I wanted to create a space where I could display student goals, spelling words, vocabulary, and other important Units of Study information. Thus, the Focus Wall was born.
This year my grade level is implementing Units of Study. What is that you ask? Why, Units of Study are ELA standards integrated with social studies and science and aligned with Common Core State Standards. Oh, yes...get excited! I wanted to create a space where I could display student goals, spelling words, vocabulary, and other important Units of Study information. Thus, the Focus Wall was born. I can easily change out the papers from unit to unit. The spelling words are already typed out for the year (the yellow is the regular list and the green is the advanced list). I feel so much better knowing that my students will be able to get to all of our important units of study information all at once. Plus, it's awesome having our spelling words completely finished for the year!
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Now that I have a full year of fifth grade under my belt, it is safe to say that I have a better understanding of the elementary world. Many of the strategies, rewards, etc. that I used in middle school were very effective at the elementary level, while others...eh, not so much. This summer I'm taking time to reflect on what I can do differently next year as well as what I need to keep doing! Here are some things that worked and didn't work during my first year: DIDN'T WORK: Homework Clothespins Why It Didn't Work: I think it was too hard for my students to remember to move their clothespin each Friday. They were already so focused on making their lunch choice, turning in their morning work and homework for the week, getting started, etc. It became a game each Friday of me reading of the numbers on the clothespins to see who forgot rather than looking at the clothespins quickly to assess who did not turn in their work. DID WORK: Numbered Turn in Trays Why it Worked: These turn in trays were fantastic. I could easily look and see who had not turned something in, and for many of my kids this was a fast reminder to get their work in. Sure, it takes up some space, but it is totally worth it. Plus, it makes it super easy to collect work in ABC order! DID WORK: Crystal Light Popsicle Stick Container Why It Worked: This handy little contraption saved my life. It was so easy to move the popsicle sticks over once I called on a kiddo, and the lid on the top helped random spills. I'm glad I used numbers instead of names so I can reuse this for years to come! DID WORK: "Caught Ya" Positive Reinforcement Jar Why It Worked: I think this was my students' favorite reward system of the year. If I "caught them" doing something great, they would choose a random ping pong ball form the jar (in the picture I have eggs because this picture was taken before I bought the ping pong balls). The rewards ranged from "Treat" to "Teacher's Chair" to "iPad Dibs." They loved the surprise, and I loved how quick it reinforced their behavior! DIDN'T WORK: Class Compliment Jar Why It Didn't Work: I think this got to be too confusing for my students. They were already earning a puzzle piece at the end of the day if the did not lose more than three letters from our "NOISE" sign, so this reward system kind of fell apart quickly. 5th graders aren't as excited as younger kids to receive class compliments anyway, and we abandoned this around October. DID WORK: Kiss Your Brain Treats for Great Thinkers Why It Worked: This worked in a similar way to the "Caught Ya" jar, where I would reward a smart thinker with a "Kiss You Brain" Hershey Kiss. My kids loved this quick treat for thinking on their feet or applying their learning in a new way! My parents loved this so much too that they supplied the kisses all year! DID WORK: Hand Signals Why It Worked: I had a pretty good feeling that this would work as well as it did in the middle school setting, and I was right. I loved that asking to go to the bathroom or get a drink wasn't distracting, and this really came in handy when I was working in small groups. I could see a hand raised with the number "1" and could nod yes or no to the kiddo. This is a LIFESAVER! Seriously, if you are not using hand signals in your classroom, at ANY age, you should try it out! DID WORK: Class Mascot Why It Worked: Our class mascot, Rex, really was a hit from the beginning of the school year. I would choose a student who exhibited one of the seven habits to keep Rex at their seat for a day. Then, that student would choose another student the following day. It was a great way to build classroom community and I used Rex for pictures around our classroom, announcements, our class website, etc. DID WORK: Woot Wall Why It Worked: This was another idea from the middle school, and I'm planning on expanding on this idea next year even more. When my students earn an "A" on a test/quiz/lab, I write, "WOOT" on their paper. Then, they get to sign the Woot Wall with a sharpie. It's a fun, easy way to recognize academic achievement, and kids love seeing their name on the wall. DIDN'T WORK: Group Supplies Why It Didn't Work: UGH, I will never do this again! It became such a hassle and source of argument for my students to share supplies. Plus, it took FOREVER to replenish the supplies, find missing markers/glue/scissors, etc. It was much easier for my older students to keep their own supplies in their desks so that they could be retrieved quickly. I did use the caddies to keep certain supplies that we used almost everyday however, like dry erase markers and erasers. What ideas are you ditching next year? What ideas are you keeping?
See what I did there? I can't help myself. As I shared with you earlier this week, I added a new tree to my classroom's guided reading area last week over one of my chilly snow days. To say I'm in love with this tree is an understatement. I love the impact it has on the room. You immediately are drawn to it from the moment you enter the classroom! Right now, the tree has popular book jackets hanging as its "leaves." I will add more leaves as the weather warms up. I also plan on adding a leaf at the end of each day when my students choose our two leaders for the following day (more on that in a future post). Naturally, Harry Potter is at the front. :) To make the tree, I just crunched up brown butcher paper for the truck and the leaves. To hang the branches, I attached a paperclip to the end of each branch and stuffed it under the ceiling tiles like I do when I hang anything from my ceiling.
I can't wait to see what the tree looks like as we add leaves throughout the rest of the year! I'm smitten! What have you done to "spruce" up your classroom lately? It was time for a new look in room 224...it began with our classroom door... I decided to pay tribute to my former English teacher, who had this classic poem by Shel Silverstein posted in his classroom. We learned about poetry last week, so it was a great way to integrate some poetry in my classroom! Then we moved on to the bulletin board outside our classroom... Since we have been learning about leadership, I decided to try the "BE" bulletin board that has been circulating Pinterest for quite some time. I love it! And finally, here is my 7 Habits tree that we put up in our classroom this week! Isn't it awesome? I love the color!
Disclosure: This was not my idea. I got this idea from a teacher on my fifth grade team, and it is so good I had to share it with all of you! What I'm about to share with you will revolutionize your classroom, and maybe your life. It. Is. That. Amazing. It is also simple. A perfect, "Why didn't I think of that?" moment! Each kiddo in my classroom now has their own specific turn in tray. They are labeled with their classroom number and are in ABC order. On top of their trays is a plastic file holder containing their mailboxes, where they pick up their graded papers and mail each morning. What makes this system so great you ask? Well for one thing, it is not very easy to see when a student hasn't turned something in. I can walk over to the trays and remind my friends when something is missing.
My assignment sorter labels who is missing which assignments using a clipboard and keeps that on a shelf as well so that my forgetful leaders know when they need to complete something missing. Also, now when my assignment sorters gather the papers at the end of the day, they are ALREADY IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER AND READY FOR THE GRADEBOOK!! HALLELUJAH! This system has seriously changed my life. Why waste an organizer like this on mailboxes when you can use it to help organize your assignments and get a clear visual of who is missing what? I couldn't wait to share this with you all, and I hope you find it useful in your classroom! Sorry I've been MIA lately. We are getting ready to have Parent Teacher Conferences soon and I've had meeting after meeting the past few weeks! I wanted to share with you a few things from my classroom last week. I've started implementing Diane from Fifth in the Middle's NOISE letters in my classroom. Whenever my students are loud and off-task, I take a letter away. When we get to "NO," they do not earn their class puzzle piece towards their class reward. If we lose an "O" the entire class has to stay an extra minute after the bell. My math unit right now is fractions, and I've been doing a lot of small group instruction. It has been WONDERFUL! I would love suggestions from intermediate elementary teachers who implement centers/stations and small group instruction for math! Did I mention I moved my desk again? I think I've finally found the classroom arrangement I want! New pictures soon!
Sorry for the lack of updates last week. My life has certainly become far more crazy since school has started. I'm finally starting to get into a routine, but unfortunately last week blogging didn't quite fit into my schedule! Needless to say, Labor Day weekend was exactly what the doctor...er, teacher...ordered! Friday we had a work day and I decided that my room needed some rearranging. Isn't it so funny how once your students arrive, you quickly find yourself re-doing classroom management plans and your room layout? After meeting with my guided reading groups last week I realized that my guided reading table needed its own special place. See where I moved it? I like it so much better moved over by my classroom library. I found that my classroom library was just a little too massive on that wall, and now my small group kids have a little more privacy. :) I also moved my black table to my window, for my computer. Kids were trying to perch up against it during reading time, and since the table has a curtain with goodies hidden underneath it, many of my precious hidden treasures were tumbling down during reading. Oh no! And...yes...I realized my "S" was upside down after taking this picture. It was a busy week...what can I say? :)
I went up to my new school this week...and my classroom is already up and ready for me to move in! I haven't started moving things in yet (especially with Space Camp starting this week) but I'm a teensy bit overwhelmed at where to start...here are some of the ideas circling around in my teacher brain... Let's start with the wall that is to your left as you walk in. Now for the back wall and wall directly across from the front wall above...this wall has another whiteboard! And now for the last wall...and the one I'm having the toughest time figuring out... I REALLY want to get rid of my teacher desk in order to maximize the space in my room. My laptop has to go in that corner by the window and the class computers have to be plugged into that wall too...
Any teachers out there have any ideas on room arrangements? Help me! Today I'm linking up with The Applicious Teacher for her summer-long linky party! This week's topic: classroom management! I've always found classroom management to be one of my strengths as a teacher. I focus mostly on positive reinforcement and spending LOTS of time establishing routines and procedures at the beginning of the year. With me switching to elementary next year, I'm going to have even more procedures to establish with my little kiddos! I know that my new school focuses on PBS (Positive Behavior Support) so I plan on using that in my management plan as well. Anyone have any experience with PBS who would be willing to give me some pointers? I still plan on incorporating my one major class rule that I used last year: work hard and be nice to people. I also still plan on giving out SNAPS awards on Fridays and using my No Homework Binder. Other than that, I've been researching new management ideas on, of course, Pinterest. Here are a few ideas I plan on incorporating next year: I already made my "Caught Ya" fishbowl to incorporate new rewards in my classroom. I plan on writing different random rewards like sitting in the teacher's chair, swapping seats, etc. on ping pong balls and allowing students to draw a ball when I catch them doing something awesome! Source: here I still need to buy these foam letters from Michaels to incorporate this activity. I love the idea of silently taking away a letter if the noise level is too loud. Source: here I've seen lots of compliment chains on Pinterest, but I like the idea of adding a puzzle piece to a magnetic puzzle every time my class earns a compliment or works hard as a group! When the puzzle is finished, they earn a reward! Source: here I also like the idea of using Think Sheets to document how the students feels about their behaviors. On a random note, we put up our new curtains this weekend! Look how pretty they are! Be sure to link up and share your ideas about classroom management!
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About MeTeacher of leaders. Life-long learner. Space geek. Lover of all things color-coordinated, organized, and cutesy. Categories
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September 2015
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