Real-World Geometry

If your students are having trouble remembering the names of geometric solids, jog their memories with this post-holiday project. Ask students to bring in presents they received (or other items from home) that correspond to the shapes you are studying. For example, a board game is a rectangular prism, a baseball is a sphere, and a gel pen is a cylinder. If you school has a digital camera, you could take pictures of the items and post them for students to use as a review when test time approaches. Follow-up with a walk through the hallways, where students observe shapes in their environment. Create a class book titled, “Our Shape Walk.” Have each student create a page for a shape they saw and combine the pages for a book that can be used as a quick reference.

Happy Winter Break!

Dear Teachers and Librarians,

There are only a few days left in 2015. This is a perfect time to reflect on everything you’ve done well this year. Think of the wonderful books you’ve shared, hugs you’ve given, and minds you’ve opened. Though we are overworked, underpaid, and sometimes underappreciated, we’re some of the luckiest people on the planet. Teachers and librarians get to change lives and witness tiny miracles on a daily basis. As you enter 2016, affirm that you are doing one of the toughest, most important jobs, and then revel in the fact that you can! May good things come to you and your students in the New Year. Check back soon for fresh ideas for your classroom. They’re coming!

Ann Marie and Erin

Candy Cane Math

What’s on the minds of every elementary student this time of year? Santa, presents, and CANDY! Why not give them what they want with some Candy Cane Math?

Print out our measuring sheet (in color or black and white), purchase miniature candy canes, and have a great time!

Rectangle Riddles

During a unit on animals, we asked our students to write riddles. We thought this would be a unique and fun way to test their comprehension and application of the subject matter.

We wanted the students to be able to ask their riddles, but needed a way to hide the answers from students next to the reader, so we created Rectangle Riddles.

Take a piece of 8 1/2 by 11 paper and fold it in half. Voila! There’s your rectangle.

Students write their riddles on the front of the rectangle. The riddle should give three hints about the subject matter or content. Sometimes we give students criteria for their hints, other times we let them come up with whatever clues they like. For the picture above the criteria for the hints was to include the animal’s body covering, how the animal moves and a body part that is important for the animal. Students always end with a question such as, “Who/What/Where am I?”

The answer goes on the inside of the folded rectangle. Ask the riddle, and then lift the flap for the answer. It’s that easy. We required one riddle per student but the class loved the activity so much that most went on to write three or four.

Rectangle Riddles are appropriate for all core subjects and are a great interactive hallway display. Try them out and see how creative your students can get!

iPad Memories: A Digital Storage Solution

My current and former students and their parents are always giving me sweet letters and cards. I usually save them for a while but then need to throw them out when the collection becomes too large. Then I feel terrible that I’ve thrown out their special gifts. So I started taking pictures of them with my iPad. Now I can tap on my photo album marked “Student Letters” and read them anytime I want.

This also works great for classroom projects that I would like to keep a sample of to remember but just don’t have the storage. My iPad is currently storing pictures of our last bulletin board, our pet rocks and all of our monthly hallway displays. The students love to reminisce when I swipe through our pictures for the whole class to see.

Ideas Sweet Shoppe

Looking for a way to sweeten your writing center? Group empty cookie jars, candy jars, jelly jars or frosting canisters on a table or shelf to look like an old-fashioned candy store. Decorate with paint, permanent markers or ribbons to add a pop of color or designs. Attach labels to the front of each container to show writing topics for various subject areas. Some examples might be Math Munchies, Science Sweets or Language Arts Lollies.

Each container can hold story starters, thought provoking questions, task cards, or creative project ideas from the various topics. The prompts can be made on colorful cards or even wrapped and rolled to look like pieces of candy (for you super creative people)! Responses can be put in journals or on writing paper.

Take time to share the writing after it’s finished and make sure to keep your candy store fully stocked. It might even be fun to pass out a candy treat once in a while.

The Idea Sweet Shoppe is a great place for your early finishers to visit! You can snag your own copy of the sign here.

Desk Messages: An Easy Way to Make Meaningful Connections

Once the year starts and you’ve gotten to know your students better, it’s time to try out our Desk Messages. After only a week of school, we begin to see the unique personalities of our students and the ways they deal with everyday challenges and achievements. We like to honor their differences, offer encouragement and recognize their growth with a variety of messages.

We have 2 versions: tent messages and flat messages. Some students love having them visible for everyone to see. Other students like a more private approach and will even keep a flat card in their crayon box or notebook. Sometimes, we’ll even personalize the card on the back.

These desk messages can be for every day use or just for special occasions. The students look forward to the cards and most save them and look at them over and over. This is an easy way to “Catch ‘em Being Good” or to let your students know you are aware of their struggles and successes even if you haven’t had a chance to have a conversation with them.