Class Antics – Inside Elementary Education

The last day of school is usually a blur of yearbook signing, room cleaning, and board game playing. I’d like to make a case for teaching something on the last day of school.

Students are about to leave your classroom for a summer of (mostly) unstructured activity. There will be plenty of time to watch movies and play games at home. Time for learning is precious, and sharing a special lesson together can create a lasting memory. Plus, it can only enhance your rep with parents if kids run home and talk about the cool thing they learned in school today.

Pilot Day: This is my traditional last day of school activity. My dad, a retired F-16 and F-4 pilot, puts on his flight suit and teaches the students about being an Air Force pilot. He starts with a simulation of all he’d say as he prepared for takeoff. He brings in his helmet, manuals, patches and insignia. He even shows an Air Force recruiting video about the awesomeness of jet fighters. Question and answer time can last over an hour. Questions about the ejection seat and bird strikes are always popular.

If you don’t have your own fighter pilot to create last day of school awesomeness, consider a lesson with an art tie-in. This way, you teach something cool, and then the kids can create art and chat.

Mythological Beasts: one of my students just loves mythology, and we did this lesson in his honor. He brought in his book of mythological beasts and my class was dead silent as he read it to us. Then, under his direction, we each created our own mythological beast. He wanted us to write a little about it—not too much—since it was the end of the year—and give it a clever name with a Greek or Latin flavor.

Starry Night: I taught students about Vincent van Gogh, and then we watched a slide show of his art while listening to Don McLean’s “Vincent.” Here is my copy of the lyrics (pdf), complete with vocabulary words. I recommend you teach the vocabulary before listening to the song. You can analyze the song for figurative language or simply treat it as a beautiful homage to Vincent. Then, color “The Starry Night” or create your own Vincent-style art.

Even if you teach on the last day, it’s probably good to leave some time for stacking desks and chairs, signing yearbooks and playing board games. Enjoy it, because you know that you also left your class with the impression that something important happens in this classroom—learning.

I like to make up silly game-show activity titles for mundane class activities.  “Ask Random Third Grader” is a fun way to conduct a review lesson.  You will need popsicle sticks (or some other random number generator) and a group of enthusiastic students.

In essence, Random Third Grader challenges the class to answer every question on the first try, and makes all students accountable because you never know who will be chosen next.

1.  On the board, write three categories: Random Third Grader, Class, and Teacher.
2. Ask the question.
3. Pull a popsicle stick and call on a random student.
4. If the student answers correctly, give Random Third Grader a point.  If not, ask for volunteers from the rest of the class.  If no one knows, answer the question yourself and give yourself a point.

We have a class jar system where we add for compliments received, moments that went well, etc.  For every 5 points Random Third Grader earns, we give ourselves one Add to the Jar.

I learned the “offer a choice of two” tip from a mom volunteer, who smoothly distributed about 5 flavors of popsicles with all students feeling like they had a choice in the treat they were given.  I realized that offering a choice of 2 has many classroom management applications:

– It speeds up questioning that’s intended to keep the lesson going, not spark deep thought.  “Should we put the apostrophe before or after the s?” instead of “Where should we put the apostrophe?”

– It gives students options without overwhelming them with choices: “Would you like to use markers or crayons?” instead of “What would you like to color with?”

– It offers students a pseudo-choice: “Would you like to calm down and do the activity with us, or refocus in another classroom?” instead of “Shape up or ship out.”  (also a choice of 2, actually)

– It teaches kids to make a decision, then stick with it.  Most decisions in life are not worth over-thinking.  Your mom’s birthday card will look good whether you use red paper or pink.  Just pick one!

This is a quick tip, but a good one.  One day, as a joke, I sarcastically used the term “Fun with Long Division” to describe the rather dry lesson we were about to do for the next hour.  Once I started, I couldn’t stop.  Now, my students and I refer to many lessons as “Fun with [whatever.]”  The more mundane the lesson, the more fun the title.  “Fun with Apostrophes” was a real winner. 

The weird thing is that this really does make the lesson more fun.  There are several reasons:

1.  We work a little harder to make the lesson live up to its ambitious yet ironic title.
2. Seeing the word “fun” on the board tricks our subconscious minds into having just a little fun.
3. Misery loves company, and if we all acknowledge that apostrophes aren’t the most exciting thing EVER! then we bond as we help each other make it through the lesson.

In my class, we have students divided into table groups.  The groups can earn points for good behavior, academic achievement—lots of things.

My best invention ever was Guilt Points.  I use Guilt Points to alleviate my guilt over an injustice or indignity my students have suffered.  Guilt Points give compensation to the wronged party and let us all move on.

Examples:

* I said the wrong name.  The two students I confused each earn a Guilt Point.  (This is the most common reason for earning a Guilt Point in my classroom.)
* I mixed up the identical twins—again!
* You raised your hand, and I just didn’t see you.
* Thanks to your contrition, I feel bad about making you refocus.

Guilt Points give students an appeals process, which is often necessary in the fast-and-furious world of classroom justice.  I love it when students ask for guilt points for another student: it shows that kids look out for each other.  It is also interesting when students tell each other that a consequence suffered was deserved and that there is no merit for their Guilt Point plea.

I think Guilt Points say something about our classroom system of justice.  Guilt Points tell students that I have their well-being at heart, and that I always try to be fair.

Substitute teachers can have a rough job, but there are ways to make their lives better.  At the same time you help your sub, you help your students have a better learning environment during their beloved teacher’s (your) absence.

A current class roster:  As the year progresses, most teachers don’t think about their class rosters – they know every student without a list.  But subs don’t know your class, and if there’s an inaccurate roster in your sub files, the very first moments of the day can go badly. 

Star students:  Leave a note that suggests which students your sub can call upon to get a good lesson going.  It shouldn’t be the same student for everything.  Name a few math whizzes, a couple of students who read aloud well…you get the idea.  That way, subs can call on students with confidence and the class will learn more.  Or at least learn the right things!

You might think origami lessons are fun: a good way to teach spatial relationships and following directions.

If you think these things, you probably have not tried to teach origami to 30 elementary school children.

Teachers don’t like origami!  Teaching the lessons is difficult—students don’t pay attention, they don’t understand, and the lesson quickly devolves into one frantic teacher rushing to help 27 students at once.  (Three understood perfectly the first time.)

There’s another reason teachers dislike origami—paper-folding doesn’t stop after the lesson.  Students will make origami all year if you don’t develop and enforce a strong policy.  Your paper supply will be gone, and in its place you’ll find:

> Cootie catchers
> Claws (dozens and dozens of them!)
> Paper Airplanes
> Poppers
> Origami balloons
> And, or course paper cranes (You read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, didn’t you?)

I learned this lesson from one of my fifth grade classes.  It started innocently enough, with two boys making origami claws.  The other students tried to warn me to ban all origami, and I should have listened.  I didn’t institute the ban until after finding that somehow, these boys had had cleared us out of Kleenex by creating dioramas inside their desks.  They had cute little scenes, with Kleenex props and origami figures.  What a mess!

…And that is why I highly recommend that you outlaw origami in your classroom.

No-name papers are such a pain!  Sing this little song every time you hand out a worksheet or test to remind students to write their name and number.  Students memorize this song the first time they hear it, and it really is a good reminder.  An additional bonus: when kids are singing when you pass out papers, they’re not chatting.

Name and Number Song
To the tune of “Frère Jacques” (Are You Sleeping?)

Name and number, name and number,
Write it down!  Write it down!
If you do not write it,
We won’t know who did it.
Write it down!  Write it down!

“Wait just a minute!” you say, “Why does the word ‘it’ appear so many times in the song?  Surely the lyrics could use better grammar and diction?” 

Trust me, this is the tried and true way I’ve learned to teach this song: it’s simple, so the kids learn it quickly and it works–their names actually do end up on their papers.

This tip will help your students spell would, could and should.  Students have a hard time remembering the tricky vowel combination and silent “l.”  Teach them:

“Oh, you lucky duck!” to stand for “o-u-l-d:”  Would.  Could.  Should.  Whether they’re called trick words or sight words or anything else, these words are difficult for most students.

Now, if you could just get them to stop writing “would of” for “would’ve.”  How did students ever come up with that one?  It makes no sense whatsoever!

I have found that assigning students to write “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve” twenty times cures this problem.  Repeat offenders can just keep copying until they get it right.

The term “lunatic” is no accident.  Throughout time, many people have believed that the lunar cycle affects human behavior.

Some say it’s a pseudoscience, but police officers, nurses, and teachers would disagree.  We can tell if it’s the full moon without ever looking outside!

If the full moon happens during the school week, I know life will become difficult.  I expect chatty students, social melodrama, and random eruptions of puppy-type wrestling among the boys.  I also know to expect the unexpected—strange changes in group dynamics, naughty behavior from formerly angelic students, rough times for special-needs students, etc.  Referrals to the principal go up during the full moon, as does the noise level in the cafeteria.

Everything seems to calm down during the waning moon.

For your reading pleasure, here is some Internet research (with all that implies) about the full moon’s impact on behavior:

In eighteenth-century England, a murderer could plead “lunacy” if the crime was committed during the full moon.

A University of New Orleans study found that 81% of mental health professionals believe that lunar cycles affect human behavior?

A July 2007 study by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association found that full moon emergency room visits for pets were increased compared to the rest of the month, to the tune of 23% higher for cats and 28% higher for dogs.

Psychologist Arnold Lieber of the University of Miami wrote two books about his theory that the full moon affects human behavior.

Far more research suggests no link between the full moon and accidents, crimes, and injuries.  Some say that nurses, teachers and cops believe in the correlation because superstitions arise in jobs where you feel you don’t have control over the situation.  They also suggest that the full\ moon theories are simply part of the culture in certain professions.

The full moon theory is definitely part of the culture of teaching.  Most teachers can tell you some hair-raising stories about the full moon!

Click here for an interesting article about the full moon from ABC News.

I have noticed that the longer the Great Recession goes on, the hungrier my students get.  Free school breakfast and lunch are great, but students still want snacks.

Our lunchtime is quite late, and everyone gets hungry mid-morning.  Classroom snack time is nice—but not if only some kids have snacks.  On any given day, about a quarter to a third of my class remembers to bring a snack—mostly the students who bring their lunch to school.  I feel bad for the kids who don’t have snacks.

I buy Saltines to keep in the classroom.  They’re a perfect snack—tasty but not very exciting.  I buy the Ralston brand, which doesn’t have any trace of peanut.  I can usually buy a box for $1.50 or less.   That’s four stacks, and my class runs a stack-a-day habit, so I’m paying less than $2 a week to feed a good portion of my class.

I have a hard-and-fast rule: a serving size is 4 crackers, and you can only have crackers if you didn’t bring a snack.  The students enforce this, and are actually grateful for the crackers each and every day.  (It’s nice that they don’t take it for granted.)

I know it costs money, but I swear that my classroom is running better since I started supplying Saltines every day, not just for random snacks here and there.  The kids focus well for the remaining time until lunch.  You can buy the crackers yourself or ask parents to donate them.  Other good and cheap snacks are raisins, graham crackers, and string cheese.  Those packages of peanut butter crackers are nice if you don’t have a peanut allergy, but little kids don’t need 6 crackers.  Tell them to share with a buddy.

The crackers are also nice for “curing” classroom ailments.  Sometimes, I can treat an upset stomach by suggesting the student have some water and a cracker or two.

…My students and their stack a day habit.  Next year, they’re going to need a Saltine patch!

Hand washing is an important way to stop the spread of germs, but organizing 30 children to wash up before lunch is a nightmare.  It takes forever and it’s messy.  The sink area would be flooded, I swear!

Our class has developed a quick-and-easy hand sanitizer procedure that I hope will help your class.

We form two number-order lines: students 1-14 and 15-30.  Two students are assigned the job of squirting.  We never vary who does the job.  (See my post for an explanation of the efficiency of assigning yearlong jobs.)

One squirter takes one line; the second squirter takes the other.  The students hold out their hands to receive the squirt.  We are all washed up in about 30 seconds, or the time it takes to sing one of my multiplication songs.  (See my post for advice on singing during transitions.)

I don’t have actual data, but I have noticed that my class doesn’t have plagues of flu and strep throat the way other classes seem to.  We haven’t had one of those weeks where half the class is absent.  (Knock on wood.)

I attribute it to our hand washing procedure.  I hope it works for you!

Elementary school students just love Valentine’s Day.  Opening Valentine cards and eating little treats is pure fun.  (Click here for my tips for a smooth Valentine’s Day at school.)

Every year, someone forgets their Valentine cards.  In my experience, this has occurred much more frequently since we slipped into this recession.  I expect to have lots of “forgotten” Valentine cards this year.

Fortunately, I have an “Emergency Valentines” supply—multiple boxes of deep-discount Valentine cards I bought after the holiday last year.

Discreetly, I send the student to another classroom to address their Valentines.  In my opinion, this is a much better system than having students make their own emergency Valentines at school the day of the party.  Distributing hastily made Valentines is embarrassing for the giver.  Why do that to a student when you can buy a box of Valentines for a dollar?

If you don’t have an emergency Valentine card supply, start one now by picking up Valentine cards at your local dollar store.  Great idea: buy several boxes so you have enough for Valentine’s Day emergencies in other classrooms.  E-mail teachers at your school about your emergency stash.  You will make friends with teachers and their students you rescue.

After this Valentine’s Day, buy your spare valentine cards for a quarter!

P.S. Don’t forget to pick up paper bags for holding Valentine cards your students receive!

Many elementary school teachers assign a number to each of their students, usually in alphabetical order by last name: Josie Abraham is 1, Chris Bradford is 2, etc.

Parents who aren’t accustomed to using student numbers sometimes question this system.  Is their child being reduced to a number?  Fear not—student numbers are nothing like Jean Valjean’s “Who am I? 24601″ identity crisis in Les Misérables.  Teachers still call students by name! The student number is merely an administrative helper.

Student numbers make it easy to think through the class in alphabetical order.  That way, the teacher doesn’t forget anyone.  Examples:

Fire drill.  Did we all escape the building?

Roll call.  Are we all here?

Quick poll of class.  (Student 1, did you read your AR book last night?  Student 2, did you?)

Student numbers are shorthand for recordkeeping.  Examples:

Lunch count: students move numbered magnets to indicate their choice

Mailboxes: students turn in (and receive) papers in numbered file boxes.  The teacher can use the same numbered file boxes year after year.  (Most teachers buy these file boxes with their own money!)

Track assignments as they are turned in: the teacher can mark or cross off a student’s number on a master number sheet for each assignment.

Student numbers organize a crowd.  Examples:

Tell students to line up in number order.  (It’s the same order every time—no need for kids to jockey for position.)

Take turns for doing things in number order. (Usually for a participatory activity—avoids claims that Kayla went first last week, etc.)

At the start of each school year, many students are excited to learn which number they will be assigned this year.  Most students memorize the names and corresponding numbers of their classmates, as well.

Student numbers.  As Martha Stewart would say, it’s a good thing!

Managing the piles of paperwork is a constant challenge for teachers.  If you don’t keep track of student assignments as they come in, they will really get you down.  You don’t want to be grading stacks of work right before progress reports and report cards.

That’s why I invented the Keep Track Chart.  (A table with the boxes numbered 1-30)  I print several copies and slip each into a sheet protector.  I tape the sheet protectors to the whiteboard in a grid.  Now, I have an easy way to keep track of assignments!  I just cross off numbers with a dry-erase marker as students turn in their work.  The Keep Track Chart can be reused many times.  Each chart should last you a school year.

This works well with So You Think You’re Done?  (A game in which students run their work by you before they’re even allowed to turn it in.  See the blog post for more details.)  As students turn in their work, I mark it on their number.  Usually, I just cross numbers off, but I can write grades there, too.  It’s easy to write A, B, C or D over the numbers.  (Using a colored dry-erase marker makes them easier to read.)

I tape my grid of Keep Track Charts taped to a section of the board that is visible from my computer.  It’s easy to use the chart to help me log the day’s classwork grades.

I created Keep Track Charts in easy PDF downloads for you.  There are two charts: 1-30 and 1-35 for big classes.  If you have more students (and goodness knows I have), then just make a table in Word.  You can center the numbers in the cell by clicking Table Properties, cell, then clicking to center.