4th Grade Teachers Share their Classroom Management Suggestions

Here's how I manage our cloud observations... At the beginning of the year, we do the observations together for about a week or so. After that, each morning I post the Terra time on the board. I keep a checklist of the kids' names and check off 2 names a day. I write those 2 names next to the time and set a classroom teaching clock to that time. The children know who they are and when it's time, they simply get up and "do the clouds" without any help from me unless needed. There is a clip board with report forms, 2 pencils and an outdoor thermometer. I have several children who are very attuned to whose turn it is and they will remind their classmates if anyone forgets. This has always worked very well. We have, at times, done hourly observations and I work them the same way. I list the times on the board with 2 names next to each time and the children are responsible for taking the observation. I also send the weekend times home with the children and many of them do the observations on their own on Saturdays and Sundays!

Karen O'Shaughnessy
Jewett Street School
Manchester, NH

We start off the school year by doing our weather unit. It is real important for the students to learn the clouds types and have some weather background and pep talk. Share enthusiasm! I also have your cloud identification chart handy. Sometimes they have questions. We have the s'cool observation login as a link on our home page so access is simple. The login and password is not a secret, written on the s'cool folder that contains the passover times. I assign kids usually two to each day. Early in the year I train some of my students and later assign them with others, they take on the teacher role and love it. Some kids become disinterested and that is ok. So is life. We use a digital camera and take pictures of different cloud types. They sure let me know when they see different types of cloud, good awareness. Pictures are not sacred and we delete and take more. Hope this helps. Since I have strong science interest we talk cloud/weather almost daily and discuss weather locally and what is happening around the world tornados/hurricanes.

Jim Minerich
Pequot Lakes Elementary School
Pequot Lakes, MN

Have you found another good way to implement S'COOL? Send us a note and we'll post it here to share with other teachers.

S'COOL What to Observe Report Form Glossary