My Journey Into Flexible Seating - Making the Leap

 What Is Flexible Seating? 

     To answer this question, think about your home.  Do you have only one seat you sit on each time you sit down?  No, you sit on the couch or comfy chair to watch television, read, and more.  You sit at the table to eat.  You sit on an office chair when sitting at your desk.  You might even sit on your bed or use a pillow for sitting on the floor.

     Flexible seating in the classroom strives to do the same.  Teachers dread professional development (for more reasons than one), but sitting on a hard chair for even just a small amount of time is at the top of the list.  Now, stop and think about how much you dread those chairs.  Think about how tired your back and other body parts feel after sitting on those chairs.  Think about if you had to sit on that same chair every day all day long.  You would be twisting and turning also.

     Flexible seating offers different types of seating in your classroom for your students far beyond the hard plastic chair.   Multiple types of seating are available in the classroom.  How to implement that seating is up to each individual teacher.  

Deciding to Make the Leap

     I had wanted to go to flexible seating for several years, although I didn't even realize there was an actual name for it.  First, I didn't do it because I moved from 2nd grade to 4th grade a few years ago.  Then, I didn't do it because we were departmentalized, and I wasn't sure how to make it work with so many students coming in and out of my room.  At the end of this past year, we found out that we would go back to having our homeroom students all day.  I was so excited.  The time felt right to finally do this.

      

How Do I Obtain Seating Options? 

     The great news is that it does not have to be expensive to change the seating in your classroom.  The main thing to remember is that it is still YOUR classroom.  Changing it up as much or as little as you want is entirely up to you and doesn’t have to break the bank.  In fact, it doesn’t even have to cost you a penny.

     Look at your classroom with a critical eye.  What would you like to keep?  What would you like to get rid of?  I had wanted to get rid of most of my tables/desks for several years before I did.  A few years ago, I began by bringing a LOT of comfy pillows into the classroom, as well as bath towels, beach towels, blankets, and clipboards.  For years, I allowed my students to grab clipboards and get comfy anywhere they wanted on the floor...as long as they did their work.

#1 - What's in my classroom? 

     The first thing I did was make a list of all of the furniture options in my room.  I decided I wanted to change my entire classroom.  I already had a large rug on one side of my room.  I had six large tables with twenty-four chairs.  I decided to keep only one table and four chairs for traditional seating.  I also had two standing lamps and four table lamps.

     I had two small tables that would work well for only two students sitting together.  For one of these tables, I wanted to add wiggle stools, but when I saw the price, I knew I couldn’t justify that cost.  I quickly emailed my principal to let her know what I was planning for my classroom and asked if she had it in her budget to order two of these stools for me. She agreed to purchase two.  She also agreed to purchase two stability balls for the other table.  

# 2 - What's in my home?

    I started looking for more seating options.  I looked around my house and found two small rugs, a couple of pillows, a lamp, a small table, and two camping chairs that would work.  It's amazing what you can discover that you already have when you are looking with a critical eye.

#3 - What do I need to purchase? 

     Online yard sales through Facebook are the BEST idea someone has ever thought of.  I am a member of several, so I diligently checked them daily and found several items.  Each person sold them to me for even less after finding out that I wanted them for my classroom.

    Also, check out your local thrift and consignment stores.  I got this $60 leather couch for $40.

  #4 - Ask your family and friends.

    Ask your friends and family members if they have any items they will give you or sell for cheap!  I had a friend who was taking bar stools to the thrift store, so she gave those to me for free.  I had a couple more friends who sold me some furniture super cheap!

#5 - Purchase any odds and ends to complete your room.

    I bought these scoop rockers from Walmart and four desk trays from Hobby Lobby.  This gave some students a different option from clipboards. 

    I really wanted a beanbag chair. DANG, they are expensive! I found one on sale during Amazon’s Prime Day.  Normally $42, it was on sale for $26.  It was just what I wanted, so I made the splurge.

 

#6 - Finance your room.

    Consider having a yard sale or selling some items you no longer need online.  I sold several items that helped pay for the items for my classroom.  Plus, it helped declutter my house.

    There's still time to make the change before the new school year.  I encourage you to make the leap if you have been considering this type of classroom.  

    Would you like to see my classroom reveal?  Click here to see all of the pictures!

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My Kind of Teaching

The Importance of Using Daily Math Spirals

My students had a problem in math.  It seemed that once a unit was over, they mostly “forgot” the things they had learned.  It seemed to be a case of out of sight, out of mind.  To remedy this, I started doing a math spiral many years ago.  Before I had a projector system, I kept everything in a notebook and wrote it on the board each day.  Once I had a projector system and learned how to make my own products, I put the spiral into a more appealing format for my students to use daily.  I tried to incorporate most of the main concepts for 2nd grade.

I wanted to be confident that my students were being exposed to all of the standards throughout the year.

The Standards That Are Covered Each Day

• Operations and Algebraic Thinking
• Numbers and Operations in Base-Ten
• Number and Operations - Fractions (not included in 2nd)
• Measurement and Data
• Geometry

I also wanted it to be easy for me so that I wasn't having to constantly search for worksheets and materials that needed to be copied, prepared, and graded for my students every day.

I knew that having a PowerPoint presentation that could be projected would be the easiest and simplest way to make sure that my students were getting what they needed while keeping things easy breezy for me!

This daily spiral became a HUGE part of our daily math routine and such an important part of our daily learning.  My test scores soared! 

When to Use Daily Math Spirals

I have actually used these spirals at different times in my day based upon the schedule and what worked best for that year.  Some times in your day when you might want to consider using the daily math spiral is:

• morning bell work/arrival time
• math warm-up
• one question each day as a "ticket out-the-door"

Since there are only five questions each day, the time it takes for students to complete them does not take long.

Answer pages are included to go over the work after completing.

Students can complete on a write-wipe board, on paper, or in a spiral notebook. Before the "BIG" test in the spring, the spirals can be sent home to use as a study guide.

Second grade has so many standards to cover that there are enough concepts to include for August through May.

However, third grade and fourth grades are a little different.

All standards have been covered and reviewed a minimum of two times by April, so the third grade version ends with April.

In fourth grade, all standards have been covered and reviewed a minimum of two times by March, so the fourth grade version ends with March.  

Using these paperless and projectable math spirals helped increase scores significantly.  

At the Beginning of the Year

At the beginning of the year, we begin with place value (the second question each day).  I tell the students that all of the others are “previews” of what we will be learning during the year.  We work through the problems together.  

However, we only focus on one standard for each of the five big headings each month.  After several days, the students start getting the hang of what the standard is asking of them.  When we cover that standard in our core later in the year, the students have already been exposed to the vocabulary and the concept.  By “frontloading” it into their brains earlier in the year, teaching it is a breeze!

Would you like to see more?  Check out the previews of the products in my store.  You can purchase either each month individually or the entire year.

Click below to see more.

Second Grade Daily Math Spiral

Third Grade Daily Math Spiral

Fourth Grade Daily Math Spiral

Back-to-School No-Prep Math Centers FREEBIE

Tomorrow makes day #10 with students.  Can you believe it??

I must say that it has been an AWESOME beginning to the school year.  My students are already back in the routine of things, pretesting is behind us, and we already have centers going...

SCREECH!!!  PUT THE BRAKES ON!!!!

Yes, you heard me; centers are already going smoothly.  This is in big part to my NO PREP math centers.  

You can find 10 NO-PREP centers for each grade level.

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

I even made a sampler packet so that you can try one from each grade level for FREE!

Simply print the instructions on colored copy paper, and hang it up in the center.  Students can read the directions to find out exactly what to do.

Print the cards on white or bright copy paper.  Cut out and tape around the room.  All cutting is straight lines to make the prep work fast and easy.  I always have a couple of very helpful students who do the cutting for me.

Students go on a back-to-school treasure hunt to find the questions and solve them.  

Print the directions for each center and cards on different colors of copy paper to make them stand out and be more appealing.  Of course, you can always just print on white copy paper.

Students can work individually, with partners, or in small groups to order the three-digit numbers on the lunch bags in order from the greatest number to the least number.

They then write the numbers on their individual response sheets in order by following the arrows.

 The sample 4th grade center has students looking for the 0 in the different place values while coloring the space to match the key. 

Making the beginning of the school year easy is just...

My Kind of Teaching

Getting the Most Out of Task Cards

Are you getting the most out of your task cards?

Do your students LOVE Task Cards?  My students do, and I do, too!!  

Do you REALLY realize what a jewel you have with a set of task cards?  These are so versatile.  Don't just use them one time and then put them up until next year.  Keep recycling them all year long in different ways.  Your students will love you for it, and your planning time will just get shorter!

With my task cards, I put a letter (very small) in the corner of the cards.  I also include large numbers on separate cards.  Why do I do this?

As I said, I like to use them in a variety of ways.  I mix and match standards for one domain, and I even mix and match the concepts!  If I put a number on each card, it is actually harder to use them more than once and confusing to students if I mix and match the cards.

One week, we might work on lines, line segments, rays, and more.  The next time, I might include all geometry concepts.  Later still, I might mix geometry and place value together.  Before the "BIG" test in the spring, I might pull a couple of cards from several math topics and mix them with a variety of language arts topics for a big review.  

Here are twelve ideas to make sure that you are getting the most out of your task cards.

 

1) Walk the Room – Place the numbers around the room (tape them on walls, shelves, desks, etc.) along with task cards.  Provide an answer sheet for 20, 25, or 30 questions.  Students move around the room at their own pace or at a signal from the teacher and write the answers in the matching numbers on their answer sheets.  It's like a scavenger hunt!  Plus, it gets the students up and moving.  

Leave the numbers in the same place all year.  Change out the task cards each week in your literacy or math centers for an instant no-prep activity!

2) Ticket out the Door – Show a task card using your projector for all students to see, or give students individual cards.  Students will write their answers on sticky notes.  Use these to see who is still having difficulties with a concept to form needs-based or small groups for the next day to give a mini lesson to the students.  (Grab a FREE Ticket out the Door to display in your room.)

3) Needs Based – Use the task cards when working with small groups of students on a specific need.  Model the answers.  Students can use dry-erase boards to complete as the teacher monitors.  (Read more about working using small groups as an effective teaching strategy by clicking here.)

 

4) Give Me Five – Give students five task cards all on a similar topic they need extra practice with rather than a long worksheet. 

5) Math Centers – Choose a specific standard or a variety to review, and place them in centers for extra practice.  Have students complete the cards in ABC order using the small letters.

6) Around the World – Use task cards that will work for oral questions.  To play, have two students stand up.  Read the question out loud.  The first student to say the correct answer moves to the student at the next desk, and the other student who didn't answer sits down.  Keep playing until all students have played.  The student who answers the most questions correctly is the winner.

7) Sparkle – Have all of the students stand.  Show the first task card to the first student.  If the student gets the question correct, he or she keeps standing.  If the student misses the question, say, "SPARKLE!"  That student must sit down.  The next student will attempt to answer the same question.  Play for several rounds until there is only one student (or a few) still standing.

8) "Slap It" – Form two teams.  One player of each team stands up and is given a fly swatter.  Show the task card using the document camera and the overhead projector, or read it aloud.  (This game works good for digital task cards.)  The first student who slaps the fly swatter gets to answer the question.  The team that is correct gets a tally mark.  The team with the most tally marks wins.

9) Teacher/Student Game – Have students take turns working with partners or in small groups.  The students will take turns being the teacher and asking the questions.

10) Game Board – Use the included game board in my task card units.  Add the cards and playing pieces.

11) Standard Sort – Write the standard.  Have students sort the questions under the correct standards.

12) Assessment – Use the task cards for a formal assessment grade.

These are just a few ideas to help you use task cards in a different way.  If I'm going to spend my time making something or buying something, I like to get as many possible uses out of it as I can.  Don't you?  What are some ways you use task cards?  Leave a comment below to tell me your ideas.

That's just...

New Year, New Look... (Hopefully) New Attitude?

Hi, friends!

I have a confession to make.  It's one you are very aware of, but isn't admitting something the first step to overcoming the problem?

I hope this is true.

You see, I suck at blogging.

In fact, I am probably in the running for the World's WORST Blogger Award.  

No joke!!

I want to have profound words of wisdom to share with you.  You would think that after teaching 27 years of teaching and seeing education go from here to there and everywhere in between that I would have at least a few nuggets to share with you.

Maybe I'm just tired...tired of working, working, working.

Now mind you, I don't mind the TEACHING at all.  I truly believe that teaching, like preaching, is a calling.  I have felt it with ever fiber of my being since I was five years old.  

Yes, even then, I knew that this was what I wanted to do.

Like many of you I talk with, teaching has become so overwhelming.  It's no longer about doing what's best for the students.  It's no longer about using the best practices.  

No, it's become a circus of sorts, a dog and pony show, jumping through the hoops, swinging from one trapeze to the next and hoping not to fall, hoping that if you do fall, there's a net to catch you...but there probably isn't.

Between the meetings, meetings, MEETINGS (honestly, I have a three-ring binder titled just that) and new teacher observations that treat everyone like brand-new teachers, what is a teacher supposed to do?

Get an attitude change, of course!!

I hope that has happened to me.  It started almost a month ago. So far, it is sticking.

My words of profound wisdom for you:

It is sometimes impossible to change what is happening around you and even TO you.  If you can't change anything about your job, there is one thing you CAN change... 

YOUR ATTITUDE!!!

I decided that most of the things that have gotten me down this school year are truly beyond my control.  However, I was letting it bleed over into my home life, as well.  It was draining the joy out of spending time with my family, of taking time for me, and of enjoying LIFE, so...

I made an attitude adjustment. 

While I'm at school, I'm giving it everything I have...200% or more.  I'm smiling at my students.  I'm enjoying spending time with them and teaching them.  I'm enjoying saying prayer with my coworkers each morning before our day begins.  (This makes my day go MUCH smoother.)

I decided to take back an attitude of gratefulness and happiness and counting my blessings for the opportunity to answer my life calling.

Like a duck in the rain, I'm letting everything else just run off my back.

I do what I can while getting to school at the expected time rather than 45 minutes early.  I'm leaving on the dot - NO MATTER WHAT - instead of staying an extra hour or two.

Do you know what?  I feel better.  I'm laughing and enjoying time with my grandson, my husband, my mom, my daughters and most importantly, myself.

In honor of all of this, I decided I needed a more sophisticated blog.  As always, my friend Christi worked her magic putting it together, and my friend Laine designed the clip art just for me.

It's time.  It's a new year, a new look,  and most importantly, a new attitude.

Most of all, I think my students are benefiting.

That's...