Post-It Prompts for Journaling

This year, I've started personal journals with my class.  A few times per week, I print up a journal prompt for students to copy into their journals.  I've been able to get my kids a little more excited about journals than usual because I've found a way to make them fun, colorful, and exciting.

WARNING: This is about to change your life....

I print the prompts on POST-IT NOTES! (See BELOW for instructions on how to print on Post-It Notes).

Printing on Post-Its has been awesome! While a little more time consuming that just writing a prompt on the board and requiring students to copy it down, the kids are really excited to pull a Post-It Prompt off the board in the morning and paste it down.

I also use my Journaling time as a self-starter first thing in the morning, so this process also makes it easy for me to see how many students have begun working and how many have not (based on how many Post-Its are left on the board).  For example: "Wow! More than half the class has started their journals already. This is great!" and "Hmm. Are there two students absent today? Or have they just forgotten to grab their Prompt?"

During the first week of school, I review the Expectations for Daily Journaling with my class each day. I also printed miniature copies of this document for students to glue into the inside covers of their journals, next to their Journaling Rubrics.  Journaling Expectations include:

• Copy the prompt into your journal (or stick the Post-It in!) 
• Start Writing. Your entry should end up being at least five sentences.
• Use 7-UP Sentences: at least seven words per sentence.
• Be prepared to share your response if you are called upon. 

...And my kids LOVE being able to share what they have written.  If there is someone who is not prepared to share, let them share what they are GOING TO WRITE.


CLICK HERE to download the Daily Journaling Expectations.

I have also created a Journaling Rubric, which I laminated and attached to the inside covers of each student journal.  Students turn in their journals about once a month to be graded.

CLICK HERE to download the Journaling Rubric.

HOW TO PRINT ON POST-IT NOTES: 

1. Print out the Sticky Note Template on a piece of cardstock. 
2. Once printed, line up six 3x3 Post-It Notes in the boxes.  Make sure you know the direction your Post-Its need to be lined up to fit into your printer. 
3. Place your blank sticky notes (on the cardstock) into your printer. You'll want the sticky side to go in first in order to avoid paper jams.
4. Open up the Prompt that you want to use and print!
5. After printing and removing your Post-Its, cut them in half.  Each page will produce a total of 12 prompts.

CLICK HERE to download a Sticky Note Template.

And finally, out of the goodness of my heart....CLICK HERE for 50+ prompts formatted for your Sticky Note Template.

THINKING about READING

Can you tell that school has started?  It takes me two months of hard work to get to the point where I can take a breath! Phew!

I want to start this post by sharing with you how AMAZING my group of sixth graders are this year! They have been such good sports about my taking pictures of them all the time for my blog and Masters Classes and their parents have been awesome for letting me use their images.

Last week, we experienced one of the greatest Reading Comprehension activities I've ever used!  We've been discussing that the word "metacognition" means "thinking about thinking".  We've also talked about how "Real Reading" occurs when you actually THINK about what you read.  Thinking could be making connections or predictions, visualizing characters or events in the story, etc.

To practice, I made a quick, simple THOUGHT BUBBLE out of poster board and cut out a hole for a face.  Students worked in pairs to read a few chapters from our whole-class novel.  I instructed the students to take turns providing the TEXT (reading aloud from the novel) and providing the THOUGHTS (using the bubble to interrupt their partner and share their thoughts).

Students were paying such good attention to what they read! I was amazed at the conversations started around the room. "Oh! This reminds me of this time my family went camping last summer..." "That character kind of reminds me of Ebenezer Scrooge...Did you see that Muppet Movie?" "I wonder if she really will run away from home. I've never done that. I think I'd be too scared. Where do you even go when you run away?"

Even when my students are not using their Thought Bubbles, they interrupt their reading with thinking! Which I think is just great.

WHOOPS! Binder

Every year, I struggle to find ways to handle the students who are not prepared for class and do not complete homework assignments.  I've tried behavior contracts, sticker charts - EVERYTHING.  I don't find them useful.  As much as I love rewarding my students, I have a hard time justifying rewarding students ALL THE TIME for things they should just DO - like turning in assignments. Other teachers in my school send students to the hallway to finish assignments if they are not completed, but I just can't send 10-12 students out of class every day.

I found the "No Homework Binder" idea on pinterest the other day. Loved it - and just tweaked it a little for my purposes.  Basically, you make a copy of the binder page for each student, hole punch, and place in a binder.   When a student comes to class unprepared, he or she flips to their assigned page and marks the Date, Assignment, and REASON for not completing homework.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of the Binder Page. 

I think that this will be a great tool to use to keep records of which students are chronic homework-forgetters. It may not be a huge reward or consequence for homework behaviors, but it certainly would also be useful to have on hand during Parent-Teacher Conferences to show documentation of those students' habits.  I like that the page asks the student to list the REASON for not completing the homework assignment.  This way, you can look for solutions to this problem that are more specific to the reasons that student is failing to complete work. Is Daniel just leaving it at school? Does Susie FINISH her assignment, but leave it at home on the kitchen counter? Maybe Kyle doesn't do his assignment because he was at soccer practice.... If that is listed twenty times in the Binder this term, his parents need to know that extracurriculars are interfering with his schoolwork.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of my WHOOPS! Binder Cover (above) as well.

Sign Language Signals

There is nothing that bugs me more than students getting up out of their seats during the middle of a lesson. Strike that... There is nothing that bugs me more than when I call on a student who is raising his hand during a lesson, thinking maybe he'll ask a great question or offer an answer and he distracts the whole class by asking, "Can I go to the bathroom?"

A few years ago, I taught my class a few simple letters in sign language.  During a lesson, I have my students raise their hands with the specific letter to let me know WHY they are raising their hands. If I'm in he middle of teaching, I can make eye contact with the student, quickly respond with a "YES" or a "NO" in sign language to let them know if it is an appropriate time to go to the restroom, sharpen a pencil, grab a tissue, or get something out of their backpack.


I've created a few signs that I post near the front of my room to remind students of the letters and their meanings.  CLICK HERE to download the signs.  I print them on bright colored card stock, mount them on black, and make sure I reteach and review often!


CLICK HERE for the "Yes" and "No" posters.

Arcademic Skill Builders

ARCADEMIC SKILL BUILDERS is a set of the most AMAZING online games (math/language arts/geography/keyboarding) that kids ACTUALLY want to play!

And here’s why: Students each create a PLAYER and can player multiplayer games AGAINST other students in the class!!!

Here’s how it works!... I've attached a link to my newly created YouTube Channel, where I've recorded step-by-step instructions to creating games and passwords and finding friends/classmates online.  Feel free to show the video to your class in the computer lab if you'd like!

 

And then let it go! After a few tries, the students were able to CREATE games, search for friends’ games, and join on their own.  Even the little ones will get the hang of it! I was amazed to see even my most difficult kids get excited! In a few split-seconds we went from “WHAT?! Math games?! Seriously?” to “WHOA!!! Dude! Join MY game! Join MINE!” They LOVED it.

PE Rules & Consequences

PE is a time when it's okay for kids to get a little rowdy, but it doesn't mean that there shouldn't be rules and behavior expectations for your time in the gym.  For those of you LUCKY enough to not have PE specialists at your school...(or for those of you who are PE specialists), here are the Rules and Consequences that I've found successful for my sixth graders in the past. I'm sure they'd work just great for any elementary school class.

CLICK HERE to download PE Rules & Consequences Signs.

CLICK HERE to download the Time Out Sign.

I print my signs on card stock and laminate. I also laminate another strip of card stock and staple it across the back so that I can slip my signs onto cones in the gym for quick reminders.


RULES

1. Freeze, Look, & Listen:  The first time I take my class to the gym, I teach them to "freeze". When I blow a whistle, I expect students to turn their feet (and whole body) toward the teacher. Their hands are on their knees and voices are OFF.  If they have a ball, jump rope, etc., they hold their equipment in their in their hands and their ELBOWS are on their knees.  I practice the freeze by having students skip around the gym and blow my whistle.  Be sure to move around the gym yourself and have the kids practice turning to face you. This usually takes about five minutes to perfect - but DON'T stop freezing until you are 100% satisfied with your results! Make them do it over and over and over.
2. Respect Others: This is pretty self-explanatory. I ask the students for suggestions on what this might mean in the gym, and I usually get responses like "playing fair", "following the rules of the game", "being safe", "keeping hands and feet to yourself", "taking good care of the equipment", etc. 
3. Do Your Best: Every student needs to participate in every activity. Even if you have students who are self-conscious, explain that they just need to do their "best"!
4. Have Fun!

CONSEQUENCES

1. Warning/Reminder: Verbal reminder of the rule from the teacher.  These could be our general PE rules or a rule for a specific game or activity.
2. First Time Out: Set up a specific "Time Out Zone".  I usually put a cone in one corner of the gym with one of my TIME OUT SIGNS on it. (CLICK HERE to download Time Out Sign).  Students need to sit and face the corner so they are not distracted by students, and more importantly - not distracting the rest of the class.  For the FIRST Time Out, I allow my students to come back whenever they are ready.  If that means they sit and stand right back up - that's fine, as long as they recommit to following the rules.
3. Second Time Out: When a student breaks a rule and returns to play after their First Time Out, they recommit to following all PE Rules.  However, if the student breaks another rule, he or she must go to Time Out again, and this time - they are stuck there until the end of the period.
4. Student/Teacher Conference: The student is out for the rest of your PE time at the Second Time Out, but if a specific child is getting into Second Time Out EVERY day/week...something else needs to be done.  Talk with your student to find out what is causing behavior problems in the gym and see if you can find another solution!

Teaching Procedures

No matter how many times your undergrad education professors may tell you to "explicitly teach and review simple classroom procedures throughout the entire school year", every teacher ends up learning this lesson the hard way.  I know it may not make a difference, but to any of you NEW teachers out there - here is a great checklist of things you may not think of TEACHING to your students.  But even kids in the upper grades don't remember the simple "how-to"s of going to school sometimes.

It's important that you know the answers to all these questions before kids walk in your door. And EQUALLY important that you go over all of your classroom procedures frequently.  As annoying and time consuming it seems to you as the teacher, I've seen the negative outcomes of letting things fall by the wayside.  Trust me - you'll be glad you spent all of September with these come April...

 

 CLICK HERE for the Procedure Check List (credit to Katie Jones)

CLICK HERE for ANOTHER Procedure Check List to cross reference (credit to Rachel Lynette)