Five Things to Start the School Year

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The 4th of July has come and gone once again. Each year this signals the time to start preparing myself mentally for the upcoming school year. I've begun the process of clearing the Summer Fog from my brain by listing things I need to start the new year. Part of this process involves evaluating things that I tried last school year that worked and how to make them better.  I'm going to post one of five ideas each week until the start of  year.  Without further ado here is post one of 5 Ideas to Start the School Year.

                                                        Calming Corner  

      Last year I set up a calming corner using an extra desk. I attached directions on how to use the corner in the  middle of a privacy board that sat on the desk. Items needed for the calming corner were placed in a basket or on top of the desk. I loved it! This is something I plan on using again. I tweaked my instructions after trying it for a  year.  It's nice to have a place for students to go when they need a break or are getting frustrated. It's one of those things that I wonder why I didn't try sooner.

 I liked the sand timer because not only is it quiet, it can be soothing to watch the sand flow. Another thing I liked about this corner was that the students learn some strategies for soothing themselves. They also learn that it's okay to get frustrated and what to do about it. It's not a get out of work corner. The work is not going away, but it's a good way to take a break and feel refreshed. I've included some of the things I used in the corner if you are interested in learning more about them. 

                                                                 

Set Your Student Up For Succes Part 2

 

Part one of my Set Your Students Up for Success series, gave an introduction to Universal Design for Learning or UDL. It takes the concept of differentition to a proactive approach in all aspects of the classroom. The idea is to make available resources to all students in order to be successful and give them choices.

  For example, I have my secret stash of fidgets in my desk drawer to hand out for my kiddos that need it along with a couple of wiggle seats that I purchased.  With the UDL concept in mind, this year I'll have a basket of fidgets out that are available to all students if they need them. I also dusted off the excersise ball I kept in the basement for extra seating.  (Um yeah, didn't get around to using it much there. )Of course, I'll need to establish clear rules and boundaries for them. Below is a copy of the rules for them that I will display by the fidget basket. You can click on the picture to download for free.

Another type of resource that will be available at anytime to all students are Resource Rings. So far I've made two types of resourse rings.... Text Features and Text Structure.  They are laminated on index cards and attached to rings that will hang in the room. Anytime a student has an assignment or questions  dealing with these concepts, he/she may take one to use. The text structure ring helps a lot with nonficition writing.  I used them toward the end of the school year and look forward to making more to use this year. They are like anchor charts that take up little room and the students can carry them anywhere. 

We have all types of learners and learning needs in our classrooms. Making as many resources available to everyone as we can, helps to set them up for success. Part 3 coming soon!