As Seen on Pinterest! Informing vs. Tattling

I created a quickie lesson based on a pin I found on Pinterest. This is a great lesson for students who #1. tattle and #2. misunderstand your "no tattling" rule. When we try to explain to students the difference between tattling and informing, if we don't use a visual aid to help explain, some students may get the wrong the message. When a child goes home and shares with their parent that they are not permitted to "tell the teacher"....well this can cause some problems. To help prevent any misunderstanding I created this lesson!

Step1: Begin by explaining why understanding the difference between tattling and informing is important. 

Step 2: Have the students discuss their personal definition of tattling and how it may be different than informing. 

Step 3: After getting an idea of how students view tattling versus informing, share the definitions on this page. Use this sheet to help students differentiate between tattling and informing. As the students highlight the differences, add them to the chart. Once the chart is complete summarize the importance of informing and how it is different from informing. ( For younger students, you can call on student to add the tab to a pieceof construction paper. For older, more independent students, you can have them create their own chart on a piece of construction paper).

Step 4: For homework have the student complete this sheet with their parent/guardian. The purpose of this home assignments is two-fold. Number 1, it is great for reinforcing the concepts discussed in class. Number 2, it shares with the parent what you discussed in class and helps them to understand the "no tattling" policy in your classroom.

The last thing you can do is create a Turtle Tale Jar. The labels are included in this download. This provides students with the opportunity to share their concerns with you. You can read some of these aloud in class as they add to the jar(and they will add to the jar). You can practice informing versus tattling by having the students identify whether the turtle tale is informing or tattling.

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To DOWNLOAD this activity follow this link. 

If you would like to see the pin that inspired this lesson, click here.  While on Pinterest, feel free to follow me. I add to my boards regularly and they are GREAT resources for the classroom!! 

AND....Stop by my store for a SUPER END OF SEPTEMBER SALE!! up to 70% on selected items!!

Enjoy : )

Character Education: Character Words Posters

This year, as the Academic Dean of Students, I will be responsible for supporting teachers with classroom management and managing the overall school climate. Some ways I will be supporting teachers will be by providing push-in character education classes, presenting mini PD's on strategies and tools that can be used to support behavior management and managing the overall school-wide PBS program (Positive Behavior Support). As I prepare for the school year I have been reading tons of books and of course conducting "pinterest research". I have come across many great ideas that I will be using in my room (not really a classroom, not quite an office). I am also looking forward to sharing my resources (both borrowed and created by me) with you! My first resource of the school year is my Character Words Poster set. I will be using these posters on my bulletin board (pictures coming soon). I will also refer to these posters when teaching character education. The character traits that I emphasize are:

RESPECT: 
Treat others with respect. Be accepting of of differences. Use good manners, not bad language. Be considerate of the feelings of others. Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone. Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreement. 

CARING: 

Be kind. Be compassionate and show you care. Express gratitude. Forgive others. Help people in need.

RESPONSIBILITY:

Do what your supposed to do. Plan ahead. Persevere. Keep trying! Always do your best. Use self control. Be self-disciplined. Think before you act. Consider the consequences. Be accountable for your words, actions and attitudes. Set a

good example for others. 

FAIRNESS: 

Play by the rules. Take turns and share. Be open-minded. Listen to others. Don’t take advantage of others. Don’t blame others carelessly. Treat all people fairly.

TRUSTWORTHINESS: 

Play by the rules. Take turns and share. Be open-minded. Listen to others. Don’t take advantage of others. Don’t blame others carelessly. Treat all people fairly.

CITIZENSHIP:

Do you share? Try to make your school and community better. Cooperate. Get involved in community affairs. Stay informed. Vote. Be a good neighbor.

As the school year progresses, I will be posting lessons and resources that I use based on these traits. Feel free to download them and/or use them to develop your own resources. Also, you are always welcomed to share any links to your favorite resources in the comments. 

To download my Character Words Posters, click here.

Enjoy : ) 

Back to School: Building Classroom Community with Icebreakers!!!

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Why icebreakers?

Icebreakers help to build community in the classroom- they are important when helping students socialize and connect with their peers. In addition, icebreakers promote and encourage cooperative learning/group work. They are great for pairing students and encouraging them to step out of their comfort zone. Most importantly, they can stimulate meaningful classroom dialogue. 

I personally love icebreakers because they: 

• help students to get to know each other.
• help to a create sense of comfort.
• encourage cooperation
• encourage students to communicate with the entire group- not just their "buddies".
• help to build social skills
• are great for creaing an environment conducive to promoting higher order thinking driven by student voice

Your Role

Students are not always eager to socialize and move around in a new setting. It is important that you (the teacher/leader of the group ) serve as an enthusiastic faciliator during each icebreaker activity. You should be willing to hop in and move the dialogue around  when necessary. Make sure that when you call on students to share out, you choose carefully. Try to avoid "putting someone on the spot". Here is a rule of thumb: If it is a general non-personal response, you might want to gently nudge a student to share out. When it is a more personal response, requiring a student to answer based on feelings or personal experiences, it is best to wait for them to feel confident/comfortable to share. The goal is to make not of the more shy students and begin pairing them in the future with the more outgoing students. Eventually (hopefully), they will begin to open up more. 

                                         Conclusion

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Icebreakers should be short (20-45 minutes). Typically, they should not run more than 45 minutes. If the students are excited and engaged, cutting it off keeps them looking forward to the next time you do icebreakers in class. I use icebreakers as "back to school activities" because it is a good way to get the students warmed up. I also use them throughout the year as team building/ community building activities. Here are three cassic icebreaker games that I have used in the clasroom for years! Feel free to download them : )  If you like them, head on over to my TPT store and purchase my, "Back to School: Building Classroom Community Two COOL Icebreakers!".

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If She Only Knew Me written by Jeff Gray and Heather Thomas

At the start of the year I read my students the book, If She Only Knew Me written by Jeff Gray and Heather Thomas. It is a candid story told in the voice of a young boy that could very well be any student in my classroom. He makes several statements such as, “ If she only....If she only knew that I had to get my little brother up and ready for school this morning, she wouldn’t have fussed at me for being a few minutes late.” Throughout the story this child, no older than 10 years old, explains why he does certain things or needs certain things from his teacher...”If she only knew...If she only knew how much I love to draw, she would make me the class poster maker. Instead, she doesn’t let me because my handwriting isn’t so great.” After reading the story to my class, I had my students share one thing on an index card with me that they felt I should know in order to help them find success in our class. This was a community building activity that really helped me to get to know my students. It was a beautiful learning experience. Now that the school year is coming to the end, I will give them back their index card and share 2-3 things that I have learned and enjoyed the most about them during the school year.

Step Over the Line: A Team Building Exercise

Step Over the Line: A Team Building Exercise




At any point during the school year you may decide to work on building your classroom community. One way to discuss common interest, common struggles (depending on your age group and how deep you want to go), you can play the game: Step Over the Line. What this involves is everyone lining up side by side and standing behind a taped line (this can be any color tape, I usually use green to symbolize the idea of "going forward" as a group). You start off by making simple statements like, "You like to be surrounded by people who care about you. You look forward to seeing you friends in school." Whoever this applies to, steps over the line. Students begin to see common interests and also learn thoughts and feelings of their classmates. This can be used as an icebreaker for sensitive issues like bullying, low self-esteem, etc. All it takes is for one brave soul to be the first to "step over the line" and then you will be surprised at how many students will be willing to share. This is a great conversation starter when dealing with tough issues in the classroom. I use it when we begin exploring different topics for our service learning project at the start of the year. You should try it!