Gingerbread Celebration

During the weeks leading up to the winter holiday break, my class worked on putting together gingerbread themed reader's theaters. I presented mini-lessons on reading accuracy, expression, rate, and volume. We practiced our plays together through partner reads, group reads, and independent reads.

We invited other classes to watch our plays. During intermission, we handed out gingerbread cookies and gave students the opportunity to vote on our gingerbread houses.

Third grade had been working on multiplication and money in math class. To tie these concepts into our gingerbread celebration, we worked on compiling a list of items we could use to make a gingerbread house and what each item would cost. We worked on a "cost sheet" that listed all of the items by price. The students worked together to multiply the cost by the number of items that they would purchase. Below is an example of the activity. *** YOU CAN FIND THIS ITEM FOR FREE IN MY TPT STORE  <--- click here ***

The students used this list and a fake budget of $10.00 to order the items they wanted to use to make a gingerbread house. They were challenged to spend as close to $10.00 as they could without going over. During morning homeroom, students were able to purchase the items for their house. They used play money to buy the items and had to figure out the correct amount of change that they would get back in return. I was lucky enough to have brave adult volunteers to join us for the gingerbread house building session!

We displayed our gingerbread village in the main lobby for all to appreciate. During our plays, classes were invited to vote for their favorite gingerbread house.

The students seemed to really enjoy themselves and were able to stay focused during all of the excitement that the holiday season brings! :D

*This is not my original idea. This was an activity found and used by my colleagues*
Many of the originals and ideas can be found on the links below...
Ginger Village Panic
The Gingerbread Baby
The Runaway Gingerbread People

Unlocking the MAIN IDEA with KEY DETAILS

In preparation for my future gig as a DII coach in my district, I have been using my students as guinea pigs while I deliver lessons in strict DII fashion. I must say...it has never gone better! I have never had more skill mastery in any given year than I have now!!!

DII stands for Direct Interactive Instruction. Do not mistake it for the drill and kill of regular direct instruction. DII is anything but that. There is nothing groundbreaking or brand new about it. The easiest way I can explain it is that it takes every best practice we know about teaching and fits it into four quadrants that we should utilize during our allocated teaching time. As a teacher using DII, you are ensuring that you are giving all students what they need to meet the objective successfully. Below you will see some visuals used in determining MAIN IDEA and KEY DETAILS in Room 5. 

The first time I ever introduced this standard/objective, I placed the check next to step 2. I gave students the main idea using small text passages at first. They learned how to "unlock" the main idea by locating 2 key details that supported the main idea. The poster on the right side shows what I used to intro the lesson. Students helped me determine what key detail would fit the main idea "Dogs are wonderful pets".

The second time I reviewed this skill, I completed step 3 for students. They were able to use the key details to determine what the main idea of the informational passages was. They worked in partners to complete step 4. This is how I was able to make further plans for the future and was an informal observation I was able to use to measure my students' mastery of the skill.

As we made our way through the lesson, we continuously referred back to our lesson objective. I moved the objective down the poster as we transitioned into new expectations. At the conclusion of the lesson, I filled in a bar on the standard. This showed students that we weren't done talking about and practicing determining main idea and key details. The visual also seemed to help them feel less overwhelmed knowing that we would be going over it more in the future. 

Before expecting my students to be able to determine main idea and details all at once in long passages, I used shorter informational passages to practice the skill with them. I have made these passages available in my TPT store. For the first lesson, I already had the main idea box filled in. Students went through the passage, underlining the details. During the second attempt, I had the detail boxes filled in while they determined the main idea. 

With the additional passages I have, I will be creating a differentiated literacy center for my students to work in during our guided reading time. I plan on setting it up similar to the picture below. I will place the passages in a page protector sleeve. Students can use dry erase markers to locate information within the passage. After reading, they will have a graphic organizer to fill out (which I have also provided a picture of below). 

I can differentiate for students by giving them certain information already filled in, I can ask them for fewer or more details as I see fit, and I can partner students up to read the passages together in the center. 

I hope that you find this post helpful! Please check back for more goodies, tips, and freebies!

~Mary 

"Give it Two Weeks..."

What the heck does this have to do with teaching? Read on my friends...(too small to read? Click on the picture!)

In a classroom full of children, it is easy to forget that each child comes to the classroom with their own "Tank" kind of story. They may have just lost a loved one, fought with a best friend, found out that they are moving, happen to be new in the school, etc...While we all stress about test scores, student performance, and getting through all of the year's material - we must always remember that in order to reach our kids, we must first take the time to truly know them. In doing this, we may finally get that "3rd tennis ball moment" from them all! :D Happy teaching, colleagues!

"I spy...holiday ornaments!"

The countdown to the holidays has officially begun in Room 5! I am a holiday maniac and have already started playing my Christmas station on Pandora during my preps, lunch, etc... Our school is putting on an amazing Holiday Bazaar next weekend which will include sleigh rides, pictures with Santa, "pick-your-own-tree" stations, and have many miscellaneous vendors. Our wonderful Home and School Association has asked each classroom teacher to create ornaments for the bazaar. 

I tend to feel less guilty about taking instructional time to do arts-type projects with my students when I am able to incorporate a few academic skills or learning experiences. I worked closely with our Computer teacher to help teach my students how to locate clip art, resize pictures, create text boxes, and make bulleted lists. Using all of these features, I had my students choose three holiday-themed images to use in their ornament. They picked three images, cropped them, and added them to the typed list. 

Many of the teachers stuck with a "recycled" or "Earth friendly" theme with their ornaments. I decided to use little plastic dressing containers (that would be thrown away normally) to fill with white rice. My students worked on cutting out there images to add to the container of rice. We packed each one nice and tightly before gluing on the lids. Ribbon was added to the lids so that they could be hung on a tree. I also attached the laminated lists that the students worked on in Computer class. Students had a blast shaking the ornaments to locate the items in each one. I hope that the parents truly enjoy them and keep them for a very long time!

See the pictures below to see how our "I SPY" ornaments turned out!

Permission has been granted for the usage of student photo.

Sorting Our Syllables

My class has been learning so much in our phonics program the last few weeks. We've been learning about reading and writing words with vowel digraphs, r-controlled vowels, y as a vowel, schwa, and consonant-le patterns. When attacking an unknown word, students are encouraged to break it down into syllable chunks. It's important that they understand syllables in order to identify new words. Each day, I reviewed a different syllable type (VCCV, VCV, VCCCV, and VCCCCV) with students and we practiced spelling words that fit the syllable types on dry erase boards, the Promethean board, and in the air :). On the last day of the week, my students partnered up and completed a syllable sort together. The kids worked really well together and I was able to see how much they learned throughout the review lessons during the week! I love watching their 3rd grade brains in action!!!

(Oh yeah...and it was Breast Cancer Awareness Day! :D My kiddos look smashing in pink <3)

(permission was given for use of photos by parents/guardians)

*Be sure to check back for more centers and printables regarding syllable types and centers!*

Writing Tip from Room 5

How often do you hear, "I don't know what to write about" in your classroom? I hear it more than I'd like. My district uses an amazing writing program called Being a Writer that really sets kids up for success. They create a "Writing Ideas" section in their journals that we add to frequently. Even with this support in place, I will still get a select few that draw blanks during writer's workshop.

I decided to make themed word lists which I wrote on clip art, colored, and laminated. When students get that writer's block, I let them choose an object from the bucket. They are challenged to locate at least 5 words on the picture that they think they can use to tell a story. Just scanning the word lists tends to help them get beyond that difficult moment they are experiencing in getting started.

Some of the themes I have currently include parties, Thanksgiving, autumn, time, money, desserts, general food, injuries, pets, summer, and the list goes on. I have made 25 clip art lists so far and plan to make more as the year progresses.

Back-To-School Night

We have now finished two weeks of school and Back-to-School Night just passed. I haven't always had a homeroom because I was a special educator for 6 years prior to making my move into 3rd grade. I am still ironing out the kinks in my BTS plans. My school runs two different sessions that parents may attend for approximately 30 minutes. I have posted pictures below of some of the things I have incorporated into my BTS night.
If you have not read any of my previous posts, my classroom theme is "Space" and "Reaching for the Stars" this year.

"Who's Your Shining Star?"

Self-Portrait Bulletin Board: Parents are asked to guess which drawing belongs to their child. This activity serves as a nice intro or outro to a BTS session. (***written permission was received to display pictures and work for any students included in this blog***)

I began the session by having parents fill out an anticipation guide about 3rd grade. I use these in my classroom often when introducing a new concept, vocabulary, or topic and wanted parents to try it out for themselves. I explained that by the end of the session, they would be able to go back to the guide and fill in the right column after hearing about the 3rd grade happenings.

I also had papers on each child's desk that I went through with parents explaining Common Core in parent-friendly terms (thanks to a freebie handout by Jen Jones - Hello Literacy), the importance of reading 20 minutes a night, and what reader's and writer's workshop would be like in grade 3.

A few other things I went over in my PPT included:

• facts about me
• our daily schedule
• routines and procedures
• classroom materials
• field trips
• upcoming concepts and things that will be covered in 3rd grade
• behavior system
• Remind101 - a safe and private way to text parent groups about upcoming events, reminders, and important information
  

I had a donations poster in the back of the room titled "When You Wish Upon a Star - Things That Room 5 Wishes For..." I stuck stars on the poster listing items that we use frequently in the classroom and tend to run out of often. I had interested parents take a star with them which would then get attached to the item they donated and sent back to school. We have had sandwich baggies (to house word sorts, flashcards, etc...) and index cards donated so far! :) Much thanks to those generous families!!!

BTS Night #3 = SUCCESS!!!

New Products Added to Teachers Pay Teachers!!!

Looking for some math centers to use that can be adapted for individual or partner use? Check out my TPT store for new items.

Teaching Takes the Cake - Mary Korty TPT Store Link

I also have newly created Boggle boards for literacy centers...

Management Monday Tip

INDIVIDUAL REWARD SYSTEMS

Since I have started teaching, I've always tackled the issue of individual/group behavior systems. I have always gone back and forth with my opinion on them because I guess that I have always known that all students are unique, are individuals, and all respond differently to certain scenarios. To expect them all to react exactly the same to every challenge they would face each day was unrealistic. I have tried individual behavior charts for my more needy students, tried to manage group-based reward systems, and class-wide point systems. Each thing I've tried has always left me feeling like I was punishing the "good" students while setting an example for the students that wouldn't follow directions or listen. I also always felt that deep down, the students that were having difficulty following the rules needed something more specific to them. No amount of peer pressure, consequences, or unearned points would motivate the students that needed my guidance the most. On top of all of this, keeping track of reward systems for large groups and even individual students can be one exhausting task. Documentation, paperwork, keeping track of how students will earn points, what students actually did earn points, etc...has been enough to scare me away from tackling anything larger than one or two behavior charts for my most challenging students. Does that reward the students that always listen, follow directions, and model amazing behavior? No. It has always felt like a win-lose. Until now.

I began the year giving EVERY student a mini notepad (4 pk for $0.88) labeled with their name. I bought packs of small stickers which I cut into single stickers (again, super cheap). I purchased 3 plastic container that would hold "prize box" type items. I labeled the containers 10 points, 20 points, and 30 points. My 10 point bin was filled with pencils, erasers, pencil grips, and bookmarks. My 20 point bin was filled with items from the dollar store, supplies from Target's birthday party packs (4 items for $1-$3), and coupons for things like "Replace the Line Leader for 1 Day". My 30 point bin was filled with the items that REALLY get my students motivated...all coupons (see picture far below).

The process?

Students can earn a sticker for having positive behavior. It could range from participating appropriately, walking in the hallway quietly, helping another student, following directions, and the list goes on. Students can save up their stickers to trade them in for any of the 10, 20, or 30 point bin items. Each sticker = 1 point (how did I not mention that yet?). There is beauty to this simple plan. Knowing my students, I can give stickers based on individual successes as opposed to group-wide expectations. I can now reward my student with ADHD for tapping on his leg instead of his desk (thus being much more quiet) instead of not giving his group a point because of something he couldn't really help to begin with. I can openly continue to reward my students that always follow directions, which in turn will hopefully motivate the rest of the group. My students are also learning how to save. You'd be surprised at how many of my students passed that 10 point mark and already had their goals set at 30 points before trading in their stickers.

When they want to trade their stickers in for a reward, I simply draw a line through the correct amount of stickers using a permanent marker and initial the page. They get to start earning more stickers the following day. It is a beautiful thing. There isn't much as far as specific notation with this system, but I always jot down behavior notes in my plan book at the completion of a school day that I can refer to during conferences/calls/meetings. Students are also able to keep their notebooks closed (if they are private or shy), while others can leave them wide open on display for others to see (if they are proud). This system costs me barely any extra money and has saved me so much time, energy, and frustration!!! I HIGHLY encourage you to try it!

What is everyone else doing in regard to reward systems???

Don't Let My Organized Classroom Fool You

I've only been teaching for a little over 8 years and have collected what feels like MILLIONS of amazing resources that I can't seem to part with - like ever. Each teacher has a bit of a hoarder side. I think this is only true because we are born to utilize everything in our possession to make learning come to life. We never know who we will teach, who we will tutor, or how everything in education will change. A paper towel roll can serve more purposes than you'll ever care to know - possible time capsules, tools to throw during the measurement Olympics, a way to show students how sound carries when you yell into the tube. The possibilities are endless. Throwing something away physically pains me at times because I have thrown/recycled things in the past that I ended up wanting to use again later. Ugh. How does a teacher keep things organized/put away with very little space in a classroom? I have found a way to store many of my teacher resource books, children's books I use for mini-lessons, and center activities without them having to be an eyesore.

My classroom theme this year is "Reaching for the Stars" (SPACE). I happened to luckily still have the super cool shower curtain from my freshman year in college folded neatly in a box I had unknowingly been storing at my parent's house for the last 12 years (thanks, mom :)). I purchased a tension rod and hung my old curtain to hide the tremendous anxiety-causing pile of things I never want to get rid of. They are still easily accessible, but no longer make me look like Pig Pen.

I invite all ideas and tips! :D

Managing the "No Fair!" Moments

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Auditory Processing Disorder
Autism
Emotional Disturbance
Epilepsy
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

The list you see above is not just a copy of the DSM-IV index. The list above is reality to the modern day teacher. Each year, teachers find themselves standing in front of 20-something children. All are unique. All have individual needs. Not much has changed in that regard. What has seemed to change is the number of students entering our rooms that need more moderate supports in place in order to be successful. Teachers have a duty. Regardless of the child's background, socioeconomic status, or life experiences, we are to deliver the material that we are responsible to teach and make sure that we do so in a way that reaches all of our children. How? Some student's needs can be met with simple changes. The list below shows easy strategies to try for different types of students...
*cushions for the seat (this is especially good for students with sensory issues or students with ADHD)
*using an exercise ball for small increments of time instead of a chair (to encourage concentration)
*frequent breaks
*reduced amount of required in-class work

Students will often meet learning with more success when strategies like these are used...but (isn't there always a "but"?)what is a teacher to do when other students start the "THAT'S NOT FAIR" game?
I am now entering my second week of the school year and have started making accommodations/adaptations for some of my students now that I understand them much better. Five minutes into my Monday, I had students giving me the dreaded "no fair" faces. As always, I want to promote a sense of family in my classroom and knew that I would need to address this sudden change immediately.
MY MASTER PLAN
Tuesday 8:00 A.M. - Enter 19 eight year olds (necessary background info - eight year olds LOVE smelly stickers)
Experiment -
1.) A sheet of strawberry-scented stickers is hung from one of the ceiling tiles about 6 feet from the floor
2.) I asked for a volunteer and obviously picked my tallest student.
3.) I proceeded to say that if they could reach the stickers, they could have one.
4.) Student A (tall student) has no difficulty reaching the stickers
5.) Proceed to Student B (small fry in my class)- not such an easy task
6.) Student B (small fry yes, but also a pretty smart cookie) gets a chair (eeeek...)
7.) I intervened and said "Hmmmm...Student A didn't use a chair, so you may not." (this was obviously followed by a surprised "NO FAIR!" shout from Student B's fan club)
8.) Student B respectfully put the chair back and gave me the "Darn, I really wanted a sticker" look
9.) Tuesday 8:06 A.M. - Called kids to the carpet and began the anchor chart...

I began by having students tell me their thoughts on what had just happened. We began discussing the difference between "FAIR" and "EQUAL". I handed students yellow cards with different statements on them. I had them decide if their statement showed fairness or equality. They came up and put their cards under the heading that they chose. I must have an amazing group, because they got every guess correct! (INSERT HAPPY TEACHER FACE)
I have yet to hear another "That's not fair!" exclamation from any of my newly-enlightened students. They are now one step closer to becoming the awesome accepting people that they all will eventually grow to be!

...And we are off and running!!!

Happy Crazy Hectic First Week!
I don't know about you, but I began the school year with students yesterday. It is funny how I still get the night-before-the-first-day jitters and I am 30 years old. Half of me was excited, while part of me was overwhelmed. This is going to be such a wonderful mess of a year. Common core, new lesson plan formats, new lesson plan approval plans via our principal, new children to learn about, new curriculum materials...it never seems to end. There aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish what I set out to accomplish everyday, but I wouldn't change a thing. I am in year 9 of teaching and can say that I am just thrilled to still be as passionate about my job as I was on Day 1. Enough about me. I promised pictures from my classroom...

I have decided to use my heater space to display student groups for reading. I plan to use the "moon dust" glitter bracelets (naming them this is THE only way I have my boy students buying into this) as a way to group students during our ELA block. Each group will rotate through 4 stations per day. Reader Response, Enjoy a Book, At Your Seat, and Discuss the Text are the four basic stations. Reader Response = The students will respond to texts/passages they have read through the use of character T charts, venn diagrams comparing stories or characters, open-ended response questions, etc
Enjoy a Book = The students will have three options to pick from including read-to-self, read-to-someone, and listen to a story on tape. An assistant/volunteer will be conferencing with students using a conference cueing card that I have made in order to initiate text discussions.
At Your Seat = The students will complete ELA work independently and will include vocabulary cubing activities, word sorts, writing tasks, concept sorts, IPad apps tasks, encoding activities, etc...
Discuss the Text = The students will participate in differentiated small group reading instruction with the teacher. Groups will be based on levels and/or skills that the children will be working on. Groups will change frequently depending on skills that need reinforcement, remediation, or enrichment.

Number of the Day Students work on math skills each day as a warm-up leading into our math lesson. The tasks will change every few weeks and require students to use newly acquired skills to analyze the newest number of the day.

Room 5's Writing CenterAs we cover lesson in our Being a Writer program, we will be adding examples of our work and brainstorming writing ideas to aid students during writer's workshop. I have attached clothespins and velcro tabs to the papers so that I can easily switch types of writing and written examples.

Ticket Out the DoorStudents are assigned a square on an Exit Ticket board. At the end of lessons, students are asked to answer 1 or 2 questions on a post-it note to show whether or not they mastered/understood the objectives of the lesson. They place their sticky note on their space before transitioning into the next task. I take a snapshot of it on my phone and have a student's job which is to remove the post-its. This makes it easy to "check" understanding from home, meetings, etc without having to keep track on hundreds of post-it notes. Through this two minute activity, I am able to figure out which students need further review and which students have mastered the day's lesson objectives.

BUCS MATH CLUBSimilar to my reading groups, I have a filing cabinet dedicated to displaying the days/weeks stations and groupings. The little blue and green marbles are magnets that I made with each of my students' names. Groups in math tend to change so much quickly depending on the concepts being covered. I use the magnets to display the groups that my students will be in for the unit/week. Each letter in the word "MATH" stands for a station that my students will make their way through. In each box listed "M", "A", "T", and "H", I have labeled magnetic cards listing all of the math stations that my students will complete throughout the year.

I Can... - Common Core statement board I typed and printed the PA Core standards, cut them, and put them on rings. As I focus on a standard, I tally that strip in order to help me document the amount of times I have covered the skill.

Happy Hands!!!I have started using these hand signals with my class in order to ensure correct speaking AND listening in my room. Students are accountable for speaking in complete sentences and are encouraged to elaborate with the "keep going" and "try that again" signals.
Listening students are held accountable because they are encouraged to use the signs while their classmate is speaking. They can agree with the statement, encourage their peer to keep going, or kindly remind their peer to try again and speak in a complete sentence without verbal interruption.

The Wheel of ExpectationsI refer to this board before beginning any activity to ensure that my sometimes forgetful 3rd graders remember the expectations. It seems to help alot and the sticky arrow post-its are fun to use! :D
Check back soon for more pictures and news from Room 5!


Also be sure to check out my TPT store: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mary-Korty

Management Monday FREEBIE!!!

I plan on spending a TON of time in my classroom this week and next in order to prepare for my new group of 3rd graders coming in a few short weeks!!! I will be posting pictures of my completed classroom for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to check back! I'll give you one hint about my classroom theme this year...It is "out of this world"! :D

I also posted a new Management Monday FREEBIE in my TPT store so be sure to check it out!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Potato-Head-Behavior-System-824094

Summer is more than halfway over!!! To all of my teacher friends that means a few things...1.) it is time to start preparing yourself to see "Back-to-School" ads in the mail and on TV - eeeeek! 2.) It may be time to get back into that classroom to start organizing for the upcoming school year and 3.)It is time to reflect on the things that you may want to change for this school year. I am now entering year 9 of teaching at the elementary level and I still have yet to master the art of having smooth transitions. I will be spending the next week researching ways to do this with ease!!! What do you want to change???

Be sure to stop by my Teachers Pay Teachers store (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Mary-Korty) to see my new oral reading fluency progress monitoring charts for 2nd-4th grade!!! I use them each year and it is helpful in measuring progress, setting goals, and helping motivate students!!!

Thank you for stopping by to welcome me to the big bad world of online teaching blogs!!! :) I wanted to share with all of you that I have just started a store at TPT where I have uploaded some really awesome printables to use in an elementary classroom. Please check it out when you can! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mary-Korty