I can’t believe it’s already time for the last quarter of school for us. This is the time of year where I start thinking about what’s working and what’s not in my classroom, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
In my class, we’ll often give each other feedback as “two stars and a wish”- two good things, and one to work on. Want to join me in giving yourself two stars for things going well this year, and one wish for next year?
(Special thanks to Ashley at The School Supply Addict for these great free graphics!)
This year, I switched to using a Daily 5-ish reading block with a CRAFT board and my reading journals! My kids get so much time to really read with 2-3 rounds each day, and the CRAFT board gives the students a place to reference the strategies we’ve learned, too. But the reading journals? They just might be my favorite part. I LOVE them. I posted about them last week.
My students have shown so much growth in responding to text and really showing their comprehension, and I am so glad I decided to change up my reading curriculum this year!
I love using data to track my students, but last year (my first in my own room), I didn’t keep up well with organizing the data so I could use it effectively. This year I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better at keeping individual data to show parents (like at parent-teacher conferences).
I have also worked on organizing my whole class data better in my teacher binder, which really helps when I’m building my small groups.
For next year, my wish is that I will figure out a better way to organize small groups, especially in math. Especially after our success in reading this year, I know that my kids would benefit from the same kind of authentic practice and targeted small groups in math. I don’t think it’s going to get all organized and going this year- but I’m excited to work something out for next year! (Suggestions welcome! :)
So, what about you?
Feel free to grab the graphics from above!
Thanks in advance! I love reading about what works for others, and hopefully we can help share some advice, too!
What a great idea for a linky! I'm going to check out your reading journals...love to add something like that for next year!
ReplyDeleteYou might be interested in Guided Math for your "wish". I hosted a book study on that last year. Stop by & check it out. There's a button up on the top right that leads you to all the discussion.
Brenda
Primary Inspired
As a student teacher, I think I have more "wish" than stars at the moment. However, in my first placement, I helped my CT establish a new procedure to control talking in our chatty bunch of 4th graders. We made red and green cards, one color on each side, and an anchor chart explaining how it worked. It was great. (So glad it worked since it was my idea, not my CTs) Another star was my door decoration themed "The Big Thought Parking Lot" where students could "park" questions about the lesson or things they learned that day. Sometimes we would give them a particular thing to park, usually a "how did you know how to..." to park as a quick formative assessment. My wish is that I am able to create a well organized and welcoming classroom set up for my first year as a teacher! Thanks for the post. This was fun and not a little therapeutic. :)
ReplyDelete