Welcome to Kindergarten!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE all of these fun, new pennant banners popping up all over the internet. What a fun and whimsical way to decorate your classroom!? I decided to create one to welcome my new students to my classroom. Check it out! 

It is hard to see in the picture, but you can get a better idea if you head over to my store and check out the preview thumbnails. 

TPT Store

Teacher's Notebook

I sure hope that someone will find it useful for their classroom! Once I have it hanging up in my room I will post a picture. I'll be spending the whole day there today... hopefully I get a lot done! :) Does anyone else find themselves working on random, little things instead of the big, important things? I could just play around in my classroom all day long! 

Have a terrific Tuesday! :) 

 - Anna - 

Responsive Classroom

Wow, I can't believe it has been almost 6 months since I had my first post! I have decided that I need to stop thinking about blogging, and just do it! :) 

I just spent a week taking Responsive Classroom 2. I started the first class last summer, but was put on temporary bed-rest while pregnant. I wasn't able to finish the first class, but still implemented a lot of it in my classroom last year. Luckily, my principal allowed me to take the second class this summer! And I am so glad! We discussed a lot of areas that are common trouble spots for educators. There are a few ideas that I am excited to use in my room this fall, but one stood out to me more than the others. We learned about Problem Solving Conferences with students. They can be used for any type of behavior/issue, but I feel they would work great for when students aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing in the classroom. (Please tell me I'm not the only one with this problem!!) The instructor, Kristin, was amazing and shared an actual "script" that she uses with the students. I tweaked it a little bit and typed it up so that I could have a "cheat sheet" for when I need it. She suggested making it small and keeping it somewhere that you could refer to it. I'm going to print off one big copy and then print it 1/4 the size so I can put it next to my computer. 


Here are the example quotes she suggested:


1. "I noticed ___________ (fill in the blank with the behavior). Did you notice that too? A great example would be, "I noticed that you haven't started your work yet. Did you notice that too?" Sometimes kids don't even realize that they are off-task! This little reminder may be all you need! 


2. "Well, that can't happen anymore. It is a problem because ___________ (fill in the blank)." Explain why it is a problem. Is it distracting other students? Will they have time to finish their project? Is it unsafe?


3. "What do you think that's about anyway? Could it be _________." Give them a chance to think about why they are exhibiting that behavior. Did they understand the directions? Are they distracted by something that happened earlier? 


4. "We need to fix things (make it better, make it work). Do you have any ideas? How about _________?" Try to let them come up with a solution. If they can't think of one, offer them a suggestion.


5. "Let's try it! I'll be keeping an eye on things and will check in with you." Show the student that you are excited for them to try to solve the problem and then be sure to come back and check in with them after a few minutes! 


I hope this little bit of info will be helpful to other teachers! I'm attaching a form for you to download for your own files. 

Click here to download through Google Docs!

Have a great night!


Anna :)