COMMUNITY HELPERS WEEK IN KINDERGARTEN

Alright teacher friends, I'm going to be honest. It's difficult for me to fit everything into our daily or even weekly schedule. There are days that I don't get to content (science / social studies) and I feel truly guilty about it because it's not less important than the other subjects.

For this reason, I've made it my goal to integrate various subjects throughout my day. Today I'm sharing with you how I integrated Community Helpers into various parts of our day.

STUDENT ARRIVAL

During our Community Helpers unit, I dressed up as a different community helper each day. I didn't go crazy (this year). I kept it simple with some dress-up hats I had available in the classroom.

Each morning I greeted my students at the door in my community helper outfit. The kids loved it! They really got a kick out of seeing me in different hats and accessories. It also made them curious about why I was dressed differently and what we would be doing.

MORNING MEETING
Typically during the Share portion of our Morning Meeting, students are allowed to choose whatever they'd like to share. For this week, our share topic was "What do you want to be when you grow up?". It was fun to hear the students say they wanted to be a certain community helper after we had talked about a few.

Kindergarten Morning Meeting: Community Helpers Message & Activity

Our Morning Message and Activity were integrated during Community Helpers week. Students had to answer the question: "What community helper is Mrs. Palovchik dressed as?". Then, I passed out cards with various things different community helpers need to do their jobs. If they had a card that I needed, students moved to one side of the carpet. If they had something that I didn't need, they moved to the other side. Then we talked about what I needed vs. what I didn't need and why.

SOCIAL STUDIES
During this time of our day, I kept it simple. I introduced a community helper and we talked about what we already knew. Then I read a book about these community helpers and we filled in a chart using pictures to detail tools the community helper needed and how they helped our community. Here are some fantastic community helper read alouds (affiliate links):
Busy People: Doctor by Lucy M. George
Busy People: Teacher by Lucy M. George
Busy People: Firefighter by Lucy M. George
(ok so really all of her Community Helper Books!)

MATH
We did not have math in our classroom during Community Helpers week! Instead, we imagined that our classroom was a place called: Kinder Community. I created a Community Helpers Themed Math Task that allowed students to practice counting and their knowledge of community helpers. It was a hit! I displayed pictures of community workplaces (thank you, Google) and bags with different community helpers inside.

 

Students worked together to answer the question: "How many community helpers work here?" by counting the community helpers inside one of the bags.

Community Helpers Math Task for Counting

After counting, they filled in a sentence frame for our class chart and completed a recording sheet to demonstrate that they understood the correlation between an amount of objects and a number. How adorable is this students' recording sheet??

Community Helpers Math Task Recording Sheet

We closed the lesson with a math discussion on strategies students used to count (mainly that they didn't leave the community helpers in pile, but spread them out in a line to ensure accurate counting). 

Community Helpers Math Task Anchor Chart

The beautiful thing about this lesson is that you really can do it any time of the year. It would be a fantastic review on Community Helpers. You could even treat it as a "Count the Room" activity, having students visit various workplaces to count and find out how many there are. If you'd like to try this lesson out in your classroom you can find it here! I hope that you and your students love it as much as mine did! 

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CALMING MORNING ROUTINES FOR ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS

I like to start my school day how I like to start any day: calm, cool, and collected. When I'm home, this means drinking a morning cup of coffee on my couch in peace and quiet. But what about at school with 20+ kindergarteners who are full of energy and ready to socialize?

Regardless of what grade level you teach, you know that school arrival has potential to be hectic. If you're like me, you want to minimize the crazy and maximize the calm. Today I'm sharing a few things you can do to set the mood for the day from the minute your students walk into your classroom.

How do you feel when you play music? Do you get energized with upbeat songs? Do you relax with the soothing acoustic ones? It's the same with kids. Put on relaxing, instrumental music when you get settled in your classroom. Why start it when you get there? Believe it or not, it might relax you too. I've been doing this for the past 5 years now, and it always sets the stage for a calm classroom environment (and a calm teacher). Use a CD or my favorite: YouTube. Some of the videos have kid-friendly images that play. You can display that video or minimize your browser to display anything else you need to.

Here are a few of my favorite instrumental music options from YouTube:

• Happy Relaxing Guitar Music by OCB Relax Music
• Morning Relaxing Music by OCB Relax Music
• Be Calm and Focused by KidZen
• Positive Music with Dinosaurs by KidZen

I have found that using visuals in the classroom is helpful for both students and teachers. Visuals show students what they need to be doing, which increases their independence. They also minimizing the amount of talking that you, as the teacher, need to do. The first morning visual I use is a "Good Morning" Procedure slide. I add my specific morning arrival and unpacking routines using words and pictures. Students see this displayed on the board and are reminded of what they need to do without me having to say anything. 

If I see a child that has begun their morning activities, but hasn't followed all of the arrival procedures, I point to the visual and ask: "Have you done these things?". They go down the list and typically realize within seconds what they still need to do. After a few days of using this poster, I don't even need to say anything to my students. I simply show them the poster and it's a nonverbal reminder of what they need to do. 

Want these themed slides for your classroom? You can find them as part of my Morning Meeting Slides resource. 

Another visual I use is this Unpacking Poster. I format it to match the slide above and hold it as students walk in. It's their first nonverbal reminder of what they need to do before going to their tables. You can find the editable poster for free here. 

In addition to music and visuals, I also have morning tubs set out and ready to go. I always prep these on the Friday before the new week to make sure that I'm not scrambling on Monday morning. At the beginning of the year, I also set the bins out on tables either in the afternoon before I leave (as long as I remember) or first thing in the morning when I arrive. If you're scrambling and feeling frazzled, then your kids will be too. Once my students have their arrival routines down solid, I leave the tubs on labeled spots where they can retrieve them and put them away - but that's for another blog post in the future :) 

Finally, I always make a conscious effort to greet all of my students at the door. I hold my unpacking poster (and my coffee) while greeting them with a "Good Morning" and a wave, high five, or a hug. Greeting students at the door has always minimized the morning crazy. We all have so much that we need to get done, and it can be tempting to be working while your students are coming in (especially as they get more independent). However, I have always found that being present when they first arrive starts their day on a happy, positive note, while also reminding them that you're there to ensure they do what they need to as soon as they walk in your classroom. 

I hope that these simple tips help keep morning arrival calm and positive in your classroom this year!

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SPRING CLASSROOM TRANSFORMATION FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS: FREEBIES AND TAKEAWAYS

Hey Teacher Friends,

If you follow me on social media, you might have seen my recent classroom transformation: spring! I've done small room transformations in December with the Polar Express, but this spring, my team and I were determined to do a big one for our kindergarten students. It was such an exciting task, but one that I knew could turn stressful very easily.

Today I'm sharing the components that made up this room transformation, plus a few links to freebies and tips to keep in mind if you're planning a classroom transformation in the near future.

Let's Talk About Planning...
When my team and I decided to do this, we knew ahead of time that our theme for the week was spring. We also knew the content that we wanted to teach for each subject. It just so happened that this was a review week for us. I feel like this made it easier because there was no brand new content involved, and the students were able to help (but more on that later).

Once we knew the skills we'd be reviewing, we were able to create or find resources that were spring themed to use. We added those resources to our planning document.

Prep, Prep, Prep
We knew that prepping everything, from lesson resources to transformation materials, would take time... and we knew that we'd be teacher-tired. For that reason, we set aside planning time during a weekly team meeting to brainstorm what we needed to buy, what we needed to prep, and when we would prep it. I added everything to my free Weekly To Do Lists and separated it out by day.

The plan was to cut out all of the paper we'd be needing by Thursday. Then we'd put a decent chunk of the room transformation decorations up on Friday afternoon after school and leave it up for the entire week after. For me this included the "grass" at the front of the room, the "sun" in the top corner, and the "tree". You can get a look at this process in the video at the bottom of this post.

I got the "garden" for our Mix and Fix Sentence Scramble Center done on Monday morning before the kids got to school.

Here's a look at what the Garden Center looked like up close: 

Making It Interactive
Room transformations can be a lot of work for teachers! Students love to help, so why not let them help with this?? A large chunk of lesson plans from our room transformation week included activities that would display their understanding of a variety of subjects with a spring theme!

Check it out:

The Rainbow Clouds with Fruit Loops were actually a math game. You can find further explanation and a template for the cloud in this blog post from Housing a Forest. Check out this close up picture from one of my students working on this activity: 

These flowers were part of a science review lesson. We talked about the parts of a flower. Students put the flower together. Then they used these labels (printed on bright paper), tape, and string to label the parts.

These word family butterflies were such a fun student-led activity. I gave students anchor chart paper and they worked in groups to write words from different word families. Then they chose a word family and generated words (or nonsense words) for the "family" of their choosing on this free butterfly template from Randi at the Teaching It With Class blog. Check out this close up below:

Finishing Touches: 
A few finishing touches to our room transformation were the umbrellas (my FAVORITE part), bright tablecloths, and some writing themed snacks for our celebration. The umbrellas and tablecloths were from 5 Below.

Have Fun! 
Like I said... room transformations are a lot of work. If you're stressed, the kids will be too. If you're having fun, so will your kids. Why stress it? Embrace the work and do it for the kids. I had a blast and I know my kids did too. That made it all worth it.

Here's a video look at the process of setting up the room transformation throughout the week. You'll be able to see a few more details that I wasn't able to capture in the pictures... plus a look at how it all came together for a Writer's Picnic Celebration at the end of the week :) Click here or the picture to view the video

Looking to tie it all together with more spring activity fun? Here are Spring Centers that are just right for K:

I hope this gave you some ideas and courage to try a room transformation! If you have any other tips, please share with us in the comments below!

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VALENTINE'S DAY COUNTING CENTERS

Confession time: Incorporating themed centers is not one of my strengths. I tend to stick to what works. That doesn't mean that I use the same centers over and over. I have a center organization system that works and a sufficient amount of activities, they're just not always themed. My themed centers for the year can fit into one plastic bin.

Why does this bother me? Well, this year my team has tried to stick to a weekly theme. And you know what? The kids LOVE themes. We try to immerse the students in it entirely across subject areas. A few weeks ago our theme was penguins. We read penguin books, learned about the life cycle of a penguin, and even made our greeting for Morning Meeting: Waddle Like a Penguin.

Knowing that incorporating a theme into as many aspects of our day as possible helps keep my students engaged and excited about learning, has made me realize that I need more themed activities for our centers.

Valentine's Day is coming up and I've been working hard to add themed activities to our learning fun. From Valentine's Day STEM (written for The Kindergarten Connection) to a Cards Writing Center, and now Counting Centers for Math! The following 3 activities are ideal for students to practice identifying, representing, and writing numbers 1-20.

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HEART ENGINEERS: VALENTINE'S DAY STEM ACTIVITIES

It's time for another holiday teacher friends and that means even more themed fun! What's better for Valentine's Day than hearts? My kindergarteners absolutely love anything that has to do with building so on this special holiday, I combine STEM fun with all things hearts. Your kids will love these Heart Engineering STEM Activities that come with free printable recording sheets to help your students extend their learning.

These activities are a great addition to your math, science, or Valentine's Day Party plans. I hope you and your students have fun exploring, playing, and learning!

Grab the FREE printable and learn about these Heart Engineering Activities over at The Kindergarten Connection! 

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WRITERS WRITE CARDS CENTER

Alright teacher friends, I don't know about you but sometimes I really struggle to come up with a variety centers for my kiddos. This is especially true for our writing center. I have several go-to activities that they love. There is a center organization system in place and activities are rotated so they're not doing the same thing all the time but it still feels repetitive to me. I would love for them to be exposed to different kinds of writing that are simple to complete for them and simple to set up for me.

This is the thought that made me decide to create templates for different kinds of writing we all do in real, every day life. With Valentine's Day coming up, cards seemed like the perfect first center to try.

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TEACHING IN DECEMBER: MAKING IT MAGICAL AND MEANINGFUL {plus some freebies}

Happy December, teacher friends!

I know that December can be a very busy time, not just at home, but also at school. But can I just state something... I love teaching in December. Yes, our students might be a tad chatty. Yes, we have deadlines to meet and prepping to get done for when we get back from break. So yes... this month can be stressful. Until I take a step back and think about those sweet little ones we are so blessed to teach every single day.

This time of the year is incredibly magical to them. We truly are fortunate to get to teach during this special time. We have an opportunity. We get to create an environment that incorporates the magic of  the holiday season and academic skills. And that's exactly what I strive to do during December. Here's how:

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ORGANIZING CENTERS TO MAXIMIZE STUDENT INDEPENDENCE

Hey Teacher Friends!

There are so many amazing ways to organize centers, but it's important to find a system that works for you. True Teacher Confession Time: When I first started centers in my classroom (as a first year teacher) I was so lost. The idea of my students rotating around the room, where to store centers, how students would get them ... I just couldn't wrap my head around it all! As a result, my centers definitely were not as efficient and effective as they could have been.
Looking back, I'm glad I had this experience, because it allowed me to develop a system that really works for me and my students. Today I'm going to share how my center system increases student independence in my classroom .... and I teach Kindergarten, by the way.
Just because they're my favorite... I'm going to show you my Math Centers in this post (but my Literacy Centers work exactly the same).

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TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF MORNING MEETING

Happy Fall, Teacher Friends!

It's officially November and we are finally getting the hang of this whole "school thing" in Kindergarten. If you teach little ones, you know that it can take some time before all parts of your day are up and running completely because teaching every little procedure is beyond important.

Rolling out a Morning Meeting that followed The Responsive Classroom format was a goal of mine this year. I am happy to share that a complete Morning Meeting is finally happening and it's also one of my favorite parts of the day.

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2017 CLASSROOM REVEAL: PINEAPPLES & PURPOSE

Hi Teacher Friends!!
I just can't believe how fast the time flies. We have already headed back to school and my classroom is ready to be revealed! I wasn't required to be back in my classroom until August 16th, but of course I was in there by August 1st.

Typically, I may go in a day or two before teacher workdays start, but this year I just couldn't stay away. I thought long and hard all summer about changes I wanted to make in order to have a more purposeful and student-centered learning environment. And of course... all the pineapples ;) Because of all the changes, I spent just about every day in my classroom since the start of August and lots of time at Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree, and our local Teacher Store. #teacherproblems

Here are a few spaces in my classroom and how I've made them purposeful for my little leaders:

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The Power of Positive Affirmations

Hello blog friends :)

I feel like it has been way too long! I've been one busy teacher (you know the feeling). It was report card "season", then I became obsessed with teaching myself how to make fonts, and now using those to create fun products for the classroom! I'll be sharing one of those today for free because I know you love freebies as much as I do!

Last year I was fortunate enough to be part of the district's Math Leadership Team. It was exciting to know that I was taking part in helping to shape the future of math instruction and curriculum for our little ones. On top of that, it was an incredible learning opportunity. Everyone on the leadership team was enrolled in Jo Boaler's online course with Stanford on Growth Mindset and How to Learn Math. I became fascinated with this idea and how to foster this mindset in my students. If you want to learn more, I suggest reading Carol Dweck's book, Mindset.

One strategy I have used to help build my students' growth mindset is positive affirmations. It's such a simple strategy. If you're already doing this, you know how powerful it is... and if you aren't, I hope you'll give it a try :)

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What You Do Matters: 3 Aha Moments from this Week

This week I had some awesome "oh my gosh, they're actually learning something important" aha moments that I'm eager to share with you! Don't you love when that happens?! As teachers, we want to know that what we're doing matters, that we're helping our students become amazing people and learn worthwhile life lessons along with academic content. I hope you read this and a) realize that what you do matters, b) you have your own aha moment, and/or c) you get some ideas to implement in your classroom!

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Tackling the Count to 100 Standard with 3 Easy Strategies

See Original Post Here

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