting each other. They caught on pretty quick... After I showed them our 'buckets' on the door and the slips of paper they can use. They then wrote on the slips and filled others buckets. That is when it came full circle and they really got it.

Since last week, my students have been wanting to fill buckets nonstop. I do read most of the notes when my students are at specials to make sure it is appropriate and doesn't turn into 'Will you be my girlfriend?' or something like that. Using the Bucket Filler sheets though forces students to write something positive so I don't think I should encounter any issues.

Students check their buckets as they walk out of the door to go home and it is so funny to watch them read their notes as they walk out and smile so big. I love having them read them as they leave school so they have something positive to tell their families.

Also I LOVE filling my students buckets. Those students who aren't as 'popular' (hate using that term) and don't receive as many notes I help them out a little bit. Whenever I see my students doing something really good or improving I grab a bucket filler slip, write a quick note, and put it in. This way hopefully they will continue to show that behavior continuously! It also is a definite relationship boost with my students. I've never gotten so many positive notes from students in one week! They LOVE filling my bucket too. Overall you can tell the positive energy is like radiating from my room.

Next month which is TODAY (wow) we will get a new bucket filler starter seen here:

It will keep it fresh and students will use a new bucket filler starter each month.

To download your bucket filler starters click here.

This has been one of my favorite things I've implemented this year and I can't wait to use it all year long! Do you tie this into your classroom? Have you heard of this book?

ps. Go USF Bulls! So excited college football is back!

Classroom Reveal: Teacher's Desk, AR Board, Behavior Chart

2012-08-30T19:14:00.002-04:00

Alrighty folks, last set of classroom reveal photos! I'll be sharing with you the entire back wall of my classroom.

Now you can see that huge AC unit I have! It leaves a little space to store some unwanted goodies.And a place for keep all of my student's text books and guided reading books on that cart.

Now this 'Swimming To The Top' magnetic board is for AR points! Each student has a sea animal that they colored and cut out with a magnet on the back.

As students earn AR points they move their sea animal up and up until they reach their goal. Each quarter they start back at the bottom. Also there is a really cool view on the AR website for them to easily see how many points they have and how close they are to their goal. They going to be totally responsible for this--- not my job but of course I'll monitor it and conference with them :)

View of unit with the door next to it and book baskets.

Next to the water fountain is this guy I added some paper to. I'm not 100% what I'm going to use the drawers for so waiting to add labels to them. But do you notice the iPod? I just updated it with a ton of new songs to use in class! Songs for clean up, transitions, classical songs, and fun songs. Ahh music just gives the classroom such a happy feel.

Then we see my only storage space (cabinets) and my desk. I can fit a lot in those cabinets but I did have to cut down on my hoarding/collecting, I didn't even have very much either!

Student's pencil station and supplies they can use (when necessary):

Student's portfolio area. Their writing 'portfolios' or binders they use daily. They have dividers for drafts, published peices, and their monthly writing tests with a graph to record results. Will have to post on those soon! The file folder portfolio has running records graph (they keep up with) and for chapter math tests graph. They will also keep all their tests in these folders.

View of my desk, math manipulatives (must be accessible to students), and behavior chart.

Close up math manipulatives and the red tub will be for math centers per say. They will be kept in manilla folders.

Behavior chart that somewhat follows our school wide plan (bottom half) but I wanted students to be able to move up too (top half).

Mailbox on my desk from Target dollars pot a few years ago. Students put messages to me in there in the morning then put up the flag to let me know I have mail. They LOVE this.

View of the rest of the room from my desk! You can see all the anchor charts we have been creating!

Well the classroom tour is over! See ALL the posts here. :)

Classroom Reveal: Library & Big Bulletin Board

2012-08-28T21:25:00.001-04:00

I think I've died and gone to teacher heaven.

My day with my kiddos was awesome! I have zero behavior problems. ZERO! Last year I had like 5... minimum. My students aren't chewing pencils, aren't fighting with each other, are saying excuse me in line to get in their spots, helping each other do things, looking at those who are talking, filling each others buckets, are patient, calm, and caring. This is AMAZING people!

I'm in shock. This type of classroom is something I've always wanted and planned for and envisioned but is becoming a reality? Ahh I think it is! My students ask for more time at the end of the day to write notes to each other to fill their buckets. I think I have to take a picture tomorrow of some of these bucket fillers because they are toooooooo precious.

I'm really not trying to brag, is that what I sound like? Ew, I hope not. I'm just in shock. I don't think you understand the severity of how.. umm.. how do I put this... perhaps out of control.. my last class was last year. Every day I would come in and it would be a surprise how my students would act. I could plan my heart out but sometimes my student's behavior just would dictate how the day went. I felt like I didn't have control over how the day was going to go. I mean I did have control, it wasn't a circus.. it was a safe environment just not super conducive for learning at all times.

But this year, I have control. I plan... and plan.. and plan. Then I teach those plans and they actually work! My students respond, learn, make connections and then we move forward. It can really happen. This is teaching ya'll!

I want to share this story because if you have an unruly class it gets better. Last year I wasn't sure if it did but man oh man it does.

Anyway.. onto more classroom reveal.... which I'm also pumped about.

So this is my favorite part of my classroom! This HUGE bulletin board adds so much color and really pulls in the entire rooms color scheme together.

BAM! Big huh? I'm a little obsessed with the colors and the bright but calm feeling it gives the room.

Here is my ~~CAFE~~ FACE board, ready to add strategies:

I did have it say CAFE except the book shelf below the F would interfere with all the comprehension strategies (there are so many!) so I switched the C and the F.

The green is not this lime at all! The first picture is more accurate. I am color coding my words this year; pink paper will be sight words, purple vocabulary, green math, and blue science terms.

I've had a request to see my VOICES board and you'll see a post on that coming up. I still haven't figured out what I'm going to put at the top. Something that we will use all year and won't change. I thought about procedure signs but I don't think we need it. I think I might be making some quotes this weekend to hang up there. Any other ideas?

You can see here my Daily 5 wall by the book case and my two book shelves for our class library:

This one is all chapter books and nonfiction:

And this one is all fiction picture books:

The back of that guy looks like this:

I'll be using that back of the bookcase for students to recommend books to one another. It is their height and will be totally for them. We won't start using it for a little while though.

You can also see my behavior chart in the back as well as the door for the girls bathroom... not too exciting back there.

See more of my classroom here, here, here, and here.

Thats it for tonight but looking forward to what I have to share in the near future! :)

Classroom Reveal: Computer Corner, Whiteboard, Desks

2012-08-27T10:46:00.004-04:00

Continuing my classroom tour around my room (see more of my classroom here, here, and here) we are now looking at a science corner and where my computers are kept.

The table on the left that is next to the computers (you can't really see it) is my science table so this is kind of my science corner. In the corner are those large boxes. We have 6 and they are each a unit we study in science. They contain big books, small guided reading type books, and a ton of resources however they are HUGE! Sticking them back there was out of my way but still accessible.

I hung a fishing net up and all those posters are science posters that have to be up. I put them behind the computers since they aren't coming down all year so perfect place for them.. somewhere hard to reach. I colored them all to be a little cuter then laminated.

Next to the computers and science wall is my large white board!

Our Word of the Day and schedule are up on the left and then our objects will go on the right. Our calendar math board is the one that is cut off.

But check out those books below the white board:

I LOVE this shelf! I had this giant shelf in my room (it is probably around 12 feet long) and had no idea what to do with it. Then my team leader showed me another teacher's classroom who put her shelf like mine to use has a book shelf. Genius!

Here are some closer pictures:

This is the other teacher's shelf, she used a beaker taped to it to keep it out. Mine has plastic hinges but either work.

Three S hooks are all I needed to hang it. If you wanted to hang a shelf below your white board you just need the shelf, three S hooks, and anything really to poke the shelf out (like the beaker or a L bracket). Easy and cheap!

I'm also linking up to Success in Second Grade and showing you in my summer in pictures!

I'm so glad I did this because it really made me reminisce on how great this summer was! I really remembered all those special memories that you never really stop to do.

My summer started off with me getting hired at a new school. I thought I was going to spend the entire summer looking for a job but I was so fortunate to get hired on my last day of the school year!

Then Phil and I headed to New York to visit his family!

Bronx zoo, beach, and relaxing summed up that trip.

Enjoyed the beautiful Florida weather with walks and most afternoons spent by the pool.

One of my best friends came down to visit!

Wine and brewery tours as well as trips to Busch Gardens!

Visiting my parents and of course my favorite dog, Buddy. One of my favorite nights of watching the sunset on my dads boat with my parents and Phil:

Using our teacher's discount and going to the Florida Aquarium for free!

And my most special summer moment was getting engaged :)

What a great summer! How was yours? Link up to Success in Second Grade so I can see your pictures!

First Week Complete & Class Reveal Continues

2012-08-26T18:41:00.000-04:00

I have so much to update ya'll on and I have plenty of time to do so since there is NO SCHOOL tomorrow, Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac has caused my district to close school. No worries though, we shouldn't be getting hit by anything too crazy just lots of rain and wind!

I'm a little bummed and excited all at the same time. Monday would be our 5 day count and I really want to make sure my unit is safe! You see.. second grade numbers are a little low. I only have 13 kiddos in my class which I am totally loving but the district probably is not. However 1st grade numbers are sky high having 24 in some classes (Florida only allows 18 in primary classes) so some readjusting might be done and I'm hoping I stay right where I'm at with my fabulous class! But if I were to be moved to 1st grade my room would stay the same I'd just get new kids. It wouldn't be the end of the world but I really hope I get to stay with my class and my team! *Crossing my fingers*

Yes, my class of 13. I am the ESE class so I have all the students with IEPs. They're great though. It took me a while to fall in love with my students last year. Maybe it was because sometimes they showed some not so desired behaviors. Maybe I had no idea what to expect since it was my first year. But this year is different because I LOVE my class.

I have some super, super smarties and some students who will need a lot of extra help. However, they are all so caring, energetic, mature, and motivated to learn!

I'm starting teaching the Daily 5 this upcoming week but the first week I taught lessons on just fit books, genres, and why we love books/reading. Each day I gave my kids time to explore books at their tables and they were silent, engaged, and showing all the Daily 5 desired behaviors for like 15 minutes straight! I'm thinking implementing the Daily 5 should be pretty easy and the students will catch on quick. The best part is I think they will LOVE it since I have so many who love to read. Their eyes literally get big and bright when I give them time to read.

Ahhh! Yes, so they already love to read!!! That means they CAN read people! This is HUGE! I'm used to 1st grade and my last class of teaching them all how to read. I'm so excited they already know how! When I write stuff on the board, they know what it says. I'm over the moon.

I can't say enough positive things about my class but I'll spare you the rambling and show you more of my classroom :)

As you walk in my room, right next to the door is a table.

We have our class jobs clip chart, student mail boxes (file folders that are numbered), hall passes, and that green tub has moved next to the mail boxes to turn in work. The green tub also has a red and blue tub join it (now that theres room) so work will be turned in to different colored tubs depending on subject. The books you see there now are all in my student's desks.

Also next to our class jobs is now our bucket fillers and bucket dippers anchor chart. Wish I took more pictures before I left Friday! Shucks.

Heres a closer look at my class jobs:

You can purchase my class jobs here.

I explained all our jobs to my students and then they applied to which ones they wanted. As in they wrote a letter to me telling me why they would be good at that job just like an application. They took this assignment VERY seriously. Then I had them write two other jobs that could be back ups if they didn't get their first choice. I'm hiring students this weekend as I'm reviewing their applications :)

I'm planning on changing jobs every quarter. I can't handle changing them every week, I can't keep up who is doing what! I want my students to get good at their jobs so our class procedures run smoothly.

The table by the door has two clear tubs underneath of it. One for girls backpacks and one for boys. Makes it easy to pass them out at the end of the day. I tell my students once the backpacks go under the table in the morning, there is NO going back to them! If they forgot their homework.. sorry. Forgot their agenda.. might have to move your clip down. Your cold and want your jacket? Sorry again. I know I'm mean. BUT my students have already learned theres no going back so they take out everything they want in the morning... snacks for lunch, jackets, erasers, and agendas. It only takes telling a few of them no for them to really remember.

And do you see that nice dark blue table skirt. I used the fabric last year on my bulletin boards but had no need for it this year until I realized how good it would look as a table skirt. Do you want to know my secret? You just can't tell my principal.. she will not be pleased.

I hot glued the fabric to underneath the table. GASP! I know. I shouldn't have done it but I was excited and just went for it. No one will look at the top of a table will they? Will hot glue residue matter if it is UNDER it? And hot glue residue does come off somewhat easily. Stay updated and I'll let you know how it comes off.. in June.

Next to that table is a little hole then another table. Inside the odd hole I put a chair thing and bean bag students can use during the Daily 5. You'll notice they are FAR away from my carpet because I don't want them to become an issue during our morning meeting. I can only imagine the fights that will break out for who gets to sit on them and I'm not going to rotate people.. that is a little much for me.

Under nether that table is...

Science supplies and materials! This table is our science table. We always have to have a long term investigation going and I plan to do experiments regularly so this table will house all those materials and our trifold board for the long term experiment. I am really excited to focus on science instruction this year and really make it fun.. having a place dedicated to it is all set up :)

Above the tables is my big window; thats why you don't see any pictures of a wall. I love getting so much sunlight in my room. It makes the classroom so bright and cherry.

My banner is hung and our number line is above the window and goes around the room a little bit. You can kind of see the display on my window. Our school theme is 'Drive' so my window says 'Driven to New Depths' with student's names in the little fish. The adorable fish and crab my mom cut out and made for me last year.

When the blinds are closed it looks a little more boring but no trifold board or science experiments yet!

See more of my classroom reveal here and here. And if you want to purchase my classroom jobs click here. It is my first item I posted on TPT that actually costs money!!

What would you do if you had a hurricane day and no school tomorrow? I'm thinking my day will be filled with planning and get a good head start on the weeks to come (but scared I won't be in 2nd much longer :O <--- scared face)!!!

Classroom Reveal: Book Baskets

2012-08-20T20:40:00.001-04:00

So tomorrow is THE day.. the first day of school! I am so excited. I have everything planned, my classroom is all set up, procedures in place. What a different from last year (my first year teaching)!

I am so calm and not TOO anxious just excited. I feel prepared and ready. It is the BEST feeling. Still probably won't sleep much tonight but who does the night before THE day?

How are you feeling about the first day or how did you feel?

So, onto my classroom reveal....

When you walk right in my door I have a big ugly AC unit on the right. In order to make it a little better looking I covered most of it with butcher block paper and put a book shelf in front of it.

The bulletin board above the book shelf is on the AC unit which makes it magnetic. I'll be using it as a news hot spot per say. School events and flyers that go home will also be posted up there. Our newsletters will be posted up there as well.

Note the supply caddies aren't in this pic since they are on student's desks ready for them tomorrow morning!

Those octagons that are up there now are our assigned seats for lunch. Finding a home for those odd shaped fellas is still something I'm working on.

Each student has a book basket that is labeled with their number. They will keep all their books in them as well as other reading tools like book marks or sticky notes to track their thinking. I love how they are right by the door and easy for students to assess all through out the day.

Then you'll see the supply caddies at the bottom and one on the top shelf. Each table will have a supply caddie with their symbol on it. Students will only have two pencils in their desks plus notebooks and folders. They won't have any crayons, scissors, glue, markers, etc. Since we don't use these items as much in second grade I decided to keep them accessible to students to use when needed but not in their desks or on their desks.

If you take a look at my door you'll find our "Have You Filled a Bucket?" board.

Each student has a library pocket thats laminated. I'll add student's names once my roaster is finalized. They will also keep their tickets I hand out to them for positive reinforcement in their pockets too. Love how if they are given in the hallway then they simply put them in their pocket before they walk in the door. Easy access!

Hope you all are having a great first week/preplanning week/ or second week!!

Classroom Reveal: Student Work

2012-08-18T20:52:00.001-04:00

I made it through pre-planning week and my classroom is all set up! Whooo hoooooo!

I forgot how much work it was to set up a classroom but I soon remembered after Day 1. I'm so glad I got a head start by going in a week early. I've been laminating things every night then setting it up the following day. Relieved it is finished because I'm beyond exhausted! I can't imagine what I'll feel like after the first week of school! Ahh!

Starting TODAY is going to be my classroom reveal series showing you all around my classroom. Hope you love it as much as I do!

When you walk in my classroom, this wall is on the right. It is behind my guided reading table. I didn't take that great of pictures unfortunately but you'll get the gist in the upcoming posts. It's for student's work!

See the paper on the bottom left, that is how the papers will fit. I'll add student's names at the bottom once my roaster is finalized and I see which student's actually show up Tuesday (we start school Tuesday rather than Monday).

I used a piece of glittery scrapbook paper then hot glued construction paper on top as well as the clothes pin. The entire project including taping up each paper probably took less than 45 minutes. Inexpensive and not too time consuming made for a pretty awesome display!

I plan on having my students choose what work they want to display. We will have a discussion about what kind of work should go up (drawings vs. writing samples vs. tests) and set some criteria together. That anchor chart will get hung up next to the display, on the right there is some extra room.

It is one of the many ways I'll use to motivate students to do their best and show pride in their work.

How is your classroom or first week of school going?

Desk Chips

2012-08-08T17:42:00.001-04:00

Lets chat about how it is August 8th. Umm.. where did time go?!?! I remember sitting in a training on August 1st and not even being able to finish my thoughts on how I can't believe it is August and now it is already the 8th and I never even finished my thought!! I'm still in disbelief.

I have been cherishing every second of summer I can! Some of my best friends have been in town so it has been a blast getting to catch up and be around the people that I just adore and make me so happy. Plus I have been at wedding expos and went wedding dress shopping! So busy! Oh and did I mention I moved? Whew! No relaxing over here.

In the midst of a few busy weeks I did create one of my favorite crafts to date!

Do you use Kagan? I love and am slightly obsessed with Kagan structures. During my internship my teacher would call me a Kaganette.. it was pretty embarrassing. Point being, Kagan sets up table groups lettered A, B, C, and D then partners numbered 1-2.

Last year I put circular colored stickers on student's desks so they would remember their letter (A, B, C, or D) but they came off and when desks moved all stickers had to changed. It was quite the hassle. That is why I created these desk chips!

Note: Your supposed to partner high students with high/middle students, and low/middle students with low students. So the high student and low student sit diagonally across and are not right next to each other. Well I do this and really strategically place my students in the classroom... probably think about it way too much actually.

Back to desk chips, first I painted the wooden circles (bought from Jo-Anne's) my desired colors. Then I printed the circles on white card stock then modpodged them to the wood circles. It was time consuming but I did it all while watching the Olympics each night so it didn't feel like a hassle or anything. Painting and modpodging are somewhat mindless tasks!

On the front of these chips contains a letter and a number. The numbers are mainly for think, pair share, partners (I say 1's go first or 2's go first) and the letters are for group assignments or discussions. This is helpful when answering questions and keeping students accountable. If I have students turn and talk, round robin, or any other Kagan structure I want, I can then use my spinner (I have a hands on one and the Kagan computer one) that will tell me which number or letter to call on. It is a fancy way to randomly call on students but the letters also come in handy when assigning jobs for assignments. A's are the time keepers, B's are the writer, C's are the proof reader, and D's are the presenter.. or any way you want to do it.

So in order to keep my students from forgetting their assigned letter and number I made chips:

Each table will have a different animal that are the table names.

Do you notice how student's have different colored chips and different colored rings around the chips (some are solid and some are dashed)?

This was done strategically so when I want to randomly assign students I just use the colors. I'll say 'Pair up with a student who has the same color chip as you' and then students will go find someone and sticky high five them. Or 'Pair up with a student who has the exact same ring as you.'

Get the idea? You could say so many different things about these to chips to get students to pair up... someone with the same number (or letter), different number (or letter), different animal, etc.

Also on the back of the chips is one of my favorite parts.. the question mark!

The chips will be be velcroed (right above the question mark) to the desks with a circular piece of velcro (sold basically anywhere.. I get mine at Walmart). When a students are working independently and I'm walking around.. they don't have to raise their hand they just have to flip their chip over. I'll see it, come over and help, then go walk around to find another chip that is turned over.

Please tell me I'm not that only one totally smitten by this idea.

Since I can have up to 18 student in my class I created 20 desk chips with the flexibity of having 5 in a group if I needed to (thats why you see 5 in the pictures above) and I created two groups of three.

As you can see this group is numbered 1, 2, and 3 so they will take turns talking with three people rather than just two.

I cannot wait to use my desk chips with my kiddos to randomly assign them, see if they have questions, and serve as a reminder what table, letter, and number they are. Could you see yourself using these in your classroom?

Student Interest and Reading Questionnaire

2012-07-30T10:57:00.005-04:00

At a recent training they highlighted the importance of getting to know your students. Us teachers spend countless hours with our students, don't we know them enough? I feel like I do a very good job by having conversations with my kiddos but nothing on paper.

Plus 'Knowledge of Students' is a component on my evaluation (anyone else use Danielson's framework?). If my pay is going to be determined by my evaluation scores (along with test scores) then you bet I'm going to attempt to get some high scores. So basically I need some proof I know my students rather than just those conversations my students and I have. This is where student interest inventories comes in!

Having student's fill out a student interest questionnaire/inventory at the beginning of the year allows me to get to know my students better but also understand their needs, how they work, and what I could use (internal or external) to push them to do their best. Once students fill out the questionnaire, I have it the rest of the year I could pull from. They are going to go right into my student's information section in my teacher binder for easy access.

I plan to tailor my lessons to student's preferences by reading books that relate to their backgrounds and interests. Also relate math skills to those interests and create problems that relate to them.

I got a little carried away and rather than making one questionnaire, I made four. I want to know a lot about my little guys and gals! Download all of the questionnaires here or by clicking on any of the pictures.

The first one is on student's favorites:

Then I created one on their home life and family:

I began to add school related questions on this school survey:

Finally they will answer questions on reading:

Students will fill out each one for their 'Do now' or morning work the first week of school and then on Friday they will write questions to ask me. We will go over the questionnaires and the questions they write in our morning meeting. I am really looking forward to seeing their responses and getting to know more about them every day of the first week!

The questionnaires are very flexible so do what fits your needs. You could read students the questions, use the questions to talk about these topics as a class, or even use these questions as writing topics.

I plan to give students the exact same reading questionnaire at the end of the school year because I'm hoping those answers are much, much different!

How do you get to know your students better?

ps. I'm linking up to Monday Made it!

Bathroom Signs & Door Hanger & Calendar Cards

2012-07-23T06:18:00.001-04:00

Today I am at day 1 of my 4 day New Hire Orientation my new district makes mandatory. But I did make some things to share with you for Monday Made It!

This upcoming year I will have not one but TWO bathrooms in my room.

It is a classroom that is somewhat open (about 5 feet) to the one next door and we share the bathrooms in the middle.

But I'll be teaching 2nd grade and the adjacent teacher will be teaching 1st... for those of you who teach in classrooms that are open like this, does the noise bother you? I'm concerned during my Daily 5 quiet time she will be doing whole group math. But what can I do?

Back to the bathroom talk (not the yucky kind), my students will be allowed to go to the bathroom any time except during whole group time or small group if I'm working with them.

For students to know if the bathroom is vacant or occupied I created signs!

When they go in the bathroom they will just flip the sign from 'Vaccant' to say 'Occupied' with the thumbs down sign for the students who might not know what occupied means... YET! Then when they leave they will flip the sign back around. Heres to hoping they remember to flip the sign! I might add a reminder sign inside on the bathroom door that says "Don't forget to flip the sign!" if it becomes an issue.

I didn't want these to be flimsy signs so I used the cardboard from cereal boxes.

I cut my desired shape. Stapled them together (I used the front of the cereal box and back). The first time I didn't hole punch the card board so it was VERY hard getting a hole through the cardboard, card stock, and signs. I might have used a knife, a cutting board, and maybe started bleeding. Opps.

But for the second sign I made I learned my lesson and hole punched everything through out the process! The holes are for ribbon to go through to hold the signs on the bathroom door knob.

I glued colored card stock on the cardboard then cut it to size. After I just glued on my signs with some Elmer's.

Note the ugly gashes that are the holes for the ribbon. Opps...

I still need to laminate them and add ribbon through the holes but couldn't wait to share! Download your own here.

I also made a door hanger. I was inspired by this one from Smiling in Second Grade:

But it didn't quite match my classroom decor (even though hers basically matches everything I'm just a tad bit OCD) so had to make my own..

Closer look to the top:

I loved how it turned out but again I still have to laminate and add velcro! Download your copy here.

And finally I created some cute calendar cards that match my class decor!

Download for free here.

I love the diagonal pattern they make when they will be on the calendar:

Again, still have to laminate! You betcha I'll be the first one in line when I get permission to use the laminator at my school!

Daily 5: Work on Writing

2012-07-22T10:47:00.001-04:00

Since I've read the book The Book Whisperer, I'm constantly asking myself if my student's assignments are helping them become a lifelong reader and/or writer.

I'm really trying to create as many authentic assignments that aren't just busy work or things that will be tossed aside. I want their work to mean something.

I took those things into account when I created my student's Writing Menu for the Daily 5. I wanted them to be writing but also have it relate to reading. It is our reading block after all!

Click here to download.

I wanted to keep it simple but also provide choice. I do teach lessons on each of these choices before I just give them to the students. We do them together, all at once during Work on Writing before I allow student's to make their own choices in the Daily 5.

It is very important the student's know the expectations before I send them off to do an assignment.

Book Hook:
A Book Hook is just basically a book commercial. Students persuade other students to read an awesome book they just read. It is just like if you were to recommend a book to a friend, you'd tell them about the story but you don't give away the ending! Thats exactly what I want my students to do.

For students to do a Book Hook they have to really comprehend the book. It involves so many critical thinking skills!

Students must do one Book Hook a month. This is to get students talking about books and get them adding to their 'Books to Read' list in their reading binder. I give several examples of book hooks at the beginning of the year then we write a few together. This way students know exactly what I expect before they begin writing their own.

They do present their Book Hooks to the entire class so a portion of their grade comes from presentation. This is the only Daily 5 Writing element that will be for a grade.

In order to grade it, I use a Rubric. I love rubrics. It makes things so much easier to grade!

Click here to download.

I have a calendar by my Daily 5 board that students sign up for their book hook. This way I can see if we have an presentations on a certain day or who still needs to present when the month is nearing an end.

Book Recommendation:

Students write a letter to a fellow student recommending them a book. They turn it into me first (so I can read it) then I deliver it to the student.

If students are having a difficult time then we can look at my VOICES board and focus on their one writing goal and make that really strong in their book recommendation.

I did create a rubric for the Book Recommendation (seen below) but it isn't for me to fill out. I want the students to fill it out. This way they reflect on their writing and I get to see how they think they are doing. Also it kind of acts as a checklist to make sure they used the book's title, they were persuasive, they used great word choices, etc.

Click here to download

Letter to Teacher:

This is self explanatory however I do write back! I got this idea form The Book Whisperer and love how she writes back in a reading buddy way, not a teacher way. I think this will help build relationships with the students, model great writing for them, and is another way for us to chat about books in an authentic way. I don't write back every week because well that would be pretty time consuming but every other week is manageable.

Continue writing or start new writing:
If students are really into what their writing in Writer's Workshop then who am I to stop them? If they are so inspired or have a great idea they can't wait to write about them, they can. During Writer's Workshop they can write letters, stories, and more; the sky is the limit!

If students are short on ideas then they can look at the idea list in their writing notebook but I NEVER EVER give them ideas. I want them to come up with them all on their own.

So those are my only 4 choices that require little to no prep work, just a few lessons before students do them on their own. I do have some more ideas (like our class journals) I'll add in to keep Work on Writing interesting but I'll have to pull those out as the school year goes on!

What do your students write about during Work on Writing? Have you made a great visual that has the pictures of a card, story, letter, list, etc? I made one on a trifold board for my first graders last year and it went well but I found they only made the same 2 or 3 things anyway. I wanted to up the expectations for my second graders this year!

I'm also linking up to this Newbie Bloggers Blog Hop! I'm so sorry the list is so long but it is full of great blogs to check out :)

1. What state you are in? I'm in Florida! Born and raised here :)

2. Your current teaching position

I am a second grade teacher. I was first last year but so excited to move up to second!

3. Your teaching experience

This year will be my second year!

4. When you started blogging

I actually started this blog last July I believe but I didn't update it regularly through out my first year teaching but I made a comeback at the beginning of the summer!

5. Share a blogging tip / blogging resource

Definitely ask to turn off those comment code verifiers. I don't have any on mine and I haven't gotten one pesky robot so I don't think their needed! And to comment on other blogger's posts. I know I LOVE comments and they encourage me to keep blogging so share the love :)

Daily 5: Word Work

2012-07-21T13:56:00.004-04:00

I feel like I haven't written a post in WAY to long!

As most of you know, I got engaged last week (you can read more about it here) Ekkk! Still can't contain my excitement about it but since then I have been wedding planing/researching nonstop! It is so hard to pull myself away from browsing wedding websites and get back to my long to-do list for the start of the school year. But I did manage to pull myself away for a little while to work on a few aspects of the Daily 5.

Onto Word Work:
For my spelling, I use Words Their Way spelling sorts. I give a spelling inventory at the beginning of the year (and each quarter there after) and put students in groups based on their spelling needs.

Mondays I'll be giving students their new spelling sorts. The sorts will be right on their desks so when they enter class Monday morning their morning work will be to cut up their words. Their words go in a basic envelope that are kept inside their word work spiral notebook. Also another spelling sort is on their desk to take home to use for homework.

During the Daily 5 on Monday I will be meeting with each spelling group and talking about their new words. The words will already be cut up and we will be ready to work. On this day student's will NOT be choosing word work as a Daily 5 choice since that is what they will be doing with me! When we check in as a class and students make their Daily 5 choices I'll just simply call on the students who will meet with me and they will forgo making a choice.

Note, I'm not with them for the entire rotation. I meet with them and deliver a short mini-less on their word pattern then leave them to sort the words on their own and write them in their notebook for the remaining time (expect at the beginning of the year I'll stay with them).They will begin working on their 'Work Work Menu' at this time. I sometimes check back in with them to see how it is going and if they have questions. Student will be in a group though to help each other if questions do arise and I'm busy.

After I'm finished with the mini word work lesson I'll check my conferring notebook for appointments I have with other student. These appointments are on the student's reading goals (read more about my conferring notebook and appointments here).

I will use a Must Do and Can Do 'Word Work Menu' to help students focus on what to do for Word Work Monday and the rest of the week.

I still really wanted to give student choice on the order they do the activities. I also wanted to give them some fun 'can do' activities to motivate and instill a sense of urgency for them to complete all the 'must do' items sooner rather than later.

I know there are 6 'must do' items which seems like a lot to do in 5 days however students figure out how to pace themselves. Also some activities don't take up the entire 15-20 minute rotation so student's can finish 2-3 in one day. If it is too much for some students then it can be adjusted (complete 4/6 must do's) but want to start with high expectations!

All of the 'must do' items go in the student's word work notebooks so no worksheets needed. The ideas I have are taken right from Words Their Way. I will be checking their notebooks weekly, when I meet with them to take their spelling tests. On student's spelling tests they will also rate and reflect how well they did in their word work notebook.

The 'Can Do' items are just extra practice therefore no need to check them and some of the items don't require paper anyway like sign language and white boards.

As the year progresses the 'Can Do' items might change depending on my resources. For example, I might add Boggle or using Scrabble Tiles then adding up how much the words are worth. I'd recommend use what you have available first then see what might work with your class.

Fridays are when I'll administer their spelling tests. I'll do it during Daily 5 and pull groups just as I do on Monday. I would LOVE to have a parent volunteer do this but we will see if I can recruit one (not too likely). As I said above, I'll also check and/or collect the student's word work notebooks to check if I don't finish.

I don't particularly love taking two days of small group to do Work Work but I won't be doing any whole group lessons on their word patterns since students have different lists. You always have to sacrifice some time as a teacher! Also if students are having a rough time with a pattern then I can round up the group again and meet with them another time during the week. It is totally based on the student's needs. I will be checking in with them through out the week to see how things are going during our one-on-one conferences.

Download a copy of my word work menu with directions for Secret Code Spelling, Sign Language Picture to assist in student's practicing, and cursive guide for student's to practice their spelling words HERE.

Word of the Day

2012-07-17T09:44:00.001-04:00

Lets chat about vocabulary. How do you teach your students about new words?

This year I'll be having a:

Why have a Word of the Day?

I really want to encourage my students to be interested in words. Just as I want them to develop into life long readers I also want them to be readers who find words fascinating. Plus it's an easy way to teach vocabulary that is fun and flexible.

Where am I going to get these words from?
I have a starter list to pull from if I ever feel uninspired (this is for 2nd grade but could be used in other grades):

Then as the year progresses I might use

vocabulary words from other subject areas (science terms maybe?)
words we discover from a read aloud
words students discover and find interesting that they nominate for the Word of the Day

How will it look in my classroom?

The word will be introduced at the end of our morning meeting. We will define the word, use it in sentences, possibly act it out, and student's will be encouraged to use this word as well in writing and conversation.

After the word is introduced it will be the word we use to transition with all day long.

Yes, transition. In my class when I say "It is transition time" (original I know) my students call out "FREEZE" and proceed to look at me and freeze like statues.

I then give them the transition directions, "Please turn in your work to the red tub, and meet me on the carpet."

When I'm finished giving the directions I say the Word of the Day like: "Splendid". That signals for the students that they can begin the transition. Sometimes I'll use the word in a sentence so they hear it in context too.

I love how this way of transitioning forces the students to STOP and listen. I hate talking and not being listened to.. I'm sure you do too. If students decide to not freeze then we will practice and practice until they are perfect. They don't particularly like this but it gets the message across without any voices raised.

I also count down from 10 to 0 and when I get to 0 students should be be finished with the transition and ready for the next lesson or activity. Saves a lot of class time!

At the end of the day if my class and I really liked our word of the day then it will go on our 'Words to Remember' board (Can't wait to show you pictures in August!). This is going to look just like a word wall but rather than putting up our sight words, it is going to be interesting words we come across.

Students will also have a 'Word to Remember' page in their reading binder (will post about those another time) where they will record interesting words they come across in their reading and want to save.

With the combination of Word of the Day and Words to Remember I'm really excited about enlarging my students vocabularies!

Want to download your own for free?

You can download that stinkin cute 'Word of the Day' sign to hang up on your white board and write the word of the day under it plus my starter list on Teachers Pay Teachers here or Teachers Notebook here!

How do you facilitate a love of words in your students or increase student's vocabulary?

Bundles of Binder Covers & My 'Pensieve'

2012-07-16T18:05:00.002-04:00

I LOVE binders. They help me organize everything and anything. It is easy to put stuff in, take stuff out, change the order, easy to store, etc.

Rather than files in a filing cabinet I store my units in binders. I was working on my ultimate teacher binder and then got a little carried away and made covers for all of my binders.

You can download your copy for free at my Teacher's Notebook store here or at Teachers Pay Teacher here.

If you download you'll find some words vertically. Those are for the sides of your binder seen here on my reading binder:

I inserted colored card stock in all of the binder sleeves, it really makes the covers pop.

I also was working on my 'Pensieve' as The Sisters call it; it is actually their reading and writing conferring notebook. This is a big factor in using CAFE for reading so glad that is ready to go for the school year!

If you are interested in having short conferences regularly with your students, goal setting with them, and using flexible small groups for students all working on the same goals then you also might be interested in this notebook.

I'm a ~~little~~ extremely excited about it. Here take a peak....

Then open it up and find the Table of Contents:

Section one is for scheduling:

The left side will have all student's names and I'll put the dates we meet in the little boxes. This is to make sure I'm meeting the needs of all students. I can easily see who you have met with often and who I might need to catch up with.

The right side is my calendar that I'll schedule appointments on. I'll met with a student, have them read for a minute, go over their goal (assess how their doing, do they need a new one, etc.), then tell them when we will meet next. If the child needs a lot of help with their goal we can meet the following day or if their more independent maybe I will schedule their next conference for the following week. Totally flexible.

Focus groups, or strategy groups, is section two.
Students who all have the same reading goals will form a strategy group. For example, if I have 4 students who all need help with the strategy 'Back up and re-read' then I can put them together and meet with them all at once. This will save time for me since I don't have the teach the lesson 4 times.

What I'm really excited about is that the strategy groups can change as student's met and set new goals. They are all differentiated since students are working on the strategy in their own books or other materials I provide.

I thought this would be extremely time consuming and hard to accomplish but after reading CAFE Literacy and making this binder it seems so manageable. Can't wait to try it out!

Section three will be student data.

My district does FAIR testing so that is where I'll put student's on spread sheet and record their testing for three times a year they take those tests.

Also when I do running records I'll record those scores on there as well.

Note, I believe I'll be making a different recording form since this one doesn't really fit my needs. But maybe it will fit yours.

Section four is Student Info, where all of our conferencing forms will be kept.

I use dividers that has the alphabet on them.

This will make it quick to find student's forms. I'll just take out all the extra letters I'm not using (I don't think I'll have a student who's name starts with Z but ya ever know).

Each student will have their own CAFE menu where we will highlight goals they have accomplished and working on.

They will also have a reading conference form and a writing conference form.

The conference forms are to record all those notes about how their doing with their goals. Best part about this is The Sisters have laid out what to write (in their book) so your notes will actually benefit you and the student. I used to be a avid notetaker but never do anything with them but not anymore!

The last section, section five, are just resources that might come in handy. I'll be making a CAFE conference cheat sheet for myself to keep focused. Also any resources I want to use for my focus group lessons can also go back there.

Jill does a great job going over each section of the conferring notebook in a short video: here. Also you can download all of the forms for your 'Pensieve' for free there as well! I'd really suggest taking a look if CAFE literacy is something your interested in.

ps. If your interested in binder covers for weekly dinner planning (with matching organizer) & wedding planning check out my post on my personal blog here.

Apples & Adventure

2012-07-15T18:51:00.002-04:00

This weekend has been quite a big one for me!

But before we get to the big news, I have some smaller news..

I have been feeling a little limited since I want this blog to be strictly all things related to teaching. So I made a new personal blog. It is called Apples and Adventure.

Feel free to follow me there if you want to see what recipes I'm trying out, how my running progress is going, and see what adventures I'm up to. Or just follow me here, no hard feelings :)

But for the BIG news you'll have to check out the new post that's up at Apples & Adventure here.

I'll give you a hint.

It has something to do with this:

Ekkkk! :)

CAFE Headings & Reading Strategy Cards

2012-07-12T17:28:00.002-04:00

I decided I'll be implement the Daily 5 into my classroom this year. I knew I wanted to read the CAFE book as well to get ideas and inspiration since it is also by ~~da sistas~~ The Sisters.

I wish I didn't wait so long to read it because this book has put it all together for me! If you haven't read it, start now. Seriously. My mind is so full of ideas, excitement, and all the missing pieces are filled. At first I wasn't sure about the mini lessons of the Daily 5 and how my small groups are going to look exactly but this book fills in all those gaps! Every time I look at the book now I think of like heavenly music coming out of it because it really answers all my questions!

So enough of my excitement, I'll be implementing the CAFE Menu that will look something like this but totally different headings/colors/everything:

(Source)

Before I read the book I had no idea what that entire bulletin board meant and it looks intimidating. Its not, it actually makes a lot of sense. I love how the reading strategies you teach stay up all year and students focus on the ones that would benefit them. This is differentiation at its best!

Being the OCD/matchy-matchy teacher I am, I created a heading and reading strategy cards for my CAFE board that match my classroom decor.

I also made reading strategy cards from the CAFE menu with some pictures. They are color coordinated with the C, A, F, and E colors. So C and E are unfortunately both blue.

Here are a few..

I know it is more meaningful to write the card with your class but I just couldn't do it. They have pictures on my strategy cards so that will help. I plan on touching the card, referring to it often, and have it up next to me when I introduce the strategy. I think it will all be okay if I don't hand write the strategy card with my kiddos.

If you'd like your own copy of these headers and reading strategy cards you can download them for FREE in my Teacher's Notebook store here.

I have a Teachers Pay Teachers store but I won't be using it and I can't figure out how to delete it. I'll be strictly using Teacher's notebook so please follow me there. I'll posting all my freebies in my store soon for you to also check out. :)

p.s.
My boyfriend made chocolate cupcakes last night and we didn't have any frosting. So I created some peanut butter frosting from scratch using this super easy recipe found here. They turned out to be DELICIOUS, as in can't stop eating, they are most gone delicious.

Taken on instagram, follow me for more random pictures at TisforTeaching

I'd highly recommend downloading the CAFE header/strategy cards then make these ASAP.

Universal Homework Model

2012-07-11T12:49:00.000-04:00

The dreaded homework that student's dislike and gives teachers more 'stuff' to grade. Do you feel that way too? I hope I'm not the only one!

Last year I did homework packets that went out Monday and were due Friday. We played Homeworkopoly each Friday where student's won prizes from treasure box and class coupons. You can read more about this here.

I liked the procedure actually, especially having homework packets for 1st graders since didn't waste much class time.

This year I want to try something different that gives my 2nd graders more independence, responsibility, and choice.

After I was first introduced to the Universal Homework Model (UHM) though 3rd Grade Thoughts who posted about it here. I knew I wanted to give it a shot.

Here is what is going to be in my 'Handbook' for parents to explain it a little further:

That cute bookmark on the left hand side is what student's will be taking home. You can download your own customizable bookmark from 3rd Grade Thoughts here. She's fabulous isn't she?

I've customized her bookmark a little to make it work for my class. I'm giving my students 4 homework choices that include spelling, math practice, independent reading, and writing a letter to me about whatever they want but it has to be neat and over a half a page. Students can choose to do one star or all 4 stars; it is truly up to them. I'm going to be pushing they do two a night.

I will also be using Words Their Way for my spelling instruction so our spelling activities are a little different. Here is my page to parents giving them more information about the word work activities:

The bookmark on the right will go on the back of the Star Homework bookmark above so it will be one double sided bookmark. I love how this means they can see their Word Work choices each night with detailed directions. Students will know these activities well since they will be doing them in class weekly but I think it will help in case they need a reminder at home.

How will this look in my classroom?

Each morning when students enter the class, I'll have them record how many stars they completed on a clipboard and then turn in their homework into a basket right next to it (can't wait to be back in my room so I can show you pictures!!).

Then at our morning meeting, I can quickly tally up how many stars our class has earned and there is a record of how many each student has completed for accountability (that I didn't have to do!). If any issues arise we will chat about it at our morning meeting.

I'll be quickly checking homework sometime through out the day and if any of it is not up to standard they will get their star taken away. These are things I would chat about at the morning meeting. I would never single out that child but just talk about the issue generally.

During our morning meeting I'll also remind students we need however many stars to get our goal for the week.

For example, if our class earns 75 stars (I'm making this number up right now, depends on your expectations and class size) they might get 2 minutes of free time, extra recess, or Mind Soccer (a whole brain teaching game students go crazy for). If our class earns 100 stars then students might get 3 minutes of desired activity. Or if our class earns 125 stars then students might get 5 minutes of desired activity!

Make sure you keep the desired activity super desired by the students so they want to work hard to obtain it.

There will be a graph kept similar to this one:

From A Whole Brain Teacher

It's purpose is to keep track of our class total of stars and is a great visual representation.

Also have students volunteer to do more stars on Wednesday/Thursday and write their name down on the board. Follow up with them and see if they did complete 3 or 4 star homework and if so celebrate, thank them, and cheer for them. Students love attention and this entire homework program is somewhat based around class peer pressure. The more homework they do, the more attention they will receive!

If you want more information, check out 3rd Grade Thoughts post here and this funny and fabulous video by Chris Biffle (founder of Whole Brain Teaching):

Watch live streaming video from wholebrainteaching1 at livestream.com

I'm really, really hoping this system works out well *crossing my fingers* I am very excited to give the students choices so hopefully homework is more engaging. Have you used the Universal Homework Model?

I have done way too my talking.. or typing.. so now it is your turn. Please share how you do homework in your class or if you have any further questions!

Update:
Here are documents for you to download!
Star Homework & Word Work Parent Sheet (PDF)
Customizable Star Homework & Word Work Parent Sheet (Will look different due to the fonts)
Word Work Bookmark (PDF)
Customizable Word Work Bookmark (Word Document)
Star Homework Customizable Bookmark

Dum Dum Tree & Class Journals

2012-07-09T09:47:00.006-04:00

This Made it Monday I made a Dum Dum Tree & Class Journals!

First check out my Dum Dum Tree:

Isn't adorable? I like my teacher's desk to have a minimal amount of stuff on it. I also have to have a dash of decoration which makes this lollypop tree the perfect balance of color and fun to my simple, boring desk.

It was super simple and quick to make!

All you need is:
- A pot (I got mine on sale on Jo-Annes)
- Styrofoam ball that fits inside the pot
- Dum Dum Lollypops
- Ribbon (optional)
- Hot Glue Gun (optional but will need if you use ribbon)

How to make:
Add the styrofoam ball to the pot and start inserting Dum Dums!

Keep going...

Until it becomes a full Dum Dum Tree!

When your satisfied with the fullness of your tree, decorate your pot however you wish!

First I added some turquoise ribbon you will find on other crafts in my room so they will all tie together.

Then I realized that just wasn't enough pizzaz and you could see the hot glue marks so I added some yellow textured ribbon I also had on hand.

Much better with the yellow! And I got this beauty:

I can't wait to add it to my desk and look at it each day. It seems so cheerful doesn't it? It goes great with my class theme that you can also read more about here.

I love how this will for sure be a conversation piece for visitors and they can even take a Dum Dum from it, I have plenty more to fill in any 'missing' lollypops.

I also made some class notebooks our whole class can write in. I got the idea from I Love My Classroom and thought it would be perfect to use during Work on Writing during the Daily 5.

I also tried to choose topics that could be on going and student's could write in more than once and all through out the year.

I added some directions and a Table of Contents inside to keep things organized.

Then it needed some page numbers to finish it off.

I will be writing the first entry in each notebook to give students something to read and set the expectation of what a journal entry should look like.

I also saw 4th Grade Frolics has some journal covers for free today you can use to make your own!

ps. Check out my previous Monday Made It's here (a no sew banner) and here (tissue paper wreath).

A Little Fishy

2012-07-08T16:41:00.003-04:00

Any chance I have to talk about my classroom theme, I'm in!

I'm linking up to Surfin' Through Second's Linky party all about classroom themes.

If you follow my blog you can probably guess my theme but if not it is ocean/fish themed.

I don't think I ever thought about what my theme was going to be.. I just knew since I started teaching it would be nautical/ocean/fish themed. I LOVE the water, swimming, and fishing. The water has always been a big part of my life so it just fits. It just brings a smile to my face looking around my classroom and knowing my theme has meaning as silly as that sounds. I guess it reminds me of home :)

Lets get to the pictures shall we?
My main colors were decided after I bought the fabric for my banner: Green, Blue, Yellow. But you'll find other bright colors all over as well but I'm trying to make these mostly predominate.

Lots of Labels

2012-07-08T13:03:00.001-04:00

How has your weekend been?

One of my best friends, Shannon, is in town so it has been a blast getting to see her the past few days. I went to visit her in Kansas City (you can read more about that here) so now she came to Florida!

Shannon and I at dinner, I feel like we look so far apart though!

She's engaged and we are going wedding dress shopping on Tuesday. I am SO excited! I've never been but looking forward to helping her find THE dress. I've been preparing by watching Say Yes to the Dress all morning. I justified it to Phil as doing research :)

I haven't been too productive when it comes my classroom but I have been making labels and thought I'd share.

I got inspired after seeing this photo (from Mrs. Wills Kindergarten) on Pinterest:

But I didn't have that size labels and wasn't about to buy them since I have a humongous pack of 3000 labels!

Their Maco ML 3000. They might work for Avery too if their 1" by 2 5/8"

If you by chance have these labels then it is your lucky days since I've been making templates for every purpose! Just click on the picture to download the labels.

I don't use stamps as some teachers do since I simply don't have any stamps and don't want to purchase them for over $5 per stamp! So I make labels to just stick in agendas, on children, or on papers that go home since it is quicker than handwriting.

For their folders (Read more about Super Speed Math here & Super Speed for Sight Words here):

If you have any other ideas of labels I might need please let me know :)

Enough label talk, now onto grocery shopping, laundry, and perhaps hanging out by the pool! Ahhh I love summer! Are you cherishing your summer vacation? I'm soaking up every moment!

Not Your Average Newsletter

2012-07-06T09:39:00.001-04:00

I am so excited about the newsletter creation I just came up with!

I'd love to have a class website but for my school's population it isn't practical. I feel the best communication is sending home a newsletter. Since this will be copied I tried to keep it mostly black/white.

The plan is that it will go out either bi-weekly or monthly. Not sure yet.

Here is the front page:

Fonts and Graphics came from LetterDelights.com

It isn't complete yet but I just wanted to make the template ahead of time.

But lets talk about what you see, I'll insert clip art at the top that matches the time of year.

I always like to have space for a letter to the parents. I would love to add a picture of our class in action to this portion too and write about something specific we did or my favorite moment of the month.

The student of the month, or star pupil, is at the bottom and I'll insert a picture of him/her. I always have my class vote for our student of the month and then afterwards I take notes on why they voted for that person. I'll add what my students say about him/her to our newsletter.

If it comes out bi-weekly then I'll alternate the student of the month for a teaching tip for parents.

The back page is what I'm super excited about:

Fonts and Graphics came from LetterDelights.com

I will take student's writing, type it up, and add it to our newsletter! I will take requests for articles in our newsletter students can write during our writing time and maybe they might even get featured on the front page.. if their super good :)

But I'll be choosing student's work in each subject: reading (book reviews or recommendations), science/social studies (summary of learning), math (math journal entry), and writing (any free writing they do).

I don't feel like this will be TOO time consuming since I type pretty quick & I'll be on the lookout for student's writing pieces as I'm grading/reading them so the ones that stand out I'll just put to the side or just take a picture of it so I have a copy on my phone.

Displaying our newsletter in our classroom I feel is also important so students read it and see it often. I do write it for the parents but also for the students. I will print it in color and place it in page protectors on the door of our classroom. This way students will always have access to it and use it as a resource (hopefully). Can't wait show you when that time comes!

It is a little bit extra work on my end but I think it'll be totally worth it. I really want student's to do their best work in hopes it will end up in our class newsletter!

Do you put out a class newsletter? How often? Have you ever incorporated student work? Perhaps has the year goes on students could write more and it could develop into something totally student written-- not sure but I love the possibilities it provides!

Handling Behavior Problems with Love

2012-07-05T11:29:00.002-04:00

I'm linking up with Teaching Blog Addict's huge linky party; as I was looking at the topics to choose from I thought this one was perfect to share my experiences during my first year teaching.
I've had my fair share of behavior problems my first year. I'm not going to call myself an expert by any means but I found ways to turn these students around and see drastic improvements.
My first half an hour of my first day of teaching (ever) I had a little friend who had to be restrained and taken out of my room for running around CRAZY! Administration would be in my room daily attempting to catch him. It was awful and no one could figure out what set him off.
This was the case almost everyday my first week of school and eventually the running around, harming other students, being 'uncatchable', decreased little by little. After many, many, months, my little friend finally was able to join the rest of my class on our classroom management plan (before he always had his own plans) and be a responsible citizen. He would often stay on green and even get his clip moved up. I am such a proud teacher seeing his growth :)
Sometimes the most important thing to remember with students who's behavior is difficult to manage is that it's NOT your fault. Have a student with ADHD and they can't sit still, walk around aimlessly, and don't pay attention? It isn't your fault! You have to work with that student for who they are. You half to meet them at where they are and make small steps to improving each day.
My little friend I talked about previously was put on an individual behavior plan where he had a point sheet. I recorded points for him every 15 minutes in 3 categories he needed to work on: keeping his hands to himself, following directions, staying in his seat. He had a goal of earning a specific amount of points a day. If he earned that amount for 3 days then he could get a prize (email me if you ever need one for one of your students).
Eventually we changed the categories after he mastered specific behaviors. Then his point sheet got marked in less time increments until I took him off it and I just monitored his behavior for half of the day. He was able to earn two stickers, one of the morning and one for the afternoon. After he got 5 stickers he would get a prize. I say I monitored but I mean we.. as in me and the student. I would force him to reflect on his behavior and the positives and negatives. He would ultimately decide if he should get the sticker.
After that, I put him on my classroom management plan with the rest of the class. He was successful on it and occasionally would have a bad week once in a while but overall he was great. It was such a success. I'm so proud of him, his mom, and myself for working together to make it work. But this change didn't happen over night, it took time. It took working towards small, manageable goals everyday. After accomplishing all of those goals, we eventually accomplished the big one.. he was able to be successful in an ordinary classroom.
It was a lot of work and there were a lot of bad days. He was only one of the many behavior problems I had! There were several others I could write about but his story is just the most drastic.
What I did to see improvement:

Ignore the negative. I would hear so many negative remarks about a few of my students from others and how the students shouldn't even be in my classroom but a self contained class. I wanted to give my students every chance to be in a 'normal' classroom before just giving up on them and making a decision that will effect the rest of their life by placing them in a self contained classroom which they will follow forever. Thats what your students deserve.
I explicitly taught every behavior I wanted my students portray. I taught them how to look at me while I'm talking, how to sit correctly, how to walk in the classroom, and anything else you imagine.. I taught them with lots of modeling.
Built relationships with my students. Not just saying Good Morning to them each morning but telling them how you notice certain things about them... like how they must love Clifford since they have read every Clifford book I have. I would make one-on-one time to chat with each of them about their home life, their interests, and anything else they wanted to share. I wanted them to know I truly cared about them. This is important since they are more likely to listen to me since we have a strong relationship. I found the end of the year my student's behavior was pretty close to perfect since they really listened to everything I said and didn't want to disappoint me.
I set high expectations and students knew those expectations. I knew what I wanted my class to look like and how I wanted my students to act. I wouldn't compromise on any of those qualities. We were going to be a caring community, they were going to be kind to one another, they were going to act polite, share, and discuss learning with one another. It took a while with lots of modeling but we got there.
Consistently. You have to be consistent all the time. This is so hard at times but students need to know the consequences will be there every single time. They can't get away with breaking any rule.
I worked with my students. We would discuses what they thought their consequences should be, why they moved their clip down, how we could make sure it doesn't happen again, and so on. Make sure the students do more talking than you. If they have nothing to say then give them time to think and come back to the issue.

I think those are the big points. If you ever have a behavior problem you don't know how to do with, I'd love to help you. Just email me :)

Like I said I'm not a pro, but I've probably dealt with it in my short time teaching so far. How do you handle behavior problems? Have you had any extreme cases?

ps. If you want to read more about my classroom management system click here or on classroom management under 'Topics'