Monday, September 10, 2012

Making Your Teaching Stick

We teachers love our alliteration, rhymes, and catchy phrases, but I haven't come up with one for this situation.  At each group of desks, one person is in charge of collecting and passing out various tools and such to their group for the week.  As boring as it may sound, they're called table monitors.  This year, I've come up with a handy way of pointing out who those people are.  See the next picture.


Each table monitor has this blue cube thingy on their desk (Target $1 special).  Throughout the year it will be holding onto various things.  Currently, it's holding a small table version of our latest writing workshop anchor chart that's printed on both sides, by the way.  It's one that I wanted kids to think about even after they left the mini-lesson and days after as well.  I found the idea of making small table versions of charts in the book, A Guide to Making Your Teaching Stick by Shanna Schwartz.


So far the table charts are indeed working like a charm.  Just the other day, a boy pointed it out to his neighbor who didn't seem to know what to do next.  I've used them during my conferences as well.  Of course, as we progress through writing workshop and create new anchor charts, this one will certainly be replaced by others that I feel are important enough for kids to see over and over.

(Click on the picture for your own copy.)

If you don't have blue cube thingies, there are other creative ways to display table versions of charts.  The book suggests making table tents, so voila.  Of course, writing workshop doesn't need to dominate this idea.  What about reading charts, math charts, vocabulary words, or words of character?  I'm thinking there are endless options here, and they can all help our teaching stick.








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19 comments:

  1. I LOVE this idea , Tammy!! Great idea to make a smaller anchor chart and put it literally on their level. :)
    Lori
    Conversations in Literacy

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    1. Thank you Lori. I'm thinking I'll be enjoying this smaller chart idea.

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  2. Dollar Tree has these paper clip looking stands with a round base that hold papers well also and they're only a $1 each! They came in silver and black I think. Just saw them still in my local Dollar Tree.

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    1. Thanks for the tip Laure. I figured someone out there would have other great ideas.

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  3. Replies
    1. You're very welcome Dawn. Thanks for reading.

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  4. Great idea! Can't wait to share it with my firsties!
    Thanks so much for sharing!

    Julie

    Ms. Marciniak's First Grade Critter Cafe

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    1. Julie, you're so welcome. I hope it helps your little thinkers too.

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  5. Thank you so much for the download! I think you would enjoy this site and their new book.
    http://chartchums.wordpress.com/

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    1. Mary b, that's a great site. I signed up to follow them. Thanks so much.

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  6. This is a fantastic idea. I have always liked the idea of miniature anchor carts, but I love the ideas of putting them at their tables. I totally want to do this.
    ~April Walker
    The Idea Backpack
    Come on over and linkup your technology tips post and enter my giveaway!

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    1. Thank you April. I hope it works well for you too!

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  7. Thanks for the freebie! I printed it off to put in their writing folders. You posted this the day before I was teaching about this. What a wonderful reminder!

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  8. Meghan, I'm glad the timing was so perfect!

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  9. I LOVE this idea! Thank you for sharing. :)

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    1. You are so welcome Kelly! I'm glad you found it useful.

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