Non-verbal classroom management tips This is the second post in the new series I’m introducing on The Cornerstone called Real Teachers, Real Tips. Each month, I’ll invite one educator to share a few classroom management tips that have worked in his or her classroom. I’m hoping to feature a wide cross-section of teachers from all different parts of the world, at all different grade levels, in all different teaching scenarios. Want to be featured here? Just fill out the guest blog form! August’s featured teacher is Tammi Pittaro, a super talented educator who’s been in the field for 35 years!! Hello! I live and teach in southeastern New Jersey, not far from the bright lights of Atlantic City and the Pine Barrens forest. As I am gearing up for a new school year, I am thinking about the basics. What does nonverbal classroom management look like and how can a teacher keep students focused on learning without using words or sounds? 1. 2. Where you stand or teach can make a big difference. 3. 4.
Crayons & Cuties In Kindergarten Simplify Bulletin Boards With Time Saving Tips and Tricks | Grade School Giggles Hi there! I am so excited. The other authors and I over at The Primary Peach are hosting our very first linky party! It’s all about organizational tips and tricks. My post for the link up is all about how to save time on bulletin boards. Nearly every classroom has a bulletin board or two. One of the things that made a big difference is using a background and a trim that were meant to last for the entire year. Once my fabric background is up I use solid color borders. Just switching to using the same background and trim will save you a ton of time, but I also like to take it a step further. You can slip student work in and out of page protectors that have been stapled to the bulletin board. So, what do you do with your bulletin boards?
Let's give them something to talk about... Finally classroom pictures are here for your viewing pleasure! I told you I would be changing the theme of my room to a Rock Star Room! Luckily, Abby at The Inspired Apple had chosen the same theme! So I used her idea for the behavior chart, as well as some of her titles for areas in the room. Here is my little package that arrived from Reallygoodstuff.com! My new listening station: Word Wall Objectives and Agenda Board, along with our Morning Message. Main Stage- Reading Focus Wall/ Meeting Area Classroom Library and Leveled Reading Library: The blue bins are my leveled readers from Lakeshore Learning, then the green bins are labeled by genres. Poetry Station: I will add the writing materials, and a basket for their journals when we begin to introduce workstations later. Workstation rotation chart by Debbie Diller, sigh. Math Focus Wall/ Calendar Math Pocket Chart Workstation: I will begin using the students names and pictures on sentence strips which the students will place in order.
The Difference Between Praise and Feedback | GROWTH MINDSET By Anya Kamenetz Parenting these days is patrolled by the language police. Sometimes it seems like the worst thing you could ever say to a kid is “Good job!” The anxiety is such that parenting blogs circulate actual word-for-word scripts for parents to use in such difficult situations as the sidelines of a swim meet, or after a music recital. What are these researchers really getting at? Process Praise Some of the most prominent psychologists behind all of this talk about talking are Stanford University’s Carol Dweck, author of the book Mindset, and Edward Deci and Richard Ryan at the University of Rochester, whose research the education author Alfie Kohn relies heavily on in his books including Unconditional Parenting. Dweck’s studies have focused on the effects of “process praise,” which means praising effort or strategy: “You must have worked very hard on this painting!” “Kids are thrilled by the idea that they can grow their brains through their effort and strategy,” Dweck says.
No Flour Playdough A Facebook fan of mine asked me about making rice four or flour-free playdough for those who are gluten sensitive. As I am lucky enough to have a family without food allergies, I turned to my network of preschool bloggers. Dawn from chasing the seasons shared a wonderful recipe with me using only baking soda, cornstarch, and water. This dough is silky, smooth, and easy to mold; a nice addition to sensory play. Cornstarch, baking soda and water make up the basic ingredients of this lovely dough. First we added the color and orange oil to the water. We placed the baking soda into the pot. Then we added the cornstarch. I showed Michael how it can make his skin soft (makes a great body powder). My son, who has no problem being dirty all day long, was distraught by the cornstarch on his arm. After the dry ingredients were added, Michael poured in the colored water. We moved the pot to the stove where we began cooking the dough. The completed dough, still warm to the touch. Recipe:
B and D Reversals: A Developmental Approach {Easy Trick Included} B and D reversals are a common issue among younger children. There are many “tricks” teachers and parents try, like holding your fingers up to form the b and d or that the b has a belly and the d doesn’t. But in my experience, these tricks don’t always “do the trick” because kids still have a hard time visualizing which way the b and d face. *This post contains affiliate links. B and D Confusion from a Developmental Approach Older, struggling readers/writers can also confuse b and d. “I have a 3rd grader and she still reverses her b‘s and d‘s. I probed further to find out that her child was reading and writing on a 1st grade level. I responded something like, “Your daughter is demonstrating the spelling behavior of a 1st grader because that’s the developmental stage she’s in. Easy and Discrete Trick for B and D Reversals As for the b and d reversals, it can be a source of embarrassment for kids who are the older grades, yet in a younger/lower developmental stage. See On
Why Raising a Bilingual Child Is Very, Very Simple—and Very, Very Difficult – Bilingual Monkeys Note: This post originally appeared at Multilingual Living, a recommended resource for parents raising bilingual children. Also see the Inspiring Interview with Corey Heller of Multilingual Living, here at Bilingual Monkeys. It’s a personal and in-depth look at Corey’s own bilingual journey. On one hand, raising a bilingual child is very, very simple: given sufficient exposure to two languages, and a genuine need to use both, the growing child will become bilingual quite naturally. In my work as a longtime teacher of bilingual children, having watched hundreds of children become proficient in two languages at Hiroshima International School, I can say that the process itself is straightforward. This process may be simple, but it’s hardly easy, particularly when the child attends a majority language school, like my own two kids. Two crucial factors In fact, the more they are attended to from the very start, from birth, the less difficulty they will likely present as time passes.
Morning Work Solutions! Today is all about the morning routine! What students do for the first five minutes of the day sets the tone for learning all day long! As students step over the threshold of your classroom they are being hit with a swarm of internal emotions and questions. How do I feel? Am I interested? Is this important? Can I do this? We want to set the tone for learning while also establishing our classroom behavior expectations right at the doorstep, but we also need to ease the anxiety level of our students and let them know that above all, we are glad they have arrived at school, they are cared for, and we want to help them be successful! Choosing a morning routine that can address the revolving door of early morning arrivals and last minute dash ins is crucial! When students arrive they work their way through a series of interactive activities all housed in one special binder in their desks. The activities are self-paced and ever changing. Daily Language Bundle Rise and Shine Binder Daily Math Bundle
Initial Letter Name Activity and Bulletin Board – Prek – K Initial Letter Name Activity and Bulletin Board – Prek – K By Teachers.Net Community closeAuthor: Teachers.Net Community Name: Teachers.Net CommunitySite: See Authors Posts (233) First, the activity pictured, then below that see additional, related lessons and activity links! When finished, the beautiful letter is added to the coordinating sentence strip on the bulletin board. Optional: Add student photos, or have students draw self portraits to post on the board.The display can be used for letter recognition and sight word practice, by individuals or whole group, with one person pointing to each initial letter while saying the sound, then reading the sentence: “/t/ /t/ /t/, T is for Tyler.“ . .Additional activities: Find the names that begin with the same letter. Students who are ready can add a sentence stating another word that begins with the initial letter of their name. Related lessons and activities: Fun With Letters Name Game Activities Catch the Letter