Category: Classroom Management

February 22, 2022

What is Flexible Seating?

I have been teaching for 11 years and have always done some form of flexible seating in my classroom. I decided to put together this post to answer some of your questions regarding flexible seating in the classroom.

What is flexible seating and what are the benefits of flexible seating? What are some flexible seating options and what does a flexible seating classroom look like?

I hope that you find this post helpful!

What is Flexible Seating?

Flexible seating is providing your students with a variety of seating options in your classroom. Flexible seating also allows your students to choose the spot that best works for them and their individual learning style and needs.

What are the benefits of flexible seating?

There are so many benefits to flexible seating! But here are just a FEW of my favourites.

Flexible seating allows your students more opportunities for movement through wiggling, wobbling, standing, bouncing, rocking, leaning, etc. This movement increases bloodflow, core strength and oxygen to the brain! And you know what that means, right? More FOCUSED and ATTENTIVE students in your classroom! It helps keep your students minds alert and engaged, which at the end of the day is exactly what we all want!

I have found that the behaviours in my classroom have reduced significantly since I began providing my students the opportunity for movement and empowering them with the choice of what works best for them.

What are some flexible seating options?

There are so many different ways you can implement flexible seating into your classroom! Here are a few easy to implement options for you:

Wobble Stools: You can find these in most educational catalogues or online. They come in a variety of heights so you can pick the size that best works for your kiddos.
Yoga Balls: You can find these in most fitness sections or online. You can get some fun colour to match your room.
Yoga Matts: I get mine from the dollar store. You can even cut them in half to make smaller individual sitting matts.
Pillows/Cushions: I love square cushions with removable covers for easy cleaning, but when I started out I just took any cushions I could get my hands on. These make for great seating options for the floor, low tables or even to put on a chair/stool.
Carpets: I have a large area rug that students can work at and I also bought some small round carpets from IKEA. These are great for floor spots!
Plastic Stools: There are so many different types available. I got mine from IKEA and they are amazing! Love how easy they are to clean!
Chairs: Yup, just traditional chairs. You can jazz them up with seat cushions and pillows too.
Seat Cushions: Most educational catalogues sell seat cushions, but you can also find them online. Mine are inflatable and easy to clean.
Low Floor Tables: If you remove the extendable legs (or cut the table legs) and add chair protectors to the feet of the table, you have yourself a low floor table! My kiddos love sitting here and it was a 20min job to make it happen.
Standing Desks: Simply raise the legs of your desks and voila! Alternatively, you can buy desk bricks to put the desk legs in. This is especially helpful if you teach older kiddos.
Traditional Desks**: That’s right, traditional desks! You bet I still have those in my room. Some students just do better with their own space. I also like to put some desks in small groups as well.
Couches: I love having couches in my classroom! It does take some time to introduce them to the students on how to use them appropriately, but once you’ve done that, you are GOLDEN. My kiddos who were always out of their seats and all over the room are often the most quiet students when they have the option to work on a couch. It’s magical!
Camping Chairs: You can get all kinds of camping chairs in a variety of sizes and styles. Wait for those end of summer sales and you’ll be so happy!
Tents: I love setting up cute little tents or covered areas. IKEA has some great option for covering children’s beds (canopies, mini tents, mesh, etc.) or you can grab yourself a small one-person tent at the end of the summer for a great price!
Scoop Chairs: I have been wanting to buy these for my classroom as they seem just so fun and easy to store and clean. Your students can sit on the floor in a scoop chair allowing them to rock and work.

**If you only have desks available to you, try to place them in a variety of different places in your room: in groups, individual, facing the windows, facing forward, etc. You can also easily raise the legs to make them standing desks. Slowly build up some different seating options and there you go, you have a flexible seating classroom!

What does a flexible seating classroom look like?

A flexible seating classroom looks like a dessert menu. So many amazing choices that fit a variety of tastes and needs. You may love them all and want to try them all. Or you may have a favourite go-to. Or, who knows, you may switch it up one day and discover something new!

At first, it may seem overwhelming if you are new to the concept of flexible seating, but have no fear! Once you see the positive impact it has on your students, you won’t turn back. Flexible seating has reduced the number of behavioural and attention issues in my classroom. It has helped my students take charge of their learning and empowered them to discover what they need to be successful learners.

Here are a few pictures of my flexible seating classroom in action:

I hope that this post has helped answer some of your questions and that you are feeling inspired!

March 21, 2021

Engaging Your Students with ClassDojo

How to engage your students using ClassDojo

Engaging your students in the classroom can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be! I am always looking for new and innovative ways to motivate and engage my students and ClassDojo is one of my favourite tools to do this! Engaging your students with ClassDojo is so much fun! Keep reading to find out why!

What is ClassDojo

ClassDojo is a school communication platform that helps to connect families with the classroom through pictures, videos and messages. It is an amazing platform with so many wonderful tools! Best part is… it is completely FREE!

Other features include:

Student Avatars
Attendance
Timers
Music
Point System
Points Analysis
Social and Emotional Learning Videos
and much more!

Why I LOVE ClassDojo

I love using ClassDojo in my classroom as it is extremely easy to use and my students absolutely love it. There are so many wonderful features and tools to be explored. I find that ClassDojo fits perfectly with my classroom management system and helps my students stay on task and engaged!

How I use ClassDojo in my Classroom

I personally do not use ClassDojo for connecting with families (messaging, posting photos/videos, sharing points, etc.) as I use Seesaw for Schools, so I am not as familiar with those features, but I have heard that they are AMAZING.

My main purpose for using ClassDojo is for classroom management. I use ClassDojo alongside my classroom points system. Throughout the week, students earn points for various behaviours/accomplishments. You can choose whether or not parents can see these points or not, but I prefer to keep them for in-class purposes only. It’s completely up to you!

Every Friday, we cash in our points and visit the Classroom Store. I use my Dojo Points along with my Class Economy System (see below). Another option is to have students only cash in their points when they reach 100. When they cash in their 100 points, they select a prize (draw on the Smart Board, sit with the teacher, help out during recess, etc.).

I have used ClassDojo for individual points and for team/group points. What I like about using group points is that the students work together with their team and at the end of the week, they all earn the same number of points. This helps reinforce teamwork and also motivates all of my students to work hard since their teammates are counting on them.

ClassDojo Certificates and Points Club

When I do individual ClassDojo Points, I love using this ClassDojo Point Tracker System! I use these certificates to reward students for achieving 100 point increments in ClassDojo and I display students’ names on a ClassDojo board under their Points Club! Great way to motivate students and celebrate their achievements!

This is my most popular FREEBIE! You can grab a copy HERE!

You can pair these certificates and point tracker with ClassDojo Debit Card & Money or even use Reward Coupons for students to cash in their points

Class Economy System & ClassDOJO

I absolutely love using this Class Economy System in my class! It works perfectly with ClassDojo and is super easy to set up!

This system includes:

Classroom Jobs & Application Form
Debit Card & Money System
Reward Coupons

Engaging your students with ClassDojo is so easy with this Class Economy System! Be sure to read my blog post going into more detail HERE!

Want even more classroom management tips?

Be sure to check out my post Classroom Management in a SNAP!

March 4, 2021

Classroom Management in a SNAP – Essential Tools for ANY Classroom Management System

Essential Tools For Any Classroom Management System

Looking to setup a classroom management system in a SNAP? Looking to add to your existing classroom management system? These tools have been perfectly designed to go alongside ANY classroom management system and can even be used on their own! Help make your classroom run smoothly while developing your students’ independence!

Your students will love and enjoy using these tools every day! They are FUN and easy to implement and help build a positive classroom community!

Voice Level Posters

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

These voice level posters help your students understand the expectations for the noise level in the classroom. No more repeating which volume you want your kiddos at! This system is the perfect solution!

How to Setup

Print these posters in colour on cardstock, laminate and cut. Display them in an area where your students can easily see them. I recommend the front of your room or in your teacher zone. Hang a tap light next to each of the posters. This allows you to turn the light on next to which volume you want your students to be at. You can also use a clothespin or other visual marker if you prefer.

Posters come in two versions: BLACK background and WHITE background (both in colour). And both are available in FRENCH and in ENGLISH.

Hand Signals

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

Teaching your students to use hand signals is the perfect solution to classroom interruptions. Make online learning and classroom learning a breeze with the reduced amount of interruptions! Helps your students express themselves without interrupting and allows you to maintain classroom flow..

HOW TO SETUP

Simply print on cardstock, laminate and cut. They can be displayed anywhere in your classroom. I like to put them in an area that is easily visible to all students. Make sure you practice these hand signals often so that students become familiar with them.

These posters are available in FRENCH and in ENGLISH and include a variety of skin tones.

Self Assessment Posters

PUPOSE & BENEFITS

Teaching your students to do mini-check in’s and self assessments is the perfect way to check for understanding! Make online learning and classroom learning a breeze and help your students take ownership of their learning! You will love how much insight into their learning you can gain! Helps your students assess their learning and allows you to maintain classroom flow!

You can do quick checks in class using fingers (1-5) for each of the levels. This can help students take ownership of their learning! You can also use the associated colours when assessing student work (instead of a mark or percentage). This can greatly motivate students and encourage them to read the comments in order to improve.

These posters can be used perfectly with both Seesaw and Google Classroom!

HOW TO SETUP

Print on cardtsock and laminate. Alternatively, you can use these didgitally and display them on your Smart Board as needed. I like to have them displayed in an area in my class where they can be easily seen by all students. Students can also refer to these posters often to check their understanding.

These posters are available in FRENCH and in ENGLISH and include two versions: Unicorns and Stars.

Morning Greetings

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

These morning greetings have a dual purpose! They help to build relationships between students and teachers/peers while also teaching students how to socially interact safely. They can be used for greeting your students in the morning and/or for sending them off at the end of the day (all from a distance). Help your students feel a sense of community and connectedness with their teachers and fellow classmates while being safe!

HOW TO SETUP

Print on cardstock, laminate and cut. Display them at the entrance of your classroom, by your carpet area or anywhere else you would like your students to use these greetings. I like to choose 3-5 greetings at a time and change them up to make them more engaging. This also makes it easier to introduce and teach each one.

These greetings are available in FRENCH and in ENGLISH and include two versions: Square and Circle.

Classroom Jobs

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

These Classroom Jobs are sure to get your students excited to be class helpers this year! These 32 super cute classroom jobs are perfect for building a classroom community and helping you stay organized all year! These classroom jobs fit the various interests of students while teaching them responsibility and helping them develop their independence. I have also included a Class Job Application Form.

I use these rewards to go along with my ClassDojo Debit Card & Money reward system! Students earn money each week for completing their jobs. Failure to complete a job results in no or reduced pay. You can assign different salaries for each job or use the same salary. They can also be used on their own or with another classroom management system. My students LOVE these classroom jobs and are excited to apply for a job and receive their paycheque!

HOW TO SETUP

Simply print the classroom jobs on cardstock, laminate and cut (there are 4 jobs/page). Attach students’ names using name tags, velcro, clothespins or a job chart. Job application can be uploaded to Seesaw or Google Classroom or can be printed (in colour or black and white).

These classroom jobs are available in FRENCH and in ENGLISH and include two versions: BLACK background and WHITE background.

Class Economy System

Be sure to check out my blog post “Class Economy System” for more details!

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

Your students will love this Class Economy system for positive classroom management, and YOU will love how it help students develop their independence! This Class Economy system focusses on positive reinforcement and helping your students keep track of their ClassDojo points. Helps increase intrinsic motivation and allows your classroom to run smoothly!

Students earn ClassDojo points and Dojo Dollars throughout the week. On Fridays, students calculate their total number of points (ClassDojo points and Dojo Dollars) and go to our Dojo Store (coupons ranging from $5 to $10). Can be paired perfectly with the Reward Coupons! My students LOVE going to the Dojo Store and keeping track of their points on their debit card!

HOW TO SETUP

Print the debit cards on cardstock, write each student’s name, laminate and cut. Print the Dojo Dollars in black & white on coloured paper or in colour on white paper, cut and store in a cue-card box or other small container.

The students debit cards and money can be easily stored in a plastic soap container (from the Dollar Store), which fits nicely into students’ desks, bins or book boxes.

This class economy system is available in FRENCH and in ENGLISH.

Coupons and Rewards

FRENCH REWARD COUPONS

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

Your students will love these 27 colourful reward coupons for positive classroom management, and YOU will love how much money and time you save! These reward coupons focus on positive reinforcement with rewards that your students want. Helps increase intrinsic motivation and allows your classroom to run smoothly!

I use these rewards to go along with my ClassDojo points! They can also be used on their own or with another classroom management system. My students LOVE these rewards and are excited to receive and use them!

HOW TO SETUP

Print on cardstock, laminate and cut. You can store these in individual clear photo boxes or envelopes. I made a wall display in my classroom that we call “le magasin”.

The students’ coupons can be easily stored in a plastic soap container (from the Dollar Store), which fits nicely into students’ desks, bins or book boxes.

These coupons are available in FRENCH only.

Billets de fierté / REWARD TAGS

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

Your students will love collecting and earning these School Days themed billets de fierté (médailles merveilleuses)! These reward tags are the perfect addition to your classroom management system! Helps increase intrinsic motivation and allows your classroom to run smoothly!

HOW TO SETUP

At the beginning of the school year, I print, laminate and cut the billets de fierté and store them in a jewelry storage drawer system. You can also store them in a pocket chart. Each student receives a necklace (or notebook) to put their billets de fierté on/in. My kiddos love knowing how much their teacher brags about them! Students can wear their necklaces or leave them hanging on our display wall in the classroom. Students can earn all sorts of reward tags throughout the year, but this set is to celebrate all the School Days in the year!

These reward tags are available in FRENCH and in ENGLISH.

Behaviour Trackers

Behaviour Sticker Chart

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

These behaviour charts are the perfect way to help your students stay on task and work towards individual objectives. Serves as a visual reminder as well as a visual tracker of success! Your students are going to love developing their independence in the classroom while feeling motivated and engaged!

HOW TO SETUP

Print the desired number of behaviour charts and cut. Tape the chart to your student’s desk or display on a wall close by. Set goals for student to earn points. Have student colour in a number or place a sticker over the number when they are on task / showing the desired behaviour. I personally use one chart per day and award a break for every 5 stickers earned. Alternatively you can use the chart for the week or even ongoing until it is filled.

If a student is able to achieve 20 points in a given day, they can earn a special reward (positive note home, extra ClassDojo points, Dojo Dollars, visit to the class store, etc.).

These behaviour charts are available in FRENCH and in ENGLISH.

Speaking French Behaviour Tracker

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

These incentive charts are a fun and engaging way tp get your students speaking French in the classroom. They can even be uploaded directly to Seesaw for online learning! Your students will love colouring in the charts or getting a punch out in their cards and you will love how much your students are speaking in French! Helps your students develop the confidence to speak in French and allows you to maintain a French learning environment!

HOW TO SETUP

Simply print the posters on cardstock and display in an area that is easily accessible by the students. Alternatively you can print and laminate them so they can be reused often. When you catch a student speaking in French, they colour in one space on the chart. When the chart is full, celebrate with a class party or reward. There are 2 posters with 50 spaces and 2 with 25.

Print the punch cards on cardstock and cut them out. Keep a hand hole punch handy to make it easy to punch out student cards. When students speak in French, you can punch out one of the spaces on their cards. Students can earn a note home, ClassDojo points, rewards, coupons, etc. Completely up to you!

These posters and punch cards are available in FRENCH only.

Handwashing POSTERS & ACTIVITY

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

These Hand Washing Posters and Activity are perfect for encouraging students to practice proper handwashing skills! Your students will take pride in becoming more independent and YOU will love how much time you save when supervising handwashing. These are perfect for Social Distance Learning! Helps your students understand the expectations and take pride in their learning.

I used these posters in June when I returned to school. They were extremely helpful and allowed my students to have a visual reminder when washing their hands! The activity is geared towards younger students to help them show what they have learnt. You can also print the posters for your students to keep on their desks. It really makes the world of difference to have visual cues for social distancing in the classroom.

HOW TO SETUP

Print the poster and laminate. Display it above the sink in your classroom, student washroom or common handwashing area. Review the poster with your students and go over all the steps.

The activity can be printed on regular paper. Students will need scissors, glue and colouring pencils.

These posters and activity sheet are available in FRENCH and in ENGLISH. They come in a variety of skin tones and include putting paper towel in the recycling or the garbage.

Classroom Management In a SNAP!

I hope that you found this helpful! Be sure to grab this entire bundle in my TPT Store by clicking the button below!

February 15, 2021

5 Tips To Get Your Students Speaking French

my 5 tips To Get Your Students Speaking French!

How do you get your students to speak french in class?

This is one of my top frequently asked questions. Here are 5 tips to get your students speaking French that will keep them motivated and engaged in your classroom!

THE MAGIC LINE

I heard about the “magic line” when I first started teaching 2nd grade. It requires very little setup, but a whole lot of over the top “selling” on the teacher’s part. Put a colourful strip of tape at the entrance of your classroom and when anyone crosses this line, they “magically” begin to speak in French! This tip is indeed magical and it works EVERY year, even with my more challenging students. There is no reward, no consequence involved! I simply make a big deal and even do a demonstration for my kiddos (make sure it is OVER THE TOP).

**BONUS TIP: If you notice your kiddos speaking in English, explain that the magic line must have lost it’s powers and either “replace it” with a NEW magic line (this can be fun if you like buying themed duck-tape) or “refill” it’s magical powers using a sprinkle shaker or some magical words.

GUMBALL MACHINE

This is one of my favourite whole class incentives. I print out (or draw) a gumball machine and display it in our classroom. When I catch students speaking in French, they get to go up and colour in a gumball in our class gumball machine. You can do any type of reward you like when your gumball machine is full. Some of my favourites include: Dance Party, Themed Day, Dress-Down Day, Pyjama Party, Show and Tell.

**BONUS TIP: You can choose any sort of fill-in drawing for your students (apples on a tree, pumpkins in a patch, letters of the alphabet, etc.).

You can grab my Speakin FRENCH Behaviour Tracker sheets in my store HERE. There are 4 poster versions (with 50 and 25 images to colour in) and 3 punch out cards (with 12 spaces).

BINGO OR PUNCH CARD

My students love having individual incentive charts and I find these especially helpful at the beginning of the year (but they are honestly fun all year round). Each student has a themed bingo card or punch card. When you catch them speaking French they get to colour in a space (for Bingo I have my students pick a card to find out what to colour in) or I punch a hole in their punch card. Students who complete their cards can win a visit to your prize box (mine is all coupons with no-cost to the teacher) or earn a reward (class helper for the day, line leader, certificate to go home, etc.).

**BONUS TIP: Make sure you have a place to store these cards! I like to display mine on a bulletin board, but a binder or pencil case also works well.

I love this resource by Maternelle avec Mme Andrea! This is what I use in my classroom.

MORNING MEETING

Each morning have a sentence starter (or even a couple) displayed for your students. Read them out and then go around the circle and invite each student to complete one of the sentence starters. This helps your students develop their vocabulary and helps them build up their confidence in a low stress environment. Make sure the sentence starters are easy for students to finish. The goal here is to build their confidence and get them speaking in French. We want it to be fun and easy to feel successful!

**BONUS TIP: Have students come up with sentence starters that you pick from each morning. They will be so thrilled when they see you have chosen their sentence starter for the morning meeting!

COUPONS

Coupons (or billets de fierté) is one of the easiest ways to encourage your students to speak French in the classroom. Simply print out little tags or coupons and keep them on hand for when you catch students speaking in French. You can also use these for improvement and perseverance! Students can glue them in a notebook or attach them to a necklace. My kiddos love earning all the different types of billets de fierté.

**BONUS TIP: Laminate your coupons to ensure a longer lifespan. You won’t regret it!

I hope that you enjoyed these 5 tips to get your students speaking French! What are your favourite ways to get your students speaking in French? I’d love to know! Be sure to let me know in the comments below!

P.S. Are you teaching virtually? Be sure to check out my post all about “Online Teaching Essentials”!

January 5, 2021

Online Teaching Essentials

Are you teaching online this year? After having taught online last May-June, we are back at it again this week! Launching 2021 virtual style! The only difference this time… I am prepared with my online teaching essentials.

1. Quiet (and comfortable) space

This may seem a little obvious, but a quiet and comfy spot for you to teach is a MUST!

I have a cozy pink armchair and a fluffly blanket for my lap pulled up to an IKEA collapsable table with my lamp, laptop, iPad and notebooks. It is the perfect little spot for me to teach my kiddos!

2. Zoom

I am a HUGE fan of Zoom! My School Board was also very fortunate to register for the free Zoom services during the beginning of the pandemic.

It is super user friendly for the littles and bigs alike. My students can logon from any device and are able to independently navigate the app during our meetings.

All you need is a device with a camera and a microphone. My go-to for teaching is my Macbook Air.

Google Meet is another great option, however students need a gmail to logon and our Board only allows student email activation as of Grade 3. (I teach 2nd Grade.)

3. Seesaw

Talk about an ONLINE TEACHING ESSENTIAL!

Seesaw is an absolute MUST in my books! I love how user friendly it is and how many functions it has!

I used Seesaw both in the classroom and online. It allows me to easily assign work and allow students to share pictures and activities with me. It is the perfect student engagement tool that keeps my kiddos inspire, my families connected and saves me a TON of time!

My school has a Seesaw for Schools account allowing you to have access to more functions. If your school can afford it ($7CAD/student), I would absolutely recommend this! But I have also used the regular Seesaw account and it was still great!

4. Online Expectations

Having clear expectations for your students is so important. I like to spend a good amount of time going over expectations with my students. I usually make a chart as a class on the first day and then present a poster the following day. Having the students participate will help them feel more responsible.

Here are two of my favourite posters I made for my own classroom:

5. Visual Online Icons

Having visual cues for your students will save you a ton of time while teaching online! They make online learning a breeze and help give students a visual reminder without stopping your lesson. while keeping your students engaged in the lesson. I love using my Zoom Meeting Icons with my kiddos. They are super helpful!

Online learning can be a challenge, especially for our students as they are trying to navigate a new platform. Visual online icons help clarify your instruction and help your students locate the icons you want them to use.

ONLINE TEACHING ESSENTIALS

I hope that these 5 Online Teaching Essentials help make your life a little easier! Teaching online is not an easy task, but you got this!

P.S. Be sure to check out my post from last May during our first lockdown!

November 2, 2020

Class Economy System

Are you looking to build a classroom community and help foster independence and responsibility? Have you been using ClassDojo with your kiddos? Are you looking for an exciting way to use those points in your classroom? Or are you looking for a new Class Economy system? Well, imagine if you could do all this and MORE with a fun and engaging Class Economy system!!! Sounds too good to be true, right? WRONG!

I am so SOOO excited to share with you my class economy system that helped turn my busy classroom into a functioning family unit of helpers and independent learners. YES! Every teacher’s dream!

This class economy system has 3 components:

Classroom Jobs
Debit Card and Money (can be used alongside ClassDojo or as an independent system)
Reward Coupons

1. Classroom Jobs

I make sure that I choose enough jobs so that each student gets 1 job. But feel free to adapt to what works best for you (maybe you want 2 kiddos for Assistant and 1 kiddo for Moniteur des lumières). I display them on my bulletin board in the front of my room where all the students can easily see it.

First, I explain each of the jobs to the students. And YES, I make each and every job sound very VERY exciting! This is so important! These jobs will help make our class run smoothly and so their are ALL important.

Second, I explain that students will be able to apply for a job. They can pick their top 3 choices, but they must explain why they deserve to be chosen over the other candidates. A wonderful life skill! I personally like to give examples of applications and ask the students if they feel they are good.

“I want to be the door holder because I like it.”

vs.

“I want to be the door holder because I am strong and I enjoy helping others get to where they need to go.”

This part can be challenging, but after some examples, the students seem to catch on.

At the end of the application form, I have students sign a promise of commitment.

Finally, I take a day to review their applications and then assign jobs to the students. I like to rotate the jobs every week, but I have also done every 2 weeks. Whatever works best for you and your classroom! This helps change it up and keep the students motivated.

Students can earn a paycheque for completing their jobs each week. This can be done using Dojo pints or handing out Dojo Dollars (see below).

2. Debit Card and Money – Class Economy System

This is my favourite part!

I love teaching my students important life skills! Knowing how to add money and keep track of your bank account is such an important skill.

At the beginning of the year, every student gets a Dojo Debit Card with their name on it. I also give them a dollar store soap container to store their debit card, money and coupons. This fits nicely into their desks or book bins. Alternatively, students can bring in a small pocket wallet.

Throughout the week, my students earn Dojo points and Dojo Dollars (you can also use the Dojo Dollars on their own and not do ClassDojo points). I hand these out quite freely at the beginning of the year.

I also give them some Dojo Dollars for completing their job that week. If they did not do their job, or lost the privilege to have a job that week, they would not get their paycheque. You can choose any amount you like, but I tend to give out $10-$20 ($2-$4/day) as a paycheque. You can even make different jobs have different paycheque amounts. Totally up to you!

At the end of the week, or the month if you prefer, students come to the “bank”. We add up our ClassDojo points and Dojo Dollars and “deposit” them into our bank accounts. I write their total number of points with a sharpie on the back of their Débit Dojo (which is laminated) and collect their Dojo Dollars and reset the ClassDojo points.

TEACHER TIP: Easily erase sharpie from the laminated card by colouring over the sharpie with a dry erase marker and wipe it off! Et voila!

If they currently have money in their bank accounts, students will need to add this amount with the Dojo Points and Dojo Dollars. I usually allot 10-15min for the students to sit down and do their calculations on Fridays (or the end of the month) before we go to the “bank”.

Students can use their “money” to go to the class store. This can be your regular treasure box OR…

3. Reward Coupons

Say goodbye to the treasure box and welcome in the Reward Coupons!

These are super effective and super popular to have in your classroom. And best of all, most of them are of ZERO cost to you!

I set up my Class Store by displaying the coupons in envelopes hung up on my bulletin board and post the prices for the coupons on the envelopes. Students can go to the store to do their shopping and then come to the “cash” to pay.

This helps students manage their money and set goals for themselves. Maybe they want to save up for that really expensive $150 coupon, or maybe they just want a smelly sticker for $5. The choice is theirs!

Once they are ready, we calculate the total cost for their purchases and subtract it from the amount on their debit card. (Don’t forget that dry erase marker trick!) I like to use calculators for this step, but some of my kiddos prefer doing it in their heads. Again, totally up to you!

The coupons also fit perfectly in the soap containers! Students can cash in their coupons in the mornings. Some coupons must be handed in one day in advance, but this is your choice.

And there you have it! A fun class economy system that helps build life skills, practice math concepts, foster independence and build a classroom community.

If you are interested, be sure to check out the Class Economy Bundle in my TPT store!

P.S. Feel free to check out my previous post about my ClassDojo Points Club and Dojo Store.

October 24, 2018

Self-Assessment Posters

I am so excited about these posters! They have already made a huge impact on my classroom. My students are motivated and eager to learn and are not stressed when things are being evaluated!

Let me share with you how I use these posters to support this environment.

At my school, we found that students would look at their mark (a percentage or a mark on 10) and then be discouraged or happy and move on with their day. Myself, along with two of my colleagues, decided to remove percentages this year and go with a colour coding system to see if we could change this.

The theory behind using the colours is that students will take charge of their learning and be more interested in where they made their mistakes in order to improve for the next time.

The first day I introduced the colours, my students seemed very interested, but I wasn’t fully convinced. It wasn’t until I gave out our first piece of work with a colour and comments that I saw how truly effective this system was. My class fell silent as each student read their comments and some even brought me their work to ASK QUESTIONS. I could not believe it! And these are my little 7-year olds!!!!

The minute I removed the mark and put a colour, the comments became the most important part of their feedback. This allowed my students to better understand where they went wrong in order for them to learn from their mistakes.

The posters themselves are designed in such a way that I can use them for spot checks in the classroom (students raise 1-5 fingers to tell me where they feel they are at with a new concept I have shown them) and for students to understand what their colour means on their work.

Even the parents have been thrilled with this concept and are fully supportive! It is just overall wonderful!

I am looking forward to updating you as the year progresses!

You can purchase my posters HERE at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store! Enjoy!

October 22, 2018

ClassDojo – Points Club and Dojo Store

I am so excited to have my ClassDojo wall all setup!

At the top are the Points Club circles. When a student reaches any increment of 100, they get their name displayed under the corresponding Points Club circle. Students also receive a certificate congratulating them on their accomplishments. You can download my Points Club Circles and ClassDojo Certificates for FREE HERE. They are available in French and in English!

My Dojo Store is made up of coupons that cost anywhere from $5-$100. They are mostly free (for me to provide to students) with the exception of smelly stickers and giant stickers, which I purchased from the Dollar Store. I made the coupons myself and added my Bitmoji to each of them to make them funny. My students absolutely love them! So far the most popular coupon was No Homework ($25). I may have to increase the price on that one, haha.

I hope to make the coupons available soon on my Teachers Pay Teachers Store!

July 24, 2017

Brag Tags (My First Year)

Brag Tags must be one of my favourite discoveries from this past school year. I used to do the “Warm Fuzzies” reward system, which I absolutely adored, but without desks this year, I didn’t think it would be feasible.

Warm Fuzzies
Students would earn pompoms (small = 1 point, large = 5 points) for following classroom rules and being a good friend and they would collect them throughout the week in their paint pots. On Fridays, we would count them out and these were used as points to buy items from our classroom store.

I started doing this my second year of teaching (in Grade 4) and both the students and I loved it. When I started working at Westpark in Grade 2, I continued to use this system with them. It was still a big hit.

Check out this blog post by Mel D. from Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations that inspired me:

Why I Switched
Since I was starting flexible seating this year, I knew that my Warm Fuzzies system would no longer work as the paint pots would no longer be easily accessible on their desks (because I have no desks).

I was looking for other ideas and came across Brag Tags on Angie Olson’s Blog, Lucky Little Learners.

What Are Brag Tags
Essentially, Brag Tags are a way for students to celebrate various accomplishments throughout the course of the year. From losing a tooth, to remembering to use a capital and a period in each sentence, there was a Brag Tag for everything!

In my class, students each had a necklace that they would attach their Brag Tags onto. This system worked really well as students could wear their necklaces or leave them hanging on the bulletin board in the classroom. It was excellent for my flexible seating classroom.

My Classroom Brag Tag Wall

I highly recommend you check out Angie Olson’s blog posts on Brag Tags! They are so helpful and it is such a great system! She also has Brag Tags available for purchase in her TPT Store! (I bought her Brag Tag bundles and then wrote in my own French versions.)

Here are a couple of links for you to check out:

July 10, 2017

Flexible Seating Rules

Here are my flexible seating rules. Although, I had the rules pre-prepared, I wrote them out on chart paper with the students at the beginning of the year. The students then all signed the poster as a promise to follow these rules.

We practiced what this looked and sounded like several times each day over the first few weeks of school. I also gave everyone the opportunity to try all the different types of seating (round-robin style) on the first few days of school. I then transitioned to me placing students and then allowed them to start choosing their own spots. I copied this framework from the Daily 5 method. I find it works extremely well. Especially if you practice what it looks like and sounds like.

I only had a few issues at the beginning of the year with students testing the rules, but by making sure I followed through on the rules, the issues stopped. When I was off work for four months, my replacement had some issues with the flexible seating (the students were testing her as they did with me at the beginning of the year). Having the last rule is extremely important, as this allows for subs, replacements, specialists or any other teacher to move a student at any time if they are not following the rules.

I translated this poster with a colleague from a post I found on Pinterest. Check it out here (you can click on the photos):