What a Great Way to Start the Year!
This is just a quick post to share a lesson idea. I came across this book the other day, picked it up, and read it in Hobby Lobby. I thought it would make a great lesson for back to school. It celebrates students individual talents and gifts. This would be a great ice breaker activity to display the individuality of students in their “Hot Air Balloons”. Students could. build these maybe out of coffee filters OR whatever else you imagine!
Wonderful Way to Start Your School Year!
I had seen this idea on another teacher’s wall at a different school many years ago. I thought I would look up the book and create the same thing, but we did this our own way! First, I read The Best Part of Me to the students. This book has lots of black and white pictures of students body parts with a writing piece done by each student about their body part.
Next, I had students brainstorm about their body parts. I had them list a body part they loved, one they found especially useful, and one they wanted to improve their confidence in. They had to write three details about each body part and then choose one to write about. The brainstorming took about one day.
Thirdly, I had the students begin working on the rough draft of their writing pieces. During the next couple of days and lessons, I read Owl Moon to give them the idea of using figurative language. I also read Ted Arnold’s book Parts to the students because it uses exaggeration and rhyme. For students who were wanting to write poetry, this gave them some ideas for their writing. I allowed students to choose whether to write in paragraph or poetry format.
We spent several days perfecting our rough drafts and turning them into final drafts. I had students use the iPads to take pictures of themselves or of one another’s body parts. Then they sent the pictures to my Google Drive and I was able to send them to the copier. We framed them nicely on construction paper. Parents and teachers oohed and aahed over the children’s work!
You can see some of our finished products below.
Another wonderful place to get lesson ideas for this book is on Scholastic here.
I hope you get to do this project sometime. I think you will be so pleased with the results!
Critical Thinking Bulletin Board
Here is just a quick bulletin board I put up at the beginning of the year. All you need is some construction paper and tissue paper to make this one work. I kind of think I should have added more fire towards the top. What do you think? What do you think this rebus says? Ideas?
If I had more time to make this board at the beginning of the year, I would have added white Christmas lights behind the tissue paper to add a flickering effect to the fire.
Have you figured out what the board says yet?
SET THE WORLD ON FIRE–great back to school theme!
Cute and Encouraging Spring Bulletin Board Idea!
I just happened across this bulletin board the other day in the hallway at another school. I wish I could have taken credit for it, but I didn’t make it. It appears the maker of the board used a silhouette or circuit die cutting machine to get the figures, but it wouldn’t be necessary to have a die cutter to make this. One could even take a picture of a couple of children in the class and make the children at the bottom for a more personal touch. Also, one of my friends always said that a great bulletin board has a 3D component AND this board has it with the butterflies coming off the board with their wings. How would you make this board your own?
Cute Winter Bulletin Board
I wish I could say I created this bulletin board, but I did not! I saw this bulletin board a colleague of mine made. She said she actually saw the idea on Pinterest. They are little snow globes that the students made with themselves inside of them. They decorated the scene inside the snow globe. The “globe” part of the snow globe is actually a clear plastic plate with a rounded edge. The teacher was able to have the children make these to go with a writing piece the children had done. Aren’t they cute?!
Try this Fun Activity for Your Promoted Fifth Graders!
We always have a big ceremony for our 5th graders who are being promoted to 6th grade every year. In fact it rivals many high school graduations in its attention to detail and classiness. This year, I wanted to add little something to it, so at the prompting of my students, we made these cute profile images of their faces. The students put quotes on them that meant something to them. In some cases students made up their own quotes, and I let them.
I had students make up the rubric for what a good profile image would look like. Most of them agreed that a quality profile had to have no white spaces, at least two colors, and at least one quote. They turned out SO well, and I’m so proud of them! 🙂 You will notice that some profiles look similar to others. That is because when one student had a good idea, other students tended to copy the good ideas.
First you must know that I work next door to the art teacher (HOW convenient!). The art teacher let me borrow these spotlights that make the perfect shadow on a large sheet of white construction paper. I outlined the students’s shadow and had them trace their shadow in black Sharpie. If you don’t do this first, it turns out disastrous because then students end up coloring over the pencil lines and then when they cut out their profile, their lips and nose look somewhat deformed. I had them make their colored design first, and then AT THE END they can cut out their profile. I allowed students to be able to use oil pastels, water color, black Sharpie, and crayons to make their images. I emphasized the fact that they must NOT use Sharpie over the top of oil pastels or crayons because the wax will ruin the Sharpie. I had them use the oil pastels, crayons, or Sharpie first and THEN they could paint over it with water color. The wax in the crayons and oil pastels will cause the water color to resist causing a nice effect.
Parents and students took much pride in these as they lined the hall after their “graduation ceremony”.
Does Investing in the Stock Market Scare You? A Few Tips!
I am one of a few teachers who decided to teach the stock market this year–to be specific the Stock Market Game. Our state funds this to teach students more about economics. To play this game, there is a $15 fee for each team to participate, but this is funded by grants from Economics Arkansas. In your state there is sure to be a link to a game you can play and funding provided through grants.
The games begin at certain times of year. For example, the game I am playing with my students began January 16th and will end April 20th. AND NO FEAR! The best part about playing this game is that you don’t have to know anything about the stock market! I have even told my students that I am not an expert at the stock market, but I just know a little–I am learning along with them. To be fair I have invested a few hundred dollars with Scott Trade in the past. I made some money, and I lost some money.
There are TONS of ready made resources and after you get through the initial explanation of stocks and how the game works, the students will be completely engaged in playing. They will want to look stocks up at home and learn about businesses. What better way to teach math, social studies, geography, business, and economics than playing a real life simulation! You will be fostering investors for life! 🙂
If you want to find out about playing in your state, you can go to stockmarketgame.org. To find out who to contact in your state, you can type your zip code in here. Now if you want some resources, the stock market game website has PLENTY of resources for you to use! I also will let you borrow some items from my state 😉 at economicsarkansas. That link will take you to a live binder. We have a wonderful lady leading the way in our state to provide us with all of these resources!
Now below, you will find a quick and easy bulletin board I threw together to make students think and also to reflect the stock market learning we will be doing. After the first few lessons, the students figure out the “plexer” or message on the bulletin board. The message is “Buy Low, Sell High”
I hope you have the opportunity to play with your students and are able to use some of these resources. Initially it does take a lot of class time, but after you get your students started (2-3 weeks for about 2 hours a week), you will be able to spend just a few minutes of class to allow your students to look at their portfolios. Happy Investing!
You Can Use an American Flag to Teach Math! {Giveaway}
Are You Planning a Castle Themed Room? Look at This!
This past summer, I had an amazing experience teaching in a summer gifted camp. The kids were amazing, but even more so the people I worked with. Everyone had enthusiasm about teaching. With that enthusiasm came much creativity. There were dragons and castles everywhere. The front desk was decorated as a castle. All of the classroom doors were decorated as little drawbridge doors. I wish I could take credit for this marvelous idea, but the coordinators of the camp made us the materials and had the ideas. We just put the materials together. This is my door…
Now let me tell you about the gray rocks. These were an afterthought and another teacher friend made them and made enough for me. I used them, but after I started putting them on, I really didn’t like the look of them. See the other doors without the gray rocks. They look better don’t they?
Now the following door is the same door, but just with a different angle.
Now, I know what you are thinking. Those black paper chains are attached to the floor, and they won’t make it very long with kid traffic. You are correct! We did have an issue with those, however they mostly stayed in tact after three weeks of kid traffic–which was the length of the camp. One of my neighbor teachers attached the chains to the wall to keep them off of the floor. After the first day, the kids get the general idea of the castle theme and I think it is fine to attach them to a wall.
I hope this sparked an idea for your new door decoration idea for this coming school year!
