Setting Expectations in the Classroom

 

It is so important to set expectations for your students at the very beginning of the year.  If you want to learn how to start your year on the right foot with setting good expectations…then you are in the right place!  I have listed some ideas and activities below for you to think about for the new school year!

 

Why should I set expectations at the beginning of the year?

I can tell you from experience that it will make your year more fun and less stressful.  Students actually like having a routine and knowing how things should be done.  For example, if you want your students to have a smooth transition in the morning you need to have expectations and procedures in place.  It could be as simple as come in quietly, put your backpack in your locker, sit at your seat, and begin your morning work.  Make sure you have your students to practice the expectations that you establish them.  After practicing and modeling for them, they will be able to repeat daily.  At the beginning, they will mess up. Let’s face it.  It’s just a fact…but keep in mind that they are learning…it will take a while but it is so worth it!  

 

Which expectations should I teach?

Some of the obvious procedures include how to enter/leave the classroom, transitions, voice levels, lining up, turning in assignments, etc.  You should reflect on your previous year of teaching and thinking about what was hard for you.  For example, one year my students had trouble with knowing what to do when they needed supplies.  I made an area for supplies and taught expectations.  It was no longer a troublesome area for us.  As the year goes on, I would reflect each week about what your students are struggling with to do at your expectations.  Then you should think about and set those expectations for students.  You can even involve students in this process.  You could ask “What can we do to be quieter during transitions?”.  They can help you brainstorm ideas that will work for your class.  My last piece of advice is to just remember that you set the expectations that your class needs.  Your expectations may look completely different from your team.

 

How can I review expectations throughout the year?

Make sure to have students practice throughout the year.  You can continue to model and have other students model the expectations.  Make sure to review expectations when you come back from any school break or holiday.  When your students forget the expectations that you set, have them to do it again.  One of my favorite expectations was coming to the carpet quietly.  My students would forget randomly and I would have them go back to their desks and try again.  This really helps them to remember and prevent misbehaviors that could happen.

 

The following are starter lists of expectations that you should think about establishing for the following locations in your school building and classroom.

Setting Classroom Expectations

Entering the Classroom

Leaving the Classroom

Transitions

Carpet Behavior

Desk Behavior

Morning Routine

Lining Up

Turning In Work

 

Setting Cafeteria Expectations

Noise Level

Going through the Line

Table Behavior

Lining Up in the Cafeteria

 

Setting Recess Expectations

Lining Up to Go Outside

Lining Up on the Playground

Playground Do’s and Don’t’s

 

Setting Restroom Expectations

Number of People to Enter

Amount of Paper Towels

Time for Running Water

How Much Soap to Get

Hallway Behavior

 

Setting Library Expectations

Noise Level

Number of Books to Get

Hallway Behavior

Getting Library Card

 

Want to learn more about how to teach some of these expectations….check out my Setting Expectations pack that includes 5 read alouds you can use to introduce these to your kiddos!  They are also editable and can be personalized to best meet the needs of your students.

 

 

 

If you have not already, sign up for the Flying into Learning Newsletter by clicking HERE!  You will immediately receive a freebie.  The freebie is a sort that you can do as a class to go over good versus bad behaviors in the classroom and school building.  Take a look below!!!

 

Thanks for Flying By!  Let me know how I can help with engaging resources to help your students SOAR!  Pin the image below for later!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Studies Read Alouds for the Primary Classroom

I love including read alouds in my instruction in all subjects.  I love to do read alouds during social studies very much.  If you are looking for some great read alouds to teach social studies…you are in the right place!  I have compiled a list of 15 read alouds that are perfect to accompany your social studies lessons this year.

Why should I read social studies books to my class?

Read alouds bring student learning to life.  Students are able to see real world pictures and gain new knowledge through visuals and text.  It is very beneficial for students to be able to see places and things that they haven’t seen before.  For example, if you are teaching about landforms, you may have a student that has never seen a mountain.  By reading a book about landforms and showing real world pictures, the student is able to place a visual image with this vocabulary word.

What are some teaching strategies that are good for me to use with social studies?

1.  Use photographs

This helps student to see visual images that can help deepen their understanding of social studies content that may not be familiar to them.
Examples-pictures of famous people, rivers, families

2.  Use real world objects

This strategy allows your lessons to be hands on even during social studies.  You can bring in items to help students get a better understanding of social studies academic vocabulary. 
Examples- globes, artifacts

3.  Integrating literacy in social studies

You can read a variety of different books that give students the opportunity to use their reading comprehension skills in social studies.  You can include writing activities with your lessons to encourage your students to write about the social studies ideas you have taught. 
Examples-responding to a social studies read aloud with writing

4.  Building Background Knowledge

This allows you to gain knowledge about your students already know about different social studies topics. 
Examples- What do you already know about citizenship?

5.  Class Discussions and Accountable Talk

Encourages students to talk about their social studies learning.  They can hold conversations with partners and groups.  
Examples- You can get them started by giving them an accountable talk stem such as Rosa parks is important because ______.

6.  Reflection Activity

You should close out all lessons with reflection time.  This allows students time to process their new learning.  You can have them turn and talk with a partner and share what they learned.  You can pick a few students to share with the class. 
Examples- What did I learn today anchor chart, exit tickets, journal

What are some great read alouds for social studies?

Below you will find 15 read alouds that are perfect for social studies in the primary classroom.  For each book, I will list the title, author, an activity idea, and my social studies unit that matches well with 1 of my 15 units from my Social Studies Bundle.

1. Looking at Maps and Globes by Rebecca Olien

Activity:  Compare maps and globes for similarities and differences, labeling a map and globe freebie (you will need to download the preview)

You can view the Geography Unit here!

2. What to Wear Dressing up Around the World by Maya Ajmera, Elise Derstine, and Cynthia Pon

Activity: pebblego research and view different cultures of the world, give a presentation to the class with the information

You can view the World Culture Unit here!

3. Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland

Activity: I am thankful for ____ writing activity

You can view the Holidays Unit here!

4. School Long Ago and Today by Sally Lee                                                                                        (The other titles in this set include Food, Communication, and Transportation Long Ago and Today)

Activity: venn diagram comparing school in the past and school now

You can view the Long Ago and Today Unit here!
         

5. Living in Urban Communities by Kristin Sterling                                                                         
(The other titles in this set include Living in Rural and Suburban Communities)

Activity: foldable with headings urban, suburban, and rural and write facts for each

You can view the Living Environments Unit here!

6. I am a Good Citizen by Sharon Coan

Activity: Make a t-chart with the headers school, community, and home and have students list ways they can be a good citizen in each of these locations

You can view the Good Citizenship Unit here!

7. Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook

Activity: write their own who am I writing for a community worker and have a partner to guess

You can view the Community Workers Unit here!

8. Earth’s Landforms and Bodies of Water by Natalie Hyde

Activity: Make a t-chart with the headers land and water and have students list and talk about as many as they can name

You can view the Landforms and Water Unit here!

9. Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney

Activity: All About My World Flipbook freebie

You can view the My World Unit here!

10. What does the President Do? by Amanda Miller

Activity:  Complete writing and fill in the blanks My mayor is, My governor is, and My president is _____.

You can view the U.S. Government Unit here!

11. Families by Shelley Rotner and Shelia M. Kelly

Activity: draw and label a picture of their family

You can view the Families Unit here!

12. Lily Learns about Wants and Needs by Lisa Bullard

Activity: Using old magazines, have students cut out wants and needs and sort them

You can view the Economics Unit here!

You can download the Economics Unit Freebie here!

13. The Pledge of Allegiance by Scholastic Inc.

Activity: practice the pledge in class, draw a picture to show what the pledge means to them

You can view the American Symbols Unit here!

14. Continents in my World by Ella Cane

Activity: Using a big map, have students place a sticker on the country where they where born and talk with friends about their native country

You can view the Continents and Oceans Unit here!

15. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr? by Bonnie Bader

Activity: writing to explain why this person was important to our country

You can view the Famous Americans Unit here!


Want to learn more about my Social Studies Bundle….check out this post with a lot more information to help you get started!

If you have not already, sign up for the Flying into Learning Newsletter by clicking HERE!

Thanks for Flying By!  

Let me know how I can help with engaging resources to help your students SOAR!

You can pin the image below for later!

Ipad Apps for Teachers

Hi everyone!
It is almost that time for Back to School.  I thought I would share some awesome IPAD apps for back to school.  They can also be used throughout the year as well.

 I had the honor of attending a SEE math conference for 2 weeks.  They gave us so many resources and manipulatives.  The best gift was the free IPAD I received during the training.  We learned about many apps that can be used in the classroom.  You will find my favorite 4 apps that I learned below!!!

Here is a quick example I found on youtube!



Here is a quick example I made!!!



Here is an example that I created in the training.

Here is just a quick example I did last night.

I hope these can be a big help to you this school year!!!!

Pin for later!

USING BOOK CRAWLER TO CATALOG YOUR CLASSROOM LIBRARY

As a teacher, my book collection can get very big.  I find it very difficult to remember the titles that I have in my collection and to keep track of all of my books.  If you have the same problem as I do....I have the perfect app for you.  It is called Book Crawler.

WHAT IS BOOK CRAWLER?

Book Crawler is a free app that you can download to your phone or tablet to catalogue your books.  It is great for teachers because you can use it to keep a list of all the books in your classroom library.

HOW DOES BOOK CRAWLER WORK?

This is a new book I just got in my latest shipment of math themed children's books.  I am going to add it to my collection so that the teachers in my school can check it out.  I am going to walk you through the process of cataloguing a book.

After you download the app, click on the app from your phone or tablet.

Click on the word Books.

Click the word New in the upper right corner.

Click ISBN Scanner.

Scan the bar code on the back of the book.

After you scan the bar code, you will see this screen.  I love how the book cover automatically pops up.  The title, author, copyright, and genre do as well.  Don't worry if a picture doesn't come up for your book.  You can easily snap a pic and add it to the book information.

Then it will take you back to the screen with a list of all of your books.  You can see below that this book has been added to my collection.

I love love love love love this app!  It really helps me to remember what I own and what I need to buy.  Look at all of these fabulous math themed children's book we just received.  This app will help me to stay organized.

Do you use something like this in your classroom?  If not, how do you keep track of the many books you own?   

Let me know below!

Don't forget to use the picture above to PIN for later!

Number Talks! Get your students Talking!

Do your students struggle to make sense of mathematical concepts?

Do your students solve mathematical problems using only one strategy?

Do your students struggle with mathematical coversations?

If you answered YES to any of these questions....

I have a great solution for you....

NUMBER TALKS!!!!

I introduced number talks at my school on last year and they have made a difference in many classrooms.

In this post, you will learn the 5 basic steps to conducting a number talk.  In future posts, we will explore more about number talks and resources to get you started in doing your own number talks.

What is a number talk?

A number talk is a quick classroom discussion that allows students to share their mathematical thinking.  A few of the things you can see during a number talk can include the following:

• Student Conversation
• Students simply talk about the problem and share strategies they used to solve the problem.
• Class Discussion
• Students really dig deep into a problem and begin to discuss if they agree or disagree.  They are also comparing solutions and helping each under reach understanding of the math.
• Quick Math Talk
• Students engaging in number talks lasting from 5 to 15 minutes.  Number talks are meant to be a quick way for students to solve and talk about the math.  They can serve as a great intro to the math lesson.
• Accountable Talk Stems
• Students can start their discussion with stems such as I agree with... or The strategy I used was....

How to do a Number Talk?

You can use the following 5 easy steps to get started with doing your own number talks in your classroom.

• Present a problem to the class.
• Problems can be presented in many ways.  One way is as an equation.

• Allow students to figure out the answer individually.
• When students have an answer, have them to make a thumbs up and put it on their chest.  This way students are not distracted by their classmates if they are still thinking.  After students know an answer, you can encourage them to think of another strategy they could use.  They should add more fingers to their thumbs up.

• Have a few students to share answers aloud or have students share their answer with a partner.
• Collect all the answers said or limit it to 4 answers.

• Lead students in sharing their strategies and thinking.
• As students share their strategies and thinking, record their thinking on the board and label their thinking with their name.  Students also identify the answer that they think is right and present a strategy to prove that is the correct answer. 

• As a class, agree on the correct answer based on the strategies that were shared.
• During this time, students that got an incorrect answer are able to see what went wrong in their strategy and they are able to agree with the class.  Discussing these misconceptions as a class helps students to deepen their thinking.

5 Steps to a Number Talk FREE RESOURCE

I hope you will enjoy the free resource below as you start on your number talk journey. 

Flying into Learning Newsletter Signup
Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter where you can get updates and great info!  CLICK HERE

Make sure to pin this for later with the image below!