Post-its, Post-its, Post-its!

Mrs. Rojas at  Create●Teach●Share is hosting a linky party about using post-its in the classroom. What a great idea!  Head on over there to read more about her post-it giveaway and see all her creative ideas.

I use post-its in my classroom for anything and everything.  The students and myself are completely reliant on post-its. Here are some examples of how I use this wonderful creation in my classroom.

1)  Track Thinking:  Mostly, students use post-its to track their thinking while reading. They write post-its in their independent reading books and during our interactive read alouds.  We add their post-it to our anchor charts.

Listening to Our Inner Voice Lesson from Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey.

2) Notes to Teacher: Students also use post-its to leave me notes.  I'm always telling kids, "Write me a note and stick it on my computer screen." Notes vary from "Please find Mark a book about dinosaurs" to "Don't forget about cartoon lunch tomorrow." 

3) Happy Notes & Book Recommendations: I use post-its to leave notes for students.  This is a great way to reinforce behaviors you have noticed or just compliment a student on a good job.  I also leave books on desks with a post it that says, "I thought you might enjoy this book."  The kids love this because I have hand picked a book for them.  I almost always get them to read it and it is a nice way to gently nudge a reader to a just right book for them (whether up or down).

4) Shout Out Game: This past year I had a class that really struggled with raising their hand before joining the conversation.  They yelled out ALL the time.  It was distracting for both the learners in the room and the teacher.  I would lose my train of thought and have to stop and think about what I was saying to get back on track.  So, we started using post-its in a whole new way.  I gave students a speech bubble post-it for their desk.  Whenever a student yelled out or interrupted an adult or classmate, they marked their post-its.  It was a game. You wanted to see how few marks you could get on your post-it and it worked.  I think some students were really blown away by how often then interrupted.  They just had no idea.  It helped make them aware and as more people starting listening and not blurting out, the fewer blurts we got as the year went on.

I'd love to hear your ideas.  How do you use post-its in your classroom?

Classroom Bingo Board

Hooray! I love my new class bingo board I made today and just had to share.  It was so easy to put together and really inexpensive. I bought my supplies this morning and completed the project in about 15 minutes.

I made my board by modifying a classroom calendar and adding calendar numbers to match.

I also bought the paint splatter mini-accents for my class to use as markers on the board.  I will laminate everything when I get back to school and be ready to go!

Visit my post on Classroom Bingo to learn about how to use this bingo board for classroom management and positive reinforcement. 

Classroom Bingo & Dots with Purpose!

Here are a couple ideas from the positive reinforcement class that I just LOVED: 

• DOTS - This is a great idea for a kiddo that has trouble completing assignments. (Are you picturing a particular kid right now? I know I am.)  All you need is some of those standard yellow dots.  Basically, you cut up the dots and the student earns dots for working diligently, completing assignments, etc.  The student saves the dots to use at their discretion.  Dots can be placed on another assignment, excusing that student form that particular question or problem. Now, naturally, you have to set limits.  No dots on assessments.  Only 3 dots per assignment.  Etc. In essence, the kid is working to get out of working AND it works for most "I don't wanna" kids. 

•  CLASSROOM BINGO - This is a whole class reward system.  I know many teachers collect fuzzies or fill marble jars, but I thought this was a fun new idea.  Set up a large bingo board in your classroom, numbers 1-16 (or larger if you are going to be tough).  As a class, decide on a behavior/routine you want to work on.  For example...walking quietly in the hallway.  Every time the whole class is successful with walking in the hallway, a student gets to draw a number card.  You cross out, color, or mark that number in some way.  The class keeps playing on the board until they hit a bingo.  Then, you have a class celebration and start again. I can't wait to try it this year.  I will post pictures when I construct my bingo board. I love how it really puts everything on the kids.  They choose the goal, they demonstrate the behavior, they run the positive reinforcement and everyone's happy!

Here are some pictures of some other systems that might work well with some particularly challenging kids. Sorry for the glare... camera issues.  :)

Positive Reinforcement Workshop = Good Stuff!

This week, I attended a great workshop on positive reinforcement that was taught by our district behavior intervention specialist.  Although I am not a special education teacher, I work with a diverse population of students and have seen some pretty unusual behaviors.  The class was full of good reminders and some practical strategies to implement.  My theory... the more tools in my toolbox the better!

Here are some highlights I thought worth sharing:

•  Remember to use lots of positive specific feedback.  Research shows that you can improve behavior by 80% just by pointing out what someone is doing correctly.  We all do this, but this statistic makes me really want to keep it up!

• There are 6 different types of positive reinforcement: primary (food, drink), tangible (treasure box, stickers), activity (computer time, drawing time), token (tickets, points), social (praise, smile, high five), and natural (good grades, friends).  The types of reinforcement go from extrinsic to intrinsic.  Our goal is to move students from an extrinsic reinforcement to intrinsic.  I just thought this was interesting.  I had never thought about it like this before. Remember to always pair social reinforcement with any of the others.

• Relationships and knowing your students, as always, is key in teaching new behaviors.  Reinforcement for a behavior has to be something the student cares about and will really work for.  It's human nature, right?  It is hard to go to the gym everyday if you are not seeing results. We all continue doing something because we like something that we get out of it. For example, I continue to eat cookies because they taste good and I feel happy when eating them.  :)  Here is an example of a reinforcement survey to help you better understand what might motivate a particularly challenging student.  ReinforcementSurvey.pdf

I will post more specific strategies soon.  Hope this was helpful and I'd love your feedback and other ideas.

~Amanda

Back to School Ideas

Every year I am look for new back to school ideas to help me get to know my students and help the students get to know me. I have looped with two groups of kids, so I try to change activities each year to keep things fresh and new.  Here are some of my favorites for the first week:

Class Scavenger Hunt:  Students are given a list of tasks that require them to explore the room and use materials found around the room.  I don't give a lot of directions for this activity, I just hand out the paperwork.  I tell kids they must start with #1 (grab a clipboard) and finish with #12 (turn sheet into inbox).  Otherwise, they are free to complete the scavenger hunt in any order.  This has been a great way for students to explore the room, figure out where all the materials are, and work together.  Plus, while they are buzzing around I get all my first day of school pictures taken (#11).

 Friend Bingo:  This is a classic.  The kids have always done it before, but really enjoy it.

Freebie
Friend Bingo.pdf

Guess Who Teacher?: This is a great way to have the students get to know you.  Using index cards, write down answers to questions about yourself.  For example, the card might just say 2 or blue or reading.  Hand out the answer cards to your students. I tell them to put all their cards in the middle of the table and work as a group.  Then, ask the class a question.  "What is my favorite color?" The kids have to look at their cards and decide if they  have the answer. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.  I always try to put a couple of similar answers in the mix to make things a little more fun.  They always remember what they've learned about you, especially if you are just a little bit silly.


Student Interest Survey:  I think I modify this every year looking for the right balance of fun and information.  Here is what my survey looks like this year:  

Freebie
StudentInterestSurvey.pdf

Toothpaste Words: This fun activity illustrates how words can never really be taken back.  First, buy several travel size toothpastes (enough for all your groups), toothpicks, and paper towels.  Hand out materials to your groups and tell them to squeeze out as much toothpaste onto the paper towels as possible.  Just go for it! When it looks like they have gotten most of it out, tell them they have a new challenge.  They must put all the toothpaste back into the tube using only the toothpick and their fingers. They should be able to get most of it back in, but not all.  At the end of the activity, pull the class together to discuss how the toothpaste is like the words we use in the classroom.  Even with an apology, the words have still been said and you can't unsay them. Later in the year, I refer back to this activity reminding kids not to use toothpaste words that you can't take back.

I'd love to get some new ideas.  What are some of your favorite back to school activities?

Great Resource for Reader's Notebooks!

While blog surfing this evening, I read a post on Once Upon A Teaching Blog about reader’s notebooks and it reminded me of this fantastic book.  So, I thought I would share.

Notebook Connections: Strategies for a Reader's Notebook

by Aimee Buckner

Buckner approaches the reader’s notebook like a writer's notebook. She teaches her students practical strategies to immerse themselves in the text and extend their thinking. The strategies have cool names like “The Fab Five” and “Leaning In.”  In addition, she has strategies that invite students to reflect on their reading. Yes! She also provides examples of student work and her rubric for how she uses the reader’s notebook for a grade.

Highly recommend!

Back to School Questionnaire

One of the first things I send home every year is my Parent/Guardian Confidential Questionnaire. The kids love this because I tell them "tonight... your parents have homework!" I am always amazed at the information and insights parents will provide you during that first week of school.  As all teachers know, the more you know and understand your students and families, the better!  I find the back particularly helpful and it often leads to follow up conversations in conferences or on the phone.  This has been a great way for me to get information (sometimes sensitive information) right as the year begins, instead of waiting for that first October conference.

Front

Back

Freebie
Parent Questionnaire.pdf

Let me know if you would like the document in word to tweak and modify.

Battle of the Books

So, what is the Battle of the Books?

Well, it is nation wide reading incentive program that is probably a little bit different depending on your state and district.  At my school, students experience a modified battle of the books in 2nd grade where they read fairy tales only.  In 3rd grade, the reading list gets a little bit longer and by the time they hit 4th grade, the reading list has grown to 18 books!

All 4th graders in the district are encouraged to read as many battle books as possible throughout the year.  Each classroom puts together a team of students in the spring.  Quotes and clues from the books are read and students must identify the book and/or the author from the selected text. The school champion goes on to compete at the district level.

The Battle of the Books challenges kids to read books outside of their usual genres, builds classroom community, excites kids about reading, and is a lot of fun! I'm lucky because the awesome librarian at our school organizes everything, so all I have to do is promote reading and encourage my students.  Easy!

The list of books includes many Bluebonnet Award nominees.  For more information about the Texas Bluebonnet Award click here. To see a complete list of Battle Books for the 2011-2012 school year click here!

Last year, my third graders won the battle.  I was so proud! This year, I'm hoping my fourth graders are ready to continue the tradition.  In an effort to support my students more effectively this year, I have taken on my own reading challenge this summer.  I am trying to read all the battle books before the year begins and time is running out! Follow my journey through all 18 battle books on the Battle Books page.

1...2...Ready...Read!!

Welcome to The Teaching Thief

 thief/THēf/
Noun: A person who steals another person's property

I will be the first to admit that I am a bit of a "Teaching Thief".  I love walking into classrooms and just looking around. (I have even been known to take pictures of anchor charts and bulletin boards.)  I love revisiting my favorite teaching resources and finding new books with new ideas. (Recommendations wanted!) I love reading teacher blogs and seeing all the millions of great ideas from amazing teachers who are willing to share. Thank you, thank you!

I love seeing what has worked in other classrooms, because it gets me thinking.  I get excited about what I COULD do! I "steal" ideas, put my spin on them, and give them a try.  Sometimes, I look around my classroom and wonder if I ever really had an original idea.  I'm thinking that most of my good ideas came from the knowledge, expertise, and experience of many teachers before me.

So, now it is my turn to join the conversation, give back, and share what I have learned, what works in my classroom, what books my class and I are obsessed with, and what I love about teaching!