Fast Four: WBT, Hide-N-Seek, and GoNoodle

Hey there all! Man has this been a great week and it's only Tuesday! How often can we say that? Hopefully, very often. At least that has been the case this year. My kiddos are rocking with their use of WBT, our activities, and their responsibilities. Because they have been absolute ROCKSTARS this week, I thought I'd quickly share four of the joys so far. Keep an eye out as this will hopefully be a new section of post this year (Fast Four)!

1. GoNoodle!
"Hey Class!" Hey What? "Are you ready?" For what?.....For some awesome brain breaks, that's what! If you haven't jumped over to GoNoodle you are missing out. We love doing their videos for quick little breaks. With each video our champ gets closer to moving up a level. We only need one more video and we get to head to the transmogrifer! It's always a hooting and hollering good time as our champ grows!

2. Hide-N-Seek
Everyone loves the game. How fun would it be to use this game while learning? That's exactly what we did. For our last math unit over number bonds I created a review activity before our test. I took pictures and material from our series, Math in Focus, and created 16 different question cards. I then hid these around the room while the class waited outside. Pairs were then tasked with 1) finding the cards 2) working together to create the number bond 3)switching roles. The kids had a blast and to make it better.......wait for it.....we did it in the dark and used flashlights!!!! Cue the teamwork and awesomeness!

3. WBT Connection
We have really been working on using our Whole Brain Teaching strategies, tools, and gestures. The students have been rockstars with using the correct responses, following the examples, and trying. That last part is the most important. This isn't just a passing trend. This really is something we are all working on and the students really are trying. For an added bonus I showed a video from the wonderful Mrs. Shipley who has offered me a ton of guidance and support through this journey. The video showed her teaching about sentences with her past kindergartners. Small world....that's exactly what we are learning about now! Students found similarities and differences and then we practiced our gestures!

4. WBT Gestures!
After we reviewed our writing gestures and watched other students using gestures we decided to practice. As an added challenge I gave the presenters the tasks of calling the attention of the class as well as leading them in their example. These are only a few of the amazing examples we had today! Notice they are not only presenting, but also leading their class (who are all mirroring them) and using gestures! Proud teacher moment right here! *insert teary eyes and goofy smile*

They amaze me every day. Here's hoping you are having an amazing week too! 

Weekend Update- Long Weekends are for More Work, Right?

Hey all! If you are anything like me you were not only longing for this 3-day weekend, you were ecstatic when it arrived! What did I have planned for this great weekend you ask? All of the usual of course: sleeping, watching Netflix, relaxing, reading books, and STAYING INSIDE! (It was a game weekend in my college town and I wanted nothing to do with the mix of crowds, chaos, and people.) Well now my weekend is coming to a close and what have I actually done?

Sleeping, Netflix, grocery shopping, newsletter, WBT newsletter, school week plan and prep, copies of homework, SIW update, book box organization, and center organization! And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.

My main focus this weekend involved getting information to my families. Some of this was in the form of our monthly newsletter (our first to be exact). This gives a month snapshot of all we hope to cover this month while also giving important dates and reminders.

The rest came to be with a new newsletter I am starting. Since I am starting some new practices this year with Whole Brain Teaching I need my families to know what we are doing in the room and why we are doing it. Cue our new newsletters.

While we have gotten into the groove of using many of the Whole Brain Teaching practices such as Class-Yes, Mirror, and the Scoreboard....I hadn't taken the leap and started the Super Improver Wall. This week, we take on that challenge.  If you are anything like me a couple months ago, you are asking "What is the Super Improver Wall?"  It looks gorgeous but what is its purpose, how does it work and how will students benefit from it?

The Super Improver Wall, or SIW from here on out, is a great tool that is used to chart and encourage student improvement on both academic and behavior goals. Students are "rewarded" for improvement and not just for academic performance. For example, students don't just earn owls, or marks, for passing tests or scoring a certain score. They get to mark an owl off when they have shown improvement. So a student who normally only scores 5/10 on their spelling test might have a goal of getting 8/10 while a student who consistently gets 10/10 on tests might have a goal that includes the use of bonus words or enrichment. Once students show that improvement they get cross out an owl. Goals are geared specifically towards individual students and relate to their academics or behavior needs.

To start, our class will all start by using a class goal. For us, we will all start by focusing on WBT Rule #1- Follow directions quickly, as well as Showing "ready". (Ready is always 1. Eyes forward 2.Voices Off and 3. Body to yourself.) This will apply whether we are in line or at our desks.

Notice that our teacher names are on the wall as well. It's important that students see their teachers are working towards improvement also. This will also help my intern and I establish our own goals. After students pass the first level by getting 10 owls they will get to take that card home and it will be replaced with a card of the next level color. Starting at level 2 individual student goals will be assigned and monitored. I can't wait to get started with this tomorrow!

Here's to happy activities, big gestures, and lots of improvement this week!

Step Inside My Room - A Classroom Reveal

It's done! It's done! It's done! Our classroom is finally set up and students have arrived. You know what that means......time to get busy, get learning, and makes some messes! So before that all starts lets take a look at what the space should look like :) To do so, I've joined up with Ashley Schroeder over at Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd as well as Angie over at Lucky Little Learners to link up because just like at the beginning of August, #2getherwearebetter !!!!

So let's jump into our classroom!

The hallway and outside of a classroom is the first space that students, family, and staff see. It needs to be encouraging, welcoming, and functional. Welcome to our class!

Here's a quick view of our classroom bulletin boards. I fully believe that bulletin boards should be educational and functional. They must go beyond simply being cute. If students and teachers can't benefit from their use then what's the point? For a more in-depth look at our classroom bulletin boards take a look back at our August post here.

We LOVE centers in our class. Between daily literacy centers and a rotation of math centers weekly we are constantly rotating through our activities. Students have designated areas for center materials, center order, and center groups. While reading centers locations are designated by material locations, our math center locations are designated by hanging shapes from the ceiling.Tip #1 for center management: color coding! Reading is yellow and math is blue! Check out our blue center location shapes, math tubs, and we'll even have blue math folders next week!

Organization is key. Somebody important said that once, right? Does organized chaos qualify? When walking in you may quickly scan and see chaos but believe, we know exactly what we are doing, where we are supposed to be, and how to get our materials!

 After our school went through construction and renovation, our classroom lost it's closet doors. Not only did this mean that we had to get creative with our storage (no one likes looking at things crammed in closets) but we also lost a ton of display space. This year we are using every nook and cranny of our wall and whiteboard. From focus walls, yearly information, Whole Brain Teaching materials and class motivators, our walls are packed full of knowledge and tools!

Last but not least......Welcome to my little corner of the world! Where I stock treats, cram resources, and make magic! It's a work in progress. I mean, can a teacher ever have enough resources or ideas? ;)

Thanks for taking the journey through our room! Be sure to check out the link-up and tour some other awesome classrooms! Welcome back to school everyone! Let's make this year AWESOME!

Bulletin Boards - Borders, Placement, & Content....Oh My!

Hey all! We are getting closer to the beginning of the school year. What does that mean for teachers? That means we are in our classrooms moving stuff around and getting ready for a new group of kiddos. One of the first things I tackled this year were my bulletin boards. I found some great fabric for curtains and tied all my boards into it with colors and grey borders. Thanks to Ashley over at Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd and Angie at Lucky Little Learners for creating this Link-Up. We are all blogging about our bulletin boards. Be sure to click on the banner below to find the post with all of the other bloggers who are joining in! Is there any better way to get a ton of bulletin board ideas, tips and pictures in one place? I dare you to check it out and find something better ;)

Before I show my bulletin boards let me give you a few tips I've come around to learning (some the hard way).
1. Make the content meaningful: Don't put things up just to cover space. Make the material count and be useful to students.

2. Use pushpins and don't staple material down if you plan on taking it off to utilize and demonstrate with students.

3.If you are going to be moving materials often invest in fabric! Paper or plastic table cloths work but will rip eventually. Fabric will last and can be washed and then reused.

4. It's okay to start the year with blank bulletin boards and add to them with your class as the year goes on.

5. If students are going to contribute to the bulletin boards or will use them for reference then make them accessible! Put materials where they can reach and see easily!

6. Don't over do it and clutter the space. Many times, less is more!

Now let's get onto my boards:

This is the first board you see when you walk into my room. This board is the focus of many class meetings. We start with this base and then add strategies as the year progresses. The 5 point scale is one of the first pieces we utilize in reference to our feelings. EMAW will be expanded as the year goes on to include E(everyone participates) M(minute to think) A(all agree on plan) W(work the plan).

Directly next to the Problem Solving Board you'll find this split board. We post our monthly Author Study materials above the book rack. We will include the author's name, pictures, book characters, and interesting facts. The writing materials remain up all year and are referenced almost daily.

At the front of the room we have an entire board dedicated to math! Students help build this wall as the year goes on. As we work on different math activities we post them and expectations on here for reference. The space in the middle is used for posting content vocabulary from our math series (Math in Focus). The math strategies are on pushpins so they can be taken down and referenced when needed. Above the board are school-wide strategy posters that are used in every grade. I connect the primary-looking strategy cards to the school strategy cards as we touch on them.

Lastly, here's my board! This board is behind my desk and is part of my central hub. I've got my curriculum map for the year to help keep me on pace and structured. I've also got some district tech policies I've written up. As the year goes on I'll add our class schedule once I can get it finalized. I'll also add any important docs that I'll need to constantly reference from my administration or colleagues. The upper corner is dedicated to student work. I can't wait to see the creations they gift me :)

So those are the boards in my room this year (and hopefully years to come). The material might change but I plan on keeping the themes the same for a while. Please be sure to click the picture below (or the banner at the beginning) to check out some other amazing blog posts about bulletin boards. Get excited ya'll! It's almost time to start school and things are getting real!

Here's to successful work days as we all get ready for school whether you be a teacher or a parent. There is work to be done and as always #2getherWeAreBetter !