In my classroom we use CHAMPS.
c=Conversation
h-Help
a=Activity
m=Movement
p=Participation
s=Success
The students have clear expectations for the different activities that we do each day. I also modeled and have had students to model the expectations. My students also earn Champs bucks when they show positive behavior or do well on their district progress monitoring. I have a store where the students can spend their champs bucks. I also have a classroom Champs chart that has 30 stars for the students to earn if they work together as a team by following directions. We decided as a class what the rewards would be when we reach 30 stars. They include lunch with the teacher, extra computer time or a homework pass.

I would show short video clips about each person and discuss their significance. I would then have students in groups and have them use Kagan strategies such as quiz, quiz trade where the students write down information about their person in question form and they trade with other people in their groups. Also talking chips is another strategy where each person in the group has to talk about the information that they learned about the person that the group is focusing on. A poster could be made from this and a gallery walk could be used for the students to learn about all of the influential people.

Having the older students to help younger students to create books about a subject or to create a story together is great for collaboration. Working on sight words by rainbow writing them or using play doh to create words is engaging. Teaching math facts using cubes or drawing pictures together to create equations for math facts up to 10.

I teach my students about hairy money, this helps the students to identify the coin value and it teaches skip counting by 5's to count money. Here is the link:https://youtu.be/5ow8LogXXfU?si=q673PAxPAhmauQn1 I also teach about the value of coins using a video from ABC Mouse on youtube. It has a great tune for the students to sing along. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/aajLkveG750?si=FpT8FvzjqeqXrcbY

I always start our money unit by having students bring in real coins so that they can see their sizes and feel the edges. I also teach my students about hairy money, this helps the students to identify the coin value and it teaches skip counting by 5's to count money. Here is the link:https://youtu.be/5ow8LogXXfU?si=q673PAxPAhmauQn1 I also teach about the value of coins using a video from ABC Mouse on youtube. It has a great tune for the students to sing along. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/aajLkveG750?si=FpT8FvzjqeqXrcbY

I have not given an assessment on this topic, but I have used the following video to help teach my students about perspectives. Here is the link:https://youtu.be/lmxD1V17Ks0?si=hmczr-GnCWuTPl-9

You could have your students to tell the perspective of the lady and the teenager.

Kids are not always social because they have not been taught how to communicate with each other. I do teach Kagan strategies in my classroom. These strategies help students to be comfortable with talking to each other in a group or with a partner.

These resources are great. I really like the cvc words.

We have began using a quick phonics screener that is free. It tests for letter names , sounds and blends along with other skills. It can be printed and the website is https://www.sfdr-cisd.org/media/gaidhbg0/quick-phonics-screener.pdf

I have taught classes to other teachers in my school district. I have suggested resources for science to help teach our curriculum to my district. I also think that mentoring student teachers is a great way to show leadership and it is greatly appreciated.

I have had my students to use colored cubes to represent two numbers. This helps with addition and subtraction. I also teach my students how to use a number bond because it is important that they know the whole number and the parts of an equation.

To build relationships with my students I have them to complete an all about me worksheet. I also have one about myself. It is great to have the students explain their worksheet and I can comment on it. I let them know that they are free to voice their opinions in my classroom. We also do classroom circles which allow the students to share their thoughts and ideas.

With my English language learners, I often ask them to tell me what they are not understanding so that I can make modifications for them. I also do a lot of modeling because they need a lot of visuals to help them to understand. Sometimes it also takes a lot of repletion and practice to ensure that they are learning and it helps to build their confidence.

To keep track of assignments , they are input into an online grading system called Aspen. I also use checklists that have my students names and I can statements so that I can keep track of what they are learning.

Achieving National Board Certification has made me step up into many leadership roles. I have been a fellow for Teach Plus and have lead classes during Covid. I have also presented for the National Board. I mentor candidates going through the process. Certification has also made me reflect on my teaching to ensure that I reached the goals that I planned on during a lesson. Before certification, I did not have my students self assess their learning. This has been powerful for my students because they are taking charge of their learning.

In my district we have to include the state standards on our lesson plans. To help ensure that I am meeting the needs of my students, I am monitoring their progress daily to ensure that they are staying on track. If I see that they need more help, I will pull them individually or in a group to make sure that they are meeting the standards.

One of the best professional developments that I have received was when I attended a Seesaw class. I really enjoyed this because it was the tool that we used during Covid to communicate with parents and students to show what they were learning. You are able to record your own videos and can upload videos to help increase student learning. You can also have students to complete worksheets so that you can see what they need to work on.

I have used a similar strategy. I like to use elkonin boxes to have my students to segment the sounds that they hear. I also teach the students how to segment words using Michael Haggerty.

To help keep my students engaged during a science lesson I had students in groups. They all received talking chips. I just used round circles that I had. This idea was taken from the Kagan Strategy book. This allows all of the students to have a chance to engage in the conversation at least 1 time. This worked well with my students who usually take over the conversation and allows every student to have a voice.

I usually teach this during the week of earth day. I have my students to watch a video on brainpopjunior.com about recycling and the importance of it. This is the link for the video:https://youtu.be/-ZFInnwmmis?si=prZAgizdeXpTaqJH. I have also had students to plant beans to see how they grow and we talk about the importance of plants and why they are also important to animals.

Teaching students how to self assess is very powerful tool because it causes students to be held accountable for their learning. I have shown my students posters that include 4 levels of learning. Level 1 means that you still need help. Level 2 means that I am starting to get it. Level 3 means I can do it all by myself. Level 4 means that I can do level 3 and teach others. I have had students choose the wrong level and have had to conference them on their work individually. I also may have the levels on exit slips to check for understanding and the students have to circle what level they think that they are at . I am attaching some examples of how I have displayed what student work looks like at each level. The posters that have the clipart and descriptions of the levels are from other teachers on Teachers pay Teachers.

I collect student data by using checklists. They can be used for any subject. I choose a standard and create I can statements about what I want to see for my students to be successful. I have my students names listed and I walk around marking if they have mastered the I can statements. If I notice that a group of students are struggling in a certain area, I pull them to reteach. I have sometimes noticed that the entire class may need to be retaught a certain lesson and I may take an extra day to reteach to ensure that my students understand before I move to the next lesson. I am attaching a copy of what a checklist may look like.

I have been fortunate to work in a district that provides professional development for the curriculum and resources that my district uses. Look to see what your district is offering to help to meet the needs of students in your district. I do like the professional development that has been provided by NSTA(National Science Teacher Association). Their conferences focuses on all of the components of STEM which is helpful to students. I would also say to choose professional development that has to do with technology because it helps to keep students engaged.

During math instruction, I like to use short video clips to help introduce a lesson. For example I have used a video with a singer using hand movements to represent counting by 5’s around the clock. I have also used quartet singers in a video from ABC mouse to introduce my students to the coins and their values. The songs are catchy and the students like to sing along. I have also used Kahoot to review a science lesson. The students like this because they are competing against each other to answer the questions correctly. This is a fun way to review and the class can see as a whole how well they performed on each question. In all of my examples that I used, I made sure the resources were of high engagement and properly aligned with my goals for each lesson.

Genevieve Goings- "How Many Fives Around The Clock?" Official Video- https://youtu.be/jGtBYUQKF4M?si=BfpAw5ENr1OFUUs9

"Coins!" by ABCmouse.com- https://youtu.be/aajLkveG750?si=mILgRb7ZHFBBR988

When I am mentoring a new teacher I do the following:
*I make them feel comfortable about asking questions because I need to know what advice they want for me so that they can be successful.
*I listen to their concerns and give them honest advice.
*Be open minded and know that a mentor teacher can also learn from a new teacher. They often have great resources and ideas to bring to the profession.

I celebrate birthdays by giving my students a birthday crown, birthday card, and they get to choose a gift.

I like to show my students shapes like hearts, squares and rectangles. I fold them so that the students can see the fractions.

I use Sid the Science kid videos on youtube to help teach lessons. My students like the songs that they sing and the science experiments. I also use Generation Genius because of their Kahoot games that help check for learning. I use Mystery Science to perform science experiments after watching the informational videos.

I support struggling students by allowing time to give them extra support. I do this by assigning assignments on Freckle math that target specific skills. I also meet with them individually to check for understanding.

I like to teach students about chunking out sounds. This helps them to decode faster. I have shown my students videos by Jack Hartmann and Nessy on YouTube to help teach this strategy.

I have learned that you should put up posters that reflect the learning as the school year progresses. I do agree that you have to make your classroom reflect the needs of the students. Just make sure that your students feel welcomed as they come into your classroom by having their names on birthday charts, desks and even the door to the classroom.

I begin with whole group instruction to teach math. I try to review skills that they had in their previous grade level to see how well they know it, then I introduce new skills for 2nd grade. After teaching whole group, I may have students show me some of their work. This allows me to see who needs extra support. I am also able to see how many groups of students I need to pull.

I recognize a reinforce positive behavior by having students come up with ideas about what positive behavior is and looks like. As a class we create a list that is posted in the classroom. When I see students showing positive behavior I reward them with champ bucks that they can spend on items in the class store. I also send home positive notes to parents. I also have the students help me to create a consequences poster that I refer to during the school year.

We have an open house before school begins to help build relationships. I also send home a parent letter to introduce myself. I also make sure that I give my parents the opportunity to ask questions and let them know that they are always welcome to do so.

I use a calendar to help me plan what needs to get done first. I also make good use of my plan time both as a professional learning community and individual plan time.

I use sticks with my students names on them or I have a student in charge of pulling the sticks. I have also used a name wheel online that spins a students name. I have pictures with carpet expectations that include how the students should be sitting on the carpet.

I like to practice problems using white boards or work mats. I noticed that my students like to use dry erase markers to show their work. I also like for students to come up with their own problems. This lets me know that they really understand how to solve a problem.

I am not going. It looks like it will be a great conference.

We work on morning meeting activities that include having the students learn everyone's name. I also have a packet of worksheets with activities that include hundreds charts, addition, subtraction and writing to see what my students know. I also do an all about me worksheet.

I like the book Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures that explains different ways to help students work in groups.

I am National Board certified and renewed in December of 2023. The process really helps you to reflect on your teaching practice.

To take care of myself over the summer, I am gardening because I find it relaxing. I am traveling and going to museums and different events around the Chicago area.

I do incorporate practice everyday. For example my students practiced math facts everyday. They also practiced reading during intervention and my higher stuents worked on comprehension skills.

Yes, my district does offer professional development during the summer and we do receive a stipend for it.

I encourage new teachers by letting them know that teaching is constantly changing and that it takes time to learn how to manage your classroom and learn new curriculum. I let them know that it is okay to make mistakes and that tomorrow is a new day.

This list makes me think about what jobs I can give my students during the school year. I am able to identify their personalities and use them in a positive way.

I like for the students to play a game called around the world. One student is standing up and moving around to each student to get the correct answer to the math fact. The students really enjoy this and it motivates them to concentrate to get the correct answer first. Whoever gets the answer correct first, gets to move to the next student.

When I am setting up my classroom, I think about how my students are going to use the space. I purposely have my students in groups of 3-4 so that they can interact with each other. I make sure to have a library space to encourage the importance of reading. I also like to have a writing area because many of my students need help with including punctuation and what a sentence should look like. I have a carpet area used for whole group discussion.

I incorporate fluency by making my word wall interactive. I have the students to choose a letter and read all of the words under that letter. I also have given my students short passages and had them to draw a picture about what they have read. My fluent readers like to do readers theater.

I like to do the following:
1. Organize my cabinets.
2. Laminate my name tags for the following year.
3. Look at what supplies I am low on so that I can order it for the beginning of the school year.
4. Order resources from our print room.

To help teach place value, I have used base ten blocks and an interactive place value website that uses arrow cards. Here is the link: https://ictgames.com/mobilePage/arrowCards/

In my school district we do not have intervention during the summer. We use a program called Summer Scholars for reading and math. I do pull students in small groups to help with reading or math as needed.

I have used lima and navy beans. They both produce plants very quickly even though I don't have a lot of sunlight in my classroom.

We usually begin school around the middle of August and end at the end of May. This year we are done on May 24th.

We use Wit and Wisdom for ELA. It was chosen to help with comprehension and informative writing. We use TCI for science. This was chosen because it has engaging activities such as online formative assessments, and digital resources. For math we use GoMath. It has interactive videos to help the students learn a new skill.

I like to host student teachers in my classroom. It is always great to learn about new technology or resources that these teachers use to help teach the students in my classroom.

The quote that I have attached to my email is "Knowledge is Power". I am always emphasizing to my students to learn everything that they can.

We have done an all district book read. This year we read Charlottes Webb. The students had to answer trivia questions each week about the book and each week their answers would be entered into a raffle for a prize.

I buy snacks and we watch a video. My students also like to do centers. I have also taken them outside to play with bubbles and chalk.

We have a new app called Book creator at my school. I plan on having my students create books on what they have learned in second grade. I am thinking about having them to share their books with our first graders at our school.

I use a self assessment system with numbers that I teach my students the meaning of. I sometimes include the self assessments on formative assessments and have my students to circle which one they are.

I like to have my students to self assess. I have used a 4,3,2,1 self evaluation. 1 means that I am beginning to understand and can't do it by myself. 2 means that I am starting to understand and sometimes need help. 3 means I can do it by myself. 4 means that I can do it by myself and teach others. I have never added a grade to each level, but it is something you could possibly do.

I have used Michael Heggerty to help teach phonemic awareness. I also like to show videos on youtube. I really like Alphablocks on youtube because they sound out words.

I have done an earth day coffee filter craft. The students have to color a coffee filter with blue and green marker to resemble the earth, then spray it with water. I have also shown videos about recycling.

I have used the following resources:
Alphablocks-it is found on youtube and has letters that teach students how to sound out words and blend them together. It also has pictures to go along with the words to help with vocabulary.
Jack Hartmann-his videos are found on youtube. He teachers letter sounds, sight words and a variety of videos that allows the students to dance along or exercise as they learn.

We have a full day summer school program. It will last for 21 days. We use a curriculum called summer scholars for both language arts and math.

My students like Legends of Learning because they can practice math facts and earn prizes and create avatars. They also like Book Creator because they can create their own books by adding pictures and writing about them.

At my school we went outside with our glasses and watched.

I have put up a funny picture and have had my students to write about what they see. I am attaching an example.

I plan on having my students to write to the first graders about what they will learn in 2nd grade. I also have stickers and pencils that say I am going to 3rd grade. I think that I am going to order some type of craft to end the year for the students to work on.

I would play around the word with math facts up to 20 or read a book.

At my school we have done stations where students can rotate to different teachers classrooms and make crafts, do science experiments or play games. We also have a field day.

I teach sight words by having my students to sky write them. I also have them to look at them and tell me what they notice about the word. After this I have the students to write on their desks with a dry erase marker the word. If students struggle I have them to tell me what can you do to help yourself remember or what did we just discuss as a class.

Since we teach Wit and Wisdom we have the students to write down what they notice and wonder when reading a story. This has helped the students to focus on what is going on in the story. I really like the wonder because each student can write down what they wonder on a sticky note and we can answer the questions whole group.

One year we were given baskets filled with goodies from our PTO and also lunch was provided for us. It was greatly appreciated.

I have been teaching my students about opinion writing. I have modeled it in the classroom by showing books like Hey Little Ant. The students have to decide if the ant should live or not live. I also have given my students a word such as fantastic and they have to see how many words they can make out of that word. When we are learning new trick words I have my students to come up with ways to help them remember the words.

A big win for me is having many of my red students in reading actually take their time and their reading scores have improved for Star 360 assessment tests. Also students that would not ask to read aloud are asking to do it now. I love seeing how their confidence has grown from the beginning of the school year to now.

I have recently attended a professional development that was sponsored by Educate Frank Lloyd Wright. I just found out about this. The class talks about how you can use Frank Lloyd Wrights design process to bring art into the classroom. We worked on a collage and were given materials to help recreate the art project in the classroom. Here is the link to find out more information. www.teachingbydesign.org

We have already had our parent teacher conferences for this year. I share with parents what we have been working on that helps to determine the grade. I ask my parents if their child reads at home and stress the importance of it. I also recommend reading resources such as websites and I may give my parents reading passages to work on with their child that may be struggling with reading. I also let parents know if their child would benefit from attending summer school.

Our open house is at the beginning of the school year. I have a powerpoint presentation that I share with parents. I discuss Champs, apps that we will be using and reading expectations. I also talk about homework and how the parents can communicate with me. I make sure that my parents know how to sign up for Remind. This is used a lot for parent communication from me and the principal. I also answer any questions that the parents may have. I also ask how their child will be getting to school.

My district is also using the book Shifting the Balance. We have done a book study this year. I have used the online resources that include sight words and word chains. My school district is also looking at sound walls to purchase to help students with facial expressions when pronouncing different sounds.

At my school we use Legends of Learning Base Camp for students to learn math facts. I receive a report showing all of the facts that they know and what they currently need to work on.

I always try to accept the invitation to host a student teacher. I am always learning from new teachers as I mentor them. I also try to attend as many professional developments as I can so that I can stay current. For example my school district has programs called Canva and Book Creator. These are both new and my students like them.

My students receive Champs bucks from me to help keep them motivated. They earn this play money for showing growth in Star 360 reading and math or helping other students to learn. The students are able to spend their money on prizes that I provide. I also like to take their pictures and post them outside my classroom to help celebrate their growths.

My students really enjoy listening to books by Robert Munch. He does a lot of repetition to help keep the students engaged.

My students have notebooks that they use to show their work when they are at a center. This holds them accountable.

I have used Seesaw for my 2nd graders to retell events in a story. I like this resource because the students can record a retell or type it.

Make sure that you do some self care activities. Take it one day at a time. Don't be too hard on yourself. Allow yourself to make mistakes because it is part of the learning process.

We have had 2 remote learning days so far. For my second graders, we use Seesaw which is a online platform where I can upload worksheets, videos, or create my own activities for my students to complete. This is a great tool because the students can draw, write or record their responses. I can check their work and give them feedback. The parents can also see what their child is doing also.

I like to show my students Class Dojo videos about growth mindset. The students can really relate to the characters. Also the videos are short and ask the students a question at the end of each video that leads to great class discussions.