Pinterest Insanity - 10 Things I Can Try Now

I am sure every person on Pinterest can relate to my love/hate relationship with Pinterest.  I am addicted.  Everything from classroom organization to geeky stuff that makes me laugh, I cannot get enough.  It is one of my favorite teaching "time sucks." The real conundrum, I pin and pin, but never follow through.  I have hundreds of pins, but I have either forgotten they exist or forgotten where I put them entirely.  So instead of the typical "10 things I love on Pinterest This Week" post, I am picking 10 things on Pinterest that I can commit to for the start of the new school year.  So, I went through my piles of pins, and chose 10 things that I really want to try and use the first month of school.

1.  Perspective Drawing - Kaja K.

Every year, I have my homeroom do an art project to start the new year, using their names.  I put them up on the wall, usually around their sixth grade quote for the year.  In the past few years, I have been using the spiral art using their name.  It is time for something new.  I love this, especially because we can also do some lessons on perspective first.

2.  Team Building Activity - Tom Heck (You Tube Video)

I want my homeroom to be a team.  They have their core classes in different groupings, so I want them to feel like their homeroom is their family.  A place they can go where they are supported and where they have built some important relationships.  We spend a lot of the first week doing team building and this is an activity I have not yet tried.  All I need are a few hula hoops and bandannas.  This is also great because you can do it whole class or in teams.

3. Cubby Labels with Binder Clips - Teaching With Love and Laughter

I planned to do this last year, but it never came to be.  I even have the binder clips sitting in boxes waiting to be used.  In my class, the kids get a cubby for their textbooks.  Right now, the cubbies have stickers with numbers that match the numbers on their textbooks.  The numbers are NO help to me when I am looking for a kid's stuff and I hate using stickers inside the cubbies.  They wear down and then, you have to peel them off and hope that goo gone gets the rest.  A total time-waster when I have other things to do to get ready for the new school year.  This is just a great idea and totally removable!

4.  Jelly Bracelet Groups - Creator Unknown

Sorry, whoever originally posted this picture!  I tried finding the original source, but I never did.  If anyone knows, leave me a comment because it is a great idea.  I am always trying to find new ways to make groups and partners and this will be a good one.  I would need to find about a million different colors if I wanted to make this work for partners, but it will definitely be a good one to create groups for projects.

5.  Teacher Toolbox - Ms. G in Grade 3

I HATE having some supplies in my desk, some in a cupboard, and some out for the kids in small containers.  It totally makes sense just to have them all in one place AND have it accessible to the kids.  It is tiring to have to go to my desk to get a kid a paperclip or ring for note cards.  I want them to get their own stuff so I can spend my time helping kids.  There are quite a few of these floating around on Pinterest, but I really like this one best.  Some are way too busy and crazy with too much color or too many fonts.  Ms. G's is perfect.  I can't wait to get crafty with this project.

6.  Would You Rather - dreamhomediy.blogspot.com

This link is broken, so I have not linked it here.  I plan on redoing all of the questions anyhow, but I will certainly share my own with you when I finish!  This is a great getting to know you game and it is really fun to ask kids to argue their side.  It makes for some interesting conversations.

7.  May the Forest Be With You - Poster

This quote does not seem to have an original creator, just a lot of places where you can buy it on a t-shirt or coffee mug.  Not only am I a bit geeky in my tastes, but I also have a whole bulletin board dedicated to the Redwood Forest Biome.  So, I will be making my own version of this and I know just where there is a space for it!

8.  Notebook Quote Page for Books- Image Only

Another pin where I just couldn't track down the author.  Nonetheless, a really fantastic idea.  My students keep Reading Notebooks with all of their novel work.  It would be really great to create a quote page where they can keep track of all the great quotes they come across in their reading.

9.  Sketchnote Tips from Carol Anne McGuire

I really love Sketchnote stuff.  I always go over the basics of visual note taking with my students and encourage it throughout the year.  I plan to make small copies of this so that they can glue them into their notebook at the beginning of the year as a reference if they need it later.

10.  Class Goal Photo or Thinglink - Photo by Stuart McIntyre

Every year our principal asks us to create a visual of our class goals.  Apparently all you need is a cardboard box and you can make this happen.  I think it would be adorable to create a Thinglink with a dot over every student with their goal for the year.  I will let you know if it works.

So, I challenge you too, to go through your mess of Pinterest Boards and find 5 or 10 things that you know you can plan for and implement without pulling your hair out.

Tech Trick - Using Thinglink in the Classroom

I was busy, busy this year learning new technology tools, trying them out, and seeing what worked in the classroom.  I LOVE anything that enhances what I already do and makes learning a little more engaging for the kids.  So, when I learned about using Thinglink at a CUE Rockstar Teacher Camp, I knew instantly it was something that I could use.  If you have not yet had the pleasure of attending one of these awesome camps, you should jump on board that train as soon as possible.

So first, what is Thinglink?  It is a free, web-based site, where you upload a photo, then tag the photo with little icons.  Each icon can become a link to anywhere!  You can link to photos, video, websites, or anywhere on the web.  It can then be shared or embedded into your website or blog.  Here is one that I created for the Redwood Forest.

As you drag over the tags, you can see what each one represents and what type of file it links to.  It is a great way to compile all of your resources on a subject into one place.  Once you have created it, you can then accompany it with graphic organizers for the kids to fill out as they explore.

I can't wait for my next Thinglink.  I saw this great idea on Pinterest for a group photo from Ephotozine...

I thought it would be fun to try and recreate this using a cardboard box and my new students.  Then, instead of a boring worksheet where they write their yearly goals, we put a dot on each of them and link to their goals.  Then, it can be embedded into our blog or website and can easily be referred to throughout the year by the students, the parents, and me.  

I highly suggest you do some playing around with Thinglink.  The possibilities are endless! 

Hobbit Book Projects

It has been forever since my last post.  Between teaching new subjects this year and all the after school responsibilities I have taken on, I just don't seem to have the time.  But my kids turned in some great projects last week and I have never included a post about them before, I thought I would try to squeeze in a quick post.

Whenever I get a chance to read The Hobbit, we always do projects.  Once, about halfway through the book and again at the end.  Each set of projects is written as a learning menu where the kids have some choices about what projects they would like to complete.  If you are interested in the learning menus or the entire book unit, you can check them out at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

The final projects always come out cool.  Here are some examples of The Hobbit Newspapers, ABC Books and Book Guides.

I know this post is short, but hopefully also sweet.  The kids love projects like this and I hope it inspires you to come up with some of your own.

C.U.P.S. and A.R.M.S.

I am new to teaching Writing in sixth grade.  It was a subject previously taught by one of my team members, but now I am on my own.  I really wanted to use something simple for my kids to use for revising and editing and it seemed like the C.U.P.S. and A.R.M.S. revising and editing was a simple enough place to start.  I also wanted to make something that they could glue into their notebooks for a quick reference.  Of course, I quickly hopped over to PicMonkey to create something fast and cute.

So far, I am still getting my feet wet when it comes to teaching writing, but the kids liked this and seemed to catch on quickly.  Thought I would share my little poster with you.

UPDATE WITH FREEBIE!!!
Turns out, this little poster has become very popular on Pinterest and has received quite a few hits here on my blog.  So, for those of you that would like a free, printable version, I have it linked here on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Enjoy!

2013-2014 6th Grade Quote

Here it is people!  After much deliberation and design consideration, here is our new t-shirt and quote for the sixth graders!  I am so excited and it looks great thanks to AMJ.  Our new quote is...

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

And although the shirts are not yet off the presses, here is our final design...

Book Jacket Redesign

As I was going through my stacks of stuff, getting my classroom ready, I found some laminating to be cut.  I realized that it was something that I had intended to blog about, but had completely forgot.

In my classroom library, I have rings that hold book jackets that were created by sixth graders.  They choose the book that they most enjoyed reading throughout the year and redesign its book jacket.  I do this at the end of the year, so I choose my favorites.  I have quite a collection as I have done this a few times and on average, I have about 100 sixth graders each year.

We start by analyzing current book jackets.  I put a pile of books out for each table group and they brainstorm a list of things that they have in common.  I ask them to note what they look like and important elements that they all have.  Then, we make a master list to use as a rubric.  Usually it includes things like

• a bold title 
• author name
• quotes and reviews by authors or publications
• great use of graphics and colors (no white space)

My sixth graders this last year were awesome.  I could brag about them for paragraphs.  Each and every one of them was and is wonderful. I have so many awesome book jackets this year, I didn't know how to only share a few, but here they are:

I punch a hole in the corner and put them on rings.  Then I hang them up in the classroom library (pictures soon to come).  So when kids have free time they can take a set of jackets on a ring to their desk and see if there are any books that they are interested in reading.  Many of the reviews on the jacket are quotes from other sixth graders that also read the book.  This year, my new sixth graders will get to read jackets from the last two years of sixth graders; they are often kids they have looked up to at school.

A great way to get kids interested in literature because it isn't coming from you, but from their peers.

Class of 2014 Quote

So, I admit it.  I snuck over to work today and spent some time working on my room.  If I ever get it back together again, I will post pictures.  I am SUPPOSED to be on vacation, but... Well, if you are a teacher, you know.  As I was putting together a to-do list I realized that my team and I had not yet decided on a quote for this year's sixth grade class.

Let me explain...
A few years ago, one of my team members in 6th grade thought it would be a good idea to choose a quote for the year.  Something that brings all of the sixth graders together and is sort of their "motto" for the year.  Then, we design "Class Of" t-shirts with the quote on the back and we post the quote up in all of the sixth grade classrooms.  Here are a few of the tshirts we have had in the past few years...

t-shirt designs for 6th grade

We all wear our 6th grade tshirts on Spirit Days at school and important events (like camp and playing dodgeball with the Airforce).  So, here are the quotes we have used since we have started this great sixth grade tradition:

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." -Gandhi
"Be true to your work, your word, and your friend." -Thoreau
"The time is always right to do what is right." -M.L.K.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think." -Christopher Robin

And as I said, I am in search for this year's quote.  I have a Pinterest board just for quotes and I keep an eye out everywhere.  I feel like when I find it, I will know.  I am a HUGE fan of Robby Novak, so I am on the lookout for great Kid President quotes.  He is so fun.  I found these great posters from Shane Read Creative and I would love to design a tshirt that was a little more hip this year, like this...

Anybody out there have some good quote suggestions for the class of 2014?  I would love to hear them!