Gratitude Journal

Last fall, I did a Gratitude Journal with my students. Every day, for 42 days in a row, they had to write down 3 things they were grateful for, or write about how they were grateful that day. At the end, they did two short reflections. For students who are used to only having homework Monday through Thursday, there was a bit of a grumble at the beginning when they had to do work on the weekends. But by the end, many were sad to see the project end. Here are a few things my students said they were grateful for during the six weeks:

-My parents pay for my school
-I have a cozy bed to sleep in
-My dog was very good today - I love him and he protects me
-My mom/dad made me a good dinner
-A good education
-We have enough money to live and do the things we like
-Finishing my NaNoWriMo story
-I have a computer
-My dad who tells me that I can do anything
-My coaches and great teammates
-The bright sunshine
-I was sick, but now I am better
-The right to believe what I want to believe
-My homework wasn’t too hard tonight
-My friend wasn’t mad at me, even when I broke a promise
-I live in the U.S.A. and there are laws here to protect everyone but they don’t make everyone do what the government wants
-I am really good at sports
-Going camping with my family
-My family has enough money that we can donate some to help others
-Someone took time to play a board game with me
-The telephone - to call my dad when he is away on trips

The students also made up their own gratitude quotes, which I printed, laminated and hung on their lockers. A few examples:
-Be grateful, not hateful.
-You might not get what you want, but you should be grateful for what you have.
-Gratitude is what you have, not what you don't.
-Always be positive, even at the worst times.

Overall, this was a great project that I will definitely continue to do every year. I'm even considering doing a smaller version of it again at this point in the year as a refresher!

If you'd like to get a copy of the journal, you can find it on my TpT store!

Brag Tags

We have a program at my school where students are encouraged to set weekly goals, and long term goals. I find that after a while, kids set the same goals week after week. "I want to pass my math fact test" or "I want to read x number of minutes." I am also a teacher who likes to present extra optional challenges to my kids, and sometimes they are accepted, and other times ignored. We also do the MindUP program, which encourages qualities such as optimism, gratitude, perspective taking, happiness, etc. Some tricky concepts for some children! If only I had some way to motivate them... and then voila! A friend introduced me to brag tags, which she will be using with her kids for their goals this year. So, here are my first few sets of tags for homework and their weekly/monthly goals. I am super excited to start using these this year!

UPDATE!
I have created SO many more of these as the year went on, and I've added many to my TpT store. To see all of the sets, click here.

Weekly and Monthly Goals
Work Habits (Handwriting, Cleaning up, Determination, Focused, etc.)
Character Traits (Character traits from A to Z)
Books Read (20, 30, 40, 50 book milestones)
Mindfulness (gratitude, optimism, generous, persistent, etc.)
Homework
Interactive Notebooks
Egg Drop STEM Challenge
... and more!

I've also decided that I like to call them SWAG Tags instead of Brag Tags... It fits my classroom better, I think.

I also have sets created for Geography, spelling, math, pencil challenges, genre challenges, NaNoWriMo... the possibilities are endless! They're easy to get set up, too. I print out the sheets, laminate them, cut into strips, hole punch with a super small craft punch, cut into individual tags and store. Time consuming to hole punch and cut, but it's easy work that can be done in front of the TV while binge watching the latest show that I'm into.

Here are a few photos of them in my classroom!

Each child has a hook for their chain. They start with one tag with their name on it.

Just a small sample of the tags in my collection!

My storage bin... I picked this container up on clearance at Staples and they fit PERFECTLY with little dividers made of cardstock.

The SWAG Tag sign

Math Challenge - Presidential Math

With every unit in math, I give out a math challenge that reviews some of the major concepts from the previous unit. I had a challenge for mean, median and mode, but it turned out to be far too complicated, which meant I had to create something new. I figured social studies and presidents would be a good tie-in. So here it is, the Presidential Math Challenge! You can view it on my TpT Store.

STAR Binders and Agendas

My students have a S.T.A.R. (Students Taking Active Responsibility) Binder where they keep all of their homework, goal setting sheets, reading logs, spelling assignments, notes to home, etc. We started the year with a simple agenda sheet where they would write down homework, and the agenda has evolved as they have come up with different ideas of what they would like to include to help them stay organized.

Throughout the year, the students have given suggestions on how we could change the agenda to make it more useful. I have put together a file with all of the different iterations of the agenda (a one-page weekly homework sheet, and 3 different two-page versions) and the STAR Binder cover sheet. The agenda sheets should be copied front to back and stapled together to create a small booklet. I usually copy extras of each sheet one-sided to make the front and back of the booklets. There are spaces to write in helpful websites (class websites, school lunch menus etc.) on some of the forms before copying.

If you would like to use them with your students, you can find them in my TpT store. Enjoy!

Spelling Headaches Finally Solved

It's always a challenge moving to a new grade level, and I've been feeling like I'm trying to dig my way out of a hole ever since the year started.  All of the wonderful plans I had put together in my head, and in some cases on paper, finally had their chance to be implemented, and while some of them worked out well, some of them didn't go as well as I'd hoped.

Spelling has been my biggest nemesis so far this year, but I think I have finally gained the upper hand! Last year I continued using Words Their Way, but I just wasn't happy with it in the end.  My summer planning put me on a path to use a modified version of Spelling Connections so that students would have their own, individualized list of words, practice with using words in context (something I just couldn't get to work for me with the way we were using WTW), and get extra practice with grammar skills.  I used the WTW spelling inventory at the start of the year, and I just couldn't figure out how to mesh the missing spelling patterns for some kids with the lessons in the book.  So, a new plan was needed.

I finally decided on using both programs (Spelling Connections and WTW), alternating between lists each week, but the details were still fuzzy on how exactly to implement everything.  First, I had to go back to the original assessments and place each student at an appropriate spot in both programs.  Out of 10 kids (yes, 10... it's part of the reason that I CAN do this!) I have 4 groups in SC and 6 groups in WTW.  I decided to use the SC program the first week since it was easier to wrap my head around, and the lists were already premade, which made it easier to get everyone started with Spelling City.  Thankfully, that all went smoothly!

No matter how many times I thought I'd had a plan for the WTW weeks, I just kept finding problems with my solutions.  When I left work on Friday, I knew that next week would be a WTW week, and I still didn't have the details sorted out on how to implement it smoothly! After hours of working on it this weekend, I FINALLY have a plan!

I started going through the WTW program and creating lists of 15 words from each sort that represent all of the different spelling patterns being covered, including some of the extra words that are listed in the book but are not part of the sorts.  I then double checked my lists against the different lessons that use those patterns in the SC book and made any necessary changes.  Each list is being printed out and put on a 4x6 index card with a heading like WW Sort 19 (Within Words Sort 19) or SA Sort 4 (Syllables and Affixes Sort 4).  The lists are also color coded by which book they came from to help us keep them organized.  Those short headings will then be used for the Spelling City lists, and hopefully will be easy enough for the kids to remember.

So, on Monday morning, each child will get their sort card (they may have to share with a friend) so that they can copy their 15 spelling pattern words into their agenda.  I will meet with each student/group to discuss their sort.  They will then add any words they misspelled from last week's test to their list, followed by any words on their misspelled words card (which is where I've been writing down any words they have misspelled in their writing).  If they still have spaces to go in their list of 20 words, I have a few math vocabulary words they can choose from.

Their homework/classwork will be from a spelling packet where I've broken the activities down into groups... Practicing the Pattern, What Does It Mean?, Break It Down, Playing With Words, and Just for Fun!  That way, I can assign work based on what they need... spelling patterns, vocabulary, etc.  They will also be able to use Spelling City for practice, although they will have to go in and practice their list in two parts... the WTW sort words and their individual list.

Whew!

An example of the WTW lists I am printing for the 4x6 cards

Reader's Response

I designed this packet to use as reader's response homework for my students, which I assign once or twice a week. Included are a rubric, an example heading, directions for 15 different types of responses, and a recording sheet so that students can keep track of which responses they've completed and the number of points they earned for each. I have included the same set of materials both in cursive and print.

Here is a list of the responses:
Book Recommendation
Character Comparison
Crossword Puzzle
Diary Entry
I Figured It Out
I Wonder
Interview
Letter to the Author
Make Me Laugh
Nose for News
Predicting the Future
That Reminds Me
Trading Places
Write Me a Letter
You Should Try That

It is for sale on both my TpT store, and my Teachers Notebook store.

Activity Bags

Even though I've turned this into a 3rd grade blog, I have a bunch of Kindergarten resources that I want to put up on my TpT site.  Over the last 5 years or so, I've been using Activity Bags in my Kindergarten classroom, and they have been well-liked by both students and parents.  There are 20 themed bags, which include instructions, books, hands-on materials, and resources from the classroom.  Children would take each bag home for up to a week, the most popular bags being the stuffed animal bags (Mirabelle's Bag and the Fuzzy Bear Bag).  The parents seemed to most appreciate the Fine Motor Skills Bag, especially if their child could not yet tie their shoes!  I store the bags on hooks behind my closets.

 Here is an example of the contents of one of the bags.  This is bag #4 - Rhyming and Word Families, which includes a wipe off word family house, Rhyming Radishes folder game, wooden letters and word family cards, word family postcards (Vistaprint), a word family journal (Michaels was always great for picking up the $1.00 journals, though the prices have gone up lately),  a pencil box with pencils and a pencil sharpener, 3 rhyming books for kids to read, feedback cards (so families can tell you what they liked/didn't like and if any pieces are broken or missing - also from Vistaprint), and the instruction sheet which goes into each bag.  Note that every item has a number label on it so that when random items come in days (or weeks, or even months) later, you can easily put it back in the right spot.

I have put together a resource with all of my activity bag instruction pages, instructions for creating the bags, parent letters, printables, bag tags, check off sheets for signing bags out to students, and some samples of Vistaprint creations that I used for the bags.  It is all editable since other people will likely not have the same books and resources that I used, but it will serve as a great starting point.  The following themed bags were used:

#1 - Counting Bag
#2 - Sorting and Graphing Bag
#3 - All About Me Bag
#4 - Rhyming and Word Families Bag
#5 - Measuring Bag
#6 - Time and Money Bag
#7 - Mystery Bag
#8 - Scientist of the Week Bag
#9 - Estimation Bag
#10 - Letter Sounds Bag
#11 - Alphabet Bag
#12 - Shapes and Colors Bag
#13 - Mirabelle's Bag
#14 - Nursery Rhymes Bag
#15 - Fine Motor Skills Bag
#16 - Sight Words Bag
#17 - Name Game Bag
#18 - Making Words Bag
#19 - Fuzzy Bear Bag
#20 - Numbers Bag

 

 

 To download the Activity Bags file, visit my Teachers pay Teachers store.