Here is the newest addition to your classroom management routine! Download the *FREEBIE* I'm Done! Now What? early finished tasks! Includes 13 different activities that you can choose for students to do if they finish work early. Thank you! :) Be sure to check out other resources in my store!
This year will bring about a BIG change for me! I've always been in a self-contained classroom-- until now! I took up a new position this year, and it just happens to be in a departmentalized 3rd grade! There will be 3 of us: Math, Reading, and Science/Social Studies. I decided I better do some quality research-- and go right to other teachers who have been in my shoes! After asking for tips on the All About 3rd Grade Facebook group-- I've come up with a list of my favorite ideas! 1) Assign a color to each group-- and use those colors religiously. So, I will be teaching math, and I purchased a rolling cart, 3 dish buckets from Walmart, and 3 rolls of duct tape. I labeled each bucket with teacher names and used different colors: Navy, teal, and green (I was trying to stay in my classroom theme colors) Also, when I label things for the students (like interactive notebooks), I can quickly put duct tape on the spine and recognize the class color! The students will keep their math notebooks in my room (less traveling = less headache) 2) What if the rotation is super long (90 min)? Keep this in mind: "Make sure you take breaks to get the kids up and moving. We do random dancing. Sometimes we dance going to get our supplies for the following subject" (Katie Elliott) 3) Stay in touch with your teammates all day, every day. Before you begin-- be sure you've talked about the following: How will we discipline? How will we contact parents? What is everyone's routines for cleaning up or rotating? How can we track behavior? What are everyone's classroom rules? Should they be similar? How will students keep track of their materials? What materials should they bring EVERY day? What materials will stay behind? How will we track unfinished work or missing assignments? Will we give homework? 4) Students aren't always the most responsible (say what?) until we teach them to be more mindful-- and many things can be lost in the shuffle between room. Geneva Pemberton recommends, "The less they carry to each class the better it is. Try to store things in the room where they will use them." 5) But how will I know what's happening in other classrooms? I know-- as teachers we hardly get breaks to just talk to each other see how the day is going. Oftentimes I won't see a fellow teacher until the end of the day! I LOVE this idea from Shelly Parker-Finch! "We pass a clip board around with the 3 classes where we write missing homework, bathroom breaks, behavior problems, etc. That way the next teacher/homeroom teacher has an idea of what is going on with each student. Also works as a record for parents to see how many times someone had a missing assignment or behavior." I thought this was such a great idea-- I have this on my TPT page for you to use! I recommend typing student names (instead of writing them every day) and then making several copies of the finished logs for the month (copy them in your class color-- of course!) so you can be ready to go every day! I plan to copy mine on blue and put on a clipboard-- then I'll make sure my "teacher helper" carries it from class to class for me! 6) This last one is very important (in fact, I think every teacher needs to remember this) and comes from Robbie Ann, "Remember they are 'our kids', not 'yours and mine' ". If you have any advice I've missed-- please share in the comments below! I hope you have a great school year!
Grab these states of matter worksheets to learn about solids, liquids, and gases with no-prep printables. Perfect science for kids!
Early finisher activities for elementary school classrooms that foster student choice and student engagement.
Successfully teach personal narrative writing with these 15 personal narrative mini-lessons perfect for first, second, and third grade classrooms.
I'm linking up with Techie Turtle Teacher and A Dab of Glue Will Do's Winner Wednesday to give away one of my newest products. This past month hasn't been my most productive. The ideas have been flowing like crazy, but I have all sorts of half-finished products taking up space on my desktop. I'm looking forward to summer break when I can work on creating full-time! I showcased my Mother's Day Card last month, but I wanted to show off how cute they turned out, now that I've had a chance to do them with my students. Clicking on the photo will take you to the product in my TpT store. Here's my Mother's Day Cookbook: Another biggie was putting together my All About Canada social studies unit, geared toward Grades 2 and 3. Last but not least, I have a couple of FREEBIES for you! In case you haven't heard, TpT is having a side-wide sale. My entire store is 20% off, plus you can use the code "ThankYou" for an additional 10% off! Please comment below with your email address to let me know which product you'd like to win! Follows, shares, and feedback on FREEBIES are appreciated! If you leave feedback on a FREEBIE, please comment a second time and you will double your chances of winning. I will use a random number generator to select a winner by 9PM PST on Wednesday.
Early Finishers Activities are a must in your classroom. We have all heard the dreaded, "I'm Done, Now What?" Usually, it comes right when you are in the
Step by step directions for teachers explaining how to teach students to build reading stamina in order to become independent readers.
Put an end to the early finisher challenge with these fun and engaging (and free!) choice board activities for early finishers!
This is an ultimate list of the BEST teacher hacks and tips you didn’t know you needed. Check out all the ways to make teacher life EASIER!
These are the top 10 best 4th grade classroom transformations. They are easy to implement, rigorous, and fun for fourth graders!
Learn how to teach quadrilaterals conceptually rather than having your students memorize the names of shapes. Tips for teaching quadrilaterals are included! Implement in your 4th grade or 5th grade math class today!
Easy back to school student gift idea with a free printable gift tag that can be used to welcome students to a new school year.
Are you wondering how to teach third grade writing? Check out these 10 steps which will help your little learners!
Outlawing the words "I'm done" changed my classroom! Find out how to reform fast finishers and improve the quality of work in your room!
It's so tempting to teach students quick tricks to help them be successful at rounding! But what they really need is a solid foundation in place value. Here's what you need to know to help your students round confidently AND develop strong number sense for when things get harder.
data:blog.metaDescription
The first day of school for pretty much any grade is a whirlwind. Plan for the first day of school to keep students engaged, and excited to come back!
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
Tired of showing your students where to turn in their homework or sharpen their pencil? Here are 17 ways to review classroom procedures that won't make you tear your hair out! P.S. The kids love them too!
Second Grade Stories • A Second Grade Teaching Blog
Are you a new or "new-ish" 5th grade teacher? The 5th Grade Teacher's First Day Survival Guide is just for you! It happens to all of us every summer... Happily steering your cart down the aisle
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY ENTIRE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT FOR MORE DETAILS. The Why As soon as I heard about flexible seating I knew I wanted to give it a try! I’m thrilled that you’re here and interested in improving your students’ learning via flexible seating! This has been a game-changer in my classroom and I can’t wait for it to transform your room too. It can be intimating and a bit overwhelming to consider, but you won’t regret it! Flexible seating is a choice provided to students that allows them to work around the room comfortably and focused. It provides students the environment they need to be their best. These seating arrangements can look wildly different from room to room, and the depth of implementation can too! Every year we have students who do their best when they can get their wiggles out, students who do their best standing, kneeling, or in a number of positions that only little bodies find comfy. Students do their best when they are comfortable. Heck, I do my best work when I'm comfortable. A colleague of mine encouraged me to give it a try, and probably like many of you reading this I thought, "Where do I even begin?" Fears began to race through my mind. What if this doesn't work? Am I turning my room into a recess zone? How am I going to manage this? Below, you will find an easy to navigate description of how I funded, introduced, and implemented flexible seating (and of course the results). I’m happy to say that while we had some good, bad, and ugly days in the beginning, it’s now an integral part of our learning! *Choice* The more choices students have the more they will feel invested and responsible for their learning. When I give my students choices I see greater engagement, more excitement, and a higher desire to learn. Their effort increases and there is a certain amount of pride that comes out in their work. The What *Seating Options & Purchasing* Educators have an incredible amount of options available to them when implementing flexible seating. Below are a range of free, moderate, and higher priced flexible seating options. Standing, kneeling, laying, sitting around the room Ask local carpet companies to donate old carpet squares to your classroom Parents/community members can donate gently used children’s seats/pillows Clipboards Yoga Mats (I cut these in half! Kids love them, and they're easy to roll and store!) Bouncy Bands Chair Cushions Lap Desks - Hobby Lobby Scoop Chairs Stools - Ikea Stools Sign Stands (I use these to display rules/expectations for flexible seating) Puzzle Floor Tiles (love these bright colors) Stability Discs with pump Adjustable Bed Risers (perfect for creating standing tables) Crazy Creek Chairs Stadium Chairs Balance Ball Chair Animal Pillow Chairs (I love these animal designs, you can also grab similar pillows in the College/Back to School sections of Target/Walmart) Wobble Stools Bookshelf Reading Nook Check out all of my favorite classroom resources here! 5 Below If you're lucky enough to live near the "5 Below" stores then there are a ton of deals you can scoop up! Here are my favorite items from 5 Below: Exercise Balls Yoga Mats (again, I cut these into smaller sections so more students can use them) Pillows - they have a lot of different options from long body pillows, pillow chairs, fun shapes (my kids loved a poop emoji pillow I found here), and little squares. Rugs The How *Funding* Our PTA gives us an allotment of money to spend on our classrooms each year. This year I used mine towards some of our seating! What the PTA didn’t cover I submitted a project on donor’s choose, and asked for parent/community donations. Here are some options for funding your flexible seating! 5 Below has amazing and affordable tools for flexible seating. ONLINE: -Create a project to be funded via crowdsourcing. You can share these projects with family, friends, and social media networks in seconds. -Donor’s Choose: www.donorschoose.org. -GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/ -Classwish: http://classwish.org/ -There are also online resources like Freecycle where you can pick up free items others in your area no longer want. It reminds me of a virtual curb pick up. You can see what people are offering to give away for free in your neighborhood. AT SCHOOL: -Describe your vision to the PTA and ask if they would be able to help cover any part of the cost. -Ask parents/families to donate any gently used children’s chairs/rugs from home (we had 2 pillow chairs, a bean bag chair, mini table and a handful of rugs). You will be amazed at what furniture people are looking to give away. J -Start a classroom fund, let parents and community members know your goal and ask them to donate towards your classroom. COMMUNITY: -Check out local garage or rummage sales. -Look at donation centers such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army. -Facebook Marketplace/Craigslist -Late spring check out college areas as many students are getting rid of furniture they no longer need. *Implementing* The idea of flexible seating can be overwhelming at first, and that’s OKAY. You can start small, see how it goes, and add more options as you go. That’s what we’re currently doing! This approach allows me to see what’s working for my kids and what’s not. We make changes, improve, and keep moving forward. Initially I shared the idea to students in class, wrote a note home to parents notifying them of the exciting change happening in our room, and asked for donations. You can grab that flexible seating parent letter for FREE near the end of this post. There is also a flexible seating contract included. During the time of collecting donations, donors choose project funding, and my personal shopping for items I prepared the students on what to expect when we began flexible seating. When first introducing the idea of flexible seating to my students they became extremely excited, I could tell their little eyes were filling up with all sorts of off-task ideas. To keep this train from derailing we talked about being strategic in where they chose to work. We talked about what strategic meant and why that would be important. I listed the initial options they would be able to choose from (pillows, carpet squares, exercise balls, and standing). We then we brainstormed ideas of when you would choose to use an exercise ball (reading, word work, small group), when you would choose to stand (partner work, using manipulatives, centers), etc. For the first 2 weeks I walked around asking students why they choose their workspace. This held them responsible for choosing an appropriate seat for their task. At times students were thoughtful and deliberate in their choices, other times they responded with, “…because I wanted to do what –so-and-so- did.” (Remember: This is a work in PROGRESS! It will not be perfect from the start.) Over time, we continued to discuss the expectations, the WHY behind flexible seating, and now they’re independently able to make strategic choices. After reviewing our classroom rules for flexible seating students signed a contract. You can grab that for FREE as well. This contract helped students view this opportunity seriously and show that they understood it needs to be respected as much as our other classroom materials. Our Class Rules -I will choose a workspace where I can do my best. -I will be a good classmate by making sure my body movements and workspace will not disrupt others' learning. -I will respect the classroom materials. What did not work: I had tried using a student rotation schedule in the beginning but found that it wasn’t nearly as effective as students picking their seats. It took away choice and made more work for me in creating centers that matched those specific students with their specific seating options. As our options grew (as donations and funding became available) the schedule became too complicated and wasn’t benefiting the students enough to continue with it. What did work: To remedy the scheduling mess I got myself into, I now create engaging, fun, and meaningful daily 5 centers and I let the students take the responsibility for choosing the right work space. Thanks to many rounds of modeling, encouraging feedback, and student accountability they’re choosing appropriate strategic places, staying more focused than ever, and loving the choices. It’s less work for me and more choice for them. Win-Win. Sometimes I’ll even hear them asking each other why they chose their workspace. #happyteacherheart What did not work: After a few days, students would want to rush to the same spot/same resource and it became a competition of who would get what type of flexible seating. In no way was this the type of environment I was trying to create. What did work: We had a classroom discussion about why we are doing flexible seating. I reminded students that my number one goal when using flexible seating was for them to be relaxed and find the best workspace possible. What works well one day may not work best the next. Subsequently, each day forward they had to choose a spot that was NEW to THEM. Each week we started over, but this prevented the same students from always having the same resources or spots. Students fell into the routine of choosing a new spot, quickly, quietly, and no arguing. As time has gone on I've added choice charts (see below) which have been a great visual addition that's helped immensely with the management of choosing spots. *Teaching* Whole Group- As we still have our classroom desks, students sit at their desks or on our front carpet for whole group instruction. I love to have students turn and talk and this keeps them close for that. This year I also have a friend who really needs to move around, stand up, etc. He recognized through flexible seating what works best for him so we moved his desk to the back and he is allowed to stand and move as needed to pay attention during whole group instruction. Small-Group- When I teach small groups I pull them back to work at a table with me. We have exercise balls around the table that students use. While I meet with students for strategy groups the other students are working on their weekly centers. They are allowed to pick any work space as long as it follows our classroom rules. *Level of Flexible Seating* My classroom is not 100% flexible seating. We use our desks in combination with a fantastic amount of flexible seating options. It started off as a small endeavor to see what impact it would have on my students and has grown into a wonderful integral part of our workspace. Someday down the road, we may move towards 100%, but for now, I love having the option of using our desks OR our flexible spaces around the room. The desks are a place to house their materials and aid their organization. State testing requires us to have students in rows of desks, another reason why we keep our desks. There are some amazing teachers out there, like Angie from Lucky Little Learners, who did switch to 100% flexible seating. Check her post out here if you’re interested in that. The Results *Focus and productivity has skyrocketed. *Students enjoy the extra responsibility of choosing a strategic workspace and take their learning more seriously. *Students have a better understanding of what works best for them! I’ve even had parents say they’ve noticed their child picking new locations at home when reading or doing homework. *Students are able to engage in tasks longer than when they were stuck sitting in their hard desk chair. Flexible seating contracts are an excellent way to hold students accountable and encourage them to uphold your classroom flexible seating rules. Letter & Contract Freebie! Click HERE to grab my free parent letter and student contract forms. Managing Flexible Seating - Choice Charts Grab your own editable choice charts here! Other Ideas I love seeing how other teachers use flexible seating in their rooms. This is where I'll be adding pics and ideas I see from other amazing teachers! To the right, Simply Kinder had the great idea of placing her exercise balls in crates. This helps keep them in one place, but allows students to move in their seats! Join the Classroom Kindness Movement to cultivate a culture of kindness in your classroom. Social and emotional learning skills set your students up for success. I can help you get started today. Your totally FREE teacher guide is right here, click below. FREE TEACHER GUIDE - Transform Classroom Behavior in 10 Minutes or Less a Day!
Today I'm sharing one of my favourite tasks for building community in the classroom. Students are able to share an important aspect of themselves (the story of their name) with the class and with me, their teacher. Through this task we are also working on important skills, like reading comprehension, writing, and reflection. Day 1 To begin, I asked my students to write any name they wish they had on a sticky note. They then placed it in a mason jar. I read my class the story "The Name Jar" by Yansook Choi. We stopped at several points in the story to predict, make connections, infer, and ask questions. At one point, we paused in the story so that students could journal about the name they wrote down on the sticky note earlier: - Did they choose their own name? Or another? - Why? - If you chose another name, where did you hear that name before? Day 2 At the end of Day 1, students were given homework. (Stick around to the bottom of this post for a chance to get your own copy of this sheet.) I make it very clear, that while names all have meanings, your family may not have chosen your name for that reason. They might not know the meaning, and you can choose to look it up with your family if you wish. I also focus a lot on nicknames and your own feelings about your name. While I've never taught a student in foster care, or one who was adopted, I do think it's important to mention that this could be a touchy task in those situations, so be sure to know your students first, and modify as needed. Students use the homework task, and the journal write from the previous day, to write "The Story of their Name". Some possible options to include are: - who you are named after - the meaning of your name - a name you'd rather have - your feelings toward your name - nicknames you may have - the person (or people) who chose your name - how your name was chosen This piece of writing is then self, peer, and teacher edited, and a "good" copy is made. Day 3 I found this excellent step-by-step self-portrait from "Art Projects for Kids". I modified the task so that instead of drawing the left or right side of their face, they would draw the top half. Students find that folding their page into quadrants as she suggests is very helpful. Under the document camera I demonstrate each step, and students copy, adapting to their own facial features. Each student gets a mirror to look in to help them personalize. The final pieces are put on a bulletin board for display. Students also coloured in a bubble letter version of their names to complete the display. (I used the font KG Red Hands Outline for this.) Day 4 Once we've completed the task, the last job is to reflect on our work. I pulled some elements from our Arts Education curriculum (very relevant regardless of where you teach) for students to self-assess on. I've used the proficiency scale language our school has moved to for all reporting. A few students found it helpful to complete their reflection while looking at the finished product on their bulletin board, but most didn't need this. Want a copy of both my homework and reflection pages? Follow the image or button below to grab your copy. Take Me to the Free Download Pin this post.
The idea for the green pen comes from Amy Green . Teacher roams around with some green pens. Completed work gets a green star. (I...
I'm always looking for new vocabulary journal ideas. I like these printable templates because they're simple, and students in both elementary and middle school can use them. #vocabularyactivities #firstgrade #secondgrade #thirdgrade #fourthgrade #fifthgrade
This document has all of the lessons from the Getting Along Together (GAT) 4th grade curriculum, Getting Ready to Learn (Unit 1)Each lesson from GAT has been taken and made into an easy to use PowerPoint Format. All of the resources from GAT will be needed to accompany the PowerPoint. (You need to ...
We're wrapping up a wonderful year of 3rd grade and preparing for the next. Here are our Charlotte Mason-inspired 4th grade homeschool curriculum choices.
It's so important to have students practice solving unknown word meanings every day. Grab some ideas to implement word analysis strategies instruction in your upper elementary classroom right away!
teaching ideas, upper elementary classroom ideas, reading ideas,resources for the upper elementary classroom, teaching grammar, graphic organizers
I knew my first year teaching would be difficult. I read books about classroom management in anticipation. I had nightmares that my students wouldn’t listen to me. I worried that I would run out of things for them to do in class and everything would devolve into fiery chaos. There was one thing, however, that […]
Congratulations fifth grade teacher! Fifth graders are very independent and curious. They have such fun personalities starting to emerge and are beginning to act like miniature adults. I love their sense of humor! Now that you know you will be teaching fifth grade, you are probably starting to wonder what resources you might want to
Using the Gallery Walk instructional strategy to teach important classroom routines & structures Teaching Duration: 1-3 class periods What is a GALLERY WALK? A gallery walk is a kinesthetic strategy that help students learn information. It closely resembles the idea of a jig
From set-up to clean-up, this post shares everything teachers need to know about fourth grade classroom transformations!
If you think I have the answers here, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I'm far from having any answers.
