Take a Break: A Place for Students to Self Regulate

Self regulation is one's ability to manage his/her emotions and the behaviors that accompany these emotions. These emotions can be perceived as both positive or negative, and many times our students don't know what an appropriate response is for various emotions. Sometimes when students have an inappropriate response to events that are out of their control, they need time and a safe space to process what happened. Enter: Antarctica.

Antarctica: A place to go when you need to chill out!

#seewhatididthere?

Every classroom in my school has a Take a Break spot. It's a space in the classroom where students can go when they need some time and space to be alone and self regulate their emotions. I just happened to name mine "Antarctica." My students can choose to put themselves in Antarctica, or sometimes I ask them to go when I feel they need a break.

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Building School-Wide Community

Last year at the end of the year, the administration asked all of our students to fill out a survey about our school culture and climate. When the results came back, we were pretty discouraged. Over half of our students reported that they don't feel respected at school. HALF. We are a PBIS school and all teachers use components of Responsive Classroom and Love & Logic techniques school-wide, but something more had to be done.

This summer, our PBIS team caught wind of another school in our district that organized their students into "families." Similar to how high schools have homerooms, every student is assigned a family and stay in that family for their entire time at our school. This idea could be the ticket to getting our school community back on track!

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Bright Ideas Round Up

This time of year always makes me nostalgic, so why not take a look back at all the Bright Ideas that have been shared in 2014!

I love how this link up showcases genius classroom ideas from so many amazing bloggers! Literally, thousands of "ideas only" posts have been shared over the course of the last 10 months. Let's take a peek at some of the Bright Ideas I've shared this year:

This post shows how I organize my guided reading groups and paperwork using a set of two-pocket folders. I love that I'm not constantly flipping through pages in a binder or lugging a huge binder to and from data meetings!

Going along with the guided reading theme, this post shows how my team and I have compiled our guided reading books into one central location. We actually ordered a TON of books this summer and will be needing another cart! Not sure where we're going to put it though! 

In this post, I took a break from classroom ideas to share a trick for tying shoes that I learned in college. It works wonders on my kindergarten son!

 Lastly, I shared this post during the back to school season that explains how to use visuals to establish classroom routines and expectations. I love how my students' faces are all over my classroom!

Thanks for taking a walk down memory lane with me this month! I hope that you've been able to use or have been inspired by the ideas I've shared. Grab your coffee and snuggly blanket and check out the other Bright Ideas Round Up Posts from my friends below. Have a super weekend!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Bright Idea: Using Visuals to Establish Routines and Expectations

Setting routines and expectations is so incredibly important at the beginning of the school year. It will be an uphill battle for the entire year if you and your students aren't on the same page. I learned very early on in my teaching career to never assume ANYTHING when it comes to routines!

One thing we spend lots of time doing at the beginning of the year is set expectations for classroom and school routines. From transitioning to the carpet, transitioning back to desks, how to organize desks, how to use the pencil sharpener, how to find a book and put it away, lining up, walking in the hall, using the bathroom, hanging up back packs, and so much more, I can't stand the sound of my own voice by the end of the first week of school!

In order to set these routines, my students and I develop rubrics and use lots of photos to create anchor charts we can refer to throughout the year. The first kind is a 3-2-1 anchor chart. In my school, we are striving for 3s. This first chart shows students how to line up to walk in the hallway:

We start by making a list of appropriate lining-up behaviors. Then we practice lining up like a 1: YIKES! I take a picture. Then we sit back down and try it again; this time we are a 2: ALMOST... I snap another pic. We sit back down. Lastly we are a 3: PERFECT! Notice the colors too: red for 1, yellow for 2, green for 3. Green = good to go! After I get the photos printed, I will put the chart together and we review it again. It's hard to tell in the above photo, but the chart hangs right by the door to remind students what to do. 

The awesome thing about the 3-2-1 poster, is that I will hold up 3 fingers, 2, fingers, or 1 finger to signal to the kids where we're at. I also train my kids how to remind others around them to be a "3 Line." You know, because shouting at friends to be quiet and shushing them loudly is COMPLETELY counterproductive. So I teach them to tap their neighbor on the shoulder, give the quiet sign (putting a finger to their mouth, as if to say "shh"), face forward, and be a 3 again. I will change my fingers as we improve, and as soon as we're a 3, it turns to a thumbs up, and we are on our way! I also have green, yellow, and red cards on a ring that I will hold up when we are in super crazy situations, like coming in from recess.

The next one hangs in the hallway. Each student gets one hook, although each hook has two hooks, one on top of the other. So we talk about how backpacks need to be zipped and hanging up, with lunch boxes on the top shelf. As it gets colder, we also talk about how to hang up and organize snow gear. It's quite the balancing act, but it IS possible to hang up snow pants, winter coats, and backpacks on the hooks. And most kids usually have a tote bag too, to carry their snow pants and boots home. Does it require a bit of rearranging? Yes. But I want my kids to be responsible and take care of their belongings.

The second kind of routines anchor chart I have is a list-type poster. Last year I noticed a lot of my kids slouching in their seats or resting their heads on their desks or arms during learning time. So we came up with a list of what "Ready to Learn" looks like. Then we practiced, and I took some pictures of kids who were ready to learn.

I hung up this poster at the front of my room so that I could refer to it if I needed to. There was some serious competition to be in the photos! :) I've also made posters like this for what the Daily 5 stations look like, what math work time looks like, what it looks like to work at a computer/with an iPad, etc.

In case you're wondering, I do this with my class every single year. I do not keep these charts from year to year. I feel that creating these charts together helps students "buy into" the routines, plus I want to use THEIR photos, not photos of my class from previous years. Also, each class has different needs. Last year was the first year we needed to review "Ready to Learn" behaviors, but this year *fingers crossed* we won't have to do that.

If you liked this BRIGHT Idea, please consider joining me on Facebook, Instagram or TPT. For more BRIGHT Ideas from over 100 bloggers, make sure you check out the link up below. Just choose a topic/grade level that interests you. Thanks for stopping by!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Pandora in the Classroom

Do you use Pandora in your classroom?

In case you don't know what Pandora is, it's a free site that lets you stream music. You do need to create an account though, and the free account does have some inconveniences: it only plays for one hour and then you have to refresh, and there are commercials that are much louder than the music. But my kiddos have become used to the commercials, and we like to laugh at them and make fun of them.

Commercial: "Do you need a new ________?" 

And then I'll say something like, "NO! Now be quiet and let us work!"

I can't stand silence, so Pandora has been a life saver in my classroom. I used to play music on my iPod, but I got so tired of hearing the same songs over and over and over and over..... Maybe next year I'll upgrade to the commercial-free account. Maybe...

Anyway, this post was actually inspired by a question I asked on my Facebook page. My Facebook friend, Laura, suggested that I compile everyone's favorite stations into a blog post. So VOILA! Here we are!

 I only stream instrumental music. I want my kids to stay focused on their work and not be singing along. Two of my favorites are Solo Piano Radio and Lorie Line Radio. I recently discovered the Lorie Line station and I LOVE it, which is what sparked my Facebook question. It plays a lot more pop songs than Solo Piano Radio. My favorite thing about both of these stations is that they both play some church hymns, which personally brings me a lot of peace and calmness. Again, there are no words, and I'm thinking most of the kids don't know that they're hymns, so I'm OK with it.  Although, two days ago, one of my kiddos was excited to tell me, "Mrs. Nerby, they play this song at my church!" His comment made me smile :) At Christmastime, I also like to play Peaceful Holidays Radio. When we learn about Native Americans, I like to play Native American Drums and Flute Music during work time. Of course I have a few stations for me for when the kids are at specials: an assortment of pop and 80s stations, as well as a calm one called Easy Listening Radio. Although be forewarned... it does tend to overplay Michael Buble....

Here are some of my Facebook Friends' favorite stations, as well as stations that were suggested by blog readers in the comments. I haven't listened to them all, so you will want to check them out for yourself before you use in your classroom:

* The Piano Guys 

(LOTS of "likes" for this one, and I have to agree! LOVE!!)

* Spa Suite

* Radio for Kids

* Elizabeth Mitchell

* New Age Instrumental

* Mozart for Kids

* Kids Bop

* Jack Johnson Children's Radio

* Rainforest 

* Disney

* Children's Indie Music

* Vitamin String Quartet

* Calm Meditation Radio

* 2cellos

* The Mozart Effect

* Relaxation Radio

* Clair de Lune

* Nature Sounds

* Ambient Instrumental

* Classical Radio

* Classical Medley

* Yiruma Station
* Classical Guitar
* Rockabye Baby 
* Kenny G Radio
* Film Scores Radio
* The O'Neill Brothers
* Sleepytime Tunes (Children's)
* Children's Instrumental Ensemble
* Calming Rain with Piano
* Halloween Theme
* Classical for Studying
* Lindsey Sterling
* Yo Yo Ma Radio
* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Radio
* Thomas Newman Radio
* Kevin Kern Radio
* Jim Brickman
* Toddler Radio
* White Noise Radio

Do you have any other favorites? Comment below and I'll add them to the list!

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THROWBACK THURSDAY--The 5 Color Rule

I'm lovin' this linky! Thanks to The First Grade Parade!

For those of you who asked for a copy of my Survival Guide to Second Grade, I have not forgotten about you! I just haven't been to school yet this week to get it off my computer, due to my husband's surgery on Tuesday. Hang tight, and I'll get it to you soon!

Today I want to share The 5 Color Rule with you, originally posted on September 12, 2012.

Quality, not quantity.

Raise your hand if you have ever had a kiddo rush through a coloring project. It seems like it's getting worse and worse every year, doesn't it? Especially now with Common Core, we hardly do any cutesy art projects anymore. So when I give you the chance to color... BUNNIES, SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY!! Instead they scribble on the paper a few times and announce, "I'm done!" Ummm... no you're not. OK, hands down now.

Enter The 5 Color Rule. 

The 5 Color Rule states that students must use at least five colors in all their drawings. The purpose is not so that drawings are pretty and colorful (although they do end up this way). I want my students to take their time and produce quality work. Nothing is more disheartening to me when a student sloppily scribbles on something that I intended to be a keepsake for another student or themselves. An added benefit is students understanding the term "at least." I can usually take a quick glance at a drawing to see if the kiddo has used at least 5 colors. Now I see more pride when students show me their work before turning it in. I love it too when they point out and count the colors. Sometimes a kiddo will come up to me and say, "Look! I used NINE colors!" YAY YOU!! :)

My poster is super simple to make. I took one sheet of every color card stock I could find (thanks, teammie Megan!), die cut circles and randomly glued them on. This poster hangs on my front board. While I still have a few who race to be the first one finished, The 5 Color Rule is definitely helping my students slow down and take more care when coloring something.

I want to create a new poster and get it printed on larger paper, but I have no idea how to make something on PowerPoint larger than 8.5"x11". Do you just resize the paper, save it on a flash drive and take it to an office supply store to print on a larger sized paper? If you know, leave me a comment or shoot me an email. Thanks!! :)

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MADE IT MONDAY!

I'm so excited to FINALLY be linking up with 4th Grade Frolics:

I haven't had a whole lot of time this summer to make things, due to the hubs-in-the-hospital fiasco. In fact, I'm supposed to be laying on a beach in Cabo right now... Today is our anniversary (seven years!), and even though I'm bummed we missed our trip, I'm glad that he still has both legs (just a joke; amputation was never even an option!) and we can spend the day together. We went out for dinner and a movie yesterday because I have a hockey game tonight. Check out my Instagram to see pics of our night last night!

OK, wanna see what I made?

We have three rules that we use school-wide: Be Kind, Be Safe, Do Your Job. I love that all classrooms, kindergarten through sixth grade have the same rules; it makes a teacher's life in the cafeteria, playground, hallways, etc. much easier!

I decided I wanted to pretty up my rules posters and include my hippo theme. Here's the finished product!

Too bad you can't really see the ribbon. It's a pretty turquoise with white stitching on the edge. And side note: the cardstock is one of the prizes I won from Ideas by Jivey's Bloglovin' giveaway! There was a ridiculous number of amazingness in that package!!! The hubs was like, "Did you go shopping AGAIN?" and I said, "Nope! I won a giveaway!!!!" WOO! I can't wait to hang this up!!

My teammie loves frogs almost as much as I love hippos, so I decided to make her a frog set. She doesn't know that I'm doing this... SURPRISE, MEGAN!

Click HERE for a FREE copy of these rules with the frog theme. And if you're interested in the hippo themed ones, just shoot me an email and I'll send them to ya!

This year I will be beefing up my Word Work station for Daily 5. Spelling word practice can get really old! One of the first things I will be adding to my Word Work station is Making Words

 I've made 48 printables, four for each month. I've included June, July, and August as well, for those of you who are year round teachers or go back earlier than I do.

 There are no religious references to Christmas or Easter, although two of the words are "Santa Claus" and "costume," in reference to Halloween.

 Want to win a free copy? Leave a comment including your email address by tomorrow (Tuesday, July 9th) at midnight, and I'll choose a winner at random! You can also try to win a copy over at my Facebook page! Make sure you "like" the page first, then leave a comment on the giveaway post with your email. That giveaway is super speedy; it ends at midnight TONIGHT!

This is a freebie! Click on the pic and download the preview on TPT.

My last thing isn't school related, but awesome nonetheless. I have a small business where I crochet hats for babies and kids (click here if you want to check it out!). Well, the girls on my hockey team have asked me to put my crochet talent towards.... other things. Like a Milwaukee Brewers hat made with beer cans...

Awesome, no? Although totally NOT appropriate for my CHILDREN'S hat making business! No, I will NOT make you one for your toddler :)

It feels good to be creating and crafting again! I already have a few ideas in mind for next week! Stay tuned :)

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No Talking Punch Cards

So Tonya over at Tonya's Treats for Teachers is celebrating 700 followers, and besides hosting an AMAZING giveaway, she's also doing a pretty sweet sale in her TPT store! I was browsing through her store the other day and I came across this freebie:

Click HERE to grab your copy!

Basically, you give every student one of these NO TALKING punch cards, and every time someone is talking when they shouldn't be, you use a hole punch to punch out a letter. Ummmm.... why didn't I think of this???

I copied a bazillion (give or take) of these punch cards on red construction paper yesterday, and we tried it out today. I told the bunnies that they would have one "freebie," because everyone makes mistakes. But for every letter punched after that, the individual student would owe me a minute of afternoon recess for each letter punched. If every single letter was punched, that student would owe me their entire recess (15 minutes). Oh, and if they lose it.... then they owe me their whole recess! If there were no punches on the card for the day, I would give the student 2 Gotcha stickers for their chart. Gotcha stickers are a K-2 incentive system we use at my school... Whenever we catch someone being good ("Gotcha being good"), they get a little smiley face sticker. When they fill up their Gotcha cards, they can go to the Gotcha store and get a little prize. Their names are also read on the morning announcements.

So how did it go today? Well I would say it hasn't been that quiet in my room for a loonnnggg time!! Although I need to make myself a little necklace with the hole punch attached to it, because I kept leaving it around the room and then would forget where I put it. Oops! I had a couple kids in at recess with me, most for 2-3 minutes, with one student owing me 5 minutes. Most of the bunnies didn't get a single punch on their cards... I was giving out a ton of gotchas at the end of the day! Those kids were super excited that they could use the same card tomorrow... they said that they were recycling their cards! So cute! I had one guy lose his card, and he was on the verge of tears. I guess I'm too much of a softie though, because I didn't keep him in at recess. I'll have a little chat with him tomorrow about being more responsible, because if he loses it again, I have to follow through and keep him in.

I'm so excited about this change in behavior in my class! Hopefully it keeps up!!!

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