First Day Lesson Plans for Reading Intervention Groups (Part 1)

Are you curious what the first few days of reading intervention groups look like?

To be honest, the first few days are not a whole lot different than the first days in the classroom.  

The first moments with your new students (whether in small group or the whole class) are all about building relationships and teaching your new students about the routines, procedures and agreements that are in place to maximize your time together. 

It's important for students to know about who they are spending their days with.  Just like we want to know about all of the sweet faces in our room, those sweet faces want to know about us too! So, I always start the first day with a PowerPoint about me. I share slides of my family and favorite things

During the quick presentation, I always stop and ask students to share what they like.  Students might orally share to the whole group, or with a shoulder partner. 

After the presentation, we go over our classroom agreements.  Yep---agreements--not rules.  Rules, according to Merriam Webster, are the laws or regulations prescribed by a founder for observance of its members.  In other words, rules are imposed.  Rules are put into place by someone with power who is "above the people."  They are made for compliance and punishment.

BUT....an agreement is an arrangement that is accepted by all parties.   Agreements are negotiated and set for a purpose of collaboration.  

After thinking about these two terms, I decided I wanted my classroom to be a place where we ALL work together.  I didn't want my classroom to be run like a dictatorship.  So, I changed from rules to agreements. 

If you want to learn more about how we set classroom agreements, check out this post by clicking here, or the image below. 

Then, we dialogue about what an active listener is. I use this awesome little freebie I found on TPT from Picking Up STEAM with Mrs Owens, where students cut, glue or write all of the characteristics of an active listener.  It is a great visual!

After that, we go over student jobs.  I know small groups have few students in them, but having jobs is crucial for keeping the group running smoothly and sharing responsibility. 

Since my group size runs from two to four students,  I only have four jobs: line leader, door holder, teacher aide and clean up crew. 

Finally, I end the first day of small group by handing out a fun treat! This year I used goldfish crackers, with a tag attached that said this is "oFISHally going to be the best year ever!"

You can get your hands on these treat tags (plus NINE other options) by clicking the image below!  They are great for open houses, back to school nights or the first day of school!

Want to know what Day 2 of reading intervention groups looks like? Come back next week for a peek of what the second day entails!

Take Care of YOURSELF! 50 Self Care Ideas for Teachers!

When the back to school season hits, many teachers quickly forget about the importance of taking care of themselves.  

Educators are SO BUSY getting their classroom ready, creating routines, thinking about schedules, new curriculum, old curriculum, standards, data..... All of that back to school brain busyness results in personal care getting put on the back burner.

So, this is just a friendly reminder that it is okay to make yourself a priority. 

It isn't selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself and make yourself happy.  It is necessary.  

If you are constantly giving your all to everyone and everything, you will eventually burn out.  Your cup will be empty and you will have nothing left to give.

Take a moment and read through the 50 self care actions you can take to nurture yourself.  

Pick your favorites, or try all of them! If it takes you scheduling personal care time on your calendar--then DO IT!  

If you are interested in tips on how to create a plan to keep you mentally healthy this school year, check out the Teacher Self Care.  This post gives four great tips on how to create a self-care plan. 

Another way to stay emotionally aware is by doing to a self-check using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid.  Check out this post which give great reflective questions for each level of Maslow's pyramid.   

Click the image below, where you can download the self care printable.  If you know of someone (spouse, friend, colleague, student) that needs self care--SHARE IT! 

The Starfish Story--A Teacher's True Purpose

 Many teachers across the nation are preparing to head back to school in the upcoming weeks, while some have already began their year.  

Once the school year begins, teachers quickly get bogged down with never ending to-do lists, supplies to buy, curriculum to learn, and professional development to attend to.  The list keeps going......  

This overflowing educational plate is all the more reason teachers spend time reflecting on "why" we chose this profession.  

Each year I elect to read (and keep posted in my classroom) a poem adapted from Loren Eiseley's work titled "The Starfish Story."  It is a perfect message for teachers to recall why we do what we do.  

We are here to invest in youth. 

 Invest in our future. 

Often I present professional development to first and second year teachers, and I like to give them this poem as they leave training.  Attached to the poem, I glue a small plastic starfish to serve as a reminder  of our true purpose in education.  

I know all teachers reach point in the school year when teaching seems too hard and they feel as if they are barely keeping their head above water.  My hope is that they will look at that little starfish, and take a moment to refocus and realize the impact they are making. 

If you would like to share "The Starfish Story" with your colleagues, click the first image above or click here to download the poem for free.  

If you are wanting to hand out little starfish--I purchased a 30 pack of of starfish from Amazon for under 10 dollars.  You can find the plastic starfish by clicking here.