What Parents Want - Tips from a Teacher Mom about Parent Communication

Studies repeatedly show that parental involvement in education has a direct impact on student achievement, yet teachers often struggle with getting parents actively involved in our classrooms. As professional demands increase for teachers and modern lifestyles keep families incredibly busy, it becomes even more challenging to build quality relationships with the parents of our students. However, we must invest time in reflecting on the effectiveness of our parent communication in order to maximize the positive impact on our students. This post is written by an anonymous classroom teacher that also happens to be a mother of three wonderful children. Read more to see how becoming a parent really changed her perspective about communication!

Dear Teachers,

When I began teaching, I always thought I was being very clear in my communication. I sent home newsletters, personalized emails and notes, and even invited parents into my classroom for special events. I assumed the parents in my classroom felt informed and understood my perspective. After I became a parent, I began to realize that I may not be communicating all that I originally thought. As teachers, we think a lot about HOW and HOW OFTEN to communicate with parents, but I wonder if we think as much about WHAT message our parents are really receiving from us about their child. Communication is more than the words we say to parents, but also what they hear and understand as a result.  Based on my experiences as both a parent and a teacher, I have developed these tips for better communication between parents and teachers.

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Need Indoor Recess Ideas?

Indoor recess... It's as dreaded by teachers as it is students. They want to get out and play. We desperately need them to get the wiggles out so they can focus on learning. With the right indoor recess activities, you can have your students looking forward to indoor recess days instead of dreading them. Lucky for us, there are tons of indoor games and activities you can do right inside your classroom that will help your students let off some steam and be ready to learn again. 

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7 Activities to Make Math Fun

Math. Some of us love teaching it. Some of us hate it. The same is true for our students. But no matter how we feel about it, we have to teach math. And we all know that it's easier and more enjoyable for everyone if we can get our students excited about what they're learning. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to make math fun for even your toughest students. Today, I'm sharing some of my students' favorite math activities.

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From Games to Presentations

Do your students enjoy using iPads and tablets in the classroom?  I know mine do, but I struggle with making sure that my students are using technology in purposeful ways.  Game Apps are great for practicing sight words and math facts, but I have been searching for authentic uses in my first grade classroom!

Last year I discovered Haiku Deck!  It is a free app that enables students to create a slide show and share their learning in a meaningful way!  This particular app has a search feature that identifies key words in sentences and then offers image choices.  Students can also search for images, AND the images are SAFE! Thank.You.Very.Much!

I can allow my students to work independently without worry!    

This year we used the Haiku Deck app to enhance our rain forest animal research! My students chose an animal to research, completed a research organizer, and wrote a rough draft. We edited the rough draft together and then they began the final copy...their slide show! 

In order for the kids to access their own "decks," as well as,  each others, I created QR codes for the classroom.  Students loved using the iPads to scan each others projects! There are many free QR Scanner apps available!

Scan the QR code below to look at one of the student's completed Haiku Deck Presentations!  

I hope you'll give this app a try in your classroom and discover a purposeful and authentic use of technology in the primary classroom!

I'd love to connect with you over at my blog friendlyfroggies.com or my Facebook page!

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5 Tips for Facilitating Student Created Math Games

Adobe Stock

Are you looking for a fun end of the year math activity? This week my students have LOVED creating their own math games. Creating their own games encourages higher order thinking, problem solving, team building, and creativity.  I'm going to offer you a few tips I have learned from this experience.

My students were excited to learn they would have the opportunity to create their own math games to review math standards we learned this year.  But that excitement peaked when I showed them  the Dollar Tree finds I purchased for them to use.  Note cards are a must for creating playing cards, and 200 cards for $1.00 meant I didn't need to worry when cards needed to be redone ...and redone!  I purchased a variety of stickers for game board decoration, and mini erasers for game playing pieces. Honestly, the spinners just didn't work well for us, so I was glad I had some from a math kit that spun easier.  The balls were in case they wanted to get creative and create a basketball type game.  Everyone will be a winner with a special pencil.  You can't tell, but these items are placed on white bulletin board paper, which we used to create our game boards.

After putting my students into teams, I showed them LOTS of examples.  I pulled out our Candy Land Board Game, and pulled up Google Images to show tons of examples.  We discussed how there was a theme, bright colors, a designated path, etc.  This helped when they planned their own games. Although the stickers were going to be used...even if they didn't match their game's theme!  It was interesting to note that one of the teams really had a struggle creating a game that had a clear path.  I think this reflects their lack of background playing games.  It was enlightening for me to see the problem solving and struggle going on even with the simple task of planning their game.

Initially I planned for my students to spiral review several standards within one domain, as they planned, created, and played their math games. Big mistake!  This is really a huge undertaking for inexperienced game creators.  Even though my second graders are ready for third grade next year, developmentally they could only focus on one standard.  Once I narrowed down their focus, and again provided examples of the kinds of questions they could create, they were off and running.  A good rule to remember is "simple is best!"

My students planned out the theme, type of game, materials they would need, and any additional notes, prior to starting their game boards.  This led to productive talk and kept them focused on the task.

They worked together to plan their game boards on paper or white boards using dry erase markers. Again, this promoted collaboration and engagement.

Finally they worked together to put their masterpieces on paper.  I supplied white bulletin board paper which gave them plenty of room to think and create.

 We integrated technology by using a word processor to type and edit our word problems.  I might be able to read their writing, but I didn't want it to hinder other students once we started playing the games.  This allowed me to work with individuals on spelling, grammar, and asking math questions. Later students cut the text apart and glued it on note cards.

 Notice the stickers everywhere!  Students have completed their game boards, made their question cards, and started working on creating an answer sheet.  After they do a trial run playing their own game, I will mix up teams, so that one initial team member remains at each game station to coach others as they play.  This way everyone can play each game and there will be a "standard expert" at each game as well.

I quickly found out it was in my best interest to have individual storage containers for each team as they worked on creating their games this past week.  I put out containers and teams choose what worked best for them.

I'm loving these magnetic tins I discovered at the Dollar Tree.  They are perfect for holding game pieces.  We just put them up on the whiteboard each time we are done!

 This was a great end of the year activity for my students.  They were highly engaged during the entire process.  In addition to delving deeper into the standards, we learned problem solving and team building skills.  I hope you found some of these tips useful!

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Poem in Your Pocket!

April is Poetry Month!  Are you planning on participating in this annual event Thursday, April 21st?  I am for sure!

“The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends [on Poem in Your Pocket Day].” Poems from pockets will be unfolded throughout the day with events in parks, libraries, schools, workplaces, and bookstores.~Poet.org

Our librarian is hosting this event at our school!  She has been working with all of the students at our school during library time.  My first graders are choosing poems and reciting during library time!  It's so cute!  I've created this frame for them to write their own poems during Work on Writing time! I also have lots of books with poems, songs and nursery rhymes for my students to copy and carry around in their pockets on Thursday!

As a school, we are asking the students and teachers to carry poems in their pockets and read to each other during recesses and lunch!  I know I'm looking forward it!

One of my favorite books to share with my kiddos is Pocket Poems by Bobbi Katz!  It offers a wonderful selection of short poems students can copy (love that penmanship practice) and carry around for reading!

I've created a cute paper for my kiddos to write their own poems.  It's yours for the taking!   Click the picture below!

Enjoy the Day!

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Keeping Students Engaged in the Text

At about this time of year, my students got bored.  Bored of the same old, same old.  Tired of the questions. This was always about the right time to toss some novelty in the classroom!

Are you looking for some novel ideas to keep kids engaged while reading?

In first through third grades, students are asked to ask and answer questions in a text.  Of course, the difficulty of the task depends on the grade level, but the core idea is the same. This is something we worked on all year long.  We started by creating an anchor chart with possible words that could start a question.  In years past, I have also created more explicit question stems, it just depended on the class. This anchor chart was up all year and was a great reference and foundation for students.

To keep kids engaged in the text, we tracked questions we created.  Then we checked off if the question was answered in the text.  I also wrote the student's name next to the question to help give ownership of the question.  The kids loved seeing their names on anchor charts!

Another way to keep students engaged in the text is to talk about predictions.  Most students are familiar with predictions.  However, they make them before they read the text and that is that.

You can actually do a lot with predictions to help support metacognition.

I always looked at predictions like questions. We made them before reading, and reflected on them during and after reading.  We would adjust our predictions in the middle of the text and check to see if our original predictions from the beginning of the text were correct.   At the end of the text, we reflected on our previous predictions and then wondered, "What next?"

It really helped keep kids engaged throughout the entire text.

Another novel idea for informational text is a Fact, Question, Response chart.  I used this as a loose organizer for student thinking while reading.  

We were able to write down interesting and IMPORTANT facts while reading the text.  These are great, because later you can reflect on the facts and determine if any of the facts are key details. 

The question column is similar to most questioning activities.  We checked off any of the questions we found answers to.  

The response area is very powerful.  It is a great place to make inferences and  defend thinking with evidence from the text.

You may notice that some of the sentences are highlighted.  After we completed the chart, we highlighted any of the important ideas we wanted to include in a summary of the text (Thank You, Sarah Hale).  Students were surprised that we had collected so many of the important ideas during our thinking!

Looking for more novel ideas while reading? Make sure to check out the Classroom Tested Resources pinterest board.

Follow Classroom Tested Resources's board CTR Reading on Pinterest.

How do you keep kids engaged in the text while reading?  Any other novel ideas?

 If you would like more ideas, be sure to follow Classroom Tested Resources on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to catch all the freebies and ideas and more!

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Literacy is a National Treasure

I'm kicking off my National Treasures PBL unit next week in celebration of our Nation's Symbols. President's day is a nice connection and transition into this unit!

I always begin my PBL Units with loads of children's literature!  What better way to capture the attention of our students than with quality children's literature!  These are some of my favorite (and just a few) non-fiction titles for teaching National Symbols:

I "tuned" this project with my colleagues and am so excited to launch next Tuesday!  I plan to bring in a "personal treasure" that represents me and make connections to how my treasure symbolizes me!  Of course, the next step is for the kids to bring in a personal treasure of their own! We will discuss symbolism and how each treasure symbolizes each person!  This entry activity will hopefully create some excitement and enthusiasm for learning about Nation's Symbols!

I'm still working on some QR codes for our National Treasure Hunt, but will be introducing close reads for each symbol and have lots and lots of my favorite books ready!

If you want to follow along with our PBL unit,  I'll post updates on my blog!



 Here are some of my cuties from last year's exhibition!

My little firsties were docents for our National Symbols Museum!  It was so cute and I loved their exhibits!   The kids really learned about each symbol, practiced with each other and were poised and ready to be museum docents! The parents came through our museum and asked questions about each exhibit!  It was awesome

If you're planing a National Symbols Unit, you might enjoy this unit!  It has a little bit of everything and is on sale February 8-10!  

This bundle includes:

Memory Match Centers Game - Students match symbol and facts

Close Reading Procedures and Marks Anchor Chart
Close Reading paragraphs for 8 symbols 
Vocabulary pages for 8 symbols
Comprehension pages for 8 symbols
Informational Writing Activity
Fact or Opinion Page
NWF Game - Themed with National Symbols - Great for Dibels and Aimsweb practice
Fix It Sentences - Students practice handwriting and using writing conventions.

Thanks for stopping by Classroom Tested Resources!  Hooray for 3 day weekends!  It's right around the corner... :)

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Our Holiday Traditions

Hey Y'all!  It's Susan hopping over from Friendly Froggies! Every year around this time, I always teach the "Holidays Around the World" unit with my firsties.  Well, this year is a little different.  Our latest PBL Unit took longer than expected, so we are just finishing up a big bat project!  It was so much fun and the students were so engaged, we just kept going!

Since I don't have enough time to do the complete "holidays around the world" unit, we are going to focus on our own traditions.  The kids are having a blast sharing about their celebrations and traditions.  To start off this week, the students have shared about their adventures picking out Christmas trees and decorating their houses.

Our school's amazing art teacher is on board with some great lessons!  This is an example from last year and I can't wait to see this year's results!

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Tips for Using Interactive Notebooks in a Primary Classroom

Using interactive notebooks is an amazing opportunity to use higher order thinking skills and cement your students' learning. I am here to give you several tips to make the experience stress free and meaningful for you and your students!

1. Teach students your expectations for gathering, using, and putting materials away.

When students know your expectations and have a chance to practice procedures with guidance, the stress factor dramatically decreases for you.  The first time I exposed my students to note-booking activities this year, I learned this the hard way.  Simply explaining the activity leaves too much room for student interpretation when accomplishing the goal.  Now I pre-teach everything, step-by-step.  This allows me to continue working in small groups when students are responding in their notebooks independently. 

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Problem Solving in 2nd Grade

Hello! It's Allison from Stuckey in Second. I've been thinking about how I want to continue math problem solving skills with my second graders next year, and maybe even add a little more rigor to what I've been doing. I seem to modify things each year, as all teachers do. This is just a quick post about how I do things in my classroom. Maybe this will help someone else out!

We use Envisions for our math series and I don't think it gives my students enough problem solving practice. (I'm sure that other math sets are like this too, do any of them have EVERYTHING?) It does use "story" problems, but when I think of problem solving, I'm thinking of more multi-step problems that really adds some rigor to the math block.

Our math block starts right after lunch, so I have a procedure set in place that I have a problem solving problem on my students' desks when they return from lunch, and they know to get out their math notebooks, glue the problem into it, then solve. This is meant to be a pretty quick assignment, to do as a warm-up before we begin our math lesson for the day.

I like to have them glued into the math notebook because it shows growth through the year, instead of them just shoving them in a folder or taking them home to never be seen again. Since we do these everyday, they aren't always SUPER rigorous (but more rigorous than what I see in Envisions usually). Some of the problems can take more time than others and sometimes we HAVE more time than other days. I copy the problems in a way that they are small enough to be glued into the notebooks easily and to save paper!

I have used many resources for math problem solving in my classroom, but sometimes I found myself digging through the different problems to find one that they could do that day without too much direction, as they are supposed to start on it right away when they get in the room.  So, this year, I decided to create my own monthly sets of problems. I created them as the year went on, by looking ahead at that month to see what we would be working on, but also adding in some review of things we have already working on. 

I love having this warm-up everyday that goes along with what we are working on and reviewing things we have worked on before. It's a lot for some students at first, but as the year goes on, they all grow tremendously!

Each of my Monthly Math Problem Solving sets comes with three problems on one page. I can copy three days on one page, then just cut them. (Paper-saver!)

An example from my January set.

If you are interested in checking out some of these problems, here is my September/Back to School themed set. This set focuses mostly on addition and subtraction, which is what we work on first!  I forgot to add earlier, there are 21 problems per set. Enough to get you through the school days in each month, and sometimes you will have a few extras so if one doesn't work for your kids, you can ditch a few. 

Thanks for your support of this collaborative blog and for reading today! I hope all of you teachers are having a wonderful summer...now RELAX! :)

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Fluency Fun and The Peter Rabbit Operetta

Have you heard of The Peter Rabbit Operetta?  Many years ago, before I discovered blogs, I religiously viewed Cherry Carl's website, Carl's Corner. One of the activities she had a link to, was The Peter Rabbit Operetta by Lucy Jensen.  It is a musical and PERFECT for first grade! We have performed it every year for any friends/family members that can come. Students make their costumes and the scenery.  I do print off the animal masks from Jan Brett.  It is adorable and a huge hit every year!  It was a FREE download here!  Scroll down until you get to the "Peter Rabbit Scrunch" and click on "The Peter Rabbit Operetta" by Julie Jensen at the end of the songs.

This musical is not only fun, but really increases student fluency. The students practice their lines and the songs with expression over and over and LOVE it!

They memorize that entire thing, each and every year!

We do many things to increase fluency in first grade throughout the year. Students play fluency phrases games, perform reader's theaters, work on fluency with an associate during guided reading/Daily 5, read our weekly poem daily, and my newest find...5 Step Fluency by Jodie Southard.  It was a little higher than I normally will spend on a product, but the students love them and they REALLY enjoy seeing their time increase.

We are beginning our fairy tale unit and the students are loving the reader's theaters/raps I wrote. They practice these with a partner during the Daily 5 Read to Someone.  Each fairy tale rap is written for two readers. Reader's Theaters are an excellent way to increase fluency.  

How do you practice fluency in your classroom? We would all love to read your comments and pick up new ideas!

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