Classroom Rolling and Clip Chartin'

As I sat on the couch last night and reminisced about my classroom, I began to think about the students that I was fortunate enough to have for two years.  I have not only fallen in love with 3rd and 4th grade, but also with the idea of rolling.  Having the same students for two years, or more for some teachers I have known, can be a wonderful and rewarding experience for all involved.

Teachers are more able to focus on the individual students: they are more aware of each student's short-comings and talents.  As an example, in the 2011-2012 academic year I was faced with a third grader that was new to our district.  This child was unable to read (really the child couldn't read the word 'cat'), after working with the child for a few short weeks, the child and I set the goal of reading at grade-level by the end of fourth grade.  I am happy to say that we reached our goal.  I feel the fact that I was more able to accomplish this feat because I was able to keep the classroom and this child's education consistent for two academic years.

The flip side, of course, is having two years with a challenging student.  This can make both the student and the educator weary.  I came down to third and fourth grade from sixth grade.  I did not expect too much of a difference between the grades (it is only two years, isn't it!), but I was very wrong.  The classroom management style that I was used to using (I was one of the first to begin using Power Teaching, now known as Whole Brain Teaching) was not as effective with a combination class.  I had one student, in particular, that did not respond to much of anything except immediate, and almost constant, positive reinforcement.  After some searching, I wandered upon the behavior clip chart system.  I did not want to abandon my Power Teaching, but was willing to add the clip chart to my repertoire.  My kids loved the clip chart, and slowly we fazed out many facets of Power Teaching (a subject I will post on tomorrow).

For some reason, other than finding great clip art, I have decided to work with bears this summer.  Here is the clip chart that I made for a co-worker.