One Rule

This year we are only going to have one rule in my class. I have thought about this and thought about this. Before I tell you my rule, let me explain how I got here. I have done the typical rules, let them suggest rules, I have even done the 5 rules from Whole Brain Teaching (a copy is in an earlier post). I was just never satisfied. They kept breaking them. So I focused on that - why were they breaking the rules? I observed them, talked with them, and then observed some more. I thought about why do we have rules. When we don't have rules our actions can cause problems for others and sometimes ourselves but more often others. I wanted to teach my students to be considerate of others. I wanted to teach them about how their actions impact others. SO...... now I only have one rule. Ready?????

You can do anything you want as long as it doesn't cause a problem for anyone else.

Love it? I do. For a trial run I talked about this my class at the end of the year. So this is how I think I will set it up. First we will have our "rule talk". They will brainstorm a list of rules that they think we should have (just like in years past) but then I am going to reveal my one rule. We will then talk about how their rules fit into this one. Example: old rule: raise your hand to speak, relation to new rule: if you are shouting out answers you are not allowing others to think for themselves or answer, shouting can hurt other's ears, you are being distrecptful to the speaker. Wow!! If they learn this hopefully they can take this with them through out their life and instead of just being a rule follewer be kinder and thoughtful of others.

Since my theme is pirates my rule is in a speech bubble to I can make a priate "saying" the rule. Here it is:

here is your copy :)

Morning Song!!!!

I love mornings with my class!! They come in get started on their morning work (which is Math For Today and Daily Language Review) after announcements we check it then come to the carpet for our meeting! As we transition and to get them motivated for the day I play this song on the screen:

My students love it and so do I!! They are singing with it as loud as they can. It's great and puts us all in a great mood to continue the day no matter how our mornings started!! Here is another one I throw in there sometimes!

Both songs help put everyone in a great mood. They know that they have to be on the carpet ready to go when the song ends. AND just in case you're interested after that we talk about our night, do some sort of silly game or greeting with each other. On Friday's we have a suggestion box where all the kids can give a suggestions about things in the class or things they would like see through out the week and then on Friday I go over a couple of them (that I have pre read and decided what I was going to say or do). Then we are ready for Language Arts and the day!

Pirate Stuff for the room

Here are some free things that I have redone/made to fit with my Pirate Theme!!

Click here


Class Rules - a take off of Whole Brain Teaching! Awesome, Awesome classroom management.

 

Click here for for your copy :) 

MoNeY!!!!

Classroom management. It's a never ending search. It seems like every year I try something new or renew the old. Something. Well, last year my amazing and wonderful teammate, Katie, showed me how she uses money in her room. I LOVED it!!! The kids loved it. It was the first time that everyone in the room loved the management system. But there are added benefits. When it was time to teach money  - my kids had it. We hardly had to spend any time on it which was nice. Second, I took my class to the movies last year. (We are the pirates and when the Pirate movie came out we went it watched it - a complete blast!!!) So we were at the movies and one of my students went to buy popcorn. When he came back he said, "I can do that because we do money everyday in class." YES!!!!!!

Okay, so it's easy I think. For the first 9 weeks to the whole semester everything is with quarters and dollars. It makes it easy and the kids get a good understanding of it. They earn money, spend money, and lose money. My rational: I get paid to do my job and being a student is their job so they get paid too.

I hang these posters in my room for them to refer to (at times I have to as well!!)

I have the rules:

Here is how they can earn money:

Here is how they can spend their money:

Finally, here is how they can lose their money:  

Like I said my students really love this. After the second nine weeks or semester, depending on how well the class is doing with it. I change it up and add nickels and dimes. So it takes more to earn money but they learn all the ways to make a quarter. I wear an apron so my money is with me all the time and handy. That way when I am walking around I can just put give a student money whenever and where ever (hallway, another teachers' class....)

Here's me in my Home Depot apron. Although there are many, many, many cute aprons on etsy :)