New Center Wheel!

Earlier in the year I saw a post from Mr. Greg at the Kindergarten Smorgasboard where he shared his center wheel. I saw it and thought it was a great idea but have been trying to figure out how exactly to make something like that work in my own classroom. I so desperately want to be in control and tell me kids "this is what center you do today" or "lets go to this word work center first and then the iPad's next." I did that for the first two months of school.

Originally, I had four groups of 3-4 kids in each group. I take a group, my assistant keeps a group, one group is on the computers and another is at word work. I would trade out word work with listening to reading periodically to mix it up and make sure they had a chance to do both of those things. But then some days, I'd switch groups or a kid would be out so they would have to play catch up. My assistant may get called to cover a class...what do I do with her group then? Sometimes, I have to do benchmark testing. My group is stuck with busy work while I test a child. I knew something had to change!

So here is what I did....

I kept my four groups but removed myself and my assistant from the rotation. I have so many center options and not all of my kids like the same things each day so I wanted them to have an option but not have chaos. So, I created a wheel.



I put my kids' names on circles (very simple, laminated construction paper) with a visa-vis pen. If I need to change names/groups I can easily do it.

Next I divided a large paper plate and small paper plate into four sections. The small paper plate is colored to match the colors on my spots. I laid the small plate on top of the large and attached them with a brad/spinner. The large paper plate has two pictures in each section. These are the options my kids have for that day/center time. They choose one of the two in that section that is beside their color group.

If I need to test I can pull kids from their center to work with them. I can pull kids based on skills they need to work on to my small group table and then send them back to their group when they are finished.

Here is the finished product. I put it on my bulletin board "Incredible Readers" with their chart that tracks who has turned in their reading log (thank you Pizza Hut). 

On Friday's any work my kids have not completed in centers must be done after lunch. We have about an hour between lunch and snack/recess time. During this time they finish up work from the week and then they get to play with the blocks, puzzles, on the iPads or computers. Two weeks ago all of my kids finished early and I pulled up Team Umizoomi on Amazon Prime. Fun Friday is a grea t incentive for them to finish their work on time through the week.

Homework Folders left and right!

I got poly folders for my kids' "homework folders" yesterday and have stuffed them with all the back to school goodies they need to send home after their first day. We stagger the first week so these will be sent home during that week. Parents will get to look through them and fill out stuff before we officially start things full swing the following week!

Left and right can be hard for kindergarteners so I am putting hand prints in the folders that say "LEFT at home" and "RIGHT back to school."  It's kinda cheezy but it works.

If you would like your own copy of these cute handprints leave a comment below! 

New fancy printed duct tape!

Oh my goodness, y'all Scotch has a Smorgasboard of fancy duct tape prints including GLITTER at Office Depot. They are on sale for $2-$5 with a discount. Plus teachers save even more. I am super excited about having dry-erase duct tape and this print called "word up" that I got yesterday!

Right now, I have noclue what to use these for... So if you have ideas, please share!

Kahoot!!

Kahoot!! 

I may be a little behind on this but I recently discovered a website that can be used as and replace a poll response system in your classroom. 

Visit getkahoot.com to create your FREE account and then you can create quizzes or surveys for your students (or potentially parents) to do. I'd stick to 8-10 questions because beyond that it can get kind if boring. After you make a Kahoot you will get a code to share with your audience. 

Next they visit Kahoot.it and enter the code. This works for any device that has internet.... iPad, iPhone, android, laptop, anything really. Once people have entered the code you can start by projecting it on your smart board and having them enter their choices. 

It is pretty awesome and hope this helps you in your classroom. You can use it in any grade level really. In kindergarten I would use it for --

Review, word recognition, number recognition, colors, shapes, sight words. 

On Fridays a teacher friend of mine allowed her kids to bring their tablets or devices to school and she used them in her classroom and then let them have free time to use them as a reward if they had good behavior or completed work and the like. Shout out to Courtney Ewing, a fabulous teacher!! Anywho, I will probably do that this year, with my kids. There are so many kids that have tablets and I really want to find ways to incorporate those in my classroom the best I can. The possibilities are endless and I am so excited to try it out this year. 

Calling All Volunteers

Volunteers are hard to come by sometimes but I really don't think it is because parents jus don't want to help. I have never met a parent hat didn't want what was best for their child. And so, here is an easy way to help parents get involved...

I am confident that this document is one of he best hints I have downloaded from Teachers Pay Teachers. I have used it several years to get parents to volunteer in and for my classroom. It is a very simple, one page file that you download. I send it home with my students and the parents send it back letting me know how they would like to help out in our classroom! I know a lot of parents work during the day and can't physically come to the school but are all for helping out. This is a great way for them to do that! Go to Teachers Pay Teachers and search for "Calling All Volunteers." It is a FREEBIE from Sarah Shelton or click here.

No desks this year!

Two fellow teachers have implements a NO DESKS policy in their classroom and I m really excited to try it out this year!

From what I know it is great for the kids, especially those in primary grades (k-2). Benefits include- better handwriting, more participation, independence, and more creativity. I got the idea from Greg Smedley, over at Kindergarten Smorgasboard. He has videos and pictures me and all sorts of tips on how he started it and implemented it in his classroom. So if you're considering it you should definitely go check it out. Even if you're not, just go read his blog because there is a smorgasbord of ideas on his page.

I am still working out some kinks, like how my classroom will actually be laid out or how my students work and supplies will be stored and organized. If there are any other teachers that are doing this or have done it recently any advice or tips would be helpful. I will keep yall updated on how it goes.

Crate turned into a seat

All over Pinterest I see teachers taking crates and turning them into chairs. For the last two years I have said "I am going to do that!" Or I tell my husband "you need to make these for me..." Needless to say nothing has happened. BUT this year I have done it! I got three crates from my mom, who is a Teacher assistant and went to Wal-mart and bought some cushions! They were only $7 for a pack of 4, which was even better. The cushions have strings on the ends so that they can be tied to chairs but I am going to tie them to the crates. They are red and black, bulldog colors, which make them even better!!

QR codes for your class site

Each year we have parents come in at Open House and PTO wanting to know how they can get more involved in their child's education and how they can help from home. Well, I created a QR code with a link to my classroom website and it also has my contact info (email, school phone number, etc). Parents can just scan it with their phone and then get my contact info and also be connected to the classroom website. I am not the most tech savvy person so this is a big accomplishment for me!

If you want to make a QR code just go here: https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com

The more info you add the more complicated the code becomes and it also can be difficult to scan so it's best to keep it simple.

easy to remember

I put a small critter/stuffed animal up on the side of the white board. Beside it I draw a speech bubble and put reminders. He helps kids remember things like when field trip money is due or help me remember that we have an assembly coming up. I got the idea off of Pinterest, which is also whe this image came from. I personally use one of the little monsters from the book "where the wild things are!" And my kids loved it!

Color code books in the desk

When you look inside a students' desk it's easy to get overwhelmed. For me it drives me nuts sometimes to see all of the JUNK and disorganization in there. It's a jungle. Soooooo, when a teacher says its time to take out a math book there's no wonder kids say "Which one is that?" or "The red one?" Use a colored marker to mark the ends of the books with a different color. Now when your kids look inside of their desks for "the red math book" or "green social studies book" they can find it so much more easily!!

No more flying dice

Place your dice in small tupperware to keep them from rolling off the desks and all over the floor. You can put just one die in the container or multiple dice in there depending on what activity you are doing. They are really good for centers.

Absent students

When students are put one of the hardest things is to get their work together for them to make up, especially if they are out of school for a couple of days. The easiest thing I have found to do is place a folder at their desk and put their missing work in it through the day. I printed this sheet out and put it on a manilla folder. Next I laminate it and whenever a student is out this folder goes on their desk. When papers are passed out I just place one in the folder. Everything is there for them when they return!!

You can download one at Teachers Pay Teachers

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-We-Missed-You-Folder-173724