First Day of School

I play a cute greeting game with my kiddos during the first few classes of school called 'Pum!' (Pop!), based on a game from Responsive Classroom. It is played like this:
Kids sit in a circle.
Kids count off, one at a time- the first kid in the circle says 'uno', the next kid says 'dos', the next says 'tres'. The next says '¡Hola!', jumping up like a piece of popcorn popping. The rest of the class then greets the kid who jumped up, saying '¡Hola ______!'. This kiddo stays standing and the countoff continues, always having the kids who are sitting do the counting. Keep going around until there is only one kiddo left- this kid will need to count to 'tres' before popping up so the class can greet him/her.

This greeting game is quick and fun. It is great for you and the class to learn each other's names. Remember: you should model how to 'pop up' before you do this game. Otherwise, there will always be one or two who will be overly exuberant! :) You don't want anyone to accidently hurt another by being out of control.

Have fun!

Tips for the itinerant teacher, Part 3

I love to do hands on activities with my students which they can then take home and share with their parents. Whether it be making paper flowers, creating a drawing, or doing any other type of project, providing the necessary materials to your students can be a logistical challenge. Over the years I have found that relying on the classroom teacher's materials just doesn't work. So, I bring what I need with me. Here's how I get them around:
-I used to use the crayons and markers already in the classrooms for drawing and coloring activities, but so often found that there weren't enough crayons to go around or the markers were running out. Some of my activities require each and every student to have a particular color at the same time, and certain colors just seem to get eaten- brown, black, gray- and therefore aren't available. To solve this problem, I bought flat pencil bags at Walmart, enough for an entire class to use at the same time. Inside I have a set of crayons. I never have to worry about whether a color is available and my kiddos don't bicker over the crayon box. Note: I do regularly go through the crayon "pockets" to replace broken crayons or ones that got lost. Where do they go? :)
-If we are doing a project which requires scissors or glue, I stock the crayon pockets with these materials as well so every kid has the needed supplies.
-When doing a project which requires multiple parts (tissue paper, green pipe cleaner, name tag, for instance when making paper flowers), I create a set of the parts for each kid ahead of time and put each set in an envelope or plastic baggy. This makes it much easier and quicker to distribute materials.

Organization and prepping ahead of time are the keys for success. Teaching in other peoples' rooms can be a challenge, but being ready and organized makes it so much easier. Enjoy the remaining few days and weeks of summer!

Tips for the itinerant teacher, Part 2

Going into various rooms with various setups can be quite a challenge. I teach all of my classes in circle, only going back to tables for projects and the like. Each room has its own arrangement. Some gen ed teachers have whiteboards, others don't (or they are inaccessible or inconvenient to use), some have an easel right at circle, others a bulletin board. Some circles "float" in the middle of the room, with little access to anything upon which I can hang my visuals. And every room is chock full of stuff, making it hard for me to set up without moving stuff around or out of the way. However, I manage. Here are some ways that help me:
*As I said in my last post, I have a bag for each grade level. In that bag, I carry a supply of big clips, masking tape, magnet clips, and large pushpins. (I found extra large pushpins in Walmart. They are easy to manipulate, so you aren't fumbling around with the little ones.)
*Check out the rooms ahead of time so you are familiar with the setup and know what to expect. Teachers love to change their rooms around (all of us!) and I like to get a heads up before I walk in the first day.
*If our district hires a new gen ed teacher, I visit with her before school starts to see how the circle will be set up and to give her a sense of how I will need to use the room.
This eliminates problems down the road. It can be uncomfortable for both the itinerant teacher and the gen ed teacher if a conflict arises over use of the room. I have had teachers who don't want me to put holes in their bulletin board or write on their easel paper. Talking ahead of time allows these kinks to be worked out.
*Use a pocket chart whenever possible to display visuals. There is a wide variety of pocket charts available, from small to big and everything in between. Using a pocket chart makes it easier to display a larger quantity of visuals without having to tape or attach each one to something. Materials just slide in and are easily removed. I have a fantastic pocket chart I bought through Lakeshore Learning many years ago which is velcro friendly on the top half, and space for sentence strips on the bottom half. It is great for sticking all kinds of visuals on and creating sentences or phrases around them.
*If you use a cart, make one side of it a place to hang larger visuals. Wheel it to where you are teaching, and make use of it for display.

The fun just never ends. Look for part 3 in the next week or so.

Tips for the itinerant teacher, Part 1

Oh, the joy of going from class to class, instead of having our own classroom. This is, unfortunately, the reality of many elementary FL teachers. The key to making it successful is organization, organization, organization. Here are some ways I keep it all together.
-I use a tool bag (Husky brand), one for each grade level, to carry my materials in. The bags have loads of pockets, are very durable, and have a long strap so I can carry it over my shoulder. Many teachers use a cart, but, for various reasons, that just hasn't worked well for me. (Once a cart I was using fell down a flight of stairs, materials flying everywhere- what fun!)
-For each grade level I teach I keep a three ring binder divided into the classes for that grade. In each section, I have a classlist, assessment sheets, and a seating chart. I carry this binder at all times in my tool bag.
-I use ziploc bags (the kind with the slider at the top) to transport and store all kinds of materials. Flashcards, small visuals, small manipulatives, game pieces, name tags, and so on all fit well into the bags, are easy to see, and easy to pull out for use. They are also great for organizing individual sets of materials to be distributed to students.

Look for Part 2 soon!