To avoid hijacking kb0907's post below about favorite forms I decided to focus on Back to School forms and ideas. This will give those new to PT and vets a head start for August.
Here is a blank graph I use for the second day of school. The first day we brainstorm possibilities of ideas to be graphed. The kids pick what they are going to graph and then survey the class. The second day, we review the necessary parts of a graph and the kids graph their results. I put this up before parents come for Back to School Night.
I use this checklist all the time. Once I add the kid's names, I use copies for grades, who turned in what slip or not, daily behavior and more. It is a timesaver!
Here are the directions for making a folded house and a link with a picture.
Folded Paper House
Fold paper in half.
Open and fold edges to middle.
Do same the other way so you end up with 16 rectangles.
Cut along creases to 1st intersection on each end.
Show the children that the middle sections will form the roof, and how to cut out or draw door, windows, and other details. It is important to do any coloring or painting before pasting the house together.
Fold two center rectangles together forming roof peaks.
One of my favorite ideas floating around the internet is this request for parents to write an essay about their child. Parents will tell us how much they enjoy writing it and it really lets them get things off their chest at the beginning of the year. We send it home on Meet the Teacher Night and/or the first day of school.
Great idea, NeeCee! I'm looking through my things to see what else I might add, later.
This poster* for "Classroom Noise Control" has gotten a great response when I've posted it in the past. I have the poster enlarged and posted in my classroom. We referred to it quite often, in the beginning of the school year, but now we just say the name of the level and my students know what it means. I don't know what I did before I implemented it!
This is a two page attachment with a the poster and a description of how it should work.
*By the way, I just realized that the picture I used for "Partner Work" is actually of some kids sharing a pizza! It's isn't that noticeable, but I thought I'd mention it before anyone else does. I'm leaving the graphic, but if anyone else has something more suitable, please share!
I used this one year with a group of forgetful students. Everyone had a buddy and each morning before school and then in the afternoon after school they would complete the checklist.
Thanks for posting so many great ideas. I have "assigned" the 1 million words or less essay for the last six years - the majority of my parents complete it in record time...of course reading more than 100 essays is challanging. Since I only see the students for 60 mins each day - its nice to have a way to "get to know them" sooner than later.
Thanks Risa! I used your poster this year and really liked it! The kids do start learning the numbers because it makes a lot of sense to them. Thanks again!
How nice to share all these great ideas---no more scrambling for something new! I feel like I can relax more for the summer
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I have this poem on students' desks to read when they first enter the room...It's also used the first week for poetry reading and fluency practice at home.
I also have a Word Search (new class student names) prepared.
I used this last year, too, and I can say that it was the most memorable activity! Some students made bracelets rather than necklaces, which they proudly wore throughout the year
We used long pipe cleaners to make it easier for the students to insert through the small bead holes. I'm already bead hunting for this next year!
These are great everyone! Risa, I loved your noise level poster. I implemented it in my classroom last year, and it became school wide! I changed "Quiet of the tomb" though to "silence."
I just call mine Cranium Club instead of Mastery Club. She uses this idea and her students use the links to tell her the answers during recess. What a saint she must be, I don't want to see any students during my recess break!! I just had the students use a composition notebook set up to write their answers grouped by subject and question number. Makes a great time filler, but watch out for kids who want to copy answers from other students--you still need to make time to hear them recite their responses.
These aren't necessarily 'back to school' related, but I have it on one of my first math bulletin boards.
I know lots of people have their students remember the correct "greater than, less than" sign by telling them that the open side 'eats' the bigger number. My students came to me knowing that, too, but they didn't know how to read the symbol in isolation.
I came up with these mnemonic devices that have been very useful in the past two years for those of us with older students (4th grade and up.) It's hard to describe without being able to draw the pictures, so I'll just attach them for others to see if it's something they want to use.
In my 5th grade classroom, I use a 13-pocket file instead of a binder. This is the note I send home the first day of school for the parents. They help their child get it set up, which works SO much better than having the students do it in class.
Risa Thank you for the greater than/less than sign. I am starting my second year in the 2nd grade and it will be very helpful. Thank you everyone for sharing your ideas, they are all awesome.
Here is something I put together from a whole bunch of places (PT being one of them no doubt ) I use it at the beginning of the year to help me learn more about the kids, where they came from, and who their friends are (gives me a bigger picture of the class as a whole too)
Thanks for sharing all these activities and forms! My laptop was stolen earlier this year so I don't have anything to share. This makes it sting less, now that I have replacement activities.
I like to give this to the kids as they are coming in on the first day. It gives them something to do while I'm doing the meet-and-greet thing with their parents. They love going around and meeting the kids in their new class. I like to update it each year to include new movies and popular books.
Attach is the info card that I have parents fill out at meet the teacher. I print them on card stock so they will last. I keep them all on a ring hanging by the phone. When I need to call a parent. I record it at the bottom of the form.
Those "greater than/less than" mnemonic devices are my original ideas. I hadn't shared them anywhere else but on PT. I've used these ideas for several years, just drawing them on the whiteboard as needed, but finally decided to figure out how to make them into a poster.
I always look for songs, rhymes, or visual representations to help my students recall the 'gazillion and one' things we ask them to remember. It really seems to help those who have different ways of remembering.
I realized I do have something to share. Here is a back to school scavenger hunt for parents and kids to fill out at meet and greet. They can do this while they wait to speak with me. I got this idea from the cornerstone book.
I love your Noise Control Poster. I found a graphic for team work accidentally when looking for something else. I have attached the new poster but made other changes for myself already to it. I used a scale from Fountas and Pinellas. Thanks for sharing this poster!
** After reading the editor's note below, I have deleted the poster with the changes I made for myself. I have attached only the graphic for teamwork.
Last edited by funteacher7; 06-11-2009 at 05:40 PM..
I am starting my second year in the 2nd grade and it will be very helpful.
Hi MuggleTeacher!
I was going to send you this info in a PM (Private Message) but I just realized you're a new member, so first let me welcome you to Pro Teacher! You certainly found one of the many reasons I love PT so much... the generous sharing of ideas! (With apologies for straying off topic from the original thread's intent.)
It's been so long since I've taught second grade that I may be off the mark, but I was thinking you might want to start off with other ideas maybe more memorable for younger children. I looked up some other posts about using these symbols that you might want to look through.
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P.S. For teachers of older students, I came across this thread with ConnieWI's great 'home practice' attachments as I was searching out the threads above.
Thanks a lot for looking up and posting the pictures for the "Partners or Team Work" part of the Noise Poster. Now others have a choice of which illustration to use if they want to replace the one I posted.
funteacher7,
It's great that you were able to change that poster to really fit what you need for your own classroom! That's what I love about the MS Word attachments-being able to modify them to our own exact specifications!
That's a wonderful card! I'm always sending someone downstairs to the office to get "the card," so this will be a timesaver. Thanks to everyone for sharing.
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This idea came from PT last year. I modified it and made it my own to fit my classroom theme of STARS. This worked really well with my class, especially in the are of homework and behavior. I would have them vote on rewards for getting a bingo, which I wrote on paper and posted above the bingo board.
Hi all! Here are some subject plates I made. I have them on my board and write the assignments by each. My theme is sports so that's what these are. ps... You can easily change any of the subject names or add ur own pics!
I have been a member of PT now for a couple weeks, and am ABSOLUTELY ADDICTED to it! I am constantly looking for different ideas (as we all are) and am so thankful for a place like this!
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06-09-2009, 05:21 PM
