Ten Tally Marks!

When our class does a great job at following directions or at doing a nice job in the hallways so other classes can learn, we earn a tally mark.
When we get to ten tally marks, we earn a class reward!

Sometimes we get to take off our shoes for the day, sometimes we get free time to play or draw, and today we are having a popcorn party!

Here we are watching our video and chomping away happily:

Spelling Task Chart Freebie

Hey there!

I whipped up a little chart to display in my classroom so that my kiddos will know which Word Work/Spelling activity to complete each day.  We have 4 differentiated spelling groups (we use Words Their Way-eh...), and we rotate on Mondays to introduce the new sorts and on Fridays to assess.  The rest of the week the students work on their word sorts/patterns independently, so I have changed our morning routine to ensure that all students get spelling practice daily.

Please feel free to download this chart if it would be helpful to you.  I included a chart with 3 groups and one with 4 groups.

I'd love to know if you are able to use this or if you have any ideas of how to improve it!

Hope you all are having a good week so far.  Can anyone else not believe that it's only TUESDAY?!  How am I already so tired??  :)

Please click on the screenshot to download this Freebie from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Thanks again!  (8 days till Turkey Break!...not that I'm counting...)

Monday Made It: good times!

Well, I could've sworn I had a lot of little projects to share this week, but it appears most of them were created on the computer and/or Cricut, and all of those are off with my friend who took my stuff to get laminated for me!  :D  I just took some screen shots to share instead of the real deal.  :)

I'm linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics, of course.  :)

This is my new classroom banner.  I still have to string all the pieces together with ribbon, of course.  I haven't decided where I'll hang it, mainly because I haven't been able to get into my classroom since they didn't clean it till today.    

Our school-wide theme is "Peace, Love, Longhorns" (our mascot), and we use the phrase:

Do what you love; Love what you do.

I also made some new month headers for my calendar.  

These will go nicely with my new classroom theme/colors.  :)

New Word Wall letters:

I made these signs for my whole team: each of us in a different color. 

I figure we can hang them on/by our classroom doors.  

(Peace sign backgrounds are from Surfin' Through Second.  Click the link to visit her TpT store.)

 Here's my new behavior clip chart.  The one I've used the last 2 years is just made from construction paper that I wrote on with a Sharpie.  Yeah.  So I finally decided to remedy that eye sore.

Be sure to visit the linky party and check out everyone's creations!

CAFE Headers Freebies

Well, I planned to get a lot done this week.  Then my son got sick.  Then I got sick.  And we're STILL sick.  Ugh.  Don't you just hate being sick in the summer?  It's like, WRONG or something.

Anywho.

I did make something a few weeks ago that I'd like to share with whoever may be able to use it.  I made these cute headers for my CAFE bulletin board.  I didn't have a CAFE bulletin board last year.  Because I didn't do CAFE.  See, we were told back in like, September that we were going to be doing Daily 5.  Only we hadn't been trained.  Or read the book.  So basically I had enough on my plate to figure out how to implement Daily 5 without also taking on CAFE.  Good times.

So yeah.  I digress.  As usual.  Adult ADD.

So here are the files.  There are 2, because I made several different designs.

Here's a preview of the 1st file, which has one set of headers with red and blue stars and a set with orange and green stars.  (Click the image to download on TpT.)

The 2nd file has 2 other versions.  The first is 4 different brights with white polka dots, and the second design is bright colored stripes.  Here's a preview.  (Click the image to download on TpT.)

I'm linking up with Made It Monday over at 4th Grade Frolics.  I am so excited to have come across this linky party!  I have already seen such amazing ideas from you people!  :)  Keep 'em coming.

I know most people link up their classroom craftiness, and I have lots of that on my list, but I just didn't feel up to anything this week, and I hope the linky party will get the freebie out to more people who can use it!  :)

I hope these will help make someone's life a little easier.  :)  Just print, laminate, and staple 'em up.  I'd love to know if you like these or have any suggestions.  Thanks for stopping by!

-Gayla

Class Dojo Parent Letter

If you would like to use/edit and use the letter I sent to my parents about the Class Dojo website, please feel free to snag it:

Class Dojo Parent Letter

Not sure why Google Docs won't properly upload the cuter version of this letter, but it won't.

I also have no idea how to embed the document so you can see a preview; sorry!  :)

Hope this will be helpful for someone.

A Class Management Tool You Never Knew You Always Needed

Have you heard about Class Dojo yet?

If not, this is your lucky day!  If so, lucky you! 

I had read about Class Dojo on two different blogs and signed up for it back in September, but then I promptly forgot all about it.  (Shocking, I know, what with all my free time floating around and everything.)  Then I read about the site on yet ANOTHER blog and remembered I signed up but never used it!

Let me tell you:  this website is AWESOME.  It allows teachers to provide students with instant feedback on their behavior, positive and negative, so that not only do you redirect those who need it, but you also affirm those who often get overlooked because they are ALWAYS doing the right thing.

I often feel like the students who behave poorly are getting all my attention, which must surely be frustrating for the students who work so hard to do their best constantly.  This site allows you to give points for positive behaviors and take away points for misbehavior.  It also is completely customizable, so I was able to go in and add my own behaviors that apply to my own classroom.  Here are some peeks into Class Dojo's awesomeness:

This is the home screen where you can click a student's name to award/deduct a point.  This is what is displayed in my class pretty much ALL day long, unless we're doing something else on the Smartboard or projector.

When you click on a student's name, you see this screen, where you can award a positive point to that student.  To see the negative behaviors, just click on that red tab, and you'll see those options:

Here are the negative behaviors.  Many of them are unique to me, but you can change them to fit what goes on in your room.  :D

This is a view of my entire class report beginning December 1st.  (You can make the date range whatever you like and either print or email the report--I will be emailing individual student reports to their parents on a weekly or bi-weekly basis beginning in January.)  Strangely, the kids LOVE seeing this report at the end of each day.  So funny.

Here is a report of an individual student and her points.  As you can see, it shows she has had ALL positive points, but the best part is that it shows exactly HOW she earned her points.  AWESOME.

See?  Awesome.

One of my favorite things about Class Dojo, is that since we began using it, I have noticed students really supporting each other.  When one of them gets a point, I'll always hear someone congratulating that student with a "Good job, Susie," or "Wow, Kent, you got a point!"  They are especially supportive when a student who struggles with behavior (and gets many points taken away) earns a positive point.  It is really neat to see them stick together and caring about one another.  Score one for the TEAM!

OK, two more important things: 

1) every time I award or take away a point, it flashes on the screen and either dings (+) or buzzes (-), shows the student's name and the behavior they were displaying.

2) there is an APP FOR THAT!  That's right, peeps, if you have an iPhone, you can download the app and use your phone as a remote for Class Dojo.  I use this all the time, even in the hallway and cafeteria.  

SERIOUSLY?  The best.  Thing.  Ever.  If you're not on board yet, you must be crazy.   :)

Holla.