Summertime Wreathing

Since finishing my spring wreath for the classroom, I have had wreathing fever! Here's my wreath for summertime!

Materials:

1. flat, wooden wreath ring
2. one 2 yard roll of yellow burlap
3. one large roll of plain burlap
4. wooden letters spelling S-U-M-M-E-R
5. craft paint
6. two spools of colored fabric ribbon
7. one sheet of card stock paper or scrapbook paper
8. hot glue gun

Process:

1. First, I painted the base of each of the letters. By the time I finished with the base of the R, the S was dry, and I could start painting the designs on each. To do the designs, I cut a piece of weighted scrapbook paper to create a stencil.

 

2. Once the letters were finished, I started the base of the wreath. I used a flat wooden wreath ring. I forgot to take a picture before I started, so I found this image of the exact same ring on Google.

I wrapped the yellow burlap along the bottom three-fourths of the wreath. Each time I made a loop around the wreath, I slightly overlapped it on what was on the wreath before. After finishing with the yellow burlap, I covered the remainder of the wreath with the plain burlap. 

3. I then evenly spaced the letters and hot glued them to the base. Between each letter, I glued a strip of the fabric ribbon. Where the plain burlap met the yellow burlap, I put two strips - one of each color.

4. Finally, I made a bow using the plain burlap. I glued two strips of the fabric ribbon to the center of the bow. I used hot glue to attach the bow to the plain burlap section of the wreath. 

I am pleased with the way it turned out, but if I could do it again, I would change a few things:

1. Since I used yellow burlap, I wouldn't paint the base of any of the letters yellow. In fact, I'd change all the colors of the letters...or just use one color. Possibly just the purple?
2. I would  position the letters a little differently - especially the Ms.

 

The 4th Nine Week's Slump

No breaks from January to April. Testing, testing, & more testing. Warm sunshine & blue skies. The anticipation of those last few days of school. What do each of these have in common...?

They all play a part in the inevitable and dreaded "4th nine week's slump." By April of each year, I can pretty much count on lower grades, less motivation, and sky high energy among my students. This year I wanted to try something new to help combat the daily struggle that accompanies our dwindling days of school.

Our school is a data driven school, and our students love healthy competition. When thinking of what I could do to get the kids re-motivated, I knew I could use these aspects of CRMS to my advantage. When I recently visited my cousin's high school language arts class, an idea that incorporated data, friendly competition, and fun finally came to me!

I popped in to observe my cousin's classes on a day that he happened to be celebrating a recent high test average. When the class average on a test is a 90 or higher, he gives them a "trivia day." He develops a fun, educational trivia game, and the students are able to choose groups and play as a reward for their hard work on the assessment. I absolutely loved this idea, and I knew there was a way to incorporate it into my middle school classroom.

So, here's what I came up with: THE LEADERBOARD!

With this board, I'm keeping up with four things for each class. 

1. Current Class Average - Each time I add grades to the grade book, I update the new class average. (This is super easy with the PowerTeacher online grade book used by our district....all the numbers are crunched for you!) 

2. Class average on the most recent test/quiz - First, note that I don't use classwork or homework for this. I'd be changing it ten times a day! After entering grades for an assessment into my online grade book, I update the class average on the board. 

Notes: 

- I use three stars (first place, second place, and third place) as a visual for students to see which class average is in the lead. 

- At the interim and report card, the class with the highest average will win a trivia day. 

- I didn't want to give a trivia day every time a class made a 90 or higher average on an assessment because I felt that would take away too much instructional time. Instead, when a class gets a 90 or higher average on an assessment, they receive a half day word game day (such as Scrabble, Apples to Apples, etc.). 

Below, I've included a close up picture of one class:.

3. The top three highest averages for each class - I don't list the actual average, I just list the names of the students with the highest three averages in the class. 

4. Honorable Mention - I give honorable mention to the student who raises his/her grade the most between assessments. (ex. Student A scored a 60 on last week's quiz but made a 100 this week. She increased by 40 points - more than anyone else in the class!)

Notes:

- If more than one student has the same average (ex. 3 of my students have 100 averages), I let them tie for first place. 

- At the interim and the report card, the top three students will receive the opportunity to exempt a quiz, classwork, or homework assignment of their choice. 

- There is no reward for the honorable mention, but I am finding that the students who appear here usually don't appear in the other slots. They are SO proud to have their name on the leader board; it really works to motivate them to continue raising their grades. 

Below, I've included a close up picture of one class:.

We've only been using it a few weeks, but so far it's working like a charm. Not only are my students motivated, they are feeling a sense of responsibility for their participation and effort as members of a class. All of my classes have improved their averages, and for the first time in a while, I'm seeing them really put effort into studying!

 

Reader's and Writer's Pledge

Our school uses the Balanced Literacy model for language arts, and I love, love, love my reader's and writer's workshop time every day. Last year, I noticed that many of my students came in not believing they were or even could one day be readers and writers. To help combat those attitudes and instill confidence in all of my students as readers and writers, I developed a pledge for both reader's and writer's workshop. These hang in my reading corner, and a different student leads us in the pledges each day before workshop time!

Reader's Pledge

I am a reader.

I am capable and smart.

I do not study how an author writes; I participate in his or her writing.

I will learn to be a better writer as I read more.

I will learn to be a better reader as I read more.

I will read like I am a writer.

I know that reading is important.

I value the opportunity to read.

I respect other readers.

I take advantage of the time I get to read.

I am a reader.

Writer's Pledge

I am a writer.

I am capable and smart.

I will write like a reader. 

I will learn to be a better writer as I write more.

I will learn to be a better reader as I write more.

I know that writing is important.

I will write with my heart first.

I respect those who will read my work and take the time to make my writing beautiful.

I value the opportunity to write.

I respect other writers.

I take advantage of the time I get to write.

I am a writer.

Organizing Your Classroom Library

Organizing your classroom library can be a daunting task - especially if you have a lot of books! I know many teachers who are continuously frustrated because books are never returned to their homes and can't be found when they are needed. I also know teachers who start the year organized and excited about their library, but find their system difficult to maintain. Luckily, the organization of my classroom library is one of the things I seemed to get right when I began teaching, so I thought it'd be an excellent place to start my sharing of ideas! 

First let me say that setting up this system did take time. I spent many hours the summer before my first year teaching cataloging books, labeling books, and organizing books. I am SO thankful that I spent that time, however, because my books stay organized, and I always know where to find them when a student has a request!

Hopefully, this blog will inspire you to get organized, too! 

1. Catalog Your Books

The first thing I did was make an Excel Spreadsheet listing all of my books in alphabetical order by author's last name. (Side Note: If I had been more Google Apps friendly when I began, I would have used Google Spreadsheet to do this. I love everything about Google Docs, and I highly recommend the tool!) In my spreadsheet I have listed the author, book title, and subject matter of each book. I also have listed the grade level appropriateness, how many copies of each book I have, and the name of the book bin the book will be organized in. I add to this list as I buy new books, and I don't put a book in my library unless I have first cataloged it! 

If you have a lot of books, this is going to be the most time consuming part of your organization, but it is crucial. When a student asks you for a specific book all you have to do is pull up your log, press "Control + F" on your keyboard, and search for the book! You then can check what bin it is located in and help your student find the book. I also love having the subject matter listed because it helps me find books I don't even remember I have. For example, I pull up my log and search for "World War II" when it's time to teach WWII, and every book I have on the subject comes up! What takes a while to do in the beginning becomes a huge time saver in the end!

Here is a screen shot of a portion of my book log...just click it to enlarge!

2. Label and Organize Your Books

You have to decide what categories of books you want to have in your classroom library. I use the following system: 

Each genre of book has a specific label. I used Dollar Store baskets to create bins for the genres. On each bin, I used laminated index cards and book rings to make a label. I put the sticker signifying the genre on each label, and then every book that goes in that bin will also have that sticker. At the beginning of the year I teach kids to match the sticker on the book to the sticker on the label of the bin! It works like a charm! Here are some pictures of my library to help you really see what it looks like!

Biography = red star     

These are any books that fall into the category of biography.

 

Non-Fiction = yellow star

These are any books that fall into the category of non-fiction. I also include autobiography here.

 

Fiction = green star

These are any books that fall into the category of fiction. I have more of these baskets that any other! (Side Note: If I have multiple books by one author, I organize those into an author study bin. If the fiction book is part of a series, I organize those into a series bin. Class sets and books considered to be classics are also in separate bins.)

Mystery = silver star

These are any books that fall into the category of mystery.

 

Poetry = yellow circle

These are any books that fall into the category of poetry. 

Historical Fiction = pink circle

These are books that fall into the category of historical fiction. 

Reference = green circle

These are books that are considered reference. I have separate bins for dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, etc. They all have the same green sticker, but their labels have different names. 

Books in a Series = orange rectangle

These are any books that are part of a series. All books in a series have an orange rectangle, but I differentiate the series by creating a special label for each series. For example, Harry Potter books are abbreviated with an HP. Each book in the series has an orange rectangle with an HP, and the bin for the series also has an orange label with an HP. 

Author Study = green rectangle

When I have multiple books by one author, I create author study bins. All author study books have a green rectangle, but I differentiate by creating a special label for each author. This special label is usually the author's initials. 

Classics = yellow rectangle

These are books that are considered classic literature. 

Classroom Sets = pink rectangle

When I have a classroom set of books, I keep them in a larger bin separate from my other books. I use pink rectangles on these books, but I number each book in the set. Because each student in my class has a number, numbering the books helps me keep track of them when we use them. Student number one receives book number one, etc. I always know which students have the missing books when we are done using them!

Here are some pictures of the complete library! (Please excuse the mess in the background! The library is just about the only thing ready in my room right now!)

 

 I keep my read aloud and picture books separate from the chapter books. They are organized by subject (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and "Read Aloud" books (feel good books or books that don't otherwise have a specific subject correlation). I am lucky to have two tier shelving for each of these categories, so I keep my related professional texts on the top shelf, and the read alouds on the bottom shelf! The past couple of years I have left these shelves open, but this year I am going to make curtains to cover them up. I'll post pictures of those when they are done, but here is what they look like for now!

 Read Aloud = blue star

 

 

Well, that's it for my classroom library! I hope you found this helpful and are ready to get organized!