Let's Get to know Ya! Guest Blog Post from the Applicious Teacher

Hey Guys! I am Leigh from The Applicious Teacher 


 I am hosting today's post while Daina settles into her new home in the Big T!

Today, I wanted to talk about getting to know your students.

I mean really KNOWING your students.

Not just their grades or who their parents are, but their likes and dislikes,  their academic strengths/weakness and their backgrounds.

Like in this video from SoulPancake
Do you take the time to really understand your students as little people?

You should! Research shows the more you know about a person, the better you can connect with them.


As a teacher, connecting with your students can help to build trusting and respectful  relationship. That ultimately leads to positive interactions and increased learning opportunities as students learn they can ask questions, make mistakes, and celebrate their achievements in a safe environment.

Now, I am not suggesting you set up a ball pit in the middle of your classroom (although that would be TOTALLY AWESOME!) But there are some subtler ways to connect and understand your students.

Student Information Sheets 

One of the easiest ways to get to know your students is to have them fill out an information sheet. I have parents fill one out at the "Meet the Teacher". Then I have students fill one out on the first day of school. I love using this FREE one from Katie Jones.

"Getting to Know You" Games

We all spend the first weeks of school playing the "Getting to Know You" games to help build a classroom community, but do you pay attention or *GASP* actually participate in the fun!?


One of my favorites is the simple, yet effective "Name Game". I always play this on the first day of school.  It is SUPER easy and requires absolutely NO PREP! Here's how to play:

Have students sit in a circle.

Then have students think of an adjective that describes them, but also begins with the letter of their first name. My favorite: Lovely Langton.

Starting with the teacher, move around the circle stating the name alliteration and the person before you's name. The kiddos LOVE playing this and it helps YOU learn their names pretty fast! For a challenge, you can have students reintroduce ALL the previous student's alliterations.

Student Annotated Notebook

When I first started teaching, I struggled with keeping track of the"little" information I would pick up through-out the year on my students. As I was complaining  sharing with a fellow veteran teacher about it while I filled out some IEP paperwork, he suggested I keep an annotated notebook on my students. GENIUS!

To set up the notebook, just assign each student a few pages. 

As you go through the year, use the pages to write down the "little things" that happen through-out the year. I also like to date things (had lunch detention or fell on playground on such and such date)

 I find my self reaching for this little notebook every time I am preparing for a Parent Conference     (their child's art was on display in the office!) 

and when I need to fill out PST or IEP paperwork (they are great with "hands on learning" but struggle to apply the same concept in the abstract)

Those are just a *few* ways you can "get to know" your students better. 

Thank you Daina for entrusting me with your glittery blog! 

Guest Blogger: Sara from Miss V's Busy Bees

Hey y'all! I'm Sara from Miss V's Busy Bees.

What do I blog about? Well, a variety of things! A few things I blog about are my life, family, friends, and interests - just to name a few!

But, one of my big interests is Pinterest. Who DOESN'T love Pinterest? We've become such a social society and Pinterest honestly just fueled that for me!

I'll be honest, I have my wedding planned out, my house decor picked out, and my classroom already designed. BUT, none of those has happened yet!! Oh, Pinterest...

Since BTS is coming right around the corner (literally around the corner for a few people I know!), I want to delve into some of the pins I've got for classroom design and organization.

Who knows... maybe you'll find an idea or two to implement this fall!

**Warning: cute pictures and great ideas to follow! You may or may not want to make/create everything below... most likely you may. BUT, you have been warned!**

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This chair is one of my FAVORITE chairs that I have seen on Pinterest. There are a ton of reading chair ideas floating around on the website (many cute ones, of course) but this is my favorite. The simplicity of the chair in the red, black, and white, along with the sayings that this teacher put along the seat of the chair and the backing of the chair just make me want to read! I think students would have that same feeling if THEY were the ones that got to sit in the chair and read to themselves, the class, or to you as the teacher during fluency passages or what not.

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Although this link takes you to a duvet cover that one is able to draw on, the pin pointed out something TOTALLY different. Grab a shower curtain liner, draw on the "notebook paper" with permanent markers, and then give your kiddos some dry erase markers that you can just wash right off! What a fantastic indoor activity on those super monsoon-y (South) or snowy (North) days. Cheap entertainment is all I've got to say!

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I went to a conference last year and one of the speakers was Donalyn Miller. Yup, the Donalyn Miller that wrote The Book Whisperer. She was HILARIOUS, very personable, and had such great ideas that I couldn't wait to get home, write down, and remember to implement in my future classroom. This idea is something similar to what she showed us - her "recommendation board" that she has in her classroom. Students read books and then write recommendations on those books with a short synopsis of each one so that other students know what the book is sort of about and that will help them decide whether or not they want to read it. SO, when I found this pin, I absolutely HAD to pin it. It's called a "graffiti board." The woman who owns this blog actually has this post as inspiration FROM Donalyn, too! Anyways, students write a quote from the book they've read on black paper with a silver sharpie. Not only does it give students the opportunity to write down their favorite part of the book for others to see, but it requires a deeper reading for students to find that "just right" quote.

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The idea of an "Author of the Month" absolutely delights me. Instead of "of the month," I would almost do "of the week." My reasoning behind this is because it gives students exposure to a variety of authors who write for a variety of genres, some of which may be out of their "norm." Giving students the option to read a variety of books expands their minds, their ideas, and their thoughts, along with giving them exposure to different writing styles, too. Also, providing an author of the month/week board provides somewhat of a mini-biography for students to explore. This non-fiction reading is yet another exposure to ANOTHER genre, one that doesn't often get too much attention. What potential!

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While the original pin and post state "a fact a week," this could be changed to a fact a day. Giving students these facts not only gives them the perfect way to become well-rounded individuals, but putting out literature that goes with the facts (for example, books that might go with the fact above could be weather or temperatures around the world or something along those lines) gives students the opportunity to read, wonder, and explore new things daily/weekly! 

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THINK board. I think this is ULTRA important what with all the bullying, negativity, and hatefulness that has been happening around us. It's a GREAT lesson to remind students to think about what they are saying and why they are saying it. This acronym is great for students in younger grades just as much as older grades, which is why I made this board for my own future classroom. I simply found a wooden board at Michaels, cut out the letters using my Cricut, and mod podged it on. BAM - a THINK board to put on a wall, my door, or by my desk to remind students to THINK before they SPEAK! Really, it's a lesson that EVERYONE needs, including myself. Which is why I love it.

SO, do you have any MUST HAVE decor ideas that you'll be using in your classroom come this fall? Any sort of bulletin boards you want to put up? Show me, tell me, talk to me! I want to hear all about your ideas.

If you want to see more, check me out on Pinterest by clicking the button below :) I'd love to have ya!

Before I go, I just want to thank Daina for allowing me to write for you! I hope you're having a blast moving & settle in well!!

Have a good day, y'all!

Guest Blogger: Tamara Russell from Mrs. Russell's Room

Howdy everyone! :)
So excited to be sharing a little something with ya since Daina is on her way to the great state of Texas!  Those of you who follow us, know that we taught first grade together last year and had a total blast the whole way through! :)  She will surely be missed here, but...thanks to the 'bloggy-sphere' she will never be more than a few quick clicks away! :)
So, let's chat a bit today about two things that I think about in the weeks before school starts.

One of the things I am most passionate about is parent participation.  Work on building a relationship with them early.  I find that once parents are comfortable with my routines and proceedures, they typically go with the flow...but the first few weeks of the year, they are typically a bit nervous and needy. Remind them that it really is going to be okay and that you're in this TOGETHER. Offer them specific opportunities to participate in students learning.  Make sure that it is something that they can be successful with...and that they can experience with their little learner.  Apple Day, Pumpkin Day...these are great days that include both learning and play.  The parents will enjoy getting to see how you interact with their child, and to see what they are learning.  This year, I am hosting a Teacher Talk night once a month to explain to the parents a little bit about what I'm teaching in the classroom and to show them how to review the reading and math strategies at home.  I'm hopeful that it will be a great opportunity for us to share our enthusiasm for their children's learning!

Something else that I think a lot about before I start the year is daily routines.  I had a mentor once upon a time that gave me a list of 100 common classroom procedures that I should have an answer for in my room to make sure that my management of the children was always on point.  Things as simple as how do the children take care of sharpening their pencil to what do they do if they find a book that needs repair.  I was surprised at how many things I didn't have an answer for.  If you are a teacher that struggles with having students that constantly come up to you and ask you questions about procedures...then, those are the things that you should be thinking about explaining more clearly...while you have the time to do it in the summer.  Sometimes...even after all these years, I've found that I need to adjust some of those procedures because children change over time...or some procedures don't work in all situations.  Be open to that as you review your procedures.

An Apple A Day Linky: Intervention

Hello!

 

I am guest blogging over at Leigh's blog, The Applicious Teacher, today! I am hosting her linky party and today is all about intervention!

 

I hope you will head on over there and read my post! I shared some apps, websites, and classroom tips for intervention! Just click her button below!