Reflection Journal FREEBIE!!

Have you tried Reflection Journals?

     One of the ways I check in with my students at the end of the day AND communicate with parents is through Reflection Journals.  These are regular bound notebooks where the students write down their learning and behavior for the day.  The formats of their writing can change such as letters, poems, descriptions of foldables or classwork added to pages, etc.  

     The students are quite honest since it is like a personal diary to them.  Behaviors often do get mentioned and once the student acknowledges their actions or problems created, they know that we can work together with their parents to create solutions.    

     I do not count these as grades, but I do read them over briefly and use it as a quick reminder for capitals, paragraph structure, punctuation, etc.  Then on Fridays the kids take them home and share them with their parents.  I encourage parents to at least look at them but also to write back if they have stories to share from their school days, suggestions for learning, or just positive comments for their child to read the next week.  

     By the end of the year the students have a collection or portfolio of their learning and they can look back at how much they've progressed with their writing, behavior, and learning--all in one neat notebook!

     Below is a FREEBIE of the instructions I print and put into the front cover of the notebooks.  I made the download editable so feel free to adjust it for your needs.  Thanks for stopping by!

Individual Education Portfolios! Get organized with IEPs!

Do you have students that travel to other classrooms for instruction?  Would you like to see an idea that will help keep the child organized and improve communication between the collaborating teachers?  Check out these IEPs--Individualized Education Portfolios!!

Check out my TpT store and buy the labels for only $1

The labels print on shipping paper and can easily be attached to folders with pockets to label and use right away!

Check out my TpT store and buy the labels for only $1

I purchased this 8 pocket folder from a local office store because my student is pulled-out for all subjects.  

Check out my TpT store and buy the labels for only $1

I don't always get to meet with the Special Education teacher who shares IEP goals with this child, but I can put example problems, graded work to share, tests, strategy foldables . . . anything from our class in the "Homeroom" section and she can keep her lessons in the corresponding pockets!

Check out my TpT store and buy the labels for only $1

I know the Speech teacher also sends homework and this child won't lose it since everything is together in one place!  Any teacher can open it and see how the child is doing in other classrooms, or bring it to a parent conference with all the documentation in one location!

Check out my TpT store and buy the labels for only $1

It even has a section for tracking behaviors!  So simple but highly effective!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!!  In appreciation, you can download the one page small sample printable HERE!! Have a great day! :) 

FREE Back to School Notebook Labels and Book Recommendations

Happy Monday!!

My summer is officially over, but it was a great one!!  I have compiled a list of my favorite summer reads for the classroom.  Which ones have you read? :)

My first recommendation I give: 
    and a BONUS 

Cleaning House: a Mom's 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement was delightful to read and powerful as well.  Kay Wyma shares her experience in helping her 4 children learn how empowering it is to do things for themselves.  She is candid and has many great tips for helping parents instill confidence in their children by not serving them, but encouraging them to show their young potential.

My next 4 recommendations all get:

While our school had begun to implement The 7 Habits of Happy Kids last year, this summer I was finally able to understand the roots of the that book by reading the original version, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

I also read the accompanying Leader in Me, but found that the pictured 7 Habits was the most helpful because of the strategies and mindset to help me both in my professional as well as my personal life. :)

For my 3rd choice I picked  Instruction for All Students by Paula Rutherford. 

Because I love teaching students by giving them strategies, this book was the perfect find for helping me to help students in all areas of teaching: planning, assessment, differentiation, . . . you name it!  It is well organized and easy to read (as well as highlight, dog-ear, and for adding my post-its!).   

The next two books I will be studying in-depth as I teach from them this next school year. 

I was fortunate enough to get to meet the author, Linda Tognoni, at a workshop this summer.  I must excitedly admit she was able to explain phonics and phonemic awareness in ways that have made the most sense to me in all my former years of teaching (I'll be going into my 10th year this school year).  I can't wait to share the lessons with my students.  Super fabulous!!

And last but not least . . . I have caught on to the CAFE enthusiasm!!!  I have set up my board in my classroom and have my strategy lessons ready so bring on the students!!!  If you haven't heard of The Daily 5, The Math Daily 5, or the CAFE books, I can't recommend them enough!!  These two authors show step-by-step how to set up a literacy classroom that differentiates for the overall success of students by focusing on comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanded vocabulary.  Awesome!!

Thanks for reading and on to the freebie!!!  One of the activities on my lesson plans for my first days of school is to organize the incoming school supplies so . . . here are some notebook labels for you to download, print, and immediately use!!  Do you have Avery's 6 count shipping label pages?  These are set up to print, peel, and stick. :)  Enjoy!!

Blue Labels 
            Page 1
            Page 2 

Pink Labels
         Page 1
         Page 2










 

Grasping the Common Core

Are you implementing the Common Core this year?

I was super excited to be included in an ebook that encompasses many fabulous (tons are free!) Common Core resources. For my own participation, I chose to outline ways to "grasp" the CCSS for teachers new to the standards (for more info on Grasp Levels click HERE).  This post is similar to the page you'll find on my resource page from the ebook, but it also contains more helpful links!!!

The 1st level of truly grasping, or knowing and using the standards for your classroom is . . .

The link for the Common Core State Standards is http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards
They are grouped into Math and English Language Arts standards with domains in each for every grade level.  Good info includes:
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/introduction/how-to-read-the-grade-level-standards
and
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/introduction/how-to-read-the-standards

While many people are trying to align their current curriculum to the CCSS, after having helped pilot them for our district last year, I know there are standards listed that require additional supplemental lessons.  A great idea is to start organizing the resources you find.  

 This specific example includes file tabs with the numbered standard and short description, a printed shipping label of the full standard, and an extra label for listing resources that match the standard but don't fit in the file folder (websites, game lists, books, etc).  The folders are color coded for math, reading, and language standards.  Many labels can be found online but here's quick links to some for 3rd-5th grade: 3rd grade file tabs and standard labels, 4th grade file tabs and standards labels, 5th grade file tabs and standards labels.

 
The next step I suggest is . . .

The top 3 places I would suggest you look for resources for the CCSS:

1. Pinterest

2. TeachersPayTeachers

3. Teachers Notebook

And . . .

here are the ebooks that I was super excited to be a part of and share (see the 3rd-5th ELA for When Inspiration Strikes page)!! Each contributor had to include a freebie on their page!

   

K-2 Math      K-2 ELA

    

3rd-5th Math    3rd-5th ELA

6th-12th Math   6th-12th ELA

There are actually other subjects for grades 6th-12th as well but I am keeping to Math and ELA for this. :)

******
 Woah!! So now you have tons of lesson ideas!!! Synergize with some team planning guides that are Common Core aligned to help you focus on the standard, what it means to the students, what resources you have collected for it, and how you will assess it.

Once you have your overall plan, check out CorePlanner which is a FREE lesson plan creator that links to the CCSS for your daily schedules.  (I'll be trying it out this year!). Fabulous!!

And . . . there's always the grading, BUT I have used this FREE CCSS gradebook JumpRope and loved it!!  You can easily track data that's color-coded and print or send progress reports to colleagues, administration, students, and parents!! More fabulousness!!

On to the next level to grasp the Common Core . . . 

Have you heard of Plan, Do, Study, Act boards?  They are large displays that help students know what CC standard (or any learning objective) they are focusing on, how they will learn it, and how proficient they were to celebrate or improve. To learn more and get fabulous examples, click HERE.  The bottom line? Let everyone know (yup, parents and administrators are impressed to walk in and see this info as well!) what is expected for college readiness success!!

And . . . want a cool way to also display Common Core learning?  Check out these bulletin boards where students add objects from themes of your choice (sports, leaves and fruit or nuts on a tree, space objects, etc.) to a board every time they have covered one of the standards. Awesome!!

When you're ready to grasp the next step . . .
 

It will take time to interpret and plan for the main "common" standards (it took our team all of last year).  However, the standards were designed to increase the proficiency of students so they do not just include a checklist of things to know (what does this mean according to the CCSS? Read more here).  Once you know what to teach, revisit the Common Core site to see the process standards for developing critical thinkers in your classroom.
Standards for Mathematical Practice and
Anchor Standards for Reading with links on the left for writing, speaking and listening, and language

CCSS R&R is not Rest and Relaxation!!

Buzz words also include increased rigor and relevance for students. Here's a great place to grasp what this means: Rigor/Relevance Framework (make sure to also click on the "More About the Rigor/Relevance Framework" link at the bottom!)

Last but not least, make sure you talk about everything you have done because so many of us are in this together!!  The end measure will be either the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) or the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC).  Our district is focusing on the PARCC and I had signed up last year to receive the latest news and have seen where they often give updates and ask for feedback from teachers.  I encourage you to be involved as well!

Then relax, by this time you will achieve the last grasp level . . .

 Good luck this year and thanks for stopping by!! :) :) :)