Oodles of Teaching Fun

Successful Student Notes (Free Download)

positive notes home to parents

 

 

A great way to show your students support and recognize good behavior is to send home positive notes to their parents/guardians. But doing this can sometimes be forgotten with all of the other tasks we have to complete daily.  

Here are a few tips to help you remember and get those positive notes out: 

  • At the beginning of the grading period, put each student’s name on one note and go ahead and sign it, but do not fill out the behavior. 
    • This way, you won’t miss giving one out to anyone each grading period, and you only need to check off the behavior.
  • Instead of writing each student’s name on a note, use a roster to check off as you send home a positive note. This will help you make sure each student receives a positive note. But still, go ahead and sign the notes. That’s one less step for later. 

Click here to download a free positive note to use with your students! 

 

postive notes home
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25 Free Classroom Rewards

Free classroom rewards

Rewarding our students can get expensive if we let it. Check out my top 25 free classroom rewards, so you don’t break the bank!

  1. Sit in the teacher’s chair 
  2. Eat lunch with a friend in the classroom 
  3. Write with fancy pens for the day (I put the pens on my class wish list) 
  4. Eat lunch with the teacher 
  5. Eat lunch with the principal 
  6. Class movie lunch 
  7. Help with morning announcements (You’ll likely need principal help with this one) 
  8. Lunch on the playground 
  9. Write notes/announcements on the class whiteboard (My students loved this) 
  10. Positive note or email to the child’s pick of adult 
  11. Have the class mascot (stuffed animal) sit at their desk for the day 
  12. Have a special fidget to use for the day 
  13. Free ice cream coupon to a local restaurant. (I spoke with the Mcdonald’s manager and she donated a stack of coupons to use for the school year.)
  14. Wear a hat day (Be sure to check with administration if this breaks the dress code; my administration always let me as long as I gave the kiddos a hat sticker to show it was a reward) 
  15. Bring a toy for the day 
  16. Teacher assistant for the day (They run errands, pass out papers, etc) 
  17. Listen to music during afternoon pickups  
  18. Leave shoes off for class (My students love this one too) 
  19.  Extra recess time 
  20. PJ Day (Be sure to check with administration if this breaks the dress code; my administration always let me as long as I gave the kiddos a PJ sticker to show it was a reward)
  21. Everyone picks their own seat for a day
  22. Make a class Tik Tok video or Instagram Reel as a class (Be sure to have parent/guardian written permission)
  23. Charging pass (A student can charge their phone, Ipad, etc)
  24. Extra time at lunch
  25. Class outside for a class period or subject
What free rewards to use with your students?
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Growth Mindset Statements to Use Instead of You're So Smart! (Free posters)

I have been working on the statements I use with students when discussing their learning for several years. Instead of students being praised for what they perceive to have or not have, I am focusing on what the students have control of!
I have replaced phrases like “you are so smart” with “I can tell you have been working hard to master finding evidence in the text.” Below are a few posters you can use in your classroom or planning.
Growth Mindset Poster
Click on the picture to download the PDF of the Poster
Click on the picture to download the PDF of the Poster
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30 Sweet and Simple Ways to Get Your Students' Attention

Classroom management tips for first year teachers


As a teacher, I know the importance of having a quick way to grab my students’ attention.  Check out the list of attention grabbers below that I have used in the past with my students:

  1. The teacher says “Soft kitty, warm kitty.” Students say “Little ball of fur.” 
  2. The teacher says “Winner winner.” Students say “Chicken dinner.” 
  3. The teacher says “Alright, stop.” Students say “Collaborate and listen.”
  4. The teacher asks “Ready to rock?”
  5. The teachers say “Hocus Pocus.” Students say “Everybody focus.”
  6. The teacher says “Class, class, class.” Students say “Yes, yes, yes.” 
  7. The teacher says “Quiet on the set.” Students say “Action!”
  8. The teacher says “Ready to listen.” Students say “Ready to Learn.”
  9. The teacher says “Macaroni and cheese.” Students say “Everybody freeze.”
  10. The teacher says “Peanut butter.” Students say “Jelly time.”
  11. The teacher says “Surf’s up!” Students say “Cowabunga dude.”
  12. The teacher says “Du na na na. …” Students say “Batman.”
  13. The teacher asks “Ready to rock?” Students say “Ready to roll.”
  14. The teacher says “Hands on top.” Students say “That means stop.”
  15. The teacher says “Eenie Meenie.” Students say “Minie moe.”
  16. The teacher says “Ready, set?” Students say “You bet!”
  17. The teacher says “Chicka, Chicka.” Students say “Boom, boom.”
  18. The teacher says “Chugga, Chugga.” Students say “Choo, choo!”
  19. The teacher says “That’s not spirit fingers.” Students say “These are spirit fingers.” (while doing spirit fingers) 
  20. The teacher says “Everybody in the house.” Students say “Is as quiet as a mouse.”
  21. The teacher says “Crew.” Students say “Aye, aye, captain.”
  22. The teacher says “Shark bait.” Students say “Hoo ha ha.”
  23. The teacher says “To infinity.” Students say “And beyond.”
  24. The teacher says “Holy moly.” Students say “Guacamole.”
  25. The teacher says “Hakuna.” Students say “Matata.”
  26. The teacher says “Marco.” Students say “Polo.”
  27. The teacher says “Who loves you? Students say “You do.”
  28. The teacher says “Cutie pie, honey bun.” Students say “You know that I love you.” 
  29. The teacher says “Red Robin.” Students say “Yum.”
  30. The teacher says “Oh me.” Students say “Oh my.” 


I hope you enjoyed this post and found something useful for your classroom. If you found it helpful, please share the post with a teacher friend!

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Getting Ready for Field Trips Season

GET READY FOR YOUR FIRST FIELD TRIP

Field trip season is upon us. I just finished packing my bag for the first of three field trips that I will be taking with my students. I have packed the following:

  • Germ-X
  • Sunglasses
  • Pocket Juice: It is a mobile phone charger I found at Walmart for ten dollars. It never fails my phone dies, and I need it to send Remind messages and to let parents know we are getting close to home. 
  • Grooming Kit
  • First Aid Kit
  • Allergy medicine and Tylenol 
  • pens
  • Clipboard with storage area: I use to bring a folder, but it is so hard to take roll on a thin folder. Plus I can keep my pens and student information inside without it falling out.
 I’d love to know what you pack in your field trip bag. Share in the comments below. 

Field Trip checklist

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When Thursday: Daily Schedule



I’m joining Blog Hoppin’ for When Thursday. You can take a look at other teachers’ days. 

I also often spend a part of my weekend preparing for the week ahead. 



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Beginning of the Year Handouts for Better Classroom Management

I report to in-service one week from today. After finishing the post, I’m heading to school to work on my room. I usually have it done by now, but I have had a jam-packed summer.
This past weekend I worked on a few of the handouts that I will have in my students’ ELA Folders when they come to class on the first day. I usually purchase each student a paper folder when I can get them for .10 and under. (I have over 90 kiddos) Each class has its class color. There are two sides in the folder, one is returned to the teacher, and the other is a notebook. The items on the notebook side will stay in the folder until, as a class, we set up our class binders. The first handout I have is the student Reading Notebook Requirements.

classroom management strategies

This handout tells them what materials they need and what order everything goes in. They keep this handout under memos in their notebooks if something happens and they need to reorganize. Click on the picture to download the editable version. 
Each year I provide a syllabus for my students with an overview of class expectations, policies, rules, and curriculum. You can download an editable version of mine by clicking on the picture!
Beginning of the Year Handouts for Better Classroom Management
Lastly, I’m going to share my Reading Class Important Information handout. This sheet contains their log-ins, passwords, and web addresses for classes. Click on the picture to download an editable version. 

classroom management strategies


   

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