Repost of Class Rules Poster

The blogs following again go with this poster:

Be Kind Always

This rule is a simple way of addressing respect of feelings, property, personalities, achievement, and space. We want the classroom to be a safe place so this rule is for the purpose of creating a safe environment through respect of each other. Belittling, teasing, stealing, violating a person's personal space or feelings is not okay in the classroom. For this rule to be successful, clear communication and example of what is and is not okay is vital. It is okay to respectfully give someone a high five or pat on the back, it is not okay to poke someone with a pencil, grab a pencil out of another student's hand, kick under the table, etc. This rule is meant to encompass respect, 'keeping hands and feet to self', a restraint from stealing, and I let my students know that it is not okay to tease someone because of lack of academic or even behavioral progress. Everyone is in my class to learn at whatever level they are currently achieving. This may be at or below grade level, or this may be at or below the ability to behave appropriately in the classroom. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt and the ability to feel safe in the classroom with a non-judgmental atmosphere where each day is a new and fresh start. Being kind always is for the benefit of all who are in the classroom and enables students to feel that achievement is possible any day and everyday.

Learn Now

Learn Now, Rule 2 for my little ones, is meant to be the the positively stated rule that means no playing with toys while I teach, staying in seat, go to the bathroom before or after class, no talking or making noises that distract - I want this rule to mean "Stay on Task", but have it be all inclusive in terms of mentally and physically staying on task...and because these rules are meant for my Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and some of my 3rd grade groups I wanted to use as few words as possible. Remember these are for my LD students, so literacy may be an un-aquired skill (Hence all of the pictures out to the side of all of the rules.)

Think Smart

Think Smart was a school policy implemented at Goshen Elementary at the administration level. It was an attitude and behavior that students needed to adopt in the learning environment. It means the same as ready position and "Give Me 5" - the students were to be attentive and quiet with their eyes on the teacher and keep their bodies in an upright learning position with hands and feet to self...that's basically it. So anytime a teacher said 'think smart' - immediately, the students were to attain that posture and concentration. It worked like a charm and was so useful, that I believe that one rule can cover many behaviors: i.e. keep hands and feet to self, stay on task, wait your turn to talk, etc. --That is the main reason it is rule number one.

Class Rules

I made these 3 posters - I'm changing up my behavior system so I have the students rate their behavior and match with the teacher's rating.  One poster is meant for older students and the other for younger students:

I have only made a "rate behavior" poster for the upper grades: I want a simplified version of this for the little ones, so I'm still making that one.

My plan is for students to exercise their math skills by keeping a weekly total and they are awarded prizes at the end of the week for the number of points they earn or the average. The prizes will be as follows:


21- 25 points per week  (or average score of 4.2 through 5) -- big prize or reinforcement
15-20 points per week (or average score of 3 through 4) -- small prize
14 and below -- (averages below 3 points) - a skittle unless there are systematic behavior issues that need to be addressed  - no reward will be given for chronic behavior issues, but I will attempt to resolve these problems by consulting with Regular Ed. teacher, Principal, and/or Parents - Remember I have a short 30 minute class, so collaboration is a valuable tool.


I also want to add in extra rewards for academic progress including DIBELS and math Curriculum based assessments - if progress made stays above the aimline then an extra 5 points can be added to the running weekly total.

Why Do We Read

 

New Posters Soon: Why Do We Read

I'm in the process of making posters for my opening lesson for literacy. It's called "Why do we read?", and it's purpose is to open the minds of my struggling readers and get them excited to seek out reading for various purposes. So, expect new posters this summer. I love making them. Before I was a Special Education teacher I got my bachelor's degree in Art History with a minor in Visual Arts (a.k.a. Graphic Design). I find so many ways to use this first portion of my education. The two fields don't seem related, but actually they go right along with each other. As a very amateur graphic artist I was just scratching the surface of critiquing a good design. However, I can definitely be a good critic for what texts are readable for my students with learning disabilities.

Action Research - Vocabulary

Teaching vocabulary to my students is one of my weakest subjects, so I'm experimenting by teaching myself to expand my own vocabulary in my 2nd language I started learning in college, German. Here is the link to my blog on that:
German Word Wall - Vocabulary

I feel that through this I can not only help my students generally with vocabulary learning, but I can also help my English Language Learners with their own language acquisition, because of the experience I have created for myself in doing the same type of language learning.

Teachers should be ever learning

One of the things I've known for quite some time is that the best teachers are, themselves, always seeking knowledge. Once a teacher stops learning their ability to teach others decreases. The only research I have to back this up is my own experience.

Before I became a certified teacher I taught swimming lessons. It took me a while to get through college, because I had to pay for my own education by working. So, while I was trying to decide on a major I became very familiar with the Red Cross' Learn to Swim curriculum. I got my WSI when I was 18, with minimal skills in the more complex strokes. I couldn't do the butterfly very well. It was adequate enough to get my certification. My first year of teaching swimming lesson, I felt like I was the worst teacher in the world, and thus ended my early desire to ever pursuit it as a life long career.

During college and taking a sabbatical for a year and a half to serve a religious mission for my church, I went through the search for a field of study I would enjoy, which was coupled with my continuation of keeping my job as a swimming instructor. I worked in my field of study and on my craft of teaching swimming lessons. I taught every level in the learn to swim program. I saw what did and didn't work when teaching the skill of swimming. I also perfected my own ability to do the butterfly. When I finally graduated from college and started entry level/unpaid positions in my field, while still teaching swimming lessons on a regular basis, I realized my talent for teaching far surpassed what I had done through getting my Bachelor's degree.

I went back and got my teaching license in Special Education, and though I learned what I needed for my license through the formal education that enables me to teach, no amount of college gave me what I learned through self motivated exploration and experimentation.

I still practice that notion, as I look to improve my ability to teach math, reading, and writing to students with learning disabilities. Taking math courses, setting goals to read books I've never attempted reading before, exploring new languages, and writing for genres I'm not familiar with or good at all help me to see where my students are coming from. It allows me to feel the same discomfort that exists when a student tries something new and unfamiliar. That is where learning occurs...is in the uncomfortable and awkward moments of doing something that we are not good at or that we feel inadequate doing. It magnifies the importance of diligent practice, working through errors, and eventually becoming fluent and good at that thing.

Learning is never ending, and the teacher that embraces that and continues to find something new to learn will become the teacher that every student will want to have.

Two other Number Island Posters

Number Island and Place Value

One of my math lessons for place value involves what I've termed 'number island'. The idea is that numbers are like islands...all different sizes and values. I use Snopes' "Birth of an Island" as an attention getting device.

Then we talk about place value, ones, tens, hundreds, etc. Zeros as place holders are rocks to cover sink holes enabling the island to keep its "size/value". Zeros at the two ends of a number (the largest edge or the beach area) fall off/roll down into the ocean.

Whole numbers have no beach. They just plunge into the ocean. Decimals are the beach as part of the whole island, only more precisely valued as tenths, hundredths, etc. Negative numbers could also be brought into this lesson, but I have not developed that portion yet. It wouldn't be hard for the idea that below sea level is where the negative numbers reside. I have no poster for that, but here is the poster for the lesson mentioned above: