Monday, December 29, 2014

Collaboration and Community

Don't you love it when your plans come together and the kids get as excited about the lesson as you do? This post is about one of those days.

We were studying community as a part of our second-grade social studies curriculum.  One of the goals is that students learn to differentiate between rural, suburban, and urban communities. We had been working on it for a couple of days, defining the terms, exploring the differences, and watching a video on Discovery Education.

I decided I wanted to assess what my students had learned through a collaborative activity.  We made a chart listing some of what we had learned so far.




I put my students into teams of three. I was pretty strategic about this - I have a few kiddos who just don't work well together. I then had each team choose a type of community to illustrate.  Using giant pieces of bulletin board paper, each team had to come up with a plan for their mural. They were given their choice of art materials. My only criteria: they had to plan what they wanted to do first, all group members had to participate in the decision-making, and their final product had to show the characteristics of that type of community.

After just a few questions, all eight groups scattered to different areas of the room, sprawling on the floor in most cases. They got to work and I walked around, listening in on conversations. The conversations were exactly what I had imagined when I planned the activity.  Students were discussing what kinds of buildings to add, who was going to draw the cow, where they were going to put the houses, and other topic-related discussions.

There were a few minor disagreements (aren't there always a few?), but they didn't last long. The students were excited about working together and enjoyed the opportunity to be creative. It was noisy and seemed chaotic at times, but it was really very productive.


I expected that most of the students would prefer to use markers for their murals. One group surprised me, though.  They used construction paper to create their city scene. I'm so glad I didn't limit them to one type of media!

Luckily, I had planned this for a day when we did not have a special area class.  Although I had originally planned for it to take two or three days to complete, the students were so engaged, I let them keep working for over an hour!

Most of the groups were able to complete their murals that same day.  They were very excited to hang them up in the hallway for everyone to see.


 Here are a few of the murals.
A Suburban Community
A Rural Community
An Urban Community
I was pretty pleased with the finished products.  All the groups displayed good knowledge of what belonged in each type of community. I was also extremely pleased with how well the students collaborated on their projects.  There were very few problems and most of those the students worked out among themselves.  If you're hesitant about allowing students this much freedom, don't be. It's amazing what can happen when you ask kids to work together to create something.  I'm eager to find more opportunities for this type of collaborative project.

If you need more activities for your communities unit, you may enjoy this resource:



Until next time,

Sunday, December 21, 2014

My Favorite Things

We made it to Winter Break!  Hooray! I'm definitely in the vacation spirit, sitting on the couch in my sweats. :)

I'm linking up with Erica Bohrer of Erica's Ed-ventures to share a few of my favorite things.
Here they are in no particular order:

1) My Family and Friends

My mom, my brother and sister, my cousins, my nieces and nephew, my great-nieces and great-nephews; no matter how far apart we are, they bring me joy every day. 


image source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/552465079261418206/
My friends are a constant source of strength and inspiration.  They encourage me when I'm down and support me in everything I do.  They make me laugh and, sometimes, they make me cry.  I'm so glad I have so many amazing women in my life.

2) Facebook

I love connecting with people I remember from elementary school, junior high, and high school; catching up with cousins who live far away; touching base with old friends and letting them know I still care; making new friends and learning about their lives; being able to see my Florida family through photographs and videos; sharing my beliefs and values; and laughing at funny posts and memes. My business page has introduced me to some amazing educators and kindred spirits.  I confess to being addicted, checking my Facebook pages several times a day. :)

3) Charlotte, North Carolina

I absolutely love my home of the past 11+ years. The city offers sports, culture, and entertainment. Here, I can enjoy the mountains, the Piedmont, and the ocean, all within a few hours drive.  From exploring history to appreciating nature as it should be, I've been able to discover so much about this wonderful area. 

The North Carolina Mountains are home to some amazing waterfalls.
Lake Wylie
I enjoy hiking the local trails.

The Outer Banks
4) Teaching (of course!)
Not every year has been great, but after 18 years, I still enjoy working with kids. I love the lesson planning, the conversations, the children's books, the teaching supplies, the games and activities, and, most of all, the children. I put up with the bureaucracy, the long hours, the never ending paperwork, and the boneheaded laws.  I advocate for a return to quality education every chance I get. I try to put my beliefs into practice every day.  I believe in the importance of what I do.  How could I not?  I see it in the faces of the children I teach every day. I feel it when they come up to me and say things like, "You forgot to give me my hug this morning."  I know it when I see little bits of progress or when they surprise me with insightful comments. 

Preparing for the 2014-2015 school year.

This is the promise our class made to each other this year.


The bottom line:  being a teacher makes me happy. :)

5) Teachers Pay Teachers

I am so glad that I decided to take a chance and open my store on TPT.  I had no idea what I was doing in the summer of 2012.  I just decided to post a few things I had made for my classroom and see what happened.  Since I started as a Basic Seller and didn't have many products, I really didn't make much that first year.  I learned a little bit, then took another chance and became a Premium Seller the next summer.  My store isn't making me rich, but the real payoff is knowing that my products are being used in classrooms across the country (and maybe around the world). To think that my work has helped so many teachers to plan and students to learn...astounding! The other benefit is the amazing community of educators I've had the opportunity to "meet" and learn from on TPT.  And the journey continues...

So, those are some of my favorites.  What are yours?   

Until next time,

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Creating Our Class Promise

The first week of school is critical for setting the tone for the rest of the year. It can be hard to create a classroom community in the midst of setting expectations, reviewing school rules, and establishing procedures, but it's the most important thing you can do. With a well established classroom community, everyone becomes invested in the success of everyone else.  Thankfully, there is a way to combine many of your first week priorities into one meaningful activity - creating a class promise. 




Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links which means that I earn a small amount when you make purchases (at no extra cost to you). However, my promise to you is that I am only sharing my honest opinions and I will never promote something I do not believe in.

I first found out about class promises when I read Debbie Miller's Reading With Meaning. I had been creating rules with my class for a few years, but I loved the idea of making a promise to each other instead. I've been creating class promises during the first week of school ever since. They are posted in the classroom and referred to frequently throughout the school year. Students aren't just accountable to me for following school rules, they are accountable to each other as well. 

It's an easy and fun process to create the promise. Students are very engaged as they get to decide what will be included.


I start by reading my poem, A Kind and Caring Classroom We talk about what a kind and caring classroom would look like. We discuss the meaning of the poem and why showing kindness and caring for one another would help our class to have a good year. We share examples of kindness and talk about how we feel when others treat us with kindness. We also talk about how we feel when others are unkind. 

If you don't have the poem (available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store), you can simply start a discussion about what kind of classroom students want to be in this year. 


We make anchor charts to show what we would do or say if we were showing kindness and caring. I use a template from my school's positive discipline training to organize the student responses. We make a chart for showing kindness, another one for showing respect, and a third for helping each other learn.





During that first week, I also read Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud.  We make another anchor chart to compare bucket filling and bucket dipping. I'm always amazed by how insightful the students are in these discussions.  They show remarkable empathy and understanding.  


Finally, we are ready to write.  I use a shared writing model for composing the promise. We start out by thinking about what kind of classroom we want to be in. That first sentence is very important, as it informs the rest of the promise. In other words: If this is what we want, how are we going to make it happen? With my guidance, the students decide what we need to include and help me to compose the sentences. It takes us a couple of days to finish, but finally, we have a finished promise.

There is one more step to make it official.  Everyone in the class, including me, needs to sign the promise. To make it even more personal and meaningful, I have the students create a representation of themselves to post beside the promise. You can see one of mine on the right. After all of the students finish their people and sign the promise, we are finished.

Here's our Class Promise for the 2014-2015 school year.

This is our class promise from the 2016-2017 school year.


Sometimes the kids will surprise you with their creativity! I love the cowboy version of himself that one of my kids created.

What do you do during the first week of school to establish a positive classroom climate?  Please share your ideas and strategies in the comments below.

Until next time,

Sunday, July 6, 2014

No Worksheets Required!

Would you like to implement an easy to prepare, no-fuss, but lots of fun weekly activity in your K-3 classroom? Try starting a Poem of the Week.  You can address an amazing variety of objectives with a minimum of copies or teacher preparation. No worksheets are required!



Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links which means that I earn a small amount when you make purchases (at no extra cost to you). However, my promise to you is that I am only sharing my honest opinions and I will never promote something I do not believe in.


Implementing a Poem of the Week in Your Classroom

Where to find poems:
When I first started with Poem of the Week, I used this resource:
This book includes great poems for use in the primary classroom.
They are great for tying in with word study.

A Poem a Day
As I became more comfortable with using poetry in my classroom, I began adding poems from other resources.            

I also find poems through online searches and, of course, on Teachers Pay Teachers.  When I can't find what I need, I write my own.

If you need a poem to get you started, you can download a sample from my Kind and Caring Classroom set here. To find this and more poem of the week resources, you can visit my TPT store, Theresa's Teaching Tidbits.



Once you start collecting poems, organize them in a binder. You'll be able to reuse poems from year to year, making for even less preparation time!

How to choose a poem:  
Think about your curriculum and your classroom needs. I try to make sure my poem of the week will help me to address more than one goal.  I use poems to address social issues in the classroom as well as to teach concepts and skills. I've found poems that connect to math, science, social studies, and of course, phonics and other reading skills.

Scheduling your Poem of the Week time:
Schedule a Poem of the Week time at a consistent time each day. I usually like to schedule the activities at the beginning of our literacy time.  You'll need to plan on about 15 - 20 minutes for the day you introduce the poem and read it for the first time. For the rest of the week, plan on about 5 - 10 minutes per day, depending on the activity.

Organizing the Student Poems:
Students will store poems in a 3-pronged folder or a 1 inch binder.  I prefer the binder as students seem to find this easier to manage.  I have used the folders however, and they work well, too. Have your students personalize the binder or folder by making a cover entitled: My Poetry Folder (or another title of your choosing).



Each student will need his/her own copy of each week's poem.  Use a 3-hole punch immediately after copying the poems to make it easy for students to add to their notebooks. 

Optional: You can add a Table of Contents page at the beginning of the notebook to help students organize and find the poems.

How to use the poem throughout the week:

Day 1:  Introduce the poem and discuss its meaning.

  • Project the poem on an interactive whiteboard, make a transparency and use the overhead projector, or make sure students have their own copy of the poem.
  • Read the poem to your students as they follow along.
  • Ask students to talk about what the poem means to them. This can be done whole group or as a “Turn and Talk” with a partner. Briefly discuss any unfamiliar vocabulary. Encourage students to make connections with their own lives or books they have read. 
  • Ask students to join you as you read the poem a second and, if desired, a third time. Have students add the poem to their poetry binder.
Day 2 – 5: Choose one area of focus for rereading each day.
Focus on Comprehension:
Choose a comprehension strategy to reinforce such as visualizing, retelling, or making connections.  Hold a guided discussion after rereading the poem. You may choose to have a follow-up activity involving a written response (text-to-self connection) or illustration (visualization).
Focus on Vocabulary:
Introduce or discuss unfamiliar vocabulary. Model using context clues to figure out definitions.  Have students write or illustrate definitions in their reading response notebooks.
Focus on Phonemic Awareness/Phonics:
Look for rhyming words or alliteration.  Have students highlight words on their copy of the poem using highlighters or highlighter tape.  Generate additional words that fit the rule and write them on the board or an anchor chart. 
Focus on Fluency:
Emphasize reading with rhythm, expression, or feeling. Experiment with different rhythms or emotions.  Be silly and read the poem in a whisper voice, squeaky voice, monster voice, robot voice, etc.  After doing so, reread the poem with appropriate fluency.
Choral read: Everyone reads the poem together after teacher gives a signal such as, “Ready, set, read.”

Echo read: Teacher models reading each line or stanza. Students echo the teacher’s phrasing and rhythm as they read their own copies of the poem.

Continue the learning
After students have worked with the poem all week, they are very familiar with it. This makes it a great resource for a poetry center activity or for fluency practice.  My students even enjoy rereading the poems during their Reader's Workshop time.  

School-Home Connection
Once a month, have students bring home the poetry notebook to share with their families.  I place a parent letter at the front of the notebook and ask parents to respond to their child's reading using a simple form. Students enjoy reading the poems to their families and showing off how much they've learned!

You can download free copies of a Table of Contents form, a sample Parent letter, a Parent Response Form, a center response form, a writing response form, and an original poem to get you started by clicking here.





The reason I wrote this post is because I asked some colleagues to review my resource, A Kind and Caring Classroom: Poems of the Week That Promote Good Character. While my colleagues were complimentary, some of them asked if I was planning to include "activity sheets" to go with the poems. Since I try to limit the number of worksheets I use, I wanted to write this post to explain how I use Poems of the Week in my classroom. I hope it inspires you to give it a try with your students.


Do you use a poem of the week program in your classroom? If so, share your tips in the comments!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Exploring Number Patterns Using Hundred Charts

First Graders need to become familiar with the counting sequence, to understand tens and ones, and to fluently add and subtract multiples of ten.  One of the ways I help my students become familiar with all of these concepts is to work with hundred charts or one hundred twenty charts in a variety of ways.  This week, my students were hard at work learning these concepts.

Students used hundred chart puzzles to reinforce knowledge of number patterns. 

I copied a hundred chart onto ten different colors of cardstock.  Using the different colors helps with organization and prevents pieces of different puzzles getting mixed together.  You could also use construction paper, but I've found that cardstock lasts longer.

Next, I cut away the excess border and then cut the hundred board into various sized pieces, keeping all of the numbers intact.
I don't laminate these.  Laminating would make them last longer, but they actually make it harder for the students to work with.  Once the puzzle pieces start looking worn, I just make new sets.

After cutting out the pieces, I place each puzzle into a plastic baggie. Then I place them in a center for students to put together.


My students love these. As soon as they are done with one puzzle, they quickly grab another.  Since the level of difficulty varies with each puzzle, students find some puzzles more difficult than others.  I always have them check their work by counting to 100.



We also use commercially created hundred chart activities.

Students practice the counting sequence when they have to refill a pocket chart and put the numbers in the correct pockets.

These hundred boards help my students practice counting as well as matching two-digit numbers.  Yesterday, one of my students turned over all the tiles so that only the white side was showing.  (I'm sorry I didn't grab a picture of that one.) She asked the other students in the group to identify what number was on the other side of the tile.  The students had to use their knowledge of numbers and number patterns to guess the right number.  I love it when students make up their own math games.
 Students used the hundred chart or their 120 Chart to help them solve problems on task cards.  They were adding and subtracting multiples of ten.  They recorded their answers in their math journals.  It was easy to check for understanding as I walked by this group.
During morning work time, all students filled out their own 120 Chart. They were able to save these as a resource in their math notebooks.  I loved seeing the students help each other find and fix mistakes before we put them away.
 Now that they've been working with numbers up to 120 by using these charts, I see my students becoming more and more comfortable with number patterns.  One of my mini-lessons this week involved adding multiples of ten using a number line.  Several students immediately made the connection between the number line and counting by tens "off the decade."  It's great when you see that deep understanding of a concept!

How do you help your students with these concepts?  Please share your ideas and resources in the comments.

You can get my One Hundred Twenty Charts: Winter Theme in my TPT store.





Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Big Book Stand Makeover

Today, we had a teacher workday, so I had the time to give one of my oldest classroom resources a makeover.  Years ago, a friend built me a big book stand for my classroom.  I love it and I've lugged it across two states and to three different schools.  It's beginning to look a little rough, so I decided to update it in a way that's both pretty and functional. This same idea would work well to update an old file cabinet or the back of a bookcase.

                                                    Here's what it looked like before.






I bought some Chalkboard Contact paper
and cute decorative Duck tape from Amazon.










I decided to cover both sides of the big book stand with the chalkboard paper.  It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.  I got lucky and the width of the paper exactly matched the width of the stand.  So all I had to measure was the length.  Then I lined the paper up and worked from the top down, peeling the backing off as I went.







After making sure the contact paper was smooth, I was ready to line the top and bottom with the Duck tape.










 I'm looking forward to giving students the opportunity to practice their word work using our new chalkboards!

I added a little more of the Duck tape to line the front, added my Erica Bohrer Whole Body Listening poster and voila! Now, my old book stand looks great and it's more functional, too. I can't wait to see my students' reactions tomorrow!














I hope you all have a great week!