Round 2 (okay. quarter 2. not that big of a deal.)

ANNND for 2nd quarter we have a NEW CLASSROOM SET UP! It is VERY exciting. Riveting, really. (I like to think that getting excitement out of making a new seating chart is proof that I'm meant to be a teacher....then again some days I'm grasping at anything to prove that to myself..SOMEONE JUST TELL ME I "SURE CAN TEACH THE HELL OUT OF SOME KIDS" OKAY.)

Anyways we're now in pods/table groups. I'm trying to give the little ones a little more ownership and responsibility in the classroom (now that I feel like I have control...well at least like 87% of the time....a huge improvement from the 14% of time I had control in the beginning...these are just approximations of course..) so I'm planning on teaching cooperative learning strategies starting next week. I've put them into partners, and we're going to start WORKING TOGETHER (fingers crossed). Each person in each pod has been assigned "partner A" or "partner B."

Partner A: Paper collector (This means that whenever it's time to turn something into the orange basket, it's Partner A's job to check that their paper and their partners to make sure they wrote their names, and then turn them in.)

Partner B: Supply collector (This means that whenever I need to pass out any supplies--like the "kits"...or just papers, I now leave them somewhere in the room and put Partner B in charge of getting them for themselves and their partner.)

We're also using partner A and partner B for discussions/sharing. So, when we share, I give a sentence starter, for example "I observed that the pumpkin seeds are_____________________ (squishy, slimy, etc)." Then, I set a timer and Partner A has one minute to share. While Partner A is sharing, Partner B actively listens. When the minute is up, I stop them and they switch. I'm hoping that this will be the slow and gentle transition into being able to think-pair-share without screaming at/punching/making mean faces/popping our lips and clicking tongues at each other.

So here's our new classroom set-up: 

*note that we also got a new carpet, smaller, so that we could have more space for fun and exciting seating charts like this! (THANK YOU TARA WEISS, excellent TFA kindergarten teacher at my school who traded rugs with me..she's WONDERFUL.)

I also FINALLY got my little area cleaned up and organized in a way that doesn't drive me absolutely freaking crazy. So here's that:

*I'm SUPER thrilled about our new intervention schedule that's going to allow me to pull kids who need re-teaching WAY more than I've been able to so far this year, so here's to a very successful 2nd quarter (WE HOPE)!

I've FINALLY gotten a grasp on how to identify and remember which students I need to pull for make-up work/make-up tests (students being absent and missing assignments was like the hardest possible puzzle for me to solve and still maintain my sanity this quarter....I could not wrap my head around how to make sure they made up all of their grades). Thank you ALLISON PAUL, my cooperating teacher from my first session of student teaching (I'm using so much of what she taught me in my own classroom now and I am SO GRATEFUL).

So here's that:

Each of my three first grade blocks are assigned a color in my classroom (as seen with the graded-work folders and the marble jars AND the hole punch cards). I then have a color-coordinated magnet clip for each block. When a student is missing an assignment/missed a quiz/needs to re-take a quiz after re-teaching intervention, I write their name up  on the board under their block color, and stick the make-up work with their name on it in the color-coordinated magnet clip. THEN, on the bottom half, I have the standards for the first quarter listed, and which students I want to pull to work on more with each standard (just for the sake of making sure everyone is as prepared as possible for second grade!). I feel REALLY GOOD about this. Especially because I've stuck an eraser right up there with this, so I can easily erase as soon as I feel comfortable taking a student off the list. This makes it visual and concrete for me, and I can't lose it (plus I don't waste paper).

AND my next goal is to start a "Writer's Wall of Fame". So far all I've gotten up are the page protectors in which my students will be able to display their best writing of the month (they'll choose which they want on display). In the halls we hang "excellent work," but in my classroom, I want every student to have their most prideful work on display at all times, no matter how it is in comparison to other students. So I have each "display area" labeled with a student's number (also color coordinated with their class colors...so sue me).

So here's that:

*It's a work in progress. :)

AND our test score tracker. We're required to have our students first 9-weeks test scores on display, so I decided to make it into a tracker to help students set goals for improvement for the next test. Their name is on a picture of a hot air balloon and placed in their area ("minimal" "basic" "proficient" or "advanced") based on their test score. The goal is for every student to move up to the next level on the 2nd nine weeks test! I haven't finished labeling it so far but I think it might say something like "wild about test score" or "our QDI is soaring to the sky" or something...all I know is I wanted to use my zebra print duct tape but the pictures are of hot air balloons so somehow I need to connect the two to make it cute...I really should have thought it through more first. OHHH WELLLLLL.)

So here's that:

*Either way it brightens up the room a bit. AND CHECK OUT ALL THOSE ADVANCED SCORES! ;)

(THEY ARE SO SMART.)

**also color-coordinated by class...yeah.

OH and here's what the kits look like in the room. (Part of giving ownership/responsibility to the students means I need to let go of having the boxes stacked perfectly, and equally, by color...I've let it go. Deep breath.)

xoxo