Class Antics – Inside Elementary Education

Lately, I’ve been really into the Soundscapes channel on my cable TV.  The background music helps me focus while I write, and this keeps me from getting up and making snacks.  (A really good one: Frozen Banana Boppers, courtesy of my prankster character Chris.)

I have developed criteria for evaluating music to listen to while you study.  The perfect background music has a calm, steady beat, is written in mostly major keys (too much minor is just depressing), has no lyrics, and isn’t too peppy or catchy.  (No Eine Kleine Nachtmusik while you study.)

Following these principles, I have found some CDs that work like magic with my students.  We all focus much better with these CDs, and when I deviate from them, we tend to have problems.  Here are some recommendations:

Feng Shui Harmony Balance Energy: This CD is magic!  It has mysterious child-calming properties.  The class always falls silent when I play this CD.  I use it sparingly so the effect doesn’t wear off.

Classical Music for Reading: This mix features some of the big names in classical composition and works very well.  Fun fact: I bought this for my class on a trip to Mexico where I also purchased two foam puzzles of the human sistema digestivo.  You can buy the album on Amazon—much easier although less fun.

Poeta by Al Conti: This is a nice calm instrumental album with a New Age sound.  It’s very soothing and is probably the disc we spin most often.  Fun fact: before Al was a composer, he was a soap opera star.

Touch the Sun: I came across composer Eric McCarl on Soundscapes.  This is soothing and pleasant piano music that everyone enjoys.

Classical Music to Study To: After stumbling across Classical Music for Reading, I started getting into pre-selected mixes.  This one is very good, too.  Several of the songs are in minor keys, and they’ll definitely slow you down a little.

Art of the Guitar: Andres Segovia and John Williams: This is a soporific collection of Bach preludes.  I remember I used to play one of them on the piano and if I didn’t watch the sheet music, I’d lull myself into a stupor and just keep looping the song.  It was good background music, though.  This CD is good for calming students to the extreme; not so good for inducing critical thinking.  Still, there is a time and place for this album.

Touched By the Sea: Uplifting Piano Solos: Silvard is another artist I discovered on Soundscapes.  His original compositions are just perfect for background music.  My students and I find it calming and pleasant.

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!

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.

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!

Teachers and students know that the new year really begins on the first day of school.  January 1^st is like a new beginning for us.

Here are some of my plans and resolutions for the second half of the school year:

Review procedures on the first day back.  A break that feels too-short to the teacher feels like forever to the kids.  They will have forgotten so much—in academics and in classroom behavior.

Renew our focus on basic facts.  It takes an iron will to force students to memorize, but I know that knowledge will serve them well.  We’ll practice in many ways: with Dad’s Worksheets, Best Multiplication Songs EVER!, my math addition and multiplication practice programs, and the classroom game Math Smackdown.

Set new goals for independent reading.  We’ll set goals for reading a certain number of chapter books, a certain number of books in each genre, etc.  We’ll work toward a fun celebration, like Fort Day.

Forge on with our typing.  Our school district bought special computers to help students build typing skills.  The students love them—but again it takes a teacher’s iron will to force them to focus and practice.  I know that good typing skills pay off for a lifetime: it’s worth it!

Make time for fun.  Community builders, energizer activities and parties to celebrate accomplishments bring us closer together.

…so those are my classroom resolutions!  But school’s not in yet.  I’m working up my appetite for the traditional New Year’s black eyed peas and greens.  Learn more about the tradition at about.com.

Chores are not drudgery.  Chores build confidence.

I’m not kidding.  Real confidence comes from deep inside, from a sense that one has achieved before and can achieve again.  Real self-esteem comes from knowing that other people depend on you, that you matter.

Of course, to reap these benefits in your family chore routine, you really have to know what you’re doing.  First of all, frame chores as something everyone in the family does to contribute to the success of the family.  The family is a unit, and the unit cannot succeed unless everyone succeeds.  To make this happen, everyone needs to pull his or her own weight.  (Can you tell I’m a military brat?)

Your child should have a very basic chore of keeping his or her own room neat.  Beyond that, your child should be doing something to contribute to the family.  This can happen at a very young age.  My school’s reading specialist gave her toddler one chore: he opens the blinds every day.  Without him, the family would be in darkness.  He is important!

Chores build community.  This why I assign chores on the first day of school.  I talk to my class about the importance of chores, and how they make things nicer for everybody.  Then, we look at the list of chores that needed to happen and students volunteer for jobs.  Everyone has to have one job, and most kids clamor for more.  The really exciting part is when kids notice a need and invent a job.

I think that having chores from the get-go makes a difference in my classes.  We love chore time, and we all appreciate the little things each of us does to make our classroom great.

I hope that your family finds the same benefits.

Every year, I seem to do a lot of cleaning after the first week or so of school.  This is because I didn’t set up a clear job system right away and train my students.  This year, I’ll make it a priority.  I think it will give students a sense of competence, community and cleanliness all at once.

Let me share with you a brilliant class job system that keeps the room spic-and-span.  (Many of the ideas came from my students—the best solutions always do.)

Before this brilliant system, I had what most teachers have: a rotation system for jobs.  The problem with this is that kids forget what their job is, and you constantly have to train students in a new job.  Plus, kids slack because they know you can’t keep up with who is supposed to do what.

My students and I developed a job system based on efficiency, not fun.  (It turned out to be fun anyway.)  We created an Excel spreadsheet listing all the jobs we thought we needed.  Then we began to assign jobs.  By the end of the year, everyone had at least three jobs.  Some kids had more.

You can download and view this sample Excel spreadsheet.  You can sort it by job to assign one job to several students.  You can sort it by student to see how many jobs each student has.  You might not recognize some of the jobs—delete them!  Feel free to add your own.  Please post your best ideas for jobs so we can all learn.

Each job earns income: five table points for doing it in the morning, and five table points for the afternoon.  (Jobs that don’t fit this schedule are assigned table points that seem fair.)

First thing in the morning and at the end of the day, the class becomes a beehive of activity as students complete their assigned jobs and mark their table points.  Our classroom always looks great!

I know it’s not feasible to assign all 90 jobs during the first week.  I will identify my 30 most important jobs and assign those.  When the kids ask if they can switch jobs later in the year, I’ll tell them no.  I’ll cheer them up by saying that we can start assigning more jobs as people show how well they can do their assigned jobs.

Some kids are particularly good workers and may have more jobs than others.  I also let kids invent jobs and then do them.  The kids think of very clever ways to keep the classroom looking nice, and that makes it a better place to learn!

Everyone’s internal clock is off on the first day of school.  The teacher is exhausted from setting up the classroom.  The kids probably had trouble falling asleep—and waking up this morning.  Lunch isn’t for hours.

This is why I like to serve a snack on the first of school.  Make it nutritious, such as crackers,  cheese, veggie sticks or even dry whole-grain cereal.  Serve a drink if your budget and time constraints allow.  Milk is an economical and nutritious option.  Juice boxes are easy to serve.  Because you won’t know much about your students, make your snack peanut-free, or have a peanut-free snack on hand in case a student has allergies.

Snack time is a good time to practice for birthday treats.  I randomly select a student to be the birthday kid.  That student selects a few helpers, and we rehearse the distribution of birthday treats.  Students should be quiet while the treat is distributed.  No one can eat until everyone has been served, we have sung “Happy Birthday,” and the birthday child has taken the first bite.

This is a nice way to fuel young bodies and practice a procedure.  Plus, the kids think you are awesome!

by Bonnie P. Murray
Available from Amazon.com

I found this book after my first year of teaching.  Boy, do I wish I had it during my first year!

This book tells you how to set up your classroom, work with parents, set up a discipline plan—basically, how to manage your first year.  The book is easy to read all at once, or as a quick reference to help with specific issues.

The best part is a complete schedule for what to do on the first day of school.  The author gives a separate schedule for each grade K-4.  I adapted it for 5^th grade and it worked there, too.  I think any elementary teacher can use this book.

I can’t praise this book highly enough.  Beginning and experienced teachers will love it.

P.S. Next year, you can loan it to a new teacher! 

Hard-Won Knowledge about Pencils in the Classroom:
An Occasional Series (Part Three)

If you use the two-cup pencil system (which I highly recommend), you can expect a chronic shortage of sharpened pencils.  This is because students do not turn in their dull pencils.

There is an easy way to fix this.  I call it the Pencil Drive.

Basically, I give students team points for turning in their pencils.  To make it easy to manage, I collect all the pencils at once.  Here’s a step-by-step process for running your Pencil Drive.

1.  Have a class point system.  If you don’t, class points are not particularly valuable.  (If you teach first grade, this probably doesn’t matter.  Little kids love points, even if they don’t mean anything.)

2.   Announce the Pencil Drive.  Students will have 30 seconds to collect as many pencils as they can.  You make a judgment call on whether they can find the pencils in other students’ desks.  This will depend on how desperate you are for pencils.

3.   Watch for misbehavior.  I have never had a problem, but I can see how wrestling or arguing might happen during the Pencil Drive.

4.  Ask each table to give all of their pencils to one person.  This person will count the table’s pencils and bring them to you.  You put them in a cup and let the person mark their table’s points.

5.  Send your Pencil People into the hall to sharpen pencils.  For your sake, I really hope there is an outlet in the hallway.  If not, hold your Pencil Drive before recess or lunch.  Your Pencil People can sharpen pencils in the room, and the other kids don’t have to listen to it.  If you have kids sharpen pencils during lunch or recess, you should probably ask for volunteers rather than assign someone.

Elementary Teacher’s Discipline Problem Solver:
A Practical A-Z Guide for Managing Classroom Behavior Problems
by Kenneth Shore
Available from Amazon.com

I bought the A to Z Discipline Problem Solver after my first year of teaching.  It helped me address many problems—some I saw coming, and many I didn’t.

Do you have problems with gum chewing?  Gossip?  Crying?  Bullying?  The problem solver offers sound advice.  Keep it on your teacher-books shelf.  You will refer to it several times a year … not just your first year, but every year.

You can always ask veteran teachers or your principal for advice, but the Discipline Problem Solver can give you a starting point for discussion and help you solve many problems yourself.  It’s nice to feel like you don’t have to run to someone for advice on every little thing.  Run to this book instead.

This is the first in a series of posts aimed at helping first year teachers.  Tell me your concerns and share your ideas, and we’ll continue this conversation throughout the year.