My Newly Designed Sports-Themed Classroom

This year I totally revamped my classroom (at the last minute, as I sometimes do). We had a fabulous start to the new year and the students were thrilled with the new classroom vibe. 

Some of the things I did to make it special:

First, I created a whole vibe with different sports ball paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I purchased a soccer field rug to place under my table. I got a basketball hoop that I mounted to my whiteboard. It will be perfect for games. 

At open house, I passed out our team playbook. This was definitely a labor of love and completely matched our theme. The students and families each got one of these to take home. It told all about the classroom and me as their coach (teacher). It told about some of the special ways we will celebrate together. 

For a welcome back, I gave each student a little soccer pouch that was filled with snacks. I placed a World Cup Little Debbie snack cake inside as well as a bag of Pirate's Booty.  These were so fun and the class loved them. On a side note, my dad went to school with the real Little Debbie...Debbie McKey. So fun!

For birthdays, I have tall plastic soccer cups with straws that I will pass out. inside each one will be a soccer ring pop as well as a sports pencil and eraser. They are super cute. This coming week I will be giving these out to all of my summer birthdays. Can't wait to see their reaction to that. 

We are using a mini-economy, so even the classroom money has a sports theme. We are using "All Star Dollars." Each money amount has a different sports featured with an equal amount of female and male athletes. 

It's going to be a great year! I hope your year is just as great.

Math Game Monday: Place Value I-Spy

I am back again to introduce you to another place value game for Math Game Monday. I LOVE this one. It gets the energy flowing with my students and gets them excited. Place Value I-Spy is a fun and easy way to practice those place value skills of the three different number forms: standard, expanded, and word. 

Students start by putting the large board together to form a rectangle. They each choose some sort of colored counter, different from the other players, to mark their spaces on the board. Then they shuffle the deck of cards and place it upside down. The students will then take turns flipping one card at a time and trying to be the first to spy the answer on the board. Whoever finds it first will place one of their counters on that space on the board. 

Students continue flipping cards one at a time and finding the matching answer on the board. Whoever finds the most answers wins the game. 

This is such a fun game that can be played with one partner or even a small group. 

Be sure to snag this one right away for the school year. Your students will enjoy it so much!

You can find it right here.

How I Teach Multi-Grades: Tips & Tricks

The other day, a teacher acquaintance on Instagram mentioned that she was going to be teaching in a multi-grade classroom this year. I reached out to encourage her and tell her that it is not as hard as it might seem and that I have taught in multi-grade for 27 of my 29 years. She asked me a little bit about it and I was able to give her some advice. So then I thought maybe this would be a great thing to share here on my blog. 

A Little Background on my Experience Growing Up

When I went to school, it was at a small two-room school that included all grades from 1-9. I went there for all nine years before moving to a more traditional classroom. The class sizes were generally small and it was a nice "family" atmosphere in the school. Everyone knew everyone. The teacher would rotate us through our lessons one grade at a time. It was great for kids who were ahead, like me because my first year I was able to do reading class with the second grade class since I was not a beginner like most. Kids who needed extra reinforcement could also get help by doing class with the younger kids. It just seemed normal to me. 

 College Life

In college, I began my studies as an elementary education major. It was assumed that when I graduated, I would get a job for the same private school system I had gone to since first grade through college. This system is the largest parochial system (next to the Catholics) and has schools world-wide. Most schools are small one or two teacher schools with a few larger schools in big cities. 

My First Teaching Placement 

I began my teaching career at a small three teacher school in Delaware. That year I started with seven students (which grew to nine second semester). I taught first-third grades. I also had fourth grade for a couple of classes. My multi-grade teaching experience started right out of the gate and continued for most of my teaching career. There have been just two years that I have taught one grade level...second grade. 

How do you Teach Multi-Grade?

If you are not used to it, this can sound like a super complex and even foreign concept. The secret is there are many schools that purposely use this model, including pricy Montessori, private schools, and even some public schools. So it is definitely NOT unheard of. 

I currently teach a combo class of third-fifth grades and quite a bit about those levels goes together nicely. 

First, there's the math. In my grade levels the curriculum basically follows the same plan. Students begin with place value & rounding, move to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Then they go on to fractions, area/perimeter/volume, measurements and conversions, geometry, etc. The great thing is that I can teach the same topics for each grade level and just go a little deeper and deeper as the levels go up. Many classrooms use the structure of small groups and in multi-grade teaching that is a MUST. I give each math class about 20-30 minutes with me and then they move into independent work. That also means that I must have math centers that they can work at when they are not with me, or when they are done with their work or are waiting for their class. I have a whole post about math centers over here.

I do the same for reading. In a regular single-grade classroom, students do not read on the same level and so that is where reading groups come into play. Students are grouped according to level and taught for 15-20 minutes at a time while the rest of the class practices through the use of centers. The same is in play in a multi-grade classroom. It is great that advanced students can be bumped up to more challenging groups and students who are struggling can be placed in groups for remediation. It just works. 

In writing, I teach one writing class, but differentiate the expectations for third, fourth, and fifth grade levels. I do not expect the same quality of writing out of a third grader that I would from a fifth grader. Spelling and handwriting activities are done generally independently. Third grade starts handwriting with me since they are learning cursive, but as the year progresses, it moves to a more independent activity. 

For the rest of the classes, we do a rotation. One year students do 3rd grade Bible, social studies, and science. The next year they do the 4th grade and the final year in my room they do the 5th grade. The topics are similar enough that even if they do not finish in our system, they continue to circle back to many of the same topics year after year, and it is not a huge deal.  

That's how it works. Not too bad. It is very similar to a regular classroom with just a few adjustments. 

Benefits of a Multi-Grade Classroom

It is crazy to me how some people view multi-grade classrooms as somehow less than. It is completely a myth. There are actually many proven benefits to this system. 

• Peer-to-Peer learning: Younger students learn more by listening to older students and older students are reinforced in their learning by listening to the younger students.
• Flexible Pacing: Students do not have to be held strictly to grade-level content. They can bump up if they are ready or get extra time if needed.
• Pre-Teaching and Re-Teaching: Students in these classrooms get continuous exposure to upcoming and past topics. This helps to build stronger comprehension.
• Strong Leadership: Older students mentor the younger ones. This boosts their confidence and sense of responsibility. 
• Better Social Skills: In a mixed-age classroom, competitive pressure is reduced. There is a sense of family, and it is more cooperative.
• Reduced Anxiety: Students feel less pressure which can lead to a healthier emotional well-being. It can reduce behavior issues. 
• Extended Relationships: Students and families get to work with the same teachers for multiple years enhancing the student/teacher/parent relationships and allowing a deeper understanding of how each child learns and what he/she needs.
• Real-World Environment: Classrooms mirror the real-world. Just as future jobs will have many people of different ages, students in multi-age classrooms have the opportunity to learn to work with other children of differing ages.   

Math Game Monday: Place Value to the Thousands Place

I am always surprised each year at just how difficult students find place value to be. To me, it seems straight forward, but to them, well...they just struggle. That's why I LOVE to use learning games to get students engaged and practicing these important place value skills. This game is quick and easy, can be played multiple ways, and is very low prep. 

One way you can play this is as a scoot game. Place one card on each desk. If you do not have enough desks, you can place the rest around the room wherever you choose. Give each student a recording sheet. They will be given 30 seconds to 1 minute at each of the spots. As they rotate, they take their scoot sheet with them and record each answer on the matching spot. When the students have visited each spot, they are done. 

Another way that I love to play this is with whiteboards. I give each student a whiteboard, read the clues aloud, and have them try to figure out my mystery number. I love involving the whole class in this activity. It is fun and easy. 

You could also do this around the room (tape them to the walls and allow students to walk around answering and writing down their answers. You could have students work on these in centers or even small groups as well. There are so many ways you can use them.

This game comes with 24 mystery number cards. Students simply follow the clues, writing down one digit at a time until they have written the entire number. 

I love simple games that involve my entire class. This is one of those games. What are you waiting for? Give it a try this year. You can find it right here. 

Math Game Monday: Multiplication I-Spy

Need a fast-paced, competitive math game for your students to practice their multiplication facts? This I-Spy game is all of that! Your students will be racing to be the first to find the products to the equations on the card. Fact fluency is simple and fun with this easy to prep game. 

How to Play Multiplication I-Spy

Start by printing out the boards and cards. Arrange the boards to make a large rectangle. Shuffle and place the cards upside down. Take turns flipping a card for all to see. Everyone will race to be the first to find the product on the spy-themed board. When someone finds it, they will cover it with a counter. Each player will have a different color of counter. Students can play this with a partner or a small group. 

Continue taking turns flipping cards and covering products until all the cards are gone or time is out. Each player should count their counters. The winner is whoever has the most. It's as simple as that!

Where I can Find Multiplication I-Spy

If you would like to purchase this game for your own class, check it out at this link. This game comes in full color or blackline to save ink. 

3 Things I Wish I Knew my First Year of Teaching

If I were to become a time traveler and travel back to my first year of teaching 1998-1999, I would tell that bright-eyed, dream-filled young teacher a few things. Here's what I would share. 

1. Spend a Lot of Time Teaching, Practicing, and Reinforcing Rules, Routines, and Procedures 

For a smooth year, you will need to keep a tight control on these. Set them up during the first week of school. Practice and practice some more until your students can do what you need them to do correctly. Practice again after every break, especially after long ones. You will be surprised at what students forget.

2. Once expectations are set, DO NOT let things slide. If you do, you will lose credibility and before you know it, you will be putting out behavior and procedure fires all day. For procedures, if your students do not do something in the way they were taught, stop and have them practice. If a rule is broken, start your consequences. Here's a look at mine.

First Offence: Stop Card - this is like a warning, only better because students must walk to my board and physically take a card back to their desk, placing it on top. This is a visual reminder for them to change their behavior.

Second Offense: Sideline - Students take a break at a designated spot in the classroom. They get themselves together and may rejoin the class by raising their hand when they feel ready. I generally allow them to choose their time to return unless they raise their hand right away or if they are visually not ready (still having a meltdown or upset looking). When they have their hand raised I will quietly allow them to return to their seat when I agree that they are ready.

Third Offense: Think Time - My students must fill out a behavior sheet to think about what they are doing and what they should be doing. They document what they will do when they return. I usually have them go out of my room and into another class (I have made arrangements with that teacher ahead of time) to fill out the form. 

Fourth Offense: Note Home - If students need a fourth reminder, they will receive a note home to explain that they are needing extra support to meet the behavior standards of the class. 

3. Third, I wish I knew that no matter what you do, how hard you work, the hours you spend, or any other variable, some parents will still be upset. It seems every year the class loves you, and occasionally one parent seems to be on a completely different page. Their expectations are sky-high, above and beyond the limits that a teacher should or could meet. You will have some of those parents over the course of your career. It feels like it derails you, but don't let it get to you. Shake it off and remember, you can please most people most of the time, but you will never please every person all of the time. It's not you...it's them. Don't let it get to you and make you feel like an inadequate teacher because that is far from the truth. 

I hope you keep these in mind, even if you are not a new teacher. Sometimes a few reminders can help all of us, myself included. 

 

Math Game Monday: Nacho Math-o

Are you struggling to get your students to master their multiplication facts? Try out this super fun, fact fluency game with your class. The colorful vibe and engaging theme help get students excited about learning. 

This is quick and easy to set up. Just print, cut out the boards, and you are ready to go. I would suggest laminating if you plan to use this from year-to-year. Once students are ready to play, they will each choose a board. Each board features one multiplication fact set. Students will spin the spinner, multiply by the number in the center of the board and place a counter on the board over the number that shows the product (I used these super cute taco erasers). Students will continue to take turns until one player fills up their entire board. Whoever fills their board first wins the game. 

Nacho Math-o is a fun game that can be played with partners or small groups. This makes them the perfect game to play for centers. While you, the teacher, works in a small group, keep your students learning with exciting games to hone their skills. 

Be sure to pick up your own copy of this game. You can find the link right here.