I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday. We actually had our winter recess this week... a whole week off!! I've been busy getting things ready for the big push to the end of the year. February break is always a good time to change things up a bit as we hit that last half of the school year and here are some of the things I've been working on.
ONE: Flexible Seating
For the last year and a half I have been utilizing some form of flexible seating in my classroom although I admit I haven't fully taken the plunge. That is until this week. A teacher in my wing of the school was getting rid of a low to the ground circular table and I knew it was now or never in terms of going all in with flexible seating. Right now the table has pillows but I'm hoping to ask the PTO to purchase some wobble cushions for the kiddos to use.
For the last year and a half I have been utilizing some form of flexible seating in my classroom although I admit I haven't fully taken the plunge. That is until this week. A teacher in my wing of the school was getting rid of a low to the ground circular table and I knew it was now or never in terms of going all in with flexible seating. Right now the table has pillows but I'm hoping to ask the PTO to purchase some wobble cushions for the kiddos to use.
In order to incorporate this round table I needed to get rid of the traditional table set up in my classroom. I bought some bed risers for one of the tables to create a standing option in my classroom. The table legs can be put higher but I wanted to see my kiddos at the table before I messed with the screws in each of the table legs. I have a few kiddos that I'm sure this option will be beneficial for them.
I took these four trapezoid tables and turned them into one large pod of tables. I know this will be great for group work and even when students are working independently so they have a nice large space to spread out.
I kept one of my tables in the front of the room the same and the mats and crates that my kiddos have been using will still be available. I think because we've been doing some variation of flexible seating this transition to totally flexible seating will be successful... I can't wait to see their faces Monday morning!!
TWO: Word Wall
One of the walls in my classroom is actually a folding door into the classroom next door. That being said it's a metal door which means the whole wall is magnetic!!! Life changing I tell you! I love that it's so easy to put up each of the words with a magnet placed on the back of the card. This also makes it easy for my kiddos to take the card and then replace it when they are done. I use these two large panels on that wall for my word wall.
I had been using a purple sheet that my hubby and I put up two summers ago but the sheet was starting to fall down. So the hubby and I went into school on Tuesday to fix the falling sheet. I decided to take down the sheet and put up a purple tablecloth. I also changed out the zebra print border and put up a plain black border. I think I like the black border better but we shall see when I return next week how I feel about it.
THREE: Class Dojo
I took the plunge so to speak before our week long break and began using Class Dojo with my kiddos. All I can say is WOW! My kiddos love it... Prior to the break I got two emails from parents saying their son or daughter was so excited to come to school so they could see how many points they earned on Class Dojo. That alone told me I was making the right decision switching from a clipchart to this program.
I love how it allows me to highlight positive behaviors and more specifically specific positive behaviors that we are working on in my classroom. If I'm being honest I also like how I can look to see who I've given points to and for what reasons I've awarded those points. I've always felt that one or two kiddos sometimes fall through the cracks because they always behave in the classroom. This is a great way to guard against that.
FOUR: Each Kindness
We read this book during Valentine's Day week and I had my kiddos write about one way they could make the world a better place by being kind. I finally got a chance to add these to the bulletin board outside our classroom this week. I love reading this book and reading about how my kiddos plan to make the world just a bit better.
FIVE: Writing Station Options
This past fall my mom was getting rid of this Ree Drummond Charlie the Ranch dog cookie jar from Walmart and I snatched it up to use in my writing station. One of the options my kiddos always have is writing a letter when they visit the writing station. To add some excitement to the station I added Charlie so the kids could write letters to him. I just picked up this mailbox on clearance at Target so the kiddos could put their letters to Charlie in his own mailbox. I try to remember to bring the letters home a few nights each week so I can respond to the letters as if I were Charlie... the kids love when they have mail from him!!
Have a great weekend... Don't forget to check out Doodle Bugs Teaching for more Five for Friday posts!
