Clip Charts, Dojo, Tickets, Oh My!  When it comes to how you manage your classroom, there are so many options, so many ways and so many opinions on what works best.  It can be so overwhelming trying to decide what will work best for you and your students. I had tried flip cards, and creating lists of rules with my students, and warnings, but found it was hard to stay consistent, and remember all of the rules and all of the consequences related to the rules.   Then, I learned the one classroom management trick that SAVED me.  Having ONE rule, with ONE Consequence ..read more

Testing season is here!  And along with the pressures of the test, and managing the testing schedules, and trying to fit in your instruction along with testing, you have to keep track of all of the accommodations! Excel to the rescue!  I create a spreadsheet of my students by homeroom.  (Each homeroom gets a page in my workbook.  Then I label each column with the available accommodation for the state test. I simply type in my student names and put an x in the box for which accommodations they receive.  I print a copy for each homeroom teacher and our school assessm ..read more

Have you worked with a student who just does not like to write?  Maybe they lack confidence, maybe they have poor fine motor skills, maybe they struggle getting their ideas down on paper, maybe they have difficulty expressing their ideas.  Whatever the reason they may not enjoy writing, unfortunately it is still something they have to do.   One tried and true way I have increased engagement for my struggling writers is through the use of the almighty Post-It Note! Labeling- With my beginning writers, we use a lot of pictures to help us generate ideas on a topic.  We u ..read more

My first years in the classroom I used a standard behavior chart.  You know the one- Each student was given a number, and had 4 different colored apples with their number in our pocket chart.  For each infraction, they got a warning, and then consequences that progressed as the color of their apple changed.  The same kids kept their apples red day after day.  And the same kids had their apples change color day after day.  The chart was ineffective in improving behaviors, and I quickly tired of giving warnings, and consequences that didn't work.  I left school fee ..read more

As a special education teacher, we have a lot of balls in the air- schedules, growing caseloads, evaluations, curriculums, therapies, data collection and so much more!  It can be a crazy ride that leaves you frazzled and frenzied.  But, if you work to create systems and find tools to keep you organized, the ride becomes a lot more fun!  I'm here to share 5 of my favorite things that help me stay organized as a busy resource teacher.  (Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links) 1) A Large Calendar Now, I already have an Erin Condren Life Planner that I LOVE a ..read more

As a resource teacher, I usually see my students for 30 minutes at a time and am going non-stop throughout my day.  It can be a hectic schedule, and hard to take time to connect with my kids.  I knew I needed to build, cultivate, and maintain strong relationships with my students in order to build their trust, and support their behaviors, but wasn't quire sure how to fit it all in.  I use Love and Logic strategies with my students and having a strong relationship with them is crucial for that to be successful! Enter my 10 Minute Morning Routine, it has been a complete game cha ..read more

I am in love, and so are my students.... with Task Cards!   My fifth grade readers have really been struggling with their comprehension.  We have been focusing on finding evidence in the text and putting the question in the answer.  But, honestly have not seen a lot of progress overall.  I needed to find a way for my students to get daily practice with a wide variety of comprehension skills, but that didn't take up too much time of our limited time together. (This is a major challenge as a resource teacher!)   Then it hit me... TASK CARDS!   Task ..read more

Basic Facts are the bane of my existence right now!   My 5th graders are currently working on multiplying multi-digit numbers.  They understand area models as well as the standard algorithm.  However, their accuracy is negatively impacted by their lack of basic fact fluency!  And not knowing their facts is slowing them down!  My students are using repeated addition and counting on fingers to figure out those facts they should know quickly.  It is frustrating for them (and me, watching them).   So, here is what we are doing to learn those facts to mastery on ..read more

This weekend I was so blessed and lucky to attend my very first Teacher Blogger Meet up!  Jessica Plemons from Mrs. Plemons' Kindergarten and Angela Nerby from Hippo Hooray for Second Grade organized a Back to School Bash for the Wisconsin Teacher Bloggers!   When I first saw Angela post about the meet up, I was excited, but hesitant, since I am just a newbie! But, I signed up  right away, so I couldn't talk myself out of it! Soon, I found out that Amber from Mrs. Unger's Unbelievable Elementary Experiences was also planning to attend, so we became carpool buddies. A ..read more

Whether it's Back to School season or your class just needs something to get back on track, it's time to think about building (or retooling) that classroom community! I love to start the year with lots of opportunities for students to get up and move AND get up and TALK to each other!  One of my favorite games (and super easy to implement) is Human Bingo!  You can make any size bingo sheet you like, and fill in the boxes with "Find someone who..." stems.  Some examples could be- went on vacation this summer, likes pizza, has a pet, etc.  Students get up ..read more