The Sunday Scoop AND Forming Groups

I am pretty excited because I just found a new-to-me linky party over at The Teaching Trio!  It is called The Sunday Scoop.

So here my scoop:

Today I wanted to blog about something that almost ANY classroom can do, which is to form groups in fun ways.  We all know the importance of cooperative learning, whether it be partner or small group work.  So why not make it a little more fun for our kiddos when we form those groups?  Here are some ideas that I use:

For the life of me, I cannot find the link to where I found the partner-picking cards pictured above.  If they belong to you, please let me know so that I can give you credit!  But these are the ones we currently use.

I just now found these FREE Disney partner cards!  I will be printing these this week for sure!  Thank you to the Disneyfied Teacher!  (P.S. This is a set for 24 students or less.)

Oo!  Oo!  I just found these ADORABLE and FREE partner-picking cards from The Bad Apple.  Thank you for sharing!  There are enough in here for 42 students or less - and, oh boy, I hope you do not have 42 students!

Okay, here is another way my students find partners or groups:

This is an old picture from when I first bought these goodies on clearance at Wal-Mart last summer, but now I have them in a plastic container in my classroom.  I like using these because the we can easily form partners or even groups of three or four.  The kids simply close their eyes, pick a bracelet from the container, and then find the person or people that have the same color.  TIP - If you teach primary kids, tell them to keep these out of their mouths! Agh!  My little ones are always tempted to eat them, LOL!

We also use simple framed puzzles to form groups.  The ones pictured above are 16-piece puzzles, which obviously do not work.  I found mine at The Dollar Tree and they have 3 pieces, 4 pieces, and 5 pieces.  I have a WHOLE BUNCH of these, so that I can be flexible with my groupings.  Anyway, I put all the puzzle pieces in a bag, the students close their eyes and pick a puzzle piece, then on my cue they find the frame in which their puzzle piece belongs.  Once their puzzle is complete, they know who their groupmates are.  Easy peasy - lemon squeezey!

Here is another strategy that we use often and requires no materials:  Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up.

It is pretty straight-forward.  I say, "Stand up" and my students stand.  I say, "Hand up" and my students put one hand in the air.  I say, "Pair up" and then countdown from 10 to 0.  My students have 10 seconds to find a partner, high-five his/her hand, and sit down together knee-to-knee, eye-to-eye.

I have a Pinterest board called "Collaboration and Cooperative Learning" and I pin similar ideas here.  If you are interested in more ideas, follow my board and check back as I pin new ideas!

How do YOU form partners and groups in your classroom!?

Well, my boys will certainly be waking up any minute, so I better scurry along.  Enjoy your Sunday and thanks for stopping by!  :)

A FREEBIE For You - Table Group Name Signs

So in my Kindergarten classroom, each table of students chooses a new group name every 3 weeks (which is how often our Reading themes change).  I create more than enough signs, so each table has a choice.

I really like using table names because they help with transitions.

The table signs pictured above would be fine for my new 3rd grade classroom (I will switch to 3rd grade, starting in July), but all the other themes I used in Kindergarten are too primary for 3rd grade.  Soooooo... it is time to create new ones!

Michelle over at "The 3am Teacher" has shared some AWESOME border frames for free... along with a ton of other cool freebies!  I used them to create new signs.  Here is one example:

If you would like to view and download the other table group name signs I created, please visit my TPT Store to grab them for FREE by clicking HERE!

I hope you can use this freebie in your classroom.  Thanks for stopping by!  :)



I have a Pinterest-inspired FREEBIE for you!

I spotted this chart on Pinterest and I knew I had to cutesy it up and post it in my own classroom!  It looks like the idea originally came from Mrs. Roper.  If you want to check out her Third Grade blog, "Rolling into 3rd!" click HERE!

If you would like to grab your own copy of this FREEBIE, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store - where everything is always free - by clicking HERE!

I hope that you find this printable useful.  Thanks for stopping by!  :)





LINKY PARTY: Transition Tips!

Head on over to Empowering Little Learners to read about a SUPER cute transition tip AND to snag your own FREEBIE poster that goes along with her idea!  (One Banana, Two Banana, Three Banana Split...hehe!  Gotta love it!)

Anyway, here is a transition tip of my own to share.  (Well, I cannot say it is "my own" because I did not think of it myself.  I do, however, use this tip in my classroom.  I believe I originally read the idea in one of Peggy Campbell Rush's AMAZING books.  If you do not know this teacher / author, by the way, Google her books!!!)

Okay, here is my transition tip for you!

When my little ones are getting ready to go home at the end of the day, they know to wait in one of two places:  the bus line (see photo below) or the carpet, if they walk home or get picked up.

Once our Educational Assistant takes the bus riders outside, I then ask my walkers to line up on that same line.  I then pass out their apple sticks.

I purchased these from The Dollar Tree.  They are super cute, but I do not recommend them for this particular idea because they are made out of posterboard type of material and the kids bend them.  Mine are about to get tossed in the garbage can and they will be replaced by wooden ones.  (Does anyone have a better idea as to what I should hand out to the kids?)

Anyway...once everyone has their apple, we go out to the blacktop and they know they must stay in the yellow circle that is painted on the ground.  (It can get crazy with adults and kids running around everyone, so I like when they are in area.)  Finally, once each child sees their mom, dad, whoever...they turn their apples in to me.  That is how I know who is picking them up and that they are safe.  It is just a nice way to quickly check-in with me before they leave.  :)

 Hmmm...I cannot figure out why my pictures are posting vertically.  Strange...sorry about that.  Well, I keep the apple sticks in this cute little pencil pouch that I found at JoAnn Fabrics.  I know it does not make sense because there is a bus on it, but the sticks are for my walkers.  I just could not pass it up!

I hope you are able to use this tip in your own classroom!  Thanks for stopping by.  :)  Remember to head on over to Empowering Little Learners to join the Linky Party and share your own idea!