Google Forms for Student Information

This will be my first year using Google Forms for obtaining student information. In previous years, I had parents return a paper-based form back to me. I only received half of them back so I am hoping that this Google Form will increase the amount I receive back. I will post a QR code that links to this form on my syllabus and email it to parents.

Another reason why I chose to use a Google Form is for the organization. Instead of sifting through all the forms to find a student, I can press "Command F" in the Responses Spreadsheet to find their information.

Are there any other questions that you add onto your student information form?

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Classroom Organization: Binders

I am always on the lookout for more effective organization in the classroom....so I'm going to write several posts that hopefully remind me to keep up with it!

I allow students to re-take any summative assessment.  My school policy states that students are allowed only one re-assessment on a summative per nine weeks (we have around 4 summative assessments per nine weeks). In our school district, summative assessments are worth 70% and formative assessments are worth 30% of their overall grade. This is a huge gap and I don't feel like it's fair that students should fail a class because they had one low summative grade.

Because I allow students to re-assess any summative assessment, I can see so many students develop that "growth mindset." I do not feel like students should worry about whether to re-take a test or not because "they may make another low test grade." Allowing students to re-assess takes this worry away from students.

Since I allow students to re-take assessments, I have extra grading and I need to be able to find the answer keys quickly! I put these binders on my bookshelf right behind me and can easily reach them if I need to re-grade an assessment.

I created the binder covers during the summer. 

My pacing guide is the first page that I see when I open up my binder. I normally use post-it notes on top of the days just in case I need to make extra copies, if something didn't go well, or anything else that I need to remember. 

I have each document printed out and put in a sheet protector. This has saved me so much time because if our network is down and I need to make extra copies, I already have it here with easy access!

Behind each sheet protector is the answer key to the assignment. I re-do all answer keys each year which is why it is not in a sheet protector. I know this seems like extra work but I found that if I re-do answer keys at the beginning of each year, it jogs my memory into what students had problems with and I can "better" my teaching. :)

If you like any of the templates, post a comment and I can upload it to this post!

Any other teachers have a certain way that they like to organize their binders?

Fonts that I used in documents: KG All of Me, KG The Fighters, KG Always a Good Time, KG Sorry Not Sorry, KG Lego House


Here are the files: 

• Binder Covers
• Binder Slips
• Pacing Guide

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Current Year's Classroom Decorations

I always get such nice compliments about my classroom decorations when another teacher comes in my room. So I am decided to share some pictures/labels of my current classroom. My current classroom has a Chevron theme but, I think that I am going to change it to watercolors next year. Still undecided.

When students walk into my room: 

• Students pick up any papers that I have laid out in the bins on the bookshelf.
• If they were absent, they look in the absent work folder and find their class period with their missing work (It takes me less than 10 minutes at the end of each day to staple all student's absent work and stick them in their class period).
• If students are missing assignments, then they look in the extra papers folder for their missing work (I have extra papers separated by notes, assignments, homework, and review).
• I picked up the bookshelf from Walmart for $10 and the bins at Target. I put moroccan shelf liner (couldn't find chevron) on the back of the book shelf. 

Once they pick up their handouts, they grab their INB from their class period crate (if they left it in the basket). I picked up these crates at Walmart for $2 (back to school sale). 

Students Desks and Materials:

• On most days, I have students arranged into groups of 4 with a supply bin and trash bucket on their desk (the trash bucket is SO helpful in keeping my room clean). I have a person from each group empty it out the last 2 minutes of class. 
• I picked up the supply bins from Walmart and the trash buckets at the dollar store. I'm going to replace the trash buckets over the summer since several buckets have cracked.
• Materials in the supply bin varies on the activity that we are doing for the day but EVERYDAY students have highlighters and calculators.

Classroom Board

• We're required to write the objective and essential questions on our board everyday. We don't have to do it by week but, I like to front-load students with our agenda for the upcoming week. If I forget to write on my board, students are QUICK to ask me "what are we doing today?"
• I have a TOC and WWK section for those who are tardy the beginning of the class period. I like to do math dates (courtesy of Sarah Carter :))

Classroom Organization:

• Students turn work into these trays according to their class period. Any papers that are in here are papers that need to be graded.

• Once I grade the papers and put them in the grade-book, I stick them in the wire baskets on my bookshelf according to class periods. It helps remind me to pass back these papers.  I bought the wire baskets from Target.

• I have a bookshelf in the back of my classroom that I never used for the previous 2 years. This year, I decided to buy the blue bins for a dollar at the dollar store and  put the copies that I will be using in the "designated day" spot. This system has helped me with organization and with what handouts I still need to make copies of and what days I have not yet planned for. 

Miscellaneous Classroom Decorations:

• I put all of my extra supplies in the following storage container (labeled of course) just in case a group runs out of supplies. Students know exactly where to find new supplies without asking me or interrupting the lesson. 

• My Geometry word wall that I try to keep updated throughout the year. You can find those classroom posters when you click here

• A picture of my filing cabinet that I also put shelf liner on :) and on top of that, a printer that I use when our workroom printer runs out of ink (received for free from a fellow math teacher).

• Below is something new this year that students actually came up with. The previous 2 years I have put important documents or posters on the black sheet. However, this year it all started with one sticky note that a student wrote and stuck up there. The black is a small bed sheet that I stapled up there and covered up the edges with that chevron border. I love this because on the worst days, I can be reminded that I do make a difference and that I am appreciated by some. :)

• My "no name" papers door that I share with my next door teacher neighbor. The posters are from Sarah Rubin at everybodyisagenius.blogspot.com. You should check out her blog, her classroom posters are amazing!

• My exit ticket door that I will be using more of next year. I like to post it on the back of the door because when students open it, they can stick it into any folder without their peers looking and they are more honest about their level of understanding. I saw the concept on Pinterest and I loved it. You can find the exit slips when you click here

• My fancy chevron calculator labels that I stick on the back of my calculators. My calculators are always returned to me if a student leaves it out in the hallways after one of our class activities. :)

You can find the following labels here:

• Classroom Labels

*I included my chevron calculator labels and desk numbers in it as well :)

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Groups in the Math Classroom

This year I put my students in groups of 4 in the classroom. I will post a picture of my groups soon because I love the set-up. I have always been too afraid of putting my students in groups because of how students may affect my classroom management. However, I was wrong because I will never have my students in rows again. The first day, I allowed students to sit where they wanted (which made me very anxious since I like control in the classroom). I told students that they can sit where they would like but the moment they decided to talk while I am talking, I will stop teaching and move them immediately. All it took was one example from each class to show them that I was not messing around and students completely stopped talking while I was teaching since they did not want to be moved away from their friends.

Students think that teachers will not go through with what they claim they're going to do so they test it and once they know that you are not holding any empty threats, they will succumb to your rules :) (most of the time ;). Having my students in groups have also changed the way I do quizzes. For the past two years, I have used the quizzes that my team make which consists of two separate forms (form A and form B. I used to separate my desks in rows and hand out the quizzes and tells students there is absolutely no talking and no electronic devices. It was like a mini-test and students started to dread quizzes. This year, I came up with an idea last minute since I wanted to do an activity before a quiz and didn't want to separate my desks and put them back together in the same class period.

I decided to make a GROUP QUIZ, where I created 4 separate forms of the quiz (Form A- Form D). I told students they are not allowed to use any notes, only the help of their peers. The results were amazing due to the amount of talking among students about the material. They were willing to ask questions (when they would not ask me) about the material and how to do it.

Here is an example of one of my group quizzes over triangle basics that you are more than welcome to use and try in the classroom. Please do not upload to any websites and tell me how this works in your classroom.

Click Here for Triangle Congruence Quiz

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