I don't know about you, but to me this question gets old fast. It was during my student teaching that I realized that I needed to create a better, less time-consuming, solution for how I manage getting make-up work for absent students/store extras of papers for students who inevitably lose them and need another one. My CT during student teaching kept her papers in a stack, where every other handout was the opposite direction, in the front of the classroom. Although this worked, I found four major flaws of the system:
The first one I really liked was the picture above on the right (I couldn't find the original source). The part I liked was that students would be able to do that themselves and it would still stay organized. I parts I didn't like was that I would need a place to store 3 different bins for different classes. Also until recently I've had classes that I see only every other day so going by day number could get messy quickly. I kept the number idea however, I just applied it in a different way. The picture in the middle above I liked because it would be a big place to post things in a calendar format. The picture on the left I like for the purposes of it not taking up much room and it be easily portable if we were working in an another room for a project. I took the elements that I liked from each of these ideas above to create my own system. I created a bulletin board calendar to post class and school information on as well as holidays. I made slips that fit in each square that would explain the information that they would need to know. I used a similar format as Eat. Teach. Write's Absent binder but made it my own. I then bought 3 different binder and a ton of double sided binder folders with tabs and numbered each side of the folders. How the system works is everyday I fill out calendar slips for each class and post it on the calendar board. I write what papers were handed out along with the number of the folder that the extras of it were placed in. I have sticky notes on the student center that either I or my paper czar write which folder number papers get placed in during the day. I also write the intro activity for the day along with what we did as well as any assignments given out. On the student side, when a student misses class they look at the calendar slip for the day they miss. If there were papers handed out that day they will find on the "papers" line something like this: "article (1) foldable (2)". The number behind the title of the paper is which number folder the paper is in. They then grab their class's extras binder, locate the folder and take the paper out. They then find the intro activity for the day, write that in their notebook and read the rest of what we did that day. If they have questions they can then ask me or another student who was present. Easy Peasy. Another option they have for find out what they miss is checking the class website. Each class has their own tab where I have google slides for each week. I write the same information that they can find on the calendar slips as well as links to slides or videos. I also have print out of the slides available for each class next to the binders on the student center. Usually the slides contain directions and information. They are available online via links on the slides but a majority of my students are not 1:1 with a device so it can be a challenge to get them access, so I printed them off for them to use when working on make up work in my room.
This system works really well for all of grade levels. It keeps the extras organized and it frees me of having to constantly giving students make up work. They can do it all on their own and ask me the more complicated questions. I always make sure they start by reading the calendar slip before I answer their questions because I want them to take initiative and be responsible in getting make up work if they miss class.
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At the start of Quarter 2 I started doing Flexible seating options in my 7-9 health classes. I was very nervous about it but it's halfway through the quarter and it's been going pretty well so far. I've had this idea in mind ever sense I starting teaching, I just had no idea how to pull it off successfully. After reading a few articles and other blog posts on Choice seating or Starbucks/Coffee shop seating I was really inspired to actually put this into place in my classroom. I posted a few questions that I had on other teacher's blogs asking them how how they make it work with their kids and rooms and then took the plunge. I talk to the janitor and we worked out a plan. This biggest thing that I got from talking to other teacher's who do this is having clear expectations ahead of time. My expectations that I came up with are listed below. Expectations:
Benefits:
I realize this might not work in all classrooms, but I'm glad I gave it a try in mine.
Below is a picture of my new classroom rules (screenshot from the syllabus). Basically, I just condensed my original 7 rules from before down into 4 rules. So that's partly what's new with me. I hope you find the information above helpful! If you have any feedback or questions for me let me know in the comments below. I have a whole list of things that I would like to get on here and share with you so please be patient. It's been a busy quarter 1 for me and there are only 11 days left! Thank you for reading and have a good rest of your week!
So this year I am trying something new by having my students have classroom jobs. Last year I spent a lot of mine time doing the various jobs below, especially cleaning, straightening things up, putting things back where they were supposed to do. I saw on Pinterest a picture with classroom jobs for middle school students and was intrigued. I had only seen classroom jobs used in elementary classrooms, but I liked the idea of putting some of the responsibility of keeping our classroom environment organized and clean on the students so I did some research. From that research, I found these two posts below where I got a lot of my inspiration when I was creating the jobs and writing up the job descriptions for my classroom.
Here is what I came up with for my classroom jobs. I like the descriptions of responsibilities and qualifications turned out and the variety of jobs I came up with. I think this will be a big help to me this year.
I think the trickiest part about having classroom jobs in a secondary classroom is how to set it up and display it so that everyone knows who has what jobs & what their responsibilities are without me needed to remind people all the time. I have three different grade levels of health (Health 7, 8 & 9) with each grade level having two classes. The 7th & 8th sections rotate every other day with PE. I didn't want to make something that would be too much work for me to keep up & that I could use year after year without it being a pain. So below is a picture of what I came up with for displaying classroom jobs.
To make this I created a table in Microsoft Word and set the page up in landscape orientation. I added the classroom jobs and their descriptions to the one column and in the others, each class got their own column. Within each column, I separated the classes by section or period. I then laminated all the papers and hung them up on the bulletin board in the front of the classroom. After I have students apply, I can write their name, first name and last initial, under their class and section with whiteboard markers. At the end of each quarter, I can wipe it off and write the new students' names down next to their jobs on the chart. I think it should work pretty slick, but time will tell. Sometimes I think things will work a certain way but when you apply students to the mix it doesn't work as I planned. Later this year I will have to write another post to let you all know how it's working in my classes!
The new school year is fast approaching! I'm sure some of you have already started. This is my last week of "freedom" then next week is workshops and the week after that we start school already. Thankfully the first week is only three days because of labor day. I can't believe it has come so quickly. I am ready and not ready at the same time. AWE!!! It's year 2 for me! I feel not as prepared as I would like to be, but I know I am way more prepared than I was last year so I am happy about that. I keep having dreams about things not going well or me not being ready or my tables being switched with desks without my permission. It's ridiculous but at least this year I have an idea of what to expect this year which is comforting, the unknown is stressful. I also will not be attending school myself while teaching so that is going to be great to be able to focus on my teaching and curriculum this year. Overall I'm looking forward to year 2. I think it will be a good one. At the beginning of the school year, I said I was going finish sorting through everything the previous health teacher had left for me and I finally did it! It feels so satisfying. I reduced 4 full filing cabinets to this beautiful one to the left. There is one drawer for each class and the hanging files insides are color coded (as are the labels on the outsides) and organized by unit of study. I'm in love! What prompted this was that I found out I would be moving classrooms and my new classroom is significantly smaller than the one I had this year. We had a staff workday and all of my grades were already done for the quarter so I figured I would get it done. There was no way I wanted to have to move all of this stuff just to throw it once I get into the new classroom. I have a much better understanding of what my curriculum so it was much easier to know if I would use or need something as I sort through everything. I also went through my bookshelves again and got that reduced to 9 shelves! All in all it was a ton of work, but it feels really amazing to have it done with! It had been bothering me for a while so It was nice to have the time to do it. I had two overflowing recycling bins worth of things by the end! I will most likely still sort through some things again when I pack stuff up to move, but a majority of the hard work is done! I've already started drawing up plans for how I think I will set up my new classroom. With getting rid of so much clutter, I think everything will fit in the new, much smaller, space! At the beginning of the school year, I decided that I wanted to get two diffusers because my room is a rather large space. So to do that did some research, wrote a proposal and then submitted it for a local grant pay for the initial start-up costs of the diffusers and a variety of EOs. I have that below, but first I thought I would share a few pictures from my classroom and talk about what I've noticed since having them. My 7-9th graders love them! They often walk in and remark about how good it smells as do other teachers in the school! My students often want to know what EOs or mix of oils I put in & know what they do. Other teachers at the school have also come to talk to me about it which is pretty cool! In terms of smell, I've found it really does help to keep my classroom smelling great and I think, depending on what EO I have in there & what it does, I can see the effects in my students. Some days I do a blend of different EOs and other days I just put in one, like today I have peppermint in & I'm laser focused on writing this post! I will definitely need to buy more EOs, but the cost isn't so bad when you buy one at a time. For initial start-up, I used Amazon to order everything. For my EO brand, I choose Young Living EOs after doing my research on the different brands. As for the diffusers, I went with Deneve Reiverok Ultransmit because it was the only diffuser with 5 stars on Amazon and had good reviews. For me, I knew that if I was going to do this I wanted to get a diffuser that worked well, which these do, plus it is easy to care for and use. In case you are interested here is the proposal I wrote up for the grant. Healthy Lives and Minds: Using Essential Oils in the Health Classroom
"Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived." Helen Keller Teaching primarily middle school students, my classroom does not always have the best aroma. Even so, I want to provide my students with a pleasant and stimulating classroom that is not only easy on the nose, but also beneficial to their minds, spirits, and overall health. As a health teacher, I want to be a role model and expose them to alternative wellness methods. My Students: My students range from 7th grade to 9th grade. Our school is a 7-12 secondary school with a student population of 241. We are located about 130 miles west of the Twin Cities. Due to our location, our school has to tackle many distinct challenges that are unique to being in a rural area. This being a health classroom I love teaching my students about new and alternative methods of health care that they might not otherwise experience. I think it is important for students to have as much knowledge about health prevention and care as possible so that they can make the best-informed decisions for themselves throughout their lives. In our class we aim to address all of the six critical health behavior concerns of today’s youth, alcohol and drug use, injury and violence, tobacco use, nutrition, physical inactivity and risky sexual behaviors, according the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), all of which are preventable and are often established during childhood or adolescence. We use a comprehensive health education approach that equips my students with both the knowledge and skills needed to enhance their well-being and quality of health throughout their lives. In addition to that, comprehensive health education aims to motivate students to maintain and improve their health, prevent disease and avoid or reduce health-related risk behaviors. I believe adding essential oils to our classroom will accomplish many of these goals. My Research on Essential Oils What are Essential Oils? Essential oils are the aromatic compound naturally found in plants. In nature plants, distractive smells provide protection against predators and disease as well as assist with pollination. Throughout history, many different cultures have used EO’s for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. How do Essential Oils interact with the Limbic System? “During inhalation, odor molecules travel through the nose and affect the brain through a variety of receptor sites, one of which is the limbic system, which is commonly referred to as the ‘emotional brain.’ The limbic system is directly connected to those parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance (Higley & Higley, 1998). This relationship helps explain why smells often trigger emotions. Knowing this, we can hypothesize how inhalation of essential oils can have some very profound physiological and psychological effects” (Halcón, 2013). Knowing this, it is easy to understand how Essential oils can have such advantageous effects on both health and mood, in children and adults. Essential oils have been shown to “reduce anxiety, increase focus, and…have a positive impact in the classroom” (Ibanez, 2013). “In his paper, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Terry S. Friedmann, M.D., M.D.(H), A.B.I.H.M., writes, “When essential oils are inhaled, they not only provide exquisite fragrances, but they have also proven to be able to produce physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of people since the beginning of time” (Ibanez, 2013). Essential Oils not only provide mood benefits. Diffusing them can also “purify [the] air of unwanted odors and some airborne pathogens” (Ibanez, 2013). Therefore, Essential Oils serve as a both a natural disinfectant and an air purifier as well as air freshener. Below I have included a list of the Essential oils I would like to have for my classroom. I broke the list down into categories of the Essential Oils effects as well how they would benefit the students emotionally in my classroom.
Sources: Halcón, L. (2013, July 16). How do essential oils work? | Taking charge of your health & wellbeing. Retrieved from http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing -practices/aromatherapy/how-do-essential-oils-work Ibanez, Z. (2013, December 10). Essential Oils and Kids. Retrieved from http://educationaladvancement.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/essential-oils-and-kids/ |
AuthorI teach 7-9 Health Education & Computer 7 in rural southwestern Minnesota. I love using technology in my classroom and teaching students about how to live healthy and informed lives.
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