Building Classroom Community - When You are Distance Teaching

What does classroom community look like when you aren't even in the classroom?  How can you build relationships when you are distance teaching?

 It may seem daunting to think about continuing to grow relationships with your students while we are all teaching remotely, but it is possible!

Here are some tips and ideas for building your classroom community from a distance.

1. Reach-out and Check in with students AND parents.

The most important thing right now is to check-in regularly with your students and their parents while you can't see them in class.  Consider using a service like Class Dojo or Classtag to send daily check-in messages with your families.  Pick 3-4 students a day to reach out to personally so that it isn't quite as big a chore.

2. Host Social Gatherings via video

Consider hosting virtual meetings via Zoom or Google Hangouts just for the purpose of letting your students socialize with each other.  You might play fun games such as virtual scavenger hunts or Would You Rather? 

Provide opportunities for those students who are unable to attend the meetings (due to parent work, or lack of devices) to participate in some way.  Maybe they can pre-record a video, or write a letter to be shared with the other students.

3. Co-Create Classroom Rules and Norms

Just like at the beginning of the school year when you created classroom rules and norms with your students, you may want to do this again for the on-line environment.  What are some rules for taking turns while talking?  How do we encourage equal participation?  What types of comments should we leave our classmates if we are collaborating on-line?

4. Continue Classroom Rituals Such as Read Alouds and Morning Meetings

Consider continuing some of the classroom rituals you may have already had in place virtually.  If you had a morning meeting, host a weekly one using a virtual meeting.  If you had a question of the day, consider using a padlet to have students answer remotely.  Many teachers are continuing to read stories to their students each day via Facebook groups or YouTube.

5. Let Students Share Their Lives

I don't know about you, but I have seen more pets, siblings, favorite toys, and even more glimpses into the lives of my students than ever before thanks to Zoom!  Whether through Zoom or emailed pictures, have your students share the things in their lives right now that are important to them.  My students have found more in common with each other as they share.

I share with them too!  Like this picture of our bearded dragon, who looks like he is ready to give a news report.  Pictures like this also make great writing prompts!

I also shared this picture of my son, Luke with a bear!

I shared how we took this picture on my Facebook page here.  If you aren't already following there, be sure to follow for even more teaching ideas, memes, tips, and more!

Before you go, head on over to enter one of our giveaways!

New Year's Resolutions for the Classroom

As teachers, we have two new year celebrations - January 1st and the First Day of School.  That means double the resolutions, but also double the number of fresh starts!

Are there things that you still want to accomplish this school year, but haven't yet?

Are there things in your classroom that you really want to change when you go back to school?

Now is your chance to make those changes!  Both you and your students are coming back refreshed from a long break, and it can be a great time to set some New Year's Resolutions for your classroom.

I have created these Teacher New Year's Resolution sheets to help you set some teaching goals for yourself in the next year.  The sheets ask you to set goals for your teaching, your class, and personal and professional goals.

As I was creating these with teachers in mind, I also thought that it might be a great tool to use with your students as well, so I have included student goal sheets as well.

Best of all?  They are a freebie! Click here to grab it!

Teacher Goal Ideas

• Make Learning Fun
• Incorporate More Technology in Your Lesson Plans
• Read 1 Professional Development Book a Month
• Reflect on Each Day
• Organize Classroom Supplies
• Take a Class
• Involve Parents More
• Cultivate Relationships With Your Colleagues
• Incorporate 1 New Teaching Strategy
• Improve Writing Instruction (could be changed to math, reading, science, etc.)
• Increase Self-Care
• Try Co-Teaching Strategies with Another Teacher for a Lesson
• Send Home a Weekly or Monthly Newsletter
• Increase Time Conferencing with Students
• Incorporate More Vocabulary Mini-lessons into Lesson Plans

Student Goal Ideas

• Read 20 Minutes Each Night
• Study My Math Facts 10 Minutes Each Night
• Choose To Sit Next To Students Who Don't Distract Me
• Take Notes on My Reading
• I Will Remain on Task
• I Will Finish My Work On Time
• I Will Share My Ideas
• I Will Check My Work
• I Will Be Responsible for My Belongings
• I Will Work Well With Others
• I Won't Give Up
• I Will Finish My Work Before I Talk to Others

Don't forget to grab your freebie!  

I would love to hear how it goes and to see your goals!  Email me at kellys3ps@sbclobal.net to share!

Classroom Management Tips Every Teacher Can Use

As any teacher knows, effective classroom management is the key when it comes to getting your students to learn.  I am always on the lookout for new classroom management techniques, even when we have guest speakers, such as author, Gary Hogg, who came to teach us how to be better writers.  After all, if a person is able to manage 300+ students during an assembly, they must have a few tricks up their sleeve!  here are a few classroom management tips I picked up during his visit that any teacher can use!

1. Use Catch-Phrases and Visual Aids

In addition to teaching the students about writing, Gary also gave them important life lessons about managing distractions, putting effort in your work, and more. As you can see in the picture above, Gary Hogg had posters of a variety of different catch phrases that he used to teach a certain point about behavior and work ethic.   

He would tell the students a story using the catch phrase several times. Each time he said the catch phrase, he gestured towards the poster with that phrase.  The students caught onto these phrases quickly, and began implementing them almost immediately.  

I have been able to use these posters to reinforce the catch phrases in our classroom.  

2. Manage Your Distractions

One of the biggest problems in teaching has got to be distractions!  I know you have been there, in the thick of teaching a lesson when you notice that one of your students is playing with something and not paying attention at all!

Well, Gary Hogg has obviously been there too, because he had a catch phrase a poster for this one!  Manage your Distractions!

The very first thing that he told the students was to put their pencils underneath their notebooks so that they wouldn't be distracted while he was teaching them.  So simple, yet effective!  The students weren't playing with the pencils, or going on ahead before directions were given!  This is definitely an idea that I have kept going in the classroom and it has been a game changer!

He also told them that distractions happen in twos - when you become distracted, you distract someone else.  He said, "It will distract me and it will distract the person next to you."

You can watch this video of Gary telling a story about a student managing their distractions.

3. Playing Your Brave Card

We all have those students who just don't participate in lessons.  Gary had a phrase for that one too!  Play Your Brave Card!

As he went through one of the activities during our writing workshop, he said to the students, "Some of you have not raised your hand, are you playing your brave card?"  Hands immediately shot up!

 Gary Hogg talks about Playing Your Brave Card in this video below.

4. Encourage Students to Do Their Best - Be Amazing, Not Annoying

We all have students who don't put forth their best effort!  It's disheartening to see a student who you know can do amazing things just barely even try.  Gary offered the students this advice:

He told the students, "You are amazing but sometimes you let distractions get a hold of you!"  He told them that sometimes when they did their school work, they didn't put forth all of the effort that they could have. He said, "There is not a teacher on Earth that can make you feel smart, if you do not do the work!"

"Be Impressive, Not Lazy!"  He told them!

Would you use any of these classroom management tips?  Leave a comment below to let me know if you would or if you try any of them!

If you want to find more about Gary Hogg, check out his website and his YouTube page!

And... before you go, make sure to visit my Giveaways page to enter our weekly giveaway to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!

 I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful?

Be so kind and leave a comment below.

Ron Clark Essential 55 Poster: A Must-Have for Effective Classroom Management

This post is part of a series on my visit to the Ron Clark Academy, where I learned about the importance of classroom management using the Essential 55 Rules from Ron Clark. 

As an experienced teacher, I know that classroom management is essential for student learning and growth. That's why I was blown away by Ron Clark's classroom management system, which is based on the Essential 55 Rules outlined in his book of the same name.

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  

After visiting the Ron Clark Academy, I realized that I wasn't always following through, and I hadn't explicitly taught them all of the behaviors and skills that I wanted to see in my classroom. Ron Clark's classroom management is amazing!  If you have never had the opportunity to see him in action, check out this video. You will see that the students are engaged, on task, and problem behavior is managed in seconds!

Ron Clark Essential 55 Poster for Effective Classroom Management

The Ron Clark Academy has a huge banner hanging above the stairs with the Essential 55 Rules, showing just how important they are. These rules cover a range of behaviors and skills that students need to succeed, from respecting others to taking responsibility for their actions.

At first, I was intimidated by the sheer number of rules (55!), but after seeing them in action at the Ron Clark Academy, I knew I had to incorporate them into my own classroom. That's why I purchased the Ron Clark Essential 55 poster from the gift shop and hung it up right away.

I printed out this version of the Essential 55 for each of my students to keep in their binders.

I bought the Essential 55 Rule Workbook to help practice each of these rules with my students.  

We take time each day during our morning meeting to complete the suggested activities and go over each rule individually.

Why the Essential 55 Rules from Ron Clark Are Key to Classroom Success

All of the teachers at the Ron Clark Academy have the same expectations and procedures.  I think the students thrive under these conditions, because they know the routine, and they know exactly what is expected of them throughout the day.

Because my students are with me the entire day, it is easy for me to be consistent with my expectations.  I do tell my students that they are expected to follow these same expectations with specials teachers and substitute teachers even if they aren't explicitly told to do so.

If you're looking for an effective way to manage your classroom and set your students up for success, I highly recommend getting the Ron Clark Essential 55 poster. It's a visual reminder of the rules that will help your students thrive. You can buy one for yourself here.

If you would like to buy the book, The Essential 55 to use in your classroom, you can find it on Amazon here.

The Essential 55 has been updated!  Check out the newest version here:

Have you implemented Ron Clark's rules, the Essential 55 in your classroom? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below or tag me on Twitter or Instagram.


And before you leave, head on over to our Giveaway page to enter our current giveaway!

Compassionate Confrontation

I started using Compassionate Confrontation in my classroom last Spring and it has been amazing!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  

Compassionate Confrontation has not only reduced tattling in my classroom, but it has helped my students to develop skills of self advocacy.

I started by introducing the following sentence stems written on sentence strips to my students.

They say:

When you...

I feel...

Because...

Next time...

I am prepared to...

As I introduce the stems to them, we also brainstorm ways we might use them.  An example I might give, is when someone that sits near you is making noises.  

The student might say,

"When you tap your pencil, I feel distracted, because I need it quiet when I am doing my work.  Next time you make noise, I am prepared to ask Mrs. Malloy to move you to a different spot in the classroom."

I love how much better my students are becoming at solving problems for themselves!  If you give it a try, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

Help Your Students to Be Bucket Fillers - FREEBIE

Have you heard of Bucket Fillers?  Have you ever used any of the activities in your classroom?

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.

When I first saw this post from Miss5th's Facebook Page I instantly knew that I wanted to implement this with my own students.

This time of year, my students are starting to get a bit stir crazy with testing stress and end of year expectations.  After a long school year, they start taking each other for granted and start treating each other not as kindly as they might otherwise.  I wanted to find a way to encourage them to be nicer to each other.

I showed them this video first:



The next day, when they came to class, they saw this in the front of the room:

  You can find the anchor your learning banner here

A closer view:

I had each child's name (as well as my own) listed on a bucket.  I asked each student to pick one person to "fill their bucket".  Here are a few examples of the sweet, sincere compliments they gave each other:

I let each student take their "bucket" home at the end of the day, and you should have seen the way they held on to them, smiling as they read them over and over again.  It was an activity definitely worth doing!  I might make it a monthly thing!

If you would like to do this activity in your classroom as well, I created a freebie for you with your choice of 3 different templates to choose from.  You can download it at my TpT store here.

I chose the two per page size and printed them on colored paper.

If you do this activity with your students, I would love to hear how it goes!!

 Be sure to check out the Bucket Filler site as well, they have tons of free resources.

Increasing Positive Student Participation Are You a Hog, a Log, or a Frog? Morning Meeting Lesson

Do you have students who sit around like logs, rarely ever participating in class discussions or activities?

What about those students who act like hogs, blurting out answers, not letting their peers have a chance to speak up let alone think about the question you just asked?

If you answered, "YES!" to either of these questions, you will love this morning meeting idea!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love. 


I got this lesson idea from my friend, Jessica from The Whimsical Teacher.  If you are not following her on Periscope, well, you should be!

The first thing you need to do is print out the different masks.  I laminated mine for extra durability because I attached them to our wall as a reminder after the activity.

 I have a pdf file with all three of the masks here.

Hog, Log, and Frog Masks

Next, you gather your students around for your normal morning meeting.  If you don't use a morning meeting in your classroom, you can just use this as a lesson during the day.  Show the students the log and ask them what they think of when they think of a log.  What might a person who acts like a log in the classroom be like?  The students will volunteer ideas such as:

"They just sit there."

"They don't do their work."

"They don't help out."

"They don't participate."

Then, show them the hog mask. Ask them to tell you what they think of when they think of a hog.  Again, ask them how this might relate to the classroom.  Students might say:

"They blurt."

"They answer all of the questions."

"They raise their hands like crazy all the time."

"They interrupt."

Last, show them the frog and ask them what frogs always turn into in fairy tales.  They should answer, "Princes."  You then say, "That's right, they always turn into princes and princesses, because they do the right thing. What might the right thing be in the classroom?"  Answers could include:

"Taking turns."

"Participating in lessons."

"Always doing their best."

End the lesson by asking students what they would like to be, a log, a hog or a frog?  The answer should be simple - they want to be frogs.

Throughout the year, when your students aren't making the best choices, you can remind them, "Didn't you say you wanted to be a frog?

My students LOVED this lesson, and it has been a great reminder for increasing positive student participation.


If you decide to do this project, I would love to see pictures!  Please email me at kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net or tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter!

Before you go, head on over to our giveaway page to enter our current giveaway!  Every week one lucky winner gets a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!

 I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful?

Be so kind and leave a comment below.