A List of Ways to Communicate in the Classroom

Happy Thanksgiving week!! I hope you all have survived your kiddos if you're still in school.

We have been out all week and boy, has it been FANTASTIC!! I do miss my kiddos, though… I'll be honest.

I have a lot to be thankful for this week. I am thankful for my students, my parents, my coworkers, all the tools we have to help us succeed in the classroom, and I am especially thankful for communication.

Without communication, this world would not function properly. We have the obvious verbal communication methods, and then the not so obvious non-verbal communication methods.

But in the classroom? There are MANY ways to communicate with your precious students.

In our classroom, some of our most favorite ways to communicate is non-verbally. We do have our means and ways to communicate verbally, but our non-verbal communication is less disruptive, fun, and engaging!

One of the ways we communicate is by using sign language for specific things.

A student needs to use the restroom, but does not want to interrupt the thought processes and working processes of others. They signal this by holding an R in sign language high in the air. The true sign for restroom in sign language is to hold an R and shake it back and forth. But, we didn't want to add the movement, just the letter!

In our classroom, we are NOT allowed to get up for anything during testing. So, what happens when a student needs a tissue?? They hold up an F in sign language. This was assigned because of the word "facial" in facial tissue. My students and I decided that we would not be able to see a T in sign language being held up, so instead, we decided on the F.

Our last sign language letter we use in the class is a W. The W represents water. Students are allowed to go to the hall at a time when I am not speaking or when their classmates are not speaking to use the restroom OR get a drink of water.

These non-verbal hand signals make it easy for substitutes, as well.

Since my students are WELL aware of the signs, they know that verbal communication for these items are NOT allowed. The amount of disruptions in our class is cut almost in half because of these signals!

We also use a variety of different verbal communication tactics in our room.

One of those verbal communication tactics is foreign language.

My students LOVE that they can use some languages throughout the day that are different than the normal language they speak, which is English.

We like to say things like thank you, please, excuse me, no, yes, and so forth in foreign language.

It's awesome to hear my students talk to each other in Spanish when one has done something nice for another and they say, "Gracias." This means thank you in Spanish.

My other favorite part is where we say hello and goodbye in different languages every day! The kiddos are the ones that choose how we say hello and I love it. They are so creative and love to mix it up every once in a while!

The cool thing is that there are many programs and companies out there that support foreign language in classrooms. One of those companies is Smartling. Smartling is a translation software company whose mission is to break the communication barriers by supporting the importance of language and communication.

A company such as Smartling is a perfect companion with the classroom culture, simply because of the translations they complete. To check out more about Smartling, click here.

Finally, one of our last favorite communication tactics is our verbal cues. These are used when it is time to transition from centers to seat work, line up for lunch, line up for specials, transition from lunch to recess, etc.

One of the ones we use a lot is, "CHAMPS!" As soon as I say this word, students know that they are to  do the following:

C - clean your area

H - help your neighbor

A - assemble your things

M - make sure you're ready to go

P - pay attention

S - sit silently

This is one that I use constantly before we transition to walking in the hallways for any reason what so ever. They are well aware of what CHAMPS means now. Plus, they line up right in front of our CHAMPS posters for classroom management. Kind of cool how it all ties together!

Another verbal cue we use is, "Everybody FREEZE!" No matter what they are doing, they must throw their hands in the air and freeze. This is used when the announcements come on, when I need their attention immediately, or when I want to see who is where in a task.

The fun part? They can freeze however they want - a leg in the air, mid-walk, sitting on the floor, standing up… whatever they want as long as their hands are up and they are frozen. Perfect way to get them to focus and remain silent for important announcements or information.

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These, of course, are not the ONLY communication tactics that happen in our classroom. This is just a list of a few. Others that I do:

-write on desks when substitutes are coming

-write on whiteboard the directions for a task

-newsletters for parents/students

-ClassDojo points

-green/yellow/orange/red cards for behavior

-elephant ears when others are talking

What kinds of communication means do you have in YOUR classroom? I'd love to hear about them below!

Again, Happy Thanksgiving week!! Thank you for all that YOU do as educators and parents!

Back to School Weekly Linky: Week 2!

We're BACK!! Time for Week 2 of the Back 2 School Weekly Linky with Stephanie & myself. 

This week, we're talking ALL about assessment! We're giving ideas, tips, strategies, success stories, and other sorts of information. SO read on below and then check out the links in the link up to see other's tips!

When it comes to assessment, I'm a big time newbie. I didn't know much about it, nor did I learn a lot in college about it… kind of just a "teach yourself" sort of topic, in my opinion.

This past year, I did a LOT of observing as a form of assessment. I liked to walk around with my students working and get down on their level to see what they were thinking. I asked them questions to gauge their understanding, to gauge their thinking, and so forth.

I also relied a lot on Bloom's Taxonomy when trying to make my assessments up. We would do a LOT of explaining, which fell under the evaluation part in Bloom's. Also, we did a lot of labeling, arranging, and identifying (from the first two levels of Bloom's). 

In terms of testing, I made a lot of my own assessments up to meet the needs of my students. They did a lot of remembering and recalling information, especially in mathematics.

But, a lot of my science assessments took the form of projects to show what they've learned. 

My absolute FAVORITE project I assigned, by far, was the Animal Habitat Diorama. This project required students to create a diorama about an animal, uncommon animals to be specific. You typically see animal projects about dogs, cats, lions, tigers, etc. BUT, this project held animals such as ducks, quails, zebra, prairie dogs, komodo dragons, gorillas, anteaters, buffalos, and so on! My kiddos LOVED it.

But, I had to find a way to assess their work (and man, did they do some awesome work!!). So, I turned to a rubric. Rubrics are easy for me to create because you identify your category/area, assign the points, and then leave comments to support your stance on the points!

Students can easily understand the rubrics, as well, and if not, they can hand it to you, ask questions, and you can easily explain.

I also really enjoy doing portfolios. When it comes to writing, it's easy for my students to look back at their work using their portfolios. Portfolios help my students participate in self-directed learning, assessing, and they are able to hold themselves to goals, as well! Portfolios allow for students to hold themselves accountable for their work, as well.

When it comes to portfolios, I used two specific types - documentation portfolios to show my students' growth over time and process portfolios to show my students' work over time as they started with the brainstorming, to rough drafts, to final drafts. My students this past year thoroughly enjoyed being able to look through their portfolios to see how they have grown, and I enjoyed looking through them for this reason, as well!

In our class, we used MANY more assessment strategies than just the two I identified, but those were our two major assessments. Other assessments we used on an "every once in a while" basis were:

-checklists

-conferences (especially with reading)

-end of the year tests

-oral fluency assessments

-fluency tests

-performance assessments (especially with mathematics)

-projects

-standardized tests (agh…)

What types of assessments do you utilize most?? Write up a post and link up below! I'd love to hear all about it. If you don't have a blog, feel fee to leave a comment so we can discuss it!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Back to School Weekly Linky: Week 1!

Welcome!!! It's FINALLY here - the weekly Back to School linky that Mrs. D's Corner and I are collaborating with - a labor of love :)

So, what is the B2S Weekly Linky all about?? Well, I'll tell ya!

This linky is a linky that is dedicated to getting you as educators, parents, and administrators ready for BACK TO SCHOOL!! As a group, we will share tips, stories, advice, and other such information on ten different topics, each week being a different topic. 

Topics might be about behavior management, your schedules, online tools that you love, and so on.

Check out the schedule below to see each week's topic.

{Fonts by Kimberly Geswein Fonts}

So, let's begin with Week 1's topic!

Behavior management is a struggle for many teachers, especially new teachers like myself. I have taught myself that I don't need to be my students' friend, but rather, someone they can talk to but still look up to. 

So, I make sure that my behavior management techniques employ the positive reinforcement rather than negative.

For example, this past year, we used three separate things in my classroom.

First, we used our star chart.

Sorry for the blurry picture, but you'll get what it is after I explain it!

I purchased gold star stickers and a blue incentive chart from the teacher store. The students' names are written down the side and then the dates that we are in class are written across the top.

As you can see, the school I was at used the "behavior chart" with green, yellow, orange, and red cards. If a student made it through the day on green (with lots of other positive reinforcement, many ended up staying at green ALL day), they received a star.

At the end of the quarter, I counted up how many stars student MISSED. They were allowed up to 5 "no greens" and then they were out of the running for a Target gift card. I did this for 2 quarters and saw the behavior improve tremendously.

I will DEFINITELY use the Star Chart in the future, but in a different context. Next time, I will be using a personal, smaller star chart that I created. I think I will also do the chart monthly instead of quarterly and will also give a LOT of responsibility to the students by having them hold on to their own star charts!

Want a little freebie star chart to implement in your classroom this upcoming school year? Hang tight and check out the bottom of the post for a mini-freebie from the larger pack :)

Another positive reinforcement I used in the classroom to help behavior was the Homework Club created by Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics.

The idea behind the club was that if you did your homework, you stayed in. If after the month ended you were still in, you received some sort of prize. It could be take your shoes off for the day, write in a pen for the day, homework passes, sit at a different table during lunch for the week, or anything else - prizes were things that did NOT cost me any money. So, it worked out well.

Their enthusiasm for the homework club impressed me and I had a few still not turn in homework… but a majority turned it in daily!

Finally, we used my fantastic system known as Party Puffs.

Others may know it as a marble jar or star jar. But, I found these BRIGHT, fun puffs at Hobby Lobby two years ago and thought of the name party puffs… why? Well, after the jar is completely full, the class gets to have a party!

How did they earn puffs? If they received a compliment from another teacher, parent, etc., they get 1 puff. If they received a complement from the principal, vice principal, or anyone else that holds an upper position, they got 22 party puffs (1 for each student in the class). They knew, though, that if behavior went downhill, I had the authority to remove the puffs and start over.

That crushed them so they ALWAYS did their best to make sure they didn't have to lose them, and instead, they were probably the BEST class when walking through hallways, when someone came into the classroom, etc. I was impressed with how well they acted and couldn't have been happier with the outcome of our party puff jar.

As of right now, I'm not in the classroom as a full time teacher next year. But, when I do go back, I plan to employ a few other techniques… one being a classroom economy system. This will help with the bathroom trips, daily jobs, and the overall behavior in and outside of the classroom.

My good friend Corinna who blogs over at Surfin' Through Second has a great product called Beach Bucks Classroom Money System.

I'll be using it to help my students not only practice their math skills, but also their social studies/economy skills... AND we'll be working on behavior at the same time! Amazing.

Oh yeah, that freebie! Are you still interested? Click on the photo below to be taken to GoogleDocs to download the Star Chart freebie :) 

So, what kinds of behavior management techniques, stories, advice, or other tips do you have for others? Link up below to let us know!

An InLinkz Link-up