Tag Archives: Academic Success

The Reading Pond: Creating an Enchanting Reading Corner

Posted on August 23, 2010 by ecossick| 3 Comments

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! One comment this week WILL win!

by Rachel Stepp

By creatively designing parts of your classroom, you can intrigue students to utilize these areas properly and often. One space that I think is important to put time into designing is the classroom library.

The Reading Pond

  1. PICK A SPOT. Designate one corner of your classroom as the reading area. This area can carry an enchanting theme of the “Reading Pond” by incorporating cool colors (blues & greens), water themes, and maybe even a pet fish or two!
  2. FABRIC. To get started, drape some strips of blue fabric from the ceiling to create fabric swag over the lights. This will add softer lighting to this area. At the end of the fabric, drape blue bead curtains or skinny strips of blue fabric that go all the way to the floor. The curtain of fabric hanging from the ceiling to the floor will create a secluded area where students will feel comfortable reading. The blue fabric can be the “waterfall” that fills the “Reading Pond.”
  3. PAINT. Paint your bookshelves blue as if they are water. Fill your shelves with all kinds of books that students would be interested in reading. Display the books in baskets, so that the covers face forward. When students are able to look at the covers instead of just the spines of books, they are more likely to choose a book they will enjoy.
  4. PEER INVOLVEMENT. Along the wall, give the students an area where they can suggest books to their classmates. Call this area, “Catch a good book!” Draw or cut out a fishing pole and put it on the wall. Also, cut out many blank fish shapes out of construction paper. These paper fish can be stored in a clear fishbowl that is accessible to the students. Students can recommend a good book to their peers by writing the title, author, and their name on a paper fish and then taping it to the wall.
  5. PILLOWS AND STUFFED FRIENDS. Floor space should be comfortable so that students want to spend time in the reading area. You can do this by putting green bean bag chairs or green pillows that represent “lily pads” in the “Reading Pond.” You can also add pond-related stuffed animals such as frogs, fish, and water snakes that students can read to and have as reading companions.

This is just one idea for making your classroom creative and inviting. Remember, it is important to create an environment that makes your students feel safe and comfortable so that they can challenge themselves in the classroom. It would even be possible to carry to water theme throughout your entire classroom!

Rachel Stepp is a graduate student at the University of Georgia, currently working on a Masters in Early Childhood Education.

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Academic Success, Classroom Decor, Reading, reluctant readers

Tagged , , , ,

Create an Interactive Bulletin Board!

Posted on August 7, 2010 by ecossick| 5 Comments

Comment on this post to receive a $20 School Box Gift Card! One comment each week WINS!

by Rachel Stepp

Classrooms need to be designed with students in mind, and one way to bring student involvement into your room design is by creating an interactive bulletin board. Here are some ideas to take your board from blah to brilliant!

1. Did You Know?

Create a spot where you can post a simple question related to something in your curriculum. Students can then move a clothespin that has their names written on it to a side of a poster where one side represents, “Yes, I knew that!” and the other side states, “No, I did not know that, but I do now!” By doing this, you can pre-assess your students and understand their background knowledge.

2. Challenge Question

Post a question each week that relates to what your students are learning but challenges them to think deeper. You can keep track of this by using a library pocket (available at stores such as The School Box) to hold blank answer sheets and another library pocket to hold students’ answer submissions. At the end of the week, students who answered correctly can win a homework pass or another incentive.

3. Question of the Day

Create a poster that has a spot to place a new question everyday. This question can be secured with a tack or tape. The questions posed can be multiple choice questions about topics that were previously taught. At the bottom of the poster, place three library pockets labeled “A,” “B,” and “C.” Students can answer the question of the day by putting a Popsicle stick with their name on it into the pocket that corresponds with their answer. Students can answer this question as they first come into the classroom or as morning work. This is a great way to review and assess students!

4. Related Work Folders

At the bottom of your bulletin board, you can create file folder pockets (using stapled file folders) for each subject area you teach in your classroom. In these pockets, you can put related worksheets or activity guides for students to complete during their spare time. For example, in the Language Arts file folder pocket, you might place a worksheet about verbs because your students studied verbs the week before. Having worksheets for the students to work on during their own time eliminates off-task behaviors and unproductive down time.

An interactive bulletin board is great for any classroom because once it has been created, it can easily be altered without redoing the entire bulletin board. The questions can be changed for any topic and grade level. If you do not have a spare bulletin board, any one of these ideas can be implemented on a sheet of poster board, as well.

Rachel Stepp is a graduate student at the University of Georgia, currently working on a Masters in Early Childhood Education.

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Academic Success, Assessments, Classroom Decor, Morning Work

Tagged , ,

A Great List of Activities…Themed by Alphabet Letter!

Posted on August 4, 2010 by ecossick| 4 Comments

Looking for a fun way to teach the alphabet and keep students engaged in reading?  Here’s a super creative list of books and activities to coordinate with EVERY letter of the alphabet. Yowsa, this is a great resource!

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! One comment each week WILL win!

by Kelli Lewis

This list of activities is perfect for students in Pre-K and Kindergarten who are learning their ABC’s! This is also a great way to incorporate activities from several subject areas throughout the day. You can make this as simple or as challenging as needed, depending on your students. After each lesson, the books can be displayed in a special “ABC books” basket or shelf, so that students are able to return to them often.

Alphabet Themed Books & Activities

Letter: A

Theme: amazing animals

Activity: students come to school with their favorite stuffed animal

Book: Corduroy, by Don Freeman

Letter: B

Theme: bogus bubbles

Activity: students play with bubbles outside

Book: Bubble Trouble, by Margaret Mahy

Letter: C

Theme: crazy chalk

Activity: students are given an opportunity to write with chalk on a sidewalk

Book: Chalk & Cheese, by Tim Warnes

Letter: D

Theme: delicious donuts with dad

Activity: dads come to school and have donuts for breakfast with their child

Book: Arnie the Doughnut, by Laurie Keller

Letter: E

Theme: easy elephants

Activity: students will learn about elephants and make elephant masks out of paper plates by stapling on ears, etc. and eat imitation elephant ears (tortilla, butter, cinnamon)

Book: Elephants Can Paint Too!, by Katya Arnold

Letter: F

Theme: funny feet

Activity: students wear silly socks to school

Book: The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss

Letter: G

Theme: great glasses

Activity: students wear sunglasses, or any type of glasses they want, to school

Book: I Need Glasses, by Virginia Dooley

Letter: H

Theme: hideous hat day

Activity: students are allowed to wear a hat to school

Book: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, by Dr. Seuss

Letter: I

Theme: indescribable ice cream sundaes

Activity: students make ice cream sundaes

Book: Ice Cream Everywhere, by Stephanie Roth

Letter: J

Theme: jammin’ jammies

Activity: students and teachers may wear their pajamas to school

Book: Llama, Llama, Red Pajama, by Anna Dewdney

Letter: K

Theme: kiddy kites

Activity: students bring in their favorite kite and get to fly them at outside

Book: Curious George Flies a Kite, by H. A. Rey

Letter: L

Theme: licking lollipops

Activity: students will be given huge lollipops

Book: Big Red Lollipop, by Rukhsana Khan

Letter: M

Theme: magnificent muffins with mom

Activity: moms come to school and have muffins for breakfast with their child

Book: If You Give a Moose a Muffin, by Laura Numeroff

Letter: N

Theme: nice necklaces

Activity: students make a necklace out of beads for someone “nice” or special in their lives (ex. Mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, neighbor, etc.)

Book: The Loon’s Necklace, by William Toye

Letter: O

Theme: outside oranges

Activity: students eat oranges outside and learn facts about oranges

Book: The Big Orange Splot, by D. Manus Pinkwater

Letter: P

Theme: perfect popcorn

Activity: students eat popcorn and/or make popcorn crafts

Book: The Popcorn Book, by Tomie dePaola

Letter: Q

Theme: quaint quilts

Activity: students bring their favorite quilt/blanket to school and have a picnic together outside for snack/lunch

Book: The Patchwork Quilt, by Valerie Flournoy

Letter: R

Theme: ready readers

Activity: students bring their favorite book to school, share their books, and have a reading day outside with blankets

Book: Use your personal favorite picture book to share

Letter: S

Theme: sunny sandcastles

Activity: students are given opportunity to play in sand and make sandcastles

Book: The Sandcastle Contest, by Robert Munsch

Letter: T

Theme: terribly tacky

Activity: students come to school dressed the tackiest they can

Book: Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester

Letter: U

Theme: unbelievable unicorns

Activity: students learn about unicorns (mystical animals), and create/invent their own mystical animal

Book: The Dragon and the Unicorn, by Lynne Cherry

Letter: V

Theme: voluptuous vegetables

Activity: students eat a variety of vegetables, learn facts about them, and how important they are for you (ex. carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, etc.)

Book: The Ugly Vegetables, by Grace Lin

Letter: W

Theme: wild & wet

Activity: students bring a change of clothes and play with water guns, water balloons, etc.

Book: Wet Dog!, by Elise Broach

Letter: X

Theme: eXtra xylophones

Activity: students learn about xylophones and play them together

Book: Pooh’s Xylophone Book, by Publications International Staff

Letter: Y

Theme: yellow youngsters

Activity: students wear as much yellow as they can to school

Book: The Little Yellow Leaf, by Carin Berger

Letter: Z

Theme: zany zebras

Activity: students learn about zebras and make zebra masks using paint

Book: Greedy Zebra, by Mwenye Hadithi & Adrienne Kennaway

And that’s a wrap. Enjoy these activities, which make reading as easy as A, B, C!

Kelli Lewis is an Early Childhood Education graduate student at the University of Georgia.

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Phonics, Reading, comprehension, reading aloud, reluctant readers

Tagged , , ,

What’s in a Word? Quite a LOT!

Posted on August 1, 2010 by ecossick| 5 Comments

by Kelli Lewis

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card!! One comment this week WILL win!

How can you improve participation, increase motivation and encourage excitement over learning without expending much effort or spending a dime? Stumped? The answer is actually on the tip of your tongue. Literally.

There’s a lot of power in the way you say things to your students. Here are some simple tips for turning daily classroom discussions into positively-charged learning experiences.

Tone it Down

Opting for normal conversational language, rather than an academic-sounding tone, is more engaging and less intimidating (not to mention less boring!). Opt for an inviting, conversational tone. Directing conversations at students’ lives and feelings can also lead to a surprising amount of  learning. Not everything has to be school-related (gasp!). Showing that you care and are interested in their lives paves the way for open minds and eager learners.

Try This:

  • “How are you doing?”
  • “What did you do this weekend?”

Don’t Pick the Orchid

One of my college professors used to say “don’t pick the orchid”–meaning don’t lead your students to a bed of flowers and then rob them of the joy of picking for themselves. Instead, allow the students to explore, talk it out and come to their own conclusions–without encouraging a certain way of thinking. Try using questions that engage the students to think on their own, instead of questions that seek a particular answer. And, rather than providing further information after a student answers a question, just simply repeat the student’s statement and give him or her time to go further independently.

Try This:

  • “What’s one more thing you could add?”
  • “How are you going to challenge yourself?”
  • “How do you feel about that?”
  • “What do you think about that?”
  • “Imagine what this would look like….”
  • “How did you figure that out?”
  • “What did you notice?”
  • “That’s what readers do!”
  • “What are you doing as a reader today?”
  • “Why do you think a reader would do that?” (OR: mathematicians, scientists, writers, etc.)
  • “What’s your reason for that?”
  • “How could you check?”
  • “What part are you sure about?”

Redirect Behavior

When it comes to addressing negative student behavior, try to phrase your response in a positive way.

Try This:

  • “What does ‘great’ look like to you?”
  • “This isn’t like you; what do you think is the problem?”
  • “How could we address this?”
  • “Is that the right decision?”
  • “Let’s think about how we could do this.”

Talk Like the Glass is Half Full

Using generally positive statements goes a LONG way toward a positive classroom environment. Here are a few to incorporate into your daily dialogue.

Try This:

  • “We get to have Math class, now!” (as opposed to “We have to do Math, now.”)
  • DON’T SAY: “Get your work done, then you can play.” (which implies that school is “work” and not fun)

It takes a little diligence to watch our speech, but the power of our words can be transformational in the classroom!

Kelli Lewis is an Early Childhood Education graduate student at the University of Georgia.

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Academic Success, Classroom Community, Discipline

Tagged , , , ,

Who Rules the School? Boys…or Girls??

Posted on July 22, 2010 by ecossick| 6 Comments

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box gift card! One comment WILL win.

by Kristin M. Woolums, M. Ed.

You know those little box tops on the packaging of General Mills products? I discovered a way to turn them into GOLD! Well, maybe not literally, but these are some very valuable commodities in my classroom, and they are quite an unexpected motivator!

My school collects General Mills Box Tops – it’s a great program that pays $.10 per box top directly to my school. In an effort to boost collections, my school began a “Who Rules the School?” campaign in which the students could place their box tops in the “boys” or “girls” box, and one box top (or Campbell’s soup label) equals one vote. The box with the most votes wins not only the coveted title of ruling the school, but a free dress day (the students wear uniforms at my school). This always causes a big buzz around the school, so I decided to take it one step further! Since I’d accumulated lots of these Box Tops, I decided that instead of dividing them up half for the boys and half for the girls (which wouldn’t get either side ahead and seemed like a lot of work for me), I would give them away for correct answers during math class. All I can say is…Wow!… participation, correct answers, laughter, smiles, friendly competitive spirit… all of this suddenly increased! Who knew?!

It didn’t stop there, either! The students came into class saying, “I think I got all my math homework right. I can’t wait until math class!” After my initial thought of “Who are you, and what did you do with my students?” passed, I realized I had just stumbled into a super motivator, and I could hardly believe its effects! So of course, as a teacher, I milked it for all it was worth: I used it in other subjects, for when I caught someone doing something without being asked, for those that were prepared for class, and for those that asked good questions during class. The opportunities were endless! I especially liked that it gave an opportunity to reward students who aren’t normally in the class ‘spotlight’ or not as academically strong… pretty soon, everyone had earned rewards.

Perhaps the neatest part of the process was that when we all walked down the hall to the voting boxes, the students had such a proud look on their faces as they deposited their “votes.” Funny…some girls chose to place their box tops in the boys’ box and vice versa (How cute! 5th graders… I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand them!).

Ground rules: I give boys and girls equal opportunity when giving away Box Tops, and I tell them that the Box Tops are to be treated carefully – if they’re lost, so sorry! Also, if your school doesn’t do a school-wide Box Tops campaign, you could easily have a class-wide competition instead, or if you see many classes during the day, change them to “Which Class Rules?” If free dress isn’t applicable, perhaps other prizes could be free homework pass(es), extra recess or computer time, etc.

So, who rules the school? Maybe it’s the girls, or maybe it’s the boys. But in my book, General Mills Box Tops rule, hands down!

Kristin M. Woolums, M. Ed., teaches fifth grade at a private school in Atlanta and works at The School Box at Southlake during the summer months.

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Behavior Management, Classroom Community, Cooperative Learning, Motivation

Tagged , , , ,

Texting in the Classroom??? (yes, it has a place!)

Posted on July 19, 2010 by ecossick| 7 Comments

by Kristin M. Woolums, M. Ed.

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! One comment WILL win.

Cell phones are everywhere…probably 95% of our students carry them (yes, even the little ones), and teachers are struggling to control the use of phones in the short time we have with our students. But instead of spinning our wheels by making the phones taboo, why not give in to them and embrace them as a new way of reaching our students?

IDEA ONE: Spelling List
One way is to use texting with weekly spelling lists. I’ve adapted R. Lynnette’s original idea into a math/spelling combo where the students “spell” the word on a telephone keypad as if they were texting it. Then I have them add up the value of the word. For example, for a spelling word texting, the corresponding keypad value would be 8398464 and the corresponding sum would be 42. My students enjoy this activity and giggle that I can find a way to bring math into any subject! Additionally, the spelling words could easily be adapted to any grade level, and you could use multiplication instead of addition for the math portion. If I were to choose to collect this for a grade, I can quickly see if I’ve got problem spellers or students struggling with the math portion of it. Click here for a printable worksheet version of this activity.

IDEA TWO: Spelling Modification for Struggling and Advanced Students
For struggling students, I might pair them up with a partner or give them a spelling list that’s more appropriate for them. For my challenge students, I usually include several bonus words for the week, and I might pick a ‘target’ number for the week and challenge them to use the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to get to that target number. For example, let’s say I have a target number of 76. Using the word texting, the value of is 8398464, so you could hit target number this way:  (8 × 3 + 9 – 8) × 4 – (6 × 4). You could vary this by using square roots, any order, only addition/subtraction…whatever makes the most sense for your classroom.  This is a great way to reinforce those basic math facts!

IDEA THREE: PollEverywhere.com

Another texting option would require each student to have a texting cell phone and be able to use it during class (gasp!). Using polleverywhere.com, you can very easily and quickly set up questions for your students, graphs that are updated real-time, and then be able to download the information to presentation or spreadsheet software. The students would simply text their response to a central number (much like American Idol), the data and graphs are updated as soon as the student hits ‘send,’ and you can display the results on a projector for all to see. The best part:  it’s free! Visit polleverywhere.com for more information. (Thank you to Kathy Shields for this great suggestion!)

So instead of bucking the cellphone and texting trend, why don’t we embrace it as yet another way of connecting with our students so that we can more effectively present knowledge to our students? The students will think U R GR8!

Kristin M. Woolums, M. Ed., teaches fifth grade at a private school in Atlanta and works at The School Box at Southlake during the summer months.

→ 7 Comments

Posted in Academic Success, Cooperative Learning, Math, technology

Tagged , ,

Classroom Organization: The Key to Success!

Posted on July 16, 2010 by ecossick| 7 Comments

by Kristin M. Woolums, M. Ed.

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! One comment WILL win!

I love the feeling of starting a new school year “fresh” and new.  I like to start out on the right foot, and one way to ensure a great year is to begin – from the very first day – with organization.  No matter what age or grade, organization is key. Students need to be prepared for EACH subject EVERY day!

So how do we better prepare our students to be organized?  Teach organization!  “A place for everything and everything in its place” is a saying by which I learned – and now teach – organization.  Specifically, everything should have a place for storage and should be returned there when not in use.  Once I adopted this mentality, the organization dilemma became quite easy to handle and maintain.  Here are some guidelines:

  • Desk/locker organization: In my self-contained classroom, we are very space-challenged, so I’m sensitive to the number of textbooks, workbooks, notebooks, and folders we need to squeeze into small areas.  I always make sure the supplies I give them will fit in their desk and/or cubby.  If necessary, store textbooks on a bookshelf.  Also be wary of ‘space hogs’ like unnecessary supplies or trash lurking in the desks or lockers.  Model what good organization – and bad – looks like.  At the beginning of the year, I tell the students that the “Organization Fairy” visits unannounced and leaves prizes for organized desks and lockers.  I also show pictures of an organized desk (complete with smiley faces) and an unorganized desk (complete with disciplinary points).
  • Subject organization: Be clear on the requirements for each subject (provide a specific list of supplies that you require), and ensure that the students have a place for all papers (color coded folders work very well), including a system for sending home graded papers, and for their everyday note-taking or miscellaneous papers.  This way, there are no loose papers falling out of desks or lockers.  I’m constantly asking the group, “Where would be a good place for us to put this worksheet/assignment/graded test?”
  • Homework organization: Insist on an assignment book for each student, and have an established place on the board for homework assignments.  I tell the students, “When I write, you write” and they know to get out their assignment books when I’m headed to the homework board.
  • Communication organization: If age appropriate, dedicate a folder to “take home information” and “bring to school” communication (parents need organization, too!).  Additionally, set up a Reminder Board (or a section of your white/chalkboard) for daily/weekly reminders to the students.  Each morning, I verbally address the items on this list so the auditory as well as the visual students know about the reminders.
  • Deadline organization: I post my test/quizzes/project deadlines on the Reminder Board (see above) for the week every Monday morning.  The students write these deadlines in their assignment book every Monday.  I also post library book or field trip permission slip deadlines here, as well.  This also prevents the I-didn’t-know-about-that-test syndrome.

Organization is a challenge for students (and adults!), so the more guidelines we give, the better organized they’ll be.  Therefore, in my classroom, the mantra is:  A place for everything, and everything in a place.  Words to live by, literally!

Kristin M. Woolums, M. Ed., teaches fifth grade at a private school in Atlanta and works at The School Box at Southlake during the summer months.

→ 7 Comments

Posted in Academic Success, Classroom Community, Classroom Decor

Tagged , ,

Can’t Get to the Beach? Create Your Own at Home!!

Posted on June 23, 2010 by ecossick| 5 Comments

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box gift card! (2 comments will win!)

by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

Whether you’re headed to the beach soon and want to anticipate the fun–or you’ve already come home and want to recreate the experience with your little ones–I’ve got a great book for ya!

It’s called Sand and Water Play, by Sherrie West and Amy Cox. It contains easy, creative activities to do at home with a sand and water table, as well as fun ideas for creative play using household items like birdseed, shaving cream, ice cubes and rock salt. Activities include questions to ask during play, to reinforce the educational benefits of the activities. Recipes for homemade silly putty and bubbles round out the ideas and promise many afternoons of summertime fun–even without a trip to the beach.

To get you inspired, here are some questions to ask while children are playing with sand and water:

  • How does the sand feel when it’s dry?
  • What happens when we add water to the sand?
  • Now how does it feel?
  • What can you build out of the sand?
  • What tools can you use/find to move the sand around?
  • What items (rocks, small toys) can you hide in the sand?
  • What would happen if you closed your eyes and tried to locate the items in the sand?
  • What would happen if we filled a zip-top bag with water?
  • How does the bag feel?
  • Now, what would happen if we poked a small hole in the bag?
  • What if we poked several holes?
  • If we fill a bowl with water, what can we get to float in it?
  • What will sink?
  • Why do you think some things float while other sink?

Want a free copy? Comment on this post, and you could win a $20 School Box gift card. Since School Box carries the book for only $12.95, you could get a copy…and have money for some other fun gizmos and books, too!

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Academic Success, Free Stuff!, Parenting, Summer Learning, Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

Slimed!! A fun summertime chemistry project

Posted on May 29, 2010 by ecossick| 1 Comment

Comment on this post and you could win a $20 School Box Gift Card! Three comments will win this week!

In Dr. Seuss’s classic Bartholomew and the Oobleck, oobleck is a green gluey slime that gums up the kingdom.

While our recipe won’t be quite as invasive as Dr. Seuss’s variety, it will still provide hours of entertainment and giggles for your children this summer.

Here’s how to make it!

Ingredients:

  • water
  • corn starch
  • food coloring (optional)

Steps:

1. Mix 1 cup water with 1.5 to 2 cups cornstarch. You may want to start with 1 cup of water and 1.5 cups of cornstarch, then gradually work in more cornstarch to achieve a thicker oobleck. You can begin mixing with a spoon, but you’ll probably switch to using your hands after a bit to get a more homogeneous result…plus, it’s more fun! Mix for about 10 minutes.

2. Mix in a couple drops of food color if you want dyed oobleck. And then enjoy your gooey goo!

The Chemistry Tie-In:

Oobleck is neither a true solid nor a true liquid. It is a type of non-Newtonian fluid called a dilatant.

The Literary Tie-In:

Read the Dr. Seuss original, of course!

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Academic Success, Reading, Science, Summer Learning, reluctant readers

Tagged , , ,

Capture it! Create a Yearbook for your Class

Posted on May 19, 2010 by ecossick| 4 Comments

by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

Post a comment below and be entered to win a $20 School Box Gift Card!

The year is winding down, and soon it will all be just a memory. Maybe you can already hear faint reprises of Cats playing in the background. (And, depending on how your year went, maybe that’s a welcome refrain!)

Regardless of whether you want to clone this class or ship them off to brighter (let’s hope) futures, closure is always a good thing, right? And there’s hardly any better way to achieve closure to a productive school year than through a yearbook! I’m not talking about the laugh-at-her-big-hair-two-decades-later kind. I’m talking about a handmade, class-made book that every student can treasure for years to come. One just about YOUR class.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Create the book. Start with a folder with brads in the middle- one for each student-and insert about 10 blank white pieces of paper (or clear page protectors with paper inserted, if you want to be a little fancy).

2. Photograph. Recruit a parent helper if you can. Pull students one-at-a-time into the hallway (or into a corner of the classroom, if you’re working alone), and snap their photo. Digital cameras are best because you can print the pictures cheaply only. Print a 4 x 6 of each child.

3. Assemble. Have the children glue their photograph onto the first page of their books. Under it, they should print their name, age, your name, year of school (third, etc.), and date. Students can personalize their yearbooks with drawings, stickers, glitter, etc.

4. Fill It. For all of the other pages, students can fill in other tidbits, such as: draw the classroom; list all of the other students (or you could provide a class list to insert); an “all about me” page with their favorite music, interests, etc.; a page to list their favorite subjects/topics studied and highlights from what they learned; a page to describe their best friends; a page about their families; and–of course–several pages for autographs and notes from their classmates. You could create templates for these pages to print beforehand, for younger students. As they fill in these pages, they’re also benefiting from a nice review activity and practicing their writing skills. Ooooh…more sneaky learning right at the end of school. Your principal would be oh so proud.

5. Summarize. A page from the teacher, typed up, listing favorite activities, field trips and projects to include is nice, as well: inside jokes, funny moments and personal milestones…whatever you think the children will get a kick out of remembering.

6. Autograph. Finally, set aside an afternoon to allow time for autographing and sharing their yearbooks.

Voila! A perfectly concluded year and a perfect end-of-year activity. “Memoriiiiiieeeeees….”

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Classroom Community, Summer Learning, Writing

Tagged , , ,