SCHOOL APPROPRIATE PLAYLISTS

I like to move it, move it! 💃 And I know that my students do too! There are so many studies out there about how music boosts brain chemicals and activity. I think that music in the classroom can be a great motivator! It can help learning "stick", enrich our classroom community, and ENGAGE my students. I always like to have the perfect playlist to set the mood for the day/lesson and today I'm sharing my 8 favorite playlists I've made with you. 

**These playlists all contain clean songs that I have deemed "school appropriate." My standard is no profanity and very limited/no suggestive content. If you noticed that there is something on one of these playlists that you are concerned about, please let me know!

1. Class Playlist

This playlist reflect's my students and their unique personalities 100%!! For more information on how my students and I compile our class playlist each year check out this blog post. I play these student-selected songs on shuffle during movement breaks, transition times, or work time where I'm okay with things getting more noisy. It's always fun to guess which song "belongs" to each student. This playlist is my favorite for community building.

2. Teacher Favorite's Playlist

There are those times before or after school when I'm hustling to get work done and I just like to JAM. This is the playlist I listen to. This playlist was created for teachers by teachers (thanks Insta/FB friends who helped me out)! There are times when I'm getting things ready when I have students/coworkers/parents come in unexpectedly. Because of that, I a made sure that this playlist is clean so that I can stay professional even when jamming out. 

3. Instrumental Playlist

This is probably my most played playlist! My students and I affectionately refer to this playlist as our "Brain Jams." I created this totally instrumental playlist with many different genres in mind. From classical, to pop covers, to movie scores this instrumental playlist has it all. Some days I hit shuffle to get a fun, random mix. Other days I'll scroll to a specific section to play similar styles of songs. Brain Jams flow during small group discussion time, individual work time, and assessments to fill the space and set the mood/tone for the lesson.

4. Throwback Playlist

This playlist always makes me want to stand up and dance! I use this for our movement/dance breaks, welcome music, work time, and for my own getting-ready-for-the-day-pump-up-playlist. It always surprises me how many of these songs my students know and sing along to. 
P.S. This is the playlist I've used for any staff meetings/PD I've helped facilitate. Once again, it's about setting the tone that I want and I've found that these songs always bring a smile to people's faces. 

5. Halloween Playlist

Need the perfect playlist for your class Halloween party or to set the spooky mood this October? I've got you covered! I've compiled some of my favorite, kid friendly, ghoulishly good songs that your whole class is sure to enjoy. 

6. Thanksgiving Playlist

I get so excited about Christmas after Halloween that I sometimes forget to listen to all of the good Thanksgiving Jams out there! Okay, so there aren't tooo many Thanksgiving songs... but I've put together an hour long playlist that is perfect for your class feast or any other festive activities you have planned. I especially love to play "I've Got Plenty to be Thankful For" from Holiday Inn each year as we start our Attitude of Gratitude activity.

7. Christmas Playlist

'Tis the season to be jolly! If your school is as into celebrating Christmas and Winter as my school is -- this playlist is sure to be a hit. Full of fun renditions of well known songs, this 7.5 hour playlist  (what can I say, I really love Christmas) is fun to shuffle through all season long! 

8. Valentine's Playlist 

Valentine's Day (or PALentine's day as I call it in my class) is my student's last class party of Elementary School so it's a pretty big deal. We focus on the love of family and friendship and of course I had to look for some upbeat tunes to match the occasion. 

Join the dance party on Spotify -- my account is MyTeacherStyle. 💃 Let me know in the comments below if there are any other songs you want to see on these playlists. Have fun moving and grooving!

THROW KINDNESS

I don't know about you, but the popular quote "Throw Kindness around like Confetti" speaks to my soul! Kindness, by definition is "the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate." These are all attributes that I strive to show to others both inside and outside of my classroom. Incorporating the theme of kindness into my classroom this year was a no-brainer for me, but I wanted to do it in a fun way that also incorporated my teacher style. Throwing a little confetti into the picture adds a fun, party-like, whimsical charm. Building and fostering a community of kindness, friendship, consideration, and fun in my classroom is so important to me. I strive to let each individual know and feel that they are valued, not only by me, but by one another. Today, I'm sharing one of my favorite community building activities that I start on the first day of school and build on throughout the year. Something I love about this activity is that you could start it in your classroom tomorrow! It requires little prep, but the impact is lasting. 

*The activity that I'm sharing with you today is based on an activity my cooperating teachers shared with me during my student teaching. Over time, I've tweaked it and made it into what I'm sharing with you today. I hope that you are inspired by my activity (as I was by theirs) and use it in a way that compliments your teaching style and your kids.

It all starts with a blank canvas. I took an empty space in my room and added the simple phrase "Throw Kindness like Confetti." I LOVE this freebie from Especially Education. It is so clean and bright and beautiful and added a wonderful pop to my "naked" wall. Don't fret, my wall didn't stay this blank for too long.

To kick-start this activity I had my 5th Graders sit on the carpet and read the beloved classic "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein to them. After the story was finished, I had students turn to an 'elbow partner' and share their overall thoughts and feelings of the book. After students had the opportunity to share in a smaller group setting, we came back together as a class and I pointed out the bright kindness quote. I then asked students what they thought that quote meant and asked them to share with partners. Having discussed both pieces separately, I then asked students to make connections between the quote and the story that we had just read. I was a little nervous to see how a "high rigor" activity would go over towards the end of the first day of school, but our classroom was electric. I could see leaders emerging at the different table groups, willing to share their thinking with others. But even the more quiet students were eager to connect kindness, confetti, and the Shel Silverstein classic. We came back together as a class and I asked students to share out. One of the most endearing responses shared was from a young man who said, "Confetti is really messy, but in a good way. If we give to others like the tree did, we can make the world messy with kindness and happiness. Like confetti it will be really hard to clean up when we start spreading it everywhere." After I gave several students the opportunity to share their thinking and build on one another, I introduced a tangible way for us to start spreading kindness around. 

Each student in class received a piece of confetti. The instructions were to choose a classmate, write them a short message of encouragement/appreciation/kindness, and deliver it. I let the students know that on our first go around, not everyone would receive one, but that over the course of the year we would continue this activity and eventually all students will receive multiple confetti pieces. We also talked about how good it feels to give (whether or not you receive something in return), just like the tree in our book. The electricity in the air shifted as students channeled their excitement into the words that they were writing down for a fellow classmate. I walked around and observed students writing to kids that they had just barely met a few hours before, taking the time to write an intentional note of kindness. 

After students had received and read their confetti pieces I collected them all and that's when the physical transformation began. Our wall went from a blank space, to a tangible reminder of the kindness that was being spread. 

Throughout the year, we've continued this activity. I typically pass out confetti strips every two weeks or so. I like to mix it up each time. Sometimes I let students choose who they would like to write to (but I remind them that it should be a different person than who they've written to before), other times I have written out the names of each student on a strip of confetti and let students grab one (or passed them out randomly), and sometimes I'll pass out two blank pieces so they can spread a little extra kindness. 

Something that is so sweet about this activity is actually watching the confetti "explode" more and more throughout the year. My students LOVE it and often are the ones who ask to do it and remind me to pass out strips. I've placed in a few gold glitter pieces (because why not) but mostly this space full of kind, thoughtful, generous words. 

I have seen this activity build community in my classroom right before my very eyes! Students have branched out and made new connections based on a kind comment that they received from another student that opened their eyes to the possibility of a new friendship. This kindness exercise has challenged my students to get to know one another on a deeper level so they can give more than just a generic compliment when filling out a confetti strip. I've never heard a student complain about not receiving a note, but I've heard several students comment on how good it feels to tell someone else "how awesome that they are." Just like the sweet tree we read about on the first day of school, my students are looking for ways that they can give to others and encourage them, which in turn makes them feel happy.

You really could start this simple activity at any point during the school year. I could see this working in any grade level, and I've even done a similar activity with staff at my school. 
I would love to hear how this inspires you to throw kindness around like confetti in your classroom. Please share your results in the comments below!

WHY I HAVE A CLASS PLAYLIST

I love music and my students do too! Music in the classroom is such a powerful tool that can be used for movement breaks, calming effect, fact memorization, and even community building. I love using music in the classroom with intention throughout the day, and today I'm going to share how I use music to build and strengthen my classroom community. 

I am always looking for ways to let my students know that they are loved and valued. My latest community building activity was fun, quick, easy, and it involved music... which totally encapsulates my teaching style! I put a simple prompt on my whiteboard table that all students could easily answer. "Turn up the jams Tuesday! What song always puts you in a good mood?" As students entered our room and began their morning routine, they took a moment to think about their song and write it down on the table. This took less than 5 minutes!

I observed students whispering in excitement over the fact that they shared the same favorite song. I realized that this had already become a team-building activity. The impact of this prompt didn't stop with what you see here though, I took it a step further and I think you should too!

I took these "good mood songs" and created a CLASS PLAYLIST! The kids had no idea that I was using these song titles to make a playlist, so the first time I turned on one of the songs a student popped up and gasped, "This is MY song!" Other students turned and commented, "Oh this is such a good pick," "I like this song too," and more! They continued working (and some were grooving to the beat) and when the song was coming to an end students started to wonder whose song would come on next. It was so fun to see how "into it" they got and that they picked up on the fact that I made a playlist of their songs right away! When I got home that night a parent reached out to me and shared, "My boy came home today and with great excitement told me Miss W played my favorite song today. He was so happy. Thank you for making him feel so special." When I came up with this Class Playlist idea I figured that it would be a fun way for us to get to know a little bit more about each other in the first few weeks of school. I knew I'd use it for movement breaks, rotations, and work time... but I never dreamed that it would have such a positive impact that a child would go home, tell their parent, and that their parent would take the time to share that with me. 

Music is powerful and I've already seen the impact of it this year with my students. I would encourage you to create a class playlist with your students that reflects the personality of your classroom. It will help students get to know more about one another and it will make each child feel special. 

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE: How to foster a Spirit of Thankfulness in your classroom

November is here and I am so looking forward to all that this month has in store! Today I'm sharing one of my favorite classroom activities: Attitude of Gratitude. It's something I started last year and know I will do for YEARS to come!

This activity is so simple and CHEAP! I spent under $3 on this month-long activity that will foster and build a spirit of thankfulness in my classroom and bond my students closer together. 

When I set up the activity I had students work together to look through a dictionary and thesaurus to define these words:

- attitude

- gratitude

- thankfulness

- blessing

Different groups got to look up different words (some words had multiple groups researching) and share their findings with the class. Then we worked as a class to come up with a "student friendly definition" of what having an attitude of gratitude is and looks like. After we got on the same page about the heart behind what we would be doing... I explained the activities. I told my students that we would be displaying our grateful hearts in three ways and they were so excited to learn about each way.

1. The first way that we will be working on fostering this attitude of gratitude is through "family time" at the end of each day. Every day of November we will end the day sitting in a giant circle on the floor. We will go around one-by-one and share what we are thankful for from that day. I explained to my students that I wanted us to be deliberate to look for the little blessings in each day and identify them as things we can be thankful for. We started today, and already our family time/thankfulness sharing was so special. Students were extremely attentive to one another, tracking the speaker, nodding in approval as students were sharing, and even whispering out a few "oh that's a good one." Some of the things my class was thankful for today...

- Each other

- Having a cafeteria that provides free food for all children so no one will go without (verbatim what the kid said ya'll - presh)

- Miss Whittaker :)

- Fun STEAM activities

- Good weather

- Getting to do Attitude of Gratitude (tears!)

Seriously could not have asked for a sweeter time today. I can't wait to see what's ahead. My students "homework" is to ask their parents what they are thankful for today!

2. The second part of our Attitude of Gratitude activity involves looking for ways we can impact our community - both inside the school & out. Students worked together to brainstorm a list of organizations and groups that they would like to "sponsor" throughout the month (pictured above). Each week of November we will focus on a different group. We voted on the four groups we wanted to focus on blessing. This week we are "sponsoring" our bus drivers. Students got to collaborate to decide ways that they could bless our bus drivers. Ideas ranged from bringing treats, to creating cards, to saying a simple "thank you!" Each week we will do the same brainstorming process as we decide tangible ways we can bless that specific group that week. I will also set aside about 15 minutes each week for students to create cards/letters/notes of thoughtfulness to the chosen group.

3. The final way that we will be sharing our attitude of gratitude is with notes of thoughtfulness for one another. Each student has a brown lunch sack with their name on the front of it. On the back I have attached a list with each student in class' name on it. Throughout the entire month students get to write notes of thoughtfulness to each of their classmates. They will be writing specific things that they are thankful for about one another and then placing it in the student's bag. The hard part is that students cannot look into their own bag until November 30th... so the suspense is building!! Today we started writing notes and my classroom was SO quiet! All I could hear was the taping of pencils and and creasing of papers. It was totally music to my ears as I saw my students earnestly working to bless and encourage one another.

I LOVED doing this activity with my class last year and I can't wait to see how this bonds my class together this year while also fostering a spirit of thanksgiving. Building an attitude of gratitude in your class can start with doing one or two of these activities, or all three any time of the year. Please comment below to let me know if you try any of these activities in your class and share your stories! Can't wait to see how you foster an attitude of gratitude in your classroom.

WHAT KIND OF TEACHER DO YOU WANT?

It's super exciting to say that I've survived not just one - but three weeks of my first year of teaching!! I feel like I am learning so much every day, and I'm totally enjoying the process. 

The first day of school already seems like it was sooo long ago, but today I'm sharing an activity I did on the first day that I LOVED. (This activity was not an original idea, I've seen people do things similar it on Pinterest and such, but I tweaked it to make it my own.)

The morning portion of the first day of school was devoted to getting my students settled in their seats and acquainted with each other and me! Students got to share a few interesting facts about themselves with one another, and after that, I shared about myself. As a transition out of that introduction time into this fun activity, I set things up by saying, "Now that we've gotten to know a little bit more about one another, I want to know some of your expectations for this school year and what you'd like to see from me." And then I turned and wrote the following prompt on the board:

At first, the room was quiet as students were trying to figure out what I was writing. But when I was finished, I heard some giggles and whispers from students who were eager to answer the question. I passed around sticky notes and students captured their thoughts and stuck them up on the board. When everyone was finished, I read the notes aloud and asked my students to help me group them into different categories by finding comments that were similar. The students were totally engaged, eager to help out, and not even thinking about the "work" (brainstorming, writing, categorizing, speaking & listening) that they were already doing on the first day of school! After we finished with our sort, the students went to lunch, and I got to work.

When the students came back in from lunch  they were so tickled to see that I put this poster together and hung it up in the room. (I love how it turned out! 5th Graders crack me up.)

I feel like this activity gave the students some "buy-in". Because they had a voice and got to take ownership in listing out the qualities they want in a teacher, they were more invested in finding out some of the things I was looking for from them later in the day.

Have you done an activity like this? How did it go? Let me know, and comment below!