Eight years ago I had a palm hitting forehead DUH moment. Well, actually, I have them quite often with all of the brilliant ideas I see on blogs and Pinterest, but I'm choosing this one to share because it is so stinkin' simple.
Do you number your kiddos at the beginning of the year in order of your alphabetized roster? Of course you do. We all do. Sometimes they line up in number order, or you arrange their papers in number order to see who hasn't turned theirs in, and then you keep them in number order to make it easier to add grades to the good ol' grade book.
Do you ever get *blessed* with new students in the middle of the year? Of course you do. We all do. It's stressful! …..AND now your number order is off. You had 24 kiddos and now you have to give newbie number 25 even though he fits alphabetically between number 7 and 8. As if this previous statement doesn't scream it loud and clear, I'm totally type A. You'll put your papers in number order, enter them into your grade book, and THEN realize that you forgot to adjust for #25 that should really be the new 8. Ugh. Ain't nobody got time for that! The teacher in me cringes at this blatant grammatical error, but it's too fitting to leave out.
Are you ready for it? Can you handle this? Instead of numbering your kiddos 1, 2, 3, 4, number them 2, 4, 6, 8. Now you have room for a newbie and you can give them an odd number where they fit alphabetically. Minds blown. BOOM.
I also wait until a few days into the school year to assign the numbers to kids because inevitably my roster changes during the first few days of back-to-school.
What palm hitting forehead DUH moment sticks out in your mind?
Ok... I'm starting to get a little scared now! My planned Teacher Tip Tuesday is all about how important numbers are in my classroom. We are now officially on the same wavelength. I think my DUH moment would have to be a sharp/ dull pencil drawer- why didn't I think of that myself and sooner!!!
ReplyDeleteMelissa
Keep Calm and Love First Grade
Great minds DO think alike! Can't wait to see you post about classroom numbers!
ReplyDelete:) Ash
The Rolly Chair
Hey Ash- thanks for stopping by my blog! Thought you might want to check out the follow up activity I just posted about that was inspired by the 2D shapes mentor text. :)
ReplyDeleteKarli
Creating a Thoughtful Classroom
Karli-I love the tessellation cloaks (and they really do look like cloaks!). That is a great follow-up craftivity to the book you shared. I'll be adding this to my "bag of tricks". Thanks again for sharing!
Delete:) Ash