Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you are enjoying your weekends as much as I am. So...random topic for you this evening:
I once read that teachers make over 1,500 educational decisions each school day. Craziness! Add to the list the following question: Do you keep your classroom door open or closed? I usually keep mine closed because we can be loud and I know my voice carries. (I have my family members to thank for reminding me of this my entire life.) I have recently become aware, however, that a closed door can send the wrong message.
SO...I made up this cutie-patootie sign to stick on our classroom door in hopes of making everyone feel welcome, even if visitors first approach a closed door. #fingerscrossed
I hope you find this sign useful, too! Feel free to snag this freebie in my TPT store.
So what about you? Do you keep your door open, closed, or a mix of both? And why? Feel free to leave a comment below!
Hey Midwest teachers! There are only four more days to RSVP to the 2017 Midwest Regional Teacher Blogger Meet Up! Believe me, you don't want to miss out on this awesome opportunity to collaborate with other teachers, grow as a blogger, expand your TPT business, and just have fun! Oh, and did I mention prizes?!
This Saturday, January 21st, 2017 event takes place in Wisconsin Dells, so consider bringing your family along to have fun at one of the indoor water parks (that's what I'm doing), indoor theme parks, movie theaters, casinos, etc.
Already ready to sign up? You can RSVP by clicking HERE!
(If you missed the details on how this linky party works, please click here to learn about it!)
Welcome to the very first-ever round of the Caring, Sharing, and Preparing linky party! Here is my contribution...
I have made several changes to our dismissal routine this school year. During those first weeks of school, dismissal was the most stressful part of our day, so I have been tweaking it ever since. I am getting closer to being in a "happy place." I wanted to share these changes with you in hopes that you can pick up a tip or two that will make your dismissal less stressful. Here is what our daily end-of-day routine looks and sounds like.
The first thing we do to get our dismissal routine started is that I pass out our dismissal clips. I bought ours at the Dollar Tree. We use the ladybug, frog, and bumblebee ones, but I have seen the alligator clips in the store, too, and they seem durable as well.
Each student gets a clip. I write their names on the back with permanent marker. They attach the clip to themselves right away (usually on their shirt / jacket collar or sleeve) so they do not lose it. When we eventually get outside and they see the adult who is responsible for picking them up, they know to hand me (in my hand...not in my basket) their clip. The purpose is accountability and safety. I want to know, to the best of my ability, that my students are safe and leaving school with the correct person. For the most part, my students are great about remembering to give their clips back to me. This is one strategy I used in the past as a Kindergarten teacher and even those young kiddos remembered.
During those first weeks of school, I was passing out my students' homework folders, homework (sometimes multiple papers), notes from the office, classroom newsletters, etc. with the assistance of a few student helpers. But most of our class was just sitting at their tables chit-chatting, which is okay for a few minutes, I guess, except they would get louder... and louder... and LOUDER! Mrs. Unger was going bonkers! I needed to figure something else out.
Enter these magical "mailboxes" (or at least that is what we call these hanging pocket charts). I got this idea from one of my first grade teammates.
I bought them at a local teacher store, but you can order them online (example - Really Good Stuff). They certainly were not cheap, in my opinion, especially when I had to buy four of them. However, they have saved time and my sanity! SO.WORTH.THE.MONEY. I was lucky to have that pocket chart stand in my classroom already and it was not yet being used for anything, so it worked out. But you could hang them anywhere within student reach really.
The most recent change to our dismissal routine is this song: "Bye Bye Goodbye" by Super Simple Songs.
The song itself is about two minutes long, so when there are only two minutes left on the clock before the end-of-day bell rings, I play this song. Not only do my students know they have two minutes left to empty their mailboxes, zip their coats, put on their hats, and so on... a calm also comes over the room. The students quiet down and sing this tune. They have even started making up their own gestures! #totalcuteness
The last thing we do is say a see-saw chant. In other words, I say a line, my students say the next line, etc. There are many versions of this chant out there, but I have this one hanging in our classroom:
This freebie comes from Shannon at Technology Rocks - Seriously. My students know there must be silence at the end of the chant. This is my gentle way of saying, "Zip it! We are entering the hallway."
If you are stressing out at the end of the day, try asking yourself, "What are we doing during dismissal that could instead be done during some other part of the day?"
I asked myself this question and then I decided to move the time in which we check out take-home books. We were doing it at the end of the day and some days, my students would not get to check out books because we ran out of time. Not cool. Now we check out take-home books during quiet time. Our quiet time used to be only about 5 minutes, which was enough time for me to take afternoon attendance, address issues that may have come up during recess and/or lunch, etc. So unfortunately, yes, checking out books during this block of time lengthened our quiet time, but it is a much better option than the end of the day.
Okay, I have one more tip for you. If your students go into a coat room or out in the hallway to retrieve their backpacks and such (like my kids do), I suggest having them bring everything into the classroom, instead of getting dressed out there. Now this is coming from a Wisconsin teacher, so when I say "get dressed," I am referring to the jackets, hats, gloves, snow pants, and snow boots that my students put on. This takes some time, especially if I am not keeping an eye on them, they start to dawdle and chit-chat too much. Some of them struggle to carry everything back into the classroom, but they help each other and work it out.
Do you have any other dismissal tips to share that work in your classroom? I would love to hear your ideas! Please comment below.
Alright, now it is your turn - yay! Do you have a recent blog post to share that falls under at least one of these categories?
If so, grab the image(s) above and the blog button below to include in your post, then link up below!
My new(ish) blog quote, Teaching Excellence by Caring, Sharing, and Preparing, got me thinking one day... "that would make for an easy-to-join linky party." So then I contacted the fabulous Alexis Sanchez and asked her to design some linky party images for me. Check 'em out!
So what makes this linky party so EASY to join? Well...it's because you can link up just about any of your blog posts, as long as it falls under one of the three categories below.
What types of blog posts can be categorized as "caring?" Here are just a few ideas that pop into my brain:
suggestions for picture books that focus on character education
ideas for teaching students how to resolving conflicts in healthy ways
tips on how you help students with extreme emotional challenges
ways that you make learning fun and engaging for your students so they want to come to school
suggestions on how to build a strong school-to-home connection
tips for how you build community in your classroom
Oh my word! We teachers are constantly preparing... for back to school, Christmas projects, 100th Day of School celebrations, Parent / Teacher Conferences, extension activities for gifted students, weekly lesson plans...it never ends. So if you have procedural tips, light bulb moments, ideas, or anything that will help others prepare as well, we would love to hear them!
I think this category is my favorite because I love to share! I think my colleagues might believe I am a little crazy because I get excited when other teachers visit my room to browse and borrow from my over-the-top abundant classroom library. As they say, sharing is caring! If your blog post does not fit in one of the above two categories, I bet it will fit in this one! Here are some ideas:
classroom management tips
free products
news that other teachers might find helpful
photos of your classroom organization
tips on differentiated instruction
I bet you are now thinking of blog posts you already write that you could link up here, right!? You might also be wondering... what types of posts do NOT belong in this linky party? Please DO NOT link up posts if you are just looking to promote and sell your products or anything like that. If you are looking to get something out of this (other than the satisfaction of knowing you are helping others), this is not the link-up for you. I really want us to stick to the selfless theme of caring, sharing, and preparing. Any posts that do not fall under those categories will be deleted. Thank you for understanding.
Okay, so let's talk logistics. When can you count on this linky party being up? That is where I would love YOUR feedback! As much as I love to plan ahead, I can also just "go with it" (sometimes, haha) and this would be one of those times. I was nervous about attempting to host a linky party at first because, of course, there is always the chance that it could be a big 'ole fat fail. But I try to have a growth mindset, so I am just going with it!
I am going to post the first linky party TOMORROW and try to get the word out there as much as I can on social media. Then I am going to follow whatever direction is given to me. Thanks for sharing any feedback you have to offer!
So grab any of the images above to include in your blog post, be sure to mention this linky party, and join me back here tomorrow! I am SO looking forward to reading all your brilliant ideas!
I think it is safe to assume that most teachers struggle to get their students to build (and maintain) good, consistent reading stamina. I'm talking about "actually reading and thinking about the book, not just pretending because my teacher wants me to focus" kind of stamina. Can you relate?
Well, I tried something this year with my firsties and it worked like a charm!
We have a mini poster in our classroom that has a thermometer outline. It is tough to see, but the mini poster hangs on the upper-left-hand corner of our whiteboard and this is what we use to record our minutes (or at least the highest number of minutes we have reached). Do you see it? (I'm sorry I do not have a close-up!)
Every single day, I refer to our stamina chart. We talked about it A LOT in the first few weeks of school...less now because it is not as necessary. We also learn, regularly discuss, review, and routinely practice what good habits readers have and show without reminders.
I told my students that when they reached 5 minutes, they would get to use the "fun stuff." This includes pillows, stuffed animals (to whisper read to), laundry baskets (to sit in), and exercise balls. Do you think they tried hard to focus on their reading and thinking in order to show that they were building stamina? Yep! It took them a few days, but they got the hang of it.
After the students showed 5 minutes of stamina, our next goal was to get to 10 minutes. It was at this time that I told them the next incentive = reading partners!
These pictures were actually not taken during Partner Reading, but I realized I do not have any pictures to show this. I am using these as a substitute. These partners pictured here were actually trying out a new reading strategy during the Active Engagement section of our Mini-Lesson.
So the next goal was...yep, you guessed it = 15 minutes. After my students met the 10 minute reading stamina goal, I then told them the next incentive was... Flashlight Friday!
I have not yet taken a picture of our bucket of flashlights, but I can tell you that I found mine at Wal-Mart for $1.00 each in cute colors.
Our next goal was then 20 minutes, which my students have already exceeded, but...there is problem. The incentive is to read books via Raz-Kids on our tablets, but we are having issues deploying apps to the tablets in our school district right now. I hope the issue is resolved SOON because I have some antsy first graders.
What do you use as incentives (or anything really) to encourage your students to build and maintain reading stamina?
Holy guacamole! I actually did it! I posted two weeks in a row with a blogging idea that I had (to post a weekly teacher tip). Go me. Hehehe. Now let's see if I can go for three weeks...
So here is my quick tip: When your students have birthdays, recognize them "publicly" by placing some sort of sign in the hallway for all to see. (Not going to lie - I stole borrowed this idea from one of my fabulous first grade teammates, but this is my rendition of it - see below.)
I used a memo board that I already had, stuck some birthday trim around the edge, displayed the birthday printables that I use for Open House photos, and then placed the memo board on a stepping stool. When my birthday kiddos approach our classroom door, they are greeted with this. How is that for CARING!? :)
In addition, my students get a birthday card, "balloon," book, treasure chest toy, toothbrush (I know...random...I found them on clearance in the Dollar Spot at Target), sticker for their shirt, and a crown to wear on their heads. I also offer the birthday vest that they can borrow for the day and I take their picture holding a toy birthday cake. Their pictures get posted on our (private / closed) Facebook page for our parents and family members to see.
What do YOU do to honor your students on their birthdays? I would love for you to share your ideas in the comments section below!
Anyone who knows me as a teacher knows that I LOVE to share! I like to share my books (I have too many to count...my book app stopped counting at 1,000), my products, my resources, my ideas...anything that will be helpful to another teacher. After all, none of it is any good if it is kept to myself. Sharing is caring!
My hope is to share a teacher tip or idea with you each week. I know this might not seem like much to those of you who blog often, but for me, it would be an improvement from the status quo.
Every morning, I greet each of my students at our classroom door. Wherever they stand gives me a clue about how they want to be greeted:
number 5 = high five
heart = hug
hand = handshake
smiley face = just a smile (no touching)
After I greet each student, they get to do something fun. Here is an example: the secret password. They have to check the secret password and whisper it in my ear before they can enter the classroom. (This week, I am using CVC words, but in the past, I have done numbers, equations, high-frequency words...)
Here are some other fun activities my students have done this year as they cross our threshold:
* pop bubbles (I have done this from a wand and also from a bubble machine.)
* walk the red carpet (I have 3 red bathroom mats that I lay down. In years past, I have also offered the students over-sized glasses, feather boas, and other fancy accessories. Bonus - Pump up some music during this threshold activity!)
* crawl though a tunnel (I have one of those spring tunnels.)
* answer a trivia question (I use a stack of 1st grade trivia cards that I found in Target's Dollar Spot.)
I used to have a slide for my Kindergarten students last year, but my first graders were too big for it.
I also used to have a blow-up limbo stick, but one of my Kinders popped it last year. :(
Be creative with your threshold activities! As long as your integrating that "joy factor" into your school day and putting a smile on your students' faces... mission accomplished.
Do YOU have any cool threshold activity ideas to share? I would love to hear them! Please comment below!
This is what my "Pick Me" sticks looked like last year - I used the students' names.
Teacher Tip: I finally wised up and wrote the names on pieces of clear Scotch tape vs. writing the names directly on the sticks themselves, which was causing me to repaint them each summer.
I was pleased to see that they easily peeled off and the tape did not take the paint off. Yay!
I made the decision to use a student numbering system in my classroom for the first time ever and I think I am going to love it. So this time around, I wrote numbers on our "Pick Me" sticks, so I should never have to update them again.
Next up are the magnets for our Homework Club board.
I used some circle magnets (I think I found them in the Target Dollar Spot last summer) and flat colored duct tape.
At first I was tracing the magnets on the colored side of the duct tape, which was leaving black marks after I cut out the circles. Then I started to do the tracing on the back. Duh Amber.
I did use one roll of green duct tape and this was more difficult to do (vs. the flat duct tape), but I got 'er done. I just had to cut around the magnets.
So they looked like this when I was done tracing and cutting.
I found these perfect number stickers at Walmart.
Like I mentioned earlier, I am using student numbers, so I should never have to update these in the future. Awesome!
This is the final product. I quite like our Homework Club board!
I bought those pink magnetic borders at a local teacher store and I love them as they really define the space! I left the bottom part open because I will be hanging superior student work there.
You might have read in one of my earlier blog posts that I attended a Whole Brain Teaching Conference. I picked up a great tip there: If you want to announce a really big, important point to your students and you REALLY want to make sure you have everyone's undivided attention, call out "Class / Yes," then "Hands and Eyes" and stand under a big arrow that hangs high on your wall or from your ceiling so you can make your "really big point." Clever!
I found this Kohls Cares "Go Dog Go!" chair a few years ago at a huge children's consignment event for only a few bucks. I still love it because it is a perfect size for my little ones, but I was not in love with the colors. So I spray painted it and I am happier! Buuuut - even though I flipped the fabrics parts around, you can still see the "Go Dog Go!" prints. Any ideas on how I can hide or change these? I am on the hunt for a small, cute seat cushion, but I am not so sure I will find one. Hmmmmm. Help!?
You may remember these curtains from my previous classroom. I am SO LUCKY to have the same set-up (shelves under windows) in my new classroom, so I can continue to use these curtains that I worked hard to make last summer!
However, I was short one curtain, so (with the help of my mom) I whipped up the green and white chevron one last weekend.
My parents gave me my very own brand new sewing machine for my birthday last year. It was on my wish list, so I was super excited to start making all the cute projects I had pinned on Pinterest. Well - almost a year later, I finally used it for the first time. Haha!
I bought too much fabric, so I whipped up an extra curtain in case anything happens to any of the others. But instead of storing it away, I decided to use it as a valance for now. It is a bit short on the sides, but it is better than an empty, bare window.
That's it! I hope to squeeze in another Monday Made It next week before the school year begins. Thanks for stopping by! :)
