You Oughta Know About... Class Dojo!

 

I’m linking up with the amazing Mrs. McClain from Buzzing with Mrs. McClain for this month’s You Oughta Know Blog Hop! This hop is full of amazing tried and true ideas that fellow teachers/bloggers, feel that you just “Oughta Know!”

One of the resources that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE to use in my classroom is Class Dojo!!! Have you heard of it?!? If not let me tell you a little more about it.

I first discovered Class Dojo at a technology conference that I attended a couple of years ago. This particular year, I had a group of students that liked to keep me on my toes. After attending the conference I decided that the day I got back I was going to give Class Dojo a try and see how the students responded. They LOVED it!

What is Class Dojo?

It is a FREE behavior management tool that allows you to encourage your students through positivity. It is interactive and allows you to provide immediate feedback to students about their behavior (both positive & negative). The data that is collected can be very useful in parent conferences or meetings with administrators.  Parents can also stay connected and if given access to their child’s account they are able to monitor behavior while their child is at school and know the type of a day he/she had before they even get home from school.

How it Works

To get started you can use an interactive whiteboard, computer connected to a projector, smartphone, tablet or even an iPod. As long as you have some type of device with an internet connection, you will be able to access Class Dojo. Each student in the class is given an avatar. As the teacher, you set up your account to show positive behaviors that you want your students to demonstrate and possibly negative behaviors that you are trying to have your students eliminate from their daily habits. Any time you see students demonstrating the desired behaviors, you can award them a Dojo Point. If a student is not demonstrating the desired behavior, you have the ability to remove a point from them by selecting the undesired behaviors that you have set up. Everything is done in real time so all feedback is immediate and helps to keep students engaged. Reports can be generated at the end of each day to see how individual students did as well as your entire class.

 

Cool Features

* Messaging to parents- Another feature that has been added this summer, I have not had a chance to test it out

* Ability to take attendance to keep track of absences

* Class Dojo now has the ability to be used school wide meaning that your librarians, music, p.e., art, administrators can all have the ability to award your students points if you share your class with them.  This is something that was rolled out just over the summer, so I have not had a chance to test it out yet.

Why I LOVE Class Dojo!

After implementing this tool with my group that kept me on my toes, I noticed SIGNIFICANT changes in the behaviors that were being demonstrated. My students, specifically the boys, really wanted to remain in the positive and help add to our overall class positive points count. I had several students tell me “Ms. Hamm, I’m going to have a great day today because I really want to earn enough Dojo points to get to the Wall of Fame!” Hearing them say this made my heart happy because they genuinely wanted to change their behavior for the better. This past school year, I was able to utilize Class Dojo for the entire year and it proved to be the BEST behavior management program that I have been able to use in my classroom. Just to give you an idea of just how powerful this tool is, last year on the last day of school we took a look at our overall positive and negative points for the entire school year. I was absolutely shocked at what the data showed me. My students had received 6,517 Positive points and ONLY 154 Negative points for the ENTIRE year!! The class the year before that, you know the ones that kept me on my toes, had racked up more negative points in 2 months than last year’s class did in the entire year.

Other Things I Do with Class Dojo

* Each year I establish some sort of Wall of Fame that allows me to recognize those students who achieve our goal of getting 10 or more Dojo points in a week. They get a special star or shape that relates to our classroom theme, write their name on it and it gets added to the wall right behind my desk. Not only do they get their name on the wall, but they also  get to pick a reward, such as lunch with the teacher, computer time, reading to the class, etc. I make it a point within the first few weeks of school to get every student to 10 points so that their name is added to the wall. From that point on they all try really hard to get their name added many more times! Trust me they keep track of how many times they are up there and they notice the ones who get their name up there a lot!

* When students reach 10 points, they receive their code to have home access and they get to then change their avatar. They love when we project the class the next day and everyone can see that they changed their monster.

* Use Class Dojo in conjunction with a class economy system. (I do this when we are learning about economics in the later part of the year). For a specific number of Dojo Points, students earn that value in classroom cash. They can then purchase rewards such as a new pencil, sitting in the teacher’s chair, lunch with the teacher, etc.

Have I been able to convince you of just how amazing Class Dojo is?!? I am one of the Class Dojo mentors, so I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have. I hope that you give this tool a try this year and let me know what you think!

Now be sure to head on over to the other bloggers in the hop to see what things that they feel you “Oughta Know…”

An InLinkz Link-up

Until Next Time…

Have Fun Creating a Positive Learning Environment!

Hugs,

August Currently & New Products

 

Please say it isn’t so… is it really August already?!? Where has the summer gone? I honestly can’t complain, I have had a very relaxing and enjoyable summer so far, so the time off has been very much appreciated. I also secretly LOVE the month of August, because it’s my birthday month, even if my birthday isn’t until the VERY end of the month!!  

Since it’s the start of a new month that means it’s time to link up with the amazing Farley over at Oh, Boy Fourth Grade! for her monthly Currently Linky!

Listening: I admit it…I watch Guy Code, I also watch Girl Code when it’s on. These shows are very funny to me. It’s fun hearing their opinions on different topics, some I can relate to and others is just LOL because it’s unreal!

Loving: I started my fitness journey at the end of June by using Rachelle’s 3 Weeks No Cheats. I’m on my 2nd round of not missing a daily workout, whether it’s going for a walk, to the gym, or just doing some exercises right here in the comfort of my home. It’s the BEST decision that I’ve made lately! I’ve come to enjoy working out and most days crave it! Let me just say that is something that I NEVER thought I would ever say! I’m bummed to be heading back to school soon, which means I won’t be able to get my morning walks in, but I do plan to continue getting my daily workouts in, just in the afternoons/evenings when I get home. I’m sure I’ll be deadbeat tired those first couple of weeks back to school, but I’ve got to stick to it! Can’t let myself slip now that I’ve come this far!

Thinking: Summer has truly flown by. It does not feel like I’m getting ready to head back to school and it definitely doesn’t feel like I’m going to have a new group of students. I’m excited for the new year, but I want summer to just slow down just a teeny tiny bit!

Wanting: My boyfriend and I woke up and went straight to the gym (our new normal Saturday morning routine) so now all I want to do is take a nap. I’ve actually been wanting to take naps all week, but I’ve been doing my best to resist the urge because I don’t wan to start taking naps this late in the summer. That will make heading back to school even more difficult than it already will be.

Needing: With school right around the corner I really need to get myself in gear and get some things created that I’ve been putting off. Some of it is kind of hard to get done, because we won’t get our class list for another 2 weeks or so, but there are some crafts that I’ve begun and need to finish. I have been getting a lot of paper work type things done, but there is still SO much more that I need to get done. In the end I know it will all get done, it always does!

So that’s what I’m currently up to, what about you?!? Head on over to Farley’s blog to link up!

Before you go…I just want to share a few new products that are listed in my store. Click on the images to be taken directly to the products in my TPT store. I still have lots of other things that I want to create and will be adding things to my store more frequently!

                

That’s all I have for today! Once I’m able to get into my room and start setting up, I’ll be back to post pictures.

Until Next Time…

Have Fun & Live Life to the Fullest!

Shhh…Can You Keep A Secret?!?

 

It’s your lucky day!! I’ve been given the opportunity to be a part of an exclusive group of amazing bloggers who have the chance to share some new Back to School products coming out from Creative Teaching Press!!

There are so many great products coming out for Back to School season and I can’t wait to be able to share more of them with you! For now, you are getting an EXCLUSIVE Sneak peak at a couple of the products that will be available very soon!

First up, is this 5 Star Reader Common Core Poster! This is going to be such a great resource in so many classes!!

My next sneak peak is the New Moroccan Nights Straight Border! I absolutely LOVE this design!

Which of these 2 sneaks can you see yourself using in your classroom next year?

Stay tuned for more goodies and giveaways from Creative Teaching Press! You are not going to want to miss it!  

Click on the image below to hop on over to the Penniless Teacher to see her CTP sneak peek!

Until Next Time…

Have Fun Learning!

What Time Is It?

It’s SPRING BREAK time!! This break couldn’t have come at a better time! It is much needed and I’m looking forward to spending the week catching up on some things that I’ve been putting off, such as blogging (hangs head in shame), and hanging out with my new nephew who was born less than a week ago!  

We’ve had a busy start to spring in our classroom, including learning all about telling time! Lucky for me, I had some wonderful goodies sent to me from Creative Teaching Press, which included some blank analog clocks. These came in handy for having my students review not only how to read an analog clock to the hour and half hour, but they were able to draw right on them, using a dry erase marker that is!

My kiddos had so much fun showing me that they were beginning to master this skill. I have a group set placed in each of my table bins and whenever we have some down time, I just tell my kiddos to whip out their clocks and give them a random time to represent.

Some other ways that I think that these could be used is to have the clocks taped to students desks and have them write one of their peers names at a specific number. When doing partner work, students could be told that your “appointment” at 9:00 is your partner for this activity. At least it would take a little pressure off you of having to assign partners. Of course you’d still have to keep an eye on those 2 students that you always try your best to keep apart.

What are some other ways that you could use these clocks in your classroom?

Want to snag these for your own classroom? Be sure to stop on over at CTP to grab them up!

I’ve got some pretty exciting things coming up in the next couple of weeks! Can’t wait to share!  

Until Next Time…

Remember to Always Have Fun Learning!

Can You Believe I’m Blogging & Weather Tracking Makeover!!

This year has been going so wonderful!! So much so, that I seem to have neglected my blog for long periods of time. Every year, I say to myself that I’m going to devote time to blog at least once a week, and then that turns into once after several months! LOL! I really will attempt to do much better.

I was so fortunate to be given an opportunity to try some products from the amazing company Creative Teaching Press with my kiddos! This is after several, and I do mean SEVERAL snow days this winter! I cannot wait for this dreadful season to be over and I don’t want to hear the word SNOW for the rest of this year!

Once I received all of my goodies from CTP, I had to really think about how I wanted to utilize them in my classroom. After seeing the weather icons, I knew that I instantly wanted to change how we were recording our daily weather. Prior to the new fun method, we were recording the weather in a laminated book that was being held together by binder rings, and then several pages had to be reinforced with clear hole punch reinforcements. This is what happens when you’ve been using the same book for several years and many first graders have been taking such great care of the book!

The pending arrival of spring, prompted me to create a weather tracker that was not only going to be easy to manage, but cute as well! Let’s face it, if it doesn’t look good, especially in first grade, the kids are not going to be as engaged. At least that’s what I’ve learned with my class this year! They are all about things looking fun, bright, and cute!

I used the CTP Chevron Solids to create little pockets. I used fonts from KG Fonts, frames from Lovin Lit and the weather clipart is from the amazingly talented Melonheadz Illustrating.

To create the weather sticks I used the 1” Weather Mini Designer Cuts. Each stick contains one icon.

Each day, students will put a weather stick into the correct pocket and then use tally marks to record what the weather was like for that day. At the end of the month, we will be able to quickly see which form of weather we experienced the most.

This is our first week formally using this new system and I can already tell you that my students are LOVING it! They were excited to watch me put all of the components together and they were even more excited when they finally had a chance to use it.  I loved how easy it was to assemble and make the products fit the needs of my classroom. I’m so glad that I decided to utilize the products in the manner that I have, because they were just the right size to fit in the space that I have on my board without being overbearing.

Now I have some leftovers, because I didn’t use it all, so I’m thinking of other creative ways to put the products to use!

If you are interested in adding these wonderful products to your classroom be sure to head on over to Creative Teaching Press to grab them up!  

Until Next Time….

Remember to Have Fun Learning!!

Long Time No See & A GREAT Sale!!

Well, it's been quite a LONG time since I've done any blogging! This past school year was pretty draining and I just didn't have the drive to do anything outside of my classroom walls. But with summer break, comes rejuvenation and the desire to want to get back into the things that I enjoy most!

I'm going to try my best to get back to blogging faithfully on this blog and my crafting blog as well. I think if I just make myself schedule time to do them, I'll be more apt to sticking to some sort of schedule. I also have some things I want to work on to add to my TPT store.

My real purpose for stopping in today was to share a GREAT deal that I ran across! In following so many blogs my interest has been piqued in deciding whether or not a I should purchase a personal laminator. I've been contemplating this for a while, and my interests has become more heightened over the past week as I've begun to think about getting things prepared for my classroom for next year. I know, I know, I've only been on summer break for 2 weeks, and I'm already thinking about next year. A teacher's work is never done! But it's fun to start to think about decorating and things I want to do better in the coming year.

Oh yea, I digressed, back to the laminator issue! :)

So I've done lots of research, ok not lots, but enough to finally decide that I was going to take the leap and get my own laminator. We have one at my school that we are able to use, but like most schools, it takes FOREVER to heat up, and I'm not always that patient when I want to quickly get things done! With my own laminator I'll be able to have things done prior to getting to school, and that will save valuable time, in the beginning of the year and all throughout.

The company MyBinding.com, has the laminator that I have seen shared and discussed by many of the bloggers that I follow. So this morning I decided to just go on the site and just confirm that it was really the one that I wanted. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the laminator I've been looking to get, was on SALE!!! I of course had to jump on it right away and place my order! You can see what I'm talking about by going HERE.

So now I have to sit and wait for it, but I'm willing to be patient for this one! :)

Well I'm off to organize my office and then go spend some quality time with my teammate!!

Hope that you all have a fabulous day!!

Remember to...Always Have FUN learning!

Recycling Glue Sticks

Does your school recycle glue sticks to raise money? Our school does and it's awesome to get the kids excited about saving our planet and raising money for our school one glue stick & bottle at a time! :)


I thought it would be fun to create a container that would ensure that the kids knew exactly where thier empty glue sticks should go, so I got my brain working and thought that I could re-use an empty Lysol wipes container as the perfect container for our glue sticks.

Doesn't this remind you of an Elmer's glue stick. I didn't have a chance to use this with my kids last year so I'm super excited for my new group of students to see and use this. Hopefully it will help them to remember to recycle thier glue sticks in a fun way!

Thanks for taking a peek! Would love to know what you think!

Remember to Always HAVE FUN LEARNING!

Until Next Time...

Tired of Stepping on Crayons?!?

How many times have you been walking around your classroom and you step on a crayon? I can't begin to tell you how many times I have found crayons on the floor. The worse part is when someone steps on it and then it gets smeared on to the floor and then we have to figure out how in the heck we are going to get it up so that the floor is not destroyed. Not only that how many times have your students said to you "I don't have that color". Millions, right! Last year I had a big light bulb turn on in my head and I decided that it was time that I find a way for there not to be so many crayons on the floor and a way for students to be able to have the colors that they need for activities. What was my solution you ask? Well I decided to create a Crayon Lost & Found (see picture below)

I created this extremely helpful two from the lids of two of the boxes that reams of copy paper come in. I covered it in cardstock and then used my Cricut (LOVE using this machine for classroom projects) to cut the letters and images.

So how does it work?!? Simple, when the students find a crayon on the floor rather than trying to figure out who it belongs to, they place in the Lost & Found. Then when someone says that they do not have a certain color, they simply head over to the lost & found, borrow the color they need, and then return it. No more arguments over someone taking someone elses crayons, or stepping on crayons that have been left on the floor.

I must say that this was sooo helpful last year, and I'm excited to introduce this to my group of students this coming year. I hope to be able to make a few more of these for a few of the teachers at my school.

Well that's all I have for today.
Remember to Have Fun Learning!

Until Next Time!