What does your classroom say about you

What does your classroom decor say about you?

Anyone that is reading this blogpost is most likely either a teacher or a parent. And most teachers are also parents. Everyone can relate to taking your student to their classroom for the first time. One of the first things you notice as a parent may not be the teacher, or the other students but the classroom itself.

What kind of teacher did my son/daughter get this year? Classroom decorations go a long way to communicating what kind of a teacher you are to both parents and youngsters.

So when you are putting together your classroom what do you want it to say about you? Are you strict? Fun? Energetic? Boring? Are you "with it?" (Do you know what is popular with the kids in the age range that you are teaching?

Decorating your classroom with popular cultural icons can go a long way to making that important first connection with your students. And having inspirational posters and posters on behavior is one of the key components to any good classroom management plan.

So all that said, are you ready?

My sister Hilary Lewis has been teaching 2nd grade for over 20 years and this year ended up moving to a new 3rd grade classroom with only 2 years left before retirement! We joined forces over the summer and came up with some classroom decorations in the style of Minecraft called Blockcraft Kids and Pets that will make your life easier and hopefully help make those all important connections.

With the TPT site wide sale and 28% Off everything in our stores, now is the time to find some amazing new decorations and organizational stuff for your classroom! Take a look at some of the decor we created:

Name tags that are individualized can make kids feel special!

Labels that go with the theme brightens up your spaces and helps with organization, not just for you but for anyone that is volunteering or helping in your classroom:

And for classroom management it helps to post character traits that are important to classroom culture, for all kids and parents to see:

And inspiring those kids to learn is one of the biggest parts of our job as teachers. Here are some inspirational posters from my store too!

Good luck with setting up your own amazing classroom this year! Make it the best year ever! So that your students look like this:

And not like this:

I found some great tips from Edudemic on how to help young children feel safe and more at ease in the classroom:

• Have group activities where children are encouraged to decorate the classroom together.
• Install a large bulletin board and encourage student to bring photos of their family and pets to pin on the board. Children should also be encouraged to bring and share items of cultural significance to display.
• Hold an orientation early in the school year where parents are invited to the classroom. This will serve as an icebreaker and help the classroom environment feel less strange."

Have the best year ever!

Sabrina

Back to School Labels

Hi everyone, 

It is Jane Feener here again to share some labels that I have been making for my class as part of my back to school preparations.  Do you like to label everything in your class?  I sure do.  I just find for me it makes everything run a little bit smoother.

  

Do you use a math workshop model in your class?  I have been experimenting with it now for the past couple of years.  I am still learning and working on improving how it works in my classroom.  I know different teachers have different acronyms they use but I like to use the MATH acronym.  This year I have invested in scrapbook paper storage containers from Michaels.  I got them on sale which was a bonus.  I used a smaller tub last year but I found I could not always fit all the materials I needed in them.  Here is what they look like.  I still have to finish setting up the T and H tubs.  My M tub is for "Math Facts".  I will put games and activities that help my students master their addition and subtraction facts in this container.  I usually change them out each week and I also try to use seasonal activities to help keep my students engaged.  This math tub contains a Welcome Back Bump game made by Sunny Days which you can download on TeachersPayTeachers (TPT) for free here.

The A tub contains math activities which students can complete independently "At their desk".  This is the one area of Math Workshop that I struggle with because if this activity is not something your students can do independently they will be at the small group table interrupting the small group lessons.  I will be focussing on creating independent activities complete with answers keys and help cards to hopefully solve this problem this year.  My first unit is Patterns and if you teach patterns you might like to give it a try as well.  You can find it here.  If you would like these Math Workshop  labels for your containers you can download them here.

Have you heard about Tidy Tubs?  I love to have students create something to show their learning, however, this can be a messy endeavor in the classroom.  I am not sure where I learnt about using tidy tubs, but if it was from one of you please let me know because it has been one of the best things I have introduced into my class.  I bought four clear plastic tubs (shoe box size) and I printed off my tidy tub labels and hot glued them on to the side.  Every time we do any kind of activity that requires cutting paper my helpers jump up and run to get the Tidy Tubs.  They place them on each group table and as students work they put their scraps in the tubs instead of on the floor.  At the end of the activity the helpers empty the contents of the Tidy Tubs into the paper recycling bin and place them back in their designated spot.  If you would like a copy of the Tidy Tub labels you can download them here.

How do you manage your word work?  I have found what works best for me is to use a storage cart with each drawer labelled so that students can easily find the materials they need.

If you would like to give it a try, you can download my labels here.  I hope some of these labels might help you with your organization as you prepare to head back to school.

Homework Calendars

Hey everyone! 

I'm Amy from Cahill's Creations and I'm here to talk about homework in kindergarten.  

As a kindergarten teacher, I've always given packets of homework.  This year, I've decided to change the way I give homework.  After a lot of thought and careful research, I realized that minimal homework is best for kindergarten kids.   I do like to give some homework, mostly to keep parents in the loop of what we are learning and to keep them involved.

So, here we go!

I've created homework calendars.  Each day the kids will have an activity to complete that should not take them long to complete.  I'm really excited to use these calendars in my classroom this year!  

I think it'll be a lot less work for me as well as for parents.  It's also something that is extremely easy to modify and adjust as needed. 

Homework should be completed as a quick review of skills learned.  I also like the idea of homework helping kids to learn responsibility and time management.  

How do you give homework in your classroom?  I'd love to hear your ideas!

Thanks for stopping by! 

{I'm So Excited About} BRAG TAGS!

Sometimes you come across something "new to you" in education that just gets you all giddy!  This has happened to me with Brag Tags.  I cannot wait to implement this system this year in my Kindergarten Class!  I just know that my kindergarten kids are going to LOVE Brag Tags!

 What in the heck are Brag Tags?

Brag Tags are a reward system set up in your classroom.....without the need for an expensive treasure box!  Kids work to earn a variety of Brag Tags.  They will want to earn them all, so behavior and motivation improves. When students meet a goal, such as learning to write their name, doing homework, or even having great lunchroom behavior, the kids earn a  Brag Tag.  Teachers can set up their own system for wearing the Brag Tag necklaces, but I plan to let my kids wear them on Fridays and any day that they earn a new Brag Tag.  The set of Brag Tags that I created is designed especially for Kindergarten Kids, so I know that my students will want them all!

To get started, you just need a set of Brag Tags and something to attach them to, such as the cheap-o ball and chain necklaces off of amazon.  Some people laminate the Brag Tags, but I plan to just print them on card stock.  I am pumped and ready to get started with my new little kinders!

Want to give your kids something to brag about, too?  Give them Brag Tags!

Kindergarten Brag Tags

Have a wonderful summer!

Jennifer

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Teaching Two Digit Addition Strategies

Two Digit Addition Strategies

Hi, it's Jane Feener dropping by to discuss some of the ways I have taught two digit addition strategies in my class this past month.  I can now finally say that I have learned how to do it using all the various strategies that are being shown to students today.  Before moving to second grade the only way I knew how to add two numbers was with the good old traditional vertical algorithm that I was taught in school.  Now, my students tend to chose their own ways and I am okay with that. 

Use a blank number line

This one I thought would be confusing for my students but most got it right away.  I think they liked the idea of hopping along the line like a bunny.  If you were adding 46 + 35, you would start with the largest number and place it at the beginning of the blank number line and then you would make 3 large jumps for the 3 tens.  Next, you would make 5 smaller jumps for the 5 ones.  The students count by 10 first and then by ones to come to the answer 81.  As long as your students can count by 10's this strategy works well.

Use a hundred chart

As long as students have a hundred chart at their disposal, this strategy is a great one to use.  My students have name tags on their desks that contain a small hundreds chart so I often saw them referring to their chart.  I also had large hundred charts copied and laminated for my students to use.

If they were adding 46 + 35 on the hundred chart, their first step would be to circle the largest number which in this case would be 46.  Next, they would move down vertically 3 rows for the 3 tens and then move horizontally to the right for the 5 ones to come to the sum of 81.  When I taught this I made squares around the tens and circled the ones just to give students a reminder that they were going down by tens and then changed to the circles to show the ones.  I also used a marker to put arrows on the the hundred chart to help those students who needed a little reminder.

Use place value

This strategy took a little bit more explanation but once students figured out how to decompose the numbers into tens and ones, they were experts at solving sums this way.  I know the poster may look a bit complicated but I found that by using circles and squares for the different place values helped my students.  My students also liked drawing the arrows.

Use base ten blocks

I found for any of my students that experienced difficulty with adding two digit numbers, that this was the best strategy to start with.  I worked at the small table with students using the base ten blocks to solve various problems and it was wonderful to see little lights coming on in their heads as they started to figure it out.  I had a few students who I gave a small ziploc bag of base ten blocks for them to keep at their desk and use as needed.

My students really enjoyed singing and dancing along to this YouTube video as well.  These teachers are great!                                  

You can find a copy of these posters and a booklet with an answer key to practice each strategy here.

Two Digit Addition Strategies Poster and Booklet

You can get this free poster of the more traditional method of two digit addition in the preview.  Just check here.

If you have any other videos or tips you use to teach Two Digit addition, I would love to hear about them.  Now I am off to learn all the different subtraction strategies!

Jeans!

Ok, so it’s not actually a real scientific fact.  

But I know a lot of teachers who could vouch for the validity of the above statement. LOL

I work at a school whose dress code does not allow for blue jeans to be worn…except on the last Friday of every month…and a few days in between when my principal is feeling generous.   

Jeans are a BIG DEAL at my school.  We may or may not beg to wear jeans quite often. 

100% faculty attendance…..how about a jeans day tomorrow?

Valentine’s Day…..you know what goes great with a red shirt?

No one got sick in the cafeteria today…..a celebratory jeans day would be wonderful!

Can you wear jeans where you teach?  Is it a big deal to get to wear them? 

Truth be told, jeans ARE comfortable, they match everything, and they can stand up to the messes of the classroom pretty well.  But I honestly think the main reason we WANT to wear jeans so much---

is because we’re told we CAN’T. 

New diet says no sugar.  All you can think about is sugar.

Christmas present under the tree.  All you want to do is open that present.

No jeans at school……by golly that’s ALL you want to wear right??

Ha!  I feel your pain.  J

Sometimes I wonder though…if khakis were suddenly off limits and were deemed inappropriate for school….would that be the one thing we want to wear most?  LOL

Make it a great day friends.  (whether you’re wearing jeans or not!!)