What Day is It?

I figured that since it's been W-A-Y too long since my last post, a calendar share was a fitting topic for today.  It's no surprise that this post has been sitting in my drafts just waiting to be published...the date in the picture is 2012! Forgive me for slacking, my friends. 

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My first couple of months teaching, my fifth graders were completing headers on their papers and constantly asking, "What's the date?"  Well, here was my solution to that: 

Magnetic date cards are displayed each day on my board so students know the current date.  Instead of using chalk to rewrite the date each day, a simple switch of the numbered cards is all it takes.  I don't even have to remember to change it since it is a student's classroom job to be in charge of the date cards. 

The month and number cards only cost me $1 at my local Dollar Tree Store (where I am a proud regular customer).  I simply stuck some magnetic tape on each one to hang them on the chalkboard. 

As is customary in most elementary classrooms, I also have a monthly calendar displayed.  In addition to the dates, it also shows special events that are upcoming (birthdays, holidays, tests, etc.).  Again, this calendar only set me back just $1 or $2 ... Which fellow teachers know is an essential factor in planning classroom decor.  Use of my school's laminating machine ensured that my purchase was durable enough to last through the years. 

So, as I sign off today I first ask your forgiveness for my long absence...then I resolve to post more faithfully in the upcoming months. As the summer hiatus approaches, my brain is teeming with ideas of things to share. Maybe I will even have some winter posts, long overdue, to write when we're all hoping for relief from the blistering summer sun! 

Soft & Warm Reading!

One of my favorite things to do is curl up with a good book . . . so to encourage my students to do the same, I have pillows and stuffed animals for them to use during independent reading time.  I even keep a few hidden in the closet and bring them out later in the year to delight my students with new choices!

There are an assortment of colors, textures, and animals in our bins so that everyone can find the right fit for them.  I have different textures of pillows for students who may have sensory needs.  Some pillows are soft cotton while others are slippery polyester.  I also have different styles of stuffed animals for students to read with . . . some students really like to read to a stuffed buddy!

And since we all know that every kid fights over whose turn it is, we have a schedule for what days students may use the pillows and stuffed animals:

I have organized the schedule using numbers so that it can be reused every year (each students has a number assigned to them for the year).  This cuts down on the arguments and tension surrounding getting to the pillow bins first!  The only thing that still gets us is deciding whose turn it is when there is a snow day . . . 

Literary Themes

Here is a set of posters I've made to help students recognize themes.  It includes many recurring literary themes.  I also accompanied each word with a symbol to help drive home meanings.  My students use this set of posters often as they are searching for great words to describe the theme of a passage or book. 

I created this set of posters to help my students realize the common themes among books.  Theme can be a difficult, abstract concept to grasp, and I've found that these posters help students communicate a book's theme more readily.  Oftentimes, the theme of a book can encompass many of these ideas, but these words act as a springboard for brainstorming themes!

Get a FREE download of my Literary Themes Posters!  It is a google.doc in PDF format.

Literary Conflict

It can often be difficult to teach about literary conflicts with elementary students.  I don't just mean "what is Johnny's problem in the story," but rather the causes, effects, and changes due to conflicts.  To be honest, I don't think I fully grasped the concept until high school; however, I have found a way to help my students begin to dissect conflicts that they read about and experience.   

When it boils down to it, every conflict comes from one or more of the following perspectives: religious, political/power, psychological, economic, social, technological, philosophical, and cultural.  Even the youngest of students have experienced these things (the power conflict of different bedtimes, the economic conflict of not getting the candy bar at the store, the social conflict of disagreeing with friends). 

One of my graduate professors actually shared these 8 perspectives with me and I now use them to classify all conflicts with my students.  Even though the vocabulary is a bit sophisticated, the pictures remind students that these perspectives are always in play.  Plus, the kids get a kick out of learning college-level material! 

Try using these perpectives with your students, or even just reminding yourself of these perspectives when you come across conflict in your life.  There are always different perspectives being challenged . . .

Get a free download of my Literary Conflict Perspectives Posters!  It is a free google.doc in PDF format.

Character Dress Up Day

I was the White Witch from the Chronicles of Narnia for this year's Character Dress Up Day!

I just thought I would show you all how OCD I am for costumes, too!

I made my crown from an old tiara, dental floss and Christmas tree icicles.  I wore my sister's old prom dress which was white lace . . . covered with a handmade cape from leftover wedding fabric.

It was great to show off my work at our school's dress up day (held on Halloween - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!).

Grades Poster

Here is a poster I have near my student mailboxes.  It explicitly shows my grading scale. 

Also, make note that a "check plus" is not the highest homework grade in my class.  A perfect score on homework is a "plus."  This system allows me to represent the full spectrum of grades (A through F) for short homework assignments. 

I find that this poster helps all of my students accurately judge their work.  It eliminates questions and confusion.  I even find myself referring to it when converting percentages to letter grades.

Bookmarks

Do you ever use a paper cutter to trim projects?  Are you left with tons of strips of colored paper? Put them to use as bookmarks!

I have a cardboard box sitting near the classroom library that I constantly fill with pre-made and recycled bookmarks.  My students are free to take as many as they need. 

One of my library rules is to use a bookmark (instead of folding over page corners!) and this box is just the right size to hold hundreds of bookmarks.

What a great way to recycle simple paper scraps into something useful!

I Need to Use the Bathroom!

Here is my bathroom sign-out system:

This station is near my student tracker board so that as students sign-out, they can show it on the board. The sign-out station includes a cup of pens to use, a digital clock (so my students don't stand in the middle of the room trying to read the wall clock), sign-out charts for boys and girls, and even nurse passes.

I made simple charts within word documents so students record what times they leave and return to the classroom.  In addition to logging where students are, the charts help me figure out who may be missing math lessons every day to go to the bathroom!   More than a few times, I have used these charts to determine students who are anxious about a particular subject or time of day.

One of the many sneaky ways teachers figure things out . . .

5th Grade! Now Starring...

To welcome my new stars in September, here is my beginning of the year bulletin board.

The red title was cut with my school's die-cut machine and laminated.  I keep the letters in a plastic bag so they are ready to use each year.  The small yellow stars are cut out of construction paper and have each student's name on them.  They are, after all, the upcoming superstars of the year.The red and silver stars are cut from glittery craft foam and tied on with ribbon.

After spending some time together as a new class, I like to have students write something on the back of their star that they are a superstar at.  Many students choose a sport or activity they are successful at.  Then, we place the stars back up on the board.  Students take turns reading our superstar talents and guessing who they belong to.  We can check the answers by looking at the names on the back of the stars. It's a great way to start things off on a positive note!

Writing Center

My writing center contains absolutely EVERYTHING my students need for all steps in the writing process.  It is an integral station in our classroom.

The top shelf is home to blank index cards for making flashcards, writing prompts to get ideas flowing, pens, pencils, highlighters, tape, a stapler, electric pencil sharpener, and group cups containing scissors and rulers.  The lower shelf has rhyming poetry dictionaries, scissors, handheld pencil sharpeners, a three-hole punch, lined scrap paper, and white scrap paper.  The lined scrap paper was pulled from old notebooks that students donated at the end of previous years.  The white scrap paper is from worksheets and paperwork that was only printed on one side.  It's a great way to recycle and have paper for drafting, sketching, drawing, and math computations.

These plastic drawers contain labeled sections for handheld sharpeners, regular scissors, and decorative-edged scissors.  The labels serve two purposes: they give me an excuse to use my favorite label maker and students always know where to return the supplies!

Since the electric pencil sharpener can only be used during the morning routine, recess, and at the end of the day, we have sharpened pencils ready to go.  I made these two containers by covering coffee cans with construction paper.  The "Ready!" bin is home to pencils that are sharp and ready to use.  The "Need to be sharpened" can is for students to place dull pencils to be sharpened later.  A student helps with sharpening so I can focus on other things (what student doesn't love to use an electric sharpener?).  If students absolutely need to sharpen a pencil during the day, they simply use one of the quiet, handheld sharpeners.  

The cart of dictionaries is directly next to the other writing supplies.  The cart has various dictionaries and thesauruses as well as binders of graphic organizers and writing prompts.  The bottom left side of the shelf is reserved for other books that help with the writing process.  

Now, if only these writing resources could help me grade papers, we'd be in business!

Keeping Track of the Writing Process

Here is my writing process number wall:

These posters and numbers are hung near my writing center (pens, pencils, dictionaries, prompts, six traits posters, etc.) so everything is all in one area.  This wall allows me to visually keep track of where each student is in the writing process.  The numbers are held on with sticky tak.  As students move through the process, they move their number to the appropriate section.

Students move from the initial planning process to draft writing at the beginning of the writing process.

Then, as students are working on their drafts, they move their numbers to the revising/proofreading/editing section.  I put these process steps together because, let's be honest, we often do all three simultaneously as we are working.

The final writing process steps are publishing and sharing.  I remind students that we don't always have the time or capacity to share every piece of writing, especially short assignments.  So, sometimes students move from publishing back to the planning step without sharing.  

Download your free Writing Process Posters here!  It is a google document in pdf format.

How are you getting home?

In order to keep track of how each student gets home after school, I've made a simple chart and had it laminated. 

Once the chart is hung on the wall near the door, I use overhead markers to write student names in the boxes.  Using erasable markers allows me to move student names as needed when schedules change.  This chart can be used year after year.  It is also an important tool for substitutes and classroom helpers to refer to. 

Download a free pdf of Transportation Chart!  It is google document in pdf format. 

Gradebook

Don't waste money on a store-bought gradebook when you can make your own cute gradebook that can be used year after year.

This one-inch binder was a dollar store find (of course).

My grade book is comprised of class lists and 8 tabs for keeping things in order.  I always have extra class lists up front and ready to go . . . these help for keeping track of grades, recording responses, organizing groups, etc. 

I have the following tabs in my gradebook to keep everything organized:

• READ = reading grades
• ELA = English language arts grades (spelling and writing)
• SCIENCE (2 sections) = science grades
• MATH = math grades
• C.C. = Common Core checklists
• SCHEDULES = district calendar, grading term dates, specialist schedule, etc.
• LISTS = class lists, school lists, peanut safe snack lists, etc.

What I love most about using a binder for grades?  I can add whatever I need!  I can include school paperwork, calendars, extra tabs, and anything else I find helpful.  It's customizable and cute. 

Hanging Baskets

This hanging basket is in its third life!  It started as a kitchen tool for holding fruit, then it housed my Beanie Baby collection in elementary school, and now it's an organizational tool in my classroom . . . hung from the ceiling, it's a great alternative to bookshelves.

I use the hanging basket as a catch-all for fun things in my classroom.  I use it to store extra stuffed animals (we read with them), shower loofahs (used as balls for tossing games), and large foam dice (for class math games).  Best benefit of this basket?  It keeps these fun items out of reach of my students so they're not tempted to play with them during class. 

I'm sure that every teacher could think of ways to use these baskets for extra storage!

The Deli

Do your students shout for help across the classroom?  Do they get out of order as they are waiting for help?  Have them take a number!

I used an extra set of numbers from a class calendar to make our deli system.  Just like in the supermarket, students "take a number" when they need my help.  Then then head back to their seats to work while they wait.  When their number is called, it's their turn to be helped!

Love it! :)

The Best Ball for Tossing Games

Just plain shower loofahs?  Think again!!!  These are the greatest "balls" to use for classroom tossing games.

I use these loofahs to toss with my students for fun games, review sessions, and time fillers.  They're perfect because no one can get hurt by them . . . they're also easy to catch for small hands. 

To make a shower loofah into a ball, just cut off or tuck in the strap.  To make it even easier to catch, fluff it up a little bit.

Kids think they're the greatest thing ever to play with!

Common Core ELA Grade 5 Checklists

STUDENT CHECKLISTS:

I created these checklists to keep track of student progress on each of the ELA standards for Common Core. 

These checklists are for all strands of the ELA standards: language, literature, informational text, writing, reading foundations, and speaking and listening. 

The checklists have spaces for student names as well as corresponding boxes to keep track of student mastery.  When a student meets a particular standard, write the date in the matching box.  This helps you document student progress. 

The checklists can be very long (specifically the writing checklist), so I glued them together - see the first picture.  In order to fit the large checklists in my grading binder, I folded each list to fit. 

Get a free download of my Common Core ELA Grade 5 Student Checklist!  It is a free google.doc in PDF format.

TEACHER LISTS:
This checklist is for teachers to correlate the new Common Core ELA Grade 5 Standards to their current textbook and curriculum series. 

This checklist includes already prepared columns with the Common Core ELA standards - one column with the official language, one with more common language.  There are also two additional columns for you to write the corresponding chapters or sections in your current textbook and other activities/projects/worksheets that you use.  This chart is a fantastic way to organize your current materials to work for the Common Core standards.

Get a free download of my Common Core ELA Grade 5 Teacher Checklist!  It is a free google.doc in PDF format. 

Also take a look at my MATH checklists!

 

Common Core MATH Grade 5 Checklists

STUDENT CHECKLISTS:

I created these checklists to keep track of student progress on each of the MATH standards for Common Core.  These checklists are for all strands of the MATH standards: operations and algebraic thinking, number and operations in base ten, number and operations - fractions, the number system, measurement and data, and geometry. 

The checklists have spaces for student names as well as corresponding boxes to keep track of student mastery.  When a student meets a particular standard, write the date in the matching box.  This helps you document student progress.  If needed, to fit the large checklists in my grading binder, I glued multiple pages together and folded each list to fit. 

Get a free download of my Common Core MATH Grade 5 Student Checklist!  It is a free google.doc in PDF format.

TEACHER LISTS:
This checklist is for teachers to correlate the new Common Core MATH Grade 5 Standards to their current textbook and curriculum series. 

This checklist includes already prepared columns with the Common Core MATH standards - one column with the official language, one with more common language.  There are also two additional columns for you to write the corresponding chapters or sections in your current textbook and other activities/projects/worksheets that you use.  This chart is a fantastic way to organize your current materials to work for the Common Core standards.

Get a free download of my Common Core MATH Grade 5 Teacher Checklist!  It is a free google.doc in PDF format. 

Also check out my ELA checklists! 

Class Mascots

Want a fun way to start the year off as a team?  Vote on a class mascot!

Every year, I have the students vote on an animal as our classroom mascot.  I only have one rule: it must start with the letter T.  It turns into my first lesson on alliteration.  Then we try to come up with a slogan as well.  They're tied to learning and usually include a play on words.

Here are the past two years' mascots:

"We can learn and toucan, too!"

"We're spinning webs of skills and talents!"

I can't wait to see what this year's class votes on . . . I'm hoping it will be the TIGERS :)

Scholastic Book Order

Here are my materials all ready for my Scholastic book orders:

I have a pocket folder (that I got free from one of my first orders) to keep extra book flyers organized.  I also have an accordion file to hold things like order forms, payments, coupons, envelopes, etc.  Again, I got this with one of my first orders; however, a coupon accordion file would work great!

My favorite OCD preparation for book orders?  My envelopes!  I use the sticky address labels that come with every order form to prepare envelopes for future orders.  Each envelope is ready with my return address, payment slip ripped off, and my customer order number already written in.  This way, all I have to do is insert the checks, write the amount, and drop it in the mail.

When I send my book orders home, I include a short note like this one:

My notes have information about the due date, online ordering instructions, and a reminder that online orders earn free books for our classroom. 

Don't forget to get the kids and parents excited about book orders.  Here is a fabulous Scholastic video that I have posted on my classroom website for all my families to view:

Check out the website for Scholastic Book Clubs site to get started.