Hodge+Podge

Here's what I did with those great random ideas that are shared at various conferences, workshops, and seminars!


 * **Bathroom:** When students need to go to the restroom, consider 'delaying' persmission. (i.e. "Sure, but now is not a good time. Can you wait 10 minutes). Many teachers have found that the students usually forget when it isn't an emergency!
 * **Class Jobs:** Research shows that students have a need to belong. Allowing them to 'step up' to do various jobs in the classroom. You could assign a student(s) to make sure extra handouts are set aside for absent students, answer the door for visitors, distribute materials during the class period.
 * **Class Set:** for (1-sided) class sets of handouts, place it in a page protector to remind students that the handout is part of a class set and should not be written on.
 * **Cooperative Learning**: Part One - consider naming the partner/groups something other than A, B, C (1, 2, 3). How about colors, shapes, different letters, high numbers, etc? Part Two - help the students know who goes first: the person with the most energy/pockets/siblings, longest/shortest hair, oldest/youngest, earliest/latest birthday, tallest/shortest. Part Three - reshuffle the groups: find one/two other partners with your same/different color, number, shape, etc.
 * **Goal cards:** Let students write an academic and a non-academic goal each grading period. Encourage them to share with one another for accountability. Model this process by writing and sharing your own goals with the students!
 * **(Quick) Notes:** students can use a 1/2 sheet of paper to take notes or even demonstrate their learning through a formative assessment. Teach the students the various folds to make them easier to use/be given feedback: hamburger (horizontal fold for 2 rows), taco (vertical fold for 2 columns), burrito (tri-fold for 3 columns), seasons (vertical and horizontal for 4 squares)
 * **Participation:** Encourage participation by various students by assigning students a # and having a popsicle stick with the corresponding #. Use the popsicle sticks to randomly select volunteers (or victims!)
 * **Procedures:** Develop, teach, model, and practice procedures so the students know what to do when they need a pencil/pen/paper, need to ask a question, need make up work, etc.
 * **Reminders:** To make sure all classes who need it will remember the due date for a test, quiz, project, place a letter-size announcement in a page protector and drape the page protector around your neck like a necklace! They're sure to notice and remember!
 * **Seating Chart**: Use a deck of cards to 'reshuffle' student seating! The teacher who shared this shared that the students couldn't really argue because they 'drew' their seat!

=**FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: I've been asked a number of times what I do on the first day of school. It's different from year to year, but I thought it would be easy enough to just share my lesson plan! This is a very rough outline, but perhaps you'll get an idea of what I do throughout the week!**=