#4thchat is a hashtag for teachers or anyone to talk about educational issues relating to 4th grade. Using #4thchat will create a network of 4th grade teachers or teachers working with 9-10 year olds across the world. We welcome anyone who 1. teaches 4th grade 2 .Works with 4th grade students and or 4th grade teachers 3. Likes 4th grade teachers (Groupies are encouraged).
Hello, Paula here from New Orleans ready to start up #4thchat for the new school year. Tonight’s topic is Starting the Year Off Right/Establishing Routines.
Hello #4thChat friends! Sammy from MI checking in! Grad school classes are over for the summer and I have 9 days until kiddos and 12 until my wedding!! eek!
Wedding!!!!!! Whoooo! Congrats! I bet things are ramping up now! Glad there's a break of your Grad classes. So fun meeting you in person this summer. #4thchat
Hey Heidi! So glad you were able to stop by - I'm sure you're exhausted from your first day back! Always exciting/exhausting at the same time! Why has it been the best start? #4thchat
A1: Taking the time to establish routines and expectation is a must. A little formal maybe, but it sets the tone for the rest of the year. Kids are comfortable when they know what to do. #4thchat
A1: Benefit of routines - students/teacher knows what to expect; makes transitions smooth; gives a sense of order for all...helps students feel a part of something larger. #4thchat
A1: #4thChat There’s no room for concern and questions from parents, teacher, and students when the routines and procedures are clearly modeled and explained from day 1!
A1: Having students learn and practice classroom procedures and routines helps ensure a smoothly running classroom and eliminates many problems. #4thchat
Are you a Fourth Grade teacher? Connect with #4thchat every Monday to share ideas and activities! You won’t regret it! Miss the chat? Check out the resources by searching the hashtag. #BCS1BestThing#mathteacher
A1: I go over the procedure, have students discuss why it is important in our class, and then have a couple of students model it correctly and incorrectly. Then we discuss it again. Kids love doing them this way. #4thchat
A1: Having students learn and practice classroom procedures and routines helps ensure a smoothly running classroom and eliminates many problems. #4thchat
Agree with establishing routines but must get students used to being resilient if there is a change in usual way of doing things. Our Beginning of School pages https://t.co/YIn8g65WsO Have an awesome school year. Love my #4thchat friends.
Kids love to model the dos and don'ts of procedures! This year, we are going to try making some videos for different routines and expectations! #4thChat
A1: I go over the procedure, have students discuss why it is important in our class, and then have a couple of students model it correctly and incorrectly. Then we discuss it again. Kids love doing them this way. #4thchat
Our specials schedule has changed like a dozen times! Even this morning I thought I had Library and instead PE! Crazy. I need my schedule! Kids feel the same! #4thchat
A1: Helps teachers to be proactive instead of reactive. Setting clear expectations is important for kids to do for teachers as well. What do they expect of US? #4thchat
A1: I also like to have the kids explain in their own words what they think about the routines and expectations. Let them think out loud about why something might be important or expected. #4thChat
Kids love to model the dos and don'ts of procedures! This year, we are going to try making some videos for different routines and expectations! #4thChat
True @cybraryman1 I think having routines gives a sense of normalcy -however, changes always happen & students learn to adapt. Not easy for everyone but a real life lesson. #4thchat
Agree with establishing routines but must get students used to being resilient if there is a change in usual way of doing things. Our Beginning of School pages https://t.co/YIn8g65WsO Have an awesome school year. Love my #4thchat friends.
My team teaching partner and I started the year off together in the math lab of our school with a powerpoint of fun facts about us. We paired students from each class and had them guess answers to questions about us. Lots of laughter! Good vibes! #4thchat
Kids love to model the dos and don'ts of procedures! This year, we are going to try making some videos for different routines and expectations! #4thChat
A2: I establish routines from the very beginning of school. Some I create on my own and others I create with the S’s. It’s something we revisit throughout the year and practice all the time. #4thchat
A3: I spend as much time as it takes working on those procedures and routines. We constantly revisit them as needed also! It helps to be proactive, rather than expecting kids to be "perfect" all year long. #4thChat
A2: Establishing exceptions starts from the get go for me! Ss don’t get in habit of doing something the wrong way … always a polite way of correcting. #4thchat
A3: During the first 5 days I do 15-20 minutes a day until I’ve covered all of these - BTS Procedures Checklist.pdf - Google Drive https://t.co/RnAmsoXIP1#4thchat
Hi @jennygr4 What a great point....What do they expect of us? I'm not sure I really every asked that of the kids. What are some of their expectations for you? #4thchat
A1: Helps teachers to be proactive instead of reactive. Setting clear expectations is important for kids to do for teachers as well. What do they expect of US? #4thchat
#4thchat A1: Establishing clear, consistent routines sets the tone for the entire year. Informing parents is also key! Modeling is putting it in students muscle memory and makes it fun!
I am doing great. First day back for T’s was today we had two 3.5 hour Pd blocks... it was hard on the brain to get all that info and not a lot of breaks. Our district is trying to make our PD better. It’s a step in the right direction just need to have shorter sessions #4thchat
A4: I think it is challenging to know what to expect before you meet your kiddos and get to know them. I find that sometimes, I have such a plan of how it should go in my head, but it can't be that exact way all the time. #4thChat
A3: initially I take the first full week along with fun activities to get class routines down. Then we go over them maybe once a month or once every 2 months. My classes have been really good about the routines. #4thchat
Q4: It seems time consuming, but is so worth it! I try to limit my talking etc by saying: Show me how you think we transition and I will see if I need to make recommendations! #4thchat
Yes kind of stressful as it looks like our official signing date will be the 20th which is also the 1st day of school. I’m excited to plant trees and flowers in our backyard since it’s kind of a blank slate. #4thchat
A4: Getting new students, changes in our schedule that dispute our normal routine during the first week on school, that paperwork that the office MUST have back in the next 5 minutes (LOL), students who have not been held accountable in the past. #4thchat
Hey, Hallie. Same for me. I am really resisting. I try to use things they feel confident about so they can focus on behavior and effort...not worry about content. #4thchat
A4: Challenges to building routines: Sharing students with other teachers and specialists who may have different expectations and routines than you do. #4thchat
A3: I spend the first 6 weeks really honing in on routines and expectations in all areas of the curriculum. It becomes time well spent for the rest of the year. #4thchat
A3: I spend the first 6 weeks really honing in on routines and expectations in all areas of the curriculum. It becomes time well spent for the rest of the year. #4thchat
Tomorrow is Day 5 for us and I'm getting a new student tomorrow. I'm glad we're still in the community building/procedure phase. If they start in week 3 that gets tougher. #4thchat
Off topic question for my #4thChat peeps - I won $500 for participating in an Idea Slam this month and get to purchase flexible seating. What are the first things I should start with???
Thanks for letting me pop in @plnaugle@ncarroll24 and @JennRegruth Wish I could stay longer, but family calls. Have a fabulous evening! I look forward to looking back at all the great info on #4thchat
A5: MUSTs - dealing with pencil sharpening, bathroom and getting water, packing and unpacking supplies, walking to lunch, PE, etc, writing down homework, getting and returning Chromebooks to the cart are the ones I teach first. #4thchat
So true! Every now and then revisiting maybe even changing the way things are done (depending on needs) is a must. #4thchat But it sometimes seems hard with curriculum pressing...
A5: A procedure/routine I start with on day one is using our classroom library, choosing books, and learning how to check them out! I want them starting the day/week/year with a book in their hands! #4thchat
I had each student read a bit with me today from the book they chose and I had them reflect on if it was the correct book for them. If no, we went to the library with them and they chose another. #4thchat
A5: turning in papers, homework lining up, fire drill, laptops and headphones usage just to name a few. I’m adding a google classroom to procedures as well just to talk a about how we use it #4thchat
Students are never allowed to sharpen pencils in my classroom. We start the day with 4 in each groups basket and there is a cup with sharpened pencils in it that they can get as needed. Hate being disrupted by the sound of a pencil sharpener during the day. #4thchat
Hi! Summer was great, it sure went by fast! I'm happy to be back and chatting! Although, it's my kids' bedtime, I'm going to have to jump back out. #4thchat
This is a HUGE challenge. There's always pressure to get to the curriculum, but in my heart I know that setting the tone, building collaboration, teamwork, routines & expectations is more important at the beginning. Needs to be a balance. #4thchat@halliesmills
LOL! Kids are so sneaky! I had a kid who hid a milk carton full of chocolate milk in a nook of my classroom for over a month! Talk about disgusting! #4thChat
We were supposed to have a Severe Weather Drill and a Hard Lockdown Drill on Friday. But instead had a real Soft Lockdown and a real Fire Drill. 50 kindergartners had to find which tray they left at lunch! #4thchat
We got a new, very visible, alarm system at school. I hadn't planned on it, but we had to spend 20 minutes on intruder threats just because the kids were asking about it. #4thchat
Hey Heidi - you tell us when you want to Guest Moderate - we can line you up!!! You have lots of great info to share. Thanks for stopping by - have a great start to your year! #4thchat
In reply to
@swampfrogfirst, @plnaugle, @JennRegruth
Q4: It seems time consuming, but is so worth it! I try to limit my talking etc by saying: Show me how you think we transition and I will see if I need to make recommendations! #4thchat
A6: Our school has a list of Essential12 (based on Ron Clark’s book The Essential 55) that are posted in every classroom are common area around our school. Most grade level teachers work to establish similar routines and procedures. #4thchat
While our school has some "community" rules - expectations and routines are not the same in all classrooms. Imagine how hard it is for the kids to toggle back and forth between these. #4thchat Excellent point that I hadn't thought about!!! Thx. @jennygr4
A4: Challenges to building routines: Sharing students with other teachers and specialists who may have different expectations and routines than you do. #4thchat
It's true - your students know that you are giving them the opportunity to take charge of their classroom/environment. You are so good this way! #4thchat
#4thchat A6: We have a school wide PBIS plan in place so follow a lot of that for positives and discipline. Can do our own classroom rewards in addition to school wide.
What types of seating do you already have? I've seen open spaces with a great rug that has squares for students to sit in for meetings... kinda of nice to have their own space when on a rug. #4thchat
I love when they control/make decisions. Almost all the time, they do it the way I would have explained and instead they have the ownership! #4thchat#Studentled#selfregulation
Truth! Me either. Before I was always having to have my classroom one fixed then our admin bought us electric sharpeners and I certainly didn’t want to hear that sound during the day, but my sharpener is still going strong! #4thchat
A5: Morning routines...check in - lunch count, notes; morning work stations, etc. Other musts - bathroom visit policy (I always allowed St to leave when they needed as long as it wasn't during my directions); Transitions #4thchat
A7: Change our mindset - Teaching routines and procedures is teaching academics also - listening skills, following directions, speaking skills and more. #4thchat
A7: Reading, writing, speaking and listening. I do a lot of read alouds and ask them to respond in ways like journaling, drawing, or guided discussions. (I like "Marcel the Shell" for this.) They also choose self selected and good fit books. #4thchat
Do you feel you have a good library system going? Would love for you to share. That was one area that always seemed lacking for me. We have a great media center, but my class library was always a mess! #4thchat
A8: It's definitely group participation/decisions. It's amazing how they would like the room to run if you ask them. They lead themselves right into what I would do! #4thchat
A8: Have students model correct and incorrect procedures, have them make videos to show/tell new students about them, have students brainstorm ways to improve existing procedures. #4thchat
My students use our Chromebooks on the very first day, so I spend time on those routines and procedures. It only takes one time for me to have to take one away from a student who is mishandling for the others to realize the right way from the wrong way. #4thchat
We need to make these chromebooks last so handling properly is concerning. I'll be spending time helping classes review this year. Also, spending time talking about Digital Citizenship (and upcoming #4thchat topic!) too.
I'm going to say that Classdojo has come a long way since it's started. Some of it's other features (group maker, music, and more!) #4thchat Not just behavior like it once was.
A10: Daily for the first couple of weeks, as needed during the rest of the first semester, after our Christmas break and after our Mardi Gras break (yes, In New Orleans we get a week off at Mardi Gras). #4thchat
Terrific summer! Typing all day on a project I’ve worked on for months and about to push the send button. Hope all #4thchat teachers are geared up for a great new year!
I like the labeling of genres...I just never figured out how to get the books back to the correct bins. Love your genre titles (Tear Jerkers, War Setting - wouldn't have thought of those!). I think the sticker idea is great if it helps the library stay organized. #4thchat
A10: I found I would revisit as needed but especially after holiday breaks...just a great way to get back into the swing of being together again. #4thchat
I need to revisit @Classdojo and check out its new features. I had one Dojo for the whole class and keeps in running in the background on my white board. When kids got noisy I took a point and that sound mad them get back on track. #4thchat
