I SURVIVED!!

The first week of school is over!!! And I still plan on going back tomorrow--yes!!! 

Monday started the week off a little rough! In our 3 regular ed Kinder classes we each had around 28 kiddos! Pure craziness!!! There were tears, some from the kiddos and some from us teachers, but we pushed though.  It was a lot of management and not so many procedures (though my 28 did somehow walk through the hallways like perfect little champs-- not so much straight but diffidently quiet!).  We had a meeting immediately after school and some teachers got switched around so we now have a 4th Kinder teacher- HOORAY!!!

(Here is my outside of the classroom bulletin board I forgot to take a picture of for last week.)

So on Tuesday, I got to started over again with 20 Kinders!! We did lots of procedures, procedures, procedures!!

I started out reading them the book, Bono Goes to School.  

It is about a monkey who goes to school but does not know the rules.  He makes lots of mistakes but learns his lesson and starts making good choices.  The kids love it because after the first time they can help read it.  We then went over our classroom rules and I started using my "whole-brain teaching" management system.

They loved getting "wow's" (they would respond "Ooh Yeah!") and seemed to really respond to changing their behavior when I had to say "Uh-Oh" (they would respond "Ooh No!").  Out of the four days I did this part of my management system they had 3 days of more "Wow's" than "Uh-oh's"! They are all really looking forward to reaching their goal of a Popsicle party. 

I had the kiddos practice multiple times procedures to scissors and glue!! We have the WORST glue bottles provided by my school so being super careful is key.  The kiddos did a fabulous job each time though.  They really enjoyed doing the dot pictures to help them practice "only a dot, not a lot"!

I also started teaching sequential processing.  (Sequential processing is teaching the kiddos the sounds letters make alone and together.)  I started out with "a" and "t".  Here is how I set up my board for the process:

I use the cards to begin the lesson.  I tell them the sound(s) the phonogram makes and they practice saying it.  Then I teach about how each phonogram has a capital/lower-case, how words can start with that phonogram, and then we practice on the SmartBoard writing the capital/lower-case of the phonogram before they practice individually.  Once that is accomplished the students come back to the carpet and practice writing the phonograms on white boards to review previously taught phonograms and the new one they learned for that day.   At the end of the lesson they make a craft to represent the new phonogram and then take it home so they have a tool to practice with.

I put the one I make above the letter in my alphabet to remind the kiddos letters are also phonograms.  

Look for the stencils SOON on http://idowedoyoudo.blogspot.com/ She will have the whole 26 single phonogram stencils and pictures of what they look like.  

Here are few other things I made this week but have yet to put into action (SO MUCH TO DO--NOT ENOUGH TIME!!).

Sorry its sideways--but I put the labels on all of my kiddos math journals.  I found them FREE!! on this blog http://www.mrswillskindergarten.com/2011/07/daily-math-journals-freebie.html.  I love them--Thank You Mrs. Wills!!

I also made my number of the day for my calendar.

I'm starting this tomorrow-starting with number 1.  I will put up pictures next week and let you know how it goes!

All in all, the first week was a success!! My kiddos have a long way to go (some could not find their name on their cubbies let alone copy it onto paper) but I know we will get there step by step.  I am always so excited to see them make huge gains in their own personal education!!