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.

What is GoNoodle and How Does It Work?

Happy Tuesday, Friends!

It's Theresa from True Life I'm a Teacher, and I'm here for Technology Tuesday!

A couple of years ago I kept hearing about this website called GoNoodle. I had no idea what it was other than it offered brain breaks. It wasn't until just last year (embarrassing, I know), did I actually sign up, and start using GoNoodle.

Before I started using GoNoodle, I searched YouTube for kid-appropriate brain breaks that my kids would love. I found 7 or 8 that my class just rotated through regularly. Nothing was wrong with them, except that sometimes YouTube wouldn't cooperate, and it just sort messed up the moment.

Enter...GoNoodle.

What IS GoNoodle?

"GoNoodle helps teachers and parents get kids moving with short interactive activities. Desk-side movement helps kids achieve more by keeping them engaged and motivated throughout the day." (Read more here).

GoNoodle provides many different options for short (or long - depending on the time you have available) movement breaks that get kids up and moving. Some are dances, some are songs, some simulate running, jumping, and some are calming breathing exercises.

How does it work?

GoNoodle is FREE! All you have to do is sign up. There is a paid version, GoNoodle Plus, that gets you access to even more brain breaks, which eventually I might try. For now, the free version has everything we need and more!

Sign up here or click the picture below!

If you're a non-teacher reading this, but have kids, you can still SIGN-UP! You'll be able to keep your kids having fun, and busy for hours! This is also a FANTASTIC resource for homeschoolers! 

I definitely recommend searching through GoNoodle, and watching as many of the brain breaks as you can to get a feel for what you and your class can do. Use the "Demo Class" though, so you're not actually growing your Champ under your new class. They'll be so sad if they miss their Champ growing.

To keep things easy, I name my class by the current school year. I'd never be able to keep up with anything else.

If you're school departmentalizes, or you're a specialist, you can name the class otherwise. For example, if I was the music teacher, I might name a class by grade, then teacher's last name (2nd Grade - Copeland). It'd make it easy to switch to whatever class I was seeing at the time.

How cute are these Champs? And the names? Hilarious. I choose the first Champ, just so we can get started on the very first day of school without ANY delays.

"Champs are the primary motivation system in GoNoodle. Every time you play an activity with your students, you help grow your Champ. When you grow a Champ completely, you get to choose a new one to grow." {For more info about Champs click here)

Your new class is now ready to go. The Champs are always giving some silly little saying or "fact" that the kids get a kick out of!

From here though, I'd recommend heading back to your demo class so that you can actually see some of brain breaks. To do that, just click on "Dashboard" > Demo Class.

Once you're within your Demo Class, you'll see a few different options at the top of the screen.

Once you've seen some brain breaks with your class, they'll definitely have favorites! You may also have some favorites of your own that you want to incorporate regularly throughout the day.

Do you already GoNoodle? I'd love to know what your favorite brain break is!

Are you planning on using GoNoodle for the first time this year? I'd love to know what you're most excited about! Sign up here!

Whether you already GoNoodle, or you're just signing up, I created a a list of rules my class follows as it pertains to brain breaks, as well as a list of some of our favorites! Grab them here or by clicking on either of the pictures below. Enjoy!

Back to School: Organizing Sneak-a-Peek with Stations

Hey there friends! It's Theresa from True Life I'm a Teacher!

Today is all about Teacher Tips & Tricks :) Who doesn't love a good teacher tip?!?

The countdown is on! ONE week from TODAY, I will be meeting my sweet seconds (and their parents)! EEEKKK! Where has summer gone??? I've been spending lots of time in my classroom lately, and things are finally starting to look better...I think. I hope. Fingers crossed!

I am so excited to meet my new students, and as usual, I am super nervous! I mean, I've spent all summer thinking about my new kiddos - what are their names? what are their interests? personalities?  and uhh, how many of them are there??? Haha!

I gotta tell ya...I love sneak-a-peek (this might be called meet the teacher/open house/back to school night at your school)! But I also hate sneak-a-peek! Don't hate - I'll explain!

I love meeting my students and their families, but at the same time, there's only ONE of me, and so many people to meet! Plus, there's about a million things to try to get accomplished, and ya'll...parents are short on time!

It's hard to remember, and keep track of everything! Fortunately, a few years ago, I started using STATIONS for sneak-a-peek, and it was a HIT (with parents AND with me!).

What are Sneak-a-Peek stations?
Stations (think of these like centers, almost) are set up and spread out around the classroom. Each station has a different "task."

How many stations are there?
This depends on you, your classroom, and your school. I have 10 - but you may only need 6. Just depends on what all you want parents/students to do and/or complete while they're there.

Here are the 10 stations I have:

Why have stations?
Before I used stations, there was inevitably a line of parents and students and no one really knew what to do (including me, HA!). It was awkward, and there weren't enough to me to go around and answer questions.

Stations provided the perfect solution.

Basically, parents can move at their own pace through the stations. In addition, they're spread out around the room, so there are no clumps or lines of people just waiting for a pen to become available.

Bonus? Parents LOVE how organized everything is. Each year, I get countless compliments from parents who share how impressed they were at the organization, and efficiency of the evening. There's nothing quite as important as making a good GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION!

How does it work?
I start with a checklist. I mean, seriously, who doesn't love a checklist? I make checklists in.my.sleep. #ihavelistsformylists (In other news, there is a typo in the picture - but it's fixed in the product, as well as the FREEBIE...keep reading!!!)

Next, parents just follow the yellow brick road. Just kidding. They follow the station signs. Easy. (Please pardon my old "button" - these pictures were from last year!)

Here's a look at the checklist I give parents when they first walk in. I also quickly explain how the room is set-up. This checklist is specific to my class (I'm co-teaching, which is why you see two teachers' names).

Buuuut, I have a FREEBIE for you! Cause, why not??? Below is an EDITABLE checklist for you to use during your Sneak-a-Peek/Meet the Teacher/Open House/Back-to-School Night! Just click on the picture below :)

Interested in ALL the stations and forms I use? You can find the entire product, here, in my TpT store! There are 10 stations (PDF version and an EDITABLE version). PLUS, 18 back-to-school forms, many of which are EDITABLE as well!

Back to School: Read Alouds

Hey Friends! It's Theresa here from True Life I'm a Teacher! Here in my part of Georgia teachers go back to school on July 27th, and my sweet seconds will be coming on August 3rd! Ready or not?!?!

The first week of school is a time of routines, procedures, expectations, relationship and community building, and sometimes feels like herding about 300 wet cats. One of my favorite things to incorporate are LOTS of read alouds that lend themselves to having conversations about rules and expectations, and how we should treat one another.

Perhaps my favorite thing about these books is that it's almost as if the characters in the books become part of our class. We think back to what Alexander did when he was having a terrible day, or how Albert kept trying, and thinking, and reading to learn and discover new things. We refer back to the characters throughout the year when students in our class face problems and challenges in real life.

Below you'll find my 26 (because 25 would be silly, right?) favorite back to school read alouds! Since I've included a bunch of books, I'm not actually writing about any of them...just giving you some ideas for books I personally LOVE!

Each picture links to Amazon just to make it easy - you can read reviews, a summary, and order should you choose! You can find the entire list HERE!

You made it to the end! I sure do hope you found a new book you'd like to read this year (and maybe not even at the beginning of the year)!

One of the books I mentioned above is "On a Beam of Light" which tells the story of Albert Einstein. I actually just discovered this book a few weeks ago, and pretty much fell in love...with a book. Surely, I'm not the only one this happens to?

Anyway, throughout the book there are several words that just "spoke to me" - made me want to yell, "YES!" The words serve as motivational reminders for students, teachers...anyone really, and I knew I had to have them represented in my classroom! Below you'll find a printable of the words. You can grab it here, or by clicking on the picture below! Enjoy :)

Want to save the list for later? Just pin the image below!

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