New Ideas to Try
Samantha Behne
We’re New Here is a time for new teachers to come together and talk about all kinds of things – classroom décor, open house, curriculum, planning, management, relationship building, and more – we share it all!
If you are new to the profession and haven’t had a chance to join us, it’s not too late! Each week we meet new people, and we talk about whatever is on our minds.
Here I will share five takeaways from our first few weeks. If you are a new teacher and find these useful, consider joining us this coming Tuesday at 5 pm CST.
- Using Twister for Phoneme Segmentation – Cut up a twister board into groups of four dots and have children jump from dot to dot as they segment words.
- Peel and stick wallpaper works great to spruce up cupboards, counters, and desktops!
- Teaching expected behaviors – We talked about the 10 Steps to Teaching and Learning Independence and how to use it to teach behaviors. It was great to have the lessons from Teach Daily to get us started.
- Mystery Reader – Parents, friends, and family can sign up to be mystery readers in the classroom. Each week or two we will schedule one and we will tease out who it could be with clues in the days before they come. For example:
- She is a teacher.
- Her son is in this class.
- She has two other children.
- Their family has a dog.
- Her last name starts with an S.
- Scavenger Hunt on Open House Night – Create a scavenger hunt that children can participate in to become familiar with the school and classroom during Open House, or Meet the Teacher Night. For example:
In the school they might be directed to find:
- Cafeteria
- School nurse’s office
- Bathroom
- Playground
- Library
- Music room
- Principal’s office
In the classroom they might be directed to find:
- Desk or different space to sit
- Book box (and maybe choose a few books for it)
- Classroom library
- Pencil sharpener
- Locker or cubbie
- Home/ school lunch count area
This is just a sample of some of the things we have talked about. The list of topics, questions to discuss, and ideas to share continues to grow each week as we get ready for the start of school. Please consider joining in on the conversation! We would love to meet you and collaborate!