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, books, tv show, game, etc.
Students can use different types of paper that you have cut up ahead of time (card stock or construction paper) into different size strips, hole punch some of them, grab some yarn, string or ribbon so they can create a book mark or you can display in the classroom.
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. Make Flyers introducing themselves. There are several ways, For reading you could have them write I like and I don't like book poster. When I taught math we did a buy the numbers flyer. We divided the construction paper into four boxes and drew diagonals into each box and use numbers to represent themselves. Example: 2 I have two siblings: Dawn and Eric
7. Give students an Index card with the prompt: If I could tell my teacher anything about me it would be............ You will be amazed at the information you get.
8. Let students create a Flipgrid to introduce themselves.
Don't forget that keeping a positive Mindset is something we need to instill in students so in order to make that happen, I will read the book The Girl that Never Made Mistakes: But here are a couple ore:
1. Fantastic Elastic Brain
2. Beautiful oops
3. The Most Magnificent Thing
4. How Full is your Bucket
1. Fantastic Elastic Brain
2. Beautiful oops
3. The Most Magnificent Thing
4. How Full is your Bucket
This year I will talk about character development and use posters to represent character traits that students should be aware of I am able to build a bulleting board of vocabulary words that represent character and good citzenship. Here is a link to the freebie, if you like them grab the entire set. I usually introduce 1 in the morning, 1 mid day and 1 to close out the day.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Character-Anchor-charts-3927937
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 listed below. However, think about your grade level, the suggested ideas are just that suggested. There is so much more you can do with any book you choose to read aloud to kids, modeling fluency, model thinking strategies, introduce reading skills,setting goals and even teach routines and expectations
Mrs. Nelson is Missing- Behavior expectations
Recess Queen- Behavior Expectation
Molly Sue Melon- Bullying
First Day Jitters
How I spent my Summer vacation
( You can use as a jump off for writing workshop. shows what strengths and needs.)
Each Kindness- Belonging and respect
Mrs. Malarkey Leaves no Reader behind- Choosing Books
Come on Rain
Tips to consider:
Don't take anything for granted: Here are the routines/procedures I have written to model and taught over previous years and I am sure a lot of these will be helpful in middle school as well.
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. Planners, Take home folders
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 have addressed over the course of my teaching career. 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, Math workshop, and maybe even Science 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 Writing Workshop is Fountas and Pinelll's : Guiding Readers and Writers.
Here is some pictures of my old classroom, However, I am moving from fourth to sixth grade and I am working furiously to get my room set up, Starting with my library. Look for a blog post to come about setting up classroom libraries.
So take a breath, ask a colleague, learn by doing and be okay with making a mistake. After 87 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.
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 listed below. However, think about your grade level, the suggested ideas are just that suggested. There is so much more you can do with any book you choose to read aloud to kids, modeling fluency, model thinking strategies, introduce reading skills,setting goals and even teach routines and expectations
Mrs. Nelson is Missing- Behavior expectations
Recess Queen- Behavior Expectation
Molly Sue Melon- Bullying
First Day Jitters
How I spent my Summer vacation
( You can use as a jump off for writing workshop. shows what strengths and needs.)
Each Kindness- Belonging and respect
Mrs. Malarkey Leaves no Reader behind- Choosing Books
Come on Rain
Tips to consider:
- Avoid trying to give them too many Rules and Routines at a time, spread them over a few weeks.
- Always 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.
- Make sure you are consistent, fair and respectful
- 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 taught over previous years and I am sure a lot of these will be helpful in middle school as well.
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. Planners, Take home folders
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 have addressed over the course of my teaching career. 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, Math workshop, and maybe even Science 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 Writing Workshop is Fountas and Pinelll's : Guiding Readers and Writers.
Here is some pictures of my old classroom, However, I am moving from fourth to sixth grade and I am working furiously to get my room set up, Starting with my library. Look for a blog post to come about setting up classroom libraries.
So take a breath, ask a colleague, learn by doing and be okay with making a mistake. After 87 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 2018-2019 school year.
You are appreciated
