Motivation Monday

It's one of my last Mondays (and summer days) without plans and I am fully taking advantage of my pajama time!

However, that doesn't mean I'm not being productive!

I'm finishing up my teacher guide for The Blood of Olympus and the matching chronological order sort for TpT.  I'm cleaning up around the house and starting to pack my bags for back to school.  I've got a few small craft projects to finalize and some engagement tasks (emailing potential venues).

Even though it's a pajama Monday, I'm super motivated to make the most of my day.

What are your goals for today? 

How do you stay motivated during the summer?

I gave in

I gave in.

I tried to avoid the whole I have to go back to work situation by quickly changing the channel whenever back to school ads came on...but I failed.  I gave in.  I was out running errands and I ventured into the dreaded back to school supply aisle.



I bought my classroom supplies today.  I snagged some deals at the Dollar Tree and Target.

New classroom supply buckets:

(Round 2).

I'm hoping the smaller size will mean less mess.  I used these supply buckets last year and well, they didn't work.  So now, round two!  I plan to make cute table cards like these:

I will either color code or number code the supplies, depending on if I can find the appropriate sticker colors.  I'll print the cards, laminate them, and use a hole punch and binder rings to attach the cards to the buckets.

I found this cute chair cover at the Dollar Tree:

I think it's a fun way to add some joy into the classroom and make students feel special on their birthdays.  Plus, it's not related to food, so no need to worry about allergies!

I found this gem in the dollar aisle:

It will be a nice reference for students after I've explicitly taught these roots.

While I love my old classroom sign, 

It's time for a new one.  I haven't decided on what colors or fonts I'll be using so until I make up my mind, this is how it will stay.

I do love dollar tree stationary and will be using this for my classroom welcome letter.

I snagged these and will create a cute "survival" kit for my fifth graders.

I don't have everything fully figured out yet, but something about it's okay to make mistakes because it's proof you're trying and that I hope they sparkle (since the pencils are sparkly).  I'll post the final version once I've made up my mind.

I also stocked up on some new cups, which is one of my favorite classroom management strategies.

My old ones had been through hundreds of students...so it was time for a fresh start.

I found these at Target and think they'll go nicely with the bright colors I've picked out for my classroom decor.

I am excited for decorating my classroom!

Now, it's time to relax and enjoy my last few days before headed back for training.

Motivation

For the past few years, I've used the "kiss your brain" jar to reward students for thoughtful answers.

It works fairly well but I was ready to try something new.  While searching pinterest, I found this idea:
 

I think making a jar of treats to celebrate their growth and academic progress.  I just need a jar, a printer, and some markers!

CRT testing

Standardized testing is up on us.  In our district, spring break coincided with Easter so some of the fifth grade testing was done before spring break with the rest after.

Third grade went first and we had our math test on the Wednesday and Thursday before spring break.  The Friday before spring break was field day, so no testing was done.

We had a fifth grade pep assembly and they got these cute testing treats:

I don't know what happens at other schools, but we are very strict with our testing protocol.  My pink CRT bucket does not leave my sight after I sign it out in the am.  I lock it in the cabinet and then lock my door when I go to pick up my students and when we take our restroom break.  This year, our district was even stricter with test proctoring rules.  No technology could be on, which includes my teacher computer, iPads, and my cell phone.  I understand the rules and it saddens me that some teachers would cheat, giving the rest of us a bad name.  However, I also understand the incredibly high stakes of this test and when job security depends on the moods of eight year-olds, it seems like a catch-22 situation.  But again, I'm not the one making the rules...just the one meticulously following them.  Even though it means no email during the test.

We do class adoptions during testing season.  Primary classes adopt the testing grades and create good luck banners and treats to motivate our kiddos.  I wish we would have this adoption all year so that our classes could read to one another and share their writing, but I am not in charge of these things.

We did make good luck signs for the two third grade classes that we share a hallway with and they made super cute ones for us as well.  We also write good luck messages on our boards, since we take down all of our anchor charts and visual cues during testing.  

We were adopted by two first grade classes since their combined numbers are about equal to one fifth grade classroom.

Our first treat said we would rock the test and was baggies of rock shaped chocolates:

Our second treat was that we're on a roll with tootsie rolls.

I can't wait to see what the next four days of testing treats will be.  My students love the snack and the motivation signs are super cute.  I'm actually really excited about testing because I'm so proud of the hard work my grade level has done this year to prepare our students. 

 I only hope the standardized tests match what we taught in terms of standards.  We adopted the Common Core and have followed our state's roll-out plan meticulously, so we hope the test reflects the standards we were mandated to teach.  

(In all likelihood, this won't be the case.  I'm sure the test will be the old standards and our school will look poor in rankings because we did our job and taught them what they were supposed to learn...but alas, I'm not a policy maker and am not able to be in charge of everything...yet?)

Motivational Posters

Since a majority of my room is covered with anchor charts and student work, there isn't much room left over for motivational posters.

However, I do have these two displayed at the front of the room:

For me, effort is everything.  I'm an inclusion teacher and I know my students have a wide variety of current levels.  I also know that it doesn't matter where they start, but where they finish with me.  Because we are standards-based with the Common Core (although I'm supposed to call them the Nevada Academic Content Standards, or NACS for short...I'm still getting used to the new acronym), my students have through June to master concepts.  This means a lot of spiraled reteaching and frequent opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery of concepts.

I would rather a student try a math worksheet, miss every problem and learn from those mistakes than simply write "IDK" or leave the sheet blank.  Not trying isn't cool!  At least that's the focus of our life skill this week.

Second, I really like our THINK poster. We are a be kind school and I think it's important that students realize not every thought in their brains needs to be verbalized.  Not that their thoughts aren't important, but sometimes they don't say the nicest things to one another and that's simply not okay in my classroom.  I do my best to create an educational environment where students feel supported, encouraged and safe.  Negative words take away from our community.

 I think we all, kiddos and adults included, need to pause to THINK before speaking some times.  The world just might be a slightly brighter place for it!

New Year's Resolutions, Classroom Style

Like I don't know, 95% of America, I've made my new years resolutions to start next week.  However, I started thinking about my classroom and resolutions that we could make there.

We talk a lot about goal setting and academic growth.  We will have a behavior assembly first thing in January because some of their choices are not appropriate and attitudes are escalating quickly.  I expect the hormonal shift around testing time (March) but I'm pretty sure this group came in sassy and with attitudes.  It's been a long, uphill battle to get the talking under control this year.


They're also getting new seats and assigned seats for all subjects, not just my homeroom.  That means their desks will have 4 names on it: whole group, small group AM, small group PM and science.  That way there's more accountability and less theft (fingers crossed).

So I think I need something like this:

I'll have them fill out their own reflective sheets and we'll make our own chart.  This image is from a primary classroom but I think the idea can be adapted for fifth.

We'll hit the ground running in 2014, testing is coming up and we've got to prepare them for success in middle school!

Tech Tip: Kid blog

One of my favorite websites this year is kidblog.  It's free to sign up but you can only have 50 students.  I had to use 2 different email addresses since I have large classes but it was easy enough.

I used first names & last initials for student names and their ID numbers for their passwords.  

There's a super helpful "bulk import" option where you create a word document:

student name, password

Then save as .txt instead of .doc or .docx, then upload!

Change from .docx to .txt by using the dropdown arrow

Much faster in comparision to uploading 40 students individually!

I also love that if you view kidblog without a log in, this is what you see:

Nice and safe for my students!

I gave my principal a log in as well. She logs in and leaves them inspirational comments, which makes them so excited :)

Class Motivator Update

Well, Ursula is here:

When she's done, she'll look a little something like this:

I was hopeful she'd earn her tail today, but 4 students didn't return their weekly homework so she didn't.  (But 4/31 is a huge improvement, so I'm thrilled this positive motivator is working!)

Instead of me expressing my disappointment, I headed over to Voki to make a free online puppet.  I found an eel-like one that reminded me of Ursula's pet eels, so I used that.

I typed up a whole story about how the evil Ariel turned Ursula into a potato head and her eels missed her!  Hear her story here!

I plan to do this a few times as a motivator :)

I'm hoping they all do their work next week so we can add our first piece!

Classroom motivator

I've struggled this year with my students turning in homework. I'm fully aware of the research that traditional homework in elementary school isn't very beneficial, but their homework is reading logs (we expect nightly reading) and math review.  

Instead of being negative and always assigning detention, I've decided to try a more positive approach instead.

Each week that my students bring back their completed homework, they will earn a piece toward our Mr. Potato head.  When our spud is fully assembled, they'll earn a prize.

However, I didn't go for any ordinary Mr. Potato head.  Oh no, I ordered this mermaid version instead:

We shall name her Ursula and she shall have a place of honor in our classroom!  Amazon will deliver her next week :)

SWAG rewards

 My AM class finally earned their fifty SWAG points to earn a treat. (Read about our classroom management system, SWAG, here!)

I wanted there to still be an academic purpose, so they earned themselves "book worms":

They got to enjoy their book worms while doing their must do's (main idea) and choice stations.

Happy reading!

Throwback

In my classroom, there's a plethora of Batman things. I won't apologize for them. I think it's important for my students to know that teachers are actual real people with interests.

Which is why I think it's adorable that my students had this good luck card made for them last year during standardized testing:

Yup.  Even the third graders know what type of things are acceptable in my classroom, TMNT pictures being one of them!

Positive rewards

I've mentioned before that this year (#5) is by far my most challenging one as a teacher.  This group of munchkins is very talkative and while that's wonderful that they're so comfortable sharing their thoughts, it does take away from our learning sometimes.

They're getting better, but we aren't quite there yet :)

I'm trying to focus on the positives

For that, I have 2 strategies:

The first is our "kiss your brain" jar.

We talk a lot about how hard our brains work for us and that we should be appreciative of them.  My students also complain that I make their brains hurt, but that's just part of learning :)

Whenver students are working extra-hard, they can come grab a candy and "kiss their brains".

The second is our warm and fuzzy feelings jar.

Whenever students are kind to one another or extremely helpful, I put a fuzzy in our jar.  When we reach the top, they get to select a reward.  

While positive reinforcement doesn't work all the time, it is sure more rewarding to acknowledge the students who are making appropriate behavior choices that contribute to our learning.  So much of our job is centered around the negative that it's nice to shift to positive shout-outs.

Projects

A few days ago, I posted about my intention to make a pencil vase to hold flower pens.  

Today I bought my supplies:

I figured I needed a polka dot ribbon to hold the vase together and I think the green will blend nicely :)

(Finalized project picture coming soon)

I wasn't planning on the blue flowers being almost the same shade as the picture frame I bought for book quotes...but that's okay! (Hard to see from image)

I also wasn't planning on this project blending so nicely with my new behavior management tip of "noise":

Using these magnets and super glue, I'll turn these letters into my newest behavior system.

I will remove letters as students get too loud and when it's down to "NO," there is no more talking.  Students can of course, regain letters based on good choices as a class.

(on my fridge)

I'm excited for craft time and very appreciative that Hobby Lobby makes everything in similar shades!  It makes me seem much more coordinated :)

Classroom Posters & Bulletin Boards

What little space is my classroom that's not covered in my gigantic US map or anchor charts is usually filled with student work or cute motivational sayings.  While I have to attempt to uphold fire codes, I do think these gems are worthwhile.  Also, according to a safety inspector, laminated materials won't burn and thus don't have to abide by the 18 inches from the ceiling rule! 

Motivational sign #1:

I teach in an inclusion classroom which means I've got lots of students with lots of different strengths.  This also means I need to make certain accommodations for some students to allow them to access the curriculum and content.  Note, I am not modifying (changing) the material, just making it more accessible so that all my munchkins can learn.  Some students receive calculators to check their work (not solve, check) on math tests while some don't.  I use this poster a lot to remind students about fairness.  I also use myself as an example because I wear glasses.  I ask them, "does me wearing glasses impact your learning?"  They often look at me like I'm crazy and shout "no!".  I say, "you're absolutely right. It's what I need to be successful and learn.  We all have different needs and we should help each other out."  That usually solves the "that's not fair, I want a calculator too!" conversations.

Another great one is

In fifth grade, we tend to have a lot of students blurt out their thoughts which is wonderful.  However, at this age, I need to be very firm on making sure these comments are helpful and constructive, not mean.  With our curriculum insisting that students communicate with one another, norms need to be set for successful conversations.  I found this poster to be an easy reminder for students about my expectations for their table talk, regardless of the content area.

Poster #3

We are a standards based school, which means our students don't receive grades.  Instead, we assess each of the CCSS (and re-assess) to track students' growth over time.  I love this saying because it reminds both myself and my munchkins that I don't expect them to be perfect. I expect them to try and keep trying.  In fact, it goes hand in hand with these gems:

By asking for effort and growth, students feel more empowered.  They aren't striving for the sometimes unattainable perfect 100% paper.  Instead, they are competing with themselves.

Freebie!  We love freebies! Grab it here.

 And of course, this one should be in every classroom:

This one can serve as a reminder for students and teachers alike some days...

However, this gem is just for teachers on those special, special days when you feel overwhelmed by the chaos of a classroom:

If you're anything like me, you often worry about students that aren't yours and things you have no control over.  So, repeat the mantra :)

Combating First Day Jitters

Naturally, a few weeks into summer, I'm starting to think about the start of the school year.  Last year I created some cute welcome notes to help my students feel at ease and welcome in our new classroom.  After all, fifth grade can be a scary place!

While some of the ideas are modified from things on Pinterest, I am still rather proud of the cuteness that occurred in my classroom.  

First things first, every student needs a shiny new pencil to help them show off their best work!  So I found the image, dicut a lot of large circles, added two hole punches and stuck a brand new pencil into their treat.  Time intensive? Perhaps...I think I accomplished the whole assembly process during an episode or two of the Office.  But my students loved them and I'm glad I made them, since many munchkins forgot a pencil on their first day.

Plus a pencil...

Of course, I am not above bribery during the first week.  While I tend to wear a black dress on the first day when we read Ms. Nelson is Missing, I also make sure they feel included with treats like these during the first week:

That's right, we are bursting with excitement!  During standardized testing time, we are bursting with knowledge :)  I cut these out and attached them to a few mini packs of Starbursts.

A slightly healthier option is going with a bag of Lucky Charms :)  A nice, dry cereal snack for the first few days while everyone's tummies are readjusting to the school schedule (and needing to wait to eat!)

Good luck on your first day smartie pants!

To encourage reading, I found these cute freebies on TpT.  The image is small, but they are colorful bookmarks that say: "Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but here's a novel, so read it maybe" 

I love the first weeks of school almost as much as I love summer :)

Ms. Vice