Before the start of each school year, I spend a lot of time reevaluating the routines and procedures that I use in my classroom. Establishing routines and procedures early on, sets the stage for a well-managed classroom and helps ensure "smooth sailing" for rest of the school year!! Below is a list that I refer to each year when establishing routines and procedures for my classroom.... {Click here to download!} Like anything else we teach our students, these routines and procedures need to be taught, modeled, practiced, and reinforced!! The following are the routines and procedures that I focus on the most, and the ones which I believe help foster a high-functioning learning environment.... Entering the Classroom "Ready to Learn" One of the first procedures that I teach my students is how to enter the classroom, and what to do once they come in. I strongly emphasize that they need to enter the classroom "ready to learn". We spend a lot of time talking about what it means to be ready to learn.... coming in quietly, having all materials needed for class, ready to follow directions or routines, and ready to GET TO WORK!!! My students learn quickly to always look to the white board for directions. First thing in the morning, after recess, and after lunch, I always have specific directions written on the board. Students learn to come in, look to the white board, and then begin following directions right away. This gives me time to take care of business, especially in the morning. At the same time, it teaches students independence. I always love the compliments I get from subs about how well my students follow directions, and how quickly and easily they get to work!! Teacher Signal The "teacher signal"-- No teacher should be without one!! For me, I have always use the simple and easy, GIVE ME 5. With this, I simply raise my hand and say, "Give me five," and my students raise their hands and show me that they're ready to.... STOP! LOOK! and LISTEN! Below is the graphic that I have displayed for the first weeks of school. We spend a lot of time discussing the expectations, and PRACTICING during those for first few weeks. {Click here to download!} Most of the teachers at my school and our principal use this strategy, so it's something consistent for the kiddos from year to year. However, I have always been very intrigued by some of the fun and catchy "attention grabbers" out there. I have often thought about giving some of these a try. Here are some great examples.... {SOURCE} {SOURCE} Transitions I will never forget my first year of teaching.... It never occurred to me that I would need to teach students how to transition from one activity to the next. So of course, chaos would ensue each time I gave students a simple direction, such as taking out a text book, or coming down to the rug. Each simple task would turn into full-blow conversations!! I would then have to get their attention all over again to give the next direction. A vicious cycle!! I quickly learned that quick and quiet transitions needed to be taught, practiced, and reinforced, NON-STOP for those first few days of school. The key is to always wait until students are quiet and then set the expectation for WHAT they need to do, and HOW they need to do it. I also teach my students to save their movement for when I am COMPLETELY done giving a direction. Quality of Work I spend A LOT of time at the beginning of the year discussing the quality of student work. It's always amazing to me how upper grade students forget {or do they?!} some of the most basic skills they learn in the primary grades. We're talking things as simple as using a period at the end of a sentence, or misspelling the word "read". In my class, I like to have a list of "must haves" that students refer to as they are working, and before they turn an assignment in. While of course there is always room for error, there are just certain things that are simply nonnegotiable for upper elementary (general ed.) students.... {Click here to download!} If anything on the list is missing, I simply hand assignments back to students, and remind them to refer to our Must Have List. Additionally, we spend a lot of time focused on "presentation" and students taking pride in their work. For example, when I assign projects I ask students to outline their writing with black or colored marker, add details and at least 3 colors to their illustrations, and to make the most of the space they have on their paper. I spend a lot of time modeling this, and I am constantly reinforcing high-quality work. In my classroom, time, effort, and pride go a long way!! Final Thoughts With any and all routines and procedures, it is so important to constantly set expectations during those first days. Right before recess, I always remind students about what is expected when they come back into the classroom after recess. Before an assignment, I ask students to tell me how I expect them to behave while they are working. We are constantly talking about expectations! Plus, we practice ALL THE TIME!! When we line up for lunch, we practice how to walk in a line. When we come in after lunch, we practice how to come in the classroom quietly. It seems like a lot, but it is so important to get them in place so that the rest of the year is smooth sailing!!! If you're looking for some Back to School activities and printables to ease you into the school year, be sure to check out this Back to School resource in my teacher shop. Click on the pic below to learn more!

Hi friends! I wanted to stop by today and share all about Character Education. I believe that our students NEED us to model kindness and respect, and they also need […]

Whether you're looking for a first day ice breaker or games to play at a back to school bash, this list has something for everyone!

The Good Egg Activities - use these activities to help students understand what is and is not their responsibility & practice self care for managing stress!

How to Avoid the Summer Slide! Summer is right around the corner! We all LOVE our summer vacation, but not the "Summer Slide!" The Summer Review Packets

Teamwork in the classroom is essential in order to have a high functioning and welcoming environment for students. Check out three easy ways to build teamwork with your students.

Have you been wanting to try stations in your Secondary ELA classroom but aren't sure where to start? Read through this quick post where we share 8 station ideas and how to use them with your ELA students.

This blog post explores innovative and engaging lesson plans for any novel unit... ranging from task cards to book instagram pages to a novel podcast project. Student choice is key here, and students can find something they would like to complete in order to convey their reading, comprehension, and

Free checklist and tips for developing classroom procedures that build character in students

Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.

10 Classroom Jobs For Middle And High School

These English teacher supplies are must haves for quick ELA lesson plans. Pair your back to school wish list with ideas for English teachers!

Why I don't review the syllabus on the first day of class in high school and what I do instead. Fun first day of school activities and icebreakers!

Use these Six Minutes podcast lessons and follow up activities to plan engaging and fun lesson plans for your middle school ELA students.

Movement in the classroom is beneficial for many reasons. First and foremost, getting up to move in the classroom might help anxious students relieve stress.

A lesson plan! A lesson plan! My kingdom for a lesson plan!

5 Activities to Teach Angles

All students want to feel part of their classroom community. Here are four activities to help them feel welcomed and comfortable.

Get your students outside this school year! We have some tried and true ideas and teacher tips to help you teach your students outside!

Do you struggle with classroom management? Here are four strategies that you can add to your toolkit that will make it just a little bit more effective.

If you struggle with classroom management no matter how many different strategies you try, there's a chance you're doing something to get in your own way.

If you are looking for ideas to make your meeting more fun while teaching your girls how to respect authority you have come to the right place. Using some of these activities below to help your girls understand who is authority and learn how to respect them by listening to their parents, teachers, police, and leader who are there to help them follow directions and rules that are made to keep them safe. I recommend the following activities that will reinforce respecting authority: Practice with activities Be creative with a craft Get moving with a game Put into action with a service project or real life experience. Optionally: If I have a song that related, sing that as well. Below are a few ideas to get you started. Respect Authority Activity Booklet Do you want to skip all the planning? If so, use the Respect Authority Activity booklet and take your girls on a garden adventure helping a family of fairies on a mission to teach the world how to live by very important values. Using the leader booklet and the girl’s activity booklet your girls will complete lots of activities to help their fairy friends plant flowers, water gardens, and learn how to put important values to live by into action. With step-by-step activities planned for you all you have to do is gather the supplies listed, you can’t ask for a easier way to run your meeting. Learn more about the activities included and get yours today! Other Fun Activities to Try for Respect Authority Respecting Authority Figures Using some of the scenario’s below have your girls act out different scenes. These scenarios are ways to have girls give their opinion on how they would handle a situation. Scenario ideas: A police officer talking to a student about being out past curfew A principal talks to a student about having a cell phone in school A teacher talks to a student about talking while she is talking A parent talks to daughter about helping clean the house A GS Leader talks to girl about being a sister to every girl Further Authority DiscussionI think its important to talk further about how parents are authority figures. Just like you need to respect authority in public it is important to respect our moms and dads at home. Explain to your girls the importance of family time with your girls and that when spending time with family to respect their parents authority. Pipe Cleaner Glasses Prep: Get pipe cleaners for each girl two 6-inch pipe cleaners and one 12-inch pipe cleaner. What to Make: Make pipe cleaner glasses by twisting the ends of the long pipe cleaner together to create a circle. Twist the circle in the middle to create 2 connected circles for lenses. Attach a 6-inch pipe cleaner to each side and bend at the ends to fit around the the girls ears. Ask the girls if they have heard glasses called spectacles and tell them these are their “respectacles.” Have them put their glasses on and give them a short children’s book about respecting or disrespecting authority to read. Ask the girls to determine if the behavior was proper or if not what should have been done differently. You can get your books from the library or here are a few ideas you can get from amazon. The Berenstain Bears Show Some Respect I Am a Booger… Treat Me With Respect! Respect and Take Care of Things Few Pinterest Finds you will love too… Here is a great idea to get your girls thinking about Respecting authority in different areas of their life. Brainstorm with girls the answers to each category. The best way to teach the girls to respect authority (and everyone else) is to demonstrate respect yourself. I found a great resource that has some ideas for games, crafts and how to demonstrate respect. check it out….Click here Song to Sing with Girls You can get the following song audio by going here: Listen to Those in Authority Listen To Those in Authority Listen to those in authority, always behave. Honesty, sincerity, are traits that you should gain.Caring, sharing, helping out, raise your hand and wait,Till you’re called on for your turn. Study hard, give your best,And you will pass the test! (Chorus)Listen to those in authority, teachers, principals.Listen to those in authority and do just what you should.No words of hate, no lies, be kind and everyday try hard to get along.Respect yourself and others. Choose right over wrong.Respect yourself and others. Choose right over wrong. No words of hate, no lies, be kind and everyday try hard to get along.Respect yourself and others. Choose right over wrong.Respect yourself and others. Choose right over wrong. Listen to those in authority, your heart knows what’s right.Bullying is always wrong, and it’s not good to fight.Appreciate every race, everyone’s unique. Work together as a team.That’s what we need in our school. Be good, obey the rules. (Chorus) What Do You Stand For? Character Building Card Game If you have read some of the other blog post for petal ideas I share this over and over, because its so great. I found this on amazon a while back and let me tell you its a great way to get your girls talking, it has amazing scenarios to work through, there are many cards that will fit into the other petals as well, so make sure to pick out the ones you want for the specific petal you are working on. Get yours here: What Do You Stand For? Character Building Card Game What do we do after your girls complete the activities? Well of course give them the badge to display proudly on their vest, they earned it! Additionally If you are like many leaders we want to award our girls when they complete something even beyond just the patch. One great way to show achievement is with a certificate. Don’t worry you don’t have to make them, I found a resource that has done all the work for you and all you have to do is print them and customize the certificates with each girl’s name, badge or award earned, date, and troop leader. Editable certificates perfect for awarding girls after earning a badge. Garden Fairy Fun Patches You are going to love these cute adorable fun patches to put on the back of your girl’s vest. I partnered with a amazing company Advantage Emblems and they are producing and shipping the patches. You can buy them individually or as a complete set. The Fairy Fun Patch Complete Set Honest and fair Friendly and helpful Considerate and caring Courageous and strong Responsible for what I say and do Respect myself and others Respect authority Use resources wisely Make the world a better place Be a sister to every girl Teach your girls about integrity and values This book was wrote by my sister – Who was a Girl Scout as a girl and a Leader for many years before starting a family of her own. This beautifully illustrated book empowers kids to be nice and kind human beings. ‘The Adventures To Me ’ is an endearing story of a little elephant on a journey to becoming the best version of “me”. Equipped with nothing other than a colorful scooter, a backpack, and a map, the little elephant starts their “Adventures to Me”. Along the way, meets new friends of all different backgrounds as encounters challenges, has to make choices, and learns lessons along the way. The road to discovering the best version of “me” is paved with lessons about confidence, truthfulness, resilience and strength, respect, kindness, responsibility, accepting differences, using what you have, dreaming big, setting goals, and looking ahead towards the future with a positive mindset. For the little elephant, the journey of life is full of a wealth of possibilities –– ready to embark on a beautiful journey alongside our elephant friend? Learn about the choices we all make to be good people and explore the great “Adventures To Me”! View on Amazon Enjoy every minute being a leader and continue to inspire your girls! Purchase this wonderful illustrated book from Amazon.

Guide to using Social Studies Simulations to step away from the lecture podium and engage your students with hands-on history activities.

Check out our best ESL activities for kindergarten kids to try out in your classes today. Have some fun with English and kindy kids.

Inclusive Classrooms ~ "Promote a safe and welcoming classroom school and community where individual differences are valued..."

Project Based Learning...Good for One, Good for ALL explains the research supporting PBL for all students as well as how to get started. Learn how PBL will help ALL of your students grow as readers and writers.

Escape rooms are an engaging way to help students review content. Here are 5 ways to make a break out room activity work in your classroom!

We are a Leader In Me School and talk a lot about using the 7 Habits of Happy Kids in our everyday lives. I love the idea of encouraging kids to act as leaders in the classroom and beyond. What I have noticed, however, is that sometimes "leadership" comes off as "bossypants" and that is not the route we want to take! I know you've probably heard of Sheryl Sandberg (of Facebook fame) and her campaign to end the word "bossy" (read or listen to an NPR story HERE), but I was hesitant to come straight out and use that word in our class. Instead, I wanted them to think on terms of "boss" and "leader" to recognize the differences between the two and to think about their own language choices in the classroom, in small groups, on their sports teams, and more. We first looked at this picture and talked about what we noticed: (source) This led to some discussion about leadership versus boss behavior. While the kids were discussing, I was passing out example cards to their table spots. Before I dismissed them, I shared this leadership quote from John Quincy Adams: They were then given instructions about our activity. I had printed example cards on two colors: blue for boss and green for leader (although they didn't know that yet) and they needed to read their card and find someone with an opposite color card and opposite example (good time to incorporate the word antonym, too!). I dismissed them to their tables and first had them converse with students in their table group to ensure they understood the word or phrase on their card. When they gave me the thumbs up, I told them to find their match and them meet to discuss why they went together and be able to give examples. We then began assembling our Anchor Chart. Each pair would come to the front of the class and would explain which card was descriptive of a "boss" and which was descriptive of a "leader" and why. They gave examples and I elicited a lot of help from the classroom for additional examples and language that both a boss and leader may use during that example. I would tape the cards to the Anchor Chart and we continued through each pair. There were two groups of three (with two leaders to one boss) and that worked out perfectly with my class (definitely feel free to adjust if you have lower numbers). Our completed anchor chart looked like: It was so powerful to see how often kids may think they are helping, but instead find themselves on the "boss" side of the chart instead of the "leader." I know several of the examples are repetitive, but we really talked through these and used examples from our own lives to recount when using "leader" words and language set us up for success. I also explained the "me vs. you" mentality of bosses versus the "we and us" mentality of leaders. Overall, it was a very powerful lesson and I look forward to referring back to this Anchor Chart this year, especially when "bossypants" behavior leads to conflict. I think these concrete examples can help guide the naturally strong leaders in my class to make better language decisions that can help grow them as leaders and really inspire others, just like the Adams quote! If you'd like a copy of these cards and quote, you can download this as a *freebie* HERE. How do you address bossy vs. leader behavior in your class? Share in the comments, I would love to build on this lesson!

Are your students disinterested and tired of the traditional ways of learning characterization? Have you been searching for a really fun, student-centered, interactive way to eliminate their boredom? Well, look no further! I present to you a wonderful student-collaboration activity that will get your students involved and excited for a character analysis for any novel, […]

Every English language arts teacher needs a variety of successful, student led discussion strategies that will provide opportunities for student learning.

In a self-paced classroom, each student is given an appropriate level of challenge and grows at a steady pace throughout the school year. Here's how it works.

An English educator's blog about teaching, classroom organization, and Common Core resources.

Hands-on learning isn't just for younger students! These hands-on activities for middle and high schoolers will help older students enjoy learning and stay actively engaged in the process.

You can use these kinesthetic activities right away! Incorporate hands-on learning into your child’s lessons and improve long-term learning.

This month we are focusing on Careers at our school. At the elementary level we help children become aware of the many opportunities in t...

Some days you just need a break from the monotony! Preparing for exams, transitioning to a new unit, days when half your students are gone for a basketball tour

¿Quién tiene la razón? ¿Cómo es posible que los dos tengan razón? One of the most important tasks outside of language learning that world language teachers face is to make our students aware of the…

We all try to be Flexible Thinkers. Ask your child “What was your flexible thinking moment today?”

These crossing midline activities support development of crossing the midline plays in functional tasks like learning and self care.

Differentiation and scaffolding can help students better understand and learn. Here are teaching ideas and tips to use in class.

Need some fun pantomime ideas and games? Look no further. Here you will find a list of pantomime activities. Building a sense of safety and trust when introducing Drama activities into your program is essential. The following pantomime games and exercises are ideal in establishing that trust between the players

This is a fun worksheet to practice the weather with your beginner ESL students. Have your students read the sentence and draw the correct weather accordingly.

Si buscas actividades GRATIS y DIVERTIDAS en inglés para niños de 2 a 7 años, ¡no te piedas nuestra selección!

Jenga game cards are easily my favorite way to teach and reinforce basic math fact, phonics, or grammar practice.

Prefix, suffix, and root lesson using morphology notebooks Are you teaching prefixes, suffixes, and roots? I strive for a literacy-rich classroom. Developing morphological-rich awareness is a basic building block for reading comprehension, spelling, and even fluency. If a student can pronounce and know what a “tyrannosaurus rex,” they are more than capable of interpreting a […]