Shower of Vowel
To Make:
- Cut out raindrops (20 total). Laminate.
- On 10 of the raindrops put the skill to be reinforced: (rope, hat,
made, etc.)
- On the other 10 raindrops put the answers: (long a, short a, etc.)
- Put an answer key, directions, and the answer raindrops in a
laminated envelope and fasten to bottom of the board.
- Cut out title and laminate.
- Use a large umbrella or another weather symbol to decorate the board.
* To make the title 3-D, use push pins to secure the letters rather than
staples
Have a Magazine Corner
Got a magazine corner? Instead of using bookshelves, display your magazines so the covers can be seen, will draw attention and get read. Snag an old rack from a store or library or make your own; even a pegboard with 2 little hooks for each magazine to drop into, and leaning against the wall will let the covers be seen. And retire your old magazines to a box for later use in cutting out pictures, looking for headlines, etc.
Give Your Plants a Vacation
If you're worried about the plants in your room dying off during breaks, and you don't want to move them home, there IS hope. Water as usual, then cover each one with a large clear plastic bag, like a dry cleaning bag. The bag will act like a miniature greenhouse. If they are going to turn down the heat in your building, you might want to move the plants to a spot as high as possible in the room to keep them just a few degrees warmer.
What's the Temp?
Indoor/outdoor thermometers have come down so much in price, every classroom should have one. These digital wonders not only show both temperatures, but usually have resettable memories that store high and low temperatures. And the outdoor temperature sensor is on thin, flexible wires making it ideal to insert inside enclosures in science experiments and demonstrations.
Create Atmosphere with Plants
With fall eliminating the greenery outside, now's a great time to add some life inside. You don't need a green thumb; go to a greenhouse and describe the kind of sunlight your room receives to choose the proper plants to thrive there. Then get your students involved with a job list for watering and misting based on the greenhouse's recommendations. You can even take things a step furthur by teaching about the various forms of propagation, letting students start new plants from leaves, separated roots or shoots.
Bulletin Board Headlines
Whether you buy ready-made letters or use or cut your own for bulletin boards, there are some tricks for putting them up. If you're centering the head on the board, mark the center of the board with a piece of tape, then layout the letters on a table. Find the center of the headline, and begin putting up the letters from the center, working your way out to both ends. A mistake often made is to space them too far apart. Headline letters are usually set tighter than small type; it won't hurt if the letters touch. Also, rounded caps like "O" and "C" are really taller than squared-off letters like "A" and "M". Make sure they extend beyond the imaginary top and bottom lines formed by the other letters.
Where Are We?
Make signs to hang from the ceiling in the center of your room similar to street signs at intersections. Align one north-south and write your longitude, with latitude on the east-west one. We got the figures, that were very accurate, from our main public library, and left the signs up all year.
Homework Monopoly
"This board is used as a homework motivator. Students make their game piece on the first day. I laminate them and add a velcro piece to the back. Students move on the board according to how many homeworks they pass in. I have had little difficulty with getting homework turned in since I used this system. Children tell younger brothers and sisters and my new students are usually excited about being able to play Monopoly."
Our New Circle of Friends
Children cut out the paper dolls. They dressed themselves in precut wallpaper clothing. Finally, they added yarn for hair and used markers to add facial features
To Make:
- Cut out raindrops (20 total). Laminate.
- On 10 of the raindrops put the skill to be reinforced: (rope, hat,
made, etc.)
- On the other 10 raindrops put the answers: (long a, short a, etc.)
- Put an answer key, directions, and the answer raindrops in a
laminated envelope and fasten to bottom of the board.
- Cut out title and laminate.
- Use a large umbrella or another weather symbol to decorate the board.
* To make the title 3-D, use push pins to secure the letters rather than
staples
Have a Magazine Corner
Got a magazine corner? Instead of using bookshelves, display your magazines so the covers can be seen, will draw attention and get read. Snag an old rack from a store or library or make your own; even a pegboard with 2 little hooks for each magazine to drop into, and leaning against the wall will let the covers be seen. And retire your old magazines to a box for later use in cutting out pictures, looking for headlines, etc.
Give Your Plants a Vacation
If you're worried about the plants in your room dying off during breaks, and you don't want to move them home, there IS hope. Water as usual, then cover each one with a large clear plastic bag, like a dry cleaning bag. The bag will act like a miniature greenhouse. If they are going to turn down the heat in your building, you might want to move the plants to a spot as high as possible in the room to keep them just a few degrees warmer.
What's the Temp?
Indoor/outdoor thermometers have come down so much in price, every classroom should have one. These digital wonders not only show both temperatures, but usually have resettable memories that store high and low temperatures. And the outdoor temperature sensor is on thin, flexible wires making it ideal to insert inside enclosures in science experiments and demonstrations.
Create Atmosphere with Plants
With fall eliminating the greenery outside, now's a great time to add some life inside. You don't need a green thumb; go to a greenhouse and describe the kind of sunlight your room receives to choose the proper plants to thrive there. Then get your students involved with a job list for watering and misting based on the greenhouse's recommendations. You can even take things a step furthur by teaching about the various forms of propagation, letting students start new plants from leaves, separated roots or shoots.
Bulletin Board Headlines
Whether you buy ready-made letters or use or cut your own for bulletin boards, there are some tricks for putting them up. If you're centering the head on the board, mark the center of the board with a piece of tape, then layout the letters on a table. Find the center of the headline, and begin putting up the letters from the center, working your way out to both ends. A mistake often made is to space them too far apart. Headline letters are usually set tighter than small type; it won't hurt if the letters touch. Also, rounded caps like "O" and "C" are really taller than squared-off letters like "A" and "M". Make sure they extend beyond the imaginary top and bottom lines formed by the other letters.
Where Are We?
Make signs to hang from the ceiling in the center of your room similar to street signs at intersections. Align one north-south and write your longitude, with latitude on the east-west one. We got the figures, that were very accurate, from our main public library, and left the signs up all year.
Homework Monopoly
"This board is used as a homework motivator. Students make their game piece on the first day. I laminate them and add a velcro piece to the back. Students move on the board according to how many homeworks they pass in. I have had little difficulty with getting homework turned in since I used this system. Children tell younger brothers and sisters and my new students are usually excited about being able to play Monopoly."
Our New Circle of Friends
Children cut out the paper dolls. They dressed themselves in precut wallpaper clothing. Finally, they added yarn for hair and used markers to add facial features
