So it's the first week of school, do I teach content or build a community of learners?
Build a community of learners.
How do I build a community of learners?
Teachers need to make sure students get to know one another as well as get to know you as a person and a teacher. Here are several ways to do this? Make sure you as the teacher participate as well. Some you will want to do a head of time to model what it should look like.
1. Create "Get to know Bingo Boards."
Set a timer for 5 minutes and allow kids to do a scavenger hunt with one another. They need to find someone that fits each category. The kids would sign their names to a box. The goal is to get a signature from each student.
2. Have kids to create visual representations to introduce themselves to the class.
Students can make flyers, posters, or book marks using pictures to describe themselves. You can even allow them to cut out and make things to glue to their medium to share.
3. Have kids do Acrostic poems about their favorite subjects
Pre cut the card stock into book marks, hole punch them and make sure to have yarn, string or ribbon to attach to them when completed. (Hang as a display in the room or hallway.)
4. Have them bring items from home to share during morning meeting, so many kids are assigned a day until everyone has shared.
5. Create or download Get to know Interest Surveys. I use a combination of the subject areas and personal interest surveys.
6. We will engage in Filling each other's bucket for encouragement and celebration. Students will make tiny buckets and we will place somewhere where everyone has access to them. I will read the book Fill my bucket as well. Here is the one I created last year.
7. This year we will actively be engaged in finding and keeping a positive Mindset. I will read the book The Girl that Never Made Mistakes: But here are a couple more:
1. Fantastic Elastic Brain
2. Beautiful oops
3. The Most Magnificent Thing
ROUTINES, PROCEDURES, EXPECTATIONS
As a teacher we have to make sure these are in place in order to get curriculum accomplished. Remember to model what you expect. Allow kids to make the rules with you.
I always start by posing this question?
What behaviors do you think we need to display as a community to ensure that everybody is able to learn at his/her on speed and in their on way? (You may want to incorporate a Read Aloud or two.)
Some of my favorites are:
Mrs. Nelson is Missing
Recess Queen
Molly Sue Melon
First Day Jitters
- One tip I have is to avoid trying to give them too many Rules and Routines at a time, spread them over a week.
- Come back and visit them often. Always address the rule being broken not the students..
- Choose your actions and words carefully when correcting misbehavior.
- As with all discipline plans, you need to make sure kids are aware of the consequences for not following those rules and procedures.
Be sure to create a visual to hang in the classroom:
LOOKS LIKE SOUNDS LIKE
Say it, explain it, model it and have kids model it as well. Be sure to include what it doesn't look like as well, but I wouldn't necessarily put it on an anchor chart.
Don't take anything for granted: Here are the routines/procedures I have written to model and teach this school year.
1. How to line up, turning in work, sitting in seats
2. How to use the pencil sharpener
3. How to use materials in room( several different lessons)
4. How to use class library
5. Morning daily routine: Planners, Homework, daily work, attendance
6. Jobs and duties
7 How to come to/from meeting area and materials needed
8. SLANT( acronym we use in our district:
Sit up in chair
Lean in to listen to speaker
Ask questions to confirm and understand
Nod your head to show confirmation of information given
Track the speaker ( all eyes and body turn toward the speaker)
9. Non-Negotiable (school wide)
10. Asking questions
11. Tuesday folder routine
12. Traffic light signal( for noise level as well as to signify when to not disturb teacher
13. Restroom, hallway and cafeteria expectations
14. Partnerships/group work
15. Use of School supply and Browsing boxes
16. Labeling work
17. Setting goals/progress monitoring
18. Homework
19 Use of centers and nooks
20 Pillars ( Caring, Effort, Responsibility, Respect, Integrity)= Citizenship
21 Consequences/Disciplinary plans
22. Emergency Drill expectations
23. Use of Technology
24. Attention and other signals used in class ( your choice)
These are the procedures and rules I address. There are no set rules, Think about what needs to be in place for your class to run efficiently and effectively, and no I don't do them all on the same day. I do Mid workshop teaching points and also spread them over the first 3 weeks of school as stated before. I revisit them often, I make sure to model and follow the anchor chart format: What does it look like, and what does it sound like?
You want to have routines and procedures for how the major workshop will work daily:
Reading Workshop, Writing workshop, and Math workshop. There is a gambit of procedures and routines that I do over three week period, A great resource that gives a list of mini lesson ideas for Reading and Writitng Workshop is Fountas and Pinelll's: Guiding Readers and Writers
So take a breath, ask a colleague, learn by doing and be okay with making a mistake. After 17 years, I do. However, just remember the key for me was to start reflecting. I kept a journal and everyday I would journal about my day, what went well, what didn't. My actions and behaviors, the students actions and behaviors. I problems solved and made lots of list in my journal.
Don't take anything for granted: Here are the routines/procedures I have written to model and teach this school year.
1. How to line up, turning in work, sitting in seats
2. How to use the pencil sharpener
3. How to use materials in room( several different lessons)
4. How to use class library
5. Morning daily routine: Planners, Homework, daily work, attendance
6. Jobs and duties
7 How to come to/from meeting area and materials needed
8. SLANT( acronym we use in our district:
Sit up in chair
Lean in to listen to speaker
Ask questions to confirm and understand
Nod your head to show confirmation of information given
Track the speaker ( all eyes and body turn toward the speaker)
9. Non-Negotiable (school wide)
10. Asking questions
11. Tuesday folder routine
12. Traffic light signal( for noise level as well as to signify when to not disturb teacher
13. Restroom, hallway and cafeteria expectations
14. Partnerships/group work
15. Use of School supply and Browsing boxes
16. Labeling work
17. Setting goals/progress monitoring
18. Homework
19 Use of centers and nooks
20 Pillars ( Caring, Effort, Responsibility, Respect, Integrity)= Citizenship
21 Consequences/Disciplinary plans
22. Emergency Drill expectations
23. Use of Technology
24. Attention and other signals used in class ( your choice)
These are the procedures and rules I address. There are no set rules, Think about what needs to be in place for your class to run efficiently and effectively, and no I don't do them all on the same day. I do Mid workshop teaching points and also spread them over the first 3 weeks of school as stated before. I revisit them often, I make sure to model and follow the anchor chart format: What does it look like, and what does it sound like?
You want to have routines and procedures for how the major workshop will work daily:
Reading Workshop, Writing workshop, and Math workshop. There is a gambit of procedures and routines that I do over three week period, A great resource that gives a list of mini lesson ideas for Reading and Writitng Workshop is Fountas and Pinelll's: Guiding Readers and Writers
So take a breath, ask a colleague, learn by doing and be okay with making a mistake. After 17 years, I do. However, just remember the key for me was to start reflecting. I kept a journal and everyday I would journal about my day, what went well, what didn't. My actions and behaviors, the students actions and behaviors. I problems solved and made lots of list in my journal.
Every one have a great 2017-2018 school year.
You are appreciated
