• Home
  • Read My Blog
  • Shop My TpT Store

Sarah Plum

K-5 Resources for Diverse Classrooms

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Running a Classroom
    • Decor & Themes
    • Organization
    • Character Education
    • Communication
    • Family Engagement
  • Content Areas
    • Mathematics
    • Reading
    • Writing
    • Social Studies
    • Science
  • Student Populations
    • English Language Learners (ELLs)
    • Gifted & Talented
    • Special Education
    • Title I
  • Grade Levels
    • 2nd Grade
    • 3rd Grade
  • Technology
    • Tech for Teachers
    • Tech for Students
    • Tech for Parents
  • Everything Else
    • Professional Development
    • Teaching Philosophy
    • Editorials
  • Product Catalog
You are here: Home / Blog

Three Ways to Build Character with GoNoodle

September 6, 2015 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 5 Comments

BlogHeader
BloggerBlitzImage

I am so thrilled to be a part of GoNoodle’s Back to School Blogger Blitz! If you’ve read my blog or followed my Facebook fan page for any length of time, you know I have a deep, deep love for GoNoodle. I’ve guest-blogged for them before, and use it DAILY in my classroom. It’s simply put, my favorite instructional tool. {Make sure you read to the bottom of the post so that you can WIN, WIN, WIN!} Today I’m excited to share with you the three ways I use GoNoodle to build character in my students. Building character, to me, is the daily piece that makes all other instructional and non-instructional tasks easier. I cannot overemphasize the important of strong character in students and how it relates to classroom and school culture!

1. Visualizing SuccessTryYourBest

I want my students to have a “can-do” attitude, to see the positive in all situations, to persevere when the going gets tough. School, for many of my students, can often be a place that is daunting and where success sometimes feels far away. I want them to be able to weather those moments with confidence and ease — and I use GoNoodle’s “Think About It” feature to build that.

Before ANY graded assignment or test, we watch the “Try Your Best” video. My students close their eyes, take deep breaths, and repeat what’s written on their name tags. I’ve had students even request this video in the past when they’ve felt like they need that extra reminder to use their perseverance to their advantage — what an amazing testimony to how this reaches kids!

BeaTeamPlayer2. Developing Positive Peer Relationships

I want my students to understand the importance of their classmates in their school life. I want my students to feel like they are a part of a classroom community, not just a classroom. I use theSecretHandshakes “Think About It” feature at times when there may be a teachable moment with peer interaction. The “Be a Good Friend,” “Be a Team Player,” and “Make Someone Happy” videos have really helped to refocus our energy on the positive.

I follow that up with an energizing team-building video like Koo Koo Kanga Roo’s “Secret Handshakes” or some of the fantastic newer “Brainercise with Mr. Catman” that require coordination between partners. This allows students to directly relate to their peers following a moment of mindful reflection on being a positive force in our classroom.

WillowWillow3. Being Disciplined

Becoming skilled at a whole-body task like yoga requires discipline. For any primary teacher, developing discipline — particularly self-discipline — is an on-going challenge. We also know that cross-body coordination is critical for brain development. I love to use Maximo’s yoga videos to develop discipline in my students.EaglePretzel

We start small, with an easier video like “Hug it Out” to get the hang of the discipline required to stay quiet, centered, and breathing. Eventually we work up to more challenging videos like “Eagle Pretzel” or “Willow Willow.” The students love to challenge themselves, but also to have an opportunity to have a calming, reflective moment. I love participating with them because of the opportunity to center myself!

I hope you’ll consider using GoNoodle to expand your students’ character! I love using it for a variety of things, including plain ‘ol movement brain breaks, but I also love using it to enhance our classroom community.

Filed Under: Blog, Running a Classroom, Technology Tagged With: brain breaks, character education, giveaway, GoNoodle

Every Child Deserves to Be Heard

August 19, 2015 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 2 Comments

Slide1

Last spring, a community-building lesson by a Denver third grade teacher, Kyle Schwartz, went viral. Ms. Schwartz gave her students the sentence starter “I wish my teacher knew…” and received eye-opening responses, which she shared on Twitter using the hashtag #iwishmyteacherknew.

I, like so many of you, was deeply moved by this lesson — though it is not unlike many community-building exercises used in classrooms across the country each day. This movement, however, served as a reminder of the importance of HEARING your students. The importance of validating their human experience.

Slide2

As I’ve grown as an educator, I’ve come to know my core truth: Every child deserves to be heard. You have to know a student’s heart before you grow their mind.

I was so drawn to the “I Wish My Teacher Knew” movement because it spoke to this core truth of mine. It embodied the idea that children deserve to be heard — whether it’s anonymous or signed, whether they want to share it with their friends, the counselor, or just you. Children need a safe space to express the complex feelings that fill their hearts and minds. Without the validation of being heard, the space for all of those wonderful lessons you’ll teach will be insufficient.

Now I know you might be saying — “I did this. The kids didn’t ‘GET’ it. Their responses were silly. Can this really be worthwhile for my kids?” I think so. I’m not going to say emphatically that it will. You know your students best.

But I will say this — “I Wish My Teacher Knew” isn’t effective as a one-time event. Every child may not feel comfortable or know how to express their feelings and thoughts the first time around. Every child may not need to tell you something the first time around. Every child may not trust you the first time around.

This, like anything, is a process.

Picture3

I created a create-your-own “I wish…” station to go along with the movement so that it is easier for teachers at all levels to open the lines of communication year-round — not just once or twice, or only at the beginning of the year. After all, life happens every day and a child’s circumstance can change rapidly.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you create your “I wish…” station, I recommend discussing confidentiality with students. This will, of course, look different depending on your grade level/maturity of your class, and your personal take on the subject. I give a talk about privacy and confidentiality at the beginning of the year in which I’m up-front with students about the scenarios in which students’ trust will need to be brokPicture10en: if they’re being hurt by someone, if they’re hurting someone, or if they’re hurting themselves. This has never deterred a student from confiding in me, but it has strengthened our relationship as they are fully aware of the limits of my confidentiality.

Next, you’ll want to talk to your school’s counselor. One of the best allies we have as educators are the amazing counselors that we have at our schools that day-in, day-out, take on so much to keep our kids healthy, happy, and safe. Bring him/her into the loop — let them know you’re starting this initiative in your room, invite them into your classroom, and open the lines of communication. Odds are, you will need them.

Then you’ll want to decide if you want students to have the “share out” or “reply to me” options on their “I wish…” notes. While I personallyPicture9 love the idea of allowing students to request and receive peer support, there does need to be a clear structure and expectations for the interactions in place. For my classroom, that means my students need to know how to discuss sensitive issues with one another, know how to display empathy, and know how to help each other problem-solve. Our amazing school counselor (love you, Mrs. Gruman) teaches lessons throughout the year that guide students in peer-interactions so our kiddos have a knowledge-base to draw from. This is where the above step becomes CRITICAL!

Finally, decide how often you’ll check-in and respond, and what your next steps are if a child needs additional help. It’s important to know what you’ll do in a situation where a child has disclosed something that warrants additional attention, resources, or discussion. For instance, I had a student disclose that their clothes hurt because they didn’t fit. I was able to connect that child with resources that provided them with some appropriately-sized clothing. I wasn’t able to specifically remedy every situation brought to my attention, but I was able to address many of my students concerns or find someone who could.

CREATING YOUR STATION

I highly recoPicture1mmend creating a dedicated place in your classroom to house your “I wish…” station. I chose to put it in our classroom library, which is tucked away and more private than other areas of our classroom.  This is also an area where students feel comfortable, which was important to me. I didn’t want students to have to write at their desks or in the writing center, which can sometimes be high-traffic (it’s a popular choice and right next to our sink).

I use a set of heavyPicture2 black cardboard boxes I got at Michaels as our “mailbox,” but an empty Kleenex box will surely do the trick! To spruce up our box, I used this transfer method to create a chalkboard-look. I wanted to include the statement “You’ve been heard.” I also placed an anchor chart above the box so that students could refer to it, and placed a smaller black box within it that contained a few notes options (lined and unlined) and my “receipts” next to it. For ease of use I also placed some pencils and erasers next to it and two clipboards, so that students didn’t have to return to their seats in order to write their notes.

USING YOUR STATION

Before you allow students to use your “I wish…” station, have a class meeting. This is the time to set expectations and boundaries with your students — the time to talk about confidentiality, both between you and them, and between them and their peers. It’s also the time to talk about what it means.

Whenever I have to explain a tough topic, I use a read aloud. Pick your favorite fiction text that includes a character experiencing a real-world problem. (When we began using this station last year we had just finished reading The One and Only Ivan, so that is the book we used.) Read aloud the text with students, stopping to jot — either on a chart or with post-it notes — about how the character may be feeling.After reading the text initially, re-read and stop at the same points. This time, instead of identifying the character’s feelings, work with students to brainstorm what the character could write on an “I wish…” paper. For example, we talked about how Ivan felt seeing Ruby, his elephant friend be mistreated. We brainstormed the sentence “I wish my teacher knew that I feel helpless watching my friend be hurt by others.”

Allowing students to use literature as a model for this exercise takes the pressure off. Students can try out what it feels like to share some very raw and personal emotions without sharing their own. Because most students are already used to talking about a character’s thoughts and feelings, this will come naturally.

Next, model from your own life experiences. Think about an experience — happy or sad, you decide! — that you can share with your students. I shared with my students that when I was in elementary school I had to have surgery and miss a week of school. I felt scared and missed my friends. “I wish my teacher knew that I’m scared to have my surgery because I don’t know what to expect and I’ll miss my friends.”

Now listen. Using the procedures established — such as when a student could go to the station — let students write when they need to. Check the station at whatever interval you decide (I did it every 2-3 days) and respond as appropriate. Let the information students share guide your practice. I was surprised at how much of what my students shared enabled me to further shape our classroom to meet their needs… trust me, if they don’t like something (or like something a whole lot), they’ll tell you!

Slide3

Building relationships with our students is one of the most important parts of our profession.

The teachers I remember the most about, the teachers that lit a fire in my heart for this profession… they are the teachers that made sure I was heard. They listened when I talked (or wrote) about new barbies, and they listened when I tearfully talked about my grandmother passing away. They heard my voice cry for help when I was bullied, and they heard my voice say I needed to be challenged.Hearing our students’ voices may not be a Common Core standard, but it should be THE standard I set for myself. My students deserve it.

Click here to download all of my station materials for free.

I’ve also included options for using this for your colleagues, and if you’re an administrator, your staff. Opening the lines of communication is SO important for a positive school culture!

Filed Under: Blog, Character Education, Running a Classroom, Teaching Philosophy Tagged With: Back-to-School, building community, building relationships, character education, class meetings, classroom management

All of YOUR Questions Answered

August 7, 2015 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 29 Comments

The response to my character education clipchart, Clippin’ for Character, has been absolutely overwhelming. I am so humbled by and appreciative of the feedback, Q&A’s, e-mails, Facebook posts and comments about this system I use in my classroom. I’ve tried my best to respond personally to each inquiry, but wanted to also answer questions in a central location so that you’re able to share this easily with your colleagues, administration, and parents. {You can read the original blog post here.}
As with anything, YOU know YOUR students best. The way I implement this clip chart in my classroom isn’t necessarily the best way for you to implement it in yours — please make it your own, and let it be a reflection of YOU and YOUR classroom community… that’s the best possible feedback you could give me!
Why bother with character education at all?

I’m a big believer in spending time up-front to develop a strong classroom community so that I don’t have to spend that same time (or more!) later writing discipline referrals, making negative phone calls, or redirecting a child in the midst of an important learning opportunity. While it can be tempting to skimp on developing rules, procedures, and norms at the beginning of the year — because we “shouldn’t have to do this” — I think it’s critical to a successful classroom. Students that have high expectations for themselves in their words and deeds are a lot less likely to be distractors and disrupters later in the year when time is at a premium.
I choose to use character education as a huge piece of this because let’s face it — rules & procedures may differ from room to room… but the importance of developing strong character does not. Being caring, fair, respectful, responsible, trustworthy, and a good citizen is valued in each and every classroom or space in our school. I also believe personally that I should play a role in shaping a child’s personal character — after all, they spend 7.5 hours with me over the course of 180 days. It’d be awful hard NOT to do so.
Can I use this WITH a traditional clip chart?
ABSOLUTELY. While I do not use one myself, I have heard from many readers that have used it successfully in conjunction with their traditional clip chart. Most readers have used a different color clip {sometimes patterned}. For clip charts that already have additional positive levels (above green), I’ve heard from readers that have had students clip to the character trait they exhibited at the same time they move their clip above green.
For example: Suzy displayed empathy toward a classmate that was having a hard time — Suzy moves to blue on the traditional clip chart and also places her special clip on “caring” on the character education chart. This allows you to give parents extra information at the end of the day — why was Suzy on blue? Well, Suzy was on blue because she displayed the “caring” character trait. It’s a great way to make your praise specific.
How do you teach children the traits? Can 2nd graders (or 1st graders or Kindergarteners) really understand them?
I teach my students each trait in multiple ways, as I know that a best practice in teaching is approaching any topic from multiple entry points. Each trait is taught through read-alouds, role-playing, writing prompts, anchor charts, group discussions, and day-to-day interactions. While I do front-load these learning opportunities at the beginning of the year, there is not a day that goes by that I do not reinforce them, even if it’s a 30-second connection during guided reading or in the hallway to/from specials.
A child’s age or grade level does not preclude them from internalizing the meaning of these traits, though the time it takes to do so may differ. Integrating the traits and clip chart into your classroom on a daily basis allows the students to learn by example in addition to learning from the lessons. Modeling the traits and highlighting peer models is a great way to teach them.
In the resource you’ll find links to books that I’ve personally used to teach the traits. I will be adding teaching resource units for each trait to my store this fall, as well as a classroom rule/community building pack to jumpstart your positive classroom management!
Do you make sure students go on the chart every day?  Can a child be recognized more than once? Do you monitor how often they’re on the chart? Do students monitor themselves?
I do not put every child on the clip chart every day. At the beginning, I do make an effort to recognize an instance of one of the traits in each child every few days so that they internalize the system. This isn’t forced — the students are still earning it, I’m just putting in more effort to actively looking for the behavior.
If a student is already on the chart but earns their way on to another character trait, I put them there. I don’t keep multiple clips for each student, so they simply move their clip. They’re generally SO PROUD (and I am too, and make a big deal of it with hugs & high-fives) that they do not forget to include the second (or third) trait at the end of the day when they mark their chart and I mark mine.
I track the students that are on the chart at the end of each day using an easy checklist that I keep on a clipboard at my desk. At the beginning of the year I’ll just tally, since I’m actively looking for the behaviors more often. After we’ve established and integrated the chart fully in our day-to-day activities, I will write dates instead of tallies so that I can tell if it’s been a while since a particular child has been recognized.

My students are responsible for bringing me their take-home folder at the end of the day to mark their charts. I set out my stickers {simple colored smileys, sometimes smelly if I’ve got them!} and they pick the corresponding sticker. If they clipped on two or more traits, I have some smaller stickers that they use or they use my smelly pens to draw smileys. In the beginning, I tend to do a lot of this myself as students learn the procedure — but then I let them take ownership and I get to just give lots of high-fives and hugs!
What do you do if a child isn’t earning their way on the chart?
I consider this chart to be a Tier I intervention, meaning that it should reach 80% of my students. For the remaining 20%, this chart should be a part of other interventions (such as an individualized behavior plan, check-in/check-out system) that we have in place in our tiered PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports) system. I’ve found that this chart reaches more than 80% of my students, and even for my students that receive Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, is an important part of the PBIS process.
I follow a few steps when a child hasn’t been on the chart in a week or more. First, I look at myself. Am I missing subtle instances of positive character? I give myself a day or two of more purposeful monitoring of that student before deciding if next steps are needed.
Next, I look at the student. Are they displaying negative behaviors, or are they meeting expectations? If a student is displaying negative behaviors, I follow our school’s PBIS program to intervene with short-term Tier 2 interventions. I also take this time to coach the student through checking-in with them 1:1 more often, pairing them with a student that consistently exceeds our classroom expectations, and just generally giving them positive attention whenever possible.
Finally, I involve their family support system. I call home or catch them at dismissal to just check-in — are they noticing anything different at home, has anything changed in their situation, etc. Families are a GREAT first line of defense when something is “amiss” and I really value their partnership.
How do you communicate with parents using this system? Do they expect their child to be on the clip chart each day? 
Each of my students has a take-home folder that goes home each day and comes back each morning. This folder is used for basic home-school communication — we send home flyers, graded papers, etc. It has prongs in the middle, which is where the character calendar is placed.
The purpose of the character calendar is to allow a child to celebrate their successes and character development with their family. At the beginning of each year I send home a sample calendar as well as discuss it at Open House and the first parent-teacher conference. We talk about the goal of the character clip chart (to develop positive character among students and strengthen our classroom community) and the expectations.
I am very clear with parents and my students: being on the chart is earned, not given. Their child will not be on the chart every day. That does not mean that they were bad or had inappropriate behavior — it just means that today they were not specifically recognized for an instance of positive character.
How do you use the brag tags, certificates, and bracelets? Do they get one each time?
The first time a student has earned their way on to a particular trait they earn the corresponding brag tag. By the end of the year, I’ve always had every child earn all six of the corresponding brag tags. Some take a month to earn them all, some take until the last week of school. It’s all about the child’s journey and progress, not the speed with which they do it.

Students take such pride in putting them onto their tags! Rather than award the tags in the middle of a lesson, I award all the tags for the week at once. My students wear their brag tags each Friday (to minimize distraction), and are given their new tags during our morning meeting that day. {They also wear them to assemblies or on other special occasion.} Their necklaces are HUGE sources of excitement and pride, and they love taking them home at the end of the year!

I award the certificates to students monthly. Each month, my school focuses on one of the particular traits (or a combination of two or more) as a part of our PBIS initiative. Any student that has earned that particular trait that month is awarded a certificate. I like to make two copies — one color that they take home, and one in black & white that they color and we string on our walls {since some students don’t have a fridge at home to hang it on!}. I award the certificates during the last Friday morning meeting of the month.


I keep a large stash of the paper bracelets in the clip chart basket. This basket also holds all of the student’s clips on its edge, as well as our class mascot, Toto. If I have it, I do copy the bracelets on the coordinating colored paper, but the kids love white copies just the same — mostly because they will color them during indoor recess or after morning work in the morning. At the end of the day when they’re filling out their character calendars students grab one and tape it on so that they can make a big deal out of it the minute they get home!

If you still have a question about Clippin’ for Character after reading this FAQ, please let me know by leaving your question in the comments! I will be happy to respond and add an answer to the post.
If you’re interested in sharing Clippin’ for Character with your team or staff, I do have a 25-license pack available at a deeply discounted price! I’m also available to do staff development via Skype, Google Hangouts, and in-person on the East Coast. Please e-mail me for more information at noplacelikesecond@gmail.com!

Filed Under: Other

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • …
  • 28
  • Next Page »

About the Author

Sarah Plum(itallo) is a teacher of emerging multilinguals and 21st Century Grant coordinator in Virginia. She writes curriculum for inclusive classrooms and presents professional development on a variety of topics.

Read more about Sarah and her background in education here.

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in