Celebrating Birthdays In Your Classroom

Happy Birthday to you!
You live in a zoo.
You smell like a monkey,
And you look like one too!

Heehee- I was just reliving my childhood birthday party experiences for a moment.

Fast forward to our present day jobs....in our classroom, celebrating birthdays is a great way to incorporate a little fun and build some class camaraderie. It can also be just one.more.thing. that we have to remember to do throughout the year.

To make birthdays fun, but simple, I used this birthday riddle poster idea that I wrote a post about a few weeks ago. Feel free to check it out!

So what works for you? 

Do you have a favorite birthday tradition you do in your classroom? How do you celebrate summer birthdays? Do you have a tip or trick for making it easy to celebrate birthdays in the midst of everything else in your day-to-day schedule?

Favorite First Day of School Activities

The first day of school.

The one day when every student in your class will be on their best behavior. Take advantage of that fact and be intentional about doing things that will set a positive tone for the rest of year.

Over the last few weeks, we highlighted some fun first day of school activities. Now it's your turn to share!

So what works for you? What are some of your favorite first day of school activities?

Summer Goals = A Smooth School Year

I wrote a little Summer Song for you:

Summmmmmer.
Summer-Summer.

Summmmmmmer.
How I love her.

Summmmmmmer.
Makes Me Smile.

Summmmmmmer.
Stay a while.

Once again, I feel the need to apologize for my lack of song-writing skills :) But, oh, how I love summer-time!!

Okay. Focusing.

 Last week, we talked about making summer goals. Today, I'd like to find out what your best piece of advice is for capitalizing your time on your summer break.

Here is the question all official-like:

What works for you? What do you do during the summer to help make the up-coming school year run smoother?

The 3 Minute Classroom Clean-Up

QUICK UPDATE: Before we get to the post, I'd like to ask you to do a quick favor for me. I recently decided to take the plunge and put this blog on Facebook and Twitter...which is completely nerve racking for a social media novice like myself (my Facebook-addicted husband was so proud though, you guys!). If you could take just a moment and like my page or follow my twitter account, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

  

Now back to our regularly scheduled program...

Move over Super Woman! Your Teacher's Aide is here to save the day!

How, you ask?

(melodramatic pause)

Why, by giving you the secret to a perfectly clean classroom, of course!

(waits for applause. keeps waiting. crickets. gives up and moves on.)

Here's what worked for me:

Not being a naturally clean person (just a naturally wish-I-was-clean person), I had to work at finding ways to keep up with the mess that happens when 25 short people and 2 or 3 big people inhabit a room every day for 180 days. There were pencil shavings, dust, and the occasional sock (really? I mean, why is there just one? Don't you have that feeling that something just isn't right when you're getting on the bus with only one sock on?)...

But I digress....

To deal with my one-sock dilemma, I came up with a strategy that I named 'Rockin' Robin.'

I'd tell my kids that it was time for a Rockin' Robin and they'd immediatly get quiet. I'd pass out one wipe to each student, walk over to my desk, turn on the Rockin' Robin song, and watch the magic happen.

The kids would get up and start cleaning everything and anything they could get their hands wipes on. They'd dance and sing the words to the song until they started to hear the last few lines being repeated. As soon as they realized that the song was ending, they raced to throw their wipe away and get back in their seat. There were just three rules to this 3 minute Rockin' Robin Clean:

1. No using the wipes on computer/tv screens or my desk.

2. No talking, unless you're singing the song (it was kind of strange, but this rule just seemed to add to the allure of the 'game' for the kids!)

3. Each student MUST be back in their seat by the time the song ends if they wanted to continue to do Rockin' Robins in our room. (Again, they LOVED this challenge, though I can't explain why!)

So that's it. We did this song at some random moment in each day and my room stayed fairly clean (though I still found those mysterious socks on occasion. Hmmm, I'm thinking Sock Elf, how 'bout you?)

Here's the kid dance version of Rockin' Robin... and the Michael Jackson one here.

So what works for you? What is your secret to keeping your room clean? 

Want to see more great tips? View our other Works For You Wednesday ideas here or subscribe to my feed so you don't miss any future tips!

Here's some more posts on YTA you might love:

Avoiding Gossip at Work

Gossip.

It's one of those slippery little things that can just sneak right up on us and and before you know it, you're knee deep in someone else's business.

(source)

The workplace is full of people talking about other people and our workplace (our school) is certainly no exception. It may be an even greater problem in a school setting since many schools are primarily staffed by women. And let's be honest, we l.o.v.e. to talk, don't we ladies? :)

While gossip can seem relatively harmless at first, I believe that it can be a very destructive thing...and not just for the person that the gossip is about. Here are just a few reasons why:

• A good amount of gossip is not true, but it is passed off as truth. By being involved in gossip, you are allowing your moods, relationships, and conversion to be based around something that may or may not be completely true. You are also basing your credibility on possibly faulty information when you choose to pass that tidbit of news along.

• Gossip could allow you to misjudge someone and miss out on the opportunity to positively impact their life. Whether true or not, getting information second (or third or fourth) -hand can many times create misconceptions about parents, students, or other coworkers. While there are some exceptions to this, it is often better to allow yourself the chance to form your own opinion from first-hand interactions rather than the gossip train.

• It causes drama. I don't know about you, but I really don't need more drama in my life than what is already naturally there. 

• Your reputation and career are at stake. Think about the 'office gossip' at your school. Do you trust him or her? Do you respect their character and consider them to be a well-rounded professional? Chances are, the answer is to these questions is no. If you occasionally allow yourself to be involved in the spreading of gossip, is it possible that you may be viewed that way as well? And think about this: if you know who those chronic gossipers are, you can be sure your boss does too. Don't connect yourself to those kind of people.

• It's just not nice. I mean, really, you don't want others to discuss you that way when you're not around. It's the whole Golden Rule thing. 'Nuff said.

What should you do to avoid getting into a gossip situation?

It's almost impossible to completely avoid gossip, but we certainly have a responsibility to try. Here are a few things I tried that seemed to work for me:

• I tried to hang around with those men and women who conducted themselves professionally. This meant that they didn't tend to get worked up about workplace drama and weren't involved in spreading rumors. Bonus: I was able to learn a lot of great teaching techniques from these 'super-teachers' in the process.

• I avoided places where gossip often occurred. In one school, this was the teacher's lounge during lunch. After a while, I found it to be much more enjoyable to eat a gossip-fre lunch in my room with a few other teachers. In another school, the teachers would congregate in the main hall after delivering their kids to the bus and the tongues would start wagging. I tried to be intentional about going straight back to my room to start getting things done. Bonus: I was able to leave much earlier since I didn't spend twenty minutes catching up on the local 'news' before starting my end-of-day work. 

• Find the kind word to say. Every situation calls for a slightly different approach. Sometimes a more direct route is called for ("I think this conversion is inappropriate."), but sometimes a tactful, well-placed comment is the solution. When I found myself in a conversation that was starting to go downhill, I would look for the kind or positive thing to say about the situation. ("Mrs. So and So was reprimanded in the hallway by the assistant superintendant? She must feel awful. I wonder if there is anything we could do to make her feel better right now?") That topic of conversation fizzles when there isn't anything dramatic to talk about. Most folks who enjoy gossiping seek out others who will fuel their excitement over the juicy news, not those who squash it. I found that I could avoid a lot of the gossip by simply not being the person that most folks sought out. Bonus: I had a LOT of extra time to actually work at work. More productivity at work = less grading papers at home!

So what works for you? What tips do you have for avoiding the workplace gossip and drama?

Field Trip Tips

A field trip day is full of fun adventures....and also full of managing behaviors.

You can end the day with a class full of excited kids....and an utterly exhausted teacher.

At the end of the trip, you're glad your kids got to go on this trip....and SO glad it's over!

While field trips can provide a great way to mix up your regular schedule and use a more hands-on approach to learning, they can also be a challenge. There's managing your class on the bus ride, keeping track of them while you are at the location, supervising an on-site lunch, and making sure you get back in time for dismissal. (And that's not even to mention to task of juggling the parent volunteers, keeping track of five children with random allergies, soothing the one who gets car sick, and locating the class 'wanderer' who likes to go off on their own!) It can be easy to burn yourself out.

(Source)

To help you avoid this, here are a few tips for the bus ride that have helped my field trips start and end just a bit smoother. Maybe they will work for you too!

Tip 1: Let the kids choose their bus seat buddies beforehand. This avoids the "come sit with me" "no me" "no she's MY friend" dramas that always seems to crop up.

Tip 2: Give each seat a large, 2-gallon sized Ziploc bag. Have the kids write their name on the front with a permanent marker. This bag is their 'Bus Bag' and they can fill it with items to keep them occupied on the bus. Some of those items could be:

• a book
• one small dry erase board (the kind we used for math)
• two dry erase markers
• a few tissues (these were their erasers for their dry erase boards. They also came in handy if anyone got the sniffles, because each seat already had a few.)
• a few sheets of paper and a pencil to play games with.

They can also use these bags to put any trash in that they accumulate during the trip. After the trip, they can simply carry their bags to the room and clean them out there.

Tip 3: Before the trip, teach the kids a few fun paper and pencil games to play (tic-tac-toe, squares, hangman, etc). They can play these with their white boards as well.

Tip 4: Assign two kids to be your bus cleaning monitors. They are in charge of taking an old grocery bag and going through the bus at the end of the trip and making sure all the trash and odds & ends have been picked up.

Tip 5: Use the bus as an incentive in the weeks before. For example, have students earn point by doing random acts of kindess, scoring well on a test, or having good behavior. Allow those with the most points to board the bus first (thus choosing that coveted seat!).

Tip 6: At the beginning of the year, I assigned each student a number (in alphabetical order according to their name). On the bus or during the day on a field trip, I would randomly call out 'Number 1!' That student would yell 'HERE!' and we'd rapidly continue down the list until we accounted for each student. It would only take 30 seconds since we had the drill down and it gave me peace of mind that I had everyone I needed to have.

So what works for you? What tips do you have for a smooth field trip?

Creative Writing Ideas: Grades 3-5

Getting students motivated to write can be a big challenge. Coming up with fun writing projects can help stimulate creativity and improve student writing techniques at the same time.

Here's a few things that worked for me:

1. Have students create a character at the beginning of the year. Have them use that character throughout the year in their writing. At the end of the year, combine all their writing projects and create a title for their book: "The Crazy Adventures of [Character's Name]." Each writing project will be a different chapter!

2. Descriptive Writing: Explain to students that the health inspector came to visit their classroom after a storm and that they classroom was declared CONDEMNED. Have students write a description of what their classroom looks like now that it's a mess and have them draw a picture to accompany it. Using caution tape on the front of your door, create a display with the descriptions titled "Our Classroom Was Condemned." 

3. Have students draw a picture of a monster and then write a description of it on a seperate sheet of paper. Hang the pictures on the board (without student names on them). Mix the descriptions up and read them out loud. Have students try to guess which monster the description belongs to. Explain the importance of using specific and clear adjectives when painting a word picture.

Like these ideas? Check out my Writing & Grammar Unit resource on TeachersPayTeachers or Teachers Notebook for more ideas.

So what works for you? What are some creative writing ideas you've used?

Morning Classroom Routine

Last week, we talked about creating a smooth dismissal routine. This week, we are moving the discussion to the morning!

Starting your day in a calm, positive way is a HUGE part of what makes your whole day a success. Having a plan for when your students arrive can go a long way to achieving this goal.

One thing that always worked for me was to have 'steps' on the board that students knew they needed to follow. I laminated these steps and placed magnets on the back of them. Then, in the morning, I just grabbed the steps I needed for that day and arranged them in order on the board.

Some examples might include:

1) Empty book bag and hang it up.
2) Give me any notes you have.
3) Make your lunch choice.
4) Turn in this paper: (I would hang a manila envelope under this step with a magnet and have students turn in their papers here for field trips, homework, etc.)
5) Do this morning work at your desk: (I would write a journal prompt, math equation, free reading choice, or other option here.)

Like this tip? Check out my Classroom Management Tips resource on TeachersPayTeachers or Teachers Notebook for more ideas.

So what works for you? What are your tips for creating a calm morning routine?

Smooth Dismissal Routine

It happens to the best of us.

You're just patting yourself on the back for achieving a calm, productive day from start to finish when you look at the clock and realize....you have 3 minutes before the bell rings to get your kids ready to go home. What ensues next can only be described as pure chaos as 22 book bags, coats, lunch boxes, math books, binders, pencil boxes, assignment pads, and hats try to make it out your door with the correct kid.

And don't even get me started on the rolling bookbags! I mean, good grief! It looks like the airport concourse at JFK when the Kindergarteners start running for the buses.

Over the years, I've reworked and tweaked my dismissal routine until I think I've finally found one that more closely resembles controlled chaos than a zoo at feeding hour.

(Photo: Flikr)

Here's what works for me:

• EVERY student must sit at their desk with their assignment notebook open. We review the homework on the board to make sure it's correct. I have my homework board marked out on the corner of one of our white boards using floor tape (the kind used by gym teachers). Next to each subject, I have a set of magnets with the books or binders that class requires. If an assignment requires a math textbook and workbook to go home, those two magnets get placed on the board. 

• When a student has filled out their assignment notebook and placed all the items on their desk that need to go home, they raise their hand.

• I go around to the raised hands, do a quick glance over their assignment pad and items, sign my initials next to that date on the assignment pad, and that is their signal that they are allowed to get out of their seat and get their book bag. 

• Once they are completely packed up, they are allowed to stand by their desk and play Silent Speed Ball. See how we played it HERE. Playing this game was a HUGE motivation for them to pack up quickly (especially for the boys). Since it's also a silent game, the room got very quiet as each new student joined in.

• When we had two bus runs, I'd team up with another teacher. The "first run kids" from both classes would line up in the hall and she would take them down to the bus. I would keep all the "second run kids" and let them play a game until their bus was called 30 minutes later. The next day, we'd switch duties so that every other day I had an extra 30 minutes to get work done.

(Hop on over here to read tips on how to create a calm morning routine.)

So what works for you? What are your tips for creating a smooth dismissal time?

Free and Easy Rewards for Students

Coming up with positive ways of motivating our students is half the battle of creating a classroom discipline strategy. Here is a list of rewards that are both easy and free (or super-duper cheap!):

• Get to choose if we have lights on or off for the afternoon.
• Bring a non-water drink to class (or allow a water bottle at their desk if drinks are usually prohibited).
• Sit wherever you want during read aloud time. This could be in the teacher's chair, on the floor, under their desk, etc.
• Get a free star on their job chart or some other chart where they are trying to earn points / stickers.
• No Homework Day or a "Homework Pass"
• Lunch in the classroom (watch a movie during lunch or listen to a book on tape)
• Lunch outside on the sidewalk, grass, or playground. 
• Teacher brings in baked goodies (brownies, cookies, etc)
• Popcorn party
• Walk to the front door a few minutes early so that they can be the first to get on the bus (in other words, the first to pick their seat out on the bus!)
• "Early Bus Loaders Pass" for the next field trip. This allows them to get on the bus first and choose their seats and seat mate before the rest of the class.
• "Lunch Line Pass." One person a day may turn this into you to be allowed to 'budge' in the lunch  or water fountain line. 
• 1 Minute Simon Says: If they work quietly as a class for _____ minutes, they can earn a one minute speed round of Simon Says. To make this fun, you have to talk as quickly as you can during the game. P.S.- I was always amazed at how effective this was for even the 5th graders! When I needed to get their attention right away, I would start a speed round of Simon Says. Within 2 seconds, the entire class would have stopped what they were doing and be totally focused on what I was saying.
• Bubbles Day: allow students to take bubbles out to recess with them.
• 5 minutes of extra recess

So what works for you? What rewards do you offer your students?

Indoor Recess Games

Indoor Recess. 

Depending on the teacher (and many times the kids!), we either love it or hate it.

One indoor recess staple that many of us have used is Silent Speed Ball. Here's how it works:

• Have students stand around the room. Give one student a soft ball.
• Students toss the ball to each other and try to catch it.
• If they talk, make a bad throw, or miss a catch....they must sit down.
• The last person standing wins!

Some ways I made this more 'user friendly' in our room:

• Choose a 'judge' who stands in the middle of the room or off to one side. They are in charge of making the call of who has to sit down. The judge's word is final and all players must obey or they are automatically out of the next round. This allowed me to help students who were making up missing work or asking questions.
• The player throwing the ball must point to the person they are throwing it to so that there is NO confusion as to who is supposed to catch it. The only exception to this is when it gets down to two players....they they can throw it as hard and as quickly as they want!
• The winner gets to be the judge in the next round or (if he/she would rather play) they can choose who gets to be the judge.

(Photo: WikiMedia)

I've created a resource for you that gives a BUNCH of ideas on how to have a successful indoor recess times, including a few more game ideas. You can view that resource HERE or HERE.

So what works for you? How do you keep your sanity during indoor recess time?

Your Favorite Desk Arrangements

I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people that stood in the middle of my classroom at the beginning of the year and just stared at the space, trying to figure out what the best furniture arrangement would be. I stared. And stared. And stared. And then I arranged and kept my things that way ALL YEAR. I know for some of you the idea of keeping your room the same the whole year just makes you get the heebie jeebies, but for me it was my version of peace. 

Whether you all but glue your furniture in place or love to change things up every month, we can all agree that choosing how to lay out our room and arrange our student desks is a teacher art form.

Tomorrow, I will share my tried-and-true way to arrange desks, but for now, we want to hear from YOU!

So, we're all on pins and needles wondering: What works for you? What's your favorite way to group or arrange your students' desks? We must know! ;) 

Year-Round Bulletin Board Ideas (Part 1)

We all start out at the beginning of the year with the good intentions of creating superb lesson plans, a clean and creative classroom environment and a plethora of fun moments for your kiddos.

And then reality sets in and you realize that something's gotta go!

One way to simplify is with our bulletin boards. While it's nice to create an elaborate, beautiful board each month, it doesn't always fit into our busy schedule. Instead, create one nice board that can easily be adapted throughout the year with just a little bit of effort.

Tomorrow, I will be sharing some ideas that worked for me, but for now...

What works for you? Do you have a  year-round bulletin board idea that you'd like to share?

How Do You Keep Up With Homework Assignments?

Paperwork. (slight shudder)

The common classroom weed.

It never fails- just as you think you've finally conquered the never ending piles of paper around your room, you glance over to the corner and see that another pile has already started growing. 

The worst culprit is homework. Having a good system in place for keeping up with homework assignments is essential to a having a happy classroom.

If you're one of the lucky ones that have found a solution to this problem, we'd love it if you'd share.

Oh, pretty please?!

Thanks!!

So what works for you? How do you keep up with homework assignments in your classroom?