Back to School "BE..." Rules

Back to School Rules

Whew! It's been awhile since I sat down to share about my life as a Kentucky primary teacher and while much about life has stayed the same... professionally-speaking MUCH has changed! 

After 3 years as a reading interventionist, I was asked by my principal to take a position back in the classroom. It was a bit of a two-edged sword. While I missed the relationships from working with a team and the sense of magic and community a classroom brings, I knew that going back to the classroom would mean more work after hours... taking time away from my own children.

Well, in a crazy turn-of-events I offered to teach second grade for the first time in my seventeen-year career. It was heartbreaking in a way I hadn't anticipated, because I feel such a true passion for teaching Kindergarten - I take the responsibility of being a child's first teacher very seriously. I take pride in making the effort to create the most positive and joy-filled first-school experience possible for my students and their families. I'm a Kindergarten mom for the third (and final) time this year... it MEANS something to me personally and it's still a bit gut-wrenching that I chose the greater good over my own professional passions and desires...

BUT... after teaching second grade for only 8 DAYS, I can say with certainty that things are going to be just fine. My 20 sweet students have already taught me more than they will ever know. 

Back to School Rules

As a part of my back to school routine each year I work with my students to develop our own class rules after reading Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann. Typically we keep it simple with only 3-4 rules that sort of "cover it all." This year's session on rules turned out a little differently as my students suggested rule after rule that began with the word "DON'T." 

"Don't stand on the tables."

"Don't run."

"Don't yell out without raising your hand."

"Don't hit."

I dutifully listed all of their rules on the board and could tell my students were quite proud of themselves, but their faces fell when I said, 

"We can't use any of these. They don't make me feel positive inside. With so many rules to worry about we will have to spend all our time making sure that none of them are broken and we will be overwhelmed with rules, just like Officer Buckle!" 

After a few moments of silence I said, "Is there one rule that would take care of any running, pushing, climbing in the classroom? Let's start with the word BE..." 

and I erased the board.

And then something beautiful happened...

20 hands shot into the air and I was hit with an onslaught of all the things that we should "BE..." in our class. We couldn't keep it to just 3 or 4 words because they just kept flowing and the words just kept getting better and better. Finally, when I thought we had them all, a quiet girl in the back raised her hand and offered, 

"Be Yourself." 

I felt a little teary as I added it to the list. I needed to hear that! I needed to BE MYSELF... my play-loving, project-starting, non-conforming, easy-going, question-asking, task-mastering, standards-based teacher-self... and that's just what I plan to do!

Back to School Rules

If you want to create a "BE..." Rules display, sign for for newsletters and access to this exclusive FREEBIE!! It includes the list of 20 words my students generated. I printed them and cut them apart then each student colored one to add to the display. I love that we can continue to add words as we grow together over the course of the school year, too!

Back to School Rules

My Favorite Ways to Teach Primary Students About Careers

Teaching our youngest students about careers is important! "College and Career Ready" begins as early as Kindergarten. It's part of our job to expose students to the wide variety of paths their future might take so that they may have the chance to explore and begin to recognize their own preferences and aspirations. Most importantly, we need to instill in students that they can be ANYTHING they want to be when they grow up!

SO, I've rounded 7 up my favorite ways to incorporate the theme of careers and community helpers into the Kindergarten curriculum.

#1 Read, Read, Read! "The Measured Mom" has compiled a comprehensive list of over 100 read alouds and picture books all about community helpers. Be sure to check it out!

#2 Make Memorable Moments! Take photos of your students dressed up as their favorite career and/or holding signs and compile to make a class photo collage!

#3 Play and Explore! Provide lots of time to play and explore various careers with hands-on activities including dress up, toys, games, and roll-playing. I LOVE this idea from Meri Cherry for creating a community model with students out of recycled materials... would make a great on-going project for any career or community helper unit!

#4 College Roll-Call! Everyone wears a t-shirt from their Alma Mater. Students can join in the fun wearing t-shirts from their favorite university. Create a graph of staff members showing who attended where.

#5 Senior Portraits! Display pictures of teachers and staff in their caps and gowns... students love to look through the photos and guess who they are.  Everyone also gets a kick out of checking out old hair styles and fashion. LOL!

#6 Senior Walk! Each year the high school seniors walk the halls of our elementary (and middle) school in their caps and gowns. The young students cheer and high five the seniors as they line the halls. The seniors bring their K-12 journey full circle as they revisited their first school and hand out honorary diplomas to teachers and staff members who influenced them along the way. Every year it leaves me misty-eyed and proud of my once-babies who are all grown up.

#7 Turn to Technology! Bring the wide world of careers alive for your students by turning to the Internet! Search for virtual field trips, send emails to professionals around the world, watch videos about various careers, FaceTime workers for real-time contact. Better yet, create your own digital content with student-made presentations, photos, and videos! Check out this playlist of fun animated songs about professions from Storybots on YouTube!

LOOKING FOR EVEN MORE IDEAS?!?

Then head over to my Pinterest board dedicated to Career and Community Helper teaching ideas!

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Top 3 Ways to Reset Your Class After Spring Break

Ready or not, spring has officially arrived! I often feel an urgency to cover all the content I've missed, prepare my students for testing, and assess all. the. skills. for final quarter report cards. In so many ways, returning from Spring Break signals the beginning of the end. BUT, we still have six (or so) crucial weeks of instruction remaining! So, how can we refresh our day-to-day classroom operations to keep our students engaged up to the very last second of the very last day??? It has to be a teetering balance of consistency and freshness. Following are the TOP 3 ways to reset your class after spring break...

1. Share Responsibilities! Students of any age have become old pros at classroom routines by this point in the school year. Students will refocus on rules and procedures when they are in the driver's seat. Why not choose students to lead classroom maintenance like lunch and attendance or more complicated things like spelling and calendar time? Review classroom jobs and take input on things your students are ready to manage that could be added to the mix. It will be easy to finish the year strong when your class can take over and you can shift into cruise control!

2. Revive an Air of Mystery! Recapturing the magic of the start of school will help maintain engagement and behavior at any time of the year. In the beginning students wait anxiously for "what comes next," but by the end of the school year they may be bored with the predictable. Surprises of any sort will keep students on the edges of their seats. Using mystery as a motivation will be sure to revive anticipation and engagement.

3. Disguise Year-End Reviews! Whether you are prepping for standardized testing or simply reviewing for end-of-year report cards, students are bound to put up resistance. Disguising standards reviews in high-interest themes will satisfy students' inquisitive natures while completing the necessary task of reviewing. Use student inventories or simply your own observations about what interests them and choose engaging themes with which to disguise your reviews. Themes can be interwoven through teacher read-alouds, writing prompts, culminating projects, center activities, or simply through matchy stickers and reward/progress charts.

How else do you reset your class after Spring Break? Be sure to share ideas in the comments below!

Looking for the perfect printable (and online) leveled Kindergarten books to spruce up your guided reading lessons for spring? 
Then look NO further.

Head over to my TpT store for my growing library of printable leveled books for Kindergarten Guided Reading!

Planning for Play: March - April - May

Making time for play in Kindergarten is important... even in the 21st Century! 

Sign up for newsletters and gain access to my exclusive and FREE Yearlong Plan for Structured Play and follow along as we discuss themes for March, April, and May. 

Overview:

March is all about the Arts at my school. All students in the school are encouraged to create something involving one area of art (music, visual arts, drama, dance, and media art) to share with their class. Then, each class chooses a performance for a special school showcase assembly. This is a wonderful time for students to expressive themselves creatively and share their special talents.
My favorite TpT resource for March:

April is at the height of spring time and new beginnings. We often study animals during literacy and science time which makes it the perfect month for a Vet's Office! Students are able to develop and solve problems, show care for animals, and role play.
My favorite TpT resource for April:

May is my favorite month for play because it's the culmination of my yearlong plan! Through opening their own Pizza Parlor, students are invited to plan their play, collaborate, create, and execute their plan with organization, communication, and imaginative interaction.
My favorite TpT resource for May:

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PLANS FOR EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR!

August - Learning How to Play

September - Community Helpers: Restaurant

October - 21st Century Learners: The News 1, The News 2

November - Thanksgiving: Travel Agency

December - Engineering: Gingerbread Houses

January - Engineering: Force and Motion

February - Writing: Post Office

March - The Arts: My Talents

April - Animals: Vet's Office

May - Culminating Event: Pizza Parlor

Planning for Play: December - January - February

Making time for play in Kindergarten is important... even in the 21st Century! 

Sign up for newsletters and gain access to my exclusive and FREE Yearlong Plan for Structured Play and follow along as we discuss themes for December, January, and February. 

Overview:

December is a wild and crazy time of year as students anticipate the holiday season. So, why not tap into their imaginations and incorporate engineering and science? With the gingerbread engineering theme students  can collaborate, create, and problem solve while having lots of holiday fun!
My favorite TpT resource for December:

January often brings cold weather and indoor recess. This is a great time to build on the engineering theme from December and incorporate force and motion concepts using marble runs, ramps and balls, and vehicles. Students learn about the effects of force and motion through exploration and experimenting.
My favorite resources for January:

February is a time when we tend to think about relationships and letting our loved ones know how much they are loved. In spite of major advancements in modern technology, written communication remains a skill all students need to develop. With the theme Post Office students are encouraged to write, communication, and nurture relationships.
My favorite TpT resources for February:

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PLANS FOR EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR!

August - Learning How to Play

September - Community Helpers: Restaurant

October - 21st Century Learners: The News 1, The News 2

November - Thanksgiving: Travel Agency

December - Engineering: Gingerbread Houses

January - Engineering: Force and Motion

February - Writing: Post Office

March - The Arts: My Talents

April - Animals: Vet's Office

May - Culminating Event: Pizza Parlor

Planning for Play: September - October - November

Making time for play in Kindergarten is important... even in the 21st Century! 

Sign up for newsletters and gain access to my exclusive and FREE Yearlong Plan for Structured Play and follow along as we discuss themes for September, October, and November. 

Overview:

September is all about providing opportunities for role playing and collaborative play. Using a restaurant theme students are able to plan for play, work together and take on familiar roles.
My favorite TpT resource for September:

October is a time to begin to incorporate important 21st Century skills and appeal to students' need for an audience. Students today watch YouTube, make their own videos, and live their lives providing a step-be-step commentary. Using a news theme gives students the chance to learn about the ins and outs of media and communication and establish what it means to interact with an audience.
My favorite resources for October:

November's travel theme helps students understand the bigger picture and realize there is a big world around them just waiting to be discovered just like the pilgrims and explored just like the Native Americans!
My favorite TpT resources for November:

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PLANS FOR EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR!

August - Learning How to Play

September - Community Helpers: Restaurant

October - 21st Century Learners: The News 1, The News 2

November - Thanksgiving: Travel Agency

December - Engineering: Gingerbread Houses

January - Engineering: Force and Motion

February - Writing: Post Office

March - The Arts: My Talents

April - Animals: Vet's Office

May - Culminating Event: Pizza Parlor

Planning for Play: Yearlong Overview

Play in the 21st Century Kindergarten classroom shouldn't just be an arbitrary assortment of toys. It needs to be well thought-out and planned, tied to the standards, and must include a wide variety of materials to maintain the engagement of 21st Century Learners. In this video we will explore what it takes to plan structured play for the 21st Century Kindergarten classroom and I will outline my yearlong plan for play.



Play themes in my 21st Century Kindergarten classroom align with academic themes and are meant to enhance learning in all areas by immersing students in real-world situations. Here's a quick glance at the yearlong plan:

August - Learning How to Play

September - Community Helpers: Restaurant

October - 21st Century Learners: The News 1, The News 2

November - Thanksgiving: Travel Agency

December - Engineering: Gingerbread Houses

January - Engineering: Force and Motion

February - Writing: Post Office

March - The Arts: My Talents

April - Animals: Vet's Office

May - Culminating Event: Pizza Parlor

Be sure to sign up for newsletters and gain access to this FREEBIE to see my yearlong plan for these themes that includes standards connections, learning targets, and resources. (Includes blank planning pages that you can edit in PowerPoint!)

Yearlong Plan for Play in the Kindergarten Classroom

Why is P-L-A-Y a 4-Letter Word? The BIG Picture

What can you remember about Kindergarten (or first grade for those who didn't attend Kindergarten)?
When I think about my Kindergarten experience I'm warmed with memories of playing in the leaves on a fall day, sitting on the carpet listening to my teacher play songs on her guitar, color with fat crayons and writing my name with a fat pencil, heading home after lunch, and lots of playtime.
What will 21st Century Kindergarteners remember about their experience years from now? 
Will they remember taking standardized tests on the computer, learning perfect penmanship after practicing on worksheets, memorizing sight words from long lists, mastering math facts with a pencil and paper, and "Magic School Bus" videos watched from their desks?

As teachers and parents is this how we want our Kinders to remember their very first school experience? For me, I can answer that with a resounding, "NO!"

 (Okay - except maybe the "Magic School Bus" part - I love that show!)

When I first started teaching Kindergarten a few years ago I believed that Kinders in the 21st Century didn't really need playtime with half-dressed baby dolls and a hodgepodge of wooden blocks and that if I were to focus on my standards I would not have time for such frivolities. After a year or so I started to realize that, although my students were learning at pretty high levels, something was missing in my Kindergarten classroom and I found myself asking,

"Why is P-L-A-Y a 4-Letter Word?"

Watch as I discuss how I came to the conclusion that play should NOT be a 4-letter word and should most definitely be included in the daily Kindergarten schedule.

Now that we have established the importance of play I know you are asking, "HOW IN THE WORLD DO I FIT IT IN?"

That's why I'm SO excited to be planning a new series of posts all about how to implement "structured and choreographed" play in the 21st Century Kindergarten Classroom.

Do you already make time for play? What are your favorite play themes? Do you have any questions about how to plan?

Comment below!

You Oughta Know About Force & Motion

I'm so excited to link up with Ms. McClain again this month for the return of her

"You Oughta Know Blog Hop!" 

Be sure to follow all the links below to find everything "You oughta know" about in January!

For my post I'm letting you know what "You oughta know" about Force & Motion!  When our district adopted the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) last year we were overwhelmed by some of the changes we needed to make in our curriculum. 

The standards on Force & Motion were among the first we tackled and this week our planning came to life in my classroom!

Every month I change out my play and explore centers to revolve around a theme or concept.  I have found that this benefits my students in SO many ways!  The student-centered, self-directed centers provide an experimental way for them to learn while also providing real-life opportunities to learn cooperation, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.  And all of these are just by-products to addressing the standards!  WOW!

This month all centers are focused on Force & Motion with some Engineering mixed in for good measure.  I hope you will find some of these ideas useful in your classroom... I know my Kinders are LOVING it!  (Click on each photo to link to resources!)



There are lots of great FREE online games about Force & Motion!



These magnetic shape builders were a hit!



This exact set is not available anymore, but there are lots of other great sets out there!



"Using force to push these magnets together is impossible!"



We have to keep a running sign-in sheet for the popular Marble Run!

The STEM science kits from Lakeshore Learning are well worth the investment!

They are 100% aligned to NGSS!

And, of course, the "old fashioned" tracks and trucks are always perfect!
These little guys are pretending to be gold miners from the hit A&E show, "Gold Rush!" 

 Has your school adopted the NGSS? 
If so, how are you addressing the shifts in curriculum?

An InLinkz Link-up

Interested in another Linky?  Check out my post here on the 100th Day of School!  Add your free/paid products or blog posts as we prepare for the 100th Day of School!

December Currently

It's hard to believe that December is here!  We have assessments, field trips, culminating experiences and after school activities scheduled to fill almost everyday.  I'm excited to try out some of my own new units on engineering and economics in the midst of this busy season!

To give a glimpse of what I'm up to this week, I'm joining with Farley at "Oh' Boy 4th Grade," for her "December Currently" linky party.

I'm always working to provide my kinders with opportunities for meaningful, student-centered play that is also tied to our themes and standards.  This week we are kicking off our holiday centers with a new class project - a gingerbread house!  I salvaged a large appliance box from a local store and used it to partition off our dramatic play area.  For today the center included some copies of large candy clip art and a roll of white wrapping paper.  As the weeks progress I plan to add more with which to decorate!

My students were the quietest during play and explore centers today!  (This is normally NOT the case!)  They were so focused on their project and intently worked on decorations for a solid 30 minutes with relatively few problems.  I truly believe this is a testament to the fact we make time for social learning and play as often as possible... these kids may be of the 21st Century, but they still need to play!  :)

Check back later this week for more gingerbread play ideas AND to see how our house is evolving!

The Travel Agency is Open!

Since we finished our News Project with the production and sharing of a class news broadcast, we have shifted our focus to a new theme for play and explore centers. 

This month's theme is "Travel."  It is the perfect fit for our current Social Studies units on Christopher Columbus, Maps & Globes, Pilgrims, Native Americans, and the first Thanksgiving. 

These centers give students the chance to make modern day connections to our history lessons.

At the dramatic play center students are encouraged to help each other plan trips and vacations.  Using a form I created, some computer keyboards, and plenty of brochures and maps, students work together to plan trips. 

This center even spawned an impromptu transportation center when one student set up the "airline," checked tickets, and served refreshments!

At the writing center I provided blank brochures that students can use to create their own informative writing and drawing piece.  On the computers students explored a program called Map Maker 2.0 that I found on the Mr. Nussbaum website. With this website students can use various paint tools to explore and color different maps.

At the bock center students are encouraged to create a dwelling or mode of transportation.  I have been struggling with this center since many of my boys seem to "get stuck" only creating spaceships, rockets or other flying vehicles that warrant they should run around the room pretending to blast each other.  While I believe this play is completely okay at home, it's not the most appropriate for school.  So, I devised a planning page for the block center.  The result was a focused, planned time with blocks during which a few of my boys drew elaborate plans, carried them out, and then worked to sound out words to write about their creation.  WOW!  They didn't even realize they were engaged in engineering, problem solving, planning, AND literacy!  Score one for this teacher! 

Wordless Wednesday

It's Wordless Wednesday so I'm linking up with Miss DeCarbo and sharing a photo from my class today!

 

Our new play and explore centers opened today!  We had so much fun with the News Project and I was so excited to share what I had prepared for my Kinders.  Today our class Travel Agency opened for business!

 

I am really focusing on play and exploration along with child-centered, project based studies this year.  If you are a lower primary teacher, how do you incorporate play?  If you teach in the upper grades, what are some ways you use student choice and/or projects in your instruction?

 

 

Our "News" Project

A few weeks ago I attended a regional meeting of the Early Learning Leadership Network (ELLN).  At this meeting where preschool and Kindergarten teachers join forces to learn about new standards and best prepare the youngest students for school success, I was inspired by our guest speaker.  Dr. Sallee Beneke of St. Ambrose University in Iowa presented her research on inquiry-based instruction in preschool.  She shared about her own "Car Project," from the late 1990's through which three and four year olds studied cars in-depth, but also gained enduring life skills including collaboration and higher order thinking as well as academic skills including drawing (writing), speaking, listening, and math.  Teachers in our region were challenged to develop our own class "project."  I was so grateful for the "assignment."  It really seemed to open an opportunity for which I have been searching... The chance to develop a play/exploration-based, Common Core aligned, student centered inquiry project.  A tall order to say the least... but I am up for the challenge!

So... my class welcomed "The News Project" this week.  For our focusing event last Friday we visited Murray State's TV studio and explored every inch of it.  (Read about our 21st Century Field Trip Here!) We visited the university Newspaper Office and discussed, "What is news?" with the head editor.  We returned to school ready and eager to explore!

After our focusing event I created a scrapbook of all the photos I snapped while there.  Using this students can refer back to their shared experience to scaffold and inspire play.  All of our "Play & Explore Centers" are now focused on the project. 

At the block centers students are invited to build sound boards, microphones, cameras and other equipment.

Newspaper templates are available at the writing center and aspiring reporters can also "type" stories in Word at the computer center.

The document camera doubles as a video camera at the Smart Board center where students can watch themselves broadcast live on the board!

Finally, our dramatic play center-turned television studio is packed with inspiring "equipment" and supplies. Included at this center are blank weather maps and report planning pages, plastic microphones, old computer keyboards and headphones, an easel for posting worthy news reports, and even a green screen!

My students' play this week has amazed me!  I cannot wait to see what the coming weeks hold and to see how our project continues to unfold!

Grab all our printables here!