Minimize "Stuff" to Maximize the Learning Environment

It's that time again - BACK TO SCHOOL! I'm already a week behind on the blog...there is no busy like back to school busy, and no tired like back to school tired. :)

I thought I'd start the year with a tour of my classroom. I am never satisfied with how my room looks. Every single year, I change at least one thing. This year, however, I made some BIG changes. We are only four days in, but so far, I'm loving it!

Here is a "big picture" picture of most of my room.

Things I loved and kept the same from years past: 

1. The Leader Board - You can read about the Leader Board on my "The 4th Nine Weeks Slump" post.

2. The bathroom/water/locker check-out system - I can't believe I've never done a post on this! It's definitely one of my very favorite things in my room, and it tops the list on classroom management priorities.

All of the classrooms at CRIS have four large metal cabinets in the back of the room. They aren't super attractive, but they do provide a lot of storage - and a lot of space for decorating. A few years ago I realized I needed a new system for how my kids left the classroom. I was encountering so many problems - the kids who wanted to leave seventeen times in one block, the kids who would just walk up to me in the middle of my lesson to ask to go to the bathroom, the kid who left his homework in his locker every single day...the list goes on and on. After much brainstorming, I decided to put those cabinets to work as my bathroom management system.

This is what the cabinets look like:

 

There is one cabinet for each block. I separated each block into three sections.

1. The student names - I printed each student's name and had them laminated. I then hot glued a magnet to the back of each name.

2. The "I'm Out" section - When a student needs to leave the room, he/she finds his/her magnet and moves it to this section.

3. The "I'm Back" section - When a student returns from the restroom/locker/water, he/she moves his/her magnet to this section.

The rules I go over with the students are:

1. You may only leave the classroom one time per block. So, if you need to get your homework out of your locker, you better go to the bathroom while you're out! Once your name tag is moved into "I'm Back," you can't leave again.

2. Only one boy and one girl are allowed out of the room at one time. So, if Suzy Q's tag is in "I'm Out," then Brenda Jo has to wait until she gets back.

This process has been simple and absolutely seamless. I was almost surprised and a little wary of how well it worked when I first implemented it. So far, it hasn't failed me!

3. The Supply Cubby - When I taught elementary school, I had one of my friend's dad build me a shelving unit for all of my construction paper. When I moved to middle school, I didn't really need a home for construction paper, but I didn't want to lose the shelving unit. I decided to re-purpose it into a supply cubby system. I purchased some great tubs from the Dollar Tree and filled them each with some frequently used supplies (dry erase lap board, rag for erasing, Expo marker, ruler, scissors, glue, clipboard, etc.). When we are working on a project, I have students grab a tub (they are numbered, so students grab the bin that corresponds with their number). I don't waste time passing out materials, and students don't have to fuss with pulling everything out of their book bags.

4. Homework & Objectives Board - I teach two intervention classes and two honors classes, so I split the white board in the back of my room into two sections. On the left side, I include homework, reminders, daily focus questions, and weekly learning intentions for my intervention classes. On the right side, I include the same for my honors students. It's great to have a central location for all the "need to know" information for both sets of classes.

5. Anchor Charts - I love having a place to hang the anchor charts for each of my classes. You can check out how I made those on my "Polished Look" blog.

Things I changed for this year:

1. NO DESKS! - My biggest change for this year is that I got rid of all the desk in my room - including my teacher desk. It was a huge leap, but so far, I love it! (And the kids seem to love it too!)

Because I teach two intervention classes, I really needed a comfortable space for small group instruction. I knew that if I added a horseshoe table or something similar, I'd need to make space somewhere. The teacher desk had to go. Once it was out, I had so much more room. I scrounged up three trapezoid tables to create my own version of a horseshoe table. One of the tables serves as my "desk," and the other two provide plenty of room for small groups. It's perfect. I added a little fabric fringe, and it's really become a functional and welcoming space.

I also am a huge fan of alternative seating in the classroom. Last year I went half and half - I kept about 13 desks, and I used tables, floor seating, yoga balls, etc. for the other half of the seats. This year, I used my state teacher money to purchase six new tables (Thank you, Ikea!) for my room. I was able to get rid of all of the traditional desks, and I used stools and chairs that I had last year for table seats. I have gotten nothing but compliments from the kids so far, and the tables are PERFECT for group work. 

2. Minimize "stuff" to maximize the learning environment - I am a typical teacher hoarder. I keep everything; I accept every free book, ruler, pack of pencils, etc. anyone ever offers me. Last year, I was up to EIGHT full bookshelves of books. Maybe twenty percent of those books ever got picked off the shelf. So, I purged. I (along with my husband, Ian and my best friend, Lisa) spent several days getting rid of "stuff." We donated books, cleaned out file cabinets, and passed along supplies of which I had an abundance. If I couldn't remember the last time I used it, I got rid of it. My goal this year is to truly minimize in order to maximize the space and time we have for learning. 

Here is my new reading corner - about five bookshelves less than last year!

One of the things I love most about my profession is that it constantly changes. Each year I get a new classrooms of students with a unique set of needs. Every year is different; every day is different. I work in a school that encourages and embraces risk taking. My administrators love when we try something new - even when it doesn't quite work like we planned. I am so thankful to be here, and I know it's going to be a great year!

Welcoming All Learners

This year I was privileged to teach two intervention language arts classes along with my two honors classes. My intervention classes were small (maximum 12 students), and the students ranged from a kindergarten reading level to about third grade. Of my 21 intervention students, seven of the students spoke English as a second language. It was definitely a challenge, but it was such a treat to watch these students learn and grow this year. 

I always try to stay culturally aware having had the opportunity to travel the world and having a sister who has taught and studied abroad. When I realized I'd have so many students from other countries, I knew I wanted to do something special to welcome them each to the room. 

Above my SmartBoard, I typically hang a "welcome" banner. This year, I decided to add to it by welcoming each student in his/her own language. 

When I started the year, I had students from Japan, the Philippines, and Mexico. My sister lived in Korea and had friends who could write and speak Japanese, so I had her get a translation for me that I copied onto the poster. I used Google translate for the Filipino translation, and I asked our school's Spanish teacher to help me with the last translation. As the year progressed, I had some schedule changes that gave me a few more students. I ended up adding China, the Ivory Coast, Nepal, and Niger. 

 It was simple way to let my students know that I recognized their differences but accepted them all as a part of our classroom family.

Back to School - Superhero Style!

We are getting back in the swing of things, and I'm exhausted! A new schedule this year has my head spinning...We went from three 85 minute blocks and two preps to four 70 minute blocks and three preps. It's taking some getting used to!

Add this super exciting personal news, and a goal for a March wedding, and I am looking at a whirlwind of a year! (Isn't my fiance handsome!?)

Our theme at school this year is "Superheroes." We are going to have spirit days for teachers and students to wear their favorite Superhero gear. Our first Superhero Day was the third day of school. I have a navy skirt with white stars that I got for the Fourth of July. I really wanted to wear it as part of a Captain American outfit, but all of the Captain America shirts are blue and didn't match.

So, I did what I do best, and I made my own with a red t-shirt and some felt from Michael's! While I was wandering around Michael's I found a blue bow. I decorated it with some puff paint I had at home to add another touch to the costume! (The socks are from Target.)

I used a printed picture of Captain's shield to help me measure and cut out layers for my shirt. I hot glued the felt together, and then I used fabric glue to attach it to my shirt.

One of the other teachers on my team had the same Captain America idea!

Teachers ARE superheroes!

Patchwork Project

For Christmas last year, my dad gave me two bookshelves for my living room and some gray chevron wall paper from Target that I wanted to use to cover the backs of my shelves. It was so easy to do, and it turned out just how I pictured.

I had about half a roll and lots of scraps leftover, so I wanted to try to use it in my classroom. I decided to cover the tops of my two trapezoid tables to add some color to those dull tables.

Unfortunately, because I was patching scraps together, this project wasn't quite as easy as the bookshelves were, but I managed! 

I started by taking the largest pieces I had leftover and piecing them together on top of the table. I used a book and yard stick to help roll the paper out flat as I peeled off the backing. I still ended up with some bubbles, but it isn't too bad. 

Hint - Once you stick the wallpaper on, if there are bubbles, just roll with it. It gets way worse when you try to peel it back up and restick it. 

It isn't perfect, but I still love the way it turned out!

The only thing I wasn't super excited about was the look of the unfinished edges. (Ignore all those bubbles, ha!) 

To cover that up, I got some blue duct tape (only $2 with a 50% coupon from Michaels!) to place around the edges of the table. 

 I am so happy with the way it turned out!

Welcome Back!

I like to have a wreath on my classroom door for decoration and to add a bit of a home-y feeling. This year, I've decided to create wreaths for the door that match the unit of study we are doing (ex. our first thematic unit is on survival, so the wreath will be survival themed). I didn't want to leave out a more home-y (not to be confused with homie) bit of decoration, so I decided to create some wreaths to hang between my two windows in the classroom. I made the first one tonight!

I didn't take pictures while I was working on it (sorry!), but all the materials came from Michaels. The frame is a basic green metal wreath. I wove burlap and ribbon first and used brown pipe cleaners to attach the burlap to the frame. The wooden bus was already painted when I bought it, but I painted the wooden apple and added my name with a thin tipped paint pen. I painted the wooden letters and hot glued all the wooden pieces to the wreath. Simple! All in all, it took me about 30 minutes total to complete!

Twitter in the Classroom

Using social media safely in the classroom can be tricky, but it can also be very, very valuable. This year, I have implemented the use of Twitter in my room.

I wanted students to be able to concisely summarize text and identify story elements within texts. I also wanted to give them a way to create "teasers" for their favorite books. What better way to do this than through Twitter?

I knew I'd have to come up with a way to keep this safe for all of my students. I teach 6th grade, and the world wide web can be a scary place for young students. I decided from the beginning that I would control  our Twitter account, and my students (though many have their own accounts) would not be able to actually send the Tweets from our class account themselves.

After we read a text, I give my students a Twitter page handout (you can buy it on my TPT page here). Students then write their Tweets on the paper and turn them in. I choose the best ones and send them from our account. Then, I write the Tweets on laminated "Tweet sheets" using a Vis-a-Vis marker and post those on my classroom door. You can see some examples below. (These Tweet sheets are also on my TPT.)

It has worked like a charm this year. The kids love it, and it shows me so much about their understanding as we read!

Check out our Twitter account here!

Poetry Analysis - Like a Pro!

I LOVE POETRY! I love to read it, write it, and teach it, and above all, I want my students to love it too! In order for them to love it, however, they have to understand it. I've always had a difficult time getting students to think deeply when it comes to poetry analysis, so I decided to develop a new process this year to help them practice.

I ended up with a seven step process. To practice, I put together a packet of six of my personal favorite poems. We went through the packet together, in groups, individually, etc. until I felt confident that my students were getting it. Then, I gave them a pop quiz using the same process! I have put this packet on my Teachers Pay Teachers account for free, so go download it and use it! One thing that isn't on TPT, though, is the Google Presentation I used with the packet. You can check that out here!

Here are the seven steps:

1. Number the lines in each poem, and label the rhyme scheme if there is one.
2. Read the poem several times. Circle any unknown words.
3. Summarize each stanza.
4. Annotate the poem by noticing and labeling any literary devices, figurative language, symbolism, imagery, etc.
5. Identify the major theme of the poem, and provide evidence to support your choice.
6. Identify your favorite line or phrase from the poem, and explain why you chose it as your favorite.
7. Choose one of the unknown words you circled and develop a definition (in your own words!) based on context clues from the poem. 

And here are some examples of the poems once they have been analyzed!

The 4th Nine Week's Slump

No breaks from January to April. Testing, testing, & more testing. Warm sunshine & blue skies. The anticipation of those last few days of school. What do each of these have in common...?

They all play a part in the inevitable and dreaded "4th nine week's slump." By April of each year, I can pretty much count on lower grades, less motivation, and sky high energy among my students. This year I wanted to try something new to help combat the daily struggle that accompanies our dwindling days of school.

Our school is a data driven school, and our students love healthy competition. When thinking of what I could do to get the kids re-motivated, I knew I could use these aspects of CRMS to my advantage. When I recently visited my cousin's high school language arts class, an idea that incorporated data, friendly competition, and fun finally came to me!

I popped in to observe my cousin's classes on a day that he happened to be celebrating a recent high test average. When the class average on a test is a 90 or higher, he gives them a "trivia day." He develops a fun, educational trivia game, and the students are able to choose groups and play as a reward for their hard work on the assessment. I absolutely loved this idea, and I knew there was a way to incorporate it into my middle school classroom.

So, here's what I came up with: THE LEADERBOARD!

With this board, I'm keeping up with four things for each class. 

1. Current Class Average - Each time I add grades to the grade book, I update the new class average. (This is super easy with the PowerTeacher online grade book used by our district....all the numbers are crunched for you!) 

2. Class average on the most recent test/quiz - First, note that I don't use classwork or homework for this. I'd be changing it ten times a day! After entering grades for an assessment into my online grade book, I update the class average on the board. 

Notes: 

- I use three stars (first place, second place, and third place) as a visual for students to see which class average is in the lead. 

- At the interim and report card, the class with the highest average will win a trivia day. 

- I didn't want to give a trivia day every time a class made a 90 or higher average on an assessment because I felt that would take away too much instructional time. Instead, when a class gets a 90 or higher average on an assessment, they receive a half day word game day (such as Scrabble, Apples to Apples, etc.). 

Below, I've included a close up picture of one class:.

3. The top three highest averages for each class - I don't list the actual average, I just list the names of the students with the highest three averages in the class. 

4. Honorable Mention - I give honorable mention to the student who raises his/her grade the most between assessments. (ex. Student A scored a 60 on last week's quiz but made a 100 this week. She increased by 40 points - more than anyone else in the class!)

Notes:

- If more than one student has the same average (ex. 3 of my students have 100 averages), I let them tie for first place. 

- At the interim and the report card, the top three students will receive the opportunity to exempt a quiz, classwork, or homework assignment of their choice. 

- There is no reward for the honorable mention, but I am finding that the students who appear here usually don't appear in the other slots. They are SO proud to have their name on the leader board; it really works to motivate them to continue raising their grades. 

Below, I've included a close up picture of one class:.

We've only been using it a few weeks, but so far it's working like a charm. Not only are my students motivated, they are feeling a sense of responsibility for their participation and effort as members of a class. All of my classes have improved their averages, and for the first time in a while, I'm seeing them really put effort into studying!

 

Back in Action!

Well, sometimes I guess you take two years off from your blog and don't even realize that's how much time has passed! It's spring break, and I've got some time on my hands....so, I've decided to revive my blogs! Hopefully I can keep them alive...

In the time that has passed, I have actually moved to a new school, and I am no longer teaching fifth grade. I am now teaching 6th grade language arts at CrossRoads Middle School. I'm in my first year there, and I absolutely LOVE it. We are a sixth grade only school, and we host students from 10 of the 12 elementary schools in our district. We also offer single gender classes, so my schedule looks like this:

Block One - CP boys
Block Two - CP girls
Block Three - Honors girls
Block Four - Planning (WOOHOO!!! Who knew that teachers actually had planning!?)

While I loved teaching elementary school with my whole heart, I have fallen head over heels in love with middle school. It has been such a blessing!

I've learned so much about middle school students this year, and I've already identified many changes that I will be putting into place over the summer to make my classroom a better environment for next year's students.

There is so much research surrounding classroom set up and decoration, but I've yet to find what's perfect for me. In elementary school, bright colors and patterns were my go to. My kids and I both loved the happy, cheerful environment, and it was stimulating and inviting. So, naturally, that's how I approached my sixth grade classroom when I moved in at CRMS. I've got bright colors, patterns, quotes, and pictures. It's pretty and colorful, but I've learned this year that middle school students need a different approach.

I've made a long summer to do list that includes a major classroom makeover. My new goal is to create a simple, calm atmosphere that reminds students of home. I'm going to include desk lamps for softer lighting, live plants for a touch of outside, and new curtains for a finished, put together look. I'm thinking about a gray and yellow color scheme (because that's my personal favorite combination!), and I also have some ideas for new seating and wall decor. I want my students to walk in and feel like our classroom is different and special - a place to be respected and respectful.

I didn't want to do the overhaul midyear (really because there just isn't time during the work week), but I did want to start at least one project to begin the "home" transformation. I settled on a wreath for my classroom door. There isn't much that's homier than that!

After wandering around Michaels for an hour putting things in and taking things out of my basket, I settled on a spring themed burlap wreath. I'm so happy with how it turned out! It was super simple, cost about $15 (the burlap was on sale!), and took about an hour to make.

Materials:

- 9 yards of burlap (I bought four different colors with two yards on each roll. I had one roll of plain burlap already at my house for the 9th yard.)
- 1 metal wreath ring
- wooden letters that spell S-P-R-I-N-G
- craft paint (already had at home)
- flower decals
- pipe cleaners (cut into thirds)
- hot glue gun

Process:

1. First, I painted the letters with pretty pastel colors that matched the burlap I picked out. I wanted to let the letters dry while I worked on the rest of the wreath.

2. Then, I cut each roll of burlap in half so that I had two one yard pieces of each color. There are 9 sections of the wreath frame, so I wanted one yard of fabric for each section.
3. I began connecting the burlap to the frame section by section. This wasn't a difficult process, but it wasn't that easy to take pictures of...so, I'll do my best to explain. I attached one end of the piece to a crossbar on the wreath frame with a piece of pipe cleaner. I then created loops and wove them in and out of one section of the frame. There was no rhyme or reason to this - I just went with what looked good! When needed, I used a piece of pipe cleaner to attach the burlap to the frame. When I finished with one section, I started with a new color in the next section.

 4. By the time I was finished with the wreath, the letters were dry. I hot glued a flower decal to each letter.

5. Then, I hot glued each of the letters to the wreath and made a simple burlap bow. I wanted to make a plain burlap bow to go on the bottom of the wreath and balance the fact that each color except the plain had two sections, so I made sure that the section with the plain burlap was on the top. Here's the finished product!

Happy wreathing!