Whole Brain Teaching Gestures, More Fun with Vinyl and TPT Sale!!!

I have had a lot of requests for the gestures I use with my rules.  I thought I had a document that lays it all out but of course I can't find it.  The more I thought about it, the more I am thinking that I never had a document.  I think I learned the gestures from watching the numerous Youtube videos about Whole Brain Teaching - Here is one of my favorites!!

You will notice that my rules are a little bit different than the ones that are in the video.  After using them for a few years a fellow teammate and I decided to tweak them just a little bit for this school year and see how it works.  We had to change the gestures a little to match the new rules. 

Rule Number 3: Keep your hands(raise both hands above head) and feet(point to feet) to yourself(point to chest)

Rule Number 4: Raise your hand(raise hand) to speak(talk with hand) and stand(raise hand - motion to rise or stand up)

Rule Number 5: Be safe(like an umpire at home plate) be kind(give self a hug) be honest(hand over heart).

I hope this helps - watching the video will help!! :)

Now, more fun with vinyl!! :)

I don't know about anyone else, but it seems like I go through clothes pins like water!! They disappear or I have to throw them away because they have names on them that can't be reused the next year. Now, I know they are not expensive, but anytime I can save a little here and there is a good thing!!! I have been trying to solve this problem and I came up with one way to use the same clips for my clip chart year after year!!  Numbers!!  This year I am going to use numbers more for things like this - their heart word boxes, D.O.T Book, Book Box etc.. will all have the same number on them!  I found some round wood pieces at my favorite store...Hobby Lobby and spray painted them pink of course!! :)  Then I glued them to the end of a clothes pin(not the end they squeeze... the other end) I then cut vinyl numbers and placed them on the wooden circles!!  Hopefully this will work out in real life like it is in my head, but you just never know!! :)  Hopefully I can post a picture of my clip chart hanging with the clips soon!  :)

 TpT will be having a Back to Sale Aug 1 - 6.  They are offering 10% off your total purchase if you use the code: B1T1S  I will also be running a sale next week for any extra 10% off!!  Happy Shopping!!!

Behavior Calendars ~ Discipline Policy docx :)

I'd just like to say thank you for all of your kind words through email and the recent comments on my posts about the vinyl and the Clip Chart!  I a so glad I have inspired some of you to brush the dust off those sad little Cricuts that have been stuck in the back of the closet since they were brought home!!  It's really not scary once you become familiar with it's capabilities!! 

I have had a lot of requests for the rest of my behavior calendars I use in my student's D.O.T Books and also for a word version of my discipline policy.  

Click below:

BEHAVIOR CALENDARS

DISCIPLINE POLICY 

I have changed a few of my rules so this is the updated one.  Please don't mind the ugly font that google used - please change it to a pretty one for me! :)

I hope the discipline policy downloads o.k - this is the first time I have uploaded a word doc to Google docs.  Please let me know if you have any trouble!!

I also worked on some new rule posters for my room this evening.  Click below to find them!!

In the coming days I will be posting and sharing more about the D.O.T Book my students use... I am just trying to juggle a lot right now with some recent polka dot orders and the beginning of school... oh and those people I lovingly call my family!!  I'm not sure they even still recognize me!! LOL :)

I did spend all day in my classroom today, and I even brought my SLR to take some decent pictures but I seemed to have made more of a mess today then clean so it really wasn't a pretty sight this afternoon.  I will do my best to get some tomorrow!  

Classroom Pics & Clip Chart Part 2 :)

 

I have been working a little each day in my room and I am making pretty good head way.  Above you can see what I walked into on Monday.  I always feel so overwhelmed on my first day back but slowly things start getting sorted and put back where they go or in their new spot.  We had to take EVERYTHING off the walls at the end of the year so having to put them back up is not usually on my to do list during this time... but this year it had to be and lucky for me my para came in on Monday to help and she will be with me again tomorrow.  She is  such a huge help and I truly don't know if I could do what I do without her!!  I am no where near done but here is what it looked like when I left on Monday.  It is starting to resemble a classroom of sorts... :)

Here is a close up picture of my favorite new addition to my room this year... Pink Polka Dot material!!!  I love it with the black border!!  Thank you Hobby Lobby!!!  I swear I think I could live there!  I love that place!!!

I will take some more tomorrow afternoon before I leave.  

I was able to go to school for a couple hours this morning.  Why does time go by so fast when you have soo much to do????  My biggest accomplishment this morning was assembling my clip chart!!  It still has to be laminated and of course it still needs polka dots, but here it is and I am really liking my new labels!! :)

I have had a few people ask about how I explain this to my parents and how I report daily behavior, so you can find my Discipline Policy HERE and my Monthly Behavior Chart HERE!  My discipline policy is a combination of things I have found here there and everywhere and my behavior calendars are from I think the DJ Inker Kidilly Wink CD.  Maybe??  I just added the behavior codes and title...thinking I may shorten that list, but can't decide.  :)

Clip Chart

I have used the Clip Chart in my classroom for the last year and a half and have loved the results!!

I made this one very quickly out of construction paper and it served its purpose, but I had to send it to File 13 at the end of this year because it was very faded and well... it's just not cute enough!! :)  

One of the many things on my To Do List this summer was to make a new one... and I finally did!!!  Better late than never!!!  Well, it's not all the way made, but I finished the labels for it tonight so I am one step closer and I want to share them with you all!

You can find them HERE!! 

You can also find it HERE!!

  

How do you do that???

I love to hear from fellow teachers!!

If you ever have a question about what you see here on my blog, in my pictures or what or how I do things in my classroom, PLEASE don't hesitate to ask. :)


Lately, I have had a lot of questions about these:

How do you do that????

First, I have to say that I can not take credit for these ingenious ideas!  I first created a Clipboard tub for a dear friend at school and I made a version of these cute pencil cans for some of my favorite customers at Carrollton Elementary in Carrollton, GA.  They found these cute square containers in the Target Dollar Spot last summer.  After I made these things for others, I had to have my own set!! 

O.K - so back to the question 

How do you do that???

O.K - I will share my secrets... :)

If you have 

Cricut Expression

or

Silhouette 

and

Self Adhesive Vinyl

then you can do it too!!!

It is so easy and it just adds that extra something special  to your things in your classroom and 

at home!

You can do things like:

or

or

or

Now that I have shared me secret, I hope that it has inspired some of you to break out your Cricut or Silhouette and use it!!! :)

My long time friend Leigh(One of those awesome teachers at Carrollton Elementary) over at Precious Perks is featuring some of the things I have made for her classroom.  Check it out for some more ideas!!  

Pinterest

Pinterest is quickly becoming one of my favorite tools to organize all the great things I find on the internet.  I don't have many pins yet, but I can already tell that this might get out of hand!!  If you haven't already, you can ask for an invitation and soon you will be pining pining pining!!!!  :)  Click below to get started

Pinterest

O.K - now I have to thank my friend Leigh over at Precious Perks and the Live Laugh Love blog for walking me step by step through adding Pinterest Buttons to my Blog!!!  Thank you!!!!  

Heeelllllllloooooo!!!!!!!! :)

Well hey there!!  I am ALIVE!!!!!  LOL   

I have been a little absent from Blogland these last few months but can I just tell you how much I have enjoyed my summer!!!!!  I have taken some much needed time off to spend time with family and friends and I have loved every minute of it. Thank you so much for your understanding!! :)

But this time of year I always get that little flutter in my heart and excitement about the new school year that is quickly approaching!! :)  Believe it or not, as of today I have not purchased one single solitary school supply!!!  I think that will be changing very soon because I can only avoid the Target Back to School section for so long!!! I am really trying to scale down my purchases since our county has decided to scale down our salaries... but that is a whole blog post in itself!!! :)  I do need to purchase new material for my bulletin boards but other than that I don't "need" anything.

This year our whole school will be using the Daily 5 during our reading block.  My principal saw how effective it was in my classroom this year along with a few others that I enticed to try it so she has encouraged everyone to try it!  Me and a few fellow teachers will help to lead and guide our staff through this process.  I am very excited for them to try it!!

I also encourage you to do a little research into what the Daily 5 is all about if you don't know!  You will not regret it!!!  I promise!!!  I will be posting about our adventure through the Daily 5 this year and will share the documents I have made and tips that have helped me.