Finishing Touches

Ready or not, here they come.  My classroom will be “almost” done when the kids rush in tomorrow morning.  The laminating machine broke on the first day of pre-planning and did not get fixed until late Friday.  I’ll be there, they’ll be there, and all the truly important things will be there, so it will all be good.  If you have been reading my blog, you know that our little corner of the building was trying to come up with our annual “theme” for the outside wall.  Below you will see the group theme first, and then our new classroom motto. 

 

 

 

Here’s hoping it inspires some minds and souls while eliminating mushy math minds everywhere.  Here is one of my new pictures that is still in the mile high laminating file:
 

The first day will be taken up with orientation, policies, and procedures.  Day two in my room will be an icebreaker activity:

             6th Grade Icebreaker          7th Grade Icebreaker   
 
                                  8th Grade Icebreaker

Two years ago, I switched to using “sandwich” homework in my math classes.  Regular, advanced, co-taught, ESE, intensive, honors – it didn’t matter.  I’m a fan and parents seem to be on board.  My students?  Well, it all depends on the day and their mood, but that is typical middle school.  The premise is simple.  I give my kids the problem and solution for their homework which is represented by the sandwich bread.  Their job is to fill in all the good stuff in the middle.  My goal was to stop students from practicing their new math skills wrong.  We’ve all had days when we thought the lesson went great.  The kids say they really understand it and it was easy (first clue).  The next day I’d put the homework answers up and dead silence followed by groans and head banging.  I’ve always believed it was easier to teach math that my kids have never seen.  Unteaching and unlearning is truly hard on everyone. 

So what happens if they can’t figure out how to get the correct answer?  That’s where my homework parking lot comes in.  I mentioned it in last week’s blog, so don’t worry if it sounds familiar.  At the beginning of class students write any question numbers they could not figure out on a sticky note and post it in the homework parking lot.  Since we only go over the questions they struggled with, I find that we are saving 5-10 minutes of class time each day.  Some students do resist writing out the steps at first, but no work equals no credit so they normally get with the program pretty quickly.  I try to avoid arguments like “I did it on the calculator” by insisting they write down (both numbers and operations) owhatever they put into the calculator.  Here is a copy of the parking lot in case you missed it:

 

If you are heading back to school soon, my best wishes for a great start to the year.  If you are one of our friends winding down your year, enjoy your rest.  We all know it is very well deserved.

Happy teaching!

Laura

 

Planning for an Organized Classroom

One week before my classroom is filled with noise and excitement as we kick off another school year.  I made some changes last year to help keep the class running smoother and shifting some of the work and responsibilities for that to my students.  Surprisingly, it went better than I expected.  Here are a few of my organization tips that made a big difference: 

          1.  Bins

 

We’ve all seen the funny pictures showing how student desks get smaller while students (and their stuff) gets larger.  After years of listening to calculators, rulers, pencils, etc. hit the floor, I decided to add a little extra storage to each desk.  I saw these bins at Big Lots, two for $1.30, and took the plunge.  I became an instant celebrity during pre-planning with a number of teachers going out and getting them too.  We were all concerned with how they would hold up to 125 – 160 students per day, and were all thrilled at the end of the year.  I personally lost two bins to damage, but feel that fault lies with me for installation error.  I used zip (cable) ties and found using 3-4 for each basket keeps it stable.  My students also kept these fairly clean – they did not turn into mini trash baskets!

  

          2.  Pick-up Station

              

 

 

Distributing papers can seem like a never ending job, so the pick-up station was my way of getting students to help.  It took less than a week for them to become accustomed to picking up their own handouts at the beginning of class.  I added a line to my daily agenda on the board called “Pick-ups” and would write the number of pick-ups for that day next to it.  This also had the wonderful side benefit of me not having to hear “but you didn’t give it to me” anymore.  Love it!

 

          3.  Turn In Station

              

              

The reverse of the pick-up station, students were responsible for handing in their work in the appropriate drop-off bin.  Another time saver that increased student responsibility.  I recently saw a wonderful idea on Squarehead Teachers Blog where they had a laminated paper on top of the turn in basket reminding students to check that their name is on it, all questions answered, etc. with directions to put their paper under the reminder sheet.  A great reminder that also reduces “peeking” at someone else’s paper. 

         
 

          4.  Absent Work Station 

I’ve had a variation of it for years, but with the other stations added, it seems like I heard a lot less of “what did I miss” last year.  Now if we could just eliminate “do I have to make up what I missed yesterday?” I’d be a happy camper.

 

          5.  Homework Parking Lot

          

       

 

Something good finally came out of all those faculty meetings and trainings – my homework parking lot.  Students put up the number of any homework questions they want to review before the start of class each day.  That gives me an opportunity to get ready to review them after attendance and before students finish their daily warm-ups. 

I hope you find some inspiration and ideas from a few of my favorite things for classroom organization.  I’d love to hear what is working in your classroom.

 

Happy teaching!

 

Laura

Back to School Best Year Ever!

 

If you are looking for 5-9 math resources with a 28% discount during the sale, please check out my store:

 

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Happy Teaching!

Project Based Learning

I love projects.  I especially love math projects that allow for individual student creativity and offer differentiation so students, wherever they are in their math journey, can be successful.  Today I want to share one of them with you, the Birdhouse Project.  This particular project can be extended to a cross-curricular activity with science by adding a research component about birds native to your area.

Let’s start at the end:

 

Birdhouse Project #1 - no circles

 

 And the more advanced option: 

Birdhouse Project #2 - includes circles

 

The birdhouse project is a great way to reinforce area formulas and allow students to move into surface area using concrete models, or to use as a review.  The first template is the easier model using triangles, rectangles, one circle, and US customary units.  The second template uses triangles, trapezoids, rectangles, semi-circles, circles and the metric system.

 

 

Templates for Birdhouse #1

Some tips I’ve found with this activity:

·        I print a class set of templates on color paper, laminate, and cut out the individual pieces.  Initially I printed the templates on white paper and it became hard to keep track of the laminated pieces vs the white cardstock.

·        Depending on the class ability, I have my students round their measurements to either the nearest quarter or half.  Between copying, printing, laminating, tracing, etc., their measurements may be off a little.  The rounding seems to keep the stress level down for everyone.

·        I give each student a set number of blank card stock and tell them to play around with the template pieces before cutting.  This has cut down dramatically on wasted materials. 

·        I have my students sitting in small groups, but working individually on their birdhouse.  This allows them to compare ideas while still being responsible for their own work.

·        Some students get confused on the “length/base, width, height” boxes on the worksheet.  You may need to point out that they don’t need all three measurements for each piece.

·        The area column is broken into two parts.  The first would be the area of a single piece.  The second would be for the total for the pieces that are used more than once in the design.

·        I suggest to my students that they work in the following order:  cut out their pieces, measure each piece, decorate, and then assemble. 

·        We use scotch tape to assemble the birdhouses.  Some students use glue sticks and scotch tape (hoping they can remove the tape after the glue dries).

·        Some students get stuck on how to cut out the circle or semi-circle.  You may have to demonstrate folding the paper to make the first cut.

·        I typically use cardstock with a weight of 60 – 75 pounds.

·        For the second birdhouse, the bottom piece will be a circle.  I strongly suggest that students trace out the bottom onto scrap paper, but leave an extra inch around the design when cutting.  I think they are holding the birdhouse down too firmly and shifting the shape when tracing.  This has cut down on the errors, but it saves the more expensive cardstock by using the scrap as a template for the final bottom piece.

·        If you want the birdhouses to hang, a single-hole punch through the roof peak along with fishing line (or string) works well. 

·        The majority of my students finish the project in 2-3 class periods.

 

You can see this entire activity at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Happy Teaching!

                        

Birdhouse Project

 

New (School Year) Resolutions

I just got back from vacation and almost ruined that stress-free feeling by looking at my calendar and seeing … three weeks left before heading back to school.  I’m going to be honest, last year was a tough one both personally and professionally.  The class I had been hearing about for years finally arrived; and, unfortunately none of their previous teachers were exaggerating.  It was a rough group made more difficult by many years together, coddling parents, and a school district that lacks many qualities.  They walked in smiling that they had five teachers fired the previous year and assured they were in control.  I like to think they left with a greater grasp of reality and hope for next year’s teachers.   

So, it’s time to set the tone for the upcoming school year without any of last year’s baggage.  Similar to what we all do each January, but luckily my school resolutions seem to have much better results for me.  A number of years ago I started selecting a “theme”, but a more mature middle school version of the typical elementary focused themes/decorations I normally see geared to teachers.  For the last few years my theme idea has grown into a group wall shared by three teachers in our little corner of the building.    It seems to set the tone in all three classrooms for the year and I think the kids enjoy it too.  We actually had a mid-year visit by another group of teachers at our school to see this wall after they caught some students pulling up their pants, taking off their ball caps, and changing their speech before entering our “zone”.  Apparently the kids explained to them that “you have to be ready to learn when you go there, because it’s real”. 

 

 Here was last year’s wall sign:

 

The year before we had one the read “When you enter this classroom you are: mathematicians, explorers, important, and respected.  You are the reason we are here”.  Unfortunately I lost the pictures of that one when my cellphone crashed last year.    

Which brings us to the 2016/17 school year.  We started talking about this year’s sign four months ago and still don’t have one.  We all decided to decompress a little this summer and tackle it again.  I’ve been reading articles on teaching middle schoolers, searching Pinterest for inspiration, looking at the latest data, and … still I’m undecided.  Here are a few of my favorites so far:

 

 

 

I really want to focus on making students feel welcome and comfortable in my classroom this year.  I recently read an article by Harry and Rosemary Wong regarding the impact on learning and behavior that comes from creating a welcoming classroom and their belief that “it begins at the door”.  My search continues for the perfect sign that balances a combination of welcome and motivation for teens and tweens.  Apparently the time spent searching and debating is well worth it – because it’s is that important for setting the tone in your room for the year.  What’s your theme going to be this year in your classroom?



Reflections & Goals

One of the most critical parts of teaching is taking the time to reflect on what worked, what did not work, and what impacted student learning.  It is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine while trying to keep the ship sailing in the right direction that we forget to stop and assess the impact of the lessons we work so hard to deliver.  This is especially true for new teachers who are struggling to find enough minutes in each day just to keep their head above water.

 

One of the most helpful pieces of advice I received early in my career from a veteran teacher was “the magic of the highlighter”.   First, she made me feel a little better by acknowledging that no teacher has time to truly reflect on their teaching on a daily or weekly basis.  That year I was struggling with the demands of teaching math to 193 students while my friendly language arts veteran seemed to breeze through each day with almost 230 students on her roster.  I know now that “breezing” was an illusion.  Despite all the public talk about the easy life of a teacher who can simply do the same thing year after year, I have never met a “rinse and repeat” teacher.  Honestly, I hope I never do.

 

The magic highlighter is really a quick note to yourself for the future.  After a lesson, or at the end of each day, simply color code the lesson in your plan book by highlighting the title or objective.  I used green for “great lesson”, yellow for “worked ok”, blue for “has potential, but needs work”, and pink for “don’t do this again”.  I would also jot down notes if I felt the need and have time.  This gave me enough of a reminder when I did get to sit down and start reflecting to improve my lessons for the following year.  I try to do that two to three times a year now, but there have been some challenging times that it all waited until summer break.  Lessons where I was targeting particular objectives were also tracked by assessment outcomes.  By tracking both, I am able to determine not only if students were engaged, but also that learning gains were realized through the lessons and activities.  I believe that tracking both sets of information allows me to determine the best course for the following year.  This past year I have also started tracking my warmups with the magic highlighter.  For the past few years, I have been using warmups as spiral reviews rather than a review of the prior day’s learning.  Because of that, the criteria for warmups is more and engagement and general scores.  As teachers, we are always looking for that perfect balance of challenging, but not frustrating, and engaging, but not play.

 

I have found that this reflection technique allows me to set more realistic goals for both myself and my students.  Each year I set two main goals for each of my classes.  As a nod to my business background, I set a “macro” goal and a “micro” goal.  My macro goal generally stays the same from year to year:  “all students will show learning gains”.  Lofty, I know, but I have seen a lot of progress and development as a teacher and I believe reflecting and goal setting has been a large part of why.  My “micro” goals change from year to year, but always serve as a way to reach the macro goal.  Last year, I choose “increasing movement in my classroom” as the micro goal with the thought that if I keep them moving and on their toes there is less chance they fall off to sleep or start texting during class.  Two years ago, my goal was to increase student engagement.  I’ll write more about those goals and my progress in reaching them later.

 

I hope you find the magic highlighter idea useful in your classroom.  Sometimes the little things (that really mean a lot) get lost in the busyness of our days.  Adding a little color can save us time in the short term while helping all of us to improve for the future.  Happy planning for an awesome year!

 

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