Behavior Management

Something I have tried implementing recently is a behavior management tool. The 5th grade students tend to talk out a lot without raising their hands and by this age I feel they should know what is expected of them. They should be used to a structured environment and be more responsible being that they will be going off to middle school next year. Maybe it is the hormones kicking in and them wanting to do what they want but I think discipline is very important in the classroom and having things under control plays a role in a student succeeding in their academics. There are classroom rules up in the classroom that the students are aware of such as completing the morning routine, locker times, and raising hand, etc. I told the students anytime they break a rule then the first time would be a warning, the second then they would have to write the rule they broke 5 times, and then the 3rd time they would get a stick taken out of their name pocket. Each student has a stick in their name pocket that is hung up in the room for everyone to see. By the end of the week if no student has a name taken out of their pocket then I would pick out something from the suggestion box. The suggestion box is where I allowed students to write ideas on a piece of paper that have to be appropriate and educational related to something that we could in school. The students love it and get excited if I pick from the suggestion box. However, students are still tending to talk out but I think it is because it is my fault for my not being more firm with them. I think if start enforcing the rules they will be more apt to follow them.

Time Management

This coming week I will now be teaching Reading, Spelling, and English. I'm a little nervous because of time management. All three subjects are to be done within an hour and twenty minutes. In the past, I am used to doing 45 minute lessons just on one subject. I guess I am just worried about making sure I cover everything appropriately and get what needs to be done. However, I do not want to go too fast just fit to fit everything in and then the lessons not be of enriched quality. I want students to still get what is being taught and not just a matter of getting everything done. I think as long as I balance everything it should be fine.
The first day might be a little shaky but once I get the feel of how everything plays out then I will have a better grasp on managing my time and how I should plan everything. I will get a feel of what I know can be done for each subject area with that alotted time. I'm looking forward to teaching more content areas because I find myself getting more and more comfortable as each day passes and adding on another subject makes it even more easier for me to understand how the classroom works and I'm getting to know my students' needs and abilities more as well.

Getting Students Motivated

Last week and this week I have been teaching Spelling and Reading. One of the things I have noticed is that students have a hard time getting motivated in the classroom. Many students tend to get lazy and not care to pay attention. A lot of students do poorly on tests and do not keep up with their homework assignments. Something that all three of the 5th grade teachers do is give out stamps when students are "caught being good". After they receive so many, then they are rewarded with the choice to have free time on the computer, eat lunch with a friend, etc. It works really well with some of the students but there are still those select few that just dont seem to care either way. I really want students to get excited to learn and study. I feel like when I was in elementary school everyone got A's and B's. I see so many students failing and getting below average scores. Today I told the students that they were having their Spelling test on Friday and that if every single student got at least an 80 percent on the test then I would have a surprise for them next week. They got excited when I told them that so I am hoping that this is something that could get them motivated to want to study and do well. I also want it to become something that turns into a good habit for each student. I don't want students just doing well because of a reward but because they see the importance in getting good grades. I guess we will see Friday how the students do and if it is something I should continue to do. Perhaps each week I may raise the goal of the test grade being higher.

Teaching Spelling

This week I started teaching Spelling everyday for the 5th grade class. The word list was made up of words that are frequently misspelled. For the first day, I had the students fill out sentences with the correct usage of a word from their Spelling list. I allowed them to pair up and work together. I like seeing students work together because I like to see how they choose to work. Some students take turns while others might say them together. Some students split up the work and do it on their own then come back together to share answers. On Wednesday, I had the students create stories using their Spelling words and underlining the word within the sentence. After the students were finished, I put them together to make a book. The following day i shared the stories with the students and gave them the option of reading it aloud to their peers themselves or if they wished for me to do so. I think students like sharing their work with others because they are proud of it and feel it is important. I enjoy seeing them get excited to share what they did. Thursday was the review and we had a Spelling Bee and I had it be boys vs. girls. I notice the students get competitive and really enjoy it. Next week I plan on trying different activities to switch it up and see what works effectively for the students. I'd like to use the whiteboard and get students engaged through using that which I think works well for visual learners.