Differentiated ELA Center Rotation

As I mentioned in Center Rotations Ideas for Every Classroom, I like to do a portion of my center rotations that are very differentiated and focus on what the students need to learn. This year, however, I am trying something a tad new, and I think I have fallen in love with how it is going to work.

The center rotation that I do a lot of differentiation in is called "Boxes". This center is geared towards skills that the students need to work on. When the students come to the center, they pick a box that they would like to work on that is the color that they were given. Since it is the beginning of the year, I have not made the centers very differentiated. I have kept the centers focused on what I believe the students need to work on, like ABC order, sequencing, rhyming, etc. Each box is labeled with a number. Because the centers are simple, it also helps the students learn the procedures.

After they are finished with their "Box" they are checked by myself or my assistant (who is amazing!). They then self evaluate themselves on the center that they were doing on their form that is seen below.  This form that they use is also a great way for the students to keep up with what number they have completed. One of the areas on the form is Computers, where they can play educational reading games. Over the course of two weeks, their goal is to finish all ten boxes that they are assigned and computer time. 

The form is a new part of my center routine, so I am excited to see how they self reflect on their learning.

How do you do differentiate learning in your classroom? Comment below to share your ideas.

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Essentials for the First Day of School

When you think about getting ready for the first day of school, you probably focus on what activities you are going to do with the students and how to make it the best day possible for them. However, there are a few things that will help you have the best day possible.

Name Tags

You have 18-25 new students in your classroom, and if you are like me, it takes a while to learn all of their names. My mentor teacher suggested to make name tags out of felt fabric and puffy paint. By doing this, she said that you can use these name tags any time throughout the year, like when there is a substitute, or on field trip. She also said by doing this, the students will not play with them and they will not get dirty. I tried it for my first year, and loved it! I was able to use them throughout the entire year. I think it is very important to have name tags for the first day, and believe this is a great way to do them.

Transportation Tags

You also need to know how each child is getting home. If you are a Kindergarten teacher, the students are going to have no idea how to get home and it is up to you make sure they get to where they need to be. In our classroom, we use transportation tags to place on their book bag. This helps you, and any other staff in the school, to help the students get to where they need to be. And parents will love you when their child gets home safely. We use transportation tags made by Samantha Kelly. You can get the tags HERE.

First Day of School Frame 

It is always fun to take pictures of your students on the first day. Kelly Hallock from my school made the cutest board, that she was able to reuse the board throughout the year. If you want to take pictures of your students, go ahead and make the frame that you would like to use. I recommend doing this, because the parents love it! 

These tips are a few essential ways to make your first day of school smoother. If I had to pick one to do, it is definitely getting transportation tags. If you have any other essentials for the first day, I would love for you to share. 

If this post has been helpful, follow my blog, and share with other teachers! Thanks in advance.

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Back to School Night: How to Be Prepared

Back to School night is a very exciting time! You finally get to meet your students and show off the room that you have been working so hard on.

At my school, Back to School nights feel like a blur. The parents and students come in and want to meet you. You greet them as quickly as possible so you can meet the next student. While trying to remember your new students names, you're also having to remember to remind parents to pick up the important paper work. And then it starts all over again with a new student. It's very exciting, but VERY busy!

Since Back to School night is so busy, it's important to make it very easy for parents to understand what they need and what they can do around the class.

1.  Set up your sign-in area so you can look back over to see how many students visited. 

Sign-In Sheet Download

2. Set up a place in the room where parents can pick up important documents. Make sure that you label each page as "Take One". If you want to be on the ball, you can go ahead and make a packet for the parents.

3.  Make sure to have a parent/student inventory for your parents to take home. This helps you learn a lot about the student in a quick amount of time. I have used the same inventory for the past couple of years, and it is very helpful. Marsha McGuire did a great job creating the inventory. 

Click here for Parent Inventory. 

4. Have a few activities around you room that the students can do if they would like. I would suggest setting out books, a sight word center, and math manipulative. This lets the students become comfortable and excited to be in your class room with their parents.

5. Lastly, I love giving my students a "Night Before Kindergarten" poem. They love being able to leave the classroom with something, and I am sure the night before school, they are excited to open the poem. Class of Kinder has made a cute poem that I know they would love. You can find her poem here. 

Good luck with your Back to School Night! It will go by so quickly! Enjoy every moment. 

If you have any questions, please comment below. Don't forget to Follow Mrs. Peay's Kindergarten Adventure blog! 

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Classroom Decorating Made Simple

Classroom decorating can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you are a first year teacher. You want to make your classroom the cutest on the hall and you may feel like you have to have every wall filled. STOP. This is not true. I am into my third year of teaching, and I have learned that decorating your classroom can be simple and cheap!

Before you begin to decorate your classroom, you need to decide how you want your room to be set up. I have sat in my classroom for over an hour trying to decide the best way to place the furniture. I would move a table to one place, and the next minute, decide to move it across the room. I like to make my classroom feel open, with as much space between the furniture as there can be. You may adjust your room several times throughout the year to find what works best for your classroom.

When you are starting to think about decorating your classroom, find decorations that are cheap and can be used throughout the year. Hey, if you are great at DIY, it's the best way to go. For my classroom, I decided to make and hang pompom balls from the ceiling to make the room feel less like a classroom (made from tissue paper). I used a rug and a lamp that I had in college for the reading area. I was able to find calendar and birthday posters from  Amazon. I then found beginning of the year posters from Teacher's Pay Teachers; this included color names, ABC chart, and numbers up to 10.  Your classroom does not need to have everything that you would learn up at the beginning of the year.  I put boarder around the white board to add small decorations. I also created a bulletin board that I could post anchor charts for what we were learning. This past year, I added a desk cover and valencies in the windows to make my classroom feel more like home, but this is not necessary.

It is so much fun to decorate your classroom. Don't get overwhelmed by feeling your classroom is not as decorated as everyone else. Your classroom may look like it does not have much at the beginning of the year, but I promise that you will have student work, anchor charts and posters covering all of your walls at the end of the year. You will also find more decorations throughout the year that you can add to your classroom. Your classroom will look drastically different at the end of the year!

Enjoy decorating your classroom!!

For more ideas on how to decorate your classroom, follow Mrs. Peay's Kindergarten Adventures.

Thank you to Lindsay Catanzaro for helping make the beautiful door!!