Puck Lights Make a Great Classroom Management Tool!

If you have a rowdy class, puck lights can be a great tool to help establish order in your classroom!

Educator Dan Mault posted this great idea on his website (and we recommend you check him out) that uses the lights as a way to establish authority. The lights (which are available on Amazon by clicking here) can alternate colors thanks to a remote, allowing a teacher to use a particular color to set the level of student activity.

Mault revealed how he uses the colors.

I am using a color coding system to let students know what the color means when it is on:
Red- No talking.
Blue- Low talking with 1 partner.
Green- Low talking with your group.
White- Low indoor voices.

Mault has also made the signs seen in the photo available for free download through his Teachers Pay Teachers store (click here to get them).

The lights are available to order from Amazon by clicking right here.

Keep it Simple: Do these 4 things ever time you teach

Written by: Jeffrey Benson

It happens a million times a day in schools: a teacher starts a lesson.

The strong students seize on the new learning opportunity. Typical students figure out enough of what they have to do to succeed. But students who struggle in school may flare up, or shut down, at this critical juncture. These challenging students often react before they give themselves a chance.

There are many unpredictable ways your new lesson can trigger an old wound in a challenging student. Teachers can reduce those sudden negative reactions by planning to provide directions in four ways. These approaches are good for every student and probably necessary for our most vulnerable ones.

Click here to read the complete article!

Miss Monica's "10 Things Mean Teachers Have in Common"

"Miss Monica," a third grade teacher in Canada, runs a terrific blog called IHeartGrade3.com, and if you are a teacher or a parent, I suggest you check it out.

Miss Monica recently posted "10 Things Mean Teachers Have In Common." Inspired by a post on the Scary Mommy website, it is a nice reminder of how we as teachers should stay focused with order and discipline. Check out her list below. Her article also includes some discussion of each point, so be sure to read her entire article to get all of the information.

Here is the list:

1.  We make our students clean up their messy work.

2.  We make them take responsibility for their actions.

3.  We make them wear clothing that will protect them from the weather.

4.  We don’t plan every single minute of the school day.

5.  We make them earn their rewards.

6.  We make them work when they don’t want to.

7.  We have rules and we stick to them.

8.  We make sure they choose healthy options for snacks.

9.  We ignore them sometimes.

10.  We teach them that the world does not revolve around them.

Miss Monica expands on each point, and you need to read her insights. Click here to read the complete article!

This Crayon Sharpener is a classroom MUST HAVE!

Teachers: here's a great item for your Christmas wish list! Be sure your room parent is aware of the CrayonPro Electric Sharpener from Elmer's! 

Here's the item's description, straight from Amazon:

Sharpen old crayons to look and draw like new! This electric sharpener even cuts the paper automatically from the crayon as it sharpens. The sharpener includes a plastic brush and pick tool to help clean spent crayon chips from the sharpener mechanism. The sharpener features an automatic stop mechanism that prevents over-sharpening. Use it for crayon sharpening only. A replacement cutting cartridge is available.  

 The CrayonPro Sharpener isn't cheap, but it is worth it! You can click right here to order one from Amazon!

The Jigsaw Strategy

Overview: The jigsaw classroom is a research-based cooperative learning technique invented and developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California. Since 1971, thousands of classrooms have successfully used jigsaw.



"The Jigsaw Strategy is an efficient way to learn the course material in a cooperative learning style. The jigsaw progress encourages listening, engagement, and empathy by giving each member of the group an essential part to play in the academic activity. Group members must work together as a team to accomplish a common goal; each person depends on all the others. No student can succeed completely unless everyone works well together as a team. This 'cooperation by design' facilitates interaction among all students in the class, leading them to value each other as contributors to their common task."

-Schreyer Institute for Teaching

How to Use Jigsaw in the Classroom:

1. Divide the reading material by sections/segments.

Example:

Texas, My State

Geography of Texas

The First Texans

Republic of Texas

Government in Texas

2. Create the number of groups needed. One group per topic. Assign a number for each student in the group.

Example:
Group One: Students 1, 2, 3, 4
Group Two: Students 1, 2, 3, 4
Group Three: Students 1, 2, 3, 4
Group Four: Students 1, 2, 3, 4

3. Appoint one student from each group as the leader.

4. Assign each group a different segment. 
Example:
Group One: Reads Geography of Texas
Group Two: Reads The First Texans
Group Three: Reads Republic of Texas
Group Four: Reads Government in Texas

5. Give each group time to read over their segment at least twice and become familiar with it. Allow time for them to discuss their information.

6. Form temporary “expert groups” by taking one student from each jigsaw group. Join them with one student from each of the other jigsaw groups, thus creating all new groups.
Example:
Expert Group: All #1 students
Expert Group: All #2 students
Expert Group: All #3 students
Expert Group: All #4 students

7.Ask each student to present his or her segment to the new jigsaw group.

8. Float from group to group, observing the process. 

* Follow up by giving them an assignment or assessment that covers all the information in the reading material assigned.

For more information and ideas on this topic click on the following links.

https://www.jigsaw.org/

http://www.d120.org/assets/1/intranet_forms/Article_Jigsaw_Activity_Directions.pdf

http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/alex/jigsaw.pdf

Routines and Procedures Checklist

Don't Let This Be You!

 Believe it or not, the first day of school is just around the corner!

Before that day happens, make sure you know how you want to run your classroom.

If you don't know what you want, then neither will your students.

Consistency is KEY when training your students. 

Expect to review these procedures for at least the first TWO weeks of school!

HOW TO...

enter the classroom

take attendance and lunch count

come to class prepared

sharpen your pencil

begin morning work/bell ringers

keep your desk and assignments organized

respond to teacher signals

label your assignments

work independently

work in groups/partners

use technology

handout papers

collect papers (classroom work & homework)

go to the restroom

transition

get in line/walk in the hallway

write down homework assignments

assign classroom jobs

pack up and dismiss

Other Essential Procedures:  

fire and emergency drills

recess & lunch

playground behavior

classroom jobs

classroom library and other learning stations

rewards and incentives

noise level expectations

work for absent student

Start training them on the first day so this isn't you!

We will be praying you have a successful school year!

Time to Motivate

Stop negative behavior with this visual statement. 

 

The Jigsaw Strategy

Overview: The jigsaw classroom is a research-based cooperative learning technique invented and developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California. Since 1971, thousands of classrooms have successfully used jigsaw.



"The Jigsaw Strategy is an efficient way to learn the course material in a cooperative learning style. The jigsaw progress encourages listening, engagement, and empathy by giving each member of the group an essential part to play in the academic activity. Group members must work together as a team to accomplish a common goal; each person depends on all the others. No student can succeed completely unless everyone works well together as a team. This 'cooperation by design' facilitates interaction among all students in the class, leading them to value each other as contributors to their common task."

-Schreyer Institute for Teaching

How to Use Jigsaw in the Classroom:

1. Divide the reading material by sections/segments.

Example:

Texas, My State

Geography of Texas

The First Texans

Republic of Texas

Government in Texas

2. Create the number of groups needed. One group per topic. Assign a number for each student in the group.

Example:
Group One: Students 1, 2, 3, 4
Group Two: Students 1, 2, 3, 4
Group Three: Students 1, 2, 3, 4
Group Four: Students 1, 2, 3, 4

3. Appoint one student from each group as the leader.

4. Assign each group a different segment. 
Example:
Group One: Reads Geography of Texas
Group Two: Reads The First Texans
Group Three: Reads Republic of Texas
Group Four: Reads Government in Texas

5. Give each group time to read over their segment at least twice and become familiar with it. Allow time for them to discuss their information.

6. Form temporary “expert groups” by taking one student from each jigsaw group. Join them with one student from each of the other jigsaw groups, thus creating all new groups.
Example:
Expert Group: All #1 students
Expert Group: All #2 students
Expert Group: All #3 students
Expert Group: All #4 students

7.Ask each student to present his or her segment to the new jigsaw group.

8. Float from group to group, observing the process. 

* Follow up by giving them an assignment or assessment that covers all the information in the reading material assigned.

For more information and ideas on this topic click on the following links.

https://www.jigsaw.org/

http://www.d120.org/assets/1/intranet_forms/Article_Jigsaw_Activity_Directions.pdf

http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/alex/jigsaw.pdf

Quiet Critters

Quiet critters come out only when it's quiet. Students work hard to have one sit on their desk.

 



Our Class Promise

Keeping Organized

Procedures, Procedures, Procedures!

http//mandys-tips-4teacherblogspot.com

Helpful Hints

Use vinyl transfers to make semi-permanent decals for words you don’t want to have to rewrite everyday.

 

Anchor Chart: Reporting vs. Tattling

This anchor chart is a great tool to help your students understand the difference between reporting and tattling.

 

Behavior Chart

 

THINK Poster



Repurpose empty, clean milk cartons as storage containers.



"Role Models" Essay by Anchor Mom





Amanda Goodman of KWWL in Iowa has an online column called "Role Models." This recent post is worth reading!

The "Role Model" by Anchor Mom
agoodman@kwwl.com •   July 8, 2015



...I showed her a picture of Eleanor Roosevelt and explained how she was the “first” First Lady who made sure she was heard.  She fought for more women in the workplace and civil rights…she wasn’t afraid to make some waves.  Her husband, the President of the United States, looked to her as an advisor.
I showed her pictures of Mother Teresa, Harriet Tubman, Margaret Thatcher and Marie Curie.  I told her about Jessica Savitch…who has always been described as a hot head, but she certainly paved the path for women like myself in journalism.
Giana kind of looked at me with an expression like “ok, you showed me a bunch of pictures of old ladies…most of whom are not alive.”

Click here to read the complete article.



Staying Organized

Labeling with colored tape is a quick and easy way to keep your classroom organized.

 

 

Classroom Organization

What a wonderful way to keep your students organized!