Giveaway Like It’s 1999

Currently … only a week late!

August 6, 2013 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 2 Comments

Better late than never, right? I’m linking up with Farley for Currently, one of my favorite linky parties! I love the insight it gives you into the goings-on in our (not so) little blogging community.

LISTENING: I’m up late as we’re preparing to drive back home to VA from Long Island early tomorrow, er, this morning — I can’t ever sleep right before a road trip! I’m the only one awake right now and I’m loving hearing nothing but those little sounds that let you know the house is alive.

LOVING: Catfish is totally my guiltiest pleasure. I will watch re-runs even though they’re spoiled; there’s something about this show that just hooks me in (see what I did there?) every time! Anyone watching the new season?

THINKING: I feel like my to-do list just keeps growing and growing and I’m starting to feel overwhelmed! I’m one of those “I have to do it all!” people, but I’m trying to reign it in this year. Not being pregnant will help… though there is that pesky newborn nursing every two hours…

WANTING: I totally only got my Note II earlier this year, but I already want the Note III! This is by far the best phone I’ve ever had! I love using my Bloglovin’ app and sketching ideas for lessons and what-not with my stylus.

NEEDING: One thing I’m definitely in need of is more portable-storage for my classroom so I can create more well-defined areas for my students to work. I’m planning on hitting up Big Lots, Walmart, Target, and Goodwill (you never know!) when we get back home.

B2S MUST HAVES:

I really regret not taking more pictures of my first class ever last year, so I’m planning on using That’s So Second Grade’s “Snapshots of Our Year” Classroom Timeline to create a designated spot for me to fill with classroom memories. I’m going to encourage my students to use our classroom iPad cameras, too!
I always love planner-shopping. You’d think I’d have an Erin Condren planner by now with my level of planner-obsession, but I actually like a planner without many bells & whistles. I found one I loved at Walmart that actually has Wizard of Oz-like poppies on it!
I use both the school laminator and my own personal laminators. Yes, I have two. One for my classroom at school (you know, for when I have to laminate something that very second) and one for home. I found generic laminating sheets that I love and work really well on Amazon (these, if you’re interested) and can buy a box of 100 for under $10 (monitor the price!).

Later this week I’m meeting for lunch with my new teammates (I’m the only one left from last year!) and may even head into my classroom for a “before” picture. I’ve got lots on my to-do list that I’ll be checking off, and I hope to share some of my plans for this year for beefing up my calendar time/math meeting.

Before I leave, congrats to Lauren from The Sweetest Thing, Karen from Flamingo Fabulous in Second Grade, and Nikki from Teaching in Progress — you guys won my Oz-Inspired Brag Tags (though thank-you to everyone that responded with a tip — I loved reading them)! And congrats to both Crystal from Ms. Jones’ Junction and Angela from Hippo Hooray for Second Grade — you guys won the pre-order of my Marvelous Math Meeting! I’ll e-mail everyone there winnings as soon as I settle back in at home tomorrow.

Classroom Management Real Talk + Giveaway

August 2, 2013 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 7 Comments

If there’s anything I wouldn’t change about my first year in the classroom, it’d be my sometimes epic failures in the areas of classroom management. I’m not sure why, but I’ve been hesitant to gleefully admit defeat in this area. However, after some careful reflection in this area (and re-reading some blog posts on this very topic from some of my favorite teachers, such as this one from The Meek Moose), I’m fine with it.

My classroom management needs a serious overhaul. I know that because of my epic failures, and I’m happy to do something about it because I know that failing is the first step to success as a teacher. Critical reflection and all that!

So here are the top three things I learned, sometimes the hard way last year — that I’m going to work to improve this year:

1) Start early and review often. I completely underestimated the need for procedures. I thought sure, I need them, but do I really need to write them down? Yes. Do I really need to explicitly teach them every day for the first month? Yes. Do I really need to review them multiple times a month — even after I think my kiddos have “mastered it”? Yes. Do I really need to re-write my procedures and re-teach them based upon the changing climate on my classroom? YES.

I could have saved myself so much grief and “managing” of behaviors if I did a better job of teaching procedures, modeling, correcting, and reviewing (until blue in the face). Front-loading those efforts could have made me more effective in the long run, and it 100% without a doubt (of the run out and buy a lottery-ticket variety!) could have reduced “negative” behaviors in my room.

2) Be. Consistent. Ohhhhhh. Oh. Just oh. If there’s anything I regret about my first year, it’s about not being consistent enough — in modeling and correcting procedures/expectations, in applying consequences, etc. If I’m being honest (and my goal here is to be honest), I was so overwhelmed at times by trying to get my sea legs in my own classroom that I lost sight of the importance of consistency.

And just like explicitly teaching and modeling, being consistent in absolutely every area of management could have made my year — and more importantly, my students’ year, so much better.

3) You really can just be positive. Or, as it’s otherwise known, ditch the clipchart and communicate better. (Disclaimer: Clipcharts just might be your thing and work wonderfully for you. No judgment here — this is really and truly about me and my classroom!) I must have gone through three or four clipchart iterations last year, trying to find one that worked. I never did. It’s pretty easy to see why — clipcharts worked well for my students that had excellent behavior because they were always reaping the benefits, but all it did for my students that struggled with making good choices is put them on the defensive and in a sour mood and — you guessed it! — led them to making even worse choices.

I don’t know why, but I was afraid that my classroom would become Lord of the Flies if I focused on the positive, didn’t “clip down to red” multiple students a day, but I was. I was terrified that without the threat of orange/yellow/red or whatever iteration it was that my students wouldn’t be motivated to perform. Boy was I wrong.

So — what does this translate to? This translates to balancing out the equation and sharing the responsibility with my students. I’ll be better equipped to start my students out on a level-playing field this year by being aware of explicitly teaching procedures and expectations, providing supports in consistent application of consequences (communicate, communicate, communicate), and most importantly, ditching the clipchart and learning to love the art (and it is an art!) of praise.

I’ve started this journey to improving my classroom management skill-set with something small — my “rewards” this year. Last year I tried classroom coupons, a treasure box, etc. and nothing felt quite right to me. Enter brag tags. You’ve seen them in various forms — necklaces with cards or tags that recognize a specific moment, trait, or success for students.

Above all this upcoming year, I want to recognize even the smallest of successes — because for some of my students, that small success may be the only success they have that day and building upon that is key. [We’re a PBIS school this year, so this is especially important.] I wanted to find something that could be a year-long “reward” and a source of pride for students, something beyond the five-minute joy of a trip to the prize box. That’s when I settled on Brag Tags.

Miss Nelson has a fabulous set of her version, Behavior Beads, which I’ll be using for sure. But I wanted something to fit my personality as teacher too, and something that goes along with the classroom theme I’ve already got in place.

So I started making these. I wanted to recognize both academic and behavioral successes, so the included tags do just that — in keeping with my Oz-Inspired classroom.

I plan on starting off my students with the “There’s No Place Like Second Grade” tag in a special ceremony the first Friday of school. Every Friday thereafter I plan on awarding additional brag tags to students, recognizing them in front of their peers (with specific praise!), and allowing them to wear their necklaces all day (with lots of pride!). My entire team is implementing Whole Brain Teaching this year, so specific WBT-themed brag tags are next on my to-do list (any requests?).

And if one of my kiddos has an off day? An off week? I won’t have to feel like clipping down is my only (or any, because I won’t have a clipchart) option; I’ll be able to point to their success in a tangible form on their necklace — and give them a “Dream BIG” tag for encouragement — communicate (again and again) my expectations, and work with the student to find a solution.

SO, if you managed to make it through all that (it was seriously cathartic, y’all) I’d like to give away three copies of these brag tags. What did you learn most about classroom management your first years as a teacher? Leave me a comment and I’ll pick three winners Sunday night.

It’s Monday, and I Made it Over!

July 29, 2013 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 2 Comments

It’s been almost a year (YIKES!) since I participated in a Monday Made It. This one is of the “makeover” variety, as I made over my blog, my Facebook page, and my logo for my TPT store. It took a lot of staring at my computer screen between nursing sessions, but I finished it (and I think it looks pretty neato, if I do say so myself).

Between this massive overhaul and my kiddos, you’d think I was pretty well covered on the “exhausted and busy” scale. NOPE! Come on, you know me! I’m not satisfied unless I’m pulling all-nighters and looking like I haven’t slept in years.

Ah, yes, 200+ pages of differentiated K-2 math goodness! This is something I’d been making for myself since before I went on maternity leave because I was so frustrated with how my math routines and calendar time went this year — so I decided to add a few more options and offer it up for other teachers to utilize. I’m almost finished editing it and proof-reading it (thank you to the fabulous ladies from my Facebook page that offered their time!), and will write my MEGA post in a few days on how I’m planning to beef it up and make the most of my math meeting time this year.

If you’d like to win a “pre-order” of this mammoth resource, leave me a comment with your best tip for teaching all those little math concepts that seem to slip through the cracks (you know the ones — they aren’t beefy enough for a whole unit, but important enough that you have to “hit” them all year long). I’ll choose a winner Friday morning!

I had too much fun with this!

August 2, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 16 Comments

Really, I did.

I had a lightbulb moment for my lightbulb moments.

I was work on first week activities, and was working on craftivities related to my “rules to live by” — one of which is “use your brain: be a learner” and represented by a lightbulb.

I was almost finished and then I realized, ohmyword, this is the perfect companion to the stress relievers.

So then I decided to make a sample and see if it made sense in action.

Then I thought… well, what if I laminate these and students keep them to refer to? But I wanted something to display, too… so…

When students have a breakthrough or a “lightbulb moment,” we celebrate it. And one way to celebrate it, is to commemorate it and display that accomplishment (because it is an accomplishment).

(It’s totally like one of those perpetual mirrors. I had a lightbulb moment in Target about lightbulb moments and then had a lightbulb moment about my lightbulb moments.)

I’m going to have a focus area in the classroom to display all of the moments that allowed kiddos to join the “Thomas Edison Club” — where hardwork and determination yields successful “lightbulb moments”! Of course I’ll have to explain who Thomas Edison was and what he invented first… but that’s part of the fun!

So there you have it! Two lightbulb craftivities to use with your kiddos! I’m working on a “world of possibilities” version for my husband’s classroom (since their social studies focus is geography, and well, I took all of the lightbulb stress relievers for myself!).

If you’d like to pick up this craftivity for yourself, I’ve listed it in my TPT store for $1.50! There are multiple options included, as seen below:

A big congratulations to posters #16, #23, and #41 on my Monday Made It post — Amber, Laura, and Cristy, I will be e-mailing you your word wall packs shortly! For everyone else, I’m putting it on a flash sale for $2.50, so head on over and pick it up!

I can never resist a giveaway, so the first three people to comment below will receive the lightbulb moment craftivity in their inbox — make sure you leave your e-mail!

What day is it? (Mondayyyyyyyy!)

July 30, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 48 Comments

Another Monday! On the upside, I get to spend a good chunk of my Internet time today looking at all of the amazing things bloggy friends have come up with. On the downside, this means I’m running out of time. Eeeeeeek! I know some of you are heading back into the classroom much sooner than I am, so I don’t feel too bad, but I’m starting to get a bit nervous. I even had my first school-related nightmare! (I showed up at the wrong school and wrong classroom on the first day and it. was. a. trainwreck!)

So: word walls. Let’s talk about them.

In some of my practicum experiences, they were just kind of there. They weren’t talked about or used, they just kind of took up space. In some of my practicum experiences, they weren’t there at all. There wasn’t really an alternative, either, so it was a constant struggle of students not being able to have the independence they craved during writing.

There were some awesome word walls I saw, however, and the ones that were awesome were used. Frequently. They weren’t just an “if you don’t know it” reference, either, they were a centerpiece of learning and kind of the pulse of the room. So that’s what I had in my head when I started on this project: something that is, above all, going to be supportive for my kiddos (especially my ELL’s), and something that made sense with what my goals are this year (see the trusty sidebar).

I need a dynamic word wall.

First, I made these:

*sigh* These colors make me happy.

These are my headers for my word wall, which is going to be placed above the windows, here:

I still can’t believe I have a classroom.

While that’s a readily accessible place from anywhere in the room and has plenty of space for lots of words, it doesn’t quite hit the mark for what I want to do alone. Enter this:

You knew it was going to be Oz-related, right?

The idea is this: my students need to experience independent success in their writing, and I want to remove as many obstacles to that as possible. At the same time, I want to support my ELL’s that may need some visual cues, while also encouraging my wordsmiths to expand their vocabulary. This is where my mobile word wall fits in!

Clear plastic pencil pouch, blank color-coded cards, A-Z dividers, and trading card protectors.

Smaller versions of the word wall headers are on each divider to create a visual link.

Students can have the independence they need and can contribute at their own pace, on their own time using this resource. They can encounter a word that they think should be added — perhaps a content area word or fabulous vocabulary word — and select the correct colored card, write the word, and then add a visual or other thought to make a more concrete connection.

Front of the cards; note the color-coding for content areas.

Back of the cards, with a visual or example.
This can be expanded to include a definition, a sentence, etc.

The color-coded cards open up a lot of possibilities; they can be used to denote spelling patterns, level of difficulty, or as I’ve used them — for content areas. I’ll be taking the lead from my content-area binders and using purple for science, green for math, blue for social studies, and then using red, orange, yellow, and black for the various parts of speech.

These are the blank mobile word wall cards for student use.
There are matching larger cards for the full-sized word wall.

I got through all of the words on my district’s list for second grade, and am now working on expanding it to include words that I know will come up during the year for the various units. The full-size words are more of an undertaking since I’m laminating them for durability.

The mobile word wall will not start out the year with us, but will slowly be introduced as we begin to use our word wall and I model a lot about how to use it to my students’ advantage. This will work well with my implementation of Daily 5 and CAFE, as I can see this hanging out in our word work or writing center!

Whew! That was a lot of post. If you’ve made it this far, thank you! I’ve packaged all of my materials and listed this Dynamic Word Wall pack (including editable PPTs for you to customize with your word lists) on my TPT store. Here’s what is included:

I would love to give this word wall set away to three people! Leave me a comment with your e-mail, and I’ll choose three random winners on Wednesday night!

(Speaking of winners, a big congrats to The Meek Moose for winning the Discovery poster — I look forward to seeing it in action in your school!)