Classroom Management for the New School Year

Every year, no matter how good it goes or how many headaches occur, I am always ready to try new things when a new year approaches. I finished my room this year in record time...5pm Friday before school :) I am going to implement a few new things in my classroom that I saw on blogs over the summer and I am keeping some that I thought worked great from last year.

*FYI - I have about 120 students in 4 science classes (one regular, 1 co-teach, and 2 pre-AP) and one hour long Intervention class where students get enrichment or intervention at the end of the day. I have one lab classroom and work on a team with 4 other teachers (Math, ELA, Soc.Studies and SPED).

1. New Volume Board -It won't flip, even if it is saved that way, so instead of fighting it, please tilt your head :) If anyone can help me with this, I would greatly appreciate it.

I have used a C.H.A.M.P.S. board, but I found it too hard to switch all sections each time we did something different in class. I saw something similar to this this summer and I decided it would work better. My whole team is using this in each of their classrooms so students get to used to it and know exactly what the expectations are for each section.

2. Old Supplies Marking

I used pickle duct tape on my class sets of supplies last year (glue, scissors, red pens, etc.,...) and I lost so many less supplies to sticky fingers than in years past. I chose a duct tape design that I didn't see many places, so another teacher probably would not have it. Dill Pickles seemed appropriate. I wrapped it around my glue, and made little flags for my scissors and pens and things. When the tape stuck to the sticky side of itself, it was much harder for a student to pry off or for it to just fall off from wear and tear. I decided this was a great thing to do again this year.

3. New Exit Tickets - Stoplight Method

I have wanted to routinely implement exit tickets in my classroom for many years. It has been hard to find a system that was not wasting paper, was easy for me to assess, and was easy for the students to remember how to do. I saw this video on Teacher Channel. It seemed really easy to make, and the students could easily slap them up on the wall as they left the room. The green one says, "Today I LEARNED...(be specific!)." The yellow one says, "A QUESTION I have is..." The red one says, "What STOPPED my learning was..." Hopefully I can easily grab stickies by color and really make sure I focus on those points. This will also help me prioritize which exit slips get the most attention when I have to leave right after class and cannot assess 120 slips in one evening.

4. Old Enter and Exit Checklists

 I used these last year, and they were a good reminder of my expectations when entering my classroom and before being able to leave the classroom. It also gave me a place to direct the students to reference when they forgot or needed redirection.

5. New/Old Finger Signs

I know a lot of teachers think 5th graders are too old for finger signs, but they make my class run a lot smoother. Students hold up certain fingers for certain needs, so you can just nod your head while you are teaching or talking to others without interruption. It is especially helpful during testing and other silent times. I just updated my posters from last year so they were easier to see from across the room (my science lab is pretty long).

6. New Absent Files

I think it age appropriate for 5th graders to be responsible for their own absent work. Last year, I had a folder on the wall per class. If a student was absent, I would write their name on the papers and put them in the right folder. This year, I made a simple stacked file pocket out of file folders and duct tape. It was another idea I saw this summer. It was really easy to make. Instructions are here. When a student is absent, I can just put all the copies from the day in the folder and they can get one out for the day they were absent. We will see if this way is easier that last year's way.

7. Old Color-Coded Classes

To make my life and the students' lives easier, each class is color-coded. The labels for their turn in boxes, journal bins, and warm up / pass back shelves all have the same color. We will also tape a piece of matching colored paper on the spine of their journals so we can easily get each journal back into the correct bin.

Hopefully all of these classroom management strategies will help make life a little easier in the classroom so we can maximize learning time. I hope you have a great year, and I will post again, soon!

Currently for the New Year!

Welcome back! Evidently I have not blogged since the last day of November. Yikes! The holidays is a very busy time for school and home, but like I have to tell you!

I am starting the year with the newest edition of currently with Oh' Boy Fourth Grade.

Listening: I love hearing my family happy. The hubby playing video games, the kids playing nicely, together, and me sitting here typing getting to hear it all. These are peaceful moments that feel like heaven.

Loving: I LOVE coconut! I bought some coconut oil this week and got to thinking what I could do with it. Well, it helps make an amazingly tasty, aromatic Coconut Almond Granola. I posted a recipe I made up for it. 

Thinking: My list is gratefully pretty small. That just equals more time to play!

Wanting: As long as I reestablish my expectations, I think we can continue having fun and learning as normal when we return.

Needing: Granted, our house was not as bad as some friends Christmas morning, but after all the presents for the kids that had packaging, ties, wraps and things we put together ourselves, I could use a maid to come clean up, do some laundry, and maybe empty a trash can or two.

Tradition: This is our second year with an Elf on the Shelf. My daughter did not understand it as well last year as she did this year at 3. She would talk to him, remind her baby brother not to touch him so he wouldn't lose his magic, and let everyone know how sad she was he had to leave Christmas Eve but that he would be back next year at Thanksgiving. We loved this, and hopefully he comes back and sees us next year!

I cannot wait to read others' Currently and see what everyone else is up to! Have a great time back to school!

First Week Survival and Erin Condren Teacher Planner

So the first week of school is over and I think teachers and students alike have earned this three day weekend. Between the constant roster changes (new additions, students who never showed, and flip-flopping), mountains of papers due to different people by Friday (I just thought of one I forgot to turn in), trying to get all classes to the same point in my schedule, and the 4 student-teacher conferences already, I am exhausted but happy to be back teaching. I truly love it.

At the end of the day Friday, I came home to my sweet destructive babies and saw a week's worth of a mess of a house and a package at the door. 

I knew exactly what it was: my new teacher planner from www.erincondren.com! I knew what had to be done. We had to clean the house and reward ourselves with getting to open the package. So we knocked out the playroom (garage turned into a child's dream) in 10 minutes, moved on to the living room and dining room with Emily pushing around the shopping cart and collecting toys in it, then we even swept all the little people and balls from under the couch. Then we got to open this greatness:

I am in love! I got a teacher planner in Instagram (that is the cover design name) and a free set of elastic bands. It came with a ruler bookmark, personalized gift tags, and 3 $10 coupons. If you haven't seen these teacher planners, you must watch the intro video here. 

*WARNING!!! If you watch the video, you WILL want this planner, and it is $60. No one warned me how much it was before I watched it, and I was hooked and had to justify my $60. I love it, and I hope I find it useful all year. 

First Day and Room Reveal

Today was the first day of school, and it went pretty well. I got all my signs and decorations up. I am so excited for students to get to use them! 

I have 120 kids in 4 science classes. My teammates are awesome teachers and people. I am very blessed :)

My room:

Verb wall

 

Absent board

Help wall

Scientific method

Word wall (cabinet)

Early finishers and think tanks board

Non-fiction text structures

First day activity

Did I mention I love teaching?

How to get Parents to Get Supplies for your Lab

I know it is late, and I am about to go to bed, but I wanted to post this freebie that took my 30 minutes to write and 7 hours to complete (bless the children). This is a tip on how to get parents to help supply your classroom from the start. We do this in the science lab every year, and even do it again once we have Open House later in the year. Just make sure you give the kids some type of reward for bringing in extra supplies. We have a ticket system at our school, so each item brought in is worth 1 ticket. Click the picture to get the how to.

Enjoy and goodnight!

Teachers Pay Teachers Sale

Now that we have all had the chance to get an idea of what we want for our rooms, and some of you have already started teaching, how about a sale to get new resources for your kiddos?

How about a Back to School Sale at TpT? August 18th-19th use the code BTS13 to get up to 28% off. I am already stocking up my wishlist with some new items from some of my favorite TpT authors!

Of course, there is The Science Penguin Weekly Warm-Ups. I already have the first set, and now I need the second!

The Rachel Paper Collection and Lab Equipment Clip Art by Ashley Hughes matches my robot theme so well! I will have to have that!

Scientific Method Measurement Task Cards by Lisa Michalek

What are you going to get?

2 Birds, One Blog: August Currently and Back To School Goals

I am loving the linkys (click the pictures to join), so I am doing two today in one post, so I will keep my explanations short :)

First, I have August Currently with Oh Boy, 4th Grade.

Here is my August Currently:

Listening: the news is always o at our house in the background. My husband is a police officer, and I think it is just second nature for him to know what is going on...repetitively...7 times a day. Oh, well. I don't mind. Fox 4 can be pretty entertaining sometimes :) I wish I was listening to some songs to sing to since the kids aren't here to wake up as I bust a note (they are loving on Grandma right now)!

Loving: reading all of the posts from fellow bloggers. There are great ideas, motivations and stories to get back on track for the school year!

Thinking: about how great this school year will be. I am so excited about my team, our schedule, Think Tanks, our new batch of kiddos, and my room!

Wanting: some playtime with my kids. We are limited what we do out of the house with a new walker and 105F outside everyday, but we have plenty to do inside, and I can also back out the car and put a pool in it's place in the shade!

Needing: millions of dollars to buy all the things I need to make all the things I have found on blogs, pintrest and TpT (any donations?).

Back 2 School Must Haves: I noticed I forgot to add that, so here.
1. Some Magic School Bus chapter books. I just found out about these, and I need them!
2. Some cute duct tape to wrap my glue bottles (thanks I'm Lovin Lit!)
3. Glitter binder. Need it!

Alright, Back to School Goals Linky with I {heart} Recess.

Personal: I want everything to be perfect the first time kids walk in the week before school to get their schedules. It might not happen, and I need to be okay with that (as long as it is perfect by the first day of school).

Organization: My classroom is wall space challenged. It has buttons and switches and boxes and other impediments throughout randomly being a science lab. I will make it work!

Planning: I like having a few weeks planned at a time so I can focus on all my other responsibilities and wants at work. Week one is almost done, so let's kick it up and get week two!

Professional: I am science lead at my school and I will mentor 2 teachers and have 3 new science teachers this year. I want to make sure they have everything they need to feel confident about the start of the year. I can always wing it if I have to, but I don't want them to have to.

Students: What could we possibly need this year that students will run out of or not have? Sales are for a limited time, and supply does not always refresh in time. I need to anticipate what will be needed.

Motto: I am a positive person 99% of the time. My teammates have seen the smidge of negative, but it is so rare. Am I lying to myself, holding it in, or do I just love teaching so much the negative doesn't really matter? I am going with the last one :)

That's it! Goodnight! I have GT training all day tomorrow, and those advanced labs aren't going to perform themselves!

Back To School Find!

Here is something I just found, literally 45 minutes ago. I could not wait to share it, except for the moments between getting home and now where I had to make some homemade peach ice cream real fast :)

Anyway...

I am joining up with Teaching with Moxie's Back to School Linky. Click the picture above to see what others have found. Here is the awesomeness I found.

Shaped stickies. Leaves, speech bubbles, thumbs up, and (my fav) iPhones. They are $0.97 at Wal-Mart for a pack of 100, and they are Wal-Mart brand. I bought 300 of each, so two sets worth of each for my group of 115. Think of the uses. Exit tickets...thought trees...anchor charts...class discussions...the list goes on and on.

I can see the iPhones used for descriptions or paragraphs. They are lined and have more space than the other shapes. The leaves could be on a bulletin board where each student gets to write something about leaves changing color and light energy (we will be doing light energy about the time the leaves start to fall in this part of Texas). The thumbs up can be used for voting or agreeing or disagreeing with a statement. They just turn the thumb the way they want when they write on it. I absolutely LOVE these, and they are so much cheaper than the $3 Post-It brands. As soon as we actually get to use these, I will post pictures of how it turned out. 

How do you see using them!

Finally!!

I went up to school today to take care of some things, and magically my room is not being used for summers school AND it has already been waxed!! Yea! That means I can start putting it together :) I am so excited! I already put up 1 1/2 bulletin boards today, found all of the decor I already had stored at school and got it out, and I started unpacking everything. I am so excited! Did I already say that! As soon as I get things up and running, I will post pictures of what my new STEM Robots room looks like. Excitement!

Perfection is...

I love the summer "break," but I also love teaching. I am not ready to end the summer, but I also know that school is starting soon, so my classroom needs to be awesome. An inviting classroom helps engage kids and make them want to be in your class every day. I have so many ideas for my classroom and plans for decorations. I am really excited about getting into my classroom and starting to decorate, but the school has summer school going on in my classroom right now.

For the past three years, I have had a safari themed classroom, and a garden classroom the two years before that. Since my room is a science lab, I like to keep in theme with something science-like. This year, I am changing themes to a robot STEM career classroom. Another teacher was doing a safari classroom, so I took down all of my safari stuff to give to her already. Also, my walls are supposed to be painted over the summer, so I took everything off the walls. Also, summer school is going on in my room during July, so I took all the stuff off the counters to give them space for stations. Also, since my room is tile, it has to be waxed over the summer, so everything was taken off the bookshelves, the desk, and any tables. So my room looks pretty bare right now. Well, meet the teacher/schedule pick up is 2 days into inservice. The first day with time for classroom set up is day 4. How will I fit making an inviting classroom for meet the teacher during those first 2 days? I am going to have to work before or after school and during lunch if my classroom will be the first impression I want it to be. I hate having the first thing a parent and student see being a half put together room. I want them excited to come to class from the moment they first see it.

I am sure it will all come together perfectly, but I cannot help but be anxious about the process :) In the meantime, here is a freebie. These are the gears I made for my turn in boxes for this year. Enjoy them!

That time is here...

I went to Walmart to get groceries, like I do every Sunday morning before everyone in this small town is there, and they were busily stocking school supplies. Back to School shopping is here! It took all that I had in me not to buy 20 boxes of crayons and markers and glue and scissors and cute sticky notes and zebra striped pencil bags and everything else on the aisles! They have these 8 pack crayon packs that already have the colors sorted out for you. $.78 for all the shades of red in a pack or blues or greens. They were so cute and organized, but I thought isn't this just what I did when I was a kid with my 96 crayon pack, just reorganize the colors? I didn't get any, but that doesn't mean I won't be back for some :)

I did, however, manage to get two composition books with neon plastic covers in purple and blue. That I could not help.

There was also filler paper, 100 sheets I think, for $5 because it was reinforced with neon strips. Waaaay to expensive, but super cute.

Does anyone else get sucked in every time you see school supplies?

Back to School A+ Shopping Finds Linky Party

This is my first linky party, so let's hope I get it right!

You know you said at the start of June you weren't going to do any school stuff this summer, just enjoy it. Well, for so many of us, getting ready for the next school year is enjoyable. I, personally, love it! I am changing my classroom decor from safari to STEM robots. I have been looking everywhere for things to match my Riveting Robots decor from Creative Teaching Press.

There is tons of the robot set and I LOVE it! Click on the picture above to see all that Creative Teaching press has for this set.

Well, if I change the class decor, I have to change all of my organization stuff, too. The colors from my safari stuff just doesn't match, and let's face it, if you know me, I have to have it match!

I have found all sorts of things for my room to go with this, but what I really needed was folders in bright colors that seemed sturdy enough to handle daily use. My favorite are the plastic durable folders, but those are hard to find around here and the colors don't match perfectly. While I was in Dollar Tree looking for 4th of July necklaces for the kids, I just happened to wander into the teaching isle. I found these cute, bright folders! They are sturdy, have 2 inside pockets (no brads), and come in 6 great matching colors (well, 5 of the colors match, but I will ALWAYS make an exception for pink!).

They have this cute swirl texture design, and a thin layer of plastic around the outside. They even have holes to put in binders if needed. They were $1 at Dollar Tree in the DFW Texas area. Did you know that at DollarTree.com you can buy mass quantities, like 24, 36, and such? So if you needed a class set or something, you may try that instead of trying to go to a couple of Dollar Tree stores.

These will be great in my think tank tubs!

Have you found a great teacher find? Link up and share it!

Getting some work done

The kids are at grandma's for the weekend, the husband is sleeping, and I have time! I am laminating all of my task card sets, new room signs, and anything else that was sitting in my "to laminate" folder.

 There was sooo much. Now I just need to cut them apart, cut the holes, and put them on rings (thanks Teaching with a Mountain View for the great idea). These are my favorite task cards made by The Science Penguin. She is a teacher in Texas who creates amazing things that actually match the TEKS standards since ours don't exactly align with the common core. I have purchased so many of her products from Teachers Pay Teachers. Usually when my earnings from them come in, I turn right around and use it on the things I wanted from The Science Penguin store. If you haven't checked it out, I highly suggest you do. 

Now, what else can I do with all this time? Maybe I will make some new clip art or some more think tanks...

Couldn't help it

Living in the country is nice for so many reasons, but its keeps me far from specialty stores :( I just happened to be in town near a great teacher supply store and thought I could quickly go in and grab some gears for my bulletin board. Ha! Over an hour later, I had spent way more than I needed to, but every isle inspired an idea! Anyone else have that problem? My classroom will be the coolest robot/STEM classroom! Kids won't want to stay away!