MA $CASH$

For the second half of the year I install a banking system with my students called MA CASH or "Mr. Aleckson Cash" for long. In essense it is monetary system of checks and balances. Students can literally earn MA CASH for doing anything. I tell the students that they can earn the cash by "doing what is right?" We talked about all those different types of behaviors and about what "the right thing" is. Students can also earn cash through participation (not everyday), weekly trivia, planner signatures, and their weekly jobs. The only time I take away their cash is on Friday's when the rent is due. I told the students that they are renting their desks, chairs, and lockers from the school. Therefore since they do not own those items there is the possibility of fines for lack of cleanliness or free rent for extreme organization and cleanliness. All their work culminates at the end of the year when I have a real auctioneer come into the classroom and talk about what an auction is and how it works. This is also a great math lesson, because we work on skip counting and cutting things in half. The auctioneer sells of all kinds of healthy things for the students; pop, gatorade, candy, chips, books, games, toys, posters, and anything I can buy at the dollar store. I usually have the auction during the last 2-3 days of school. Last year it worked out really well and the students had a blast. Every students gets a prize no matter how much cash they collected over the year. Let me know your thoughts about my system. Good? Bad? Ugly? Any improvements I could make?

SPARK-MIND BODY CONNECTION

I was reading Spark today and I found this interesting...

"Less than 3% of adults over the age of 24 stay in shape through playing team sports."

This is interesting to me because in physical education we teach a lot of team sports, when in all actuality, our kids won't be using them as their primary means of exercise in their mid-twenties and beyond. I think it is important to expose our students to these activities, but I think we need to do a better job of incorporating the fitness aspect into all activities. Grade them on effort, instead of skill. Herein lies the heart rate monitors.To be continued...

Genres

I have really been looking over data this last week from my Winter MAP test. As I have been looking over the data, I have sat down with my big binder for small groups and assessments and really looked at the key ideas they should be working on to get to the next level. It was really interesting that especially those higher kids how much they need to know about genre. It is confusing to me at times as an adult the difference between all the genres and how they fit into the categories. Does anyone have a good idea for teaching genre to the younger grades?

Observation

I was just observed for a lesson in which I was teaching the concept of time: hour, half hour and quarter hour. The students who I teach will sometimes learn a concept but then the next day, not appear to have retained what was taught. For the first time during a lesson with them, there were moments where they understood the concepts and other moments when they had no idea-all in a 30 minute period of time. It was so frustrating! Usually, if they understand something, it is for the whole 30 minute period and vice versa. With most of my groups, I just have to repeat things over and over again. If anyone has any ideas about how to teach time, please let me know. I used many hands-on activities and touched on all modalities of learning styles but for one of the kids, nothing seemed to matter.

I'm Done!

Each day, toward the end of our schedule, the kids have "table time."  They work on various skills they've been practicing throughout the day such as letter printing, a math practice page, etc.  In both classes, my first students finished feel the need to announce it to everyone.  Most of the time, I don't feel that my kids are doing sloppy work to get done first.  They are proud to be the first ones finished.  The problem is, the rest of my kids then feel slightly rushed or like they are not as good.

We have talked about the fact that being done first isn't what counts--everyone does their best work in different amounts of time etc.  Does anyone have other strategies that have worked to help kids keep their accomplishments to themselves?

Differentiation Ideas

I just had an opportunity to be observed by a different principal than my own and I got some great feedback and i would like to pose the question to all: I do feel that I work hard to differentiate in the classroom as much as possible but I find it difficult in first grade when we are doing up to 8 subjects a day which would make it 8 times 5 so 40 lessons a week to differentiate. I know that is not the expectation but I am wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to make differentiation more manageable. For most lessons I offer an extension for the lesson but I know my high kids are ready for something more engaging. I am not sure if I should start by just focusing on one subject area such as writing or if anyone has any other ideas. Reading I will be starting book clubs with my higher students, which will help, but I would love any other suggestions. Thank you.

On a lighter note:

This question was shared on the professional growth blog; thought I'd bring it up over here; what do you do to de-stress/de-compress after work?....I'm always looking for ideas; its very important for me to define work time/me time/ and family time... I like to write about some of my experiences (just kind of let them flow out of my finger tips):

Despite the slight hinge rust, Dudley Dew's box
was a beaty. Its factory stamped clasp locks
snicker-snacked up and down with ease. Its green
and blue paint was mint, no knicks, rubbed and preened
to a soft glow from the liniment oil
rag tucked in Dudley's pocket. The frown-soiled
rows of envious lunchroom moguls glared
and watched Dudley Dew sit down with his brand
new Brady Bunch lunchbox. Across the bare
metal, factory grins, Dudleys stubby hands
caressed the top and rested on the clasps.
Classmates leaning in, he flicked the lid, grasped
the sides expectantly and found a note:
"lunch is on the counter, don't forget your coat."

Dual Relationships

In my EBD program I am responsible for problem solving with students as well as developing a positive relationship with them. Our building's Love and Logic philosophy speaks to the idea that, as teachers, we guide the students toward identifying the problem and guide them to fix the problem for themselves (we don't "punish" the students). However, many of my students have false attributions about sources of punishment, problems, and how to fix problem situations (i.e., it is always someone else's fault).

Given this dichotomy.. I am seen, with many of my students, as the "discipline teacher;" this makes it very difficult for me to foster a meaningful relationship with my students, a relationship in which they can share feelings and work towards increasing their problem solving skills.

When I am seen as the "punisher" and need to develop meaningful relationships at the same time, I feel I am struggling in a duel relationship. Sorry for the longer post; I am wondering if anyone has ideas on how I can foster the more meaninful relationship side of my job :). Thanks!

Small Triumph

Over the last few weeks, I have been struggling to get some of my students to write during Writer's Workshop time.  At the beginning of the year in kindergarten, we focus on telling our stories through detailed pictures.  Eventually we begin to add labels.  At this point in the year, though, all of my students should be writing at least 1 sentence as well.  Because it used to be okay for them to just draw a picture, though, many are getting stuck there.  I found myself getting extremely frustrated.  I know that writing is difficult and requires kids to orchestrate a lot of different things, but I also know that every single one of my students is capable of doing what I'm asking them to do.

Yesterday during my writing lesson, I didn't guilt them or tell them that they had to write (though I was tempted to).  Instead, I put a checklist on the back of some of my students' writing folders.  It had a picture of a lightbulb, a clipart picture of people, and then a sentence.  I introduced it as a reminder of what good writers do.  They get an idea, they put it in their picture, and then they write their words.  I pointed out that a few kids seemed to be getting stuck between their pictures and their words, and a lot of the kids agreed.  I told them that I knew that every single one of them could write their words because we do it during interactive writing.  I hear them calling out the letters they hear.

All of a sudden, a little boy raised his hand and said, "I told my mom I don't want to write at school."  I asked him what she said.  "She said I have to."  I just smiled and asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.  "I want to be just like you," he told me.  So, I got up and got my plan book and showed the kids how much writing I do as a teacher just to plan out one day of school.  They all gasped.  I asked them if they think I needed to write in kindergarten in order to be a teacher and they nodded.

All but one of my students wrote yesterday.  I don't expect that to happen every day. I'm sure it will wear off, but it reminded me that I just have to keep trying different things until something clicks.  It was a very encouraging day! 

Observation reactivity

As part of my documentation process, I need to conduct observations for some of my students. When I enter the room, however, their environment changes, now I am in it :), and I feel that my data gets skewed. I am looking for any thoughts that people may have on how to reduce this reactivity element when I am performing observations... thanks!

Parent Volunteers

I wanted to share a small success I have had this year. Last year was very rough for me as far as fitting in school and my life at home. I found myself spending the whole evening cutting or tracing or some other project for the classroom. This year I decided to ask for help (which is often hard for me) and I put out a sign up sheet that asked parents if they wanted to volunteer at home or at school. It was great to see that parents were willing to volunteer at home. It has been great to send home small group intervention games and resources that parents can put together. I have so many more resources this year to pull from. I felt guilty at first, but parents mentioned that they enjoy it because they get to feel a part of the classroom even if they work during the day and can't make it in. So be sure to use those resources out there.

Also, as a random side note: check out www.pinterest.com. You need to get an invite from a friend but it has some great teaching ideas. I got several literacy center ideas. Hope everyone had a great break!

Class Websites

Hey all! I am in charge of facilitating a professional development session on the 16th. I would love some feedback. Please list the things you are most proud of on your website. Or things that parents have mentioned they enjoy. Thank you!

SPARK

I've begun reading a book called Spark which details the connection between exercise and the brain. While reading I found an important note that couldn't have explained physical education better..."What we teach is a healthy lifestyle." Who could argue that healthy living isn't a crucial component of life! I think about schools that do not have physical education or that are cutting PE time to add more or to lengthen "core academic type" courses, and it saddens me. Think about the way in which we function as adults throughout our professional day. Imagine those days in which you are tired, have a cold, the flu, but you still show up to work functioning at minimal capacity. We do not function the same on those days as we would on our healthy days. We don't think the same, we don't process the same, nor to we interact with others in the same way. Being healthy is the foundation for ALL aspects of life and the quality in which we live it. It is our goal as physical education teachers to introduce kids to a variety of activities so they can fall in love with being active and maintain this lifestyle for a lifetime. We don't teach "content" we teach a lifestyle. To be continued...