Who’s ready to talk about conferences?! I am not expert on conferences, at all, but I have a couple tips and a couple of ideas of things I have done that have worked for me. I will also share some FREE resources I have for you!!!!

My Conferences Info:

–We do conferences for 20-25 minutes, with 5 minutes in between
–We always do conferences in November and we only do them once a year.
–The only other time we formally meet with parents is during IEP meetings.
–This year my conferences are virtual for the first time
–I have 3 years of pre-k special ed conferences 

Tips:

— The most important thing this year, since everything has been so crazy and so difficult for a lot of people, I feel like we need to focus the conference on supporting the families and the students. In my classroom we’re going to focus on how we can support families at home. We will ask what they need from us. Instead of “this is your child’s reading level” and “they need to get up to this reading level” and “your child isn’t doing their homework” we are going to try to keep it as as supportive as possible. 
–This year I am using Sign Up Genius for parents to sign up for conferences. It is the best thing I ever did. Typically, at our back to school night we have parents sign up on a piece of paper and then whoever is not there, or if there’s conflicts, we have to figure it out after via email. It’s always a hassle. So, this year we did a Sign Up Genius because we didn’t have an in-person back to school night. On the Sign Up Genius, once a parent signs up for a time slot another parent can’t steal that slot. It’s not like a Google Doc where someone can steal someone’s slot. We just emailed families that didn’t sign up right away with a reminder. I was able to make a free account on Sign Up Genius and it was super easy to figure out. If I didn’t know what to do for a step of setup, I just googled it but definitely recommend sign up genius
–Have notes planned ahead of time. I have a freebie in my TPT store that is a compilation of conference note pages I have used over the past 3 years. Editable conference materials freebie. Prep notes ahead of time so that you are ready with what you want to say.
–Send home a questionnaire ahead of time so you know what the parents want to talk about ahead of time. This will give you time to prepare to answer their questions and concerns. I have a questionnaire included in that conferences freebie. You might want to do this virtually. You can always drag this PowerPoint into Google and save it as a Google slides.
–Outside of my room I always had water bottles with a cute sign that said, “families like you are REFRESHING” (free in my google drive folder). I also had helping hands. I would put possible donation items on hands cut-outs. I had a sign with them that said, “please lend a helping hand”. This is also free in my google drive folder.
–During conferences ask parents what supports they might need at home as far as physical materials as well. Do they need a token board, sticker chart, social story, first/then board, visual schedule, etc.
–Always give families something to walk away with. I created a “How to help at home” handout that I would give to my Pre-K families. This is also a freebie in my google drive folder.

Product in my TPT store for conferences:

In my TPT store I have a conferences pack that I would use during conferences. This includes a schedule, reminders for families, a sign for your door and a sign in. The pack comes in bright colors to grab your attention! You can check out this resource by clicking on the product cover below.

FREEBIE in my TPT store for Conferences: 

Click on the product cover below to view the FREEBIE I referenced above.

FREEBIES in my Google Drive Folder for Conferences: 

1. Water bottle sign
2. Helping Hands sign
3. How to Help at Home handout
4. Editable presentation to present during conferences

FREE Editable Presentation for Conferences

–I will be using this during conferences. Since my conferences are virtual, I will be presenting this during our google meet. It is mostly to keep myself and my co-teacher on track. It will also serve as a good visual for parents. The slides will be general information that we want to share with all parents. I will not be making a separate one for each student. We have notes in a document that have specific student information. I have also included my presentation that I will be using for conferences in the folder as a reference. I include this resource in google slides format, PNGs and PowerPoint.

How to I Gain Access to the FREEBIE Google Drive Folder?

Sign up using this link: CLICK HERE

Once you sign up using the link above, save the link to the google drive folder that you get in your inbox so you don’t have to keep signing up.

**Check your spam or trash folder if you don’t get the link in your inbox**

I hope this was all helpful! If you use any of the above tips or resources PLEASE share with me or tag me using @engagingearlylearners

Fall is here and so are so many awesome Fall resources! I have compiled all of the Fall resources from my store along with a Fall FREEBIE for you, which just so happens to be one of my favorite FREEBIES!!

Life Cycle Activities 

The apple and pumpkin life cycle activities resources are PERFECT for this time of year. If your class discusses life cycles often, you might also want to consider the bundle of life cycle activities in my store!

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Fall Matching Worksheets

These were my FAVORITE seat work activities in my preschool classroom. If your morning routine is missing academics and structure, these are the perfect solution. Students come complete these independently or with minimal support since there are 2 different levels in the pack. These are also part of a larger bundle, if you would prefer to have them all year round.

Fall Number Matching Activity

Centers or independent work, these matching cards are perfect for counting practice! Students can count and match in all of the seasons as well if you grab the bundle of number matching cards!

Last but not least, a FREEBIE for you!

My preschoolers LOVED exploring pumpkins, so I created a worksheet to help them reflect on their findings. This year I have also added a digital option to the freebie! I hope you enjoy this resource as much as I did!! 

If you have any trouble downloading the freebie don’t hesitate to email me at engagingearlylearners@gmail.com or reach out to me on Instagram!

So, what is the difference between BOOM Cards and Interactive PDFs??!!
I am here to tell you!!

BOOM CARDS + INTERACTIVE PDFs

• NO PRINT
• NO PREP
• ENGAGING
• FUN
• Use on any device 
• Easy to share on distance learning platforms

BOOM Cards

How do I download or access these materials?

• When you purchase this resource, you’ll receive a PDF download. Inside the PDF you will find directions and a link to click. You’ll click the link to add the deck (task cards) to your Boom Library.

TO USE:

• Make sure you have internet access
• You can open this link in any browser or the app that is available in the app store
• Click on this link to view the FAQ page on boom:https://boomlearning.freshdesk.com/support/home
• Please do not share this link with other educators
• You may share the link to the boom deck with your student’s and their families. Here is how to do that:https://boomlearning.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/folders/16000094500

MORE INFO:

• When a student is incorrect, an ‘X’ goes through what they clicked on
• To use Boom Cards, you must be connected to the Internet. Boom Cards play on modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge). Apps are available for Android, iPads, iPhones, and Kindle Fires. For security and privacy, adults must have a Boom Learning account to use and assign Boom Cards. 
• You will be able to assign the Boom Cards you are buying with “Fast Pins,” (play provides instant feedback for self-grading Boom Cards). Fast Play is always a free way for students to engage with Boom Cards decks. 
• For additional assignment options you’ll need a premium account. If you are new to Boom Learning, you will be offered a free trial of our premium account. Read here for details: http://bit.ly/BoomTrial.
• You may be eligible for a free trial from Boom Learning. Read here for details: http://bit.ly/BoomTrial. If you choose not to stay on a premium account after your free trial, you will still be able to assign all your Boom Cards to as many students as you see fit using Fast Play pins (which give instant feedback for decks that are self-grading).
• Click on this link to view the FAQ page on boom: https://boomlearning.freshdesk.com/support/home

BOOM Cards in my store

INTERACTIVE PDFs:

• Use on any device
• Can’t advance until the student is correct
• **Interactive PDFs DO NOT HAVE SOUND**

HOW DO I GET THEM ON MY COMPUTER?

• Mac: Open PDF (should open in ‘preview’) and you can start
• PC: open in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (free) or any PDF reader
• Can be used on your computer that connects to your SmartBoard so you can use these in whole group lessons

HOW DO I GET THEM ON MY TABLET?

• Get the google drive app AND the iBooksapp
• Upload the PDF to your google drive
• When you see the file in your google drive, click the 3 dots
• Click, ‘open in’
• Select iBooks
• The file will show up in iBooks
• Open in iBooks and BEGIN 🙂

Interactive PDFS in my store

I hope this was helpful for you! I used both during distance learning and my students loved them. I hope your students love them too.

So, how is the beginning of the school year treating you?? If you follow me on Instagram you know I have been on the STRUGGLE BUS! Switching classrooms, grade levels, having a co teacher and teaching virtually have all been so challenging. 

I wanted to give you some tips I have for the beginning of the this school year. These are not going to solve all of your problems, but they might help you feel a tiny bit better.

1) Planner

No matter how you want to do it, you need a way to plan! I have gone through every possible way to plan; iPad planner, paper, digital (google slides), and more that I probably am not thinking of. Typically, I start the year with one type of planning system, and that quickly evolves into something else, and then something else, and by the end of the year I am doing something totally different. 

This year I plan on starting out with this beautiful planner I put together myself! I have ALL of the details in my Instagram story highlight. 

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Here are some of my favorite planners and resources I have used to plan, and am still using in this planner:

• Joey Udovich’s Ultimate Teacher Planner resource on TPT
• The Creative Classroom’s digital planner (that you can also print)
• Hustle Sanely’s digital planner (used on an iPad with an Apple Pencil)
• Chalkboard Superhero’s planning resource on TPT

2) Set Up

Again, no matter how or where you will be teaching to start the year, you have to set up! My distance learning office/classroom has evolved SO much over the past 6 months. I had to figure out exactly what was going to work for me, as I realized that we were in this for the long haul. Do you need drawers? Bookshelves? Rolling cart? Desk lamp? Teacher toolbox? These are some things you want to consider BEFORE you start teaching. Once the students start, and teaching is in full swing, you don’t want to have to worry about these things! My advice; have too much organization and materials…you can always take some away.

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3) Materials

Before starting the year, and definitely before your students start, you want to make sure you have all the materials you might need in order to teach. I will give you the same advice I gave above; you want to have too many materials to start, and then once you realize what you and your students will actually be working on, you can always take some away. 

To start the distance learning experience in March I used all digital materials OF COURSE. I did not think that there was a way to effectively teach my students with physical materials through a computer. 

I used all of the distance learning and digital activities that I made and then posted in my TPT store. I also purchased Made For Me Literacy’s digital activities and used the BOOM cards. Those were a game changer. They inspired me to start making BOOM cards as well that aligned with what I was teaching. My students LOVED BOOM cards. I would highly recommend looking into purchasing some BOOM cards. I used them in every small group for a few weeks. They worked on skills that we needed to work on AND they were engaging!

4) OSMO Reflector

I am making the OSMO reflector its own section because it truly deserves it. I won’t go on and on too much here because I have 2 blog posts already about the OSMO reflector. Long story short, once I discovered this, I was able to use any physical materials I wanted, and I only had to spend $10!!!!!!!! Check out my 2 OSMO blog posts here:

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5) Morning Meeting/Class Slides

The last thing I truly believe that you NEED to start the year off right is morning meeting/classroom slides for your meetings with students. This is not only essential for distance learning, but in the classroom too. Having uniform slides to start your sessions, or to run your entire session, is very important for your sanity and consistency for your students. There are many, many, many options out there BUT I think I might have the perfect one for you! 

My Editable Classroom / Morning Meeting Slides – Distance Learning product has every slide you might need to run your class meetings OR to display while students are working. This product has over 300 slides and 70 different slide headers. I also promise that as long as I have the clip art, or can find it, and you give me 48 hours, I can add whatever type of slides you want! 

As I mentioned the slides are editable and I include directions for how to add to the slides if you choose to. I also include directions for importing these slides into google slides. I have been using these slides during distance learning and they have been a LIFE SAVOR. They are cute AND make me feel super organized. 

Do you feel ready to start the year? Whether you are teaching from home or at your school, I wish you the best of luck this school year. Things will be different, and it will be a HUGE challenge, but we got this! We are in this TOGETHER!!

By the time ESY came around in July I had made all of the mistakes and came across all of the hurdles that distance learning had to offer me. I was ready for a fresh start and for more organization!

I made a schedule using @thecreativeclassroom digital decor and I was hoping that I would be able to keep the schedule consistent throughout the 4 weeks of ESY. Of course, after the first week we had to make some minor changes, but after that we were able to keep the same weekly schedule.

Our schedule consisted of 3 main activities; circle time, special activity and small groups. Here are more details about each one of those;

CIRCLE TIME: Every day at 9am

For circle time, I used my morning meeting editable slides that are in my TPT store. We went through a typical circle time routine like we would at school. Circle time lasted about 20 minutes. We did circle time with another class is ESY so that is why there are 2 teachers listed under circle time on the schedule.
–Rules
–Attendance
–Greetings
–Weather
–Countdown
–Focus question and quick lesson from curriculum
–Schedule 

**I highly recommend reviewing your schedule for the day at the end of your circle time or morning meeting. The parents loved being able to see it so that they knew what their child had to do for the rest of the day. I even highlighted the specific day with a yellow box.

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SPECIAL ACTIVITY: Tuesday-Friday at 10am

During this time we did FUN activities. Special activities typically lasted about 15-20 minutes. 

• Activities we did during this time:
  • Read aloud
    • You can hold the book up to your camera or use an OSMO
  • Scavenger hunts
    • I used the resource from my TPT store
  • Directed drawings
    • You can find for free online or make it up
  • Yoga
    • Do it live or screen-share a cosmic kids video on YouTube
  • Share a pet/stuffed animal 
    • Or any show and tell
  • Cooking
    • You can do it live or use videos on abcya.com 

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SMALL GROUPS: Monday-Thursday starting at 11am

For ESY we had to see each student for one hour every day. Circle time and special activity took care of that but I still wanted to see my students in small groups. That is how my students learn best at school, and that is when I get to work on their individual skills so I still wanted to do them. I would see 3-4 students at one time, 2 times a week. Small groups were no longer than 15 minutes.

For every single small group I either used my OSMO, BOOM cards or interactive PDFs.

For more information about the activities I would do with my OSMO click HERE.

Boom Cards I would use:
–All of the BOOM cards from my TPT store
—Made For Me Literacy BOOM Cards

I organized my BOOM Cards in the BOOM library by making folders. On the left side of your BOOM library click ‘new folder’. You can organize them by category, skill, students, etc.

Interactive PDFs I would use:
–All of the Interactive PDFs from my TPT store

I used my iPad to project all of this. I have directions in my ‘HOW TO USE THE OSMO’ blog post for connecting your iPad to your computer. The reason I loved using my iPad AND my computer is because I was able to keep my students in full screen on my computer, instead of splitting the screen between them in the google meet and the activity we were doing.

Q&A 

Q: Did you seperate your AM and PM classes?
A: In google classroom I had both classes combined. For circle time and special activity I also combined both classes. For small groups I separated them with  the students that they were familiar with since it was a more intimate setting. 

Q: How did you know if it was too much for your students and their parents
A: During ESY we were required to send a weekly survey to the parents to get their feedback on the work, sessions, etc. I highly recommend doing something like this. It was very helpful. 

Q: How did you take data during distance learning?
A: I mostly took anecdotal notes on how my students were doing. I could not take specific data for their IEP goals like we typically do because most of them have all social goals. During distance learning we were not able to work on most of their goals. 

Q: Did you have paraprofessionals during ESY?
A: My specific class did not but others did. If I did moving forward I probably would have my para take data via a google form. They can join my sessions, split their screen with the students and the data google form and take data via a google form that I would make for them.

Q: Would you meet with each student prior to this schedule starting?
A: ABSOLUTELY! If I had new students I would meet with each family individually at the beginning of the school year. Even if it is just for 10 minutes. 

Introduce back to school concepts of names, classroom rules, sounds, feelings, schedules, school workers, and making friends with the Beginning of the Year Little Books For Big Thinkers book set bundle.

WHAT IS LITTLE BOOKS FOR BIG THINKERS?

Little Books For Big Thinkers is a book series designed specifically for early learners. It covers common early childhood themes presented in developmentally appropriate texts. Little Books For Big Thinkers is inclusive of all learners. Lucy from The Alternative Way to Pre-K and I came together to create books that could supplement the books given to us by our curriculum. Lucy uses, and I used to use, the Creative Curriculum in our classes and realized quickly that most of the books were not appropriate for our preschool self-contained classes. So not only can these books be used in any preschool classroom, we also aligned them to Creative Curriculum studies. Each purchase from Little Books For Big Thinkers comes with one book with typical text and pictures, one book with symbol text version that includes supporting visuals. Each book can be used in the classroom, online, or at home. 

DO YOU TEACH LITTLE LEARNERS?

These little books are perfect for any little learner. We kept the language very general and simple so you can use this with a wide range of learners. You can use these books as a large group read aloud, in small groups, virtually during distance learning and so much more!

DO YOU USE THE CREATIVE CURRICULUM?

If you use the Creative Curriculum, these books align perfectly with the Beginning of the Year Study. We would recommend using these alongside the books that the Creative Curriculum provides, or using them to replace those books. This depends on your student’s reading comprehension skills levels. 

We are both familiar with, and have used, the Creative Curriculum in our preschool special education classrooms. We would typically spend 1-2 weeks on each focus question. We wrote one book for each focus question. 

HOW CAN I USE LITTLE BOOKS FOR BIG THINKERS BOOKS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING?

• We recommend using the books as read alouds as if you were in the classroom. You can screenshare the book and go through it with your whole class or in small groups. You can also print and prep the books and read them to your students during your virtual meetings. 
• We recommend sharing these books with your students and their families via whatever online platform you are using (Google Classroom, Seesaw, Schoology, etc.) so that they can read and review them on their own time.

BOOKS WE HAVE MADE SO FAR:

1. Names at School Social Story – Little Books For Big Thinkers
2. Sad and Scared at School Social Story – Little Books For Big Thinkers
3. School and Classroom Rules Social Story – Little Books For Big Thinkers
4. School Schedule Social Story – Little Books For Big Thinkers
5. Who Works At School Social Story – Little Books For Big Thinkers
6. Making Friends at School Social Story – Little Books For Big Thinkers
7. Sounds You Hear At School Social Story – Little Books For Big Thinkers
8. BUNDLE

EXCLUSIVE BUNDLE BONUS FILE!!

The Beginning of the Year School Stories Bundle exclusively offers all stories in boom card format. That means, students can have each beginning of the year social story read to them and at their own pace. The students will be able to listen to each story with automatic sound. They will also be able to click the button when they are ready for the next page, developing their independence skills! To preview click here: https://wow.boomlearning.com/store/bundle/NWTiJZ4sDqTy9q6Zt?ref=self

HOW TO PREP THE BOOKS:

Method 1: Bind the book with a binding machine and coils

Method 2: Put each page in a sheet protector and use binder rings to hold them together

Method 3: Use a portfolio cover and print the pages on normal paper

Method 4: Use the Happy Planner rings

Method 5: Simply print and staple!