The New Classroom...Finally!

I posted the beginnings of a classroom, but had not been able to post the working one!  I have had a tumultuous start of school, to say the least.  However, with lots of support from my fellow teachers/friends :) I have managed to stay afloat.  

On to the pictures!!!

My balloon wreath I made last summer welcomes all.  Thanks, Sissa, for the idea!

A view from the door.

And another.

And another.

This is my "I CAN" board.  I usually make one I CAN for the week, but it may change daily.  I liked the furry friends clubhouse when I saw it, not knowing exactly how I would use it at the time.  The background is silver wrapping paper.  I really like it, although in the picture it may seem a little distracting. 

The FACE of a good reader, instead of CAFE.  I chose this after reading a Florida teacher's blog.  (Sorry i can not link it here.  I did not save the site last summer when I read about every teacher blog out there!  Or so it seemed.)  The reflective paper, again, is silver wrapping paper.  I did that last year to coordinate with my silver metallic lockers.  This year I repeated it because the children loved to see their reflections on the board.  Since I post strategies of a good reader here, take student pictures, and post them next to that strategy when I "catch" them using it, I thought the reflective paper was a nice "accident" for this particular board!  I believe students (people) do become what they are told.  There is power in words, and I want all of my students to see themselves as a good reader!

The new lockers!

Yes!  My silver was not easy, but worth it!  Last year, I was able to spray paint metallic silver.  This year, I could not use it, nor could I use oil-based.  The water-based metallic paints were expensive, but I knew I had to be in this room all year!  It was worth it for me!  I now have the "I DID!" board on the lockers.  I'll try to post a pic later.  Basically, if students want to post their work, they do it here on a clip with their name!  This is a continuation of the "I CAN" wall.  After they show they can, they share it on the "I DID!" wall.

I also take pictures of the students' best "listening look".  We practice muscle memory during the first few days/weeks.  I call for a LISTENING LOOK, to which all the student practice looking like our funny friend on this poster.  It is a great reference later in the year, to remind students that I have proof they can give a listening look!  They benefit from the visual that they can do it!  Well, we all benefit!  :)

One of many behavior modification tools.  Tables 1-4 have an assigned Mr. Potato Head.  The teacher has the bottom one.  We start with just the feet.  During the days, I challenge tables to work together to be the "first" or the "best" or the ____.  The winning table gets to add a piece of Mr. Potato Head.  The reward for being the first to assemble him gets _____.  (a predetermined reward....10 mins. free computer time, trip to the Treasure Chest, etc)  If the teacher wins...and each time a table wins...all pieces are removed and we start over.

I had originally planned to keep the front wall white, as I mentioned in a previous post.  However, the wall was in pretty bad shape, so I used the gray that was the undercoat for the lockers.  

Thanks to my dear sister, the organizer, for help in getting my math manipulatives in coordinated, proper form!  This part of the room uses my baskets and tubs in primary colors.  For some reason, I think that suits Math!  Who knew math was primary colored?  Now you know!  :)

The calendar, days in school count, schedule and "housekeeping" lists are kept just beside the math shelves.  The colorful, numbered pockets on the wall below the marker tray will be used for whole brain rule practicing....later. 

My helpers for the day...again, funny friends.  I used "teddy bear helpers" for so long, I still tend to slip into calling for the teddy bear helpers.  Now, I announce the "friends" for the day during our morning song....door friend, floor friend, plants friend, leader friend...I enjoy referring to our classroom as a friendship clubhouse, where we are all friends!

I loved this idea, using each students' assigned numbers and keeping up with their whereabouts.  As they exit the room, they will move their numbers down to show their destination.  Truth is, I haven't started using it yet;  mostly because we haven't started traveling many places.  Only a couple of visits to the nurse so far!  Wow!  When RTI classes begin, as well as AR and reading groups, I think I will find it useful!

I have not dedicated so much space or as many materials to a writing center before.  I've added this file to provide students the opportunity to keep their work handy for revisions, self assessments, and continued work.  So far, students have enjoyed filing their papers each time they leave the writing station!  I think I have a "thing" about reflections.  I hung the mirror here with those positive words, again, knowing that we will not all reach the same level of writing maturity during the year, but believing progress is enhanced through the power of positive thinking!

Here you can see the writing center in its earlier stage.  I added plastic tablecloths cut into strips for that corner, as well.  I had one of my students tell me the first week of school that he really liked my room.  I thanked him and asked him what he liked about it.  He pointed to the ceiling at the writing corner.  :)

The red steps were built last year for my SmartBoard, which was a little tall for my students.  With the move this year, our new SmartBoard is just right for us, freeing up the steps!  At first I had planned to use the steps and pillows for a reading corner.  As the room developed, I felt it would be best for the writing corner.  This way, they can access the word wall.  

The word wall is has wrapping paper for the background, again, with the silvery effect.  Muffin foils and black letters coordinate.  Different ribbons hang and clothespins attach the words.  When I found the silver border, I decided to use it for the words.  I cut off the scallop, glued a piece to the clothespin, and clipped it to the ribbons.  It lends itself to being a manipulative word wall.  Students can unclip, copy the word, and replace it when they're done.  So far, nobody has used it like that, but during Work on Writing, several have turned to check out how to spell a word.  I think I like it!

The Gathering Place.  The leader and door friend get to sit in the tent anytime during the day when we sit on the floor.  The beanbag is for the caboose (yesterday's leader).

Birthday Bulletin Board.  The Black wrapping paper helps the colors to pop.  It also helps to neutralize some of the colors.  Silver and black are my backdrops to a colorful palette. 

There were a lot of birthdays in August!  The crazy straws were a hit!  The tags were a find from Mighty Dollar in the scrapbooking section.  The straws were a Mighty Dollar find, as well! 

Our Word Work corner has the alphabet tiles.  It is slightly different now, as I added storage in this corner.

 Clothespins hot-glued to the wall, covered in scrapbook paper hold anchor charts on my orange wall.

Hopefully, more on WBT next time!  Good night!

Math Plans for the New Year

Preparing the classroom is only a small part of what we teachers do.  It is important to set the stage for learning, but the bulk of our thinking is focused on what and how we are going to teach.

Our first grade teachers participated in Math Circles last year.  We wanted more teaching strategies to obtain the deep understanding the common core was demanding.  I believe I work with a very talented group of teachers.  It was nice to work and learn with them.  The opportunity helped me to develop more insight into how to teach for deep understanding.  Now...to achieve more!

With thoughts going to the first few days, I am planning on making days 1-9 focus on finger patterns and ten frame patterns for each, as well as games from Developing Number Concepts books, by Kathy Richardson, for exploring combinations for each.

The tenth day of school will be a big celebration!  I know how important numbers to 100 and even 120 are to the standards.  However, in order to reach a deep understanding of 100, 1 to 10 are most important!  On the tenth day, I will do an activity we did last year that will be an experience to build on throughout the year.  We made a circle with a pipe cleaner.  Counted out ten pieces of macaroni, placing them inside the circle.  Then, we glued them to a popsicle stick.  We did this at my station during math rotations.  I had my aide take pictures of the kids with the smiling "Queen of Ten," as they held their ten.  This was the first day I pulled my crown out!  It hung near the "Days in School" chart the rest of the year, to be pulled out when we counted by tens, discussed the teens (a ten and ___), practiced adding by making a ten, and many, many other math lessons.

Celebrating TEN on the tenth day...hmmm...a crown, macaroni, glue, and pipe cleaners.  Any other suggestions on  making it a super day to remember?

Painting, Painting, and More Painting

The new room is under construction.  I have piles of desks and boxes everywhere!  Right now, it's the painting that's consuming my time.

I took a few pics today...

The sequence takes you from the soon-to-be teacher corner, clockwise around the room, and returns you to the teacher corner again...

I decided to paint the registers green, then purple, then blue...

The brown laminate and wooden boxes will hold my computers

The lockers will go silver!  Next painting day...

The front wall will remain white.  A little of the duct work is visible at the top.  It will go pink.  Again:  next paint day.

More to come!

Happy New Year! 2013-2014

Approaching a new school year in August is another fresh start.  

My daughter closed one chapter and is starting to write the beginning of another.  Starting a new chapter always means there was a previous chapter that you take with you.  It's not independent.  Here are some of my chapters that have been written and are being written.

 

The Bell Crew

Sorry, Camrin.  It's usually me that has "the look."  

I should give ownership to the One who started the idea of fresh, new beginnings.  God started the "new" thing...He gave us/we get a fresh, new start each day...when we are "born again", we get a fresh, new start...repentance affords us another fresh, new start, whether we come to be cleaned by our Father in the middle of the day or night.  Now He is letting us borrow that fresh, new start with the beginning of another school year.

When my days start anew, I usually have some plans to improve upon the previous day.  When I stumbled through all the loads of laundry this summer as it fell upon my plans to clean the kitchen cabinets, I decided the next day to focus solely on one or the other.  I chose a different job to accompany the laundry work.  When my outdoor power washing of the front porch and sidewalk made my cleanness so attractive to my filthy dogs, I fought them tooth and nail to...get off!  ("Good dog"...pat on the head.)  That did not go as planned.  It's hard to teach old dogs new tricks.  The next day, I gave up.  Years of letting them sleep on the front porch could not be retaught this summer.  Not by me, who was mostly buried under laundry!

As my new year begins at school, I love, love, love the way we get to start again.  Start fresh.  Start new.  I have many plans to improve upon what I did last year.  For starters, I get a new classroom!  Here are the before shots.  I hope my after shots reveal an organized, clean, ready-to-learn-in classroom!

Tilting your head slightly to the right will help now


Here's some of what's been going on with me this summer, as I make plans to start fresh:

Read Kathy Richardson's Developing Number Concepts, Books 1-3


Read teacher blogs for new ideas to approach old problems
Create data binder math self-assessments/checklists for the students
Create math assessment summary sheets for the teacher
Refresh myself on beginning of the year routines by reviewing last summer's notes
Rest
Sun
Lake

Read
Rest
Bathe the dog

Watch baby doves come into the world outside our dining room window and in our front porch fern.

Rest 

Play

Not in that order, kinda jumbled on top of each other.
He plans better than I do.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Thankful.

Solar Ovens

Having nothing to do with WBT, my last week of school has included a few fun adventures.

Science Fun Days wrap up a year very nicely.

A couple of things I like to do that last week is cooking with the sun and blowing bubbles.

Solar Ovens:

Below is a picture of one of our solar ovens.  

We cook hot dogs one day and s'mores another.  

This year I had personal pan pizza boxes graciously donated by our local Pizza Hut.

Any box with a lid can be creatively used, as well.

This year I put black paper only inside the lid.  

Usually, I have students cover the lid inside and outside with black paper.

(This was altered slightly due to unforeseen circumstances.)

The inside bottom is lined with aluminum foil.

I propped the lip open with a straw.
The second day, I taped the straw in place.
Practice makes perfect!

Place the food to be cooked on the foil; then, cover the opening with plastic wrap.

Yes, it works.  

On a nice, sunny day, and a couple of hours in the oven, the hot dogs get sweaty and bubbly.  

S'mores only need about 30 minutes to achieve a melty, tasty mess.

Send the solar ovens home for fun summer cooking!

WBT Reflections

As summer is quickly approaching, I am reflecting on WBT.

As I have stated in previous blogs, I love it!  But does it really work?  A most important question.  The answer, I believe, is YES!  My students have made a lot of progress.  Could I say it was all due to WBT?  No.  I have changed so many things this year, it would be difficult to assess what made a profound affect on the students and their progress.  I do feel comfortable, however, in attributing a lot of student interest, satisfied parents, and fun in teaching to the WBT methods.  

I plan to continue studying the WBT practices this summer vacation.  A whole year of whole brain next year!

Reflections on the math training I have had this year...if I implement it fully, I hope to avoid this:

So funny!  It's the time of year we all need a good laugh!  

Synonyms, Antonyms, and Whole Brain

Today's classroom scenario:

Rather than students taking turns marking synonyms (or antonyms) on the SmartBoard,or leading a whole group discussion while a few get to share, or completing a worksheet, I opted to do things the WBT way.  I facilitated.  I read the 3 choices.  Students turned to their peanut butter and jelly partner to discuss their answers.  I called them back to whole group discussion with, "Words that are the same are synonyms."  The students echoed.  Everyone blew the answer in their hands.  Released. And everyone was involved.    

I share this because I enjoy having everyone on task, engaged, interested, and learning.  There is big bang for your buck!  I think more learning, more connections, and more enthusiasm accompanies the WBT methods.  

Reflection:  I should have used a call of, "Words that mean the same are called..."  Then the students answer with, "Synonyms!"  The way I did it did not require any thought, just reciting what I said.  Then I could have shook it up with, "Words that are opposite are called..."  "Antonyms!" would have been the reply.  Hind sight is always 20/20!

CLllaaASss! and Clap! Clap! Teach! (Continued)

As I implement as much of the Whole Brain Teaching as I can, I do have favorites.  Perhaps as I learn more and more, there will be many "tools" I use.  Things I use over and over are my calling the class to order with a "ClLLAaaSs!"  The students answer with their "YeEESss!" I would love to tell you this is perfect.  (I am always eager to find perfection in this world...however disappointing that search may leave me.  Perfection always leads me to the One Who lived 2,000 years ago that alone was/is perfect.  I can't leave that out.)  Knowing that I will never find anything perfect, I am still so pleased with WBT!  I wish all the students were looking at me when I call CLASS.  But after 24 years of doing this job, I haven't found anything that focuses so many of my students almost all of the time.

In the past week, I tried shaking it up by calling something else out...I had read about doing this after establishing "Class-Yes".  For instance, if you're studying telling time, you could call, "The clock with a face!"  The class calls, "Analog clock!"  The first time I tried this, the class went silent.  Briefly.  very briefly!  The silence was the sound of wheels spinning in their heads.  I think I enjoyed that!  Then a few voices stumbled through a reply.  See, they knew they had been with their peanut butter and jelly partners for long enough, and anticipated the some old same old.  I love to shake things up!

Clap!  Clap!  Teach!  Something else I love that is tried and true.  Or tried and fun.  Not that fun is necessarily all we are after in a first grade classroom; but fun keeps the kids participating.  Fun, then, could be what keeps them learning.  The clap clap teach is usually something else these days.  It may be a sizzle, sizzle, snap, teach!  Teach may look like rain.  Rain may be ten fingers wiggling and falling down in front of you.  It could look like a slap, clap, slap, slap, clap, clap, teach!  Teach may be whispered.  Teach may be shaky.  Teach may be sideways.  Teach is the sign to turn to your neighbor (peanut butter and jelly partner) and explain.  Sometimes they repeat what I've just shown them using gestures.  The past week or so, I have used the teach time to explain to their friend what the answer is or how they know what the answer is.  Everyone has a desire to be heard.  (Not just kids:)  By doing this, kids get permission to talk.  Kids get the opportunity to confirm their answers.  Then with a CLASS!  YES! (or other call to order), students share what they discussed.

Okay!  There's more!  But I'll save that for another day!

KCM Conference Day 2

Have I said super fun enough already?  I have so much to think about!  I feel a great urgency to apply all I am learning to my instruction, fostering lifelong mathematicians.  Monday and Tuesday, my partner in crime was Ms. Sara Beth, a dedicated teacher and friend!  We had a blast!

Some points for Tuesday...

• use LEGOS for fluency, adding, subtracting, graphing and symmetry
• take this job and love it! with practices eliminating disruptions
• Wow!  Kathy Richardson!  I sat smack dab in the middle of her presentation  In the front! (I think she was talking just to me!)  And guess who forgot her book to have it signed!?!?!
• Kid snippets on You Tube :)
• Activities to Undo Math Misconceptions, by Honi J. Bamberger, Karen Schultz-Ferrell

Well, there were tons, tons, and tons of stuff!  Stuff presented.  Stuff to read.  Stuff to ponder.  What a blast!  My husband has told me that I had too much fun, as I shared my week's events.  Due to my total giddiness  he has sentenced me to stay local for a while; at least if I'm local, he said, "they" can contact him...

KCM Conference 2013

One day in and one more to go!  Fun!  Fun!  Super great speakers!  Speakers with long lists of credentials.  Speakers with great ideas for the classroom.  Speakers really committed to improving math instruction.

Some of my favorite quotes or ideas...
 
No more naked numbers!  The process behind the problems is necessary, too!

Hopscotch math...as the students enter the room...an entrance or an exit slip to practice a skill

High Five Wall...slap the wall, counting by 5's up the wall...again, as an entrance or exit slip

Lots of interest in the SNAP training

Math word wall...perhaps on the windows with window markers

The ABC's:  Always be conversing, always be connecting, always build competence

Easter Eggs-numbers on the two parts, combine to make given totals or find sums, beans in the eggs to check, some eggs have 3 parts...can make CVC words...or put the vowels inside the eggs

Lots of talk of professional noticing

There were tons and tons of resources and activities.  Now...one more day, then I'm off to apply some great practices!  Great activities!

Genius Ladder

I really liked the Genius Ladder.  I liked the practice it provided.  I liked the resulting practice with spicy sentences!  We didn't get to extenders in writing, but students naturally extended the sentences at times anyway.  I have decided to shake things up a little; I am starting our mornings with writing in our journals.  I want to provide more time to write.  I hope Genius ladder continues to show itself to be a worthy addition to great writing!

Practice Cards

I've talked about the Guff Counter.  Now for the practice cards.

The practice cards are for individuals.  If a student is struggling with rule number 3 (raise your hand for permission to leave your seat), I slide a practice card for that rule into their pocket.  At recess, for two minutes, that student says, "Rule number 3, raise your hand for permission to leave your seat."  The practice should be as closely related to the behavior as possible.  For instance, as the student repeats rule 3, they stand, then sit, repeating the rule.    

So far, so good.  

Guff Counter

The Guff Counter has proved effective.  The class assists in removing positive recognition for negative behavior by holding up a hand toward the student and saying, "Stop it."  Losing positive recognition is the first step in modifying behavior.

Enough of the technical talk.  The Guff Counter works and will be used sparingly.  It will be another trick I can pull out of the hat.  I mean crown!

Newbies fromWBT

I watched a webinar with Chris Biffle on using 'because.' After watching this, I downloaded Seminar 4 Writing from the WBT website.  I'm taking several things from it into the classroom.

One thing I really liked was how the students would be proofreading their work.  I think I can use this idea for their data binders.  I'll put a list for proofreading into their data binders; as they check their work, they put a paperclip on the list next to what they are checking.  It should help them to focus on one rule at a time, instead of trying to check the entire paper for multiple errors simultaneously.  

The ebook also encouraged lots of oral writing, practicing with a buddy.  I am excited try this out, increasing the oral writing to include different nouns, verbs, and adjectives.  

The Guff Counter is new for me, too.  As I read over the forum discussions on www.wholebrainteacing.com I linked over  to the Guff Counter...http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/index.php/whole-brain-teching/levels/level-3-the-guff-counter.html, I got excited to add this to the Scoreboard procedures.  I'll let you know how this goes!

My MD Muscle Walk page

My brother is currently battling ALS.  The MD foundation has been super in providing an ALS clinic in Nashville he has attended.  I have registered in the Music City Muscle Walk to be held next month.

Check out my link above, if you are interested.  Thanks so much!

AwEsOmE!!!

Let's be awesome!  Thanks, Erica, from Erica Boherer's First Grade, for passing on this link to us!  I'm adding it to mine, because I liked it that much!

I couldn't mention AWESOME here, though, without mentioning what an awesome God we have!  My prayer is that I can take advantage of the awesome opportunities I have to share with children and foster their "awesomeness"!

Have an awesome Saturday!

So...wanna hear something new? Beg me!

So...is it hard to get your kids interested?  I ask my kids to beg me for the new info I'm wanting to share that day...and voila!  They can't get it fast enough.  When I act as if I'm needing to tell them something, but I just don't know if I should or not...I say, "Go ahead.  Beg me."  There is not one student who is not begging.  And...when I give in, I have all eyes on me!

So...did I say I couldn't tell you all about your brain?  It takes about 10 minutes for this group of first graders to explain it to us!  Check it out, if you would like to see WBT in action! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDJtuNsYsdY

So...did I say I like using WBT?  My family tells me they think I'm having more fun with it than the kids.  I don't know.  But I can tell you that it is fun to be having so much fun teaching!  Have a great week!

Clap! Clap! Teach!

Visually observe.  Large Gestures.  Verbally explain.  More large gestures.  Although I can not quote the scientific explanations about how the brain works, you can refer to the Whole Brain Teaching website for those.  What I can speak about is how it works in my classroom.  And, did I say it works well for me?  It does.  I love teaching with the WBT methods. 

The clap, clap, teach (as I'm calling it here), is simply using the large gestures to teach, having students repeat what you are doing with those large gestures and say what you say.  I clap twice.  Put my hands open in front of me and say, "Teach!"  They clap twice, put their open hands out in front of them and say, "Okay!"  The students turn toward a buddy, and "teach" it, using the same gestures and words I used with the whole class.  This is a simple explanation, for what is a simple strategy.  It can be adapted to any content.  I viewed it in use in Kindergarten through college classes.  "Mirrors with words" are what the students "do" in the WBT world when they are mimicking my movements and are repeating what I say.  There are many, many WBT videos to view this in action.  I hope you enjoy them as much as me!

Ten Finger Woo-hoo

A child answers a question correctly, makes a smart choice, improves, or builds stamina, etc., and the class wiggles all ten fingers toward the deserving student, shouting, "Woo-hooooo!" 

Lovin' yet another of the Whole Brain Teaching (WBT) strategies.  The best of the best always serves multiple purposes.  This WBT tool is no exception.

Beyond all the fun, eager participation, and quick, effective teaching that is common to WBT strategies, here are other great reasons I use it...

First, the recognition is all a student needs to feel positive about his/her effort.  Second, giving the recognition reinforces to fellow classmates everyone's contributions, successes, and importance to our "clubhouse," building friendships.  Third, they reinforce academics.  Thank you, Whole Brain Teaching! 

Extentions:  Twelve finger woo-hoo:  ten fingers while shouting, "Woo-hoo!"  Point one finger; shout, "Woo!"  Now two fingers, then, "Woo!"  Everyone says, "Because a ten and two ones make 12."  

                   70 finger woo hoo:  wiggle all ten fingers, seven times, accompanied with, "Woo!  Woo!  Woo!  Woo!  Woo!  Woo!  Woo!" while I track 7 times.  "...because 7 tens make 70."  
                   The rolling woo-hoo:  swinging arms around in the air.  

Have fun with it and create your own variations!

Pick me! Pick me!

  How it works...
I ask a question.  Lots of hands are in the air.  I say, "Blow it in your hand."  

  What you will see...
Hands go down.  Fists are formed in front of  their mouths; they are blowing air into their fist.  (kinda like warming your hands on a snowy adventure)  I call, "Release!" Hands open and an explosion of (mostly) the correct answer is heard. 

  Why I like it...
1.  Participation.  It gives all students an opportunity to participate.  2.  Think time.  It gives all students a wait and think time until I release them.  3.  Motivation.  Everyone is eager to figure out the answer so they can share in the "moment."  4.  Simplicity.  It's simple to use and beneficial to the learning environment.  

Whole Brain Teaching Adventures

Here's the latest on my Whole Brain Teaching adventures...

I downloaded the practice card information from www.wholebrainteaching.com.  This requires sharing with 10 of my friends/colleagues when I download an item from the website.  I am considering this blog as my 10 friends, since our school website is currently down.  Hoping that's okay!

The practice cards will be specific to students, not the entire class.  If a student is breaking a rule (see previous post), the practice card is placed in his/her pocket.  At break, the student practices that rule for two minutes.  I am looking forward to this new level.  I am getting the practice cards laminated.  Hopefully I get to use them sometime this week.  I have already discussed the practice cards, but am waiting to use them.

Also, we have great success with "Class/Yes".  I have been amazed at how well I can get their attention by simply calling "Class." They respond "Yes" immediately and I have all eyes on me.  How much fun!!!  Who knew there was something better out there than ringing the bell?!  Now I do!