First 5 minutes each day all year long...

I get it ...  You just walked in 5 minutes earlier and are still putting away the coat or checking to get everything ready for the students.  Most districts I have worked for have teacher starting times 5 - 10 minutes prior to the school bell. Not much time to collect yourself and greet students.

http://www.freeclipart.pw/category/college-students-clip-art-png

HOWEVER, that first 30 seconds of each of their lives IS important.  IT sets a tone.  SO, be outside your door greeting students.
    It gives you insight into the moods that are coming into the room.  You can check on the ones who always seem to forget something in the backpack.
It is much more than a handshake saying a cheerful good morning...it is 30 seconds that tells each of your students you care about them.  You are there for them not the busyness of the morning. It is a solid spot for the students to know where they can find you and ask you questions if needed because you are not busy getting ready.

Take the time...plaster the smile on...and greet.

Kim

Setting Students Up for a Successful Year - part 1

IT ALL STARTS from the moment you say HI!

How do you greet your students?
What are they doing those first few minutes of the first day?
How do you handle what they are doing?
 

My students come into our building all at one time.  I direct them to their lockers.  Then with the classroom door closed behind me, we sit on the floor.  RIGHT THERE IN THE HALL!
    I believe that the hallway is where we can start a successful day of school.  So on that very first day, we sit there.  We talk about how to start a successful day.  We discuss why it starts here.
    **Routine of putting backpacks away....getting what they need out before coming in ... attitude makes a different to our brains readiness to accept new learning...etc.
   Then I open the door.  I show them two icons on the door.  The first is a smiley face.😊 I explan how they are going to give me a high five ✋ in the morning, touch the smile and say, "I have a great attitude for school."  The second is clipart of a backpack. Again they are to touch it and say, "I have everything out of my backpack."  Sounds silly. I know. But it has been a reminder for many students who just drop everything in the locker and start to walk in the door. "OOPS...didn't bring in my waterbottle!"  If the attitude is not quite there, I can take note, and follow up.  This instruction time includes explaing why we do this in the mornings.
   Then we practice entering the room and head to the front of the room where we sit in an oval for our first class meeting of the year.  They have noticed by now that there are no names on desks.  That is the first order of business.  We play a game, "Find the best seat for me."  Basically, I talk to them about choice in our room. First choice they have is to find their best fit seat.  Discussion revolves around issues like, sitting by friends, sitting by the door or windows. The sizes of chairs and desks.  If I had different types of seating that would be another part of the discussion.  It is a discussion. I ask them to give me pros and cons of the various options. Then I play music and they walk the room, sitting and moving until they find where they feel they are most comfortable.  I ask them to not just find a spot and sit.  I want them to ask themselves, "Can I sit here all day?  Is the height good for working? Does the light bother me? Will noise from the hall bother me?" etc.
   Lastly, out come the sharpies.  They claim the desk as their own. This is the 5th graders FAVORITE part.  "We get to write on our desks?!?!" YES!
    (SIDE NOTE: I will never go back to name tags in the upper elementary.  Love the simplicity of the names being written on the desks instead.)
   I have only had a couple times where two students wanted the same spot.  I allowed them to talk it out and only asked questions to help them figure out the best solution.
 
These two excersises set up a few components of our classroom from the get go.
    *Come into class prepared both mentally and with supplies
    *During each day, we will have choice but it is most important that is the best fit for their individual growth. 
    * Routines and procedures have reasoning behind them. 

I hope this inspires you to think about routines you have set up and how do you introduce them from the very moment students walk into your building that first day.

Kim

Classroom Theme 2017

I don't change the "theme" of my room every year.  BUT this year, I just needed a change! Maybe because I wasn't changing rooms or grade levels for the first time in 6 years.  I also had the same 2 themes (superheroes or extreme sports) for the past 7 years. I looped with two classes (4th grade to 5th grade) twice, hence the need for 2 different themes.  I wanted the students who were in my room two years in a row to have something new to look at.  BTW side note...I LOVE LOOPING!!

After much thought and discussion within Encouraging Teachers Facebook group, I decided on a modified Emoji classroom theme.  Modified because I simply could not see a classroom full of smilies all year round without it being a bit much.  There are LOADS of items on TPT for emoji classrooms and through Creative Teaching I found some borders.  They also have a couple sets for the classroom. However, as previously stated, I didn't want it to be all yellow circle faces.  I am not against smiling. Just thought it was too much of one thing. Here are pictures of what is up in my room.

close up

Brag Board (closet)

This is for our exit tickets. I choose a few to tweet.

check in and out area

 

Tech BB

Jobs 

Thanks for taking a peek into my room.  Since, I had to create many of these items, I decided to share my Emoji, Tech, App Classroom Decor on TpT for others who might like them.  

click on title above in order to link to this product


What are you doing to spruce up your room this year?  

Kim

HELP! What to do next?

Differentiation 101, part 4

All right, we set expectations....
                      We conducted some class meetings to get buy in....

How do we manage the times when students fall short of the expected?

Follow through! 
   We have all been there.  It is exhausting, frustrating, aggrevating...just to name a few emotions that hit teachers when it is the 253 millionth time to ask someone to practice walking down the hall in a respectful manner.  But if we don't, they know they can do it as they want.
Therfore, BE CAREFUL what expectations you DETERMINE are important.  KNOW why they are the ones you want to set.  You will have to follow through. 

Another way to follow through is use your class meeting time to discuss what the students notice is going well and what as a class we need to work towards.  They know what is working and not, especially if they were part of the expectations set up.  Get ideas on how to address times when they are not following through on their expected behaviors.  THIS IS GOLDEN!

Secondly, CELEBRATE! 
   How does this work for those who fall short?? Everyone likes to be seen as doing the right thing. Students work for you better if they feel you are going to recognize their efforts. Therefore, use your superpower of postitve reinforcement!  Be sure to recognize and note when it goes well for individuals as well as the class. Find more positives than negatives.  We all know this, but if you are like  me....reminders are always a good thing, especially that last quarter!

Kim

Poverty Brains in the Classroom - Final post

Eric Jensen's books go into so much more detail than I have provided in these posts.  If these have sparked any interest, please take time to read his books.  As a classroom teacher, I found his new one, Poor Students, Rich Teachering, especially helpful.

ENGAGEMENT

This is an area that I personally excel.  It simply comes naturally to me.  So, as I started this chapter I was simply reading it to complete the book.  Yes, many of his thoughts were not new to me and probably many of you as Marzano's research and books along with Anita Archer are widely respected.  However, I still found new bits of information.  If classroom management or engagement are a growth area for you, I highly suggest looking into this last chapter of  Poor Students, Rich Teachering.  

IDEAS:

(#1 & 2 are part of reciprocal teaching.  It has 0.74 effect size. This is an area I want to grow as a teacher.)

1. Creating a quiz...I do have my students create tests/quizzes and use them as a grade.  This activity will be added to that arsenal of tools.  Partners work together and each student creates 3 questions.  They share their questions and eliminate one from each persons list.  Then each partner set, finds another partner set.  They exchange questions.  I may change the way it is done a bit by  having the partners only eliminate one question giving them 5 as a set.  If it is used as a test then I would probably have them find another set to exchange with as well for a total of 10 questions.  Yes, they may end up with repeated questions.  I don't worry about that.  

2. Clarifying Content...This is something as teachers I believe we do but just not regularly enough.  Or at least this teacher doesn't.   Ask questions such as: Can you rephrase that in your own words? What questions does this reading bring to your mind?  How would you explain that to someone else?  In my classroom, I could see this working into my students journals.  At the start of the year, I would have them write out to one of these for various passages/content. Each time write, then discuss it with a partner or group.  Finally take a few answers as whole class.  After several of these types of questions have been used, I would start giving them the choice for which they want to write an answer.  (I have been doing some GenX research and choice IS KEY!!)

3. Rituals...Chapter 22 goes into rituals and routines. It states that rituals: solve recurring problems, include all students, easy to do, predictable, end with a positive emotional state.  (Note: procedures may meet some of these criteria but do not meet all.)  Examples are callbacks and celebrations.  I have several of both of these, but this year found the celebrations lagging than my norm.  What off the wall, unique celebrations do you do?  

I wish I would have read the epilogue first! It really digs into reflective practice through questioning.  

It also provides a nicely put together checklist to use.  

Kim

Classroom Weather Report

What's the climate in your classroom?

Chapters 14 through 18 of Eric Jensen's Poor Student, Rich Teacher is all about secrets to a rich classroom climate mindset.  The previous blogs about the poverty brain in our classrooms all intertwine to create a sunny classroom climate.  Affirmation, relevancy, engagement, and relationships all develop this mindset.  Teachers who create a climate that enriches the brain for not only those in poverty, but all of their students do so intentionally.

CULTURE vs. CLIMATE

First lets look at the differences and connections between culture and climate.  CULTURE is what we do and establishes or predicts behaviors.  It is the behaviors and character of the class.  CLIMATE is the how we feel or mood.    The climate effects the culture.    Therefore, us as teachers can create the mood (climate) and ultimately develop the culture we desire.  The mindset we need to impact (0.80 effect size) our students is one that focusses on what students need to succeed.  Must believe that your class is a place from growth and that you will do everything in your power to help your students reach those gutsy goals.  It also includes acceptance of mistakes.  Not only acceptance but embracing them! 

So....how do we create this climate??

       *Set expectations/classroom norms

       * Create goals/discuss dreams

       *Allow for student voice and vision to be heard (chapter 15)

       *Foster academic optimism (chapter 16)

In the next two posts, I will go into more detail about voice, vision and optimism.

Questions for us to ponder....

      How do you set up your classroom expectations?  How does the school set it's norms?

         What do you do that creates the climate of your classroom?  Greet kids each day, smile....

            What is one step this coming year you can take to improve the climate within your classroom?

Kim

Classroom Differentiation in Small Bites: Management in Jan.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 



Welcome to this Differentiation 101 series.

If this is the first of the series you are reading, check out the first two as well.  They are the foundation.

 





 

Is this your room?

Students return from winter break and everything looks and feels like August!

 

Welcome BACK!

           Are you ready to head right back out the door?

 

    Okay, so we all love teaching and know the first days back may be a bit chaotic or the extreme opposite, heads on table, no movement, no brain function! After all, they have been staying up late and eating pounds of goodies.  Oh, maybe that was just me! It is all of us, teachers, administration and the students.  We now have to deal with reality.



Be Prepared

First and foremost, walk into your day prepared.  Be ready...lessons plans complete, copies made, strategic plans thought through for the behaviors that may occur,  AND hold a class meeting. This meeting I have found is best suited for the very first period (or minutes if departmentalized) of the first day back.  Don't wait to see if they are going to remember how to behave.  BE PROACTIVE!!

 

 

Class Meeting

 Hold a class meeting as a proactive approach.

 



Step 1 ~

  Find a way to sit together.  Yes, even middle school, high school and college classrooms can do this.  Turn the tables to make a circle; find a spot to sit on the floor; live in a warm climate (not me) then go outside and sit together.  Whatever you do, it should feel like everyone has a part, not the teacher up front handing out rules.

 

Step 2 ~

   Since this is Jan. the students can tell each other the expectations, consequences, and appropriate examples.  Give a scenario or ask for an expectation.  Then allow students to pair share the details.  Finally, share out thoughts.  I usually hit the areas needing reminders not everything. 

 

Step 3 ~

    Finish the meeting with a cheer, high fives, "We can do this!" chant or some other celebration you normally do.  Idea here is to leave the meeting with a positive thought that we can and are able to be successful in this structured environment after our non structured vacation. 

 

Step 4 ~

    Gentle reminders as you are transitioning and mini celebrations throughout the day and week. 

Let me hear about your way to re-enter the new semester. Have you ever had a class meeting?  When or why do you hold them? Why is it important for differentiation to come prepared?