Hopes & Dreams/Rule Creation 2012-2013

Responsive Classroom makes it clear that we should not only be setting goals for each and every lesson, but for the year as a whole. We as teachers understand that we are working towards the ultimate goal of achieving certain test scores, meeting standards and benchmarks, etc. BUT what about students setting goals for themselves?
We can guide students to talk about what they wish to achieve and how they hope to be successful during the year. Once the goal is set, i.e. "Count to 100 and read level 1 books," they can illustrate it. I use their illustrations and type their words on pages of a class book, which I laminate and place in my Take-A-Break spot. It's a great reminder when students might be checked-out in Take-A-Break of our purpose at school!
I also write their hopes and dreams for a bulletin board. This year I wrote them on kites and read them to each Kindergartner before I hung them up. I sent hope cloud shapes for parents with a note explaining "Hopes and Dreams" so they too, could write one for their child to hang on the board.
Here's how it turned out:

Another Year Over!

Feelin' the love!

Well, I can't believe it! I haven't quite kept up with my blog as I intended, but I can honestly say that it was because I had an amazing group of kids keeping my focus. ;) I will miss them! Here's some end-of-the-year ideas. I will also go back and share some things I didn't have time to before. Yay, summer break!

 

I love to celebrate their accomplishments before I say goodbye to my Kindergartners and hello to First Graders! Use a bit of your last days to go over your Responsive Classroom Hopes & Dreams created during the first week.

 

I send home a leveled reading guide for each individual student,  so they can continue to read at their independent and stretch levels over the summer. I used their NWEA data and Scholastic's book search by level to create a master list. Here's a link to Scholastic:
https://clubs2.scholastic.com/

This goes with our quote:
"Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams." -Henry David Thoreau
We worked to understand it's meaning and applied it all year.

Additionally, my kiddos start summer with a beachy book and favor.

We did have a ball!

Happy summer, teachers!

Daily 5 - Pocket Chart Work

Pocket charts are a useful way to display information but can also be used to manipulate materials. Word Work matching and sorting is one option for using small pocket charts and cards, sentence strips, and game pieces.

Learning Targets

We focus on daily learning targets in our classroom. I have a notebook file with a slide for each day (we are on a Day 1-6 schedule with specials) that I modify and display at the start, middle, and end of each day.
Each slide lists the day's number for scheduling purposes and then "Today I will learn to:" with a motivational quote that my Kindergartners also learn and memorize. Examples are: "Focus and win," "You make the world a better place by making yourself a better person," and "The things that make me different are the things that make me, me." And so on.
I also put a quick note of how they will show me their learning. I use language appropriate for Kindergartners and check back in to see if we've accomplished our goals. It's great! And it doesn't take up any extra wallspace.

Daily 5 - Alphabags

 There are so many awesome ways to utilize Daily 5 literacy instruction, by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser: http://www.the2sisters.com/the_daily_5.html. Daily 5 results are fantastic! But I found that I had so many different things to manage, so I had to problem solve the organization of this great program.
I created these Alphabags which are labeled with each student's number. In each bag is their Work-on-Writing Journal, their Write-the-Room book, and Word Work alphabet book. I also have them keep their phonics chart in the bag. This is a great storage solution for my classroom! I used removable plastic hooks: http://www.command.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/NACommand/Command/Products/Catalog/  and taught the procedure for how to hang-up and take down the alphabags through Interactive Modeling, by Responsive Classroom.

I still have the children use their own individual book bins, but that bin is specifically for Read-to-Self and Read-to-Someone.
This has really been working well this year. The children enjoy the handling of the materials and take pride in doing it well. They love making choices in their own literacy education and I enjoy the easy management of Daily 5 time.

Conferences - Slideshow

Conferences can be overwhelming for everyone involved. I have started running a slideshow on my SMARTboard during conferences with our classroom pictures and light music. At our school, children sign a release for classroom pictures. I use the pictures to update my annual learning goal progress and to keep observational records of activities and events. I use pictures and video clips to share with my principal cool events or activities they may have missed while observing other classrooms. These same pictures and clips are great to display to parents during conferences! It's a great backdrop for shared enthusiasm for the children and their development. Sometimes, the conversation has nothing to do with the slideshow. Sometimes a parent might mention that it was cool to see what they were doing. Sometimes we stop to talk about something they noticed. No matter what the involvement, I have enjoyed using this tool during conferences.

Brain Break Sticks

 Brain Break Sticks are a great way to get kids up and moving for brief amounts of time. Kindergartners need these little breaks during a busy day! I found these fun popsicle sticks at www.lakeshorelearning.com and used a clear craft bucket with a ribbon for some flair.

Each stick has a label: Chant, Activity, Transition, Song.

At the bottom is the description of the brain break. Some of the physical activities include jumping jacks, planks, cross-body knee touches, etc. Chants include silly rhymes and songs while waiting in the hallway or during transitions like Silly Willy, 5 Green and Speckled Frogs, etc. Other activities include creating a class rainstorm, counting to a number, throwing pretend pizza dough, or playing an air band instrument.

Kids love these little activities and it helps them regroup during the day. I recommend making your own sticks with activities that you are comfortable managing in your classroom. For some fun activities, check out http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/product/99-activities-and-greetings .