Parent Conference Tips

Hi y'all! This is Casey from Second Grade Math Maniac. 
Most of us became teachers so that we could work with children. We perform in front of large groups daily, but get sweaty palms when we have to speak in front of people over the age of 12.  

Parent conference time can be really stressful as we attempt to communicate with other adults and not look like idiots. This is particularily true for beginning teachers. Now in year 5, I am still barely comfortable in conferences. However, I've learned a few tricks along the way to help things go more smoothly. 

 Sign Up Genius is a totally free site that I use to organize parent conferences, as well as volunteers and sometimes school meetings. 

I have learned that it is important to make notes ahead of time for every single student. I use the plus/delta system, nothing fancy. This helps me maintain control of the direction of the conversation for those tricky conferences. It also helps to honor to the time of everyone attending, no random tangents for this girl.

One of the most difficult parts of conferences is having parents say things you don't want to hear. As teachers we are constantly reflecting and beating ourselves up about how we can make things better for our students. We spend hours working on engaging lessons and the last thing we want to hear is how we can do more. In my case, my parents are being informed about my teaching methods by 7-8 year olds. This can be frustrating. In all tricky conversations with parents it is important to take a problem solving stance and at all cost avoid becoming defensive. Many times there is a root of truth to whatever the parent is sharing with you. Even if the problem is that the parent is overreacting, it is your job to diffuse the situation as much as you can rather than making it worse with defensive statements. 

You can download some helpful Parent Conference Printables here.

Teacher Free For All

Here at the Primary Chalkboard we want to be helpful. That’s just who we are. In the midst of creating for our students and selling on TpT, we often offer up amazing freebies.  Just in case you missed some of our freebies for September we are bringing them together here!
   Below are linked freebies. Some are downloads on Google Docs that can be found on our blogs and some are downloadable from TpT.  

Simply click the pictures below.

 

Enjoy and be sure to leave love through comments, feedback, and/or  follows if you download.

If you want a

30 more freebies

click my button below and go to the September Free For All post.

Fall into Reading!!

Head on over to my blog to check out my favorite fall books, and read about the activities that I do with my class, Also check out my fall themed reading comprehension packet. Your class will love it! They are great for close reading!

The Steps in a Guided Reading Lesson

Hello Chalkie Friends!!

My name is Jen Bengel from Out of This World Literacy. 

I am so stinking excited for my first official post as a blogging member of The Primary Chalkboard!!

Just a little about me:    

1. I have taught for 10 years: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, literacy coach, and now a full-time home school mama!

2. I am currently in Uganda with my entire family preparing to adopt our 4th child!

3. I LOVE the beach, running, reading, and being silly :)

I look forward to sharing lots of teaching ideas with y'all!

So, let's get started!!

It is getting to be that time in the school year again where many of us are finishing assessing students and are ready to pull small groups for guided reading instruction. 

If you are like me, you may struggle with exactly what is the best way to use this important time with students.  Over the years, I have tried so many different approaches, using a variety of note taking forms and lesson plan formats. 

I have found that there are 6 steps that have worked best for me to follow a successful guided reading instruction, regardless of the students’ instructional levels.

Step 1: Introduction (2-3 minutes)

Step 2: Reading the Text (10 minutes)

Step 3: Talking About the Text (5 minutes)

Step 4; Teaching Objective (5 minutes)

Step 5: Word Work (3-4 minutes)

Step 6: Assessment Assignment (Optional and completed independently)

To read more details about the 6 steps in a guided reading lesson that I follow, simply click here to read them on my teaching blog.

Best of luck to you all who are just getting your guided reading groups going.  They are such a great way to differentiate instruction and reach students where they are so that we can move them forward in their learning!!

Jen Bengel

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Donors Choose... Choose YES

Hola, peeps!  Stacy here visiting from over at Funky Fresh Firsties with a quick post about Donors Choose.  Please tell me that you do Donors Choose projects in your classroom!  {pretty please}  If you said yes, congrats and you probably already know what great things can happen in your classroom b/c of the generosity of complete strangers!  If you haven't started yet...  out of fear of not knowing what to do, or what to ask for... or fear of how much time it will take...  well, have NO fear!  One of the first things I put in my store when I started this journey 2 years ago was a quick start guide to Donors Choose.  You can find it by clicking the picture below.

I hope that it will answer any questions you have, give you some pointers on getting funded quickly, and qualm any fears you might have.  Please feel free to stop by my Facebook page for more freebies, teacher humor, and ideas for primary teachers!  Hope y'all will have a great LONG holiday weekend!

Literacy K-2 with YouTube

Hi Everyone! 

I'm so excited to be posting for the Primary Chalkboard for the first time! I haven't started back at school yet, but I am already gathering supplies, lessons and ideas to keep those little ones busy and learning!

If you watched my video during our huge YouTube Party Giveaway a few weeks ago, then you'll know that I'm a big fan of using Symbaloo to keep myself organized! Today I'm sharing a post where I've listed my students' favorite literacy videos! 

I hope you'll hop over to Whimsy Workshop Teaching and check them out! I'd love to hear about your favorite online resources too!

Real World Math: Foreign Currency Conversion

Hey everybody!  My name is Terry from Terry's Teaching Tidbits.  I'm so excited to write my first post here at The Primary Chalkboard.

This morning, I will be waking up from a red eye to Dublin, Ireland.  I am so excited to spend a long weekend in the country of leprechauns and gold while I cheer on my alma mater, Penn State, in its football season opener against UCF.

Since I am across the Atlantic, I thought I would post about something international :)  I love teaching my students real world math scenarios, and traveling to a foreign country can truly test your mathematical skills.

I want to share an awesome blog post of mine on how to teach your students about foreign currency conversion and a fun freebie that you can use in your classroom.  Head on over to my blog to check it out!

I hope you like it!