The new school year is right around the corner, and I am in full-blown teacher mode. Although my first year teaching went as smooth as it possibly could, I am always working to make it better. That said, I came up with a few new classroom management strategies for this upcoming school year. Many of these ideas are adapted from Pinterest (wonderful, wonderful website - I spend waaayyy too much time on there, but it is so worth it). I took fabulous ideas and made them my own! I would like to share a few of them with you:
SUMMER READING - SCRAPBOOK BOOK REPORT
Yes, I was that teacher that assigned summer reading; however, I allowed my students to choose from a list of ten books, some classics and some brand-new. They did not have to do anything with the books over the summer, except read one of them! I told them the project would come at the start of the school year. So far, I have received great feedback! The kids liked the fact that they could choose from a list instead of being told a specific one to read.
Well, now comes the project part. At first, I had planned to have the students do a multi-genre project (I can provide more information on those if you like - they are wonderful to do with units, and they get away from the BORING book projects) with the book they chose, but I later felt like that was a little much for a summer reading project. So, I can up with an alternative solution that doesn't require as much class time to prepare for it - the Scrapbook Book Report!
These sample pictures are taken from www.heartsofwisdom.com. I just wanted to show somewhat of a visual. The students' projects will be more in-depth, as described below.
Students will choose a 12"x12" piece of scrapbook paper (or they may cut a posterboard down to size). Then, they may use both sides of the paper and are required to have the following certain elements: Biographical Information (title of book, author, and their name), Journal Entry (written like a diary from the protagonist's point-of-view that summarizes the setting, characters, conflict, plot, and resolution of the story), 5 Photos with Captions that relate to the book (can be hand-drawn, printed, cut out of magazine, etc.), 3 Multi-genre pieces (create various elements that relate to the book, such as a bumper sticker, invitation, want ad, brochure, obituary, interview, recipe, news article, mini-scene, Dear Abby, etc.), and a Critic's Review (stating why they would or would not recommend the book to others).
Once students complete their scrapbook book reports, they will present them to the class. Afterwards, the scrapbook book reports will be put on display using (strange, I know) a paper towel holder, as shown below. The sky is the limit with these projects, and their creativity is free to roam. I cannot wait to see what they do with it!!
CLASSROOM JOBS
I spent so much of my time last year doing odd-and-end tasks, and I finally realized that there are ways for my students to help and learn leadership roles. Killing two birds with one stone! So, I have adapted the "elementary helper" idea for the secondary classroom. Of course, I had to keep it in line with my technologically savvy students. Thus, I came up with 9 "apps" to help the teacher on my iHelp board. Students will fill out a realistic job application to apply for the jobs, which last a duration of one month. At the end of the month, students can re-apply for jobs. However, like in the real world, I will keep their applications for particular jobs throughout the months, so they will not have to re-apply for the same job over and over. Students selected for a job will receive a "free homework pass" as payment for their extra work.
TEACHER'S HOMEWORK BLACK BOOK
Student's generally start the year off great, but I wanted to find something that can help motivate them to continue doing their assignments throughout the year. It is hard to keep up with who did or did not do their assignments on a daily basis....well, until they are entered in the gradebook, and by then valuable time has been wasted that student's could have used to make-up the work. One of my teacher friends already has an idea similar to this, so I must admit that I adapted this idea from her, and amped it up with ideas I found on Pinterest.
Therefore, when students do not have their assignment on the day that it is due, they are to fill out a "no assignment" form and hand it to me. It has the date, their name, the assignment missing, the reason why they do not have it (as stated by them), and their signature. I will then file it in the Homework Black Book. After three times of this happening, the student will receive silent lunch (which is something they DO NOT like having), or if they fail to fill out a form when it is needed, it will result in immediate silent lunch. This is a small idea to keep them on their toes, and it will be great to have this on record for conferences!
Should a student continuously miss assignments, they will have to fill out the letter to the parents (as shown below). The parent will sign the letter stating that they know what the child is missing. Since I teach middle school and am well aware that some of these letters may never make it home, I will take a picture of the letter with my I-pad when the student fills it out. If the letter is not brought back signed, I will contact their parent/guardian and attach a photo-copy of the letter that they never saw. I have a feeling that will diminish any future problems pretty quickly.
"WHILE YOU WERE OUT" FOLDER
As the flu began going around last year, as well as the various sicknesses, I began trying to think of a better way to keep students up-to-date with the material they missed. I had "absence folders" for putting in the work they missed, but this became faulty for days that did not have handouts or worksheets. So, this year, I have created a "while you were out" binder. There is a folder in the binder for each class (similar to what I did last year). However, this year I will also have a "while you were out form" in it. The form will state the day they were absent, their name, any assignments that were due the day they missed, and any work they need to make-up from when they were out. Beside each assignment is a space for a due date. While most assignments will be due the following day (or long for those out an extended amount of time), the due date slot will come in handy in case some assignments are past due or are not due until later on (such as projects). This form will be paper-clipped to any handouts, worksheets, etc. that they missed. With the form, I can write in text pg. numbers or other assignments, which will keep students up-to-date, especially when I do not have a handout for that particular day.
"NO NAME" HOME OF SHAME
I tried several tactics last year, but I never came up with anything I really liked. Originally, I started out trying to track down students with "no name" papers. This wastes valuable time. Then, I started pinning the papers to the board - always took up too much room and looked messy. So, this year I have revamped the idea. I am going to take a ribbon with clothespins glued to it. It will be attached to the wall. Each clothespin will represent a different class period. If a student turns in a no-name paper, it will simply be pinned to their class section. Above the ribbon and papers will be the following sign:
Last, but not least...these are a few of my favorite apps!
I can't wait to use these this year!
Pick Stick - my Ipad generates who I call on (much easier than using popsicle sticks). I can select to have names put aside as "used" or "put them back in." If I choose to re-use the names during a class period, this will keep students from getting off the hook. They never know when their name may be called.
Noise Meter - this app can be used for group work...keeps the class from becoming way too noisy, as it changes as the class noise level gets too loud. In the absence of this app, I also have green, yellow, and red cards to use for group work. If the group reaches a red card, they will have to move back to their seat and work individually. This keeps me from having to punish the whole class for one group!
Remind 101 - I am hoping to use this app this year. I create a class online, and it will give me a text code for each class. Students and their parents can choose to text the code to the number it provides (which is not my number), and they subscribe to daily updates for my class. Then, I can login and send a mass text to all who have subscribed. The best part: They never have to know my number, and I do not have to know theirs!! It's a great way to keep in touch!
Well, that about sums up my first of the year ideas! I am working on a "Readbox" (instead of Redbox) assignment idea where students read books and make video trailers for the books. I haven't gotten that one all figured out, yet, but I will post more teacher ideas as I come up with them! I also have a neat mini-unit that I am going to do with my students at the first of the year to inspire leadership and working towards their dreams! I will post in a couple weeks about how that went!
If you have any ideas, suggestions, or comments, I would love to hear them!! I am always looking for ways to improve and make the learning more engaging for my students. Now, it's time for me to get back to work preparing for a fun new year!!
Until next time....
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