It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

"It's that time of the year when our brains are turned to high gear." Our thoughts go wild with ideas to set up a classroom. Ms. Jasztal explored several clever classroom ideas on her blog - A Day in the Life. It was a fun surprise to see Classroom Scissors included. Thanks, Ms Jasztal!

Brown Bag Book Cover

Covering a textbook is as easy as wrapping a present. It's a fun project for students. It only takes a few minutes and will help books last longer. I suggest using the brown grocery bag. It allows students to personalize the cover of the book. In a way, that gives students ownership and pride in our school books.

There's a great tutorial at Howcast that my class will watch before we put covers on the textbooks.

"one nation under guard, with liver, tea, and just this for all"

By the time I get students in the fifth grade, it is almost comical the words they substitute in the Pledge that make sense in their world. I review with children the Pledge of Allegiance and we'll do word studies on the vocabulary written in the Pledge.

I just finished some patriotic clipart to hang with our classroom flag.

Some resources I use to teach the vocabulary words are:

Pledge of Allegiance Activity

Scholastic Vocabulary: Pledge of Allegiance

Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance Youtube video

Community Totes

I team teach with two other teachers and our students move around throughout the day. I thought I would try these colorful totes for supplies. At the beginning of the year I ask that supplies not be labeled. This way I can distribute supplies to the totes as community property. Each tote is home to glue, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, and glue sticks. I place supplies for three students in each tote. My students desk are arranged in pods of three and when the need arises for supplies, one student from each group pulls a tote from the supply cabinet and carries it to their pod.

How do you arrange your student desks? According to Succeeding with Seating, there are several factors to consider. Read about seating arrangements here.

Message Center

Keeping things organized as a teacher can be difficult, especially if you teach multiple classes with different subjets. However, good organization is paramount and makes your job teaching much easier.

The purpose of a message center is to allow you to quickly find what needs to be found. I'm often puzzled where I tucked a note, or a phone number, or a student list. A cork bulletin board is perfect to keep me on track during a hectic week in school.

What I used:

roll of fine grain and self healing hobby cork board

spray adhesive

wood puzzle pieces measuring 12' X 12 '

scissors and straight edge tacks or pushpins

It was so fun and easy to work with the hobby cork board. I had never used a spray adhesive and now I'm "stuck" - it's a wonderful, easy material to use. I simply sprayed both the wood puzzle piece and a piece of cork board, pressed the two together and rolled it with a kitchen rolling pin. I used the straight edge to trim around the puzzle piece.

I found these cute push pins and now I'm set for any message sent my way.

I probably had enough cork board to create a hundred piece puzzle, but I settled on this cork board grouping to hang behind my computer center.

Pen Pals

A pen pal program is a fun way to give students a real-life lesson in social studies, language arts, geography, and more. Students love receiving mail and eagerly wait until they get a response. This year my class is headed west to Washington. I'm creating a bulletin board to display pictures, news, and information we gather from our new friends.

In the United States, the official label for a postman is "letter carrier". Women have been delivering mail in the United States since the late 1800s. I've named our letter carrier "Miss Susanna" after one of those first known female carriers.

I've been reading about the value of environmental print in the classroom - - all the text that covers classroom walls. Environmental print is a resource, a reference, and a teaching tool. I intend to use even the whimsical to teach lessons - - thus the name Miss Susanna.

My bulletin board tip today is to color skin tones using face powder and a makeup brush. It's an easy technique to achieve skin tone colors.

Read more about pen pal programs for students here and more about women in the postal system at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Moving In

I've started moving pieces into my classroom. This new place is feeling like home. The bookcase with all my old friends is settled. I do believe it'll be happy here.

Final Curtain Call

My curtains are hung. I am liking the color and pattern they add to my room.

Fluency Flexors

I am taking an online class this summer and today I learned a new term - fluency flexors. What are they? "Fluency flexors are short, focused exercises designed to flex reading muscles by reading, rereading, and rehearsing sentences to convey different meanings." Fluency in Focus

I am going to enlarge this muscle man and create a bulletin board titled Fluency Flexors. Middle school students should "get it." I'm certain with an explanation of fluency flexors, students will be motivated to do the drills. Reading is a muscle and they can build fluency.

Check out this great curriculum for fluency practice. These fluency readers use quality literature from texts found in school and classroom libraries and best seller lists.

And the winner is . . .

I collect Newbery books for my classroom library. When I started the collection, it occured to me that I've read a lot more of these books than I realized. As I check my collected books off the list of winners, it's like stepping back in time. These books awakened my love of reading, and working on this collection is like finding old friends. The Newbery Medal is awarded to the year's most distinguished contributions to literature for children.

This summer I have searched the used book stores and I've shopped online. My collection is nearly complete. I intend to display the books in the bookcase created in this post.

I created bookmarks in Microsoft Publisher to tuck inside each book.

I'm working through details for a Newbery book club. Students will be required to read a set number of Newbery books to gain membership. The purpose is to motivate children to read quality literature. Students' interest in books is often triggered by their peers and marketing promotions. I intend to set up discussion boards online and promote my club with member incentives.

So Much Shel

"Bring in the poetry to get the language in so you can get the language out. Poetry is the silver pencil of writers, the golden spoon of language, and the heart and soul of our inner most thoughts." Lisa @ Effective Teaching Strategies.

"Rehearsing and rereading poetry gives readers a shared experience with literature. Many poems are short and lend themselves to repeated readings. With rehearsal, reading poems aloud enables students to feel the joy of successful fluent reaing, encouraging attention to expression and intonation." Fluency in Focus Mary Lee Prescott and Nancy L. Witherell

To build classroom environment, I am creating a book display devoted to a "featured poet". I'll start the year with Shel Silverstein.

I created the bulletin board letters in Microsoft Publisher. Shel's caricature adds to the fun. I'm off to visit the laminator.

Shel Silverstein's most popular children titles inclued Falling Up, A Light in the Attic, A Giraffe and a Half, The Giving Tree, Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot Back, The Missing Piece, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?

Characters in Class

I've been surfing for author caricatures to hang on the walls of my classroom. One way to enlarge clipart is by making a copy on a transparency. I then project the image on a piece of butcher paper. You can make the image as large or small as you like. Once you have the size you want, trace the image onto the butcher paper. These caricatures are 2 feet tall. Laminate your project for durability.

I'm hoping these "characters" will speak to my class about the importance and fun of reading.

Curtain Call

I think fabric is a good way to make a classroom inviting. I am sewing curtains with these coordinating fabrics. The curtains will cover three windows that border the door into my classroom. I don't want to deal with "hallway kids" peeking in during class.

I've been surfing for ideas on decorating. This tidbit from "How to Decorate a Middle School Classroom" was found here.

"Stay away from primary colors like royal blue or bright yellow, unless these are your school colors. Neon colors are more trendy and will draw the eyes of older students. Primary colors are used more often in an elementary setting."

I don't know if there is any research on this statement, I just happened to find these great coordinating fabrics at JoAnns Fabrics and Crafts. Since they are predominately neon, why not?

I'm sewing what should be a simple gathered curtain that I will hang on a tension rod. I miscalculated the first curtain and it is an inch short. Back to the drawing board (or rather sewing machine). Pictures of the completed project will have to come later.

Traveling Bookcase

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The bookcase from this post is traveling to the middle school with me. I decided it was time for a makeover. Decoupage is a fun and easy way to change furniture. You can use this method with covering basically anything from boxes to clipboards, or even to pretty up an otherwise boring school notebook.

I surfed the Internet and printed pictures of book characters. Technically, the term decoupage refers to gluing items that have been cut out - the term comes from the word "decouper," which means "to cut out."

I painted the sides and drawers with a flat black paint. I used Modge Podge decoupage medium for the book characters and red dots (paper punch dots) on the front drawers and design on the sides of the bookcase. The glue had to dry about 30 minutes and then another coat of the Modge Podge was put on top. I used 5 coats of Modge Podge to seal the bookcase.

I love this ol' bookcase because it displays the books with the covers facing out. I'm guessing it was once a store display. For years, Jim Trelease, international consultant and author of The Read-Aloud Handbook (2001) has advocated that books need to be advertised in classrooms and libraries in the same fashion that cookies and cereal boxes are displayed in the grocery stores - -with the cover facing out. Read more about creating "reading climate" here.

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.

Crayola Leftolas

As I prepare my classroom for the start of the school year, I need to clean and organize supplies. I went through containers of crayons and came up with a big pile of broken crayons and larger, yet worn down ones. This morning I took a detour from setting up my classroom and played with crayola “leftolas.” A friend suggested I melt some into one great big crayon. I have never attempted this so I went to the Internet for a “how-to.”







1. Preheat oven to 250

2. Put some crayon pieces in a muffin cup. I used Reynolds extra large foil baking cups to line my muffin tins.

3. Bake approximately 10 minutes or until the crayon pieces melt.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

5. Peel off the foil muffin cups.

6. Name the crayon. Mine will be “Safari.”


I’m leaving the old crayons in my classroom so students can create new giant multi-colored crayons. Each student will get to name his or her color. We are going to gift these to our first grade reading buddies. These crayons are great for little hands. Younger kids can wrap their whole hand around them and "go to town coloring" without breakage.

It is so difficult to clean out a classroom! Everything has value.

The history of Crayola and the names of colors is fun to research. Check out this site.

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.

Mane Events

Declutter your desk. Classrooms are busy and teachers need to keep track of everything and everyone. Get organized with a message center.

The humble bulletin board is definitely low-tech, but it works.

What You'll Need:

• twenty-four 3-3/4-inch-diameter cork coasters


• acrylic paints: orange, yellow, brown


• removable wall-mounting stickers tacks or pushpins

Directions

1. Paint the tops of 12 coasters in assorted colors. Paint a second or third coat, as needed, to fully cover the cork.

2. Glue a plain coaster to the back of each painted coaster. (This adds thickness to the bulletin board, so you can push tacks into it.) Lay books on top of the glued coasters to prevent the cork from curling. Allow to dry overnight.

3. Paint the edges of the coasters; let dry.

4. Referring to the photo, adhere the coasters to the wall with removable wall-mounting stickers.

Mix and match the color placement in a pleasing pattern.

This message center hangs behind my computer table. It is actually one of those old green chipped chalk boards. I decided to cover it with paper and create a bulletin board. My teacher’s desk sits in front of the computer center which allows me to have a work station situated both in front of and behind me.

The message center ensures that I have a clean workspace on my desk.

You've Got Mail

Thank you, Mrs. Estupian, for this wonderful idea and pictures! Today I'm out searching for a classroom mailbox - -to paint safari style. If you want directions to paint one, check out Mrs. E's blog.