A Learning Experience » gift card

And we have a win-ah!

ecossick — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:14:22 +0000

Time to announce a winner for our monthly School Box $20 gift card giveaway! We randomly draw a winner from among the month’s commenters (so if you want to toss your name in the hat next time, share some little tidbits in the comments under a post).

Our newest winner is:

S. Jordan-Georgia

Comment: on Spelling Guess & Check

What a great idea Elizabeth! I probably hear that question a million times during writing alone and my answer is simply a point towards the dictionaries. However, not only does my EIP class struggle with spelling, they also lack the dictionary skills they need as fifth graders. I believe the Spelling Guess & Check sheet is an awesome ‘visual’ tool to allow my students see how they are spelling a word, while thinking back to the sounds and decoding skills they learned in the primary grades to help them spell. With the CRCT fast approaching, I definitely plan to download this sheet to help my students become better spellers and to sharpen their dictionary skills not only for the test but for their future in middle school as well. Thank you Elizabeth for such a helpful post!

You can see all comments on this post here:

http://newsletter.schoolbox.com/2012/01/11/how-do-you-spell-a-reproducible-sheet-to-help-with-dictionary-skills/#comments

Congrats! You’ll be receiving an e-mail from The School Box confirming the mailing of your gift certificate. Enjoy!

Happy Educator’s Day {because we’re all teachers in some way}

ecossick — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:09:12 +0000

by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

Comment on this post and be entered to win a $20 gift card to The School Box! Winners are drawn monthly.

January 28 is National Educator’s Day. Know what this means? It means time to celebrate YOU! Whether you’re a classroom teacher, homeschooler, Sunday school teacher, mom, dad, aunt, uncle or grandparent…you’re a teacher. Little eyes are watching you. Little hands are holding yours. Little minds are being shaped by your instruction, your example.

So, really, this day is for all of us.

As a thank you for all we ALL do to guide and inspire, we got wind that The School Box is offering special discounts on Saturday, January 28, for EVERYONE. Storewide discounts, giveaways, School Box bucks ($10 for every $50 spent, no limit)– AND free lamination on everything bought that day!

And did you know they offer free giftwrap year-round, now? Yup.

So go stock up on gifts, games and supplies for the little ones in your world. I think my birthday closet is about to get restocked. :)

Gift Card Winner…just in time for the holidays!

ecossick — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:00:37 +0000

Who doesn’t want a $20 School Box gift right before the holidays?! Well, we have a lucky duck who just won one. How, you ask? Simply by commenting on one of the posts on A Learning Experience. We randomly (and regularly) draw winners from among the commenters.

Thanks to all who comment and share their great ideas and thoughts every week, and thanks to The School Box for sponsoring this online newsletter and giveaway!

This time, the lucky winner is:

Susan Cooper

Comment on “Creating A Where Are You Board”:

Great idea. I am creating one today. With the younger kids, it is so much easier than signing out on a piece of paper, or in a notebook. I agree, we have so much going on, especially with larger class sizes, that we may lose track of some, and how long they have been gone, or even forget where they told us they are going.

You can see all comments on this post here:

http://newsletter.schoolbox.com/2011/11/27/creating-a-where-are-you-board/#comments

gift card winners!!

ecossick — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:08:15 +0000

We have two lucky-duck gift card winners! Just for leavin’ a little ol’ comment on A Learning Experience post, these lovelies have each won a $20 gift card to The School Box. Woohoo for classroom decor…AND holiday presents!!! (And, yes, we’re sure they’re going to respond just like the extremely excited lady in this picture. Ha!)

Winners:

Winner 1: Patricia Roberts
Comment: (on “Live History: A Creative Project”)
What a Great Project!!!! I am definitely going to be doing this project this year. It is sad but true, kids today are all about the social networking and seeing what they can get in the “now” they are clueless about the past and how the past adventures, inventions etc have made what they have and want “now” possible. Thank you so much for sharing this AWESOME project!!!! Have a Great Day!!!!

Winner 2: Sahara Jordan- Georgia
Comment: (on ”The ‘Write’ Way in Middle School”)
I am a first year 5th grade Reading teacher and I can definitely relate to this article with the experiences I have had with my upper elementary students. From the very first day of school, I realized it is very hard to get my students to write without complaining (or expressing very loudly either they don’t know how to do it or they plain out dont understand what to do).

I believe creative writing is an excellent way to get my 5th graders more interested in writing. For instance, journal writing was an activity my reading teacher used when I was in school and I still enjoy writing today. I definitely plan to incorporate these activities into my daily routine especially the activity about becoming a tv star. I am constantly telling my students that as a writer you can be whoever you want to be and I believe through this activity they will understand that better. Thank you Sheryl for writing this article to help my creative flow as well. I am truly ready to finally get my students at least a little bit excited about writing.

School Box Gift Card Winner!

ecossick — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:04:14 +0000

Let’s announce a winner of a $20 School Box gift card, shall we? Now, in order to win, all you have to do is comment on the posts here on A Learning Experience– which is a no-brainer since the posts are all pretty darn helpful, we love to hear your comments, AND who couldn’t use $20 to The School Box? No. Brainer.

Then, we randomly select winners from our recent commenters. Here is our current winner, below. Congratulations, Paula!

Winner: Paula Whitfield

Comment:
I enjoyed this article very much. It is so true. After working with middle schoolers, I realize how texting/spelling is a problem. I will use some of these ideas in my room this year. I especially liked the one about publishing on a blog.

Original Post: “Growing Strong Spellers in a TXTNG World”

If you want to win, too, just start commenting on some articles. Easy peasy!

another lucky comment winner!

ecossick — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:24:47 +0000

Here’s another randomly selected comment winner, who just scored a $20 gift card to The School Box to work on her real-life classroom makeover!

Congrats, Rebekah! We’ll draw another winner in a bit. To enter, simply comment on the posts on A Learning Experience. We love hearing your thoughts, too. We think our readers are the smartest. :)

Original Comment:

Rebekah Hurst

Submitted on 2011/07/14 at 5:42 pm

This article is so true. As a first year teacher this year, I worked hard to think through each part of the day so that I would have a procedure in mind to teach the students. We worked each day for the first week learning these procedures, and it was amazing to see how much that paid off. There were lots of things in my classroom that pretty much ran themselves because the students knew what to do and when to do it. This not only helped me, but my substitute teachers were also very appreciative as well. Teaching and practicing procedures at the beginning of the year cannot be emphasized enough!

Winner of $20 School Box Gift Card!!

ecossick — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 03:43:50 +0000

So, we’re in the midst of a series on classroom makeovers at the moment. The second article is coming tomorrow, but in the meantime, we thought it would be fun to reward one of our lucky commenters with a $20 School Box gift card, to help with his or her “real life” classroom makeover!

Our randomly-selected lucky winner today is…

Janette Eicken Janssen

Congratulations, Janette! Pam from The School Box will be in touch shortly with details on receiving your gift card. Enjoy!

And…don’t fret if you didn’t win. We’ll announce a SECOND winner shortly! To “enter” simply comment on a recent or forthcoming article on A Learning Experience. We love hearing your thoughts!

Best,

Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.
Editor
A Learning Experience

comment winners!

ecossick — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:41:45 +0000

We have two lucky comment winners for this past month! Both of these randomly-selected ladies just won $20 gift certificates to T he School Box, as a thanks for sharing their insights and ideas. If you wanna win, too, just keep commenting on the posts on A Learning Experience! We’ll draw more winners in a jif.

Winner #1

Amanda Smith

Comment:
Wow thanks for the great ideas. I am a homeschooling mom, and my daughter frequently has trouble with these concepts. This would help her a great deal. The word wall is a really good idea. She is always asking how to spell words she should know how to spell. Thank you for all the neat ideas.

Winner #2

Mary Roberts

Comment:
I keep sticky notes in the supply tubs on each table. They fit well in the tubs and are just the right size to fit a word or two. My kindergartners love using them to go up to the word wall and write down words they need. Also, when students remember to use “four star writing,” they get to put a little star sticker on their papers!

Creative (and Purposeful) Ways to Decorate a Classroom

ecossick — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:43:54 +0000

by Kelli Lewis

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box gift card! ONE COMMENT WILL WIN!

Looking for some new and creative ways to decorate your classroom? Here are some ideas that combine aesthetic appeal with academic purpose.

Book bags. They always seem to be in the way. But, yes, they are needed, so here’s a clever space-saving solution. Have your students unpack their bags with everything they need for the day, then place their book bag in a big Rubbermaid plastic bin with a lid. This is just one way to get them out of the way and keep your room organized.
Class Rules. Who makes these? Do you collaborate with your students and make these “rules” together? I feel that students should have a say-so in the “rules” for their classroom because even though it’s your classroom, it’s theirs too! Decide on the “rules” collaboratively and allow the students to break into groups to design an illustration for each “rule” on a small poster (or large piece of construction paper) to later be placed on the wall. Another challenge: Does the word “rule” give a negative meaning? Should they maybe be called “reminders?”
Bulletin Boards. Does your room have an ocean theme? Here’s an idea: Entitle it “A Sea of Good Work” and display random students’ stories, illustrations, math sheets, etc. as you notice their hard work. Can’t exactly use the ocean theme? Get creative and think of another way to use this to meet your needs. What about a clothes line? Place a line of string and use clothespins to hang up your students’ good work glued to laminated items of clothing.
“Help! I don’t know this word!” How many times do you think your students say this to themselves? Do you have anything placed on the walls for them to see as a reminder of what to do if they get into this situation? This could even cut down on how many times students are raising their hand for help with words from you. They need to be encouraged to try to figure it out on their own because that’s what good readers do. Try using these ideas for them to use: “Sound it out.”, “Check the pictures”, “Look for chunks.”, etc.
Goals. Do your students have any? Have you challenged them to think of one? Have a way to show this on your walls. Entitle it: “Our Hopes and Dreams for this School Year” and have students fill out a sentence strip of their goal and create an illustration to go along with it. These could even be changed halfway through the year. Challenge your students to frequently remind themselves of their goal and work toward it throughout the year.

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