This semester I had the opportunity to work with my first grade teacher for the practicum. From this experience, I have learned different ways to teach and practice standards. I have also encountered ways to improve classroom management and elicit parent involvement. Let me share and explain what I have learned.
The teacher works on teaching short and long vowels as well as blends every day. She works with her students using flash cards. Most of the vowels have a catchy little saying. Now, after lots of practice the first grade students speed through the flash cards. My favorite saying is for 'est', "We are the best in the west, so give us a test!" The children also know catchy sayings such as, "when two vowels go walking the first one does the talking and says its name. The second is silent and doesn't make a sound." The children have grown on their individual reading level with the practice with these flash cards. During this time every day she has her intervention groups sit in their order based on the initial reading test the students took. She feels this helps those students who are struggling to be able to have an easier time paying attention and seeing the board while hearing their classmates say them first until it becomes second nature to all of the students.
Working on math facts is another fun and exciting way of learning (and teaching). The students practice daily. They count backwards from 20. They also practice using 'grab and count down' method for subtraction. For addition, the class uses the 'grab and count up' method. Right before the students take their time test they do a math warm-up. The warm-up includes arm circles (forward and backwards) as well as hip circles (both directions). While doing these warm up exercises the students say, "Math is playing games with numbers. I like games. I like numbers. So of course I like Math. Subtraction starts with the big number take away the small and see what is left. Adding starts with the big number; count on the small and see how much you have all together." The students seem to do well after this warm up and practice. More than half of the class is already testing on their tens and we are not even at the half way mark of the year. First graders must pass their math facts zero through twenty.
Her classroom management techniques put the students in charge of their own behaviors. She has a 'It's up to you, what you do!" chart. This chart has each of the students’ names and each student has a card. The card has four sides, green smiley face, 1, 2, and 3. Everyone starts the week with a green smile face. Each student gets two reminders before having to change the card. After the card is changed for the students not doing what is expected the card cannot be turned back until the next day at first recess if the behavior has changed. The goal is to keep your card on green, or get it changed back to green by Friday for Friday Fun day. The students do not like missing Friday Fun day when they have the opportunity to play at the park and partake in an extra activity. She also uses a whole class technique. Depending on the season, she draws up shapes when the whole class is doing a fabulous job. If the class is not doing what is expected the teacher erases a shape. The children normally shape up when they lose a shape, because they are trying to earn ten shapes. When they reach ten shapes the teacher brings in a special treat for them. In addition to the class behavior counter and individual behavior counter the teacher uses the grabber system. The students earn and lose grabbers the same way they earn and lose the other forms, however the students save their grabbers up to spend on fun exciting items. The students keep a current count of their grabbers. You can ask them any second of the day and they will be able to share with you how many grabbers they have. The third classroom management technique I like is "Warm Fuzzy". She told a story at the beginning of the year about Warm Fuzzy and Cold Prickly. Having only the one warm fuzzy given to you at birth is as not as good as having multiple ones when you share them. This story and giving each student a warm fuzzy pom-pom guy helps the students understand nice things to say to one another. She has used thisa lot lately because some of the students are not being very nice on the playground. She talks about how it makes us feel when we receive cold prickles. It is not a warm feeling inside. Then, she discusses with the class what they can do instead of using mean words.
These techniques and helpful hints have been beneficial to her students as well as to me, a future teacher. I can see myself using techniques like these in my classroom. They work in her classroom and I hope they will work in mine. The students are responsible for their behaviors as well as thinking about how it affects others when we are not nice. The educational warm ups and techniques are easy and catchy for everyone to remember.
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