Calendar Time - SMART Board Style

I created this calendar routine for the SMART board after one of the teachers I was volunteering with mentioned that she would like to start using the SMART board more in her daily classroom routines.  I suggested that it would be quite easy to set up something for the calendar.  She agreed that it would be easy to implement, but didn't know how to go about actually creating it using the notebook software.  That's when I got the crazy idea to create a calendar routine for her.  After many hours of staring at the computer, I can now say it's complete and she is using it daily in her classroom and the kids just LOVE it!

This calendar routine reflects the things that we collaboratively agreed were important to include in calendar time.

They are:
1. Monthly calendars where students input the numbers which creates a pattern.  This page also has a section for Today is, Yesterday was, Tomorrow will be.

2. Days in school two ways.  The first way is using place value and hundreds blocks and the second way is using tens frames.  These two pages lead up to the students writing the number of days in numerals.

3. The weather.  There are two pages for the weather.  The first is a weather wheel where you select the type of weather and then write it in a sentence.  And the 2nd page is a monthly weather graph.

At the end of all the calendar pages I have also included some instructions how to use each page and tips to help out teachers who are new to the SMART Board.

This is my first attempt at selling something on TpT.  I'm hoping it goes well and that I can continue to share my creations with others.  Previously, the husband and I had each put one freebie online and were pleasantly surprised with how many downloads we each got.  Now it's time to see if anyone is will to pay for the things we make.... fingers crossed!

Click here to download this from TpT: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SMART-Board-Calendar-Routine-1006459

30 Points of Spelling

This is a fun spelling assignment that can be used every week. This assignment consists of getting to 30 points by the end of each week. Students can obtain points by completing activities on the menu. These activities range from 5 (easier) to 15 (harder) points. As there are several options on the menu, students are able to choose which activities they would like to complete. I found this spelling assignment to be very helpful as students were able to learn their spelling words through various ways. Here is the link for this activity: Spelling Activity

Writing Numbers Rubric

Today while I was volunteering in a grade one class I did a quick math assessment to see if the students knew their numbers to 20 and if they could write their numbers above 20.

I asked each student to write the numbers 1-20 in order on a piece of paper.  I was looking to see if their numbers were facing the right way and if they were placing the numbers in the right place (for example, eighteen is 18 not 81).

When I was finished I wanted to assess them in a way that would allow the teacher to group them easily for math centres later.  So I didn't want to just give them a mark out of 25 since that wouldn't tell me where the student was struggling.  After a little more thought, I came up with this quick rubric.  It's available for free on TpT!

Mapping Unit

Here is a grade 4 socials mapping project. In this project the students will become familiar with using directions, grid coordinates, scale, and legend to create a map. In part 1 the students will be given instructions on where to place items on a map. In part 2 the students will do the opposite and be given a completed map. Their job is to provide detailed instructions on where these items are placed. This project also includes two assessment rubrics that will be used for marks.

Here is a link to our project:

Grade 4/5 Socials Mapping Project

Father's Day - If You Give a Dad a Marshmallow

In honor of Father's Day, today I'm sharing the activity I did this week with my kindergarten classes.

Following the model of the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie", this Father's Day activity involves students making their own books titled, "If You Give a Dad a Cookie".  The template can be found on TpT and has 2 versions, one which has the word 'dad' filled in on each page, and one that allows students to fill it in.  We wrote out the word 'dad' in our books so that students without a dad could write their book to another family member or friend.

The story goes if you give a dad a cookie he'll need a campfire, a stick, graham crackers, and chocolate to make s'mores.  So we also made bags with all the ingredients for students to make a s'more at home with their dads.  My EA even found this tag that she was able to customize for dads, grandpas, and uncles that tied everything together.

Here's a link to the TpT template: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fathers-Day-If-you-give-a-Dad-a-marshmallow-714213

What did your class do for Father's Day this year?

Ladybugs

After learning the butterfly life cycle we moved on to the ladybug life cycle.  We compared the two and found them to be quite similar.  Then we created this awesome ladybug life cycle craft.  It was messy, but oh so fun!

We started with 2 paper plates and painted one red and one black.  Then we used tracers and black construction paper to trace and then cut out the head and spots.  Once we were done that we used the life cycle from this bug science pack from TpT http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bugs-Science-Centers-643070 and coloured and cut the life cycle.

Once we had all the parts, we could assemble them.  The life cycle was glued to the black paper plate, the spots were glued to the red paper plate, then the red plate was cut in half, eyes were glued to the head, and it was all fastened together using a brass fastener.

Butterflies

For the past few weeks I have been teaching kindergarten.  I have just loved it.  The theme we were working on was bugs, specifically butterflies and ladybugs.

During the first week we learned the life cycle of the butterfly using Eric Carle's book The Hungry Caterpillar.  We cut and coloured our own life cycles and put them up for every one to see.  Then we made butterflies to decorate the classroom.

After searching pinterest for different ways of making butterflies I decided on this method.

 Using coffee filters we folded them into quarters.

 Then we dipped them into bowls of water with food colouring.

The rule was dip into the bowl for a count of 3 and then use your fingers

to pull and excess water out of the filter and back into the bowl.

Once the filter was completely wet, or as wet as the student wanted

we opened the filters up and let them dry.

Then we used a pipe cleaner to pinch the middle of the coffee filter

and curled or bent the ends to create the antennae.

The Power of Art

Ah the exploration of visual arts. I think it is important for students to explore and appreciate art.

Something that caught my eye this week while teaching was the use of a visual journal. Students each had their own journal where they could write their own reflections. These reflections could be based on anything. But this week, the students happened to be learning about Andy Warhol and his style of art. Looking at Warhol's work, you can see the techniques and thinking that went behind some of his paintings. The students then got a chance to colour their own portraits using Warhol's style. But what made this different was that students got to explore what colours to use and what medium to use. It was interesting to see the different decisions that came about. I think that learning about one artist every other week is a great way to incorporate visual art techniques into the curriculum.


Here are some of Warhol's more famous works.

 x 32

Of course Warhol is only one example and there are many different famous artists your class can cover.

If I Were In Charge of the World

I first found this activity in a teacher's sub binder.  It was one of her emergency activities.  When I first looked it over I thought it looked like a neat activity and I kept it tucked in the back of my mind to try some day.  That day arrived when one day music was cancelled so I was in need of an extra activity and I just happened to be in her class again.  I seized this opportunity to try it out that the students just loved it!

When I got home I knew I wanted to find the activity for myself, so I searched for it on pinterest and found a link to this blog. http://mandys-tips-4-teachers.blogspot.ca/2012/04/national-poetry-month-poetry-frame.html

Using the poem If I Were in Charge of the World as a template, students then create their own poems describing what life would be like if they were in charge of the world.  The blog I mentioned above has a great graphic organizer and template for students to create their own poems.

When I taught it, we used both the template and the graphic organizer.  While I think both are great, in the future I would probably just use the poem template and have more discussion with the students to really have them come up with some creative poems.

If I Were In Charge of the World

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel oatmeal,
Monday mornings,
Allergy shots, and also Sara Steinberg.

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be brighter nights lights,
Healthier hamsters, and
Basketball baskets forty eight inches lower.

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have lonely.
You wouldn't have clean.
You wouldn't have bedtimes.
Or "Don't punch your sister."
You wouldn't even have sisters.

If I were in charge of the world
A chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts would be a vegetable
All 007 movies would be G,
And a person who sometimes forgot to brush,
And sometimes forgot to flush,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world.

By Judith Viorst

What would the world be like if you were in charge?

10 Minute Time-Fillers

Here are some great games and activities for those times when you just have a few extra minutes to fill.

Silent ball
This is a great game that all the students I have taught love to play.  Students sit on their desks and silently throw a ball around the classroom.  You have to make eye contact before throwing and silently get the person's attention that you want to throw to.  If you talk, you're out.  If you make a bad throw or miss catching a good throw, then you're out.

Once you're out there are varying rules about what happens next.

Option 1: students have to do 5 or 10 jumping jacks, or push-ups, or other physical activity before they can join back in. *This is my personal favourite way to play.

Option 2: students are out and can't get back in until there is one person left or the teacher says 'jail break'.  Then all students can re-join the game.

Option 3: students who are out, then move to their chairs and place them in different spots around the room.  If they can catch the ball without getting out of their seats they can get back in the game.  Students are not allowed to move their chair once they have placed it in a certain spot.

Option 4: once the student who caused you to be out gets out, you can re-enter the game.

Any way you play it, your students are sure to enjoy it and you might be getting in a little DPA too.

Simon Says
Most people know how to play.  'Simon' says to do various activities, but if 'Simon' doesn't say, then you are not supposed to follow the direction.  The younger kids really love this, especially if you can get the actions going really quickly and throw in some tricks along the way.

Heads-up 7-up
The favourite game to play when a substitute is there.  7 students come up to the front of the room.  The rest of the students put their heads down on their desks and put their thumbs up.  The 7 students go around and each taps one person on the thumb and returns to the front of the room.  That person puts their thumb down.  Once all 7 students have returned to the front the rest of the students put their heads up and the 7 chosen students stand up.  The 7 chosen students then try and guess which of the 7 students at the front chose them.  If they are correct, they change places with the student at the front.

4 Corners
Each corner of the room is given a number.  One student is chosen to be the counter.  He or she sits at their desk with their head down and counts to 20.  The rest of the students move around the room and by the time the counter gets to 0 they must be in one of the 4 corners.  The counter then calls out one corner of the room and all students in that corner are out.

Variations to this game to use it as DPA include:
1. students must balance in a yoga pose in the corner while the counter is counting.
2. students in the chosen corner are not out, but have to do a certain number of jumping jacks, push-up, sit-ups, or other activities and then can continue playing.

Word Brain Teasers
I keep a sheet of these to pass out in my substitute binder, and I've also used these as a team game.  I wrote them on the board and the first team to figure them out won.

Here is a website of tons of brain teasers.
http://www.billsgames.com/brain-teasers/

Sudoku
For older kids this is a good way to keep their brains working.  Lots of puzzles can be found online.

Dot-to-dot
For the little-ones these are great to help with the order of the alphabet and numbers.  You can also find ones that have skip counting.  Plus, when they're finished connecting the dots they can colour the pictures.

Brain Breaks
These are a great quick break for students, or you can do many at a time for part of your DPA time.  They are just a whole bunch of activities on sticks that you can pick out of a jar and then complete.  For example, downward facing dog pose, jumping jacks, the hand jive, etc.

You can make your own, or you can buy it here from TpT.  I didn't create this one, but I've seen this one used in several classrooms and I think it's worth the money to buy it, instead of spending all the time creating your own.  Plus this one comes with a list of what you're supposed to do with each stick in case you're unfamiliar with the movement, which is so perfect when you're a substitute.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brain-Breaks-for-the-Classroom-229497

Great Books for TOCs

As a TOC, I love to carry around a book or two for those moments when you just have a few minutes to fill, and don't want to play a game.  Since I usually work in the primary classes, most often there are lots of books already in the classroom.  I like to bring my own books though because then the students are more likely not to have read them.  Plus, then I also have a book to read when working with the older kids since there aren't usually as many books available to read aloud in these classes.  Don't forget, older kids love being read to too!

Here are a few of my favourite books to bring along as a TOC.

Right now, all my favourites are written by Chris Van Allsburg.  He's fantastic!  He writes and illustrates his books and both the pictures and stories are very creative and engaging.  Every time I read his books the students just love it.  Plus, despite the wonderful stories and pictures, teachers don't seem to read his books much in class so the students are even more interested since they've never heard the books before.

The only drawback is that his books are quite lengthy and take a long time to read.  Typically, I like to read these books when I know I'm going to be in a class for a couple days so we can read part of it one day and finish it the next day.  Or if I knew I had a bit of time in the morning and a bit of time in the afternoon I would also read these books to them.

I like many of the Chris Van Allsburg books.  The Sweetest Fig, Jamanji and Zathura are ones I can carry around all year.  I also like The Widow's Broom around Halloween time.  It's not strictly about Halloween, but it does have a spooky theme.

Another great Chris Van Allsburg book is The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.  There are two versions of this book.  The original is a book filled with pictures, each with a caption that sparks the imagination.  This is a great book to start some creative writing and can be used as a handy time filler when working as a TOC for times when the teacher hasn't left a lesson plan.  The second version has short stories based on each of the pictures written by other famous children's authors.  It could be used in combination with the first to show how the students came up with quite different stories from the authors, or on its own as a short story book.

This picture is from wikipedia.

What are some books you use as a TOC?

Sub Binder

A Sub binder is a binder which contains all the important information a substitute teacher may need when coming into your class, including the lesson plans for that day and emergency plans for when you weren't able to come up with a plan.

I first found the idea for a substitute binder on Pinterest last summer when I was looking for some good ideas for TOCs to carry around.  But as I followed the link I quickly found out that this sub binder isn't for TOCs, but for classroom teachers to leave for TOCs.  Amanda, from One Extra Degree, has created this awesome binder where teachers can organize all the important information TOCs usually need.  I thought this was a great idea and I kept the pin to use later when I had my own classroom.

I was so excited when I came across a teacher with a sub binder in September!  It was so nice walking into the room and seeing this binder on the teacher's desk.  The information was all organized and easy to find and since it was all laid out so nicely it was a breeze to read over before the students came in.  Not only does it save you from having to repeat routines each day if you have a TOC for several days, it also saves you time when creating your lesson plans on those days when you're feeling sick and just want to get back to sleep.

As a TOC, I have to say this is an incredible tool.  It's much easier to come in and find a class list, schedule, emergency information, important school contact information, and a list of helpful students all in one place.  There is also a section to include activities for time fillers, which I have to say, have come in handy in the past when music or gym has suddenly been cancelled.

Amanda even has an editable version on her TpT store so it's so easy to create one for yourself.  I would say that this is a must have for every classroom.

She also has an outline for a 'sub tub' where you can leave emergency plans for each day of  the week, for those days when you just can't force yourself to write a plan.  At least something will be available for the TOC.

For more information about the Sub Binder and Sub Tub click the link.

Elementary Art Fun

Salvador Dali Elephant Art

Materials:

- watercolour paper

- washable markers

- paint brushes

- pastels

- pencils

- water in cups

This was a very fun and engaging art activity for the students. They would first draw the elephants and then use a washable marker to outline it. After outlining, the students would use a paint brush dipped in water to smear the colour of the marker into the elephant. After that, the students would add a pastel background which was also brushed with water.

Thumbs up to smART class for providing us with this cool art project.

Here's their website for more information:

http://elementaryartfun.blogspot.ca/

We Are Silent

While teaching today the students were participating in the We Are Silent campaign. To participate, students took a vow of silence to acknowledge the denial of basic human rights to children all over the world. Students also helped collect pledges that would help support communities affected by poverty. Here's the website for more information.

http://www.freethechildren.com/get-involved/campaigns/we-are-silent/

Teaching was quite a quiet experience. At first it was a bit difficult, but after a while, we got comfortable communicating to each other by using our whiteboards. I was impressed as the students were very motivated to not speak during the day. I'm sure it took a lot of will power to stay silent. It was a good experience and the students were able to demonstrate an awareness for the violation of children's rights.