One-on-One Tips and Tricks

Hello Friends,

I'm so excited to share these quick tips and tricks about maximizing your one-on-one time with your students. We all know every minute counts and I like to squeeze in as much as I can with my students.

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Math Center Organization

Hi everyone!

Today, in Second Grade we completed some MATH CENTERS!

 I'm going to tell you all about how I organize these centers and why I use them in my classroom. 

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Organizing & Storing Centers

Hey Friends, 

I'm back again with some simple tips on organizing and storing your centers!

It's quick, it's easy, it's cheap, and it takes up minimal space!

I chose some of my math centers as models!

First, I take each centre and place it in a medium reusable bag. 

If a centre requires smaller pieces, I like to place them in a small reusable bag and then place THAT in the medium bag. Keeps things neater and ensures that no important pieces go missing.

I like to ask students to record answers for only one or two examples. I don't need to see all their answers. I get a good idea of what they know and can do with observations and 

a small sample of their work. 

I number the bags and always place them in order after use. This ensures that we are organized and ready to go for the next time. Saves a lot of time.

I place all the medium bags in a large reusable bag (these happen to be my favorite things - I use them for everything). Then, I place the large bag in a bin (in this case my math centers bin). 

Centers require a lot of prep work: color printing, cutting, laminating. It's important to organize and store them well so that we can use them effectively for years to come! 

I spent many hours prepping these math centers last year and because of my easy and organized storage, I can simply pull out what I need and be ready for the next lesson in minutes!

I understand that reusable bags have a cost and are not entirely environmentally friendly, however if you purchase them from a local dollar store they are cost effective and if you take good care of them, they will last for years! 

Happy Organizing! (I know it makes me happy) hehehe

Until next time...

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Keeping Track of Positive Behavior

Hello Everyone,

It's been a while! Winters are rough in Canada! We Canadians tend to hibernate! 

I am excited to be back and most especially because I get to share one of my FAVORITE and most important organization tricks from my classroom.

I'm teaming up with my friends from Primary Powers to share some amazing organization tips to use in almost any classroom! This hop is filled with all kinds of great ideas!

I am a firm believer that positive reinforcement is the most important tool in any classroom. Students respond best to teachers who believe in them and make them feel good about themselves. 

I think it is also important to let parents know when a student has made progress or done something great in class. I like to make sure that each student gets a positive note or call home, every month. The students are so proud and the parents truly appreciate that we take a minute to recognize their child in a positive way.

Sometimes, however, we become preoccupied with all the things we have to get done and forget to send that quick note or make that fast call. This is when my little organization tool comes in handy!

It's basically a little "booklet" that consists of three columns: Student name, check box (to check when the note or call has been made), and a description box (to write down what the student has done). I print a new "booklet" at the beginning of each month and write down the positive behavior next to the student names. These can range from being kind to a friend, to having all of their supplies ready, to moving up a level in reading. Anything that shows growth, progress, improvement, etc... 

At the end of each week, I look at my "booklet" and make sure to inform the parents of these great happenings! Then, I put a check next to the student names. 

I also really like this tool because it makes me aware of who I need to pay more attention to (in a positive way). If it's been three weeks and I haven't found something positive to say about a student, I have to change my approach with that child and find a way to bring out the best in him/her. 

Hope this little trick helps you in your classroom!

It's quick and easy to use and the rewards of telling parents about how great their kids are is wonderful!

Hop on over to First Grade Smiles to read Melissa's great tips on Binder Covers. 

Until next time...

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Five for Friday

Hey Everyone,

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for some Five for Friday Fun!

1. Usher

Seriously, the dude is such a hottie! I'm a sucker for boys with charm and absolutely love a great dancer! Usher is the full package!!!!!

2. Girls Getaway

I love my friends. They are the best. They are funny, smart, beautiful, kind and apparently can handle being friends with crazy ol' me. That's always a bonus! We were feeling a little tired and stressed and decided we needed some time away. We went up north for a weekend and loved every minute of it.

Now I'm a bonafide city girl, but I do love me some quiet time in the peaceful woods and that's what we got. I love that I live in the city, but the country is only a short drive away. 

3. Christmas Spirit

I know many of you cringe at the fact that Christmas music is already playing in stores and that Santa has made his way from the North Pole since early October, but I can't get enough of it! Yes, I'm one of those people who LOVES Christmas and who watches holiday movies in July. It's happened... 

I've already watched my first Christmas movie of the season and I'm NOT ashamed to say it! 

4. Primary Powers

I am so proud and honored to be a part of this amazing collaborative blog! It's chalk filled with awesome bloggers and great posts. We just launched the blog a few short weeks ago and it's sooooo much fun. I especially love the superhero theme. 

Us teachers are in fact superheroes and everyone should know it!!

Stop on over and check us out!

5. Thanksgiving Craftivities

Thanksgiving is in October in Canada, but I'm thankful all year long! I'm thankful for my family and friends, for my health, for my amazing students and so much more. Last month, we wrote some great stories about Turkeys in Disguise and we also wrote about what we are thankful for. 

Click on the pictures to check out my Thanksgiving Craftivities! 

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

Until next time...

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Keeping Track of Awesomeness - Positive Notes to Parents

Good Morning Everyone, 

I'm so excited to link up (AGAIN) with some F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S bloggers in yet another amazing Bright Ideas Blog Hop! 

This is such a great way to get, well, BRIGHT ideas!

This month's BRIGHT idea is one that I use all year round. It is also a great tool to use in any classroom and at any grade level. 

I call it: Keeping Track of Awesomeness - Positive Notes to Parents! 

It all began when I taught a behavior class and had to communicate with parents daily. I found myself reporting many of the negative aspects of the day and forgetting the positives that had occurred. 

I was fortunate to attend a workshop for new teachers and left with quite a few tricks under my sleeve, including, Keeping Track of Awesomeness. I have been using this idea ever since.

It is quite simple. Make a copy of your class list, write the month of the year, and start ticking. This log ensures that, each month, I write a positive note for each of my students. 

Everyday, I select a different student to encourage and then tick off their name on the list. Voila!

I also like to write down what I wrote so that I can keep track from month to month. I like to vary my notes from academic, to behavior, to organization, etc... 

Another great idea I picked up at this workshop, is to staple "less desirable" notes in the agenda rather than write them directly inside. This ensures that students do not feel as though the negative note is something permanent. They make a mistake, their parents are informed, we move on. 

I hope you enjoyed this BRIGHT idea! Please consider joining me on Facebook, Instagram, and my Teacher Store.

For more bright ideas from 150 different bloggers, please browse through the link-up below and choose a topic/grade level that interests you. Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

An InLinkz Link-up

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The Great Big Sneeze (Part 1 - Organizing it All)

Good Morning Everyone,

I just wanted to pop by and say Hello! I also wanted to let you know how our Great Big Sneeze unit was going! This post is all about how I organized it all and the order in which it is unfolding!

First off, I started by displaying the story on the Smartboard. We read it together and circled important words (usually theme words). I also downloaded the unit to the class ipads and made a print copy. This way, the students can refer back to it at any time.

Here is a little sneak peek at the first page of the story. 

Not to worry, my blog name is not included on the actual page!

After we read the story we completed the shared reading activity for this pack.

The students loved this part! Here is a little tip on making this part easier to organize. I always place two copies of each page of the read aloud on one page. Then I photocopy the entire pack as a booklet, asking the machine to staple the top of the page. Then, I staple the bottom part of the page and cut the line. Voila! Two booklets ready to go! 

We reread the story together and, this time, the students HIGHLIGHTED theme words. They loooooove using highlighters. Finally, they illustrated the pages. My reluctant readers really shine in this portion of the pack, as we reread the story several times and they become familiar with it. They start to volunteer to read it aloud to the class and feel so proud. 

I devote two periods to the read aloud portion. The students often do not finish the illustrating, however, they are able to go back to it when they finish their writing or the centers. It becomes a great little "I'm Finished!" activity.

As there are many crafts in this pack, I like to give the students a choice. You can also choose one craft for the whole class, or, if you are feeling exceptionally brave, even complete them all!

This is how I organized the craft portion of the activity. 

I displayed all four crafts and asked students to tell me which they prefer. Then we tallied it up. This helped me decide how many copies I needed to make of each template.

I organized the templates in a bag and included some key construction paper colors. This helps avoid all the walking around and asking questions. The students have all that they need in their bag. They also get to keep all the pieces in that bag, if they do not finish on time. Everything is organized and in one place! No need to get up or ask for papers. 

I like to copy the templates on white paper, because the students often wish to choose their own colors. 

Once the read aloud, writing, and craft portions of the pack are completed, I like to move on to the literacy centers. As with the crafts, I place all of the necessary items for each center in a reusable bag. I include the recording sheets as well. This way, all I need to do is plop the bag at the designated center and we are ready to go!

We have just started this portion of the pack and are loving it! 

One of my little sweeties even made center signs for us! You can see it in the top left corner of the above photo. I love their enthusiasm!

You can check out this pack right over HERE! 

It's great fun and learning all in one!

There's a lot more to it so check it out!

I'll be back with a post about the finished products and work samples! There are a lot of reading comprehension activities and some fun stuff too!

I'm off for my Sunday Morning Workout! Nothing like a great workout to start off a Sunday well!

Until next time...

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I'm an organization FREAK!!!

So I may have mentioned that I am a little O.C.D. and despite that I managed to leave my classroom in a state of disarray this afternoon (had to leave right after school!!). Moving on.. My students have many teachers this year (math, l.a., french, etc..) We all have different subject programs and most importantly varying ways to distribute homework (more on that next week!) Soooo, since I'm an organization freak, I have my students put all things l.a. in one place. All students have a "homework baggie" an actual money bag, and bring it back and forth from home each day! Works great and is kinda cute!!! I love it! It keeps me sane.. All I do each morning during homeroom is look in that bag as opposed to going through all the different folders and books they need to bring home for other subjects!! Great time saver and nothing gets lost (almost always!!)

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