1st Day Back

I've been essentially foaming at the mouth to get in my classroom since I got back from vacation two weeks ago. Well, I was finally able to get back in my room yesterday. I figured I'd post pictures showing my progress this week.

It was so nice walking into a clean room
and having everything neatly put away!!!

The teacher/small group area is coming together.
I just have to add my mini fridge and tech cart. 

I think I like this seating arrangement. Not
looking forward to adjusting the desk heights though. 

This is where I came to a halt. Two of those
wardrobes and my desk (not pictured) have got to go! 

Honestly, I didn't get a whole lot done. I was at work for like 8 hours and probably worked for all of 3 or 4. What can I say? I'm way too social for my own good. Hopefully, today goes a lot better. The plan is to get my computer working and play Mad Men while I work. Hopefully, that keeps me from wandering.

Book Review: It Makes Sense (Part 1)

I've been waiting weeks for the It Makes Sense! series I ordered to be delivered to my parents' house in Georgia. The plan was to give it a good once over and see how the lessons and games could be fit into my year. So, imagine my disappointment when I boarded the plane back to Nevada with no books. (cue melodramatic crying airport scene)

Every time the mailman drove past our house..

Well, when I finally made it home there were two Scholastic boxes waiting for me in the den. I immediately dropped all 50 of the bags I traveled with to open those boxes. My roommate definitely thought I was a bit crazy the way I cradled those two books.

Anyway, I just finished giving It Makes Sense! Using the Hundreds Chart to Build Number Sense a good once over and I LOVE IT! The format is very user friendly and the lessons are really great.

 The book starts with a How to Use This Resource section. This beginning of this section basically lets the reader know what a hundreds chart is and how it can be used as a manipulative in the classroom. The second part of the section breaks down how the lessons are presented in the book. Each of the lessons tells you which other lessons are related to it and suggests when the related lessons should be taught. They also give you an overview of the lesson and its goals, suggestions for timing, a materials list, and questions to probe your students. My favorite feature in the lessons are the teaching insights. They're these little blurbs that give you more information about the math content in the lesson, tips for teaching the lessons and using technology, what students might be thinking, and differentiating (among other things). There's also a great CCSS aligned guide to show which lessons match which of the K-2 standards.

All of the lessons and activities in the book seemed pretty great. My favorites were Building the Hundreds Chart and Ten More, Ten Less. I really like how engaging they seem and that they can be repeated over and over. Both of these lessons include a lot of opportunities for student discourse and the use of sentence frames. I think that's perfect for the beginning of the year when the kids are still shy and uncertain about communicating mathematically.

I was also very interested in From Here to There: Solving Comparison Problems. My kids had a lot of difficulty with the comparison problem type last year. It was a real struggle. Well, this book has a lesson on using the hundreds chart to solve those problems AND a game to help kids conceptually understand "difference" (no, it's not just the answer to a subtraction problem). I'll definitely be incorporating those this year.

The authors also included reproducible game directions. This is super convenient because I'm planning on using games/activities as homework this year. I like that the games here don't require a ton of materials because I'm departmentalized. I only wish that the directions were also in Spanish. But, I'm sure I can get them translated without too much of a hassle.

Overall, I give this book a 5/5. The content is great and it's user friendly. Have any of you used this book? If so, what did you think? Also, do you use a hundreds chart in your instruction? If so, how? If not, is it something you're interested in?    
 

Relative Weaknesses

The majority of my weekend has been spent figuring out management systems and how to work this darn blog. Speaking of which, I owe Dr. Jill over at A Little Red Wagon a huge thank you for welcoming me into the teacher blogosphere AND giving me a shout out on her page! It was the highlight of my day.

Now, what were we talking about? Oh, yea- Management! This is the first year I've actually sat down and made a concrete management plan. I'm talking detailed procedures every little thing. I know that sounds horrible, but it is what it is. My first year I had no idea what to expect and I spent the summer before my second year in PD mastering content. This summer I decided to devote some time to stepping up my management game. So, I found a great resource to guide me in thinking about management and got to work.

During this process, I realized why they say teachers become exponentially more effective in their 3rd year. Going into the 3rd year, you have a much clearer understanding of the kids, the content, and what it takes to manage the classroom. You have also probably realized your strengths and weaknesses and are in a better position to seek out the development you need. At least, that's how it was for me. I knew that management was a relative weakness and decided to do something about it. I'm curious about the rest of you. What are your relative weaknesses? What are you doing about them? Feel free to share in the comments!

DIY Class Coupons

My last post was about trying to get organized and become better at classroom management. During that post I mentioned that I'd be making my own stuff to go with my new behavior system. This post will be a step-by-step tutorial (with pictures for iWork Pages) for anyone interested in creating their own customized class coupons.

Step 1: Brainstorm

Come up with a list of rewards you'd like to give your kids. There are plenty of ideas around the web to inspire you. As you come up with ideas, consider how you will give out the coupons. Will kids purchase them with some form of classroom currency? If so, you should consider the value of each coupon as you brainstorm. Several of the coupons I created were essentially the same reward, but with slight differences. For example, I have homework passes that exempt students from assignments and passes that just allow them to take home a game instead.

Step 2: Create a Template 

First, decide which program you're going to use to create your coupons. I used iWork Pages. If you're using Microsoft, you can use Word or PowerPoint. If you use Word, be sure to use a Blank Publishing Layout.

For Pages or Word: I created a simple 3 x 2 table. Each section of the table will be a coupon. 

For PowerPoint: You won't need a template. Just make one coupon per slide, duplicate it, and print as a handout to get several on a page.

Step 3: Design the Coupon

Get creative and format your coupon! Decide which images you want on the coupon and what you want it to say. Also, decide where each of these elements will be placed. There are plenty of images and fonts around the internet to give you the look you want!  

You can also format the table borders if you're using Pages (or Word) for an uniform look for all of your coupons. I chose to add a set of paw prints in the upper left corner of all my coupons for uniformity. 

Step 4: Duplicate the Coupon

This next step allows you to print multiple coupons on a single sheet. The process varies a bit depending on the software you're using. 

Command+click each of the images and text boxes.

Click Arrange > Group.

Now, each of the elements has been grouped as one item.... 

...and can be copied (Command+C) and pasted (Command+V) into the other boxes on the template!

For Word: Command+click (shift+click for PC users) each of the images and text boxes. Option+click (right click) to bring up the options menu, then choose Group under the grouping option. Now, each of the elements has been grouped as one item and can be copied and pasted into the other boxes on the template.  

For PowerPoint: Duplicate the slide to depending on how many coupons you want on a page. For example, I want to print four coupons on a page. I'd duplicate the slide 3 times, for a total of four identical coupons. When I print them, I'd choose the Handouts (4 slides per page) option.   

Step 5: Repeat

Now you're ready to create another coupon. For Pages and Word, you can follow steps 2-4 again with a few minor short cuts. 

I copied and pasted the original template from Step 2. Then, I copied and pasted one of the coupons I'd already made into the new template. I ungrouped that coupon. 

Next, I quickly changed the text and picture to create a new coupon.

Then, I regrouped the images and copied/pasted the coupon into the other boxes on the page. It sounds like a lot, but it definitely gets easier once you get the hang of it. 
For PowerPoint: Just repeat steps 2-4. 

Step 5: Print and Enjoy

I'm printing mine on red paper to match the classroom theme. I suggest laminating them for durability. I hope this has been useful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section! 

The Classroom Management Project

My very 1st classroom.
It was literally a dumping ground.

I'm totally confident in my instructional abilities. Classroom management- not so much. It's not so horrible that my classroom is a complete chaotic, disorganized disaster. But, there is totally room for improvement. So, I've decided to devote the rest of the summer to creating a management plan.

Click the picture to
get this awesome resource!

To help me get started, I purchased the Teaching Procedures and Routines Classroom Management Tool from the Clutter Free Classroom on Teachers Pay Teachers. This resource has been amazing! I've already printed the workbook and used the included checklist to begin making a list of necessary procedures.

Everything was super easy and going along smoothly until I got to the behavior plan part. Yikes! I've been lucky enough to have amazing kids who rarely misbehave.  As a result, my behavior management system has not been consistent. At the beginning of the year I used a behavior chart, but that went out the window when I departmentalized half way through the first trimester. For the rest of the year, I dabbled in the CHAMPS model. Still, I wasn't super consistent and there were no real consequences for bad behavior. So, I've taken today to come up with a new behavior plan.

Here's what it consists of:

1. A behavior chart- for tracking student behaviors
2. Paw Prints and Dawg Bones- for rewarding daily behavior (levels on the chart earn a number of paw prints/dawg bones) 
3. Classroom Coupons- students can buy coupons with their paw prints/dawg bones 
4. Parent Reports- a generic form for communicating student behavior as necessary

Class Coupons- a work in progress!

I want everything to fit in with my University of Georgia theme. So, I'm making all of these things myself. Expect posts detailing my process in the near future. I'd love to hear any advice or suggestions. So, leave a comment!

DonorsChoose Success!

I must say I am really grateful to the genius who dreamt up DonorsChoose.org and made it a reality. Within 3 days of posting my latest project (one costing an ambitious $600), it was completely funded! To say I was astounded would be an understatement. So, what did I get?

Well, the bulk of the order was picture books that can be used to teach math concepts. I attended a PD at the beginning of the summer about literacy integration and problem solving with picture books. I loved it! I've used picture books in my lessons before, and I must say those were some of my most successful and engaging lessons. Needless to say, I can't wait to get my hands on those new books.

I also ordered a hundreds chart pocket chart and a ten frames pocket chart. I just purchased the It Makes Sense book series, about using hundreds charts and pocket charts, and figured they'd come in handy.  Finally, I ordered a bunch of dice for the students to borrow. I'm going to try sending home games for homework instead of practice pages. The idea is it'll help engage the families in the students' learning. Maybe the students will even play them with their friends (the neighborhood around my school is tiny). I'm hoping it will be more engaging and have a bigger impact, particularly for kids who don't get a lot of help at home.

I'll definitely post more about the literacy integration and game packs as things develop.