Amazon Games

I was looking around on Pinterest the other night and found two games that I thought my 4th graders would like. I seriously feel like a changed teacher now that I've found Pinterest! I bought Sumoku and Rory's Story Cubes from Amazon.com and I hope my kids enjoy them! I think both games will come in handy during Guided Math (read previous post about Guided Math) and writing workshop. Each year I have kiddos who can't think of anything to write about and I thought having story cubes that sort of put a story in order for students would be helpful. I'll be sure to do a post and update everyone on whether the games are successful!

Classroom Economy

I have been teaching for 5 years going on 6 and I'll have used Beth Newingham's Classroom Economy for all of those years except for my first. When I lived in AZ my friend and co-worker and I wanted to change the way we ran our classroom management. Our kids weren't responding to the obvious ways of behavior management so we started looking on-line and found Beth's website. She changed my life. If you click on her name in the first sentence then you'll be directed to her economy page on her class website. I do it all, store, credit/debit and check writing. I will tell you though that this year I am changing it up a bit.

Instead of having a credit/debit log, I am going to give students $70 at the beginning of each week. This is because they have to have at least $140 in their bank envelope (that they'll decorate the first week of school) at the end of every two weeks. I let them go to the class store every two weeks and they may buy two items, but two of the same items. I usually spend about $50 a month at Target in the dollar section to supply my store, but sometimes parents will donate trinkets and small games and stuff. If they earn more money for having good character qualities or answering a "jackpot" question, then great but if they lose more than $140 over the course of two weeks, then they may not shop in the store that week. What those children will get to do is write a letter to their parents, have it checked by me and signed by their parents explaining what happened and why they did not get to "shop". Mind you, the parent will probably already be aware of this matter because of the ever so important communication I have put in place.

The way I'll keep up with what they've paid me for losing money is by keeping a binder with paper in it where they'll sign, explain their behavior and write down how much money they put in the "money jar". If I notice a student has been signing often, then we'll have a conference and discuss what the problem is and a solution to fix it. At the end of each week, I'll check the binder and call each student to my desk to verify how much money they have and then I'll record that number in my gradebook and that will determine their conduct grade for the week. If they have less than $70 or they didn't get to shop at the end of the two weeks, then their grade will either be a S or N (satisfactory or needs improvement). If they have significantly more then their grade will be a M (mastery) and if they have slightly above that required amount, their grade will be a P (proficient). This is our grading policy..your district may have another way to keep up with conduct. I HOPE my new system will work..it sounds promising. I'll post a pic of the jar and binder once I have them made :)

Great Math Blog

http://guided-math.blogspot.com/2011/06/place-value-game-cards-or-dice.html

I am always looking for new and different ways to teach math and I think this blog has really opened my eyes to a fantastic way to change the way I teach math concepts. The concept is really easy and if you're used to teaching your Language Arts block using Daily 5, then Guided Math should be a cinch to get started!

She starts the math block with a mini-lesson that is either a review from the day before, or an introduction to a new concept. Then, she breaks the kids up in to 4 groups. If you have a lot of kids and don't want to have large rotation groups, then you could have 2 groups doing the same thing. Her rotations are: card game, math game, individual work and work with the teacher. While she's working with groups, the other kids are completing review or skill building games on their own. I love her setup and can't wait to start giving it a try in my classroom!

Writing Folders

I have tried many different ways to keep the kids organized with all of their writing process papers. As we all know, we want to teach the kids to work through the ENTIRE writing process but along with that we end up with tons of either loose leaf papers or journals that are unorganized. For a couple of years I had the kids use a folder that had brads and two pockets. They would keep their ideas in one pocket, rough drafts in another and then their final copies would go in the brads. That idea wasn't bad at all, but the pockets would get so filled with paper that they would end up falling out on the ground all the time, or they would have to thumb through all of their ideas to find what they were looking for. Then, I used a composition journal for them to write everything down in. I had them dog-ear each 1/4 of a section and we tried to keep the sections organized, but really it was a big giant mess....

Until..I found Pinterest and was able to view some other teacher's brilliant organizational ideas for writing folders. I found this picture and rushed out to Walmart to get my own "4 pocket" folder!


This is not my actual folder creation, but the blog that I found it on on Pinterest. She did say that she messed up on the folder in this pic. You have to fold the middle folder in half and then bind it with the flap side facing in. I plan on using the folders in this order: 1) ideas, 2) rough drafts 3) ready to edit 4) final copies. I will then take their final copies, grade them, make a copy along with the rubric and send the original home. I hope this new and improved writing folder is a success!

Helpful Resources-Literacy

In my career of being a teacher I've come across a few resources that I have found to be extremely helpful. When I first started teaching, I didn't really understand the term "resources" and felt a little overwhelmed when I heard other teachers talk about using them. I thought at first that I'd be content with using the district adopted resources and wouldn't have to venture out on my own and find things that fit my style of teaching. After a year of teaching, I realized that branching out was a must and finding other ways to provide instruction was going to be necessary. Many of you have probably heard of some or all of the resources that I am going to share, but if you haven't please take a minute to check some of them out :)

A resource that I have grown to love is the "Two Sisters". These ladies have developed a management process called, Daily 5 that has taken education by storm. When I started teaching in my current district, our school adopted the Daily 5 technique and some of us really "took the bull by the horns" and some of the others called it a "wash". All of us though were required to read the book and do book studies with our teams and talk about how we planned on implementing the tool. I personally LOVE the 2 Sisters and have also been using the CAFE menu in my room as well. CAFE is just an acronym (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expand vocabulary) used to help kids pinpoint their areas of needed improvement in the above 4 areas. Students can become very apprehensive about reading at a young age when they are not able to recognize areas that are causing them to "not like" reading. It's our job as teachers to help them through those rough patches and encourage them to keep reading. I LOVE CAFE because it allows me to show them exactly what skill they need to focus on. I usually conference with all of my kids at least once a week and so we can talk about how they are going to work on the skill that needs improvement until the next time we meet

A terrific resource is the Lucy Calkins "Units of Study". I bought the 3-5 my first year after being introduced to her by my first assistant principal, Gina Mayfield. She wanted her fourth grade teachers to learn more about the "art" of teaching writing and there is no one better in my opinion than Lucy Calkins. When I moved to AZ and taught second for a year I persuaded my school to buy the primary units of study and to no surprise, they LOVED it too. So, I have used both resources provided by Lucy and love them both!

Oh, Razzle Dazzle! Razzle Dazzle is a book that specifies on the 6 traits of writing. If you're a Tx teacher, then you know that the TAKS is no longer our standardized test, so that means the writing instruction in your classrooms may change a bit. I believe Razzle Dazzle can still be a great resource to use even with the unknown writing expectations in the upper grades. This book is broken in to sections based on the 6 traits and offers short lessons that will enhance students' writing. They should NOT be the focus of your writing workshop lesson, but a secondary resource to emphasize your target skill for that day/week. Check it out here.

Readers' theater is another terrific way to get your kids excited about reading. I use this strategy religiously in my room and it is always a HUGE success. Many students struggle with fluency and readers theater is a wonderful way to incorporate fun and reading practice at the same time. There are tons of websites that are good for readers' theater, but one I have used before is Aaron Shepard. He offers many levels of scripts that are appropriate for all reading levels. I've also purchased a few good books that have scripts in them: "Readers Theater for Building Fluency" and "Readers' Theater grade 4". There are TONS more, but depending on your grade level it will determine which book you buy. Scholastic has lots of good resources on readers' theater.

Please let me know if you have literacy resources that you use in your classroom that you feel are beneficial for your kiddos :)

Room Setup

I have done a few things in my room so far and by although things are moving along much more smoothly this year I am by no means almost finished! My room is in shambles right now, but I have completed a few boards that I wanted to share. I like to change things up every couple of years, not so much for the kids but for me. Every year no matter if I left it the same would be new for the kids, but I would see it year after year and it would get old, quick! Here's a sneak peek into my room this year....

Here is the theme for this year outside my door. The "Go 4th" part may look funny right now, but once the circles with the students' first names on them are up, it won't look so funny. I got this theme from another teacher blog I found recently. I like it :)

Another Pinterest inspired project, the Drop Box. This is a seemingly easy concept in that kids come in with dr. notes, notes from home, etc and drop it into the colorful box. I have it by my door instead of at my desk area because we have to turn in notes to the office so they can make copies of them and then they'll put the original in my mailbox in the mailroom. I thought it would save some time for myself and the kids to just drop it in the door when the come in in the morning.

This is the Target Reading area. If you haven't heard of Target Reading, then a brief explanation is: There is one main story that the kids read on Monday and re-read throughout the week and then answer comprehension questions each day. Along with the question, there is a sentence to correct and re-write and a sentence elaboration activity that lasts all week. It can be brutal in the beginning until the kids understand the expectation of them because they'll try and turn in papers with incomplete sentences and numerous spelling mistakes along with capital letters not capitalized and much more. They do however get it eventually and it helps with their writing and reading tremendously. Another similar activity I've seen before is called Mountain Language.

This board is another Pinterest found creation. I have my CAFE menu to the left and then I'll display the spelling/word work stations on the right. I may also include some sort of reading something or other in the middle. If you don't know what CAFE is, then click on the acronym and it will take you to the Two Sisters' site. They are fabulous at explaining, because they created it :) We are not allowed to have fabric/butcher paper behind our border per the fire marshall, but really it's less work for me and it looks fine I think.

Here is the math poster area of my room. I realize it's high on the ceiling and not "student created", but I found that last year the kids used the multiplication chart and place value chart a TON. Some students had their own copies to keep in their math journal, but the majority of the kids used the wall if they got stuck or needed a friendly reminder. The geometry posters are new and were only up about half of the year last year, but the kids like that one too. Then, I have had the positive thinking poster in my room every year so far. I can't seem to part with it quite yet.

This is something new that I have never done before and I got the idea off Pinterest. It's an inspiration wall and I want to fill it with pictures of my class doing things that show the different inspiring phrases on the poster. We will write a mission statement together and I haven't decided where I want to display that in my room, but I also thought it would be cool to have pictures of kids doing nice things for others. I put this above my guided reading table and writing station.

I hope you enjoyed the "tour" and please let me know of the fun new things you plan on doing in your room this year!

Crafty Crate Seating

I have said it before, but Pinterest is my new addiction!! Besides being a mom, teacher, wife and running enthusiast I am also addicted to good websites and blogs!! Pinterest has really changed me though because I've gotten SO many cute and new ideas for the classroom. One of the projects that I've completed are crate seats! They are wonderful because they act as cute and fun seating for my guided reading table as well as storage for books and folders or whatever I put in there :)

The seats were SO easy to make and that's what I'm all about..easy and cute :) I went and bought some fabric at Hancock's that was on sale for like $3.00 and then some fairly inexpensive batting. Then, I went to Walmart and bought 5 crates for $3.50 a piece and then Jackson went and bought me some plywood at Lowe's for pretty cheap and cut it for me to fit the inner lip of the crate. I used a staple gun to secure the batting and fabric, flipped over the seat part and placed it down in the lip of the crate! I love my seats and I KNOW my kids will love them too!

Work on Writing Choices

I use Daily 5 as my management tool during my Language Arts block. One of the choices for Daily 5 is "Work on Writing". Each year I try to add more choices on the list of things for the students to choose from and these activities will generally last all year long. There may be sometimes that I want certain kids to work on a specific activity, but for the most part I let them pick what "Work on Writing" activity the want to do.

I want to explain a couple of the choices so that if you want to use the same activities you understand what each one of them are. At the beginning of the year I read an Andrew Clements book called "The Landry News" which is a story about a girl who writes her own newspapers. This book allows a wonderful author to explain how to write a newspaper and all the components that are involved. After we finish reading this book, the kids get in to groups and write their very own newspaper. Each year the editions pile up in our reading corner and the kids enjoy using Daily 5 time to write new newspaper editions!

Another one of the activities is Buddy Conference. This activity allows the kids to work in pairs to go over their Writing Workshop pieces if they did not get a chance to conference with a classmate during the allotted writing time. I learned much of my writing instruction from Lucy Calkins and she is BIG on peer conferencing. Be careful that you don't give this option in the beginning because students will not know to appropriately use this activity and end up playing around for 20 minutes. I'll do a post later on setting up Buddy Conferencing so it's successful.

The last non self-explanatory writing choice I give my kids is the Write in Your Composition Journal. This journal is begun at the start of the year and it's basically a portfolio of ALL sorts of different concepts we've learned throughout the year. The "Table of Contents" will show you what types of reflections we put in our journals. A couple of the entries will not apply to every school just because they're specific to our school. The first 6 entries are personal and I let the kids write whatever they want and then each page should have a decorated border that applies to the words on the page. The document I shared does not include all of the entries we did this year. I will print a copy of the contents as we update and add to it and then put a copy of it at the writing center in my room.

I hope some of these choices are useful to you and your kiddos! If you have any questions, please ask!

Summer is Coming to an End

Well this summer has flown by as they all do, and Laine and I just got back from working in my room :) I was able to really put together ideas quickly this year which made the time FLY by! I'll start my 6th year of teaching this year and finally the layout of my room is coming more naturally to me! Each year I feel like I have to go to different teachers' rooms and really look at how they have things set up before I can organize my room. This year I was able to map it out in my head and execute my plan successfully! There is still a LOT more to do, but I feel very confident that I'll be ready MUCH sooner than I normally am!

I am really looking forward to this year for many reasons: One, I have decided to take on the responsibility of being the 4th grade Team Lead. Mrs. Dotson has been leading our team for the past 7 years and she's ready for a break from it. She asked me if I'd be interested and at first I thought that it would interfere with my personal life too much, but after giving it much thought I decided that it would be fun! My good friend, Lauren told me that she'd pick Laine up from the sitter's house on the days that I have meetings and take her to her house and Jackson can pick her up there. I feel much better about that b/c I don't want her to have to stay at the sitter's house until 5 on some Tuesdays!! Miss Tristen has 3 of her own kids and she's VERY busy with the extra-curricular activities during the evenings as it is. The second reason I'm really excited for the year to start is because I've gotten TONS of new ideas for the classroom from Pinterest. I'll have to do a Pinterest Post soon and show everyone all of the projects I've already completed just from this site! I also LOVE getting a new bunch of kids each year and teaching them "the ropes" of 4th grade. It's only 2 weeks away and even though I know I'll be ready for a break come Thanksgiving/Christmas I'm ready for the brand new school year :)))