Summer Series Classroom Transformations Part 1: What are They?

Welcome to my summer series on classroom transformations. In this first part of the series, we will be looking at what classroom transformations are. For some of you, this may be a completely novel concept and you are wondering just what a classroom transformation is. By the end of this post, you will know, hopefully be inspired to stick around for the rest of the series, and even attempt one of your own this school year. 

What are Classroom Transformations?

Classroom Transformations are a way of teaching that fully engages your students in the content through environment and experience. Think about it this way, if I am learning about Paris, for example, how can I put my students in that environment without booking a red-eye to France? What are the sites, sounds, smells, tastes, and feels of that beautiful city? I will enhance my curriculum to bring in as many of those as possible. I want my students to feel as if they are in France for that day, from greeting them with a "bonjour" at the door in the morning and having French music playing (sounds), to having a photo, background, or even 3D model of the Eiffel Tower as they come into the classroom (sight), I want them to feel as if they have stepped into France. Maybe I have some French pastries to help encourage and reward them during their content learning (taste & smells). Hopefully you get the idea. 

Is there a Purpose to doing this?

Of course there is! It is all about engagement. You want students to learn and to be excited to learn. It makes it easier when they have the desire to learn, and it eliminates behavior problems when they are fully engaged. Transformations are one of the best ways I know to get students to buy-in to the learning they would have to do anyway. Sometimes I hear students beg to go in from recess because what we are doing in class is more fun and exciting than recess itself! That is a win, friends!

Do Classroom Transformations have to be Elaborate?

The simple answer is no. A transformation can be super elaborate, or simple. It can incorporate many of the senses, or just a few. A transformation can take over your entire classroom and day, or be a simple set up in one area or for part of the day. You decide how much you want to put into it. 

Are Classroom Transformations Expensive?

It depends. You can go all out and spend an endless amount of money, if you want to, but that doesn't have to be the case (and for most teachers it shouldn't be). You can easily spend little to no money on them as well. To save money, think about who you could borrow items from. Could you have parents sign up to bring consumable items, such as food? Other teachers, your family, even student families are a great resource for borrowing decor items. You can use cardboard and paint, a cheaper option, to design elements for a classroom transformation. But remember, you can keep it small and not have to put in much work at all. It is amazing what a few one dollar table cloths can do to help you change your tables or desks into a mini transformation. 

Classroom Transformation Examples

Let's look at a few examples right now. You will see that some transformations take little or minimal effort and others can take a lot more time. The great thing is, you decide how much to do or not do. You decide how much to spend or if you are going to spend even one dime. It is totally up to your preference. 

Indiana Jones Archeology Transformation:

When I taught 6th Grade, social studies for the year was all about ancient civilizations. How do we know so much about those civilizations? Through artifacts. How do we find artifacts? Through archeology. So, it was a natural conclusion that we needed to have some hands-on experience with archeology and who better to bring it than Indiana Jones.

This transformation was super simple, but the students were no less excited than if I had gone all out. I put some Indiana Jones music on, borrowed a coat from a friend, used some clay pots and shells and other pieces I already had, and purchased some sand (less than $10), and  a few magazines (Cannot remember the cost, but minimal). I used a container that I already had and filled it with sand. I created a grid like archeologists use and buried one artifact in each section. We used brushes and other art tools to uncover the artifacts. I prepped students to think like archaeologists by telling them things like how artifacts can be fragile. We talked about how artifacts can be hundreds or thousands of years old and could crumble or break easily and discussed ways to keep artifacts from being damaged. Then students took turns becoming archeologists and unearthing artifacts. They were super careful as they uncovered pots and shells and other items from the "past". We looked at all the artifacts and, just like real archeologists, figured out what we could understand about the people that left these things behind. Students were 100% engaged from start to finish with this simple transformation. 

Glow Day Transformation

For Glow day, it was a little more work. First, I purchased some black lights. I got a set of three for probably around $65, but I kept in mind that I would use these repeatedly, and I have used them for probably five years already. This is a transformation I do every year, so I wasn't too worried about the investment. Plus I could use these for other transformations such as space or caving (study on rocks). I also got black plastic to cover the windows to make the classroom pitch black. I purchased a set of class neon spy hats at Dollar Tree and have had them for years as well. We also use glow sticks for games and highlighters to write with.

Usually, I use this transformation to kick off our multiplication unit. Students jump into a full morning of times tables games and activities that all glow and engage them. This is not too hard to set up, but does take more time than the archeology activity. 

Space Transformation

My space transformation was a lot of work to set up and used a lot of supplies. Thankfully, I have a friend who loaned me about 90% of the decor and supplies I needed. I just added in a few space themed activities and the supplies for those, which were minimal. I had to purchase or have on hand things such as yarn, straws, etc. 

This one involved decorating the front of the room, covering the windows to create a dark room, like space, and also putting the black lights up again. This one was of course a hit. I used this near the end of the year to continue learning and bring engagement in a time when engagement is hard to come by. 

Classroom Transformation Wrap up:

This gives you an idea of what classroom transformations are with some pictures to help you visualize how it all comes together. We are going to continue to explore through this summer series on classroom transformations. My hope is that you will find inspiration and ideas to help you set the stage in your own classrooms!

What's next? Here's a quick look at what we will be learning during this series:

Part 2: Inspiration (Where do you get ideas?)

Part 3: Linking the Standards (This is not just for fun)

Part 4: Set Up (The hows of transforming your classroom into something magical)

Part 5: Transformation Day (What does this look like...think a day in the life of a classroom transformation) 

Teachers on Break

The lazy days of summer are upon us...the days that teachers long for. I am absolutely soaking them up with my two teens and husband. We aren't going anywhere this summer, and that is kind of sad (I love to travel), but it also gives us an opportunity to do things around our town that we didn't get to do last year when we spent six weeks road trippin'. 

So what is a teacher on break supposed to do with all that extra time? Here's some suggestions if you need some ideas.

Dust off your instruments: 

I am spending extra time playing the piano, my first instrument. My goal was two hours a day, which quickly morphed into one, but even on days when my fingers don't dance across the ivories at all, I am taking extra time this summer to better my craft and learn some challenging pieces. 

I am also working to relearn the violin. As an adult, I took lessons for a few years, but that was before children. I have forgotten much that I learned, but I figure I can pick it up quicker the second time. I used to play in our church orchestra, and my husband still does. My goal is to be able to competent enough to play from the hymnal and join him once again. 

Sports:

Get some exercise in a way you don't always get to do during the school year. We got our bikes ready so we can choose to ride around the neighborhood with our kids. We are getting up early and visiting the pickleball courts before things heat up. As another option, we could go to one of the basketball courts in town or even even dunk a few shots in our driveway hoop. Go to the local pool. We have a really great one with an amazing splash secion and two slides for the bigger kids...and best of all, it is free. We are walking more too, and that makes our dog so happy.

Hobbies:

Now is the perfect time for all those hobbies you have abandoned. For me it is scrapbooking and photography. I actually have the time and enrolled in a photography course! Sharpening my skills in that area is so fun. And it has been a minute since I have printed off any pictures to use in my albums. I am happy to get that chance this summer. I have a lot of catching up to do. 

Read:

Take advantage of your local library. Check out some new books. I have been reading a lot, and enjoying it. I don't take the time very often to read a good book during the school year, but I have already finished three and have more that are in the process. Here's some of what I have been reading: 

High Five by Mel Robbins

This one is all about loving yourself

Let them by Mel Robbins

This one is about not worrying how others act and not reacting in negative ways toward the chaos they cause

Loving our Students on Purpose by Bernii Godwin

All about teaching students joyful responsibility for their own behavior

Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg

All about making change in your life with micro habits. 

The Quilter's Apprentice (An Elm Creek Quilts Novel: book 1) by Jennifer Chiaverini

A fiction book about a girl who learns to quilt, with other stories woven in along the way 

Round Robin (An Elm Creek Quilts Novel: book 2) by Jennifer Chiaverini

A fiction book about a group of quilters and their individual stories

Visit Free or Cheap Places

Look around your town for places you can go that don't cost a lot. Some museums have free days, some movie theaters have $1 movies for the summer, and parks are also a great option. Kids can do reading programs at their library and earn prizes such as tickets to local events, etc. 

A summer at home doesn't have to be boring...and it shouldn't be. Get out there are make it memorable with your kids, or even if you don't have kids, do it for yourself!

Thinking Through my Classroom Management Plans

This year I wanted to work hard on classroom management. A well-managed class makes teaching a pleasure. So...I set about to research and learn more about classroom management. I wanted to brush up my skills and set up a new system for managing my classroom this year. 

Classroom Management Resources

To help myself along, I picked up a couple of old books that I have that have been sitting on my shelves for many years that have been read or partially read and forgotten. Where did my research lead me first, but the guru Harry Wong. Harry Wong's book, The First Days of School is considered a classic in the teaching world and he is at the top when it comes to educators who can manage a classroom. He is the expert! I read through most of his book in just a couple of days, taking notes along the way on things I wanted to remember or try. I also found an old interview by Harry Wong and listened to that. I checked out his website and several articles he had written through the years. There were so many treasures in his materials. 

Another book I read was called, The Classroom Management Secret by Michael Linsin. This book was so great and basically put the problem of classroom management right in the teacher's lap. being inconsistent is the worst thing you can do when upholding classroom behavior in your classroom. It starts to form a hole in your strategy when you do not consistently hold students accountable and students misbehave more and more. 

One last place I looked to was the teacher Mrs Munch's Munchkins on Instagram and YouTube. She is amazing with lots of fresh ideas. 

My Classroom Management Plan for the School Year

This year I took things from all three of these sources, and others, and added my own spin to create an effective plan for my classroom. 

1. First, we spent a ton of time on procedures, and continue to go back over those procedures on a regular basis as needed. 

2. Next, I spent some time on a plan for whole class behaviors, which are basically the expected procedures for how to do needed things together as a class such as our quiet signals and when we line up or come to our class campground/campsite (circle area). 

    Students are expected to follow procedures for line up or going to the campground like this: 

        a. stand up

        b. get ready (either empty hands or bring what is asked of them)

        c. when I give the secret word, students move silently to line, campground, or desks. 

      For our quiet signal, we do two different ones. I might say, "If you hear me clap once!" The students should clap and turn their eyes my way while remaining quiet. The second option I use is used in the same way, but it is a call and response I believe I learned at Get Your Teach on a few years back. It goes, "Hey, Hey, Hey! Listen up, Listen up!" Students shout it back to me while looking and listening. 

For our procedures, we use a whole class scoreboard. If students follow the procedure correctly, we get a point on our scoreboard under the words "Oh YEAH!" Then I will say, "Let me hear it. 1,2,3..." and they say "Oh YEAH!" If one student does not follow but the rest do, I make that one student show me the correct way to do it, but we do not get or lose a point. If several students to do follow the directions, I will give them an oops point and make them practice correctly. At the end of the day, we look at our points and compare the Oh Yeah points to the oops points. If we have more Oh Yeah points, we reveal a mystery letter to a secret prize. When all letters are revealed, the class earns the prize. If we have 5 more Oh Yeah points than Oops points, we reveal two letters. We reveal no letters if students get more Oops points. The prizes are simple things and do not have to cost anything at all. I use things like extra recess, stinky feet (no shoes for the day), bring a stuffed animal, etc. 

I also have a plan for individual management. This is where our classroom rules and consequences come in. First, I taught my students the four simple rules that I call Our Campground Rules (since we have a camping theme).

 

        1. Respect God

        2. Respect Adults

        3. Respect Students

        4. Respect Property

Under each of the rules, we have simple explanations that show what respect looks like in each situation. I also teach at a private Christian school, so we can have a rule about God. 

For the first week, after teaching my rules, I did not enforce consequences. This was a period to get used to these new rules for the year. I would remind students of which rule they broke and what the consequence would be in a few days. As students got used to the rules, I introduced the following consequences:

        1. Warning (verbal warning of the rule broken)

        2. Time Away ( either time away from friends in class or a time out during recess)

        3. Note Home

         4. Principal

While students understand that these are the consequences, they also know that the level of consequence can be skipped if the degree of rule breaking is serious. 

That pretty much sums up my classroom management plan. I do try to communicate with parents and build great communication. If you are interested in getting some ideas for parent communication and making your year run smoother in that aspect, check out that post over here. Here is another fun way to help with behavior management...click here.

Five Things I've Learned about Teaching in 27 Years

As a teacher, you are always a student. Learning is never done. I just finished up year number twenty-seven, and teaching has taught me some pretty important lessons through the years. 

1. Teaching is more than just a job. Seriously, teaching is hard, but it is unbelievably rewarding. I have been fortunate to have been able to watch my students through the years as they grow up, graduate, and become adults. And they are truly amazing! You never know how they are going to be as adults (when they are still little), but seeing them all grown up is rewarding. Students come back to you with stories about your class that you had long-since forgotten. They may get taller than you, smarter than you, and make more money than you, but the influence of a great teacher is never forgotten. I have had students write papers about me as their favorite teacher, years after the fact. I have had students come back to our school, walk into my room, and with a huge smile and a hug go down memory lane again with me about the good 'ole days...and remember when. I have parents thank me and students too. Teaching may feel hard in the moment, but the effects are lasting.

2. Teaching is not for the faint of heart. Teaching is work...it is WORK in all caps! But if you aren't afraid of work, then you will be fine. I'm not saying you have to eat, breathe, sleep, and live teaching, but I am saying that you will work harder than many other jobs, and the work never feels done. There are things that will have to wait. Do NOT live at your classroom at the expense of your family. However, to be successful, you will have to put in some extra time above those "contract hours"...and that's OK.

3. Breaks are not just for vacationing, they are for truly allowing you to thrive and survive. Many non-teachers like to point out that teachers work just 180 days a year and have an abundance of breaks in-between. That may be true on paper, but it sure isn't true in reality. Actually, I am contracted from August 1-May 31, so even though we have just 180 days with students, teachers work more than just student contact days. Those breaks however, are a necessity. Teachers go 90 miles a minute while school is in session and they definitely sacrifice some on the self-care front. These sprinkled in breaks allow teachers a small period to recover before hitting it hard again. In my job, I am it. No specials, no planning period, no free time to eat lunch in the staff lounge. I am with my students from the time they arrive at 7:30 to the time they either leave or start aftercare at 3:15. I love my students, but that doesn't mean the rejuvenation and relaxation isn't only appreciated, but necessary.

4. Teaching is fun! Teaching was my dream job as a little girl. I was THAT girl that made worksheets, raided the garbage cans when the teacher cleaned out the closets of old school books and materials, and went home to teach my dolls. Teaching is new and different each day. It changes with each class. I could NEVER be one of those teachers who have all of their lesson plans done for the year before the first day ever arrives. Teaching evolves and changes with the students. I throw in activities that suit their personalities and preferences. Having students who are obsessed with sports means that at some point sports are going to show up in my curriculum. Whether we do sports-style games for math facts, read non-fiction books about sports, share a STEM project idea based on a book we read, or have sports themed math games, I will find a way to connect to my students. 

Teaching isn't stagnant, it is ever evolving. It is broad enough that you can use so many different methods to deliver the goods, so to speak. I can use games, videos, team activities, classroom transformations, have guest speakers, the sky is really the limit. I cannot get stuck in a teaching rut and never deviate from a textbook. I stick with standards and find ways to incorporate a little fun as often as possible. 

5. Children are the same. Times change and challenges change, but children deep down desire the same thing: belonging. They want to please you. They have a desire to be heard, cared for, loved, be seen, celebrated, and accepted. And if I can create a classroom environment that facilitates that, I have done my job well. At the end of the year, I want my students to understand math more, be better readers, know about science and social studies. But more important that that, I want them to know that they belong and that they are loved. That is a true gift.