Showing posts with label Classroom Creed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classroom Creed. Show all posts
Friday, October 3, 2014
Five for Friday- October 3rd
Yay! It's finally Friday and I just love this linky party from Doodlebugs Teaching!
Here are my top 5 favs from the week!
My kids are ROCKING retelling stories now that we have introduced
"Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then"
I can't believe how fast my kids picked it up and how easy it seemed to be. We have retold many stories the past couple weeks using this method including Amelia Bedelia Bakes Her First Apple Pie, and the kids favorite, Scaredy Squirrel!!
Example from one of my students:
Somebody: Scaredy Squirrel
Wanted: to never ever leave his nut tree because he was afraid of the "unknown"
But: a killer bee came into the tree!
So: Scaredy Squirrel panicked and jumped from the tree into the unknown!
Then: he realized that he's a FLYING squirrel and now he has now added "jumping into the unknown" into his daily routine.
**Amazing**
A couple of TPT purchases and freebies that I'm currently obsessed with...
LOVING these FREE random partner cards from Making it as a Middle School Teacher.
They are AWESOME!
The kids actually request for me to use these instead of letting them choose partners (we all know that student choice is highly encouraged- but picking their own partners is usually a recipe for disaster)
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| Click here to grab your FREE partner cards from Making it Teacher! |
I'm also LOVING this "Would you Rather" pack from Jen Bradshaw.
These writing prompts (as well as the student's responses) crack. me. up. and they also really make the kids think!
I'm putting my favorite prompt into the Writing Center next weekend.
Can't wait to read their reasons!!
I posted a couple of freebies of my own this week! Be sure to read my post about how my students made our Classroom Creed- and grab your free copies below!
Math is amazing this year. I mean seriously, I love it. We are using the Go Math Curriculum and I don't have a single complaint.
(knock on wood)
We are teaching Place Value for the 1st nine weeks... and I'm sure you're thinking,
"How in the world can you stretch out place value into 9 weeks!?"
But it can be done my friends!
I am so pleased with my student's deep understanding of base ten and how to compare numbers using their knowledge of the digit's value.
So far, I think their favorite activity has been "How much is your initial worth?"
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| Original idea found here !! |
Fall Parent Conferences have started this week....
That's all I got, folks. ;)
Have a wonderful Friday, and don't forget to link up with Doodlebugs Teaching for this fun linky party!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Student-Guided Classroom Creed
It's been a few weeks since this little blog of mine has had any attention! Too much of my time has been spent focused on taming the craziness in my class- and watching Big Brother. (#teamderrick!)
If you've read my previous classroom reveal post, you know that I am all about Great Expectations with my kids! My students are held to high standards and are expected to follow 8 expectations each day. Part of the GE "gig" is to have a Classroom Creed that your students create and recite each morning during the Call to Excellence (or Morning Meeting). When I had this group in kindergarten last year, they weren't ready to help create the creed. Instead, I had them recite the standard "classroom pledge" I found ...thank you Google!
In first grade, I knew I had to make the kids step it up a bit. The pledge in the picture above wasn't meaningful to them- they couldn't own it because they didn't get to have their voice in it.
We had to change some things this year.
In order to do so, I created two interactive flaps to have the kids glue in their journal as a brainstorming activity.
Under each flap, students would list attributes of each. Example: A great student is responsible, caring, and respectful. A great student follows directions, shows good character, and helps others.
The next day, I had them get out their finished notebook entry to share with friends what they believe makes a good student.
The kids were then placed in groups to use their "great student answers" as a guide to fill in the blanks of our empty creed.
Now- don't think this task came easy to them. I heard MUCH debate between the groups on what they felt was the perfect word to use for each blank. In order to help them in the process, I showed them this example I created-and encouraged them to use their own creativity instead of copying my words.
The process continued with the kids working (and arguing) to make the perfect creed to fit our class. Y'all. I was BLOWN away with their ideas. Each group pitched their ideas- and it was so hard to pick one! Here's a couple for you to take a peek at...
Told ya- my kids ROCK! Their FAVORITE word is "integrity", can't you tell? :)
We loved everybody's hard work so much that we decided to morph ALL of them into one Creed. Here was the final result:
I LOVE it. More importantly- THEY love it!
And OWN it!
And ABIDE by it!
I strongly suggest helping your classroom community by having your kiddos create their own creed. It's the perfect way to start our morning, and I love being able to refer to it throughout the day.
Want to grab your own FREE and EDITABLE copies? Click on the pic below!
(Please be kind and return the favor by leaving a comment and follow me!)
Have a fabulous weekend!!
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