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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I HATE lunch count. There. I said it. I hate the waiting, the reminding, everything about it. Maybe it's because I came from middle school, the land of no lunch count. Whatever the case may be, taking lunch count ranks low on my favorites list. Last year I used a SmartNotebook file for my students to make their lunch choice. Students moved their name to their choice and then got started on their morning routines. I liked this method, but I always wished that I could come up with another method so that I could free my SmartBoard up for other things, like a morning message. I considered cards, magnets, you name it. I finally came up with a new solution. May I present to you, the paper plate clothespin method: I used hot glue to secure the plates to the ribbon, and then used tacks to secure the entire thing even more to the bulletin board. The clothespins at the top are numbered, and students can simply move their clothespin to indicate their choice! Voila! I'm excited about this new method. I love how little space it takes up. Plus, if the plates get damaged, they are easy to replace!
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?
We've had some crazy weather here in Missouri this January! Last week we had our fifth and sixth snow day. (Well, the sixth snow day was technically a cold weather day due to -15 wind chills). Needless to say, on the sixth snow day I got cabin fever and decided to trudge up to my classroom for some rearranging and decorating! I wanted to incorporate more of "The Leader in Me" decor and had a great idea for a tree for my reading area! Here is my small group table. I got the felt letters from JoAnns for just a dollar each! They are so awesome! My new guided reading area! I will post more about my new tree in a later post! :) My anchor chart wall, dish chairs, and student supply shelf. View from the back of the classroom. This picture was taken from the tree looking to the left. Here's a view of my door from the back wall by the anchor chart wall. The view from the tree looking towards the door. And finally, a view of my desk area! Has anyone else had crazy weather and/or cabin fever lately? I'm glad I was at least able to channel my energy into making my classroom prettier! :)
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? :)
One of the biggest obstacles I faced switching from middle school to elementary was classroom supplies. Where would they all be stored? Would I let kids keep supplies in their desks/cubbies or would we use community supplies? I finally settled on a community supply system that put more responsibility on my students. Here is what I came up with: I got these caddies for 0.98 at Wal-Mart. I added three plastic cubs to make the supplies more functional and organized. First, I sorted all of my students' supplies into the containers. I also used a small circle dot sticker to label each of the supplies, along with the "table" label on the front of the caddy. (I'm sorry you can't see the label in this picture-table 1 has a black sticker). Then, on the back of the caddy, there is a description of every school supply item that should be in the caddy. It is the job of the supply manager at the end of the day to check each caddy and replace/relabel supplies as necessary.
So far, my students are LOVING this system! It keeps them from playing with school supplies inside their desks too! |
About MeTeacher of leaders. Life-long learner. Space geek. Lover of all things color-coordinated, organized, and cutesy. Categories
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