How do you set up and run successful science stations in an elementary classroom? Keeping students on task and learning content is hard, but here are four
You just found out you are teaching a split grade class next year. For most teachers the idea of teaching a split is overwhelming. You have twice as many
Effective classroom management is imperative! Discover how to eliminate disruptions & manage your classroom with one light, two tags, and FREE printables!
My first year of teaching was full of disruptive students in the beginning. That is, until I discovered this method to control my class!
I have to share with you something that I absolutely love: The WOW board! This beautiful piece of poster board was introduced to me by my friend and colleague. I used it throughout the year but found it especially helpful near the end of the school year.
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.
FREEBIES GET YOUR STARTER PACK FOR INDEPENDENT STATIONS GRAB YOUR 4 FREE TASK BOXES GET THIS FREE ADAPTED BOOK UNIT FREE HANDWASHING mini UNIT 4 FREE Errorless File Folder Games 4 FREE Errorless Task Boxes FREE adapted book unit FREE Adapted Book Unit: A Trip to the Zoo TweetShareSharePin7777 Shares
Starting a task box center and system in your special education classroom is a way to increase student independence and free up staff.
data:blog.metaDescription
Hey everyone! It's Anna from Hanging with Mrs. Hulsey! The school year is officially in full swing-- and my students are definitely feeling more comfortable with me and each other! One thing I've decided we need to focus on more is our classroom community! Here are some quick ideas to help you promote a positive climate in your classroom! Use Team Builders Team building activities are easy to implement! They don't take a lot of time, students find them to be engaging, and they are often FREE! Here is a quick list of some of my favorite student team building activities: Human Knot (Students stand in circle, reach for hands of people across the way, and then they must untangle themselves without letting go. This can also be done as a spiderweb using a ball of yarn) Tallest Tower (Divide students into groups and give them supplies like straws, tape, blocks, etc. The team that can make the tallest tower wins!) Minefield (Set up a "minefield" that students must navigate a blindfolded partner through) Hula Hoop Pass (Can be played whole class or in teams. Students hold hands and must pass through a hula hoop as quickly as possible) Switch Sides If... (Use a chalk line, rope, or tape line. Have students stand on one side of the line. Read off items like "switch sides if you like to bake", etc.) The internet provides an infinite source of team building activities! I've included a few links below: http://www.ventureteambuilding.co.uk/team-building-activities/ http://www.momjunction.com/articles/team-building-activities-will-keep-kids-busy-summer_0074763/#gref http://mommieshobbies.blogspot.com/2014/01/switch-sides-if.html?m=1 Hold Morning Meetings Time is precious in my classroom because we departmentalize. It feels like we are always on the go. However, I feel that even something as small as a weekly morning meeting would help my students develop a more positive feeling toward one another. You can read more about morning meetings for older elementary students here! I also love this product from TPT! Write Daily White Board Messages I think this is a such a simple way to start the day off with a positive vibe! The night before (or morning of) write a simple prompt on the white board/chalkboard and have students respond on the board. This will foster another sense of ownership and community. You can find white board messages by searching google or Pinterest! Here are some quick ideas to get you started: 1 Thing Wednesday-- name one thing we've done this year that you'd like to do again! I Think I Can Thursday-- what is one goal you want to achieve this year? Flashback Friday-- what is one new thing you have learned this week? Write a compliment for a classmate by their name (no repeats!) Name 3 traits of a great friend What is your favorite book you've read this year? Thankful Thursday-- what is 1 thing you are thankful for? Make it Monday-- what is 1 thing you've always wanted to create?' Top 2 Tuesday-- write your top 2 favorite things about the school year so far Compliment Circles This activity would pair well with morning meetings! You and the students sit in a circle with everyone's legs out straight. Begin the compliment circle by giving a compliment to someone. Once someone has been complimented they cross their legs. Compliments continue until everyone has received 1. I think this is a great way to encourage students to see each other in different ways! Create a Kindness Board I created this one for the visual it would provide to my students. Plus, I wanted them to point out kindness when they see it in others! This one is easy to implement: 1. Print out the letters and hang on a wall or bulletin board. 2. Print the "caught being kind" strips on various colors of paper (I used Astrobright paper). 3. Cut the strips apart and keep on hand for when students catch others being kind. 4. When students experience a kindness or act of friendship, they come and ask you for a "caught being kind" strip. They write down their experience. 5. Start a paper chain and add a new link every time someone catches others being kind! You can find this HERE in my TPT store! Here is another type of board with a similar theme (kindness): You can find these fall themed board HERE in my store! I hope you found these ideas to be useful to implement in your classroom! If you have any questions-- feel free to leave them in the comment section!
@import url(‘https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Open+Sans:400,400i,700,700i&subset=cyrillic,cyrillic-ext,latin-ext’); #mlb2-5436467, #mlb2-5436467 *, #mlb2-5436467 a:hover, #mlb2-5436467 a:visited, #mlb2-5436467 a:focus, #mlb2-5436467 a:active { overflow: visible; position: static; background: none; border: none; bottom: auto; clear: none; cursor: default; float: none; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0; text-transform: none; visibility: visible; white-space: normal; max-height: none; max-width: none; left: auto; min-height: 0; min-width: 0; right: ... Read More about File Folder Freebies
During classroom transitions, student like to get off task and talk, causing time to be wasted. These classroom management strategies can help you save time in the classroom while speeding up your transitions so that you have more time for teaching.
I recently blogged about how I created policies and procedures that incorporated character education in my classroom. My post also includes a checklist of policies and procedures that teachers can use when planning for the new school year. Use this checklist as you review your own policies and procedures for the upcoming school year if ... Read More about Classroom Policies and Procedures Checklist
How to put systems in place to help students work independently.
During classroom transitions, student like to get off task and talk, causing time to be wasted. These classroom management strategies can help you save time in the classroom while speeding up your transitions so that you have more time for teaching.
Task Boxes are important to practice mastered skills, work independently, and gain life skills to be successful in their special education curriculum!
A behavior notebook is a whole-class management technique for recording classroom misbehavior that integrates student reflection & ownership. It can quickly be implemented with any existing rules and discipline plan, and is used as an alternative to other methods such as a clip chart, card system, or writing names on the board. Each student …
Geoboard or pegboard task cards for making shapes and patterns by attaching rubber bands. Geoboard is a great math manipulative that helps children develop finger strength, gain a basic understanding of shapes and their properties. There are nine A4 task cards with winter themed patterns included in the download. Each card also comes with an "I can" label for tracing. These cards feature a 5x5 peg geoboard.
Explore 80 of the best 4th grade brain breaks ranging from quick physical exercises to creative mental challenges.
Use these two Boggle templates again and again just by changing the letters. There are two versions, one for the document camera and one for students to use individually. Have fun! Download Boggle Template Rachel Lynette You Might Also Like:Student Ice BreakersWinter Science LessonLast Day Blues!How to Write Successful Author Letters
How to Quiet a Noisy Classroom, are you looking for some new techniques to to bring calm and order back to your loud classroom? I have a few ideas that might help calm that too loud classroom and help to bring some peace and quiet to your noisy classroom.
I talk quite a bit about classroom management on my blog. I have to be honest here. I have tried so many different things. I have tried the clip chart, I have tried check marks, I have tried the “flip the card”. NONE of them work for me. The book Dream Class really changed my thoughts on...
A free printable for fine motor task cards. Help kids strengthen their fine motor skills with these easy activities!
As a teacher, there is so much to do when it comes to setting up the classroom, that it is hard to know where to start! Over the course of my first six years of teaching middle school math, a few of these classroom projects have become staples in my classroom. In this post, I plan to share a few of these ideas. (1) Assignment Notebook Board The first thing my middle school students do (or should be doing!) when they come to class is fill out their assignment notebooks. With some ruler tape that I found at Office Max, I created this assignment notebook board. The number 1 on each day is for what we do in class. The number 2 on each day is any homework that is assigned. For example the 1 might be "Multiply Fractions" and the 2 might be "Pg 232 hw (due tmw)." (2) Math is Everywhere Board I have written about this project in a few other posts, but it is one of my all time favorites to start the year! I have two bulletin boards in my classroom. This one gets filled with these tiles. Students must show how they see math in the real world on their tile. On the back of their tile, they must write a paragraph explaining how math is seen in the topic that they chose! You can click HERE for a free set of the bulletin board letters! (3) Challenge of the Week Many of you have already seen or tried out the Challenge of the Week in your classroom! I have loved seeing the pictures! Each week, I put up a new challenge problem. They are optional and students have until the end of the day on Thursday to turn it in. Anyone who gets it correct gets a small prize on Friday when we go over the answer! Both the 6th Grade Challenge of the Week Problems and the 8th Grade Challenge of the Week Problems are FREE in my TpT store. Enjoy! (4) Teacher Book Shelf My teacher book shelf took on some major changes recently. I started with this new way of organizing all of my math workshop materials. I decided to organize them more by the type of game, rather than by the topic like I had done in the past. I cleared these shelves off and organized them in these containers that I had ordered a few years ago. If you are looking for the materials and resources that I use for math workshop, be sure to check out my Math Mega Bundle (Upper Elementary/Middle School) and my Math Mega Bundle (8th Grade Math). Below these containers, I have two shelves with labels for Monday through Friday. This is where I put all of my plans and resources that I will be using for the coming week. This has been a useful way to stay organized and prepared throughout the week! As you can see, I am not quite ready for the first week of school... On the bottom of these shelves are my task cards, which very well could be the hardest resource when it comes to organization! I found these containers at Michaels. They have worked out pretty well. I have two sets of task cards that I use throughout each school year for each grade level. I have a regular set of task cards and then a set of enrichment task cards. Each set takes up two of these containers. Teaching two different grades means I end up with 8 of these containers, which is pretty manageable! Check out the links below if you are interested in the task cards for each grade level! 6th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 6th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Bundle 7th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 7th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Bundle 8th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 8th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Bundle (5) Bulletin Board (Number 2) My second bulletin board is filled with some routine-oriented and expectation posters. I made these the last few years. The colored math workshop poster shows where students of each group should be at any given time. The homework data chart is where we record our homework data. As a class, we figure out what percentage of homework we turn in on time each day. Over the course of the year, we graph these and look at trends. It also becomes a fun competition between classes! (6) Bobblehead Collection I started my bobblehead collection a while ago and it has just grown ever since! Students enjoy seeing them and it is a fun way for students to get to know me and my interest in baseball! My wife and I are trying to get to all 30 MLB stadiums, and recently made it to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Luckily it was a bobblehead giveaway, so the Kevin Appier Royals bobblehead is the most recent addition to the collection!
3rd grade teacher Deanna shares how she saves time and works more efficiently.
There is a reason behind every component of a independent work system. Do you know the 4 questions each work system should answer? Click through to find out.
Are you looking for counting activities for your Special Education classroom? I love using counting tasks in my students work boxes, but sometimes prepping and preparing everything for use in your classroom in a PAIN! I have 10 Low Prep Counting activities that you can use in your classroom in no time! 1. Counting Boards ... Read More about 10 Low Prep Counting Activities for your Work Boxes
Save 30% with this bundle! Read more about task boxes here. To see what skill are included, click here. Why Task Boxes? - perfect for promoting independence in the special education classroom - meaningful presentation of basic skills - simplistic yet eye-catching clip art keeps students engaged - reinforce basic concepts for English Language Learners and other students who need extra support - can be changed out and stored easily as tasks are mastered The contents of this bundle differ from The Original Bundle. This bundle includes: January February March April May June July August September October November December Each set includes: -12 task card concepts, focusing on basic math and ELA skills - Each task box includes 2 levels of difficulty - labels and sequencing cards PRINTING TIP: all templates are created to be 4X6" or smaller. To keep items to size, make sure the "fit to page" option is not selected when printing. © Michaela Lawrence, Especially Education
Looking for esl task cards to use with your english language learners? Try these picture cards that are perfect for quick and effective language practice!
This resource can be used on its own as a weekly assessment to guide instruction. However, is it particularly effective if used as a Friday assessment in conjunction with my 5-A-Day Math Review. My 5-A-Day Math Review contains 5 daily math tasks for (Monday-Thursday). This resource is now EDITABLE!!! Easily edit the student pages using PowerPoint
Teaching kids with autism may mean working with nonverbal students. Here are 9 strategies for effectively working with students with severe nonverbal autism.
Get your class back on track with this easy classroom management program. CHAMPS Classroom management posters will keep your class on task.
Does your day end in pure chaos? If so, check out my free tips, games, and resources for a clam and peaceful end-of-the-day routine.
From developing fine motor skills, letter and number recognition, sight words, sorting, sequencing, reading, and math, these task boxes for autism tasks will help develop important life skills and beyond!
Student engagement is my number one goal in the classroom. None of the academic goals can be achieved without student engagement. It is essential! My biggest advice to you is to decrease teacher talk and the time students spend in their desks.I want to share some more specific ways that I keep my students engaged
A free printable for fine motor task cards. Help kids strengthen their fine motor skills with these easy activities!
Blog Description Here
Dollar Store quiet bin ideas. Use quiet bins at home or in your preschool classroom to manage transitions or create calm and restful times in your day.
Hey Friends! It's Theresa, from True Life I'm a Teacher ! I wanted to share how I use (and have used for several years) a token economy ...
