Classroom Reveal and another Freebie

Okay I have have everything done except my door. That will be a project for next week.  Almost everything on the inside is ready to go!

Well that is all for now.

When I get my door done, I will post it!

Here is the freebie...

Thanks for stopping by.

Whole Brain Teaching

I have been using Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom for a few years and the kids really like it.  If you want to see it in action, watch the video below.

Check out You Tube for more examples!

To learn more about Whole Brain Teaching visit the creator Chris Biffle's site. 

My students and I go over the rules repeatedly the first few days of school.  I tweaked a few of the original rules to match my classroom needs, and it took me a while to get into the habit of using these practices, but I kept at it.

Classroom Management

I am in love with Class Dojo.  Prior to using the site, I used the colorful class clip chart that many of you have seen around the web. Kids would move clips up and down the chart, and when they reached the top I gave students "space rocks", otherwise known as sticky gems, to attach to their clip.  I would also give them a good news postcard with a personal note on the back and indicated one thing they did well that day.

Here's a picture of the cards I gave out.  The back has a similar pattern and an empty white space to write in.

If you'd like to use these for your class click here for the file.

At the end of the day, I would then have students color in a tree shape on their behavior log.                   To read more about this sheet click here.

                                            You can get a copy of this sheet at my TPT store.


But then......
I found this!

                                                                CLASS DOJO!

I keep this up on my SMARTboard all day, and the company also has an app that lets you track student behavior from your phone, or iPad.  So, if we are out at recess, I can log points.  If I'm in the lunchroom, library, computer lab, it doesn't matter. Class Dojo travels with me.

At the end of the day the students record the number of points they earned. The point totals for the day show up right next to their name.  I have various point totals color coded, so if they earn 5 or more points that day, then they color that day on their behavior log purple. 3-4 points earns a true blue, 1-2 is a light blue, 0 points is green, and negative points have them coloring in yellow, orange and red.  So, it is very much like what I did before, only now the actual behavior recording device is more engaging and easier to manage.

To make it even better, my students can now earn coupons with the points they collect over the course of the week.  On Monday, I set a end of the week total the kids need to hit.  If they earn that many points, then they can choose a coupon.  I use coupons much like those offered on Mel's, Suesstastic Classroom blog.  The kids love them!

Class Dojo also keeps track of all your student behaviors so that you can print out a nice sheet to show parents, and the site will even send a daily behavior report email to parents.

The site has many other fantastic features, and best of all it is FREE!

Solving Mysteries with the Help of Mod Podge!

Mystery Number One:

Whose paper is this????????

I saw the No Name clip project on Pinterest and knew right away I had to make one for my room.

Pinterest Inspiration

I rummaged through the basement to find a piece of scrap wood. Then I prettied it up with some polk-a-dot scrapbook paper, printed and cut out cute letters, set everything in place with Mod Podge, hot glued the clothespins, attached a string of jute rope, and voila:

SOLVED

I think the polka-dot background competes with the lettering a little, so I may go back and apply solid black letters... I'm not sure yet.


Mystery Number Two:

Now where did I put________? I just had it in my hand a second ago!

Do you ever set things down in your classroom and then poof they disappear!  Well in my room we often play the, Mrs. G is looking for her (enter random teacher thingy here), who can help me find it? , game.

I am often misplacing my clipboard.

To make matters worse, all my kids use clipboards as well.  They rarely sit at desks and often need a surface to write on, and all the clipboards look the same.  So, it can be hard to distinguish which one belongs to me if I happen to set it down and then walk clear across the room to attend to a child (or 5) in need.

Then the game turns into "is this it?", "No", "Is this one it?", "No".....

So now it is decked out, front and back, in polka-dots and I should be able to keep track of it a little better, or at least the kids will know which clipboard to look for now!

SOLVED!