The Elusive Homework Folder: Guest Blog Post

Hi all! Visit Emily Liscom's beautiful blog, Education to the Core, and read my guest post all about homework tonight. I know, I know, it's summer! Why am I talking about homework?! Partly because I'm crazy and I haven't realized I should be sun-tanning, not prepping for next school year but more so because... It's never too early to get a handle on homework! It's one of those elements of teaching that can consume way more of your time than needed. In my post I talk about what has helped me manage the dreaded homework folder. Don't forget to browse Emily's other posts - they're filled with great teaching tips and discussions.

 

Creating and Using Your Own Spirit Sticks in the Classroom

Hello and happy SUMMER to you! I'm at that stage of break where I'm obsessive over the coming school year - my room, my behavior system, organization, year long plans, etc., etcetera... ETCETERA.  In true summer form I have no clue what day it is but I have my behavior system pretty much nailed down for my incoming second graders. Not too much about my system is changing but there will be some new additions and some necessary purges (buh-bye, clip chart). The newest addition though will be my classroom take on the "spirit stick". Like a brag tag but not, the spirit stick is a force all its own.

 

Okay, so if you haven't ever seen or heard of this patch-like wonder then you're unfamiliar with its hypnotism over school-aged children. You may have seen them in a Really Good Stuff catalog before. Here are what some spirit sticks look like: 

These are from the Practice Shoppe

Our year book committee struck fundraiser gold when they discovered the selling power of the spirit stick this school year. I have seen kids use their lunch money to buy these things. They're fun, they're colorful, and there are SO many options! I may or may not have purchased five for myself.

I decided to capitalize on this school wide obsession by creating some "spirit sticks" for my own classroom. I'm calling them Classroom Sticks... I know it needs work! You can rename them for your own classroom, which is kind of what I plan to do. Something super corny of course!

I created five academic themed sticks that I will use as motivators for reading, math, and writing. These are sticks that students can earn and keep. They range from "stamina master" to "word problem wizard" and I'll put these to good use in the first few weeks that we're establishing routines. I'll attach the "sticks" to key rings so the kids can wear the sticks they earn on lanyards or, this very popular option, attach them to their backpacks.

 

I'm looking forward to implementing my own personal spirit sticks in my classroom. I'm convinced they'll be a hit!

If you're interested in this fun idea, get your sticks HERE. There are 6 editable versions for you to make your own!!!!! (P.S. I updated some of the fonts so check out the product on TPT to see the newer version)

Sailing Into Summer Blog Hop!

I'm excited to participate in a summer-themed blog hop hosted by The Language Arts Classroom and Julie Faulkner! Summer is fast approaching and if you're nuts like me, you're already looking for new ideas for next year. Check out my quick tips below and don't forget to visit all the other blogs at the end of this post!

1 final exam tip/idea

I teach second grade so we don't administer the big state tests to our kids but they do participate in diagnostic testing. I find it helps my kids out if I prepare the parents by sending home a little parent info pack. The gist of it is to notify them of testing, tell them ways they can prep their child, and to give parents the opportunity to write an encouraging note to their child which you can give them before their test. Click {HERE} to get my Testing Info for Parents FREEBIE.  

 

1 (classroom) thing you want to do again next yearI recently blogged about Class Compliments. This is a behavior system I use in my room and plan on using every year! It's simple to implement and easy to maintain. Best of all, the kids love it! Click the picture for a FREEBIE!

1 (classroom) thing you want to change next year

I plan to reboot how I introduce and manage my library. It needs a makeover!  I always say to non-teachers that they'd be surprised how quickly sixteen eight-year-olds can take over! Your classroom library is no exception to this rule. Without a fool proof plan you're at risk of chaos, book boredom, or probably BOTH. I'm obsessed with this post about introducing your library (by The Thinker Builder). He has it dowwwwn.
 

1 gift idea for students 

For my kids last year, I bought cute, mini journals at Michaels. I also gifted them each a mechanical pencil with a flag attached. The flag spelled their name vertically and each letter was a different adjective to describe them. I I was inspired by the below photo that I found on Pinterest (of course). The kids loved this gift because it was personal! I hope it kept them writing over the summer too. This year, to better ensure they don't get writers block, I'll include writing prompts to keep them inspired. 



They were similar to these! (by Adventures of a Student Teacher)

 

Hold on! Summer is coming!!!!!!!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Class Compliments & FREEBIE

The school year is winding down but for me it doesn't feel that way because I will have to return from maternity leave for the last few weeks of school (If you read this blog you've heard me whine about this 100 times already!). It almost feels like I'm starting the school year over! Yiiiiikes☺ I've been thinking a bit about behavior management when it comes to the last days of the school year so, I wanted to share a behavior system I use with my students that tracks their behavior everywhere in the school including your classroom! A veteran teacher told me about it my first year teaching and I've altered it a bit to what works for me.

The system is Class Compliments and the way it works is simple. I tell my kids that anytime an adult at school compliments our class in the hallway, the lunchroom, the playground, etc. we get a tally. If an administrator gives us a compliment, we get two tallies! They loooove this. When we get 25 tallies we get a party! They get to vote if they want pizza, ice cream, doughnuts, and so on. You can reward them however you see fit. You can use tallies, puzzle pieces, marbles, or this freebie I created to keep track of your compliments. Click on either image to get the freebie!

I plan on printing it in color, laminating it, and using Velcro stickers to tack on the flags as kids earn compliments. I might even make it poster size!  

I also plan on adjusting this system for the last 15 days of school. For example, if the kids get 5 compliments by the second to last day of school, I'll bring cupcakes for breakfast the last day! 

The cool thing about this tool is that it can be adjusted to meet your class's needs. If you have an exceptionally well-behaved class that always walks in a perfect line, behaves well at specials, and rarely makes mistakes in the hallway (everyone is jealous) then maybe you tell your kids they have to get the whole 25 compliments. If you have a more challenging class, perhaps you make the goal smaller at first and build up. My first year using this, I had a very well-behaved group.  It took about 4 months to get all 25 compliments just to give you an idea for when you're deciding how many compliments to expect from your class.

I made sure to clue in administration that my class was working on receiving compliments. This way they're more likely to give them to the kids if they're deserving of them. The kids go nuts when they see two tallies added to their compliment chart at once!

The other cool thing about this system is that it can be used to your advantage in your own room and not just the rest of the school grounds. My kids this year had a really hard time being respectful when an adult would come in our room to speak with me. I told them if they shaped up they could receive a compliment from that adult right there in our own room.

I hope this freebie helps you all survive the last few days of school and the school years to come!