Thursday, February 28, 2019

Pi Day Fun in the Upper Elementary Classroom

Have you ever thought about celebrating Pi Day on March 14 (3/14)? Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th because that day corresponds with the first three digits of Pi (and is coincidentally the birthday of Albert Einstein).

Although it is traditionally celebrated by many middle school and high school teachers, I have found that my students always have an amazing time learning about Pi even if they can't quite calculate it themselves yet! Read on to see all of the things we do to celebrate Pi in the Upper Elementary Classroom!

One fun thing about holidays is dressing up to celebrate them. Why should Pi Day be any different?

I bought this Pi-Day shirt from Amazon here.

My students were also able to wear Pi with these awesome temporary Pi Day tattoos.

Math Jokes

I print out some of the math jokes in this post, " 36 Math Jokes to Get Every Nerd Through Pi Day", and we share them throughout the day. My students LOVE them, even the cornier jokes!

I usually give each student a joke and randomly call on them throughout the day to read them out loud to the class.

Pi Day Read Aloud

My favorite read aloud for Pi Day is Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi.

The book is a math themed adventure where the title character, Sir Cumference is changed into a fire breathing dragon, and his son, Radius is on a quest to change him back. In order to do this, he must solve a riddle where he discovers a math number that is the same for all circles - Pi!

After your read aloud, you can pass out these adorable Pi Day Bookmarks to your students to use in their own books!

Pi Day Bookmarks ~ Color and black and white coloring pages (FREE)

How Many Digits Are in Pi?

My students were so fascinated by this Pi Measuring Tape. It features the first 400 digits of Pi. They couldn't believe a number could be so long!

Pi Day Book

We completed these adorable Pi Day books that taught us even more about Pi!

Pi Day Vocabulary

We learned a few Pi related vocabulary words!

Let Them Eat Pie!

What Pi Day Celebration would be complete without pie? We had to end the day with some yummy apple pie!

Do you celebrate Pi Day in your classroom? I'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment below!

And... before you go, make sure to visit my Giveaways page to enter our weekly giveaway to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!

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Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Descriptive Writing Mini-Lesson - Gary Hogg Author Visit

Do you wish your students wrote more descriptively? Is their writing rather ho-hum and boring? You might want to try this descriptive writing mini- lesson based on a recent Gary Hogg author visit. You will be amazed at how descriptive their writing will be!

Our school was lucky enough to have an author visit from Gary Hogg. In addition to his whole school assemblies, he also provided writer's workshops for some of our students. You can get a brief taste of what he shared in this video below:

During the assembly, he mentioned to the students that they needed to use their author's voice. I was so impressed with my students' author voices after this quick mini-lesson with Gary.

Gary told the students that authors think twice. He further explained, sometimes authors use a word that is really a category, but it is not really descriptive. Examples he gave for categories were ice-cream, dogs, and colors. He told the students that authors looked back at their writing for categories and made them details instead. Examples of details might be: mint chocolate ice cream, a feisty puppy, or sea foam green.

He had the students practice turning categories into details. You can see a video of this below where he asks the students to give details about dogs.

Since his visit, I have been using this idea as a warm-up from time to time during writer's workshop to get the students really thinking about details.

After this little warm-up he told them that he was going to have them write for 5 minutes. He had them close their eyes and think of a memory. He reminded them to think in details rather than categories. He played a really funky machine that made music as the students thought. Then he had them put pencil to paper.

You can watch a video of a similar lesson here:

My students were amazed at how much they wrote in only 5 minutes (to be honest, so was I)!

When the 5 minutes were up, he had them draw a line underneath the writing that they had so far. Then he told them that writers:

Write

Revise

Repeat

He asked them to go back into their writing to find places where they had categories and change them to details. He told them to write "smart bubbles" below their writing with arrows pointing to where they wanted to add it to the writing.

To get them really thinking, he asked questions such as:

What day?

Was it morning/afternoon/night?

What was the weather like?

What is your mom's name?

What words could you use to describe your mom.

Where were you at?

Here is an example of a student's writing after answering these questions.

My students were so engaged in revising! How does this even happen?

Samples of my students' writing:

If you want to find more about Gary Hogg, check out his website and his YouTube page!

If you try this lesson in your classroom, I would love to see pictures!

Please email me at kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net or tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter!

And... before you go, make sure to visit my Giveaways page to enter our weekly giveaway to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!

I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful?

Be so kind and leave a comment below.

Monday, January 7, 2019

Teaching School-Wide Expectations (Ron Clark Academy Inspired)

This post about Teaching School-Wide Behavior Expectations is part of my Visit to Ron Clark Academy series. You can find all of the posts in that series here.

When we visited the Ron Clark Academy, one of the things that really impressed my colleagues and I was the fact that the students were SO well behaved!

I have already shared the 55 Essential Rules that the students follow at the school, and how I have adapted them in my own classroom, but today I am going to share how we implemented the idea of having school-wide behavior expectations.

My Principal was most impressed with the fact that the students followed essentially the same rules in all of the classrooms, and in all areas of the school. If we could get the students at our school to do the same, we could accomplish so much more!

We put together a plan that involved the students rotating through behavior stations where the school expectations were taught. Students rotated with their teacher as a class, so that everyone received the same information.

We go through these rotations once at the beginning of the school year, and then again when we return from Winter Break.

One of the stations was the cafeteria. Our Dean of Students reminded the students of cafeteria expectations including: cleaning up after yourself, speaking volume, and using manners with the cafeteria staff.

At the Ron Clark Academy during educator training days, students are asked to pair up with several of the teachers to eat lunch together. I was very impressed with the way that the students interacted with us and were able to answer our questions about the school and their experiences there.

I occasionally share lunch with my students so that we can practice these skills as well.

Another station students attend teaches them our school-wide expectation for assembly behavior. During this station, our principal also reviews ideas we learned at the Ron Clark Academy such as tracking the speaker, and staying engaged. She reminds the students that they can use these skills not only during assemblies, but in class as well.

The bathroom expectations station is another important place where we teach school-wide behavior expectations. We have a sign that is displayed in front of the bathroom to remind students of what is expected when they need to use the restroom.

One thing that I loved about the Ron Clark Academy was how clean the bathrooms were. You can see pictures of them here.

There ALWAYS seem to be problems at recess, so one of the stations focused on a problem-solving wheel that is painted on our building.

The school counselor spoke with the students about coming to the problem solving wheel so that students can learn to solve their own problems.

Here is a close-up picture of the problem solving wheel.

In the past year that we have been teaching the school-wide behavior expectations, we have seen a dramatic increase in on-task behavior and a decrease in problem behavior.

Do you teach school-wide behavior expectations? How are they taught at your school? I would love to hear your ideas as well! Leave a comment below or tag me on Twitter or Instagram!

And while you're here, enter to win one of our fabulous giveaways!

I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful?

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Saturday, December 8, 2018

The Best Teacher’s Gifts Under $20

Are you looking for a great gift idea for the teacher in your child’s life that won’t break the bank? I have compiled a list of 20 teacher’s gifts under $20 that he or she will be sure to love!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog. All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.

1. Classroom Rules Poster

After a long Christmas Vacation Break, teachers often have to review the rules and expectations with their students. This classroom rules poster will be a great way to do just that!

2. Flair Pens

Trust me when I say that teachers LOVE their flair pens! They are perfect for lesson planning, grading papers, student work and more!

3. Key chain With Quote

Teachers love inspirational quotes, and this one written on a key chain is sure to please!

4. Labeled Binder Clips

Teachers love to be organized! This set of labeled binder clips will keep all of their mounds of paperwork tamed!

5. Apple Post-It Dispenser

What teacher doesn’t like apples or post-its? When you put the two together you have a winning teacher present idea!

6. Laminating Pouches

Teachers laminate things in the classroom to help them last through all of the use that takes place in a busy classroom. These often go on sale for around $10, so be sure to check back often to get a great deal – your teacher will LOVE them!

7. Expo Markers

ExpoMarkers are a hot commodity in any classroom, and you can never have too many! Teachers use them not only to write on the boards themselves, but also for students as well. Grab your favorite teacher a pack of these, and it will surely be one of their favorite gifts!

8. Mr. Sketch Markers

Speaking of markers, teachers also love Mr. Sketch markers! They are perfect for creating anchor charts to help remind students of concepts they have learned in class.

9. Portable Silverware

I can’t tell you how many times my lunch plans have gone awry when I forgot to bring a fork or a spoon from home. This portable silverware set will save the day!

You could also create a mini-lunch kit by filling a plastic container with plastic plates, forks, spoons, cups, and napkins!

10. Classroom Books

Teachers can never have enough classroom books! Whether for read aloud to the whole class or student enjoyment, books are a must in any classroom. You can pick up several great deals on books for the classroom at Amazon. Click on the age range in your child’s classroom for some great book suggestions!

Ages 3-5

Ages 6-8

Ages 9-12

11. Winter Gloves

Many teachers spend a lot of time outside on the playground during the school day, so warm winter wear like these cable knit mittens will surely be appreciated!

12. Gift Cards

You can’t go wrong when you give a gift card, because your favorite teacher can pick exactly what they would like. Here are a few places that teachers LOVE to shop at!

Teachers pay Teachers

Really Good Stuff

Amazon

Starbucks

Sephora

iTunes

13. Candles

Candles are a great go to gift idea for just about anyone, but teachers could especially use the gift of relaxation!

14. Thinking Putty

My students love Thinking Putty for focusing and staying on task, but it is also pretty addictive for grown-ups as well!

15. Erasable Pens

These erasable pens write like a gel pen but erase like a pencil! They are perfect for teachers to write lesson plans, grade papers, and more!

16. Magnetic Emoji White Board Erasers

These Emoji white board erasers are sure to bring a bit of fun into the classroom. They are magnetic so the the teacher can stick them to the board and not lose it.

17. Fruit Infuser Water Bottle

Teachers need to stay hydrated during the day, and this fruit infuser water bottle will help them do that while making the water extra tasty!

18. Teacher Angel Ornament

Teachers are angels and your teacher will remember you every year as she adds this beautiful ornament to her Christmas tree!

19. Teacher Socks

These fun teaching inspired socks will be perfect for crazy sock day or just for a teacher to share her love of teaching!

20. Teachers Rule Mad Libs

I love using Mad Libs in my classroom to help teach grammar in a fun and engaging way. This teacher edition will be fun for both students and teachers!

More Teacher Gift Ideas

Check out this blog post for even more teachergift ideas.

I also have a Pinterest Board dedicated to teacher gifts right here. While you are there, be sure to follow me so you don’t miss out on any of the teaching ideas and resources I share.

And, if you are a teacher or you know a teacher check out our most current giveaways here for a chance to win a Teachers pay Teachers gift card!

What unique or affordable gifts have you given your children’s teachers or have you had given to you? Leave a comment below or join in on our Facebook discussion here.

I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful?

Be so kind and leave a comment below.

Thursday, August 16, 2018

No Excuses List

Do you have students who consistently make the same writing errors?

Do they forget to capitalize the beginning of their sentences?
Do they forget to capitalize proper nouns?
Do they leave out ending punctuation?
Do they misspell common words such as who, because, too, there, etc?
Do they forget to indent paragraphs?

Many of these skills are skills they have been working on since early elementary, yet the mistakes keep happening? Why? Because we allow them to keep doing it!

This is how I have gotten the errors to (mostly) stop. Enter the No Excuses List:

I post the anchor chart above on the wall and give my students a similar version to keep in their binders.

I teach a mini-lesson about our No-Excuses list. I remind them that the items on this list are all things that they have learned in prior grades, so they are no excuses for them not showing these skills in their writing.

I explain that when I see these types of errors in their assignment, I will draw a red star at the top of the paper to let them know that they need to go back and proofread their paper using the no excuses list.

At the beginning of the year I draw A LOT of red stars on their papers, but by the end of the year I hardly draw any at all!

If you would like to grab an editable version of the student no excuses list you can get it FREE at my Teachers pay Teachers store here.

If you do decide to use this No Excuses List, I would love to see pictures! Please email me at kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net or tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter!

And... before you go, make sure to visit my Giveaways page to enter our weekly giveaway to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!