Simplifying Workshop

This year seems like it's almost been too easy (knock on wood).  The second week of school the honeymoon felt like it had ended.  Now that it's the 4th week of school, we are in a definite routine, and I absolutely positively love my class.

Jivey mentioned linking up our workshop ideas with her blog, so I wanted to share how I've simplified workshop time this year.  Make sure to pop on over to her blog to see other ideas too!  

First up - in past years I always did workshop directly during or after the specific subject.  I did the math rotations during math time, the ELA ones afterward, and this year I thought it would happen that same way.  Then I started working with the new math curriculum and got our new schedule (PE, music, library, computer lab 2x a week, ELD pull out, etc...) and it just wasn't going to work with kids constantly being gone (and we didn't have 3 hours to spend on math...  I also am blessed with 7 parent volunteers and an 8th grade TA three afternoons a week.  So I had to rework the schedule, and I'm so glad I did.

I always had Social Studies and Science at the end of the day, but now that time is for workshop while my TA is around to help monitor the stations.  Social Studies and Science have turned into my "nonfiction" reading time before lunch, and so far it's working perfectly!  Each rotation is for 15 minutes, there are 2 Math rotations and 2 ELD.  I have been able to conference with students during that hour time period and pull for intervention.  Yesterday I tackled fluency testing and almost got through the entire class.      

In past years I used 4 colored pockets charts to keep track of it all...I had student numbers/names on the charts and I would rotate them around on the board.  This year I simplified and made up 4 groups of kids (8 in each group).  I just stuck colored stickers on their name tags to show the groups (green, red, yellow, and blue).  It's simple, but it's working.  I'm planning on changing out the groups every month or so.      

For task card stations, I am using 4 empty pencil boxes to store the cards.  2 groups meet on the floor, 1 group meets at the table, and 1 sits at their desks.  At one time I have all the pencil boxes going at a time, and being in a pencil box the students have to put them all away.  Things larger than a pencil box are put in larger baskets.

The students also love using our Listening Center.  I have their ear buds in the baskets on the ground (8 per tub), and the groups rotate through the 8 mp3 players.  The mp3's only have our Open Court stories on them, so they are able to listen to our story of the week, or past stories.  So far, so good! 

Do you have workshop in your classroom?  How have you simplified it?  I'm always looking for suggestions!

Hope you had a great day!  

Take Pictures!!

The other day I posted the above picture over on Instagram and Facebook, and was surprised by the response.  I thought I was the last one to figure this out, but since obviously I'm not - I wanted to share over here too.  

Are you ready for something so simple... so simple that I didn't think of it the past 14 years of teaching??

My dear teacher friend mentioned that she takes pictures of her answer keys instead of lugging home her teacher editions.  

Stop the presses!!  

Imagine a world of not lugging your teacher editions home... Imagine your back not aching under the weight of the books as you trudge to your car... Imagine your bag straps not breaking... Imagine the feeling of being home, and not spilling your coffee all over the teacher edition... Just imagine...

It's a good feeling and it can be yours.  Just take a picture.  I suggest taking a picture with your iPad (if you have that available) since a larger picture usually works so much better with my tired eyes.  

Seriously though.  Save your back!  

 

Revisiting iPad Apps

It's that time of year.  I have so much that I want to share with you, but I keep forgetting to take pictures of the stuff at school... hopefully soon I won't feel like I've fallen off the planet.  I was looking through my old posts, and thought that maybe this reshare of technology would be helpful... Enjoy!

Originally from August 31, 2013

It's that time again - linking up with Joanne over at Head Over Heels for Teaching to share the biggest motivation in my classroom these days.  

THE IPAD...

Everyday during silent reading and then again during workshop, there is a big silence as I announce whose turn it will be.  

The person chosen must have all their work completed to be able to take their turn.  

They must be on green or higher.

It's a big deal.  

Of course the wireless in my classroom hasn't been working lately (at all this year), so the only thing they can really do on the ipad are the many FREE apps I have found and uploaded.  

The front page (not shown) is all the basic stuff that I use in the classroom - the timer, class dojo, camera, etc...  Then it gets into the fun stuff.  I started out putting them into folders with the different subjects, but a bunch of folders isn't exactly eye catching.

So I moved the folders to their own pages, and started unpacking them.  Some of them have been mixed up, but mainly the first student page right now is Reading/Grammar/Spelling...

The next page is mainly all math.

Then the 3rd student page is Social Studies and Science...

And the fourth page continues on...

I haven't bought any apps yet.  It's all free stuff that my students are eating up.

The kids know they are all educational apps - that they will only get educational stuff from me.  They are loving the choices.  Right now it works out to being 1 or 2 students that get a chance during silent reading time (12-15 minutes), and then another 2-3 during workshop at the end of the day.  So yes, it's taking more than a week to get through everyone, but we're making due (and the kids aren't whining).  

Between the Ipad (skills), the nowboard (whole class), the 9 mp3 players (listening centers), the Kindle Fire (free kid books), and the 2 microphones (fluency), the classroom is a busy technological place.  :)  Love it!