Classroom Management

I used excel to create a class list with the students' classroom number (the students were numbered in alphabetical order), first and last name.   I would copy and paste this list a couple of times on the worksheet and print. Then the lists were cut out and taped down by the phone, by the cubbies (my cubbies were numbered so I didn't have to redo names each year) and one by my desk.

I was lucky enough to have a class set of computers in my classroom and the computers were numbers.  I taped a list on the cart to help a student helper or guest teacher determine who had not put their computer up yet.

I called this my 'small' class list.  If you want to get fancy, you can set up a master class list and link the 'small' lists to it.  Then when you change a child on the master list, it changes all the lists.  Print, cut out and replace the other lists and you are ready to go.

Usually I would use a fine tip marker and white out to fix the lists until they were messy from too many students coming and going.  Then I would print a new list.  Word of warning:  Every time I printed a new list a new student would come and mess the new list up.  :)

Fluency/Repeated Reading

Each week as a part of my students' homework they were to read a passage at least three times each evening.  They could time themselves if they wanted to see how many words they could read in a minute, but they were expected to read the entire passage.  Their goal was to become smoother and faster readers.  We practiced the passage/page every day in class. We discussed words they didn't know and the pronunciation.  We talked about stopping at periods, pronouncing the endings on words, reading with expression...we emphasized this is NOT a race. They would read using their 'phones' and I would time them.  (Sometimes we used Audacity so they could listen to themselves when done.) They marked on their page where they stopped.   I used passages out of teacher books, passages related to what we were reading, passages related to social studies or science or math, but my favorite was a page from the basal.  I copied one page with a lot of text.  I counted the words and labeled each line.  The students were given a copy to practice with and I had a stack ready to mark miscues when they read the passage or page to me on Friday.  Earlier in the blog I talked about graphing their scores.  The score from Friday was the 'final' score and it was graphed.

http://kstrc387.blogspot.com/2011/02/fluency-graphs.html

http://kstrc387.blogspot.com/2011/02/fluency-graph-example.html

I saved the original passage with the words counted in a notebook in the order of the stories in the basal.  If I used something other than the basal, that passage was inserted when I used it.  This was very handy the following year as I didn't have to search for a passage/page and didn't have to count words again.  They were ready to be copied.

Vocabulary

I wish I knew where I found the vocabulary levels so I could give the author proper credit.

Each week when introducing the new vocabulary words the students would rate the words.  It can be done on paper (make a list of the words for the students and they each rate the words) or it can be done using the smartboard.  (Each student had a card with the levels and meanings and a clicker.)  


Personally I liked the smartboard (using clickers) because of the graph generated by the results.     We would spend a little time discussing the graph and how about half the class really knew the word or less than a fourth of the class knows the word.  The graph fascinated the students.

I had to remind students to be honest about their knowledge of the words.  At the beginning everyone put their knowledge level of all words at 3 or 4.  Once they were comfortable with the knowledge that no one would know who put the rating of 1 or 2 they were honest.

Once we rated and discussed the graphs we moved on to a powerpoint with the words.  The powerpoint was loaded with pictures, clip art and video clips that were intended to help the student understand the meaning of the word.  The powerpoint was set up so the word did not appear until clicked to appear.  The students spent some time thinking about what word was represented, then discussed with a shoulder partner and finally I would make the word appear.  They loved being right.  I showed them an example of the word in a sentence then they spent some time thinking of a sentence to share with their shoulder partner.

Here are the levels (if you know who created this, please let me know):

1.  I never saw it before.
2.  I've heard it, but I don't know what it means.
3.  I recognize it in context as having something to do with...
4.  I know it well.

IF YOU WERE AN EEL, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

A new project I would like to try is fractions with the book IF YOU WERE AN EEL, WHAT WOULD YOU FEEL? by Mina and Howard Simon.   After reading and talking about the book I would explain to the students they are going to write a story using the pattern of this book about fractions.   A sample title would be If You Were One-Half, How Would You Feel?

If you were one-half, how would you feel?
Or one-fourth
or one-third
or one eighth
how would you feel?

(You could change these to two-thirds, three-fourths depending on the level of your students.)

Say I were one-half -

As one-half
I would feel
like half of a whole.
I would be like
half of a pizza
or half of a glass of milk
or half of a twin
or half of a dollar (50 cents!)
or the number two when thinking of four
or half of an inch.

Say I were one-third -
As one third
I would feel
like an apple with two cherries.
I would be like
a dime in 30 cents
or

I would let students illustrate their content.  To make the book a bit thicker, I wouldn't list all of the or statements on one page as the Simon's did in their book, I would put them on their own page.   Illustrations can be hand drawn after printing the book or use clip art.

My favorite program is Publisher for something like this. (Don't forget Publisher has a booklet feature you could use to save on paper and ink.)  Either print the file or save the file (don't use booklet feature and if you used clip art) as a pdf file and use studentpublishing.com to publish the books.

Make sure you credit the the authors (Mina and Howard Simon) for using their book.  It would be nice if you would include this website on your finished project, too.

I think you could also use this book as a springboard to a book on shapes and the attributes of shapes.

Just for fun:   website for thirds...http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/fractionflags/ffthirds.html

Beginning the School Year - Classroom Management

It's that time when I start thinking about the new school year.  Here are some of my thoughts and things I do for the beginning of the year.

When starting the school year, I used to have to think about my discipline plan.  Now I just think about how I might want to tweak it.   I think about how to lay out my room.  What worked for me last year, what needs changed, what other expectations are being thrown at me that might impact my room arrangement.  More on discipline plans later.

One management tool I like to use is making passes using lanyards.  I have a couple of bathroom passes, a couple of office passes, a couple of library passes, a couple of nurse passes (although we have a form to complete so these are only used if I need the child to go to the nurse's office for more band-aids or some other errand) and a couple of hallway passes in case I need a child to go somewhere other than the above mentioned places.  I use plastic hooks that are easily removed and reused to store the passes by the classroom door.  I used Publisher to create the passes.  I added clip art and labeled the passes appropriately.  The passes were laminated, cut out and attached to the lanyards.

Another management tool I use is a 'portfolio' of sorts for each child.  I do it two different ways and most of the time I use both.  One is a notebook with a tab section for each child.  The other is a container for hanging file folders (or you can use a file cabinet - I like the container because I can easily transport it and can keep it in the locked closet).  I always number my students.  They are required to put their name and number on their papers.  The numbering system makes it easy to keep track of assignments.  The notebook has tabs with numbers on them and the same for the file box.  This way I can reuse them year after year and not have to change names.  (It also isn't obvious to others that student information is in the notebook or file box.)  The notebook contains a parent information sheet on the child, an inventory the child completed, the signed permission slip from the parent/guardian for commenting/writing on the class blog and other technology pieces in our classroom, the child's results from any beginning of the year screenings/tests and any other pertinent information.  The file box contains work for conferences.

I have a box labeled 'absent folders' with a numbered file folders in it.  Back in worksheet days I would put the work a child missed in their folder.  I didn't use this box so much in the last few years as I didn't pass out many worksheets.  If someone was absent several days it was handy for putting the homework in, notes from the office and anything else that the child/parent might need when the child returned.  It was nice to have it in one spot and not jammed into a desk, scattered on top of a desk, or in a cubby with who knows what all else.

One of my favorite beginning of the year things to do with my 4th grade students is to make name tags for their desks.   I love using Publisher with my students and this is their introduction to it.  I take their pictures and load them in a file that is accessible to them.  They open the template I have for them, put their name in, and insert their picture in the spots provided.  They learn how to re-size the picture, save the document in their folder, and print it.  The template has the name tag and other picture/name boxes that are used for an attendance chart, their computer accessories bag, and the center chart.  They cut the documents out and add color to their name tag.  I laminate them and we tape them to their desks.  Substitutes love them.  I also use the pictures to create a seating chart for my sub folder.