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Adjective Surprise: What's in the bag? {A Show & Tell Activity}

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Use Adjective Surprise when teaching adjectives to your K-3 students. Students choose an object that can be brought to school that fits in a small paper bag. Parents will help students make a list of adjectives that describe the object in the bag.

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Character Education: Citizenship (Following the Rules)

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Looking for a way to help children follow the rules? Need to curb tattling in a healthy way? Hoping to get your kids to use their words more? These citizenship lessons are designed to support your success in those areas! :) Lesson 1: Following the Rules Use anchor

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Set up Kinder and sort out Jeanettes Amizon account.

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Set up Kinder and sort out Jeanettes Amizon account.

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Book 6 for reading groups.

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Names on door, desks, jobs and job chart

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Names on door, desks, jobs and job chart

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Visual timetable - placement in class - digital also?

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Visual timetable - placement in class - digital also?

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Circle Time, 100 , calendar, time, Gofacts, bird recount, weather chart, 5 finger rule -just right books, Comprehension: Self monitoring (S. Cameron), Immerse in Fairytale stories Wk 1 & 2

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BIG Mistake....I decided to tackle doing a little painting in my classroom, chose a bad color, had a friend who was, unbeknownst to me, a horrible painter make a total mess that I had to clean up, yada yada yada.

So, I've JUST finished cleaning up the mess and covering up the ugly color. I've promised dh that my room will stay this color from now til eternity. NEVER again. LOL.

Now that that's settled, I'm starting to rearrange, organize, and hang some of my Chevron Owl goodness. Mom and I will work on my valance tomorrow. And I hope to slowly get things back in order!

Here are a few peeks at some of the goodies going up:

I've also just created some "I'm Done, Now What?" goodies offered for free at TPT. Those are the next to get printed and hung in the room:

You can pick those up in TPT {HERE}. Please consider leaving feedback if you grab them and like them!

Be sure to link up Wednesday for my Ten Pin Linky Party. This week we'll be sharing our favorite Math Idea Pins. I can't wait to get inspired by all of you again. This linky has been so helpful in giving me great ideas for my classroom!

Related posts:

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My Classroom is SLOWLY coming Together {Plus a FREEBIE!} - Just Reed

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BIG Mistake....I decided to tackle doing a little painting in my classroom, chose a bad color, had a friend who was, unbeknownst to me, a horrible painter make a total mess that I had to clean up, yada yada yada. So, I've JUST finished cleaning up the mess and covering up the ugly color.

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Here are some of the things we did this week for our Fairy Tale/Storybook Character Unit:

We talked about what a fairy tale is and what fairy tales sometimes have in them.

We talked about the Story Elements in each of the Fairy Tales we read this week.

Here is the chart I used to fill in the Story Elements as we talked about them as a class. While filling this chart out, we made our characters and set up our classroom (setting) so we could act out the story.

Little Red Riding Hood Activity:

They made a picture of Little Red Riding Hood and then filled in the boxes describing her.

Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears

We filled this in after reading the story.

I had the students make this story character map for Goldilocks.

We filled this in together as a class. I laminated these Story Element Anchor Charts so I could write on them with an Expo Marker and easily wipe them off!

Writing Activity: If I had a Fairy Godmother...

I read two versions of The Three Little Pigs and we compared the two stories.

I had the students fill out these WANTED posters for the Big Bad Wolf.

We did a measurement activity.

Fairy Tale Elements Chart:

After reading each fairy tale we went through and marked what fairy tale elements the book had.

Storybook Character Dress-up Day:

To end our unit we had the students dress up as their favorite storybook character. They came to school dressed in their costume with their book and we guessed who they were.

Even all the first grade teachers dressed up! Here is just a peek at some of the storybook characters the first grade teachers have dressed us as during the years.

The Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

All Laura Numeroff book characters!

Click HERE to download my Fairy Tale Unit from my TpT store!

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Here are some of the things we did this week for our Fairy Tale/Storybook Character Unit: We talked about what a fairy tale is and what fairy tales sometimes have in them. We talked about the Story Elements in each of the Fairy Tales we read this week.

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The Classroom Key: Why teach fairy tales?

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Pinterest is a visual discovery tool that you can use to find ideas for all your projects and interests.

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Fairy Tales - Lessons Ideas Pintables and More For Teachers

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Let's face it, library pockets are going to be a thing of the past very soon as most libraries now use bar codes to track books.

I've always used poster board charts with library pockets in my classroom but I was usually fortunate enough to have the pockets supplied by my school. However, I have had difficulty getting the library pockets a few times for various reasons such as requesting them before the budget funds were released or the warehouse was out of stock etc.

How to Make Your Own Inexpensive Library Pockets

One year, when I needed to get my hands on some library pockets quickly my friend Julie showed me a fantastic trick to make library pockets out of envelopes.

First, seal the envelopes. I used security envelopes I found at a back-to-school sale.

Next, cut the envelopes in half (see picture above) and glue them to your poster board.

Finally, laminate the poster board and slit open each pocket with a sharp knife.

Make a Classroom Helper Job Chart

One a similar note, I was recently contacted by a visitor who was searching for a traditional classroom helper job chart that included some specific jobs. She works in a program that requires a job for every student and she wanted a very simple method of managing her classroom helpers that didn't take up much space or require lots of upkeep. I suggested my poster board pocket chart idea to her as a way of saving space and simplifying management of classroom jobs. The picture above shows the classroom helper job chart made with the envelope pockets.

In the picture above, student name cards with pictures are placed in each pocket to show who has which classroom job. You could also use Popsicle sticks with student names. The most important thing is that each job is accompanied by a picture so students can "read" the chart independently. You can also use it as part of your "Read and Write Around the Room" center if you have one.

Since I have received so many requests from visitors I created a printable packet of classroom helper jobs. This packet uses the poster board and envelope pocket idea. The jobs included in the packet are:

Bathroom Monitor (girls/boys)

Bell Ringer

Caboose

Caretaker

Center Monitors

Class Comforter

Computer Technician

Custodian

Door Holder

Drink Monitor

Electrician

Environmentalist/Recycling Helper

Flag Holder/Pledge Leader

Gardener

Hospitality/Greeter

Librarian

Line Leader

Lunch Helper/Lunch Monitor

Materials Monitor

Messenger

Meteorologist

Paper Passer

Calendar Helper

Snack Helper

Folder Passer

Table Washer

Equipment Manager

Chair Stacker

Shoe Expert

The 15 page classroom Helper Jobs packet can be purchased here.

Follow my Classroom DIY board on Pinterest for more great ideas!

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How to Make Library Pockets with Envelopes

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Let's face it, library pockets are going to be a thing of the past very soon as most libraries now use bar codes to track books. I've always used poster board charts with library pockets in my classroom but I was usually fortunate enough to have the pockets supplied by my school.

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Let's make library pockets that we can use in our journals!

When I made my Owl Journal I mentioned the importance of adding at least one pocket on the inside of each notebook cover. If you don't have those plastic corners you can make your own Library Book Pockets. I like the old fashioned feel of this form, but you can also use small envelopes or fold your own paper pocket of course!

If you have a pocket in your paper stash carefully take it apart and copy its form to a new paper. Then cut it out, glue it together and adhere to your inside cover. Easy and fun project. If you haven't got a template, see link below.

I like to use all kinds of papers when I create my pockets. Painted papers or leftover vintage book pages cut from altered books - especially if they've got fun patterns or illustrations. Recycled papers, hello! Library pocket dinosaurs, anyone?

Also, you could use yellow envelope paper for that authentic library look...

What ever you do, be sure to add a pocket to the inside of your next notebook, journal and DIY calendar - before you even start using it. In this way you'll always have somewhere to tuck in extra stickers, labels, receipts or business cards.

Pocket Inspiration Links

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Make a Library Book Pocket for your Journal | iHanna's Blog

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Let's make library pockets that we can use in our journals! When I made my Owl Journal I mentioned the importance of adding at least one pocket on the inside of each notebook cover. If you don't have those plastic ... Continue reading →

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There are many uses for library pockets in an early learning environment. Template can be found at http://www.childcareland.com/videos37.html .

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I have been seeing a ton of great ideas on Pinterest that are centered around library pockets. I thought I would show you what I have done with the ones in my classroom!

I purchased some super-cute pockets from Creative Teaching Press last summer. I then laminated them and used a craft knife to slice them open along the top.

Next, I added the classroom jobs that I purchased from Tricia Lyday on TPT. They are adorable! Check them out here.

The last thing I did was put pictures of my students on popsicle sticks.

Sometimes they share a job and sometimes they do it all by themselves. The sticks are rotated each week. The best part is that once a student has learned how to do a job, they train the next person. Truth be told... I used to just have a "Star of the Week" and that student was my helper. I thought it was easier that way. The kids love this new system and they check to see what their jobs are right away when they come to school! I love my new job chart and won't go back!

I would love to hear about how you organize and manage classroom jobs. Leave a comment letting me know what you do!

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I have been seeing a ton of great ideas on Pinterest that are centered around library pockets. I thought I would show you what I have done with the ones in my classroom! I purchased some super-cute pockets from Creative Teaching Press last summer.

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Fairytale Character Picture Bunting (SB10997) - SparkleBox

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A set of printable bunting featuring pictures of various traditional and fairytale characters.

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2nd Grade Fluency Passages * 2nd Reading Comprehension Passages & Questions

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2nd Grade No-Prep Reading Fluency Passages and Close Reading style Comprehension Homework / Reading Fluency Passages and Reading Comprehension 36 weeks of homework or intervention to improve second grade students' reading fluency and close reading skills. ===================================================== Other

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Reading Fluency and Comprehension - 2nd Grade

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Reading Fluency and Comprehension - Second grade reading fluency and comprehension passage - 15 fiction and 15 nonfiction. Each passage is leveled and are in the 430L to 690L range. All passages have between 186 and 210 words. ☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ For

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I had the privilege of having an AMAZING mentor when I was a student teacher. One of the first things she taught me was to give EVERY student a job. Every. Single. One.

Over the years I have seen the value in this as it makes every child in my classroom feel like they are an important contributor to our daily flow and function. They have made my life a breeze, and some days I truly believe my kiddos could run my classroom without me there! It's just amazing. It's also a great way for that one difficult student to know they are part of the classroom like everyone else! Even if they have a bad day, I still expect them to do their classroom job, and many times that seems to help whatever is going on.

I change their jobs every six weeks. I do this so each child has 6 opportunities to get that "dream job" they want. They also know when report cards go home, it's time to switch out jobs! I usually make them fill out an "application." I do this so I know what kind of job they are interested in, and it is an excellent way to show them that they WILL use their writing skills one day outside of my classroom:) It's important to encourage them to list at least 3 jobs they would like to have because the "dream jobs" get filled up pretty quickly! Here is a little list of some of the jobs in my room:

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I had the privilege of having an AMAZING mentor when I was a student teacher. One of the first things she taught me was to give EVERY student a job. Every. Single. One. Over the years I have seen the value in this as it makes every child in my classroom feel like they are an important contributor to our daily flow and function.

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Dorcas Sunday School Lesson - Craft and Activity Ideas

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Sunday school crafts and activity ideas for the Bible lessons about Dorcas sewing clothes for the poor

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Hi everyone!!! I had a few requests for other themes for my noise level posters and signs. I had the clipart to make them for frogs, bugs and ocean...sorry if you asked for something that I don't have:( I know someone asked for a Hollywood/movie theme and I know Kinder Kraziness has a free one that you can grab here. I hope you all enjoy these and I hope you find one that you can use!;) I don't think I will be making any more because I have to start working on my stuff....time is running out!!! School is right around the corner for me!!! I also wanted to let you all know that I started a new project on Donors Choose. If you appreciate my freebies, I would LOVE for you to consider donating!
If you pick one of these, I would LOVE a comment letting me know which one you chose;) THANKS!!!!!
Click on the pic below to grab your fav. They all include the chart and the signs:) If your new to my blog, you can grab my jungle theme and pirate themed goodies from my previous posts;)

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Frog, bug and ocean noise level Freebies! - Little Warriors

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Hi everyone!!! I had a few requests for other themes for my noise level posters and signs. I had the clipart to make them for frogs, bugs and ocean...sorry if you asked for something that I don't have:( I know someone asked for a Hollywood/movie theme and I know Kinder Kraziness has a free one ...

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In the early spring, I found Pinterest, which has easily come to be one of my biggest obsessions. I've been pinning like a madwoman. Now that I have been offered and accepted a position in a new district, I feel like a whole new teacher. Of course, in the past seven years I have spent lots of money on this and that's that just had to be a part of my classroom. This time, though, I am trying to be a bit more savvy. So when I saw an idea for rehabbing my mailboxes, I couldn't wait to get a roll of duct tape and some binder tabs and get to work!

I bought these mailbox sorters from Office Depot my third year of teaching. Here's what they looked like after five years of use:

I went to Target, bought blue and white polka dotted duct tape and hot pink duct tape. I wrapped the tape on the ends of each row, and then added a light blue binder clip, which I would use for their names, much easier than ripping the labels off.

For whatever reason, after three days, the pink began to peel. I noticed that the two tapes didn't feel the same, even though they were both Duct brand, so I wasn't completely surprised, but it was a quick fix. Since I'm going with a theme in blue this year, and the polka dotted tape wasn't doing any peeling, I figured I'd just pull the pink off and calm it down. To be honest, I'm happy with the calmer outcome.

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In the early spring, I found Pinterest, which has easily come to be one of my biggest obsessions. I've been pinning like a madwoman. Now that I have been offered and accepted a position in a new district, I feel like a whole new teacher.

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ks1 writing grammar contractions connectives complex sentences

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Literacy Resources, Writing Posters, many free printables for Elementary and Primary Schools

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Free Literacy Resources, parts of speech, personification, personification poetry, examples of personification, personification worksheets, palindromes, punctuation posters, story settings posters, silly sentence game, simile matching game, super sentences, synonyms posters, time connectives posters, story starters cards, too, to or two, mnemonics posters, writing targets, literacy lettering sets

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In first grade we are reviewing the power of our words. This is a great theme to reinforce repetitively throughout the year, as it is so easy to fall back into our old ways. With only a month of school left students are beginning to show the signs of exhaustion of a year of hard work, rising outdoor temperatures, adjusting to the closure of first grade, and the anticipation of summer break. Patience levels seem to decrease as frustration levels increase, causing students to resort to their unhelpful ways of resolving conflict such as name-calling. I began by reading
Mr. Peabody's Apples written by Madonna. We learn how our assumptions about others can turn into a hurtful experience if we aren't accurate with our words. This is also a great story to illustrate the effect rumors have in a community. We have to be careful with what we say because it is not so easy to take it back afterward.

We played the telephone game to see how easy it is for rumors and gossip that is untrue to be spread. Then we watched Kid President's hilarious video on words we should say more often:

(We had to watch more than once, they loved it and couldn't stop laughing!!!)

I explained that it's important for us to THINK before we speak, and hung this poster in their classroom to refer to:

Piggy-backing off of Kid President's challenge, I had students think about how they could be more kind in their words. "
If you can't think of anything nice to say, you aren't thinking hard enough," says Kid President. Then I asked them to think about something nice they could say to someone who usually pushes their buttons. Find something specific to compliment that student with, something that would brighten their day. They wrote this in the speech bubble and then drew a picture of themselves saying it. Their challenge is to actually do what they illustrated on their paper by the end of the week.

(these two were referring to me, I can assure you...lol)

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In first grade we are reviewing the power of our words. This is a great theme to reinforce repetitively throughout the year, as it is so easy to fall back into our old ways.

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Pink Cat Studio - Fun Educational Games and Activities

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Make learning fun with engaging review and practice activities for the classroom. Decorate your classroom with fun labels, name tags and posters.

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...I was only 7 when that song came out, but either way, you're now reading this title with the tune to that song. #missionaccomplished

I frequently get asked on comments or through messages what my daily routine looks like in the classroom. I love seeing daily schedules. When creating the perfect schedule and routine for your classroom, you need to bounce around some ideas and suggestions. And where else better to get those suggestions than from other teachers?!

In most grade levels you might not have as much wiggle room when it comes to creating your daily routine as we do down in pre-school. Your reading and math RtI times are set by your administrators and you've got to include 'x' amount of time in this subject and that subject. Some of the decisions are already made for you. But for me, I have full flexibility with my schedule. Even for lunch I can pick whatever time I want since my kids eat in the classroom, not the cafeteria with kindergarten.

I also am free to chose when I take my lunch and my paras take their lunch. It's awesome to have such flexibility! But that still doesn't make figuring out your schedule/daily routine any easier.

I usually end up with a few rough drafts on paper with various times and arrangements before making a final decision. My final copy is then transferred over to the classroom schedule and individual student schedules. A copy of it is also included in my welcome packet for the parents.

The next step is plugging in the students. I always, always, ALWAYS am tweaking our schedule after the kids start. Whether it's changing the order of something or adjusting the times, something is guaranteed to change. Usually by the third week, it's set in stone. Then I send home a revised copy to the parents. They probably toss it, but I like for them to have it just in case they have to pick their child up early one day, or make a doctors appointment-- they know what their child will miss.

For the 2013-2014 school year, this was our schedule. I may have tweaked our times by 5-10 minutes here and there, but didn't make new cards to reflect that.

As you can see I display it right by our carpet area. We re-group here following most transitions so it's a perfect location. You can also see on the job chart that there is a schedule helper. This person helps to move the clothespin down our schedule throughout the day. This pocket chart is so perfect for our schedule. I actually have 2 of them because I didn't think our full day schedule would fit. I was able to make it work though by combining some things (center time and clean up time) and doing just a dismissal picture for when it's time to get back packs. Because once they get their back pack, we don't come back to carpet, so we'd never move that clip down again.

And yes, I FORGOT to put a lunch picture on the lunch/bathroom part of our day. I kid you not, I left it that way all year #teacherfail I did at some point realize the picture was missing, I just never took the time to fix it. Whoops.

There is also a piece of velcro on top of the outside picture. This is for when it rains. I velcro a gross motor room picture on there. This is essentially a small gym right across the hall from our classroom.

I'm sure if I ended this post here I'd be flooded with questions about what we do in each part of day so I'll go ahead and elaborate on that for you. If you didn't think this post was already long enough, it's about to get LONGER! Go grab yourself some coffee or a latte--maybe even a snack!

I'm sure some of this self-explanatory, but everyone does things differently, so let's dive in! **Please note that outside and lunch should be flip flopped! I put the schedule back together just to snap these photos and just now noticed that mistake!**

Arrival/Bathroom: Students come in the classroom at 7:50. Upon entering they complete their arrival routine of hanging up their name tag, back pack, taking out their folder, signing in, and then completing the work box at their seat. After they finish their box, they put it away on the shelf. Then they are allowed to play at what we call "table time." These are specific toys and puzzles on 2 tables. This is the only area they can play in at this time. Or they can look at books on the book shelf, which is located in the same area. Students are sent to the bathroom one at a time after they finish their box and are at the table. At this time one adult will go the cafeteria to get our breakfast.

Breakfast: The schedule says 8:00, but realistically this wound up being 8:30. By the time everyone uses the bathroom and we get back from the cafeteria, we sit down for breakfast. Each child has an assigned seat at the table and a placemat that they made. Everyone gets germ-x, we sing "open shut them" and then they are told the breakfast choices. Every child must ask before they can have anything --whether it's with words or pictures. Some students are even served bite by bite to make them request more. Communication is the goal! Anything to promote it! As they finish breakfast, they go back the table time toys. Anyone who still needs to use the bathroom will go after breakfast. When everyone is finished, we turn on the clean up song to put away our books and table time toys. Then students transition to the carpet.

Greeting Time: This did not start at 8:30 either. More typically it was anywhere from 8:50-9:00 before we sat down. We do 3 things during greeting time and I have these 3 things on a small schedule that I move another clip down on so the students know the 3 tasks we do at that time. (Sorry I don't have a photo of this!) We start with our Hello Song. Each child is holding a name tag. We sing hello to each one and we practice spelling their name before they give me their name card. For some this might include the first letter, then gradually build up to their full name throughout the school year. Next, we do our message board. Messages are on the easel in our greeting area. Most often we have 2 messages, and on Thursday, 4 messages. Our standard 2 are "jobs" and "outside." We review who has what job, and then whether or not we will go to the playground that day. Following messages, we move on to the song book. Each day there is a child's name on the cover of the song book. That child gets to pick the song for us to sing as a group. They LOVE the song book! (That's another blog post in itself!)

Earn/Gross Motor: Following greeting time we have earn time. It says gross motor because in the beginning of the year that's where we go for about 10 minutes instead of the students making a choice between 2 earn items. We do it this way just to make the correlation between the yellow star and special activity. After about 2-3 weeks we will start counting our happy sticks and making an earn choice. We'll be here for days if I elaborate on happy sticks. I have another post about it here, although that's also due for an update because a lot of things were adjusted/tweaked with those throughout the course of the year. Once everyone has made their choice we set a 3-5 minute timer. When the timer beeps, earn is over and we go back to our spot on the carpet. Earn choices are typically small sensory items that they can play with in their spot. If we have bubbles they might move around some, or some messy goop they'll transition to the table behind the carpet for that.

Centers/Clean Up: Following earn time we are ready for centers. Halfway through the year I added task box schedules for the students before centers. I will probably adjust our schedule for this next year. (This is also another blog post in itself!) The students who have task schedules are given a picture to transition them to do their work. Following their work they can earn centers. Students choose a play center to go to at this time. During centers I may call students to work with me one on one on IEP goals, work on PECS exchanges with students, and all students use the bathroom again. Following a 5 minute warning, the song helper will turn on the clean up song when it's time to put away our toys.

Earn/Gross Motor: Again, same as above. We count our sticks and get our earn.

Large Group Time: This can be a variety of activities. It almost always starts with a story read aloud that's engaging. Students either have story boards to follow along with or a manipulative to hold on to and/or sequence along with our story. We may also sing a thematic song during this time too. While we are doing this one adult goes to get our lunches from the cafeteria. If we finish our large group plans before lunch arrives, then we turn on the smartboard for activities while we wait.

Lunch: Once lunch is set up at the table students will transition there. We follow the same routine as breakfast. After they eat they use the bathroom and then play with table time toys again. Once everyone has finished lunch they should all be at table time. We will clean up table time to transition to outside time. Because an adult gets the lunches for the students, we make our choices using this lunch book. This is excellent for your non-verbal students, but I use this for all of mine.

Outside: Weather permitting we go outside to the playground. We try to clean up our table time toys at 11:30am to line up for the playground. If we're running behind, we just extend our time once we get out there. We stay out for about 20-30 minutes. When we transition back inside we get right on our cots for quiet time. Typically a teacher has set up cots while students are eating lunch, or stays behind to set them up while we go outside.

Quiet Time: Some of you may be shocked that we're doing quiet time and wondering how in the world we do it. Don't give me any gold stars yet because I have a trick. It's called the Smartboard. We play preferred tv shows via DVDs on the smartboard during quiet time. The students don't sleep anyway and this is so much more calm and manageable than when I tried "quiet time baskets" with quiet activities. We have to have a quiet time to allow all the staff in the room to get their lunches. This is what makes it the most manageable. Quiet time will last for 45 minutes. Before the students get up a staff sets up for snack.

Snack: We turn the lights on to signal it's time to get up. Students put their pillows and blankets under their cot sheets and go to the snack table. A teacher puts away the cots. The snack helper passes out placemats and we proceed with snack the same as our other meals. However, now, when they finish snack they may go to any of the play centers. They do not have to play with table time toys. This is great since some students either do not want snack or finish snack early.

Centers/Clean-Up: This is the same as above. In the afternoon centers will run for about 1 hour. Again, I can pull students to do one on one activities with me and some students will complete a second task schedule for the day. We follow the same procedure for clean up.

Earn/Gross Motor: Again, same as above. We count our sticks and get our earn.

Dismissal: After clean up from our final earn for the day it's time to pack up. Students are sent to the cubbies to follow their pack up routines (in visual form for most) and then we sit down in our cubby. Our busses come the pre-k wing door and we can see the busses as they pull up from our classroom. As a bus pulls up I call those students to line up and walk to their bus. We do this 1 bus at a time. On nice days we will go outside and play on a small playground until our bus is here.

SHEW we made it to the end of the day! Are you exhausted yet? Teaching full day pre-k is LONG. I have done it for 2 years now and will start my 3rd year with all day in September. I LOVE it. I do have some students who will be with me for a half day though. They leave after AM centers. We will sing a goodbye song to that student(s) after we have cleaned up and a teacher will take that student to their bus and the other adult continues with the routine with the others.

I mentioned 2 things in here that I could elaborate more on in other blog posts. If you want to know more about ANYTHING, just comment below! I will definitely be doing posts at some point this summer on our song book and an update on happy sticks---that is so overdue! I hope you got something helpful out of this!

**Update: I have created {editable} schedule cards just for you! You can use these in a pocket chart like mine, or display them however you choose! Head to my TpT store to check them out!

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creating & teaching: Daily Schedule... {This is How we Do It}

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I was only 7 when that song came out, but either way, you're now reading this title with the tune to that song. #missionaccomplished I frequently get asked on comments or through messages what my daily routine looks like in the classroom. I love seeing daily schedules.

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Downloadable Schedule Cards!!!  Nice, nice, nice!

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I have been taking a few trainings this summer and I heard a BRILLIANT idea and I HAD to share it ... Very rarely do I get this excited about an upcoming idea for my classroom, so I need to tell you all! Someone mentioned it in training - I don't know their name, so I can't give credit to whoever they are! = )

I have been struggling with a method for my students to self assess their understanding of a concept that would make THEM take the next step in mastering. I have used a student made rubric (students collaborate and design it at the beginning of the year) in the past, which I love and will continue to use, but I wanted something that would also encourage my students to either actively seek more help if need or be willing to provide help if they mastered the concept.

Before I explain more, you must know my class is what I call "safe" - Meaning thoughts, questions, and misunderstandings among students are respected and valued by ALL. From the very beginning of the year students are encouraged (sometimes forced) to express their understanding with concepts (mostly in math) opening with each other without the fear of being judged. This is something I know most teachers encourage their students to do too, so if your class is one of them, this idea will work great! ﻿

This poster will help explain! So I plan on first teaching students how to self assess their understanding with a concept or problem. Look at the traffic light poster. means a student still need a lot of "practice" and re-teaching. means a student understands about half of the concept, but there are still some things they are unsure about. means the student understands and could teach someone else the concept. I placed the thumb pictures in the colors because my students will identify this common way of self assessment (I believe Kagan). The students will NOT hold their thumbs up because... ﻿

Instead they will hold up a color. Before they select the color, I will give the students think time (about 15 to 30 seconds) to think about where their true understanding falls. After they think about it, I will have them select the color and hold their color (paint sample card - thanks LOWES) at the count of three. At this point the students will find a partner. This is where the name "Networking for Help" comes in. How they select a partner is explained on the poster. When they go to their partner they will be required to talk about their understanding of the concept or problem. This will be when they try to compare/solve/understand the concept or problem together. I will tell the students I will be selecting an anonymous group of partners to explain their results and what they learned. During this time I will also be walking around monitoring their understanding through questioning.

Does anyone else have any ideas on self assessment for students??? I would love your ideas and/or thought!

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Student Self Assessment - Networking with Other Students

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I have been taking a few trainings this summer and I heard a BRILLIANT idea and I HAD to share it ... Very rarely do I get this excited about an upcoming idea for my classroom, so I need to tell you all!

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Discover thousands of images about Self Assessment on Pinterest, a visual bookmarking tool that helps you discover and save creative ideas.

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Booktopia Search Results for 'just joking'. We sell books, hardback, paperback, audio, CDs.

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