Refresh and Renew

Another school year has come and gone. This one most certainly came in like a lion and left like one too! Experience has taught us that we must reclaim our lives as soon as summer begins. Forget about the grading, the grueling hours of planning and the griping (our own and others)! To counteract our elevated stress levels, we’ve devised the perfect plan. It begins with a drink, 

a treat,

and a  book to make you laugh.

Now, settle into a comfortable chair, in a location you love and just let go. William Wordsworth once said, “Rest and be thankful”. We plan to do both, because soon enough we’ll be back at it again. Stay tuned for new ideas, and let us know what you are doing this summer!

Student Autograph Books

Send your students off for summer with memories of their classmates by making autograph books. Create your own cover or print ours (personalized for each grade, K-5) and staple it to a couple of pages. During the last week of school, designate a special “Sign Time” where your students take turns writing good-bye messages and signatures for each other. Make sure to sign every book yourself!

Motivation Station

Keep students motivated for the final month of school with our Motivation Station. Cover a table or extra desk with an inexpensive tablecloth, and then place a variety of items on the table such as markers, colored pencils, notepads, stickers and envelopes. At the end of each day, announce the names of students who have been thoughtful and responsible throughout the day. The next day, make time for those students to spend 15-20 minutes at the station creating artwork or making a card for someone special. Keep a record of the students who earn visits to the station so that you can encourage those who have not yet earned the privilege. The Motivation Station gives students the push they need toward good behavior at the end of the year. 

Summer Writing Journals

Sometimes we worry that our students will forget everything we have taught them over the summer. To try to prevent this from happening, we prepare summer writing journals and distribute them as parting gifts. To make your own, copy and bind pages topped with a variety of writing prompts, such as, “I finally learned how to…”, “The best thing I did with my family this week was…” and “A great movie I just saw was…”. Alternately, you can glue journal prompts to the tops of pages in a composition book and add a cute cover to the front. These give our students support and encouragement to journal over the summer and confidence in their writing. 

 

A Clever Storage Idea

Here’s a handy classroom storage tip. Collect empty, plastic tennis ball or Pringles canisters. (A local fitness or tennis club is a good source for rounding up the tennis ball canisters.) Wrap the containers in colorful contact paper or laminated construction paper. Add decorations with permanent marker or stickers. Use the containers to store chalk, pencils, art supplies or manipulatives. Students can even store their school supplies in a canister as an alternative to a pencil box. The canisters are durable, take up very little storage space and slide into cubbies and shelves easily.

Can’t Miss May Books

As you are pulling out your books for May, consider adding these to your list. Some are charming, others are illuminating and several are full of heroism. Plus we’ve included some ideas for reading follow-up. Let us know if you have some good May books we should be sharing with our classes!

Good Behavior for a Buck

How do I know it’s spring? The flowers are blooming on the trees, the birds are chirping in their nests, and the students are bouncing off the walls. It’s time for a new behavior plan! I’ve done sticker charts, printable behavior charts, and reward coupons (which my class can’t get enough of this year!). Now it’s time for the kids to earn some cash.

I made each student a wallet using a piece of construction paper. First I cut it in half (9x6) and then folded it in half again (9x3). Finally, I taped up the sides and folded it in half one last time. Sometimes I leave the wallets a plain color, other times I decorate them. 

Buy or make some paper money to use as your classroom currency. Students have opportunities to earn dollars throughout the day. I give them out for things such as following directions quickly, working quietly, focusing intensely, or doing an outstanding job on an assignment. After students have had many opportunities to earn money, I provide chances for them to spend it! They can buy a trip to the treasure box, an extra snack, a book from the classroom library, etc. I love to use this as an opportunity to do some spring-cleaning in the classroom (if I’ve got something I haven’t used in the last few years that I think a kid would love, I put it up for sale).

What are your favorite behavior management techniques for the end of the year?