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Slow Down And Be A Better, Calmer Teacher
3 days ago
Showing posts with label classroom management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classroom management. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
New School Year!
Fauquier County started school this past Monday. I wanted to share some pics of my new room set up. I am starting year four so I plan on mixing things up a bit this year. You can see how it was last year from this post.
I also borrowed the Wild About Art Theme from Phyl over at There's a Dragon in my Art Room.
Here is the sign outside my door:
I put my tables in a new configuration and labeled them differently:
Here is the view from the front - Tables are angled and seat labels are on the side corner. I also added a set up table behind my AV cart.
Here is a view of the front - my cool four paneled white board. I added the vines and stuffed animals. And I cheated and purchased the monkey themed cut outs. I always feel pressured to create all my posters by hand - but I decided to spend my time on other things! Mostly because I won't ever get to them on my to-do list!
Here is what the students see when in line to leave:
The chart is where I record what each classes' score was for art - 1-5. All of the specials use this - the class is expected to get a 3 they earn a 4 or 5or they lose points for a 2 or a 1.
The big pencil says Always write your name and code. The schedule is posted next to the clock - not sure how I never thought of this before. I needed something where I could glance and see how much time we had til cleanup - this is working well.
Here is my color board - it is actually the same as last year - I just added the Wild for Color sign:
I divided this board in half - still not sure what it will be. I am thinking a Featured Artists board and a critiquing wall where students can put their work in the middle and it will have questions in bubbles all around it to help them decide if they are done or not.
Today we had off for some Earthquake damage assessment. Yes I am in Northern Virginia and we definitely felt the quake. I had third grade at the time and they all stopped and said - what is that? It was my first earthquake so I didn't really know! I said oh must be a big truck or a helicopter going by! And I just kept on teaching until the principal came on the announcements. Very strange!! Nice to have a little breather to ease back into the school week!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Classroom Management Tip: Assigning Seats
How do you assign seats for the new year? Here is how I do it...
The trick is - know the colors that are right in front of you to give to your students that may need you more often for one reason or another. Also have the tickets marked with male or female - this way you can create a boy/girl seating arrangement that can limit visiting.
This set up also makes it seem random to the kids - so it doesn't look like you are separating or placing anyone - even if you are.
I usually look over my class list, determine how many tables this class needs and make sure students are distributed evenly. I try not to have any student sitting alone - and I try to keep the back tables clear for supplies - or for a student who may need to sit or work alone.
Then I will take roll (which I only do on the first day just to make sure I have a correct list, correct name pronunciation or nicknames). As I take roll I enter the names on a seating chart that I use all year - always available for me to learn names and for subs to call names.
I was thinking of getting away from using the palettes attached with contact paper on the table this year because:
1. I am getting tired of looking at them after using them for 3 years.
2. The students mindlessly pick them off - no matter how many times I tell them not to!
3. They get ratty looking so quickly - I usually repalce them each quarter.
I love the idea of hanging table IDs from the ceiling but I don't think our fire marshall will allow it!
How do you do it?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
What... What did you say??
I have been fighting off the usual change of season crud which has resulted in a long bout of laryngitis. It makes it pretty interesting for someone whose job it is to talk all day. We had last Monday off then a rather odd 'snow day' on Tuesday so I was getting some good rest - but when we went back to school on Wednesday, by lunchtime I was getting scratchy and by the end of the day any sign of my voice was gone! Thurday came and I got a sub after my first class and stayed around to take yearbook photos while the sub took my classes. It was great because I could be there to make sure she was doing what I needed without leaving 'sub' plans. She was still basically keeping me on schedule with what I would have been doing with my classses. Since I see every grade each day she was now well trained to take my Friday too so I stayed home.
So I whispered my way through the weekend and Monday was still horse. Here it is Tuesday and still not back to normal.
I have however learned some interesting management techniques to try to save my voice. Like: - >Writing out the steps on the board - which I usually do, but have the students read them.
- >List out clean up jobs and assign students to be in charge. (seems really DUH! as I write it but I am usually barking out orders at clean up time - this runs so much smoother!)
- >Had students take turns reading Camille and the Sunflowers to intro 2nd grades sunflower paintings.
- >Gave myself persmission to show an art video (the I Can Fly Kids & Creativity series) while I saved my voice and prepped materials for upcoming classes.
- >Show colored tounge depressors to call table colors for dissmissal.
It was just enough of a change in the norm to force me to find some new ways of doing things.
Monday, September 27, 2010
A Carpet, Finally!
So in my mind having a carpet was going to solve all my group discussion problems and students would sit like angels in their own little circle ~ yeah right! So I finally got my long awaited carpet which my principal helped pay for (even better).
It doesn't solve the ants in the pants on a rainy day but it does help get students in quickly and they know where to sit. It also helps when dismissing them to their seats - I can say if you are on a red circle take your seats, and so on.
Excited about starting the next round of lessons and preparing the first one to get sent off to Original Works to start my fundraiser.
I can't believe it is almost report card time already!
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