Respectful Classrooms

A while ago I showed you these photos

Together as a class we brainstormed some ideas of what we thought a respectful classroom would look like, sound like, and feel like (we came up with maybe a couple for each category together to get their wheels turning).

Then I had my students come up with more ideas on their own for each category.

Next they shared what they had written for each category with their group and wrote down anything more that they liked that someone in their group may have shared.

Some of my favourites that they came up with all on their own were:

- a respectful classroom feels like home

- a respectful classroom sounds like compliments (such as good job)

- a respectful classroom looks like no garbage in the sinks (I'm never in my grade 4 classroom after lunch but I guess this is an issue?)

Then I used tagxedo to make the shapes with all the words in them that the kids had written down (I left out all their silly ones like is would look like napping).  

Tagxedo is basically Wordle only the computers at school can't run Wordle (they probably just require an update of something).  The only problem I found with Tagxedo is that when you put spaces between words it considered it a new word and didn't put the 2 words together.  So for example is someone wrote down "no shouting" it would put the word "no" somewhere and "shouting" somewhere else.  Since I didn't want my students signing off that it was okay for them to shout I just got creative with capital letters.

Then we came up with a way to measure their success'.  We decided that they would fill up a jar with pennies.  Originally they were earning a penny a class but it got a little iffy because they would be mostly good but maybe not at the end which ruin their chance at a penny.  So eventually we changed it to 5 pennies in the morning and 5 pennies in the afternoon.  I usually ask them how many they feel like they earned together as a class and some of them are pretty honest (the other week I gave them just 2 for the morning because it was what they thought they deserved).

After we decided how we would measure their success' I had everyone sign off on it by writing their name on the poster.  I made sure to tell them that they did not have to sign the poster BUT that if they didn't sign it they would be hanging out in the office during our celebration since they would not be part of the earning of the celebration.

Once the jar is full we will get to celebrate their success' somehow.  

My grade 8's are doing this as well (only they are earning marbles in a cup).  One of my classes got their cup filled so I took them to play some beach volleyball and to the park to play. Then we read and did some poetry outside.  They had a great time and we still got some work done.

My grade 4 class should be getting their jar filled by the end of this week so we will have to decide on something to do.  I know they want to have a party (to celebrate my birthday and the filling of their jar but I think we will do something that won't take so long - plus my birthday isn't until July and I've told them countless times to bring my presents on the last day of school).

Has it been successful?

My grade 4 class for the most part is pretty well behaved.  But I have noticed more hands being raised and they occasionally will refer back to our poster (I think I put the poster in a not so smart spot - the back of the door - but the door is usually open so no one sees it).  

Since I will be teaching many of the same students next year I might try it again next year.  

This Week At School

I know, I know... I didn't post this last week (so forgive me if I talk about 2 weeks in this post... you'll never know anyways).

-  We started fractions in MATH and we've been playing with different manipulatives to help with learning them (and I must say we are doing pretty good with fractions so far).
-  We started Rocks and Minerals in SCIENCE.  Lesson one involves them mining a cookie.  They used a toothpick to do this and if they broke their toothpick and wanted a new one they had to buy a new one off of me with something that they mined out of their cookie.  I'm not sure if anyone broke their toothpick... no one bought a new one from me though.  We also talked about destroying their cookie and how that represented the land around the mine.  Would the people that lived there be happy if you blew it up into pieces?  Let me tell you... some of the pretend people living around those cookies would not be happy with them.
-  I took a personal day and it was wonderful.
-  In French we are moving on to learning about school supplies and other objects in the classroom.  I feel like I maybe should have done this first.  Ah well.
-  In Health the kids are making comics about stressful situations and positive ways to make the character feel better.  Most of their comics are about salads and bananas beating other fruits and vegetables up.
-  We had our last student share for "Star of the Cycle". I can't believe it nearly took us all year to get through everyone!  We decided that we would turn that time into show and tell for 3 people and then afterwards we would go for a walk outside (we also went for a "rock walk" for science and I had them run a lap after finding their rocks... this may have been where they got the idea).
-  One of my grade 8 classes earned a celebration for filling up a cup with marbles.  They chose to play some beach volleyball/play in the playground.  Then we sat outside and read for a bit and worked on some poetry.  It was a really great class and I'm impressed with how well behaved (and able to listen and follow instructions) most of them were!

The kids made fraction flip books with the substitute.  Later we will add in decimals for the fractions as well.

They also made Mother's Day candles with the substitute

Dutch Tulip Fields

we've been writing a bunch of poems in grade 8.  I find that if  we write at least part of one together they understand what I'm looking for... so every day weird poems end up on my board.

Remember this.... I feel like this deserves a post of its own... I mean look at my eyes!

What I Wore

The staff at my school were getting appreciated this week so on Tuesday we were all instructed to dress "Hawaiian"  

"but I've never been to Hawaii" I complained 

I opted for brighter colours and taking out my sandals for the first time this year (it has been frigid up here!)

I searched and searched for a fake flower to wear in my hair (I used to have one attached to a bobby pin for such emergencies as "Hawaiian Day" but alas, I did not find it)

On this day I also put my hair in braids the night before so my hair was wavy when I took them out in the morning.

"Miss Penner I LOVE you hair.  It goes well with your shirt" 

one student told me

.... good to know that hair can "go with" a shirt (I feel like I've been doing it all wrong up to this point then).

Getting Their Attention

Confession:  I'm no longer a substitute but still get many an email about what I did in different circumstances whilst substitute teaching (I try really hard to respond to each and every email I get - but please keep in mind that I do have full time employment that I often bring home with me so if I happen to forget or put something off for a week or two... a thousand apologies).

ANYWHO,

My most recent email question was about getting student attention.

My recommendation for substitute teaching would be to never go in and try to change up what the students regular teacher has been doing with them already.  If the teacher doesn't tell you in the plan what he/she does to get students to quiet down then (from my experience at least) a student is often willing to offer up that information.  If your head is pounding because of a too noisy class I'm willing to bet that another person in the room is suffering right along with you.  So don't be afraid to ask.

In my substitute teaching experience I've seen everything from turning out the lights, humming, chanting, bells, singing, whistling, chanting and wind chimes. 

While I was traveling and working with middle school girls I learned something called "silent llama".  I didn't think this silent llama existed in my province but then low and behold the other week I heard one of my students talking about it.  Where they learnt it I don't know (it wasn't from me).  Why am I telling you about the silent llama?  Because I think it is something that you could implement even if you are only there for a morning. 

It's that simple.

At the beginning of the day when you are introducing yourself you could tell the students what you are going to do to get their attention and when they see (or hear) you do the silent llama you expect them to respond with the same symbol. 

HOPEFULLY they will be happy to learn a cool new hand sign.

and without further ado here is the hand symbol

Please excuse the blurry photo and the nail polish that needs to come off.

You could say the words "silent llama" and then do the hand sign and wait for them  to all do it back to you.  Then continue on with your lovely little lesson.

In my grade 4 class I do "sh sh shshsh".. okay, it's really hard to type what I do but I basically shush them.  They are to repeat the same pattern that I shush them in back to me and I would say 85% of the time it works.  It is actually amazing how well it works. 

Of course sometimes the class is just too loud and no one would hear my shush them (or hear the one person repeat it back that did hear me) and so then I will turn off the lights until it gets quiet and then turn them back on.  Luckily, I don't have any windows in my grade 4 classroom that get natural light through them so the classroom gets quite dark.

Other things that I've used?

-  I've dropped a heavy textbook on the floor (on purpose) once to demonstrate gravity at the beginning of my lesson when the class was still chatty.  They all got quiet right away.

-  I've told them all to hold their breath.  No one has passed out yet.  I don't actually love this but it was recommended to me by another teacher so I've tried it a few times.

-  I've flicked the lights.  Another one I don't love but my faculty advisor wanted me to do this so I did.

-  With my grade 8's I call them out by their name - I'll be in the middle of saying something and just say their name... I obviously do not shush them.

Was there anything I missed?  

What else have you seen done or do you do to get student attention?

Are you going to try the "silent llama"?