I know we have only just started our summer break, but this is a great chance for reflection. I will be sharing what is happening in my classroom.
get my year started!
I love the beginning of the school year. It is a time to reconnect with my former students and meet my new students. In our district, we get our students from last year for about a week as the numbers are crunched and new classes are formed. Although this may seem like a waste of time in terms of getting started and digging into curriculum, it really is a great chance to help the kids get back into the school mode in a familiar surrounding. Review activities can be done as well as activities that allow for sharing summer adventures and stories.
When the new classes are formed, the children are moved to the new classrooms and they are introduced to their teachers. This is followed by getting to know you activities and exploration. Usually the main routines are introduced the following day. I start off my year with a focus on self esteem and power words. We look at names, talents, and how to be optimists instead of pessimists. One of the sayings in my class is "Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?" Some of my favorite stories for the beginning of the year are Chrysanthemum, A Bad Case of Stripes, Howard B. Wigglebottom, The Name Jar, and Seven Habits for Happy Kids.
I don't really have many changes to make. I have found that my start up works very well for me and I have seen incredible changes in confidence and attitudes with my students as a result. I plan on using more Whole Brain Teaching ideas this year, but that is the main change I will be making.
I will definitely continue with my focus on self esteem and attitudes. This is so important for class team building, caring and respecting each other, and developing confidence.
I will also continue with my basic routines for powerful listening, quiet reading time, quiet work time, walking in hallways, and group work. These routines are important for creating a caring and respectful work environment.
Here are some of my start up materials. I use them every year. They make for a smooth start up and set the routines.
These are some activities that are fun for those first few days of school.
Well, there you have it. I hope you find some of this helpful for your new year.
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Handle Classroom Management and Behavior
Classroom management is so important if you want to have a successful year with your students. There are many different methods used, and I have tried several over the years. What I have discovered, is that for most children, if they feel valued and respected, they are more likely to want to be respectful and responsible members of the class community.
Every year I begin my lessons with a focus on self esteem and this makes a huge difference to the tone of the class. Acts of kindness, bucket filling, and celebrating talents are integral parts of these lessons. I also include the seven habits for kids. Establishing routines is very important if you want to have control in the classroom. I have discovered that children respond well to routine and structure. I have some routines that I use every year. I also try to make my timetable as consistent as possible so that the routines are similar each day. This has been a calming influence in my classroom. This year I have been using some of the Whole Brain Teaching in my class as well. I am amazed at how well the rules work and how much more focused my students are. I will definitely be continuing to add more elements of this into my teaching next year.
I used to do tickets, stickers, and draws, but I found that the kids were less likely to behave appropriately when the rewards were not given out frequently. Also, the ones that always behaved were receiving most of the tickets and those that needed the positives were finding it to be a negative. I know that this is not the case for all teachers, but it was for me.
I found that changing my focus to catching kids behaving appropriately and encouraging that behavior through verbal praise worked much better. Others also noticed and praised the students. I still do some rewards and group challenges, but for specific goals and they are short term.
When I started to read about Whole Brain Teaching, I discovered that the students could be more instrumental in helping to develop a positive environment and that they could become more responsible and accountable for their behavior choices. I really liked the way this worked this year in my class, so it will definitely remain and be developed further next year.
I will also continue with my self esteem lessons at the beginning of the year, as they set the tone for the rest of the year. We refer back to the concepts throughout the year and we build on them as well. The establishment of routines and a consistent timetable will remain as well.
Here are some of the products that I use for my self esteem lessons and routines.
This is a post that reflects how I view teaching. I feel that it is important for children to value themselves and know that they are special. Last summer I came up with this project. It was a great success. I included a picture of my wall at the end of this post. I hope to create a new one next year.
One thing I like to do when the new year starts in help my students focus on their positive talents and character traits. We focus on "success" words or "power" words. I talk to them about how they are unique and special.
Usually we do power words and decorate them, but this year I am going to make these picture boards for the bulletin board.
Because I am still in Korea, I don't have access to some of my materials, so I used some of the left over pieces to make test samples. They are not exactly square, but they will give you the idea.
To start with, you will need some sort of board to create the base. I used a foam board and my son cut out 20cm squares. (approx. 8 In.)
You will also need some ribbon and some thumbtacks. I bought some smiley face ones.
Next, each student needs to think of a word that describes them or that is important to them. Here are some of the words that we chose. I used a clipart alphabet instead of a font to make them more interesting. This clipart was from Graphics From the Pond.
The picture on the right is the one I will be using for school. For the samples, I was able to do 4 on a page. For the actual blocks, I will be printing one picture per page. If you want to make yours smaller, that is an option too. I will also be laminating the actual pictures before putting them on the blocks.
Cut out the picture so that it fits the base. The lines on the box will be covered by the ribbons. Make sure you have them where you want the ribbons to be. Attach the ribbons with the thumbtacks. You can glue them down on the back. I used a glue gun.
Finally make a ribbon loop and attach it at the top with another thumbtack so you can hang it up. There you have it. This will be my "wall of power" for the start of the year.
Have you ever had a special word jump out at you? I have. My special word is "Believe". Everywhere I go this word jumps out at me. It is truly my "power" word.
I hold on to it when I am trying something new. I think about it when I have children that are struggling with self esteem and I rely on it during tough times. Even the quote in my Teachers Pay Teachers store is about believing. It is no wonder that I decided to see what "power" words my students would come up with when I returned to school in the fall. In my home, over the last little while, I have noticed items have been added to my belongings. Guess what! Many of them contain the words and sentiments of my power word. Here are a couple of things I came across during Christmas break.
These little gems were at a local liquidation store.
My students are so cute. They know that this is my power word, so when they find something with the word believe on it, they make sure to share it with me. One of my students even gave me a Christmas card with the word "Believe" on it.
Do you have a power word that motivates you? I'd love to hear about it.
Hello everyone. It has been a few days since I blogged. Here are some pictures from Korea, some professional books I hope to read, and a new product.
I thought that I would be able to blog regularly and work on some new projects while on vacation, but with the humidity, I have been so tired and it has been hard to work later in the day.
Last week, in the mornings, I went to school and helped my son with his ukulele class. Then after walking home and eating lunch, I needed a short nap before returning to the school to pick up my grandson. For the next couple of hours we would do things together while waiting for everyone else to come home. Then it was suppertime, story time, bath time, and bedtime. By then I had so many blog posts, Facebook posts and emails to catch up on that I had little energy left to do anything else.
I did manage to start working on one of the 4 books that I am hoping to read this summer. The first on my list is Whole Brain Teaching. I am really excited about this and I hope to implement it in my classroom this fall. The toughest part for me will be shortening up my instructions and teaching into small enough chunks. It will be a good way to discipline myself though.
Here are some of the other books on my reading list that I have added to my ipad. I got the Kindle versions so that I could read them anywhere.
Here is a new set of task cards that I have been working on. It has 3 different themes to choose from. It is part of an optimism unit that I am working on. I will be adding it to my TpT store.
I am sure that if we took the time to reflect, we would be able to come up with many pearls of wisdom, but I guess for me, there are a few things that stand out that I would like to pass on.
First of all, when you are working with children, even though they may sometimes drive you "Nuts", it is important to remember that they are precious and parents have entrusted them to us. I have these posters on my wall in the classroom to remind me, as well as my children, how special we all are.
Secondly, we need to remember to focus on the positive and not let the negative rule the day. It can be exhausting to constantly redirect those who choose to misbehave or distract others. When I focus on those that are doing what is expected, often it will encourage the others to follow suit.
Thirdly, simple management things will help you keep your sanity. Here is one that I use.
I find that it is often difficult to manage quiet line ups and walking in the hallways if the children are always with their friends. To avoid the fussing about who wants to stand by who, I always start the year out with how to line up. When I have an equal number of boys and girls, it is easy. I have them line up in boy, girl order. After a few tries, this is not an issue, and the line up is in place for the rest of the year. Sometimes that is not the case. This year, for example, I have 18 boys and 6 girls. So, I needed to make some adjustments. Our line up is 3 boys, 1 girl, and I have the option to decide if certain boys are able to stand together in the line up. It took awhile, but it is working, and the children can self manage it without me needing to remind them.
Last, but definitely not least, I need to remember to laugh and have fun with my students. I especially love telling them stories about my family and anecdotes about my adventures in school. This provides a great connection with them and they love to see pictures of my kids and grandkids. We are even writing penpal letters to my grandson's class in Korea this year.
One of best moments for me is when we sang happy birthday over the phone to my parents. This was especially precious to me when we sang to my Dad the month before he died. |
About Me Charlene Sequeira
I am a wife, mother of 4, grandmother of 9, and a retired primary and music teacher. I love working with kids and continue to volunteer at school and teach ukulele. Categories
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