An Ounce of Prevention...

I'm a big believer in preventative discipline. One of the keys to that knowing your students. My planning for this starts before the first class...

To gather info, I created a Special Needs list. This document consists of a checklist for each teacher that contains their student names (copied & pasted off our district website). The categories on this list are: Resource (SPED), Speech, TST (our designation for students performing far below grade level but not labeled SPED), Gifted-Math, Gifted-LA (Language Arts - our school is the district magnet school for gifted), Non-reader, Monolingual/Spanish (80% plus of our student population is Hispanic), Fluent Spanish & English (these kiddos can help translate if seated next to a monolingual student and this also designates the student as an English Language Learner), Medical Needs (allergies, asthma, ADHD w/meds, etc) and new this year - Special Home situation (homeless, lives in shelter, newly divorced parents, etc.) There is also a 'Comment' section where teachers can explain anything not already covered in the list.

Kinder teachers have an abbreviated form since there is not a lot of info on their kiddos yet...

I hand each of my teachers their copy on their first day of class with me - the expectation that it will be filled out & returned asap. Some forms are returned that same day, some much later but I get all back within the first month of school. This information helps me form a picture of the class demographics and influences my teaching strategies for that particular group of learners. I send out the same checklist at the start of 2nd semester since our population is very transient plus the info for some students has changed since the start of the school year...

In my next post, I'll talk about how that info makes it way into my class lists (used for attendance & grades) as well as the seating chart.

Art Vocabulary Games

My brain is pretty much fried after 3 days of classes on incorporating more vocab into our lessons. We have been busy building our vocab lists based on our state standards and pacing guides...

Today was entertaining though, because we learned some new word games - Save the Pig looks interesting & fun - a PC version of hangman...

Draw a pig, then the blanks for the word's letters. Kids name a letter - if correct it goes on a blank & they get to guess the vocab word. If incorrect, erase a part of the pig hence the name "Save the Pig!!!"

Bookmaking

Spent a satisfying morning learning/reviewing bookmaking skills in a class taught by one of my cohorts, M (who's also responsible for teaching me how to blog!)

We learned/created a simple folder book

An accordion book

A 4 page/one sheet 'hot dog' booklet

A step book

'Who am I?" book

Palm Tree book

You can see the step-by-step instructions of most of these at makingbooks.com. All are designs from artist Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord. This is such a great way to combine literacy/vocabulary activities with artmaking!

3 + 1 = :)

Years ago, I posted this formula high on the wall of my room as a reminder to my student teacher...

It was a visual reminder that every time things went south in the noise and/or behavior department during class, the teacher should give 3 positive comments before a corrective comment which would make for a happier teacher and a quieter, more productive environment for the kids...

"I see Juan is working quietly."

"I like how table 3 has their heads down and eyes on their work."

"I appreciate how well table 6 is sharing materials with each other."

"Karen - you need to keep your hands and feet to yourself."

Often, you don't need the correction because most straighten up when they realize you're handing out compliments & they LOVE to hear their name attached to a positive remark...

Try it & let me know if it works for you OR share a favorite technique of yours...

PS. A side benefit is it keeps the kids guessing trying to figure out the equation (I usually don't share my secrets or tricks of the trade with them). My gifted kids came up with some very unique explanations which were as creative as they were wrong....

"Thumbs on Top"

We are finishing up paintings and prints these days so a lot of wet media is 'walking' around the room during class. I have a saying that I use to remind the students to hang on to their work: "Thumbs on top!"

I demonstrate all the terrible things that can happen when they DON"T hold onto their work...

work can end upside down on the floor...

work can end up pressed on your shirt (happened just last week)...

work can end up on your neighbor...

Then I demonstrate how none of that happens when you have your thumbs on top of your work as you carry it to the drying rack...

I was thinking of putting it to music - like "Pants on the Ground" made famous on American Idol last season...

Thumbs on the top
Thumbs on the top
Work can't fall
If you have
Thumbs on the top!

Hmm...maybe I can moonlight as a songwriter!