Classroom Management Linky Party!

It is that time of year again...the big hectic rush towards the end of the school year! Kids are excited, teachers are super excited...and we need to revisit our classroom management systems that have kind of faded away as the year progressed.

My third graders loved the point system I used this year. Every time they transitioned as a whole class really quickly or were caught focusing on a task, I popped up a printed basketball near our hoop (I have a team theme going on). Every time my class earned twenty basketball points, they got to choose something special such as extra recess, read in with a stuffy or pillow, or PJ day. As the year progressed and they were able to naturally mature and follow our established classroom rules, I found myself using the points less and less. Now as Spring has finally sprung and my kiddos have the end in sight (18 more days!), I have found myself relying on our old point system.

I used to teach first grade and I had a busy bee theme so I used a similar system which I called "Behavior Bee." I had a cute title entitled "Bee-utiful Behavior" and ten cut out bumble bees. I traced them on black construction paper, laminated the cut-outs which resembled shadows of the original cut outs, and stuck a paper clip at the top. Each time the kids earned a bumblebee, all I had to do was paperclip it to the "shadow." It made it very easy for my firsties to see how many bees they had left to earn and practice their fact families too! If they earned 3 bees, I always made them tell me the fact family 3 + 7 = 10, etc. when I put the bee up.

I have to say...these systems have always worked like a charm for my class and my teaching style! I think I'll use it again next year, but I am very curious about other whole or small group management systems that other teachers are using successfully.

So, lets have a linky party! Take a few days to snap off some photos of your current system and link up to share what has worked, or not worked for you this year. Hopefully you will find a great new idea that you can implement next year!


Enter your blog title here and link up:

Biography Poem and Tagxedo Word Clouds

I am in the midst of a biography unit in which my students use their research skills to study one notable person and write a three paragraph report on them as part of their culminating project. In addition to this, I have my kids working on creating a word cloud in Tagxedo, which is an computer based application that takes your words or phrases and arranges them into neat shapes. It creates a fun visual product where students can demonstrate their learning.

Sample Abraham Lincoln
createdin Tagxedo

I mentioned in a previous post that our biography unit culminates in one big celebration called the Night of the Notables. Students dress as their notable, sing some songs about notables, answer questions as though they were the notable, and present their reports to their families. All third graders participate in this project, lining the hallways in costume so their families and friends can listen to them talk about their notable. So much time is spent in the hallway, so I wanted to create a bulletin board display that was related to the project.

I decided to have my students write biography poems about their notable using the template below.  They are going to be typed, printed out, and posted on large construction paper. On the other half of the paper I am going to have my students create a word cloud (similar to Wordle). I wanted the word cloud to take the shape of their notables head, so I am using Tagxedo. It is a bit harder to use than Wordle because students need to include a tilde (~) symbol between words if they want to keep them posted together, etc. but once I figured out all of the little quirks, it wasn't too difficult. Today my students created their "Tagxedo lists." I found that it was much easier for my kids to plan out what they wanted to say prior to heading into the computer lab. It also eliminated spelling errors, etc. as I was able to look them over first. Next, they are going to cut and paste their lists into the text box in Tagxedo. Once this step is complete, students can either select an image from Tagxedo to have their words take the shape of such as a state or flower. If you want a specific image, say like a notable they are studying, you can upload them from a file. My amazing librarian helped me prepare for this project by uploading all of the images of the notables my kids are studying to a file for me. These will print out in color and look so striking next to the biography poems my students wrote!

I have seen teachers use Wordle to create similar word clouds about characters in stories or content vocabulary, etc. but I am now a fan of Tagxedo too! Give it a try!

Biography Template

I, (name)

4 adjectives that describe you

Daughter, son, or sibling of______________

Lover of 3 things

Who feels 3 things

Who needs 3 things

Who fears 3 things

Who would like to see 3 things

Am a resident of (town)

Welcome you to my poem!

Revising our Reports

A few weeks ago I wrote about how my students were starting to research a notable person in history. The unit was kicked off  with a biography genre book talk in which the various categories of notable people we would be researching was introduced, such as artists and composers, politicians, athletes, etc. After a few busy weeks of research my class is ready to start revising our drafts Monday. As my students worked to prepare their draft paragraphs, I was so impressed at the voice that came shining through in their writing. We worked so hard on turning notes that we took from our nonfiction sources into our own words and it really payed off! With all drafts, there is still much work to be done to fine tune our reports so they are ready for final publication.

When I was in college, checklists worked wonders for me. I had one for each class to ensure that I turned in all of my projects on time and that I covered all of the content that the professor required. While I was blog hopping, I saw a checklist that a teacher had created for similar purposes. I can't recall who it was but I believe it was available for public use.  I revised it and tweaked it just a tad to fit my students needs. I'm going to model using the checklist as I revise my draft report-the one I created while modeling paragraph format, etc. Then I'll have my students peer edit with the checklists prior to their final edit with me.

Here is a copy of the checklist I am using. I think it is pretty versatile for most intermediate classrooms. If you are currently writing content reports or paragraphs, this may be a useful tool for your students as they continue to rework their writing.







Have a great start to you week!

Exciting News...and quick spelling printable

I have some exciting news! Some of my parents nominated me for the Jared Polis Teacher Recognition Award and I was selected among 15 other teachers to be honored at an upcoming ceremony! I was shocked and touched that my parents felt that I deserved such an award. I will receive $1,000 for my school and $1,000 for my classroom! I have spent it on some great things for my kids in my mind already! While I have your attention I have a quick question...has anyone out there taken Advantage Math? I am thinking of taking the training this summer. I've heard great things about it at the primary level. Thanks.

Now on to the spelling task!

I have a large file tub in my classroom that has about ten various spelling practice tasks-of the paper and pencil nature. I introduce each task early in the school year and then leave the tub out as a spelling choice during Daily 5. My students can opt to use modeling clay, letter stamps, thin markers, letter links, magnetic letters, etc. to practice their spelling words or choose one of the tasks in the tub. I wanted to share one of  my third graders favorite one. It is called Cover, Copy, Recall. It isn't anything I invented. In fact the format came out of a compilation of spelling resources I stumbled across years ago, I just vamped it up a bit. You can either choose to print it out and copy a set for your kids or paste it to a colored file folder and send it through the laminator. Once you have done that, cut two slits up the front of the folder, creating three flaps so that students can cover up their words on the "Recall" section.

I have seen similar versions of this task used at all grade levels. My third graders love to work as a team and read each other the words like a partner test. Grab it if you can use it.


Seriously? Again with the extra blank page Kel?

PowerPoints in the classroom

We all know what its like to feel the pressure of teaching all of the skills and concepts we need to teach in a given time frame. Sometimes it feels as though there is never a second to spare in the classroom. Quick transitions, on to the next subject, etc. The saying "there is never enough hours in the day" is certainly true for teachers.

On the flip side, there is that pull that teachers feel to really stay with one skill and help our students master it before moving on...but we know that we must push forward and use every second we can to reteach and provide as many opportunities for authentic practice in our classrooms as we can.

A few years ago as I completed my masters program, I found myself up late at night studying for a test using black and white, printed out PowerPoint slides that a professor had given us in class. It was difficult to do. They were drab and boring to look at and nothing struck me visually so of course I doodled all over it with my teacher pens-highlighting important terms, adding questions along the side. I'm sure you all know exactly what I'm talking about.

Now fast forward to last year, when I realized that I was asking my students to recall details that I had taught and provided practice in the classroom with, but I wasn't giving them the opportunity to review outside of class time. Why not? I had all of those opportunities as a student. I decided to create colorful PowerPoints for each major unit of study, even the ones I don't give formal assessments on. I was so pleased with myself when the first one was ready. I booked some time in the computer lab, brought my class down and showed them how to study with the slideshow. It was towards the end of the school day and I had a parent friend who was in the building who happened to see what we were doing. She told me that it sure would be great if she could review with her son a few days each week to help him get a grasp on the material. I realized that I could easily post a PowerPoint to my classroom site or blog for families to access throughout the unit to help review and extend their children's learning at home. It has been a huge success with my students and families. Parents want to help their children succeed and I believe that giving them the opportunity to do even more with their children at home is a step in the right direction.

The great thing about creating PowerPoints for review is that once you do it, its done and you may only need to do a tiny bit of tweaking each year. You can always have them up on the computer during Daily 5 for students to review at school if they don't have access to a computer at home. Also, PowerPoints are easy to create and they are user friendly to even our youngest scholars! Our kids do love to spend time on the computer these days, why not make it time spent learning! With Earth Day just a few days down the road, what better way is there to save a tree and post your classroom review!

Earth Day Research

Today I'm linking up with Teaching Happily Ever After to share an Earth Day activity that I do. Just because I teach the intermediate grades doesn't mean I don't love to celebrate any and all holidays! In fact, I'm kind of known as the girl that tends to go overboard for classroom celebrations but I think I'm probably amongst bloggyfriends (new word to be coined) when I say that!




First off I want to share a little Earth Day art project. The day before Earth Day, I read a few books such as The Great Kapok Tree and The Lorax. We create a list of words that we will use as part of our door display that embody what Earth Day is all about such as flourish, reduce, endure, together. After school I write each word in cursive on a half sheet of white construction paper-cut lengthwise. The kids pick out a word the next morning and use paint, old buttons, yarn, glitter, straws, clothespins (left over materials from art projects) to decorate the words. Then they cut the words out, getting as close to the letters as possible. The end result is a terrific vocabulary word that resembles a leaf. We post them on our door display which is my classroom door, covered in blue with a big brown tree with branches on it. It is a show stopper! I didn't think to snap a photo of it last year but I will get one on Friday to share with you.

We are currently in the middle of a research unit on notable people in history and we have been reviewing our nonfiction reading skills. I wanted to give my kids extra practice with these skills so I created a computer based reading lesson which uses Worldbook.com as a resource. This is an online encyclopedia that you need to subscribe to. Luckily my district does subscribe to it and I 've come to learn that most schools tend to have some form of online encyclopedia or reference subscription. If you do not but would like to try this activity or something similar to it, you can always count on the Scholastic site for some great ideas and online reading materials. I have my students access Worldbook in our computer lab and then continue on to the Living Green section to complete the nonfiction packet (see below) that I put together. If you don't have access to a computer lab or any online subscriptions, you could always print out your own articles appropriate to your students reading levels and give them a generic notecatcher similar to the one below.

I have included a copy of the mini-lesson and the notecatcher I use with my third graders. It isn't anything fancy or super cute, but I like how open ended it is. It basically differentiates itself.

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children"-Native American Proverb.

Syllable Practice

The reading program that I use as a resource has a very strong vocabulary component that I love-partly because this was an area that I felt I was lacking in instruction. The program introduces 5 new vocabulary words each week that are used in the content stories we read. The reading program provides teachers with ideas for games that allow the students time to practice using the words in discussion as well as in writing. I added on a few dictionary tasks (3rd grade skill in my curriculum) throughout the week (locate and write the definition, part of speech and guide words, etc.) and I just made this syllable task (another skill in my curriculum) to be completed mid-way through the week once the students know the words.

I introduce syllabication as a spelling and reading strategy early on in the school year because the syllabication rules are a bit tricky for third graders. I used to teach first grade and always taught my firsties to use "robot talk"- put your hands up to your chin, say the word like a robot and count the number of times your chin touches your hand. I stuck with that and my third graders loved it! It's great for kinesthetic learners and at this point in the school year, no one needs to do the "robot" anymore. But, to help them remember how to separate words into syllables, I created this robot syllable practice page. You can have your kiddos use any words that you like, although I chose to use our 5 new vocabulary words because they are often multisyllabic. I use it as part of my students morning work each week. I think that repeated practice with syllabication will help the patterns and rules become more evident.



I seriously need to get better about noticing the extra white page in all my documents. Have a great week! I feel a linky party coming on...

Listening Center Response Cards

Listening to books on CD or tape is always a favorite center for kids regardless of their grade level. I never worry about kids staying on task when they are listening to books but I do wish that they had an outlet to discuss the books that they listen to either with me or with their peers who have also listened to the book. I have tried some generic response sheets in the past that require students to write the story elements and rate the book, but that it just more papers to sort through at the end of the day. I think that student discussions are more meaningful and authentic and I wanted to provide time for my students to do this, with a bit of guidance from me.

I created a set of task cards that I require my students to use to guide a short discussion with whoever listened to the book with them (I have two sets of headphones at my listen to reading center). Just print them out in color, put a backing of construction paper or scrapbook paper for durability and send them through the laminator. Next, cut them out and three hold punch each card in the top left corner. String them all together with a binder ring and place them at your listening center.



I modeled how to use the cards after a few read alouds I did with my students during instruction and them set them loose! It took a while for the kids to understand that they both needed to respond to the questions and say more than a one word answer, but as the year progressed I could hear my students discussions developing into great conversations. Some groups still meticulously go through each card, while others get stuck on one that both students have a lot to say about and only have time to get through a few. Either way, they were a great and simple addition to our listen to reading station.

I do think that this set of task cards are more suited for fiction so I'll need to make a set for activating schema prior to reading, etc. for the nonfiction books that I place at my listen to reading station.

Missing Homework

When I moved up to third grade (3 years ago), I realized that I would assign more homework to my students than I did to my first graders. I wanted to have a system in place to keep parents informed about missing homework so that they didn't get a shock when we met for teacher conferences or when report cards went home if their child had a ton of missing assignments. At first I thought that I would be able to call home but later decided that it was way too time consuming to do this even though it is more personal. I also thought about jotting it in my student's planners but I learned that not all parents check them nightly. Finally, I created this little "Oops!" slip. When students do not return their homework on time, I fill out a little "Oops!" slip reminding them what item(s) are missing. I just write it in the center of the slip. I don't require a parent signature on these slips. I do this for every day of the week that the homework is late. It only takes me a second to fill them out when I call table groups to turn in their homework. If a student needs an extra copy of the assignment, I keep a few on hand in my extra papers file hanging from my T.V. cart.

This is a really old photo taken before school started, but
I store my extra copies in the colorful file holder. I have
them labeled by content area and my kids know to put
all extra copies in the appropriate folder. 

When Friday rolls around, if a student is still missing any work I complete the Missing Homework sheet (see google doc below) for them to take home. Again, I don't require a parent signature as long as I know they are making them home. I feel as though that is more than enough reminders that an assignment is past due. I was really good at the start of the school year about filling out the Missing Homework notice every week and I realized that the amount I needed to use seemed to be dwindling once my kiddos stepped up to the increased responsibility of third grade. Of course, you may still have repeat offenders which may need to be addressed in a more formal fashion.



Here is my Oops! notice and my Missing Homework notice. I copied a ton at the end of last year so that it was one less thing I needed to do this Fall, chopped them down to size and placed them in a tupperware near my homework in-box along with some teacher pens so that I could grab them and fill them out as needed.


I have been thinking about phasing these out the last trimester of school so that my students have to take on even more responsibility as they prepare for fourth grade. I would love to hear how you handle missing homework in your own classrooms. Let me know!

Daily 5 Bookmarks

A while back I posted about my Daily 5 organization (read it here-and get some printables for Daily 5) and I promised to hunt down and post the bookmark I used (see bottom of page) to help my third graders make smart rotation choices and not always go for the same thing everyday.

Here is how I use my Daily 5 bookmarks...

I store the bookmarks in this metal bucket
and kids can switch them out as needed.

I have students pick out one bookmark from the metal bucket I store them in. They begin by completing any must-do's which are typically anything left over from morning work that didn't get completed. Next students must go to the Daily 5 station that is listed first on their bookmark. Once they complete that station, they can move on to the next station on their bookmark. Some of my students really do get through all five stations daily and are able to turn in their bookmark and get a new one (I made 5 slightly different versions of the bookmarks so that when kids turned them in, they could pick a new rotation bookmark). Others who work slower only get through 2 or 3 each day depending on if they have any must-do's or meet with me for reading group. They turn them in later in the week when they have finished one full rotation. So, at any given time students can turn in their bookmarks when they complete one full rotation, regardless of the day. This has helped tremendously this year. I didn't want to have a Daily 5 pocket chart with student names stating where they had to go each day. I wanted to give my third graders a bit more freedom, while still ensuring they were getting to all five stations throughout the week. This eliminated large groupings at one station or groupings of BFF's chatting it up instead of staying focused. The bookmarks can be easily adapted "on the fly" by writing on them with a vis-a-vis marker or simply adding a paperclip or clothespin to the side to remind students where to start the next day.

Here are the 5 versions of the Daily 5 bookmark that I use in my classroom. Print them out in color, use construction paper or other cute paper as a backing/border and laminate.


Want to know more about Daily 5 OR my other favorite Work Stations? Check out either of these books. I have tried both formats and am now currently working with a melding of the two approaches. It took a while to figure out what worked best for my students, but the combo approach seems to be a good fit this year.

Multiplication Packs

Using the same style idea of my literacy kits (you can read about that post here), I created two multiplication and division kits to send home with my 3rd graders to help them build up their fact power. I had this idea earlier in the year but I just didn't get around to it until Spring break. I'm so glad that I did! My class is loving all of the different activities that make that ol' drill and kill practice a little more engaging. I didn't want to purchase any more of those great plastic backpacks from Really Good Stuff so I grabbed the reusable grocery bags from Target for $1.00 each. Then I made big tags for each bag, laminated them, punched a whole through one corner and hung it on the handle with a binder ring.

 I unpacked the kits to snap some picture samples of what I included in them. I have laminated games I made, some from a Lakeshore Learning math game book that I had, some from the Everyday Math program I use, tile games from Really Good Stuff, fact triangles and lace up fact rings.

 In each multiplication pack, I included a folder with a informational letter for parents as well as directions for the various activities. You can see a flipped over sheet of white paper in the pocket as well-that is my class list. After one student uses the kit for a few days, they check off their name and pass it on to the next student on the list. This is an easy way to keep the packs moving without having to check them in each time. Every now and then I do a check to see where they are and to check the inventory. If you teach younger graders, you could create fact power kits for addition and subtraction. You may need to check them in and out yourself though.

Directions to the activities in one of the kits

Here is a copy of the letter and directions I included with my kits. Hopefully you can use these, or just use them as a starting point for creating some kits for your kiddos. Keep scrolling down in google docs for the directions...I don't know why I didn't realize there was a blank piece of paper there.  Have a great weekend...I don't have school Friday so I am planning a jammy filled, blog reading morning where I actually consume a cup of coffee in its entirety! 

Exit Pass

I had never heard of using Exit Slips until I started using the Everyday Math program a few years ago. They can take any form you wish but I prefer a standard form to use across my content areas just because the kids get used to the format and style of response I have modeled and expect from them.


Here is how you might use them in your class...


On the rare occasion that you have five minutes to spare at the end of the school day OR if you ever want to take a super quick inventory of how well your kiddos understand a newly introduced concept you can just pass them out and collect them as the kids leave for the day. I store mine in a little basket so they are easy to grab on the fly.



Grab it if you can use it. Have a happy night!

Giveaway Winner Announced!

       

Drum roll please....the winner of my very first giveaway is

                                                             

Janine said...

Congratulations Janine! Think about what type of personalization you want for you new blog kit and then email me when you are ready.

Thanks to everyone for playing along! 

Now, if you in the mood for more fun, check out my blogging buddy Julie over at Thoughts of a Third Grade Teacher as she celebrates hitting 100 followers with an awesome giveaway!

Literacy Center and GIVEAWAY!

I noticed that some of my kiddos really needed some extra practice with the 2nd and 3rd grade high frequency writing words (district provided) so I put this center together. It was so super easy and I had no idea how much the kids were going to love it! It's gotta be the wipe board and markers!

I used D.J. Inkers clipart and just added a text box with one of the third grade words in it. I used star clipart for the 2nd grade words so that I could tell them apart. Then I printed them off in color, laminated them and added a small magnet to the back. I bought the wipe board from Target and taped it off (not at all evenly, but hey...I only had ten minutes), added the words and a small magnet to the back and thats it! I introduced it as one of my word work centers this week. I'll change the words up every so often when it looks as though everyone has worked with them. I might have to move classrooms next year so for now the big board just rests against a bookshelf and the kids can grab it an pull it out. I'd like to mount in close to the floor though so the kids can sit while they write. I snapped a quick pic of the finished product because this center can work for any grade level, just change up your words.

HEY! Don't forget about my giveaway...see the post below if you want to enter your name for a super cool customized student blogging kit. Contest ends Tuesday, April 12th at 3:00 p.m. I'll announce the winner as soon as I get my kiddos to bed Tuesday evening.

100 Followers! Time for a Giveaway!

I can't believe I've reached 100 followers in just a few months. Thanks to all of you fellow bloggers out there who inspire me to work hard in my own classroom and who really gave me the push to start giving back to the teaching community. Also, a great big thanks to those of you who follow. Your comments keep me coming back to post more.

Its a big milestone and thus something big must be given away! Alas, I really already share my creations  so I had a hard time thinking about what I could give away but I finally came up with something that I think will be useful to any grade level teacher as we head on in a little bit deeper to the 21st century.

The three blog kits I send home with
my 3rd graders. One focuses on reading and writing,
one focuses on math and S.S./Science and the last one
focuses on specials and other events.

Here is what I am giving away....


I will be giving away a customized student blog kit (folder and plastic bag not included) which contains an informational note for parents, three note catchers in whatever content areas you chose, transitional words/phrases and conventions reminders, a rubric, and final copy paper! I will customize the blog with whatever title, subject areas, rubric specifications, and grade appropriate conventions you would like.



     A FEW SAMPLE PAGES:

I store the blog kits on this cute hook
when they aren't in use such as short weeks and
in between trimesters.

Here is how you can use them in your classroom:

A peek inside the folder

I use the set seen here in my classroom. Each week I choose three students to be our class bloggers. My class voted to name the blog the Mini-Mustang, after our school mascot which is a mustang. Each of the three students is responsible for taking notes on their note catcher each day of the week. I have my third graders do it on their own time, but for the younger kids you may want to help out the last five minutes of the day with input from your whole class. On Thursday, the student bloggers take their notes home to prepare a well-developed paragraph about our week. They use the resources in the blog folder such as convention reminders and transition words and phrases to help them and then turn in their final blog entry on final copy paper Friday morning. The first two trimesters, I required handwritten paragraphs that I typed and published on our classroom blog because we needed work with conventions. This last trimester I allowed kids to email me their final blog entries and then I just cut and pasted them to our blog. You could probably even have your kids type it directly into your class blog while at school if you wanted to. Anyway you choose to use the blog kit, I am sure your students will enjoy seeing their work published for an authentic audience!

How to enter your name several times...


1. Follow my blog, Mrs. Randall's Learning Library and leave me a comment telling me you follow.
2. "Like" my facebook page, top right sidebar and leave me a comment to let me know.
3. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a comment with a link back to your post.


Additional Entries through comments:
-grab my button and re-post on your blog.
-share one way you have implemented technology into your classroom this year.

Make sure you leave a comment for each entry to have more chances to win!
This giveaway will end Tuesday, April 12th at 3:00 p.m. I will randomly pick one winner at that time! Good luck and again, thanks for your support.

7 of My Favorite Things Linky Party!

Pernickety Pickles is hosting a linky party in which you have to tell 7 things about yourself that are totally non-teaching related. I've said it before... I do love a good linky party. I'm going to have to throw one soon I think!

1. I have recently discovered Zumba and I must say that next to blogging, it takes a close 2nd to my favorite things to do nowadays!

2. I love watching Disney and Pixar DVDs with my boys as much as they do... I think.

3. I love, love, love Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids. Any extra money I have can easily be spent on "stuff" for my house and my kids playroom! My latest purchase...star collapsable baskets.

4. On a related topic, I have a slight...no that's not right. I have a major addiction to storage baskets. Cute ones to be exact. I've got quite a few of these in brown with light blue embroidering.








5. I shop online for almost everything except food and things that can be found at Target. I think I developed this habit when I stayed home for a year when my second son was born. It is so easy! AND...can be done from the comfort of your very own jammies!






6. Boden is my all time favorite place to buy myself clothes...when I can splurge a bit. Their dresses are so unique and I own way too many of them.









7. I live for my boys...and hubby! They are the light of my life and they make me laugh everyday!