A {Bright} Idea! -- How We Line Up

Welcome! If you're hopping along and have come to my blog, thanks for continuing to read! If you're just starting out here, make sure you hop on to the next blog and keep going through the hop to get a wonderful collection of Bright Ideas for the classroom!

I'm honestly surprised I've never shared this idea before. It makes my life so much easier and I just love it. When we transition out of the classroom I use spot markers with each student's letter link on it. (Letter Links are part of High Scope Curriculum) They stand on their spot while we review our hallway rules and then we leave the room.

Now granted, we don't always line up this way, so my students are capable of lining up on their own without this, but it really helps with our transitions out of the classroom. Typically my students are doing something prior to leaving. As they finish they go line up on their spot. It helps them to know exactly where to be with this as their guide. Versus dancing around in the vicinity of where they are supposed to be.

For example, students were playing with table time toys prior to lining up. I turn on the clean up song. Students put away toys and then go and line up on their name. This works great for the child who cleans up quickly and is first to line up and then the others who take longer. I don't have students wiggling around waiting for others to line up. Instead, they are on their own spots!

(sorry it looks like I have a classroom of Walmart stickers!)

Of course, there were only 4 students when I took these pictures. I have more than 4 kids! Two were absent, and one student actually doesn't line up with the group. He has a one on one and makes immediate transitions at the moment. (i.e. no waiting) :) He's the one in the very very front following his one on one who is behind me on their way out the door.

I didn't photograph it ( I should have) but I have a visual strip of our line up rules. We review them in a call and response fashion. Like this...

Teacher: "Our hands are...."
Students: "locked"
Teacher: "Our eyes are...."
Students: "forward"
Teacher: "We have, walking....."
Students: "feet"
Teacher: "And our voices are...."
Students: "off!" 

We do this every time we line up and it works amazingly! I don't even have to use the visual with them anymore but keep it handy.

I hope this was a bright idea for you! I know it might be a lot to manage with a larger class size, but I find it works great for me. It also allows me to control who lines up next to who. Someone who struggles in line might be put in the middle to have someone in front of them to follow and someone behind them. Two students who shouldn't be next to each in line are easily split and anyone who needs extra teacher support is put at the front or the end, where teachers are located.

For more great ideas, keep hoping along! Up next is Allison from A First Grade Teacher!

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up