Tips for Targets

School is not a place for students to just complete one activity after another. Purpose is essential!! Students need to know what the goal is - where they are headed. Learning Targets to the rescue!

This is a picture of one example of the Learning Targets I write on a daily basis for my 5th grade class. My Schedule Cards are magnetic, and I just write the target next to the subject! Easy, eye-catching, and extremely purposeful!

Here are some TIPS for TARGETS! 

1. Make it manageable. (short-term vs. long-term targets)

I have "Big Targets" (or "Essential Questions" or "Unit Goals") for my major units in all subject areas. I might create a cover page for students' notebooks with these questions on them, or post them around the room. But I also think it is important to break down those BIG ideas into smaller targets that feel more manageable (both to teach and to learn!). EXAMPLE: Big Target - I can identify and explain the causes of the American Revolution. Whoa! That is a lot of content smushed into one sentence. Let's pump the brakes and break it down into a small, short-term target like this: I can explain what happened at the Boston Massacre and how it further shaped the feelings of the colonists toward England. This target still may take me a couple of days, but it is much more specific and manageable, both to teach and to learn. We have a winner!

2. Make it measurable.
Think about the verbs you use. "I can understand what makes a polygon." How can you measure the verb "understand"? How will you and your students know if/when the target has been met? "Understand" is vague. A better target is simply: "I can name at least 3 characteristics of a polygon." This can be easily measured through a quick formative assessment, and it lets your students know exactly what you expect.

3. Balance academic language and kid-friendly language. 

Break apart the language in the target with your students. This is great for teaching academic language that may show up on higher-level thinking tasks or standardized tests. I LOVE to use Melissa O'Bryan's "Common Core Critical Verbs" set to help me use academic language in my targets. I laminated and attached magnets to the backs of these word cards, A wonderful teaching moment! For example, if the target is "I will analyze a text to determine the point of view," this would be a great moment to address the verbs "analyze" and "determine."

4. Be consistent (post them EVERY DAY!)

Writing my targets on the board is one of the most important five minutes of the day. It helps me focus for the day, and it helps students know what's coming. Sometimes I will write them on the board the day before, but I usually do it in the morning before the kids arrive. It's just part of my routine!

5. Ensure that students read them.
I will often have the students read the target for a lesson aloud with me at the beginning of the lesson. Sometimes I will break it apart into a call-and-response type deal ("I can..." "I can..." "create a timeline..." "create a timeline..."). When students know that you update your targets on a daily basis, they will begin to look at them as they enter and complete their Morning Routine. Make them colorful. Make them fun. Post them in a prominent place in your room, which will remind both you and your students to refer to them. 

6. Reflect upon each target.

At the end of your lesson, make sure the target is addressed. This could be through an informal reflection (thumbs up/down), formative assessment (Exit Ticket), partner conversation, class discussion, etc. We want students constantly thinking about their own thinking and learning, so they take more ownership and initiative. Plus, reflections are invaluable for you as the teacher!

7. Think about including Targets for Non-Academic Things, like Character Traits, Friendship Skills, and Behaviors
Think about creating targets for places/times when you are not there (recess, lunch, specials)
Recess is a great time to encourage targets related to character traits ("I can invite someone who is alone to play with me."), Lunch is a great time to encourage targets related to manners ("I can say 'please' and 'thank you'."), and Specials are a great time to encourage targets related to behavior ("I can follow directions the first time."). I have a variety of "Scholar Targets" and "Friendship Targets" in my TPT store!

Here's another example of my Target Schedule:

Our class mascot, Ned the Neuron, presides over our schedule and targets. :)

What tips do you have when it comes to writing Targets?

Happy Teaching!!
:) Jenny

St. Patrick's Day DIVISION!

St. Patrick's Day is coming right up, and I love to integrate the holidays into my teaching whenever I can! But my time is precious in my classroom, so any integration needs to be valuable and rigorous. So I created this St. Patrick's Day Division Packet for this very reason!

This pack contains: 

♥ Student Packet Cover (4 options - 2 in color, 2 printer-friendly)
♥ Basic Division Facts Review Page
♥ 6 pages of Long Division with Remainders with boxes to “Estimate,” “Solve,” and “Check with Multiplication.” The “Solve” box is printed on graph paper to help students line up numbers. (Color and Printer-friendly options)
♥ 2 pages of St. Patrick’s Day-Themed Division Word Problems (Color and Printer-friendly options)
♥ Decimal Division Practice (Color and Printer-friendly options)
♥ 4 pages of Division Partnership Slips/Matching Cards (Pass slips out to students, and they find a partner based on the match for their card. These slips can also be used to play a matching game independently or with a partner.)
♥ 32 Basic Division Task Cards with Missing Divisors (Includes Recording Sheet)
♥ Answer Keys

Please check it out by clicking on the picture or here!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!
:) Jenny

Currently January 2016

Happy New Year Blogger Buddies! After a day full of naps and ramen, it's time to sit down and link up with Farley for Currently 2016!

Listening - Two of the coolest things I've watched lately are Fargo (Season 2), and Quentin Tarantino's new movie, The Hateful Eight (which my husband said, rightly, that is just like a really, really violent game of Clue). Both have them have got me hooked on some new (to me) music, particularly Bobby Womack's version of "California Dreamin,'" and "Apple Blossom" by The White Stripes. Oh, yeah, and the Beatles are finally on Spotify. It's good times for good musics!!

Loving - One of my favorite local artists, Jahna Vashti, paints the cutest whimsical animals playing instruments in a variety of settings and seasons. My husband got me two more of her fabulous giclee prints, and they just make me so happy! She also donated a couple of fairy-tale-like prints for my classroom, which is pretty rad.

Thinking - So I finished reading Teach Like a Pirate not long ago, as well as Ron Clark's The End of Molasses Classes. I am totally PUMPED to bring in some more excitement into my classroom during 2016. I bought tons of clearance-priced white tablecloths at Target so I can transform my classroom into a Winter Wonderland over the next couple of weeks, and also a ton of hats for me to wear as I lead our students on a tour around the United States (based on Beth Newingham's ideas - have you seen them? She's pretty great.) I will be a train conductor, airplane pilot, boat pilot, and cowgirl. I also had to buy a chef hat, but I'm not sure how I'm gonna use that one yet...

Wanting - I always want new boots. 'Nuff said.

Needing - I've gone into my classroom a couple of times over Winter Break, because I am totally organizing my files. I've left a bit of a mess, but am purging tons of old stuff, so that feels good. I need to go in once more before the kids come back...

One Little Word - Adventure! Sometimes I feel I get so into the routines of life that I forget how much I love adventures. Winter goal: Snowboarding. I haven't been in years, and whilst it took me a full hour to get down the mountain that first time years ago (due to so much wiping out), I really want to try again! Here's to some great adventures in 2016. :)

Jenny

Currently *November 2015*

Holy cow, it's NOVEMBER! To kick off the month, I am linking up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for November's CURRENTLY.

Have you heard Ryan Adam's cover of Taylor Swift's 1989 album? It is FANtastic, and perfect background music when I'm working in my classroom. It's moody and beautiful and classic Ryan, just singing about cherry lips and crystal skies.

I am LOVING that my lil' 11-year old beagle, Napoleon, is HEALTHY again! We had a scare a couple of weeks ago, but after some tests, it turned out he just had giardia. Yup. Giardia. Who knew dogs could get giardia?!? I thought is was just people who didn't boil their water when camping... No more drinking out of dirty puddles, please, Napoleon...

I'm thinking about PIRATES for a couple of reasons. One, I finally bought the book Teach Like a Pirate, which is all about increasing student engagement and motivation. Anybody out there read it? Second, my friends are flying to DISNEYLAND in a few weeks for a girls weekend. Disneyland makes me so happy, happy, HAPPY, but I just gotta see if I can work it out with my finances (especially considering I just found out the TPT conference next summer is LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF DISNEYWORLD!!! AHHHHHHHH!!! SO AWESOME!!!).

I'm needing to clean the house and fold clothes. Blah. Don't have anything more to say about that.

Finally, I have been trying out Blue Apron meals for a little while now, and last night's Korean Spicy Chicken wings were Ah-MAZE-ing!! Wish I had some leftovers to eat right now...

That's all for now, folks. Happy Sunday!!!

Jenny :)

Sunday Scoop!

I am jumping on the Sunday Scoop linky train! Thanks for the idea, Teaching Trio!!! Here goes:

HAVE TO's:

*Cupcakes: My fifth grade team has decided to purchase mini-cupcakes and candles for our kiddos, and we will have a special "Wish" ceremony tomorrow. We want kids to think about their biggest wishes for this fifth grade year, and blow out their candles one at a time, while sharing their wishes with the class. Can't wait to see how this turns out!

*Laundry. 'Nuff said.

*Lesson plan for tomorrow: I am starting the year with lots of pre-assessing, community-building, routine-practicing, and art! I am also trying to integrate a lot of lessons around the brain and growth mindset. Please check out Angela Watson's TPT unit on Growth Mindset here... it's FANTASTIC!

HOPE TO's:

*Level Library: We are trying, as a school, to level each of our classroom libraries this year. We also have a leveled library room (separate from our official school library) that kids will be able to use. We are using Fountas and Pinnell's leveling system, and color-coding according to IRLA. The goal is to help students find quality books to read independently, but also not to pigeon-hole them, because it can be good to read other levels for a variety of reasons and at different times, too. :)

*Update One TPT Product: I am in the process of updating some design elements and, in some cases, adding some pages to products in my TPT store. It feels really good to find my voice and my style in my work. :)

HAPPY TO's:

*I got a knock on my front door tonight from a neighbor I've never seen nor met. She said her cat got out of the house, and she thought it ran into my backyard. She wanted permission to check it out. Of course, I said, "Yes, just watch out for all the dog poop!" We are SO bad at picking up Napoleon's poop... Here's a pic of our little 11 year-old pooper (he's a Blazer fan!):

PS, The cat was found safely hiding under our deck. :)

Happy week!!!

:) Jenny

Lights, Camera, SCHOOL!

This year, I have decided to go with a Hollywood theme in my classroom! It will be my first year having a "theme" - I usually just decorate with mostly blues and greens. My husband actually works in the film industry, so I learn a bit about it through him, which inspired me to dip a toe into the themed-classroom pool!

I don't officially go back until August 31st (and kids don't start until the day after Labor Day!), so I have just barely started decorating my classroom so far. I like to have my classroom pretty much all set up before I have to officially be "back," which leaves me time to meet and prep with my team. My mom was up and helped me with my first project: the back to school bulletin board outside my classroom door!

I always like to set something up that I can put the kids names and/or pictures on. Last year, I went with a Wizard of Oz board. I ended up writing the kids' names on the yellow bricks, and it was so cute!

This year, I found some super cute clapboard and filmstrip cut-outs at the Dollar State, and my mom cut out a billion little yellow circles to help me with some marquee letters (thanks mama!). Combined with one of Creative Teaching Press's adorable new chalkboard boarders.... ta da!!!

I think I'll put a photo of the kids and their names on the cut-outs, and "Directed by Mrs. Rynearson" on the award in the middle!!! 

Here's a close-up of the sign... it took quite awhile, but I like!!!

Now I need to keep coming up with cute movie sayings for my room... Craft Services for the sign above the cafeteria menu? Spotlight on... something??? VIP awards for outstanding achievements? "Celebrity of the Week" for community-building? It will be fun to keep coming up with ideas!

I've been having fun creating TONS of Hollywood-themed products in my store. Check them out by clicking on the products below!!! 

      

     

Do any of you have a classroom theme this year?

:) Jenny

Currently July 2015

Hey look, it's my first "Currently" linky party with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade!

Listening - I have been having way too much fun with Spotify. I listen to it literally every day, and lately I've been super into 80's emotional ballads. Some of my current faves are: Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love." Songs these days just don't have the earnest emotion like they did in the decade of my birth. :)

Loving - I just finished reading the children's chapter book Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz. It's beautifully written, as well as creepy and weird, and I can totally see it becoming a movie. I'm trying to decide if the creepiness would make it a wicked read-aloud for my 5th graders....or if I would just give them all nightmares. :) Check it out:

Thinking - I'm headed to VEGAS on Sunday morning! I can't wait to fangirl out over meeting some of my teacher idols, as well as learn a whole lot about being a teacherpreneur! I'm also hoping to hop over to the Grand Canyon while I'm out there - yes!!!

Wanting - I've been cross-stitching since I was little, and have started to pick up the habit here and there again. Etsy has the BEST cross-stitch patterns, and I'm trying to narrow down my next project. Gotta have something productive to do while I watch The Bachelorette, right? :)

Needing - I have been told business cards are a MUST to bring to the TPT Vegas Conference, and I have a super idea for cards that are crafty, fun, and memorable. Now I better get my act together and make them, 'cause I have just a few days! Ah, the thrill of the last minute!

All-Star - Um, I think I'M kind of an All-Star by joining this new gym membership thingy called ClassPass. Basically, you can use tons of different gyms and studios throughout town (up to 3 times a month each) for a pretty reasonable monthly fee (I got a 2-for-1 starter deal, too!). So far, I've done a couple of different "Gentle Yoga" classes, an AERIAL yoga class (I went upside-down!), and a cycling class (which was the hardest one by far, as evidenced by me barely being able to walk two days later). Since I haven't exercised very regularly since the 90's (oops), it's nice to join something that is motivating, because I keep getting to try new things, as well as good for me!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy July!!! Now head on back to Farley and continue the party!

:) Jenny