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Reading Chapter 3 of Learn Like a Pirate ( you can see my blog post HERE) got me so excited about next year. Changes are in the air ... I'm switching grades (I'll have a 4/5 split with mostly fives), switching rooms (moving to the room next door and am so excited to get to decorate with a new theme and color scheme), and switching teaching styles (HELLO student-led classroom)! SO excited.

Not 5 minutes after I finished writing my blog post for chapter 3 of Learn Like a Pirate, a fabulous idea for introducing our student-led classroom to my students popped into my head and I started writing a new blog post (and as an added bonus, I got to put off doing the dishes for a little while longer).

The Activity:

One of my favorite team-building activities to do on the first day is a cup-stacking challenge - you can read more about it HERE and HERE. Collaborating like this is a great way to get your students working together to solve problems and helps set up great whole group discussions about how to work together to meet goals and learn from your mistakes. Right away, I knew how I could use this group activity to introduce the ideas behind the student-led classroom. You need 6 stacking cups (I use solo cups), one elastic, and enough string for one piece per person in the group (I usually do groups of 4). Students need to move the cups from one formation to another using only the elastic and string - at no time can their hands (or any body parts, for that matter) touch the cups. Teachers should give no hints or instruction about how to move the cups - groups need to figure out what strategies work for them as part of their team-building.

How I Will Change the Activity:

The first thing is to change the way the cups were stacked at the beginning. Instead of having 2 rows of 3, the cups will first be stacked in a pyramid. I wrote a "T" on the top cup.

They will have to break down the pyramid, starting from the top, before they can rebuild the stack (which will be the six cups fitting together in one stack with the T cup on the bottom).

If the stack falls while they are making it, they will have to work together to get it standing again. All of this will happen without any teacher instruction or input outside of showing them what the final stack should look like and instructing them at the beginning that at no time can their hands touch the cups - they have to figure out how to move the cups using only string and elastics.

Explaining the Student-Led Classroom:

OK - here's where I turn it into our introduction to the student-led classroom. After all groups have finished, we'll come together in a class meeting. I'll stack the cups back into the pyramid shape from the beginning and explain that the formation represents the "old way" of how my classroom used to run. The cup on top is the teacher (me) with the cups underneath representing the students (them).

The activity (like all activities in the "old" classroom) had to start with the teacher first (just like they had to move that cup first). Through the activity, the students worked together, solved problems, and came up with strategies to change the formation (while I say this I will move the cups into the ending formation - the stack of 6 cups with the top cup now on the bottom). I will explain that what used to be the top cup (the teacher) is now on the bottom - supporting all the other cups (the students). All the cups fit perfectly together in the new formation (our "new" classroom). The bottom cup (the teacher) is the strong foundation and the support for the students - who are now on top - forming a student-led classroom.

We can also talk (notice I didn't say "I'll tell them" - I'm working on these changes already) about challenges - sometimes the stack fell, just like we will sometimes encounter problems with this new way of doing things, but by working together, we can build it back up again. We can end with a student-created anchor chart about our learning and insights from this activity.

I am SO excited about this. It ties in the ideals of growth mindset AND introduces the methods of the student-led classroom. I think it's going to be a GREAT year!

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Reading Chapter 3 of Learn Like a Pirate ( you can see my blog post HERE) got me so excited about next year. Changes are in the air ... I'm switching grades (I'll have a 4/5 split with mostly fives), switching rooms (moving to the room next door and am so excited to get to decorate with a new theme and color scheme), and switching teaching styles (HELLO student-led classroom)!

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Students fill in the rays sharing math-related facts about themselves. For more information and samples, see this post - http://mrssolsclass.blogspot.com/2013/07/math-about-me.html SEE ALSO: - Math about Me 2 - with "My Postal Code" - Math about Me 3 - with "My Bedtime"

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Classroom Procedures Bingo

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This baby has been a sad, sad little list that I've clutched onto year after year. I decided to glam her up & make her presentable to the world.

I think almost all behavior problems in the classroom can be solved by setting up clear classroom procedures and routines at the beginning of the year and practicing and reinforcing them throughout the year. Thus, this blog post will be all about.....[drum roll please]............:

In the past, I have relied solely on a list of procedures I wanted to cover and practice throughout the first weeks of school and my class did just that-read over the list then practiced when the opportunities presented themselves. I had to be honest with myself-teaching classroom procedures were dreadfully boring for both myself and the class.

Finally, I had enough and decided I was going to make learning our classroom procedures fun for both the students and myself. My students looove the iPoet anchor chart because it's highly relatable to their tech-obsessed world so I created a similar tech-themed format for our Classroom Procedures Game: "iPractice our Classroom Procedures" and "iKnow our Classroom Procedures." I compiled a total of 30 classroom procedure apps that I felt were essential to learn and practice during the first month of school.

Being a pinspired teacher, I have seen several uses for cooking sheets in the classroom on Pinterest. I originally found baking sheets at Wal-Mart (3 for under $5!) and they are conveniently shaped like an iPad so adding the apps was as simple as laminating and slapping a magnet on the back and boom! Instant app fun 🙂 I made two baking sheets one for classroom procedures our class still needed to learn or practice and labeled it "iPractice" and the other was labeled "iKnow." The "iKnow" cookie sheet houses the classroom procedures the class has mastered with little to no guidance from me. It takes several weeks for some of the practices to become a known routine so patience is key. Modeling as the teacher is also essential. I always have a student model the incorrect way and the correct way after I model each time we practice during our first few times practicing the procedure.

It also works very well with a jewelry organizer because it's portable!

When I introduce the procedure, we make an anchor chart using a bigger version of the classroom procedure apps:

Can I say eww to my handwriting? Anyways, it varies whether or not I make notes for every single procedure, some I find my students get with practice, other times I find it necessary to lay out as many visual cues as possible for consistent reinforcement.

Once a procedure has been moved to "iKnow," I make it a very big deal. Once the class masters all the procedures through several, several practice sessions, all procedures will fill the "iKnow" side. We celebrate their achievements with a classroom party. This year I'm thinking about a Halloween-inspired party since my school doesn't have official classroom parties. It's the first big thing the students look forward to for the year.

Later on, if a particular procedure, such as walking in line is not looking like the way we practiced it, we place the specific procedure back into practice mode where they have to earn it back. It's important that the students work hard for the procedure to be moved to iKnow so they don't even want to risk going back into practice mode. Typically, just the mention of that being a possibility straightens them right up.

How do you teach classroom procedures?

If you're interested in The Classroom Procedure Game you can click on any of the pictures above, or click on the product's cover page below:

Happy Pinning!

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My #1 Back to School Must Have: Classroom Procedures | The Pinspired Teacher

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This baby has been a sad, sad little list that I've clutched onto year after year. I decided to glam her up & make her presentable to the world. I think almost all behavior problems in the classroom can be solved by setting up clear classroom procedures and routines at the beginning of ...

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Save Freddie

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First Day of School Activities for Big Kids

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Every time I mentioned Back to School on my Facebook page at least one person mentions that it can't possibly be time yet! I know, I know! It's much too soon...

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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August 23, 2014
As a teacher, the first week of the new school year is always an exciting time for me as I get to deal with new classes and new students.There is always that deep-seated drive to know your students and learn about their learning styles, their previous academic background and what they expect from your class. Each teacher has her/his own strategy to get to know their students but now with the widespread of technology, a number of digital activities can be used to enable students to express themselves freely and articulate what they want others to know about them. Creating autobiographical trailers, audio clips, blog postings..etc are some examples of how students can use technology to introduce themselves to their peers and to their learning community.

There are also a set of other interesting strategies that are not necessarily technology based and which teachers can use to get to know their students. The handy visual below features some of them . Check it out and share with us what you think of it. Enjoy

1- The silent line
Students are given a criteria and must get themselves organized into a line as quickly as possible, without talking! Examples of criteria are height, shirt colour, etc

2-Ready, set, group!
Students should from and re-form groups quickly with criteria given by the teacher. Ex: make a group of three people with the same colour hair. Once the group has settled into smaller groups, give direction for a different grouping.

3- Toss the name ball
Students sit in a circle. The person who starts out with the ball says the name of a person, then tosses them the ball. If the ball is dropped, the group must re-start from the beginning.

4- Cross if you...
The group sits in a circle with one person in the middle. The middle person designates a criteria, and everyone who meets it should cross and find a new seat. The person who has no seat goes to the middle and selects the next criteria.

5-Snowball flight!
Each person writes one thing they are excited about, one they are nervous about, and one thing they want to learn. The papers are crumpled into balls and put in a pile. Each student then picks a ball and must find the person it belongs to.

6-Truth vs lie
Each person thinks of 2 facts and one lie about themselves. Each tells the whole group their three items and the group must guess which is the lie.

7- Foodie friends
Each person states their name and then a food that begins with the same letter as their name. The next person must repeat the previous names and foods, and then add their own.

8-A poem about me
Each student writes a poem of five lines: 1.3 things they like 2. 3 things they dislike 3.3 words that describe them 4. a place they'd like to visit 5. 3 movies they've seen then share with the class.

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8 Practical Strategies to Ge to Know Your Students

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August 23, 2014 As a teacher, the first week of the new school year is always an exciting time for me as I get to deal with new classes and new students.There is always that deep-seated drive to know your students and learn about their learning styles, their previous academic background and what they expect from your class.

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Before the start of each school year, I spend a lot of time reevaluating the routines and procedures that I use in my classroom. Establishing routines and proce

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This FREEBIE includes a color and black and white handout to provide to teams of students engaging in the Marshmallow Challenge activity. This activity is great to use as an icebreaker or to engage students in critical thinking, cooperative learning, and innovative thinking.

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Well I survived the first two weeks and I couldn't be happier with my group of kiddos! They are sweet. eager, and cheerful - a teacher's dream! :)

I come home pooped each afternoon

...but it's a good kind of tired.

Amen! I slept for over 12 hours last night! :)

Today I want to share a quick and easy way to get to know your class. I started out with a regular inflatable beach ball:

I bought mine at the dollar store - or you can order it on Amazon here.

Then I wrote a bunch of get-to-know you questions all over it:

We went outside and gathered in a circle.

A student threw the ball to a classmate and wherever their right thumb landed, that was the question they had to answer.

The kids had a blast and it was a fun way for them to learn interesting things about their new classmates. I loved seeing them let loose, laugh, and open up with one another. It really helped to gel our class - and set the tone for an awesome school year!

Want to pin this idea for later?

I'd love to know:
What is your favorite get-to-know-you game?!?

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Well I survived the first two weeks and I couldn't be happier with my group of kiddos! They are sweet. eager, and cheerful - a teacher's dream! :) I come home pooped each afternoon ...but it's a good kind of tired. Amen! I slept for over 12 hours last night!

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scroll to the bottom of the page

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This summer, I set up my classroom, without any idea of what a 4th grade classroom should look like. We are in our second week of school, and I am quickly noticing things that are working and not working in my classroom. Here are some photos of the boards and goodies around my room.

Here is my "class jobs" wall. I stapled ribbon on the board and then added little pockets with numbered sticks in them. Each student is assigned a number, and the sticks will rotate to the next pocket each week. Everyone in the class has a job (that was difficult to think of), so it keeps them engaged and accountable!

Here is our "focus wall" where we will display the weekly vocabulary and details about the focus story. The pennant flags are available in my TpT Store.

I decided to start the year with a clip chart. I made it out of scrapbook paper and made the little signs. Each person has a clip and they can move up and down the chart. For the "refocus" the student has to fill out a "refocus sheet" in another classroom to reflect on their behavior and how to correct it.

This a small bulletin board in the back of the room that has notes and details for the parents.

This is the background for our writing wall. I will hang up the student's work on top of the scrapbook paper using paperclips.

I am obsessed with this interactive synonym wall, made by Fancy Free In Fourth (I will have a full blog post on this, on Friday)

Here is our calendar, daily schedule, and birthday cupcakes (I need to add the candles!).

Our first assignment was a " Social Media Profile" get to know you activity. The kids fill out information about themselves and write four "status updates" from the summer. It is in my TpT Store. :)

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This summer, I set up my classroom, without any idea of what a 4th grade classroom should look like. We are in our second week of school, and I am quickly noticing things that are working and not working in my classroom. Here are some photos of the boards and goodies around my room.

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*FREEBIE!* Need a first day activity? Looking for a great way to help your students get to know each other? Here is a fun activity that is designed to get students mingling and finding out about one another.  Using the sheet students will be able to ask interesting questions and learn classmates' names as they seek out to find the perfect people to get them a bingo.  After the first (or first few) bingo, we love to share our answers and see what we can find in common.

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This past week there was a group of people coming over and I was in charge of the "get to know you" game. I remembered that I had see ...

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Despite not playing Jenga since the day...

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Despite not playing Jenga since the day we bought it, I apparenlty have to buy a new one if I want to go this to it. Serious imagination squashing going on here! Just imaging the fun year 9 could have with this! Of mice and men WHAAAT!

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Music Activties

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It's the beginning of a new year, and that means there are new names to learn and old names to review. We spend the first few class sessions playing several different name games to cement names and also work on different music skills.

Sing Me Your Name

This name game is useful for developing pitch matching skills in younger students.

Teacher sings: "Sing me, sing me, sing me your name." (S-M-S-M-S-M-R-D) (ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ti-ti, ta)

While singing, teacher makes eye contact with a student and tosses a bean bag to the student at the end of the phrase.

Student answers by singing the same melody, but sings his/her name twice, and then, "That is my name."

Student tosses bean bag back to teacher.

Before we begin the game, we practice the question/answer several times. Sometimes we insert a silly name for the class to sing as the answer, such as, "Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter, that is my name." We also demonstrate correct answers and incorrect and have students identify whether the answer is right.

Later, the game can be played to assess pitch matching with new lyrics. Teacher can change the question to "Sing me, sing me, sing me your food." Student answers with favorite food. The possibilities are endless: show, color, animal, etc.

Higglety Wigglety Bumblebee

This poem is good for working on steady beat with K-1 students.

Teacher teaches poem by rote (lyrics can also be placed on board/screen for emerging readers).

Students speak poem and pat steady beat.

When students can speak poem successfully, game begins.

Class speaks poem while patting the steady beat, then one student speaks name.

Game can be played at different levels as students progress. The first time

First student speaks name, then class continues with poem. Play continues with the next student.

Later, student speaks name on steady beat and class answers back on the steady beat before continuing with the poem for the next student.

Play can also take place with teacher using a bumblebee puppet.

Teacher walks around the circle and taps students on the beat.

The student which the bee taps at the end of the poem speaks his/her name.

Teacher says name, instructs children to say the name, then improvises a way for the class to repeat the name. ex: "Sal-ly. Let's all say it, Sal-ly. Let's all whisper it, Sal-ly." Other ideas: "Let's clap and say it," or "Flap your wings and say it."

Up the Ladder

We extended the game by letting students play the rhythm of the student introductions. 2nd-6th graders stood in lines behind 6-7 drums. After the poem, students at the drums introduced themselves (rhythmically) and everyone echoed and played the rhythm on the drums. Students waiting in line put the rhythm somewhere on their bodies. Students rotated to the end of the next line during the poem. They loved it!

Here's a video of our extension of Up the Ladder:

Do you have favorite name games? They are a great way to start the year for students and teachers.

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It's the beginning of a new year, and that means there are new names to learn and old names to review. We spend the first few class sessions playing several different name games to cement names and also work on different music skills. This name game is useful for developing pitch matching skills in younger students.

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Well, I thought the day I got my own paper cutter was a fun day. Then, I thought that getting my Cricut was as excited as I could get. But, I stand corrected... this puppy made my day! Introducing my very own personal laminator! 🙂

I have to preface this with the following statement: If Macy's Estee Lauder hadn't run out of my face wash, if Michael's hadn't sold out of the black and white polka dot border "I" had run out of, OR if Barnes and Noble hadn't run out of ANY 9-11 picture books, I probably wouldn't have purchased my new toy. However, I had a BAD shopping day on Sunday, and wasted A LOT of gas, so when Monday morning rolled around and Lillie decided to go CRAZY at 5:45 am, I took the opportunity to go to a *different* Wal-Mart and Target and spend some hard earned money. This time around, I found white card stock (which is like out of season or something in IL. You can't find it ANYWHERE), super cute halloween themed erasers from Target $1 Spot, and of course, I was enticed by the laminator. For the record, I may have made an unnecessary purchase but at least I got the best deal. If you are interested in buying one for yourself, go to W-Mart. There you can purchase the laminator for $24.99 and a 50-pack of laminating sheets for $10. At Target (which, I do LOVE Target, but I also LOVE saving $$) you would pay $26.99 for the laminator and $14.99 (say what???) for the laminating paper. Well, by 10:30 am, I had laminated a brand new set of Calendar numbers, homemade games for 9-11, and several classroom posters. How fun and now I didn't have to worry about rushing to school early on Tuesday to heat up the school laminator. Oh, and the quality of the paper is awesome. So sturdy. Okay, laminator rant over. Go. Get. Your. Own. Now! 🙂

In other news, I wanted to share a few pics from my EASY, QUICK, and MEMORABLE Curriculum night project. It is called "Guess Who?" For a few years now, during the first few days of school, I have my students create 10 (or more) clues that describe them. Using me as the example, the class and I brainstorm 5 *general* and 5 *detailed* clues about me. Here is what we came up with.

1. I am a girl.

2. I have a dog.

3. I have only 1 sister.

4. My best friend's name is Lisa.

5. My favorite holiday is Halloween.

6. My hair is brown.

7. I like to read.

8. My favorite t.v. show is Grey's Anatomy (P.S. when is it coming back???)

9. My birthday is in October.

10. I like to listen to music.

I encouraged them to throw in some details that pretty much set them apart from everyone else, because even though we want to try to trick our parents, we don't want to totally confuse them. They ate it up. They were excited to see if their parents could pick out their clues.

Okay, after they generate their clues and we do some self and peer editing of spelling. Okay, let me rephrase that. We did A LOT of self and peer editing of spelling. Then, you can take this project in one of two ways. In the past, when I had a later curriculum night, my students would then type their clues on the laptops and print them out. However, this year, my grade level had a VERY early curriculum night so we didn't have time to type them out. The kids were bummed because they said their parents would recognize their handwriting (which, of course they did 🙂 ) but I convinced them that they could still stump their moms and dads.

After they finish their final copy, take their picture (the more dramatic the better!), have them glue their clues to the front cover of an 11×18 sheet of construction paper folded hamburger bun style, glue their picture on the inside, and decorate their project. They LOVED creating them, the parents LOVED reading them, and I LOVED that I was able to put student work on the walls in the first week. Winners all around! Here are some pics of the final projects! 🙂

I'm ALWAYS trying to think up new ideas so if you have a cute, easy, and fun Parent Night Project, I'd love to hear it. It's always fun to switch things up!

On that note, Glee is calling me and if I can't see McSteamy and McDreamy then I'll settle for crazy Sue Sylvester and her HILARIOUS rants. She is seriously a comic genius. Happy Tuesday everyone! 🙂

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Well, I thought the day I got my own paper cutter was a fun day. Then, I thought that getting my Cricut was as excited as I could get. But, I stand corrected... this puppy made my day! Introducing my [...]

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Last month I was looking for a getting to know you game that I could do with a large group of women for Relief Society. After searching for something we could play I came up with my own game. It is called:

It is a spin off of the "This or That" game. Here is how it works:

There are many other things you could add to this list to fit your "getting to know you" group.

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Last month I was looking for a getting to know you game that I could do with a large group of women for Relief Society. After searching for something we could play I came up with my own game. It is called: It is a spin off of the "This or That" game.

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Back to School Coloring Pages & Printables

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Free Back to School Coloring Pages and Printables. Great for all students. Enjoy!

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An educational blog that shares ideas about teaching! Mostly geared towards science, but sometimes offer ideas that any teacher might benefit from. Come see me!

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Selfie Art Project

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*repost*

Here are some 'while working' shots that I grabbed because I love these! They are so fun. I got this idea from another teacher in my district last year where I taught. She said it was a huge hit among her 5th graders. Well, I decided to try it with 3rd and it worked.

1. Start with a LARGE sheet of paper...18x24 is what we used
2. Have students trace hands facing outward, towards the top of the paper. A friend may help.
3. Put papers on the ground, and have students trace their feet facing outward slightly towards the bottom of the paper. **they LOVE this part!**
4. Have students draw an oval/circle for the head slightly above the hands (in the middle)...add details to the face, hair, etc...to make it look like them
5. Then, add a neck, show them how to attach the arms to the hands, and the pants to the feet. The arms and legs get larger as they get closer to the tracings of hands and feet. Draw details, details, details!
6. Discuss how they are 'flying back in space' and WHERE ARE THEY?! I have students drawing outer space, under the ocean, in a lightening storm, in tornadoes, etc....
7. Outline in sharpies
8. Paint with watercolors (we added crayon detail for small things as a wax-resist)

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Falling back in Space Portraits! 3rd Grade

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repost* Here are some 'while working' shots that I grabbed because I love these! They are so fun. I got this idea from another teacher in my district last year where I taught. She said it was a huge hit among her 5th graders. Well, I decided to try it with 3rd and it worked.

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You guessed it.... Woo hoo! Half way to a 3-day weekend after a long first week back! Woo hoo! Let's recap the week thus far, shall ...

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What do you do when there are five minutes left in class? One of my favorite quick activities is "Guess Who?" cards.

Give each student a recipe card and have her write about ten facts about herself. This can include favorites such as food, color or television show, or any other interesting facts. I like to do some brainstorming on the whiteboard about different facts that we can include, and then let students choose the ones that they want to write on their card.

When you have a few minutes left in class, choose a card and read one of the facts. Then give two or three students a chance to guess who the person is. If no one guesses, then read one more fact and continue in this way until the person is guessed. Not only is this a great time filler, but it also helps students feel special and important!

I like to let students choose the information that they write, but if you'd rather use a template for students to fill out, I've created one that you can download for FREE from Teachers Pay Teachers HERE.

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What do you do when there are five minutes left in class? One of my favorite quick activities is "Guess Who?" cards. Give each student a recipe card and have her write about ten facts about herself. This can include favorites such as food, color or television show, or any other interesting facts.

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This week was our first week back and, boy am I tired! My class is great though...very inquisitive and eager to learn. They take their work seriously and are actively working most of the day. Who could ask for more??

We did quite a few things this week, but I want to share with you one "get to know you" project we did that really came out great. I seriously can't stop staring at it!

I saw on . I love how it looks and thought it would make a great welcome sign.

Now, on the pin, the hands seemed to be just colored in. I wanted something a bit more. So we started with creating Circle Maps about ourselves. What made us special? What are some things that have shaped us? Where did you go in your life? etc....Most of the kids finished these Circle Maps in class on the first day of school.

I then asked the students to trace their hands and arms on a piece of 11 x 17" piece of paper. They then had to draw, write, decorate, etc...the traced in hand with items from the Circle Map. The goal was to teach their fellow classmates about themselves in a visual way, without giving away too much information (ie: I didn't want them to write paragraphs.) That is pretty much how far we got in class. So, the first homework assignment the students had to finish the project at home. I gave them so that they could be a bit more focused on their project and add a bit if they wanted. (but if you are going copy-less, just forgo this. They can write the information on a sheet of paper instead.)

The next day, the hands came back to school...and they were great! I had the kids get into groups and share what they decided to put on their hands and why. The kids learned a lot about each other in that 15 minute session!

When I went to put them around a piece of poster board, like in the original pin, they didn't fit :( I think if I had used a smaller piece of paper to trace their hands to begin with they might have. Oh well! I decided to put them up as if the hands were all in a line, raising up.....and it came out great! I overlapped the hands, so I was able to get 5 or 6 on one piece of large construction paper. I then mounted them on my wall. I love it!

All in all, this was a fun little project that served as a great way for the kids to get to know each other and make a nice display! What is something you do during the first week of school to help the kids get to know each other and for you to learn a little about them?

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This week was our first week back and, boy am I tired! My class is great though...very inquisitive and eager to learn. They take their work seriously and are actively working most of the day. Who could ask for more??

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I DO love back to school time. I love the freshly sharpened crayons, the clean pink erasers, and I especially love the pencils that are all the same size and perfectly pointed for the first (and possibly the last) time in my classroom. Back to School is a time of new beginnings, the glorious Spring of the school year. It's also the perfect time to read some great books to teach concepts like classroom rules and procedures, but more than that, to teach our newbies the deeper things that we want in a class community, like respect, caring, and tolerance.
So which books do I enjoy? I actually could have written a post with about 50 of them but I narrowed it down to my current top ten:

1. How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Having kids write about what they did during the summer is a classic. In fact it's been done so long, I think they might even have done this in ancient Egypt. What I like about this book though, is instead of telling the usual "What I Did Over the Summer" story, the boy in this book tells the class about his summer by starting out realistically, but eventually he weaves it into a tall tale that your kids will enjoy. This makes it a great springboard for your kids to do a different kind of story writing activity, instead of the traditional one they may have done before.

2. Miss Nelson is Missing

I think I have been in love with this book forever. It tells the story of a very sweet Miss Nelson (I'm thinking she sounds a lot like me...hmmm) who has to disguise herself (possibly, can't give it away) as Miss Viola Swamp, the no-nonsense substitute to snap the kids back into shape. Nice book to discuss how we give our students freedom to do certain things (maybe get a drink or go to the bathroom as needed) but if they take advantage of the rules, we may have to change things up.

3. Never Ride Your Elephant to School

This book describes what might happen if you bring an elephant to school and talks about all of the mischief that it might get into. I love to do a take-off writing activity with this book and let the kids decide which kind of animal they would bring to school. When the writing is done, have kids do a watercolor picture of the animal they brought to school, and then display them with their stories on a fun bulletin board.

4. What if Everybody Did That?

This is a great book to discuss how what we do has an affect on others, whether it's tossing trash around or forgetting to be respectful to our classmates. Great book to illustrate this point.

This book tells the story of a bunny who finally sees his owner but has had to wait so long. It goes through all of the emotions that we feel as we have to wait. Nice discussion piece for talking about how we need to be patient this year in our classroom and how the teacher may not be able to always help us as quickly as we had hoped. What can we do while we wait? Time to talk about procedures here.

6. The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

Beatrice is one of those students we dream about...conscientious, careful, methodical, but perhaps a bit too perfect. Her brother on the other hand is the opposite. In this story, Beatrice finally makes a mistake while juggling in the Talent Show and she laughs it off, learning that it IS okay not to be perfect. Nice lesson to do our best but not to stress.

This is one book that might not typically be found on a back to school list but since I love art and I like the message, it made my top ten. This is the story of a boy who learns to celebrate his individuality with the help of a very wise art teacher. After this book is done, you've got to make some art!!! One thing I do every year is to make self-portraits to hang around the room for the whole year, as a border near the ceiling. We mount these on black paper (about an inch all around for a border) and the kids create patterns on the black paper or simply decorate them however they want using construction paper scraps.

8. Because You Are My Teacher

This is an awesome book about a teacher who takes her students on amazing adventures around the world. You can use it as a springboard to all of the places (topics/themes) that you're excited to share with them or perhaps use it to talk about how books take us places. I think you'll love this book.

9. Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon

The illustrations in this book alone are enough to sell it to me! This is the story of how a little girl who had confidence in herself was able to befriend the school bully. This is a good starting point for a discussion and how we need to be respectful of others.

Who doesn't love Laurie Keller? This book focuses on specifically the Golden Rule, which pretty much covers everything. Reading this book and discussing the importance of treating classmates the way we want to be treated, is a good starting point for building classroom norms. Great book!

Do you have some back to school favorites to add to these. I would love to hear from you!
Also, if you're looking for a comprehensive type of morning work that will take you from Back to School to the end of the year, I created a unique set of materials which includes reading, language, math, as well as social studies and science for each grade level from 3rd - 6th grade.

Want to try a FREE week sample to see what you think?

Here are the complete units if you'd like to take a peek!

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I DO love back to school time. I love the freshly sharpened crayons, the clean pink erasers, and I especially love the pencils that are all the same size and perfectly pointed for the first (and possibly the last) time in my classroom.

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Get your students writing and thinking on their first day of school. This file contains a visually appealing "I Am" poem template for students to fill in about their first day of school. There is one template for each of the grades from Kindergarten to grade 8.

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Back To School Task Cards { Getting to Know You Task Cards }

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Enjoy these 32 getting to know you task cards to engage your students during the first few days of school! I always use them on the first day of school and we love them! They can be used to play

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SEE THE END OF THIS POST FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON DOING THESE ICEBREAKERS REMOTELY.
We're coming up fast on the beginning of another school year. That means a new batch of students to get to know, students who need to be made comfortable in your classroom, and who need to get to know each other. It's essential to start building relationships with your students right from the start.

And how to accomplish this? Icebreakers.

The Trouble with Most Icebreakers

I planned to create a nice big post with dozens of icebreaker ideas you could choose from. I would scour the Internet for the very best activities and games and store links to them here for your reference. The problem is that so many of the ones I've found are problematic for one of these reasons:

They require students to take massive social risks with people they barely know. So many of the icebreakers I found asked students to publicly share some kind of personal information. For the icebreaker to actually work, students would need to share something interesting and different about themselves, something that makes them stand out. But to most kids-especially once they get into the middle and high school range-being different is the worst thing you can be. So what many students ultimately do is share something safe and boring, something like "I like soccer," just so the game moves on to the next person. The result? No one really gets to know anyone.

They don't actually facilitate familiarity. Too many icebreakers consist of questions like this: "If you could be an animal, what animal would you be?" Unless you have a ridiculously deep and creative kid who is going to say something like, "I would be a mongoose, because a mongoose can kill venomous snakes, and I have a way of standing up to bullies even though I'm small," you're mostly going to get a lot of cat-cat-dog-dog-fish, et cetera. Unless of course you force creativity on them by insisting that no animals can be repeated, thereby making the poor kids try to come up with some stinking animal that somehow represents the least embarrassing aspect of their personality and isn't a repeat of anyone else's animal. I'm annoyed just writing about it, and I repeat: No one really gets to know anyone.

They are cheesy. The icebreaker I have been subjected to most often is the "Name Game," where you have to add a word to your name that starts with the same letter as your name AND tells something about you. Guh. Because my name starts with a J, I have always hated this game, because jazzy doesn't have anything to do with me. Neither does jelly or jalopy or joyful. Once you've chosen your word, people have to go around the circle repeating the newly enhanced names of the classmates who came before them in line. This means having to listen to Jammin' Jenn over and over, my eyes rolling, my grimace deepening. One year I just rebelled and picked a different letter; I think I called myself something like Indoor Jenn, due to my aversion to the outdoors. That felt better.

So I have scrapped my plan to curate good icebreakers from the Internet. Instead, I'm going to share my three favorites with you.

Three Icebreakers that Don't Suck

In my own classrooms, with middle school, high school, and college students, I have played all three of these games with great success. What I like about all of them is that they get students talking, but require very little social risk. Each activity supplies students with real topics to talk about, topics that actually help students get to know each other, without forcing anyone to reveal anything too personal.

Each of these will likely sound familiar to you, although the names may not be exactly what you've known them as. I should add that I take no credit for inventing these games. I have no idea where I picked them up, but they are not original to me.

Blobs and Lines

In this icebreaker, students are prompted to either line up in some particular order (by birthday, for example) or gather in "blobs" based on something they have in common (similar shoes, for example). What's great about this game is that it helps students quickly discover things they have in common. It's also ridiculously easy: Students don't have to come up with anything clever, and they can respond to every question without thinking too hard about it. This game keeps students moving and talking, and it builds a sense of belonging and community in your classroom.

Here are some sample prompts you can use for this game:

Line up in alphabetical order by your first names.

Line up in alphabetical order by your last names.

Gather with people who have the same favorite video game as you.

Line up in order of your birthdays, from January 1 through December 31.

Line up in order of how many languages you speak.

Gather with people who have the same favorite season as you.

Concentric Circles

This icebreaker has students arrange themselves in an inside circle and an outside circle, the inside facing out, forming pairs. Pairs discuss their answers to a getting-to-know-you question, then rotate for the next question, forming a new partnership. This game gives students the chance to have lots of one-on-one conversations with many of their classmates and helps them quickly feel more at home in your class.

The possibilities for questions in this kind of configuration are endless; be sure to use more open-ended questions that can get students talking, rather than those that simply ask for a yes or no answer. Here are some sample questions:

Do you play any sports? If so, which ones?

Do you consider yourself shy or outgoing? Why?

What was the last movie you saw? Did you like it?

Describe your perfect dinner.

What is one thing you're good at?

This or That

This icebreaker has students informally debate on light topics such as "Which animal makes a better pet...dog or cat?" Students have to choose a position, then physically move to the side of the room that most closely represents their opinion-one side means dogs, the other side means cats-and then talk about why they chose that spot. This game has always been a HUGE hit with any group I've ever taught: It builds student confidence with talking in front of their peers, it helps students quickly find kindred spirits, and it's also just a lot of fun.

Sample questions for This or That:

Would you rather live in the country or the city?

Would you rather be indoors or outdoors?

Which is better: Playing sports or watching sports?

Would you rather travel every single day or never leave home?

Want These Games Ready-Made?

I have created beautiful, animated PowerPoint versions of each of these games, plus a bundle of all three. The files work on Windows, Mac, and Google Slides, and they are all editable, so you can add or change questions anytime you like.

What About Remote Learning?

These instructions outline how to play these games using PowerPoint or Google Slides for the questions and Zoom for videoconferencing. If you are using different software you can probably still adapt the process to your own platforms.

IF YOU ARE TEACHING IN PERSON, students will likely have to be socially distanced and can't play these games as they would pre-COVID. My recommendation is that you create an Avatar Classroom on a Google Slide, then have students "move" around with their Avatars, but still talk from their desks. You could also just follow the remote instructions above and have everyone plugged into devices so they could talk in breakout rooms, etc. It may seem to defeat the purpose of being in school together, but students can still look across the room at each other while participating - I think it would be pretty fun.

Come back for more.
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Too many icebreakers require students to take massive social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy. Here are three that are actually good.

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Fourth grade is the big leap from little kid to big kid. It's a year of great strides academically, socially and emotionally. Taking on fourth grade this year? We've pulled together 50 of the best tips and tricks for teaching 4th grade from real teachers on our Facebook Helpline and around the web. Check it out.

1. Create a classwork group wheel.

This group wheel is fun for students and teachers alike. Separate the kids who might not work well together by putting them on the same wheel, but keep the element of surprise by having a different combination for each partnering.

2. STOP! (In the name of class!)

We love this method of letting a student know his behavior is off-task-without interrupting the flow of the lesson. Hand one of these to a student who needs a reminder to focus and you'll be in the clear. Click here for free printables from Rock and Teach to make your own!

3. Practice math skills with the most mathematical icebreaker ever.

This is a great first-day-of-school activity that doubles as both an icebreaker and a math review of last year's skills. Students create a poster of math equations representing different aspects of who they are, and then they can get to know each other by solving the problems. Bonus: You'll have instant wall art for Back-to-School Night! - From Fourth Grade Fun in Florida

4. Reinforce prime numbers with a fun card came.

Prime numbers become instantly cool when you use them to win this card game from Education.com! Download the activity for free here.

5. Play Behavior Bingo.

Your fourth graders will love working together to achieve five in a row! Bingo rewards might be extra recess, watching a short video, solving a riddle or puzzle, or an ice cream party. This behavior management tip for teaching 4th grade comes from Fourth & Ten.

6. Try social studies inquiry circles.

Address the required standards through inquiry-based learning! Here's a how-to guide from the One Stop Teacher Shop. Watch your kids sink their teeth into the "thick versus thin" concept, and the Work Plan Form will help students take control of their own learning.

7. Learn about area and perimeter with robots!

How fun are these 'bots? Students apply their understanding of area and perimeter by creating different robots based on mathematical specifications provided to them. Here are some more tips about teaching area and perimeter.

8. Use technology for formative and summative assessments.

The WeAreTeachers HELPLINE! community weighed in on the best digital assessment tools. They love: Class DoJo, Turning Point Clicker Systems, Plickers, Socrative, and Quizizz. Ditch the traditional paper-and-pencil testing for online quizzes and tests you can create and automatically grade through these sites.

9. Write a double journal.

Encourage your students to think beyond the literal in their reading by writing a double journal. Textual bits go in the left column, and the student's reaction to the text goes in the second column. If you want to take this to the next level, add a third column for a peer to read and share a response to the student reaction. -From The Teacher Studio

10. Read to them every day!

They still love listening to stories in fourth grade! Here are some top book series you can really dive into all year long.

11. Use paint chips to inspire sensory poetry.

Let color work its inspiration for your fourth-grade poets. - Fabulous in Fifth

12. Check homework, three ways ...

1. "Pick what's most important about the lesson, not the small details, and grade that way. Don't worry about spelling or grammar. The important thing is, did they understand the content?" - Megan P.

2. "For my gradebook, students receive credit for returning homework completed. I go around and mark them off, then I put the answers up and students correct it themselves. I then go over any problems that the students request for me to explain." - Montoya M.
3. "I have a box of clothespins with each kid's name on them. They clip their pin to their homework and drop it into the homework file up front. It's easy to tell who didn't hand in homework because you just take a glance at the remaining clothespins! I set a two-minute timer for them to complete this so it doesn't take too long, and my fourth graders do it in no time! You just have to practice and train them. Make a game out of 'beating the timer' without pushing or shoving." - Jamie S.

13. Out with boring worksheets! Engage your fourth graders with:

"Thinking maps that students create." -"Brain-based activities and games. Look up LaVonna Roth for a start." -"Foldables. Check out Dinah Zikes for ideas!" - Dianne K.
"Interactive notebooks!" - Shanna J.

14. Create classroom jobs for your students.

Here are some creative ideas from our teacher community: tech support, environmental support, organizer, textbook coordinator, sanitation engineer, librarian, substitute, chief in charge, messenger, paper passer, supply clerk, IT technician, human resources officer, administrative assistant, waste management.

15. Showcase students' math skills with awesome foldables.

Percents, fractions, and decimals, oh my! Students can both practice and highlight different conversions with this foldable activity from The Teacher Studio.

16. Make big plans!

We love this start-of-year activity from Write On, Fourth Grade! Start by reading by Bob Shea and Lane Smith. Then on construction paper, have students create their own plans for fourth grade, for their school career, and for adulthood. Hang 'em up and label the wall "Our Big Plans!"

17. Establish an anti-bullying culture from day one with resources from Kid Pointz.

Download free and kid-centric anti-bullying printables from Kid Pointz to help your students understand the importance of avoiding peer pressure and handling bullies constructively.

"I also went to the dollar store and got these cute little 'pledge' cards that kids can sign at the beginning of the year to pledge that they won't bully each other and will report bullying when they see it. It's a great way to start the year!" - Jen B.

18. Pick a fun theme for your classroom.

"'Science is Outta This World'! Do a space theme with rockets above different locations you are studying, a mad scientist mixing up a potion and vocabulary words coming out of the smoke puffs!" - Johnna M.

"The Jungle works for so many subjects, like life and how things change in time." - Liz H.

"What about 'Your World Matters'?" - Mindy J.

"The Rainforest!" - Ann M.

"'Heroes All Around Us' with monthly featured 'heroes,' both famous and local." - Ashley M.

19. Set up interactive, exciting centers in your classroom.

Having centers, or workstations, in your fourth grade classroom allows students to work independently.

"When introducing a new independent activity, I usually do it in small groups first, so when put in the independent stations, they are able to do it without my help." - Carol V.

"I have center folders that students keep their work in, and at the end of the cycle of centers, I grade the work as 100, 80, or 60 based upon what's done and the quality. I give one center grade for each cycle." - Gary F.

20. Spice up student writing with an adjectives anchor chart.

Variations on this might include brainstorming adjectives with students, or brainstorming exciting lists synonyms for specific, basic words, like "big," "small," "good," and "bad." This anchor chart comes from Confessions of a Teaching Junkie.

21. BEAM us up, Scotty!

The BEAM phrase "Be Excited About Math" doubles as "Buddy Games, Exercises for your Brain, Articles & A.R., and Multiplication & Manipulatives." Students complete activities from each station intermittently to keep things interesting and varied. Get more info on BEAM here.

22. Review fractions with Skittles.

Check out this fun lesson from Teacher's Notebook to "review some key fraction concepts including fraction of a set and comparing fractional amounts-key elements in the Common Core." Bonus, you get to eat the leftovers.

23. Improve home-school communication with Remind.

"There's a great app called Remind that parents and students can download on any smartphone or computer. I would send out messages on Sunday evening letting the parents know what lessons were for homework and when the test was scheduled. You send it as one message to all parents and students who have the app downloaded. It shows all the names. If there's something you want to communicate to only one parent, you send to that parent. It's a fabulous way to stay in touch!" - Pamela D.

24. Play fun online games to reinforce math concepts.

This giant list of math websites should be bookmarked on your computer! It's full of free online math games perfect for transitioning between lessons, a reward for good behavior, or a wrap-up activity for a math lesson!

25. Go digital with work submission to make things easier (yay, no more hauling hundreds of papers to your car every Friday)!

"I use Google Docs for writing assignments. It works really well. Students can use any device at home or school. I can give them suggestions for editing." - Sherrie R.

"I love my Google Classroom! I was able to differentiate lessons and assign students independent work at specific ability levels." - Suzy K.

"I use Flubaroo to grade forms." - Stephanie L.

"I use Edmodo. It's web-based." - Sonequa B.

"My coworker uses Schoology for online grading, and it's pretty simple to use." - Melinda S.

"Try Gooru. It connects to resources in your drive, and it's completely free." - Laurie A.

26. Provide a visual for paragraph writing.

Your fourth graders will sink their teeth into this anchor chart! From Smiles and Sunshine.

27. Establish classroom community in the first days of school with heart maps.

Your fourth graders can express what matters most to them by illustrating and writing in these heart maps. Download a free template from Fourth Grade Lemonade.

28. Never hear the words "I need a pencil" again!

"Here's my solution for the disappearing pencil phenomenon! Every child has two of their own duct tape pencil design and their number on them. One stays at their desk and the other sits in a numbered 'ready' pencil holder (wood block with drilled holes to hold 28 pencils). When the one they use becomes dull, they trade it for the 'ready' one. Nobody shares pencils and pencils that roll onto the floor are easily identified by their design and number. So many whining bouts that no longer occur: miracle!" - Trisha M.

29. Affirm them daily.

We love this idea of leaving positive sticky notes for kids every day to encourage them and let them know you're behind them 100 percent!

30. Make a class time capsule.

At the beginning of the year, have the students write down their thoughts, expectations, goals, feelings, and predictions. Put them all in a decorated jar, seal it up, and then read them all in the last week of school!

31. Teach author's purpose with a fun PIE anchor chart.

Whether an author is persuading, informing, or entertaining, students will learn the types of purposes with this delicious poster.

32. Help students visualize pronoun usage with this handy chart.

You can also use it to prompt on-the-spot exercises, like writing their own examples of words that would be replaced by particular pronouns.

33. Teach the difference between literal and figurative meanings through writing and drawing.

Take sentences from your class's current text that use figurative language and have students (literally!) illustrate and explain the difference in the literal and figurative meanings of the expressions.
You're welcome.
35. Teach students the art of note-taking.

Fourth grade is a wonderful level for students to begin taking their own notes. Using a handy anchor chart will help remind them of the different approaches to note-taking they can use.

36. Learn how electricity works with this Potato Power experiment.

37. Need a writing prompt? How about 73?!

Journal Buddies has 73 fourth grade writing prompts just for your kids.

38. Conduct common core-aligned fourth grade science projects.

This site offers a chart of fourth grade common core science standards with links to related activities and web tools. Lesson planning, DONE!

39. Take a brain break.

These quick activities take just three minutes each and give kids the chance to recharge between academic activities. A little palate cleanser goes a long way!

40. Remind students of appropriate hallway etiquette with this handy-dandy acronym poster.

41. Keep your students linked into the big picture of the lesson

We love this kid-friendly version of a teacher's lesson plans. Put day-specific "Today I am..." "So that I can..." and "I'll know I've got it if..." posters on your board.

42. Teach apostrophe usage with a strong visual.

We like this one from Write On, Fourth Grade!

43. Teach the difference between tone and mood with this helpful anchor chart.

Practice applying the definitions by reading passages in class and asking students to identify the different tone and mood in each passage.

44. Review vocabulary definitions with this simple muffin tin game.

Make reviewing fun with this interactive game! Download the activity for free here.

45. Check out these book recommendations for fourth grade boys from our teacher community:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, I Survived, Goosebumps, How to Train Your Dragon, 39 Clues, My Weird School, The One and Only Ivan, The Genius Files, Big Nate, Timmy Failure, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Jedi Academy, Chomp, Sideways Stories, Knights of the Lunch Table, The Spiderwick Chronicles

46. And their favorite websites for fourth grade:

Freeology, Read Write Think, Discovery Education, NewsELA, Teacher's Notebook, Wonderopolis, Education.com, Rubistar, Worksheet Works, Read Works, Intervention Central, SEN Teacher, K-5 Math Teaching Resources, Starfall, Tinsnips, Laura Candler, Touch Math, Super Teacher Worksheets, EdMentum, Edutopia

47. Teach how to use context clues as a skill to bridge into larger close reading skills.

We love this anchor chart.

48. Reward positive classroom behavior with fun coupons.

You can print a set here for free.

49. Have students double check their writing work before turning it in.

Get them writing "fourth grade sentences" and taking ownership over their work with this anchor chart.

50. Keep track of where your fourth graders are without the aggravating sign-in/sign out sheets.

These little magnets make managing your class easy. Add in any typical places your kiddies may go on a given day.

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50 Ideas, Tricks, and Tips for Teaching 4th Grade - WeAreTeachers

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Fourth grade is the big leap from little kid to big kid. It's a year of great strides academically, socially and emotionally. Taking on fourth grade this year? We've pulled together 50 of the best tips and tricks for teaching 4th grade from real teachers on our Facebook Helpline and around the web.

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Every time I mentioned Back to School on my Facebook page at least one person mentions that it can't possibly be time yet! I know, I know! It's much too soon...but the fact is that it's coming. In fact, a district a few miles away from me starts school THIS FRIDAY!

Throughout the summer, I have been compiling some brilliant first day of school activities from around the blogosphere. I always feel like I hear about the great activities too late--it's either a day or two before school starts or I hear about them AFTER school starts. So, I hope this post can help give you some ideas of engaging activities for the first days of school...specifically with the older crowd (grades 3-6) in mind.

I highly encourage you to click on each picture or the link below the picture to visit the blog post with more details!

If you use task cards, this free set is a great way to practice the rules and routines of SCOOT! You will thank yourself later in the year when your class can play SCOOT without a hitch!

Of course, there are a ton of different activities out there. This is just a sampling of some of the ones that have caught my eye. If you have a great one to share, please feel free to share it in the comments! I absolutely love hearing about your back to school activities. If you are looking for even more back to school activities, stop by my shop for these engaging goodies!

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First Day of School Activities for Big Kids

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Every time I mentioned Back to School on my Facebook page at least one person mentions that it can't possibly be time yet! I know, I know! It's much too soon...but the fact is that it's coming. In fact, a district a few miles away from me starts school THIS FRIDAY!

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Reading Chapter 3 of Learn Like a Pirate ( you can see my blog post HERE) got me so excited about next year. Changes are in the air ... I'm switching grades (I'll have a 4/5 split with mostly fives), switching rooms (moving to the room next door and am so excited to get to decorate with a new theme and color scheme), and switching teaching styles (HELLO student-led classroom)! SO excited.

Not 5 minutes after I finished writing my blog post for chapter 3 of Learn Like a Pirate, a fabulous idea for introducing our student-led classroom to my students popped into my head and I started writing a new blog post (and as an added bonus, I got to put off doing the dishes for a little while longer).

The Activity:

One of my favorite team-building activities to do on the first day is a cup-stacking challenge - you can read more about it HERE and HERE. Collaborating like this is a great way to get your students working together to solve problems and helps set up great whole group discussions about how to work together to meet goals and learn from your mistakes. Right away, I knew how I could use this group activity to introduce the ideas behind the student-led classroom. You need 6 stacking cups (I use solo cups), one elastic, and enough string for one piece per person in the group (I usually do groups of 4). Students need to move the cups from one formation to another using only the elastic and string - at no time can their hands (or any body parts, for that matter) touch the cups. Teachers should give no hints or instruction about how to move the cups - groups need to figure out what strategies work for them as part of their team-building.

How I Will Change the Activity:

The first thing is to change the way the cups were stacked at the beginning. Instead of having 2 rows of 3, the cups will first be stacked in a pyramid. I wrote a "T" on the top cup.

They will have to break down the pyramid, starting from the top, before they can rebuild the stack (which will be the six cups fitting together in one stack with the T cup on the bottom).

If the stack falls while they are making it, they will have to work together to get it standing again. All of this will happen without any teacher instruction or input outside of showing them what the final stack should look like and instructing them at the beginning that at no time can their hands touch the cups - they have to figure out how to move the cups using only string and elastics.

Explaining the Student-Led Classroom:

OK - here's where I turn it into our introduction to the student-led classroom. After all groups have finished, we'll come together in a class meeting. I'll stack the cups back into the pyramid shape from the beginning and explain that the formation represents the "old way" of how my classroom used to run. The cup on top is the teacher (me) with the cups underneath representing the students (them).

The activity (like all activities in the "old" classroom) had to start with the teacher first (just like they had to move that cup first). Through the activity, the students worked together, solved problems, and came up with strategies to change the formation (while I say this I will move the cups into the ending formation - the stack of 6 cups with the top cup now on the bottom). I will explain that what used to be the top cup (the teacher) is now on the bottom - supporting all the other cups (the students). All the cups fit perfectly together in the new formation (our "new" classroom). The bottom cup (the teacher) is the strong foundation and the support for the students - who are now on top - forming a student-led classroom.

We can also talk (notice I didn't say "I'll tell them" - I'm working on these changes already) about challenges - sometimes the stack fell, just like we will sometimes encounter problems with this new way of doing things, but by working together, we can build it back up again. We can end with a student-created anchor chart about our learning and insights from this activity.

I am SO excited about this. It ties in the ideals of growth mindset AND introduces the methods of the student-led classroom. I think it's going to be a GREAT year!

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Reading Chapter 3 of Learn Like a Pirate ( you can see my blog post HERE) got me so excited about next year. Changes are in the air ... I'm switching grades (I'll have a 4/5 split with mostly fives), switching rooms (moving to the room next door and am so excited to get to decorate with a new theme and color scheme), and switching teaching styles (HELLO student-led classroom)!