First Week of School Jitters!

"The hardest part about goin' back to school is learning how to whisper again."

-Family Circus

I was reading a book earlier today, and it dawned on me...students are not the only ones nervous about the first few days of school! Teachers can be just as nervous or even more nervous! So let me bring up an idea for all those nervous teachers out there, or even those nervous student teachers out there (aka. college seniors like myself!)

Short Morning Meeting!!

Here is what you need to do!

Greeting your new students, on the first day, or on your first day of student teaching...

Have the students and yourself quietly gather in a circle (standing up) in the classroom, or if the whether permits, go outdoors. 

Tell the students about yourself, let them know who you are. Just tell the a few personal notes about yourself, they don't need to hear your life story. 

Activity!

While you are all in a circle, have each student, including yourself, say their name while doing a movement. For example, "I'm Mrs. Miner" (I say this while jumping in a small circle). After that, proceed to say your favorite color! 

:"I'm Mrs. Miner, I love the color purple!"

After that, the students will do my movement, (jumping in a small circle), and say "Hi Mrs. Miner!". Then the next student goes, and so on and so forth.

"I am Johnny (claps his hands), I like red!"

Whole class: "Hi Johnny (clapping hands)"

"I am Sarah (disco dance move), I love pink!"

Whole class: "Hi Sarah (same disco dance moves)."

I think you get the point!

After this activity is complete, feel free to have the students head back to their seats. If you feel up to it, later on in the week of course, invite your students to each bring a bag that is filled with 3 items that they love or that describes them. Give them the opportunity to share or show them to the class. My bag would have the following: 

       

Your class will get to know each other very well, and that is a bonus for differentiation! However, I highly suggest this at the beginning of the year...not as a student teacher! Good luck Nervous Nellie's!

Morning Meetings

In my differentiation class, we spent the entire first day talking about the importance of morning meetings. I have also had the opportunity to see a morning meeting done in a 6th grade classroom, and in a 2nd grade classroom, and let me tell you, they work wonders for the class! Let me break it down for you, and let me show you how it should be done. 

Greeting

Sharing

Group Activity

News and Announcements

Greeting: The teacher and students greet each other each day. They will greet each other by name. I have even see teachers use the 3 H's (Hugs, Handshakes, or High Fives).

Sharing: Children will share important events that are happening in their lives. You will begin to notice that the class will become very excited for the student, or very empathetic towards the person.

Group Activity: In this area you will do a group activity that can incorporate language arts, science, math or even social studies. This can be a good way to begin your lesson. You can even play a game if you wanted too. It is a great bonding time for the children. 

News and Announcements: This is where you will want students to read a little message that is written by the teacher. Normally it will help guide them to know what they need to do. 

Morning meetings will really create a wonderful environment and community inside of the classroom. It allows time for bonding between students and students, and teacher and students. They don't have to take very long either. I have seen what they can do, and can tell you that the classroom is a million times better. 

IDEAS

Match Card Greeting

1. Give each student a card on which you've written part of an equation. For example, one student gets a card that says "50 – 35"; another student gets one that says "= 15."
2. Students move around trying to find the match for their card.
3. When students find their match, they greet each other. A simple "Hello" or "Good morning" is fine.
4. Students sit with their matching partner in the order of an equation, visible to the rest of the circle. For example, the student with the "50 – 35" card sits to the right of the student with the "= 15 card."
5. Going around the circle, students announce their equation while holding up their cards so all can see.

Doing the Wave

1. Students stand with one arm extended toward the classmate on either side of them and with palms touching (or palms facing but not touching).
2. Turn to the student on your left and say, "Good morning, Sara." Sara greets you back. You both then raise your arms in a wavelike motion.
3. Sara turns to the student on her left and they greet each other in the same way, with the same motions.
4. Continue in this way so that the wave makes its way around the circle.

(Courtesy of Responsive Classroom)

Group Activity Idea: Encore!

Encore! 

Students team up to connect vocabulary words with favorite songs.          

How to do this group activity:

1. Place students into small groups of four or five.
2. Call out a word or topic related to a unit of study (for example, a weather or science term, historical event or person, number or math term, or adjectives and adverbs).
3. Give groups a few minutes to brainstorm songs they know that contain that word or connect to the topic.
4. Have each group sing or chant a line or verse from one or two songs from their brainstorming.

Tips for Success:
♦ Before starting, ask students, "What will it look and sound like to work together in your group?" Model these behaviors (taking turns listening and talking, accepting others' ideas, and so on).

♦ Reinforce positive behaviors. For example: "I noticed everyone in the group sharing ideas and listening to their classmates. That made it fun for everyone!"

Skills: cooperation, vocabulary, recall

Variations:
♦ List all the songs the class came up with. Then choose a few favorites to sing later.

♦ After groups sing a line or verse, see if the other students can "Name That Tune!"

(Courtesy of 80 Morning Meeting Ideas for Grades 3-6 by Carol Davis)

Check Out These HELPFUL Books by Carol Davis

What is Differentiation?

"If you become a teacher, by your pupils you'll be taught."

-The Kind and I

Differentiation is something that is very cool, and is something that is very important! This idea of differentiating instruction is made so that as teachers we can accommodate the different ways that students learn. Not only that, differentiated instruction is responsive instruction. This is something that comes with time, and it takes some work. This is something that will happen when a teacher gets to know their students as individual students, and actually understands them. 

How can this be done?

Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson hits it right on the nose. (You really should read this book, it is amazing.)  In chapter one she lists a few ideas of how this can be accomplished. She states that if a student has great difficulty learning, for whatever reason, there should be provisions of some sort prepared to ensure that the student masters the essential knowledge and has an active support system, both to fill in the gaps in knowledge and so that they may move ahead. 

Remember when I mentioned that this is something that comes over time with teachers? Good, because now we are going back to that thought. I already mentioned that teachers need to understand who their students are, but there is more to it. A teacher must understand themselves and the meaning and structure of their disciplines that they are displaying. A teacher must also become an expert in being flexible in how they teach. They must be flexible so that they can match instruction to the students needs, with a goal of maximizing the amazing potential of each student in a given area. 

Keep in mind that each student is still different, and that there will be different traits in all learners...so let's narrow it down. There are four main traits that teachers will often address to ensure effective and efficient teaching.

Readiness

Interest

Learning Profile

Affect

In order to be successful in differentiation are there other things that we must do as teachers. Don't be frightened, it just involves what we do in our classroom, as in, our classroom elements. You want to start with content, process, product, and learning environment. 

Content

Do not be afraid to use graphic organizers in your classroom, I have seen them do wonders in all of the classrooms I have been in, and don't be afraid to use manipulatives...I wouldn't have retained as much knowledge if particular teachers hadn't let me use them. Heck, you can even use interactive notebooks!! You will actually be able to see your students minds at work!

Process

Class activities, and homework assignments are perfect examples.This will show you what students are making sense of. Once again, interactive notebook are great tools. You will be able to let your students use them to the best of their abilities and you can observe their understanding each day right out of their notebooks. 

Product

Right here, I am talking about assessments. Find ways to see what the students have come to know and understand. Find out what they are able to do, or do next. 

Learning Environment

"Learning environment is the "weather" that affects virtually everything that transpires in the classroom." (Tomlinson p.5)

This is everything from furniture to passing out papers. 

Why is this all so important? There are a few reasons.The first reason being that there are a lot more children that are English language learners, there are achievement gaps for minority learners, our special education learners are now moving more steadily towards inclusive instruction, and our brightest students may be losing motivation from not being challenged enough. 

Is there a philosophy of differentiation? Yes there is! In a nutshell, what WE bring to the school and into the classroom as learners matters in how WE learn. As teachers, or even as future teachers, we must understand that we must know who we are teaching and what we are teaching. You will not have a successful lesson if you do not know who or what you are teaching. You will not have a successful lesson if you do not plan actively or consistently. You must plan correctly in order to help each learner learn, and to allow them to move as far along as they possibly can. 

I took most of this information from the book that I mentioned earlier, Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom. I used it has a guide to introduce the subject of differentiation. I highly suggest you, as a teacher, parent, or future teacher, to begin reading along.

Stay tuned for more posts!!!!