MONSTER MATH - BOOGEYMAN BINGO

LOTS OF FUN PRACTICING MATH FACTS!

CENTER DIRECTIONS: Have students color the monster face instead of copying on colored paper.  Taken from Copycat Press - out of print.

RED LEAF, YELLOW LEAF

Read RED LEAF, YELLOW LEAF by Lois Ehlert.  Concepts: life cycle of tree and information about the parts of a tree.  Have students practice their best PENMANSHIP by copying the poem.  Students draw their face in the "window frame" making sure to fill the space and color neatly.  Place picture and poem on a construction paper.  Top the picture with maple leaves. http://homemakersjournal.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/red-leaf-yellow-leaf/

HALLWAY DISPLAY WITH THANKFUL TURKEY

BOO BAG TOPPERS

Sensible, quick, inexpensive way to treat the students in your class.  Fill baggie with treats: popcorn or other candy.  Copy topper on Orange Construction Paper.  Attach to the baggies, write a note to each student on the bag.  Pass out as a special treat.

PUMPKIN MOSAIC

CONCEPT: WARM AND COOL COLORS                                                            1. Trace shape onto graph paper                                                                       2. Pick two WARM colors to color the inside of the shape.  COLOR DARK. COVER ALL THE WHITE.  ALTERNATE COLORS.                    3. Pick two COOL colors to color the outside of the shape.  COLOR DARK. COVER ALL THE WHITE.  ALTERNATE COLORS.                     Great Center Activity for any holiday or season.  Wonderful way to teach students how to color, covering all the space.  After display, make sure these go in the Journal/Memory Book.  Add some poetry to finish project off.

Another look at hot and cool colors: http://okscribbler.blogspot.com/2011/08/johnny-appleseed-coloring.html

HALLOWEEN STRING ART

My daughter did this in 5th grade, around 1994.  

I also attached the Christmas Tree she did in 5th.

Below are sites that have some cute, free patterns.

http://www.easycreations.com/autumn.htm - can buy a pattern for $5.00

http://www.mathcats.com/crafts/stringart.html

http://www.stringartfun.com/section.php/2/1/free-patterns

http://www.life123.com/hobbies/knit-crochet/string-art/instructions-for-string-art.shtml

http://www.life123.com/hobbies/knit-crochet/string-art/instructions-for-string-art.shtml

http://et.bgcbellevue.org/logo/stringart.html

http://askville.amazon.com/remember-craft-find-patterns-instructions/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=2293642

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/string-art-674038/

http://www.minimathprojects.com/

http://www.childs.mccsc.edu/art98/art2p1.htm

http://www.stitchingcards.com/section.php?xSec=5 – on cards, but you could blow up to any size you wish

http://www.stitchingcards.com/section.php/7/1/for-children/0a6b611cab749a559e9bcd4159e9db5b - to purchase - simple for children to do

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/yarn-crafts2.htm - butterfly

http://www.freekidscrafts.com/string_art_decorations-e48.html
http://www.essentiallearningproducts.com/do-you-see-pattern-michael-naylor

AMAZON: String Art: No Nails Needed (No. 8609) - Paperback (1981) by Annette Schmidt and Eileen F. Moyer

7 used from $30.00

THE PUMPKIN SMASHER

Read THE PUMPKIN SMASHER by Anita Benarde to the class. Discuss story.  Hand out precut pumpkin - can be the size of a die cut or larger. Have students cut pumpkin into pieces (not too little), keeping track of how the pieces go back together!

Hand out black construction paper (9 x 12).  Students place pieces of pumpkin down where they belong - making sure to put 1/4" - 1/2" space between the pieces (can use ruler if it helps-MATH SKILLS), and glue.  It would be a great bulletin board with a poem beneath each pumpkin - Cinquain?

Put in Memory Book when done displaying.                                                                                

TEACH A MONSTER TO READ BOOKMARK

Students make Monster Bookmarks and eat Monster Goodies.

EXPLAINING GRADING

So you have DICTATED SPELLING TESTS?  You can take quite a few grades from this one paper.   The Weekly Words will be worth 2 points, other words, even from past weeks, are 1 point each.  Then Capitalization and Punctuation are each worth 1 point.  This grading system makes a Dictation Test very valuable.

PRACTICAL PENMANSHIP

I sent these notes home as homework if students needed extra practice in handwriting.  Once we transitioned  from handwriting paper to white-lined paper-I taught the following rules listed below.

CIRCLES ARE ON THE LEFT! 
1.  Leave top margin blank - except for student number at top right corner.
2.  Numbers are in the left margin near the red line.
3.  Write as close to the red line on the left as possible.
4.  Try not to go past the red margin on the right.
5.  Capital and tall letters reach the top line.
6.  Midline letters fill 1/2 of the line space.

KEEPING PARENTS INFORMED

On the left is an ABSENTEE FORM that allows a teacher to list all the missed work for the day. Then attach all the worksheets in order to the form.  This makes it easy for the parents to help their young students with their missed work.  I ask that the form come back with all the worksheets attached, so I can verify that everything was completed.  I also encouraged missed work to be done in a day or two (unless very ill), so students would be ready for the following lessons they would receive when they returned.  On the right is the WEEKLY GRADE/BEHAVIOR sheet that is attached to all graded work sent home at the end of each week  When report time comes around, you just tally all behaviors for every student.  This shows you a clear picture of what each child has done in your classroom for a grading period.  So if one student talked incessantly and most of the other students rarely did, then that one student needed a behavior mark that lets the parents/student know what needs to improve.

SPELLING WORKSHEETS

Students love being organized.  Setting up papers neatly is very important so others can read them. Note the words Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How at the top of the SPELLING SENTENCE PAGE.  This will remind children to try to lengthen sentences, by answering those questions.  See SUPER SKELETAL SENTENCES http://okscribbler.blogspot.com/2009/02/super-sentence-teaching-parts-of-speech.html for another way to work on this concept.  Spelling 3 x's was always written out so the children could see and model the words correctly, which is important when you teach cursive.  Also on the Spelling 3 x's are some Spelling Rules that the word would follow.  These rules are talked about during the week.  

MULTIPLICATION I KNOW IT WORKSHEET

Clean, easy to read, worksheet for students to fill out and/or color to show the facts they know.

STAR OF THE WEEK BULLETIN BOARD PREPARATION

The first week of school send out the attached paper work, stapled together. Parents need to read the information sheet and help their child fill out the sheets.  Have the paper work returned within a few weeks, before other homework becomes an issue.  You then have a years worth of STAR OF THE WEEK BULLETIN BOARD at your finger tips.  Assign each child a week, skipping short or holiday weeks, (I went in alphabetical order, so the parents sort of knew when it was their child's turn to shine).  Remind the children a few weeks before their assigned week.  The student will bring in a poster board with their photos and you will add their paperwork from the beginning of the year.  EASY TRANSITION!  After the child's week, the autobiography/character count papers may be added to their Journal/Memory Book or placed into a growing class book.
P.S.  I made the 1st board about me, the teacher.  That way the students saw what was expected and I modeled the way their oral presentation on each Friday should be given.  Your students also learned a little bit about your life outside of the school setting.

SAYING FAREWELL TO A STUDENT MIDYEAR

CLEAN UP AT THE END OF THE WEEK

Take the last 10 minutes at the end of each week for Classroom Cleanup. Pass out job cards and PLAY MUSIC softly - students can talk but must be able to hear the music playing.
After the cleanup, collect the cards, shuffle and redistribute them next week.
Cards:
1. Turn Teaching Charts carefully to the next lesson.
2. Erase the boards.
3. Wash the boards. (2 and 3 could be partners)
4. Set up the Math Working Board for the next lesson.
5. Dust window sills.
6. Dust all bookcases.
7. Clap erasers.
8. Wipe chalk trays.
9. Straighten books in Reading Area. (6 and 9 could be partners)
10. Sharpen red pencils.
11. Sharpen black pencils. (10 and 11 could be partners)
13. Water the plants.
14. Feed the fish.
15. Windex the work tables.
16. Stack the chairs at the work tables. (15 and 16 could be partners)
17. Pick up the floor.
Anything else that needs done in your classroom. The more the merrier.  You could partner a few students to make sure that everyone has a job to do.