End of the Year Parent Survey

Hey friends! It's Haley from My Silly Firsties. I wanted to stop by today and share something I tried for the first time this year. I think this year has been the most challenging year of my teaching career so far, and I have definitely worked hard to keep a growth mindset this year. It's not always easy for me since I can be pretty hard on myself...can't we all?!? But I truly have tried to look at each setback as an opportunity for growth..just like we ask our sweeties to do. 

So, I decided to send out a survey to my parents this year. I prepared myself for the absolute worst, but was pleasantly surprised by the responses. I also found it to be incredibly helpful in validating what I think my strengths are, and also in seeing what my parents wanted a little more of!

So, first off, I used Survey Monkey to create the survey. I wanted it to be completely anonymous so parents would feel comfortable being honest. I know people always wonder "is that REALLY anonymous?!" But I'm telling you...it IS! Each response is just labeled a number and you don't know what email or anything it comes from. I would definitely encourage you to do it this way, but I know lost of people have great success sending one home on paper. :) The free version only gives you 10 questions, but I think that's actually best. Otherwise it can be overwhelming! 

Now you need to decide what's most important to ask. Since you only get 10 questions on Survey Monkey, that's even more important. :) I know that I don't like taking 100 questions surveys so I think keeping it short is best. :) I also think it's important to ask questions that will help you GROW! If there is an area you are sensitive about, maybe don't ask that question. You just gotta be honest with yourself! :) 

There are several kinds of questions on Survey Monkey, but I only used 2 types. :)  I used a Rating scale on 9/10 questions. BUT...I forgot to add a neutral option, and I really wish I had. So my advice for you, is don't forget! Hahha!! 

Here are some examples of Rating Scale questions you could use. Remember, some people will never put "strongly agree" on everything! That's okay! The important part is that you see trends on what parents think. :) 

Here's an example of how the responses look. You can see them by respondent, or by question. 

And here are some examples of open-ended questions you could ask. I chose to only use the 1st one, because I felt like it was the most important for me. 

Remember, feedback makes us better! We are constantly telling our sweeties that their brains grow everyday and we can always learn something new! :) 

Summer Learning - Keep YOUR Learning Edge!

Greetings My Primary Chalkboard Peeps!
Summer break is either underway or nearing it's glorious entrance into your life! WAHOO! I just LOVE my summer break- it gives me a chance to recharge, relax, and start formulation my plan of attack for the next year.
This summer comes with a whole NEW challenge, as I was just hired as the administrator for my elementary school. I am just flat out stoked about it! I have a great vision of where I want my school to go and how we will get there. It will be a wonderful adventure and I can't wait to share all the details along the way both here and on my blog, An Educator's Life!
Anyways, I digress.
Over the summer, after I have had a chance to sleep in for a week or two, and have had a chance to tackle some projects that have been in the wings waiting, I begin to "wonder".
I wonder if I will be able to keep up the next year.
I wonder if I am aware of the most recent research that will give me the edge I need to help my next class.
I wonder if I was effective in my math instruction.
And my "wondering" goes on and on. I hope I am not alone in this line of thought!

So, my mind then goes to the next logical step... HOW TO ADDRESS all my wondering questions!

Every summer, I devote small amounts of time to reading educational blogs, articles, and professional magazines. In doing so, I find that I still enjoy my summer (hiking, swimming, reunions, and family outings), but I also have a game plan formulating in my teacher brain!

So what exactly DO I read?

That is a great question. Let me share a few of  my tips to MAKING time, and a few of the sites/books that I am currently reading and/or read from frequently!

TIPS:
1) Figure out what it is you want to improve in next year.
     -It can be overwhelming to try and read about LOTS of topics. Narrow it down to one or two and study the heck out of them!

2) Make time to read at least weekly.
     -I tried to MAKE myself read every day one summer. I found that it took the enjoyment out of my summer break, and that I started to resent the opportunity I was trying to make for myself. Now, I set a goal to read ONE article and ONE chapter from a professional text each WEEK! Tons of flexibility and still gives me some accountability. I also feel like I am able to think about what I read and consider if that new learning is worth adding to my skill set for the coming year. And, I can usually finish ONE book in a summer. Easy-Peasy!

3) Share what you are learning- start a blog, share on social media, keep a learning journal, or just simply tell a good friend- teacher or not- what you are learning about.
     -I think it is key in the summer learning cycle, to share what you are learning- with someone- anyone that will listen. I mean, don't become "that person" that scares others away, but find someone you can share your learning with. If you don't, you won't remember it!

4) Enjoy it AND your summer. Remember, this is simply to help you "up your game"! If it becomes tedious, or interferes, then simply adjust it. It's YOUR learning!


SITES/BOOKS I AM USING THIS SUMMER:

1) I just LOVE ASCD! Their Educational Leadership magazine is simply amazing. Here is a free SUMMER edition that ANYONE can read. Click HERE. Once you get to the link, use the left side of the screen to read the article you want to read.

2) Because I want my teachers to use data more to drive their instruction, I am focusing on data-driven classrooms this year. I am reading TWO different books on the topic currently. Again- I try to read one chapter a week in in each!
I am reading:
 
So far I am loving them! Learning lots about WHY data is important, and how to collect and use data that is helpful!

3) I also love reading newspaper articles each day about what is going on in my state in the education world. I feel empowered knowing what my state and patrons think about education, what the trends are, and what to expect during each legislative session. I also feel prepared to answer parents questions when they arise. In Utah, I love Utah Policy. I get a daily digest of newspaper links for major headline information. Education appears nearly everyday. You can subscribe HERE if you are from Utah (or if you want to read Utah policy).

4) Amazon.com- I should own stock in this site. I think 1/2 my paycheck goes to them each month...ha ha. I search their site frequently for books/ebooks about the current topic I am studying. Sometimes there are great FREE E-editions that I will download.

I think that I have probably passed the TMI (Too Much Information) line, so I will leave it at that. Remember, that summer learning IS important, it IS easy, and it WILL help you be a better teacher this fall when you return to school.

Here is to an amazing summer break with a wonderful learning edge!

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Summertime Resources

Aloha Chalkboard friends!  It's Corinna from Surfin' Through Second.  I am so happy to be relaxing and enjoying my summer break.  I have about 6 weeks to soak up the sun and recharge before I head back to the classroom.

Some of you may still be in the classroom and looking for some resources  to finish up the year or even send home with your kids over the summer.

Have you heard about Scholastic's Summer Reading Challenge? 

They have some great incentives for you school, class and individual readers.  There are also great resources for students, parents and teachers.

Here's a freebie reading log you can send home to

help keep track of reading minutes.

Here's a great reminder for parents to help limit screen time from Your Modern Family. If you haven't checked out their site, it has some fantastic resources and articles.

Here are some great ideas for summer read-alouds.

If you are looking for some resources to send home with your 

students over the summer, here are a few options.

This summer review booklet covers 2nd grade language arts and math skills.

This booklet is geared for 1-3rd

Here are some summer reading activities to help keep kids engaged.

Are you still in the classroom and looking for some fun activities to end the year?

This Summer Bundle from the Primary Techie uses powerpoint 

presentations to keep kids focused and engaged.

If your looking for something to put you in a tropical mood you could 

always teach a little unit on Hawaii.

If you are already out of the classroom and looking for a good summer read, follow along with this book study on Teaching With Intention  hosted by The Kindergarten Smorgasboard.

Whether you are on vacation, still working or teaching summer school I hope you find some me time and power up!  

Courtesy of Discovery Education

Sight Word Activities

Hi there, it's Emma from Clever Classroom.


I love creating resources that are a bit different and require an element of interaction, movement and fun.  You can view the interactive/hands-on resources in my store. 

This post has inexpensive center ideas that can not only be used with sight words, but with any word list. 

 Are you always on the look out for cheap and also recyclable materials for your students?  I love collecting and using inexpensive props for hands-on literacy activities.

Bottle tops and ping pong balls fall in to this category! There are so many things you can do with both bottle tops and ping-pong balls.





Use ping pong balls or bottle top lids to create fun, hands-on sight word centers.

Ask staff and students to bring in clean bottle tops.  You could hold a table competition to see who brings in the most tops.  Collect them in a container and write on the top of each lid with a permanent marker.

You can use any word list for the 5 activities mentioned below.

1. 

2. 

 I have created a whole bunch of bottle top activities with record sheets and instruction cards, all of which can be used with any word list. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Find more of these games in our Bottle Top Games bundle.

For even more sight word ideas, see my blog post.

Thanks for dropping by.

Find a Friend: Last Day of School Edition

The end of the year is always so busy with finishing things up, special projects, and assessing. You get to that last day and you are spent, but your students have loads of energy! That last day seems to fly by and drag on at the same time. All I know is that I have about 4 hours (we usually have a half day) where kids are excited, work is completed and turned in, projects are (hopefully) done, and still we want to make it memorable and special.  I've posted about my beginning of the year "Find a Friend" activity. I like to get them moving, talking, learning about each other. Well, I thought it would be fun to do this same activity at the end of the year.  :)

I made two different formats. They are basically the same, but one is a little more wordy. The one of the left says, "Find a friend who will... this summer." The one on the right just has a word or phrase. The one on the right can be more versatile. You can tell students that they can look for kids who want or wish they were doing those things for summer. There might be some kids who don't have the opportunity to do some of these things, so I thought that might be a way to make it fun and inclusive for everyone. 

Come visit my blog to download this freebie!

Appreciating Our Volunteers

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

-Winston Churchill

I don't know about your school, but we have some absolutely amazing volunteers at our school.  We have a group of three wonderful ladies that run copies, make whatever you need, cut things out, and pretty much anything you can name for our entire school.  All we do is put what we need in a box and in a few hours we come back and poof, it's magically done!  This wonderful group is made up of Mary, a retired teacher; Sally, the mom of one of our teachers; and Isela, a parent of one of our students.  They are such a fantastic group...and they've been known to take things home to work on them.  Talk about dedication!

I also have a couple of fabulous volunteers that work with just my class.  They, along with another parent, run our Sight Word Celebrities program for second grade.

So once a year we get together to honor all of the volunteers at our school.

Each volunteer receives an invitation.

 Then we decorate our library to match our theme.  We have done a super hero theme, a Hollywood theme, a western theme, a tea party theme, and this year my principal asked for a garden theme.  

(If we didn't live in Las Vegas where it almost touched 100 degrees that day, we would have had the party outside in our courtyard.)

Here are some pictures from our event.

 We purchased flowers from one of our local stores, added tissue paper and put them in cups.  For a finishing touch we added these signs to rulers and placed them in the plants.

The food came from Sam's Club and we collected up the decorations from some of our homes.  

(OK, my home.)  

We purchased a few things from Michael's.  

(You have to love 60% off plus your teacher discount!) 

The volunteers that service the whole school received bigger plants and gift cards.

We always have our students sing a song or two, which usually brings a tear to each volunteer's eye.  

My principal is the master of ceremonies, giving recognition to each volunteer.

If you don't do something special like this for your volunteers, I highly suggest it.  Volunteers are so precious to us.  I know our school would never run smoothly without them.

Last Week of School Ideas to keep you Sane

Hi my friends!  It's Vicky here from Teaching and Much Moore!  I have 9 days left ~ I know some of you are done or VERY close to being done...some of you still have about a month.  { sorry }  But either way it's coming whether we are ready or not.  I will miss my 3rd graders so so much that's for sure!  I want to make sure their last week is special and memorable!  So here's what I like to do:  I make it a 'theme' week so everyday they have something to look forward to and { are kept kinda busy } right?!?

Monday:  Crazy Sock Day

Tuesday:  Read a Thon Day

* Let them bring in blankets, pillows and their favorite books.  They can spread out and read with their friends.

Wednesday:  Board Game Day

* Push your tables aside and let your kids spread out on the floor playing their favorite board games!  They can bring in the games and play with their friends.  I always make sure they clean up the previous game before moving on to the next one so we don't lose any game pieces.

Thursday:  Autograph Shirt Day

They LOVE doing this!  I make sure in my parent letter that they bring in a shirt they don't mind ruining in a sense with sharpie names.  My student wear this shirt the following year and always come up to me...such fun!

Friday :  Field Day

Take the fun outdoors!

As you can see you can keep that last week organized and SANE!!!  Plan something special every day and it will actually be more enjoyable for you!

If you are dying to try this:  I have a pack that includes a parent letter and a response page for each of these days so your kids can do the same things:  Easy and done for you!

9

Hope you love the ideas!!  Happy { almost } summer!

xo, Vicky