Create a Little Panda-monium!

It's about time, teachers, for a new product!

I just launched Panda Pockets Classroom Jobs and I'm so excited that I'm making it free for the weekend!!  

Here is a little glimpse:

There are 17 labeled pockets, plus 7 more that are editable. 30 pandas are provided with numbered ball caps to represent student numbers. That will save you the time and energy needed to reprint the pandas each year.

I recommend printing the components on heavy cardstock. Attach a 3.5" craft stick to the pandas to give them more stability and to make stuffing the pockets easier.

If you grab this weekend freebie, please leave a comment on TPT. Your feedback is very important to me. TYIA.

I have more panda themed decor coming, so stay tuned!

These panda products are ready to go:

5 Things to Do With Your Class While You Test Individuals

It's a common problem: what can I do with the other students while I test individuals, especially the first few weeks of school? You are still creating your class atmosphere; still figuring out the range of abilities; still learning their names! So what in the world can you do to keep them busy without using copious amounts of coloring sheets? Here are some suggestions --

1. Challenge their critical thinking with Autumn Square Puzzlers. There are 3 levels of difficulty; even the brightest students can be occupied for a very, long time.  No reading is required.

And if your students love square puzzlers as much as mine do, you can satisfy them with LOTS of the puzzles available here.

2. Give them Latin Squares. Like the square puzzlers, these challenges will take time and stamina to complete, but do not require reading. Monkey Squares are also differentiated, giving you lots of options.

3.  Provide tangram puzzles. They are great brain exercise, even for non-readers. My tangrams have multiple puzzle pages that students can share and swap.  And, they are differentiated.

4.  For students who can read, provide Triads. You will need to spend a little time introducing these critical thinking challenges. Then get back to testing as your students take off with Triads. Kiddos LOVE them. These critical thinking cards can be used in small groups for cooperative learning or given to individuals.

5. Combine word work with computation, individual effort with competition, when you engage your students with Scrattle. This FREE product initially challenges students to create words with a specific set of letters. Then they calculate the value of their words using Scrabble™ letter values and linear equations.  Finally, they engage a friend in a battle to see whose words are the most valuable. [Scrattle = Scrabble + Battle] This activity, too, is differentiated, providing recording sheets with equations that require only addition, to complex, multiple operations.

Time is more valuable than money.  You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.

--Jim Rohn

Brag Tag Nuts & Bolts

If you are new to brag tags, I have some nuts and bolts advice that may help you get started.

Ball chain necklaces are my favorite way to adorn my students with brag tags. A lot of teachers use key chains, but I prefer the glow my students emit when they get to wear their brag tag necklaces. Moreover, when we are walking through the halls, the kiddos gather lots of compliments from other teachers, administrators, and support personnel. But the best reinforcement may be the thumbs up other students give them.

A 24 inch necklace should be fine for any elementary student. I have found them for as low as $.50 each on the internet. Some teachers buy the chain by the spool, cutting it to their desired length. I'm not a fan of this as it is labor intensive and time consuming. You also have to buy the connectors separately and add them to the necklaces. It's about time, teachers! And time is precious.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it is essential that you add each child's name to the necklace. You can do this by giving them a name tag to put on their necklace. It is simply inevitable that one or more necklaces will eventually end up on the floor. The name tag will settle any disputes about ownership.

In the same vein, it is advisable to label the space where the necklaces hang. Many teachers devote a bulletin board to this purpose. As a huge fan of interactive bulletin boards, I am loathe to sacrifice a board to this purpose. Using command hooks, I hang the necklaces under the front board. 

The hooks are labeled with each student's number using a label maker. This allows me to use the hooks for several years without having to redo the display. (Remember, it's about time, teachers!) The real estate under the front board is pretty much wasted, so hanging the necklaces there seems like a good use for it. Furthermore, I teach small groups near that area. My proximity prevents students from fondling the necklaces, which are, of course, very attractive to them.  

I do NOT laminate my brag tags. Just printing them and cutting them out is time consuming enough. Rather, I print them on cardstock. So far, they have been sufficiently durable without lamination. I encourage my students to write their names on the back of each tag they earn in case one tears away from the necklace. (Another reason to hang them where they will attract a little less attention.) You can call me Viola Swamp, but I have a strict rule that lost or destroyed tags will not be replaced. Who has time to deal with all that drama???? 

I will, however, supply adhesive reinforcement rings so that students can repair their tags. So, another advantage of not laminating the tags is that students can write their name on the back. Thus any lost tag can be more readily returned to its owner.

We all struggle with printing costs, especially when using color ink. I'm unwilling to avoid all color printing since it adds so much panache to the tags. However, I print a good supply using the gray scale tags and colored cardstock. The children seem equally happy with either type of tag. 

Once again, because it's about time, teachers, I enlist the help of others in cutting out and punching holes in the brag tags.  If I choose to send some home to helpful parents who are willing to donate their time, I always include sharp scissors, a hole punch, and ziplock bags in which to return them.  I have a special canvas bag in which students carry all of the supplies back and forth.  Of course, it is never sent home without first contacting the parent to ensure that this task is suitable to their time constraints. I have also enlisted the help of upper elementary students who may wish to help when they have time, and have had teachers use this as a reward for students who need extra encouragement from their favorite primary teacher.  :)

Finally, you will need a storage system that keeps the brag tags organized and handy. My tags are 1 3/8" x 2" so they just fit in this storage chest (that is intended for nuts and bolts). Again using my handy, dandy label maker, I am labeling each drawer with the tags it contains.   

Do you have any other tips for those considering using brag tags?

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot. -- Michael Altshuler

STILL MORE Centers for Your Classroom

Have you tried using critical thinking centers in your classroom?  If not, you really should.  Following are some of my students' favorites:

The thing I love the most about Triads, is that I can practically see the cogs turning in my students' brains.  My kiddos clamor for these brain exercises.  But, be forewarned! If you require a quiet, calm demeanor in your students, don't bring out Triads.  The enthusiasm they generate simply can't be contained.

Here's how they work: Show your students a Triads card, explaining that 1 word that can be added to each of the triad words to make a well-known phrase or compound word. The common word may be added before or after the triad words.  Did you figure out the example given here?  The common word is card; birthday card, credit card, and cardboard.  

My students love Triads so much that I have created literally hundreds of these little gems.  You can peruse the ones I've published by going here.

I know it's corny, but I just can't help myself. . . You will get a lot of bang for your buck with $1 Words.  This activity combines ELA and math with critical thinking and problem solving.  Moreover, your students will:

• conduct research (old fashioned or internet)
• work with parts of speech, prefixes and suffixes, vocabulary, and grammar 
• compute money values (manually or with calculators)
• hone editing and spelling skills
• learn study skills
• and so much more

My $1 Words units are much more "kid friendly" than most $1 Word studies in that they provide clues for students to solve.  

Run this as a competition between classes and you will find that you need 100s of clues!  My enrichment students can't get enough. Even better, the 1st unit in this series is FREE!

Square Puzzlers may just be the ideal center because even fast finishers can't finish them quickly. These gems require patience, perseverence, and problem solving; attributes we would like all of our students to develop.

The challenge with these puzzles is to reconstruct the square so that all of the images match on every interior side. This is the 2x2 square (reassembled) that is intended for the youngest students. 3x3 and 4x4 squares are included for exponentially more challenging puzzles for older students.

Want more critical thinking center ideas?  Check out the resources on my collaborative Pinterest board, It's About Time for Critical Thinking.  If you would like to join as a collaborator, we'd love to have you!

Other critical thinking centers you may like:

 

Anchor Charts Aweigh!

It’s about time, teachers, for anchor charts. 

I’ve been focusing on anchor charts lately.  It’s a love/hate relationship for me.  Let me explain.

  

· I am a visual learner, so anchor charts are a natural fit for my classroom and me.  If I had a photographic memory, such visual reminders would be superfluous.  But, alas, there is no camera in my brain.  I assume the majority of my students also lack an Instagram intellect.  Thus, I ♥ anchor charts for providing the cues.

· In my district, it is permissible to have anchor charts posted in the classroom during standardized testing.  Permissible, that is, if they were hanging prior to the start of testing.  That is a distinct advantage for visual learner students.  Gotta ♥ that!

· Creating anchor charts with my students allows me to model my thinking; a teaching strategy I ♥.  Similarly, I can evaluate their thinking and understanding by observing their reactions and contributions.

· Anchor charts can be dynamic.  As we delve into a subject, we can add to the anchor chart.  It’s another way to scaffold learning.  ♥

· Some of my anchor charts are static.  As such, I introduce the chart to my class, explaining its tenets, and post it at a learning center.  This promotes independence for my students and allows me to conduct small group instruction with minimal disruption.  ♥  These charts can be stored and used year after year.

· Anchor charts  are concise.  Teaching my students to be succinct is also a valuable lesson.  I ♥ bulleted lists!  (In case you couldn’t tell.)

So what’s not to like about anchor charts?

· Charts should be neat and organized, with simple graphics to enhance their meaning.  I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler!  Although my 1^st graders think my stick figures are wonderful, I’m pretty sure my upper grade students are stifling their snickers.  Then I peruse Pinterest and see all the adorable anchor charts with hand drawn graphics and feel utterly inadequate. 

· There can be too much of a good thing.  Like most elementary teachers, I embrace trends with enthusiasm.  So my room began wearing anchor charts everywhere.  I even considered pinning some to the ceiling like my dentist does.  The sad effect is that my students were on visual overload and the anchor charts ceased being helpful.  It can be difficult to find the balance between just right and too much.  Just ask Goldilocks.

 

· As helpful as anchor charts are, they present the age old problem of storage.  Where to keep these instructional aids in an already overcrowded classroom is a perennial problem.  Of course, I could recreate them each year, but for some of them, that seems wasteful.  For example, I have a set of 20 poetry posters that are very helpful when my students are challenged to write a specific form of poetry.  Fortunately, while wandering through Pinterestland, I found a wonderful solution:  an anchor chart binder.  It's perfect for my pre-printed, 1 page, poetry posters.  

I've got an idea for storing and organizing all those large, poster size, anchor charts, too: install a dry cleaner's automated line.

I think my principal will go for it, don't you?

♫♪ Anchors Aweigh, my friends, Anchors Aweigh. 

♫ Send those charts whirling around, ♪

‘Til the perfect one is found. ♫♪

Sneak into a New School Year -- Pt. 5

It's about time, teachers... to finish up Sneaker Day.

It's never too early to start your class writing stories.  For Sneaker Day, bring in an old, worn out, holey pair of sneakers.  Write a story as a whole class, giving the sneakers a history from the day they were made until today. 

Older and/or more capable students could write a chapter a day, giving you, the teacher, the opportunity to model writing traits and to "think out loud" as you record their ideas. Younger and/or less capable students could write a simple story about who wore the sneakers, where they have traveled, how the sneakers got their holes, etc.  Again, acting as the recorder, the teacher should model her thinking as she write the children's ideas.

Another activity for Sneaker Day is to give each child a blank sneaker outline.

Google doc

Ask them to design a new sneaker that is especially for school children.  What would they include in their special sneaker?  A calculator?  A ruler?  A computer?  A pencil sharpener? . . .  Extend this activity by having the students write about their sneaker's features.

Hopefully, you can use these Sneaker Day ideas to get your new school year off on the right foot!

If you liked these Sneaker Day activities, you may wish to download a copy of the them for FREE on TpT.

 You may also like:

Sneak into a New School Year - Pt. 2

It's about time, teachers, ... to continue my thoughts about Sneaker Day.  

Conduct a get acquainted activity by asking each child to remove 1 of his sneakers.  Put all of the shoes in the center of the group and ask the children to look carefully at them. Then pick up one sneaker and ask whose sneaker it is.  When someone feels they can identify the owner, he should raise his hand, wait to be called on, and then allowed to take the shoe to its owner.  Emphasize that the owner of the sneaker should be sneaky and not boast that the shoe is his.  The child who identified the owner may select the next shoe for evaluation.  

Play continues in this way until all of the sneakers have been returned to their owners. For very young children, you will want to limit the number of shoes in the center to a number that is reasonable for their attention span.  The game can be played several times through out the day so that everyone is included.  It could also be repeated for several days, as needed, to ensure that everyone learns all the names.

There are more Sneaker Day activities to come.  Stay tuned!

Sneak into a New School Year

It's about time, teachers, ... 

... to go back to school.  Did that reality sneak up on you? To help you kick off your year on the right foot, I invite you to SNEAK INTO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR.  

Begin by asking your students to wear sneakers on the 2nd day of school.  Call it "Sneaker Day."  Here's a reminder note you can send home with your students:

Google Doc

On Sneaker Day, explain to your students why these shoes are called "sneakers." Sneakers are rubber soled shoes, usually with cloth uppers, that are common in N. America. The rubber sole allows the wearer to walk very quietly, i.e. sneak around.

Each time you line up to leave your classroom, challenge your students to sneak through the halls;  something they are super prepared to do since they are wearing sneakers! Teach your students to sing the following song to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."  Whisper-sing it as you line your students up to leave the classroom.

        Sneak, sneak, sneak around

        In your sneaker wear.

       Quietly, quietly, quietly, quietly

       No one knows you're there.

Enlist school personnel to help instill a sneaky attitude in your class by complimenting them for walking so quietly through the halls.  Secure a large supply of colorful shoelaces to use as reinforcements for the compliments.  Place a shoelace in a plastic jar for each compliment they receive.  Collect compliments for the entire first week.

Label the jar filled with shoelaces and use it to create an Estimation Station math center that will function all year.  Here's a label you could use:

Provide a supply of paper scraps for students to use to record their estimation of how many shoelaces are in the jar. Allow only 1 guess per child per day.  Check the estimates just before dismissal time.  When the correct number is guessed, make the winner responsible for bringing in the next set of items for the jar, along with a super sneaky note that tells you, the teacher, what the correct number is. You can find a sample letter explaining the parameters of the  Estimation Station  items to parents here.

Estimation Station  continues in this way for the remainder of the year, or as long as you like, with virtually no effort on your part!

Come back soon for more posts about Sneaker Day activities or download my FREE product, Sneak Into a New Year.

You may also like a companion unit to this product: