for me friday: library idea.

I AM OBSESSED WITH CLASS LIBRARIES.  the end.

It will probably be what many, many, many of my “For Me Fridays” will be about.  I am always looking for new ways to display books (especially cover out).  The problem with this is it takes up a lot of room.  I understand fully why teachers resort to revolving books depending on the time of the year and putting others in book boxes for individual kids.  I absolutely 100% plan on using book boxes, but I would still like to showcase all the other books that are not in use.  This library I’m sharing today obviously will not do that, but it is just entered in to the library drawer in my brain where I am combining 504376q8402735283425329847 ideas and hopefully coming up with a solution!  I just thought this was a great, cost effective idea that still allows covers to be somewhat shown.

thoughtful thursday: peace makers and peace breakers.

I do not believe in class rules.  Go ahead and take a minute to sink in, and then continue reading.

I certainly believe in standards that should be set in place to maintain order in the classroom, but I STRONGLY believe those should be created as a class (NEW each year… don’t be lazy) and should focus on positive behaviors, not “don’t, don’t, don’t.”  I cannot emphasize this enough.  I know I am a big talker right now because I am a (hopefully) new teacher and have not had to actually try to make this happen.  BUT, I do have tons of ideas of ways to guide it and (right now) am willing to mix and match and try them all until something is successful. 

While the following is not my ideal vision for the expectations and guidelines for my classroom, I really like the direction it is going.  I do not necessarily want a set of things saying what not to do, but in some classes (ESPECIALLY YOUNGER ONES), this might prove helpful.  I know that in the classroom I student taught in, having ideal standards were great, but they were too young to understand morals and what was considered “wrong” unless it was explicitly stated.  We implemented a form of this peace makers and peace breakers towards the end of the year, and it really made a difference!

wonder wednesday: ways to make sight words.

Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup.  Sight words can get soooooo boring for children.  We all know this because they can also get sooooo boring for us.  We have known these words since our elementary days… how many times can we teach them?

UNLIMITED TIMES!  And I will tell you why.

There are SO many fun ways to learn sight words.  Beyond what I can just come up with, there are endless resources on sight words and other things that can be applied to sight words that I am certain I could complete the entirety of my teaching career without using the same method twice.

This pictures shows just SOME of the ways for kids to practice sight words.  Talk about a great center (or suggestions for parents to use at home, cough cough).  Above the picture, I will post the link to the blog so you can read about each idea in depth and get materials lists!

http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2012/03/learning-sight-words/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tidy tuesday: toolbox organization.

As I have said probably a billion times by now, nobody loves organization more than me.  I love this idea of using a cheap toolbox or tackle drawer to organize essential teacher tools you are constantly grabbing for on the spur of the moment to enhance a lesson.  Now, I would probably have one of these on every table/area of my room, but I also think one would suffice for you lesser crazies.  I have something similar to this in drawers on wheels, but we all know how valuable space and storage are, so this is probably a more efficient and equally effective way of organizing these needs.  Obviously the drawers can be modified depending on your tools of choice. 🙂

HAPPY ORGANIZING!

make it monday: sight word sticker books.

I know this will take up a lot of your copies, but I think this idea is way too absolutely genius not to do it.  You can also make even smaller versions and double sided print (even though this takes a lot more time and effort) so you can fit in on less sheets of paper if that is an issue in your school.

SIGHT WORD STICKER BOOK!

This will obviously work better with younger students, but I’m sure you can adapt the idea for higher grades, as well.  The basic idea is that each student has their own “book” of sight words with an empty space next to them.  As they master each word, they are given a sticker to put next to it.  I don’t know about your students, but my first graders are easily motivated by a simple sticker.  I suggest laminating the books since this is something several of them will tote around all year and will want to bring back and forth between home and school to show off.  I also suggest using specific stickers so children cannot add their own when you are not looking (I know some will be tempted to do that, and since the true purpose of this book is to easily assess student progress, it would defeat the point). 

And because these books are so portable and easy to flip through and mark, they are things you can easily pull children for during transition or quick lull times like the computer lab, library, etc.

for me friday: door silencer.

I know this is a small thing that does not make a huge difference in the long run, but it is “For Me Friday,” and I am going to write about it.

I cannot tell you how many times my teaching has been disrupted or I have lost my train of thought because of a slammed door.  Whether intentional or accidental, the loud, sudden noise of it throws me off, and I know it has scared my younger students on several occasions.

I ran across this idea via a friend of mine who is using it in her newborn daughter’s room to alleviate the stress of trying to sneak the door open and close while the baby is sleeping.  I don’t see why it cannot be transferred to the classroom, though.

It is made out of thick fabric and elastics that hook on to either side of the doorknob.  It is thick enough to prevent noise yet thin enough to allow the door to completely close.

Now for me, this is one of those things I think I would rather buy than make… they are $8 on http://www.etsy.com/listing/93606628/latchy-catchy-the-original-door-jammer?ref=v1_other_1, and shipping is free.

If you have the time, however, I am sure it can be easily made using supplies such as hair elastics and a swatch of thick fabric.  Making it yourself would especially be cost-efficient if you need to make several of them.

I cannot wait to try this!

thoughtful thursday: door message.

You can bet I am going to have something like this on my door when students walk in to my room for the first time.  I am sure I will change some of the words and ideas, but I am just in love with this thought.  I want my students to know how important they are to me and that they are the reason that I am there.  I need them to know that when they step inside the door of the classroom, they are forevermore anything that they want to be.

wonder wednesday: scrabble wall.

I’m not sure how feasible this is, but you can bet it something I am going to try to get going in my classroom ASAP.  If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, and I will try it in my niece’s and nephews’ rooms.

Wait for it…

A SCRABBLE WALL!!

This will probably work better with older students, but after working with younger students for the majority of my experiences, I have faith that this is something they could handle if they were taught how to play properly.  I can think of countless uses for this Scrabble wall.

• Word Wall: If you don’t want to use this as something interactive, use your own creative juices to make it work as the word wall in your room
• Sight Word Center: Ummmm, hello?!  What better way to practice sight words than to send kids back there and have them play a friendly game of Scrabble?  You can modify this based on needs, either just using one week of words or have all the ones learned so far as options.
• Center Game: Why stifle students by making it only a sight word game?  Let them build their own vocabularies by playing what they can create with their letters.  A virtual station could be set up using a classroom computer to have a Scrabble dictionary pulled up.
• Ticket Out the Door: Let each student get a chance to practice on this wall daily by making it a “Ticket Out the Door” activity.
• Thematic Wall: I plan on teaching in units, and this wall would be a great way for children to add words that revolve around that unit as we discover more about the topics encompassed within.
• Classroom Community: This would be great at the beginning of the year, but it would also work throughout.  Student names could be arranged on the wall, or favorite sports, colors, games, books, etc. of each child, and the class could guess who is who to bring them closer.
• Phonics Practice: For younger students still working on phonics, small groups can be pulled back with a teacher, and nonsense words can be made on the board.  Children could practice sounding out and writing these words.

These are just some ideas off of the top of my head, and I’m sure I could come up with many more.  I just love the idea.  You can really arrange it for any purpose you need in your room.  That being said, I just thought of the idea that if you created it so it was not merely a Scrabble board, tiles flipped and used on the other side as Dominoes for several math activities and games.

I know it is a big project to take on and could get pricey, but we are teachers.  We are thrifty.  I know if we put our minds to it, we can each think of ways to create this without spending a cent (think cardboard boxes, styrofoam, paint, velcro…).  It’s for the kids 🙂  You know they will all want to be in the room with the larger-than-life Scrabble board.

tidy tuesday: muffin supply trays.

If you are like me (and most educators), you love, LOVE, love love love organization.  I cannot begin to express how much I love organizing things.  That is my favorite thing to do in my free time.  Anyways, I have seen every type of supply storage solution you can think of, and several I could not think up and figure out even after seeing them.  It seems to me, though, that the most effective way is to give each table their own set of supplies.

Now, this becomes tricky because I tend to shy away from traditional seating and fully intend to set up my classroom with tables and areas of all sizes that my students travel to as needed.  That being said, I would still like to utilize this idea and place the appropriate supplies in each area as to promote student independence and efficient functionality in the classroom.

“This idea” involves muffin or cupcake trays with cups of supplies in them.  Magnets are attached to the cups so they will hold secure in the trays but can also be removed if needed.  This allows the supplies to be mobile, easily allowing students to carry multiple or just one supply wherever they need it to be if it is not already there.  It also keeps the supplies organized and clearly visible with the use of clear cups (a problem I have noticed with baskets), and the use of the tray holds the supplies stable at the tables.

make it monday: notebook envelopes.

I saw this idea on the heaven-sent Pinterest (probably one of the most revolutionary things to ever hit education).

It can be used for many different organizational purposes (which I am obsessed with), but my favorite suggestion I have heard from them comes from our instructional coach at the school I am working at.  She thought they would be great to include in math journals.  I took this idea and ran with it.  How great would it be to have these in journals to hold manipulatives we are currently working with, notecards with formulas for older students, little calculators, whathaveyou.  Not only will it save time by not having to pass out these materials at the beginning of each math lesson, but it will also hold students responsible for their materials and give them the opportunity to safely carry them home for further practice.  They can move all about the room to work in various settings and have everything right there with them!

Now I am sure there are several ways to make and alter this idea to fit your needs, and I have to admit that I have not actually made one yet, but I fully intend to soon enough.  I will copy what the original creator wrote about it, though, as well as provide you with a link to her site about it.  She used it in a travel journal.

“My favorite inclusion is a manila catalog envelope that has been cut and the bottom, folded and stitched into the book so as to form two envelopes, concealing when opened two small coin envelopes inserted between them. I’ve added a wrapping closure to keep everything secure.”

http://cindyleaders.blogspot.com/2010/05/amazing-versatile-expandable-travel.html