Manic Monday, Wishful Organizing!

I store each day's Math Daily Spiral Review/Enrichment in the metal trays labeled with the days of the week.  I also keep any tests or other items I need for the week in that day's tray.  I write each subject's topic and any page numbers necessary by the schedule, this is for me as much as it is for the students!  This also makes it easy for them to write our agenda down in their planners each morning before specials.  How do you organize your daily paperwork?  Do you write your schedule down or just go subject by subject?

Each student has a drawer in which to keep small items such as crayons, scissors, etc.  I make copies of all of the E.O.'s, Math Daily Spiral Review and Enrichment, etc. ahead of time and store them in the unused drawers.  I have trays on the top of each set of drawers to organize items to be copied, items to be turned into the Science teacher, and any notes from home or lunch money.  How do your students store their loose items?

 

4 Days of Summer

What?  Four days?  Crazy!

On the way to my Six Traits "refresher" (which sadly turned out to be more about scoring than teaching), I heard something interesting on the radio...they were talking about being parents and the first day of school, and they started playing, "It's the most wonderful time of the year..."  Not really the song I'm playing in my head!  If I had a theme song, what would it be?  I'll have to think on that...

Recently I was wondering what to do about restroom passes for my new theme.  Then I saw some little wooden figures at Hobby Lobby that look like your traditional boys' and girls' restroom figures.  Aha! 

I painted them, added some felt capes and some leftover rickrack and...

made restroom passes!  There were smaller wooden figures in the package as well, so I had another great idea.  I attached them to wooden sticks and made pointers. 

I'm getting closer to being ready, but I still have SO much to do!

By the way, anyone out there have their own theme song?  I'm still searching...

7 Days of Summer

Out for one of the final adult beverage evenings with old and new friends last night!  We all toasted to the end of summer... and the beginning of a new school year...

I've always used the standard pocket chart with green, yellow, and red cards for classroom management.  I know The 2 Sisters don't really approve of veteran teachers using this system, and I have tried starting the year without it, but it seems as though students this age need a visual.  I've seen behavior charts for years and have really thought about changing it up a little, and then I saw this one from Third Grade's a Hoot on Pinterest.  Perfect for my new theme!  So I made one of my own that would work for me.  I used the same bottom three colors they were accustomed to in Kindergarten, then I added two levels at the top, blue and purple,   I really like the idea of rewarding those with excellent behavior.  Students who stay on green or fly above will join our "Lunch Bunch" and eat in the classroom on Friday.  Those who are on blue or purple will get a stripe on their clip, five stripes will earn them an extra reward.  Students who move their clips to red will write a note home which must be signed and returned the next day.  This will be my first year trying this system out, so I'll let you know how it goes!  What kind of behavior management system has worked for you?


Click here to get my superhero behavior chart.

Manic Monday

In order to prevent twenty or so first graders from sharpening their pencils during instruction, we have a can of sharpened pencils available.  The students can put pencils that need sharpened in the "Please Sharpen" can, and the Super Kid sharpens them after they finish getting the calendar ready.  Of course, anyone may sharpen pencils in their free time as long as I am not teaching.  This is the first year that I have had reluctant sharpeners!  No one wanted to sharpen pencils this year!  It was their least favorite job.  How do you handle pencil sharpening during lessons?