make it monday: place value paint strips.

Place value was something my students really struggles to grasp this year.  They could not dissect the number and break it down in to tens and ones… the concept was just too abstract for them.  I like using visuals to show the kids the place values in a number and display tens and ones while still presenting the standard form of the number in front of them.

This idea can also be paired beautifully with my love of using paint strips in the classroom (you would not believe how many uses you can get out of these free, colorful wonders).

Behold:

Simple, genius, and oh so helpful!

for me friday: teacher pinning.

It is no secret that I get almost ALL of my ideas from Pinterest.  If you have been on Pinterest, you know how overwhelming it can be.  There are millions of pins to sort through, you don’t have time to read them all in-depth right when you pin them, and one idea is approached in countless ways that make it difficult to figure out just how you want to tweak it to make it right for you.

Well, this may make it a little easier… Teaching Blog Addict is on to something.  They are working on categorizing teaching pins and pinboards in order to make life a little less chaotic for those of us who can’t get enough ideas from Pinterest.  While I don’t think it has reached its full potential quite yet, and there will still be millions of things to sort through (I, for one, would not want the options to be decreased… the more ideas, the better!), I like the idea and direction they are going, and if you need something really quickly without having time to think of and revise searches, this is the place to go!

http://www.teachingblogaddict.com/2011/12/teaching-pinterest-pin-collections.html

thoughtful thursday: what kind of teacher do you want?

I love this idea for a first day of school activity.  It is so easy to relay our expectations to our students without even considering their expectations for us.  It will be a great way to get to know each other, and it will give quick and immediate insight in to the various kinds of learners you have in your class.  Even if it is impossible to be all of these things, at least you will know what students want and how you can reach them.  With older students, I would love to do it as a chalk talk when they first entered the classroom with their names by it so I could record it for future reference with a picture.  Chalk talks are something I would love to do as a part of morning routine if I had an older classroom, so this would be a great way to get that going from the beginning!  With younger students, you can record it for the students as this teacher did.  It would allow for condensing like thoughts and depicting obscure meanings.  Some of these things can be addressed immediately while others will come out as character traits throughout the year!

tidy tuesday: common core planning sheet.

In Georgia, we are switching to the Common Core standards for the 2012-13 school year.  While it is throwing everyone for a loop, I am excited about them!  I think they will be a step in the right direction, and I for one am grateful that I am starting out my teaching career with them while at the same time still being familiar with the GPS through my practicum and student teaching experiences.

Since many other states are also using Common Core, I decided to share this planning sheet template for my Tidy Tuesday post.

It is a little difficult to see, but it is a free digital download from TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers), so you can see a bigger image there!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Common-Core-Planning-Sheet

While it would be a bit tedious to fill out for EVERY lesson all year, I think it is definitely something I would like to use at least for my first couple months since I am just starting out and just getting familiar with the standards.  This will be such a quick and easy reference guide if I need to glance at it during a lesson, and it would be something great to hand to administrators for observations and whatnot.  While it is an extra form, if you create extensive lesson plans anyways, this will be super easy to fill out.

Coming from a recent grad, I would also recommend this for teachers who have student teachers.  Whether you want to fill it out for them or just provide the template and allow them to fill it out from your plans, it would be SUPER HELPFUL for them.  Taking over subjects can be unnerving at first, especially when there is a university observation planned.  It is also great for them to discuss with their university supervisor afterwards as well as provide evidence of their work throughout the week.  I liked printing out something similar for each day and including copies of relevant student work… it made putting a portfolio together so simple, and it gave me a great item to share with future student teachers.

Happy planning!  Enjoy this last month of summer!

**P.S. Wonder Wednesday will be taking a break this week in honor of July 4.  I will be experiencing my first time on a boat/lake. Wish me luck!**

make it monday: lucky charms treat.

First, let me start off by apologizing for my absence last week.  It has gotten very hectic in my life lately.  I still have not gotten a job, so I am sadly starting the move back home.  I am still not giving up by any means… I am hopeful that something will open up prior to the school year!  I am still going at the job hunt full force!  That being said, you can imagine how busy it is working, traveling back and forth moving belongings between cities on time off, AND finding time to write, email, and deliver cover letters and resumes.  All while pursuing non-teaching jobs just in case since most counties are not even hiring substitutes at this point.

No matter… on to Make It Monday!!  Since I am still hoping to have a classroom on the first day of school, I had to share this cute idea.  This teacher packed little snack bags of Lucky Charms with little notes saying “I am so lucky to have you in my class.”  As a student I was all for food and treats (I think I have said this before), and as a teacher, I am the same way.  Since I plan on having the first days/weeks focusing on routines and procedures rather than strictly academic work, there will be time to munch on a little snack here and there.

Simple, cheap, easy, caring, fun!

**P.S. Remember to check for allergies prior to doing ANYTHING involving food!!