Blog Hop ~ All About Procedures!

I hope that somewhere in this blog you will find at least one procedure/idea that you can use in your classroom!

Of all of the WONDERFUL ideas out there, find what you love and give it a try.  If it doesn't work, scrap it and try a new one until you find the perfect fit.

 Here are some that are the perfect fit for me and my students.

Helpers/Jobs/Leaders:

One of the procedures I explain to my children on the 1st day is their job in the classroom.  We do this every Monday morning during our "Monday Meeting."  All of the "Leader Roles/Jobs" have names by them.  The table captains are easier, I just rotate the numbers 1 - 4 and they match the numbers on my tables. No trying to remember who has not had a turn or using my crazy checklist! HA!

I love that everybody has a role/job in our classroom ... it helps the take ownership of our room.

If having everyone do a job does not work for you or seems like too much to keep track of, have one "Helping Hand" of the day.  You can ring your students names and flip it daily. I have peers that do this and love it, too!  

Click on the picture below to see a large selection of helpers to match a variety of themes.

Tables & Numbers:

On my classroom tables I divide them and number the corners for a few reasons:

1. I like that every child knows their own space to work in.

2.  The numbers match my "Table Captains" and those kiddos are in charge of materials for that week.

3.  I can flexibly regroup them using the table numbers.

4.  The taped areas are also great for instruction.  If we are doing the 4 step process, the can write in the boxes with their dry erase and work as a team.  They are also great for showing numbers 4 different ways, etc.  Lots of teachable moments there!

Here is a picture of my crazy tables:

The box in the middle does not always stay there.  It is an activity for "Meet the Teacher."

Class Dojo:

I love using Class Dojo with my students, and they love it, too!!!  I use a variety of different rewards/incentives along with the Class Dojo.  They love the cute characters and they love the positive points!  I do not display any negative points but you can. The parents love that they can check on their child's behavior daily.  It is a win-win!  

Here is a picture of the little monsters:

Click on the picture below to check out the site!

 Here is a freebie for you!  Please click on the item below to get your freebie.We would love your feedback, too!

Homework Club:

Are you in the club?

Motivating Students to turn their homework in can be a challenge.  Here are a couple of examples of "Homework Clubs" that you can do in your classroom.

The Zebra picture is for a self-contained class and the red and blue are for "switch" classes.  The empty cookie sheet is for  those who have forgotten their homework.

The first week or two we let it slide with a warning.  After that, when they forget their homework they are out of the club and have to work to get back in.  We also tie rewards and incentives to return homework weekly and for staying in the club the whole 9 weeks.

Kids really want to stay in the club!

Here is a link to view a variety of different "Homework Clubs."  When we printed our pages, we changed the printer settings to make them small enough to fit on the button magnets.

Click on the picture below:

Classroom Supplies:

It is extremely important that you set up a "home" for all of your supplies and materials.  Organization is key to making sure the kids know how to find them and where to put things away.  Below are two views of my table materials for my classroom.  I love the organization of it all.  You can even see I labeled my cups, too and the kids are great about putting everything back where it goes.  I was very blessed to have WONDERFUL parents who donated the tubs to my room.  You could even add them to your "Wish List" if you have one.

I LOVE these!!!  

Tip:  Keeping up with your own classroom supplies can be tricky!  Some tend to sprout legs and walk away.  I added zebra tape to supplies and materials I do not want to walk out of class.  

Our store is full of materials to help set up your space for great procedures that match many different themes.

You have to find what works best for you and your students. 

I hope your year is a HAPPY one!

Karen

Go find some more fun ideas at Mixing It Up in Middle!

Classroom Design~ Round 1

It is the first day of room set-up and I am excited that I finally have gotten back in my crazy room!

The first step I always start with is furniture placement.  I go in with a sketch and try and make my vision work.  Well ... this year, I have no real plan!  I just started moving everything. 

See the smiley face in the picture ... that was me!

Then the fun of opening cabinets begins!  Almost like opening Christmas presents! You never know what you might find (if you packed like me!) LOL!

It seemed that almost every cabinet I opened I found books!  Most of these are from teaching kindergarten.  I do not have a terrific chapter book library.  That is my goal this year!

 After a little while I began to see progress.  

#1 & 3 has my helper chart with my Kleenex box holder and germ-x bottles right next to the trash can! Underneath are the mailbox cubbies that need a makeover!

#2 Is a picture of my rules, Give me 5, 7 Habits, and schedule cards.  Below that is the start of my unfinished, reward center.  The red shelf is now home to paint this weekend. My Monday Made It!

#4 is a shot of my kid's binder shelf and basket for papers to go home.

 #1 is a shot of my teacher area.  Just getting started there.

#2 Is my guided reading table.  I have never had a "teacher desk" in all of my years of teaching.  I have always wondered what it would be like but then saw people posting they were getting rid of them.  I guess I never missed anything.

#3 Is the start to my "Hearts Desire" library.  This is where a lot of the "theme" books from kinder go. The kids LOVE them in 2nd, too!

#4 Is my "Favorite Authors" library with the matching characters.  This was one of their favorites last year!

Time to go home ... Still a HOT mess

#1 is a picture across my room to the front door.

#2 Extra storage containers ... do you have a ton of these but end up using most of them?

 Thanks so much for stopping by to see my progress.  More to come next week when we are back in the building everyday!

Happy Decorating You Room!

Karen

Monday Made It ~ Aug. 4th

Time for another "Monday Made It" with Tara!

I have actually been working on this for more than a week and I still do not feel completely done, but here it goes ...

My Writing Station - Updated:

After printing, laminating, and cutting out all of my parts, I was ready to get busy!

The first basket is a writing prompt basket and it will be full of those cute, already painted, wooden cutouts. The kids who have not decided what to write can go and choose one or more. They can write a story about the animals or some facts about them.

The second container are my "Writing ROCKS" that the kids can also choose and write about.  I have a set of tiles just like the rocks for years and the kids love them.  My tiles have words, letters, and pictures on them. For the tiles, I used clear Avery labels printed with just what I needed printed on them.  These just have stickers that I have used decoupage on.  I also sprayed them to help seal them.  The tiles were the easiest but these are fun, too!  They are like the "Writing Stones" I have seen on different blogs.

Here are the stickers I used and the rocks almost done!

Here they are ready to go to school!

The third container holds my writing prompt sticks.  I LOVE the way these came out.  

First, I glued around the sides and top edge to make a pocket for my sticks.  Then, I laminated them. After that, I cut right on the edge to open the pockets. Finally, I hot glued in the sticks.

 Here are all of the parts put together!

I added glass blobs to the bottom to help hold up the sticks and weigh down the can.

The fourth container is filled with plastic animals.  The children can use these during our non-fiction unit with ease! 

The fifth one is full on beanie babies.

Again same idea of choosing one and writing about it.

If the large beanie babies are too BIG, they make the tiny ones. The tiny ones are about half the size and you can have a much smaller container.

The nice thing about all of these options is the way I can switch them out because the next set it ready to go.

This box will house our portfolios and our file folder

"Write About It!" station.

These are our pens for writing time.  I can't wait to use them.  

I made more labels for other parts of the station, but I can't get them ready at home.

I can't wait to get in the room and set it all up.  I will take more pictures and post them on my blog when it is finished!

I hope you love my station organization!

You can view it on TPT by clicking the picture below.

I know I will be adding to these sets! Get yours now while they are at their lowest price!

Now for a tip I learned over the summer:

Have a Happy Week!

Karen

Come save some money at our Teachers Pay Teachers SALE!

Come check out our sale and save some money before school starts! Use the code BTS14 when you check out. The person with the most positive and thoughtful feedback during our sale will win a free item valued at $5 or less. (We may choose more than one!) We will announce the winner(s) on our Facebook page!

Happy Shopping!

Karen and Alison