The Pathway 2 Success

Strategies & Ideas for Special Education, Social Emotional Learning, & More

Back to School Planning Tip #1: A Positive Classroom Climate

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My number 1 tip for teachers as we plan to head back into the classroom is my favorite thing most of all. It’s all about developing a positive classroom climate that fosters respect, understanding, and an environment that encourages learning in the most open way.

#1 Setting Up A Positive Classroom Climate: There are several reasons why it’s smart for teachers to spend a little extra time helping to grow their positive classroom climates early in the year. The main reason is probably that a positive climate means less behavioral problems. If all students feel listened to and accepted, you will be able to spend more time teaching and less time putting out fires. Also, a positive climate really allows for students to take risks. In turn, this just means kids will be more open and willing to learn. What teacher doesn’t absolutely love when they see that reserved student stepping outside their comfort zone? With a great classroom climate, it can happen.

One simple step to developing a positive climate is arranging your room with lots of positive reminders. Simple posters of encouragement can go a long way. You can make them into a bulletin board or just have them arranged around the room. Don’t only have them up on the walls, though. Use them during teachable moments. For example, you might say, “I really like how I saw Sam help Greg pick up his papers when they fell on the ground, even though it meant they were last to get in line. That is doing the right thing.” Then, you can point to a poster that highlights doing the right thing. Many kids will see and hear this and want to step up to the plate to do the same.

Classroom Posters with Meaningful Messages

Classroom Posters with Meaningful Messages

Another strategy is to make sure you encourage and reward kindness and courtesy for others. Have special kindness slips or student shout-outs in a spot in the room. Teach that kids can fill these forms out to record and give credit when they see someone doing something nice. Kids might fill them out when someone loans them a pencil, someone helps them on a math problem, asks them to play outside at recess. It’s up to you whether or not you want to give tangible rewards for this, such as a weekly or monthly drawing for a special prize or privilege. You don’t even have to give any specific rewards, though. Just make sure you spend time reading and giving credit to those who are kind to others.

Teaching Classroom Kindness

Giving lots of group, partner, and collaboration time among peers is also so critical. Rearrange groups frequently so that ALL students learn to work together. Have it be part of the routine that groups switch up on a regular basis. The goal is that all students in your classroom not only work together as classmates, but function as a family. When you have a class that functions in this way, it really makes the learning community such a positive place for all kids (and adults)!

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Back to School Planning Tip #2: Getting to Know You Ice Breakers and Activities

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Getting to Know YouThe beginning of the school year is such a fun and exciting time for kids. They are seeing old friends while meeting new ones. Use this time of excitement to help your students get to know each other while you are learning about them. This brings me to my number two back to school planning tip. It’s all about setting the stage with those getting to know you activities. There are a variety of ways you can incorporate getting to know you activities with your new students.

One simple and fun idea is to play “Two Truths and a Lie” with your whole class. Pass out index cards to each student or have students pick them up on the way into the classroom. Tell students to write two interesting facts that are true on the card along with one thing that is not true. You can give examples, like visiting different locations, playing sports, favorite music or bands, professions of their parents, and so on. The options are really endless for what kids can write. Then, have each student read their list to the class and have everyone vote on which they thought was untrue. It is so fun because many times the facts about each student really surprise the others in the class. Another way to modify this game is to have students turn their cards in to the teacher. The cards are shuffled and passed back out randomly. Each student will read someone else’s card. The class then tries to  guess whose card it might be. Again, it’s so exciting watching the kids begin to interact and learn about each other. Best of all, this activity can be done at almost any grade level and with no materials at all.

"Spotlight on Me" Mini-book

“Spotlight on Me” Mini-book

For young grades, “All About Me” activities are tons of fun. Kids love sharing their age, favorite foods, hobbies, who they live with, their pets, and all about their life. It can become a fun beginning of the year project to make a “Spotlight on Me” Mini-book that lets kids share about themselves. Once your students are done making their minibooks, give time for students to share them either in small groups or with the whole class. Presentations like this early on in the school year not only build confidence but a real sense of community and belonging.

Getting to Know You - For Middle and High School Kids

Getting to Know You – For Middle and High School Kids

Middle and high school kids often don’t like to share their life stories with the whole class, so sometimes you need a different approach with them. For these grade levels, you should still give time for your kids to tell you about themselves, just in a more private way. Written questionnaires are a great way to let students share how they learn, what they are curious about in your particular class, and what they will need help in. You can even incorporate this as a homework writing assignment. Give your students class time and beyond to write a letter to you about themselves.

However you approach these activities, make sure you make time for getting to know you activities and ice breakers. It’s important to set the stage for positive connections early on so you can have a great year all around. Make sure to come back for my number 1 back to school planning tip!

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Back to School Planning Tip #3: Instructional Planning

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It’s so important to have a guideline of several topics, resources, and curriculum components you’d like to incorporate this year. Is there something you’ve always wanted to teach but don’t have time to find it once the year starts? Summer is the perfect time to go back and evaluate what you teach and how you teach it.

Best of all, now is the PERFECT time to shop and find great materials you’ll want for the rest of the year. Teachers Pay Teachers is having their a back to school sale on August 3rd and 4th. Many teacher sellers list their materials at 20% off. With the extra TpT discount, you can get materials for up to 28% off.

TPT Back to School SALE!

TPT Back to School SALE!

Here are some materials I am checking out for the upcoming school year:

  • No prep printable worksheets – I like to have some morning work that I can just print off, copy, and give to kids. This is also a lifesaver for sub plans. It’s always nice to have extra worksheets that you know your students haven’t done before. I like to save a packet of them behind my desk for those days when I need something extra to assign. With many of the no prep worksheets, you know the material is still great information that the kids are learning, you just skip out on all the prep work yourself. It’s a win-win.
  • Teacher binder and calendar – In past years I’ve purchased my own teacher binder and desk calendar at a dollar store over the summer. But TPT has some amazing teacher binders and calendars with everything already in them. Many of them come with classroom forms and they can be editable so you can revise them throughout the year as needed.
  • Back to School “Getting to Know You” Materials – The first days back can be a little scary. They are full of so much uncertainty! I LOVE having extra back to school activities, worksheets, and coloring activities that we can do as a group when extra time allows. It can be a great time to build bonds and learn about each other without giving that dreaded downtime on one of the first days.
  • Nonfiction Reading Passages – I can never have enough of these! Nonfiction can be extremely high interest for struggling readers. The key is having a wide variety of topics and being able to choose what you need. Nonfiction reading often leads to  great discussions, research, and writing, too. It opens the door for so much.

Good luck shopping and finding everything you need. It’s so wonderful to find it and check it off the list before school comes around. Keep watching for my number 2 back to school planning tip!

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Back to School Planning Tip #4: Getting Organized

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Back to School Planning Getting Organized

Once the year gets going, it’s very difficult to slow down and make sense of things. You need to have a system from the start before you hit the ground running. That’s what brings me to my fourth critical back to school planning area: Getting organized.

There are so many elements to consider about being organized and how you want your classroom system to work. This includes turning papers in, students who are absent, classroom forms, class jobs for students, planning your lessons, and more.

Binders for Organization

Binders for Organization

First, get several binders ready to get organized. These are binders for the teacher (not the student). Use the binders to store specific materials and information you’ll need on the spot. Start with a professional development binder, a student information binder, a parent contact binder, a substitute binder, and a lesson planning binder. Using some simple and cheap dividers, you can split each of those binders to reflect the information that is most important and relevant to you. Most importantly, label your binders! Then, you can keep them near your desk or in an area that you’ll have access to in a moment’s notice. When you contact a parent, you’ll have a spot to jot that down in your parent contact binder. When you have a staff meeting, you’ll have a spot to store those handouts given by your administrator. Use them in the best way that works for you.

 

Use bins to organize anything

Use bins to organize anything

Another simple and cheap organization tip is to buy lots and lots of bins. You can find them at any store, including dollar stores. They may vary in size, shape, and color, but their purpose is the same. These bins will help you keep tidy and organize everything in your classroom – colored pencils, markers, books, magazines, flash cards, and prize bin rewards.

Some other class organization specifics to consider include:

  • How do you want students to turn their work in? A special bin by your desk or in the back of the room means no extra work for you collecting papers. Make it part of the class routine from the start.
  • How will absent students get their work? You can have an “absentee helper” take extra papers for the absent students, write their names on it, and keep in a special spot. Alternatively, you could just add the days extra papers to a bin. Again, make sure it’s the routine that students know to get those pages from the bin on their own when they come back.
  • Consider what classroom jobs, if any, you want to implement this year. Classroom jobs for kids help the class run smoother without you having to do every task. It also promotes a sense of responsibility for students. Some jobs include: homework checker to check off students with assignments, computer helper to set up technology, class librarian to organize books, class veterinarian if you have a  class pet, absentee helper to make sure absent kids get their work the next day, and keeper of the pencils, who will pass out an extra pencil from the pencil bin to students without a writing utensil.
  • How do you envision your lessons to span across the year? Get a calendar and map out what skills you want to teach to students in each month. Even if it’s a rough estimate, a monthly lesson planning calendar will help you stay on track with lessons.

Getting organized is a critical step. Even if you just get a foundation of organization down, it can help the whole year round. I hope all the teachers out there are enjoying their back to school planning. Stay tuned for my third tip for back to school planning coming up soon!

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Back to School Planning Tip #5: Bulletin Boards

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Back to School Planning Bulletin Boards

Even though it’s only the middle of July, lots of teachers are getting ready with their back to school planning. Of course teachers love summer, but we also love getting our thoughts and plans together for the excitement of the new school year. A lot of the planning can be done anytime in the summer, from inside your air conditioned house or outside by the pool with a glass of lemonade.

However you are planning, I will be counting down my top five areas to consider for your own back to school planning.

5. Bulletin Boards – What teacher doesn’t LOVE bulletin boards? Your bulletin board can be centered on the students, curriculum, or a certain theme. I like to start the year off with a bulletin board that focusing on using reading strategies or positive study habits- something that the students can refer back to for a while as we learn together.

This Tools for Success bulletin board highlights several positive habits and classroom expectations that are great to teach right at the beginning of the school year. Classroom teachers, resource room teachers, and school guidance counselors can use it to refer to these skills continuously as the school year goes on.

Tools for Success Bulletin Board

Tools for Success Bulletin Board

Another simple strategy for making a bulletin board is to just use posters with a similar theme and put them together. You can do this with reading strategy posters, positive character posters, or steps to finding success in your classroom. The free posters below can be put together to make a bulletin board focused on a positive, peaceful learning community.

Positive Posters for the Classroom

You can also let the kids themselves help you make the bulletin board. By letting students fill out worksheets that are all about them, you can put those worksheets up on your bulletin board as part of a theme. It can be a fun first day activity for the kids and help everyone get to know each other in the process.

Students help to make the bulletin board.

It’s also fun to come up with a catchy cute theme. Some of my favorite fun bulletin board statements I’ve come across so far this year are:

  • “Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader” (Reading theme)
  • “We are O-FISH-ally in ____ Grade” (Fish or underwater theme)
  • “We are going to CRUSH Grade ___” (Candy Crush theme)
  • “Popping into ____ Grade” (Popcorn theme)
  • “Our Top Dogs” (Dogs theme, see below)

Our Top Dogs – “We Are PAW-sitively Awesome!”

 Happy bulletin board planning! Stay tuned for my number 4 back to school planning idea!

Teacher’s Summer To Do List

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BeachSummer is almost overwhelming in a sense. Teachers have so much more free time and still so much we want to accomplish. I always like to encourage my own students to make lists and develop their goals on paper, so I figure I’d do the same with my summer aspirations. For other educator’s out there, this could be your summer to-do list, too!

1. Read. A LOT. And not just books for school. I’ve already started to read the books that I’m truly interested in and passionate about, even ones that are high above your students’ grade level ability. If you don’t know what to read, just go check out your local book store and find something that catches your eye. Yes, just read for fun!

2. Spend lots of time with the family. During the school year, school nights are so hectic. By the time I get home and dinner is eaten, it’s almost time for bed (granted I do go to bed extremely early!). Take the time now to enjoy spending time with family, whether it’s going for a walk, to the amusement park, concerts, the beach, or the zoo.

3. Think about next year without going overboard. Being that it’s still so early in the summer, I like to think about next year and slowly integrate the ideas and plans in my mind. I don’t want to over-plan, though. There will be plenty of time for that as the summer draws to a close.

4. Just spend time outdoors. Sitting outside on the patio can be so relaxing. It’s something I did not do all school year and really wish I had when weather allowed. Just being outside under the sun is one of the best therapies I can think of. Teachers are indoors too much of the time during the school year, so get out there now as much as you can.

5. Stay up LATE! And sleep in, too. Maybe this should have been number 1 on the list. I have always been a fan of waking up at 5am, even on weekends, but something changed for me this summer. I’m a huge fan of no alarm clocks and letting nature wake me up.

6. Tie up any loose ends. This is my least favorite on my to do list, mainly because these are “chores” that need to be done. Meeting with an accountant and getting quotes for some home repairs. Not fun summer activities, but it will reduce your stress in the rest of the school year if you tie up loose ends now.

Now, if I can get through that summer to do list, I will know I had a great, productive, happy summer. Hope all you teachers are enjoying yours too!

Surviving the Last Few Weeks (or Days) of School

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Most schools in the U.S. are on the verge of ending school sessions for the summer. It’s an exciting time for both teachers and students. Sometimes I think the teachers are more excited than the kids! With the excitement, though, comes a lot of craziness and uncertainty about what the end of the year will bring. It gets harder and harder to start full lesson plans, but the kids need to stay busy or a bit of chaos will begin.

Here are some ideas for activities teachers can try on the last few weeks or day of school:

End of the Year Classroom Awards

End of the Year Classroom Awards

  • Have an end of the year awards ceremony for your students. You can assign the awards on your own or create ballots and have the students vote on the winners. Awards can be simple and standard, such as “Leadership Award” and “Most Improved”. Other awards can be silly and fun, like “Megaphone Award” for the loudest student and “Chef Award” for the student with the best snacks and lunches packed. It’s a fun time to come together as a class and celebrate everyone’s individuality and strengths.
  • Have your students write a letter to next year’s teacher. If you know who each student will have, this is a great time to let the students know. Even if you don’t, though, students can still write a letter to their future teacher introducing themselves, telling what their strengths are, and what they look forward to in the upcoming grade. It’s also a great way to practice writing skills on one of the last days of school.
  • Watch a movie that aligns with a book. Make it fun! Bring popcorn or allow students to bring their own snacks. It’s fine if some students have already read the book, since they can identify similarities and differences between the book and the movie. For those students who haven’t read the book, it might just encourage them to do so.
  • Have students help with organizing, bulletin boards, and clean-up tasks. Some students love being little helpers and this is a great way to utilize their strengths during natural break times.
  • Give time to play some fun but educational board games. Scrabble, Boggle, Konexi, and Blurt are just a few of them. Blurt is one of my favorites because it forces students to use self-control and patience when it is not their turn to “blurt” out the answer.

Whatever you choose, remember to stay cool, calm, and collected. Enjoy the last days with your students!

Last Weeks of School Survival Kit

Last Weeks of School Survival Kit

Teaching Social Skills & Why It’s the Most Rewarding Subject To Teach

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Teaching Social Skills Social skills are what allow people to communicate and interact positively with others. Most children learn these skills through positive role models, adult guidance, and interactions with others. They just learn them and the rest is pretty easy! Others, though, don’t pick up on the social skills that way. These are the kids who are getting into arguments with peers, like to follow their own set of rules, don’t see why they have to wait their turn, and sadly, often don’t have many (or any) real friends. Teaching social skills isn’t easy. It’s something extra you have to teach on top of everything else, so sometimes it gets forgotten or put off. It is, however, the most rewarding thing to teach because it REALLY makes a difference. It doesn’t happen quickly, but you can see a kid transform from being avoided by other kids to really being *liked* by his or her peers. That’s special, really.

Use real-life social scenarios to teach social skills.

Use real-life social scenarios to teach social skills.

If you want to teach social skills, but don’t really know how to get started, the easiest thing you can do is discuss real-life social scenarios and situations. For example,” Tracy is sitting alone at a lunch table.” In a small group, have students come up with ideas for how Tracy might feel? Why might she be sitting alone? What could someone do to help in this situation? It’s most important for kids to focus on how *THAT* person might feel, not themselves. That helps develop their ability to take the perspective of someone else. Coming up with a variety of real-life social scenarios like this can help kids problem-solve social situations. Plus, it’s super fun getting to see how they feel about certain situations.

Similarly, you can teach social skills like this with ANY literature. As you read a story, encourage students to consider some of those same questions about social situations. Why did that person act like that? How do you think the main character felt when..? Why did the character react like that when..? This can allow you to help students work on social skills while still staying true to your content in your classroom.

Social Skills Lessons, Task Cards, & Materials

Social Skills Lessons, Task Cards, & Materials

Another important thing to remember when targeting social skills is that it’s highly important to include peer models for whatever you are teaching. I once tried to teach social skills to a group of students who all needed support in this area without any peer models due to a scheduling conflict. It didn’t last long before I realized it was just not going to work! You really NEED the support of strong role models in a group to help teach your struggling kids. It’s so true that children learn much more from other children than they do from us, no matter how hard we try!

My biggest advice is that if you know you have a child struggling with social skills, just try an intervention to help. Even if you aren’t 100% sure on the best techniques, methods, strategies, or materials, just try it. These kids with social skill deficits need supports and interventions as soon as possible so that they can begin to learn the skills and make new friends. Even if you learn with them, it won’t be quick and it won’t be easy,  but it WILL be rewarding!

 

Exercise in the Classroom

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exerciseMany schools are reducing or even eliminating recess and break times for students to provide extra contact time for academics. Even gym time has been reduced. In my school, the students are lucky to get 45 minutes of gym twice a week. While this might sound like a lot at first, many students really need a daily outlet for moving and getting energy out. Just think of all the time we expect our students to sit in their seats all day. Adding just a bit more movement and exercise can help motivate, inspire, and invigorate your kiddos. Here are some ideas for adding exercise and movement into your classroom.

One idea is that you can schedule exercise time right into your daily morning meeting, homeroom, or right after recess as a cool down. Some simple exercises could be jogging in place, arm circles, stretches, and jumping jacks. If your school allows it, you could also do a daily lap around the school to wake up your students in the morning.

Teaching yoga as a relaxer before tests may also greatly benefit students. Research has shown that yoga postures release chemicals in the brain that help reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. Yoga also helps to increase focus, self-awareness, and balance. This can be a great activity for all students, even those who are not particularly athletic.

Exercise can be part of your classroom celebrations or rewards, too! You can incorporate a short dance time after the class has worked hard on a task, all homework was turned in, or just on a Friday afternoon for fun. Just play “Happy” and you will see that it is hard for your students to even stand still! This also positively reinforces the idea that exercise is something fun, not something you just have to do.

Don’t forget to get outside of your classroom often. Take a nature walk outside to write about science observations. Walk down to the gym to measure for the perimeter of the gymnasium or just the tiles on the floor. Take an extra trip to the library for a speak book talk. The opportunities are really endless.

April Fools’ Day.. Revenge of the Teachers

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April Fools' Day

April Fools’ Day

Today is April Fools’ Day. Part of me really wants to like this day, really! But, of course, a significant part of this day terrifies me. When you are a teacher on April Fools’ Day, you never know when, where, and how you will be the center of a student prank. This year, I’ve done my research and figured there is a simple way that I can deal with my fear of this holiday – strike first! Here are some ideas for setting up awesome April Fools’ Day pranks in your classroom where the students (not you) will be at the center of the joke.

1. “The Early Release” – At some point during the day, casually tell students that there is a problem with the water pressure systems in the school that causes the toilets to not be able to flush. Due to this, students will all be sent home early today. To make it super-realistic, you can even schedule a coworker to call your room and pretend to tell you this over the phone.

2. “The Everything is Wrong” – Throughout the day, give wrong answers to questions and problems. Similarly, incorrectly correct students on how words are pronounced just to confuse them and see who catches on.

3. “The Pop Quiz” – Tell students that they will be getting a pop quiz on a certain topic today. This is a classic April Fools’ Joke. If you think it might be predictable, you can just say that it is a quiz and that you mentioned it a week ago, giving plenty of prior notice. Feel free to pass out a fake or made-up quiz with silly questions, too.

4. “The Saturday Extra Help Session” – Tell students that due to the recent poor test scores, several students will be required to attend a Saturday extra help session over the next several weeks. Walk around the room handing out notices to particular students, asking them to make sure their parents sign the sheet.

5. “The Clock Change” – While students are in another class or at lunch, change the clock an hour or so. This one will really confuse several students (provided they do not use phones, ipads, or other technology!).

6. “The Broken Copy Machine” – Let students know that due to the copy machine being broken for an extended time, there will be no homework for the remainder of the week. Don’t let this one go too long before letting them know!

 

Whatever joke you come across, have a happy April Fools’ Day!

 

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