Library Cards

Do you remember when everyone used to have a library card?

Perhaps I am being nostalgic...... but I believe EVERYONE should have a library card and know how to use it. September is National Library Card-Sign up month and I believe as teachers... we should challenge our students.

GOAL:

Every child has a library card

in your class!

You can even use it to rent eBooks. You can order books on line and then receive an email when it is ready for you to pick up to save time. Some libraries even have movies, video games, music, and software you can rent. Exploring what the library has to offer is a lot of fun!!

GOAL:

Teach your students how to

search their local library catalog

online!

Miss Foote wrote about her great library idea last year. I was casually browsing to see what I could find and loved her idea!

She created a special club for students who have their own library cards. She then takes a picture of her student with their library cards and hangs it on the wall. I love this idea!

GOAL:

Create a Bulletin Board 

displaying students with their cards.

OR 

Families all getting their cards!

OR

Or using their cards!

I ran over to Vistaprint to create my own membership card for my friends. The club name I decided on was library pals.

I want to encourage my friends to visit and use this source often. Over summer break, I am planning on offering my students a challenge to participate in the summer reading program over the summer. Students who complete the challenge will be listed in the Library Pal Book of Fame. They will become the role models for future students.

What do you do in your classroom to promote your community library?

I would love to be able to take my students on a field trip to our local library so they know where it is and talk about how to use it. Perhaps then they would be more willing to visit. I am also debating about doing this as an annual Zebra Family Quest Challenge.

Vistaprints SALE & Classroom Poem

This blog post has been interuppted by an important announcement.... 

Groupon is selling an $80 giftcard to Vistaprints for $20!!! 

RUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!

Only 3 days left on this sale. 

I am so excited!!!

Got my redemption code!

hmmmm....

What to make......

 I have received several emails asking me what this poem says. 

So I created a little something for you!

You can pick up this poster at my TpT store for free. For even more great poems from Brod Bogert -

I highly recommend purchasing his book for your classroom. It is one of my son's favorites. I will have to wrestle this book away from them in order to share it with my students. It really is THAT good!

External Motivators

During my classroom management course, we were told to focus on internal rather than external motivators. To not offer rewards for good behavior but rather express to students that they are behaving responsibly. Praise is also discouraged as it is judgment and biased.

I understand the reason for wanting to get away from the treasure box of toys. What a distraction and a mess! Plus the constant waste of money to replace an award the kids will only want for a day or two... I totally don't want to go there!

But I do want to give them something, so I set out again for Vistaprint and made the following two business cards (ideas came from another teacher - Please let me know if these are yours!).

These are again some of my earlier creations and as such I did not know about that advance editing button. I will be increasing the font size on at least the No Homework Pass next time I order it. 

Classroom ABC's

I have seen many versions of classroom ABC's posted around the blog-o-sphere and on Pinterest. I created my own version as I thought it was a brilliant, easy way to help parents and students remember the classroom expectations. In fact, I made my own version on my classroom website.

In one of my classes, we were asked to create a brochure teaching students about responsibility and respect in the classroom. I decide I would also present this in an ABC format so that way my students can easily remember what is expected of them. I am thinking of making a few tweaks to the information it contains and then sending it off to Vistaprints for printing. I want it to address both parents and students.

Nurses Office

Previously I shared with all of you the hall passes I created. I created one for the nurse but sometimes one needs to provide a little more information when sending a child over.

I plan on using the pass I made for routine visits (medications).

I was searching for ideas for Vistaprint when I stumbled across a great idea! A teacher had made a postcard Nurse Pass (and yes I lost the link! I am trying to get better at saving them for all of you. If this is yours please let me know so I can give you credit.).

It is adorable and has lots of room for me to write "student says his tummy is hurting" or whatever the case may be. The original had the teacher's name and classroom number on the front. Since I do not have this information, I left that part off.

This is a great idea for Guest Teachers to keep in their bag of tricks. No more searching for a pass when you really need one.

What do you use for nurse passes? Do you have special procedures in place for sending a student to the nurse? Do you treat them first?

Zebra Quest Club Members

Yesterday I introduced Zebra Quests. I want all items to match my classroom (as always) and just love the fact that the quote was so perfect that it used an animal to match my classroom theme. No I am not obsessed... okay yes I am! I decided that all the Zebra Quest items would either be in Zebra Print or have our Zebra Quest Mascot on it.

Speaking of our mascot... he needs a name! Anyone have any ideas? First person with a name I love wins a secret prize! What is the prize? I don't know yet! That is why its a secret!


Off to Vistaprint I went to create away and then I will wait for my newest project to arrive in the mail. First up... how to track which quests the student has completed and/or how many. I am not sure how this will work yet as I was originally going to punch the card by quest number but now there are more than 100 quests. Perhaps, I will require my students to complete the original 100 and then start on the 100 more afterwards. I actually like that. Then I can use the same card just write MORE on it somewhere.

I need to add a spot on future reprints of this for the students name but other than that I am happy with the way this one turned out. I also created our membership card, students will receive this after completing 25 quests I think it was. They are a lifetime member and their name will be forever listed on my classroom website. They will serve as motivators and role models for future students.

YOUR SHOPPING LIST:
~ Decorative hole punchers (I wonder if I can find a Zebra shaped one.....)

I passed the pretest... now what?

Today I am continuing my thoughts on spelling and homework. My oldest son's pet peeveis  about homework is that it has no purpose. While I can argue that regardless if it is busy work or not, all homework has a purpose but I will digress on that topic... for now anyways.

Here is the scenario: It is Monday, time for the weekly spelling pretest. You give the test and it is bound to happen someone gets a 100% on the spelling test. GREAT JOB STUDENT! My son was often this student but he still had to do the spelling homework for the week and the test on Friday. He was in the highest group but still spelling is easy for him. To motivate students to always do their best and to reward them for sharing their knowledge with me (another complaint of his.)... I went to Vistaprint and created this:

YEP! It's a get out of jail free card!! Uh... I mean a get out of homework and a test card.I actually stole ..er... borrowed this design from another teacher. (If this is yours please let me know!) This is one of my later creations... see the difference that advanced editing button makes? And it is free to use. Such a pretty little business card. The lucky student will take his incomplete homework and blank spelling test and staple this card to it. Then he hands it in just like all of my other students. Said lucky student then receives full credit for the homework and test. Easy for me to grade and a great reward for them.

I have created a page titled Vistaprint Creations which host links to all my blogs on this subject and pictures. I hope this will help you as you create and share your own items from Vistaprints. 

Scheduling Student Appointments

I have two special needs children and as such have learned the importance of individualized instruction first hand. For this reason, I am always looking for ways to better serve my students in order to meet their wants and needs. This is no easy task! Perhaps my vision is too lofty but as the Grinch once said "this is what these tests are for!"

Yesterday, I discussed my plans for dealing with absent students. It is going to happen, a student is going to miss a test and they will need to make it up. The table manager will write it on the post card but I need something to remind me as well. So I went to Vistaprint and created an appointment postcard. The table manager will write the name of the student and the test required under reason and place it in my mailbox (future blog post!) - this will serve as a reminder to me that during group time or centers I will need to schedule some time to administer the exam to the absent student.

These cards are also multi-functional. Students can use these to request one-to-one assistance on any issue they have including requests for tutoring or more challenging materials or a personal issue. Some students need more attention so they can request to have lunch with me. Sometimes a student may have a particular interest or passion that they want to pursue and they can request class time through this to do so.

How do you schedule missed exams? How do you manage the different needs and requests from your students? 

Students are unfortunately going to be absent but having a plan or procedure in place will ensure that the student misses as little as possible. I first started thinking about this when I stumbled across Mrs. Gilchrist's Blog. Mrs. Gilchrist is another amazing talented teacher who spends her free time sharing her success stories and hard work to ensure that others in her profession will benefit from her experience.

I came across the following item which I found absolutely genius! I have all the supplies to make my own folders yet have not completed the project yet. As soon as I do, I will post pictures. I will be creating 5 of these for the year. The rule I have established for my classroom is that in order for the work to be accepted, it has to be turned in with the folder. I hope having 5 in circulation will be enough. If you use this method, how many do you have for your class?

I decided to take this wonderful idea and make it my own. In addition to the absent folder which will have all of the handouts for the day inside, I created a Vistaprint postcard. You can't see it in the picture but under the title in white it reads "While you were out, we...."

One of my classroom jobs (future blog) is table manager. I have 5 of these... one for each of the table groups in my classroom. The job of the table manager is to pass out and collect assignments as well as make sure the absent postcard is filled in and all papers for the day are secured inside the folder. This item will be left on the students desk for their return unless a parent has called to request homework. Then it will be available after school in the office. The reason it is left on the desk is just in case the student is absent more than one day.

Thoughts on improving this item: add spelling as a subject, add a date line, and add a name line. Also thinking about adding "So glad to have you back!" as the last line on the back of the postcard. For now, this sample would work. It is sitting in my Vistaprint goody box in the garage waiting for some lucky future student.

Classroom Library

I love to read and I love books! One thing I do not have to worry about purchasing for my classroom is books. My boys have hundreds of them that will be making their way to my classroom in the future. The only problem I may have is that I have lots of books that appeal to boys and very few that would appeal to girls. I have 3 sons so that explains that mystery. I still need to figure out a way to organize said books in my classroom and that will primarily depending upon what my classroom comes with and the space allotted.

This is my favorite idea to date for housing my book collection. Do not look at the price tag... it is from Pottery Barn - enough said! It has 42 cubbies for books and is revolving. If I could label each book and shelf... I have 42 different sections. That would be amazing! Plus it is so neat and tidy. I can image the wooden letters from Hobby Lobby spelling out read sitting on top. Spray painting them with silver glitter for some sparkle. Ah... I love this idea!

Since furniture shopping has to wait until I at least know what district I will be working in and what the classrooms look like... I decided on labeling the books with at least my name for now. So... for my first Vistaprint creation I made address labels!

A couple things that I have since learned (but not soon enough) is that if you click advanced editing you can enlarge the font. I made several items before realizing this. I will do that for future orders. However, I really like how these came out. They are unique, easy to apply, and my boys had the job of labeling all of their books by placing one of these on the first page of the book.

The Desk Fairy

So what could be better than a fairy who inspects for neatness and organization? Personally, I can think of nothing more exciting! The idea reminds me of FlyLady - another one of my favorite website/blog/people. She is the queen of organizing and cleaning your house but enough about her. Perhaps I will rave about this wonderful woman and my obsession with her another day.

So here is my latest Vistaprint creation! I modeled this card after a fellow teacher (which I forgot to mark where I found this. Possibly the incredible Ms. Noble?). I firmly believe in Harry Wong's philosophy of stealing from other teachers. After all, it is the highest complement one can receive! I am going to take a blue or silver glitter pen and highlight the blue strip as I need a little bling for such a happy occasion! I am also planning on leaving confetti on the desk or a wand made out of a small pixie stick and a glitter star. I am so EXCITED!!! For some reason, my hubby and boys do not understand why I am so excited about a cleaning fairy. She is so cute and makes my heart flutter.

Homework Rewards

Getting a student to do their homework seems to be an ongoing battle for parents and teachers alike. As a mom, I know I am constantly battling with my son to do his. I have even stood over him, watched him complete it.. only for him not to turn it in. GRRR!

As a teacher, I know I will face this challenge with my students. I need to find something that is both challenging and meaningful. Something that they will want to do and yet still help them learn the necessary skills.

While randomly browsing teacher blogs and websites, I stumbled across Mrs. Raude's 4th Grade Gifted Rock Stars. Mrs. Raude is a nationally certified teacher and has created a very informational website for parents and students. She is also my teacher feature this week!

There is a lot of great ideas to be found here. She rewards those students who have completed and turned in all assignments on time for the month with a celebration lunch. I thought this was a great idea and so headed over to Vistaprint to create a way for me to track this.

The way this works in Mrs. Raude's class is that parents volunteer to purchase and/or deliver items for the luncheon each month. I decided a pizza party would be the simplest and easiest. The card has a space for 5 punches... they represent 4 weeks of homework and the monthly reading calendar (future blog post).

After a few more classes into my master's degree, I have learned that we are to focus on internal rather than external rewards AND there are now laws regarding the nutritional content of things teachers provide to their students. For this reason, I will need to check with my district and principal to see if this is usable in my area. 

I am now searching for more ideas on how to motivate my students to complete their homework.

The Wonders of Ms. Noble

For all the complaints about the teacher profession... I have found some pretty amazing women who exemplify what it means to be a teacher. Ms. Noble is one of those that I adore! Her classroom website is full of amazing ideas - a few of which I have stolen borrowed and made my own.

One of my favorite things... her Vistaprint creations! Her old blog and classroom used to match my color theme as well! Sigh... I know way to obsessed with matching, organization, and neatness but let me tell ya - Ms. Noble is truly amazing!

Ms. Noble has been MIA in bloggy land since last year but I truly hope she returns soon. She left behind some amazing gems including a mustache lesson. We all love mustaches and who wouldn't want more of them in their classroom.

If that is not enough to steal your heart away... check out her Shutterfly account! I could spend all day here pinning away ideas. In fact, I probably have while avoiding my homework. She has pictures of her classrooms from various years, Vistaprint goodies, and her class in action here.

And just when you think you couldn't find more to love....  she has a blog and a Teachers-Pay-Teachers store!

VistaPrints

Teachers have piles and piles of paper every where. We have files of papers to copy, records to keep, worksheets to grade, and then there are notes to parents, coworkers, students, volunteers, and so much more. The amount of time spend seems endless but several teachers have found a way to minimize the chaos with the help of Vistaprints.

Once you have created a free account, Vistaprints will send you an endless supply of spam offering most of their products for free. There is a limit of how much you can order at a time and you will still need to pay exorbitant shipping prices but for me the time saved is worth the expense.

Vistaprints is offering a special deal to my readers for 80% off! Just click on the link and enjoy.

Ms. Noble posted the above picture on her website and I have since lost the link to her site. I am currently searching for 4 red baskets to use in place of her blue and green. I love this personalized area and am planning to have this right behind my desk. Each of the baskets holds a particular type of Vistaprint creations (postcards, business cards, address labels, & stamps). There are many more things you can create but I will be copying this model.

YOUR SHOPPING LIST:

~ 3x3 cube shelving (available at Target)

~ 3 Framed Family Photos

~ 2 Knickknacks (1 will be something Seuss, deciding on the other)

~ 4 red baskets

~ Vistaprint creations