Hanging Anchor Charts {A Bright Idea!}

Hey yall! Happy Saturday!

 

I'm actually in Fayetteville for a regional Jamberry conference, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to bring you another bright idea!

 

 

This month, I wanted to share how we are hanging our anchor charts this year.

If you're like me, anchor charts are happening....multiple times a week!

 

Where in the world are you supposed to put all those lovely charts???

 

Last year, I hung them up with hangers on a rolling cart.

It worked okay, but they were really in the way...like, big time.

 

So this year I wanted to designate a specific spot to hang our charts, so I decided to dedicate a whole bulletin board just for our charts. But they needed to be able to be removed or added to, so I decided to use clothespins to hang them up.

 

However, gluing clothespins to a bulletin board?

Not an option for me.

 

Instead, I did this!

 

 

I hot-glued some pushpins to the back of my clothespins.

 

 

 

Then I just pushed them into the bulletin board and hung up my charts!

 

Done!



 

 

Please note:

1) I went back and added the "or" after I took this picture

2) The chart on the right was NOT drawn by me! I asked the para to make a chart about irregular plural verbs and this is what I got...the kiddos didn't seem to mind, though :)

 

Check out the link-up below for even MORE bright ideas!

 



An InLinkz Link-up

Lunch Choice Board

Hey yall! Happy *almost* Friday!

 

Has it really been almost 2 weeks since I've posted? Yikes!

The time really does get away from me lately.

 

I meant to post about this last weekend for the Bright Ideas link-up, but I spent the weekend in Atlanta instead :)

 

Better late than never, right?

 

So every year, I try to do attendance in a way that is easy for me, but also a huge reminder that it needs to get done. Because sometimes a girl just forgets.

 

I've had pretty good success making it a classroom job, because those kiddos definitely won't forget to get it done! In the past, I used a transportation board to do attendance, but I didn't feel like that would be good for 3rd grade.

 

I mean, they know how they get home everyday, so they don't always need that reminder.

 

When I went into my new coworkers classroom at the beginning of the year, I found a simple, yet genius, way to do attendance PLUS lunch count at the same time.

Bonus!

 

She had some cheap little plastic plates glued to her cabinet, alongside a bucket of clothespins.

Each plate had a lunch choice written on it and the students just move their clip to their choice for the day.

 

Well, this may be something you've been doing for years and years, but it was new to me!

I ran to the dearest Dollar Tree and snagged some cheapo plates.

 

I put all the kiddos names on some clothespins, stuck 'em in a bucket, and threw in a dry erase marker and eraser. I also put the lunch menu above the plates, so that my helper can be responsible for writing the lunch choices each afternoon.

 

 

In the mornings, after everyone has made their choice, my lunch count helper tells me who is out for the day. This reminds me to plug in my attendance online and then its DONE!

 

Seriously, this system is super easy and completely run by the students. They are responsible for moving their clips, writing the lunch choices, and seeing who is absent for the day. That student also writes down the number of students for each choice and takes it to the lunchroom.

 

Student responsibility = happy teacher :)



The Quiet Game {A Bright Idea}

Hey yall!

 

By now we're all enjoying summer full force and school seems a million days away.

But somewhere in the back of your mind, you're secretly already planning for next year.

 

It's a sickness, I tell ya.

 

Luckily for you, the sickness is widespread.

So even though its the middle of June, another round of Bright Ideas is coming your way!

 

 

 

Today I'm going to tell you about a little game we sometimes play called The Quiet Game.

We play it when we're standing in the hallway for an extended amount of time (like a bathroom break), waiting in line (like in a lunch line), or any other time of the day when my kiddos are expected to be quiet for any length of time (like waiting for busses at the end of the day).

 

It's a very simple game, but it seriously works like a charm.

every. single. time.

 

You start by finding a student that is doing exactly as they should: standing quietly, eyes forward, hands behind their back-whatever your rules are, they should be following them.

 

You tell that student that they get to start The Quiet Game. Then that student stands off to the side and gets to choose who else is following all the rules.

 

 

They choose that person and then get back in line. That person then gets to choose who the next one is...and so on.

 

 

Now, usually just being able to stand out of line for a minute is motivation enough for the rest of my students to straighten up. As soon as I choose someone to start The Quiet Game, the rest of my class quickly gets it together.

 

I usually don't offer any type of reward, especially when we're standing in the hall. My students know what to look for and know they can only choose classmates who are following all the rules.

 

However, sometimes I will throw in something small to keep it interesting. Sometimes I might give them an M&M or a sticker for being chosen. But not often.

 

That's it. Seriously. It WORKS!

 

If you're new to my blog, check out some of my past Bright Ideas!

 

Cheap and Easy Bulletin Boards

Save the Trees!

Organizing Teaching Books

Interactive Word Wall

 

For more Bright Ideas from over 100 other bloggers, check out the links below!

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up



Save the Trees! {a bright idea}

Hey yall!

 

I am currently immensely enjoying my Spring Break.

 

After we get back from our glorious break, we only have 28 days of school left!

Seriously?!?! 28???

The end of the year will be here in a flash.

 

As we get closer to the end of the year, supplies seem to dwindle.

We're down to our last box of pencils, we've been out of lined paper for weeks, and you can forget about glue sticks....not even one in sight.

 

Another thing I'm almost out of? Printer paper.

Each teacher got a ream of paper at the beginning of the year and I'm down to my very last pack.

 

As if running low on paper isn't enough, the copy nazi printer police office has laid down the law.

Only 200 copies can be made for the entire 9 weeks and all copies must first be approved.

 

Yikes.

 

So what's a teacher to do???

 

I had to find a bright idea, yall!

 

 

Hopefully, my bright ideas will be helpful for yall, too!

 

 

 

It seems that center and station activities require a ton of paper. Each one includes a recording sheet for students to record their work. However, there is no way I can print off a recording sheet for every single student for every single center.

Just not gonna happen.

 

So instead of printing off a recording sheet for every student, I only print off 5.
Laminate those suckers and throw a few dry erase markers in and you're done.

My favorite way to say paper is by printing multiple copies of a sheet.
This saves you at least half the amount of paper! Even more, if you print 4 to a sheet.

Here's how you print multiple copies:
1. Choose the page that you want to make smaller copies of. Say I want to make copies of this place value center recording sheet. Go to that page and take note of the page number (in this case, page 12).

2. When you go to print, choose the page number that you want to make smaller. Type in the page number twice, with a comma in between.

3. Click on the button that says "Multiple." Change the amount to whatever you wish-I usually make it 2 pages per sheet. Be sure to click the button at the bottom that says "Auto-rotate pages within each sheet."

 

That's it! Click print and you're done.

 

Note: if you are trying to print off a document that has only 1 page, it won't allow you to type in the page numbers to print. Unfortunately, this prevents you from printing multiple pages :(

 

 

Now, I know these are super simple tips, but for some reason it took me until this year to utilize them! They honestly have saved me a ton of paper, though :)

For more bright ideas, check out these amazing bloggers below!

An InLinkz Link-up

 



No Peeking! {freebie!}

Hey yall!

 

3 more days, 3 more days....that's what I keep telling myself :)

 

Anyone else get a whole week off for Thanksgiving???

 

Today I wanted to share how I make my kiddos offices. Super simple and easy :)

 

All you need are some manila folders (or colored ones if you want to get fancy with it!), some scissors, a stapler, and the freebie below. I prefer to use the Smead Super Tab Heavy Weight folders, because they are sturdy enough to last my kiddos all year.

 

 

First, cut your folder in half hamburger-style.

 

Yikes! Sorry about the glare there!

 

Then take the two pieces and fit them together so that they overlap.

 

 

 

Staple the two pieces together where they overlap.

 

 

Download this freebie and print them for your littles. Staple them to the inside of the folder (although I would recommend laminating them first for durability).

 

 

 

Voila...instant office! My kiddos feel very legit when they pull these out for tests and what have you. Sometimes, they like to be secretive and pull them out during classwork so their neighbors can't peek at their work.

 

I usually let them decorate their offices during the first week of school. Then they just keep them in their desks for the rest of the year! There's always going to be those one or two that lose theirs, but the majority of my kiddos keep up with them. I always make extras, though...just in case! 

 

Head on over to Shoplet.com to order your folders! They are nice and sturdy and I LOVE the super wide tabs. While you're there, check out their FasTab Hanging File Folders. They have built-in tabs that are ten times better than those pesky plastic ones that fall out after awhile.

The people over at Shoplet.com were also nice enough to send me the Easy Grip Pocket expanding file. The nifty thing about this file is that the sides have a non-slip grip pad that allows you to easily pick up the file, without the contents falling out. Genuis! It's also pretty heavy duty, so perfect for holding all those awesome teacher files :)

 



I Just Want to Do It My Way!

Hey yall!

 

I'm so excited today to be taking part in a fun blog hop for Julia Cook books!

 

 

Have you read any of her books before? They all focus on an important topic that is important for young people to learn in the classroom. Bullies, teamwork, tattling, blurting out, stealing.....just a few of the topics that her books are about!

 

I recently purchased the book I Just Want to Do It My Way! and read it to my class. I have a few sweeties who really struggle with staying on task and getting their work done, so this book was just what we needed!

 

 

This book is about a little boy named RJ who always wants to do things his way. Whether its eating an ice cream cone from the bottom up or sleeping with his pajamas on inside out....he's got to have things his way! Um.....can't our kiddos definitely relate to that?

 

RJ gets in trouble at school for not getting his math work done. He says he can't focus with Norma the booger-picker sitting right next to him! RJ's parents and teacher help him understand the importance of staying on task in school and getting his work done.

 

After we read the book, we held a class discussion on why it is important to stay on task and brainstormed some ways to stay focused and get our work done. We made a class anchor chart and then the kiddos created their own organizers to put in their journals.






They did such a great job! Hopefully, these friendly reminders will help them stay focused throughout the day. Click on the picture below to snag a copy of the organizer we used.

 

Check out these other books below to continue the fun!

 

Math Manipulatives Organization {with a freebie!}

Hey yall!

 

First off, what do yall think of the new blog design???

There are still a few kinks and links to be worked out, but I'm loving it!

 

Huge thank you to Becky from The Cutest Blog on the Block. She took my many emails and turned them into something beautiful!

 

So does anyone get slightly overwhelmed with the amount of math manipulatives in a primary classroom? Pattern blocks, unifex cubes, counting bears....oh my!

 

I have never had a great system for organizing all of the manipulatives. I generally just put them in some random container {that may or may not have matched my color scheme} and thrown them on a shelf. Our school had these horribly huge, double-sided shelves on wheels that I absolutely detested wasn't crazy about. Wait...let me see if I can find a picture...

 

 

Oh, there they are....ugly things! I used them last year to hold all my unorganized books, because I started so late in the year and just had to make do.

 

But this year, I was over them.

 

I was all set to run out and buy some black bookshelves and about 100 Sterlite containers when I ran across these bad boys at Big Lots.

 

 

Bingo! I picked up a couple and ran home to make some cute labels. My mom and I spent all day Saturday working in my classroom, and I was stoked to get these all set up!

 

 

 

I am sooooo in love! The drawers are large enough to hold all of the materials and the bottoms are really sturdy.

 

 

 

 

I love that my kiddos can just pull out the drawers and take them back to their desks. And with the cute labels, I know they won't have any trouble putting stray materials away!

 

These babies are seriously slim and take up minimal space...bonus! Plus, they look pretty darn snazzy :)

 

 

I'm thinking I'll probably put our weekly math centers in those baskets on top, or possibly use them for extra manipulatives storage. Or I may just have to run back to Big Lots and snag a couple more rolling carts.... :)

 

If you would like to grab the labels I used, click here.
Font by Kimbery Geswein
Clipart by Lovin Lit and Digital Bake Shop

 

 

How do yall store your math manipulatives???



And it begins...

Hey yall!

 

Well, I am almost in back to school mode. I'm not quite ready to head back yet, but I am in the beginning stages of thinking about going back.

 

I only have 2 and a half weeks left...

{moment of silence, please}

 

I had been avoiding the back to school aisles at Wal-Mart and Target like a plague, but finally took the plunge this week. And, of course, now I can't open my trunk for fear my hubby will see how much money I've spent on school stuff.

I asked him to finish this statement yesterday, "You know you're married to a teacher when..."
and he said, "more money is spent on school supplies than me."

Whoops! Definitely must keep that trunk on lockdown.

But while he was snoozing today, I did sneak a couple of bags in to take some pics :)
And I'm linking up with Smart Kids to share my goodies with you!

 

Since I'm moving to 5th grade this year, I've decided to retire the owls and bring in the chalkboard! As with anything I do in life, I am going at this full force! I'm just hoping my budget can keep up :)

 

I loved using whole brain teaching with my firsties and I'm hoping to keep up that momentum with those big 5th graders, so I made some posters in my new theme.

 

Want a copy? Be sure to like me on Facebook for this freebie!

 

Yesterday, I hit up Wal-Mart to snag some of those back to school goodies.

 

 

My big sis {holla Kristie!} gently reminded me that I may not need all of this for 5th grade, and she may be right. BUT we are moving to an arts-infused curriculum next year and I am determined to still bring some fun and crafts into the classroom. 5th graders still like making crafts, right??? I mean, I still like it, and I'm 28!

 

I also picked up these goodies from Wal-Mart.

 

 

I'm loving that Quartet chalk board! It will probably hang by the door with a greeting for my kiddos.

You can't really tell by this picture, but those shape stickers are actually dry erase and have the days of the week on them. I'm thinking I will post these by my desk somewhere with to-do lists.

 

 And...you can't really start the new year off without some new flair pens, right? I haven't ordered my Erin Condren planner yet, but I plan on using these pens when I do get around to ordering it.

 

After Wal-Mart, I headed over to the Dollar Tree in search of these buckets.

 

 

These make great trashcans for small groups. They only had the pink and green, so I need to still find a blue and purple one. I had all four colors last year, but those destructive sweet firsties broke them all.

 

I finished my shopping day by heading over to Target. I just knew I would spend some money there!

 

 

I grabbed these two buckets for my pencils. I am also planning on adding some black vinyl to all my colored buckets from last year, but these were too cute to pass up!

 

 

I cannot tell you how giddy I was to find these babies! Not only are they chalkboard and in my colors, but they also have a sticky back! I have tons of ideas running around my brain on what to do with these....like using them on the first day to take pictures of my kiddos with their names or birthdays, or sticking them around the room at different stations, or using them to write essential questions...

 

 

I always stock up on Dr. Seuss goodies at the beginning of the year, that way I'm set when March rolls around :)

 

 

Rachel over at the tattooed teacher posted a pic of those adorable erasers the other day, and I just had to pick some up! Never mind that I have about 20 of the black ones already....these are in my colors! Too bad they didn't have any purple and pink ones.

 

The little sticky flags are going to help keep my organized and that pink hanging thing will, too. It has 3 pockets and will hang behind my desk.

 

BTW, all of these pictures came from my Instagram. Don't miss out....follow me here!

 

Okay, I better go get all this back in the trunk before the hubs sees :)