Teaching encompasses a lot of different and important pieces in order for a teacher to be or have success. They need just the right lesson, tools for the lesson, strategy, visuals, oh – and classroom management. The one piece that could take any well thought out and strong lesson and rip it to shreds is ... Read more
60+ Must Make Kindergarten Anchor Charts for the classroom. Covers classroom management, literacy and math. Multiple ideas!
While I am one of the BIGGEST proponents for using technology in the class, I have noticed that kids are not as social as they used to be when it comes to simple things like playing games together. My son, who is autistic, can play by himself on computers, iPads, and his Nintendo DS.…
We all know and love Kahoot, right? If you do not know about Kahoot then we have a few blog posts with tips and ideas to get you up to sp...
It was so nice to stop saying "shh" all the time.
Last summer some colleagues from Bridgeway Academy and I, along with researchers from The Ohio State University, piloted what we called an “immersive AAC classroom” in which all of the …
Curricular Charts
Need ideas for your French classroom? See my posters, decor, and setup for maximum French in the classroom and cool Francophone culture...
5 Creative Uses for QR Codes in the Elementary Classroom
Create a Math Block I can't say this enough. An effective math block will help you tremendously! It creates routine and structure that you need to make sure everyone is on task. This is what I include in my math block: Engaging Mini Lessons Math centers Independent practice visuals throughout the classroom Use A
My kiddos love this game and BEG to play it again and again. The beauty of it, well.. it's also a great informal assessment! I use this with my Junior Kindergarten (ages 4 and 5) up through first grade. This is based on a similar one in Gameplan. The song and graphics are my own and so I am not stepping on Jeff and Randy's toes by sharing it with you but will give them all the credit for the game!! :)
Ready to create a school makerspace? Use this manual to decide what items you need, what you don’t, and how to get your space up and running.
Thousands of teachers have used these tried and true GUARANTEED tups to stop students from blurting out. Chatty Class? YOU NEED TO READ THIS!
Behavior is one of the biggest classroom management problems teachers face and another is communicating to parents. Use these reporting behavior forms!
Need ideas for your French classroom? See my posters, decor, and setup for maximum French in the classroom and cool Francophone culture...
Hello! This is Tanya from Teaching Music: Tanya's Kodály Aspiring Blog talking today. Several grades in my school are currently focused on standardized testing this week and, honestly, there is a feeling of stress radiating off the classroom teachers and many students. This has caused me to refocus on a few basic ideas that are important in my music classroom. What do I do with my students that will contribute to their growth as people? There is a well known quote from Maya Angelou that I think rings true: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." My goal is to make them feel joyful, empowered, and confident through music. I have a faded purple notecard pinned above my desk that has lived there since I saw Julie Swank present a ROCKE workshop in 2006. Julie Swank spoke of how she aimed to include these 3 activities in every class every day. This really resonated with me and right after her workshop I wrote out this purple card and tacked it up on my wall. Here are a few reasons and examples: 1. Sing (Of course!) If you are reading this blog, I'm assuming you already understand the value and importance of singing. In tune, artistic, musical singing is a skill that can be taught and learned. Our communities should be reminded frequently that singing is a skill and not a magical talent that some have and others do not. If our society valued singing as much as we value reading and writing, and our schools and families were focused on strengthening singing, wouldn't everyone be able to sing? (I realize I am preaching to the choir!) In my music class, we will sing in every class. When we are playing recorders in 3rd and 4th grade we sing our recorder pieces on solfa and letter names first. There are many strategies to get students singing and keep them singing. (Aileen gave some excellent examples of how to incorporate more singing throughout the class period.) Fun, non-sensical, quality songs can be included to turn kids on to the joy of singing. As Ella Fitzgerald said: "The only thing better than singing is more singing." Here's a 4th grade favorite song, The Hippopotamus. It's a good song for anacrusis and tim ka (dotted eighth sixteenth), and students love singing it in canon. It can be found in Katinka Daniel's Kodály Approach Book 4: 2. Connect Julie Swank mentioned that she uses the word "connect" rather than "join hands." I like the term "connect" because when we engage in a dance or play party that is what occurs; we are communicating and connecting with others. Sometimes a new student will come to my school and is initially taken aback by all the "connecting" that happens in music. Once he sees that this is the norm and everyone is doing it, he joins in. (We take hands, not sleeves or wrists, please.) Students most likely won't be joining hands during math class or during reading. Even during team sports they will not get to work together in same way a folk dance, a singing game, or a play party, requires. What a great opportunity we have in music to show the social bonding and community building that can happen with music! So yes, we will connect! This week my 3rd graders are letting off steam after their testing with the dance Galopede from the Amidons Chimes of Dunkirk. 1. Solo Why solo? These are my top two reasons: Students improve their skills at a faster rate than if they are only performing within a group Solos build independent, confident singers who begin to feel comfortable taking musical risks There are many songs with solo opportunities. Yo Ho, I Pull the Anchor is a favorite with older students. (The opportunity to pull on a big, heavy rope with classmates sure is enticing!) This is another great tim-ka song. I have a collection of finger puppets that I pull out for short solo singing activities. My collection is a bit out of control, I have more than one for each student in my largest class, but hey, if they continue to increase my class size at least I'll be prepared with finger puppets. Once upon a time Starbucks sold seasonal finger puppets, (they came atop sticks of candy,), and I just could not stop buying them! You can play Who Has The _______? with anything, when I was student teaching, my cooperating teaching used every opportunity to connect with classroom themes and students sang. "Who has the igneous rock?" "Who has the sedimentary rock?" "Who has the metamorphic rock?" I'd rather use my Beatles's edition finger puppets: In the younger grades many solos are not sung, but very short spoken solos within chants. A good example is Rooms to Rent. Rooms to Rent Rooms to rent, apply within. When I move out let _________ move in! Solo work is not regulated to singing; there are many opportunities for students to solo as the drummer who chooses our tempo, the xylophone player who plays the ostinato, or the hand chime player who accompanies with a simple harmony. I want my students to build their musical independence and feel good about making music. Have a great week!
So I’ve been talking a lot about Task Analysis lately. I have shared how amazing it is for teaching Functional Routines in the classroom. That’s how I started using Task Analysis back when I was potty training a student in my first year of teaching. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized ... Read More about Using Task Analysis to Teach Subtraction
The Montessori approach allows each young person to develop their strengths and discover and enjoy their style of learning.
Occupational therapy game & toy reviews. Fine motor, visual perception, eye hand coordination, spatial relations, figure ground, executive function
The date on this fabulous graphic is 1977! Now, more than 30 years later, it is clear that 21st Century Education must include the arts. I love Pablo Picasso’s quote, “All children are…
Let’s talk about creating and using tactile schedules in the classroom. If you have a Teacher of the Visually Impaired that works with you, they may provide you with a kit or schedule pieces from the library of the blind. Here is a link to my local library. Check with your state and see if you […]
An elementary classroom teacher in Winnipeg has brought in a unique way to symbolize the rules of the classroom and how they can relate to students.
Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism
Have a chatty class? Do your talkative students get louder and louder during small groups until it feels like chaos? Do they talk when you'r...
YES! I am going to give you 10 of my favorite IEP goals in this blog post! I LOVE using adapted books in the classroom, and one of the number one questions I get about them is… “what are your IEP goals for them?”…. here’s the answer! The goals I will be sharing below are […]
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Lately I’ve had the opportunity to work with educators who are either teaching Kindergarten for the first time or are moving from a half-day Kindergarten to a full-day Kindergarten program. I…
Kids who struggle with self-regulation and managing emotions may get unique accommodations written into their IEP or 504 plan. Learn more, as parents share the surprising supports that help their child cope with challenges.
Thanks so much to each of you who commented on my last post about needing help with ideas for 3D shapes. I am going to try to implement lots of them this week. I also found a poem and made it a little more kinder friendly. I'll probably add it to our Reading Binders and try to recite it the rest of the week. Click on the picture below to download a copy for yourself. WARNING--Do not read the following statement if we're teetering on the edge of friendship, because I promise this will automatically put me in frenemy status for unnecessary grossness! :) You have been warned! On a somewhat unrelated note, several people mentioned using toilet paper tubes as a match for cylinders and I can't get a little scenario out of my head. I can't remember who said this, but I was in a workshop and the presenter mentioned not asking for students to bring in toilet paper rolls anymore. She suggested asking for paper towel tubes and then cutting them to size. The reason: most people change the roll while still on the, ahem...'pot', before they've washed their hands. Then, you put them up to your eyes for binoculars and make cute crafts out of them and you know for a fact where a person's hands have been. EEEWWW! I've never looked at toilet paper tube activities the same again. I know you wish I wouldn't have mentioned that, but now you'll have the same visual so now I can get it out of my head and put it into yours. Ha! Are we still friends?
Hey everyone! Karen here from Mrs. Jones's Kindergarten! The year seems to be winding down for many of us (okay I still have over 40 days left... but let's not get picky), so I thought I would do a little anchor chart recap from the year! Now first, let's be honest. If you are OCD like me, you have a love/hate relationship with anchor charts. Hate when you have to do the hurryletmedrawthisrealquick one when you are with your class of sweeties {Because when you are sitting in front of 21 five year olds, you have about 3.5 seconds to draw something semi-normal looking} and LOVE when you can then revisit said anchor chart AFTERSCHOOL and make it all presentable and post-worthy. Right? Or am I the only crazy that does this? Anywhoo, here are some of my favorites from my classroom this year! Let's start by taking it back to the beginning... September writer's workshop! Remember fall? Ahh.... Learning how to read is serious business! (...And I KNOW, I KNOW... "Independent" is spelled wrong! I did fix it! This is what happens when a teacher has ADD! :) ) Our writer's workshop unit showed that little people have BIG opinions! Who knew that one letter could sound so different? Setting goals and kicking their butts! As we wind down the year... we become authors of non-fiction books ...our definite fav! ...And work on digraphs and blends in phonics! Word. I hope you enjoyed some of my favorites from the year! {And tell me you are an anchor chart OCD'er too?!} xoxo karen
Abstract Music Listening Lesson for Young Students: Niko Draws a Feeling. Organized Chaos. Full lesson plan using the book to help elementary music students represent abstract concepts, moods, and feelings in their art in response to music.
