The Daily Five- Chapter 2

This week Kindergarten Smiles is hosting!

Chapter 2 Questions

1. Do you trust your students? How do you build this trust? Are you able to trust them and allow them to be independent throughout all aspects of your day? Are you going to be able to stay out of their way?

I do trust my students. I work very hard in the first couple months of school to establish relationships with every student and to work on them establishing relationships with each other. I make sure that they know they can come to me and tell me anything, and I listen and follow up with them on things they tell me. I feel like this means a lot to them, and to see the look on their faces when I bring something up that they had told me awhile ago, their little faces just are bursting with excitement. This all has to be done before trust in the classroom itself with academics takes place. I feel that if the students feel you have a good relationship, they will want to follow directions, and please you. However, me staying out of their way? That is going to be a tough one! I am very much the teacher who praises them and sits next to them and asks questions about what they are doing or reading. I have never done the Daily Five though, so this is going to be something that I really have to work on!

2. How much choice do you give your students throughout the day?  Do you go over your daily schedule with your students or is it just 'posted' in the room?

I am a firm believer of a daily schedule, and going over the schedule in the morning. It is amazing how much the children look at it and reference items even before they can read isn't it? I also draw pictures next to each item so that the non-readers who really cannot associate the words with the time of day yet can identify what is next. For choice, the main times in class that I allow them to make choices is math time. This is after they complete their classwork, they may choose a math game or to work on their differentiated math packet. When I think of it, the choices in my classroom have almost always been when they are done with the main item assigned. The Daily Five will definitely be different for me, however it is going to be a welcome change!

3. How are you going to create that sense of community where students will hold each other accountable?

I find that it is important to model how to hold someone accountable, as in the polite way, and the not-so-polite way. Often times the children will laugh at the not-so-polite way because it is so far off from how most of them act, however it does it home with some.  It is important to directly teach kinders how to approach someone who is not following along, and the correct way to encourage them to get back on task. I praise children who are polite to each other and it really catches on like wild fire. Can you imagine a polite class? :)

4. Student ownership in learning? How do you instill this in every child?

I completely agree with the sisters in explaining why we do certain assignments. I have to admit I am not wonderful at it, and I need to work on this area. I think it is going to be important to explain to them so that they do have buy in, and start getting internally motivated to make choices during the Daily Five.

5. Stamina! How are you going to build stamina with reading? independent work? Will you use a timer? Will you set goals?

I definitely will be using a timer, and going veryyyyy slow. My goals will start out with very small amounts of time, and there will be a lot of praise and reports to parents! We will set daily goals and work up to a weekly goal. ( however weekly goals are hard for kinders to grasp )

Next week we go back to Live, Love, Laugh Kindergarten for Chapter 3. Link up if you are reading!!! I would love to hear your thoughts!

The Daily Five- Chapter 1

Hello all! I know I am not a true teaching blog and you see WAY too many posts about my family, but hey, I am a kinder teacher too, and I am joining in our your book study :) This week Tammy from Live Laugh Love Kindergarten posted about chapter one. Each Thursday the host for the next chapter will post questions for you before reading and also allow for you to ask questions in the comments. The following Wednesday, that blogger will post answers to that week’s questions and a reflection of that chapter. You will have an opportunity to link up each week too so the learning will continue to spread online. I have learned so much already and I just have read Chapter 1!!! 

Here are Chapter 1's questions:

1. How do I teach new behaviors?

In kindergarten, everything is a new behavior!!! August, September, and even October are spent with a LOT of talking to them about what a behavior should look like, and what procedures should look like from the beginning all the way to the end. I do a lot of repetition, and modeling for them, and I point out students who are doing a great job. I praise praise praise children when they are doing the right thing ( and hope that it rubs off on the others! ) New behaviors take me a long time to get, so for them I give the same type of grace I would want.

2. How do I teach expectations?

My expectations are definitely modeled and talked about all day everyday, even on the last day of school! My expectations change as they get older, and start becoming more familiar with what is going on in school and in our class. There will be those that, on the last day of school you are scratching your head and wondering where they were all year long when you were going over these expectations......BUT for the most part if you are CONSISTENT with your expectations and praising those that are following them, the class will follow along.

3. How do I monitor student behavior? whole group? small groups? individual?

Presently I do it all. I really would like to do the " I Can" charts that I see around the internet, but I have yet to do them.

4. What do I do when a student is not exhibiting desired behavior?

I use a clip chart in my classroom to provide immediate consequences when students are not behaving the way they have been taught. There are good and bad things that happen when students clip up ( good ) or down ( bad ). Students clip up if they receive rainbow sticks ( colored popsicle sticks ) and if they get to the highest color they get something from the treasure box. If students are continually making poor choices, they have to take away their rainbow sticks, and then move their clip down. As they move down the chart, there are consequences that go along with that, such as a simple warning, 5 minutes away from the class, missed recess, time in another room, and call parents. What I have found works BEST though is simply praising those who are following along and most others will get the idea.

5. Whose classroom is it?

It's OUR classroom! From my first day of teaching 8 years ago I made it a point to always let the class take part in decisions and share their opinions on certain items in class. They need to be comfortable in the classroom, and this can happen by allowing them to feel they are included and their voice matters.

6. Locus of control?

External locus of control. This will definitely be changed this summer while reading this book!

7. Where are supplies stored?

My students keep their supplies in their pencil boxes at their seat. They have what they need (pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, erasers) and I have a few areas throughout the room where they know they can get a whiteboard, eraser, sharpened pencil, extra crayon, glue stick and so on. I also have an area that has a whole punch, stapler and tape, and they are free to use any of it on assignments for class. ( not notes to their best friends :) )This is AFTER I have explained my expectations though :)

There is a great pinterest board for the Daily Five that this group has started ( click on the picture below for a link to it )

Caitlin from Kindergarten Smiles is leading Chapter 2! Click below to go to her blog and start following her!!!

A picture of my class!

I know you all know, but I made the big switch from 5th grade to kinder this year. Since I have been catching up on posts I haven't posted anything really about it at all, BUT I LOVE IT! Primary has been so joyful, and I feel like I am daily, even hourly, making a huge impact. It is physically demanding, and not so much mentally, but honestly it was the switch I NEEDED! When you feel stagnant, it is time for a change! Heck I like changing the furniture all the time too! :)Here is my class when Santa came by to visit before break.

I know you all know, but I made the big switch from 5th grade to kinder this year. Since I have been catching up on posts I haven't posted anything really about it at all, BUT I LOVE IT! Primary has been so joyful, and I feel like I am daily, even hourly, making a huge impact. It is physically demanding, and not so much mentally, but honestly it was the switch I NEEDED! When you feel stagnant, it is time for a change! Heck I like changing the furniture all the time too! :)Here is my class when Santa came by to visit before break.