Hi friends!
I am
I am a huge fan of Bonnie and her mad tech skills!She is so amazing…
and somehow she even let me come talk to you guys on her blog today!
{Sending you kisses sweet Bonnie!}
I am going to share with you an idea I started using last year
to get my kinders to SELF MANAGE their time in literacy stations,
specifically Daily 5.
I use these self management necklaces for free choices in my classroom.
{Examples include Daily 5,
which I call Great 8 because I run 8 stations,
and Sight Word Stations}
My necklaces are two sided, just to take advantage of their greatness.
Each student has their own and they wear it around their necks or clipped to their shirts.
Here is a picture of the clip option.
Each student is responsible for their own necklace
and they cross themselves off.
They keep their necklaces in their own book boxes.
One side of their card is used for Sight Word Stations.
It is pictured above.
All my stations are at color coded tables in my classroom.
When a student finish that station,
they take a Vis a Vis Marker and check their colored boxes on their own necklaces.
Why do I like these necklaces for my students?
My students get a picture of ALL the activity choices they have
as well as the ones they have already finished.
I still use a choice board like the one pictured below to MAKE the choices,
but the necklace is their tool or resource.
It holds them accountable.
At the end of the day or week,
one student who is deemed the cleaner takes ONE baby wipe and
wipes off the tags for all the students in the class.
This takes 2 minutes or less.
Now, let me show you how I make them.
You will need:
Scotch Self Sealing Pouches. {They come in packs of 10.}
A Lanyard or clip for each student
{You can make a set yourself.
Here is a link to the file I sell with my literacy workstation card.}
First, I print the cards out.
These are the actual real Daily 5/ Literacy Station version.
10 print on each page.
{I print a Sight Word Stations on the verse side.}
Then I cut them out.
{You can see both sides of mine here.}
This is where I write my students names on the cards BEFORE I place them in the pouches.
Now, I place the cards inside the pouches.
Here is the finished result.
After the cards are sealed,
I use a strong hole punch to punch the whole in the BOTTOM of the card.
Why at the bottom?
At first I punch the hole at the top too!
Look at this punch on the top.
When your students wear the necklaces,
they will hold it up to see it by the lanyard.
And it will be upside down for them.
It works best for your students to view if you punch the whole on the bottom.
Lastly, I have a few friends that may need some extra helping making choices.
How do I handle this?
I take a Sharpie and write a number choice ON TOP OF the pouch.
The permanent marker will not wipe off daily,
but it will wear off over time.
I like this because I want them to get weaned off the support
and make their own choices.
This is exactly why I do not mark the cards with Sharpie before I put it in the pouch.
If you want to read more about my Daily 5/Literacy Stations, click here.
And if you want to know more about Sight Word Stations, click here.
I hope you try out this idea if using these self management necklaces.
They have been a HUGE success in my classroom.
You know how to capture students’ iterest. These amazing visuals can make anyone’s moood better. Moreover, this strategy improves students’ motivation and concentration. If I were your student, I would look forward to the next lesson only to know what else our teacher has prepared for us.