A Touch of Class

Resources & Inspiration for teachers

Establishing a Growth Mindset Through Goal Setting

by Filed Under: All Subjects, back to school, Behavior Management, Classroom Forms Leave a Comment

If you are trying to help students develop a growth mindset in your classroom, I hope you have incorporated goal setting into your daily routine.  Students can’t truly have a growth mindset without learning how to set, reflect upon, and achieve their goals.  Along with the growth mindset talks, posters, and dojo videos, I have created a tool that I use each week in my classroom, and I am blown away at how goal oriented my students have become.  Read on to learn more about how I use this tool in my classroom.

Introduce SMART Goals

SMART goal poster The very first thing I did was introduce my students to SMART goals. First, I used a 8.5 x 11 printable that I created and posted in our classroom. Then, we talked about what each letter stood for and the meaning behind it. Next, I had the students create their own reference tool in the form of a flip book.  Students love cutting, pasting and coloring, so they really had fun creating their flip books! They kept these out for the first couple of weeks, and then they didn’t need them any longer, so they simply put them in their binders.

 

Create Meaningful Goals

GOAL SHEET

After I introduced SMART goals, I demonstrated how to create my very own goal using our weekly goal sheet template.  This walks students through the goal setting process ensuring their goals are SMART goals.  After I demonstrated, I allowed students to attempt creating their own goals.  At first, they struggled with the measurable part, but after a few examples and clarification, they were understanding much better! Students only fill the top part out.  I have them create new goals every Monday.

 

Daily Journal

JOURNALStudents must revisit and reflect on goals daily!  This is one of the most important components of maintaining the growth mindset.  I give the students 5 minutes before lunch to revisit their goal.  During this time, they record any accomplishments, challenges, ideas they get from others, etc… on their journals. (I simply copy this page to the back of the goal sheet to make things easier.)  They love sharing their accomplishments with me, and it really helps develop a completely different mindset! It is an awesome thing to see develop.

 

 

Friday Reflections, Teacher Comment, Parent Signature

GOAL SHEETOn Friday, we reflect upon our goals! This is my favorite part.  Students get to circle YES or NO depending on if their goal was met.  (I always model the first week’s goal and  make it a point that I do NOT meet my goal! It’s important to let students know it is okay to fail!  I will try it again next week!) Students also reflect upon their in class behavior and effort using a rating scale.  I take these up, put my comments on the bottom and send them home to be signed.  Parents love seeing the types of goals their students are working for, and many times, they like to get involved in helping them meet their goals!  The students turn these in on Mondays and I keep them in their file.  This is a great tool for documentation of parent involvement as well as any behavior concerns you may have documented and shared with parents.

 

If you would like to get a copy of this year long tool to use in your classroom, you can click the link below.

GET YOUR COPY

Classroom Tour With Freebies!

by Filed Under: All Subjects, back to school, classroom decor, Freebies Leave a Comment

Oh me, oh my! It is back to school time!  For the first time in about 5 years, I redid my classroom theme.  I decided on a Shiplap Shabby Chic design.  Credit must go to Mrs. Joanna Gaines since me and the fiancé spent countless hours watching the show this Summer.  Below, you will see the finished product.  I have placed almost all of the items in my TPT store, so if you see something you like, there is a link for you to purchase! There are also some freebies included here, too. 😉

My Classroom Runs on Smiles and Coffee…. Cans…

Teacher Desk Yes..coffee cans.  One of the first things I made was the little bins to store supplies in there on my shelf behind my desk.  I took some good old fashioned Folger’s cans, spray painted them, and made some really cute, shiplap shabby chic labels to add to them.  Viola! Matching storage containers for anything from clothes pins to cap erasers.

On my desk, you will see my teacher binder. This bad boy is a lifesaver that stays with me at school and travels home with me as well. It has all my important papers, forms, etc.. I love it!! You can love the labels I used in the photo, the teacher binder (which is fab) and the welcome banner because they are all included in my shiplap  bundle! You can find that here.

If you look closely, you can see my “HOME SWEET CLASSROOM” picture in the frame.  It is sitting on the shelf behind my desk. I have gotten so many compliments on this picture.  To download you FREE copy, click here.

Board

There is so much I can talk about this picture.  My favorite has to be the focus wall.  The students love knowing what we will be focusing on for the day, and this is a great way to anchor their learning. Under my focus wall is where I keep my classroom tickets.  As students volunteer answers, help others, or do something impressive, I hand out these little gems.  Before lunch, I will have a drawing. The ticket winner will receive anything from a chance to win a new book to a dojo point. They love it, and it definitely encourages them to participate! Also in this photo you will see my banner letters, and my table signs.  These are also include in the shiplap shabby chic download!

Happy  Birthday To You!

birthdayOne of my favorite things in my classroom is my birthday display.  I remember being a kid and seeing my birthday on the birthday chart. I wanted to tie in something cute with my shiplap shabby chic theme, so I came up with an idea to use mason jars and fireflies! Each month has its own mason jar, and each student has their own firefly.  This is included in my classroom decor bundle as well! 

Pictured to the left, you will see the mason jars in white.  They are also available in a blueish color.  Yes, the banner comes with it too!  I would love to see this on a bulletin board.  It would love great with a shiplap bulletin paper behind it! I just ran out of bulletin space, so I had to put it on my wall. I still love it, though!

 

The Power of Yet!

growth mindset posters

We love learning about having a growth mindset.  We used Class Dojo quite a bit last year, and it really helped spark conversation and thought about how to think to best benefit our lives, moods and learning. I created these growth mindset posters to match my theme this year, and they have been a big hit in my teacher store!! These, too, are included in the bundle!

 

There are so many other components to the “SHIPLAP SHABBY CHIC”  theme that I want to show you, but instead of writing you a book, I will just include some photos instead! If you have any questions, feel free to comment below! Don’t forget to grab the “HOME SWEET CLASSROOM” freebie!

 

Establishing and Maintaining Classroom Rules

by Filed Under: All Subjects, Behavior Management, Classroom Forms, Classroom management Leave a Comment

It is almost that time of year again! Do you have all your posters printed and laminated? Have you thought about classroom rules and procedures?

Rules and procedures are one of the most important components of a well ran classroom.  I love having the students create their own rules, but I also find it is necessary to bring some rules to the table on the very first day! I have saved the creating process for specific activities such as group work rules, playground rules, etc… It is important to allow students to feel they have control over their learning. Having them create the rules for certain activities does just that!

Keep Your Rules Posted

It is crucial that you keep these rules posted throughout the year, so you can refer back to them.  If you haven’t already created your class rules posters, I have some you can download in my TPT store.  These are EDITABLE <– YES! You can use the rules I have made, or you can create your own using the blank background included.  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FILE FOR YOUR CLASSROOM. 

Practice The Rules & Procedures

Rules BookletIt is not going to do much good just talking about the rules at the beginning of the year.  Students need to practice what following the rules will look like. I also have the students give non examples of following the rules.  At the beginning of the year, the students create their own rules booklet! They love writing about why each rule is important, and they also get to draw what following the rule looks like to them.  Their favorite part is sharing their illustrations with the class! This rules booklet is also included in the editable rules packet!

Stay Consistent!

If a student doesn’t follow a rule, what will you do? You must communicate this to the class. Consistency in your expectations is so important in maintaining a well ran classroom. This doesn’t mean you have to scream and yell when a student doesn’t follow a rule.  I simply speak with the student and have them fill out a think sheet. I can do it with a smile. It does not require me being upset with the child.  Teaching them how to behave is a process just like teaching them how to add and subtract. In the rules packet, I have included an editable think sheet that I use throughout the year.  Students and parents are required to sign this, too. It is great for documentation!

 

I hope these tips have helped you think about how you will introduce and enforce classroom rules in your class.  To download this product, please click here! 

CLICK HERE

CLICK THE PHOTO TO DOWNLOAD

Summary Writing – The Easy Way

by Filed Under: All Subjects, graphic organizer, Reading - Literature, Writing Leave a Comment

Do you struggle teaching kids to write summaries?

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I have always struggled with teaching students exactly how to write a summary. I either received summaries that were too short, or they turned in summaries that were 3 pages long. (Longer than the actual text they were referencing!)

Anchor Chart

After a much needed search of the internet, I found a technique that many other teachers recommend after using it in their classrooms.

A few weeks ago, I began implementing this little trick in my class. I am happy to announce the “light bulbs” are finally on and shining during summary writing in fourth grade!! I created a graphic organizer I wanted to share with you for free. Hopefully, this helps you too!! To the left, you will see the anchor chart I created to help kids remember the 5 words.  I plan on keeping this up all year. It has been so helpful! It is very important that students realize this technique works best with literature. I had many students try to this method when summarizing informational text, and they quickly discovered it didn’t work out so well.

Get this graphic organizer for free!

I would love to share this with you, as I can definitely say it has worked very well in my class. In order to get this awesome resource for free, please sign up for our monthly newsletter, and I will send you an immediate link to download this resource.  Signing up for the newsletter also grants you access to monthly freebies  just like this delivered right to your inbox! You may opt out anytime, of course! Oh.. and I’m just a normal 4th grade teacher, so I won’t be sending you crazy emails and spam all the time.. I promise! 🙂

 



 

Writing a summary

Daily Welcome Message & Bellringers

by Filed Under: All Subjects, Classroom management Leave a Comment

Does it take your students entirely too long to get situated when coming in to class??

I teach 4th grade reading to 3 different classes.  The students switch classes between three teachers. (Math, Science, and Reading)  Because of this, I constantly feel pressed for time!  At the beginning of the year, I was easily spending 10-15 minutes simply giving directions at beginning of class.  Something had to give!

Bellringer InstructionsAt my previous school, I taught 6th grade to three different classes, so I was no stranger to pressed time.  I remembered how effective my bellringers were in getting students in class, situated, and working, so I began using them this year in my fourth grade class. 
 
It has worked wonders!  As soon as the students come in, I hand them their bellringer at the door, and they begin working. I sometimes set a timer, so they know exactly how much time they have. There is a great, online version you can project on your smart board here.   We will often self assess the bellringer together, and sometimes I take it up.  If you are experiencing lost time due to transitions, I highly recommend this technique!
 

Students Love These Fake Text Messages

Instead of repeating directions over and over, I like to display my message on the smart board, so each student can read it on their own.  I recently discovered a really cool tool to use to motivate students to read directions when coming in to class.  I can create fake text messages to send to students.  This simple technique has motivated even my reluctant readers to read the daily message on the board, so they can get started on their bellringers/morning work for the day!  You can create your very own fake text message using the website here.  
 
I hope these tips help you save some time in class.  For more helpful tips like this delivered right to your inbox, please subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of the page. What are some things you do to use your time wisely in your classroom?
Daily Welcome Message

Teaching Theme to Grades 3-5

by Filed Under: All Subjects, Reading - Literature, task cards Leave a Comment

Teaching theme is one of my most favorite skills because students are not only learning how to deconstruct and understand text, but they are also learning valuable life lessons.

Teaching Theme Can Be Challenging

Students practicing theme use task cards

Students practice identifying theme

Some teachers teach theme as the moral or lesson. You will sometimes see it called “author‘s message” as well.  Some teachers teach using the “universal theme” concept which uses only one word such as “honestly” or “perseverance”. I like to make students aware of BOTH ideas.

 

 

Tips on Teaching Theme

This past week, I taught theme using fables. I LOVE using fables to teach theme because there are so many valuable life lessons that are pretty evident in most texts.  The students are super pumped to read fables too!  
A technique that I find really works in teaching students to understand theme includes looking at the main characters.  Usually the character/characters have some sort of problem they face that they end up overcoming.  The character/characters usually learn some sort of lesson from overcoming this problem.  If the students can identify what the character learned, they can most likely identify the author’s message or theme of the story.  
 

Quick & Easy Way to Assess Theme

Task Cards

Theme taskcards and recording sheet

On Friday, I wanted to formatively assess my students to see if they could relate theme to real word texts and not just fables.  I let them use tasks cards to practice identifying theme.  

 
I created two sets of task cards.  The first set provides a passage and the students must provide a theme statement on their own.  I only let my higher students practice using these cards since this was their first encounter with theme this year.  For the rest of the students, I gave them my set of task cards that gives the passage and 3 multiple choice options.  They read the passage, then record their answer on their recording sheet.  
 
*You can also project each task card on the board one at a time and have students write the answer on a white board then “show you” together as a class! 
 
I was very pleased with the progress my students have been making, and I am looking forward to seeing how they do next week with comparing themes in text!
 
How do you teach theme?? Do you have any tips or tricks that you have found works for your students? 
 
Theme Task Cards
 
 

 

Editable Classroom Banners

by Filed Under: All Subjects, back to school, classroom decor, Classroom Tools Leave a Comment

I have spent a ton of money purchasing those little punch out letters for my classroom.  They look much nicer than the kind I can cut out using construction paper. The only downfall, is once you use them a couple times, you have to throw them away.  Finally, I decided to save some money and create some simple, black and white letters that I can print over and over whenever I needed them. I can’t tell you have useful they have been! I have decided to upload these, so other teachers can use them too.

What Exactly Do I Get?

I have included both black and white banners, and large and small banners.  This means that you will get a full alphabet, numbers and some symbols with a black background, and you will get the same with a white background. Pre-made banners, such as “MATH”,  “WRITING”, “READING”, etc.. are also included that will save you some time. Feel free to mix and match the letters, however, to meet your needs.  There is also a PPT file, so you can change the font face/size/color if that is what floats your boat.  Here are some photos I have taken in my classroom showcasing the use of these banners. I simply printed, cut, and laminated the letters I wanted to use.  Then, I used a hole puncher to make holes in the laminated pages, so I could weave string through them to create a banner. I would love to see photos of these banners being used in your classroom!

Consider a regular piece of white printing paper, the large letters can fit 2 on a page, and the small letters can fit 8 on a page.  Hopefully that gives you a better idea of the size of these letters.



Symmetry Selfies

by Filed Under: All Subjects, Freebies, Math 2 Comments

One of the final things we study in 4th grade math is Geometry. By this point in the year, students brains are tired, folks. It’s about that time when we begin prepping students for the lovely end of the year tests, and we are all just.. well… TIRED.

But hey.. the show must go on, right?

 

Symmetry Selfie

Student Sample

A Fun & Creative Way to Teach Symmetry

So.. SYMMETRY. There are lots of super cool ways to teach symmetry in the classroom: Geoboards, mirrors, finish the picture, etc… One of the more engaging ways, from what I have found, however, is this cool little thing I came up with during my student teaching… SYMMETRY SELFIES!! (Although… I didn’t actually call them selfies way back then.)

So basically, I took photos of each of my students, had them developed, cut them in half, and taped them onto a “symmetry selfie” template. (I have also seen a fellow teacher friend print her photos straight to our copier, and it looked great!) I introduced symmetry to the kiddos, showed them some examples using some cut out letters of the alphabet (the old folding technique), and revealed their pictures. They LOVED this. I had them working on their selfies during a center. It doesn’t teach them everything they need to know about symmetry, of course. The standard actually says,


CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3
Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.

 

But hey.. it’s a great introductory lesson to get them engaged, motivated, and creates some positive geometry neuroassociations!

(Thank you to my parents for giving me special permission to use their child’s photo. You guys are the best!) 

Symmetry Selfies

 

Conflict in Literature with a FREEBIE

by Filed Under: All Subjects, Freebies, graphic organizer, Reading - Literature Leave a Comment

When doing my character study, I find it is important that students realize that characters experience many different types of conflict in the stories that we read.  These conflicts play a huge role in the plot of the story!  The conflicts experienced by these characters also play a role in the motives behind the actions of the characters. 

4 Kinds of Conflict Characters Experience

When studying conflict, I introduce internal and external conflict first.  The students are given multiple examples of these types of conflict.  I then break these conflicts down into four categories. 

  1. character vs. self
  2. character vs. character
  3. character vs. nature
  4. character vs. society
Once the students can easily identify each type of conflict using short pieces of text, I give them a larger piece of text.  I then require they identify the type of conflict, explain why they identify this conflict, and then use evidence from the text to support their answer!
 
Tomorrow, we will be reading “Brave Irene”.  (Tip: If you don’t have access to this book, you can find it read for free here: Brave Irene read by Al Gore – YouTube)  In this book the main character faces multiple “character vs. nature” conflicts.  I like to use this book because the target is easily assessed. I want to know that they students can identify types of conflict while using evidence from the text to support their claim. 
 

Free Graphic Organizer

I have a freebie for you!!  I have created an easy to follow graphic organizer that students can use to organize their thoughts.  On the back, the students create a structured paragraph to express their ideas.  This is easy to assess, and easy to follow for the kiddos.  You can download this product by clicking the link below!.  When writing their paragraphs, I require my students to follow the “RACE strategy! To learn more about this amazing organization technique, CLICK HERE! 
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY! 

 



 

Teaching Text Structures

by Filed Under: All Subjects, Reading - Informational 10 Comments

An important 4th grade “craft & structure” standard, in my opinion, is the informational text structure standard.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

This 4th grade standard requires the students to be able to describe the different types of text structures that they will be reading throughout the year. Since they will be reading multiple informational texts, it is helpful to introduce these structures to the students up front, so they can identify the structures, recognize signal words, and learn to read these types of texts throughout their 4th grade year. (Ohh.. and this helps prepare them for 5th grade when they are required to compare multiple structures).

So how do I teach my students the different types of text structures? Follow along with me as I share this information with you!!

Pretest

Pretest

Pretest – Page 1

First, I give my students a pretest. We know that assessment drives instruction, and all that good stuff, but it also motivates the students to see their test scores increase after the unit! In our lap book unit, we create a “flap” where students are able to graph there pre assessments results.  After grading these, I get a good idea of who needs extra help during our study as well.

 

Lap Books

There is research out there that supports the use of lap books in the classroom.  I have read multiple articles that implement these nifty projects for various reasons. Some use lap books for assessment purposes, and some teachers use them simply as a “craftivity”.  I chose to implement these lap books in my text structures unit because the one that I have designed allows the students to be creative, documents the standard, allows them to record the pretest and posttest results, and gives them a life long reference tool that they can take home….Because we know they will keep them forever, right? 😉

This specific download includes interactive elements too! For example, students will be given problem and solution cards that they must sort and put in their “pockets” in their lap books! The kids love it! I also created posters for each type of structure.

 

 

 

 

Readworks

Have you ever used Readworks? Well, if you haven’t, honey, get on www.readworks.org and associate yourself with this little piece of heaven!!  You are able to search for different texts based on topic, Lexile level, grade, or skill/strategy.  Oh, and it’s free! Skill/strategy is what I use when finding texts for my text structures unit. Here are links to the specific texts I use to teach these structures.

Sequence
“Get in the Loop”
“Water Woes”

Cause & Effect 
“Now Hear This!”
“Return to Flight”

Problem & Solution
“Can the Amazon Be Saved”
“Frogs at Risk”

Compare & Contrast
“Remote Control Classroom” 
“Ryan’s Well”

Description
“The Chimp’s Champ”
“Watch Your Commas”

Various other instructional strategies

Readworks isn’t the only resource I use to find texts for my text structure unit.  There are many mentor texts out there that can be used to demonstrate these different types of texts to the students. CLICK HERE FOR A FREE TPT DOWNLOAD I FOUND THAT LISTS MULTIPLE MENTOR TEXTS They are divided by standard, and are super helpful when trying to find texts to use in class!

Post assessment

After I have used many instructional strategies, completed the lap book activities, and used multiple Readworks texts to allow students to become more familiar with the different text structures, I give the posttest. (This is the same test that I had given in the beginning.) Students are then able to graph their posttest results in their lap books!!

 

I really enjoy teaching this unit because it works as a nice foundation unit for beginning the year.  It also works nicely in conjunction with a text features unit.

INFORMATIONAL TEXT STRUCTURES

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