Be My Guest Sunday Presents LOVE From The Applicious Teacher

I cannot begin to tell you how much I LOVE this guest post! It feels like a little warmth on this cold NY morning and a it's a perfect way to begin Valentine's Week! We all love our students, but Leigh from The Applicious Teacher brings it all to life in her touching and funny blog post! I've been a follower of Leigh's on social media for a while and it's clear that she puts LOVE into all she does!

Be prepared to have your heart warmed this morning!

...and remember, after soaking up all the LOVE from The Applicious Teacher, be sure to enter the Stella & Dot Giveaway!  A winner will be chosen this Friday! Yay!!! {Clicking will bring you to the blog post!}

Now, without further adieu, here is The LOVEly Applicious Teacher!

Hey guys! It's Leigh from The Applicious Teacher!

I am super excited and honored that Tracey has so graciously allowed me to post today! Seriously, what kid doesn't love a turn in the "Teacher's Chair"? (Insert joke drum here..)

 Today's post is all about L.O.V.E! The teacher kind to be exact! With Valentine's Day just around the corner (Friday, if you weren't keeping track!) love is all around us! But there is nothing quite like the love a teacher has for her kids.

#Truth! 

We all know that we love our kids like they are own, but do they know? Sure, we probably buy them something sweet for Valentine's Day and send them off to start their summer break with a little memento, but do they really know how much WE, their teacher, really care? Probably not...

See when the chalk has settled and life carries on, those little cards and trinkets fall to the wayside GASP! Not my melted crayon heart!  Yes, sadly even that melted crayon heart. Truth be told, most kids won't remember the "things" their teacher gave them.  Instead they will remember the way their teacher made them feel.

Let's make sure you are making your kids feel loved, special, and appreciated!  Don't worry... it will in a very cheap (as in FREE) and easy (as in no prep) and fast (as in a few seconds a day) way!

Ok... so before we talk about "how" to love on your kids, let's talk about the "why".

Why show your kids you care?

 Research upon research of highly effective teachers has proven that students perform better when they perceive that their teacher had a vested interest in them. AKA... CARED! Here's a link to a case study review  titled "The Caring Teacher". It is 179 pages of why you should show your students you care! No time to read the 179 page article? Bookmark it for later, it is really good!

Here's another online publishing from ASCD.org. It outlines effective teachers and how "caring" really does make a difference! I could go on and on about the stats related to these studies, but if you are like me... you're more interested in the "What do I need to Do..." part...

So now that you are more familiar with the "why" let's get to the meat and potatoes... the HOW!

1. Relationship Building

Research shows that if students have a positive relationship with their teacher (and peers) they will perform better.  Although this can be done in a variety of ways, one of the easiest that I've found, is to actually take the time to "talk" to your students, everyday.

Each morning, as my students write their homework in their planners and work on their morning work, I move around the classroom checking their planners.  As I check for a parent signature from the night before and that homework is written correctly (we're still working on transcribing in 2nd grade) I am also chatting. Each and every morning, I make a point to talk to each of my students in my class. Simple questions like "How was your game last night?" Or "What did you have for breakfast this morning" help me learn and understand each of my students as a unique individual. Now, don't get me wrong... mornings are the most chaotic time in my room. Someone always needs something and I am ALWAYS late inputting my attendance, but I make a point to do it... EVERY.SINGLE.MORNING. Why?
'Cuz I'm relationship building!

2. Celebrate Even the Smallest Achievements

We as teachers are always celebrating the momentous occasions. Like that time everyone made a 100% on that math assessment or the time the class was good for the sub when they were sick. Heck, we even celebrate the 100th day of school! But it's important to celebrate even our student's smallest achievements.

Take for example a colleague of mine. She has a student who has tardy issues... you know those kinds of students. The kind that mosey on in at around 9:30, just after you finished that amaze-balls of a lesson. Well she's got one of those kids and of course that kid isn't doing too hot. Well one day that kid... that tardy kid.. moseyed on in right after the bell. Her reaction? A full on hoot and holler cheer complete with dance moves and body shaking. Now that is celebrating the smallest achievements! You know that kid felt special and loved and wanted to be on time, again, and again! :) Lesson of the story: Don't be afraid to celebrate those small achievements with a little booty shakin'. ;)

3. Letting Student's Know Their Voice Matters

This last one is a *bit* tricky. Any Kindergarten teacher can tell you, you give kids an inch with talking and they will take a mile (and tell you ALL about what they did yesterday, and the day before, and the day before...) So you have to be strategic when letting students voices be heard. One thing that works well in my room is allowing students to be the "teacher" during our "we do" part of a lesson.

During math, I'll often model the concept we are working on, then call a few students up to the chalkboard (yup-total old school style it here!) to work on similar problems. During that time, the other kiddos that were not chosen are tasked with being the teacher. They have to decide if they agree or disagree with the answer the student as arrived at, reteach or coach when needed, and celebrate when the correct answer is confirmed. The kids <3 this routine in my classroom. It is simple and rather painless acitivity that allows my students' voices and opinions to be heard in a structured and safe way. The kiddos especially love choosing which cheer we should use to encourage the students at the board.

So as you assemble your goodie bags and sweat over a pot of melting crayons this Valentine's Day Eve,  remember: sometimes the best way to show some "LOVE" to your kids isn't with the amount of gifts or activities you do (or the amount of $ you spend on TpT), 

It just involves a little extra attention and time.

 

Be My Guest Sunday Presents... Owl Always Love 2nd Grade with BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT

Maybe it's me...

Or maybe it's the fact that these poor kids have been stuck inside most of the winter!
Aaaahhhhhhhhhh! Indoor recess is certainly a game changer, especially when it comes to classroom behavior.

I've definitely seen a change in my kiddos' behavior. There are more tattles, more complaints, more movement around the classroom (at times when there's not supposed to be!) and definitely more chattiness...oh the talking is on an all time high!

Thank goodness I have an awesome guest blogger today with fantastic ideas for behavior management!  I picked up super ideas from reading Furnell's post and I know you will too!  Furnell is the sweet blogger over at...

So before you hit that Super Bowl party tonight, be sure to grab some great ideas for your classroom!

Oh! In case you haven't heard, I am having a super 500 Follower giveaway as well! So as soon as you are done reading Furnell's post, be sure to go enter to win this beautiful Stella and Dot bracelet.  Trust me, it's gorgeous in person...wish I was keeping it for myself! Clicking this link will take you to the giveaway (look for the rafflecopter at the bottom of the blog post):

And now....Here's Furnell!

Hello, All! I am super excited that Tracey asked me to guest blog today! My name is Furnell from Owl Always Love 2nd Grade.  I am a newbie teacher, whereas this is only my 3rd year teaching 2nd grade.  After trying to figure out what I wanted to guest blog about, I decided that it's about half way through the school year and some classrooms might need a little makeover of their behavior management system.  I have been researching behavior management for YEARS since it was the one thing that everyone told me that I would not be taught in college and would have to learn how to manage a classroom on my own. I have gone through a smorgasbord of behavior systems trying to find ones that work for my teaching style and ones that work for the kids in front of me.  I have tested out the tried and true methods that most teachers use and then I have tried some out-of-the-box ideas.  All three of my classes have been totally different and have responded very differently to the different behavior management systems.

Here's some visuals of the systems I have tried out with a quick little blurb of how they work.

Individual Behavior:

                                                            

           Pulling a Card From Lakeshore Learning                         Freebie: Stop Light Made by Me! 

This worked well but cards were always going missing            You can print this and laminate it and

                and so I only used this my first year.                             use clothes pins to track behavior.

                                                                      

                                     Clip Chart

                        Free Printable Clip Chart                                                 Scentos Stamps

This worked extremely well my first year, last year, and           I use these to draw stars on the kids

for the beginning of this year, but then I made the switch                hands when they are doing a 

           to Class Dojo, which you will see below.                                 great job. They love it!

Group Behavior:

Group Tallies/Points were drawn on the board compete with the students.  When they are doing a great job, the students earn tallies.  When the teacher feels that the students can be doing a better job, the teacher gets a tally.  This worked well, but it was just a group management system and I needed more whole class.

Whole Class:

Whole Brain Teaching (My version of the Positive and Negative Points)

This works the same way as the tallies above.  When the kids are doing a great job, they earn Whoos and when they are doing a less than great job, they earn Boos.

 Freebie: Brownie Points The students earned brownie points in my room when they would receive a compliment from another teacher or specialist.  Once it was filled, they voted on a prize.  (I found the picture on pinterest because I cannot find the picture of the one I used)

Homework Club The children who brought in their homework were a part of the homework club and their number would be written in the middle using a dry erase marker.  The kids that forgot their homework always tried harder to bring it in to be in the club!

Currently Using:

Class Dojo has replaced all other behavior management systems in my room this year.  It is very easy to use, and you can bring it with you on your phone or iPad.  There are options to set your own categories, which is why I love it so much! You enter each child and let them choose a little monster to represent themselves! They love this part! Students can earn positive or negative points (like Whole Brain Teaching) and once they earn increments of 10 positive points, they ear a token to my treasure chest (Two of my students work on increments of 5 instead of 10). This is all student run.  The students give or take away their own dojos. I have it connected to my T.V. so it's a great visual reminder to the students. I also add in a section for "Report from Specialist/Other teacher" instead of a student name so I can track their compliments (this works like the brownies).  Once they get to 15 points, they earn a whole class prize.  At the end of each week, I am able to print out each child's report with their percentage of positive behavior and it gets sent home to be signed and returned.  I have two students that I print out reports daily and the are signed and returned as well.

Check out this Class Dojo Freebie: Printable Resource Pack.  It is a great addition to the website. 

I hope you enjoyed taking a look through the behavior systems that I have tried and what I am using now.  There are a TON of systems out there, and these are just a small portion of them.  Teachers need to find what works for them and their students because the shoe doesn't fit everyone! Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you stopping by and following my BLOG, FACEBOOK, TPT and Instagram: @owlalwayslove2ndgrade.

Thanks again, Tracey, for letting me take over your blog today!!!

Thanks,

       Owl Always Love 2nd Grade




Great post, Furnell! I was so happy to have you as a guest today!  Have a great Super Bowl Sunday everyone.

By the way...Darn that Punxsutawney Phil! 6 more weeks of winter???

Oh Nooooooooooooo!!!!!

Be My Guest Sunday Presents...Close Reading with The Reading Tutor/OG

Hi there everyone! I am so excited for "Be My Guest Sunday" and I think you will be too! Are you engaging your students in Close Reading Strategies this year?  Close Reading has been a big part of our professional development this year.  In my quest to find out more about this strategy, I stumbled upon a very special blog....

Let me introduce you to Emily, from The Reading Tutor/OG Blog.   Emily has something really special over there!  She has tons of ideas and inspirations for your ELA block! She is also part of a huge collaborative site called Adventures in Literacy Land...another gem for all of you book lovers out there!

Emily has got some great information for you today, as well as FREEBIES.  Happy Sunday, folks!  Sit, back, relax and read on...

Thanks, Emily!

Hi everyone! I'm Emily from The Reading Tutor/OG, and I'm so happy Tracey invited me to be her guest today. I have been an educator for over 13 years now. I've taught mostly 3rd and 4th graders in inclusive classrooms. Currently, I am a SAHM and a certified Orton Gillingham instructor. This means I use a specific multi-sensory approach to help dyslexic learners with reading.  Although I love teaching all subject areas, Literacy is the area I am most passionate about.
Today I am going to share some research about close reading. I know this is a very hot topic in schools these days. There are many questions out there about how to implement it effectively in the classroom, especially with younger readers. I wrote a post about it a few months back about it on my own blog, but would like to share some practical tips you can take away with you today to use in your classrooms. Close reading has been around a long time in higher education. The thing that makes it new is that we're asking children to closely read in younger grades. Here are couple of quick points about what close reading is:

• Close reading is about arriving at a goal in reading, not just about using any one technique or approach.
• Close reading is flexible.
• The questions chosen in a close reading session are critical. Teachers need to be VERY familiar with the chosen text before assigning it to students to closely read.
• There is such thing as close listening for younger readers in K and 1. Since listening comprehension is developed in these grades, using this format is quite valuable.
• Not every story or passage you read needs to be closely read. In fact, the recommendation is to do one close read per unit of study. So if you were like me, we changed our reading units about every 4-6 weeks. I would carefully select a short passage to have my students do a close read.
• It is highly recommended that teachers choose shorter passages for close reads. If you're going to ask your class to read something anywhere from 2-3 times for a specific purpose, then a shorter passage is the way to go, especially for your challenged readers.

I thought it would be helpful to share a variety of resources which I found on Pinterest to use in your close reading lessons today. Plus, they are all FREE! I hope you find them useful!

I love this freebie from Create-Abilities. Show your class how to mark text while they read. Use this as a simple guide for marking text during a close reading lesson.

These handy bookmarks from Wise Words have great reminders for marking text and prompts for answering text dependent questions. There is a bookmark for each of the three reads you may do during a close reading lesson.

Post these posters created by The Teacher Next Door in your classroom as anchor charts for close reading lessons. They serve as a wonderful visual to explaining the process of close reading.

This is a wonderful and FREE resource for teachers. I love how it's organized by grade level, and skill and strategy. Teachers can set up a free account and download any of the passages. Every passage comes with comprehension questions and lesson plans. Choose from hundreds of short, high interest passages to do a close reading lesson.

That wraps up my post today. I wish you all the best of luck as you continue to build your literacy toolbox with resources and strategies. Feel free to comment with your ideas or questions.  I'd love for you to stop over at my blog and follow me, a brand new collaborative blog I am in called Adventures In Literacy Land, or find me on Facebook. Thanks again Tracey!

Credits:
Circle Badges by: Lindy du Plessis
Number Font in Circle Badges by: Jen Jones, Hello Literacy




Are you as ready as I am to work on Close Reading strategies in your classroom?  I know my littles are going to love using post-it notes as they read!  Thanks again, Emily!


If you are interest in being a guest blogger for Be My Guest Sunday, please email me! I'd love to feature you.  Don't forget to follow The Teacher's Chair to stay up to date with ideas, freebies, giveaways, guest bloggers and more!

Have a great week everyone :)