Pre-Referral Intervention Manual

This book is amazing. It was given to our school today, and I learned so much by browsing through it. This book is used so that teachers can be sure they have tried everything possible with students before they refer students for testing.

For example, you have a student who fails to complete their classwork during class time. All you have to do is flip the book open to the index, find that topic, and then turn to the page indicated. On that page, you will find about 45 different things to try with that student.

I plan on utilizing this book to its fullest extent.

Teacher's Convention

This past week, the teachers from our school attended Keystone Christian Education Association's teacher's convention. It was an awesome time of rejuvenation, sharing ideas, learning new things, and refueling our passion for teaching.

I got lots of new ideas, some of which I will be sharing with you here. Some may make sense for your classroom, and some may not, but I hope that they will be a benefit to someone!

The picture at the top of the page is a new project I am working on for my classroom. I do not have a high budget for buying things for school, so I have to make my own things. These are the labels for our new daily schedule. I will appoint a student to put them in order each day, so other than preparing the labels and preparing a chart of daily activities for the students so that they can update the chart, there will be no extra work for me! That is the kind of thing I love. I learned early on that the more I can leverage my time, the better off I will be.

Awesome Site Alert!

Check out SpellingCity.com! This awesome website allows teachers to upload their weekly spelling lists. Students can then log on and choose either "Teach Me," "Test Me," or "Play a Game."

Under Teach Me, students will be able to listen as the computer says the word, spells the word, and then says the word again. A sentence is also given for each word.

If a student chooses Play A Game, then they get to choose between bunches of great games that incorporate their spelling words. Some of the games are Word Search, Match It, Crossword, and Hang Mouse. There are a total of nine different games, all full of fun!

Test Me is where the students are given a practice test. The students hear the word, and then type it in the blank. The computer generates a grade sheet, which can be printed for the teacher's records.

If you have been trying to figure out how to add some variety to your spelling class, try this out. You'll love it!

First Day

My door sign
This year, I was well prepared for the first day of school. I knew what I was doing, and when I was doing it down to the minute. It went wonderfully until my students were so very well-behaved that we finished most things early! Oh well, I had plenty of supplemental things to do.
I am looking forward to this year. Last year I had to deal with several students who were downright rebellious. This year, I have some mischieviousness, but no rebellion. What a relief. As the year goes on, it may develop, but I am praying that it does not! I need a break from the stress that goes with trying to deal with rotten students!

Classroom Handbook

This year I am trying something new. I got the idea at teacher's convention last year and have been working on it on and off throughout the last year. I will be giving each student a classroom handbook. Check it out for more information.



Mrs. Teacher's Handbook

Back to School

School will be starting soon, and teachers around the country are frantically decorating their rooms. The first year I taught, I planned all of the next year's bulletin boards ahead of time. This year, not so much.
Here are some great sites I found with fantastic ideas!
Bulletin Board Pro
Classroom Displays and Bulletin Boards
Classroom Bonus.com
Teaching Hearts
Teacher Help.org
Teaching Heart.net

There is a plethora of ideas contained in these links. Hopefully soon, I will be able to show you pictures of my room and its bulletin boards.

Keep Them Moving!

Jen over at Following the Footsteps had the great idea of hosting a Back to School Teacher Swap. Jen is the kind of teacher I would have liked to have. She does a fantastic job and is always coming up with something new! Anyway, if you are a teacher, head over to her blog
to get some fantastic teaching ideas.

I think the ideas I am going to share are about keeping your students active. Please keep in mind that I teach third and fourth grade. These ideas may need to be adjusted to fit your classroom. Especially in the first few weeks of school, students are trying to get back into the routine of things. Over the summer, they ran, played, went on vacation, and probably didn't stop for more than two minutes at a time. Coming back to school is a tremendous change for them, and the more that we teachers can help with that transition, the more smoothly our classrooms will operate.
Do not be one of those teachers who has the students sit at their desks all day. Students should stand and move to get their minds back on track. Here are some ways that incorporate a little bit of "wiggle" time into my day. (The older students get, the less they need. However, even adults focus better when they can move around after sitting for a long time.) The more actively students participate, the more they will learn.

Idea #1
Incorporate movement and action into each class. In Bible class we sing action songs. In Language, we come to the board, do sit down-stand up reviews. In Spelling we act out the words as we spell them, we use cowboy voices and use our hands to "lasso." We write in the air with our fingers in Writing class. In Math we do a lot of board work. In science we take quick walks outside. In History, I'll have the students act out the day's lesson.

Idea #2
Some days, there isn't so much time for added stuff within your lessons. On those days, take thirty seconds to have your students move during a transition time.

One thing I like to do is have them say this little poem and do the actions.

I'm alive, (hands on head) awake, (hands on shoulders), alert (hands on knees), enthusiastic (clap with each syllable). Repeat 2 times.
I'm alive(head), awake(shoulders), alert(knees, alert(knees), awake(shoulders), alive(head).
I'm alive, (hands on head) awake, (hands on shoulders), alert (hands on knees), enthusiastic (clap with each syllable).
We see how fast we can get as we continue to learn it. This is something that my classroom is famous for. When grandparents come on grandparents day, we teach them how to do it. In assemblies, sometimes we'll be called on to show the other classes how to do this. It's lots of fun, and it is ACTIVE. If you have trouble getting your kids to wind down, have them repeat this like their grandparents would say it at the very end before they sit down.

Another thing I do is have the students stand next to their desks, and then I tell them "Jump to face the ______________(clock, windows, books, etc.)" In one jump, they have to be facing that direction. We do this about 5-10 times, and then they sit down.

The last idea I'd like to share is a game called 'Stand Like a ____________" I'll tell the kids, "Stand like a frog. Stand like a king. Stand like a giraffe. Stand like a soldier, etc." Just standing there and changing their posture gets them moving so that they can focus better when they sit back down.

So, what do you do to keep your kids active in your classroom? I'd love to hear tips, hints, and ideas!