for me friday: wallpapered filing cabinet.

How precious is this (?!):

If you know me, this is right up my alley.  I love anything vintage-y or lacy, and most of all, I LOVE plain colors (think whites, grays, and navys).  The only thing I might change on this is adding gold hardware (something I used to hate but have become obsessed with over the last two years).  I really like how this hardware looks, too, though, so who knows.  But I diverge…

The point is, my vintage, plain colored style is not appropriate in the classroom.  Somehow I don’t think children would appreciate it like I do.  That is for the home, school style is for the classroom.  But this is such a great opportunity to bring some of that in without being imposing.  And it covers up those scratached, paint scraped metal cabinets.

Now I am not sure if magnets would stick on the cabinet through the wallpaper… that is something I would have to find out.  I don’t like wasted space in the classroom, so I use magnetic things like letters, lunch choices, attendance, etc. on the sides of cabinets.  If magnets can’t stick through the wallpaper, I would just have to do the drawers and leave the sides be.  In any case, I want some version of this.

That being said, it looks pretty complicated to make for me.  Pretty in-depth stuff.  But then again, I am not yet handy.  I have all these crafts and renos I want to do, but I have to learn how to use power tools and stuff first.  So if you are handy, it may be way easier for you.  Either way, here is the link for the DIY instructions.  Enjoy!!

(P.S. Obviously you can use any wallpaper you want, so if you are big in to classroom themes or what have you, I am sure there is something perfect our there for you!)

thoughtful thursday: character/discussion books.

For the millionth time, I am a huge fan of incorporating literature into everything.  There are just so, so, so, so, SO many great children’s books out there… how could you not?!

Anyways, I found this list that I really liked of children’s books that broach topics like character, feelings, conflicts, etc. in a way that draws children in and sparks discussion in a non-lecturing way.  I don’t want to say don’t do this and don’t do that… I want kids to understand why we should aspire to obtain the morals presented in these stories.

I know there are tons of lists out there like this, but this is my favorite one that I have found.  It is a very diverse list with books of all genres, so each student will be attracted to at least one (I would hope).  My favorite thing about it, though, is the amount of books I have never even heard of.  I absolutely love that.  So often we hear of the typical books for the typical issues when there are so many out there that approach one matter in several different ways.  Don’t fret, though.  It also has some classics that you just can’t pass up like It’s Mine and Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni, The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle, and No! David by David Shannon.

My only complaint is that the list does not include a quick summary or even word describing the main idea of the book if you want to find a particular book for an issue in your classroom.

Check it out, anyways!  Here is the link.  Save it as a resource!  It is always nice to have a couple checked out at a time in case there is some unexpected time in the day where it would fit in nicely.

wonder wednesday: oobleck.

Who has ever heard of oobleck?  I certainly have not, but apparently it is a well known thing.

It is a mixture of corn starch and water that acts as a solid when it is played with quickly, and it is liquid-y when it is played with slowly.  SO interesting.  I will provide you with a link at the end of this post where you can see the stuff in action.

This would be a great (and fun) lesson to discuss the different properties of matter and all those in-between stages that are so hard to define.  It will really get kids thinking critically and questioning the facts that have always just been presented and accepted before.  It will allow them to discover these properties on their own through their personal and motivated inquiries rather than through a textbook or SmartBoard resource.  I LOVE things like this.  I am all about those authentic experiences and kids discovering rather than me telling.

Again, it is a cheap resource and would be an especially great thing to do in small groups if you had the means to do it (parent help, parapro, volunteer, or we were lucky enough to have FOCUS students who were teaching science from the university).

Here are directions for how to make the oobleck:

Now, in the link I am sharing to the blog where I first learned about oobleck, she goes a step further with her kids and mixes in food coloring (not something for the classroom given the stained hands afterwards) and puts it on a cookie sheet on a subwoofer.  The oobleck actually moves depending on the audio tone!  It looks like so, so, so much fun and would be a great transition lesson in to sound waves, etc., but I am sure if you do not have the resources, your students will be perfectly happy to play with the oobleck and simply discuss matter.  I guarantee it will lead to other conversations and learning topics anyways 🙂

Blog with dancing oobleck: http://www.housingaforest.com/dancing-oobleck/

There is also a Dr. Suess book called Bartholemew and the Oobleck.  Obviously I have never read this since I had never heard of oobleck, but you can bet I will look in to it to further enhance the lesson.  I suggest you do the same… I will always put a plug in for incorporating literature in to lessons (!!!!!!!!!!).

Also, I had to throw this last picture in for kicks.  HOW MUCH FUN DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?!?!  I would love to go out in the backyard (if I had one) and do this right now!  I can’t wait to babysit my niece and nephews for a day… I get to go home and leave the mess.  Even better!  Take a look:

 

tidy tuesday: binder bags.

Have you ever sent books, flash cards, pamphlets, etc. home with students and they come back the next day with only half of them?  I have tried everything… baggies, rubber bands, binder clips, staples.  You name it, I’m pretty sure I have tried it.  Yet the materials miraculously vanish in to thin air after their second or third trip home.  Student doesn’t know, parents don’t know, bus driver doesn’t know.  Mysteries.  This may be because I have worked with only younger students, but I am going to go ahead and assume it happens to older students, as well.

So let’s avoid the problem all together.  In a cheap way (you know I’m all about that by now).  Here is what you do:

Take a gallon sized Ziploc bag, run masking tape down the whole left side of it (besides where it opens, obviously).  Then, hole punch over the masking tape and stick it in a binder.  It is better than a sheet protector because it holds more and closes at the top, and the masking tape keeps it from ripping and falling out of the binder.  I would probably put masking tape on both the front and the back of the left side, myself.

I know there have been so many times I have sent home flashcards, cut up letters, scrambled sentences, and whatnot never to see them again.  I am really confident this will help alleviate that problem.  I also think I will use it in homework and communication folders, providing spaces for those tiny, tiny slips of paper with library/lunch dues, fundraiser pamphlets, picture order forms, etc.

SUPER EXCITED!! 

make it monday: phonics phones.

Most of you have probably already seen this, but they are definitely something I want to make for my classroom, especially if I am working with young readers.  A lot of the students I have worked with in the past need to read aloud in order to comprehend and stay on track with what they are reading.  It is difficult for them to decipher words and figure out what sounds right if they are having to read silently.  It is not realistic, however, to have twenty something students reading aloud, especially when they are still too young to monitor their voice levels while reading and focusing on other things.  Add in the students (I have noticed this especially with ESOL students) who are reluctant to read aloud in front of others, and it can become a huge dilemma very quickly.

Hence the creation of phonics phones.  I know the students I have worked with would be even more motivated to read when they had something personal and fun like this to work with.  It will be especially helpful for those of you (us, when I have a classroom) who implement the Daily 5.

I especially like the cute ones above.  I have said this before about designed/patterned things, though… children will fight over which one they get, and if they are not happy, it can ruin the whole point of the resource and create a much bigger problem than the original one.  That being said, I think it is great to present the children with their options and let them pick their pattern for the year if you have the time and resources to do that (let’s say if you have a parapro).  If you are like me, though, and will have a MILLION things to make all at once in the span of a week or two, this is not realistic.  In that case, I will find a friendly pattern that should be good for everyone and get going on all of them!

Here is the link on how to create these custom phonics phones if you would like to give it a whirl!  Video tutorial and everything!

http://www.classroomdiy.com/2012/05/diy-phonics-phones.html

for me friday: burlap corkboard.

Take a look and tell me this is not just adorable:

While I probably would not use it in the classroom because I like the black, fadeless backgrounds where all focus is on student work, I am in love with this corkboard.  I could use it behind my desk or just as a fun accessory at home.

And it’s SO simple to make.  Get a corkboard, cover it with burlap, and then add furniture tacks for spice.  Although you could use almost anything as a border if you don’t like the tacks since you can stick just about anything in a corkboard.  I am definitely a fan.

thoughtful thursday: student survey.

I love student surveys…first day surveys, new student surveys, reading surveys, interest surveys, scavenger hunt surveys, reflection surveys.  You name it, I love it.  I have to say first day/first week surveys are some of my favorite, though.  While I fully intend to get to know my students, as well as their families, very intimately throughout the year, there has to be a starting point, and I can’t get too far with 24 different students all in Week 1.  A survey will help me get a feel for each and find a starting point with them.  Surveys obviously work better with students who can read, but don’t let that deter you if you have a younger class.  The surveys can be completed in small groups, on the SB with students holding up numbers, etc.

This post, I am sharing some first day/week surveys I have found.  It is not to say they are the best every or the only ones you should use.  I instead would prefer them to serve as idea generators for your personal survey you will create.  What do you want to know about your students?

 

 

 

For students to fill out (this would be a good one for younger readers/writers)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For parents to fill out about their students at open house/first week forms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For students to fill out about school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For students to fill out as a self-reflection about their actions in school

 

 

 

 

PDF of student survey for students to fill out about basic and a couple fun facts

PDF of student survey for students to fill out about school

 

I hope these gave you some ideas!  You can always do an Internet search for more… it takes a lot of picking and choosing and patience, but there are some good ones out there.  And like I said, create your own if you’re not completely satisfied with the ones you have!  Replace check boxes and sentence blanks with smiley faces for younger students to rate how they feel about things.  Replace questions like “Do you like to read?” with a picture of a book for those who can’t read.  Make it work!

**A tip for Internet searching them… try using different words besides first day of school survey.  Some ones I tried: “student inventory,” “back to school survey,” “student survey,” “elementary school student survey,” and multiple combinations of all of the above.

wonder wednesday: children’s lit activities.

If you know me, which you probably don’t, I am an absolute fiend for children’s literature.  It is a rare day that I don’t have some book fueling my lesson, no matter the subject.  Therefore, I am always thinking up and looking for new ideas to use with books.  I know all the typical ones, but I get tired of the same things over and over again, plus the fact that different classes have different personalities and what works for one may not be enticing to another.

Instead of going on and on about all of the ideas I have, though, I would like to provide you with a link to another blog who has an entry dedicated to just this and other links for ideas.  THEN, when I actually have a classroom, I’ll start posting all the things we do and pros/cons of each.  I don’t like to post complex activities before I have actually tried them… I tend to dream too big a lot of times, if there is such a thing.

In the meantime… enjoy!

http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/2012/05/childrens-book-week-share-your-favorite.html

tidy tuesday: lesson plan ideas.

I know different counties, schools, grades, etc. have all sorts of different requirements and methods for creating and/or turning in lesson plans.  Some are ideal, some seem inefficient and time-consuming, taking time away from actually making the lesson great.  We can gripe and complain all we want, but the fact is that this issue is not one that will be alleviated anytime soon.

If you are like me, however, no matter what the requirements, you still change them to your own format as well.  I know that personally, I like to have all things down in writing where I can physically make adjustments and use different colors and see it all right in front of me without having to read off a screen and waste time formatting, etc.  That is a lot of work to do, though, if you HAVE to do things on the computer, which is what I have been required to do in the past.  I recently found this template from a teacher who is not required to turn in plans, and I think it would work really well for what I would like to do.  It is not super detailed, but it does lay out every portion of every day with specifics filled in week by week and concrete things printed for the whole year.  It also provides a to-do list on the side which I am obsessed with… I would have never made it through my first two days, nevermind all the teaching I have done, without my detailed, OCD, minutia-filled to-do lists.

Anyways, here’s a picture to give an idea of her template, and I will also provide the link where she explains it in more detail and show different views.

http://luckeyfrogslilypad.blogspot.com/2012/04/lesson-planning-my-way-and-custom.html

make it monday: ping pong sight words.

This idea was proposed as use for an active learner working on sight words.  You tell them a word, and they pick up a ping pong ball with that sight word on it and throw it to you.

I want to take a step further, though.  That idea is great for use at home with your child or small group settings or even with older students if they are mature and responsible enough to handle it.  BUT, as usual, I’ve dreamt up this dream situation where they can be used for so much more.

What if it was used in a whole class setting, and instead of throwing it to you, they tried to throw it through a hoop or score it in something.  It would just be a random thing you did throughout the day or week when you wanted to reward someone or draw attention back to what was going on or treat them to a minute of fun!  The whole class would have to finger spell; clap, snap, shake; body spell; etc. the word before the process was complete.  Once the class had mastered a certain word, it could be “retired” in the “word wall of fame” or something, and it would be used for further practice in a different way.

Call me a dreamer, but I’m really liking this idea.  It is something that is very possible to implement from day one, not taking up huge chunks of time but monumental in terms of a transition or much needed break activity.