 | ||
| Feel free to pin. Just hover over the image.
Share the
Sweetness!
Thank you
for helping to spread the word about Classroom
Confections.
We appreciate
you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on
Pinterest.
|
Saturday
If Only We Were Just Teachers
Wednesday
Something that Annoys this Teacher
Things that Annoy the Teacher
Do you have anything that absolutely annoys you?
Things that don't seem to bother other people, yet they get on your ever-lasting
nerve. To some people, this might be called a pet peeve.
The dictionary says that a pet peeve is a minor annoyance, but
I am afraid that mine is more than minor. What do you call it if it
reaches 'major' annoyance? Good question, ah? I'm
probably getting into some kind of psychological diagnosis when it gets to that
point. HA!
My annoyance is going to seem
ridiculous to some, but here goes.......
No, it's not the potato chips and Pop-tarts themselves. It's
the packaging! I can not stand to hear the rattling of the
package. For example, if someone is sitting beside me and they keep
sticking their hand inside the package to get some chips out. I hate the
sound every time their hand reaches in the bag.... over and over again.... so
annoying! If you are sitting by me and you eat a Pop-tart (or anything
else in a package), please, please remove it from the package and put it on a
paper towel. The crinkling sound just drives me nuts. I know, it's crazy! ................okay, it's not like I can't ever be in the same room with someone who has to eat from the bag, but hear me now....I'm cringing on the inside...
My kids and husband have pretty much gotten used
to me saying, "That gets on my nerves!" When I am teaching and it's snack time, my students know the routine from day one....no packages!!
Either use a Zip lock bag (not nearly as much noise) or put it on a paper
towel. If they didn't know what a pet peeve was before they arrived in my class, they go home from the start with a new vocabulary word. Plus,
they get a good laugh out of it. We always laugh about it. :-)
I am not alone when it comes to stuff like
this. Some favorite annoyances shared on the Internet
are:
- People who block the aisles in Wal-mart, talking
- Pens clicking
- Whining
- smacking food
- People who take up two parking spaces
- People who drive under the speed limit
- So many more!!
It's packages for me, but it's other things for
other people. With me, I probably have some kind of sensitivity to
high-pitched sounds or something like that. Either that or I'm just a complete wack-O! What about you, do you have
anything that annoys you?
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
Monday
FREE Birthday Pencil Toppers
I don't do a whole lot for my kids' birthdays, typically just a pencil and a birthday card....maybe a piece of candy. I have found in the past that they just want to be recognized on their birthday, and something simple can be all it takes to bring a smile to their face. I made these birthday pencil toppers that you may like. Just print them off, laminate, and tape to a pencil. Get them all ready at the beginning of the year and then all you have to do is grab one from the can on their birthday. I cut around mine using pinking shears. I have also included a style that could work for a button instead of a pencil topper. It says, "It's my birthday." After you laminate those, just hot glue a metal button backing that you can get in the jewelry section of Wal-Mart or a craft store like Hobby Lobby. Enjoy!
As always, I love comments, so say hello sometimes when you stop by. :-)
 |
| Feel free to pin. Just hover over the image. The can above is a soup can that I spray painted. The pencils came from the Dollar Spot at Target. |
Share the Sweetness!
Don't forget click and read my blog post
Reading Larger Numbers Activity
In math, most
teachers start the new year with some kind of number sense activity... place value, reading numbers, comparing numbers, etc. One thing I have found with some of my fourth graders is that they have a hard time reading larger numbers. They can break the number down into expanded form. They can tell you the value of the digits. But, when it comes to reading really large numbers, it can be a challenge. One thing I have done in the past is refer to the commas as 'last names', meaning that when you hit a comma, you need to add a word. It goes something like this:
 |
| Feel free to pin. Just hover over the image. |
When you are working on this activity, you might enjoy this I Have Who Has activity.
 |
| Feel free to pin. Just hover over the image. |
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
 |
| For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store. |
Saturday
Teacher Tips to Start the New Year
Teacher Tips For Back to School
Throw
out the old- It has taken almost twenty
years to realize it, but if I haven’t used it in two years, it’s probably best
to just throw it out. Don’t start the
year again with posters that have torn
edges, the three paper plates that you just think you will find some use for…
you know what I mean.
Get
yourself organized- after you throw out the old, organize the new. Get crates, labels, buckets, whatever it
takes to give everything its own place.
You will
feel so much better about your classroom.
I’m always more productive in an organized space.
Spice
up your classroom - Something new for
the classroom is like sporting a new outfit.
New clothes make you feel good.
So, get a new bookshelf, design a new bulletin board, just do
something. The same ‘ole same ‘ole is
just a boring.
Be
prepared- It’s a wonderful thing to start the year with a few weeks already
planned. It can be a stressful thing to
start the year not knowing what you are doing on day 2 of school. I would not recommend it. Spend the time now to get your thoughts in
order and know how to get your year off to a great start.
Don’t
reinvent the wheel – There are a lot of teachers, former teachers, etc. that are
making great lesson plans and activities.
The act of teaching is hard enough, and there is rarely any time left in
the day to search all over the internet for plans. Use sites
like Teachers Pay Teachers and teacher blogs like mine and many others in order
to streamline where you get your lessons.
Prioritize- If there is one thing I have had to
learn over the years, it’s that
everything does not have to get done today.
The hard part is that there is always something that has to be
done. The list of things to do in education just never ends. Designate an area
of your desk where you stack or make note of things that have to get done and when they need to be turned in or completed. Put them in order based on when they are
due. It will take some pressure off of
you if you realize you just have one thing due tomorrow and not ten.
Get
out of the classroom – It doesn’t matter how long you stay at school, there will always
be a list of things to do. There will
always be a nameplate on a desk that has to be replaced or papers that need
to be graded. Yes, there are times when it really is necessary to stay until 6
o’clock between those four cement walls, but on a day to day basis, go home,
get out, free yourself. It's better for you and the students. The truth is, it may have been so many years since you've done it that don't realize how refreshing it can be. It took me lots of years to realize it, and I stress that to people. You can be a great teacher and leave at a decent time.
Work,
don’t chat – As much as teachers like to talk, sometimes things just need to
get done. Yes, we need to vent, discuss
the happenings of the day, etc., but some teachers spend their entire planning
time (which may only be one day a week for some), talking and complaining. Take that time to actually get things
done. My point is, be productive and
don’t waste what little time you do have to get things done at school. Look closely.
Those teachers that you look at and wonder how they get to leave at 4:00
each day…. Well, they typically don’t waste time during the day.
Don’t
be the Debbie Downer- negativity
typically breeds negativity. People
understand when others need to vent a bit.
After all, teaching is hard. Parents can get under our skin. Teachers don't always do things our way. We
all have things we need to share and get off our shoulders. But, don’t make a habit of it. Pick and choose the important topics that are worthy of griping about. Also, live by the rule if you don’t have something nice to say about
someone, just keep it to yourself. It
really isn’t nice to talk about others, no matter how much we want to, and
trust me, I have wanted to.
Close
your door and teach- There are new
approaches to education introduced every year.
There are new methods for teaching reading, math, and everything else. It’s enough to make you want to pull your
hair out. If you look closely, most of the time the method is the same , but the name has changed. You aren’t really needing to change your way
of teaching at all. So, just close your
door and keep on keeping on. Teach the
way that works best for you and your kids.
And if something does change, I always have the attitude that if
I can justify why I do what I do then all is good. After all, I have taught for twenty years and
have two degrees. That does leave me to
be able to make some professional call on how I should run my classroom. I like to try new approaches when I come across them, but I like to pick what will work for me and my students. Not every new approach works for every
teacher and for every group of kids, and like I said, the only thing new about most ‘new’ methods of
teaching is the name. Sad but true.
I hope you have a terrific school year.
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
|
| For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store. |
Friday
DIY Inexpensive Partner Pocket Chart
When I say inexpensive, I
'm talking like $2.00. I think that is pretty cheap!!
This little DIY pocket chart will work great for a partner center. Maybe students are working on spelling, and one student calls out a word to another for that child to spell it. Then they take turns being the caller or speller. I can think of lots of different ways to use this little partner pocket chart. Be creative.
This little DIY pocket chart will work great for a partner center. Maybe students are working on spelling, and one student calls out a word to another for that child to spell it. Then they take turns being the caller or speller. I can think of lots of different ways to use this little partner pocket chart. Be creative.
 |
| Feel free to pin. Just hover over the image. |
Supplies: Stapler, Scissors, Cheap Sentence strip
pocket chart from Target dollar spot, heavy duty cardboard pocket folder, patterned duct tape.
1.First,
you
will cut off the top piece of vinyl fabric above the top plastic strip. It is the part that has the two brads for
hanging. Leave a little bit of fabric above the strip. Save this for a later step.
2.Next,
cut the pocket chart in the middle of the strips, so that you will now have 2 sentence strip charts with 4 each one.
3.Now,
face the two pieces of vinyl to each other with the plastic strips facing each
other. Make sure the plastic strips are
open to the top. You will staple across
the top.
4.Flip
the vinyl back over, and the staples should be on the underside with the plastic strips now on both outer sides.
5.Take
the file folder and keep it closed.
Drape the stapled vinyl over the folded part of the folder. The folder
will open on the bottom. You will have 4
strips on each side of the folder. Basically, you have a small pocket chart on each side.
6.Now,
staple the vinyl to the top of the
folder.
7.Then
staple down 4 sides. You will hold the
folder slightly open and staple the vinyl on the sides to attach it
to the folder. Do this on both sides.
8.Now,
pick a colored tape. I used a lighter weight tape, but I would probably
now recommend a patterned duct tape.
You will use this to cover all staples.
9.Last,
take the strip that you originally and you will use it to staple to the inside
of the folder in order to help the folder stay open at an A-frame. I cut mine to the inside of the brads, and
then trimmed off a little more. The size
you choose will determine how much the folder will open up.
Once
completed, you should have 4 strips on each side. It's perfect for a partner center, but it can always be used individually, too.
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
|
| For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store. |
Thursday
FREE Independent Reading Poster
Goodness! At the start of every year, you always have a few reluctant readers... the ones that have to be trained to read independently. They want to do everything but read. You know the ones I'm talking about. I call it pretend reading, and I tell my students from the beginning that I can spot pretend readers. For example, they flip one page then three then back two. Their eyes wander. They squirm. You know the drill. Anyway, if they can just sit still and focus long enough to enjoy a book then most of the time they figure out that reading is actually fun. I had a student last year that fell in this category and he ended up really loving reading. His parents said he would not put books down. They thought there was no way he was actually reading the books as fast as he was, so they started reading them too and quizzing him. To their surprise, he WAS reading. They really started appreciating me at that point. :-)
Below is another one of my little posters that might work well for you in an interactive reading journal. The focus is on independent reading. On the day the students glue this down in their journal, you can have them do a practice independent reading session. Then you can have them come back and respond in writing to how well they think they did with following the expectations. You can also watch the kids and then give them some suggestions of things they may need to improve on, which they could also make note of in their journal. This is a great list to have, especially once independent reading gets into full swing. When you see a child not doing one of the expectations, have them take out their journal and tell you which one they are not following.
You may also like this book buddy chat activity. My students love it. Most any student loves to talk about what they have read. Plus, this holds reluctant readers a little more accountable, as they will want to be able to become engaged in conversation. After all, if they haven't read their book, they will have a hard time talking about it. My students actually ask to do this activity :-)
Below is another one of my little posters that might work well for you in an interactive reading journal. The focus is on independent reading. On the day the students glue this down in their journal, you can have them do a practice independent reading session. Then you can have them come back and respond in writing to how well they think they did with following the expectations. You can also watch the kids and then give them some suggestions of things they may need to improve on, which they could also make note of in their journal. This is a great list to have, especially once independent reading gets into full swing. When you see a child not doing one of the expectations, have them take out their journal and tell you which one they are not following.
As always, I love comments, so drop me a hello in the comments section. :-)
 |
| Feel free to pin this activity. Just hover over the image. |
You may also like this book buddy chat activity. My students love it. Most any student loves to talk about what they have read. Plus, this holds reluctant readers a little more accountable, as they will want to be able to become engaged in conversation. After all, if they haven't read their book, they will have a hard time talking about it. My students actually ask to do this activity :-)
 |
| Feel free to pin this activity. Just hover over the image. |
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
|
| For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store |
Wednesday
What is Reading?
This reading poster is another one that will work perfectly in an interactive reading journal. For me, I would use this at the very start of the year when I am setting up my readers workshop. You may even pose the question "What is reading" before you show the poster. Have your students write a few sentences in their journal to answer the question and then share with a partner. After letting a few students share their answers with the class, pass out the mini poster to glue in their interactive journal. Discuss in detail what reading really is, and that it goes far beyond saying the words on a page. Enjoy.
As always, I love feedback, so say hello by leaving a comment. :-)
 |
| Feel free to pin this activity. Just hover over the image. If you teach grades 3-5, you may also like my Readers Workshop Guide. Many people have been very happy with this product, which you can read under the feedback section. Thanks for checking it out. |
 | ||
| Feel free to pin this activity. Just hover over the image.
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
|
FREE Determine the Setting Poster
I'm on a kick making reading posters that I hope you will find helpful in your classroom. This is the third one, and it is on the skill of determining the setting of a story. The smaller version will work great for interactive reading journals. Enjoy!
As always, I love to hear from you. Drop me a comment. :-)
 |
| Feel free to pin. Just hover over the image. You may also like this activity. Students will write their own fictional story and will need to develop a setting for the story. Narrative Writing Story Mini Book  |
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
|
| For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store |
Tuesday
FREE Describing a Character Poster
This is the second in a series of posters I am making and giving away for FREE. They are perfect for students to glue into their interactive reading journals. It can help when reading stories or writing stories. On this poster, the definition of a character is presented, and then suggestions of things kids should think about are also included. I hope you enjoy, and please do share with your friends and co-workers.
You might also like this activity on characters.
Character Traits Activity
And, as always.... leave me some love. I love comments. :-)
 |
| Feel free to pin by hovering over the image. |
You might also like this activity on characters.
Character Traits Activity
 |
| Feel free to pin by hovering over the image. |
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
|
| For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store |
Monday
FREE Making Inferences Poster
Inferring can be so hard for kids to grasp. Here's a cute poster to use to introduce it to your students. I have also included a smaller version. The small inferencing poster would be great to glue into an interactive reading journal. It is made in color, but it prints out fine in black and white. Enjoy.
P.S. I always love it when people leave me a comment. :-)
 |
| Feel free to PIN by hovering over image. You may also enjoy this lesson on determining theme, a skill that uses inferencing. Common Adages Lesson 
Feel free to PIN by hovering over image.
|
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
|
| For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store |
Where Are We Board
Are you looking to make a cute "where are we board" to hang outside your classroom? If so, this little project is fast, fun, and costs less than $10. Every item but one came from the Dollar Spot at Target. If you are like me, you love to find all kinds of goodies at Target. I like the way this board turned out because it is the perfect size to hang on the wall right outside of a classroom between the door and where the cork board strips are that you hang work on. Not sure if everyone has those strips or not, but regardless, it's a great size for a door or the wall. So, here goes.
Pictured above are the items I used. The little board is actually a magnetic board and it came with the ribbon already attached. Can't beat that! I then created the stripes using yellow Washi tape, which I found over in the scrap booking section. You can measure the distance of the tape, but it was easy for me just to eyeball it. Once the tape was down, I centered the letters on each line to spell out the places the kids go during the day. It only took me one pack of sparkly letters to do my board. You get 5 sheets of letters for a dollar. You may have different 'places to go' than me, and you may have more or less. The flower I put in the top left corner is actually a magnet, but I hot glued it so that it would stay. Finally, I used a diamond shaped clip to clip to the side. It's great because it comes to a point to show where the kids are. The clip is easily moved up and down the right side to show where you are. Plus, there are 3 to a pack in case one happens to break throughout the year. This "where are we" board project literally took less than ten minutes and cost me less than ten dollars. Two things I absolutely loved. And, it can be used for years. To hang, just just use those removable plastic hangers that don't damage the wall. Here is the finished product.
Share the Sweetness!
Pictured above are the items I used. The little board is actually a magnetic board and it came with the ribbon already attached. Can't beat that! I then created the stripes using yellow Washi tape, which I found over in the scrap booking section. You can measure the distance of the tape, but it was easy for me just to eyeball it. Once the tape was down, I centered the letters on each line to spell out the places the kids go during the day. It only took me one pack of sparkly letters to do my board. You get 5 sheets of letters for a dollar. You may have different 'places to go' than me, and you may have more or less. The flower I put in the top left corner is actually a magnet, but I hot glued it so that it would stay. Finally, I used a diamond shaped clip to clip to the side. It's great because it comes to a point to show where the kids are. The clip is easily moved up and down the right side to show where you are. Plus, there are 3 to a pack in case one happens to break throughout the year. This "where are we" board project literally took less than ten minutes and cost me less than ten dollars. Two things I absolutely loved. And, it can be used for years. To hang, just just use those removable plastic hangers that don't damage the wall. Here is the finished product.
Where are We Board
 |
| Hover over the image above to PIN it. :-) |
Share the Sweetness!
Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.
We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.
|
| For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)