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!

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 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!

Photo Frames with a Purpose

Here's another Pinterest project . . .

I found two cheap picture frames that another teacher was throwing away (*gasp!*) and turned them into great additions to my desk!

A piece of scrap paper - in neon pink of course - turns one of the frames into a cute whiteboard.  Instead of wasting tons of sticky notes, I just use a dry-erase marker to make notes to myself. 

A printout of my student names turns the second frame into a dry-erase class list. 

I can cross out names as students hand in assignments, answer questions, etc.  When I'm done, I can just erase and start over! 

The best part about this project?  It literally took 5 minutes to make . . . and now I'm thinking of other uses for cheap picture frames.



The New Hall Pass

My very first Pinterest project!  I got the idea from a pin on a friend's board.  I was able to turn an old cookie sheet (which another teacher was throwing out) into a great board to keep track of where my students are. 

After painting the cookie sheet and spraying it with a clear coat, I decorated sections with headings for: in the room, nurse, library, boys bathroom, girls bathroom, office, and specialist.  You could add any spaces that your students usually frequent to your own board. 

Next I glued numbers I printed from my computer onto glass craft beads.  After trimming off the excess paper, I added a magnet to each one. 

When all the numbers are at the top of the board, I know all students are in the classroom.  When students leave for any reason, they move their number to the correct space.  This lets me know where students are, even when things get hectic. 

Like I said, I got the idea from Pinterest (my most exciting, organized, and time-wasting website of the moment).  Here is the original project! with more detailed how-to instructions. 

Classroom Library

"I can't find a book!"

Every teacher dreads hearing this from a student.  I have found a way to bring order to the chaos of my hundreds of books.  The best part is, I no longer hear that dreaded phrase. 

My secret weapons?  Plastic bins from the dollar store, recycled cardboard boxes, a lot of dedication, The Classroom Booksource website, and lots of time to put it all together. 

This portion of the library hosts genre bins for genres like comics, realistic fiction, mystery, science fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy.  I actually have 3 whole bins for fantasy - obviously it's our favorite genre. 

This side of my library consists mainly of reading series like Percy Jackson, Inkheart, Septimus Heap, Flat Stanley, and Narnia.  There are also bins for well-known authors like Gary Paulsen, Patricia MacLachlan, Judy Blume, and Beverly Cleary.  There are leveled book bins on this side as well.  These books are labeled using guided reading level letters.  Once students find books at their comfort level, they can utilize these bins for similarly matched books. 

Newbery winners and honor books are kept in these large plastic bins with room for yearly additions.  I recommend that my students try reading at least some of these classics. 

No space in my library is left unused.  I have used various shallow plastic bins (all from the dollar store) for groups of books and magazines stored beneath the large book shelf. 

This is my new favorite bin!  I began with a cardboard box that housed paper coffee cups and covered it with construction paper.  I got the circular sign free with a Scholastic book order and I taped it to the top of the cardboard box.  Once I added a label, it was done!

My library is my baby (can you tell?) and I'm so proud to share it.  It's been a few years of working out the kinks, but I'm in a place where I'm so happy with how things are organized.  I can honestly say that every container was either free (recycled cardboard boxes) or just $1 (yes, every plastic bin is from the dollar store - some even came in groups of 3 for a dollar).  What could be better?  That means I can spend my money buying books instead of containers. 

The Classroom Booksource website was my newest addition to my library protocol.  This summer, I spent hours cataloging every book in my library onto this FREE website.  This website also allowed me to document which bin each book belongs in.  The O.C.D. side of me fell in love with this website at first sight!  Even though many of my coworkers think I'm crazy for spending so much time with this process, I know that it was the right choice for me.  It will help me (and my students) keep track of my books - which total over 650 as of right now!  A place for every book, and every book in its place . . .

Now that you know how everything is organized, it's time to talk about what this means for my students.  First of all, my students find the book bins to be important tools to choosing well-fitting books.  Students know that if they love a genre, they can find books in it.  If they love a series, they know where to look.  If they want a particular level, there's a bin for it.  Once they find the perfect book, checking out books is a two step process: 

1. Students find their name on The Classroom Booksource website.  They search for the book they are checking out, and mark that they have it. (They also return books on the websie
2. Students use their numbered clothespins to clip to the bin where they took a book from.  Three clothespins = three books can be out at a time. 

This side wall of the library is where students use personalized clothespins to check out books. 

The clothespins (in addition to being budget-friendly) serve a dual purpose.  They help me visually see how many books each student is reading (a missing pin means a book is checked out).  The pins also help my students remember where to book their books back.  They clip the pin on the bin where they got the book.  When it's time to return a book, they find the pin with their number to return a book to it's home. 

Another benefit of the clothespins?  I can see what genres or series my students are reading.  This helps me order more books that correlate to what the kids truly enjoy. 

Students who forget where to return their books or have ripped books, place their books in this "medical box."  The classroom librarians determine if the books should simply be returned to their rightful place or if they should give them to me for repairs. 

Is this already too crazy for you to wrap your mind around?  Well, I take it even further . . . hello, OCD teacher here!  Inside each book cover is helpful information for both me and my students.  Book information listed includes the book's genres (a star indicates the book bin), guided reading level (letter), and lexile level (number).  These labels help everyone find appropriate books - be it by level or genre.  How empowering for students to pick up a book, flip to the back cover, and be able to decide if it may be a worthwhile choice for themselves! 

Whew!  So that's my classroom library.  I'm sweating just thinking about everything it took to get it to this point.  I also am looking back over this post realizing that I'm like that proud parent talking about every little cute detail.  What can I say?  This project really is my baby :)

Job Chart

To keep our busy classroom running smoothly, everyone pitches in!  I've created a magnetic job chart to keep track of our employment opportunities. 

The best things about this job chart are that it can be used from year to year, you can customize it with your unique classroom jobs, and it uses many things you may already have lying around!

Materials you need for this project:

• posterboard
• cardboard or cardstock
• ruler
• pencil
• scissors
• permanent markers
• magnetic sheets or magnetic tape
• contact paper (optional)

 How to DIY:

1. Choose the jobs you need to keep your classroom clean and organized (my classroom jobs are listed below).  Also decide how many students should have each job. 
2. Divide your board up into the appropriate amount of sections using pencil and a ruler.  Make sure you include spaces for your job titles and spaces for the cardboard numbers. 
3. Once you are happy with your layout, use permanent markers to go over lines and write in the job titles.
4. Cut cardboard (or thick cardstock)  into rectangles that will fit on your chart. 
5. Write numbers on the rectangles - that way you can reuse the chart every year without writing new student names every fall. 
6. Cut and affix magnets to the rectangles as well as the chart.
7. Cover the nonmagnetic portions of the chart with contact paper for additional durability (optional). 

Once you hang the job chart, your students will love looking for their job posting!  I also have students "apply" for the job they want with a simple application.  I ask them what job they want and why they are qualified.  It's a great way to show them writing for a purpose.  In addition to applying for jobs, I may choose to "fire" students who complete their responsibilities inadequately. I then open up the job for someone on vacation or someone who wants a new job.  We hold open applications only twice a year; however, you could change your classroom jobs as frequently as you like. 

My classroom jobs are:
- calendar - changes our calendar monthly and refreshes the date each day on our board.
- art center - responsible for organizing our art supplies near the sink.
- writing center - responsible for organizing our writing supplies (pens, paper, dictionaries, etc.)
- messenger - brings papers to the office, takes materials to other classrooms, etc.
- garbage collector - puts our two trash cans in the hall at the end of each day for the custodians.
- lunch count - counts lunch choices and resets the clips for the next day.
- sharpener - empties the pencil shavings from our electric sharpener. 
- duster/cleaner - in charge of cleaning supplies during our Friday room cleanings.
- hall monitor - ensures no one leaves items in our hallway cubbies at the end of each day.
- chalkboard - erases the board at the end of lessons and/or at the end of the day.
- librarians - responsible for keeping our classroom library clean and organized.
- paper passers - assist me in passing out work and distributing assignments into mailboxes.
- overhead - in charge of the overhead machine, projector cart, pull-down screen, and the lights.
- newsletter - 2 students write our monthly newsletter (I add notes from me, too). 
- vacation - these are students who have a temporary break from a job.