Walking in the Hallways

In the primary grades, it is essential to model and teach students appropriate behaviors for walking in the hallways. There are several ways in which teachers can motivate students to position their bodies when walking through the hallways so that they do not disturb other classrooms. Before leaving the classroom, it may be wise to have students concentrate on one way in which they will position their arms while in the hallway. As a class, decide upon the following ways:

-arms folded/crossed in front of the body
-arms at side with fingers crosses
-one arm in front of another
-arms straight down at side
-arms cupped behind backs

Once the class has decided, have students focus on upholding the unanimous class decision while in the hallway. Teachers can mix-up these different hand positions and then reflect upon each position's effectiveness after bringing students back into the classroom.

Stop Light System

One popular method for managing student behavior in a primary classroom is the method involving the use of the three-colored stoplight (red, yellow, and green). Each day, students come to class with a clean slate, meaning they begin on green. After three warnings tied to disruptive behavior, the the student's clothespin, which is attached to the stoplight, is moved up to the yellow light. One more serious violation after the first three and the move to yellow results in a move to the red light. Teachers can decide upon the different consequences associated with each color. For confidentiality purposes, only student numbers should be written on the clothespins. No names need to be included.

Go for the GREEN!

The stoplight image was taken from Google Image.

Community Building

Hi everyone,

I wanted to provide an update on the site. As we begin new school years, it is important for us as teachers to work to build a classroom community. Although it is important to ensure that students are a vital part of this community-building process, it is also equally important for us, as teachers, to be prepared.

For the primary grades, I believe that the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is an excellent book to read-aloud to students, especially at the beginning of the school year. After reading the book to students, it would also be helpful to create an open-mind portrait, which is a blank, uncolored outline of the main character's head (Chrysanthemum in this case). The students would then brainstorm possible thoughts or reactions to being teased from the point-of-view of Chrysanthemum. The students may also brainstorm a list of ways in which students can work together to build a respectful and safe learning community.

The picture of the book was taken from Google Image.

Fire Safety Reader's Theater

I have included a video from TeacherTube.com that shows a class of first graders giving a presentation to second graders in the form of Reader's Theater. The topic is fire safety and the school is actually promoting awareness by having a Fire Prevention Week. This first grade teacher has her students dress in costume and read from a script that outlines the important aspects of fire safety. The presentation is in the form of Reader's Theater; however, the students are practicing choral reading, which ultimately helps students to focus on fluency and expression when reading. This is a great way to have students interact with text by relating it to real-life safety precautions.

Please follow the link below to view the video:

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8435d572478d9df74f40

Talking Sticks

I recently worked with first graders in a local school district. When I entered the classroom on my first day, I noticed something peculiar about one young boy. I would see him walk up to his teacher, hand her a popsicle stick, and then tell her a random story. I found myself wondering why the popsicle sticks were used. I then spoke with the teacher and she informed me that she found herself constantly interrupted by the young boy every time he felt the need to speak. To alleviate the problem, she allowed him three popsicle sticks to use that would provide him with three opportunities to approach the teacher and share a story of choice. He had to promise to use the sticks and could only interrupt if there was an absolute emergency. Although she encouraged conversation in the classroom, she had to take preventative measures to maintain the stability required of a well-managed primary classroom. I found the idea to be quite helpful and the boy seemed to be able to control himself after time passed.

Welcome!

Hi there, everyone! I wanted to begin by posting and saying that I look forward to sharing some possible ideas with all of you in regards to different instructional implications and strategies for the primary classroom. Many strategies may also be tweaked to meet the needs of intermediate students as well. Please feel free to make a positive contribution or suggestion.