Classroom FREEBIES that are a MUST HAVE!

These are some of my new favorite FREEBIES that I think every A+ class can benefit from!

How do you get your students to write A+ sentences?

How do you get your students to turn in A+ work?

=

How do you get your students to have A+ reading responses?

 

How do you get your students to treat each other with A+ respect?

 

 

How do you get  A+ student participation?

 

How do you get  A+ test results?

 

Celebrating Birthdays and a Friday Flash Freebie

I love celebrating birthdays in my classroom, but in the past, have struggled to stay organized and on top of each student's birthday (especially those summer half birthdays we celebrate in the winter).

I thought I would share how we celebrate birthdays in our classroom!  It is a "can't go wrong" system!  I promise!

Create a bulletin board where each student has two cards recognizing them for their birthday. 

The top card is their "ticket" for a birthday surprise.  When it is time to celebrate their birthday, they get to tear off their ticket and turn it in for their surprise.  

The bottom card stays up all year long.

No one will be forgotten and it makes it easy to remember!

One might say it is foolproof!

Click on the picture for a FREE birthday sign.

Today's Friday Flash Freebie is an early elementary unit on hibernation, migration, and adaptation.

It is a fun "winter is coming" unit!

It includes an interactive student booklet.

It also includes a no prep interactive lap book.

There a fun review activities!

And more!

Page 1 - Cover

Page 2 - Copyright

Page 3-6 - All About the Desert Writing

Page 7-14 - Migrating, Hibernating, Adapting Interactive Lap Book

Page 15 - Hibernating Animals Worksheet

Page 16 - Winter Alphabetical Order

Page 17 - Winter Writing

Page 18 - Winter Words

Enjoy!

Classroom Quotes for Every Day of the Year!

So...I have a small obsession.  It's one I don't normally talk about, but here goes!

I love, love, love all those cute, motivational quotes that you find on Facebook and Pinterest.  I read those and am always like, "Wow...that is so powerful!"

And I want my students to find quotes like that inspiring and life changing too.  So, prior to this year, I created a handful of inspirational posters and hung them in my room.  But my kiddos seemed unimpressed.  Yeah, sure, it may have been a great quote and it may have motivated them for a short time, but I realized that if I had the same poster hung up all year, then after a while, they just looked right past it.  I decided I needed motivation all day, every day!

So I decided that each day I would hang a new quote up for the kids to read, ponder, and, best case scenario, improve their life skills!  I researched and internet surfed until I came up with 180 of my favorite motivational classroom quotes!  (I started at the beginning of summer break and just finished!  It was quite the project for me!  Whew!)

I printed off my posters on cardstock and I hung a page protector on my classroom door (I cut off the 3 ring punch holes to make it look nicer!).  Then each day I grab a new poster, slide out yesterday's poster, and slide in the new poster.  The kiddos now know that each day brings a new thought to ponder and they actually look forward to it!  

This literally takes 10 seconds a day (and if I forget, they remind me!)

Here are a few of my favs...

Extreme Blog Makeover Flash Freebie for 08/26/14

Right now I am randomly posting Flash Freebies in celebration of my recently completed Extreme Blog Makeover!

 

 

Each Freebie will be available for 1 day only so make sure to follow my blog to be informed of each new Flash Freebie and obtain the link for download!

Today's Freebie is 4th Grade Common Core Standards Poster Set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I created these posters when I learned I was

 

switching grade levels.

These are kid friendly posters so students can take

 

ownership of their learning. These posters include all

 

Language Arts and Math standards for 4th grade.

This set of posters comes with the black and white

 

borders. I do have the same set of posters available

 

in the colored dots borders. 

Also included are headings for Language Arts and

 

Math.

So I put a heading on the board and then put a page

 

protector below it. Then I slide in and out the

 

standards we are learning.
Everything you need to get ready to display the

 

standards is included.

Extreme Blog Makeover Flash Freebie for the Weekend!!!!

Right now I am randomly posting Flash Freebies in celebration of my recently completed Extreme Blog Makeover!  

This Freebie will be available for the weekend only so make sure to download right away.   Follow my blog to be informed of each new Flash Freebie and obtain the link for download!

Today's Freebie is a Back to School Owl Bulletin Board.

 

 

Also, mark you calendars for Aug. 20th.  TpT is throwing a 1 day Back to School Boost sale!  On top of this, my entire store will also be on sale for double the savings.  Click on the picture below to be linked to my store and the TpT site.

 

 

Extreme Blog Makeover Flash Freebie for 8/12/14

Right now I am randomly posting Flash Freebies in celebration of my recently completed Extreme Blog Makeover!  (Thank you Designs by Kassie!)

Each Freebie will be available for 1 day only so make sure to follow my blog to be informed of each new Flash Freebie and obtain the link for download!

Today's Freebie is a new product of mine...the Back to School Poster Pack.

This is a Back to School Poster Pack which includes the essentials in preparing your classroom.  The Posters are bright colors that correspond with each other.  You have two options for each poster, a black polka dot background or a multi-colored polka dot background.

Print them off, blow them up, laminate them and enjoy your bright classroom!

Improper Fractions and Mixed Numbers

I am a little obsessed with acronyms when it comes to teaching Math methods.  I really can't help it...I think they are cute and make things just a bit more fun in the classroom. 

Here is my newest Improper Fractions and Mixed Numbers Poster. 

It is free for a short time so click on the poster below to get yours.

Do it quickly before it is no longer a FREEBIE. 



MOVING ON !!!

Hey All!

I have moved on up!  That's right...I moved on up to 4th grade!  I am actually super excited because I have been working ALL summer (literally!!!) creating and planning a ton of new things for my new class!  

To celebrate the move, I have posted a few fun freebies on my TpT site.  Find them as I share my classroom with you!

My new room has some rather small bulletin boards that need to be filled and not so much room for the bigger bulletin boards that I had done in the past.  So I got rid of my old calendar with the staple on and unstaple off numbers and created this calendar.  I sent off to our local ESU who enlarged it and laminated it for me.  Then I simply write on with dry erase and wipe off each month!  I have this one and other variations on my TpT site.  Click on the picture below to download

I also made this Birthday Bulletin Board.  The Happy Birthday.  Write the names of the kiddos birthdays in chalk or white crayon!
To download this for free, click on the picture below.

I love personalizing the classroom with pictures of the class!
Below, I took a cheap frame from a craft store and painted it.  I actually did four - all different colors - but it is only the first week of school and I haven't had time to fill the others yet!  But soon!  The other frame I found for cheap and I love it because you can write on it with chalk!

Ok...Homework.  I have struggled for years on how to keep homework and assignments organized.  This is my solution (for now! Ha!) and it seems to be working.  

The white board is a list of assignments that are due today.  Kids put their assignments in the assigned box after putting name and number and then highlighting their name (idea form Pinterest to help those name forgetters!)  The highlighters are in the labeled plastic jar.  The I have a classroom job assigned to "Homework Helpers".  These students put the homework in order from 1 to 19 (that's how many kiddos I have) and then it is easy to know who didn't turn in their assignment.  The Homework Helper sheets are in the blue tub.  This has actually been working quite well!  All homework is tallied and accounted for by 8:15!

The Take Home and Share box is where my "Paper Passers" pass out corrected work.  There is a large accordian file in the front where corrected work goes.  Behind that are numbered file folders that are the student's "Mail Folders".  "Paper Passers" use the student number to file the papers.  All corrected papers are then sent home on Friday in a Friday Folder that parents know to look for and sign before returning on Monday.

This is the "Catch Up" files.  Each student has their own and any time there is a paper that needs correcting or a paper missing, I stick it in their file.  I also have orange laminated cards that I can put in the files for assignments that are missing.  I usually just attach a sticky note.

This is my No Name board.  I got this idea off of Pinterest, but recreated it to my liking.  I printed off the poster in color, laminated, and then attached the painted clothespins.  I also attached a ribbon to hang.  The students know that if papers go unclaimed through Friday, No Name papers get trashed Friday after school!

Here is our assignment board.  I had our ESU enlarge and laminate.  It was created to match our student Assignment Books.

This is our Spot On chart.  It is worked like a merit chart.  If you do something well or you caught "doing good" you get to fill in a circle.  When the chart is full, we pick circles out of a hat like a raffle and if your initials are in that circle you get a prize.  The kiddos love it!  Click on the picture below to download!

Here is our milk and lunch station!  Kids use clothespins to show their milk choice.  Click on the picture below to download!

Here is the Hot Shots game we play as a reward for getting homework in!  If you have no late assignments at the end of the week, you get to spin for a prize!

And I had to show this poster!  I bought it years ago but it still makes me smile!

Plus it goes along well with this classroom display 
(click on the link below to download!)

Here is another favorite Bulletin Board Display!  Our school is really promoting reading this year!  This display allows the kids to share their favorite books and get ideas on a good book to read.  (By the way...we have D.E.A.R. time EVERY day!)
Click on the pic for a free download!

And...from this great site (Pinterest find of course!)
 http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2012/03/fun-photo-bookmarks.html

we made bookmarks!  The kids absolutely LOVED doing this!  Here are some of the examples!

I will post more soon!  Happy Back to School everyone!