Coming to school is no longer just about learning core subjects and going to specials. For so many students, it is a safe place that provides love, warmth, food, and safety. Due to this, it is more important than ever that teachers develop relationships with students. When relationships are developed, students know they are cared for and supported. Ultimately, this will greatly help them focus on the content while knowing they have a caring adult providing support. In order to combine academics and relationships, checking in with students is vital! While there are many things to accomplish daily, emotional check in’s with students’  will be some of the most valuable time spent. 

 

Reasons Teachers Need to Use Check-Ins 

Truly, there are so many reasons why it is important to use check-ins. 

• Understand the Needs of Students 

Many times, students cannot learn if they are overly stressed, sad, or angry. Therefore, a quick check-in will allow teachers to better understand the needs of students. For instance, using this daily check-in form will be a great way to help students express their feelings.

Furthermore, it will help track any trends students may be having. For instance, are there consistent days the child comes in angry? Or, really sad? Therefore, check-ins will allow teachers to help students handle different emotions. Additionally, they can also help children get counseling or other services, if needed. For other incredible freebies, be sure to join the Engaging Early Learners email list.

 

• Help Students Channel their Emotions 

When children are little, they have a hard time handling all of the emotions they feel! Therefore, check-ins help children learn to articulate how they are feeling. For instance, teachers can use the FREEBIE emotion posters in order to help students identify how they feel. 

By having different pictures that display emotions printed, students can practice matching their mood to the actual emotion. Additionally, if the posters are hung up, students can consistently read common emotions. Thus, they will be in a better position to articulate how they are feeling when asked. 

 

Furthermore, combining the emotion posters and the daily check-in form helps children explain the reasons behind their feelings. Even better, this can be a great time for teachers to teach techniques in handling different emotions, such as deep breathing. 

 

Ultimately, students need time and practice at identifying emotions to describe their own. Thus, another great tool to use involves the FREE emotions task cards!

Here, students will be able to describe how someone may look when experiencing certain emotions. For example, students may have a picture of a person frowning. Then, they will use the word cards to match how that person is feeling. In this case, the person is feeling sad. Truly, students will be able to work on channeling their own emotions after being able to describe common ones. 

 

• Build Relationships 

When students have time to meet with the teacher one-on-one, they feel special, loved, and cared for! Thus, check-ins allow time for the teacher and student to work on building a lasting supportive relationship. Therefore, morning check in pages and emotions posters can lead into great morning meeting conversations! Even better, when students start the day with this conversation, they can begin with a ready-to-learn mindset.

 

 In order to ensure time in the morning is well organized, Morning Meeting Slides will bring in FUN and EXCITEMENT! Additionally, a classroom morning meeting will help everyone become supportive, caring classmates. There are over 350 editable Slides that will spice up the morning. Students will learn routine, build a classroom community, and be ready to learn with these no-prep Slides! For more suggestions on creating a morning check-in routine, come join the Engaging Early Learners on Instagram! 

Oftentimes, students may be hesitant to open up during a check-in. Do not take this to heart! This is due to the fact that students may have never had the opportunity to articulate how they are feeling. Therefore, they are unsure on what to even say! Hence, it is so important to have extra tools and resources in order to help students learn to process their feelings and emotions. Truly, any of the resources above will be incredible ways to help students feel comfortable sharing their emotions. 

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive freebies for blog exclusive subscribers!  

Are you constantly spending time searching for updated social studies materials? Or, are you always trying to find ways for students to have FUN while learning social studies content? Is there an anxious feeling while trying to differentiate for each student? Don’t worry, you are not alone! It can be so hard to find engaging content that will work for all students. Thankfully, there are Social Studies Super Bundles ready for purchase. However, these bundles are so amazing that they won’t be available forever. The Social Studies Super Bundles are only available from October 3rd-10th. The bundles are so amazing that you are going to want to set your calendar reminder now!

 

Benefits of Available Bundles

Sometimes, people are hesitant to purchase bundles due to the higher upfront cost. There is often concern over the quality of all of the resources and if this justifies the cost. Thankfully, the Social Studies Super Bundles are filled with TONS of high-quality printable and digital resources. Be sure to see how amazing the resources are! It will be evident that all of the activities are fun, engaging, worthwhile lessons! Even better, the bundles are only $20 during this exclusive sale! 

After purchasing, huge stress will be lifted due to spending less time planning. HOURS of your time will be saved with these ready-to-go resources! Even better, all of the resources bring in updated and innovative teaching strategies. For example, students will be playing digital games, moving to stations, using Boom Cards, and completing web searches. Therefore, you will be able to read the book on your list, catch up on TV, play with your kids, or take a much-needed nap. After purchasing these bundles, say goodbye to stressing over lesson planning! 

 

Win the super social studies bundle before you can buy it. Valued over $1000 

Elementary giveaway

Elementary Social Studies Bundle (Grades 3-5 

As students get older, they are ready to learn more complex topics. Here, students will learn about protest movements, history headlines, the Constitution, and national parks. Furthermore, students will read nonfiction reading passages, practice map skills, and learn to protect the environment. Truly, there is an entire year’s worth of activities included in order to ensure students learn all about history with over $400 of products. Even better, the entire bundle only costs $20! 

Elementary Social Studies Bundle (Grades K-2)

As students start to understand the importance of a strong community, they are ready to learn where this originated from. Thus, students will learn about different communities, responsible decision making, and teamwork. Additionally, students will learn connections between the past and present and how to read basic components of a map. There are so many activities included that will last throughout the entire year! As above, the entire bundle is only $20! 

SUPER Elementary Bundle 

Many teachers are responsible for multiple grade levels. Therefore, there is so much to prep! In order to best meet the needs of all teachers, you can buy both elementary bundles for only $35! 

 

When buying the  Social Studies Super Bundles for a HUGE discount, tremendous stress will be lifted from your plate! Since over 45 sellers came together to create these incredible bundles, they won’t be around for long. You can save hundreds of dollars and hours of time. Grab it from October 3rd through October 10th at 11:59 PM only. This is a one-time opportunity, so be sure not to miss out!

 

Preschool is a huge adjustment for some of our littlest students. For some, this is the first time leaving their parents. For others, a learning environment can be very different from what they are used to when spending time with a sitter or at daycare. Due to this, they need time to adjust to the classroom and to understand the different behavior expectations. Therefore, reward/behavior systems in my PreK Sped classroom have been essential and life-changing! They allow students to learn routines and expectations in nurturing ways. 

 

Not a One System Fits All Approach 

While I am not an expert on behavior systems, I do know that every preschooler enters the classroom with different background knowledge. For special education teachers, it becomes second nature to “make it work” for students and their many needs. Therefore, they need different systems to help them get through their day. Therefore, you will see a lot of DIFFERENT ideas here. 

Personally, I have one classroom reward system and then I use other systems for individual students/situations. I like to keep an “extra” bin that I can pull out whenever a student is having a hard moment or could benefit from something I have stored away. I do this because I will find, make, and utilize ANY system that any student in any situation needs to enjoy being in preschool. Ultimately, these classroom management systems have been an incredible support in the past 3 years. They have allowed me to maintain a calm and educational classroom.  

 

Whole-Class: Sticker Chart System 

My sticker chart system is something I used every day with every student! It not only works when students are in my classroom but also when they go to Speech, OT, or PT! Be sure to check out my Sticker Chart Video. It will explain my system in addition to how I keep everything organized. 

Individual Systems: Token Boards 

Token systems can be a great way to reinforce positive behavior. Ultimately, students earn tokens and then can exchange them for a larger reward to celebrate their success. Since every student is different, there is not a certain token board to prep. Therefore, I am always hesitant to prep specific token boards and first/then boards before the year starts. This is due to the fact that behavior management systems come with getting to know your students! Instead, I like to have a few general token boards ready for a behavior occurring in the moment. However, thought needs to be put into the board design in order to best reflect the needs of the student. 

When creating token boards, it is important to be flexible. Truly, each board will be individualized for each child. This means some boards may have video game clipart while others have ballerina shoes. Students need to love their board in order to be excited for it! Therefore, this means you need to get to know your students before creating a board. Furthermore, it is vital to understand that the same board will not last the entire year. Any system you create and use may work for a month or two, but systems need to change as students grow. Thus, students, especially our youngest ones, need something new every so often to continue motivating them! 

 

Behavior System 1: Binder 

If your student is traveling around, a binder will be an easy way to keep everything together. Each part of the day can even have its own page. Therefore, a student will be excited to turn the page often and see each step. Then, the student can earn tokens all throughout the day, which can be stored in the front of the binder. At the end of the day, a big reward can be earned!

It is important to remember that while this set up works for one student, it will need to be tweaked for other students. Every single student is different, so a different set up will be needed. Additionally, this design may only work for a short amount of time. As students grow, their binder needs to as well! 

 

Behavior System 2: Mini Clipboards 

I lOVE putting token boards onto mini clipboards! They are SO sturdy! To attach the token board to the clipboard, I like to use packing tape or hot glue. By doing this, they will be sure to stay on. Now, each token board will be individualized. In this example, the student was working on a quiet mouth and hands in lap. Then, the students would earn a token every time he/she does one of those things. After five tokens, the child would earn an editable treat since this was worked out with the parents. 

 

As a helpful tip, you can always put a tiny circular container in the box at the top of the token board with hot glue or Velcro. By doing this, the snack can be on the token board! Thus, we never have to stop and get the treat or bring extra containers along. Everything we need is on the board! 

 

Behavior System 3: Icons 

Visual reminders can be so powerful! I love the token board from Especially Education’s Visuals resource! It is an incredible way to bring in icons that align with what the child likes. Truly, this aspect serves as a great motivational tool! Ultimately, the child will be able to see fun icons and reminders on what the reward will be for positive behavior. If the pieces are in good shape, they can even be stored and used again in the future. 

Behavior System 4: Ring 

It is easy to get small pieces all over the place in preschool. Thus, I like to keep rewards on a ring. For teachers, this keeps everything in one spot. For students, it creates a fun way to flip through and choose the reward. If the ring works for you, it can also be used to keep tokens together! For instance, if you have students who do not carry the token board with them, a ring can store the tokens. Then, they can receive a token from the ring and put it on the board themselves! 

 

Behavior System 5: Bringing a Familiar Face into the Classroom 

One of the biggest struggles preschoolers may have involves missing home. My BFF Jessie from Special Resources By Jessie created a system to help calm homesick feelings. Specially, it allowed a child to know his/her mom was not far away. All preschool teachers have experienced a child crying at the start of the year and wanting to see his/her mom or dad. Therefore, I took the amazing system by Jessie and added a picture of the child’s mom at the bottom of the schedule. By doing this, the child could see how many more things had to be done before seeing Mom. The schedule pieces could even be taken on and off, which worked as a countdown to going home. This system didn’t have to be used long as the child adjusted to being at school, but it was SO powerful! 

 

Behavior System 6: Schedule 

Some students greatly benefit from knowing what will happen and when. Thus, a hands-on schedule is great for students who are a little older. Personally, I used it for a student who had trouble staying on task. Therefore, this schedule helped him/her track what he had to do. However, this is not just a typical visual schedule. It is moveable! This meant that the student was motivated to get work done in a given amount of time because he/she got to actually move the schedule piece. The schedule was Velcro’ed to the desk, so it was easy to move the schedule pieces around. You might also like this daily schedule blog post. 

Behavior System 7: Unpacking Help

As students enter the classroom, there is often so much going on. Between everyone coming in, morning work, and checking in with the teacher, there is a lot to handle! Thankfully, this chart by Jessie was so helpful! It helped the child stay on task and provide motivation to unpack in a timely manner. After putting all of the stars next to the pictures, the child earned a sticker for his class sticker chart. Honestly, sometimes strong classroom management is as simple as giving a sticker! 

Behavior System 8: Checklists 

Teachers often love to keep track of to-do lists in a checklist format. However, they can be just as helpful for students! Jessie and I used a lot of these checklists for our students that were able to understand them. The student would keep this checklist in front of them during group time to remind them of the expectations. Then, if they got all smiley faces during group time, they earned a reward! Additionally, we also had one student utilize a chart like this for everything throughout the day, not just group time.

When the student earned all of the smiley faces for a part of the day, he/she checked it off on a bigger chart. Then, he earned a reward if he/she had all of the checks at the end of the day. Furthermore, my teaching assistants and myself also sent thome these green, yellow or red slips so that the parents would know what kind of day the student had. Truly, it was such an easy way for us to communicate with parents and not have to send a daily email. 

 

Behavior Systems 9: Photo Cases 

I LOVE putting token boards and first/then boards on photo cases. It is sturdy, as the clipboard. I love how I was able to store extra board pieces, snacks for rewards, and a timer inside.

Hence, I did not have to remember and carry so many things!  I made this one on PowerPoint with shapes and text boxes. For this specific student, the behaviorist and I typed up an explanation of how/when to reward this student and exactly how to work with him/her.

When I first made this board for this student, I thought I was going to need ALL of these pictures, but once we started using it day to day, we realized we did not need all of them. I still kept them though, because I never know when I might need them in the future, with this student or another. 

 

Behavior System 10: Doing What Works on the Fly 

Sometimes you just have to do things on the fly with behavior systems. One of my students was having such a hard morning, so when the class went to P.E., I quickly whipped this up. I ran around the room taking pictures of a bunch of things, printed them and mounted the whole thing on a piece of paper that said “first, then”. Needless to say, I only used it for one day, because then I made a nicer one, BUT IT WORKED!! It helped my student get through his day. Thus, rushing around to put this together was absolutely worth it! As special education teachers, it is our job to help our students get through their day and be successful. So, if that means tons of lamination, Velcro and different systems, then that is what we shall do.☺ 

 

I hope this was helpful for most of you reading this about behavior systems. If you made it all the way to the end, thanks for sticking with me! If you are about to start your first year, or you are in the middle of it, YOU GOT THIS! 

 

I talk all about this and show you all of my materials in my “reward/behavior systems” story highlight on Instagram. Also, I talked about reward/behavior systems in my Facebook lives this summer in my Facebook Group! 

If you have any questions, please message me on Instagram. 

 

Back-to-school night is a time to meet families, the tradition of welcoming parents to join educators as partners in the educational process, and more. This is an opportunity for parents and teachers to meet and connect. I’ve gathered ideas and materials to help plan the evening, ideas to encourage participation,  as well as tips to help you make the most of back-to-school night and set the tone for a successful school year.

Tip 1: Be Yourself and Breath During Back to School Night!

Even if this is not your first year of teaching, I am sure you are nervous or anxious. I know I am! I just wanted to remind you to be yourself. You are an amazing teacher. Do you know how I know that?! You are taking the time to read blog posts like this to better yourself for your students. Your students are so lucky to have you!!

BREATHE! Your student’s families are just as nervous and anxious as you are…believe me. Their child is starting a brand-new school year with a brand-new teacher. They are about to hand over their child to you for most of the day for the whole school year. They are nervous! It is ok to level with them and let them know that you are nervous/anxious too. Then you can let them know how TOTALLY excited you are for an amazing school year and how much you have been awaiting their child’s arrival!

Tip 2: Have prepared slides!

Not only will having slides make you look super prepared for back-to-school night, but it will help YOU! Since you are likely to be anxious and/or nervous when all the families come piling into your room, having slides prepared ahead of time can help with this! Whether it is a slideshow of information that plays while the families walk around or a formal presentation led by you, having slides will help you feel more prepared and ready to speak about everything you wanted to speak about.

In my TPT store, I have this set of editable slides specifically designed for meet the teacher/open house/back to school night! The editable PowerPoint comes with 300+ slides that you can add text, shapes, and images to. 

You can also easily use these slides in Google Slides:

• Drag the editable PPT file into your google drive
• Double click the file
• Press ‘open in google slides”
• File, save as google slides

If there is a heading or slide that you would like added please feel free to let me know what you want to be added, and if I have the clip art and ability, I will add it within 1 week. All you have to do is email me at [email protected]!

Customers are LOVING this product so far: 

Check out the editable back-to-school slides today! 

Tip 3: Have a takeaway for the parents and/or students!

Lastly, have a takeaway for the parents or students. This will help them remember you, the experience, and all the information at back-to-school night! You might also like this parent-teacher conference blog post.

Here are some examples of adult takeaways:

• A copy of your presentation
• A copy of your class schedule and other important information
  • I have some FREE schedule templates for you!
• A contact card with your information on it
• If you are having a back-to-school night for parents to gain information, have that information for them to take away in a packet/folder.

Here are some examples of student takeaways:

• A small toy or ‘prize’ for the students (maybe they have to complete a scavenger hunt around the room and then they get a prize) 

My Back to School Night/Open House Setups in the past: 

2017

-I made everything

2018

-Open House kit from Teach Create Motivate   

2019 was the same setup as 2018 plus these additions

 

2020 & 2021 were fully virtual

2022

Back in person! Nothing set up except for our slides and some handouts!!

  

Back To School Night, Meet The Teacher Night, or Open House is an exciting night where teachers open up their classrooms to share with their new students and families. Use these tips to make the most of the back-to-school night.