Personal Student Scales (FREEBIE!)

I don't know about y'all's county or district but ours is all about Marzano.  Scales, learning goals, the whole gambit!  While we have a whole class scale in our room that we use weekly/throughout a unit, there are still times I want to get a quick check as to where my students are without having to waste time on everyone getting up, moving their clip, and then possibly changing their mind because other people are on a different number than they are.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of a scale and having students take responsibility for their learning as well, but sometimes this all feels like a show.  Possibly because it's not how I would necessarily do it.  There are so many different ways to gauge students understanding and learning and what might work for one, might not work for another...  AND THAT'S OKAY.  Luckily, I work with and for some amazing people who understand that.

To still stick with Marzano but make it more comfortable for my teaching I have stolen, yes STOLEN, an idea from another group of fabulous people in our county.  As fifth graders, my students go on the Mud Walk to the Environmental Center every year for a field trip.  It's a two day trip and the dry day is a more indoor learning experience and they had these fabulous little scales that the students used.  My team and I LOVED them and knew we had to recreate them for our classrooms.  In case you were wondering, the other day is the wet day.  Yes, that is exactly what it sounds like: Mud Walk Wet Day.  We literally spend an hour or so walking through mud and river water, but I love it!



Now we want to share them with you!  You don't even have to be implementing Marzano in your classroom to use these bad boys :o)  Here's how to set them up!

1.  First, click here to download your FREE personal student scale.  Go ahead, I'll wait...  Oh good, you're back!  Now print them on cardstock (they last longer).  You can laminate them but I did not because usually they don't stay folded if it's laminated, but your call!

 



 

2.  Once you have printed them off, cut down the middle to separate the two scales.  If you are OCD like me and want them to be exactly the same/perfect spacing, then measure your paper (length wise) and draw a line at the 5 1/2" mark.  Slice the paper right down the middle!

 



 

3.  Now that you have separated the two scales, fold them in half (hot dog style, as my kids say) to make a table tent.



 

4.  Cut a piece of yarn that can wrap around the front of your scale.

 



 

5.  Tape the yarn to the inside cover of your scale on ONE side.

 



 

6.  Choose a bead and string it onto the yarn.  Then tape the yarn to the inside cover of your scale on the other side.

 



7.  Your completed project should look like this...

Now your students can move their bead along the scale without distraction as their learning increases or if they are having struggles!  Another reason I really like this personal scale is because kids tell you how they really feel about their learning.  Even though it sits on their desk and everyone can still see it, this is more comfortable to them as opposed to getting up and everyone watching them decide where their clip belongs on the classroom scale.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!



A Day Our Way Linky

Oh the great and powerful schedule!  It really can be a thing of beauty.  It can make your life go so smoothly but when someone tries to change it up on you, BAM!  It's like your children think the apocalypse is coming! Lol, luckily this year my kids are pretty good about with going with the flow.  One of the issues we have is getting back to normal after we have gone with said "flow."

It is quite the coincidence that this linky came up today because just this week my team and reading coach were discussing how our schedules seem to be ever changing and how that is one thing we would really like to focus on for next year.  Now I will have LOTS of ideas to bring back to the team to help us form a plan of attack.  Couldn't have worked out better!

This is our schedule for this year.  It's a little different for me because now I am teaching all subjects but it keeps me on my toes and it's never a dull moment!

Morning Work:
This is always such a hectic time of the day.  The kids come in and get out their planners and homework from the night before and then begin whatever morning work is up on the board.  Once they start working on their morning work, which could be ANYTHING, I am calling up tables one by one to check their homework, signed planner, and give them tickets depending on where they landed on the behavior scale the day before.  While all this is going on, the morning news announcements are also running.  Needless to say it's crazy but somehow it all gets done before we go to specials at 8:50.  If anyone knows of a wonderful morning work packet for either reading, math, and/or science, PLEASE LEAVE ME A COMMENT!  I would love to find something all inclusive that people love already.

Reading Intervention:
This is 30 minute block is focused solely on our students fluency and reading comprehension.  The slight difference in this intervention block is that their reading comprehension is a specific skill they are working on.  This two week block my kids are working on comparing and contrasting as opposed to a story with questions that encompass all the skills.  This is the time where we really target our neediest students.  What's nice is that through the books we use, it's not always the same kids every time.  I might see different kids every few weeks based on where their strengths lie and depending on what skill we are learning. 

Reading/Social Studies:
MY FAVORITE!  Through this hour we do our Daily 3/Guided Reading Groups, Interactive Notebook from Erin Cobb, and any type of Social Studies I can get in!  Sadly, that doesn't happen as often as I would like but we use Social Studies Weekly and my kids seem to really enjoy that and it's a wonderful example of informational text.

During Daily 3 is when my students work on their spelling, vocabulary, and grammar through the different stations.  I'll go more into the 3-in-a-Row next week but I will show you some of the activities that they accomplish.  If you're like me then you know that finding Word Work centers for intermediate is not always the easiest.  I switch these out every couple of months just to keep things interesting but they can be used with any spelling or vocab word so they are always changing in a sense.  For writing the complete classroom journals, amazing sentences, and reading response.

Read Aloud:
I adore this time with my kids because this is when we relax and all get cozy on the floor and read a book just for the pleasure of reading.  We just finished Janitors (a Sunshine State Book) and it was good.  It took me a while to get into it but the ending was really good!!!  Now we are reading one of my all time favorites, The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives.  My kids are already hooked and I just love to hear them beg for more and tell me that lunch can wait, lol.

Math:
Math usually begins with a problem of the day (a problem of what we will be working on that day) and then we share all the different ways people solved it.  From there we move into our lesson in our math journals.  We write down our learning goal for the day and then begin our mini-lesson.  After the mini-lesson, they break up into their groups and do their MATH rotations (math facts, at your seat, teacher time, or hands on).

This was the beginning of the year, now it's filled with all sorts of math goodies!

With five minutes left we write down our homework and write down our reflection for our lesson using Runde's Math Reflection Fans.  I have these fans for EVERYTHING and LOVE them!  So do the kids!  They always ask if they get to do a reflection as an exit ticket and I am only to happy to oblige :o)

Science:
The last hour of the day is science and you never know what that's going to bring!  We do a lot in our Science Notebooks thanks to the Science Penguin, digital experiments, actual experiments, breaking down the lesson and more!  This year science is also a tested subject and it is pretty intense.  I'm loving it more and more as I go but still not my favorite subject, lol.

I know it's hard to see, but they are creating a series circuit here!

Afternoon Wrap-Up:
The afternoon wrap-up is the second craziest part of the day.  Safety patrols are trying to jet out while we are still packing up, cleaning up, writing down where we landed on the behavior scale in our planner and going over last minute reminders.  At the end of the day I'm always impressed what these kids absorb on the fly!

So that's it!  That's my day.  It seems so simple when I type it out here but it never really is, lol.  I like it that way though :o)  Link up with Amelia at Where the Wild Things Learn and tell us all about your schedule!

Behavior Management Scale (BTS FLASH FREEBIE!!!)

As some of you saw on yesterday's Monday Made It, I have a new behavior management system for my classroom this year!  Our county has been big into Marzano the past couple of years so my team and I decided we wanted our new behavior management system to align with that.  Now we will be using a scale for the students to measure and track their behavior throughout the day!

 

I would say the biggest difference in this behavior management scale versus all other clip charts is that it uses numbers and general behavior descriptions, not colors and phrases.  There are four coordinating designs in this bundle: Big Kids, Little Kids, Bunting Banners, and Numbers!  They all say the exact same thing but you have four different designs to choose from (that way both primary and intermediate can enjoy!).  The Big Kids and Little Kids designs have children showing the different emotions one might feel if they are on a particular number.  This works great for your ELL students or maybe your ASD kiddos who aren't always aware that their behavior is upsetting others.

I've also included two editable versions (portrait and landscape) of rewards, consequences, and ways to move on the scale posters.  As you can see the descriptions DO NOT include consequences.  They are just general behavior descriptions :o)  My favorite part about this whole thing is that the students are taking responsibility and tracking their behavior as the days and weeks go on!

 

THE FLASH FREEBIE IS NOW OVER! I APPRECIATE ALL THE WONDERFUL FEEDBACK AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Since it is Back to School time and we are all feeling that time dwindle away I will be giving away this Behavior Management Scale as a FLASH FREEBIE for ONE HOUR (July 30, 2013 11:00AM-12:00 PM)!  All I ask is that you leave love!  Click on any of the pictures above to get your copy!

Must Have Monday Made It (LOTS of goodies!)

Happy Monday y'all!  As you are reading this I am finally in my classroom trying to get my room together before we move into our house on Wednesday.  YAY!!!  I wanted to let y'all know that Must Have Mondays will change to the LAST MONDAY of every month now that we are all getting back into our classrooms.  So the next time you will link up will be August 26 and  I want to know what was a must have for the month of August or just anything you couldn't live without!

I asked my husband what was something that I couldn't live without and he instantly laughed and said, "Bins."  Dead serious, no joke, bins.  And if you're a teacher, you know the obsession well.  I have had bins from Really Good Stuff for the past five years and they have served me well.  They are just now starting to crack under the strain of kids handling them and heavy books like Harry Potter.  The ones that hold the smaller chapter books are still going strong though!  That being said, I HAD to get more bins ;o)

I bought a few from the Dollar Tree (the mecca) but I will also be buying a set of the skinny book bins for individual students and as much as I have loved my RGS bins, they are not the same price they were 5 years ago... by like A LOT.  So this poor teacher had to go a hunting and found this wonderful post from Ms. Fultz's Corner.  She compares the book bins from Steps to Literacy vs. Really Good Stuff (literally side by side) and I now know which one I'll be buying.  DEFINITELY WORTH THE READ!

 

Today I'm also linking up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It!  I have been a busy little worker bee this week trying to get everything done for my classroom.  Literally.  I mean, I put the sticky squares on the back of the Word Wall blocks already so that all I have to do when I get to school is peel and stick! HAHA!  I just want as much time in my room as possible before I have to leave early to move into the house.

Editable Back to School Packet
I finally got all my Meet the Teacher/Open House and First Week of School goodies compiled into one packet!  Can I just say that I am in love!  It has EVERYTHING that I need and all in one place.  Instead of a bunch of random worksheets in random files and folders I've now got it all in one spot and with super cute fonts, borders, and clip art.  The good thing about blogging and TPT is that is has finally made me look at all my creations and "cute them up."  I know some people don't care about that and that's okay, but I like color in my classroom and this does the job!  If you would like to see what is all included and what others have to say or even to get your own copy click on the image below.

Classroom Supplies Labels
In my classroom I have these plain, beige bins that sit on my rolly cart and house our community supplies.  I wanted to find some cute labels to put on them and then just decided, why not make them myself along with everything else I'm making?  I also wanted to make some for my math centers and supplies but have to wait until I'm in the classroom and see what I have!  To get your set of these 15 premade supplies labels click on the image below.

Blog Binder
I totally stole this idea from Katie at Teacher to the Core!  I mean, how could you not?!  She vamped up her regular binders by putting in fancy scrapbook paper!  Now, usually I just make something on the computer, print it off and slip it in the front, but for my Blogging Binder and TPT Binder I liked this idea a lot better.  She uses fancy transparency paper but I found this really pretty teal/blue cut-out paper that matched my bins and baskets in my soon-to-be craft room.  It came as a 12x12 sheet and I just cut it down to size and slipped it in the front and back pockets and the spine!

Inside is a fantastic blogging calendar made by Gina from Third Grade Tidbits!  I just wish that I had found this before July but it could not have come at a more perfect time!  I have lots of giveaways and collaborative blog and boards happening right now and it has been a LIFESAVER!  Click on the image below to see what all is included in this item.

Word Wall
For the past couple of years I just used a bulletin board with punch out letters as my prefix/suffix word wall.  Now that I am teaching all of the subject though, I need that board!  I have decided to move my word wall to below my white board in the front of the room.  It's perfect because it is such an used space and that area of the floor is where we have our class meetings and mini-lessons so the kids will ALWAYS be looking at it :o)

I made these alphabet squares with 12x12 colored cardstock and trimmed down a 12x12 piece of white cardstock to fit in the middle.  I did trim the edge of the white paper with a black sharpie to help it pop more and match with the letters that had a black trim as well.  Then I created these polka dot letters, printed, cut and glued it all together.  Once I had all 26 done I went to our local Lakeshore and got them laminated!  Might I add that a hurricane was happening outside and I was so terrified that all my hard work would get ruined by water spots and color bleeding but all ended well!

Behavior Management Scale

My last creation of the week was our class Behavior Management Scale.  Our county is big into Marzano these past two years and we wanted to include some sort of scale/clip chart but not necessarily how they do the colors in the primary grades.  So we did numbers, lol!  I know not much of a stretch but the kids use this same scale for their academics so it will be really nice for them to transfer that knowledge and experience into their behavior.  I have it printed, laminated, and rings in place ready to hang today, so I will update this post with a picture when I get it!  There are four different design styles (Big Kids, Little Kids, Bunting Banner, and Numbers) along with editable posters for your rewards, consequences, and ways to move on the scale (all in portrait and landscape).

WHEW!  You made it to the end and deserve a little treat!  Since it is back to school time, I have been giving away some BTS Freebies each day but only for an hour!  If you are not a fan on Facebook DO SO NOW so you can get flash freebie updates.  Check back tomorrow because one of these Back to School items might be up for grabs... HINT! HINT!

Don't forget to link up your last "must have" for the summer and leave some comment love on other's posts!

Back to School Bundle! (FLASH FREEBIE!)

Hey y'all!  Well I "unofficially" go back to school on Monday!  We really don't have to be back until August 6th but since we're signing on the house on Wednesday I wanted to get in the room ASAP and get as much done in there before the craziness starts on the home front.  Our Meet the Teacher/Open House night isn't for another two weeks but I know some of you are creeping up on the date so I wanted to share this with y'all now!  My Back to School Bundle is made up of two sections, Open House and Getting to Know You, and has lots of goodies that will help you survive Meet the Teacher/Open House night and the first week of school!

 The first section (Open House) contains items you will need to run a smooth and successful Open House!  We all know how crazy it can get in there ;o)  One of the things I always notice about Open House night is that the kids want to explore and the parents want to talk to you.  Which is understandable but sometimes the kids are getting into things you don't want them to quite yet and there is a long line of parents trying to talk to you and you're not able to greet the new ones coming in.  To help alleviate that from happening (or at least keep the flow going) I have included Student Information Sheets, Parent Volunteer Sign Up Sheets, Transportation Logs, a Classroom Scavenger Hunt and more!  These items usually keep the parents busy filling out their information while their kids explore the room in a controlled environment and other parents, who have already filled out their packets, are now talking to you.  Life saver I tell ya!


In the second section (Getting to Know You) there are oodles of activities to help you and your students get to know each other throughout the first week of school!  This is such a big deal to me because this classroom is really our second home and we should feel as comfortable here as we do on our couch with our family.  I spend the entire first week doing different "getting to know you" activities, that way the kids become more familiar with each other and they are working on their social skills in different settings.  I've been to some places where they do an activity one day and then that's it.  Well that might work for some, especially adults who are more outgoing and willing to engage in conversation with others, but not for kids.

I have activities for whole group, small groups, and individuals!  Some of them are the old classics like "Classmate BINGO" (with a twist of course) and others, like "Dice to Meet You," will be brand new and engaging to the students!  Dice to Meet You is my favorite by the way!  There are also art activities that allow students a creative outlet to show you who they really are.  By the end of the week they will know each other VERY well and there is even a game/challenge included to see how well they have been paying attention.

Since you made it through this LONG post I feel you deserve a freebie!  I have done this Getting Know You Glyph for the past couple of years and my kids LOVE it!  It also looks really good in the hallway for when parents visit.  Click on the image below to download your copy!

THE FLASH FREEBIE IS OVER BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS!  I APPRECIATE IT MORE THAN YOU WILL KNOW :O)

Also for being so patient and reading through ALL of that I will be giving away my Back to School Bundle as a FLASH FREEBIE for the next hour (July 27, 2013 1:00 - 2:00 EST)!  Click on the image at the top of the post or here to access the Back to School Bundle!  All I ask is that you leave me some feedback love!  It wouldn't hurt my feelings either if you wanted to pin it! ;o)

Don't forget to hop on over to our Pinterest Scavenger Hunt Contest for your chance to win a $50 TPT gift card!  I hope y'all have a fantastic summer weekend!  Enjoy it, there aren't many more left?!?!