Classroom Tips for Going Green - Upcycle!

 

An easy way to go green in the classroom is to upcycle! Upcycling is the process of converting old or discarded materials into something useful. Here are some ideas for upcycling in your classroom!

 

Use paper towel/toilet paper rolls for a fun STEM activity, like building your own marble run.

The rolls are also great for all kinds of crafts!

 

 

 

 

Instead of buying containers from the store (hard to resist all those cute and colorful ones I know), try to use some that you already have to organize and store materials. We used this big container that our animal crackers came in to store our wooden building blocks, since the box they came in was torn apart soon after we got them. I didn't take the time to make it cute, but you certainly could with a little paper or washi tape.

 



 

 

I also have used these plastic trays that our yogurt cups come in for counting and sorting practice with my little ones. 

 

 

I found this image online with no link, so I'm sorry for not giving credit, but these are beautiful  holders made from cereal boxes! I can think of tons of ways to use these in the classroom: student boxes, monthly lesson plans, magazines or books!

 

 

 



 



Small Groups {Lauren from Mrs. Thompson's Treasures}

 

Homeschooling with 5 little ones (yes....#5 was born last week!) is kind of like working with small groups all day long. There are a few things we work on together, but for the most part, my 3 that are in school are at such different levels that I work with them individually.

 

There have already been so many great posts about effective small group instruction this last week on our blog, so I just have one simple tip to share: set expectations!

 

I think as with most things in the classroom, setting expectations can be the make or break of successful small group instruction. You must be clear about the purpose of small groups, and let the students know what is expected of them when they are in the small group, and when they are not.

 

I love this poster from Lyndsey from A Year of Many Firsts which shows students how to be a 4 star active participant in a small group discussion. You can get it free HERE along with other helpful resources for small groups.

 

 

 

This lets the students know exactly what it should look like for them to be successful during your small group time. Of course there are different expectations for those students who are doing other work while you are with a small group.

 

Some of these might be:

**Work quietly

**Move to the next activity as soon as you are finished

**Do not disturb the teacher unless there is an emergency

 

I think it's important to make sure they know that you are not just trying to keep them busy until it's their turn to be in small group, but that this is a purposeful time for them to read, practice skills, or do whatever it is that you have set up during that time.

 

Having your expectations posted somewhere in the room, and reminding students of them often is a great way to reduce frustrations for yourself and your students!

 

And just to leave you with a smile today, here is our sweet little treasure, Caleb, born February 16!

 

 

 

 

Turkey Time Traditions {with Lauren from Mrs. Thompson's Treaures}

Happy Thanksgiving!! This year our family is celebrating across the world, away from family. While it is a hard time to be away, we are striving to continue to count our blessings and remember the things we are thankful for.

Anything that involves technology is sure to be a win with the kids! This year, I sent the 2 older kids on a photo scavenger hunt with my phone. I made a list of 10 different categories, and they had to find something they were thankful for in that category and take a picture. They had a lot of fun and it helped them see all the little things they have in daily life that are easy to take for granted.

 



 

This would be a great activity to try today with any kids you have at your Thanksgiving gathering. Just make up some categories and let them be creative! You can always have them draw pictures instead of using a phone or camera if they are too young.

 

Click on the pictures below to find more fun and FREE Thanksgiving activities!

 

 

 

Have a fun-filled and yummy day!!

 

 

 

 



An InLinkz Link-up

Homework - A SPECIAL GIVEAWAY!!

When I taught 3rd grade, our team discussed how we wanted to handle homework for the year. We agreed on a weekly homework packet that included some math, spelling, and reading activities. We actually sent the packets home on Friday, and they were due the next Friday. Many parents requested having a weekend to do the homework since they were so busy during the week.

I am not a fan of hours of homework everyday, but I do think a small amount is good to give parents a chance to connect with their kids and see what they are learning in class. However, we all know that some families are just super busy, and really might not have the chance to work on even a small amount of homework every night. So, I'm a big fan of the weekly packets. Students can work on a little each day, or double up some days if they need to.

Which brings me to our fabulous GIVEAWAY! Alexis from Laugh Eat Learn has donated some of her awesome homework packets to be given away to a lucky winner!

These packets are such a time saver, and also a paper saver, since they use half sheets. You can read all about why Alexis created these and how she uses them with her own class on her blog HERE!

To enter to win her 3rd Grade Weekly Homework Packets: Fall Bundle, just enter the rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you'd like to try a sample of her packets, you can download this freebie HERE!

You Think You Know...About Lauren from Mrs. Thompson's Treasures

I'm so excited to share some things about me with you all today!

 

I am moving to the other side of the world in August! Yes, my husband and I are packing up our 4 kids and moving from Texas to the U.A.E. We will be working with an organization to do some non-profit work. We have lived overseas before, and we are excited to do it again! Our lives are crazy hectic right now as we get everything ready to move, but we are looking forward to it.

 

 

 

 

Even though we are leaving soon, Waco will still be our home base, and there are so many reasons to come visit!

 

Baylor University

 

   

 

I did not actually go to Baylor (my mom did!), but I love the school and there are so many great things happening there!

 

Chip, Jo Jo, & Magnolia

 

HGTV's show Fixer Upper is filmed right here in Waco, and Chip and Jo Jo's shop, Magnolia, is just a mile down the road from my house!

 

 

 

Dr. Pepper Museum

Built in 1906 - this was the first building dedicated to bottling Dr. Pepper!

 

 

Something I love to do with students (in the classroom, or at home with my own kids) is have "Yay & Yuck" time each week. This is a time where everyone gets to share a "Yay," something good that happened, and a "Yuck," something not so good that happened. It's a great way to let kids express their feelings and it lets you in on what is happening in their lives. I find that it really helps them know that you care! It can also be a great lesson in celebrating with each other, and helping our friends through hard times.

 

 

I was actually a nutrition major when I began college. After two years, I was trying to get in to a special program that would let me finish my bachelors and masters in the next 3 years. But, space was limited, and I didn't get in to the program. So I changed colleges and decided to study elementary education. I actually was not passionate about it at first, it was just something I thought I could do. But after several classes, I fell in love with the idea of teaching and being with kids. Now, I can't imagine doing anything else!

 

 

 

 I would say that there are very few things in teaching that have ONE right way to do them. There are so many great ways to be a teacher. My words of wisdom would be to find ways to teach that work for you! And of course, don't get stuck in a rut - be open to listening and learning from your students and change things up if you need to!

 

 

Ending the Year With a Fun Class Activity

One of the great things about the end of the year is seeing the friendships that have formed in your class! I love to end the year with this fun activity called "Who Am I?" It is a great way for the class to see how much they have learned about each other over the year.

Each student fills out the questions and draws a picture of themselves, without putting their name on the paper. When they are done, you gather them up, and number them. Then you can play a game to see who knows their classmates best! Each student numbers their paper with however many students are participating. Then you can hold up a paper for the class to see and read the answers. Students write down who they think it is. Go through the rest of the papers until you are done. Then you can go back through and let students tell which one was theirs as everyone checks their answers!

You can get this activity for FREE here!

 

 

Celebrating America {with Lauren from Mrs. Thompson's Treasures}

Our first three children were born overseas and lived abroad for the first few years of their lives. I appreciate that they are able to experience different cultures of the world, but there is no place like home! I love that we have many holidays around the year to celebrate our wonderful country. It gives us so many chances to teach our kids about America and the men and women who make it great!

I love this cute and simple craft using construction paper, q-tips, and white paint.
{Found on Housing a Forest}

 

Another fun activity to do with your students is to use strawberries, blueberries, and marshmallows to make patriotic kabobs! This is great for fine motor skills practice and patterns! And it makes a tasty snack too :-)

 

{Pic from Sadie423}

 

I also love to teach kids about the important symbols of the United States. I created this fun and FREE emergent reader that you can use to introduce your students to some of these symbols!

 

For older kids, here is a fun Flag Mystery Picture Graph (also FREE)! You can pair this activity with a writing prompt about Memorial Day or 4th of July.

 

 

 

Assessment Games - Lauren from Mrs. Thompson's Treasures

We all know that some assessments are not optional. Our little kiddos must sit in their desks and show what they know with a pencil and paper. But, many times, in our daily learning, we can assess our students in so many other creative ways than tests! I'd like to share with you 11 fun games that you can play with your students that will let them show what they know!

 

 

1. Game show: This is always a kid favorite! I make up questions about a unit (this works well with science and social studies) and then set up the white board like this with different point amounts. You can also break the questions up into different categories, but I usually just use different colors.

 

Split the class into 2 teams and have them take turns picking a question. If they get it right, their team gets that amount of points. If they are wrong, I give the other team a chance to "steal" and earn half the points. You can make up the rules however you want though!

 



2. Ball Toss: Split the class into two teams. The students take turns answering questions. If they get it correct, they earn a point for their team. They also have a chance to earn an extra point by shooting a ball into a basket (trash can, bucket, etc.) You can just have one basket to earn one point, or have several in a row worth different amounts of points.

3. Hop to it: This game works well for small groups or individual students. I have used it for sight words, mental math problems, and vocabulary words. Write the answers on pieces of paper and scatter them face up around a space. Then as you read out a question/word/definition,  the student will hop to the answer and put their toes on it.

4. Erase it: For this game, I draw circles on the board and write in them sight words or math problems. Then, I call out the word or the answer and have a student erase the correct circle. This can be done as a contest between two students to see who can find and erase it the fastest, or students can just take turns for fun.

5. Around the World: This a classic game that I remember playing when I was in school! Start with 2 students who sit next to each other. They will both listen to a question and the first one to answer correctly moves on, and the other student sits back down. The winner moves to the next student and competes against them with another question. The winner moves on again. The idea is that the first person who goes all the way around to their original seat is the winner.

6. Memory: Create a memory game by using index cards cut in half. On half of them, write a question, sight word, rhyming word, math question, etc. Then on the other half of the cards, write the answers (could be a matching sight word, picture, rhyming word, etc.) Have students work in pairs to play the game. Turn all the cards face down, then they take turns picking two cards to see if they match. If they do, the student keeps the cards, if they don't, the cards are put back face down.

 

7. Dominos: Students love this game to practice addition or multiplication, and it can be played with 2 or more players. Turn a set of dominos face down and have each player turn one over. Then everyone adds (or multiplies) the sides of their domino together. The player with the highest number keeps all the dominos that round. Keep going until all the dominos have been collected. For more of a challenging game, students can draw two dominos and add up all the sides, or multiply the total number on each domino together.

 

 

8. Tic Tac Toe: This can be a game for any subject! Simply draw a big tic tac toe on the board, and divide the class into two teams. Take turns asking them questions, and when they give a correct answer, they get a turn to draw their 'x' or 'o' on the board.

 

9. Dress up: This game will have your students laughing 'til it hurts! Gather a collection of fun dress up items (hats, sunglasses, scarves, jackets, anything silly!) Go around the room and have students answer a question. If they miss it, they have to pick something from the dress up items and wear it until the game is over. If they get it right, they pick something for the teacher to wear! Keep going until all the items are being worn, then you can start over!

 

10. Multiple Choice Corners: This is a game to get your students moving! Put up signs in the corner of the room with 'A', 'B', 'C', and 'D.' Then give a question with multiple choice answers and have students walk to the corner that is the right answer.

 

11. Whiteboard Wars: This is a great way to assess all your students at once. Have students use individual whiteboards (or just a piece of paper in a plastic sheet protector) and have them write down answers to questions. You can even make it a competition to see who gets the right answer quickest and holds it up.

 

I hope these games give you some fun ideas to use with your students as you creatively assess what your students know!