Showing posts with label classroom makeover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classroom makeover. Show all posts

Monday, July 30, 2012

Giveaway Winners and Repurposing

We have winners!  


Congratulations to Yvonnee and Tori!  You will each receive a copy of "The Worst Best School Year Ever" and an assortment of stickers.  Check your email, ladies!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This week I have another super simple Monday Made-It!  I'm all about repurposing when I can...why buy something new when I already have something perfectly useful?  So, when I needed something to wrangle all of those tickets (earned for good behavior at our school) and box tops, I knew I had something perfect on hand!

Birchbox  boxes are really quite sturdy, so I knew that it could be just the thing I needed!  I just had to fix it up a bit to work with my class theme!  And that was really easily done!  {P.S.  I love Birchbox!  If you want to check it out and/or sign up click here!}

First, I measured and drew a rectangle on the lid (as centered as possible) and cut that out for the opening.  Then I grabbed some of my tie dye duck tape to match our retro theme and started covering the top of the box and what's seen of the bottom!

Finally, I used some scrapbooking rub-on letters (similar to these) and ribbon to label each box!

We take our tickets to the office every Friday, and it will be really easy for my kids to carry this ticket box down without losing any tickets because it is so sturdy and the lid is very well-fitting!

That's my simple but useful Monday Made-It for this week!  Maybe it will get you thinking about something you have laying around that you can use in a different way!

Congratulations again to the winners of my giveaway!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Daily 5 - Chapter 5 & Monday Made It!

DAILY 5, CHAPTER 5


Well, I'm a tiny bit behind the book study because of all the birthday festivities...I think I have fished more in the past week than I did all last summer, but that's what he wanted to do!  I'm back now, and I'll catch up this week!  Today, I'm linking up with Mechele from Barrow's Hodgepodge and Melissa from Dilly Dabbles who co-hosted this chapter!

DillyDabbles

Chapter 5 is all about Read to Someone and Listen to Reading!  I love the quote at the beginning of the chapter!  I think it implicates so, so much for my read-alouds!  How can I define a purpose while still keeping read-alouds enjoyable?

Read to Someone


In my reading group, I have done partner reading in the past.  However it hasn't been a consistent part of our routine.  We read our weekly story with partners once a week and not every week.  The kids love it though, and they always asked to do it!  I assigned partners (randomly, but I had veto power) to help things run more smoothly.  However, with the sisters' strategies, the I-chart, and all of the modeling included in daily 5, I'm hoping I won't have to do that this year!  In fact, the sisters say "...explicit teaching and practice will lead to engaged and productive partnerships instead of chaos." (pg. 61)  If I can will myself to let them choose their own partners, then I know they'll love it even more!

There are 6 important days of step-by-step lessons that give students the skills to successfully participate in read to someone.  All the while you and your kids are working on building stamina in read to someone!

Listen to Reading

Listening to fluent reading is something that I have also done in the past.  Once a week, usually on Monday, we listened to our basal story for the week and followed along in our text books as a class.  Everyone did this together, not in centers or small groups.  The thing that bothers me about the CD's that are provided is that it dings when it moves to a new page, and some of my kiddos just listen for that ding and don't really follow along at all.  Again, I'm hoping with the sisters' help and the routines, strategies, and modeling it won't be a big problem this year!

I will definitely need some more supplies for listen to reading!  I have a couple of computers in the room and an iPod.  But I'm thinking I'll need a few more listening devices, headphones, and maybe a headphone splitter or two!  I love their idea of each child having his or her own headphones that are labeled and kept in a baggie in their book box.  I don't need too many more books on tape/cd.  As I mentioned, our reading series comes with CD's for all of our stories.  A special ed teacher of 30+ years is moving to the middle school and she gave us boxes of books on tape, and I also had a donors choose project funded this summer so I'll be getting Junie B. Jones books on CD soon!  Donors Choose is a terrific place to get things like this that you need for your classroom!  Listening center materials will be my next project!  And remember to look at oo.com for your project if it's technology based, and share it with us so we can vote for it!

There are four days of focus lessons to successfully introduce "listen to reading".

Don't miss this giveaway!


Since we're talking about Daily 5, there is a little something I wanted to share with you that I think could be great for word work (which I'll be blogging about Wednesday)!  I have a set of Hot Dots multiplication practice cards that I absolutely love!  Students can practice independently, and it's easy to do!  By pressing the answers with the included pen they are told if their answer is correct or incorrect...that's it!  They have a lot of sets for all grade levels and all subjects too!  I saw some homophone cards (and lots of others) that could be great for word work!

The best part is...right now you have a chance to win 2 sets and a pen for your very own!  Just head over to Denise's blog to enter!



MONDAY MADE IT!

Now I'm linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for my Monday Made it!


This week I have a really simple project that I decided to do while walking through Wal-mart the other day.  I think it will be a great way to build a strong classroom community though!  

I found a simple wooden picture frame like this at the store. 

I had some of this at home.

I painted the frame, and we'll change pictures out all year long and I can write on the frame to tell about the picture or our class!  {Excuse my writing...ugh...}  Now, I think I've told you before that I'll be having many of the same kids this year in 3rd grade that I had the first year I taught in kindergarten!  I'm so beyond excited!!  So when they come into our room for the first time, they'll see a picture of them and/or their friends {my kindergarten kiddos}!  I think it will be a great way to make our room seem more like home from the very beginning!
All Dressed up for Halloween =)
I wonder if they'll remember!

P.S.  I'm using these to write!  I got them at Jo-Ann's and love them!!  They are supposed to work on chalkboards and white boards and even windows!  I've only tried them on chalk so far.  I erased it pretty easily with a wet paper towel and my hands didn't get messy!!  Yay!  The down side?  They're a little pricey...

I'm thinking I might add a classroom job to my list - photographer.  They'd use our class camera at different times during the week to take pictures.  I don't want it to be a distraction though.  Has anyone else assigned a job like this?  Do you use a class picture frame?  I have two this year...hopefully I can keep the pictures updated!

Now, don't forget to link up your Monday Made It or your Daily 5, Chapter 5 post!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Brighten Your Day

Doesn't a cheerful, colorful classroom make your day a little brighter?  I know it does mine!  I'm doing a little classroom makeover this year since we're switching themes and switching rooms.  Our school wide theme is peace, love, & {our mascot}.  I don't want everything in my room to be tie-dyed though! I'm tying in the bright colors I love with our theme, and hopefully I'll be able to use it with our future themes too!  I'm linking up with Tara's "Monday Made It" at 4th Grade Frolics and Michele's "Make it, Bake it, Sew it, Grow it" at Miss Nelson's Got The Camera and
 

This pin on pinterest was something that I immediately knew I wanted to make for my classroom.  It was so easy to do and didn't take up too much time!

You just need a few supplies to get started...paper dixie cups (I used the 5 oz. size), scrapbook paper (I used solid colors - bright of course), pencils, scissors, a box cutter or knife, and some type of adhesive (I had some glue dots and used them).

The first few steps are listed on the picture below.  This part takes the most time.

Here are my covered cups (and my Roxie in the background)!

Now you're ready to hang the "shades" over the lights!  Find the center of the bottom of each cup, and cut a small x in it.  Then just gently push the light through the x in the bottom of the cup!

And voila, you're done!  I love how it turned out!


Hopefully, I'll have another project ready to show you on Friday for the Pintervention linky party from Third Grade Is A Hoot!

Photobucket

Friday, June 8, 2012

Peace, Love, & Summer

You might have seen in a couple of my past posts that our theme for next year is peace, love, & dogs.  Even though it's summer, that new theme is what has been on my mind!  I've been looking for ideas and working on a bit of a classroom makeover so far this summer, and I'm back today with a few more of my updates!

This week is vacation bible school at my church, and they have worn me out!  I don't know why!  I have only had 9 to 11 kids each night, and they have been sooo well behaved!  Some of them just finished second grade at my school...fingers crossed that I get them next year!  So, I have been trying to squeeze in some school stuff here and there this week!  I stopped by my "new" classroom Monday to pick up a few sharpies, and this is what I found...

OH. MY. GOODNESS. 
I got my markers and got out! 

I found this cute picture frame at Wal-Mart on clearance.  I'll put a picture of my class in it, and change the photos throughout the year!

I took a few minutes to doll up my clipboard with some retro paper, a big flower, and of course a monogram! {I love anything personalized!}

And I finally finished (I think) my "Really Groovy Class Pack"!  This is my first big product for TPT, so I'd love to have a couple of my followers look over it!  Is anybody else out there using a retro theme next year?  Leave me a comment with your email address, and I'll send a copy to the first two people that agree to give me some feedback!  This pack has lots of documents to help you organize your classroom and start off your school year.

For everyone else I have a freebie for you!  Click on the picture to download a preview of my "Really Groovy Class Pack"!  You get a few job cards and subject cards, a to-do list, a classroom expectations poster, and a certificate for a "hip helper"!  If you download, all I ask is that you please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!    

And finally I'll leave you with a little sneak peek of one of my next projects for my classroom!  We're off to the lake tomorrow, but hopefully I'll get to this soon!



Wednesday, May 23, 2012

A Summer of DIY

Welcome to my extreme classroom makeover!  I can call it extreme since it will be a whole new room, right?  If you haven't seen in my past post about all of my packing (ugh), my school district is switching buildings.  Nearly everyone P-8 is moving to a different building!  Luckily 3rd and 4th stay in the same building so I'll just be moving upstairs.  Even luckier, we have help!  I don't have to move everything myself!


Every year in the third grade we change themes.  
My first year in third grade the theme was cars and racing.  Take a look!




Last year our theme was monsters - so colorful and fun!  And I got tables (mostly)!  Yay!  Love them!  Here's a peek!




This year we have a school-wide theme...

Peace, Love, & Dogs
(we're the bulldogs - sometimes we spell it dawgs)

Since I can't get into my classroom for a while, I'm going to spend some time working on projects at home!  I think Classroom DIY might just be my best friend this summer!  If you haven't checked out Charity's newest venture yet, run, don't walk to see all of the DIY projects and tutorials on this new blog!  If you use one of the ideas on the blog, you can submit pictures to be featured on the blog.  I decided to try out the DIY dry erase boards for next year using report covers and peace themed and tie-dyed duct tape!  One of my pictures is on the DIY in Action page right now!




Looking around online for things to go with our new theme I found Shindigz, a party supply website.  They have super cute funky and hip 60's and 70's themed items of all kinds.  You can even make personalized banners, candy bar and drink wrappers, and stickers like this one I personalized!

Personalize a sticker with your school colors and mascot at Shindigz!

Do you have any great ideas for our groovy theme?