Word Wall

This year I will add a word wall to our classroom. Our reading curriculum is the Reading Mastery program. Lessons are designed to be fast-paced and interactive.

My word wall is a tool for use, not just display. It is designed to help students develop a growing core of words that become part of our reading vocabulary. We’ll complete a variety of review activities to provide enough practice so that words are read instantly and automatically.

I am creating my word wall using a leaf pattern to fit my safari classroom. You may download the template.

Read more about Interactice Word Walls here.

Incentives

If you give out incentives, it becomes challenging in the upper elementary grades to come up with new ideas. CanTeach offers a list of 49 reward ideas. Get creative and offer students variety.

I’ve created incentive cards to use in my classroom. Here’s my templates you can download. I print these incentive cards on cardstock.

Students keep the card until they decide to cash in on the reward. I’ve noticed some kids choose to collect reward cards. They never actually redeem the card for the prize.

For occasions that require a larger award, I’ve had success with local fast food restaurants donating free food coupons. Check with local video and game rental stores for a free rental coupon. The movie theater sometimes gives out free movie passes. Don’t forget to mention you are a teacher.

Young Einsteins

The Young Einsteins is a club designed for students who are interested in exploring and learning more about this world of ours. Students learn about a topic and then set an appointment with me so that they may demonstrate mastery. Students may become a 15 star member all the way up to a 65 star member. A list of activities is provided.

I would like to extend a special thanks to Mrs. Renz in Redmond, Oregon, for giving me permission to use this Mastery Club in my classroom. She is an inspiration for teachers everywhere!
Another big thanks to Tom Chalkley for the caricature used on our club's certificates.






I created this bulletin board to post the Young Einsteins Hall of Fame. It will include the name and picture of each student in the Hall of Fame. The names remain posted in my room and on my school web site from year to year.

Keep Talking

By the time kids are in late grade school, they should be able to contribute to meaningful meal conversation. During the star student lunch I provide the table topics. Kids truly enjoy this time and those who are invited back for a second lunch generally ask for a topic before I’ve offered one.

Keep Talking is a clever little conversation starter book. I purchased this book at Amazon.com.

Another great resource for table talk may be found by clicking here.

What's for lunch?

Students are given two lunch choices - -A or B. Also there is the option of Cold Lunch or Home. The labels for the lunch choices were printed on sticker paper and wrapped around frosting tubs.

Uses for pocket charts in the classroom are almost endless. For simple attendance and lunch count, I created this pocket chart. Student names are in number order on the pockets. The pockets for the chart were created in Microsoft Publisher. These pockets were glued to a poster board and then the board was laminated.

All students check in first thing in the morning. The menu choices are written on a small white marker board near the pocket chart. They make the lunch decision using a craft stick. A quick glance at the chart gives a lunch tally and also signals children who are absent.

A great time-saver for me is delegating the responsibility of lunch count and attendance to our class secretary.

"T" is for Trash

Here’s proof that even a trash can will add to a classroom theme. I chose to add pizzazz to these old metal rusting trash cans with colorful patterns.

First, I sanded the trash cans to get off all the loose stuff and smooth down the edges. Next I coated them with Rustoleum to stop the rust and then top coated each trash can the color I wanted. Finally, I used sponges and painter’s tape to create the animal print look.

We have a marked plastic container for paper trash in our classroom. Our school has a recycling program so at the beginning of the year, I use Scholastic’s lessons to teach students the importance of paper recycling. This site has everything you need including lesson plans, reproducibles, and resources.

Wild About Books

Designed to sit with other pieces in our safari room, this bookcase gives easy access to our Accelerated Reading books. The front drawers were sponge painted using an orange base and a black glaze.

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My checkout system is the old-fashioned library checkout system with pockets and cards. I glue a pocket inside the front cover of every book.

A card is created for each book that includes the book title, Accelerated Reader book level, and Accelerated Reader points. When a student borrows a book, she places the book’s card in her pocket on the library pocket chart. When a student is finished with the book, she returns the title card to the book, and places the book back on the shelf. This system works for me - -the students can manage check-out independently, my books stay organized, and very little time is required of me!

The Birthday Bunch

Here’s one chocolate indulgence for students during the school year - - a personalized candy bar. A healthier idea is to wrap a granola bar. I chose the chocolate bar because the expiration date is a year out. This allows me to wrap all the candy bars (40+) at one sitting and display them in my room.

I created my wrapper template in Microsoft Publisher by making a 6 inch square. I ordered the safari animal cutouts at Creative Press.

Microsoft Publisher offers a candy bar template. You may edit the file as needed by replacing the text, changing the colors, and adding the clipart as desired. These candy bars wrappers are great ideas for class awards, Christmas gifts, Valentines, thank-you gifts. Check it out at here.