Clip Chart

I LOVE the clip chart idea. I heard about it a lot this past year, because the district I student taught in (and just got hired in) is beginning to use PBIS, so the clip chart goes along with it perfectly. I already made mine for next year and I am happy with the way it turned out, but I would make the "Ready to Learn" section a bit bigger because it barely could fit 25 clothespins.

Dimensions:
Outstanding: 4 inches
Great Job: 6 inches
Good Day: 6 inches
Ready to Learn: 8 inches (I would do 10 inches)
Think About It: 6 inches
Teacher's Choice: 6 inches
Parent Contact: 4 inches

For those of you who don't know how the clip chart works... All the students start on "Ready to Learn" (green section) every morning. If they are following rules and doing a great job, then they can find their clothespin and clip up to "Good Day" then "Great Job" and the top section is "Outstanding." As you can see in the picture I have jewels next to my clip chart, because if a student reaches the top section, he or she will get to choose a jewel to put on their clothespin. ;) If a student is NOT following directions or staying on task, he or she will be asked to clip down, but the first section is "Think About It," which gives them a second chance to slow down before any real consequences. If the behavior does not improve, then they will clip down to "Teacher's Choice," which would typically be missing recess or whatever the teacher sees fit for the situation. The very bottom section is "Parent Contact" (self-explanatory here).

I have seen some clip charts with the colors reversed from the way I have it, but I chose to have it this way because red signals stop and yellow signals slow down. The paper I have next to clip chart is the expectations, so students know why they were clipped up or down. For some reason it will not allow me to attach it to my TPT... Until I figure that out here are the expectations!

Outstanding!	Students who demonstrate role-model behavior will clip up from Great Job to Outstanding. Students who get clipped up to Outstanding will receive a jewel to put on their clothespin.
Great Job!	Students who continue to display exceptional behavior will clip up from Good Day to Great Job. Students will receive praise and recognition from the classroom teacher.
Good Day!	Students exhibiting above-average behavior will clip up to this section. Students will receive praise and recognition from the classroom teacher.
Ready to Learn	All students start the day here. It is perfectly acceptable for a student to stay in this category all day, or for many days at a time.
Think About It	Students who have difficulty demonstrating that they are ready to learn will clip down to this section and be advised to think about their choices.
Teacher’s Choice	Students who continue to struggle with making good choices will clip down from Think About It to Teacher’s Choice. The teacher will enforce an applicable consequence such as owing recess time, removal from a group/activity, etc.
Parent Contact	Students displaying consistent unacceptable behavior will clip down into this section. The teacher will contact the student’s family and the student will receive an applicable consequence.

Positive Behavior Reinforcement

Another Pinterest inspired creation of mine will be used as a positive behavior reinforcement system. If a student is "caught" doing something good, like recycling or holding the door open for a classmate, then I will tell them to write their name on a fish and throw it in the "Caught ya being good" jar. Once a month I will draw a name for a prize. Obviously, the more times the student is being good, the more times their name will be in the bowl, and they will have a better chance of getting drawn for the prize! The entire creation was bought at Lakeshore (craft bowl, stickers, sea creatures, and fish) and cost a grand total of $10. I need to laminate the fish, so the students can write their names with dry erase markers and they can be reused!

*This will be used in addition to the PBIS clip chart, which I will blog about once I create it :) 

P.S. I am officially an employed 3rd grade teacher! :)

Interviewing...

So I don't know if anyone will want to take my interviewing advice since I have not been offered a job yet, but I also haven't been turned down ;) I just had my first interview yesterday and have another one on Thursday, so fingers crossed that I get offered something next week! 

I have heard mixed opinions about "teaching portfolios." Some people say to make one, others say not at all, and some say to make one just in case, but a principal might not even look at it. I made one because I would rather be safe than sorry! It was nothing too spectacular, just a binder with a few lesson plans that I could show or talk about at the end of an interview. However, every single page is laminated and there are dividers, so it looks professional and they know I put time into it. These are the sections my portfolio is divided into...

Teaching Portfolio

1. Cover Letter and Resume
2. Letters of Recommendation
3. Certification- This will be used for my actual teaching certification when I get it ;), but for right now it just has my teaching test scores (NES and AEPA)
4. Lesson Plans- I have three (one for Language Arts, one for Math, and one for Science)
5. Unit Plans- I have two (one for Social Studies and one for Math aligned to Common Core)
6. Samples of Student Work- A variety of Language Arts and Math assignments
7. Evaluation- My scores from teaching observations during student teaching
8. Miscellaneous pictures and things from my student teaching that will provide talking points at interviews, but didn't fit in any other section

There is nothing too extravagant, but I definitely wanted to include lessons from all the main subjects so administrators and teachers know I am capable of planning and creating a variety of engaging lessons.

I think even more important than the portfolio is the outfit. It is the first thing the interviewer will see and first impressions are very important! I wore a conservative turquoise dress from Banana Republic, because it is professional, but also bright and fun! I wore black flats  to keep it simple, but I am also tall so I don't wear heels. Pearl earrings and a pearl Dogeared necklace added a little something extra, without being too flashy! I really think simplicity is best, so I also wore a little less makeup than I usually do. :) 

Dress- Banana Republic, Necklace- Dogeared

First Post- First Project

Hi! Welcome to my first blog post. My name is Andrea and I just graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Elementary Education. This past year I student taught in a 3rd grade classroom for the full school year and am currently on the hunt for a job so I can have a classroom of my own this year!

Since I do not have a job quite yet, it has been difficult to buy things for my classroom because I don't know if I will be with 1st grade, 3rd grade, 5th grade, etc... However, there are a few things I know I want in my room regardless of the grade I teach, so here is the first thing I made for my future classroom. The idea comes from Pinterest and will be posted on my classroom door. After a lesson the students will be given a question to answer and they will write their answer on a post-it note and stick it to their number. It's an easy and quick way to assess students, plus this whole board only cost $2.50 and took 45 minutes to make! The black poster board, dye cut letters, and post-it notes all came from the dollar store. It just needs to be laminated! :)

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