Saturday, January 24, 2015
Read Across America
Today our school celebrated Read Across America. Vons Grocery Store came and read to each class then gave all the students snacks! It was so great! We had an afterschool Scholastic Book Fair, cookies, storytelling, book project displays outside of all the classrooms and a dress up as your favorite book character! Overall a great day! Below is my Principal!
I Finally Figured Out a Spelling Program that Works!
Problem: I have the same students you do-a wide variety of abilities, limited time, and I hate grading spelling homework!
Solution: I found two products on Teachers Pay Teachers and then added my own special twist.
1. The Words: I've always wanted to differentiate the word list but was not able to manage it. I found:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/4th-Grade-Differentiated-Spelling-Lists-Year-Long-Unit-267173
3. The Twist: Students who get 100% on list A, B, or 94% (one wrong on the hardest list C) does not have to do the spelling menu the next week. I post the 100% students on the board and my website. The students then study the words in their own way which works because I don't care how they learn them as long as they learn them. This eliminates 25%-50% of my grading spelling homework each week. Students love this!
Solution: I found two products on Teachers Pay Teachers and then added my own special twist.
1. The Words: I've always wanted to differentiate the word list but was not able to manage it. I found:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/4th-Grade-Differentiated-Spelling-Lists-Year-Long-Unit-267173
I love these lists because there are three of them for each week. All three share the same sight words. The first couple weeks of school everyone does the same words and then looking at the scores students are placed in list A, B or C. All lists are based on the same spelling rule.
2. The homework: These monthly spelling menus are cute and give students flexiblity. The best part they are good for any list. You choose how many points you want to assign. They also have a Spelling City option too.
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ers.com/Product/Spelling-Contracts-Throughout-the-Year-797652
3. The Twist: Students who get 100% on list A, B, or 94% (one wrong on the hardest list C) does not have to do the spelling menu the next week. I post the 100% students on the board and my website. The students then study the words in their own way which works because I don't care how they learn them as long as they learn them. This eliminates 25%-50% of my grading spelling homework each week. Students love this!
I do grade the tests the same day, that's the only catch.
I hope you like my ideas!
Do you Hate Having to Rush to Get Ready for Open House?
Problem:
Our Spring Open house comes late in the year and often right around testing when teachers are taking down displays or covering them up. It's always a mad rush to get the room ready with student work. I like to have a portfolio of work that students can take home and this is how I do it.
Solution:
I created a 9x16 construction paper spiral bound book with each child having about 10-12 pages in their book that are size 9x12. In Sept. I photograph each child and add it to the bottom of the large page. This will always be on display. Everytime we do a project it goes on a blank page. I have stick on hooks on all my cabinets and I hang them using binder clips. As it gets close to Open House if there are still blank pages I have photos printed for students to add to their book making it like a scrapbook. This works out well because you always have a student that missed a project or came late in the year. You are adding as you go through out the year so no big rush to get it done. You can even prep the portfolios in June for the following year. Here are some photos. I pick a color scheme to go with that year's color. It is also nice for other teachers coming in to see photos of students.
Our Spring Open house comes late in the year and often right around testing when teachers are taking down displays or covering them up. It's always a mad rush to get the room ready with student work. I like to have a portfolio of work that students can take home and this is how I do it.
Solution:
I created a 9x16 construction paper spiral bound book with each child having about 10-12 pages in their book that are size 9x12. In Sept. I photograph each child and add it to the bottom of the large page. This will always be on display. Everytime we do a project it goes on a blank page. I have stick on hooks on all my cabinets and I hang them using binder clips. As it gets close to Open House if there are still blank pages I have photos printed for students to add to their book making it like a scrapbook. This works out well because you always have a student that missed a project or came late in the year. You are adding as you go through out the year so no big rush to get it done. You can even prep the portfolios in June for the following year. Here are some photos. I pick a color scheme to go with that year's color. It is also nice for other teachers coming in to see photos of students.
California Missions: A Complete Overview with Writing Activity and Cool Art Project
Problem: There is a lot of information available on the California Missions, but most of it is too detailed, too difficult, or too broad for 4th graders. I needed an overview of the mission system that was engaging for kids and worked as a companion for individual Mission projects I would assign later. I also wanted a comprehensive unit that could work for a shorter time period and included all necessary background information, a writing assignment based on the text, and a visual arts component that we could display in our classroom.
Solution: Jody and I wrote our own text which explained why the missions were built, how they were constructed, their physical and political purpose, how they worked as a community, their impact on the California Indian population and their demise. We added a writing activity in the form of a newspaper page, and finished it off with a really cool art activity. The complete package!
Results: Because the text is so visually enticing, I used my Promethean Board to project the PowerPoint slides. We read the text in chunks, as a whole group, discussing as we went. The students loved the bright colors and accompanying photos and artwork. The foil stained glass mission art project is a favorite every year. I’ve even added a simplified version for the non-artists who still want to do the project but lack confidence in their drawing skills.
We complete the art project with a Mission Times newspaper that connects with the text. Glue it on the back of the art and you have a project that looks great in windows from both sides!
Coming Soon!
Follow us to get notified as each individual mission in our series becomes available!
www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/thank-a-teacher
My Best Idea Ever!
My Best Idea Ever!
I figured out a way to pre-teach, teach and re-teach without actually doing any direct teaching! It's a great way to maximize every minute of student learning with no extra work for you. If you have a smart board or Promethean board, it can be working for you even when you are not actually using it.
What I do is use the slideshow background feature on the desktop of my computer and project it onto my Promethean board. I do this while I am running small groups or working with individual students. I have compiled hundreds of photos of the following:
Anchor charts from Pinterest
Inspirational Quotes
Character Counts
Funny photos
Grammar mistakes
Educational cartoons
Class rules
And More!
I set up these photos in a file that shuffles on my desktop background.(PC instructions included) I control how often it stays up. I find 3 minutes per slide works best, engaging but not disruptive to seatwork. The best part is that students never know what is going to appear next. Having an occasional humorous photo or cartoon keeps the students' interest. If it were just a rotation of educational anchor charts, students would just tune them out like they do bulletin boards. They love it so much that I have to make sure to turn it off when I’m teaching!
Martin Luther King, Jr. Read Aloud and Writing Activity
Problem: Students sometimes have trouble relating to historically significant people, places, or events. I wanted to make sure my kids had a basic understanding of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work and his important contributions to civil rights. I also needed a lesson that was flexible enough to fit various time constraints.
Solution: I wanted to approach this subject from a child's point of view. If students could connect to Martin's anger and humiliation in the shoe store incident and his daughter's disappointment and "unconscious bitterness toward white people" about the amusement park, then they would understand why the Civil Rights Movement was such a vital step in our growth as a country and a united people.
We created a short article of kid-friendly basic background information. The anecdotes were chosen to resonate with children. A writing prompt gets kids thinking about the kind of America Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned for all children. Discussion questions are a jumping off point for a guided class conversation or they can be completed in writing in class or as homework.
Results: My students connected more this year than in previous years. It made it real for them in a way I hadn't previous taught. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us a lesson that should never be forgotten.
Need a Holiday Present for Parents?
Problem: Don't have a lot of money to spend? Want something useful? Want the students to do the work? Want something really cute that will get saved?
Solution: Make a directed drawing 12 month calendar!
1. Pick a picture to draw. I choose Rhinos who Surf since it matches our Southern California vibe and is a good picture to keep up all year. I use 9x12 white construction paper.
2. Do a directed drawing with kids. If you are not comfortable drawing on the fly then pre-draw it with yellow colored pencil so kids think you are drawing it off the cuff. I always draw with no pre-drawing because I want the kids to know that mistakes are ok. I use black Sharpies and colored pencils. In this drawing I drew the rhino first, then parking meter, then car, then fence and last the waves. I never let students draw with pencil, we always use Sharpies. It's good for the spatial part of the brain.
3. I teach them to do "color power" and demo coloring a nice solid layer.
4. Print a 12 month calendar off of Microsoft templates.
5. Glue onto a 12 x 18 black construction paper background.
6. Laminate.
Results: Parents love them and I hear about them years later. They are easy to store when you are done with the year. Students are really proud of their work! I haven't spent any money and everyone is happy!
Solution: Make a directed drawing 12 month calendar!
1. Pick a picture to draw. I choose Rhinos who Surf since it matches our Southern California vibe and is a good picture to keep up all year. I use 9x12 white construction paper.
2. Do a directed drawing with kids. If you are not comfortable drawing on the fly then pre-draw it with yellow colored pencil so kids think you are drawing it off the cuff. I always draw with no pre-drawing because I want the kids to know that mistakes are ok. I use black Sharpies and colored pencils. In this drawing I drew the rhino first, then parking meter, then car, then fence and last the waves. I never let students draw with pencil, we always use Sharpies. It's good for the spatial part of the brain.
3. I teach them to do "color power" and demo coloring a nice solid layer.
4. Print a 12 month calendar off of Microsoft templates.
5. Glue onto a 12 x 18 black construction paper background.
6. Laminate.
Results: Parents love them and I hear about them years later. They are easy to store when you are done with the year. Students are really proud of their work! I haven't spent any money and everyone is happy!
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