How Gardening Changed our Classroom Community

Building a strong foundation for a welcoming classroom community is imperative to every classroom. As teachers, we all know this, but how do we reach the highest level of a successful classroom community? As individual and talented teachers we all have our different strategies, tips, and tricks. Most of these are activities done in the beginning of the school year. Laying out expectations, norms, routines, and practicing character building skills. However, building a strong classroom community is a year long process, it never stops.

One thing that has helped the community in my classroom is taking part in a community garden. My class and I are fortunate enough to be at a school that has this as a resource.

Visiting the community garden provides an opportunity for our class to work together in a real life situation, plus it gives us an opportunity to be outside! Working in the garden allowed students to work with their hands to produce something tangible such as vegetables and fruits. 

Students always brought out their Garden Journals each time we visited the garden to record progress of their plants. (Yay for informative writing!) 

You can find this Garden Journals by clicking here or on any of the pictures.

These Garden Journals helped students understand the different stages plants go through while growing and having a deeper understanding of the plant life cycle. Students loved seeing and feeling the differences from week to week. They were able to work together and share what observations they made. Ah... students working together.

You can find this Garden Journals by clicking here or on any of the pictures.

Seeing progress in a project students worked on together gave my classroom a feeling of accomplishment. Students were proud not only of themselves, but of each other also.

Not only did students study plant life cycles, but we had to work together to decide where each vegetable would be planted and how to go about planting. This was good review for plant parts and needs. After making a plan, students were able to draw out a map of our garden bed.

You can find this Garden Journals by clicking here or on any of the pictures.

Students were able to record observations at their level. Some students drew all pictures, some wrote phrases, while other students used complete sentences. Again, this was  time students were able to work together and help one another.

You can find this Garden Journals by clicking here or on any of the pictures.

After a week or two of having our gardening routine I noticed a different energy in our classroom. I saw students helping one another, I heard students using words of praise, and I noticed less playground issues.  I attribute this to students being able to successfully work together on a project that was their own.

I would love to hear from you about how you keep classroom community strong through the school year!

Happy Gardening!

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The (Before) Back to School List

It's that hectic time of year again; the before back to school blues feeling overwhelmed with everything you need to get done. I have broke done a simple list to help prepare you for that first week back.

First, breathe. It will all get done, I promise! During this hectic time remember to take a moment for yourself. Do not overwork yourself otherwise you will become unproductive. So remember, breathe!

This is usually the first thing I do before the school starts. Having your bulletin boards, borders, and color scheme done shows progress. It also makes a comfortable place for you to do the rest of your before school year work. Having your bulletin boards up also sets the mood for the rest of your classroom and allows you to work in a comfortable space.

After creating this comfortable reading space I felt a load off my shoulders. Now all I had to worry about was the rest of my to do list. ;)

If you are returning to your old classroom and you like the way things are, skip this. If you are a new teacher, in a new classroom, or need a change, play around with classroom layout. Where are your main areas like read alouds, calendar, and your whiteboard going to be? How would you like student desks arranged? Check out tips on seating arrangements here! Play around with different ideas to see what you like best. And remember, you can always change it during the school year if you particular layout isn't working for your group of kiddos.

Reading, writing, and math are always my main priorities. Science and Social studies I have to be more creative with where I put this space. You can find these FREE Scientific Process Posters by clicking here or on the picture!

Once you have you have your general layout done, start thinking about smaller spaces.

• Were will mailboxes and/or backpacks be located? (Think about your packing up procedures!) 
• Where will you store extra supplies and student supplies? 
• How is your library going to be organized and how will students know how to find books? 
• How are reading, writing, and math centers going to be laid out? Where will you keep supplies for these centers and how will students be able to access them? 
• Calendar and/or morning message? Find a comfortable open area where students will focus on learning. 

Find these library labels by clicking here or on the picture!

Find these School Supply Labels here or by clicking on the picture!

Small decisions made before school starts will affect the rest of your year.  Read about how I organize some mom my centers supplies here! Be organized! You will thank yourself later.

Think about what procedures and routines your students will need to know for a successful classroom.  Place items students need for these routines in strategic places in your classroom.

• Bathroom log? Put it near the exit of the classroom so students don't need to interrupt the class. 
• Sharp pencils? Will this be a classroom job or will students sharpen pencil themselves? If students are sharpening during class, you may want to place the pencil sharpener in a location away from where students are working because it can be noisy! 
• Paper bins, supplies, an turn-in bins? Put this in an area easily accessible to students where they won't interrupt other working students. 
• Clip chart for management or attendance? A good location for this would be towards the back of the classroom so it can be discrete. 
• Classroom jobs? Put this in an area that students can find quickly but isn't the main focus. 

Find these FREE Classroom Jobs by clicking here or on the picture! 

These are just a handful of things you need to think about. Every teacher uses different routines and procedures. Having a strategic and well thought out layout will help your classroom management later on.

I always like to have a bulletin board or area dedicated to writing, reading, math, science/social studies, and learning objectives. Before school starts, I plan where each of these areas will be and label that area. It is important not to put up every anchor chart and referral poster you will be using during the school year. Students need to help create the classroom community and build these ideas together. However, there are some basics that need to be ready for students on the first day. Think about the layout and the smaller spaces in your classroom to place appropriate referral charts.

• Alphabets and Numbers - Put these at the from of the classroom so students can refer to theme easily. 
• Subject Walls (Reading, Writing, Math) - These can be on secondary walls in your classroom. Students can turn or walk to them when they need to access that specific information. 
• Information about grammar and/or word walls can be in your writing area or on a writing wall. Keep in mind, with a word wall or grammar wall, you want students to help build. 
• Leaning Objectives -  Put these at the from of the classroom so students can always access them. 

Find these FREE Grammar Charts by clicking here or on the picture.

Find this Alphabet in my store by clicking here or on the picture.

Find these FREE Number Representation Posters by clicking here or on the picture.

Plan this out carefully. The first week of school is the most important because you are setting the stage for the rest of the year! This week (along with the first month to two months,) should be management practice and building a strong learning community in your classroom. Introduce students to daily routines such as morning message and calendar to help with classroom management.

Carefully plan activities that get students familiar with their surroundings (classroom and school.)

• Scavenger hunt around the school. This is a great reminder for returning students and helps new students feel at ease in their new community
• Scavenger hunt in the classroom to help students know where supplies are, where their back pack goes, etc.
• Practice following directions with Simon Says.
• Lot and Lots of read alouds! 
• Craftivities are great for teaching procedures about using glue, scissors, and crayons.  
• Introduce subject areas one at a time and use a review activity to practice procedures during that time.
• Games to teach procedures during centers.

You can find this Back to School Bingo by clicking here or on the picture.

Now that your classroom is ready for students, take a moment to get some things ready for yourself.

• curriculum maps
• weekly planner
• reading binder, math binder, writing binder
• student information sheets, health forms, and parent contact information sheets
• teacher desk area (pictures of family, vases, personal touches, etc.)

I like to take this time to organize things I will need for the first few weeks. Getting together my reading binder, assessments, math games, etc is important for me to feel calm during those first few weeks. 

Find this Reading Binder by clicking here or on the picture.

Ah! You are ready! Great job! As the first few weeks go on feel free to change things in your classroom. We all know things don't always go as panned so differentiate your classroom to your group of kiddos. Enjoy the first weeks of school!

Happy Teaching!

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"Mystery" Workers, Readers, and Walkers plus a FREEBIE!

I love using "Mysterys" to hold students accountable for their behavior. It has been a great management tool that I have used through the years. I use popsicle sticks with student names on them. When it is time to pick the "Mystery Walker" or "Mystery Worker,"

I will pick students from the popsicle sticks at random. I do not show students which sticks were picked out, they will find out later! After a given amount of time or walk to specials or lunch, I reveal who the "Mystery Walker" or "Mystery Worker" is. If that students has followed all procedures and routines, they will get a small reward. This is a fun way to get students excited about following procedures and routines.

I use "Mystery Walker" when our class is moving from the classroom to another place in the building such as recess, lunch, or specials. This has helped our line behaviors a great deal. Students love to find out who the "Mystery Walker" is when we get back from recess, lunch, or specials.

I use "Mystery Worker" mostly during independent activities such as reading centers or math centers. I will pick three sticks (students) and not show the class. After our reading block or math block I will reveal who the "Mystery Workers" are.

I hope this idea helps out your classroom! I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

Happy Mystering!

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How to Rock as a New Teacher!

I am so excited to link up with Chandra at Teaching with Crayons and Curls to give advice about your first year (or first few years) of teaching! I remember walking into my classroom the first day of becoming an educator and being filled with excitement and nervousness. Here are some tid-bits of how I not only survived, but ROCKED my first year of teaching.

HAVE STRONG MANAGEMENT

Classroom management will make or break your year, every year. Consistency in your classroom management will allow students to know your expectations. Practice, practice, practice. Allows students the chance to practice classroom routines and procedures such as lining up, sitting at the carpet, turning a paper in, etc. In general, students want to please you, and you need to give them the opportunity to learn your expectations. If something is not working with your management, don't be afraid to try something new. Each class you have will be different, what worked for one class may not work the next class.

STAY ORGANIZED

With everything. From lesson planning, to curriculum guides, to centers supplies, to parent communications. Stay organized with EVERYTHING! I am a list writer but this was not enough the first year. Be sure to find your own unique way to organize your classroom so it fits your needs. I used a lot of baskets and containers to organize my work items, student items, and classroom items. Everything has a place in the classroom so it is easy to find, use, and put away.



Even organize the way you arrange your classroom. Be sure tools and supplies are accessible for all students. When organizing a seating arrangements, there are things to consider. You can check out my post about seating arrangements here.

It is amazing how a well organized classroom helps classroom management.

LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES

You will make mistakes. It is okay. Take your mistakes as learning experiences and as a way to improve your skill at being an educator.

EXHAUST YOURSELF

With anything, it is easy to over-work yourself and become exhausted, especially as a teacher. Do not let this happen. Your students need your creative energy.

It is easy to stay after school for three hours, bring work home during the week, or even go into your classroom on weekends. Don't. Instead, create a routine for yourself of when to get work done. There is endless work to be done in the classroom, I could spend all my time there, and still have more work to do.  I set reasonable goals of things that need to be done at certain times. Don't get me wrong, I am still guilty of bringing work home and maybe spending extra time in the classroom, just not everyday.

Take time to yourself, enjoy your evenings at home, and do something for yourself on weekends. A good balance of work and personal life in important to maintain your creative energy that you bring to your students everyday.

My amazing kitty that I have had since I was 13!! 

View of Mt. Hood, my new home!

Weekend camping trip. 

Remember to take care of yourself in every way.

HAVE A BAD ATTITUDE

This will get you nowhere. You will soon realize there is a lot to complain about being a teacher, and you will experience the long list of complaints teachers have. Don't get sucked in. Becoming a great teacher is hard work and will require you to spend more than the average forty hours per week. This is not changing. Go to work with a positive attitude, collaborate positively with colleagues, and bring a positive energy to your students each and every day.

If there are issues you are unhappy about, be proactive. Talk to the people responsible, contact your legislature, collaborate with others that agree with you; do not sit back with a bad attitude and complain. Again, this will get you nowhere and you will hate what you do.

Moving forward, believe in yourself and what you do. It takes a special person to become an educator, and you chose it for a reason.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

You chose to become an educator for a reason. Don't forget that reason. During your first year (and really each year,) your motivational drive will be tested. Don't let outside pressures win. Yes,education is a stressful field to be part of, but at the same time, it is also one of the most rewarding. Focus on the the reasons you love educating and the reasons you became a teacher. You are a great educator, believe in yourself, and never give up.

Be sure to check out other great tips on how to rock your first year of teaching over at Teaching with Crayons and Curls!

Happy First Year of Teaching!!

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