Foolproof Ways to Partner Your Students

I don't know about you, but I have my students work with partners constantly. 

Sometimes partners are assigned strategically, based on data for intentional instruction.

Sometimes, however, I just need my students to find a partner or at least someone to turn and talk to during think-pair-share.

I was tired of my students taking forever to find a partner.
I was tired of my kids working with the same people over and over.
I was tired of saying "make a better choice" or "you aren't allowed to work together."

I have equity sticks and use them often, but the partnerships aren't planned and therefore often aren't great.

Thus, I introduce to you...

The Partner Wheel

I originally heard this idea from Amie Dean, The Behavior Queen. (Side note: SHE'S AMAZING!)

It's perfect for partnering your students. Put students that you don't want working together on the same circle… They will never figure out why they never end up as partners.  LOL! #teacherwin

I've been implementing more whole-brain teaching into my daily routines, so I've been using this partner wheel to determine weekly reading carpet partners. It may not be the prettiest thing, but it serves its purpose! 

Here's another tip: Search "circle segmented into __ parts" on Google images to find a circle that fits your needs. Print one smaller than the other, attach with a brad, and there you have it! 

Other Partnering Ideas 

Want to squeeze in a little more practice? Make your partnering academic! 

A perfect example is using one of my grammar puzzles. Pass out the pieces to your class, and each student has to find his or her match. Ta da, partners!

This works for vocabulary too. Put the word on one index card and the definition on the other. Laminate so you can use them over and over. 

Lastly, there are tons of options for cute partnering cards on Teachers Pay Teachers.

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Which one are you going to try? If you make your own, please send a picture my way on Instagram either @schoolandthecity or @theprimarypeach.

Winter Writing Favorites

I'm sure many of you agree with me when I say I have a love/hate relationship with bulletin boards. I don't know about you, but I feel a lot of pressure to make my bulletin boards show work that is attractive yet rigorous! (Tell me I'm not alone!)

To gear all of us up for January/February bulletin boards, I've collected a few of my favorites to share with you.

PENGUINS

Who doesn't love penguins? I typically start my informational writing unit with penguin research reports. We do some shared research and shared writing, then students do their own research on a chosen species of penguins. The end project is adorable.

I decided to simplify the process a little bit this year by creating a writing template for the penguin belly, which you can grab for free here. The link also shows how I make the tracers for the penguin body.

BUILDING SNOWMEN...

We don't get much snow here in Georgia, but students love snowmen nonetheless. It's not new information that a snowman is the perfect subject for how-to writing. Start your lesson off by showing (and singing) Do You Want to Build a Snowman from Frozen (bonus points if you dance along).

Allow students to create their own snowflakes for the bulletin board, which can also turn into a great (yet difficult) how-to writing piece.

... AND MELTING SNOWMEN

Another all-time favorite of mine that is more appropriate for the South is a melting snowman. I love this project because it is so versatile! It's great for a creative narrative, but works just as well for a science writing piece about the water cycle. You can find a whole blog post about this project here.



These are three boards that I've done myself, but I also have to share my favorite winter writing activities that other amazing teachers have done. Check them out below!


OTHER FAVORITES

• If I Lived in a Snowglobe
• Catching Snowflakes on My Tongue
• Snowmen At Night
• How to Make Hot Chocolate

Happy creating!

Kristin from School and the City

9 Things You Need from the Dollar Spot This Winter

You may think it's a little too early to be talking Christmas, but in my humble opinion, it's totally not too soon! In fact, Target (our favorite store) dropped their holiday merchandise THIS WEEK, so you have to stock up before the Dollar Spot is completely picked over!

Here are 9 things you could grab from the Dollar Spot before you miss your chance! 

First and foremost, you NEED these blank books in your life! My students L-O-V-E them, and so do I. Both of the book sets pictured below are too cute, but I chose to stock up on sets with more neutral covers since I can't do Christmas in my classroom. $3 for 6 blank books is a steal, in my opinion.

Want to help your students write neatly in their blank books? Grab my templates, which are FREE in my store!

I don't know about you, but I use mini erasers for ALL KINDS OF FUN THINGS in math! They are the perfect manipulatives to get your students excited about learning and practicing math. I most recently used fun erasers as a nonstandard unit of measurement. The opportunities are really endless. Snowmen, Christmas trees, penguins, oh my!

The next items can also be used in so many ways in your classroom. I use dominoes in math for fact families, addition, subtraction, and more. I thought the tumbling tower pieces might be good for STEM. If nothing else, they make easy, fun, and cheap games for indoor recess!

Clothespins can be found everywhere in my classroom. Most of my clothespins are boring, but the ones currently for sale in the Dollar Spot are just the opposite!

I found chalkboard clothespins first - how clever! You could use them to label stack of papers... "to grade," "to copy," or even "throw away after the kids go home." (Let's be real.)

Target had some pretty cute mini clothespins in the Dollar Spot too, which I've seen many teachers use for centers activities.

STAMPS! and INK! Just take my paycheck, Target! I bought myself some ink because, well, it was only a dollar, and I'm always needing an ink pad for some reason, so why not? The stamps were super cute, too! On second thought, maybe I should go back and get some...

I definitely did not buy any loud, jingly musical instruments for my classroom, but maybe you want to for yours! For only a dollar, a tambourine, triangle, or jingle stick would make a great gift for your students. If you put on annual performances, STOCK UP!

Because Target always seems to have us teachers in mind, you can find "shatter-resistant" clear ornaments in the Dollar Spot right now. Just look on Pinterest for lots of super cute ideas for ornaments that students can make as gifts for their families.

Do any of you have VIP caddies or VIP supplies as a behavior incentive? The Dollar Spot has plenty of festive pens and pencils to stock up on. I personally was obsessed with my own 6-color pen when I was a kid!

Primary teachers, these last items are for you! These magnetic letters, shapes, and numbers are super cute and would look great on your whiteboard! I came close to buying some for myself although I definitely don't need them.

What do you think? Are you running to Target now, or what?!

Have you seen anything else in the Dollar Spot lately that is perfect for the classroom?

Let me know in a comment below.

Happy holidays, and happy shopping! 

- Kristin from School and the City 

4 Fun Fall Math Freebies

Happy autumnal equinox... It's FALL y'all!

This is Kristin from School and the City and I'm so excited about today's post. I thought we could kick off this fall season with a collection of FREE fall math ideas and resources!

ADDITION

I just adore this super-cute "Add the Room" activity by Kamp Kindergarten. My favorite thing about this is her alternative idea to place the task cards in a mini photo album and have students write the answers using dry erase markers. What a fun idea for early finishers!

Click HERE to download.

PLACE VALUE

Mandy from Mandy's Tips for Teachers is full of fun fall-themed ideas. I love these candy corn puzzles! Students will create a candy corn by matching a number in standard form to it's word form and expanded form. You can differentiate for your students by using puzzles to the hundreds place or puzzles to the thousands place. I can't wait to use this as a review station with my kiddos; I know they will love it! 

Click HERE to download.

EVEN AND ODD

This next freebie, my own, is an oldie but goodie. It's been my featured free product in my TPT store for years now. I actually use it with my own students every year!

It's an even and odd SCOOT, or "around the room," activity. I have the numbers represented in four different ways to add rigor and variety: standard form, addition equations, ten frames, and word form.

Click HERE to download.

ESTIMATION

This last freebie, also by Mandy at Mandy's Tips for Teachers, is a recording sheet that you can use as a center during math. You can bring in real pumpkin seeds (which I think would be super cute) or use counters as the "seeds" for estimation.

Click HERE to download.

Will you be using one of these fun freebies in your classroom this fall? Let us know if a comment below!

Finish the Year With a Bang: End With the Beginning in Mind

14 days. That’s all I have left. That’s it ! Can you believe it?

END WITH THE BEGINNING IN MIND

The end of this school year is {finally} near, my friends, and I have already started preparing. You know the expression, "begin with the end of mind?" As many teachers have at this time of the year, I have shifted my thinking to "end with the beginning in mind."

I think that I, like most teachers, romanticize the back-to-school season; Every year I forget how chaotic, overwhelming, and exhausting it is until I'm living it. Each year, I have gotten a little better about prepping for the next year.

An old trick that you may already know is to have and fill a Back-to-School Box. In this box you will put everything that you will need immediately, during pre-planning, open house, and the first week of school. You will store this box somewhere in your classroom that is memorable and easily accessible for when you come back after your amazing - but too short - summer vacation.

In my box, I include:

• Desk AND lanyard nametags for my new students, laminated and cut (I write names with a Sharpie AFTER laminating)
• Supplies for Open House: copies, labels, station signs, and easels
• Basic copies for the first week of school

You've seen the lines for the copier - and even worse, the laminator - during preplanning. Avoid those lines AT ALL COSTS by planning ahead!

I'VE LOST MY MIND, I KNOW

How do I get all of these things done, you ask, in addition to my regular teaching and planning?

I make myself a countdown calendar. On this printed calendar, I count down the days until the end of the school year... obviously! But also, on each day, I write down a few tasks to be completed. I do try to organize the tasks so that they don't take away from my current class.

For example, I'm not taking any math stuff down until the day after the last day of math. (We switch classes for math.) The first days of tasks are things that are practically unnoticeable to the students; I don't want them to think their school year is quite over yet!



I save the tasks that I want the kids to help with for the last day or so. Some of them would rather do chores for me than watch a movie - which I ADORE!

All that being said, it's an easy way to organize little tasks and get things done in a timely way, instead of being overwhelmed during post-planning. PSA: Having only ONE day of post-planning is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS if you ask me. I'm supposed to undo 180 days in one morning, before the staff celebration? Um, no.

JUST KEEP TEACHING

We are almost there, y'all! Hang on! While you and your students anxiously await your summer and you try to cross tasks off of your countdown calendar, make sure you give your students some fun, yet meaningful, work to do.

I may be a little biased, but I personally love these end-of-year newspaper writing projects that I created. The kids LOVE writing their own newspapers, reflecting on the school year, and spending lots of time illustrating. It's a great calm activity for the last week of school.

For even more ideas from The Primary Peach be sure to follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to catch all the latest news and updates.

Spring Into April: Poetry Slam

Happy April, peaches! It's Kristin from School and the City. 

As you know, April is poetry month. What better way is there to celebrate poetry month than by having a poetry slam?

I think kids are more motivated to work when they have something to work for, especially when it comes to writing. We all have kids who aren't avid writers, so it's up to us teachers to facilitate a love for writing by giving them a reason to write!

Most kids do love poetry units and writing poetry, because poetry in itself is just so much fun. But why not make it more fun, and more motivating for all students, by ending your unit by allowing your students to participate in a poetry slam?! Having poetry slam can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be; It's totally up to you! 

POETRY SLAM MUSTS:

• Students must have poetry written and prepared to share (duh)
• Teach the kids how to be good audience members and how to snap. 
• Encourage the students to dress artistically, in all black. 
• Show students videos of people reading / reciting poetry so they can study and mimic verbal and facial expressions. 

IF YOU WANT TO GO ALL OUT...

• Set the stage! Turn the lights down, gather some lamps, and set the mood. 
• Turn it into a café by providing food or allowing kids to bring snacks. 
• Invite parents, other students, and/or other staff members. (Hint: Inviting admin may or may not earn you brownie points!)
• Find a karaoke machine or some sort of sound system to use so everyone can hear.

CLICK the picture to check out my editable invitations!

Last year, my students worked extremely hard all month creating poetry books using my templates and adding their own pages. They turned out to be great little poets! I can't wait to see how my class does this year. 

What do you think? Will you host a poetry slam for your students? Let me know over at School and the City if you try it!

Have a great April in your classroom... and stay tuned for more April ideas!

For even more ideas from The Primary Peach, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to catch all the latest news and updates!

A Teaching Pot of Gold: Blurt Cards

Happy Friday eve! It's Kristin here from School and the City.

The peaches are excited to bring you "a pot of gold" this March to make your classroom magical!

My tip for you is definitely magical... but here's a secret:

It's a tip to benefit YOU, not your kids. (Your sanity is important!)

I have definitely had to work some magic lately because it is that time of year.

By that time of year, I mean the weather is getting warm, kids are getting extra peps in their steps, and it's almost time for spring break. We are so close!

When it's that time of year, it's also time for behaviors to start going downhill and the chattiness to begin getting out of control. (Well, that's how it is in my room, at least!)

Last week, I decided that enough was ENOUGH. I couldn't make it through a day block lesson sentence without getting rudely interrupted by a student blurting out.

So I did some research, during which I found the idea of blurt cards and figured out how to make a system that would work for my classroom.

On my first day of attempting blurt cards, I posted about it on my Instagram and Snapchat (@SchoolAndTheCty). Tons of you asked me to share, so here goes!

First, we read and discussed a book.

These are my absolutely favorite books for blurters:

   

Afterwards, I introduced and explained the blurt cards.

Each time a student blurts out or interrupts a lesson with their voice (like an inappropriate laugh or sound), they have to mark off a box on his or her blurt card.



I'm starting off with four boxes, but I hope to eventually move to three then two. If a child can make it to dismissal with an empty card, they get rewarded. PURRR tickets are school-wide PBIS "money" that students can spend at the school store.



Right now, my fancy-schmancy blurt cards are just good ol' sticky notes. They are easy enough to make a few of each afternoon and stick on desks before I leave.

I decided that the best way to go about this is to give all of my students the opportunity to earn rewards. Therefore, each day, 6 kids get blurt cards. Four kids are my special friends that will get blurt cards every day. I also give blurt cards to 2 more students. It's great to compare the results at the end of the day of the volcano kids and non-volcanic kids. And again, I wanted to make sure that my well-behaved students also have the opportunity to be rewarded. Last, I just made a quick schedule to keep in my binder so I can keep track of who hasn't had a turn yet.




Blurt cards have worked really well for a whole... week! Some of my volcanic littles have worked really hard to restrain themselves, and I can see improvement already.


Let me know over at School and the City if you try blurt cards or something similar! I'd love to have you follow my (never dull) teaching journey.


Good luck handling spring fever in your classroom... and stay tuned for more March magic!

For even more ideas from The Primary Peach, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to catch all the latest news and updates!

Sweet Treats: Black History Month Books & Freebie

Hey, y'all! It's Kristin from School and the City. Can you even believe that we are approaching the end of February?!

I hope you have enjoyed all of the treats from the other Primary Peaches so far this month. I've got some more fun for you!

As you know, February is black history month. This coincides perfectly with the civil rights unit that I am teaching right now! I love integrating social studies into my literacy block by finding kid lit that matches up with our social studies content. 

Here are some of my absolute FAVORITE children's books to use during black history month:

Ruby Bridges... I just love her and her story. I love the class The Story of Ruby Bridges, but I also love Through My Eyes which was, of course, written by Ruby herself. 

Martin's Big Words is my favorite MLK book. I love reading it on BookFlix, because the reader has such a deep, booming voice that keeps the kids completely engaged.

The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft is one of my favorite books that I use to teach the underground railroad. It's about slaves that disguise themselves to travel north to freedom.

Of course, you can't forget about the Who Was... (or Who Is...) books!

But my favorite of all is...

HENRY'S FREEDOM BOX

I ADORE this book. It's about Henry "Box" Brown, who was a slave that MAILED HIMSELF to Pennsylvania, a free state!!!! It's a true story! We talked about how desperate Henry must have been to put himself in a box for 27 hours in order to escape his current situation.

I brought in a box for kids to test out, and even wrote the address (from the book) on the outside. Each student took a turn sitting in the box and tried to get comfortable for a few minutes. Afterwards, they reflected and wrote about the experience and what Henry's experience may have been like.

Just for you... an exclusive freebie to supplement Henry's Freedom Box. 

For more fun ideas to use during Black History Month or while teaching the underground railroad, please visit my blog by clicking the image below!

Enjoy the rest of your February, and come back tomorrow for another Sweet treat!

For even more ideas from The Primary Peach, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to catch all the latest news and updates!