Students thrive under structure and consistency. Routines are explicitly taught at the beginning of the year and are practiced daily throughout the year- repeating them if done incorrectly.
Embedded Files
Sign Language
Sign Language
With instructional time already feeling limited- I try to avoid having to call on students for various needs while teaching. This led me to implement sign language in my room. They learn to say their affirmations and I love you. They are able to ask for the restroom, a pencil, water, and tissues with a sign. They are also taught yes and no so I am able to continue teaching while silently allowing them to get or do what they need and knowing that a raised hand is a question.
Transitions
Transitions
I believe the smoothest classrooms have the least verbal instruction. Students listen for our classroom doorbell- knowing that they are required to quietly put their things away and clean their area when it goes off. I also use visual timers as students are able to see how much time they have left to complete a task and can manage their time accordingly. When the timer goes off- they will clean their areas and get ready for the next activity.
Morning Tubs
Morning Tubs
With my current school's schedule- students have 30 minutes in which they can arrive and go to breakfast. They will come in, put their lunchboxes on the shelf, backpacks in their cubbies, take-home binders on my assistant's table, and get their lunch tags to go to breakfast. I like to avoid giving more papers than necessary- so we use morning tubs. These hands-on activities practice our current standards and are changed monthly.
Centers
Centers
Student performance data is used to separate students into 3 groups (low, middle, and high) in both ELA and math. Each group is assigned a color so students are unaware of everyone's performance levels. Students will look for their name on the board to find their color. They can work in groups up to 3 and choose one of their color's tubs- each group has 3 choices for ELA and 3 for math. After finishing their tub and submitting their work- they can move on to an activity center like the art station, magnet wall, sensory tub, or dramatic play area. This process is repeated again for math centers later in the day. Center groups and activities are changed monthly depending on that month's assessment data.
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