tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36003244243383773682024-02-25T16:13:25.474-05:00Mrs. O KnowsTeacher BlogRachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-87710967373223172592018-09-03T15:46:00.004-04:002018-09-03T23:32:36.269-04:00How I Increased Student Interest in my Classroom Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love reading! Each year, it is my goal to pass my love of reading on to my students. I stock my classroom library with tons of books and have reached a collection of over 1,000. I am extremely proud of my library and love to see my students checkout books and discover the journey of reading! </div>
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However, after years of teaching, I noticed that some really good books never leave the shelf. I realize there are classics that I love that may no longer interest students, but those are a small portion of the books I'm referring to. I have hundreds of books that students aren't even considering, books that I know at least one student would fall in love with if they'd be willing to give it a try. </div>
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I've been thinking a lot about ways to convince my students to at least give these books a try. At the end of last year, I sat down and evaluated the books that had been checked out the most. I use Booksource Classroom Organizer, so I was able to print out reports which allowed me to see the books that were checked out during the course of the year. As expected, there were some series that really stood out (I'm looking at you, Diary of a Wimpy Kid), but something else caught my attention - the books I'd labeled easy and challenging weren't being touched. Students who were capable of reading more challenging text weren't. Those "striving readers" (thank you for this perfect term, Stephanie Harvey) were choosing grade level books that were too hard for them and leaving my easy section untouched. The majority of the books that were checked out were labeled on grade level. That's when I realized that my leveling was actually getting in the way of students enjoying a wonderful book. </div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>GOODBYE, LEVELED LIBRARY!</b></span></u></div>
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That realization told me it was time to make a BIG change. I let go of levels. No AR, no Lexile, no F&P, no nothing. It's something I'd been thinking about a lot, especially after reading <u>The Book Whisperer</u> and a number of other professional books and blogs which discouraged the idea. (On a side note, F&P was apparently never meant to become a leveling system for classroom libraries. <a href="https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=fountas-pinnell-say-librarians-guide-readers-interest-not-level">Click here to read more about this.</a>)</div>
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This summer, I had some student helpers come in for a few days. We spent the first day taking all of the stickers off of every single one of my books. We made a gigantic pile of books on the floor. I'll admit, about half way through the unleveling process, I had a bit of a panic, but I held strong to my gut feeling that this was the change I needed. The next two days were spent sorting my books by genre, and I definitely couldn't have done this without helpers. By the time we finished, we had sorted all of the books into specific genres without consideration of level. I used mini dot stickers to organize the genres (one green for realistic fiction, one red for mystery, etc.) and put the books back on the shelf in a way that I'd never done in 13 years. I was excited to try something new and see if this change would make a difference.</div>
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Here's an additional link if you are thinking about saying goodbye to levels: <a href="https://www.weareteachers.com/leveled-libraries-outdated/">Leveled Libraries are Outdated</a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">FIRST WORDS BULLETIN BOARD</span></u></b></div>
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Of course, the true test would be to see what happened when the students arrived and began to checkout books. I wanted to grab their attention from the moment they walked in on the first day of school, so I did a repeat of a bulletin board from the year before, one titled "First Words", an idea I got from <a href="http://www.literacyforbigkids.com/">Literacy for Big Kids</a>. On this board, I used 40 different first lines from 40 different books in my library, many of which were those amazing books that were going untouched. Under each quote, I placed a picture of the cover and it's location in our library, by genre, of course! It's a huge board and students were chatting about it from the minute they walked in the door. Once I told them that they could actually come up and lift the quote to see what book it was from, they were eager to begin to checkout books from our library. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A quick tour of my board.</td></tr>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">BOOK PREVIEWS HAVE BEEN A GAME CHANGER</span></u></b></div>
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I made one more change that has been a total game changer. I decided to add a daily book recommendation on my morning slide and to "preview" a new book each day for the first 40 days. In another attempt to increase student interest in books that may otherwise be ignored, I read a chapter or two from the daily recommended book. In the three weeks that I have been doing this, the response has been AMAZING! I wish I had done book previews years ago. Students are actually begging to checkout books and sometimes we have to draw sticks for a fair decision on who can check it out first. If students already have a great book, they are adding it to their "to-read" list in their 40 Book Challenge binders. And of course, I'm not even mentioning levels during these previews. Book previews are going so well that I may continue it well beyond the first 40 days!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please don't judge me too harshly for the AR test option - it's an option (and only an option) because we have it and students have been using it for years, but book reviews are encouraged in my classroom.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>SO FAR, SO GOOD!</u></b></span></div>
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Now, all of this doesn't mean that I've stopped thinking about levels entirely. I'm a teacher, it's my job to consider level when planning instruction. I've just taken a new approach to my classroom library. I spend a considerable amount of time discussing and modeling the right time to abandon a book and students are getting really good at recognizing when a book isn't right for them. Students are now exploring books that went untouched for years. They are no longer disqualifying a book because it's not on their level. Instead, they are thinking about the genres they enjoy, the book previews that interest them, the reviews of their peers, my additional recommendations, and their own enjoyment of the book once they check it out and begin their journey. </div>
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A colleague stopped in when I was doing a book preview during the first week of school. Afterwards, I mentioned the changes I'd made. She said, "If it works for one, it was worth it." Of course, I said, "No, it has to work for all!" That may be incredibly optimistic of me, but the following conversations have taken place since I made these changes:</div>
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One morning during our second week of school: </div>
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Future Bookworm: "Mrs. Ostrander, I spent three hours reading that book last night. It was so emotional and amazing. Did you know it's a series? Do you have any more?" </div>
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(I didn't, but I surely went on Amazon to order the rest, and she is already on the last book of the three-book series. We started school on August 14th.)</div>
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At back to school night:</div>
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Parent: "My daughter has read more books in one week than she read all summer."</div>
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After a preview of Refugee:</div>
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Future Bookworm 1: "I don't think I can do historical fiction, it's just too real."</div>
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Future Bookworm 2: "Well, good, because I want that book first!"</div>
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Future Bookworm 3: "Are you kidding? I was hoping I'd get it. There's so much action, I just can't wait to read more!"</div>
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One very quiet student who has fallen in love with a graphic novel series:</div>
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Me: "I've noticed that you really love that series. Did you know that there are more? Would you be interested in reading them?"</div>
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Future Bookworm: "Mrs. Ostrander, I'd read every single one if we had it."</div>
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(She's now read 5 in the series. I've just placed a second order for the rest.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcB6vcBShAthJVuGgUzdL8Zc0wyYgSjFIw6DD4LNNs2wH5e-CBiToxu2pt3Ht65mXdOYveG_tXuMhzxtAUNJxPKM_ARbJa0vOW-G1ludTNWcDT_tmlF1m4mFmL4p3el3az5cQ2K3U1Qk/s1600/book.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="777" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcB6vcBShAthJVuGgUzdL8Zc0wyYgSjFIw6DD4LNNs2wH5e-CBiToxu2pt3Ht65mXdOYveG_tXuMhzxtAUNJxPKM_ARbJa0vOW-G1ludTNWcDT_tmlF1m4mFmL4p3el3az5cQ2K3U1Qk/s320/book.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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They're falling in love with reading, one book at a time. I'm sticking to my optimistic hope that I'll have 25 bookworms by June! </div>
Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-77186699177677228812018-08-03T20:18:00.003-04:002018-08-03T20:19:22.056-04:00Jigsaw Puzzle: A Fun and Easy Cooperative Activity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As you know, teamwork is vital to success, both in and out of the classroom. If you do a lot of cooperative groupings in your classroom, (and I hope you do), it is important to plan lessons focused on teamwork throughout the school year. This will encourage students to work successfully as a group and teach them to communicate and cooperate with one another to be successful in their assigned tasks. For some students, this comes naturally. Others are very independent and it is for these students that these lessons are most important.<br />
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This activity is called Jigsaw Puzzle. I've seen it used in teacher trainings and corporate trainings. Recently, as I was grabbing items I needed from The Dollar Tree, I happened to be near the jigsaw puzzles. Seeing them reminded me of this activity and I decided that it was time to try it in my classroom and share it with you.<br />
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Jigsaw Puzzle will reinforce the importance of cooperation and teamwork. It will encourage students to acknowledge that they will often need work and communicate with others to complete a task.<br />
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There are many different versions of this game out there. I made my version workable for a short time frame and 10 year olds in mind. Here's what you need:<br />
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<li>jigsaw puzzles with no more than 100 pieces - I actually did 25 because I do not wish for this to be a lengthy activity. Purchase one box for every 3 or 4 students. </li>
<li>baggies</li>
<li>index cards/small slip of paper for each student (for the debrief)</li>
<li> a piece of butcher paper (also for the debrief)</li>
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That's it! I bought 8 puzzles. Now, I will tell you that these aren't the highest quality puzzles on Earth, but they will work for the activity. It just might take a few pieces placed together for them to stay put. Cheap puzzle pieces don't seem to click into place as well as more expensive ones. I personally think they are fine for an activity I will only do once a year. </div>
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As a note, you could purchase puzzles that all make the same exact picture - though, good luck finding 8 of them at The Dollar Tree. Since that might be a challenge, just make sure that some of your puzzles have similar colors. You will understand why as you read further. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yAUctP93cbPjZVV3VCfCihYQISBFqzJX4CPEGzPs3Ry6Cs5rYwJ0o1-5HAd7I0kmJmtTZ9e9DYdggRaZ1OYfhnex1_8Iu96PDYJft9C-DJE6BTxL_LiIrEFZjwaMLLWdNJhykzdao20/s1600/jigsaw2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1027" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yAUctP93cbPjZVV3VCfCihYQISBFqzJX4CPEGzPs3Ry6Cs5rYwJ0o1-5HAd7I0kmJmtTZ9e9DYdggRaZ1OYfhnex1_8Iu96PDYJft9C-DJE6BTxL_LiIrEFZjwaMLLWdNJhykzdao20/s400/jigsaw2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>Prep Directions</u></div>
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<li>Take all of the pieces out of each box and place them in a bag. I wrote a letter on the side of each box and a matching letter on the baggie so I knew which puzzle was in in each bag. </li>
<li>Take two pieces out of each bag. To decide which two, look at the other puzzles and try to take out pieces that are similar to other puzzles. For example, I might take out two blue pieces if a lot of the other puzzles have blue in them. I try to grab middle pieces when I can, but use the color as the guide.</li>
<li>Take the two pieces you pulled from each puzzle and place each one in a different bag. The intention is for each bag to have two pieces in it that belong to two other puzzles. Again, if the colors are the same this won't be obvious right away, which is the goal.</li>
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<u>Activity Directions</u></div>
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<li>Give each group of 3-4 students a bag with the jigsaw puzzle pieces. They should not see the picture what they are making. They will have to rely on the colors and shapes to build their picture. Do not tell them that two of the pieces don't go with their puzzle. </li>
<li>Tell students to split up the pieces equally (which works well with a 24 piece puzzle in groups of 2, 3, or 4. </li>
<li>Direct students to work together to place their pieces successfully. Encourage them to talk to one another as they fit their pieces together. </li>
<li>Give students time to put their puzzles together, depending on how many pieces you've decided to use. Tell students that the goal is for all puzzles to be completed. Make it clear that this is not a competition, but is instead focused on completion. This will make it more likely that all groups will persevere with this task. </li>
<li>As students begin to realize that two pieces do not fit, do not tell them why. Prompt them with questions such as: Where could your pieces be? How could you get them to complete your puzzle? Let them figure out the solution, which will be to communicate with and swap with the groups that have their pieces. Allow students to go around to different groups and talk to them about the pieces they have. </li>
<li>Let all students complete their puzzles. You can give them a moment to do a quick gallery walk and see the pictures if time allows.</li>
<li>Debrief with a discussion. Ask the following questions: </li>
<ul>
<li>How did you work together as a team in the beginning of the activity?</li>
<li>What challenges did you face?</li>
<li>Why weren't you able to complete your puzzle at first?</li>
<li>What was the solution to that problem?</li>
<li>How did communicating with the other groups help you to achieve your goal of completing your puzzle?</li>
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<li>As an alternative to a standard exit ticket where students write down what they learned, give each student an index card and have them write down the names of <u>all</u> of the students that made their team successful, both in their assigned group and outside of it. Take a giant piece of butcher paper, and have every student add the names they wrote on their card on the poster. Repeats are welcome! When all students are finished, all names will be on the poster, some several times. It's a great representation of how they all worked as a team to achieve the goal of completing all of the puzzles. </li>
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Printable directions are available below. Please let me know how this goes if you try it. This one isn't a tried and true in my classroom (yet), so I'll be testing it out along with you. I'd love to hear about your experience! </div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cRFbtsFFczHb1iB6rknSzyL6s7O4Xy68/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1170" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFA4HrR4c8o1ij1NL2G6cJ3QArygDbpa0vQNoBsUlmhfxRuCElbEz3Sp_bEeiqQmofLGBraR5A4Xsm1pcFAPpgZA09gysIu_5nlr6QvIn_vbIbgXTS49TeZB83WhTAizdPERVD-B1ishg/s320/jigsaw4.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-48760144826245803332018-07-31T09:07:00.002-04:002018-08-04T17:24:29.287-04:00Toothpaste Words: The Most Important Back to School Lesson You Can Do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAhMcXrSgCpOSHfT81hHBXSfdWtUhoPM0_hApKa27cSGYaxiyz_v3gz9siTdbuLPSHrd27vt0tNfa54Lq9WWE7hyDzwVxXxnslLDKBL8Ps-qWr0Ol8st2rI3OZ0gLE9K84kKAMfx9DFQ/s1600/ToothpasteWords1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="791" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAhMcXrSgCpOSHfT81hHBXSfdWtUhoPM0_hApKa27cSGYaxiyz_v3gz9siTdbuLPSHrd27vt0tNfa54Lq9WWE7hyDzwVxXxnslLDKBL8Ps-qWr0Ol8st2rI3OZ0gLE9K84kKAMfx9DFQ/s400/ToothpasteWords1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's no secret that I love fun and engaging back to school activities. I've never been known as the quiet teacher because I love a noisy room - not one that is out of control loud and chaotic, but one where lively discussion is taking place alongside hands-on learning. However, no matter how fun my lessons might be, there is always a meaning behind what we are doing, something to be learned from the experience. </div>
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Enter the Toothpaste Activity. This activity has been floating around for all of my teaching years (that's 13 going on 14 for those that are wondering) I couldn't begin to tell you who thought of this first, but it certainly wasn't me. Whoever it was, thank you! This is the time of year where teachers are looking for ideas to use for the first few days of school, so I thought I'd share it. I mentioned this activity as a one liner in a post many years ago </div>
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The first part the Toothpaste Activity is a blast! Students work in groups. They receive a paper plate and a tube of toothpaste (get blue and use grab them from your local Dollar Store). Students are then asked to squeeze out an entire tube of toothpaste, getting every last drop out. </div>
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For the second part of the activity, give students a toothpick. Tell them they need to put all of the toothpaste back in the tube using only the toothpick. Make it a race. Give them about 10 minutes to get as much back in as they can. They will start to realize they can't possibly get it all (which is why you don't want white toothpaste). </div>
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Students then clean up. This is where the important part of the lesson comes in. When students come back to their seats, you begin a discussion about words. Ask students to share words that are hurtful to them and write them on the board as they share. I immediately tell them that we will agree that any "swear" words are hurtful, but I won't be writing any of those on the board. It will take your kids a bit to open up, so feel free to add a few of your own to get them going. You will get some uncomfortable words. I write most of them down, but if you don't feel comfortable writing it, tell students that you will treat that one like a swear because everyone feels that one is hurtful. I once did this lesson with my principal in the room, and she actually told me she was glad I wrote down all of the words because it made the lesson more powerful, but stick with your comfort level.</div>
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Next, take a step back and look at the board. This is where you connect the activity. You explain to students that the words on the board are toothpaste words. Explain that when they squeezed the toothpaste, it was like the words coming out. Ask students to tell you what happened when they tried to put every last drop of the toothpaste back in. Explain that just as the toothpaste couldn't all be placed back in the tube, their words cannot be taken back once they've been said. I always talk to students about the fact that a friend <u>may</u> forgive them, but they will never forget what they said. </div>
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This will lead you to a discussion about the power of words and how we should think before we speak because all of the words listed on the board have hurt someone at one time or another. Talk to students about choosing words that are kind, supportive, and positive. Ask them to agree that they will not use the words listed on the board towards their classmates or anyone else because they now know they are hurtful. Tell them that today, you can erase the words from the board, but if they are said, there isn't an eraser in the world that is strong enough to erase the pain their words will cause. </div>
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Teacher friends, these discussions have been amazing throughout the year. I get the chills, tear up, sometimes just outright cry right along with them as they share their words and stories. You will realize quickly that some of the words they share have probably come from adults in their lives and it will break your heart, but it will also give you a window into their life, which will help you to give them the love and respect they need during the school day. My students refer to toothpaste words from that day forward and it really has an impact on them. I hope you will take the time to do this important lesson. You can download the directions and a reflection response page by clicking the image below. </div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cy3m7pp2__sJizzE05lzFViUkgmjyUxS/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="499" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FJpZHBaCDhH8mfV0VwcHadf_EVaOnaB0xF7a60RzFfWOghehi18vvl6MqnvKCp8Bi_os9Vf0jNVXD98MgHd8yX9PGRcyZO8NZNyHil_YIBjyHNhmRX8-3uhjfr0_KIcV0SOVJOxWHpY/s320/ToothpasteWords2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-13425984990757366482018-07-21T01:48:00.002-04:002018-07-21T10:10:20.533-04:00Stretch the "Truth" on the First Day of School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU8IXrVQAalza7YQmlxezTuKxK3278BDyTKpP7RKhj4neT4b3wlz3Ubocp5qTH8stNgIOE7vc5cFpJdEFk5z1s7yxzZiFbLBjPhDO0AN6a1dSYF1vkJp1UUIOYv4lQEUrxXlLPNDjXg4/s1600/2Truths.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1052" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU8IXrVQAalza7YQmlxezTuKxK3278BDyTKpP7RKhj4neT4b3wlz3Ubocp5qTH8stNgIOE7vc5cFpJdEFk5z1s7yxzZiFbLBjPhDO0AN6a1dSYF1vkJp1UUIOYv4lQEUrxXlLPNDjXg4/s400/2Truths.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Icebreakers are a great way to help students to get to know each other during the first days of the school year. One of my favorite icebreakers is called Two Truths and a Lie. I first did this activity at a back to school staff meeting several years ago. I knew immediately that I wanted to use it in my classroom.<br />
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If you've never played Two Truths and a Lie, it's about as simple as it gets. You write down three statements about yourself, but one of them isn't actually true. You then share your three statements with a partner or group and they determine which one is a lie. It's a fun and engaging way to get to know others.<br />
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The object, of course, is to write down statements that are convincing. When I do this activity, I tell students that they should think about activities they've done that are out of the ordinary, while also thinking about ordinary things that they didn't actually do. We discuss the fact that no one rode a rainbow on a magical unicorn and how writing something unrealistic like that would give their lie away.<br />
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This year, I'm going to kick this activity off with a read-aloud of the story <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-My-Unbelievable-Summer/dp/1452144834">The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer</a>, a fun, exaggerated story of a child's summer vacation with fantastic illustrations. After I read this story, I plan to ask students to share the events in the story that made it unbelievable.<br />
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This will be my segue into Two Truths and a Lie. I will introduce the activity with some examples. Here's some I've used in the past:<br />
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<li>I rode the Superman roller coaster at Six Flags five times in a row.</li>
<li>I ate a hot dog on the lawn of The White House.</li>
<li>I swam with the dolphins in Hawaii. </li>
<li>I ate frog legs at a French restaurant.</li>
<li>I went horseback riding at the beach. </li>
<li>I caught a 24 pound rainbow trout in Lake Tahoe.</li>
<li>I coached cheerleading for five years. </li>
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I'll write my examples on the board (or add a slide with them for my back to school presentation) and ask students to think about each one. I'll call on a few students to share whether they think each of my statements is a truth or a lie and why. Students are usually surprised to find out that I'm not a strong swimmer (no swimming with the dolphins for this girl) and wouldn't catch a fish if you paid me. They are even more surprised to find out that I did spend a 4th of July at The White House. We will discuss why my statements were harder to determine than the events that were shared in our read-aloud. I will remind them that the book provided us a good example of the unbelievable, while my examples were more difficult to determine because they were all possible, even if some seemed less likely to be true than others.</div>
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After our discussion, students will work on their own statements. They will have about 10 minutes to work on this, and this work time will be at a level zero (no talking) since they will be sharing their statements with a partner or group when they are finished. Be prepared to help some students to generate ideas. As with all activities, this will come easier to some than others. You might want to prepare a list of additional examples in case anyone gets stuck for ideas. </div>
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Students will fold a paper in half the long way (hot dog style) and cut three flaps. They will write their three "truths" on the front and then under the flap of each one, they can check a box to show if it is a truth or lie (have them do this lightly or it will show right through the paper). When their work time is up, students can share their statements with a partner or group (depending on time constraints). Students can flip the flaps up to check their guesses after they've read them all. This activity will lead to great discussions and help to calm those first day jitters!</div>
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If you'd like to grab a copy of the reproducible that I use for Two Truths and a Lie, click the image below! Whether it's a couple of weeks, a month, or more, I hope your first week is fabulous! </div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Ep_cRNJq15WBydiNgtjmJr6ihJTqLR9/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1360" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc1MLEJio7DlUxKXucOCeRjVuhKrkfjJQcdk5LRvQ_dHU7cJwz20ooqRnqitIcCdwK3K39B50Lv407dNQO6AOJARQaFryVpF6IOSqGB80wiucn7cQD_AExBlCxmkydX43EW3p42-psMA/s400/2TruthsResource.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-80271322895246108462018-07-20T02:38:00.001-04:002018-08-04T09:39:45.174-04:00I Didn't Do My Homework... A Fun Book & Activity for the First Week of School<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3RFTFYjhMcI9y3S4f84CqqIv4q8gdvMs1YQkRhD2F44EHX9x90B-bWWg4PZBkF6IBeFlYmsmy_y4VzErECIkS8NsW2_4kLIOOCcTENCg9QUzCG3IQ9gPR7dWegkl7VBsnWc2cXRTHAI/s1600/Homework.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="1014" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3RFTFYjhMcI9y3S4f84CqqIv4q8gdvMs1YQkRhD2F44EHX9x90B-bWWg4PZBkF6IBeFlYmsmy_y4VzErECIkS8NsW2_4kLIOOCcTENCg9QUzCG3IQ9gPR7dWegkl7VBsnWc2cXRTHAI/s400/Homework.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Last year, I purchased <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Didnt-Do-My-Homework-Because/dp/1452125511/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532064427&sr=8-1&keywords=i+didn%27t+do+my+homework+because">I Didn't Do My Homework Because...</a> (not an affiliate link) because the illustrations appealed to me and it looked like a fun book to share with my students during the first week of school. I like to have fun, short books to introduce important rules and procedures to my students. This book was a great introduction to our discussion about homework, which is actually pretty minimal in my class, but exists, nonetheless. I brought my students to the carpet and previewed the cover, asking them what their honest thoughts were on homework. We discussed the types of assignments they liked and the types they didn't like. Then, I asked students if any of them had ever forgotten to do their homework. Of course, many hands went up and they all did a little nervous giggle together. I asked them to turn and talk to a partner (this was a great time to squeeze in my expectations for turn and talks on the carpet) about a reason that they didn't do their homework. After they had a couple of minutes to share, I told them we'd be reading a story with a number of excuses inside. It would be up to them to determine if any of the excuses were actually believable.<br />
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I read the book, sharing the pictures, and we all laughed about the reasons the main character didn't complete his homework. I gave students time to share their favorite excuse from the story and we also discussed which ones were possible and which were impossible. Since I had their full attention and engagement, I used this as a springboard for my rules and expectations for homework. We had a serious discussion about what would be expected of them throughout the year. I made my expectations clear, allowed them to ask questions, and then shifted the focus to a fun activity. I created a reproducible that asks students to become both author and illustrator of their own creative excuse for not doing their homework. They were excited to get to work. Before they worked on their illustrations, I had them decide what their excuse would be and write it down under the picture, not telling or showing anyone at first so that all of their ideas would be their own. Once everyone had written down their excuse, I allowed students to talk at a whisper (level 1) as they began to work on their illustrations. The whole activity took about an hour. I put all of their pictures on the wall as soon as they completed them! We had some really creative excuses, as you'll see below!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQ47SJwKDoJo_XmaWMWykys9KiSLoz5bBFk2lX616UNFnOetQ2hbou_zE4xLDCTOGfamtSo3cUI33hdcYj04BMYPNtYQrbpq1lWwn5k8-GQbCLoHgffL4N0osCL4kRkZDtInKUUBOTEU/s1600/HWPic1.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1289" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQ47SJwKDoJo_XmaWMWykys9KiSLoz5bBFk2lX616UNFnOetQ2hbou_zE4xLDCTOGfamtSo3cUI33hdcYj04BMYPNtYQrbpq1lWwn5k8-GQbCLoHgffL4N0osCL4kRkZDtInKUUBOTEU/s400/HWPic1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This creative student wrote, "A magician came and turned me into a french fry. I did not have any hands to pick up my pencil or flip a page. Then a giant dipped me into ketchup and bit my head off! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiS_Cd1iyWlQEFME6evxBcHEabwNrabYWSxcr7o5-4W26clJtkCgSq22UsTNcpfTVDJsvSW5GDs-U8m46Jvxn0sBklMe1EvguuvnenFyMlgVTpAW6tt_NHk9gENRBjyNtzyMhKLnhHr58/s1600/HWPic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1256" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiS_Cd1iyWlQEFME6evxBcHEabwNrabYWSxcr7o5-4W26clJtkCgSq22UsTNcpfTVDJsvSW5GDs-U8m46Jvxn0sBklMe1EvguuvnenFyMlgVTpAW6tt_NHk9gENRBjyNtzyMhKLnhHr58/s400/HWPic2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Another wonderful student wrote, "A evil unicorn on a storm cloud took my house with my homework."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjVkrBn0O-5Hpkc2h6zdTqQcE-OgwTtWEYGc5KTYnd4QUBt_OtUhjKZEUxIR1OgL5dBYRfMmV9saTarpSkFuiBoDcxeKDYigd5GXr2bBDtKJs9RXPN7RORU2waWkWSyJHs8YtcNiKcOE/s1600/HWPic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1177" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjVkrBn0O-5Hpkc2h6zdTqQcE-OgwTtWEYGc5KTYnd4QUBt_OtUhjKZEUxIR1OgL5dBYRfMmV9saTarpSkFuiBoDcxeKDYigd5GXr2bBDtKJs9RXPN7RORU2waWkWSyJHs8YtcNiKcOE/s400/HWPic3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This fantastic student wrote, "A shark-faced dog took me to get ice cream. When I came home, I asked where my homework was and my sister said her frog ate it."</span></div>
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If you don't have a copy of this book, I encourage you to borrow one or invest in one for your classroom. I will be doing this every year from now on. It was a great way to engage students, read an enjoyable book, address an important topic, and give students time to have fun and be creative. You can click the image below to grab a copy of the reproducible for the activity. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://bit.ly/2uC2kTX" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib46rEiTBOnI3RKIyMvSJymZ0t8K60aMz8bFyCoRR20mV-My1Ee1agHpfz1G6H3JV-AhQ46v6-vodePZSgDnUdXAJrZUUgV9_-UkpYS3kaQ5f9rJgQrbuYYgHpndOOoH1oqbD682Nu6jk/s320/HWPic4.png" width="265" /></a></div>
Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-75485820144238825772018-07-12T00:56:00.002-04:002018-07-23T00:48:59.947-04:00Watercolor Book Labels Freebie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXR6hMyaYcRo6iDUaASf21SBRFIH-nX38HU0125nE6mIlySLmKoHiCSYg9vneVirFGn-Dt8U6jbwHcdLrx_28-d8cKe74aR_SCTm5PulF_oxbS-QEzhuxoVIif8m2ZNHs4iGE4W-bPIs/s1600/WatercolorsFreebie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="587" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXR6hMyaYcRo6iDUaASf21SBRFIH-nX38HU0125nE6mIlySLmKoHiCSYg9vneVirFGn-Dt8U6jbwHcdLrx_28-d8cKe74aR_SCTm5PulF_oxbS-QEzhuxoVIif8m2ZNHs4iGE4W-bPIs/s320/WatercolorsFreebie.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Me at the end of every year: "I'm going to keep my decor the same next year. It will be nice to not change everything for once."<br />
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Me in July: "Ooooh! This design is so cute! I must change everything!"<br />
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This year, it's watercolors that are making their way into my classroom. If you follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mrsoknows/">Instagram</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mrsoknows/">Facebook</a>, you already know that I've been working on watercolor book labels ALL WEEK. I'm so thankful for social media because my followers helped me to choose a font, a watercolor clip art style, and an overall label style. To show my appreciation for all of this assistance, I've decided to share all three styles with you! All you have to do is click the image below to download the file and then use the one you love best! Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-80104101026181277482018-07-05T18:42:00.001-04:002018-08-02T09:38:37.049-04:00Easy Classroom Library Checkout with Booksource Classroom Organizer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Books, books, and more books! That pretty much sums up my life in and out of the classroom. I love to read and each year, it's my goal to help my students to gain a love of reading. After 13 years of teaching and a lot of shopping at Scholastic, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon, I have a MASSIVE classroom library. I add new books at the beginning of each year, as well as new books throughout the year. My classroom library currently contains over 1,000 books, and that number will keep on growing.<br />
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For 12 years, I used a basic sign-in/sign-out sheet to hold students responsible for checking books in and out of our classroom library. There were several problems with this:<br />
<ul>
<li>Unless I checked daily, I didn't know which students were actually being responsible and signing out their books before taking them to their seats and ultimately taking them home.</li>
<li>Students often forgot to sign their book back in before checking out another. I allow one book to be checked out at a time (2 over breaks). Keeping track of this meant that at least once a week, I had to take out the sign-in sheet and read off each book that was checked out. Very often, students would say, "No, I already returned that," and then it became a search for the book that they returned so that I could be sure they actually did return it. A lot of valuable teaching time was wasted.</li>
<li>It was easy for students to go beyond their limit. I always had 3-4 students who would have a stockpile of books inside their desk. Now, I'm all for reading more than one book at the same time, but my students are also allowed to borrow 2 books from our regular library each week. It is rare that my students are reading more than 2 books at a time.</li>
<li>The conditions of my books were rarely reported to me. I wouldn't know about ripped covers or pages until another student found it on the shelf. My students know that I never get upset about this happening to a book, but I do love to know when it happens. Then I can take out my clear packing tape and try to perform book surgery to save the book. When I can't fix it, knowing the condition lets me know what books need to be replaced, which is helpful when we do our monthly Scholastic book order. </li>
<li>Books went missing or were lost and never reported to me. A student would go to borrow a favorite book and it would be missing. Then I had to go through every single sign-out page to try to figure out who was ultimately responsible for the book, which was rarely a success. I don't mind if a book goes missing here and there, but over time, this can result in a lot of popular books not being returned and when it isn't reported to me, I don't even know I need to replace them. </li>
<li>It took a long time for some students to write the title with their name and date on the sign-out sheet. </li>
<li>There is no way to keep track of your inventory. With over 1,000 books, I have reached the point where I can barely remember which book I bought. That made it hard to order or buy new books without having my classroom library right in front of me.</li>
</ul>
At the end of the 2016-2017 school year, I was determined to spend my summer finding a solution to these problems. I began to inquire about possible solutions through social media networks. I received a lot of suggestions and tried quite a few, but each one seemed to be lacking the library management ease I was hoping for. Then, in one Facebook group, another teacher mentioned success with Booksource Classroom Organizer. I checked it out and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. I began using it last August and it has exceeded my expectations!<br />
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<a href="https://classroom.booksource.com/default.aspx">Booksource Classroom Organizer</a> makes classroom library organization a breeze! It's a FREE web-based program that solves every single problem I listed above. You can add your books to create an inventory of your library and organize your library by genre or levels, depending on what you use. Most importantly, it makes the whole checkout process a breeze!<br />
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To get started, I created a free account and began to add my inventory. Because of my library size, this took me several sessions. At first, I was entering each ISBN by hand and that was pretty time-consuming. Another teacher mentioned that she purchased a scanner similar to the one that is often used in school libraries. I went on Amazon and found the reasonably-priced <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006LVO56W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">TaoTronics USB Barcode Scanner</a> (not an affiliate link). Once I received that, entering my books was quick and easy!<br />
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After I'd scanned my entire library, I was ready for students to begin check out. From the very first day, this program was a breeze and I found myself grateful for it throughout the year. Here are several reasons why I love this program:<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Checking books in and out is quick and easy. Students either check books out in the morning before announcements or during the day when they've finished an assignment early. I know they are being responsible because I can see them at the desktop computer that I've set up with the scanner and I hear the scanner beep when they check their book in or out. Scanning the book to check it out is a whole lot faster than writing down the title, their name, and the date of check out on a piece of paper.</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPPiKuF0z2M2rqKY4fJiX2RCt5Y_cTjyTcgIFdiGPduD37tgk0qAVdezHdjkvTmsFaJBosxwBqYgRAZfGZtdg1ers2S05i6lLUajXFiiEnjEm01GW225XSnXJ7gB2jEfuQ2z98sEwEKs/s1600/checkout.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1600" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPPiKuF0z2M2rqKY4fJiX2RCt5Y_cTjyTcgIFdiGPduD37tgk0qAVdezHdjkvTmsFaJBosxwBqYgRAZfGZtdg1ers2S05i6lLUajXFiiEnjEm01GW225XSnXJ7gB2jEfuQ2z98sEwEKs/s640/checkout.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<ul>
<li>Students are asked to review their books when they return it. We already do book reviews in my class, so this is a great chance for students to write a snippet review that peers can see when checking out their books.</li>
<li>My Dashboard gives me a great overview of student checkouts, overdue books, reviews to approve, and a nice breakdown of my inventory by genre. I definitely need more nonfiction! </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>In the My Account section under Preferences, I can set exactly how many books each student can borrow at a time. If they haven't returned one at are at their max borrow limit, the system won't let them borrow a new one. I had zero problems with missing books this year - zero! I didn't think that was possible! </li>
<li>Also in preferences, I can select how long students can borrow books before they are considered overdue. This is helpful because if I see that a student has had a book for over two weeks, I can have a conversation with them about it. We might determine that the book isn't interesting or isn't the right level for that student.</li>
<li>When students check in a book, they are asked to select the condition that it is in. I can add my own condition options for this in the preferences page I use to set checkout limits. </li>
<li>I can print both classroom and student reports. For the classroom, this includes book checkout history, current books that are checked out, and overdue books. I print the current books list at the end of every week and use it as a 2-minute check-in to be sure that students still have the books on the list. I can also look at individual student checkout history and detail.</li>
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<ul>
<li>As long as I have access to the web, I have access to my inventory. I went on an Amazon spending spree last week, stocking up on lots of new books. I had a few on a wishlist that I thought I might have already purchased during the last school year. All I had to do was log on to my Booksource Classroom Organizer account and search for the books in my library. I had one title already, so I didn't end up making an unnecessary purchase. What a breeze! </li>
</ul>
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Those are my favorite features about this free program, but there's a lot of other great features, too. If you are looking for an effective way to manage your classroom library and make book checkout a breeze, I encourage you to explore this program. You won't be disappointed!Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-1128734895900764022018-06-28T20:27:00.004-04:002018-06-28T21:26:43.664-04:00An End of the Year Gift That Rocks! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlIt40ci07jA5VkORh9DUpo67xHTnALmkG8JgsYzZ0FKbv4ZOLxUh_cxeU_b3SnS4qxmQgxUCD2136hMKb2brwyKz1272y3bpBK-AeXJkVj_pXZklzX7P2lhUCQmtACEEIWa9KbDSccw/s1600/rocks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1408" data-original-width="1500" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlIt40ci07jA5VkORh9DUpo67xHTnALmkG8JgsYzZ0FKbv4ZOLxUh_cxeU_b3SnS4qxmQgxUCD2136hMKb2brwyKz1272y3bpBK-AeXJkVj_pXZklzX7P2lhUCQmtACEEIWa9KbDSccw/s400/rocks.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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After 13 years of teaching, it's pretty difficult to come up with fresh ideas for an end of the year gift. I've done some really cute gifts that are certainly worth repeating, but I really love it when I can find a way to connect my gift to that specific year. I had a wonderful group of students this year. I feel like I say that every year, but I really loved every moment of teaching these kiddos. They were awesome in every way and they worked so hard to come so far. Anyway, one of the things that makes for a happy classroom is the sound of laughter and the ability to be silly without getting out of hand (which can be such a delicate balance, but can successfully happen). Well, one of the reasons I love teaching fifth grade is because my students understand my jokes and sarcasm. Truth be told, I LOVE cheesy jokes, but I especially love puns, and there's a lot of cheesy jokes and puns mixed in with my instruction. My husband always tells me that I'm the funniest person I know and it's true - no one makes me laugh harder than me! For whatever reason, this year was the year of the puns - I had a new one popping into my head at least once a day and my students kind of became dependent on at least a daily pun. So...enter the end of the year gift.<br />
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I've wanted to try rock painting for so long. I've seen the <a href="https://www.thekindnessrocksproject.com/">The Kindness Rocks Project</a> and always wanted to participate, but never got around to it. So, without a proper plan, I decided to go to my local rock yard and get some medium stones. When I told them that I was using them to make a gift for my students, they let me take 30 rocks, no charge!<br />
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So with rocks in my possession, I came home to look for some ideas via Google search. I'm not very artistic, so I needed something that would work for my heavy handed writing. I initially thought about doing words of kindness/praise, but then something so simple and punny came my way...why not just put their name with the word ROCKS underneath? It's personalized and it's "punny", which truly made this the perfect end of the year gift for my class!<br />
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Once I had a plan, I washed the rocks really well and then went to Michael's to load up on some different colors of spray paint. I bought matte and gloss, but in hindsight, I would've gone with just matte since I eventually sealed them with matte spray anyway. The lighter colors needed a couple of sprays, but for the most part, spray painting the rocks was a piece of cake!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguW90L6_OtMbKM9F1iGN_tZRtrA5EciU5UjIKeZpayILwgN4SQsphBCWeL8i7WvVDJU7w9sO-DrItax5nc-lT77bnVcfYSk9eZoNepRrePhByHtJXdkwAijUAHXOuPnhYTN1HNcgKxHyI/s1600/RocksinProgress.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1079" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguW90L6_OtMbKM9F1iGN_tZRtrA5EciU5UjIKeZpayILwgN4SQsphBCWeL8i7WvVDJU7w9sO-DrItax5nc-lT77bnVcfYSk9eZoNepRrePhByHtJXdkwAijUAHXOuPnhYTN1HNcgKxHyI/s320/RocksinProgress.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next, I purchased some acrylic paint markers. I bought one set from Michael's and the other set from Amazon (link for the Amazon - not affiliate: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079N9FWDW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Acrylic Paint Markers</a>). I sat outside on my deck for hours working on just writing __________ (name) ROCKS. I am not a fan of my own handwriting, so there were definitely some do-overs. I let the words dry overnight.<br />
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The following day, I began adding very simple designs (again, I am not artistic, so I went with things like polka dots and hearts) to the side with the words. I tried really hard to incorporate colors or designs that were a reflection of each student. For example, I had a student who loved NERF so I used NERF colors for his rock. In one case of design gone wrong, I pressed down too hard on one of the markers and created a dripping effect that I ended up loving so I did it all the way around the rock. I only did designs on one side (except the dripping one, which was unintentional), but you could easily decorate the whole rock, it would just take more time. Between the words and designs, I worked on these rocks for several days without doing a design on the opposite side. Plus, the rock was already painted, so leaving one side blank still looked really nice. After the rocks were decorated, I sealed them with a clear acrylic matte spray. I did two coats on each side. Here's my final work:<br />
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From there, it was time to compose an end of the year poem that would connect to the rock. I wrote a poem a few years ago that gave me a good start, but I revised about 75% of it to make it more fitting for this year's class. It reads:<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 18.0pt; font-weight: bold;">A Fantastic Fifth Grade Year</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
time has come for summer break to begin.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“My
year is complete!” you yell with a grin.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
year together has been special and sweet.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Having
you as my student has been quite a treat.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You
learned math and reading, and oh so much more,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">and
laughed through the lessons that weren’t a big bore.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
read stories and left off at all the best parts,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">to
place a love of reading inside of your heart. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sometimes
I used puns and we laughed a whole lot,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">but
little did you know, it was part of my plot.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wanted you to learn, to have fun, and to grow,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">and
you listened and learned, there’s so much you know!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
your year is complete and it’s time to move on, </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">but
your memories of this year will always be strong.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have a final gift, that’s a bit of a pun.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
when you look back, you’ll remember our fun. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Like
your gift, you’re unique, this is very true.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You’re
strong on the inside, and quite special, too. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
there’s really just one thing that’s left to be said:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">You
</span><span style="font-family: "djb play misty for me"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">ROCK</span><span style="font-family: "kg behind these hazel eyes"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;"> </span><span style="font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">today,
you </span><span style="font-family: "djb play misty for me"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">ROCK</span><span style="font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">
tomorrow, and you </span><span style="font-family: "djb play misty for me"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">ROCK </span><span style="font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">the
future ahead!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "djb fancy nancy"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
You can click on the image below to download a copy. Feel free to save it for future use or use it to inspire your own end of the year poem. I've included a version that just says "A Fantastic Year" as the title so that it can be used for multiple grade levels.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Khh3DmJTIdfglMjnwTKN7zlDs1U7iZeS/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="939" data-original-width="937" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1b6yp6kHUMOwMOPMNjAXqLxjnG6E_RYJLe65nOwuRg2PDNGGbwmWmfTwzSYu3AOO_ubhSglxoqlUiFy_7pMBAUvrhsbTtERz92Kf3PzDcUyNk2dDj5YmvKhlZuVTER12jcu5RSZaqDE/s400/Poem.png" width="398" /></a></div>
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When I presented these gifts to my students, I explained that I worked hard on each individual rock and that I thought about each of them and our memories together as I designed each one. So, while their initial thought might be "I got a rock," (Peanuts reference from It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) the rock was actually a representation of them and that is what made it so special. They absolutely loved them! I loved seeing their smiles as they held their rocks and felt special, knowing I'd created an original rock just for them. I hope that each time they look at their rock, they remember the special year we shared.Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-72247079213214082922018-01-28T11:42:00.000-05:002018-08-02T09:39:13.655-04:00Taking the Mystery Out of Mystery Skype<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJSadIcLzt8ojlCUCQt4fAPthNaTusyPxxHEWedocBMBurVQJSZRXvo4MLYgSax67fONsEhj1dLh-qie7FQXFCJtPQ_tqoSYKZbwnlr1jIvCI3Y5i-I050JNf77iQ1puA5JHnVKX_uko/s1600/Mystery.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1043" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJSadIcLzt8ojlCUCQt4fAPthNaTusyPxxHEWedocBMBurVQJSZRXvo4MLYgSax67fONsEhj1dLh-qie7FQXFCJtPQ_tqoSYKZbwnlr1jIvCI3Y5i-I050JNf77iQ1puA5JHnVKX_uko/s640/Mystery.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Have you found teaching the 50 states and/or geography to be a bore? Well, I've got a solution for you! Last year, I introduced my students to Mystery Skype and found it to be a fun and engaging way to increase their geographic knowledge and map skills. It encourages critical thinking skills, communication, and deductive reasoning. In fact, when asked about their top 3 favorite memories of fifth grade, Mystery Skype made the list of more than half of my students!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What is Mystery Skype?</span></h3>
So, what exactly is Mystery Skype? If you've ever played 20 questions or were a fan of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (I know I might actually be showing my age here), it is similar! Students connect via Skype or Google Hangouts with a class in a mystery location and take turns asking yes or no questions that will help them to figure out the location (country, state, city) of the other class. Some classes guess only the state, but others will also attempt the city. I like to do this because we're in California and our state is pretty easy to guess. Guessing to the city gives my students the chance to guess something first! Some classes even guess to the exact school, but I haven't tried that piece with my students yet! This should be student led and can take 45-60 minutes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Are you east of the Mississippi River?"</span></i></span></h3>
The questions students ask should help them to narrow down the location. They should also be specific. I don't allow my students to ask near/close questions because our own definitions of near/close can greatly differ. I've included a compilation of some sample questions that we've used since we started, questions I've gathered from peers and our past connections. You can grab them by clicking the image below.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p8yfIXQRC79ZCZNWGyUe4hxmF_iOaBkC/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmBuU4wvfiObKlLPj906PQJyb72zgevMS8wtvMgVQH6i3jzlJ9Ki3qr-Bs_42hcwdjyMbaMpb4e6KA1iUeQeGCjvC9C_OhBtMI9GV0rf2gamKqh8ifx88zrJUnzg-JH25XdXu5A3BRoo/s200/clickme1.png" width="186" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Preparation</span></h3>
Your students will need map skills to be successful. We spent about a month reviewing/learning major U.S. rivers, mountain ranges, regions, cardinal directions, geographical terms like landlocked and coastal, reading maps, and learning to read longitude and latitude. Speaking of which, the one thing to consider about Mystery Skype is that your students have to be knowledgeable about their own area as well because they have to be able to answer the questions of the other class. We had some real stumpers last year (especially those longitude and latitude questions). If you plan to go to city, Google Maps is really helpful. We also use Mapquest and ask distance questions (<i>Is your city less than/more than 50 miles from ______.</i>) We are lucky enough to have laptops that we can use during our Mystery Skype. We've done some mock Mystery Skypes in class where I chose a place and students asked me questions to figure out my location. I think this really helped them to be prepared for the real thing.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Tools</span></h3>
I have laminated maps that my students use with dry erase markers so that they can mark off areas as they ask questions and gather information. If you don't have this, simply print out a copy of a U.S. map and give that to your students.<br />
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I have a double-sided easel in my room and have a student on each side of it. One records the answers the other class gives, and one records the questions they ask. This way, students have a constant reminder of what they already know and questions to consider when we debrief afterwards.<br />
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Google Maps, Google Earth, and even Mapquest can be great tools during a Mystery Skype so you'll definitely want to have access to technology. You will, of course, need a computer that has a webcam and microphone (this is built-in to most computers now) to use Skype or Google Hangouts.<br />
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I also have atlases, a state road map (a great tool when we are being asked questions about our location), and a folder filled with resources that students can access during the Mystery Skype. I try to be as hands off as possible during these, so I take a lot of time to prepare my students with everything they will need. Of course, there are times that a question really throws my students and I have to point them in the right direction, but preparation is definitely the key.<br />
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It's helpful to have signs to hold up for the other class to see. It can get a little noisy in the room and it helps to communicate your answers and whose turn it is. I created some that I'm happy to share. Click the image below to grab them!<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jr1iovPd4YqFlS75Zi0ezFDRDTQaB7iO/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="295" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKz1LLQMgCyoq9IkSXKY1clAmUkioSS_7vJaCjXfL45NG5JWTgNsdP7A2_jSYs-7ojcVMevIePGDdYk5awJp6DrYzwbfiTtrjIlrv-tQoTA28Ith5OpeHtmKAEZplCap79GF9MU0K3pXg/s200/clickme2.png" width="183" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Roles</span><br />
It is extremely helpful to assign students roles during each Mystery Skype. I had an administrator observe our last session and she commented on how well organized my students were. I explained to her that each student was assigned a role ahead of time, with some roles being assigned to multiple students, and that students were informed of the expectations for their roles ahead of time. Last year, I even put duct tape around my floor to mark the sections of the room different roles were assigned to. It kept them focused on their own role and prevented them from attempting to do the work of others. I do rotate the roles each time.<br />
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I compiled a list of the potential roles you can use in list format and on cards that you can print and laminate. I pass the cards out to each student when I assign the roles so they have a reminder of what I'm expecting from them during the Mystery Skype. I honestly don't use every role on the list, but you can adapt it and make it work for your classroom in the same way I did for mine. You can click the images below to grab the roles resources.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jhvwktkzOrWcEEuJCd_TuPi5TG6haZAe/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="272" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MHTgZGovNr4KVpWp56tZ87T3Sy240_TnBQ5YcVnlkyM94zq4nL4PvnuyCAgcFYmIGO-dQEwcxz-hTG_ARBRdJPd7oEK_sxwx9FvVuzwB8hxMo4WQVMHn4-lTQPFaxA2yewypKr2-ZNg/s200/clickme3.png" width="168" /></a><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JEnWwl06u32n90QfdPLuO4dBDSb-IZ70/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="287" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd9OPMfTVoOrZRAwffiCw393OuJG0G3exW5AhSAP3RjVdG9lWthmJfRn2Lb8oadyZX5IqR17hpVX8Uyo0YtbChQyJGzH-Wn0pxWNO6JpMl_5OaOa2xtI-YZwuhxWIMtBBU6eyj-V_0ug/s200/clickme4.png" width="178" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What Next?</span></span></h3>
What should you do after the Mystery Skype? I definitely suggest debriefing to discuss what went well and what could be improved. This year, I'm using a bulletin board to showcase our connections. I've placed a U.S. Map on the board and I'm putting a sign up with the location of each place we connect with. Often, there is time for each school to share some facts about their location. Although I haven't created one yet, I was thinking that it would be fun to create a log where students document these facts for future reference. There's just so many possibilities. Make it work for you!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Last Thoughts</span></h3>
Be sure to communicate with the teacher you are connecting with about your expectations. For example, I might not allow near/close questions, but another teacher may be new to this and not have encountered the problems associated with these types of questions. I always make sure to mention that I'd like to avoid those type of questions. I also let them know that we want to guess to their city in case they are not prepared for this. As with anything, if you communicate your expectations ahead of time, you have much better chances of success!<br />
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Also, test everything out ahead of time and do your best to follow through on your commitment. Nothing puts a damper on things worse than technology woes<br />
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I hope that helps you to understand the ins and outs of Mystery Skype. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. I'm not an expert, but I'm happy to share the knowledge I do have to help you to prepare this fun and engaging activity for your students. I'd also love to connect my fifth grade class with yours! Leave a comment, or send me a message on my Instagram or Facebook account anytime!Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-82648580907871398672017-08-13T22:36:00.003-04:002021-09-28T13:03:17.840-04:00Group Work Rules Printable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsIOiUUCpHtXEm-rPDBXfSTFiquUiNAM9k9ggS3rgdEJeE9uE9DriGYVf5UnIdHDQZPQhhr3RwRjojZyElOZVcWElH4vGcxNMZJwn7T1RBy4uPEFNPNEzqLQDnkfaamWpUWgxbH4fc4E/s1600/groupwork.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="696" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsIOiUUCpHtXEm-rPDBXfSTFiquUiNAM9k9ggS3rgdEJeE9uE9DriGYVf5UnIdHDQZPQhhr3RwRjojZyElOZVcWElH4vGcxNMZJwn7T1RBy4uPEFNPNEzqLQDnkfaamWpUWgxbH4fc4E/s320/groupwork.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Eeeeeeeek!!! I'm just a few days away from my first day so this is going to be a very quick post. I wanted to share a group work rules freebie. I glue them on card stock (the cute striped paper is from Michael's) and set them up on each table during group assignments. It never hurts to have a visual reminder of the rules! Click on the image below to grab it.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xi9TBzAlaoPBuau-NE4uE2OIUM9Xm_2OFJ-IZcp9ZYM/copy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="748" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9jzBWN7cthF647djWRyT9pJfh-bk67o_tfTE1lnP23E9AxghZRT0d7sQi1Y25Fjlj3AcxwxM9HcXLBKSs8h4in9pJtiOKcFRcUZXnDndOcm9wU2QAXnmzNLdgtDn-Jn9ltvMmM1F7cI/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-13+at+7.33.45+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-23174892107989145712017-08-05T23:35:00.000-04:002018-07-22T10:57:11.916-04:00Accountable Behavior for Upper Elementary Classrooms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the end of each year, one of the many things that I reflect upon is my behavior management. Last year, I finally said goodbye to my behavior chart and though I was so nervous to do so, it actually went really well. I created some easy <a href="http://www.mrsoknows.com/2016/08/my-new-plan-for-positive-behavior-in.html">Behavior Punch Cards</a> and actually found them very successful, but throughout the year, I took notes on what I could improve the following year. With the new school year less than two weeks away, I began to make some changes. I now feel I have an even better plan in place as I prepare for my thirteenth year of teaching!<br />
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I believe that the key components to successful behavior management include student accountability and parent communication. It was with these in mind, that I came up with the following changes:<br />
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<b>Change #1:</b> <u><b>New Behavior Cards</b></u> With the behavior punch cards, the only person assessing the daily behavior of each student was me. However, I'm teaching fifth grade. That means that my students are old enough to understand expectations and assess themselves based on these expectations. My new cards reflect this, as I've added a 1-5 rating scale with definitions for each rating, and I've added two scales, one for the teacher, and one for the student. Students will be marking their behavior at the end of each day. I will then mark their behavior after they leave so that they can see how our scores compare when they return the next day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJ4MvMmTManwExiCugkLoWvhfU983hhCbIVAwZp_R3PXnnD8_EiokIgF5_8Ta421CrLe03BMSIgweUwtLN_YF2QLpUF3aKl51PKrLlaY0LavEg7dJ0iH1qJasHjchD5Mq_uxm-rv8XEI/s1600/Behavior2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="967" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJ4MvMmTManwExiCugkLoWvhfU983hhCbIVAwZp_R3PXnnD8_EiokIgF5_8Ta421CrLe03BMSIgweUwtLN_YF2QLpUF3aKl51PKrLlaY0LavEg7dJ0iH1qJasHjchD5Mq_uxm-rv8XEI/s320/Behavior2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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You might be wondering how much paper I will be going through. The answer: not very much. There are two of these cards per page and I laminate them. At first, I thought I'd have to use cardstock and laminate, but I actually didn't. Laminating a regular piece of paper is just fine. I give each student a skinny expo and a baby washcloth (4 in a box for $1 at the Dollar Store) to keep in their pencil box with their card. I'm thinking I will need to make a new card each month, but that remains to be seen. It may be that some students need it replaced sooner than others, and some take such good care of theirs that they never need it replaced at all! I do like the idea of changing out the colors monthly, though. I did my first ones in my favorite color!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3EXxvChOHyZ67U51DZiW7VITvY8komGVDRyF3nAVzZKPREpw2ARiRSInGJyKlK30BDdDyiGLfaB54ONgOMA8dsC9RVoq8RjkK7SHj8DcMkq-BU078O3HIF-ClXNs7N2mehF2-gAyNXE/s1600/behavior3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="967" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3EXxvChOHyZ67U51DZiW7VITvY8komGVDRyF3nAVzZKPREpw2ARiRSInGJyKlK30BDdDyiGLfaB54ONgOMA8dsC9RVoq8RjkK7SHj8DcMkq-BU078O3HIF-ClXNs7N2mehF2-gAyNXE/s320/behavior3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Change #2: </b><u style="font-weight: bold;">Tracking Behavior</u> Last year, I felt like students weren't held that accountable for their daily behavior because they'd look at their punched/unpunched card, understood they had a good or bad day, rarely approach me to talk about why they didn't get a punch, and then just move on. Now, I'm all for starting the next day with a clean slate, but I also want my students to be working towards having good behavior each and every day. I decided to create a daily log where students will record the date, their score/rating, my score/rating, and their total points for the day (their score + mine). I also created a section where they have to explain differences between scores. This is the accountability piece I really wanted, where students will have to reflect on their choices and explain why our scores did not match. I'm hoping that this will be increase our chances of communicating about their actions and discussing what they can do differently as they start a new day. These will be kept in a folder and will be a part of their morning routine as they enter the classroom each day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfFzDME6gQ8_kman8ZdOVgoRn1KaZIqD8lxjQbghl5uMuGFlvQSzONJ4cnFKQdzeBa7AVoF0hq3omvPCW5KYmrk48o0HaeCfxFOiAUiq9iY2meo9sCDhaKLQrzpKTMZje9heX269fqjk/s1600/behavior4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfFzDME6gQ8_kman8ZdOVgoRn1KaZIqD8lxjQbghl5uMuGFlvQSzONJ4cnFKQdzeBa7AVoF0hq3omvPCW5KYmrk48o0HaeCfxFOiAUiq9iY2meo9sCDhaKLQrzpKTMZje9heX269fqjk/s320/behavior4.png" width="268" /></a></div>
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<b>Changes #3 & #4: <u>Monthly Reflection & </u></b><u style="font-weight: bold;">Improved Communication to Parents</u> The last thing that I wanted to improve was the way that parents are kept in the loop on communication. I created a monthly behavior report to tackle this. Now, let me be clear for any newer teachers, when behavior is out of control, referrals are written, students are sent to the office, and parents are contacted that day. However, I think that all students should be responsible for tracking and sharing their behavior with their parents from month to month (and in some cases, week to week). If their behavior has then wonderful, then they have something to celebrate, if it has been inconsistent, they have something to discuss, and if it has been awful, this is also something that you have to support you in future conferences with parents or meetings with administration. You'll notice that the top part of this report includes their points, the maximum points possible, the number of days, and then their average points per day. (Bonus points for a little practice with mean here! Younger students could just use a calculator.) For me, I see the goal as the average goal, not the total points, mostly because you are always going to have absences and so an average points per day in attendance makes things a whole lot easier for everyone. </div>
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Now, do I think that every child should have an average of 10 every day? No, I'm realistic. But I'd also have a long discussion with any child who attempts a goal lower than an 8, <i>maybe</i> a 7 in certain situations. I don't believe that I should lower my expectations, and I don't believe my students should, either. </div>
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These will obviously be sent home at the end of each month for parents to review and sign. When they are returned, I will keep the monthly reports and logs in each student's file. Again, this is an important piece of data for future conferences and meetings. When you have a student who is troublesome and a meeting is set-up, everyone wants data. Doing these monthly reports means you will always have behavior data on file if and when it is needed. I've also created weekly behavior reports in the same format for those who need it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXv8YmdvWmzE1l2xWJTdojP20N91WgiC12_zgBMHCdX8kL0Vr8hJx5I42nJMW0FKK3yzifrUMFn0UM55IzaSBdg8LGyoCPU9Z8_X-LiEkfK5ocVEp_7IEPjZICOLWIKZFYMGQyUr9iHPo/s1600/behavior5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXv8YmdvWmzE1l2xWJTdojP20N91WgiC12_zgBMHCdX8kL0Vr8hJx5I42nJMW0FKK3yzifrUMFn0UM55IzaSBdg8LGyoCPU9Z8_X-LiEkfK5ocVEp_7IEPjZICOLWIKZFYMGQyUr9iHPo/s320/behavior5.png" width="268" /></a></div>
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I'm feeling very good about the changes I've made. I think what I like most is that it puts more responsibility on my students and requires them to think about the choices they've made. I'm very excited to give it a try in less than two weeks! </div>
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If you're interested in grabbing these, I do have them listed in my store. Click on the picture below to check them out.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Daily-Behavior-for-Upper-Elementary-Classrooms-3316007" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="708" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHIbB2IuGOz8ozdg-vSmJoZ0W4J-C2UXs0lr5NVRo9qIO-OW5pgwZe5JWY8NJn-Z9HdoCGJ0KeccG6xIbdpQtTY6gVn5peCCZ8ITdkabIXvWsky5dB_9pYvVQIs7ijN2I2bf5OJBpc68/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-22+at+7.55.31+AM.png" width="319" /></a></div>
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Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-82843292063925923952017-07-16T17:04:00.005-04:002017-08-11T01:19:39.211-04:00Book Reviews: An Alternative to Book Reports<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vPSFFXzm24OlgfCJOTnDqVQog5H_AN4bms-1RQ-wqRdiXTKUJEmq17FpZX5BAeDLvV_imoyipudkrfmSQNyktYDCETYEADH1XDNIrIOm0ZXiNbaaTeH35g5l__Zl-iMcc2ejEXMlQOI/s1600/BookReviewBlogPicture.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="1182" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vPSFFXzm24OlgfCJOTnDqVQog5H_AN4bms-1RQ-wqRdiXTKUJEmq17FpZX5BAeDLvV_imoyipudkrfmSQNyktYDCETYEADH1XDNIrIOm0ZXiNbaaTeH35g5l__Zl-iMcc2ejEXMlQOI/s320/BookReviewBlogPicture.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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For many of us, just hearing the words <i>book report</i> gives us a flashback to tedious reports that we were tasked with completing when we were in school. I remember standing in the front of my class, reading my book report, being bored by my own review, and just as bored by the reviews of the others. The big problem was that they lacked creativity. There was an exact format and so even though we did different books, they all sounded exactly the same. </div>
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So needless to say, I don't want to be THAT teacher, but I do want to know that my students are reading, especially since we do a 40 book challenge. So I started to play around with the idea of book reviews. I'm a voracious reader, and Goodreads is one of my favorite websites. I love to keep track of the books I want to read, the books my friends are reading, and also write book reviews when I've completed a book. I like getting my voice heard and sharing my opinion. </div>
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What's that? A book review is opinion writing? That's right! This doesn't just cover reading comprehension, it's also going to cover opinion writing. Don't you just love it when you can double dip? I know do! </div>
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Now, there are tons of formats for book reviews. I know this just from reading reviews on Goodreads, but I also saw that teachers are doing these in many different ways. I did a lot of reading on what others are doing, and then decided what I wanted to see in the reviews of my students, as well as what was appropriate for fifth grade (which ruled Goodreads out). I knew right away that I wanted students to share their reviews so that they would serve as recommendations and encourage their classmates to select the books they were reading about. </div>
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The first thing I did is decide what components I wanted to see, or what my requirements would be. I decided I wanted the following, not necessarily in this order, but pretty close to it:</div>
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<li>a creative review title</li>
<li>an introduction with the title, author, and genre</li>
<li>a short summary that DOES NOT give the ending away - again, I want these to serve as recommendations, so it's important that they not give the ending away so others will actually want to read and find out what happens</li>
<li>the above bullet can still apply for nonfiction, but the summary would be focused on the main topics</li>
<li>a detailed description of the main character or characters/a more detailed description of interesting topics if nonfiction</li>
<li>their opinion of the book with a rating on a five-star scale </li>
<li>two personal reactions - reasons why they rated the book the way they did, with supporting evidence</li>
<li>a recommendation - a sentence or two describing the perfect audience for this book</li>
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Students had two options for presenting their book reviews, <a href="https://kidblog.org/home/">Kidblog,</a> which I love because it is private to just our class. You can get a free membership, but I did the paid one just so that I would have all of the perks since I used it for more than just book reviews. </div>
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Below is what the main Kidblog page looks like. It displays all of the book reviews for our whole class. We did talk about coming up with more creative pictures for their headings (as well as copyright issues related to that) and I plan to more strict about that this coming school year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEtFWKUFVtLBdc-UDEr_PTyaeoPX7B5zG4Mxolf4kgKG536daS0gQ8ny99zVBOlS1pRDQExOGi1ZH-QJV3nDKqG4Oci8x6YKALpENsoaXJb6SC_sGwImks0vfCQxUb5NBW-Ze0z_0fHc/s1600/KidBlogPage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="1135" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEtFWKUFVtLBdc-UDEr_PTyaeoPX7B5zG4Mxolf4kgKG536daS0gQ8ny99zVBOlS1pRDQExOGi1ZH-QJV3nDKqG4Oci8x6YKALpENsoaXJb6SC_sGwImks0vfCQxUb5NBW-Ze0z_0fHc/s400/KidBlogPage.png" width="315" /></a></div>
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T his is what the student book reviews look like when you select one from the main page. Students are required to comment at least one review per week. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmERYgOXGw6XOfNwhf4R-KkbrrYv4I0B8P0iJ4gyjsT-02wJIVOZwvc8yJoImIl9qcWYxMYNBrZ8Is75miRQXKLi_OYcWAWuVQd2_W8DiFa478ENM9SOodMD138lMGfoTU79RuqQvMKo/s1600/Review.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="1125" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmERYgOXGw6XOfNwhf4R-KkbrrYv4I0B8P0iJ4gyjsT-02wJIVOZwvc8yJoImIl9qcWYxMYNBrZ8Is75miRQXKLi_OYcWAWuVQd2_W8DiFa478ENM9SOodMD138lMGfoTU79RuqQvMKo/s400/Review.png" width="327" /></a></div>
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If you are interested in using Kidblog, you can grab a copy of my step-by-step directions for creating their post by clicking the picture below: </div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7laJCc4vJUCa19zYl9QTmh4X1E/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="878" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7gBKZHS1TwC8htBMjlhvLOZAFjVY5OPOCdQoaTAzohis36DI2lkZOoEYB00RRdR81w2GmWfCGmoTpYJ5bz_JvELuICeBg4d99NoynKCkknmqT8nl863Q44simlZ_rvEWlBRxylUHkCw/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-16+at+2.07.01+PM.png" width="240" /></a></div>
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The other option was a video review and womp, womp, womp - no one did it. 😞 But, I did give the option, and even made my own example video (after about 200 takes...thanks to my extremely patient hubby). Maybe this year will be the year of the video review. My fingers are crossed! </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwszE-TJGZ_Q8dLTzmk_buHbXVij7kGYsYs0zKkL4EONiVMPwZJEnrGarVjolOUZmgwxONVDPBPa91-6qfCag' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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As these are graded, I did create a book review rubric. You can click on the picture to download the rubric. </div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7laJCc4vJUCM1dZMy1INTRTY2s/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="1124" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdsPQ3k9P1VoPdYFapDv0Z2Kqql_TRoHOkikLidYAcLwih3TNSrxZ0SfMf7FM0CntAWaXWKn7j7RlQDQ8eNYyi9BDRx-_djCN9-Jj1-7P73lhkuQix2g-rzWZR2Jojt8xOanGxEx43ZU/s400/Rubric.png" width="297" /></a></div>
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If you are interested in grabbing everything I created, I recently listed my book review pack in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-O-Knows">TPT store</a>. You can click the picture below to see the listing. </div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Book-Reviews-3262100" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1521" data-original-width="1182" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aPtgdHUZThgdEOoAVKb0YgQGJRopyhbi5bM71EtWS0qqtPVBqSoZVX2lJiJKEWeA2muNSgRUT3m2KsJLknONAC66V__H-nuaMf_MhZo3Dp7erwXf6m0_HVItgg98rRcJ3P0q9HsNBFo/s400/BookReviewPicture.png" width="310" /></a></div>
Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-64292097320533257062017-06-27T14:03:00.005-04:002021-09-28T14:54:56.259-04:00Using Book Journals for Accountable Independent Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmcPSJhjyzMIlm2l4denkqf8NrHh5M26anGaIqKRlqDKbCJ6AchKnNCh79r0PnSCyTwYxDJFaXyeU80WPWEn2YioLZN58iACNfKz6tq9opfLMhZ0BmN2kXR1nasJH2HavCQoHnDpxodM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-27+at+10.31.18+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1088" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmcPSJhjyzMIlm2l4denkqf8NrHh5M26anGaIqKRlqDKbCJ6AchKnNCh79r0PnSCyTwYxDJFaXyeU80WPWEn2YioLZN58iACNfKz6tq9opfLMhZ0BmN2kXR1nasJH2HavCQoHnDpxodM/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-06-27+at+10.31.18+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm in a lot of teacher groups on Facebook and one of the questions that pops up most often is, <i><b>How do you hold students accountable for independent reading? </b></i>This is a question I have pondered throughout my years of teaching and I've struggled to find the perfect solution. Last year, when I read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Whisperer-Awakening-Inner-Reader/dp/0470372273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498535859&sr=8-1&keywords=the+book+whisperer"><i>The Book Whisperer</i></a>, I read about book journals and I was intrigued. I loved the idea of having a book chat with a student using a weekly journal and so I gave it a try. This post will explore my first experience with weekly book journals for independent reading.</div>
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I purchased a composition book for each student and handed them out on the first day. I told students that this book would be a conversation between us about the books they were reading. I presented them with a model book journal and I gave them a list of journal ideas should they get writer's block. I explained that they only needed to complete one thoughtful entry each week, to be turned in by Friday. They were excited to not have weekly logs, but I also told them that while they were not writing nightly, they should still be reading nightly. </div>
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Now, let me digress for a minute. As a teacher, I know that the question that you want to ask is <i><b>But how did you know they were reading nightly?</b> </i>The answer is that I didn't. I've become realistic after 12 years in the classroom. Some students are going to read every night and some students are not. The fact is, their lives outside of the classroom are sometimes chaotic with sports, helping with their siblings, and other family engagements. What is important to me is that they are reading at some point and I'm pretty confident that I build enough authentic excitement for reading in the classroom that most of my students will actually <u>want</u> to read on their own. As teachers, we're responsible for introducing students to new books daily and showing them that reading can be an enjoyable adventure. I also happen to be a voracious reader so there is not acting in my classroom, I am truly passionate and excited each time I get a new book in my hand! I also open my classroom early to readers who don't have a quiet space at home and yes, students do show up! </div>
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The first journals were pretty good! For me, it was exciting to see what my students were reading and how they were responding to the characters and events in their stories. Of course, my students who were already in love with books turned in journals that were much more detailed, but I was happy to see that my struggling readers and English Language Learners were also able to write several sentences about their reading. It was fun to write back to each one of them. This is also where I was able to get them to "dig deeper" with their responses. When I wrote back to them, I asked them questions that would activate more critical thinking about the text. When I first started the journals, one of my biggest concerns was that I wouldn't be able to evaluate their comprehension strategies and skills, but I did not need to worry about that. Our conversations were authentic and I was able to better activate their use of skills and strategies through these journals than I ever was with a reading log. If you're new to teaching and so these skills and strategies won't come naturally to you just yet, don't worry. A quick Google search of ELA stem starters for your grade level and state will give you lots of resources. When you find some good ones, print them out and have them handy when you are responding to journals. After awhile, it will come naturally. Here's some examples: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwX7CKpus7Fj4juAObdAeLwFnqTnLBlFRAgrWVAGRvsROplWmqDEc9Ewvmt7Ks_UXyRHYoaPNUTl0YBR55wlyTcvjT1dyEqUhCn8VpXAOq1aVPuKMkJ7YJubv4lRxOjgcELaGcHU9HXk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-27+at+10.16.43+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="842" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwX7CKpus7Fj4juAObdAeLwFnqTnLBlFRAgrWVAGRvsROplWmqDEc9Ewvmt7Ks_UXyRHYoaPNUTl0YBR55wlyTcvjT1dyEqUhCn8VpXAOq1aVPuKMkJ7YJubv4lRxOjgcELaGcHU9HXk/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-06-27+at+10.16.43+AM.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOUmaanmz8PMJyTvsbdDjHQfM4QckGYqtTk-Q2yZJ1JlYutVbpHbQE0ytEjOrQxsQADUPWOmFRDq2hSQAosBIOg_QukRHP0GoXuTjAO1zBT4FiLazp4Vpk_AdClIo_BEZYHErXiJ1jMQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-27+at+10.22.19+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="830" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOUmaanmz8PMJyTvsbdDjHQfM4QckGYqtTk-Q2yZJ1JlYutVbpHbQE0ytEjOrQxsQADUPWOmFRDq2hSQAosBIOg_QukRHP0GoXuTjAO1zBT4FiLazp4Vpk_AdClIo_BEZYHErXiJ1jMQ/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-06-27+at+10.22.19+AM.png" width="473" /></a></div>
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Now, another question that you are going to have is <i><b>Did you grade them, Mrs. O?</b> </i>I marked them for completion only. The point of this is not to get a grade, it's to monitor their independent reading and guide students to think deeper about the book they are reading. I don't know that there is a proper rubric for that. For me, it's more of an informal assessment that doesn't need a grade, because the proof is in the journal. </div>
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Speaking of which, guess what else your students are doing? They are writing! <b>That's right, book journals trick your students in to working on their writing and reading at the same time! </b>Genius, isn't it? Now, some teachers including the writer of <i>The Book Whisperer, </i>do not correct grammar or spelling in the journals. Now, I do not take the red pen of death (just kidding, I use pretty Flair pens of death) to the journal, but I do some marginal corrections here and there, sometimes on sticky notes to avoid marking their journal up. I think, <i>Hey, why not stick a quick note about too, to, and two in their journal? </i>Though the focus is certainly on comprehension, it's also a great chance to give a little grammar and writing feedback and I'm all about double dipping! </div>
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So this all sounds lovely, doesn't it? Well, I'm all about being honest so I don't want to leave out the stuff that didn't go so well. Here's a list of the "oh no's" (Mrs. <u>O "Knows</u>" - get it?) that I will be revising for the upcoming year. </div>
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#1: <b>Responding takes a long time.</b> This is the biggest drawback of journals. I don't have a great recommendation for making this easier. One thing that did help was allowing the journals to be turned in on any day of the week. They were due by Friday, but I encouraged students to turn them in whenever they were done. That way I wasn't responding to all of them over the weekend, though some weeks they all turned them in on Friday so I'd try to break it up and do 5 here, take a break, do 5 more, etc. I had a recent chat with another teacher about this problem and she came up with the idea of assigning students different due days - 5 on Monday, 5 on Tuesday, and so on. I think this is a wonderful idea to make it less overwhelming! I also think if I did the journals online, my responses would be faster because I type faster than I write. I'm currently exploring online options, but haven't found anything I love yet. Plus, I'm a sucker for a handwritten journal! </div>
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#2: <b>Model, model, model! </b>For some students, the freedom of writing anything about their book actually made it difficult. They needed more structure and examples. I ended up modeling for individual students throughout the year. This year, I'm going to not only model a lot more at the beginning of the year, I'm going to share good examples of their work weekly. I'm also planning to let them do their first few weeks of journals in class with me in hopes that a more gradual release will better support those students who don't know what to write about. </div>
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#3: <b>This is not a book report. This is not a book review.</b> Because my students do a monthly book review or project, some of them started to write book reviews for journals. I am going to make sure that I stress the difference between the journals and the book reviews/reports so that they aren't writing a weekly book review, which is not only tedious for them to write, it's also tedious for me to read! </div>
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#4: <b>Model some more...and make sure you're doing both fiction and nonfiction! </b>Are you reading a book aloud? Write a journal about it for the class to see. Did you read a really good story as a mentor text for writing? Write a journal for the class to see. Was that informational text on hurricanes mind-blowing? Model a journal! It's definitely a great idea to have your own journal that you can write in throughout the year and have on hand for students to access for ideas. Also, make sure that you model both fiction and nonfiction. I had a few students who just loved nonfiction, and my prompts were really geared towards fiction. I'll openly admit I only modeled nonfiction once. I'm going to give my students two separate pages of prompts (one fiction and one nonfiction) next year to make this easier for my nonfiction readers! </div>
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Overall, it's the best thing I've tried yet to hold students accountable for their independent reading. I truly enjoy reading their entries and my students can't wait to read my responses! When I place their journal on their desk, they immediately open it up to read what I wrote and get these big, adorable smiles on their faces. I love it! Also, it's a great way for me to assess their comprehension of the books they are choosing and push them towards deeper thinking through our journal conversations. Although it takes a bit more time than I'd like it to, I think it's worth it. </div>
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To grab a printable of the directions, journal prompts, and samples I included in this post, click on the image below. </div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-1uzQubXMAZr6tOZhK71xQusPneYH4y2qGk7LppZ1RM/copy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="1056" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NKVp2k1x60t6oZe9KpFNO7awjT0HkJBoQCXeT-L6OhXlSPLSVw6Q2jNDsFmju4Rple5Q5VMUQ7DBkeafTVmFg0dSMiI44wG_VnU5pRFmAOiX0cXgACTljEqKd54exz52Q5asfvhnbKk/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-06-27+at+10.32.13+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-26911990615012602862017-06-18T16:05:00.001-04:002021-09-28T13:54:05.260-04:00The 40 Book Challenge in My Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW09NRKdkzAQy4f_hvdZ12ds_UZ9XlORg7eJDhx63NiG8r5rk2EYMpfd80ZeaGXGx_1tvW1_rgxfs0Khpa3bHpH0Zs59IA3JGll64ncM0ZljDcxuDF8wLwRPU4CXVb5iiOcqxN1hEhic/s1600/40BookChallenge.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="755" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW09NRKdkzAQy4f_hvdZ12ds_UZ9XlORg7eJDhx63NiG8r5rk2EYMpfd80ZeaGXGx_1tvW1_rgxfs0Khpa3bHpH0Zs59IA3JGll64ncM0ZljDcxuDF8wLwRPU4CXVb5iiOcqxN1hEhic/s320/40BookChallenge.png" width="317" /></a></div>
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Last summer, I picked up a book I've been wanting to read for quite some time,<i> The Book Whisperer </i>by Donalyn Miller. It's been on my to-read list for a couple of years and since I moved to a new school, I figured it was the perfect time to get some new inspiration.<br />
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Well, this book blew me away. You see, I love reading, and it is always my goal to help my students to love reading as well. I achieve this with engaging read-alouds, but I admit that I hadn't put much thought into independent reading other than to make sure that students are reading on their level, yadda, yadda, yadda. I realized that though I've stacked my classroom library with over 1,000 books, I've never taken the time to match students with a book that is perfect for them. I don't mean right in that it's on their level, I'm talking about it being right by being something that they are actually interested in reading. As I read Donalyn's book, I realized that I've missed out on great opportunities for meaningful recommendations. I was providing students with the opportunity to enjoy books that I read, but I was not putting enough thought into the books that they were reading on their own. Now that I've read <i>The Book Whisperer,</i> I am vowing to never let this happen again! Reading this book not only inspired me to create my own 40 book challenge, it also inspired me to rethink the way that I approach independent reading and I'm so glad it did. Below, I'd like to share how I'm using what I learned from her book in my classroom. I will preface this by saying that I've made changes that work for me, pulling the components that were most meaningful for me and the students in my classroom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfIDYkuDLGm_dHXIMNsHCEbYL-F56qf9WzH5qyBM3JBcgvhkBxO0heFF6CxeSQ4ooyD96oQW5ntWiogFTwNilRCmO958VGPO0ELQkzDtIqGMsA1qzWFVsqhm4zXa32wKZdDUPGLanb8o/s1600/challenge.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="979" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfIDYkuDLGm_dHXIMNsHCEbYL-F56qf9WzH5qyBM3JBcgvhkBxO0heFF6CxeSQ4ooyD96oQW5ntWiogFTwNilRCmO958VGPO0ELQkzDtIqGMsA1qzWFVsqhm4zXa32wKZdDUPGLanb8o/s400/challenge.png" width="400" /></a></div>
I decided that I would keep the goal of 40 books, and I did say that they must be books that are on their reading level or above to count towards the challenge. At first, I tried to be flexible on the level because I don't want students to avoid great books that might be easy, but I found that they started to take advantage of this, so I tightened the reins on it. I did not assign certain genres as suggested in their book. The reason that I did this was A) I knew I was going to expose them to different genres through our reading curriculum. B) There are genres that I dislike reading as an adult. Put a science fiction book in front of me and my eyes immediately glaze over. I don't want to force my students to read books they aren't interested in because I believe that defeats the purpose of creating a love of reading. I want my 40 book challenge to be focused on books that my students will truly enjoy.<br />
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When I introduced the challenge, I was really concerned about stressing my students out. I knew some students would hear me say 40, and then hear nothing else if I didn't put their mind's at ease right away. Teachers must keep in mind that there are some students in their class who don't enjoy reading yet. I knew I needed a buy-in from those students so I thought about what they would need to hear.
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The first thing that I told my students was that this was not a competition against one another, but instead the same as setting a goal and working hard to achieve it. I explained to them that as long as they were completing their weekly assignments related to the challenge, I would be proud of them, regardless of whether they met their goal of 40 or not. To chart their progress, I hung pennants each week with their updated number and they loved this and they also recorded their progress in their binders (more on that in a minute). I made sure that it was very clear to my students that this challenge wasn't about who can read the most, but rather who is working towards their goal. This conversation took a lot of stress off of their shoulders and helped them to understand that the goal is to enjoy reading.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUU_vaiU0AXgMx5CbohYJ9Qxp9FmXxKt0XW-5zel7PmSKkNPsoZQunaLmJ4cso3EapeXgD36zkSWl8zRoF46Wd89K-RZaexT_6BeZrJW9aUvvk946gZvml05h5K9y43D1hHvClUu0BwP8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-18+at+9.58.37+AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUU_vaiU0AXgMx5CbohYJ9Qxp9FmXxKt0XW-5zel7PmSKkNPsoZQunaLmJ4cso3EapeXgD36zkSWl8zRoF46Wd89K-RZaexT_6BeZrJW9aUvvk946gZvml05h5K9y43D1hHvClUu0BwP8/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-06-18+at+9.58.37+AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our pennants at the beginning of the year. Each one says _______(name) is ready to begin the challenge.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VMFKhhjHqhW4fGxzibN521llgbTeqL_gvvpQ_HKE-KMee5EQqy3KlEyWaEf3Y2_UH7IS9bQm6NEajvYfYWJD-5hOuZ7jiEdqWLDduT1on9t1xGGzFUJWTEF1WOXzKCMy7J6bw-vXXUg/s1600/interest.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="889" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VMFKhhjHqhW4fGxzibN521llgbTeqL_gvvpQ_HKE-KMee5EQqy3KlEyWaEf3Y2_UH7IS9bQm6NEajvYfYWJD-5hOuZ7jiEdqWLDduT1on9t1xGGzFUJWTEF1WOXzKCMy7J6bw-vXXUg/s320/interest.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The first week of school, I gave an interest survey. I had to do mine differently from the one used in the book because I'm elementary and hers seemed to geared towards middle school students My main goal with this survey was to find out what makes each student "tick" so that the books I recommend for them will be closely aligned to their interests. I also asked some questions to find out their strengths and weaknesses with reading to give me a heads up on their needs. As I read each survey, I went into my classroom library and started pulling recommendations for my students and leaving them on their desks. This was great for me because it allowed me to become reacquainted with my own classroom library. It excited my students to see my recommendations. As we went through the year, I would order books from Scholastic and when they would arrive, I'd</span> immediately introduce them to the class and then recommend them to students who I knew would enjoy them! They loved it and I enjoyed using their interest surveys to get to know them as readers and seeing their wish lists grow!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7laJCc4vJUCM3dseU9pU2l2OGs/view?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzEsX_dBlo-MFWFO5Y7uiop4Z619KDtlHQVAo9l6EAEFwtFEDTzKQmaMv-VAanllBLdOvcSKIOc5TyLL2tKas17B4LWLNqRb-0lRooNJZ8h4Yaci-AmLHHHhKJeSYdaZ_q1KZNiVWHsI/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-18+at+11.09.35+AM.png" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the image above for a reproducible copy of my interest survey for elementary students.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-FgkGHP0DSdqh-aWD8kLcKevSGWmoCZ2jDBPYUFBlqNwqQnSe6zhLkC2UVow65v3S-YIQY2cWZ9EQSDj_SSxqNOHlGz5W29oqOd-12eeSz9obMSXa63ttLaiHXhV2L3HnJCZTvH8vE0/s1600/account.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="910" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-FgkGHP0DSdqh-aWD8kLcKevSGWmoCZ2jDBPYUFBlqNwqQnSe6zhLkC2UVow65v3S-YIQY2cWZ9EQSDj_SSxqNOHlGz5W29oqOd-12eeSz9obMSXa63ttLaiHXhV2L3HnJCZTvH8vE0/s640/account.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the image above to get a printable copy of this cover for student binders. I have it in 20, 30, and 40.</td></tr>
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I created each student a book challenge binder of their own. In that binder I placed a reading log where students tracked each book they completed, a wish list for books they wanted to read in the future, and sample book reviews, to be explained in an upcoming blog post. Of course, you are probably wondering how I knew for sure that they were reading each book, and for this, I did a combination of Donalyn's ideas, my own ideas, and what the students have already been doing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILcdPzaKBPAhWhlb5tylyTYrgryeB5zHd5zUCQG0NRBtblooykfXqxnNg90978Xdfj1f2_Juh51migh_UQHfNHYov_aruCrxN5-aZXf8mT7ZuM7N13aTF8G69zo9j80oQ90_cd95nHzA/s1600/bookjournals.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="106" data-original-width="374" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILcdPzaKBPAhWhlb5tylyTYrgryeB5zHd5zUCQG0NRBtblooykfXqxnNg90978Xdfj1f2_Juh51migh_UQHfNHYov_aruCrxN5-aZXf8mT7ZuM7N13aTF8G69zo9j80oQ90_cd95nHzA/s320/bookjournals.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I decided to have students complete a weekly journal in which they write about a book that they are reading. I respond to their entry and it becomes a weekly chat between student and teacher. Their journal entry makes it clear if they are reading or just skimming. For a more in-depth post on the pros and cons of this, as well as a more-detailed explanation of how I used journals in the classroom, head over the the following link: <a href="http://www.mrsoknows.com/2017/06/using-book-journals-for-accountable.html">Using Book Journals for Accountable Independent Reading</a></div>
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I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an AR person. I wish it would go away entirely. However, my students have spent the past 5 years participating in AR and some really love it, so I didn't want to take this option away from them completely. I allowed students to take a test on their level or above and as long as they passed it (I set the goal at 80%), I allowed them to count the book towards their 40 book challenge. I did have one incident where students were all taking the same test and sharing the answers (one of the many things about AR that I do not like), but it was an isolated incident. I monitored daily to make sure that did not happen again.</div>
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For students who don't often pass AR tests, or do not enjoy taking them, I allowed students to complete a book review with two options, a written review on Kid Blog or a video review on Kid Blog. I purchased the yearly subscription to Kid Blog and loved that we could use this format to share the fantastic books that we are reading and recommend them to others. I did my own examples of each and posted them to Kid Blog in advance to share them with my students. I also created a rubric to share with the students and walked them through their first book review on Kid Blog. I found that they were much less nervous about book reviews once they completed one together. It's all part of the I do, we do, you do model when it comes to these. I required everyone to complete at least one book review per month, but the remainder of the books that they complete can be AR tests if they choose. Overall, this went well, but I think they got a little bored of it, so I am planning to add a book project each trimester that will take the place of 1 book review each trimester so that they have a bit more choice in their accountability. Here is a link to my post on book reviews: <a href="http://www.mrsoknows.com/2017/07/book-reviews-alternative-to-book-reports.html">Book Reviews: An Alternative to Book Reports</a></div>
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I am very pleased with the results of the 40 book challenge. As I assured my students on the very first day, it was always about finding books they love and reading because they wanted to, not because I was forcing them to. In the end, only three students met the challenge of 40 books (with one reaching 73), but every single child surprised themselves because they read more this year than they ever had in years before. Even more importantly, they loved each book they read. Parents were a bit nervous about this challenge at the beginning of the year, but they were thrilled with it in the end because they saw that regardless of how many books they had read, all students were seeing themselves as readers and were proud of what they accomplished because of this challenge. What more could a teacher ask for?<br />
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I will absolutely do the challenge again. I will tweak a few things here and there. As mentioned, I do think that the book reviews became a bit monotonous so I need to reevaluate those. I think a project a trimester will help and I'm going to think about other choices that I can offer that students will be excited about. Also, I'm going to do a better job of modeling their journal entries in the beginning so that I get more meaningful journals from students.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MlZaF97vE8zEhJjl_8lV5bUPz2tqV1BZ4B8EuE2F87k/copy" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="1138" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkUZLqylrPpHLY1CxmH-bvnAyWkAHLs6IaoeUQkEIeVi3fZFQS7Jl245BaKCnTbBvFFDp-Jh1bIdIMDYgzEeKmissTzPxyCRTdulWPfPreA_zUczU8h7KHLKZSsNC0F9szhr-0ZRkG9I/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-06-18+at+1.03.15+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Want my pennant template? Click the image above to download it for free! You will need to add text boxes to add student names and numbers. </td></tr>
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If you have any questions about how I did the 40 book challenge in my classroom, please feel free to comment below! I strongly encourage you to grab a copy of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Whisperer-Awakening-Inner-Reader/dp/0470372273">The Book Whisperer </a></i>before starting your journey! </div>
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Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-89852503962428368142017-06-04T18:32:00.004-04:002021-05-16T21:18:14.912-04:00Editable Student Bookmarks <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75yc1tB4uEiVrRybcKdzjpMUGSfUMd635uWB6kxu8gTG8wvSrjaqKc9WawGVn0pXkR6AWJWmY-0JoRbVDVscHFVqGm-eEiGXl-uE5xVrYbvJppXanVHj2StfsyXQG5d9ubxi1esA4_kw/s1600/StudenBookmarks.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="738" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75yc1tB4uEiVrRybcKdzjpMUGSfUMd635uWB6kxu8gTG8wvSrjaqKc9WawGVn0pXkR6AWJWmY-0JoRbVDVscHFVqGm-eEiGXl-uE5xVrYbvJppXanVHj2StfsyXQG5d9ubxi1esA4_kw/s320/StudenBookmarks.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I shared my end of the year gift for this year, I realized that in the madness of my move last summer, I never shared the gift that I gave to my students last year. If there was one book that my students LOVED last year, it was <u>The One and Only Ivan</u>. Even months after we had finished, my students were still talking about it! So when it came to an end of the year gift, I knew I wanted to give them a copy of the book, but I also wanted to give them something personalized. I decided to create a "One and Only" bookmark for each of my students, with a clip art picture that had a likeness to each student. This was a bit of an adventure in buying clip art!<br />
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I created a template using PowerPoint by inserting a rectangle with curved corners, changing the inside color to white and the edge to black with a thick border. I then added a big dot at the end of each bookmark as a place for me to punch a hole. After adding the graphics and the names, I took my templates to Office Depot and had them laminate them with thick laminate and let me tell you, it was THICK! They offered to cut it for me and I didn't take them up on this. If you decide to take this somewhere to have it laminated, let them cut it for your own sanity because the thick laminate is not easy to cut through at all. Also, purchase a corner rounder from Michael's. It was a life saver. I also bought some ribbon from Michael's and tied it through the hole for the final touch.<br />
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These would be great as stand-alone gifts or with a book. I added a note to go with the gift as well as a handwritten personal note to each student. My students loved the bookmarks, and kept asking how I got each one to look like just like them. But I can't give them all of my secrets, can I?<br />
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If you'd like an editable bookmark template to use, click on the picture below to download the template I created. Please keep in mind that only the words are editable. I cannot create a completely personalized bookmark for each of your students, but I did attempt to include a wide range for you to choose from. Directions for editing are included in the download. <br />
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<span><a name='more'></a></span><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Rhz5ncWUUL1ajzaGQYSHe321R-jk2JrbOGf-Yfqwdrc/copy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1306" data-original-width="1600" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnOGpLYi0zT0y-Xy9WQbgUEzsT6gGo9sRjYia8gH10hvAxDPVmiyJ2XgxghdCbag1NYMUzRck1lW66T4GDTt9Kg1Qe5u78JtICJrVMvbSnXdtj0w2g7slDXT_CuQYJZnHqAWTsNn_AuA/s320/EditableStudentBookmarks.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-30626660672396206722017-06-03T22:44:00.001-04:002021-09-28T14:13:37.432-04:00Jars of Positivity End of Year Gift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Each year, I try a different end of year gift for my students. After 12 years of teaching, it's not easy to come up with something new each time. I've used original ideas as well as ideas I've found on Pinterest. I've done some that I loved, and some that I wouldn't likely repeat again (beach balls are only a great idea if you love the idea of 25 beach balls being blasted around your room for the last hours of the school year). Since I'm a military wife, I move around quite a bit, so there's really no reason to not repeat some of the more successful ones. However, my goal is to try to come up with something that is specific to the group that I have and as anyone who has taught for a few years can tell you, no two groups are EVER alike. Thus, my attempts at mixing things up from year to year.<br />
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This year, we read some really amazing books together. We started with Rain Reign, then joined the Global Read Aloud and read Pax, devoured Maniac Magee, and ended the year with an amazing and inspiring book, Fish in a Tree. Most of our books focused on treating others with kindness and compassion, embracing our differences, and not judging a book by it's cover.<br />
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So what to create that represents those themes? I really didn't know. I contemplated those cute word cloud poems, but couldn't find reasonably priced frames that I love (yes...I'm picky). I loved the idea of embracing their positive qualities in some way, as I did something similar to that years ago and was happy with the results. Still...I didn't know exactly what to do.<br />
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Leave it to a shopping trip to Michael's to inspire me! I found these adorable little mason jars and my wheels started turning. I have a crafty parent that loves to use her Cricut and so I contacted her to see if she'd be willing to personalize the jars for me. The jars are about 4 inches tall They were about $1.50 each, but I had one of those valuable 25% off your entire purchase coupons, so it wasn't too bad. My plan was to fill them with positive words about each student and call them jars of positivity. Of course, the words weren't just going to come from me. I wanted their peers to write them because I know that those are even more meaningful at this stage in their lives. I created a letter and attached a template with the names of each student. To do this, I simply made a table in PowerPoint and made the borders thicker. I then typed their names in each box. I copied the letter and the templates on a variety of colors of paper.<br />
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Once I had all of these returned, the toughest part was cutting out each individual strip and separating them. I won't lie and say that this wasn't time-consuming, because it was. But if you put on a good TV show in the background, it makes it go by a little quicker!<br />
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Now I was ready for the jars. They came out adorable thanks to my super crafty parent!<br />
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I folded up each strip and placed them inside the jar. This was also a tad time-consuming, but I think my excitement for the final outcome got me through. The different colors looked fantastic inside!<br />
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But...I needed one more thing, something to explain what was inside the jars. So I wrote a poem to go with it.<br />
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I put the jars in pretty bags and the students couldn't wait to see what was inside! </div>
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Yesterday was our last day so I presented my students with this gift. I had them take the poem out and I read it aloud before they took the jars out. Because the last day is always emotional for me, I made it to the second stanza before I started bawling. </div>
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So how did it go? Was it a hit? YES! They loved it. They couldn't wait to see what their classmates wrote about them and they had these huge smiles on their faces as they read them. One of my favorite moments was hearing a student who worked super hard all year read one aloud that said, "______ is a hard worker because she never gives up, even when it's hard for her." She beamed as she read that. That's how I knew this gift was exactly what I was hoping for. Although this gift took more time than I thought it would, it was completely worth it. I'd definitely do it again, but perhaps after I've moved so there is still an element of surprise. It was really a great way to wrap things up! </div>
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If you'd like a copy of the poem without my name or the school year on it, you can click on the picture below. I print two to one page so that I can get a smaller version without losing any quality.</div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G54GB2A7djdY_lJWgxD0UYZ_FG7tMPnUvgu-2-7d3qw/copy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1516" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIWM39uqT0KZ64UMT1qkwdkC80HwmVuDIuaSqztXHtaUA7w7SUPscQWmojzdJ_g3Td3KOtVvxhnsKoWSJftvSOiuMCuFAiQxl716DeR57E3Dt16QN2dOw7CZGOQc3LdICIhsbbxD1nqg/s320/jars8.png" width="237" /></a></div>
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-40479159634851411482016-08-07T02:36:00.000-04:002016-08-20T22:19:12.804-04:00My New Plan for Positive Behavior in the Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'll admit it. I'm one of those people who was still using a behavior chart in my classroom when school ended in June. I even talked with my teammate about how much I hated it before we started the year last year. She agreed. But when we put our heads together, we still couldn't come up with an alternative.<br />
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Why do I want to go away from the behavior chart? Rather than explain this and not do it well, I will point you in the direction of my friend Nikki from <a href="http://www.teachinginprogress.com/">Teaching in Progress</a>. Her post <a href="http://www.teachinginprogress.com/2012/10/why-i-will-never-use-behavior-chart.html">Why I Will Never Use a Behavior Chart Again</a> really opened my eyes to the negative impact a behavior chart can have on our students. Her post is not new, so I even felt guilty last year that I was implementing it again, but in fifth grade I needed some way to track student behavior and hold students responsible for their actions, so I had trouble figuring out what could replace it and also avoid having a negative impact on my students.<br />
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So this summer seemed like the right time to come up with a new plan for positive behavior in my classroom. To be honest, I've actually never really had bad behavior. I've had some normal, chatty fifth graders, but I am very clear with my expectations and this results in very little behavior problems. In fact, at one point last year, I jokingly laughed that the behavior chart had become more of a decoration in my room than anything else.<br />
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I first had to consider what it was that I wanted to get from my behavior chart and then decide what it could be replaced with that would give me the results I was looking for. It came down to the need to track behavior and provide students with an incentive for making great choices in their daily behavior. I remembered using punch cards many years ago with younger students and started to consider how I might use these instead of the behavior chart.<br />
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Here's what's great about punch cards:<br />
1. They are not posted on the wall so students do not have to worry about being embarrassed in front of all of their friends. I bought pencil boxes for each of my students, which is where they will keep their monthly card. At the end of each day, they simply leave their pencil boxes on top of their desks and after dismissal, I go around and punch the cards of all students who made positive choices in their behavior, including the ones who maybe had a rough start to their day, but turned it around. No one knows how many punches each student has unless the student chooses to share that number with their classmates.<br />
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<li>If you are concerned about whether you might remember who you spoke to and who you didn't, avoid writing it on the board. Instead, get a small notebook to discretely record student names in during a down time like lunch or prep time. Then you can return to the notebook at the end of the day, add names, and cross off the names of any students who turned their day around. </li>
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2. I can see which students are struggling with behavior quickly and easily. If Henry doesn't get any punches for the entire week, then it's time for me to give his parents a call to discuss this. I can keep track of and stay ahead of these students to work with them, as well as their parents, to find ways to fix the problem now, rather than later. I suggest holding on to the cards in student folders from month to month as they will be helpful if you end up needing to bring data to an IEP meeting or child study.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Daily-Behavior-Punch-Cards-2711191" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9Vuanu3oGX731p_of2rMyNLHrhRUytbKBasqtCSPEKmRbbd0YuJj3L2eGe1iMCYuseYdJYJMtRYE1WZWgjaaGEUODrryRQVT_UAzwbCGVDeE_nCqPUMZnQuB_C4PoSFaarenuhZ1SqA/s400/BehaviorPunchCards.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Click on the picture above to see these in my store. I found the adorable paw print puncher in the scrapbooking section of Michael's! </div>
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At the beginning of each month, we identify how many school days we have. I give students the cards I've created, each of which has 23 days, and have them cross off any extra days if the month we are on has less than 23 days, which will happen. When we have figured out how many days they are responsible for, each child sets a realistic goal for their behavior. If Devon has a rough home life and occasionally has a rough day or two, he might be realistic and say that his goal is to get a hole punch on 18 out of 20 days. I urge students to have high, but realistic expectations for their behavior, as I have high, but realistic expectations for their behavior, too. </div>
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---->After I wrote this post and started my year, I came up with another brilliant idea for those months that don't have 23 school days. Instead of crossing off the extra days, do double punch days! Think about those tough days (Fridays, assembly days, days right before holidays) and tell your students that morning that if their behavior is fantastic, they'll get two punches that day! </div>
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Again, I understand that some students might have a rough morning and turn their day around in the afternoon. As long as they ended on a positive note, and did not get sent out of the room to the office, I will still give them a punch on their card, but they have to really turn their day around. I make this clear to my students from the start. </div>
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So, of course, your natural response is...So what? Why do your students care about these punch cards? How do you get them to "buy in" to wanting that punch on their card each day?</div>
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In my classroom, students earn tickets for behavior, as well other actions throughout their day. These tickets can earn them classroom coupons, which they love. At the end of the month, students get one ticket for each hole punch they received and if they have a full card, they get 10 extra tickets. This way, everyone is being rewarded and no one is getting anything different from the other, aside from the number of tickets, of course. In my eyes, it's a win, win! </div>
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I'm looking forward to trying the punch cards with my new group that starts on Thursday. I'm thinking they are going to love it! Here's the classroom reward coupons that I use with my class. Click the picture to view them in my TpT store! </div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Reward-Coupons-2706396" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvd-5n2qWmRmab1uUvLBt3jOhHClvlz_OYSBBLsp4eTH_JyJKgIPi8qBdl9SITsku_pb5OtwMe8wdn5cdI9r986LihOvOfS6MjCvtzDfbDVWQM5EeAsDxc5hNKCuOjbUyWG8-HcVE4Sgc/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-08-04+at+7.23.21+AM.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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Behavior management can be one of the hardest parts of teaching, but when you set clear expectations and you don't lower those expectations, you'll set yourself up for success year after year! It's all about student buy-in and part of that buy-in comes from knowing that their will be positive consequences for their positive behavior.<br />
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Until next time, enjoy every second of the summer that you have remaining. My first day is in just five days!! Where did summer go?<br />
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-20975760480954984782016-02-13T08:10:00.003-05:002017-08-10T22:20:00.713-04:00Valentine's Day Topper Freebie<br />
Well, my three-day weekend has officially begun and it's going to be a chilly one, but I have just the thing to warm you up! It's my annual Valentine! This year, I grabbed Annie's cheddar bunnies (one of my favorite snacks - extras for Mrs. O!) from Target. I made a cute bunny topper that I wanted to share with you! I used the blue and pink, but I did make two versions and included both in my freebie! Click on the picture below or my freebies tab above to download this freebie.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7laJCc4vJUCMTYteUJmSGZFWmc/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionI8qHB8YRdOkyXaJkvYaEjkeJ-VRgXnvXeHtxdUXJdN5g5BXf00hgpVcKrMZ20ZD3tahuqEJtb6qerZf9iVZ1DZlm_YYbxR0YS3T1uLWm92bgkBzM1JNvqDgD_wDnC9Q-Adj5Fnbr5I/s400/Valentine.png" width="390" /></a></div>
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Have a Happy Valentine's Day! </div>
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-62806934585395711952016-02-02T20:07:00.005-05:002021-09-28T13:12:39.676-04:00Using a Student Sample for an Engaging Lesson on Revising and Editing<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pencil Clip Art by Educlips</td></tr>
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Last week, I had my formal observation. I was observed for writing and I wanted to try something new with my fifth graders. Of course, I wanted something authentic. I'm not one for a "dog and pony show" when it comes to being observed because I want my feedback to help me grow as an educator. I sat down and considered that my students had recently finished fictional narrative writing. When I considered their final products, my overall feeling was that they were speeding through both revising and editing. I didn't feel like they were really understanding the importance of those steps, so I wanted to review what revising and editing look like. Of course, I wanted it to be engaging so I didn't want to just stand at the front of the room talking about it. I wanted them to see the results of proper editing and revising. I immediately thought of a student's writing that was already very good, but could've been even better with a bit of revising and editing. Of course, the first thing that I had to do was to make sure that I had two thumbs up from my student author. Luckily, I received it! From there, I began to plan my lesson. Here's what my lesson looked like:<br />
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First, I gathered my students on the carpet for a review of revising and editing. I found a few different venn diagrams as I was browsing on Pinterest and liked this one best: <a href="http://writeonfourthgrade.blogspot.com/2012/08/room-314-is-ready-to-rock.html">Revising and Editing Venn Diagram</a>. After making a couple of changes, I typed the different statements out and cut them out separately. I read the statements one at a time, calling on students to come up and place each statement in the proper part of the diagram.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pencil Clip Art by Educlips</td></tr>
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When all of the statements were placed, I talked about the writing process and how authors often revise and edit over and over before they love their final product. We discussed the reasons for revising and I reviewed the different parts of the writing that we edit. We call it CPiGS where I am, standing for <u>c</u>apitalization, <u>p</u>unctuation, <u>i</u>ndents, <u>g</u>rammar, and <u>s</u>pelling.<br />
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<u>Quick Reflection:</u> In my lesson, I gave students a copy of the venn diagram and had them copy it down. In hindsight, this took quite a bit of time, and since I put the display up on my board, it wasn't really necessary. I wouldn't do that part again, so you can learn from my mistake! If anything, I might type up a completed venn diagram and have that copied and ready for them so that they can add it to their writing folder.<br />
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After that, I told students that we were going to get a hands-on experience with a student author's work. I made a big deal of talking about how wonderful his paper was, but that I felt it could be even better with a bit of revising and editing. I wanted to be sure that this was a positive experience for all, and so I talked about being sensitive to the fact that the author was their classmate. I then gave students specific directions for the lesson, a copy of the entire essay, and a section of the essay that would be their group's focus.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9I6_YOLuI1vSJjCo1budt8XBWqltRU3Eq2mZMK5Ghw6wEFRB2DpzxFBJIEYAqdN-GknC29z_3lgdgXZLUfXWZp6WkoOVW67QNtP1HHDQ51Zs7gjxagQeQlzVykS2IJYhYmw9VLqg7SM/s1600/revisingandediting5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9I6_YOLuI1vSJjCo1budt8XBWqltRU3Eq2mZMK5Ghw6wEFRB2DpzxFBJIEYAqdN-GknC29z_3lgdgXZLUfXWZp6WkoOVW67QNtP1HHDQ51Zs7gjxagQeQlzVykS2IJYhYmw9VLqg7SM/s320/revisingandediting5.png" width="279" /></a></div>
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DIRECTIONS:<br />
1) Read the entire essay to familiarize yourself with the piece. Choose one person in your group to read the essay aloud and be good listeners while the story is being read.<br />
2) Read the section of the essay that you have been assigned and first, revise it. There may be something to move, something to take out, or something that needs to be added. Share your thoughts and ideas as a group and decide what revisions are best for this paper. You must make at least one revision.<br />
3) Reread the section of the essay that you have been assigned and now focus on editing. Remember, you should be specifically focused on fixing any run-on sentences and fixing capitalization as you make those changes. If you notice other things, you can change those at the<br />
end if time allows, but STAY FOCUSED on run-on sentences and capitalization until you’ve fixed all of that.<br />
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I am happy to report that my students were excited to do this! They worked in groups of three, each focusing on the section that they were given. They were engaged in their work as they revised and edited and their conversations were fantastic. As they worked, I moved around to each group, discussing the different changes that they were making. I found that the checklist was really helpful in keeping them on task. It also helped that I planned the groups ahead to be sure that there was at least one focused individual in each group. As you might have guessed, the best conversation came from the group that the student author was in. He was his own biggest critic!<br />
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When they were finished, the students rewrote their section on a piece of chart paper. We placed the finished rewrites on the board and the students were able to gallery walk and reread the paper with improvements. They returned to the carpet, where they informed me that they had found even more places to revise and edit during their gallery walk.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0Yh6ZnF7sv5A6LeD6ljIfhcnYFjhdKKPDCn5y5gQtXbyx7riSD_8dERwRLT-YZqVc_U4Z-ufvtiC8V0_QcbvkKyPLNiZQFup5QOVa8lJJ8BeYL3PrZPSIBEhQW1MuEKVQsZtcbKCOSI/s1600/reviseandedit.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0Yh6ZnF7sv5A6LeD6ljIfhcnYFjhdKKPDCn5y5gQtXbyx7riSD_8dERwRLT-YZqVc_U4Z-ufvtiC8V0_QcbvkKyPLNiZQFup5QOVa8lJJ8BeYL3PrZPSIBEhQW1MuEKVQsZtcbKCOSI/s320/reviseandedit.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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After the gallery walk, we discussed how their revisions and edits improved the overall paper and I pointed out that many of their corrections were things that I had mentioned to the student author in our conference as well. My goal had been to review revising and editing and help students to see the power in taking the time to make changes that will truly improve their writing and I believe that was achieved and so did my administrator. I'll definitely do this lesson again!<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1t-D7ZKUMDwDpjojScsGZD_LSYPYyUTbLMiWv_l4LqLk/copy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_O1QJgh7hRnAeYy4Dhg9MHfTlOc0G9jBJMo7QNcfnJ-eP6UEDwRkN2rxY4SbxdfNNY_yf3sM7U5AhYelaFRMUlBFrk0q3N4g-KskF1S-b3zFQQb32xUQbxU2BSj09QJKnTVs1Lvu2Xk/s320/picture.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-84163476206071916452015-10-10T11:01:00.003-04:002017-08-10T20:44:42.953-04:00Doodle & Think - A Great Way to End Your Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4edTJ17uhQDyVLQCo6DYz3setZRAaVcPkNCYx0PRUZxE91FkfV7skkYlSS2PYifudjbsodGxtH5xPen2tkNE3vH2k6PCtACfGp6OrPPYaTlgrQ6Yb0JWTrOYQmTpcMeqG8Y3X8sAvpSc/s1600/DoodleandThink.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4edTJ17uhQDyVLQCo6DYz3setZRAaVcPkNCYx0PRUZxE91FkfV7skkYlSS2PYifudjbsodGxtH5xPen2tkNE3vH2k6PCtACfGp6OrPPYaTlgrQ6Yb0JWTrOYQmTpcMeqG8Y3X8sAvpSc/s400/DoodleandThink.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last year, I came across <a href="http://www.doodle-art-alley.com/quotes-coloring-pages.html">Doodle Art Alley</a>, which has free printable inspirational quotes that are begging to be colored! I allowed students to color them our first week and then used them to decorate our cupboards throughout the year. It was a great way to brighten up our room!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywPx2UkJNzYg0Q7BcxmHYbvIOa8eetR3OlW-_Hxy4BV-DWMqWXb6eaLITOxSqsV-JWt2vYptAgy9uwWsiv-EvPMz0MiUNvZ1SH7RHwAIKFePdW8T_qUjZa8P5OsLA7xVU395vIs36qsQ/s1600/DoodleArt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywPx2UkJNzYg0Q7BcxmHYbvIOa8eetR3OlW-_Hxy4BV-DWMqWXb6eaLITOxSqsV-JWt2vYptAgy9uwWsiv-EvPMz0MiUNvZ1SH7RHwAIKFePdW8T_qUjZa8P5OsLA7xVU395vIs36qsQ/s320/DoodleArt.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This year, I decided to do things a little differently. My students have morning work each day that is a science daily review, because our fifth grade students are tested on 4th and 5th grade standards. The daily review keeps those fourth grade concepts fresh in their mind all year. Anyway, these reviews only go Monday through Thursday, so I needed some morning work for Friday. Since my fifth graders work hard all week, I wanted it to be something that was a little bit more relaxing. I thought about how coloring has become all the craze again and how there really isn't much time for coloring in fifth grade. Then I thought about these inspirational quotes and tried to think of a way that I could use them each Friday as their morning work without them being just about coloring. That's when I realized that my read-aloud and these quotes could be connected! </div>
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Each Friday as part of our morning meeting, I read a different picture book. Each book has a different theme that can be applied to the choices that students make and the experiences that they have had. So I thought to myself, what if I pulled quotes that connect the stories that I read and I ask students to share what the quotes mean to them? That's when my Doodle and Think form was born! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyr4fYgkUfv8m9rd4Y8BAfD_z3nTG_JL23P9Cxq5JYt6NiKzIrF0Asic_heXlEC1w8c3QGTMN3s00CPgsshc7LXe8FDSdCV8cM_ayMAYl00PjyN0pFp2fV4VegLfxg8pWEFnwZx4Bk1iI/s1600/GirlWhoNever.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyr4fYgkUfv8m9rd4Y8BAfD_z3nTG_JL23P9Cxq5JYt6NiKzIrF0Asic_heXlEC1w8c3QGTMN3s00CPgsshc7LXe8FDSdCV8cM_ayMAYl00PjyN0pFp2fV4VegLfxg8pWEFnwZx4Bk1iI/s400/GirlWhoNever.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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We started with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Never-Made-Mistakes/dp/1402255446/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444488651&sr=1-1&keywords=the+girl+who+never+made+mistakes">The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein</a> and students received one of the two quotes in the picture above. For morning work, they filled out the Doodle and Think Form, explaining what the quote means to them, and then they color the quote. After morning announcements, they bring their quotes and Doodle & Think forms to the carpet, I read the story, and then students are able to share what they wrote. We talk about how the quotes connected to the story and how they can apply the message to their own lives. These conversations have been rich, meaningful, and engaging. I couldn't ask for more. I really teach students to embrace mistakes as a part of learning, and the responses that they came up with showed me that they know the importance of a safe learning environment where mistakes are not something to be ashamed of. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9Pl-HxpKYaIEcdfdedAikoXek1NxOcvoD9t7mhM6Dk-J4sSxTGdhVNXoyqm4Iny5O8BlcU-whdpv1tcBqQRXQ2FlApMYfjr1ewWBY8ZNVbAHi_AdwBzIOosCLwEAgjqEMdD-erBjzKg/s1600/Elmer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9Pl-HxpKYaIEcdfdedAikoXek1NxOcvoD9t7mhM6Dk-J4sSxTGdhVNXoyqm4Iny5O8BlcU-whdpv1tcBqQRXQ2FlApMYfjr1ewWBY8ZNVbAHi_AdwBzIOosCLwEAgjqEMdD-erBjzKg/s320/Elmer.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have an elephant theme this year so I stocked up on elephant picture books. How I made it through 10 years without ever reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elmer-Books-David-McKee/dp/0688091717/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444488604&sr=8-1&keywords=elmer">Elmer by David McKee</a> is beyond me! I LOVE this little story and my students did too. What a great conversation we had about accepting each other and the beauty of being your own person. Since I have fifth graders, this turned in to a great conversation about not changing who you are because of peer pressure. Loved this! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkBUaMmaKsYGnSJTQOL6nbRDS96QE0kJ8ooov0jKVcLP5rRHWJiNhPU-KrTUi9GTx-K8TM-HqVrJhb5R9IgFkPL0weT1eMDe2Gxz-B0RRbFL7Zr_LMwG0lEtyxFJuDlggAEhMfetOPIg/s1600/Ellie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkBUaMmaKsYGnSJTQOL6nbRDS96QE0kJ8ooov0jKVcLP5rRHWJiNhPU-KrTUi9GTx-K8TM-HqVrJhb5R9IgFkPL0weT1eMDe2Gxz-B0RRbFL7Zr_LMwG0lEtyxFJuDlggAEhMfetOPIg/s320/Ellie.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Continuing with my love of elephants, was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ellie-Mike-Wu/dp/1484712390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444488554&sr=8-1&keywords=ellie">Ellie by Mike Wu</a>! My favorite response from this day was "great things come in small packages." Again, an adorable picture book, a great lesson, and a conversation that made me confident that these Friday Doodle & Thinks are so much more than coloring and a read-aloud. </div>
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I am going to try to share my Doodle & Think with you each week. If you'd like to grab the Doodle & Think form, click below and download the file! Whether it's Friday, Monday, or just a random day, you'll enjoy the great conversations that come from this activity!</div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7laJCc4vJUCclFkZVJQdzJjaFk/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJsZIIx4rUCdpNug_XHxWVp74-KQoKT7Lbqz6hAmXFO0fMjRjv95reNX0TwF7URF7skBKh6bQG3oQ3h3uOraPNbrHoCgM0SLxdwt33kp9XMgz2iWJwJlMHoxHIO-xh3445shB-qDlsS4/s320/Doodlea.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-82256367984700030902015-09-11T20:26:00.001-04:002017-08-10T20:44:17.231-04:00Back to School Tidbits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First week…complete! I have such a wonderful group this year that I actually don't feel that "end of the first week" tired. Instead, I'm feeling excited and rejuvenated. I truly believe that it will be a fabulous year! In this post, I wanted to share a few tidbits that started the year off on the right foot! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfFk9Ppkl_a6TfkffZ-5JGY8CLW862qqgt3jlfs6LLwIEALlgZhSGrFkx73Jm4QyjrKq9c36G1xLlDavReVYuFmgf4JuJfNsmjxiJ7mHN3SoTOkhKYMnJEWsFejw35fC0KZQL5LJDreY/s1600/BlogPostBTSBag.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfFk9Ppkl_a6TfkffZ-5JGY8CLW862qqgt3jlfs6LLwIEALlgZhSGrFkx73Jm4QyjrKq9c36G1xLlDavReVYuFmgf4JuJfNsmjxiJ7mHN3SoTOkhKYMnJEWsFejw35fC0KZQL5LJDreY/s400/BlogPostBTSBag.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Each year, I create a welcome poem for my students. In the past, I've stuffed the bag with sugary treats and left the bag on student desks for open house. This year, I decided to change things up and write a poem that would include supplies that I wanted each student to start with. Instead of giving it to students at open house, it was waiting on their desks on the first day. That way I knew students would all start with what they needed. It was much cheaper to put together than the candy bags, too! If you'd like to grab this poem, you can find it here: </span><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Welcome-Back-to-School-Poem-for-Supplies-2012046" style="text-align: center;">Welcome Back to School Poem for Supplies</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYN0dLHC4OThaO9ayN63bTyF8uV2d6oXP-a54xOLRGrVKmlt4LwgCI4MAMObS1NQoIozcG3NtJxSrKjMZTRob_2wx1g2Qqa1qwQW-qq3Tc3IbwZD-Fwqs6QQvSRTBYq8fBHsZr3BYBdKo/s1600/BlogPostLP.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYN0dLHC4OThaO9ayN63bTyF8uV2d6oXP-a54xOLRGrVKmlt4LwgCI4MAMObS1NQoIozcG3NtJxSrKjMZTRob_2wx1g2Qqa1qwQW-qq3Tc3IbwZD-Fwqs6QQvSRTBYq8fBHsZr3BYBdKo/s320/BlogPostLP.png" width="244" /></a>Since I still wanted to welcome my students with a little treat, I opted for gourmet lollipops. It turns out that CVS had them on sale, two for $1…score! I also bought welcome bracelets from Really Good stuff, added green tags and some twine and voila, a perfect welcome gift was created! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9Lz2Id-TzlFsAY0-e2-iGOB3KFaiZ5SRENSBVVwMR4p-f8RtCfq4-En2sNSiMoNPgbZncwoOtpqJRxmbISpfgC0iUHg9KpLKWADPET3RaNhj3SJ0kBV38u5UmCUsCVj54pCEaTSURfE/s1600/BlogPostOV.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9Lz2Id-TzlFsAY0-e2-iGOB3KFaiZ5SRENSBVVwMR4p-f8RtCfq4-En2sNSiMoNPgbZncwoOtpqJRxmbISpfgC0iUHg9KpLKWADPET3RaNhj3SJ0kBV38u5UmCUsCVj54pCEaTSURfE/s400/BlogPostOV.png" width="400" /></a>Of course, I never leave the parents out! I like to give them a little treat too, so for the second year in a row, I gave them "parent vitamins" with a really cute saying for each color in a pack of M&M's. Parents got a big kick out of them! You can pull up a copy here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7laJCc4vJUCYkMzS1NqWkZOOUk/view?usp=sharing">Parent Vitamins</a> You'll notice that there are two pages of the same thing. That is because I print two pages to one page to make them small enough to fit on the bags. </div>
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Our lovely fifth grade bulletin board. Student names are on the flowers and peace signs. I drew that mystery bus freehand, so please be kind, I am normally a stick figure kinda gal! How fun is that font? It's called Shagadelic! Love it! </div>
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Inspired by an idea I found from Jessica at The Teaching Oasis, I put together a welcome gift for a new teacher that I get to mentor. She's a baseball fan like me, so I made it a baseball themed-basket! Read more about this idea from Jessica at <a href="http://jessicaywinston.blogspot.com/">The Teaching Oasis</a> here: <a href="http://jessicaywinston.blogspot.com/2015/07/welcome-basket.html">Welcome Basket</a></div>
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I'm hoping that you are all off to a wonderful start of the 2015-2016 year too! May each week be an opportunity for growth for you and your students!<br />
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-6207359392182589312015-09-06T08:38:00.000-04:002015-09-06T10:53:55.037-04:002015 Classroom Reveal It's time to show off my beautiful classroom! I've gone with an elephant theme and at first I was nervous about it looking too young for fifth grade but now, I love, love, love it! It just might be my favorite theme ever! The color scheme continues to be lime green and blue, but I've popped a bit of red in there too and I think it's a great addition. I switched rooms from last year, which is actually the room I had for the first two years at my school. Are you ready? Let me give you a tour.<br />
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Thanks for checking out my classroom! I hope that you love it as much as I do! </div>
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-51244384263964921962015-08-30T08:33:00.002-04:002017-08-10T20:45:09.752-04:00Dollar Store Hack: Using Crates as Bookcases and NOT Ruining Your Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In ten years of teaching and five different schools (military life), I've only once had enough bookcases for my giant classroom library. The first time I encountered this problem, I bought wire bookcases from Target and aside from the fact that they were less than fun to put together, they did their job. Shortly after that, I found some purple crates, which were much easier to put together. I began to use them to hold my excess books that didn't fit on the shelves that were in my room. Since then, I've added additional shelves based on my color schemes and additional needs as my library grows and grows because yes, it's super challenging to not order tons and tons of books from Scholastic each month.<br />
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The problem I've encountered can be seen in the picture above. Whether it's a wire bookcase or a crate, there are lots of openings, which means that the books don't stand up or fit in the way that they would if you were using a regular wooden bookcase. For those that like things nice and neat like me, this can drive you a little bananas. I often see students attempting to take a book out, and the spine of the book getting stuck in one of the holes, which results in the student forcing it out and is not kind to the spine. So while I bought crates to keep my books safe, I've started to think that they are doing more harm than good. So this year I decided to do something I should have done ten years ago.<br />
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Enter the Dollar Store. Don't you just love how the Dollar Store has everything you need/don't need/can find a use for? Well, it turns out that the Dollar Store had just what I needed in the kitchen goods aisle. I present you the Flexible Chopping Mat, in a set of two bright and wonderful colors, one of which just happens to be part of my classroom color scheme. I currently have four crates being used, so I grabbed 4 packs so I could have 4 blue mats.<br />
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Back to the classroom I went and the fun began. </div>
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Just $4.00 saved me a lot of money in book replacements and sanity too. It's also more aesthetically pleasing so it's definitely a win, win! Though I didn't use them now, I know those purple ones will come in handy in the future, especially since I still have my purple crates from my early years of teaching. I'm sure I'll use them someday when my theme includes purple again! </div>
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-77591238179033411692015-08-16T15:42:00.002-04:002021-09-28T14:29:45.017-04:00Setting Clear Behavior Expectations for a Successful School Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I still remember my first teaching position. I took over a fifth grade class at the end of April. April 26th, 2005 to be exact. To say it was a challenge would be a giant understatement. I'm going to be honest, the first day, I just focused on breathing. I was completely overwhelmed and really had no idea how I was going to add structure to a class who had clearly gone without structure for the majority of their year. After a very chaotic first few days in which I felt quite defeated and had zero control of the class, I went home and wrote down all of my expectations for them. I then thought about how I would present them to the students since standing in front of the room and telling them my rules had clearly not worked. I began to work up different scenarios that my students could engage in, which would allow them to be a little silly, because I needed them on my side, but would also allow me to show them what my expectations were. I went in the next day and started our day by passing out different scenarios of bad behavior. The students acted them out and after each one, we discussed why the behavior was not correct, and then the students reenacted the same scenario with the correct behavior.<br />
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Ladies and gentlemen, it worked. The difference between day #1 and day #2 were night and day and every day after that was far better than the first. To be honest, even I was surprised. I learned something extremely valuable that day, that there is serious power in setting clear expectations.<br />
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So how hard is it to set clear expectations? Maybe harder than you think. If you consider my story, it wasn't that I didn't tell my students my expectations on the first day. I did. But I didn't show them. Sure, I stood there and talked "at" them about what I wanted them to do, but did I engage them in the conversation? No. Did I ask for their opinions on it? No. Did I involve them in the process of setting these expectations? No. What was different in my second attempt is that I did all of those things.<br />
I not only engaged my students, but I asked them to show me the wrong, identify the right, and show me the appropriate behavior. We then had a huge discussion about what THEY learned and WE listed the classroom expectations that would make THEIR year a success. I made it about THEM, not me. At no point did I alienate them from the process. And you know what? It worked then and it continues to work. <br />
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So my advice?<br />
1. Make students feel involved in the process.<br />
2. Allow students to model expected behaviors. This will set the tone for your entire year, so you want the students to be engaged.<br />
3. Write your rules together. Post them in the room after all students have added their signature to the rules that they helped you to create.<br />
4. Present the rules not as a <i>because the teacher said so,</i> but instead as a y<i>ou have to because you want to learn each day. </i>Make it their non-negotiable, and then make it yours.<br />
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Keep in mind, clear expectations aren't just about the first day, they are about holding students responsible for following them every day, and being consistent. If you are not consistent with your expectations, your students won't be consistent with their behavior.<br />
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I'm including a freebie pack that includes 15 of the behavior scenarios that I've used and were created by a former colleague and I. They cover a number of different areas of the school (assemblies, hallways, cafeteria, etc). I've also added recording pages for students to use during and after they've completed their scenarios. I hope that this will be helpful as you kick off your new year. These are also great to pull out as a refresher after the long winter break, or if you find yourself taking over a classroom at the end of April, like me! :-)<br />
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3600324424338377368.post-29605978912668459822015-08-07T17:28:00.001-04:002017-08-10T20:43:43.105-04:002015 Virginia Teacher Bloggers Meet-Up <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last Friday a group of 30 fabulous Virginia teacher bloggers {including myself!} descended upon the <a href="http://www.jeffersonlakeside.com/" target="_blank">Jefferson Lakeside Country Club</a> for an afternoon of networking, laughs, food, drinks, and some incredible swag and prizes! It was an incredible time, and well worth all of the planning and logistics that went into it. I want to share some of the experience with you!</div>
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First of all, I have to tell you how absolutely AMAZING all of our sponsors were to work with. If you are making any back-to-school purchases this year, I really urge you to consider purchasing from these businesses and individuals -- they truly value teachers and aren't afraid to show it!</div>
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A <b>HUGE</b> thank you goes especially to <a href="http://www.educents.com/#sarahplum" target="_blank">Educents</a> (one of <i>THE</i> best companies around!) for helping with the costs of the meetup and providing some FANTASTIC swag! Make sure you check out their new <a href="https://wallet.educents.com/" target="_blank">Educents Wallet</a> feature to get all of those resources for your classroom at a steep discount! If you sign-up for a new teacher wallet account you'll receive $10 to spend on your classroom -- who couldn't use $10?!</div>
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We had over $4,000 in prizes thanks to these fantastic folks! It was so much fun to see the excitement on each of the winner's faces!</div>
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<b>Check our our FANTASTIC sponsors:</b></div>
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[<a href="https://www.educents.com/#sarahplum" target="_blank">Educents</a>] [<a href="http://www.gonoodle.com/" target="_blank">GoNoodle</a>] [<a href="https://www.esgisoftware.com/" target="_blank">ESGI</a>] [<a href="http://learningresources.com/" target="_blank">Learning Resources</a>] [<a href="http://www.ellison.com/corp_northamerica?tp=c" target="_blank">Ellison</a>] [<a href="http://www.aplusimages.com/" target="_blank">A+ Images</a>] [<a href="http://www.science4us.com/index.php" target="_blank">Science4Us</a>] [<a href="https://www.snaplearning.co/" target="_blank">SNAP! Learning</a>] [<a href="https://www.spellingcity.com/" target="_blank">VocabularySpellingCity</a>] [<a href="http://www.sitspots.com/" target="_blank">SitSpots</a>] [<a href="http://www.classroomfriendlysupplies.com/" target="_blank">Classroom Friendly Supplies</a>] [<a href="http://kasefazem.com/" target="_blank">Kasefazem</a>] [<a href="http://www.reallygoodstuff.com/" target="_blank">Really Good Stuff</a>] [<a href="http://planbook.com/">Planbook.com</a><span id="goog_1638444274"></span><span id="goog_1638444275"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>] [<a href="https://www.teachercreated.com/" target="_blank">Teacher Created Resources</a>] [<a href="https://www.mythirtyone.com/jysaunders/shop/party/parties" target="_blank">Jessica Saunders, ThirtyOne</a>]</div>
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<b>And some AMAZING TpT sellers that contributed raffle prizes or digital swag:</b></div>
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[<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-The-Tongass" target="_blank">Teaching in the Tongass</a>] [<a href="http://janielwagstaff.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Janiel Wagstaff</a>] [<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kimberly-Geswein-Fonts" target="_blank">Kimberly Geswein</a>] [<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Polka-Dots-And-Pals" target="_blank">Polka Dots & Pals</a>] [<a href="http://www.laugheatlearn.com/" target="_blank">Laugh, Eat, Learn Designs</a>] [<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whimsy-Workshop-Teaching" target="_blank">Whimsy Workshop</a>] [<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jewel-Pastor" target="_blank">Jewel's School Gems</a>] [<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Joy-Of-Teaching" target="_blank">The Joy of Teaching</a>] [<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Teacher-Studio" target="_blank">The Teacher Studio</a>] [<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kristybear-Designs" target="_blank">KristyBear Designs</a>] [<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Chalk-And-Apples" target="_blank">Chalk & Apples</a>] [<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-Progress" target="_blank">Teaching in Progress</a>] [<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sarah-Plum" target="_blank">There's No Place Like Second Grade</a>]<br />
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<b>Also, a GIANT THANK YOU goes out to Sarah from <a href="http://theresnoplacelikesecondgrade.blogspot.com/">There's No Place Like Second (And now Third!)</a> and Nikki from <a href="http://teachinginprogress.blogspot.com/">Teaching in Progress</a>. </b><br />
Sarah worked night and day (seriously, Sarah, did you sleep?) to do everything from gather donations to create adorable name tags and create super cute programs. Sarah was truly the backbone of this meet-up and I hope she knows how much we all appreciated her efforts. And without Nikki, we wouldn't have had such an amazing venue two years in a row. These two ladies rock my world! </div>
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1. Nikki (from Teaching in Progress) and I worked the front table, which meant that we were able to meet and greet each and every teacher blogger. I challenged myself to recognize each face before they reached the table. It was super fun to guess who each person was as they entered! I got them all correct, too! Each person was so impressed by all of the goodies we had for them, especially the awesome name tags that Sarah from <a href="http://theresnoplacelikesecondgrade.blogspot.com/">There's no Place Like Second Grade (And now Third!)</a><br />
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2 Lunch. The food was fabulous, but I'm talking about the company. I don't think I went a minute without laughter, especially with the crew that was sitting at our table. <a href="http://www.comprehensionconnection.net/">Carla</a>, <a href="http://mrsstamp.blogspot.com/">Karen</a>, <a href="http://teachinginprogress.blogspot.com/">Nikki</a>, <a href="http://owlsandlessons.blogspot.com/">Haley</a>, <a href="http://themeekmoose.blogspot.com/">Heather</a>, <a href="http://www.superin2nd.com/">Erin</a>, <a href="http://theresnoplacelikesecondgrade.blogspot.com/">Sarah</a>, and I had the BEST time during lunch. In the moments that we weren't being silly, we had great chats about blogging and creating. We had a wonderful time together and it wasn't superficial at all. I consider each of these women my real life friends and I know I can count on them. That's pretty special, y'all!<br />
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3. Being in a room with so many talented women. There was a moment where I stopped talking (shocking, I know) and just sat back and took in the fact that I was in a room with so many creative women, all of whom share the same goal of improving education by sharing our ideas, resources, and expertise. In the time that I've been connected to these women, I've learned a ton about creating, teaching, and handling life outside of it all. I'm lucky to be a part of such a knowledgeable, inspiring group and I know that I'll forever be a part of this awesome group, even if I'm not in Virginia forever.</div>
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You can see more fun meetup photos by looking at the hashtag <a href="https://instagram.com/explore/tags/vateacherbloggersmeet/" target="_blank">#VATeacherBloggersMeet on Instagram</a>, or by looking at the photo album here:
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Some of the fantastic Virginia teacher bloggers from the meetup are linking up with <a href="http://theresnoplacelikesecondgrade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sarah from There's No Place Like Second Grade</a> to share their favorite moments and photo memories from the meetup, as well as share their swag and prizes! Be sure and check-out their posts!<br />
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<br />Rachel Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503039770940173303noreply@blogger.com0