First Week Positives

I've been doing a little bit of reading this week on my vacation. It's called Kids Deserve It! by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome. They have talked a lot in the book about making that connection to students and building a positive relationship with students and parents. This is not anything new to me as an educator, but sometimes we all need a little reminding of how important the little things are in building successful relationships with students and parents.

Those tough students can be the hardest ones to reach and sometimes all it takes is someone to believe in them and find the positive in them.

My first year teaching someone shared with me the importance of reaching out to parents during the first week to share how their week has gone. So I made myself a little first week notes checklist so that as the week went on, I could jot down the positive things I saw in each child so that I wouldn't forget. Then, at the end of the week, I could sit down and call every parent to share those positive things.

It was so powerful for starting our year off on a positive note, especially for those challenging kids. It was hard to find something positive for some of those little gems, but you have to get creative and find something that every students shines at.

I have to be honest and say that I have been sort of awful these last few years at my first week positive phone calls, but reading this book has inspired me to create a little checklist to help motivate me this year to make this happen and start my year on the right note!

Just click on the image below to download your free copy of the checklist! I hope this helps you start your year off on a positive note as well and see the good in each and every one of your sweet kids!

And I would recommend reading the book Kids Deserve It! It is very inspiring!

You can head over to my blog and check out more of my ideas for back to school as well! Click my blog button below!

6

Appy Classrooms {Chwazi}

Hi friends!  I've started a series on my blog, Teaching Maddeness, where I share cool apps for the ipad.  It's called "Appy Classrooms" and I thought I would pop over here today and share one that could be used by all teachers!

App Name: Chwazi

It's FREE to download in the app store.  

Here's what you will look for: 

Chwazi isn't meant to be an app for teachers, but you know us teachers....we can adapt anything to use in the classroom, right?!

This is basically a "finger picking" app that was built to see who would pay the tab after dinner with a group of friends, or who will take the garbage out tonight since everyone claims they did it last time. :)

But, it comes in super handy in the classroom for picking students to be leaders or organizing students into different groups.

Here's how it works.  You can select either "fingers" or "groups."  We'll start with "fingers."  With this option, you get to decide how many fingers you want to be selected.  Let's say 8 students all put a finger on the ipad but you're just looking for a line leader.  Then you would select 1, so that one finger would be selected (and that person would be line leader).  Or, if you're looking for 3 people to help with a specific task, you would select 3, so that three fingers would be selected and you would have your helpers.

You can see in this picture, I put three fingers on the ipad to represent three student fingers.  All of the fingers will light up with colors, but since I only selected for it to choose 1 finger we will leave the fingers in place until the one finger is selected.

And.....we have a winner!  What a fun, quick, and random way to select students for specific tasks!

Now, let's take a look at the groups option.

This options is perfect for putting students in pairs or groups.  Let's say you're working on problem solving in math.  You could easily put an ipad at each table of 6 students.  Program it to make groups of 2 and let each student put a finger on the ipad.  Wait until the colors appear and the students with matching colors under their fingers will be partners!  They could even come back after each problem and get new partners.  It's that quick and easy!

You can see that in this picture, the two greens would be partners and the two blues would be partners.

Just a few notes about using Chwazi:

I hope you'll go download this app and try it out!  Do you have ideas of how you might use it in your classroom?  Post them below to share with everyone!

Check out these other #appyclassroom posts:

Shadow Puppet: Digital Storytelling

Literably:  Running Records Done for You

SeeSaw: Digital Portfolios 

News-O-Matic: Daily News for Your Classroom 

Epic: The Perfect Listening Center  

Classify:  Plants and Animals

Do you use cool apps in your classroom?  Share them on Instagram with this hashtag - #appyclassrooms - to connect with other teachers!

 

2

Leaving Center Games at Your Tables for the Early Finishers!

Leaving Center Games at Your Tables for the Early Finishers!

Hello everyone,

Fern from Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas here again to share a little tip or two to help make your job easier. Today I want to share how leaving center games at each groups' tables helped me with those students that finish their work early and might need a challenge or two before the next transition. 

The picture above is one of my freebies from TPT, so you can download it too. I like making multiple copies of the center, placing them on colored file folders and then leaving them in the center of the group table. 

If, like above, you have a red group, a blue group and a purple group, etc. using your groups' colors for the file folder center makes it easier for the students to know where to return the center and easier for you to file them away, and take them out again when you want to spiral that skill.

By keeping the games at the table, there is no movement, no interruption of the teacher's small group time, no "Where do I go?" What do I do?" When the student is done working, they know to pick a center, usually one of five skills, from the center of the table. I do spend a few weeks at the beginning of the year teaching the expectations of the THOSE center games. 

1. All work MUST be done before you select a file folder.

2. Two people may work together if they are both done and use a low whisper.

3. Everything must be cleaned up and placed back into the file folder center before the next transition.

I love having all these hands-on center games in my classroom. During parent conferences, I love to show the parents of my higher level children what I'm doing to differentiate and motivate my earlier finishers. Right there...right on the table, sometimes having the parents ask the child if they've finished all the ones currently on the table....perfect, instant, immediate feedback for both the parent and the teacher!

If you are new to teaching, or maybe just to reading our Owl-Ways blog, and you need to acquire some center games, click here to see all my freebies at TeacherspayTeachers.

Click here if you would like to visit my blog to download many more center games and teaching resources!

Follow me to be notified of when I publish new resources and freebies!

0

Collaboration Ideas for the Classroom

My principal recently asked me to attend a mentor training and I was thrilled to go! I remember thinking back on my first year teaching...I often felt confused and overwhelmed. I kept thinking how nice it would have been to have a manual of some sort to help guide me through the ins and outs of the school's daily routines and procedures, how to really effectively manage your students and time, and probably most importantly, how to have students engage in meaningful collaboration.

Much to my surprise, I actually learned several different activities that I could take back to my classroom to do just that...teach my students to collaborate and working together using meaningful and engaging activities!

This activity can be used in different ways, but the gist is that you assign students to a small group of 3 to 4. Each group should have a sticky note pad to record their ideas. 

If you are starting a new unit of study on plants and want a new and unique way to figure out what your students know or want to know, post pictures or topic ideas around the room or at different groups. Have students discuss the picture or topic idea and add what they know about that topic to the chart. If it is a photograph of something, students can add their wonderings or questions to the sticky notes. 

The groups will then rotate to the next topic or picture and read the ideas that have already been added. The groups discuss their new topic/idea and add their knowledge and questions to the chart. The rotation continues until each group has visited each poster or picture and added their input.

I love this activity because it allows students to play the different roles of student and teacher. 

For this activity, you will assign each group member (the number will depend on the number of topics you have for students to read) a specific topic that they will be responsible for reading. The students will then pick out the key ideas about their topics and record those on their charts. 

After each student reads and records the required information about their topic, they will share their information with their groups. Their group members will take turns listening and recording notes for each group members topic on their charts. 

To close the activity, the teacher will have each group share all of their information on a class chart. Whatever important information may be missing from some groups can be added to their individual charts. 

I love this note taking idea because everyone takes ownership and at the end of the activity, you can still make sure all of the groups have the appropriate information in their charts. 

This activity  is similar to the jigsaw, only this time, each group will be reading information that is hung around the room. This activity lends itself best to problem solving type situations. It could also be used for persuasive writing scenarios.

Each group reads their assigned problem or topic. As a group, the members will add a strategy to solve or argument for whether or not they agree or disagree and why. Groups then travel the room to each problem and see which strategies/arguments have already been added. Each group must then come up with a different strategy/argument to add to each scenario. 

Once all of the groups have read the entire room, they will go back to where they started. One person in the group will share out the different strategies/arguments that were listed on their scenario.

For this activity, you will need to have students take a piece of paper and divide it 9, 12, or 16 sections (really, it's up to you...)

For whatever topic you are studying, have students start by listing three things they already know about it. You could also have them list questions or wonderings. After they have listed what they already know, have students mingle around the room and give one new idea to someone else and get one new idea from that person before moving on to another student. Once their chart is full, students return to their seat. 

You can adapt this for math as well...decomposing numbers, problem solving strategies, different ways to write numbers, etc. 

For this activity, you will want to line your students up around the room in a large semi circle. Then, have them number off 1 to 3 or 1 to 4, depending on your room size and number of questions you have planned for the activity. 

Once students are numbered off, turn to the people standing next to them. So the first 1 through 3 numbered off students will turn and group, the next 1 through 3 numbered off group will turn to each other. 

Display a question on the board and have those groups discuss their thoughts. After a few minutes of discussion, have all of the number 1's move to the next group in the line and share the answer their last group discussed. Then, display a new question for the new groups to discuss and repeat! 

I hope you been able to take something away from this post! Collaboration is an important part of teaching and learning and these activities are unique and meaningful ways to get students to work together while learning. 

I would love to hear any ways that you could adapt and use these activities in your classroom! Please comment and share below!

6

Math Stations/Centers - Classroom Organization & Management Tip

Classroom organization and management are HUGE for me.  Everything has a place {yes, I'm slightly OCD}.  This structure helps with classroom management as well.

Take a look at my Math stations/centers rotation board:

Do you see the colorful post-its on the right?  They have 

a special meaning.  Each color correlates to a group of desks 

in the room.  When my kiddos start their Math stations/

centers, they know to go to their specific groups.

Here's how they know where to go...

My room is set up in four groups of desks:

Above each group (taped to the ceiling) is a colorful 

piece of paper naming that group:

Side note:  I tried hanging them, but it didn't look right.  You could read the signs from the front of the room, but not from the sides or back.  With them being taped to the ceiling, you can read the signs from anywhere in the room!

Here's a closer look at what the papers say:

Each group of kids knows to take their Math basket and manipulatives/tools to their specific group.  

"M" group sits at the yellow group of desks

"A" group sits at the orange group of desks

"T" group sits at the green group of desks

"H" group sits at the blue group of desks

"★" group completes calendar, then works on laptops

That color-coded piece of OCD heaven makes a 

world of difference with my kids!   It helps with 

management, keeps them from wandering around 

the room, and gives them more structure.

I wasn't sure if other teachers color-code stations/centers.  

If you do something different, feel free to share below!  

Make me feel a little less crazy/OCD!  :)

5

Using Hand Signals to Avoid Classroom Interruptions

Hi there! It's Jamie from 2nd Grade Stuff! Today I am sharing a very simple tool that you can use in your classroom starting NOW!

This tip isn't anything magical or brand spankin' new or revolutionary, but it is definitely one that I wish I would have known my first year teaching. It's one of those things that seems so simple, but perhaps you just haven't taken the time to think about implementing it yet. Well, there's no better time than now! If you aren't using hand signals in your classroom yet, you really should!

Picture this:

You are sitting with your struggling readers at your small group area and you suddenly see a hand go up at the Word Work center, then another hand goes up at the Writing center. You tell your little struggling reader to pause for just a minute and address the two raised hands. One student asks to go to the restroom. You say yes. Another student wants a drink of water. You say not right now. Struggling reader begins to read again. Two minutes later, two more students have their hands in the air, each with requests to sharpen their pencil or leave the room to go to the restroom or to get a drink of water. You ask your struggling reader to pause for another minute, address the two raised hands. The struggling reader has now forgotten where they are in the text. The other students in the small group have lost focus and one student is spinning on his bottom - ha! :)

Now picture this:

You are sitting with the same small group of struggling readers. You see a student raise two fingers in the air at the Word Work center. You know this means "May I use the restroom?" You silently nod to the student while the small group continues to read. Another student raises 3 fingers in the air and you know that this means "May I get a drink of water?" Perhaps this isn't the best time for that or the student has just gotten a drink or had a restroom break, so you silently shake your head no and the student continues working at their center. Your small group is still reading. You didn't have to say a word. You haven't lost anyone's focus and you have no students spinning on their bottom - SCORE! :)

I implement the following hand signals in my classroom and you should too! It's easy, simple, and nothing revolutionary, but such a time saver!

I hope you enjoy this simple and easy tip for avoiding classroom interruptions. For more tips, ideas, freebies, and fun, head on over to my home blog at 2nd Grade Stuff or visit 2nd Grade Stuff on Facebook. Have a great weekend everyone!

0

Classroom Management With Tickets

Hey everyone!

So last time I chatted here, I had accepted a long term, but now I'm a third grade teacher!!!! Woo hooo!

Complicated story, but I took an already existing class, moved them into a different room and started teaching all in a span of a week! I literally had one evening to get my room ready. Yeah.

I've always thought, "I will have a clip chart or card system." I've seen in done in almost every classroom. Then I read some interesting articles and blog posts this summer that had me thinking. Well before you know it, I have my own class and they are talkers and I knew I had to do something. Another teacher was using a ticket system and their previous teacher had one too.

I decided to stick with that ticket system and it's working really well!

How does it work?  Every morning, my helper of the day (they do all my jobs and it's fabulous only having to remember one person's job!) hands out a ticket to each student. They can get tickets for being on task, getting a compliment, or homework being turned in. They can also get them taken away for bad decisions (they came up with that rule for our class constitution!).

 I was also having a problem with everyone having to use the bathroom at a certain time to avoid work and the tickets came into play with this too.   If I'm teaching and they have to go, they give me a ticket.

They can go before school starts at 7:55, during our break in the morning, after specials at 11:10 or during lunch recess at 12:30, so it's not like they don't have chances to go without giving a ticket. I understand there are special circumstances with kids too, I'm aware of that, so no worries.

You'd be surprised how much they cut down on going to the bathroom when they saw that were rewards for the tickets too. Now, their previous teacher had prizes. I personally don't want to have to shell out money, so the only thing I'd buy would be cool pencils and erasers (worth 5 tickets each). For 10 tickets, they can read aloud to the class or  use special pens and paper for the day. 15 tickets gets them a chance to sit with their friends or charge of our music during writing/brain break time. 20 tickets and they get 10 minutes computer time (I currently have no working computers except my own teacher one) or sitting at my desk.

Over time, I will change out the prizes, but they are happy for now. Some don't realize they can save up (we have an economy lesson in the spring, I hope they learn!) and get a bigger prize. I have a few that do and one is close to 20 tickets because she wants to sit at my desk.

They keep their tickets in a little pouch in their desk. They are responsible for them and are quickly learning to write their names on them too. It's been a great thing, this ticket. They're becoming more responsible and are also using their time more wisely.

2

Fern Smith's Color For Fun Printable Freebies

 

Color For Fun!

I've started a new series of resources that I would like to share with you. They are for your classroom and/or personal children, Color For Fun. Each resource has over 30 printable pages and are also available in a Four Pack Bundle. 

There are all sorts of things you can do with them other than just print one page.

Pre-K to First Grade

• Use as morning work or place at a center to work on fine motor skills.
• Staple one or more pages into your weekly homework packet for a little fun and joy!
• Use as a quiet winding down activity at the end of a long school day!

Second Grade to Sixth Grade

• PERFECT for INDOOR RECESS!
• Use as a reward for the weekly homework being turned in.
• Use on Fun Friday if everyone finished their work, some teachers call it a Ketchup Day {catch up with work}.
• Staple one page into your weekly homework packet for a little fun and joy!
• Staple 5 to 10 pages together for a treasure box coloring book.

Possibilities are endless! :)

Each resource has a full page FREEBIE in the Preview at my TPT Store. Click under each picture for the link to try it for free today!

 Click here to download using the free PREVIEW button.

 Click here to download using the free PREVIEW button.

 Click here to download using the free PREVIEW button.

 Click here to download using the free PREVIEW button.

 Click here to see the convenience bundle of all four resources.

I'm Fern from Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas, stop by my blog anytime for tips, tricks, resources and freebies for your classroom!

4