Recipe for Teaching: Classroom Management

Showing posts with label Classroom Management. Show all posts

Establishing rules and expectations is definitely an important part of teaching. I recently shared a "Bubbles" poster over on Instagram that I am using in my classroom. We pretend to put a bubble in our mouth before walking in the hallway and it really helps to make for a quiet line in the hallway. I have it hanging right by the door so that it is a reminder for hallway expectations. Grab the Bubbles poster by clicking the image below!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-kLuB6C2FdhcW9sZnVSYl91U0E/view?usp=sharing

We also use "Line-Up Chants" before going in the hallway. I have one that is themed for each month. We say the chant before going in the hallway and then I remind them to put a bubble in. You can grab the Line-Up Chants over in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Line-Up-Chants-2044139

What tips and tricks do you have for a quiet line?? post signature

Recipe for Teaching

School will be starting back before we know it! If you are like me, you are always looking for classroom management ideas. Classroom management is so important, but it is especially important to establish at the beginning of the year with your students. Setting up rules, routines, and expectations will really help to make your school year run smoothly!

I have previously blogged about using a Mr. Potato Head for classroom management, but I thought I would share more about it in its own post! I do want to say that using a Mr. Potato Head for classroom management is not my original idea, however I did create the printable to go along with it. Using a Mr. Potato Head for classroom management is one of those ideas that I have seen on Pinterest and I'm actually not sure where the idea originated, but it is FANTASTIC! I keep all of the Potato Head pieces in a basket from the Dollar Tree.

Some of the ways that my students can earn a Potato Head piece are the following:

*Receiving compliments from other teachers *Working nicely in the classroom *Following directions *Doing a nice job in music, art, PE, and library *And many other ways! When the Mr. Potato Head earns every piece and is all filled up, we decide on a treat as a class. Often times I will turn this into a math activity and they have no idea that we are even doing math! I have my students suggest different treats and then we vote for the class treat.

Some of our class treats have been the following: *Donuts *Pajama Day *Class trip to the prize box (everyone gets a trip to the prize box) *Extra recess *And many others! Those are just some of the ideas my class has come up with, but there are many other class treats that you could use with your students! My students always love this and it's really a fun way to encourage positive behaviors in the classroom. **I also have a Mrs. Potato Head so we switch back and forth between using a Mr. Potato Head and a Mrs. Potato Head! To grab your free printable to use in your classroom, just click the image below!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-kLuB6C2FdhZHR6SHN0NEhOalE/view?usp=sharing

Recipe for Teaching

I love using manipulatives in my classroom during math! They are hands-on and really help my students understand math concepts. I also like to make sure my students understand the rules for using math manipulatives. I just updated my "Rules for Math Manipulatives" posters and thought they might also be useful for you to use with your students.

I always use these posters at the beginning of the school year when introducing math manipulatives to my kindergarten students. My students that have pre-k experience are usually familiar with how to use manipulatives, however for many of my students, this is their first time using them. Rule #1 - Share the manipulatives with your friends I definitely want my students to know they need to share manipulatives with their friends. They should take turns and make sure everyone in their group gets a turn with manipulatives.

Rule #2 - Math manipulatives stay in the middle.

This rule goes along with sharing manipulatives. I like to teach my students to keep manipulatives in the middle of the space they are working. That way one person doesn't always have the manipulatives in front of them the whole time.

Rule #3 - Be responsible with the manipulatives.

We always talk about making sure we are responsible with the materials. This includes using them in a safe way, not throwing manipulatives, keeping manipulatives on the table or in our work space, etc.

Rule #4 - The manipulatives are a tool to help us with learning. This is important because when we have inside recess days I let my students play with the manipulatives. I want them to understand that when we are using manipulatives for math, they are a tool to help us learn math.

Rule #5 - We are a TEAM!

When we are together for 180 days, it is important for my students to realize that we are a team working together. I want my students to support one another, be kind to one another, and work together like a TEAM!

I find that my students even remind their classmates of the rules throughout the school year. Just the other day, I heard a friend remind another friend of a rule (and we are at the end of the school year!). To grab your FREE set of Rules for Math Manipulatives posters, just click the image below!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-kLuB6C2FdhZVRndDZweUJ5UEE/view?usp=sharing

Recipe for Teaching

If you are anything like me, you like to change up your behavior management system every so often in your classroom. I think this helps to keep kids motivated toward their goal of being the best student they can be. My entire school uses the clip/card system for behavior management. However, I also use other tricks for management in my classroom such as a Mr. Potato Head, building a snowman, my prize box, and using a PEEPS plush toy.

Around spring, I like to pull out my PEEPS plush toys. I have a bunny PEEP and a chick PEEP. I tell my students that if they aren't making a PEEP or if they have good listening EARS they get to hold the PEEP. The PEEPS toys are super soft so they almost cuddle with it. It's the cutest thing!

I posted a picture on Instagram of some bunny PEEPS that I found at my favorite store, Target!!

There seemed to be a lot of interest in using them in the classroom, so I made some cards that you can give your students when they get to hold the PEEP. This is a great way of communicating positive behavior because they can take the card home and share about being a great listener at school with their family. I included 3 different choices of cards that you could use and I also included color and black and white versions of the cards. That way you could print the black and white versions on pretty spring colored paper. Just click the image below to grab your FREE cards!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-kLuB6C2FdheTEtWEUwek00MkU/view?usp=sharing

What are your favorite classroom behavior management tips and tricks to use in your classroom??? post signature

Recipe for Teaching

Do you give your teammates gifts?? I love giving my team holiday gifts. The Target Dollar Spot always has the cutest tin buckets that make for the best gifts. I picked up some jack-o-lantern buckets and some Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Pumpkins (those things are sooooo good). I made some gift tag labels and added them to the bucket. Can't wait to give them to my amazing team!!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-kLuB6C2FdhczVuV3YzTU13Tnc/view?usp=sharing

Just as a little TREAT, you can click the image to download the gift tags for FREE! Also, I had posted on Instagram a poster with four sentences. Before we start our calendar, we say these four sentences. It's a great reminder for my students to do their best and have a great day!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-kLuB6C2FdhSS1GaXV6by01MVU/view?usp=sharing

As another TREAT for you, just click the picture to download! Looking for a fun game for the 50th Day of School or just a fun game to practice numbers 1-50??? This "Race to 50" game is just what you need! Students start their playing pieces on the girl holding the milkshake. They take turns rolling and moving that many spaces on the board. They have to tell their partner what number they land on. You could easily differentiate this by giving students different cubes to roll - one dot cube, two dot cubes (to combine dots), a numeral cube, etc.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-kLuB6C2FdhSm02RzRjaFZpdWc/view?usp=sharing

Click the image to download this TREAT!

Recipe for Teaching

I love all things FALL!!! I love fall festivals, apples, pumpkin EVERYTHING, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc. My husband and I just went to the pumpkin patch this past weekend and I found this pumpkin to decorate!

I'm so excited to join in on this "Tricks & Treats" blog hop with The Elementary Entourage! Such a fun idea!

http://theelementaryentourage.blogspot.com/2015/10/tricks-and-treats-blog-hop.html

For this blog hop we are sharing about a classroom "TRICK" and a classroom "TREAT!" I hope you are able to use each idea!

If you follow me in Instagram, you may have seen me post about this before, but it's just such an easy trick to do that I wanted to share it on here too! Do you use equity sticks for calling on students?? I love that it is an easy way to randomly pick students and it helps us teachers make sure that we are calling on a variety of students.

I have a little trick that was passed on to me early in my teaching career. Put a small cup inside a larger cup. Put all of the sticks in the small cup to start. As you choose a name, move the stick in between the small and large cup. This way you a making sure that you are calling on a variety of students, but your students still think they could be called on again! Tricky Tricky!!!!

And now for your TREAT!! I made this fall writing stationery and it is FREE! I love putting different writing stationery at my writing center for my students to use. The kids love it and it is just so festive! This writing stationery treat includes 5 pages with primary lines and 5 pages with intermediate lines. Just click the image to grab your treat from my TpT Store!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Writing-Stationery-2155759

Can't wait to check out some other tricks and treats from some fabulous bloggers! post signature

Recipe for Teaching

Hi everyone!! Katie over at Rock and Teach is having a Rockin' Giveaway to celebrate her 1500 Instagram followers!! Congratulations to her!! I follow Katie on Instagram and she shares the most inspirational pictures and seems like such a sweet person!

To help her celebrate we are sharing something rockin' that we do in our classrooms!

Something I think is pretty rockin' in my classroom is using a Mr. Potato Head as a classroom management tool. I'm not exactly sure where the idea originated from, but I think I originally saw the idea on Pinterest.

Here is how it works... We start with an empty Mr. Potato Head. When my students do amazing things and earn compliments from me or from another teacher, we add a piece to the Mr. Potato Head. When he is all filled up, the whole class earns a treat! I love this because: 1. It builds community. They must work together to earn pieces. 2. The kids love it and get excited about earning pieces. 3. It's a super easy tool to use and FUN!

Just last week we filled our Mr. Potato Head and earned donuts as a class treat. However, other prize options include: pajama day, prize box day, extra recess, etc. A lot of the time we vote on a prize and the choice with the most votes is their treat (great way to incorporate math!).

Here is a poem freebie I am sharing if you want to try this simple behavior management tool in your class! Just click the image to download!

Now for Katie's giveaway!!!!!
To help Katie celebrate, a bunch of us bloggers are helping her with her giveaway! Check out all the amazing products you could win! My product up for grabs is my Teen Number Activities Pack!