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HM Kindergarten: Theme 2, Review

 Theme 2 Review

HM Kindergarten: Theme 2, Week 2 {Freebie}

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This personal focus wall is for Houghton Mifflin Kindergarten: Theme 2, Week 2!  The story is In the Big Blue Sea! 

Theme 2: In the Big Blue Sea

It's another emergent reader freebie!! Yay!!Enjoy all 35 pages! You can click image below to download from Scribd!

If you would prefer, I added this reader to my file posted yesterday!  You can click image below to download the complete set {83 pages} for free from TpT!

Freebies, Pictures, and Pinspiration!

Last weekend my husband and I traveled to Athens, GA and had a magnificent time. I took a bit of their charm home and wore it this week!

Love this whimsical necklace!

My favorite is the chevron print tank and gold necklace!

I created sequence cards for Houghton Mifflin's Theme 2, Week 1: I Went Walking.  When I copied the sequence cards two pages on one sheet, they're small enough to sequence on a paint stirring stick.  Add a little piece of Velcro to both the sequence cards and paint stirring stick.  Easy!  

Picture from pinterest! {Link Here}

HM Kindergarten: Theme 2, Week 1 {Freebie}

Theme 2: I Went Walking

You can also download a 44 page freebie from my store to align with HM Kindergarten Theme 2: I Went Walking!!!  Enjoy!!!!

 Click Image to Download!

Behavior Management

Haim Ginott, a teacher and child psychologist, pioneered techniques for conversing with kids that are still practiced today.  Haim Ginott is quoted saying, “I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom.  It’s my personal approach that creates the climate.  It’s my daily mood that makes the weather.  As a teacher, I posses a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous.  I can be tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.  I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.  In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”   Ginott’s words are a driving force in why I believe a strong proactive and positive approach is essential in managing student behavior, thereby creating the most effective learning environment.  Although there are many different principles and techniques used to manage behavior, I find CHAMPs to be most effective.

CHAMPs is an acronym that reflects the types of expectations used by the teacher to clarify the activity and transitions occurring in class. The acronym stands for Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, and Participation.  Randy Sprick, co-author of CHAMPs, designed this program to help classroom teachers develop a proactive and positive classroom environment so that learning time can be maximized.

The process of communicating expectations will begin with the start of each workshop and prior to transitioning.  Providing clear expectations for students eliminates the need for students to guess what is expected of them.  As I implement the program, I create anchor t-charts explaining responsible noise and disruptive noise.  After defining expectations, I designate corrective consequences.

Understanding CHAMPs:

CONVERSATION:  Students who are concerned about their ability to communicate with others may attempt to compensate by increasing the audible volume of their responses.  To discourage such a practice, I introduce conversation levels with examples of acceptable versus unacceptable levels.  They include:  0- silent, 1-whisper, 2- conversation, 3-presentation, and 4-outside voice.

HELP:  Students who roam the classroom looking for help are often distracted and easily off task.  When they understand how to properly gain the attention of their teacher and get their questions answered, unnecessary movement and interruptions can be avoided.

ACTIVITY:  Prior to the class working on an activity, I provide a snapshot of the objective and what is expected for the end product.  Example:  Read independently for the next twenty minutes.  When you finish a book, log the title and author.

MOVEMENT:  Providing students with permission to get out of their seats during the learning activity, as long as such movement is necessary and orderly, eliminates distractions such as students repeatedly asking for a pencil, water, the bathroom, etc.  Establishing independence and eliminating distraction is a key to orderly movement that is conducive to learning.

PARTICIPATION:   Obtaining effective student participation in the learning process requires an early explanation of the behaviors that are expected of the students during the learning activity.  The more structure a lesson requires, the more specific my explanation to the students should be.  Successful participation is measured by student responses during the learning activity.  Are they to be listening? Discussing? Watching?

Providing a simple system for reinforcing positive behavior and reducing specific misbehavior should follow CHAMPs guidelines.  I use two systems to reinforce positive student behavior.  First, I provide Bucket Fillers for students who make positive decisions, follow expectations, and work toward our classroom goals.  I recommend reading Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness in Kids with your class while establishing intrinsic motivation.   Secondly, my behavior management chart provides positive and negative colors.  My school celebrates two students from each class during a flag raising ceremony each month.  My students are chosen for the student of the month celebration by moving through the positive colors on my behavior management chart.

While I’m aware that there are many different systems and theories for obtaining behavioral best practices, I truly believe that CHAMPs positive approach and clear expectations provides my class with the needed management and ability to learn effectively!

For more information about positive behavior management, please visit Randy Sprick’s Safe and Civil Schools at http://www.safeandcivilschools.com/index.php

The girl in me wanted to make my transitions a bit more fashionable so I created my own CHAMPs charts!  You can pick these up in my store.  Just a few previews...

So what does it look and sound like?

Beginning Sound Mega Game Pack!

I've been working on two things for the past three weeks.  My newest unit and the postcard exchange.  With the second week of school under my belt, a finished unit, and second exchange being finalized... I'm a happy lady!

Click image above to link!

This bubbly fun beginning sound mega pack is filled with 239 pages of easy to use games.

Included are...

Beginning Sound Teaching Posters with all sound images on each alpha card for instructional introduction to sounds. You'll want to ensure students have the vocabulary before playing games independently. 

Beginning Sound Sort Cards with up to five images per alpha letter. Vowels are created. in orange chevron backgrounds and Consonants are created in pink chevron backgrounds.

Beginning Sound Clothespin Match with three games provided for different beginning sound images. Each game has different color backgrounds for easy identification!

Beginning Sound BINGO with five games provided for different beginning sound images. Each game has different color backgrounds for easy identification! Spinner come in coordinating design for added organization.

Beginning Sound Puzzles with all beginning sound images placed on the right side of the puzzle pieces and alpha letters on the left side.

Beginning Sound “I Have, Who Has” Cards with three games provided for continued practice! Background images for each of the games differ for organization.

Beginning Sound “Go Fish” Cards with two games provided for differentiated support! Background images for each of the games differ for organization.

Blackline Master of only the Beginning Sound Cards are provided. Send a copy home for students to practice! 

Meets Common Core Standard: RF.K.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. {Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.}

Games and Posters sold separately would cost $29. This bundle is discounted and will provide support for at least a month! See freebie teaching posters and close up images of each game in the free preview download! 

I want to leave you with a cute Youtube Video created by teachers out of Florida.  Enjoy!!!