Line 'em Up!

Hello friends! How do you line up your kids? This summer I found a wonderful freebie from Primary Possibilities' FB page (BTW it's still there!). It's numbers to put on the floor for when your kids line up. 

So, I printed them and was excited to use them. I decided not to laminate them. The school laminator was out of film and I'm really stingy with my personal one. And my thoughts were, it's going to be taped to the floor, so it really doesn't need to be laminated first. Right?! Well, that was an EPIC FAIL! 

Here's what they look like now 2 months into school: 

The crazy part....I don't understand why they are like that! My kids aren't hard on them and it's not like my floor is mopped often. And not all of them came up, just some. 

So, thank goodness that freebie was still up. I reprinted, laminated and put new ones down. 

The moral of this story is....laminate before you tape to the floor! (at least I hope it lasts this way!)

Just as a side note, I absolutely LOVE having the numbers on the floor. Each of my students have their number to line up on (and I can switch it if I see some friends not working out together). They always know where to line up, there's no pushing to be in the front or back, or even a question of where to go! It also helps the students that have to go through my classroom from another classroom to go to the bathroom. 

At first I thought it might be tough for some of them to remember their number, especially ones that don't know their numbers up into the teens. But they had no problem at all. We did it once to practice and that was all I had to do. I only had one that had trouble finding their spot after the initial practice (and let's face it, it took that child a month to remember where their cubby, rug spot and table spot was...too many spots I guess). 

Do you have a system for lining  your students up? If it's on the floor, how do you keep it there?

Literacy Stations {and a mini giveaway}

Hello friends! So I have recently posted about my math tubs and RTI. Now, it's time for literacy stations! Maybe it's because I teach little ones, but I {puffy heart} LOVE stations! I feel like my students get so much hands on learning out of them. Here's what my stations look like for kindergarten at the beginning of the year. 

First, I set up a pocket chart using their picture and free station cards from One Extra Degree. My students rotate through stations and only do one station each day. 

Our stations are:

1. Listening Station (2 students)

2. Pokey Pins (2 students)

3. Word Work (2 students)

4. Computers (4 students)

Listening:
For my listening station, my students will listen to stories on storylineonline.net, leap frog videos and alphabet songs. It varies depending on the group. I want them to listen to something they can learn from and enjoy.

Pokey Pins - Then Read to Self

I use the pokey pins from  from Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business. Students lay on their bellies to do this work. They are great for fine motor skills. I also have carpet squares if I have a student who would rather sit at a table for this activity. Felt under their paper will also work. When students complete this one we hang it in the window just because it looks cool and then they go and read to self. Our read to self is a little reading corner with a kid sized couch and beanbag. 

I had a hard time finally deciding to implement this station. Students use push pins to do the work. When I was in kindergarten, the little boy I sat beside put a push pin on my seat hoping I would sit on it. I saw it and immediately told on that stinker. But I tell ya, I cried! And all of that made it hard for me to do this station ( I guess that scarred me, LOL). But as I see my kiddos doing this station, I know I made that right choice to make it part of our stations. 

Work Work

This is how I fit my sensory table into my stations. (And just happens to be the only thing I remembered to take picture of.)

I  have many activities for my table all stored underneath it. With this activity, students will pick a side to stand on and look at the board to see what letters they need. 

Then, they will look through the table and dig through the noodles and find the uppercase, lowercase and 3 pictures for each of their letters. 

The board is dry erase and magnetic, so I added a small magnet on each card so my students can easily sort what they find, remove and switch spots with their partner to work on new letters.

You can find that station here in my little store:

P.S. -all sensory activities are on sale until the 4th!

Computers

Four of my little friends will work on Starfall.com during station time.

Now I'm sure you are wondering how many kids I have, since they can't possibly fit at those few stations. I am very blessed to have an aid for 30 minutes each day. I have made that time my station time. She takes half of my students into our back room  to work on letters, sounds and words in a small group setting. The half that stay with me go to a station and then I pull for guided reading. 

This is the first year that it has worked out this way and I love it! 

With all of that said...I'm still a firm believer in very small groups for stations. With computers as the exception, I only put 2 kids at each station. I do the same with math tubs (and all of my kids are in the room for that). Only 2 kids are at a tub at one time. That means more things going on in the room and more stations to teach procedures for. But, you don't have to change stations out as often and I find that my students are actually quieter with just one friend instead of 2 or 3 friends in their group. 

Now is your chance to enter to win my alphabet activities for the sensory table. Just use the rafflecopter to enter and 2 lucky entries will be randomly chosen!
Lois is the winner! Check you email for some goodies! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Something New Sunday Linky

Hello Friends! I'm trying to get in a schedule with my blogging posts {to help keep them from being very random}. So each Sunday, I am going to host a linky where you can link up something new that you blogged about or something new in your store. I think this would be a great way to get new ideas!!

Here's my something new:
Through Primary Possibilities' Wednesday Wisdom linky, I read about putting numbers on the floor for lining up. Now, I have a star on the floor to let students know where to start the line. But, having a spot for everyone would make lining up so much easier! Be sure to read their post because Stephany already has numbers made and ready to print for you!

I'm also linking up with 24/7 Teacher, Amy, for her Sweet Summer linky.



An InLinkz Link-up

Linking Up For Wednesday Wisdom {just a day late}, Throwback Thursday and Get Ready for Flash Freebie Friday

Hello friends! I linking up with Primary Possibilities for their Wednesday Wisdom {just a day late}.

Here is this week's focus: It is time for another Wednesday Wisdom.  This week we are wanting to know how you make your classroom run smoothly.  What procedures do you have specific to your classroom that make transitions and activities efficient?  What saves you time and helps you with time management?

I think one of the things that help my classroom run smoothly is teaching and modeling high expectations. At the beginning of the year, we go over the rules each and every morning. I'll have students show what it looks like, show what it doesn't look like and then, again, what it looks like. This helps the rules seem real instead of just something Mrs. Lindsey is saying while they are distracted by the newness of school .

To help with time management, I make sure I have given them the tools and knowledge to perform a specific task before I ask them to do it. I can't expect them to go to stations if I haven't shown them what to do in that station, what their behavior will look like in that station and voice level.

What helps me the most is being consistent, meaning what a say and following through. This takes a lot of time and effort up front, but is worth it in the end. And, you have to remember that some days are just going to be crazy!

Go on over to Primary Possibilities and see the other links for today's Wednesday Wisdom!



Now for some Throwback Thursday!


Today's Throwback Thursday

This ties in with things going smoothly in the classroom. I love using music for transitions! Last year whenever stations were over, I would play a song. Students had to have their station cleaned up and be on the rug before the song was over. This helped me SO much! Before I always had stragglers at the stations and then the ones on the rug would be loud (and who could blame them, nothing was going on but waiting). With the song, those on the rug were singing and dancing and those still cleaning could tell how much time they had left because they knew the songs.

 

*********************Originally Posted May 14, 2012*********************

Oh my only 4 MORE DAYS LEFT! Why is it that this time of year is always so hectic! Four more days, final research project for my masters ALMOST ,well maybe halfway, finished, and my wedding is 33 days away {SO EXCITED!!}. Whew, so much to do in so little time.  Oh and did I mention that I'm moving back to kindergarten so I have to move all of my crap awesome stuff to the other end of the building.


Anywho I have just discovered The Laurie Berkner Band thanks to an awesome pre-k teacher down the hall.

Have any of you heard these songs?!?! They are so much fun. If you teach little ones, I'm sure you know the importance of using songs. And if you have ever been to a Dr. Jean conference, she will tell you all of the research behind it (BTW if you ever have a chance to hear her speak, it is definately worth going). The songs from this CD are so upbeat and my kiddos LOVED them. They have begged to listen to them and try new ones all day. Rocketship Run is my kiddos' favorite. It has become one of those songs they sing under their breath in the hallway - so cute.

 

Shew that was a long post!! Now if you hung on this long, let me tell you about something new! On my FB I'm going to start doing a flash freebie every Friday! Be sure to like my page so you don't miss out! Just click on the picture to get to my FB page!