Opinions expressed on this blog are my own and do not represent any other organization or affiliation I may have.
Showing posts with label school start up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school start up. Show all posts

Wednesday, 4 September 2013

Back to School Craft: Painted Pencils



 
I love this idea for a back to school craft. It can also be an "at home" idea for teacher so that the "teacher pencils" are easily identified and returned....
 
Kids can decorate pencils by winding extra-thin tape around a plain pencil, painting it, and then unwrapping the tape.
 
See full, detailed instructions, materials list and examples at the source: CLICK HERE

Sunday, 1 September 2013

Currently...

 
 
Listening:
To my daughter and her friend giggling in the room next to me. It's the last slumber party of the summer.

Loving:
The weather we have been having. There was a wicked thunder storm the other night and the rain watered my garden for me. Since then it has been sunny and beautiful.

Thinking:
About back to school.

Wanting:
A job! I am a bit anxious knowing there are no classes available for many teachers, including me. I really hoped I would be able to know before school starts.

[For those new to my blog, our district had a major budget deficit and laid off approx 500 teachers. As of last week 200 were still not placed back in a classroom... there are no jobs... yikes!]

Needing:
To get my house cleaned! And not stress of things I can not control [like when I get my class assignement]
Love Yourself Spot:
1. Drink more water 
2. Learn to say 'no' sometimes
3. Scrapbook more

If you want to participate in 'Currently' check out Farley's blog - Oh Boy 4th Grade I try to participate every month and even use the idea with the mentors group I work with as an opening write sometimes!

Saturday, 31 August 2013

Pintrest in Action... Setting up the classroom

My good friend and colleague has been back at school all week setting up her Grade 4/5 classroom.

She is active on pintrest and used a lot of the pins she found over the summer to implement in her classroom.

Background:
Last year she changed the set-up of her class. She wanted to observe how students worked in different seating arrangements and how it changed when she set up sseating assignments vs. when students chose their own.

The Options:
She had tables lined up on each side of the classroom with bleachers at one end (and clipboards) as well as big comfy rugs in the middle. There is also a cloak room area to work in, the hallway and a table in a cubby area down the hall. Students often have the choice of where to work during work time.



This Year:
She has continued with the lay out of the classroom listed above and has implemented some awesome pintrest ideas. I wanted to share some of the photos...




On her desk to organize everything easily


Drop Zone - handing in work


Help Wanted and Job applications for class jobs


Clothespins with students names or numbers will be attached to this chart and be moved if needed throughout the day.


Each student has a number and they can move their magnet if they leave the room (Especially good in this class given the choices of where they may go work in and around the school)


No Name? No Problem! Clip up work here


Class volume

See similar: Voice O Meter


If they get too noisy she will add one of these letters up on the board. If they spell noise it becomes a 'no talking' time


Book Hospital, a tub to put damaged books into so they can be fixed


Clip boards (for workers on the bleachers) and school supplies


Dry Erase pens with "puff balls" attached to lids for easy erasing


Shelves she  bought to put tubs on, each student gets a tub to keep their supplies (since she doesn't have traditional desks with storage in them)


Shout Out Box, if you have something nice to say about someone, write it down and put it in the box


Her class library, full of all the books she has bought and some comfy chairs


She writes a blog here and recently did her masters exploring classroom design. I always love going to her class and have talked about her classroom design before.

I had to share these photos she posted of her class, because she is an amazing teacher and has some great ideas! Her students are very lucky to have such a caring teacher and a welcoming and innovative classroom!

For TTOCs:

Which of these could you implement as a TTOC? I like the "NOISE" letter idea for classroom management as well as the number magnets for leaving the room.

Check out this post with some more ideas: HERE

Friday, 30 August 2013

Special Chair in Class


The idea of a special chair in class is not new. As a TTOC I have seen the aithour's chair, L'aime Speciale chaise, the reader's chair, the calendar "leader" chair and so on and so forth.

I saw this post and really loved the creativity of the chair decor.



 





 
 

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Portrait Project

I remember as a kid tracing our shadows and profiles and cutting them out in black paper.... I like this modern twist on that activity that allows students to then decorate their profile with things they like and that show a bit about them. This is a great back to school activity.

Portrait project
http://pinterest.com/pin/61431982389822972/

Monday, 17 June 2013

Start Up your class with Roles & Responsibilities

Saw this on facebook, reallyl ike it as a first week activity with a class to review roles & responsibilities in the class and give students ownership of them.
 

Monday, 27 August 2012

First Day Jitters

I love this book, First Day Jitters but Julie Danneberg. It is a story that starts off with a young lady who doesn't want to go to her new school. A man, who we believe to be her father, urges her to go and in the end we discover that she is the teacher not a student and the man was her husband. It is a cute story that shows everyone can be nervous about the new school year or starting at a new school.

Lessons to try with the story:
This book is especially great for Primary students to ease the anxiety of starting a new school year or going to a new school. It is also good for new teacher's too!

Here is a youtube reading of the book:

Thursday, 10 May 2012

Anti-Bullying Game 'Face Value'

I always have a deck of cards. I do so much with a deck of cards, games, groups, classroom management strategies. A deck of cards, like a bean bag ball and some dice, can be miracle workers in any level classroom.



Here is a fun game/activity that can address bullying with intermediate and middle school students, but also for a lesson on class systems for up to High School level. I found it at PE Central

A good activity to use if you have time as a TTOC or if you have your own class, at the beginning of the school year, or when you observe bullying taking place in your school.
Begin with every student receiving a playing card, face down.

Explain to the students the following:

  • You are to not look at your card or tell anyone else what their card is.
  • Everyone should place the card on their forehead (or walk showing the card, but not looking at their own card!) with the face of the card facing away from their heads
  • Begin to mingle with each other but treat everyone based on the "face value" of their card. For example, low cards (2-5) don't get much attention or are avoided, mid-range cards (6-10) are treated with respect but not overly lauded, royal cards (J, Q, K, A) are the best of the deck--those cards are the ones you try to hang out with, treat well and are "super cool"
  • Allow students to mingle for several minutes treating others based on face value. Call for their attention and then have students divide into groups based on how they have been treated, low cards, mid-range and royalty. Discuss how it doesn't take very long to figure out what "group" you belong to based on how people treat you.
  • Ask members from each group why they felt like they belonged in that group and how people made them feel. Lead into a disucssion about the "Golden Rule" and how everyone should expect to be treated like royalty, but in return should treat everyone else like royalty as well, not as "low cards."
  • Have students take the cards off their foreheads and check to see if they are correct in guessing which level card they have. After this activity you can easily lead into a bullying discussion where you identify and define what bullying is, types of bullying, why people bully, what to do if you see bullying or are bullied and how to avoid becoming a bully themselves.
At the end, always remind students that bullying stops with them. It has to be a personal and individual choice to make it stop and to treat all those around them as if they were all royalty cards.



Anti-Bullying Websites & Teaching Suggestions:
http://www.stopabully.ca/
http://www.pinkshirtday.ca/
http://www.stopbullying.gov/
http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=24700&tid=108
http://www.bullying.org/
http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/bully-eng.aspx