Class Dojo

Class Dojo is something I was introduced to this year. As I said before, I had a REALLY difficult group of kiddos and I felt like my behavior chart just wasn't working. Some years the behavior chart is perfect and produces incredible classroom management. Other years, you need to up your game a little bit:)

I actually heard about Class Dojo from my mom who is also a teacher. Someone told her about it at a training, and she called me one night to let me know what she learned. She knew I was struggling with behavior and I needed something new. After listening and doing some research, I decided to IMMEDIATELY begin Class Dojo in my classroom. So, what is it you ask?

Class Dojo is an online FREE classroom behavior management system. It is based on a point system where students can earn 'positives' and 'negatives.' The amazing thing about it, is that YOU as the teacher can create your own rewards/consequences for students to earn.  Below you can see what your class page will look like.

When I saw a student doing something great, I would let them know they could get a 'positive.' They simply walked up to the computer and gave themselves a point. Another GREAT thing is Class Dojo also has an App, so I could carry my iPad with me EVERYWHERE to let students know they were always earning positives and negatives.  Parents can even download the app to their phones to see their child's behavior each day!

Another great thing about Class Dojo? It AUTOMATICALLY generates a behavior report that is sent to parent's email every Friday.  I didn't have to do a thing. All of my parents participated, and I honestly saw a huge change in several of my kids. I know many of them appreciated getting a report to their email instead of signing a folder every night. If their child received more than 3 negatives in one day, I sent a note home. 

You can create rewards and consequences for your kiddos based on their positives/negatives. I initially gave every student the same Avatar (or monster picture) next to their name. Every time they got 15 positive points, they could change their avatar to whatever they wanted. It was a GREAT motivator (and free for me!). If there was red next to their name (as in WAY too many negatives) they did not get recess that day. That was also a great motivator for my kids to keep those positive points going. 

I know there are also several pinterest boards where teachers have made up different rewards and consequences for earning positives and negatives. If you type in "Class Dojo" in the search box, I'm sure you will see plenty of boards. 

I hope that wasn't too confusing because it really is worth your time to check out! My entire team decided this is the behavior management system we want to use next year. If you want to look at it, click on the avatar below and it will take you to their website!

Using Bins for Organization

So at the end of the year, I tried to think of ways to make next year easier on me! I originally used these bins as shelves in my classroom. While I LOVED having the shelves, my kids were CONSTANTLY knocking them over and spilling everything. (I think the biggest problem was the bins/shelves were not heavy enough)  So I took the shelves apart and put them to a different use.

I made a bin for each month of the year and put all my units in the bin. It was much easier to do than I thought. I just looked at my lesson plans from the past year and pulled units from my file cabinet. I was also able to reflect on this past year and see where I would want to change when I introduce a concept.

If you look at the first picture you can see how I used hanging file folders for each unit. In each pocket there are worksheets/activities/posters/materials/copies, etc for everything I used for that topic/objective. I'm putting the bins on a top shelf in my room. I plan to just reach up and grab the bin for the month.

I'm hoping this will help me next year! I think it will be nice to just pull down a bin and look at what I need to do for the month:) 

FREE Center Labels

Hi Everyone! I was curious to see if anyone needed some center labels for their classroom. I posted a few weeks ago how I needed to change my centers, which forced me to make some signs for a rotation board. If you are interested, you can follow this link HERE to get the center labels for FREE.

Center/Rotations Change

In my previous years in third grade, Reading and Math Workshops were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. My kids just "got it," and it was such a smooth time of the day in my room. Jump forward a few months into second grade, and the workshops just weren't working. I don't know if it's that my kids are too immature, if it's just this group of kids I have, or if it's something I'm doing wrong. No matter what the reason, it just wasn't working.

I needed to change it up, so I did! I've always HATED centers and the chaos they create. I never quite understood how to manage all of the groups at one time, so I just avoided it. However, I knew this group couldn't handle workshops (with 4 or more people in a group), so I took the plunge.

I created 10 centers so each student would have a buddy to work with. That alone has made SUCH a difference. Before I had 5 kids in 4 rotations. Complete fail. I was disciplining more than they were working. I know 10 centers sounds like SO MANY, but it's really not that bad, and I wish I could squeeze in more. What is even better is that I really don't have to prepare for my centers unless I want to. They are practicing right now using things I already have in the room (this will be fantastic when I have a sub). Eventually I will create/add more games to certain rotations, but for now, the games in the room work.

Here is what my board looks like:

I have the center names in a simple pocket chart that hangs on the wall. I move each pair of numbers down each day. They will go through this whole board in 1 or 2 weeks, depending on how much time we have. 

I'm lucky enough to have inherited the old team leader's room, so all the games for the grade level are stored in here. (Don't get me wrong, some days I'm so annoyed by this b/c they take up so much space, but I'm SO HAPPY to have them:)) I used the same exact signs from the pocket chart to label where to find each center around the room.

I'm SO HAPPY with the results. My classroom is an organized working machine! Even my teaching assistant I have for about 30 minutes in the morning made a comment on the change. 

New Students

I got a new student today. My school has students coming and going all year long, so this isn't surprising at all. I had the lowest number of students on my team, so I knew I would be the first one to get a new student. Usually when I get a new kiddo I groan a little inside because of all the work I know I'm going to have to do that day. Collect supplies, write on folders, give them spirals and notebooks for everything, create their home folder, etc. It's exhausting! 

This year I got a little smarter. As I was writing on my kids' folders and spirals the first day of school, I steadily made several extras. I put all the folders together and made new student sets.  Let me tell you that it made today a BREEZE!! All I had to do was reach into this hanging file folder, pull out all the supplies and hand it to my new student. I decided to store the packets here in this bin:

Soon I'll add a cute label to the front, but that is far down my list of things to do:)

Here is an example of what is inside. Take-home binder, writing journal, math folder, etc.

I just wanted to throw that tip out there for anyone else who might find it useful! 

Pirate Reading Rotation Board

Hey friends! I'm finishing up my first week of school and honestly, I couldn't be happier! I'm just exhausted and I'm battling allergies on top of it! I lost my voice today which didn't work out too well when I had to repeat procedures over and over:) I also had to attend a training today, and then realized I accidentally threw away an important test my kids need to take!! I remember seeing the box and thinking, "what is all this junk doing together in this box?!." So in the trash it went! Little did I know it was manipulatives and papers I needed. OOPS doesn't begin to describe it:) Luckily I have an amazing teammate who is helping me put it all back together! 

SO hopefully you can feel my pain and understand why I'm ready for the weekend! But before I escape, I wanted to show you guys my pirate-themed reading workshop board:

Last week our laminator, color printer, and copier were all out of commission! This board has yet to be laminated, but I needed to start my rotations soon, so I put it up anyways.

I did a lengthy post on my rotations HERE. This is the same idea, just with a pirate theme! If you are interested in this for your classroom, you can get it in my TpT Store here. 

Take Home Folders and B2S SALE!

I'm sure you have all heard, but TpT is having their annual Back to School Sale beginning tomorrow! Everything in my store will be 20% off, AND you can get an extra 10% off if you use the code BTS12. Happy shopping everyone! I'm so excited to purchase some things that have been sitting on my wish list far too long!

I also wanted to show you guys what I have been working on the past two days...take home folders. Our principal has always given us planners for the kids, so I never had to worry too much about this. I was able to record their behavior for the day and communicate with parents all in one book.  Unfortunately I'm not getting planners this year, so I had to come up with something that will work for me!

Here is what I've decided to do:

I used Deanna Jump's idea for the P.I.R.A.T.E. folder and made a label to go on the front.

Here is what it will look like when they open the folder. On the right is  a yearly calendar (that will be printed on card stock) put in pocket sleeves. I will use the calendar to write down behavior for the day. On the left is the pocket for homework.

The small label shows a picture of the behavior chart (my pirate-themed one) from the classroom, and our classroom rules. I will color (or write the letter) for where the student's clip was that day on the chart. If they broke a rule, I will also write the number for the rule they broke. I want parents to initial the calendar every night.

Here is an example of what the calendar will look like:

This student had great days except on Thursday, the 30th.  I wrote a "1" because they did not follow directions. Parents should initial this every night.

I think I will really like having this visual for several months at a time! On the label I wrote letters next to the behavior chart because I understand that some days I'm in a big hurry and might not have time to mark everyone's calendar with a highlighter/marker.

Behind the calendar will be a pocket sheet with a sign for important papers. This is where I will put permission forms, things to sign, etc. 

Behind that I made pages for parent communication. I like having all of this in one place! 

I'm still trying to decide about this one. I really don't want to go out and buy a class set of pencil bags, so I'll probably use baggies. This is where students will put money and other important items that could easily fall out of the folder. I folded over the bottom of a large baggie and punched holes through it so it wouldn't tear as easily. 

Finally, in the back pocket I will have a place for papers that need to stay home! Flyers, letters, etc. 

So there it is! I plan to make between 25-30 folders so I don't have to worry if one gets lost, or if I get a new student. It's just nice to have those kinds of things ready to go! 

Door Signs-Pirate Theme

I had my first training for the year today. I was lucky that several teachers from my school were there, so I had lots to catch up with them:) It also made the training go by a lot faster than it would have! Going to this training today just made me realize how close we are to starting school, and I will be dragging my feet in the sand to go back this year! I've had such a wonderful summer with my family, and I have LOVED it. It was truly one of the most relaxing summers I've had in a while!

So with that little wake-up call, I decided I needed to start working on more things for my classroom!
This is for all my pirate-theme friends! I made my Where Are We? Door signs with pirate kids:) There really isn't too much to say about it since I already posted about them here!

If you like these, you can get them in my TpT store HERE.

OR you can get them in my Teacher's Notebook store HERE. 

Behavior Chart Freebie!

Hello! I just wanted to post a freebie for you!  I created these to use for my behavior chart, but then I decided to have a pirate theme in my classroom this year. SOOO I'm not using this anymore, but thought someone else might be able to. This is for one of those charts where the kids clip up or down depending on their behavior! One thing I didn't like about my chart I used last year was that red, yellow, and orange were technically "good" colors. This really confused my parents!! Ha! So I made this one where the positive colors are green, blue, pink, and purple. The negative colors are yellow, orange, and red. Print these out, glue to cardstock/construction paper and attach all the pages together!

If you want to download this, just follow the link HERE. Let me know if you use it! 

Classroom Jobs Update

I just wanted to write a quick note to let you know I added 6 more job labels to my Classroom Jobs set! So if you have already purchased it, be sure to download the new one! Here is what I added:

 I can't believe I forgot to add this one!! I have a jar in my classroom labeled "compliments". Whenever my class receives a compliment ("Good job standing quietly," "You're class was great today!" etc) they get a marble in the jar. Whenever the marbles reach the top, I give them a party. The kids LOVE this, and it really gets them to work as a team. I also tell them if they work together and behave for a substitute, I will give them 3 marbles! One person is assigned the Compliments Monitor job. The kids know whenever they receive a compliment, this person will automatically put a marble in the jar!

This is the student who brings me a band-aid when I need one to give to another student, runs to the nurse for me when I run out of first aid supplies, and they also know where I keep my nurse passes so they can grab one for me when I need to fill it out! It saves me a lot of time, and keeps me from stopping what I'm doing to grab a band aid for a small paper cut:)

This person pulls down the screen for me when I need it! This way I'm not walking back and forth to the front of the room, AND I don't have 5 different kids asking me to pull the screen down!

On another note, my wonderful mother convinced me to open up a shop on Teacher's Notebook! I'm slowly but surely adding things to my store over there! I will still have the same things in my TpT store, I just know some people prefer Teacher's Notebook, so I'm trying to help reach everyone! Here is the link to my store: Stickers and Staples at Teacher's Notebook.

Hope you all had a great weekend! We took a little mini-vacation! It was so nice to get away from the "norm" and have fun with my family:) It also means I should be doing a lot of laundry and unpacking today...but I'm choosing to work on my school stuff instead!! haha

Setting Up My Classroom...

My mind has been on creating things for my classroom! I think I mentioned earlier that I'm doing a pirate theme this year. I'm REALLY excited about it, and I know that several teachers use a pirate theme, so I'm hoping to stalk look at other blogs for ideas! In the meantime, I'm thinking of procedural type things I can create to make setting up my classroom a little easier when I go back to work. Here are some things I've done:

Behavior Chart

You know that really popular one where the kids can clip up or down depending on their behavior? I found that last year, used it, and L.O.V.E.D it! Having a way to reward my kids who always followed the rules was awesome! Not to mention how many time I was able to put my class in check simply by saying, "Jack you may clip up!" Well since I'm going with a pirate theme, I wanted to use the same idea, just with cute pirate sayings/clip art. Here is what I came up with:

Sorry for the HORRIBLE photo! I made this at home tonight, and I had to use my iPhone to take the picture! I used "x's"to separate each color because last year I had SO many kids think they could be sneaky and put their clip halfway in between two colors (hoping I wouldn't know??). Every student will begin on green, and will move up or down the chart depending on behavior. 

 If a student moves here, they have had an EXCELLENT day.

 If they move here, they have had a great day.

 Every student begins on this label. If they stay here, they have had a good day.

 Broke 1 rule. They get a warning.

Broke 2 rules. They get a consequence.







Broken 3 or more rules. Note home, or office referral.

I created several different backgrounds for these labels because I just COULD NOT make up my mind on what I wanted. So for my file, I left them all in there in case you didn't want to use the colors. These are examples of the different backgrounds to choose from. I just pulled one from each set:

If you like this pirate behavior chart, you can purchase it HERE in my store! 

Where Are We? Door Signs:

I've always loved these signs on other teacher's doors that show where their class is. It sure does make it easy for me to track that teacher down! I'm sure you haven't noticed that I'm obsessed with these cute stick kids from scrappindoodles:) I wanted to create signs using those kiddos, so here are the 12 signs I came up with:

I printed them out, cut around the edge, and glued them to card stock. I punched holes in the top so I will be able to put binder rings on them. I'll hang it on the outside of my classroom door, and the cards will be able to flip around easily on the binder rings! I'll assign one of my students the job of changing this whenever we leave the classroom (probably my door holder)!

If you like these, you can get these HERE.

I hope everyone is still enjoying their summer! I've had a long week of working on things for my classroom...but swimming, splash pads, movies, and family time have definitely been in the mix! Talk to you all very soon!