Best back to school tip!

Hey, hey friends!! Thank for stopping by the blog!! Christina from Hanging Around in Primary and I are jointly hosting a Back to School tips linky!! We would LoVe if you would join us big and little fish bloggers. :)

My best back to school tip is have your classroom management system ready to go!! Know it like the back of your hand!! Be ready to answer parent questions about it and know your expectations of students (and consequences) right away. (Be ready to BE CONSISTENT!!)

I use a few different classroom management strategies in my classroom, and to tell you the truth the strategies aren't always the same....you have to mold and shape your management routine to each class, as you get to know them. BUT...I do consistently use the following:

Whole Class: 

We are a TCIT school. (TCIT stands for Teacher-Child Interaction Training.) TCIT is ALL about positive redirection and praise. You can read more about that here. TCIT doesn't require any materials printed or displayed in the classroom, but it does take some getting used to and training yourself to say the right things.

The other whole class management method I use is behavior bingo. It goes like this. I have hundreds chart and two buckets filled with the numbers 1-100. If the class is "caught being good" OR someone in class does something nice/respectful for someone else, or someone is caught bucket filling I will pick numbers out of the first bucket. I color that number in on the hundreds chart and put those numbers in the second bucket. (When there is a bingo I move all the numbers back to the first bucket.) Before we get a bingo, my class votes on their prize. I choose FREE prizes  mostly, hat day...eat lunch in the classroom...etc. I need to apologize for the pic below...from my old classroom in my old school, three years ago!! Another back to school tip:Take pictures!! #oops #wheresmycamerawhenineedit

I have a much more detailed post about behavior bingo HERE. Want a behavior bingo board FrEeBiE?? Click below. (If you know me, you know I am OBSESSED with birds...so of course I had  to put a little bird on it. :) )

Individual Management: 

I know some people won't agree with me...but I am a firm believer in the clip chart, and that is because I only use it in a positive way. In my classroom it is way more about the clipping up (WHICH CAN LEAD TO THE GLITTER CLIP PEOPLE!!!) than it is about the clipping down. If a student does need to clip down, I NEVER point it out to the whole class, sure a few kids might look over at the chart later and notice Bobby moved his clip down, but there is no public shaming. Also, I make sure to LAY THE PRAISE ON THICK the next day for a student who might have clipped down the day before...you cannot believe their giddiness when they make it off the chart the next day and I end up wearing their clip. There are TONS of clip charts available on TpT and online. Below is the one I use...#birdobsession

So...in the end...my tip is have your classroom management plan mapped out WAY before those first little faces walk in your door for Open House. If you are a new teacher, talk to your mentor teacher and see what works best for them...clip chart, class dojo, principal's office (hope not, haha!) use what is best for you!! AND...be sure to link up with us!! I can't wait to read your tips!

Thanks for stopping by,

An InLinkz Link-up

Summer Stockup...Pile on the pizza!!

Happy Summer friends!!
Can you believe it is almost July already?!?! Whoa! I have been so busy chasing my little man and playing outside I haven't even thought about how quickly time is passing. 
He loves to grab his hat, shoes and tell me, "Side". Code word for: bring me outside now!! 

:)

I use a clip chart in my classroom...which is a BIG hit with the students each year since I do it in a positive way. (My school uses TCIT and the clip chart lends itself well to that management method!) 

This got me to thinking...I want a more engaging clip chart! I want my students to be super excited to clip up...which led to the laying in the yard creation of "Pilin' on the Pizza". I had these super cute clip arts of pizza and a chef....I finally get to use them!!

Not all sections are pictured above, I just wanting you to see the growing, or disappearing pizza!

Not only did I create a Pizza clip chart, but also Pizza Behavior tracking sheets (daily or weekly option), six take home "Top Chef Behavior" notes, and a certificate for those extra special behavior days (What a great, motivating tool for your sometimes super loud student!)

Pizza spices up a classroom and I just KNOW my kiddos will be thrilled to take home the coveted "Perfect Pizza" certificate! It will be like getting a GOOD phone call from the teacher. :)

Back to School Linky-Behavior Management, new clip chart & a Freebie!!

Greetings!! 

I have definitely been outta the blogging world for TOO LONG. BUT....I was busy interviewing, cleaning up the flooded basement, and MOST importantly...taking care of my cutie patootie. He is cruising around furniture now and ON THE GO. I am exhausted, but it is so much fun!


AND....new school! I am ELATED to have accepted a teaching position so close to my hometown...about 20 minutes away!  SO..new school means new classroom!! It is a nice room and my super OCD is kicking in mind is going a million miles an hour with ideas of how to manage and set it up.

 Luckily, Mrs. D, over at Mrs. D's Corner, and Mrs. V over at Mrs. V's Busy Bees are hosting a ten week (yes I said 10 people!!) linky party. 

Each week focuses on a different part of our wonderful career we call teaching.

Alright...let's get down to the nitty gritty:

Strong behavior management is ESSENTIAL in order for your students to learn and feel safe inside your little space. (Maybe yours is a big space!) I have tried several different things over the years....I mean I used a music box as a management tool with one class!! (A story for a different time!) and have finally settled into a few behavior management strategies that work best in my classroom. Let's get started.

My teaching life changed as I know it the instant I learned about the clip chart. I mean the MINUTE. I switched to it mid year as soon as I figured out how to implement it. I have never turned back. #bestbehaviortooleverIswear  

The past three school years I have used a very basic version that I crafted one late Saturday night in the teacher's lounge. (Like I said...I wanted it the minute I found out about it!) Here is my "basic" version.

Stanley makes his debut on the blog. :)

What I LOVE about the clip chart is it doesn't just call out negative behaviors like some other color change systems do, but it also calls attention to positive behaviors! Quick explanation: All students start (I mean they put on their marvelous name marker...or a clothespin...yup that will be your big purchase for this system!!) on Green-Ready to Learn each morning. (Clean slate for all every day!!) If they make good choices they clip up. Bad choices=clip down. I have a symbol I do with my kids to tell them to clip up or down, that way it is private and doesn't disrupt the rest of the class. The "clip" action is two fingers making scissors motion and then I either point up or down. The kids love this little "secret" language we speak! :) In most clip charts there are 7 sections. Clicking HERE will take you to the official clip chart website where you can download a free booklet on how it works!

Blue-Outstanding-This kiddo had a GREAT day and they get a marker dot. (Some teachers use stickers...I just could NOT get them to stick!) Once they get 5 dots, it is off to the next color clip for them!! I do ROY G BIV. Once they have made it through the rainbow, we get a glitter clip. Then, we are back at a red clip, but I have a bin in my cupboard labeled "Design Clips". The kiddos choose something red and I hot glue it to their new, fashionable, envious clip. (Seriously...this is HUGE to my 2nd graders!)

Pink-Great Job-They have made great choices...great day!

Purple-Good Job-It was a pretty good day. :)

Green-Ready to Learn-Our starting point for the day. Even if a kiddo ended up on Red, they get a fresh start. Phew!

Yellow-Think About It-This is just a warning section. They can still clip up from this place!

Orange-Teacher's Choice-a consequence that fits the crime...just be sure to be consistent. If always making bad choices Johnny has to write an apology letter to the Spanish teacher for stealing her puppet (true story) then so does little Miss Jane, even though it is her first offense. If  a student clips down to Orange, they do not get to clip up from there.

Red-Parent Contact...just what it says. That kiddo had a tough day! If a student clips down to red, they cannot clip up.

This year I have developed OCD a love for all things bird and chevron, so I created my own, new clip chart. (Bye bye basic.) Check it out here, or by clicking on the picture below. 

I use the clip chart as an individual management tool. This next tip is a whole class motivator!

Behavior BINGO. Yes..you heard me right. I play an ongoing bingo game with my class depending on whole group behavior. My class is playing bingo to win a prize we voted on earlier. (Usually gum day, hat day, eat lunch in classroom, etc.) Here is how it works:

It is basically a 100's chart. I print out a second copy of the chart, cut it up, laminate it and put it into one of my cute little buckets. (I have two buckets. One holds the numbers we have not pulled out and colored in yet, the other one holds the used numbers.)

So the picture above isn't GREAT...but there is my bingo board in the lower left side, with one of my buckets visible. If my class has made a great choice (walking quietly in the hallway, working hard during Daily 5, etc...) I will say, "Wow! We have had a great morning. I am going to pull five (up to you!) bingo chips!" I will then take out 5, color those squares in, and then put those five tiles into the "used numbers" bucket. 

We get the prize when we have a row filled. (That takes ten numbers in a row, so you will only need to think of a few prizes for the year! LOVE it.)

Click HERE or on the pic below to download a FREE copy of the Behavior Bingo chart.

I hope these tips can help you in your classroom this year!! 

Do you have any tried and true behavior management methods? Leave me a comment if you do!! 

Stay tuned for next week's Back 2 School post! 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Another TpT game and Clip Chart!

Good evening! It has been a SUPER chaotic and swamped busy week here! Our play practices for Grease are in full swing this month! Between that and my little man I have not had time to post for a week! But...here I am!

A bit of a random post today, but just couldn't wait to share my second TpT product. This new product is a companion product to my first This or That? game. Like I said before, my students LOVE This or That?. We play it at the end of math so I know who understood the lesson, or sometimes, in the mornings during morning meeting. Visit my TpT store or click on the image below to download this game with your kiddos!

When I first started teaching I realized that everything I learned in my textbooks wouldn't work well in my classroom. Classrooms are not a one size fits all environment! So...I spent a few months "trying on" several different behavior managment strategies until I found the one that worked for me. Then came the Clip Chart. (Clip Chart + me = behavior management bliss!) Below is an image of my clip chart I created based on this site. (If you plan on implementing a clip chart I really recommend reading the pdf books on this site first!!)

The clip chart is great because of these reasons: 1-It is free for me!!, 2-the kids are HIGHLY motivated by it, 3-it rewards positive behavior instead of only punishing bad behaviors like traditional card flipping behavior management systems work, and 4-every kiddo gets a fresh start daily!

Here is how it works in our classroom: If the kids are "caught" doing something above and beyond the can clip up. If they are having a rough time, they clip down. (They still have a chance to clip up if they are at yellow...but orange and red, no go!) If they make it to the blue top level, "Outstanding" the get a marker dot. (Some teachers use stickers but I found that they came off all the time.) After 5 marker dots they get the next colored clip. (OH my goodness, I forgot to mention...one of my classroom jobs is "clip chart" and that student puts all the clips back to green each morning...another reason I love the clip chart. I might forget to put the clips back but the kids WON't...it is far too important to them!) 

EVERY students starts on Green-Ready to Learn each morning...no matter where they ended up the day before. 

Our clip progression goes like this: plain, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, glitter. The glitter clip is the holy grail of clips people! The kids covet these glitter clips like nothing else. The first time a kiddo gets a glitter clip each year the same question pops up: What comes after the glitter clip? They ask this with wide eyes and I have an amazing answer...you get to design your own clips after the glitter clip!!!! The gasps and giggles after this announcement make me smile every time! I have a bin with scrapbook embellishments, pom poms, sea shells, and all sorts fun trinkets behind my desk. The kiddos select what they want for their "designer" clip and I hot glue it on. 

Clip Chart levels: Blue-Oustanding, Pink-Great Job, Purple-Good Job, Green-Ready to Learn, Yellow-Think About it, and Red-Parent Contact

Thanks for stopping by, 

Mrs. Palmer