Classroom Management - Have a 5 Star Day!

Hi, everyone!
I don't know about you, but over the summer I constantly think about improving classroom management. More specifically, my behavior plan. How can I make this year run more smoothly? How can I make sure to balance positive and negative consequences? How can I ensure everyone has a chance to be successful?
Last year, I came up with a behavior plan that I call "5 Star Day".

Here is a freebie of the rules I made. I use Whole Brain Teaching ( search on YouTube). Feel free to edit if you want because I changed the last rule to "Keep everyone happy" because this includes me as well! Click on pic to download!

I used "5 Star Day" last year to keep students motivated to follow the rules and they seemed to really enjoy it. This was developed to also help lessen my load during pack-up time... See I always stamped the calendar of students who had a "good" day and then wrote on the calendars of those who broke rules. It took me forever and then the students just started talking and goofing around rather than stand by their desk as they were supposed to do when they are done packing up. I tried to have a student stamp while I wrote but the wrong day would  get stamped or a student who shouldn't have received a stamp did and I felt like it was making me look unorganized to parents.

This new system held students accountable, helped me with recording problem behavior, saved time at the end of the day and made those wonderful, rule-followers shine!

I added this star behavior calendar to our STAR take home folders.

I love this because students can color in the number of stars they earn at the end of the day to save me time. I just check on the ones " who struggle" with behavior and write the rule(s) they need to work on. This helps students have a goal for each day. It also helps me distinguish those with great behavior from those with good behavior rather than just focusing on those with poor behavior.

Here's how it works:

Students are given a star chart for their desk.I have pink, green and blue. Their goal is 5 stars a day. The students keep track of their own behavior throughout the day with a paperclip on the star chart. At Walmart, I bought their flat plastic paper clips since clothespins are too large to fit under the chart on the desk.





I just added a whole group clothespin chart if you want to do that instead.

If a student needs an individual consequence, I will quietly motion or whisper that they need to move to 4 stars on their chart. I also write the rule number he or she broke on my class clipboard recording sheet  by his or her name. This method also helps me with behavior documentation. Saves so much time!!! I then have students color in the number of stars they earned at the end of the day. This saves me time as I used to stamp everyone’s folder at the end of the day. Now I just check those students who had less than a 5 star day and write which rule they struggled with. I really like this because I can reward those with great behavior at the end of each week or month and keep track of those struggling! I also like that the behavior recording chart is not posted for everyone to see, it is portable and permanent. Parents like that they know exactly how their child is behaving every day.

I made the 5 star behavior calendars for each month with 2 or 3 different options to fit any school calendar as well as included blank templates in case other teachers' rules are different than mine. I tried to think of every possibility! There are 51 pages! If you like this idea and want to try it next year, check it out (here) on TPT for $3.00!!!. I'd love some feedback if anyone downloads. :)





I  also want to announce the winners of my Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe pack. Yay, Rachel and Lori! I will email you girls soon!

Spelling Tic Tac Toe for each month of the Year with a Giveaway!

 Hi friends!

I have been gone for so long! I haven't even been able to read posts lately. I have been in gifted cluster trainings and working at my district office on our 1st grade Common Core ELA curriculum. I came back to the blogging world to find out that Google Friend Connect will be no more. Waaa! So, I have set up an account at Bloglovin'. I would appreciate it if my small number of followers would continue to follow me.  :)
 I have lots of ideas to share for this next year for Common Core and a Differentiated Classroom!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Now I want to share a new product I just finished. I have had a couple of these spelling tic-tac-toes as freebies for awhile now and they were pretty popular. I decided to spruce them up and make one for each month of the year. They even increase in difficulty as the year progresses. Click the pic or here to view on TPT.

Kids and parents love these because they have choice in activities and I love them because I don't have to think of new activities for spelling each week! :) I also included 3 different non-thematic versions for the beginning, middle and end of year in case there are students who can't celebrate certain holidays.

Here are a few up close so you can see the variety of activities:

Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway to win this pack for free! a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Book Whisperer- Be inspired!

Wow, I haven't blogged in forever! Between a student teacher, Career Ladders ( a hoop-jumping portfolio that is evaluated by other teachers every year) and life, I haven't had the time. I'm sure you've felt that way before, am I right?

 I did want to stop in quickly today to share an amazing, inspiring book I just read about developing life long readers.  The Book Whisperer examines current reading instruction in public schools and challenges teachers to redefine their beliefs about teaching reading. Although the author is a 6th grade teacher, the book will touch a  reading teacher of any grade. I highly recommend buying or borrowing this book. I just completed a book study with some teachers at my school and we all absolutely loved it! It's such an easy read but will offer many thought provoking alternatives to traditional reading instruction that will engage and inspire your own students.

Check it out on Amazon here!  Let me know if you have read it or have been inspired to read it.

Happy reading and teaching!

Another Easter Freebie!

Happy Spring Everyone!
I'm in AZ so it is especially gorgeous outside. I just wanted to pop in and share another Easter freebie with you.

I shared this Long Vowel Easter Egg Hunt a few days ago.

And today... Save the Egg- Mulitiples of 10 adding!

 

 

 

 

If you can use either one, leave me a comment below! Thanks!

 

Top of the Mornin'! Look here for an Easter freebie!

Top of the Mornin to ya'!

 I love St. Patrick's Day! When I was in Kindergarten, I remember my teacher set-up a Leprechaun visit and I've always remembered that. I do that for my students now because I loved it so much when I was young.

I used Reagan's Looking for a Leprechaun pack yesterday. Click the pic to check it out!!!

                                                                


It's so cute! I love that the students have to review skills after each clue on the scavenger hunt. The students loved it!!!! They've never been so excited to do work! ( Insert evil leprechaun laugh here)

My own son is in first grade this year and I set it up for him at home complete with Lucky Charms and green milk!

I'm on Spring Break now and with Easter just around the corner, I wanted to share an Easter Word Work freebie! Just click here to download your copy. Don't you just love dollar store tins!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

Invention Investigations!

Hi Friends!

I just got back from a weekend in Sedona, Arizona. We went hiking both days and had a blast. It's just so beautiful there!

                                                             
I wanted to share the Inventions unit we started last week. The lesson we completed Friday hit so many Common Core Standards!

After reading Meet Ben Franklin in our Treasures books, we discussed Ben's inventions and built our background about inventions. We read Now and Ben, a great book about how Ben's inventions are used today.
And Kids Inventions, another story in our Treasures book.

On Friday, I modeled how to make a poster about an invention and then gave each table group a problem card that kids can relate to. The groups had to create an invention that would solve the problem.

They all did a really good job! I was so proud!

After they created their posters, they presented their inventions to the class.

 This group created the Lid Tracker 1000. This device tracks down your lost marker lids and shows you a GPS map so you can find them. It beeps as you get closer.Only sold at Walmart and Fry's! They even created a boy, girl, unisex and adult version. So amazing!

 This group created the Security Box. The pencil box with a security camera. If a pencil is lost or stolen, the camera alerts the robot and he retrieves it!




These kiddos invented the Sand Slippers.These slippers can be worn at recess to keep sand out and then are easily removed once recess is over. This product is also available in two styles as well.





This next week, the students will be thinking about a problem they want to solve individually and then an invention they could create to solve the problem.  We will be building our prototypes and creating diagrams with labels as well. Once they are done with that we will be writing about how our invention works.Here's last year's post about our inventions if you're interested.

I'll keep you posted with more pics as we continue through this unit. If you are interested in trying this yourself, I have everything you would need!

I'll be back this week with some freebies for Read Across America! Have a Happy Monday!

Becoming the Greater or Less Than Symbol!

Hi friends! Happy Presidents' Day Weekend!
For those of you who are new to this blog, I love integrating the Arts into my curriculum. I have been so fortunate to have had many trainings in integrating Dance, Drama, Visual Arts and Music with content. Using the Arts is so engaging for the students and helps learning "stick".

Last week, I gave a math test to assess my students before conferences.  Here's a look at the test. I included  the many different word problems we have been learning that are included in the Common Core.

 If you're interested in the test, let me know. It gave me great information about my students. However, I was shocked that my firsties had forgotten how to use the greater or less than symbols. :(

 Last weekend I came up with an idea to help them.Don't you love a teacher's brain?All of a sudden, this idea just popped into my head? I wanted to come up with a lesson that would be engaging and allow them to be up and moving so why not make them be the symbols!
I decided to give 2/3 of my class a number card between 20-100 and the other third became the greater or less than symbol.
I played music and the students danced around the room to the music. Once the music stopped, the students had to get into groups of three - 2 numbers and a symbol. After each group assembled, I called out " compare". At this cue, students put themselves into a number sentence and the greater or less than symbol would have to figure out which way to point. We then read the number sentences around the room.

The kids then switched jobs and we did it all over again!!!! So fun!

 The next day we played this dice roll game with 20 sided dice in partners to practice.