Postcard Pals 2016-2017 Update

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I hope that everyone is having a great September so far! Still warm and beautiful in these parts, and the leaves will soon be changing color soon.

Here's a quick update on Postcard Pals 2016-2017 that I wanted to share. I sent out mailing addresses and instructions to all participants on August 26 via e-mail. The e-mail is from my blog e-mail address, which is info@aspiretoinspireblog.com. 

MailChimp is the program I use to manage my e-mails, and I'm able to check who has opened and clicked on my e-mails. It also lets me know if any of my e-mails bounced back because of invalid e-mail addresses, and none did that. Based on the reports I've been running, I know that there are some participants who have not opened their Postcard Pals e-mails for whatever reason. If you have not seen an e-mail from me in your inbox, please check your spam/junk folders as it may have been filtered there. It is possible that if you are using a school or business address, the firewall has blocked the e-mail altogether. This has been a problem in the past. If you check and do not find an e-mail in any of your mailboxes or folders, please send me an e-mail at info@aspiretoinspireblog.com and include an alternative e-mail address that you can receive e-mails at, such as a Gmail, Yahoo, etc. account. I will then resend the information.

Another thing I've noticed is that the check off documents are not being updated by participants when they send their postcards. Please do this so that I know who has sent postcards and when. Directions for how to do this are included in my August 26 e-mail. Thanks!

The deadline for sending postcards is October 31 so hopefully you've been starting to receive them and to send them. Please send me your updates and photos! I'd love to see what's happening. 

Classroom Procedures That Build Character

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Having classroom policies and procedures in place just makes life easier for any teacher. I'm not exaggerating when I say that when I could find a way, I would create a procedure for any activity. Even with so many "official" ways to do things, my classroom did not resemble a cruel dictatorship. Instead, days went smoothly because students knew what was expected of them (and why), and they took ownership of their actions. The key to the effectiveness of my policies and procedures was to provide structure and consistency that produced independent, responsible, and disciplined students. 

Most recently, I taught 5th grade. It's such a great age, in my opinion, because you can challenge students to be more independent and prepare them for the rigor and personal responsibility necessary to navigate middle school successfully. I requested a lot of my students, probably more than some were used to having to do on their own, but the reward for many was pride and more confidence in their abilities. In addition, most of my procedures and policies did not require my participation, which built independence in students and freed me up to focus on instruction, planning, and other tasks.

So here is the process I used to develop my classroom policies and procedures:

Step 1: Develop your policies before you develop your procedures.

Before I could create procedures for any activity or task, I needed to develop the policies that would inspire the procedures. The difference between a procedure and policy is that a procedure outlines the step-by-step way to complete a task while a policy explains the guidelines and goals upon which the procedures are based. To create policies, I first had to develop a vision for the environment I wanted in my classroom. My vision was what I described earlier: structure and consistency that built independence, responsibility, and other productive characteristics in students. My policies (and consequently my procedures) reflected this vision. From the moment students walked in the door in the morning until the moment they walked out, students knew what they were supposed to be doing. If you know what you want your classroom to feel like, it makes it easier to determine the procedures required to make it that way. 

Here are some examples of how I incorporated opportunities to build independence, responsibility, and discipline into my procedures:

• Students' morning routine involved very little--if any--talking by me. Every morning, I set a timer, which was projected on the front board. The timer usually started counting down 10-15 minutes before the start of school at 9:00. Students had until the timer went off to complete several tasks that were also posted on the board. Once the timer went off, if students weren't in their seats--barring any special circumstances--the consequence was being dismissed for lunch recess two minutes later than the rest of the class. (Trust me when I say that the consequence was effective.) While I'm sure it seemed very high-pressure to students at first, eventually, they became pros and thrived on the challenge of beating the clock. Here's a sample list of tasks usually included during the morning routine:

1. First, students had to do attendance and lunch count by moving their avatars on the SmartBoard to the Buying or Packing column. 
2. Next, they put away belongings and checked supply needs for the morning. They brought all supplies to their desks so that they did not have to get up during class to get anything from their cubbies.
3. After that, they looked at the board to see what homework, forms, and other take-home items needed to be turned in and where. 
4. Then, they placed any notes to me in a basket next to my desk or any notes to the office in a bag that went down to the office daily each morning. 
5. Next, they looked to see what the bell work assignment was. For example, sometimes it was a journal entry. Other times, it was a review activity from a lesson we had done earlier in the week.  It changed daily. 
6. After the bell work assignment was completed, students read silently or worked on other assignments.

• My absence procedure was probably one of the most challenging procedures that the class had to handle, but it went a long way toward building personal responsibility and problem solving skills. I created an absence work box (a portable file case) in which I placed tabs for each subject. Behind each tab was a folder with a day of the week listed on it. I would place all handouts (with students' names written on them) in the absence box when students were absent. They would have to take their agendas to the box; copy missed assignments from a printed copy of a list of work we completed while they were gone; and collect work from the folders of the days that they missed. To help them think through the process, I also created an absence checklist that walked them through the absence procedures. 

• To encourage personal responsibility, my procedure for borrowing supplies involved me giving students two passes per nine weeks that they could use to borrow items from my cabinet. Once they used the passes, they could not borrow again unless they earned additional passes through our class rewards system or the new nine weeks started. When students borrowed items, not only did they have to present a pass, but they also had to give me a piece of collateral--something of value--that I could keep until they returned my items. Most of the time it was a notebook or textbook for a subject that they didn't need at the time. However, sometimes, I ended up with some interesting treasures such as PE shoes or class restroom passes (another character-building procedure I came up with!). 

• To encourage problem solving, students were required to seek "Three Before Me" when they had a question. Instead of first coming to me, they had to ask a seat mate, look around the room for the answer, and/or ask another classmate.

Step 2: Make an inventory of activities and tasks.

To inventory what exactly my students routinely did every day, I ran through a typical day in my mind. From that, I made a list of activities and tasks that students undertook on a regular daily or weekly basis. Using this list, I knew what I had to develop procedures for.

(As a disclaimer, it's difficult for new teachers to anticipate some of the activities and tasks that your students will complete each day. Asking veteran teachers is one way to get ideas. I developed my list of procedures and policies based on two days of observing the teacher whom I was replacing, reading A LOT of books, and visiting A LOT of Web sites. Once I had a year under my belt, I added and edited my list.)

Step 3: Divide and conquer.

Once you have your policies developed and your list of activities and tasks completed, organize them by category. I organized them into the following segments: 

• beginning of the day; 
• during class; 
• preparing to leave class; 
• outside of the class; 
• student organization; 
• classroom technology; 
• classroom library; 
• breaks in instruction; and 
• end of the day. 

I also had a general classroom category for activities and tasks that occurred throughout the day. Work on one category at a time. Chances are that some procedures lead into other procedures so keep an extra notebook on hand to jot down ideas, issues, and other considerations that come up.

FREE RESOURCE ALERT! Here's a printable checklist of tasks organized by category that I used to create procedures for my own class.

Page border courtesy of Quantum Leaps

Step 4: Create procedures that reflect your own policies and vision for the classroom.

Creative and successful ideas for how tasks can be accomplished in the classroom are everywhere. Keep in mind, though, that you must decide what will work best for you. I have implemented ideas I've seen elsewhere before that I thought were really great. And they were...for someone else's room, as I found out. I ended up discontinuing them before the year was out. Make sure your vision for the classroom shines through your policies and procedures. Decide how independent you want your students to be. Look at your organization systems and see what procedures are needed to complement them. Ask yourself if you really need procedures for some tasks or if you're okay without them.

Step 5: Keep procedures simple.

Keep procedures simple so that students can easily recall what's expected of them. Most of my procedures were no more than 5 steps. 

Step 6: Label and post. 

One of the best purchases I made for my classroom was a label maker. I labeled almost everything, and this came in handy for procedures because the labels answered questions that I didn't have to, such as "Where does this go?", "Where do I put this?", and "Where can I find...?"  

Also, post procedures when you can. This is where, if you enjoy being creative, you can make colorful posters and reminders. This also helps curb the same questions I mentioned earlier. I posted mini-posters in the general vicinity of where some tasks took place (ex. drinking fountain, cubbies). I also had a dedicated area for class information where I posted other procedures such as those for drills.

Step 7: Take time to explain and practice procedures. 

The first week of school--no joke--I spent most of the days explaining and modeling procedures. Then, I asked students to practice them. Devoting time to students learning and applying what's expected of them goes a long way toward building the independence and personal responsibility that they need to have for the school year. Reinforce the procedures through quizzes, games, activities, and discussion. And do it often! I continued to model procedures aloud for several weeks after the year began just so students could see them in action and commit them to memory. 

Step 7 1/2: Take time to explain policies. 

The reason "because I said so" never sat well with me as a kid, and I'm sure things haven't changed for the latest generation of kiddos either.  By explaining why I set up procedures the way that I have, I found that students appreciate and buy into the classroom environment that I'm trying to create for them more readily. Kids can be very perceptive. When they see that rules and procedures aren't arbitrary or created by an adult on a power trip, many are willing to follow them because they believe that they were made for their benefit. 

Step 8: Be consistent. 

You can't expect students to follow procedures if you don't do it yourself. Consistency not only reinforces how to complete a task, but it also eliminates many gray area situations. Very seldom did my procedures or policies cause confusion. Perhaps students (and sometimes parents) felt some frustration at times, but I found that conflict resolution came much easier by having consistent procedures and policies to which to refer.

So now it's your turn. Do you have questions about any of my procedures? Any tips for teachers looking to create or improve their own? Leave a comment!

The Official Postcard Pals 2016-2017 Sign-Up is LIVE!

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Wow! I'm thrilled with the response to bringing back the classroom postcard exchange. With more than 100 classrooms expressing interest, that means that the 2016-2017 Postcard Pals Classroom Postcard Exchange is ON!

So now what?

The next step is for teachers to officially sign up. Here is the 2016-2017 Postcard Pals sign up form. The form will be open until AUGUST 20, 2016. At that point, I'll begin working on mailing group assignments.

By completing this form, YOU ARE COMMITTING to participating in the exchange. Participating means that you agree to do the following:

1. Use or create an e-mail address that accepts e-mail messages from my blog e-mail address. Some school addresses have very fortified firewalls so if you use your school e-mail, please make sure that it accepts e-mails from info@aspiretoinspireblog.com. If it doesn't, I recommend setting up an e-mail address specifically for this exchange at a free e-mail provider such as Gmail or Yahoo.

2. Send a one-time paper postcard to every class in your group (est. 30-40 cards) by the mailing deadline.

3. Update a Google spreadsheet to indicate that you have sent your postcards (simply entering a date--easy!).

4. Complete a short feedback survey about your experience after the exchange.

5. (Optional but appreciated!) Send a few photos of any postcard displays or your class in action as they participate. (I will protect student privacy and cover faces, etc. if I use your photos on a blog post.)
 

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Here is some important info to keep in mind:

By overwhelming preference, the postcard exchange will involve traditional paper postcards. Each class is responsible for supplying its own postcards and postage. I will provide you with some ideas for inexpensive or free postcards as well as funding options when I send out the instructions and mailing lists.  

You will receive your mailing list and instructions in early September, and postcards will need to be mailed by the end of October. Please make sure that you are able to work on this project within that timeframe before you commit to the exchange. 

The only information that will be shared with others on your mailing list is your name, school name, and address. All other information that I request from you will be seen and used by me to communicate updates about the exchange only.

Okay, I'm off to check the growing list of official participants. Hope to see your name on that list!

It's Back! Postcard Pals Classroom Postcard Exchange 2016-2017

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So continuing with the theme of my last two posts about making the most of the summer by getting in on some unique learning experiences for students before the next school year starts, I'm going to offer one to you myself! 

Postcard Pals is making its triumphant return after a year hiatus with what I hope will be the best exchange yet. I have coordinated Postcard Pals since 2013, and I'm really happy with the results of both exchanges I've done. (Some of the participants must have been happy, too, because they signed up for another year!)  You can read more about past exchanges here. 

So here's a little description of what has happened in past exchanges:

1. Teachers (public, private, and home school are welcome) sign up, and depending on the number of classes, I divide up classrooms into groups of 20-30 classes. I do this to keep costs low for participating classrooms as opposed to asking them to send 100+ postcards. I also--as best as I can--divide by grade band, usually PK-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. 

Each teacher is then responsible for sending one postcard from his or her class to each of the other classes in his or her group. Postcards include information about the geography, economy, history, and other interesting facts about the state in which the class lives. Signing up commits teachers to sending one postcard to each class on their mailing list. If teachers want to establish a pen pal program beyond the one postcard, they are welcome to do that; however, I don't facilitate that. It would be up to the classes involved to work that out.

2. At the beginning of the year (September, usually), I provide teachers in each group with detailed instructions about what should be included on the postcards along with a mailing list of classrooms in their groups. I give a deadline by which postcards should be sent so that everyone knows by when they should expect to receive their postcards (usually October or November). I ask teachers to indicate that they have sent postcards by updating a Google spreadsheet (very easy to do) with the date that they sent them. I use this spreadsheet to follow up with teachers who have not sent postcards.

3. Let the postcards roll in! I love to receive photos and comments about how the exchange is going, and I encourage participants to stay in touch. Many of the photos I receive show bulletin boards prepared especially for the exchange, which is so fun to see. 

In year one, I had 130 classrooms signed up, and in year two 43. Now, that's a big difference, I know. However, year two actually had a higher success rate of follow through on those who committed to participate so that's a good thing! While this an intermediate blog, I do open this exchange up to K-12 students. I've had all grade levels from across the USA participate--and even a few outside of the country--which is quite exciting. 

For 2016-2017...

Step #1 is determining interest, which is what I'm doing in this post. If you're interested in learning more about this exchange, please complete this Google form. Completing the form in no way locks you into a commitment to join. Once I finalize details, I'll set up another form to officially sign up. Please share this with colleagues and teacher friends! Pin it, tweet it, post it, sky write it with an airplane...just please help me get the word out.

Step #2 is thinking about how to improve Postcard Pals. This year, I'm looking into some different options, including possibly making it a virtual postcard exchange to defray the cost of sending postcards via snail mail. Nothing is set in stone, but it's an idea rattling around in my head. I will also be incorporating feedback from past participants into this and any future exchanges as I know we ran into some issues with people not following through on their commitment to take part.

Click HERE to complete the Google form for more information.

I think that's it for now. Hope to see many of you joining the fun! 

Have you ever done a postcard exchange? Tell us about it in a comment!

Keep Students Learning with Summer Scavenger Hunts

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When students walk out of your classroom on the last day of school, chances are that you may not see most of them again anytime soon. It's bittersweet. You spend a year getting to know them, and then you must send them along to the next class. However, your connections and their learning don't have to end. Here's a fun way to stay in touch with your students over the summer and encourage them to use their knowledge in practical, everyday activities: a summer photo scavenger hunt!

The hunt...

Provide students with a list of learning tasks that they must complete over the summer. Students must document their activities with photos of themselves doing the tasks and an activity log that includes a few details about what they did. They upload photos and an activity log to a shared Google Drive. Then, you review what they submit on the Google Drive.

The incentive...

Obviously you can't require students to complete this activity. However, there are some students who would enjoy the challenge. Some parents would appreciate the extra opportunities for their children to learn and to set and achieve goals. You can reward the effort with a gift card or small but worthwhile prize for each student who successfully completes the activity. (Tip: You may not have to pay out of pocket for prizes. Ask local companies to donate gift cards or prizes. Apply for a grant to subsidize prizes. Raise donations through a crowdfunding site.) Your incentive is maintaining relationships and encouraging learning...of course!

How to do it...

I'm going to outline a plan for developing a summer scavenger hunt. (Keep in mind that I have an upper elementary ELA and Social Studies background so you can just as swap out activities based on the subject matter and grade level that you teach.) With just a little prep before the summer comes, you can create an easy activity for students to complete and for you to track.

The technical stuff...

1. Setting up a Google Drive account with an editable folder

Set up a Google account specifically for scavenger hunt. If it's separate from your personal account, you needn't worry about people accessing personal information. 

Next, go into Google Drive. Set up a folder with the name Scavenger Hunt.  

You will have to make the folder editable so that students can upload photos. The downside to this is that anyone with the link can access the Scavenger Hunt folder. However, you can show students how to make their folders private so that only you can see the photos and activity log. This step addresses the issue of privacy. Once the activity is over, you can edit the privacy of the folder so that no one but you can view or edit it.

To get a shareable link for the Scavenger Hunt folder, go into the folder then to the drop down at the top of the page. Select Get Shareable Link as shown below.

So that students can upload their photos and log, choose Anyone with the Link Can Edit. Students do NOT need a Google account to upload anything if they have this link. You will need to share this link with them when you introduce the activity. (Tip: Shorten the link with bit.ly or goo.gl.)  

2. Setting up private student folders

Once you have set up the editable Scavenger Hunt folder and share the link with students, they can create folders within the Scavenger Hunt folder and upload their photos and activity log. It's a good idea to create a tutorial for students about how to upload their photos and activity logs. Model how to do it so they can see an example, too. (You might want to tell them to email you if they have questions over the summer.)

Students will use the shareable link you've given them to create a folders with their names. To do this, click on the red NEW button, and choose Folder. I named mine Aspire Inspire as shown below.

Next, students need to change the privacy of their folders so that only you can see them. Students should open their folders. and at the top of the page, they should see My Drive > Scavenger Hunt > THEIR FOLDER NAME. They should click on the dropdown, and select Get Shareable Link.

When the dialogue box opens, they need to change the link sharing to OFF--Only Specific People Can Access.

Students should then click on the Advanced button at the bottom right of the screen. This is where they will see who has access.

Under Invite People, students should type in your e-mail address. Your e-mail address could be your new Google account name@gmail.com or another address if you prefer. Once students send permission to you, you will be able to access their folders to view their photos and activity logs.

3. Uploading photos and activity logs

Students will open their folders, and choose the red NEW button. They should select File Upload.

They will choose from the files on their computers.

Once the file uploads are complete, they will be able to see what is in their folders.

I recommend asking students to send you an email when they have finished the scavenger hunt so you know to be looking for their photos and activity log.

Phew! Okay, now the fun stuff...

For this scavenger hunt, I chose very simple tasks that students more than likely either would or could do easily during the summer. The tasks are related to English-Language Arts, Social Studies, and Math concepts. Some are general, and some are based on 5th grade learning targets/standards (Math and Science):

1. Join a summer reading program at the library. If your library doesn’t have a reading program, check out a few books to read over the summer.

2. Use fractions in a real-life activity.

3. Visit a historical site.

4. Visit a natural site—a landform or body of water.

5. Visit a cultural site or attend a cultural event such as a concert or play.

6. Describe in writing a fun experience that you had this summer.

7. Visit an ecosystem in action such as a zoo or a park.

8. Find a spelling error on a sign or brochure, and correct it.

9. Persuade your parents in writing to let you do something.

10. Plant something—in a flower pot, in a garden, or elsewhere—and show that plants get the food they need from the air and water.

Next, I created the following documents to give to students before the end of school:

1. A printable task list with general instructions;

I did not share the link to the Google Drive on this. That would have to be shared verbally.

2. A set of caption cards that students hold in each corresponding photo; and

3. An activity log for students in which to detail their activities.

Some reminders and suggestions

• Choose reasonable and appropriate tasks that most students can do. The idea is to make this activity flexible and accessible to as many students as possible.
• Post the activity documents in the Scavenger Hunt folder on the Google Drive.
• Remind students to hold the corresponding caption card with the date each activity is completed in the photos they take.
• For the writing tasks, ask students to show the finished piece of writing in the photo. 
• Give examples of places to look for spelling errors (#8)--advertisements, news articles, brochures, signs, etc.
• If there is signage at any of the places students visit, encourage them to take a photo in front of it.
• While students may take a few different photos, ask them to limit uploading to one photo of each activity. If you have 10 activities, they should have 11 artifacts in their folders (10 photos plus the activity log).
• For the activity log, give students options to complete it: editing a PDF, scanning and uploading the completed log, or taking a photo of the completed log and uploading it. 

Feel free to use the documents I created for this scavenger hunt! Just please keep the copyright/source info on all pages. Find them here. 

I would love to hear if you implement such a hunt in your class or if you try out the plan I suggested. Leave a comment!

Friendship Resources and Activities Link-Up

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It's been a while since I've done a link-up, and variety is the spice of blog life, right?

This week (May 15-21) is New Friends, Old Friends Week, which is a time to celebrate and make time for new friends and old friends. Friends are such an important part of the lives of our students. We need to encourage them to be good friends by showing them how to connect with one another in encouraging, trustworthy, and fun-loving ways. 

This week's blog post is a link-up of FREE classroom resources that you can use to promote friendship in the intermediate classroom. If you have one, share it here. If you're searching for one, find it here. Can't wait to see what creative activities are out there! Leave a comment about how you plan to use them.

The resource I'm sharing is a sample from Today I Will...Daily Character Building Task Cards. The prompts on these cards encourage students to practice character traits of good friends: selflessness, compassion, kindness, and more. Many friendship resources are geared toward primary students, and I've designed these cards for upper elementary/intermediate students so they require a little more intention and thinking by students.

FREE Design a T-Shirt Book Reponse Project

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Happy Wednesday to you followers, fans, and freebie-lovers! 

I've been working on a freebie that I plan to release later this week on Teachers Pay Teachers and want to share it with you as an exclusive. No need to log in to anything. It's just a simple download to say thanks for coming by!

This Design a T-Shirt Book Response Project is a creative alternative to traditional book reports because let's face it: Book reports can be boring for students to do and boring for teachers to grade. Students will choose a scene or character from the book to illustrate on their t-shirts. Then, they write a project description of what they illustrated and why it is important to the story. 

This resource includes everything you and your students need to make a t-shirt all about a book. Just add a plain t-shirt and fabric markers or paint!

• Detailed project description and requirements
• T-shirt template to sketch and record information about the design
• Final project description for students to complete 
• Rubric

Students plan their project on the included template.

Download this freebie here. I hope that your students enjoy this fun option for responding to literature. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

FREE Homophones from the Heart Valentine's Day Printable

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Roses are red;

Violets are blue;

Need a lesson that's handy?

Here's one based on candy!

Here's a twist on a Valentine's Day favorite! This FREE printable combines conversation hearts with homophones as students decode a homophone-filled message on each heart then color it according to the number of homophones in the message. A key is included. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

And the Thanksgiving Password Is...FREEBIE!

Pin It Now! Pin It Now! Do you remember the game show "Password"?

I have to admit that I'm too young for the original black & white version. I grew up on the Bert Convy version of "Super Password" in the 1980s and the board game with the little blue plastic folders with the red screens that magically decoded the passwords that couldn't be detected by the naked eye. 

Game shows are so much fun to use as inspiration for classroom activities. In that spirit, I created a FREEBIE Thanksgiving version of Password, which is based on sensory words. No magic decoder folders, but still pretty entertaining! 

In Pick the Password, students choose a Thanksgiving-themed password, then complete a list of descriptive sensory "clues" about the password. Students then say the clues to a partner or small group, and the partner or small group guesses the password. I've provided a list of password suggestions and the password clue lists so all you need to do is print and use!

You might even think about having students do a writing extension activity with the password clue lists that they create.

If you don't have free Teachers Pay Teachers account, #1. Get one! You'll find tons of quality FREE and paid resources there; #2. You can still get this Thanksgiving freebie here. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!