2016: For the End of the Year

I'm going to be realistic here and assume that the last thing many teachers want to do over their much needed break is read this blog. So I've decided that at the end of every school year, I will honor the fact that summer is for spending time with family, heading out to the lake (or your destination of choice!), BBQ's, movies on rainy days and early morning coffee in the back yard.  I've also decided to go on a blogging break myself because I think it's important to take some time and think about the year gone by.

I'll be the first to admit that when I come across an idea that excites me, I don't think twice about giving it a try.  This is both good and bad.  Good in the sense that I like to give new ways of learning a whirl, but bad in the sense that I can have a tendency to jump quickly from one thing to another, without really giving that exciting idea a fair chance (a fair chance being time to establish, try and then reflect on it's success).  So instead of looking for new ways of doing things for my next school year, I'm going to take the time over the summer to think about what I did this year, and go from there.

As this is the final blog post of the year, I thought that, in light of the fact that there are only TWO SCHOOL DAYS LEFT, I'd dedicate this post to the following idea...
"Oh my gosh there are only two school days left and I haven't organized any fun activities for my students to do yet!!"  No?  Just me?  Oh Well.

This is pretty embarrassing, and I really hope that I'm not the only one trying to think of activities to do with my students on Sunday that they will take part in Monday and Tuesday.  Always, the catch for me is to organize activities that don't require a lot of hauling loads of materials back and forth from home to school-there's enough craziness going on.  Simple.  Fun.  Easy to organize.  That's what I look for in an end-of-year activity.

If you are in the same "last minute" boat as me, I'll share my list of "Last Days of School Activities", and hope that you can use some of these as well.

Last Day of School Activities

Student Housekeeping Duties
     -this includes everything from packing up books, to recycling papers, to helping to organize the
     classroom library, to re-organizing the apps on our iPads.
Tech Time
     -my students love their iPads, and I have never given them "free time" with technology as a
     reward, so it would be quite the novelty for them.
Reflective Booklets
     -I came across a really great booklet that requires students to think about the past year, and
     record their memories.  There are loads of ideas for these on Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers.
Year End Stars
Kahoot activity 
Giant collaborative Sketchnote activity
Indoor/Outdoor Scavenger Hunts
     -again, see Pinterest
Time outside to play games (soccer, time on the playground, drawing with chalk etc)
Build Your Own Ice Cream Sundae and watch a Movie
     -I admit this is probably the one that takes the most preparing, but THE KIDS LOVE IT!  The
     only thing you have to remember is to have as many different toppings as you can get, and be the
     person who says "yes".   For example, "Yes you can have chocolate chips, bananas, sprinkles,
     strawberry sauce, teddy grahams and vanilla wafers!  Are you sure you don't want any
     marshmallow fluff with that?"
     Just a couple notes: Be aware of allergies and do this either at the end of the day OR before
     giving your students lots of time to run around outside.

I hope you enjoy the final days of your year, and take full advantage of the summer ahead.  Best of luck to you all next year!

When Kids Tell Adults How It Is

I love kids. They call a spade a spade.  And (I like to think) they don't mean it to come across as nasty, or as a poke or a way to cut us down, but what they say can make us do a double take...so long as we treat what they tell us the same way we would consider constructive criticism from an adult.
If you ever get a chance to watch TED talks, you will find a whole host of kids who call a spade a spade on all sorts of topics from poverty, to education to technology.  This TED Talk I'm going to share with you is done by Adora Svitak, who in 8 minutes, is going to tell you about what adults can learn from kids.  And frankly, she puts us in out place.  I found her talk inspiring, truthful, and a bit jarring.  Now I wonder how can I inject more childish behaviour in my classroom.  Enjoy!

Flexible Seating

Ok, I know that it's the end of the year and the last thing on the mind of most people is how to set up their room for next year. But I have a complex.  So here it goes.
I love flexible seating. We have all sorts of places for students to sit our class.  This includes chairs and tables, which are frequently used, but dependent on the task.  Having said that, there is a rocking recliner in the room that has had a young person sitting in it everyday, a million times a day. Again, it depends on the task.
It's important to note that restrictions don't (usually) come from me.  The students have been trained in the art of choosing Good Fit Spots as outlined in the Daily 5 books, and they know what works for them, just like I know when or if they are abusing their chosen spot, in which case I intervene.  But I have been trying really hard not to tell students where to sit as much as help them identify what's not working and find a spot that does.  Oh, and these conversations go on all year. I think it's because their kids.  And they need to hear things a billion and one times, no matter their age.  Let's face it, if my mother were sitting in my house right now, she'd be telling me to pick up the clothes off my bedroom floor just like she did a billion and one times when I lived at home.  I guess in a way she is telling me, because I can hear her in my head...ugh. I'll be right back.
Ok.  Clothes off the floor.  Clearly, I digress.
I guess the point I was making was this: kids love flexible seating, and they almost always make the right choice.  But should they not, I am there to remind them of the expectations.  And when they start to veer off track I can't say, "Oh, my class can't handle that freedom.  They just abuse any privilege they get."  In that moment, I take a breath, remember that I didn't start flexible seating as a reward but a support for learning, try to figure out what I did wrong, and GO BACK TO BASICS.  (Um, Hamster Wheel anyone???)
So, to inspire you for a seating change next year, I found a great post on flexible seating.  (Thank you Pinterest!)  The post references a Kindergarten room, but the ideas are very easily transferable (or tweak-able) for any grade.  Enjoy this link to flexible seating, and I hope you give it a go!