Stop Spending Money on Treasure Chest! Use these Passes Instead...

Have you ever found yourself asking your friends who aren't teachers to save their Happy Meal toys?

Have you ever found yourself in the dollar spot at Target spending an outrageous amount of money...becuase we all know who quick dollar items add up...to put in your treasure chest?

STOP spending the extra money!

I've created reward passes for you class that will cost you N O money at all! 

These passes are designed to go with any behavior system you already have in place in your classroom.

I have used them with clip charts, treasure boxes and this year I will incorporate them with Class Dojo.

If you already use Class Dojo and want to incorporate them, here is the "system" that I will use to facilitate Dojo points and the passes together. Find the FREEBIE from the post below!

I have stored the passes in several ways:

You can print them "as is" and put them in binder in sleeves.

You can print them and shrink the size if you want smaller passes.

These are already in my TpT store. Find them HERE or by clicking the picture above!

Together, let's save some money!!!

Give Students Choice with Jobs! Now 38 Included!!!

Are you afraid to give up some of your tasks you do in the classroom?

What if I told you, it would save you LOTS of time?

What if I told you it would turn your students into leaders?

What if I told you it would build responsibility in your students?

I've had jobs in my classroom since I started teaching. That haven't always been as great at they are now though! I started with just a door holder and line leader. 2 jobs that changed daily.

Fast forward to now, and each student has a job. The past few years they have held the same job for a week at a time. But this year, I will explicitly teach and model the  jobs and let them apply, yes apply, for the job of their choice. 

I have recently updated all 3 of my job packs to include 38 jobs to fit your classroom needs!

There are 3 styles: 

You can find each of these in my TpT store or by clicking on the image above. 

Here is a glimpse of some of the jobs included:

Remember, there are 38 jobs to choose from.

To learn more and see a description of them all, head on over to my store!

Give your students a sense of pride and leadership this year with classroom jobs!

PB&J Partners

Need any easy management tool for when you use "turn and talk" in your classroom?

PB&J partners are a great way for your students to know exactly who to talk to during a discussion.

Click on the picture above to download it for FREE! 

Give Students Jobs in the Classroom!

Before introducing individual classroom jobs over 2 years ago, I only had 2 jobs.

Leader and door holder.

{YAWN}

What!? I know!

Both would change daily. The leader would lead calendar and if they were responsible, I would have them run any errands that popped up during the day. I know you just 'gasped' and I did too! It obviously wasn't a very fair or consistent role. So I finally came to my senses and created a job for each student!

The last 2 years, every student in my class has had a job or a role in the classroom.

 Once thing I have noticed is that it helps a great deal by creating unity and a family-like environment. 

Here is how I have the jobs displayed. 

 That will be there job for the entire week. 

The only thing I have yet to add is a numbered popsicle stick.

Each card will also have a numbered stick next to it. This number coincides with the students' magic number.

On Friday afternoon, I will rotate the sticks so that their new job is ready for when the come Monday.

 

I have made 3 different sets of job cards. 

Safari.

Bright Chevron.

Primary Colors.

Each set contains 30 different jobs for your class.

water patrol.  weather reporter.  line leader.  door holder.  pencil monitor.  caboose.  techi.  light monitor.  trash collector.  lunch counter.  message carrier.  materials manager.  snack assistant.  germanator.  table captains 1-5.  calendar cadet.  security guard.  brain break.  card shark.  vacation.  sub.  stretch leader.  ask me.  well wisher.  librarian.  pet cadet.  

Here is a preview of a few jobs that are in each pack.

{shown is the Bright Chevron pack}

You can find each pack available in my TpT store. 

All 3 will be on sale for the next 3 days!

Click on the pack you would like to purchase for a link to my store!

FREE Tips and Tricks for Managing All Kinds of Behavior

Do you ever feel your patience may become a little more strectched this time of year?

You're dealing with the same kids, but yet they seem a little different, right?

If you said yes, I think we may be in the same boat!

One thing I learned at the I Teach 1st SDE conference is to switch things up...and OFTEN!

It seems so simple and was quite a "DUH moment" for me. 

Seriously, why didn't I think of that...geez.

 #teacherfail

Thankful there's a Cara Carroll in this world to save my teacher butt sometimes : )

Her ideas were on point and I knew I had to implement them asap! So I did!

Here are 3 ideas for managing individual, table or team and whole group behavior.

And good news for you, I've put these printables in my TpT store for FREE!

 

If you're thinking about changing things up, find these free printables in my TpT store HERE.

Do Ducks Help Crazy Behavior?!?!

I know my kiddos truly are sweet...deep down inside.

But holidays, parties, crazy schedules can bring out their arch rival nemesis selves! 

Such as the month of Valentine's day (or so it seems).

So what do I do to keep them their sweet little selves? 

Call in the ducks.

Yes, call in the ducks!

 

Not only was it the VERY first thing they noticed when they walked in this morning (they are like hawks I tell you) but that was the very first question out of their mouth.

"Why are their ducks on your desk?"

 

Here was my game plan.

Whenever the ducks (aka the teacher) saw someone who was on task any time throughout the day and making good choices, that duck would come join them at their desk. The duck could move back to my desk at any time, or to another friend's desk if they were making even better choices.

 

The best part...if the duck was on your desk at the end of the day, you get candy from the candy jar

AND

you get a "super student" ticket for the day!

 

{If you want to learn more about my ticket system click HERE.}

 

It seemed to work like a charm today. As we ease closer to Valentine's day, I'm hoping the idea will withhold its magical powers.

 

Who ever knew spending $1 on ducks at Target could be such a brilliant idea!

Numbering Your Kiddos: A Time Saving Tool

As a teacher it sometimes seems overwhelming with all that we have to keep up with!

Paperwork.

Grades.

Planning.

I wanted to share with you one system I have put into place to help my classroom run a little more smoothly.

Each year I take my roster and assign a specific number to each student.
I deem this as their "magic number" and it sticks with them the entire year.

I tend to put numbers on many things in my classroom.

Not only does this make ordering things such as papers, grades etc. easier, it also makes my beginning of year prep easier! It is a great time saver for me when I am getting things set for the start of school.

When you write numbers on things instead of students names, many of these things become reusable for the next year!!! 
#timesaver101

Here are a few of the things I choose to put numbers on instead of student names:

Book Boxes

Classroom Job Chart

Student Mailboxes 

Dismissal Card Holder

If you don't already assign each student a number, it's a really simple thing to do.
Try it out this year, I guarantee it will save you time in some sort of fashion!

Student Jobs in the Classroom

Before introducing individual classroom jobs over 2 years ago, I only had 2 jobs.

Leader and door holder.

{YAWN}

What!? I know!

Both would change daily. The leader would lead calendar and if they were responsible, I would have them run any errands that popped up during the day. I know you just 'gasped' and I did too! It obviously wasn't a very fair or consistent role. So I finally came to my senses and created a job for each student!

The last 2 years, every student in my class has had a job or a role in the classroom.

 Once thing I have noticed is that it helps a great deal by creating unity and a family-like environment. 

Here is how I have the jobs displayed. 

 That will be there job for the entire week. 

The only thing I have yet to add is a numbered popsicle stick.

Each card will also have a numbered stick next to it. This number coincides with the students' magic number.

On Friday afternoon, I will rotate the sticks so that their new job is ready for when the come Monday.

 

I have made 3 different sets of job cards. 

Safari.

Bright Chevron.

Primary Colors.

Each set contains 30 different jobs for your class.

water patrol.  weather reporter.  line leader.  door holder.  pencil monitor.  caboose.  techi.  light monitor.  trash collector.  lunch counter.  message carrier.  materials manager.  snack assistant.  germanator.  table captains 1-5.  calendar cadet.  security guard.  brain break.  card shark.  vacation.  sub.  stretch leader.  ask me.  well wisher.  librarian.  pet cadet.  

Here is a preview of a few jobs that are in each pack.

{shown is the Bright Chevron pack}

You can find each pack available in my TpT store. 

All 3 will be on sale for the next 3 days!

Click on the pack you would like to purchase for a link to my store!

Minion Management

Aren't these little guys the cutest!?

My team is going with a "Minion" theme for our hallway this school year.

So when my sister in law gave me these, I knew I had to take them to school with me!

(They came in a McD Happy Meal)

My plan is to incorporate these guys into my behavior management system, at least for the first part of school...because we all know things like this tend to lose their effectiveness after awhile.  

Throughout the day, as students make positive choices, I will move the Minion around to sit on their name-tag. At the end of the day, whichever student has the Minion on his/her desk, they will receive a ticket worth 3 for the day. 

I use a ticket system for behavior. Read about it HERE.

What other ways could these be used in a classroom?

Feel free to share your thoughts!

When Thursday: B2S with Blog Hoppin'

If you teach first grade you know 2 things:

1. They can't sit for more than 10-15 minutes without losing their attention

2. Teaching reading takes up the majority of your day

That's why I absolutely love, adore, admire our schedule.

It worked wonders last year and I'm hoping the same goes for this year.

Live through a day in first grade with a deeper look into our schedule:

When our day starts, the first thing we jump into is writer's workshop. Here's a breakdown:

1. Mini-lesson

2. Silent Writing Time

3. Conferences

I find writing first thing is the perfect way to wake up their brains and get the juices flowing for the day.

It leads to a calm environment and sets the tone for our day.

After their little brains have a chance to wake up, we enter into our Phonics lesson.

1. Mini-Lesson (whole group)

2. Practice (whole group)

3. Independent Practice

This is our biggest and most needed chunk of time throughout the day. It houses whole group instruction, small group instruction, independent practice and centers.

1. Whole group mini-lesson (or activity) on comprehension strategy using a read aloud

2. Small group instruction 

3. Center rotations with independent practice and reading

Our team meets once a week to sit down and plan for the upcoming week together while our kiddos are at specials. If we aren't planning as a team, we are prepping charts, gathering activities, or compiling plans. 

My room may look like this during planning: 

But it always finds a way to look like this by the end of the week:

After coming back from specials (a much needed break for a first grader) we have our math block.

This encompasses calendar, whole group instruction, small group instruction and math tubs.

1. Calendar

2. Whole group lesson

3. Practice time 

4. Math Tubs (teacher meets with small groups) 

Leaving science and social studies until the end of the day can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on our day. On good days, we make it through everything and actually have time to complete our activity but as you know there are times when everything just doesn't get squeezed in and we neglect to make it to our lesson. This means integrate, integrate, integrate which I try to do as much as possible!