Research & Poetry Boxes

 

If you're looking for a fun project to display that incorporates both research and poetry, why not try a box project? Each of my students selected a famous person to research. Each student then decorated a box of his/her choice with decorations that suited the person (based on research).

 

Students then wrote poems on their boxes as well about their research subject. This accompanies a written piece and is a great project to display at Open House or Parent Night. You may even want the students to place something inside the boxes such as index cards with notes, etc.

 

Happy teaching, friends!

Here's the Scoop!

If you're looking for a sweet new way for kids to practice and display grammar or punctuation rules, why not try this? We made giant ice cream cones to display comma rules AND write research facts at the same time. Every student chose a famous person to research. He/she then had to write facts learned from the research using the comma rules we had studied in class.

 

I cut out patterns for the scoops and the cones. The students then traced the patterns onto colorful paper and used corrugated brown paper for the cones. We did use poster  board for backing so that our cones would have some support when students decorated the scoops.

 

These made a cute bulletin board display when finished!

Add Some Fun to Map Skills and Geography!

 

Hi, friends!

 

If you're like me, you start every year in social studies with a unit on map skills and geography. Are you looking for new, creative resources to enhance student engagement? Why not try my "Less Mess" Map Skills and Geography Interactive Notebook Activities? This resource will add some color and creativity to your unit while helping students stay focused on the task at hand.

 

This resource is also available in a discounted bundle with my popular "Less Mess" Social Studies Interactive Notebook Activities. Just click on the picture below to check it out!

 

 

You might also want to check out my Map Skills and Five Themes of Geography Bundle as well! It includes posters, puzzles, bingo, and flash cards!

 

 

 

Happy teaching, friends!

Start the Year Off Right with Study Skills!

 

Hi, Friends!

 

Well, it's almost that time again, and that means BACK TO SCHOOL! If you're like me, the first weeks are spent just trying to get students READY. We tackle topics like:

 

Getting Organized

Setting Goals

Being Prepared

Setting Up a Study Area

Time Management

Using Class Time Wisely

Studying Smartly

Test Taking Skills

 

My "Less Mess" Study Skills Interactive Notebook helps you tackle all of these topics and more in a ready-to-use, creative format. Just like all of my other "Less Mess" Interactive Notebooks prove, less mess equals LESS STRESS for you as a teacher. Don't use all your time cutting, pasting, and gluing. Do it in one quick step and get RIGHT TO THE CONTENT!

 

Check it out by clicking HERE.

If you'd like to view my entire line of "Less Mess" Interactive Notebooks, click HERE.

 

Happy teaching, friends!

 



Pronouns with Pizzazz!

I can't help it. I LOVE teaching parts of speech! There are so many fun and creative ways to add a little pizzazz so that your students don't become bored. I know the content can be a little dry, but it wont be if you make it FUN!

Students always seem to love art and hands on activities, so why not give these activities a try? They are shown here using pronouns, but they could easily be used for any part of speech. The first activity is called Poppin' Pronoun Profiles.

DIRECTIONS:

Why not try some poetry writing using pronouns? In the pictures below, Japansese tanka poetry is written using a specificed amount of required pronouns. Then backgrounds are designed for the poems using pictures torn from magazines, newspapers, etc.- no scissors! They look beautiful when finished and make a great bulletin board display!

At the end of a unit, students can create a Pronoun Picnic! They love making the three dimensional picnic food!

Are you looking for more creative pronoun activities? All of these activities plus MORE are featured on my Pronoun Picnic resource. Just click on the picture below to check it out!

Happy teaching, friends!

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It's so important to me each and every January to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in my classroom. Yes, we have the day off each year in honor of him, but too many times, students dont stop to think about WHY we are honoring this great man.

There are some wonderful videos on YouTube that I show to my class every year. This one is one of my favorites. The cartoon drawings are so cute and the narration is wonderful (if a little fast). My students always enjoy it! They take notes on important facts they learn about him in this video. I often play it a few times because of the quick narration.

I often follow this video up with a puzzle activity that enables my students to learn even more about Dr. King. You can click on the picture below to be taken directly to this puzzle in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Another of my favorite videos features a cartoon version of Dr. King reciting his "I Have a Dream" speech. 

I often have my students identify what their own dreams are for the world. Students write about such topics as animal rights, pollution, equality, peace, environmental issues, etc. It allows them to see that even they, as middle school students, can have dreams about which they CAN do something.

I like to provide my students with an opportunity to read some of this great man's words. We read quotations by Dr. King and students reflect on their meanings for the world today. This makes a great small group or center activity as well and encourages deep thinking and excellent discussion. Click on the picture below to see this item in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Happy January, friends!

"Less Mess" Interactive Notebooks

I know that interactive notebooks are all the rage now, and many teachers absolutely love them. I wanted to try them, and I did. We formed a strange relationship- these interactive notebooks and me.

For a few years now, I guess I have had what you might call a “love hate” relationship with interactive notebooks. I LOVE the idea and concept of them. I love the way they engage students and provide opportunities for inspired and engaging note taking. I love the way they allow students to use what they learn in class and turn it into something creative. I love how they provide students with a useful studying tool to use all year.

However, the hate part comes in due to all of the cutting and pasting. I guess "hate" is too strong a word, but I know that when you don’t have students in your classroom all day and only see them for limited periods of time, it's sometimes difficult to spend a good portion of the period cutting and pasting. I am only speaking about what works/doesn't work for me. I have great admiration for teachers who make this work on a daily basis in a 38 or 40 minute period. However, I realized this just might not work for everyone...or perhaps not every day. This inspired me to create a new line of interactive notebooks.

My “Less Mess” Interactive Notebook Activities allow for two simple steps: cut around the border and glue it in. That’s it! However, you can choose to use these pages in a variety of ways. Also, if you are a big fan of the “folds and flaps” that usually come with interactive notebooks, this resource can be a nice supplement to add to what you already have or to use on days when you may have less time.

I know that we don’t always have the supplies we need and often have to rely on whatever we have. The format of my pages gives you the freedom to pick and choose whatever method works best for you in your classroom. They work in spiral notebooks, composition books, and three hole binders. They will even work as individual activity pages if you are just not ready (or don't want) to make the leap to interactive notebooks in your classroom!

The line now has many different resources for all of your teaching needs. Click on the pictures below to see just some of the resources in my shop, or use the link in the update below to see the FULL LINE of "Less Mess" Interactive Notebook Activities.

UPDATE: The line has now expanded to include NONFICTION as well as PARTS OF SPEECH (nouns, pronouns, and verbs). It also includes MAP SKILLS, ARCHAEOLOGY and THE STONE AGE, and ANCIENT EGYPT as well! I hope you'll stop by and check it out by clicking HERE.

 As always, happy teaching, friends!