What to do with those extra Scholastic book orders....

Don't get me wrong, I love Scholastic and their book orders.

I don't love that I always seem to have extras and feel bad just throwing them away.

So, instead we sort!

One of the first reading standards we cover (or review) is the difference between fiction and non-fiction texts.  

I make an anchor chart with the kiddos:

I grab a few books off the bookshelf and model previewing the text, thinking aloud if it is fiction or non-fiction.  I do a few, then ask for student input.  They did a really good job this year identifying if a book was fiction or NF based on the back cover, front cover, and text features. 

From there, I use some left over Scholastic book orders, glue, scissors, and construction paper to have the kids create a sort.  I use this as an opportunity to teach (or review) making a T chart:

(Image from {fellow blogger})

 

Students worked with a partner to look at the book orders (which secretly gets them excited about reading) to find five examples of F or NF books.  They cut them out, glued them to their T charts, and then explained their thinking to their neighbors.

I walked around listening to their conversations and interjecting when necessary.  

Instead of just teaching procedures of how to use the scissors or the glue sticks, I like to have them practice immediately so there is a purpose to the directions.

A nice refresher

Besides conquering both laundry and an exciting day at Chevy (recall on my car, nothing major), my other goal for the day was to get started on my first week lesson plans.

While emotionally preparing to open Curriculum Engine (the site where we make & store our digital lesson plans), I got distracted on pinterest by preparing for your first week articles.  Most of them weren't that helpful, but I found this {one} that had some good points. 

Here are my favorite take-aways from the article:

#1: "Set up your classroom in an active learning format"

Fingers crossed the rumors are true and my projector got ceiling mounted over the summer!  I was spoiled with a ceiling mounted one for years and forgot how much I'd missed it.  Not having a desk or table in the center of the room really clears up space.  Not to mention I'd get to skip the daily (okay, several times each day) frustration of when a child accidentally (or sometimes on purpose) would bump the projector, causing the smartboard to need to be recalibrated.  Without the desk and cord set up (hello tripping hazard), I would be able to teach from the center of the room and strategically move closer toward off task students.

#2: Starting the day off with something other than roll call

We have our morning procedures (unpack, papers turned in, backpacks hung up, pencils sharpened, etc) and class jobs (lunch cards, attendance) but then we do our morning meme.  

Yup, we start our day off with a meme and it just sets everyone off on a good day.  Laughter is always good thing!  You can follow my classroom meme pinterest board {here}!     Plus if you've got a funny classroom meme, send it my way!

#3: Make Up work:

I've done the orange "while you were gone" folders and I haven't decided if I want to keep it again.  I already have them made, so that's a plus.  (Apparently I don't have a picture, but it's a florescent orange folder that says "we missed you".)
 
I like the idea of using a tub and putting a file in for each day in the month (1-31).  All extras would be filed there (minus one for me to use as the master copy if needed).  With this system, I'd only have to clean it out once a month :) 

#4: Class Norms:

Preach! This is one of our first week activities with a gallery walk.  I remake the class norms poster each year and have them sign it.  It helps with our buy in and provides a nice link to the US Constitution (when we get there in social studies).

#7: Noise

We are near a kinder classroom.  We do our best.  Sometimes there is just loud shouting, crying, and other unidentifiable noises so I just shake my head, try not to laugh, and remind them that I teach fifth grade for a reason. 

#9

We don't do questions stems per say, but rather accountable talk stems.  I want my students to answer in complete sentences and know that it's okay for them to disagree with one another as long as they do it in a respectable manner.

It started like this:

 

But has evolved to this:

 

I have these in my classroom at the front of the room.  They are color coded to help students know how to phrase their comments.  Accountable talk stems also help students listen to one another because I expect them to give credit to one another for ideas.

#11: Encouraging risks

I want to do more of this, but I'm not sure how.  Wheels in my brain are spinning, stay tuned!

#12: Self-reflection

I have them reflect on their learning throughout the day and we have class discussions after we try something new (particularly if it doesn't go exactly as I've planned).   I don't know if my fifth graders could handle a written reflection daily, but I like when they reflect upon their learning (which should happen often).  

#17: Blog

We've got a weebly and I hope I have more parent communication with it.  I'll be doing class dojo as well to foster communication with families.  I do want to turn some of the responsibility of blogging over to my students.  I think it'd be a great venue for collaboration as well as authentic writing.  They have an audience: their classmates and their families, so I think they'd do a good job trying to impress one another.  It'd also be a great way to imbed those mini-lessons on technology that are so important. 

#18: Class jobs

Again, amen! My first few years in the classroom, I tried to do all these things myself.  But fun fact: kids want to help!  Fifth graders are not too cool to be motivated by a high five or a sticker.  They want to feel in control and help, so I might as well turn some of the smaller tasks over to them.

I have 36 different classroom jobs and it helps me stay sane.  Obviously I can't have them grade essays, but I can have them remind me to take attendance, file nurse notes, lead the class in the pledge, pass out lunch cards and papers, and other small time-consuming tasks.  I like to set aside the last five minutes of the day (during our "pack and stack") for class jobs and tidying.  Another "negative Nancy" teacher has commented time and again that her students don't need classroom jobs and that things just magically get done.   I like structure and I don't think that's a bad thing.  We switch up jobs every month and I have students vote on their top five choices.  

#20: Learning Styles Assessment

I try to shape my lessons to hit multiple learning modalities (auditory, visual, kinesthetic) but it's nice for my students to realize what type of learners they are.  Most of them have never really thought about this before fifth grade, so it's nice for them to think about themselves as learners.  I stress that it's okay to be a combination of styles.  Knowing what "type" they are empowers them to take charge of their learning and that's never a bad thing!

What were your take aways from the article? Any "ah ha" moments?

Getting to Know My Munchkins

Since I'm starting at a new school, I'm coming in at a disadvantage.  I don't know these kids or their families.

So I pushed myself to try to learn as much as I could about my new bunch of munchkins.  I gave them several "about me" surveys and this year, actually took the time to read them.  I mean between all their beginning of the year forms, we're looking at five hundred pages or so...good thing it was a three day weekend!

It took a few hours, but I'm glad I did it.  I learned a lot about my new students (and their families).  I can easily name off ten fun facts about each kiddo, which is impressive considering I've known them for five days.  I also made notes about what I saw during their games of 20 wins and various first week sorts.

Here's a top ten list of things I've learned:

1) I've got some pretty eclectic kids.  Some told me they love Mean Girls, others are in Tae Kwon Do, some learned the difference between debit & credit cards this summer.

2) Almost every single one said they struggle with spelling and reading multisyllabic words, which only justifies my decision to spend 10 minutes a day doing phonics during whole group reading.

3) A few of them live around the block from me.  I've never had students live so close. I will probably see them out riding their bikes or have them visit on Halloween.

4) They are pretty vocal about their feelings on reading.  Some love Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, others hate the series with a passion...and weren't afraid to show it!

5) I've got supportive families.  Some filled me in on situations at home, some voiced their concerns about where their kids fall academically, but most want to be involved which is a welcome change.

6) Some already listed me as their favorite teacher, which is adorable. It also makes me worry about their previous teachers...but we'll have a great year.

7) Quite a few want to learn how to use the dictionary.  I don't know if their third grade teachers skipped that standard, but we'll be sure to cover both traditional and electronic dictionaries this year. (Ninjawords.com is my favorite!)

8) They're really good at coaching one another.  I don't know if I should give their previous teachers credit for this (or perhaps their parents), but during our math games they were helping one another.  Yes, there was friendly competition but they were genuinely wanting one another to grasp the concept at hand.

9) They work well together.  Some of them said their best friends are in the class.  I've only had to move one child in the first week.  Very few needed a gentle nudge about participating with the group and I'm thinking it was because they already knew the answers and didn't want to give it away. I'm pleased they want to talk to one another.

10)  They are full of joy.  They're inquisitive.  They want to learn.  This is the best possible scenario I could ask for as a teacher.

It's going to be a great year. 

Day Three, the frustration continues

My day of frustrating them didn't end with math.

Later in the day, we went over sorts.  They did "no way Jose and that's a fact, Jack!" first.  In this sort, they separated statements about fifth grade into true and false statements. 

They also learned the procedures for gallery walks, where they critique the reasoning of others without touching the other team's sort.  It's a great opportunity for them to also practice using the accountable talk stems that we brainstormed together.

I color coded the stems to help my visual learners.

They also did an editing and revising sort which I used as a formative assessment.  They're still a little fuzzy on the differences between the two, so that's a teachable moment for me in the next few weeks.  We didn't provide any instruction on their writing task this week because we wanted to use it as an informal benchmark.  This week they wrote a letter to their future selves, which they'll get back the last week of school.

They were pretty good with the first two sorts, but then I gave them a syllable sort.

They were completely stumped.  Some groups used their responding cups to ask for help, one group tried to bribe me (both with food and a dollar), some made piles of what they thought they knew and what was confusing, some started sounding out the syllables, and others were on the right track.  They asked for help, but I let them struggle.  Struggle is a good thing.  When we came back together, I had a lot of grumpy students.  I told them that this activity helped me to see where I need to start phonics instruction (with what is a syllable), and showed me that they knew to ask for help, were comfortable asking for help, and could work together.  No groups quit during their struggle time (which was five minutes, I'm not that mean).  

They wanted to know the answers.  I said no, they don't get to know that yet.  We'll start instruction next week, but I'm not just giving you the answers without the practice.  

This was very irritating to many of my students, especially the higher ones.  I told them they won't always get the answers right away.  They won't know everything right away.  Learning is a process and it takes time.  They aren't used to not getting the answers right away and I told them this will be an adjustment.  They'll have to work through things.  They'll struggle. In the end, it will make them stronger thinkers.

I think some of them get it, but it doesn't mean they like it.

Best part of day 3?  This happened:

Oh yes, it happens in real life. 

Year Six, Day 2

Day Two

With no duty to be had and the kinks from yesterday all worked out, the morning ran much smoother.

We started our day with this meme:

Before I showed them the wordle from their first day feelings exit tickets:

I was pleased many of them wrote in complete sentences.  My favorite may have been the child that just wrote "I'm satisfied."  I still have a few that are nervous, but that's to be expected. 

We went over more classroom procedures, did our number talk (which lead to some awesome discourse about making sense of problems!), made our class norms with a gallery walk, and did another read aloud:

This mentor text focuses on life skills and provides strategies on not erupting (interrupting).  Again, most of them had never heard this book so I'm on a roll!

Can't wait to read this gem on day 3!

I did make my first student cry.  Yes, we made it through a day and a half of fifth grade before there were tears.

He had his phone out and in his words, was just looking at the time.  Since his back was to the wall, I chose to believe him.  We had a conversation in the hallway because it's not a conversation for the whole class.  He apologized, we talked through strategies (look at the clock, keep phone in backpack), and I moved him seats so he would face the clock.  I gave him his phone back at the end of the day, but there were still tears. 

I guess the honeymoon is over?

Day three is a weird day.  We'll tackle second prep and our first assembly.  Fingers crossed!

Year Six, Day 1

The weekend before school started, I was a wreck.  I worked Friday night on various small tasks for my classroom, took all of Saturday off to spend with friends, and worked for a little bit Sunday morning before heading to B's family's BBQ.  Sleep did not come easily Sunday night and nightmares of past students and worst case scenarios flooded my mind.

I got to work about seven am on Monday.  Our start time is 8:26. My first task was hanging our classroom pom-poms:

 I had duty (bummer) and I struggled with undoing the folding gate.  See, the gate was run over by a (rude) parent, so it's bent in a strategic way.  This means it doesn't fold up nicely and has quickly become my new Monday/Friday morning nemesis. 

Luckily a parent helped me wrestle the gate.  I was also burdened with both a stop sign and radio, so next time I'll not carry those.  Or wear open toed shoes.

My other job at duty was to help direct drop-off traffic.  We have a lot of red curbs in front of our school and I had the unfortunate job of trying to tell parents not to park.  These parents were obviously very excited for the first day and taking pictures of their kiddos in front of the school.  I had to be the bad guy and ask them to not capture this precious moment.

I went to the wrong spot to find my class and our line got bisected when we were entering the building.  I forgot to collect lunch money and we were a few minutes late to specials, after I tried to take them down the wrong way.

Thank goodness for first prep!  I took a few deep breaths, calmed myself, and proceeded to tackle my to do list.

The rest of the day was smooth sailing :)

I had 27 students show up and they were talkative from the first moment.  They're responding really well to my positive classroom vibe, which is good.  Considering how frustrating last year was, I'm determined to stay positive.  I want my room to be a joyous place.

I didn't spend hours on procedures.  I gave them a first day treat.  We covered a lot (norms for read alouds and number talks), learned some procedures, and practiced structures like Kagan pair up and share.

We read First Day Jitters, which many of them had never heard before.

It's a cute picture book with a fun twist at the end. (Spoiler--the teacher doesn't want to go to school!)

Prior to reading, we went over read aloud norms:

I was a little worried about some of their initial responses.  I asked what my job was during a read aloud and the first response I got was "to grade papers." 

Um...no.

I clarified that during a read aloud, I was the one reading.  They were dumbfounded by this notion and asked when I would grade.  I told them they wouldn't see me grade in the classroom unless it was a one on one assessment (Aimsweb, Core phonics, etc).  They were bewildered and asked when I would get their stuff done.  I said at home, in front of the TV, or while they're at specials.  This seemed to satisfy most of them, but that does worry me...

A teacher shouldn't be known for spending hours of in class time grading.  Yes, it happens.  But that shouldn't be what your students expect you to do.

Instead of me giving a tour of the classroom, I sent them on a scavenger hunt:

It's way more fun when they investigate!  Plus it gets their bodies up and active, which is crucial.

I went over the hand procedures for number talks and then made an anchor chart about the strategies they used:

After we did our number talk, I had them create their fractional me sheets:

They had forms for homework and left with smiles on their faces.

The hardest part of day one?  Well, besides the rough start?

Wearing shoes the whole day!

New School, New Teachers, New Questions

Last year I mentored several new teachers and was always ready to answer questions.

Now I will be the new teacher with dozens of questions for my new team. I apologize to them in advance but I just want to make sure I'm on the same page as them in terms of procedures and school policies.

Here is my list of questions for new teachers (or veteran teachers at a new school):

School Procedures & Responsibilities

• What are the expectations in terms of lesson plans? (content objective, language objective, assessment component, how specific)
• Are they due at a specific time or day?
• Where are they saved? (In my documents? On a shared folder?)
• Do I have to post them online (curriculum engine for CCSD people)?
• Do I have duty (playground, lunch room, etc)?
• Do I have duty on a specific day of the week (every Monday) or weekly (every five weeks for the entire week)?
• What is expected in my emergency sub plans? 
• Is there a master schedule?
• What time does my grade level have specials/prep?
• What is expected of my bulletin board? 
• Does there need to be a title?
• What type of work should be displayed?
• How often should bulletin boards be changed?

Classroom Management

• Is there a school wide incentive for specials?
• Is there a school wide policy for hallway behavior? 
• Is there a school wide behavior plan?
• Is there a grade level behavior plan?
• What are the procedures for an office referral?

Classroom Instruction

• Are there any programs we are expected to follow? (Being a Writer, Investigations, Envisions, Every day math, Trophies, etc)
• To what degree am I allowed to supplement? (some schools require fidelity with provided programs, others are much more flexible)
• What resources are available? (reading A-Z, reading eggs, Time for Kids magazines, literacy lab, online resources)
• What do I use in terms of small group instruction?
• What do I use for science instruction?
• Does our school use the Common Core State Standards?
• What assessments do I use? 
• Are assessments already created or provided?
• Are there any programs I should use for progress monitoring? (Aimsweb)
• Is there a RTI process? (response to intervention)
• When should I have my small groups established?
• What data do I use to form my small groups?
• Do I teach phonics or spelling patterns?  If so, when?
• Do I use project-based learning?
• Do I use rubrics? (rubistar.com is an excellent resource if the answer is yes)
• Do I do Number Talks?

 Special Education

• What co-teaching models (if any) are used?
  
• Does the school use push in (coteaching) or pull out (resource) models?
• Where are IEP meetings normally held?
• Are IEP meetings before school, after school, or during prep?
• Who is responsible for implementing IEP goals?
• Who is responsible for small group instruction?
• Who is responsible for progress reports and report card comments?

Collaboration

• Does my grade level plan together?
• Are resources shared between teachers?
• Are students switched between teachers?
• Do any teachers departmentalize (elementary) where one teacher may teach writing to several classes while another teachers science?
• What does my fellow grade level members like about the school?
• Is there a grade level chair?
• How are the responsibilities divided?

Questions for Administration

• What are the school's biggest strengths and weaknesses?
• What are my grade level's biggest strengths and weaknesses?
• How does the school prepare for standardized testing?
• Is there any opportunities for extra duty pay? (tutoring, supervising clubs, etc)
• What are the expectations for committees? 
• Are there any clubs or student organizations?
• How often are meetings? (Staff meetings, planning meetings, etc)
• Is there a format that is preferred for lesson plans?
• What is expected of report card comments? (Some schools require full paragraphs, others are fine with a sentence or two.)
• How are problems with parents dealt with?
• Is there a PTA?
• Does the school have supportive parents?
• Does the school have a system set up for volunteers?
• How many materials does the library have?
• How often will I be observed?
• Will we meet after every observation?
• Will I be informed of upcoming observations or will they be unannounced? 
• How many teachers are at this school?
• How many teachers are in my grade level?
• How long have other teachers been there? (Frequent turn around may be a red flag)
• Am I the only new teacher?
• Why did the previous teacher leave?
• What is our school's demographics?
• What do you love about the school?

 Technology

• What technology is available? 
• Are there trainings available on technology?
• Is there a computer lab? 
• Is there a computer lab schedule?
•  Are there any specific skills I should be teaching my students regarding technology? 
• Are there iPads? 
• Does each classroom have iPads?
•  Does the grade level have iPads? 
• Do students have to sign any usage forms before using the iPads or computers?

Miscellaneous

•  How often are there fire drills or other emergency preparedness drills?
• What is the policy for class parties?
• Are students allowed to bring in treats for birthdays?
• Is there breakfast provided for students at school?
• Do students eat breakfast in the cafeteria or in the classroom?
• Is a mentor available?
• Who is a good person that I can ask further questions?

Good luck new teachers!
 

Classroom Organization

While browsing pinterest and teaching blogs, I stumbled upon this adorable classroom organization bin:

I have a red upcycled tackle box that just has sticky labels for supplies.  I want to redo mine to be more pink and cute like this one :)

I know my markers, expos and glue sticks don't fit in the container.  Instead, I put in book rings, bandaids and cough drops because my students need those supplies often.

I go over the procedures and expectations for the supply box , then my students are free to use the supplies.  They are starting to become more independent and advocate for themselves, which is important. 

Our rules for the supply box:

1. Don't get up and get something during direct instruction time 

2. If a supply is running low, let the teacher know

3. When in doubt about using a supply, ask a teacher first