March 6, 2016
BTS: Classroom Job Cards
An easy way to implement classroom management and instill citizenship all year-round is through classroom jobs! It’s fascinating to see just how interested my students get when assigning (or choosing) their jobs for the week/month. Giving students an opportunity to help around the classroom and be responsible for something generates confidence within themselves, but also gives them purpose amongst their peers.
ORIGINAL JOB CARDS INCLUDED
I’ve really enjoyed using these cards in the past and it made assigning the jobs every week very easy when using with clothespins. This download continues to include these original job cards as well as the new additions such as job descriptions for parents, newly updated formats, and bright clip art and fonts!
In my classroom I have always used clothespins to help with organization and easily swap student jobs every week. I placed our job cards on our classroom bathroom door since it is a visible spot and it allowed me to maximize the wall space I had in my room!
How do you display your class jobs?
NEW JOBS & UPDATED LOOK!
This download now includes a new look AND new jobs!
March 5, 2016
BTS: Year-Round Classroom Calendar Cards
Amazon affiliate links used within this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
I know, I know...it’s not even the end of the current school year and already I have my eyes set on next year. However, one helpful piece of advice I could ever pass on to any teacher is to begin reflecting and thinking about the ways in which you would like to prepare yourself and get organized for the year ahead. For many years I’ve always changed and adapted my approach to classroom management and organization and this year is no different.
There are a lot of ways in which I get organized for back to school and for me I always begin with one of the most important subjects: morning meeting and calendar time. During this brief gathering in the mornings I get together with my class and we review and discuss key calendar and math concepts all within a 15-20 minute period. Morning meeting has proven to be when my kids are most engaged and because the routine of doing it every day allows them to be prepared to think and share as a whole group.
In years past I have always opted for the store-bought calendar set and although they got me through the school year, I found myself not having the necessary holiday or school specific card - and besides, when I left my school district when we moved to CA I couldn’t take my calendar set with me since it was purchased with PTO funds.
So, I decided to do what any other teacher-author would do and that’s to create my own calendar set and OF COURSE share it with all of you! This download includes a lot of what you would otherwise have to purchase separately.
So, what’s included in this download?
- monthly cards (Sept-Jun)
- date cards in bright colors and clip art for each month!
- year cards (2016-2020)
- days of the week cards
- ‘today is’ ‘tomorrow will be’ and ‘yesterday was’ cards in both black and white!
- special event, holiday, seasonal, and school-specific cards for the entire year!
+ labor day
+ first day of school (for both August and September start dates)
+ last day of school
+ back to school night
+ open house
+ daylight savings time (x2)
+ fall break
+ winter break
+ spring break
+ summer break
+ halloween
+ red ribbon week
+ thanksgiving
+ christmas
+ hanukkah
+ earth day
+ new years day
+ Washington’s birthday
+ lincoln’s birthday
+ presidents day
+ columbus day
+ MLK day
+ valentine’s day
+ easter sunday
+ cinco de mayo
+ dr. seuss’ birthday
+ st. patrick’s day
+ mother’s day
+ father’s day
+ student birthday cards
+ 1st of the season cards
+ picture day
+ field day
+ field trip
Year-Round Calendar Cards!
I immediately fell in love with these bold colors and who doesn’t enjoy the clip art from the lovely Melonheadz Illustrating or KPM Doodles?! I’ve made sure to include the majority of the special occasions, holidays, and seasonal cards that occur in the classroom, but if I’ve missed something or you would like a card added to this collection, feel free to email me at: kellyjdaniel1@gmail.com!
Monthly Calendar Sets
Each month is complete with brightly colored date cards, which feature clip art that’s associated with that month! Some holidays are printed right on the date (For example, Christmas is always on the 25th of December) otherwise you can opt to use the separate holiday cards in its place for those holidays or school occasions that fall on a different date or day each year.
Days of the Week & Year
Practicing days of the week is an important skill in Kinder-1st grade and these cards pop with color and will for sure stand out in your classroom and calendar area. I have both black (pictured below) and white for your convenience and this download includes years from 2016 all the way to 2020!
To incorporate this Year-Round Classroom Calendar Cards set in your classroom has never been easier! Just print and laminate on cardstock yourself then use velcro dots or double-sided tape to display on any calendar or even use with a pocket chart!
**Teacher Tip: I personally love my at-home laminator because the laminating sheets are so durable that I have yet to replace my Writing Process Poster Set and my kiddos use that every day!
I am continuing to create and share more resources for morning meeting and calendar time, so be sure to follow me here on the blog as well as on Facebook and my Teachers Pay Teachers shop!
January 14, 2016
Fraction Action: Skittles Math!
Happy Monday everyone! Today I'd like to share a little about my math unit on fractions!
It’s all about fractions and how to identify them based on the number of equal parts they are divided into (i.e. halves, fourths, sixths, eighths, etc.). Students begin to identify fractions within a set and what better way to do that than using candy?! Some teachers use M&Ms but I personally like Skittles because they don't melt and get as sticky but both work just as well.
Fractions can be a very tricky concept to teach these little guys, but getting them engaged is half the battle!
Introduction:
First, I like to make things visual and I do this by randomly picking 5 students and have them stand in the front of the class. Students must observe the 5 students I picked and must determine what is in common with them. For example, I may have chosen 3 girls and 2 boys to represent the fraction 3/5 being girls and 2/5 being boys or maybe 4 wearing sneakers and only 1 wearing boots to show 4/5 and 1/5. The kids always tend to like that activity and it poses a bit of a challenge for them.Guided Practice:
After that initial activity I introduce how we can identify fractions within a given set. This requires students to be familiar with how to write fractions and what the numerator and denominator are within a fraction. For this I like to use Scholastic's free StudyJams videos to help give the students an idea about how to write fractions. BrainPopJr is another great site for kids but that requires a subscription.Guided/Independent Practice:
Then on to the fun! After you've built up some background knowledge students can engage with their learning through this hands on activity. I called mine Fraction Action: Skittles Math! Make sure you've discussed with your class that students aren't to eat the Skittles since many students' hands have been all over them and we use them for learning, not eating. Last year at the end of the activity I did hand out mini bags of Skittles for them to take home, which helped their impulse to eat them during class.
I have created this little student handout for them to use to track their fractions during the activity. The goal is for them to see how fractions are present within a set and ours being their bag of skittles. I only use 10 skittles total since I just scoop the candies from a massive bag versus always buying the mini pre-packaged bags. It also helps me differentiate for different groups of students.
I love the graphing because who doesn’t like a little graphing practice mixed in?
November 2, 2015
November Currently
Happy Monday and the beginning of November! I say this all the time about how quickly time seems to fly, but seriously...it’s November already. In celebration of the harvest, everything Thanksgiving, and the approaching holiday season, I’m linking up with Farley and her Currently linkup and sharing what’s going on with me on this brisk November morning!
Listening // My husband just recently discovered Lisa Ling’s new CNN docu-series and currently watching an episode about motorcycle gangs. Not quite the best thing to listen to first thing in the morning, but I suppose neither is my Real Housewives to him ;)
Loving // With a show of hands, how many of us are excited that Starbucks has officially rolled out their red holiday cups?! I know, many people I know (and many more across the internet) believe that the holiday/Christmas season doesn’t/shouldn’t officially start until AFTER Thanksgiving, but consider me one of the few who gets excited nonetheless.
Thinking // It’s been over a year since I’ve been able to visit Virginia to see my family since moving to California with my husband and I am so excited to get the opportunity to visit during Thanksgiving. We are trying to visit both my family and his family in Texas this holiday season before our baby is born in the spring. It’ll be a lot, both financially and in stress, to travel while pregnant and with a dog, but it’ll be worth it!
Wanting // This is the first week that we’ve had temperatures below 80 degrees and I am welcoming it with open arms! It’s only about 70 degrees outside, so not quite scarf and sweater weather, but I’ll take it! Celebrating fall has been an interesting thing, especially since it’s been unseasonably hot here in CA. More cold weather!
Needing // How many of you have seen and fell absolutely in love with Chip and Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper?! I mean, seriously. I love their work and wish I lived in Waco just to have them makeover a house for me. They seem like an awesome couple and I love the example they set as Christians, spouses, and parents. Love them!
Yummy // I’ve been craving Thanksgiving Dinner, like the whole spread, for a few weeks now. This also adds to just how excited I am to visit my family since my dad goes all out for dinner and hosting our family. My heart skips a beat every time we walk into Trader Joe’s and I see the stuffing, gravy, turkey broth, etc. lining the walls. Just a few more weeks!
October 11, 2015
Baby Daniel On The Way!
A lot of you probably have noticed that the blog has been very quiet over these last few months (or maybe not). It’s for a good reason, I promise! If you follow me over at my lifestyle blog, Primarily Inspired, you probably already know this news. But for those who don’t....here’s the reason behind my absence from this space...
My husband and I are excited to be expecting a baby boy in March 2016! Since getting pregnant in early March of this year and unfortunately suffering a miscarriage, we were on the path for parenthood ever since. Our experience with miscarriage only brought my husband and I closer and made us realize that we were ready to embark on this next exciting chapter in our marriage and lives together. We are so excited and are truly appreciative to all the prayers and well-wishers from our family and friends.
My husband and I are excited to be expecting a baby boy in March 2016! Since getting pregnant in early March of this year and unfortunately suffering a miscarriage, we were on the path for parenthood ever since. Our experience with miscarriage only brought my husband and I closer and made us realize that we were ready to embark on this next exciting chapter in our marriage and lives together. We are so excited and are truly appreciative to all the prayers and well-wishers from our family and friends.
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