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Somewhere In Second 2016

Showing posts with label Fun Stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun Stuff. Show all posts
Even, Odd, and Johnny Appleseed fun!

Even, Odd, and Johnny Appleseed fun!

By 5:27 AM
Hey, Friends!

We had a terrific first full week back at school since Florence.  Luckily for us, it was Johnny Appleseed week!  I was getting nervous during the hurricane thinking we wouldn't be back in time to complete our first (of many) lap books of the school year.  Yup-while most people are worried about when their power is going to get turned back on, I'm thinking about lap books....🙈

Johnny Appleseed

My kids loooooved completing these! I think they told me everyday how much they loved them. 💗  If you're not familiar with lap books, it a way for students to publish their learning from a unit or particular skill taught over a period of time (usually about a week).  They are a bit of work, BUT so well worth it.  The students love seeing their hard work from the week in one place.  Here's a look:

It's also a great way for students to see what can happen when you on something for a period of time longer than 15 minutes!  Taking a blank lap book at the beginning and showing them what it will look like when it's completed, is a great way to get students motivated at the start of your unit. 
 Lap books are also a great way to practice listening skills with your students.  Lap books take a bit of precision to assemble, and since you're completing little by little, it's important to follow directions explicitly to so all of your pieces will be where they need to be!






This is a photo from a few  years ago-this year we completed a web-quest on Johnny Appleseed himself. Look at  my kiddos! First time using our iPads, too!!  So proud of them. 🍎🍏💻





We finished our week with some apple diagrams, apple eating, cider drinking, birthday party planning fun!



I'm going to this party...🤣👆

When I have my students walk around the classroom and share with one another, I'll play music through Amazon Music (free if you're a Prime Member).  
I tell them they can share with as many people as possible until the song is over.   They walk around the classroom, pair up by putting their hand way up in the air, and look for a partner to share with.  They both read their writings, give a positive comment about their partner's ideas, and repeat. It's a great way to allow all of your students to share when time is of the essence!

Even and Odd with Steven and Todd

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen my Even Steven and Odd Todd craftivity I've been DYING to have my students complete!
Earlier in the week at the start of our unit on even and odd numbers, we watched a Brainpop Jr. video (btw, if you're not using Brainpop at your school it's a must!! Talk to your admin about purchasing it-for real the best!!). Used an anchor chart from my even and odd FREEBIE set on TPT found HERE, and practiced dividing numbers through "fair share," (one for group 1, one for group 2), to visually model what makes a number even and what makes it odd! This Pinch and Sort activity worked wonders for my second graders! I swear by the end of the day, they were already commenting every time we mentioned a number, if it was even or odd 😋.
The second day, we started by reading the book, Even Steven and Odd Todd, which I purchased from Amazon for around $4. 
As we read, we charted the numbers represented by each character.  Steven had 10 fish, 6 cats, 2 gerbils, etc. 
I had my students come up and write the numbers as we heard them throughout the story.
They had a bit of trouble coming up with 13 quickly, so we again modeled how to figure out if a number is even or odd by drawing fair share dots in each circle. 

Students were amazed when we looked at the number of letters in the word, "EVEN."  It has four letter and four is an even number.  Then we looked at, "ODD," and yup, you guessed it.  Three letters which is an ODD number! They couldn't believe it. 😛

We then figured out if WE were Even Stevens or Odd Todds by writing our name on strips of paper.  Students counted the letters in their name, and decided if the number was even or odd.  I kid you not, out of 21 students, I didn't have a SINGLE ONE put their name in the wrong column!! 


Then came the fun part.  Each of my students have what we call a, "Secret Number," which is the number they are given at the beginning of the year which corresponds to their mailbox, cubby, supply box, behavior clip number, book box, etc.  They used THAT number to determine if they would be completing EVEN STEVEN or ODD TODD.  We did a quick discussion on how to figure out if a TWO DIGIT number is even or odd-literally took 30 seconds. 

Since I was (and still am) needing to finish up my beginning of year testing, I laid everything out for their character in two different locations.  

The only thing I put at their desk was their Steven or Todd face template, their t-shirt, and the recording sheet.  I showed them my example and they were off! As they finished one part of their character, they simply came to their table and retrieved another.  *We work at tables instead of desks in our classroom, so I don't like to overload them with papers or a ton of materials while we work. I don't like them to work on the floor when we cut, so using this method really worked!

They turned out so cute and they keep asking me when they can take them home!! Sorry kids, these guys have to decorate our room for a bit with all of their cuteness!



*It was Friday afternoon and I only had time to snag one of each picture. This testing is killing me!! I think I'd rather walk on hot coals than try to administer four different assessments with each student in a period of 2 weeks...

I can honestly say, I have NEVER had a group of students understand even and odd numbers as much as my students showed me this week!  Remember to snag the FREE RESOURCES to practice even and odd with your students, as well as adding these cuties above to your lesson. 💁

Wishing you all a great week ahead! Me for one am so excited it's October!!! I'm all about the Halloween themed activities at school. And my countdown to Disney can begin-17 days to go! Woohoo!

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Somewhere In Second
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Classroom Rewards on a Teacher's Salary

Classroom Rewards on a Teacher's Salary

By 6:09 AM

Hey, Friends!!!  Can I just tell you how exhausted I am...I've been working on my classroom for the past 9 days STRAIGHT to prepare for a Q & A with some new teachers to our county this past week.  I loved being able to share some Do's and Don't's with them-since I have probably had more DON'T's in my life than I care to admit...
Oh yeah, see that nice pile-o-junk I wasn't able to hide in the bathroom before everyone arrived? Yeah...9 days obviously wasn't enough time to prepare.

Anywho, one question that came up in each group that came in was what I do for classroom management and student rewards.

I'll admit, back in the day I was the teacher who had the prize box.  I used it in conjunction with a giant Bingo Board from Really Good Stuff, where students would sign their name to the board at the end of each day depending on what "color" they were on on our behavior chart. At the end of the week, I would pull 5-6 bingo numbers & letters and those students whose names were in that particular box would get to pick a prize from the glorious prize box.  The problem was, some students NEVER WON!  I couldn't afford to constantly restock our prize box and award every student a prize on a North Carolina's teacher's salary (nor do I honestly believe in that type of behavior system), so I had to come up with a better solution.  Enter, Classroom Coupons!
I could not BELIEVE how well my students responded to these! All of these were designed with little to no cost to me, which was an even BIGGER plus!  These can work with any grade level and you are able to pick and chose which coupons to use and how many points to award to each!  I colored the point labels to match the coupons they go to.  I house them in a craft container from Michaels. 

How do students earn points?

I use a behavior chart in my classroom, and yes, it is the color system.  Each student has a clothespin and begin the day on GREEN-Ready to Learn!  As students do positive things in the classroom, they move up the behavior chart.  If negatives occur, they move down.  Students can move up or down all throughout the day-just because students made one mistake doesn't mean they can't turn their day around and make better choices.
I change out my behavior charts seasonally, which my students LOVE!!!  This helps with motivation and switching it up a bit while keeping the format and expectations the same.  They love the puns of the seasonal charts, too! :P 

Our behavior chart coincides with Class Dojo.  Students are awarded points throughout the day for various tasks (clean area, following directions, showing kindness, participation, etc.).  At the end of each day after I sign their behavior chart that goes home for parents to sign, students award themselves points based on what "color" or level of the behavior chart they ended on for the day (I display our Class Dojo account on the Smartboard).  

Positive Point Scale 

GREEN=1 point
BLUE= 2 points
PINK= 3 points
PURPLE= 4 points

Negative Point Scale 

YELLOW= -1 point
ORANGE= -2 points
RED= -3 points

Sometimes to switch it up, I'll have a "Double Day," where students earn DOUBLE the points for the day (this works great around Christmas time and once the weather starts to warm up in the spring and children seem to have lost their minds...).

Since Class Dojo allows you to customize points and values, I've added the behavior colors and points to our point system.  All students have to do is press, "GREEN," "BLUE," etc. and they're done! This limits confusion, miscounting, and student pile up at the end of the day.  
Students accumulate points all week long.  I really love using Class Dojo because it's an all in one system to connect parents to our classroom.  I'm able to quickly send photos during class time to families or to individual parents.  They now have a BRAND NEW portfolios feature, so this may mean I'll be eliminating SeeSaw and switching over to Dojo-we'll see!  But honestly, it's worked great for our behavior system.

How do students "get" their coupons?

During our "Fun Friday" time on Friday afternoons (Fun Friday is designated free time for those students who do not need to finish or make up class work), students can choose to "shop" for coupons by spending their Class Dojo points OR they can save their points if they wish.

I "open up our shop," by opening up our coupon containers while I call students to my small group area by their table number.  I display our Class Dojo board on the Smartboard so students can see how many points they currently have.  They have to determine which coupon(s) they can purchase AND how many points they will have left over -if any (hello mental math!).  I give them those points back through the "misc. points" options I've added. *I tell them to use AS MANY of their points as they can.  For example, if they have 100 points, they can't only spend 20.  Since the maximum point value you can assign to an expectation is 5, I'd be stuck there forever and a day adding their points back! You could "subtract" points, but doing it this way has honestly worked best for me and my students.

Students keep their coupons in a safe place (I have them keep them in the front pocket of their take home folder).  If they lose it, they lose it.  This also teaches responsibility. Students must give me their coupons in the morning only-I cannot be in the middle of teaching a math lesson and they decide they want to use their Lunch Buddy coupon.  

A HUGE coupon this past year was our Read Aloud. How awesome is it that students want to READ ALOUD to their classmates instead of choosing something tangible they will more than likely lose or break in a day or two?! *That coupon I only accepted one per day due to time reasons, but do what works best for you and your schedule. 

I've color coded my class coupons for an easy visual for students (and myself) to see which coupons are worth what (also a HUGE time saver for me when I put the coupons away).  

These coupons teach so many skills besides behavior-they don't cost me an arm and a leg either.  I go to the Dollar Tree for my Bubble Gum coupon and the Target Dollar Spot for the Prize Box.  I might have students chose that coupon 10 times throughout the entire school year.  I haven't refilled my box in quite some time. That's money I can spend on other things for my classroom, like new shiplap border! :) 
I think I've purchased 10 packs of it this year... #notashamed

If you're looking for a new reward system to use in your classroom, I HIGHLY suggest using these coupons with your students-no matter what grade level! Your students will LOVE working towards obtaining those higher level rewards while teaching them responsibility, math skills, and decision making to name a few.
I can't believe I only have 4 more days of summer until I have to go back!!!! It's crunch time to get all those home projects finished I had planned back in June.

Have a great weekend!
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Somewhere In Second
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Brag Tags and What They're REALLY Doing To My Students

Brag Tags and What They're REALLY Doing To My Students

By 2:50 PM
Well, I did the unthinkable today...I ventured into my classroom.  I know...it's JULY. This is the earliest I have EVER gone into my classroom to work BUT I have some things I'd like to do this year, so I thought if I could at least get my furniture placed today I'll be happy and will be able to visualize everything else NEW I want to do this year.  I did get the majority of my layout done, so I guess I should feel accomplished.  Only now I keep thinking about all the redecorating and decluttering I need to get done (that is one of my many goals this year-PURGE, BABY, PURGE!)
 Beautiful view, isn't it? Sigh...

Anywho, as the school year approaches, I like to think about some classroom management techniques I'd like to alter, change, or just get rid of.  One thing my students look forward to the most year after year are Brag Tags.  I thought I'd do a little Q&A session to explain how I use them in my classroom the STRESS FREE WAY incase you're on the fence about using Brag Tags in your classroom as well!

Q: WHAT ARE BRAG TAGS????

A: Brag Tags are an inexpensive way to motivate, recognize, and build a community within your classroom.  Brag Tags are a great way to recognize students for a job well done throughout the week, or whatever time frame you chose to distribute your tags.  These tags are a great way for ALL students in your classroom to feel accomplished and recognized for something they've done-big or small! 

Q: HOW DO YOU USE THEM?

A: Let me begin by saying, when I first started using Brag Tags, I struggled to find a hassle free and time saving way to make these work for me and my students...well let's face it...ME! I often found myself sitting at my desk Thursdays  after school, looking through my boxes and boxes of tags, matching a tag to the student who I thought deserved it the most that week.  As you might imagine, this can get a little hairy.  I didn't' want the same students earning a tag EVERY WEEK nor could I remember who did what!? I also didn't want my well behaved students to expect a tag week after week either.  I wanted to instill in my students it's just as important to be happy for those who DID receive a tag, instead of just simply waiting to see which one they would be adding to their necklace.  *I've used the tiny "ball necklaces" from Amazon in the past to house their tags, but this year I'm thinking of using a bit of an easier clasp.  Most of them can handle it by the middle to end of the year, but I might be considering a switch-a-roo to nylon ones.Still pondering that one...

My Solution: I thought to myself (or knowing me I probably said it out loud one morning while drinking my coffee), "What if I chose a few tags on MONDAY to hand out on FRIDAY?  This will allow students to see my expectations for the week AND it will alleviate my Thursday after school stress of having to chose tags!?!" So, I purchased a light box from TJ MAXX (a few summers ago) for around $5 and got to work.
 *You can find light boxes almost anywhere these days. At the beginning of each week, I displayed the tags on the light box.  I used my Silhouette machine and vinyl from Michaels to create the heading.  Flower and Unicorn magnets are from Target. 

After watching our Class Dojo Growth Mindset Video for the week each Monday morning, I would go over this week's Brag Tags with my second graders.  I would mostly leave the box lit during the day because the light signified I was "searching" for a recipient for each of those tags.  Once I DID find someone deserving of that tag, I would write their name on the back using a tiny sticky note and turn the tag over, meaning that tag had been awarded to one lucky winner in the room! It really kept the students motivated and excited throughout the week to see the tags slowly disappear.  More than one student deserving of that tag? No problem! Just add their name to the sticky note and you're golden!

Q: HOW OFTEN DO YOU GIVE THEM OUT?

A: I held a "Brag Tag Ceremony" every Friday morning (which honestly lasted only a few minutes).  When students came in that morning, they were able to grab their necklace from our Brag Tag Board and wear their necklace for the day. I used craft paper from TJ Maxx and a piece of foam board from Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I've included the bunting and labels in my brag tag set HERE. 
*I also used these necklaces for our Reading Beads, where students earn a bead for every 100 minutes read that week, but that's for another post!  
In the past, I've created a tag for each student using clipart that resembled them! This has worked well for me, seeing as I don't typically get new students very often, HOWEVER, I am thinking of making a more uniform name tag to save myself the time.  I have a feeling my "not getting new students in the middle of the year" luck is going to run out...

I would show each tag on our document camera for the whole class to see and then I'd give a quick (literally 5 second) explanation of that tag and if there was something that stood out to me as I observed the student completing that particular task. For example,iIf I handed out the "iShare because iCare," tag I might say, 'I saw this person sharing their crayons with someone at their table this week who didn't have a red to use. I thought that was just so thoughtful of them and I know that made their friend happy!'. I'd read the name, and without me having to ask, my students would start clapping-every year for four years they clap!   The first time it happened, it really made me smile and also made me realize, "Ok...I am loving these!"

Q: ARE THEY EXPENSIVE?

A: No! Brag Tags are one of the least expensive "rewards" you can do for your students! I do use Classroom Coupons in my classroom, but we'll talk about that at a later date, too!  Determine how/ where you want your students to store their tags, storage for your tags, and that's basically it!  The good thing is if you download from a TPT seller, you're able to reprint them year after year!  If you do not hav access to a colored printer, print onto colored paper using the black and white option on your printer settings.

I've created monthly themed and all year long Brag Tags to use with my students. I honestly find myself only needing to reprint the themed tags from year to year since those are typically the ones I hand out to my whole class. (If I am giving out whole class tags, I'll leave those on their desks Friday morning).  I try not to hand out the same tag over and over and over again to keep each tag sacred and special! I do have many types of tags that basically reiterate the same things, so I assure you, you won't have trouble finding tags to hand out each week. 
If you are feeling overwhelmed with Brag Tags and just not quite sure if they're for you, these monthly themed tags pictured above are the way to go. This will limit you to only handing out those particular set of tags for that month-less burden on your for prepping, storing, and distributing. 
How cute are these Wizard of Oz tags?! They are included in my WOZ unit HERE! It's always one of our favorites :)

Students always get really excited for the themed tags because I tell them they are, "Limited Edition," and won't be given out again for the rest of the year!!!

Q: ARE THEY A LOT OF PREP WORK?

A:To start off, I'd say, "Yes", but after that, "NO!"  When I first started, I had some parent volunteers help me with cutting, laminating, and hole punching. I feel like I've been using some of these same tags pictured here from four years ago! There are so many different varieties I don't need to be constantly printing out tags at the start of every year.  Like I said, mainly the ones I need to reprint are the seasonal tags, since those are what I typically distribute to my whole class. 
You can choose to print on cardstock without lamination or on regular paper with lamination.  I've done the regular paper with lamination only because cardstock is a little pricey.  
If you use the seasonal tags, you can prep as you go! Give some parent volunteers your November tags in September or October and you'll be set.  Or do what I do and bust out your paper cutter and turn on Golden Girls-you'll be done for the entire year in NO TIME! :P

Q: HOW DO YOU STORE THEM?

I use these amazing containers I found at Michaels a few years back (they still carry them) to store my tags.  I'm able to fit 2 months of my seasonal tags in one half of the box (with the exception of Christmas time of course which needs an entire half! :) ).  #ILoveChristmas #SorryNotSorry

Q: WILL MY STUDENTS REALLY CARE ABOUT A PIECE OF PAPER?!

A: YES! I've been  using Brag Tags for about 4 years now and EVERY YEAR so many of my students tell me Friday is their favorite day of the week because we hand out Brag Tags! They get so excited to cheer for their classmates telling them, "Congratulations!" or "Can I see the tag you got?" after our little Friday ceremony.  It really made me think that these are doing so much more than simply recognizing them for positive things being done in and outside the classroom. 
1. It's making them aware of other people other than themselves, which tends to be a difficult thing these days. 
2. They are able to celebrate someone else for their accomplishments. 
3. Strive to do what's right knowing they might be the first one to earn a "Limited Edition" tag! 
4. It's not about having something tangible for doing the right thing. "Well isn't a tag tangible?" In a way...yes.  But it's not a toy they will lose or get bored with in a few hours.  They get super excited to count how many tags they've earned throughout the year, too! I love the fact they are proud of their accomplishments and seeing the smile on their face when I call their name on Friday morning just makes my teacher AND all of my students' hearts smile the biggest, most gigantic, goofiest smile ever!!!

Q: DO THE TAGS TEAR? IF YES, HOW/ WHEN DO YOU REPAIR THEM?!

A: If a tag tears, I will repair it one time.  To repair, simply place a piece of tape over the hole and hole punch through it (if you don't want to relaminate the entire tag again).  If it rips a second time, I simply have them take the tag home.  They often times will keep the tag in their pencil case if this happens, which I think it super sweet, but at the same time, I'm not going to spend 80% of our Friday repairing tags.  I model at the beginning of the year how to treat your tags while wearing them, how NOT to sit while wearing them, and so on.  You might be surprised at what good care they take of their special tags.
Well...I think that will at least give you a head start when it comes to using Brag Tags in your classroom.  If you have any other questions concerning Brag Tags please contact me using any of the methods in my sidebar or in the comment section below-I'd love to chat with you!!

I can honestly say I'm sooooo happy I started using these tags with my second graders.  It really is teaching them how to be excited and proud of their efforts as well as the efforts of those around them.  I love seeing my little ones congratulate one another and not "pouting" when they have not receive a tag for the week. I really have had maaaaaaybe one or two TOTAL instances of that happening over the past four years.  But with a simple conversation about what Brag Tags are and what they are meant for, it hasn't happened past that (knock on wood... :P). 

Feel free to check out the tags I use in my classroom with my students HERE.


Thank you for stopping by-Have a great week!


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[name=Jamie] [img=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzN98Vr6fBKBVGwM3mxxe98O9npbpZsjwSeIXwwouvFzDkR3e0QqyiCUmXfLCLpRcwADhebCU56XQ3bSWV2e703GgeNvNj78ZrW5nP1xKvU8pfZ4-SwcDdsNSCWrWaMShvk-Os2qHvR01w/s1600/about.png] [description=Hey there! I’m Jamie, a second grade teacher from Pittsburgh, PA, currently living my best life with my superhero husband and our two cairn terrier kids, Benson and Oliver in the beautiful state of North Carolina. It has always been my dream to be a teacher of little ones, and I am so grateful I get to do what I love everyday. I started my teaching journey is 2008 and to say time is flying would certainly be an understatement! Everyday might not be good, but we certainly find the good in everyday! I’m here to share my classroom and teacher life with you-blogging about some fun and new ideas, activities, and resources for you to {hopefully} find useful and can take back to your already amazing classroom. :) Thanks for stopping by-I’m so excited you’re here! I can’t wait to share my journey with you all! ]

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