Christmas in an Elementary Classroom

The post-Thanksgiving time is upon us. If you are just starting to plan for the Christmas season, this blog may help you organize your thoughts and help you plan for the most structured (yet still rigorous, yet still fun) holiday season ever!

PLAN FOR MORE THAN YOU'LL NEED

I often advise teachers to plan for more than they'll need. It's always better to have something ready to go for those short chunks of time than to have a room full of students with "nothing to do". That is a recipe for chaos! 

Have a mix of short (10-15 minutes) and long (30+ minutes) activities ready-to-go. That way you will be prepared for whatever comes your way. 

It is common for me to have a couple stacks of copies that I don't get to before we leave for the break. In that case, I hand out the copies to the students as optional fun while they are at home for the break. Or, the copies make their way to the "recycling" basket; a place where students can grab unused papers as scrap or to craft and create during their recess.

BALANCE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ACTIVITIES

We often think of physical activities as those which happen in the gymnasium or on the playground. However, you can sneak in some time for students to be out of their seats and moving around. 

I love to use QR Code Scavenger Hunts to get students not only up and moving, but working in pairs or triads too! It gives the students an opportunity to move and work with their peers while learning the content.

There are two hunts that I will use this month:

Christmas Vocabulary QR Code Scavenger Hunt

Christmas Synonyms QR Code Scavenger Hunt

See all my QR Code Scavenger Hunts HERE.

I've also been using GoNoodle as part of our daily routine when tranistioning from one block of instruciton to another. For less than 5 minutes a day, you can give your students an opportunity to get the wiggles out and re-focus for the next block of instruction.

MIX UP TECH AND PENCIL/PAPER

I always make an effort to balance tech with classic paper/pencil. It is even more important during hectic times of the year. Just as I plan to switch up mental and physical activities, the same applies to tech and paper/pencil.

I like to balance out the day. If I start with paper/pencil, I will end with tech; and vice versa. You can also plan by days (one tech day, one paper day). However you plan, try to keep switching it up. The students will be engaging different parts of their brain and better able to focus on content as the cognitive load "moves around".

If you are really adventurous, you can present that same task but give the students an option of paper or digital!

PLAN AN AWESOME READ ALOUD

It's no secret that I love the novel The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I teach it every year. I highly advise you get your hands on a copy of this amazing novel. If you are unable to fit in a full literature study, read it aloud!

If you would rather read aloud something shorter, find some awesome picture books that fit your needs. You can't go wrong with a classic:

• A Visit from St. Nicholas: Twas the Night Before Christmas
• The Polar Express
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• The Nutcracker

You can find resources to support a literature study for The Best Christmas Pageant as well as a study for the poem A Visit From St. Nicholas in my TpT Store.

DO SOME HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES & CRAFTING

For many of my students, they need repeated practice with their fine-motor skills. We often use pencil and paper to give student's an opportunity to work on their fine motor skills. But, there are many opportunities to work on those skills that don't involve a pencil at all!

What better time of the year to get your students slowing down a bit with some intricate coloring, cutting, and glueing? It can be frustrating for students who need to work on their fine-motor skill. But that's the point, right? Hands-on activities (especially paper crafting) will give students a chance to practice fine motor skills.

Ideas to work fine motor skills into holiday crafting:

• fine line glue with glitter
• glueing tiny pom-poms or sequins
• trace and cut
• paper snowflakes
• pipe cleaner crafts
• threading crafts (boondoggles)
• fingerprint crafts
• coloring! (neatly, inside the lines)
• paint (with brushes or cotton swabs)

As an added incentive, when students know the craft they are working on will be gifted to a person they love, they have a more vested interest in doing their very best work. 

Click to read about some of the best holiday crafts I've done with my students:

Christmas Tree Craft and Bulletin Board

Easy Candy Cane Christmas Ornaments

Easy Holiday Cards and Bags

Holiday Crafts and Projects in the Classroom

The Christmas season doesn't have to be exhausting or chaotic. With just a bit of planning on your part, you and your students can make it to the Christmas break without feeling like you've just run a gauntlet. Merry Christmas!

Parent Teacher Conference Top Tips

Parent/Teacher conferences can be nerve-racking; but they don't have to be. Trying to cover academics and behavior in the short bursts of time we have with each family can leave you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. But with a few items in place and a set formula for the flow of the conversation, you will be prepared to have the best conferences ever! 

Make Your First Contact a Positive One

I make it a goal to contact every student's family with a positive message before the first month of school is complete. I use an app to keep in constant contact and often drop a picture or line using the direct messaging to establish a positive relationship with each family. 

It's never too late to reach out in a positive way. If the only time you contact a parent is to complain or point out something negative, it's going to be a long year for them (and you)! Sometimes a negative conversation is unavoidable and required. When that happens, be sure to discuss strategies for success moving forward. Within the next few days, I would encourage you to find something positive and reach out to the family to share it. You can keep it simple: Johnny had a great day today. Suzie stayed focus the entire math block! Joey helped a student find a pencil. Find something to share that's positive. It will make a world of difference as you work with the family throughout the year.

Ask Them For Their Thoughts First

Before you get into the nuts and bolts of what you have prepared, give the parents an opportunity to ask their questions or discuss their concerns. This will guarantee they will have their voice heard before time runs out. Sometimes when parents share their questions or concerns the conversation will go in a direction that you may not have anticipated; and that's ok. You are meeting the needs of that family and the concerns they have. The academic discussion can "wait". 

Have Your Data Ready

I always prepare for conferences with a two-prong approach: Academics and Behavior. For some students the conversation will be focused more on one than the other. You will know ahead of time which students will need more focus in certain areas: prepare for it.

The week before conference I prepare a chart filled out with academic and behavioral data points for each student. I put all the data together and then organize the data charts based on the conference schedule. My district offers families a variety of dates and times so I arrange the data charts in the order families have signed up for conferences.

If you have academic concerns, bring the data to demonstrate why. Parents are more willing to listen and share your concerns when you have data points that show your concerns. Aside from whichever benchmark assessment(s) your district requires, have some of your own curriculum based measurees to share. Discuss how the child is progressing compared to peers. And, most importantly, share with the family your plan to help the child bridge the gap. If you have progess monitoring data to demonstrate how the interventions are working, even better! It's going to be a much smoother conversation if you are able to show the gap closing.

Sandwich the Bad Between the Good

If you are going to be sharing some tough numbers and large gaps, be sure to start with something positive, then share the negative, and then share something positive again. For example, I might start with academic strengths and traits such as excellent attendance, staying focused during instruction, working carefully, or participating well. Then, discuss the academic gaps and concerns and how the interventions are working for the student. Finally, I would share the positive character traits the student demonstrates: Leadership, Creativity, Fairness, Self-Control, Humor, Kindness, etc...

If you know you're going to be having a tough conversation with a family, and suspect that it might be a challenge, invite staff members to attend that can help. This may be a special educator, an intervention provider, the school psychologist, or a building administrator. 

Take Notes

Before I begin conferences, I print out the schedule. I have a set template I use that includes the following information: Date/Time, Student Name, Parent Name. As I meet with each parent I "check off" the name. If a parent "no-shows" I highlight the row so I can follow up later. 

Have paper/pencil ready. Occassionally, a parent will have a question or concern that you are unable to answer or solve in the few minutes you conference. Make a note so you won't forget. 

If you put together data charts, you can make a copy (one to share and one to keep). On the chart you can put in a "comment" section and take your notes there. 

Follow Up

When conferences have ended there will be a follow up. Some years the follow up is putting the notes into the system for next year's teacher. Other years the follow up may be tracking down information and contacting the parent with what you have learned. 

Once conferences have concluded I try to get my notes into the system ASAP. But the reality is I don't always get to it quickly. When I do get around to putting my notes into the system, I use the schedule and data charts to recall the details of the date/time, who was part of the conversation, and the major points discussed. 

Don't drop the ball on the follow up. A lack of notes in the system leaves teachers who come after you without important information. Turning a blind eye to the questions or concerns of a family leaves them feeling frustrated and ignored. Both scenarios are unprofessional.

At the end of the day, it's important to keep your focus on a singular thought: both you and the student's family want what is best for the student. So, if the conversation gets tough, take a breath, remind yourself of this goal, and proceed ahead.

For some additional ideas for organization, planning, and routines check out these blog posts!

Morning Routine in an Elementary Classroom

Easy Lesson Plans

How to Create the Best Home/School Connection with Just One App

Using Reward Tags to Increase the Home/School Connection

Friendly Letter Writing in an Elementary Classroom; Friday Family Letters

For a while now my collegues and I have been frustrated by the lack of writing being done at the elementary level. That's not to say it isn't valued. I don't imagine there is an educator on the planet that doesn't value writing. However, there have been some fundamental shifts in what our days look like and the requirements expected within a classroom schedule. Gone are the days when we intentionally planned various writing units: compare and contrast, opinion writing, expository writing, creative writing... we weave it in and out of the content we teach as an additional part; not the main component of the unit. Through no fault of its own, writing has become the redheaded step-child. 

To be fair, there are some excellent curricula that incorporate writing into their daly lessons. I have seen (and taught) some beautifully scaffolded lessons that engage students to write poignant paragraphs and engaging essays. But, still, there seems to be a lack of basic writing skills. For example, how many times must I remind students that sentences start with a capital and end with punctuation? Proper names must be capitalized. Indenting is a "thing".

For all the scaffolding and differentiation we deliver through writing curriculum, it's mind-boggling that I still need to go over these very basic components of writing. Some blame text messaging. Others will say it's "just how this generation is". But, I tend to think not. I've been in the trenches for over 20 years (at least one generation...right?) and these writing woes have been in existence since I first stepped into a fourth grade room.

So, what is the answer? What can we do to help these young people hard-wire the basics of writing that will stick with them throughout their educational careers and into adulthood?

Friday Family Letters!

I saw this idea in another classroom (in another district) that I was visiting. The teacher showed me the progression in writing from the start of the school year up to that week; I was visitng during the winter. The transformation was staggering! There wasn't one aspect of the letters that did not improve: the format, the length, the details, the grammer, and punctuation. Everything! 

Although we were already deep into the school year, I immediately started assigning Friday Family Letters.

I love this concept! It gets students working on their writing skills and helps keep families informed about what's been going on in school. It's a win-win!

The whole process looks like this:

1. Students arrive and immediatly get a lined piece of paper and a pencil. 

• The first few weeks will require reviewing how to orient the paper (holes on the left, big white space on the top). You may also need to explain to students what the red/pink lines are for. I demonstrate to students they should move to the next line as soon as a word comes close to/crosses the pink margin line.
• I highly encourage students to skip lines.
• Review the friendly-letter format. Post an achor chart somewhere in the room that students can reference in later weeks.

2. Brainstorm as a whole group what has happened the past week. I keep the discussion limited to what has happened in the building. 

• As we brainstorm, I write their ideas on the board in front of the classroom. It helps students with generating ideas as well as how to spell some of the challenging words or names that come up. Ex: Haudenosaunee. I also make sure to write the date on the top of the board so students have a reference for their own letter.

3. Students write! As they complete their letters, they bring them to me for a final review. I have certain criteria that must be met. 

• Students must use a friendly letter format with all of the components that are on the anchor chart posted in the room. 
• Students cannot spell any words wrong that are included on the brainstormed list. 
• All proper names must be capitalized.
• All sentences must start with capitals and end with punctuation.
• No lower case "I"s allowed. 

If a students does not meet one of the criteria, I hand their letter back to them, they correct it, and then resubmit it. As the year progresses, the number of details (or paragraphs) that I require will increase. In September I expect a topic sentence, 3 details, and a conclusion. By mid-year, they are writing 5 paragraphs. It is important to model the expectation every few weeks; especially as the requirements increase.

4. I collect all the letters and make a copy of each one.

• Be sure to check the backs of the letters. Sometimes students will need to go to the back of the paper to finish their letter. At the start of the year there will be a student or 2. By mid-year, there will be several. By the spring, it will be a majority!

5. I send the orginial home and I place the copy into a file system/folder for each student. 

• I keep a file system in a filing cabinet with the students organized alphabetically. I place the current week's letter in the back of each student file. When I give them back to the students at the end of the year, they will already be stacked chronologically.

6. Students will get the stored/copied pile back in June. Ideally, I will put the letters in a 3-prong folder. Students love to see their progression as well as "re-live" their fourth grade year.

Morning Surprise!
Students came in the last week of school to a binder filled with
their letters and a Start to Summer Sweet Treat.

Personalization!
I ran copies to make a cover for each binder and personalized each one.
Students then added their own colors.

Friday Family Letter in September.

Friday Family Letter in June.

Writing Friday Family Letters is a genuine and engaging way to get your students practicing their writing skills. They have a vested interest in the content and will do their best to make sure their message is being conveyed clearly. Friday Family Letters are one of the most powerful routines (academically, socially, home/school connection) you can implement in your classroom.

To read about other writing strategies click below!

Color-Coded Paragraphs Writing Strategy

Single Point Rubrics for Writing

Reclaiming Writer's Workshop Part 1

Reclaiming Writer's Workshop Part 2

Written Response for Social Studies Inquiries (2-point versus 4-point)