Monday, January 2, 2017

New Year: New You! New Year's Resolutions For the Classroom and Giveaway!

We often think of the new year in the classroom as starting in August or September, but coming back to the classroom after the Winter Holidays is also a great chance to make a few changes. It is the perfect time to reflect on what is and isn't working in your classroom.



I asked a few of my blogging friends to share some of the changes they implement over the New Year, so that hopefully you can find some inspiration to try something new!

It is also time for our weekly Teachers pay Teachers gift card giveaway - so make sure you enter at the end of the post!

Classroom Set-Up   



Brenda from The Transforming Adventures of Room 201 has already headed back into her classroom to rearrange her seating.  Don't you just LOVE those tables?

Classroom Behavior Management

Melissa from Peas in a Pod Lessons  said, "I find that 2 things need either changed or jazzed up mid year: 1. The morning routine & 2. The behavior management system. I usually add a team points system or whole class system to the basic clip chart I started using in the beginning of the year."



You might also think about implementing some Whole Brain Teaching techniques such as the Scoreboard.



Kelsey from Kelsey N Hayes A Blog for Middle School Teachers said" Even if things "run smoothly" in a classroom, I think every teacher should review their procedures and routines! It is always helpful to review"   

She has some suggestions for reviewing your procedures here. 


Goal Setting

Nicole from The Teachers Caravan said "When returning back from break it's always a good idea to review the routines and procedures with students. But it's also a good time for students to reflect on the 1st and 2nd quarters or the 1st semester. Students GOAL SETTING for the 2nd Semester (3rd and 4th quarters) can be a good way to motivate those students who didn't perform to their potential the first time around. It's a great opportunity for a new start!"

I am a big believer in setting goals in the classroom.  We set goals for both academic and behavior improvement.







New Supplies

Are your old notebooks and markers looking a bit beat up and worn out?  Now is the time to replace them with some shiny new supplies.  I put away 1/2 of my supplies from the beginning of the year for just this purpose.




Reorganize and Clean Out Your Supplies

 I will visit my classroom during one of my break days to clean, purge, and reorganize my supplies and library.  This time of year, they often look like a tornado hit them, and it is great to return from break to a clean, well-organized classroom.




New Seating Chart

I change up my seating chart once a quarter to give my students a chance to interact with different people than they might ordinarily inter act with, and to prevent discipline issues.

I have used a variety of methods from letting students choose, alphabetical, random, and carefully selected by me.  This year, we have made things a bit more interesting using a sorting ceremony since our class theme is Harry Potter.



The beginning of the year was completely random.  Students chose play dough balls and rubbed them together until they changed color revealing their "house".  I let them choose their seat at their table.

During the second quarter I carefully selected the tables and seats and had one of the moms bake cupcakes with colored filling for the students to see where they were "sorted".





This quarter will be random again using sorting cups.



What Changes Do You Make For the New Year?
Leave a comment below or join our conversation on Facebook.




GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card



Co-hosts:   An Apple for the Teacher


Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 1/9/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

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Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Best of 2016 Sale!


When I was a teenager I always looked forward to MTV's end of year countdown of the best videos on New Years.  So, when Amy from Planning Playtime suggested that we have a Best of 2016 sale, I was happy to join in!


Each of the participating TpT sellers have put our top sellers of 2016 on sale - 20% off!  You just have to search #bestof2016Sale to find the participating sellers and products.

Here are links to my Top 5 Sellers in 2016:



#bestof2016sale Math Facts Addition & Subtraction Kicking It Math



#bestof2016sale Math Facts - Multiplication Fact Fluency P




#bestof2016sale Math Facts - Multiplication Fact Fluency P



#bestof2016sale Capitalization Packet - When To Use A Capi



#bestof2016sale Daily Math Review - Fourth Grade - Spiral


And... don't forget to enter to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card in our giveaway!






Monday, December 26, 2016

Merry Christmas and a $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway

Just in case Santa didn't bring you EVERYTHING you wanted - we have you covered with our weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card giveaway so you can buy those things that weren't under the tree!




GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), 




Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 1/2/17 and is open worldwide.


Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Monday, December 19, 2016

Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway

Many of you are already on your Christmas/Winter Breaks while some of you, like me have another few days to go!  Either way, winning a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card can make your break a little more merry!




GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), 





Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 12/26/16 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Monday, December 12, 2016

Christmas Activity Ideas For Your Classroom and Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway


Christmas Break is on the horizon, and your students are probably a bit antsy! Here are a few ideas for Christmas related activities to keep them busy while celebrating the festivities! And stick around to the bottom of the post because there is a giveaway for a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card to help you out as well!


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. 


We will be using these Perimeter and Area Brain Teasers from The Primary Gal.  You can grab this freebie here.


Perimeter & Area Brain Teasers




If you are looking for a simple and easy craft idea, these Christmas trees are perfect.  








I love the detail on this one!  See the little squirrel at the bottom?

We used the instructions below from Krokotak, and these green Astrobrights paper to make our trees.





Did you know that Macy's donates $1 to Make a Wish Foundation for every letter to Santa they receive? 



 Every year my students write persuasive letters to Santa explaining why they should be on Santa's good list!  


Persuasive Writing Prompt and Graphic Organizers - Dear Sa

We send them to Macy's so that our wishes can go to a good cause.  You can find out more about this amazing program here.







Students can always use more practice with their math facts!  My students love to play this Cookies for Santa game during the holidays to practice math fact fluency!  

I print the cards out on card stock and then put them in an empty cookie can.



We always take a class photo to make holiday Christmas Cards for families, our specials teachers, the principal, school secretary, etc.  Here is this year's picture - I still need to make our card.



An example of a prior year Christmas card.





Color by Number is a great activity for keeping students happily busy and engaged.  I love using them to help my students practice their math facts.  You can find my Christmas versions here.


And now... time for the Giveaway!


THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED - Enter our Current Giveaway here!







GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), 





Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 12/19/16 and is open worldwide.

Sorry this giveaway is over!  Please visit our Giveaways Page to find current giveaway.


Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Monthly $75 Teacher pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway December 2016


Every month we get to spoil an amazing teacher with a $75 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card!  It is one of my favorite things to do, and December seems like an even more special time to do it!



GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize:  $75 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher).

Co-hosts: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher),  Paula's Preschool and KindergartenAmanda KristoffersonA Plus KidsHeart 2 Heart TeachingReading and Writing RedheadTeach with HopeRebekah SaylerPeas In A Pod, A Library and GardenSchoolhouse Treasures, Brynn's Teacher Bag, Simone's Math ResourcesMs. KJackie Crews, ZippadeeZazzThe Chocolate TeacherPlanet Happy SmilesGrowing Grade by GradeElementary at HEARTLa-Nette Mark, Teacher Gameroom,  Teaching Biilfizzcend, and Claudia's Classroom.



Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter.  Giveaway ends 12/13/16 and is open worldwide.

And don't forget to enter our weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card giveaway as well!

Sorry this giveaway is over!  Please visit our Giveaways Page to find current giveaway.


Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog?  Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Monday, December 5, 2016

5 Tips for Successful Co-Teaching

I have been lucky enough to have two amazing co-teaching experiences. Last year I had one of our Special Education teachers pushing into my classroom and this year I have one of our ELL teachers pushing into my classroom.  Although I have been happy with my own experience, I know that not everyone has been able to find that happy balance.  In this blog post I will be sharing some tips that may make it a little less challenging.  


Our ELL teacher leading our whole group lesson
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.    Co-teaching is defined as two teachers working together with groups of students; sharing the planning, organization, delivery, and assessment of instruction, as well as the physical space. (Bacharach, Heck & Dank, 2004).

If you are wondering how to make co-teaching effective or more effective in your classroom, here are a few tips:



1. Get to Know One Another - Before the students arrive, take some time to meet each other and establish a relationship with one another. I find it helpful to discuss educational philosophies and preferences for co-teaching.  You may also want to share personal information such as hobbies, interests, etc. to help establish a bond.

2. Establish A Co-Teaching Set of Norms and Routines. Discuss your beliefs about teaching practices and discipline ahead of time.  Decide together policies that will work with both of your styles.  I have always been more comfortable with hands on instruction using manipulatives, while both of my co-teachers have preferred to use worksheets as student evidence of learning. 




 We have managed to blend our styles through our lesson plans.  We have even added taking pictures of student work as an alternative evidence of learning.

You may want to check out these different models of co-teaching for ideas as well.

In order for the situation to be successful, both teachers must always be thinking, "We are both teaching!" (Bacharach, & Heck 2011).

3. Plan Together - It is so much easier to be on the same page when you plan your lessons together.  I have worked together with my co-teachers to look over the particular goals of students they service (IEP and ELL), and develop ways to meet those needs through our co-taught lessons.  We also include the needs of the class as a whole.  As we plan, we decide together if it would be best to teach a certain lesson whole group, or in small groups. We usually take turns presenting whole group lessons and each take a small group afterwards.






4. Be Consistent.  Students depend on a routine and a schedule.  If you deviate to often it can really throw them off behavior wise and academically.  We have a set time Monday - Thursday that my co-teacher comes in to the classroom.  If she is absent, she has a sub that covers her.  My students have gotten used to having her in our room, so they treat her the same way they do me.  They know that we are BOTH their teachers.

5. Take Risks and Grow. My favorite part of co-teaching has been my own teaching growth.  I have learned so many strategies for teaching from observing my co-teachers in practice!  I have also been able to modify my own instruction and validate successful practices through our reflections after lessons.

Have you had experience with co-teaching?  Good or Bad?  I would love to hear about it in the comments below!  



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