Simple Ways to Celebrate Student Birthdays

Building relationships with your students is often more important than any reading or math skill that we'll teach in our classrooms. When kids know you care, they'll work harder and enjoy school more. One way to strengthen relationships with your students is by recognizing their birthdays. Let them know you care by focusing on their special day! The good news? It doesn't have to cost a dime!

Try these simple ways to celebrate student birthdays.

Read all about it.

Grow your classroom library and celebrate student birthdays by inviting them to bring in an extra copy of their favorite book. Students can write their name and birthday in the front of the book and add their special story to your shelves.

Have the student read their book (or a portion depending on the length) aloud to the class. For struggling readers, you may choose to read to them. Your students' birthdays will be part of your classroom forever while letting them provide their own gift of literacy!

Grab this free birthday letter by clicking HERE.

Sing it loud.

No matter how old kids get, they love hearing happy birthday sung to them. The whole class will love joining in the chorus, and it builds a sense of community. Make sure to join in with the tune and show your kids it's OK to sing and be silly! Consider teaching your students "Happy Birthday" in a different language to promote cultural diversity.

I actually made mine into a cheer!
Teacher: I don't know what I've been told!
(Class echos.)
But _____ just turned ____ years old!
(Class echos.)
Sound off!
(Class echos.)
HAPPY!
(Class echos.)
BIRTHDAY!
(Class echos.)
Everyone: Happy birthday, ________!

Share words of kindness.

This is one of my favorite activities to do on a child's birthday. Write the child's name on a chalk or whiteboard in colored dry erase markers or chalk. While the child sits in front of the board, have each student come up and say something nice about the birthday kid. They will then write their compliment on the board.

When finished, you can take a picture of the child surrounded by positive comments to send home with the student and share with their parent(s) or guardians.

Brag tags.

I love using brag tags all year to motivate and reward my students for meeting academic and behavior goals. You can read more about how I use brag tags HERE.

On a student's birthday, it's fun to give them a special tag! This tag is in my brag tag bundle.

Celebrate the star student.

Star students are not just for PreK and kindergarten. Elementary students love being recognized for simply being a unique individual. What better day to do that than on their birthday?

Invite the birthday girl or boy to bring in something special to them for show and tell or to share a special talent or skill with the class.

Leave your students feeling special and recognized on their birthdays. Remember that some students will not have birthdays on school days. Celebrating half birthdays or other designated days can be just as meaningful with these simple ways to celebrate student birthdays. 

Have a Not So Wimpy day!

A Back to School Teacher Pep Talk

It's funny how ideas pop into your head at the oddest times, mine usually come to me in the middle of the night or on my drive to work. My latest brainstorm came to me at mile marker 0.2 on my summer run. Yep....I was already breathing heavy and regretting a 7 a.m. run when the temperature was already 90 degrees.

Well, I set a goal this summer that I would get out and start running again. It's been a while, and a slight injury had me benched. However, I knew I could get back into routine. My mistake though, was trying to start off too strong and jump right back into a full run.

I'm sure you all have heard the phrase from Finding Nemo, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." That became my motto during this muggy 7 a.m. run, "Just keep running, just keep running."
That's when it hit me, I shouldn't feel like I'm drowning already, like I'm barely keeping my head above water. I won't want to do this again tomorrow if that is how I feel!

I realized then that we as teachers do the same thing to ourselves in our classrooms. We get excited about new goals, ideas, or curriculum in the classroom, and sometimes start them too soon, before having our classroom community fully established.

I did that with my exercising. I didn't take a week to just stretch. I didn't take the next week to just walk. I didn't take the following week to alternate between walking and running. And of course, I definitely did not take a fourth week to move into a slow run. Instead, I jumped right in to my new goal. Well, I wasn't prepared for that. Instead, I was muttering under my breath, "Just keep running, just keep running."

I am writing today to remind you to take it slow at the start of the year with your new routines. Stretching is the most important part of exercising, correct?! Well, so is getting to know your students and establishing a relationship with them. Stretching should happen every...single....day, yes?! Well, so should student relationships. Let them know you care about them and reach out to your students every single day. Think of stretching as your classroom community building activity and do this every day, all year long.

Next, start slow. Just like I should have started off with walking, take a week to slowly implement some of your routines.

Finally, I should have taken another week to complete a walk/run combination. In your classroom, think of this as still modeling and practicing routines, but you are sprinkling some curriculum in here and there.

By starting off slow, not jumping right into your curriculum, you will set a foundation for the rest of the year. And you definitely won't be muttering under your breath by week 8, "Just keep teaching, just keep teaching."

Back to School Resources

Here are some posts to help you build community and practice procedures at the beginning of the year.

Have a Not So Wimpy day!

Picture Books that Support Growth Mindset

Growth mindset is an important topic to discuss all year long, but it is especially easy to implement at the start of the year. As teachers, it is our job to encourage and promote a growth mindset in our classrooms as much as possible. I love integrating picture books into these lessons. You could use the following books at the start of the year, one each month, or when your class needs a reminder of these skills.

Click on the titles to check out these books on Amazon. 

Bubble Gum Brain

Introduce your students to Bubble Gum Brain and Brick Brain in this growth mindset story. Both of these kids have completely different mindsets. Bubble Gum Brain is adventurous and isn't afraid of trying new things or making mistakes. Brick Brain is set in his ways. He will not try new things, especially if it means he might make a mistake. Use Bubble Gum Brain to demonstrate to your students what growth mindset looks like.

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

We all usually have at least one student who strives to be perfect all the time and is afraid to make a mistake. This story is perfect for that child! Students will learn that it is impossible to be perfect all of the time. Share this story with your class to remind them that mistakes help you grow!

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain teaches children about the brain's functions and why it is important to help it grow. This story covers growth mindset and encourages students to learn new things to help strengthen their brain. Students are encouraged to keep trying things that were hard at first, maybe they didn't enjoy doing, or didn't do very well. With practice and time, new skills become easier!

After the Fall

After the Fall is about the classic nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty, and explains how he gets back up after his fall.  Humpty Dumpty was put back together, but has found a new fear of heights. This is a wonderful read that will lead to discussions about perseverance and courage. You can discuss what it looks like to be courageous both outside of school and in school. "Life begins when you get back up," is the underlying message from this adorable picture book. After discussing the story, wouldn't it be fun to take it a step further and create a STEAM lesson?  Have your students create a gadget to protect Humpty the next time he might fall!

Giraffe's Can't Dance

In this touching tale, Gerald the giraffe wants to dance, but the other animals are unkind to him and tease him about his dancing. Gerald receives encouraging words from a cricket, and soon is a beautiful dancer. Teachers can incorporate conversations about kindness, self-esteem, confidence, encouragement, and the power of YET, in Giraffes Can't Dance.

Not Yet

Not Yet is the perfect book to teach the perseverance phrase of, "Am I there yet? Not yet. Will I get there? You bet!" The main character, Lorisa, models that you will make mistakes and that is okay! This book encourages students to dream big and think positive.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

I love that a book from 1939 can have relevant lessons today. In this classic picture book, Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel have promised to dig a cellar in one day. No one thinks they can accomplish this, but with determination and perseverance they do! Mike Mulligan has a growth mindset, and has not allowed a challenging task discourage him.

Mae Among the Stars

This book was inspired by the first African American woman in space, Mae Jamison. Mae always dreamed of being in space as a child and becoming an astronaut. Her parents encourage Mae and tell her that if she works hard, she can be anything that she wants to be. However, her teacher and classmates are not as encouraging and tell Mae that she can't be an astronaut. This book teaches students to believe that no matter what people say, you should follow your dream and always work hard for it.

Rosie Revere, Engineer

This picture book teaches readers that the only true failure is giving up. Students will learn about a young girl, Rosie, who loves to build and create things and dreams of becoming an engineer. Students will learn how the reactions of others can quickly dishearten someone's dreams. Such is the case when Rosie's uncle laughs at her cheese hat invention. Soon, Rosie attempts to build a flying mechanism for her aunt, but it doesn't work quit as she planned it to. Her aunt's reaction to the invention is more inspiring. She explains to Rosie that her first flop was actually a success and a step in the right direction. Rosie learns that she can only fail if she quits. And with that, Rosie learns from her mistakes and tries again! This also makes for a great STEAM extension.

Flight School

This book is about a penguin who wants to accomplish something new and unheard of. He wants to fly! He models determination and hard work in this adorable book. Penguin shows how perseverance and support from others, will help you achieve your dreams.

More Classroom Read-Alouds

Are you looking for other read-alouds to help build community and promote kindness in the classroom? Check out THIS post!

Have a Not So Wimpy day!

5 Back to School Read Alouds

The first weeks of school are always my favorite time of year. We are encouraged to stay away from curriculum and build a positive and caring classroom community. It's time to lay down the foundation for the year, set procedures in place, and most importantly, get to know your students.

I love using picture books the first weeks of school to create lessons for my students' social skills. There are many classic picture books that I use every year to meet this goal. Some of those include Peanut Butter and Cupcake!, Enemy Pie,  My Mouth is a Volcano, and Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun.  However, I went on a search this summer for new books that I haven't used. Let's face it, who doesn't love new books!

We're All Wonders

This instant classic inspires kindness and acceptance in all readers. This book is my favorite new addition. This is the picture book version for young readers of the chapter book Wonders by R.J. Palacio. Be sure to visit the accompanying website for classroom resources and to see how to become a certified kind classroom, https://wonderthebook.com/for-teachers. Click HERE to check it out on Amazon.

Be Kind

The theme of kindness continues in this picture book. Students will be inspired by this read aloud and will be shown how little acts of kindness matter a lot. I particularly like how the author of this book gives specific examples of how to be kind to others; from using someone's name, to giving away your too-tight shoes, and sticking up for someone when other's aren't being nice. Click HERE to check it out on Amazon.

Pig the Winner

How adorable is this pug?! Those eyes! I know, don't judge a book by it's cover, but I can't help it when it includes a picture of an irresistibly cute dog. Even better, there are other titles in this series that you can add to your library collection! In this story, Pig (the pug), is known for cheating and being a sore loser. This is a perfect book to use when discussing sportsmanship in the classroom and on the playground, teaching students to play fairly and to win or lose with grace. Pig the Winner, by Aaron Blabey, is sure to be a student favorite. Click HERE to check it out on Amazon.

Wordy Birdy

Most students love animals, and what is not to love about Wordy Birdy?! This story is about a bird who loves to talk, A LOT. However, she finds it difficult to listen to others.  This book will be fun to read aloud and is very engaging for students, I can already hear the voice changes for the different characters! Use Wordy Birdy, written by Tammi Sauer, if you need to teach a lesson on the importance of listening to others. Click HERE to check it out on Amazon.

Seven Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want to Survive the Cafeteria

The illustrations and imagined metaphors caught my attention in this book. For example, the class is a line of hungry ants. This story lends into conversations about anxiety and fears with unfamiliar situations. In this case, the unknown is the school cafeteria. Kyle, the main character, does break all of the cafeteria rules, but in the end he discovers that the cafeteria lunch was delicious and he has nothing to fear. Click HERE to check it out on Amazon.

More Back to School Ideas

Are you looking for more fun activities for those first couple weeks of school? Check out these posts!

Have a Not So Wimpy day!

Tips for Successful Writing Mini Lessons

How do you teach writing? I used the writing workshop model. I did modify the model slightly to make it work in my classroom. You can read more about that by clicking HERE. I loved that this model helped my students to grow as writers, but it also got them excited about writing. That's not always easy to do!

One of the components of a successful writing workshop is a mini lesson. The mini lesson is a whole group lesson that focuses on a writing skill that you want students to practice and implement in their writing. 

I have had many mini lessons flop, but that just gave me the opportunity to learn to do them better! Here are a few tips that made my mini lessons engaging and meaningful for my writers.

Don't skip the lesson.

Due to time constraints (and possibly our comfort level with teaching writing), some teachers have a tendency to want to skip the writing mini lesson. DON'T! 

The mini lesson is your opportunity to give students valuable tools and strategies that will help them to grow as a writer. It is your time to model good writing. Giving them some paper and telling them to write, does not teach kids to write. You teach kids to write! And you do that through mini lessons! 

Keep the lesson mini!

I think that the biggest mistake I made as a writing teacher was delivering long writing lessons. It was so boring to my students. But, even more importantly, it ate into their independent writing time. That's the most important component of a successful writing program!

Mini lessons should generally be about 10-15 minutes. If your's are longer than that, you will need to have a longer independent writing time. Independent writing time should be the biggest piece of the pie!

Or, you can work on making those lessons shorter...

This may sound a little goofy, but if you want to get the mini lesson nice and short, it is a good idea to rehearse them for a while. Set a timer and give the lesson to your spouse, dog, teddy bear or reflection in the mirror. 

Are you even close? If not, you might need to break the lesson into two days of mini lessons. If you are close, then keep rehearsing. Eliminate anything repetitive. You will get faster as you practice and get more comfortable with what you want to say. You won't have to do this forever! You will get to the point where the timing is second nature.

Use mentor text in your writing lessons.

Prolific readers tend to be better writers. They have more experience with quality writing and can mimic it in their own stories. For this reason, I love using mentor texts as part of my writing lessons whenever possible.

There are tons of wonderful picture books that can be used for mentor text. Just take a look at your favorite picture books in your classroom. Do you have one with an interesting lead? Do you have one with dialogue? Maybe you have one with unique word choice. Read them to your class and point out these attributes when you teach these skills in mini lessons. (If you need book recommendations for a particular genre or skill- I highly recommend searching on Pinterest.)

I love using books, but I also discovered that short reading passages can make remarkable mentor texts! Some of the reasons that I love using passages are:

• If I choose, the passage can be copied for every student in my classroom. This allows them to follow along as I read, read it to themselves or read with a partner.
• The passages can do double duty by using them in reading groups. Have deep discussions about the characters, text features, main idea, etc. (Reading them in reading groups helps to keep the writing mini lesson shorter too!)
• The passages can be written on! Students can mark them up. For example, you can have them highlight every transition word when you are giving that mini lesson. 
• The passages can be kept in the resource section of their writing notebook to be referenced later.

I loved the passages so much that I added them to all of my writing units!

Use anchor charts.

Anchor charts can be a powerful way to help students to visualize and remember content. 

Lots of teachers are super artsy and create masterpieces for anchor charts. I am not. But my students didn't care. In fact, I would just project a slide on my white board with the skeleton of the anchor chart. Everyone in the class could see it from their seat.

I used the anchor chart to model the writing skills. Modeling is so powerful! I would fill out the chart using the skills that we were learning and that provided examples for my students. Sometimes I had them help me with the charts and other times, I just had them listen to me as I thought out loud. Change it up to keep them on their toes!

All of my anchor charts are included in my writing units.

Keep students actively involved in the lesson.

This can be tough to do when we are trying to keep the lesson short. You have to be creative and you have to practice procedures with your students.

One great way to keep them involved is with quick pair shares. "Turn and tell your partner what a subtopic is." "Turn and give your partner an example of a transition word." These types of shares should take about 20 seconds. 

I would also keep my students engaged in the mini lesson by having them fill out their own anchor chart while I was filling one out in front of the classroom. They had a smaller version that fit perfectly in their writing notebook. (Save time by having them glue all of the charts in the notebook one day during the first week of school or during morning work!)

Sometimes I would ask students to copy exactly what I was writing on my anchor chart. This was faster and ensured that they had an accurate example later when they were writing. Other times, I might fill out half of the chart and then ask them to complete the rest. Sometimes I had them fill out the chart as a planner to prepare for their own writing. Any way you slice it, my students were actively participating and engaged in the lesson.

Plus, they were creating a wonderful reference resource for later!

Need more writing tips?

I did a series of videos all about teaching writing! You can watch them on my YouTube channel by clicking HERE.

I have also created a FREE email course for teachers with tips and free resources for getting writing workshop started in their classroom. You can read more about that email course and get signed up by clicking HERE.

Are you looking for lesson plans, anchor charts and mentor text passages that are ready to print and use? Click HERE to check out my writing units!

Have a Not So Wimpy day!

What is Writing Workshop?

Teaching writing can be challenging. Writing is very subjective. There really isn't one right way to write. That's why we don't all like to read the same books. And it makes writing instruction a tad difficult.

On top of that, teachers struggle to squeeze writing into their already full classroom schedule. 

The struggle is real. I totally get it. But teachers are super creative and always looking to improve and learn. We CAN make our writing instruction more meaningful and manageable! Let me share with you what writing workshop is (and is not) and how I made it work in my classroom.

Let me start by being very honest with you. Writing was a HOT MESS in my classroom for several years. I had no clue how to teach it. My kids' writing was not improving. And I was literally hoping for a fire drill during writing time every day. #notkidding

Fast forward a few years and I found some confidence! I created routines and started to see growth in my students' writing.  I even had students who loved writing. It was a huge transformation that involved lots of trial and error.  Maybe I can save you a few tears....                            

What writing workshop is NOT:

Writing workshop is NOT a series of prompts and projects and that you give to your students. 

There is a time and a place for prompts (assessments, reading, science, etc), but students don't learn HOW TO WRITE by responding to a prompt. We can't expect them to grow as writers without giving them instruction. A prompt tends to teach more about the topic of the prompt than it does the writing process.

The good news is that if you spend time teaching students how to write, they will naturally do better on prompt writing too! 

Writing workshop is not the time you spend practicing spelling and grammar.

Obviously spelling and grammar skills can help a writer, but it is just a small part of the skills needed to be a successful writer. In reality computers can catch lots of spelling and grammar errors, but they won't add an interesting lead or transitions! If mechanics all we are teaching, then we are missing the boat. 

Writing workshop is not a center.

I know that lots of teachers have a Work on Writing center. I have nothing against that. I kind of did too. My students used that time to do reading response questions. It was valuable. But it was more valuable to them as a reader. They were not being taught how to be a better writers by writing during a center. They were being given time to write, but not instruction. They need both!

What writing workshop is:

Writing workshop is a structure used to teach the writing process. It is how we teach students the skills to pre write, draft, revise, edit and publish their writing. They need skills like writing a lead, using dialogue, word choice and so many others. 

Writing workshop is broken up into three main sections: a mini lesson, student writing and share time. The independent student writing time is the most important part of the structure and should be the most amount of time.

Writing workshop also includes time for conferencing. While students are independently writing (after TONS of training and work on improving endurance), the teacher is meeting with writers to help them to improve and grow. This is a time where the instruction is more differentiated and personalized to the writer's needs. 

Writing workshop also includes student choice. Students choose their writing topic. They are NOT responding to an assigned prompt. Writers get more excited and put forth more effort when they get to write about something that interests them. This is KEY! You will have to teach students how to generate their own topics, but I promise that it is time well spent. 

What I did differently to make it work:

I had to make two changes in the writing workshop model to make it work in my classroom. These changes took me from "hot mess" to "happy writers."

Students have SOME choice.

In the writing workshop students have choice when it come to their writing topic. I am all about that. The problem was that I had students writing fiction stories while I was delivering Oscar worthy lessons about research and paraphrasing facts. Those students weren't using my lesson and so they were forgetting the skill. 

Plus, I had students who had a favorite type of writing and never tried the others. They weren't meeting all of the writing standards.

My solution? 

Students can choose the topic of their writing, but it must be within the genre that I am teaching. I taught in units of study and we would study a genre for eight weeks. So if our unit was on personal narratives, they could choose any topic as long as it was a personal narrative. Simple solution. World of difference.

Students write a masterpiece at my pace.

In a true writing workshop model, students are going through the writing process at their own pace. This means that some students will be drafting, while others are editing and others are publishing. 

This drove me MAD! I couldn't handle the chaos. More importantly, my lessons were never relevant for the entire group since they were never at the same place in the writing process. I might give a killer lesson about writing leads. If a student was publishing, he wouldn't use that skill right when it was taught and therefore usually forgot the skill. 

My solution?

Students work through one piece of writing, which we call their masterpiece, at my pace. They still choose the topic, but they have to stay with me in the writing process. 

Here is how that works... I teach students lessons about generating topics. They head to their writing spot and work on generating the topic for their masterpiece. They can't just jump ahead and start drafting though. The next day we rehearse and discuss drafting. They independently draft. Maybe the next lesson is about revising their lead. That day, they work on their masterpiece lead.

If they finish the task from the mini lesson early, they work on other stories. These stories are still the same genre we are studying, but they are stories that students can work on at their own pace. 

So they have choice. They work at my pace. They work at their pace. They are always writing. It is the best of every world!!!

Teaching our students HOW to write is so important! Not only are they standards, but they are important skills that students will use all through high school and college. It's not easy to fit it in, but we can't just skip it either! Look for ways to tighten up your transitions. Maybe shorten your morning work. Eliminate some of those extras that might be fun, but aren't all that necessary. Let's make writing instruction a routine in our classrooms!

Looking for more information about teaching writing?

I have lots of great resources for you!

You can sign up for my FREE writing email course by clicking HERE. (The course includes lots of free resources and tips!)

You can check out my writing videos on my YouTube channel by clicking HERE.

You can check out my writing units in my store by clicking HERE.

Have a Not So Wimpy day!

Apps to Organize Your Classroom Library

I am a book worm! Nothing is better than having an abundance of fiction and nonfiction books to share with your students. However, when my shelves are stocked, it's hard to keep track of what books I have, have read, which books are popular, and which ones the students have checked out. Luckily, technology has made organizing books easier. These apps to organize your classroom library are so easy and helpful!

Booksource

Booksource's classroom organizer is a favorite amongst teachers at all levels. Students can check out books and leave reviews. Books can be organized by reading level and easily scanned to inventory. Check books out to your students with your smartphone or tablet!

BookBuddy

iOS users will love BookBuddy for its price (FREE) and ease of use. Books do need to be entered manually but if your students help as they check out a book for the first time, you'll have it done in no time. Keep BookBuddy handy not only for your classroom library but to organize your professional books as well. I always found myself loaning out curriculum-related and professional development books to colleagues. This app is an excellent way to organize your PD library as well.

Classroom Checkout

For the price of a fancy cup of coffee ($5.99 at post time), you can install Classroom Checkout on a shared iOS device and save tons of time and keep track of all of your books. Teacher managed student accounts and logins allow each student to check out their own books. To check out or in books, all the student has to do is scan the barcode. It's so easy!

GoodReads

GoodReads is less about checking out books and more about sharing recommendations and lists from your classroom library. Make sure that your student can use GoodReads according to website usage guidelines in your district since it is web-based and has a social media component. Upload your inventory, review books, and share them with students, parents, and colleagues! Making a summer reading list on GoodReads to share out is one of my favorite end of the year activities.

It's never been easier to find apps to organize your classroom library. Finding books at library book sales, through book orders, warehouse sales, and even thrift stores is a great past time, but I often find myself replacing the same popular titles year after year. Keeping inventory and a digital checkout system has saved time and money. Try it yourself!