A Few of My Favorite Things

I got a few more things done in my classroom today.  Do any of you feel like there's always just ONE MORE THING you can do to get your classroom ready for a new group of kiddos?  I thought I'd use this post to share a few of my favorite tried and true tips, tricks, displays, and procedures with you.

First, this magnetic 100 Chart.  I've had this baby since my first year of teaching in 2000, and boy has it ever proven to be a loyal friend.  Seriously, if you can possibly find or create one of these, it is so worth it!  Each card has a little magnet on the back (it didn't take that long) so I can take groups of numbers off the chart and stick 'em right on the whiteboard.  It makes number patterns, ordering numbers, and ALL counting standards so much easier to teach. Also,  I rearranged my chart last year so it started with zero.  It's so much easier for the kids to understand patterns this way.

Do you see that little sign in the window?  It says "I am ready to be tested!".  My kids use it to tell me they are ready to be retested on any goal they didn't quite master the first time around.  I'm a huge fan of feedback after any type of formative or summative assessment.  It takes a couple weeks of coaching, but it isn't long before I start hearing, "Yes!  I only got four wrong!"  Next thing I know, they run off and make a plan (most of the time with each other) to practice the skills we discussed during our conference.  When they're ready, they put their name on a sticky note and put it on the window.  And let me tell ya, they're pretty persistent about scheduling a time to meet with me!  Kids taking charge of their own learning.  Winning!

So this picture is really about the "I am ready to be tested" poster, but check out those curtains!  Aren't they cute?

Before I can expect my kiddos to turn into little goal setting (and reaching) superstars, I have to incorporate the expectations of the standards in a kid-friendly, manageable, BIG FAT DEAL sort of way.  This board is perfect for displaying classroom goals.  Each week I display our five sight words, the newest reading strategy, a writing goal, a math goal, a science or social studies goal, and one mathematical practice from the Common Core (check out this link to see the super-cute mathematical practices posters I use, and check out my TpT Store for the "I can" cards I use for writing).  Some of these cards stay up for longer than a week, while others get swapped out at the end of the week for new ones.  "Old" math, mathematical practice (I call them "Math Behaviors" with the kids), and writing cards get moved to their permanent home on the Math and Writing bulletin boards.  The spelling words get added to our Word Wall. The reading strategy gets added to our Cafe Menu.  This board is displayed right at our carpet area, so it is highly visible.  The goal is to get students (even our youngest) to talk about, work with, and deeply understand the standards.  Trust me...it really works.

P.S.  My posts always end with a quote...check out what good ol' Einstein said about deep understanding!

This board keeps students focused on the week's goals!

I head back to school next week.  I can hardly believe it!  I am trying a few new things this year and I can't wait to get started.

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.

Albert Einstein