SMART looking Spiders

Fall is such an awesome time in the classroom!  Leaves, pumpkins, owls, and spiders . . . the project ideas are endless!  If only fall would last a little longer!  Last week my 3-5 grade art class made some fun spiders and webs.

First we practiced drawing spiders by watching  this u-tube spider drawing lesson!

http://artforkidshub.com/how-to-draw-a-spider/

 

Next, the students had to plan a theme for their spider and web.  They used glue to draw their web on black paper.  They then, worked on designing their spiders. 

 

Can you guess the themes?   Sponge Bob Spider, Swimmer Spider, and Packer Spider!

 

The next art class the students used chalk pastels to color their webs in a theme to match the spider!

 

 

Can you guess which spider lives in which web?  These are fun to hang in the hallway for students of other classes to match  up. 

Hope your fall projects have been fun! 

Happy spidering!

 

Amy

 

 



Smart Techie Time Savers

 

My blog has been quite neglected as the demands of the classroom have consumed most of my waking hours.  Throw in the kiddos football games, and cross country meets and that pretty much sums up my fall.  Do you often talk about the "good old teaching days" with fellow teachers?  A few times we have mentioned how GREAT technology is, but it seems that we are actually busier than we were in the day of overhead projectors and contact paper covered learning games!  Yes, technology takes so much time!  I spend anywhere from 3-8 hours making a single SMART Board lessons!  Crazy!  When I mentioned to my mom that I sell my creations she really wondered who would buy them.  Not that she doubted my ability of creativity.  She always thought I would be an artist since I usually came home from school  with paint on my shirt and my Christmas wishlists included things such as "easel, paints, brushes etc.."  The average person, my mom included, doesn't realize the hours it takes to create technology and NO ONE can create everything they need in the classroom.  There simply isn't enough time.  So my time saver tip today is to buy items that will save you time!  Some of my favs that I sell at TpT are:

Mystery Unit Reading Lessons! I start this unit on Monday!



Adverb fun!  I just started Grammar Fun Friday!

This concept is always so hard to teach!

 

I had a friend that only wanted "time" for her 50th birthday!  I know exactly what she means! Take some minutes for yourself today!  It's time you do!

 

Happy Time!

 

Amy

 

 

 

A Smart Treasure: Interactive Journals with Friday Poetry Pockets

Aren't interactive journals wonderful!  I love how my students personalize them to make them their own treasure.  I love it when I see students pull them out to use for reference--without being told!  They love using them because they created them! This year I am including our Friday Poetry Pockets into the student's ELA Journals! It was tempting to begin a separate Poetry Journal but I didn't want to give the students too many journals or the magic might wear off! We presently have math and language notebooks. 

Last Friday the students wrote acrostic poems and glued in their first pockets.

 

 

These pockets are available in my TpT Store in two different versions.

 

 

First, they wrote a poem about themselves on the left side of the journal page.

The students drew names last Friday and are presently writing an acrostic poem about a classmate.  They will deliver them this Friday and the classmate will keep these in their poetry pocket.  We will continue to add acrostic poems during the year that we write in other subjects so their pockets will be filled with treasures. 
    What special touches are you adding to your interactive journals this year?

Happy Creating!

Amy

Smart Desk Designs and Rewards

The classroom desks!  Need I say more!  They are the core of the classroom--90 percent of the space probably!  Even though I rarely sit at my desk during the school day I want it to be an attractive feature of the room.  Here is how my desk looked when I arrived in my new classroom this summer--typical teacher desk!

 

I wanted to spice it up a bit even though I was pressed for time!  So I found this leftover can of chalkboard paint around the house and  . . . . 

 

the fun began!

 

After three coats of paint and a little fun with the chalk here is the result!

 What fun I will have writing messages on my desk to the class this year! 

 

Students' desks are also a major part of the room.  Even though you don't have control over what desks appear in your classroom you can manage the inside appearance! 

For the past two years we have had a desk pig--Tidy Tess.

 

 

It developed when author Kerry Hertel (an aunt of one of my students) came to our school to read her book Tidy Tess.  Now Tidy Tess is our class pet and some evenings she leaves her place in the classroom and wonders into a student's desk.  It must be a desk that is exceptional tidy!  The owner of the desk can trade her in for a reward ticket.  It is very motivating and meaningful to the kids!  Also, a great way to connect literature!

The reward tickets are a Friday Freebie in my TpT Store!  It also has a link to the book. 

 

What special desk features do you have this year?

 

 

Don't forget the BIG TpT Sale on Sunday and Monday!!

Happy Shopping!

Amy

 

 

Smart Christian Resources

The greatest blessing of teaching at a Christian School is the opportunity to teach children about God's amazing grace and blessings.  The challenge, however, is to find resources that fit with my teaching style.  The teaching of biblical truths can also be an opportunity for children to grow in their reading skills.  For many weeks I have been working on a set of parable posters that will not only teach the biblical truths of Jesus' parables but also enhance students skills of reading comprehension--a sort of "killing two birds with one stone" type of education. 

 

 

I also finished a mini-booklet about the miracles of Jesus. 

 

 

I am excited to use these resources in my classroom this year and am working hard on developing more! 

 

All my resources will be 28 percent off this Sunday and Monday--August 18 and 19-- at the Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School Sale! 

 

Happy Shopping!

 

Amy

 

Smart Teacher Getaways

We all know that it is truly a myth that teachers take the summer off.  Most of the teachers that I know hardly ever get away from their schoolwork!  I have spent the summer moving out of a classroom and into a new one in a different school.  New curriculum,new expectations,  new families, new co-workers, new procedures etc... Very head-spinning!  I didn't want to go into the schoolyear without some break!  As of August 1st I had only taken one day away from schoolwork! In my years of teaching I know that a teacher needs to enter the schoolyear marathon refreshed and ready!  So it was off to the perfect teacher getaway with my sister, the art teacher, to  . .  Door County, Wisconsin!

After some much needed R & R we went to an art studio.  The watercolor artist Connie Glowacki chatted with us for a good hour showing us how she paints her beautiful watercolors!

Then it was off to the  Hands-On Art Studio in Fish Creek.  In this remodeled old barn tourist can paint pottery and pick them up later!

If painting isn't your thing, you can make awesome metal works at the metal studio!

Maybe you are the delicate type.  You can tile glass designs at the glass studio!

Or . . .  best of all . . .you can design a tile to be part of the fabulous silo!  Now my father never had silos like that on our farm! (If only we had known what was possible!)

Fun times--lots of art--lots of shopping--lots of cherries-- and the beautiful Wisconsin water!

 

Now that is a smart teacher getaway!

 

Happy Getaways!

 

Amy

Smart Teacher Tools

As teachers we spend so much time preparing items for our students--desktags, learning centers, expectation posters etc...  sometimes we neglect to take the time to think about our needs as a teacher.  This year, as I get adjusted to a new school and new classroom I am "spoiling" myself with top of the line teacher tools.  Rumor has it that the top erasable pens are these:

I bought a few packs at Office Depot and found out the rumor is true!  They are great pens for planning in your new planner!  I like to be able to plan in multiple colors and I certainly need to be able to be flexible and erase plans that change.  These pens don't smudge and erase clean!  Hurray!
I also know how pens mysteriously disappear during the year.  Since these are my special planning pens--and not cheap-- I needed to separate them from the rest of my supplies, but yet I needed them handy for quick planning and changes.  So  . . .  a trip to Target for some pencil organizers.

I separated my planning pens and my correcting pens and added some subtle labels "Frixion Planners" and "Correctors" to remind me to keep these organized.

As the new year approaches, take the time to find smart tools for yourself! 

Happy Teacher Tool Shopping!

Amy

Smart Teacher Timesaver: This Farmer's Daughter Finally Bought a Purple Cow

August is here, teachers, and aren't we all in the panic mode!  As we begin the nine month marathon of rushed days and nights I've discovered that cutting corners does not always save you time.  I was blessed with having a media center across the street from my old school. But even with it across the street I was often too busy to take the time to laminate all of my creations. 

And then last year my students were hiding the Owl Hunt Cards--which I didn't laminate and  . . .

one student hid one of the cards in the sink!  Going back later and printing off that card took more of my time than if I had just got those cards laminated in the first place!  But we are oh so busy and the media hours are oh so small!

So yesterday . . . I went on a $19.89 dollar spending splurge at Costco and bought my first laminator--a Purple Cow!

It is amazing and even came with many laminating pockets.  Why does it sometimes take so long to finally purchase these teacher time savers?  Wish I had bought it years ago!  And for 20 bucks you really can't lose!

Happy Laminating!

 

Amy

Smart Designing for Students

I heard today on the radio that Hasbro is creating  shortened versions of some of its board games such as Monopoly (no more GO TO JAIL!) due to the lack of kids' attention spans and lack of time to play board games.  WOW! 

  When I was a kid we would play a weeklong Monopoly marathon over Christmas vacation.  We would also  play board games in the evening as a family, even though my father was extremely busy as a dairy farmer!  Kudos to him for making the time!  Our world is changing and it is difficult to get children (and adults) to stay focused on task for a long period of time.  I have also noticed that many children don't spend the amount of time that I did as a kid coloring and crafting. 

I like to infuse art and design into my other subjects.  I think it gives students a chance to slowdown, learn to plan, make decisions, be creative, and it also promotes independent thinking skills.

At the end of last year I developed US Region State Posters. 

I finally got them bundled together for sale!  I love this project because there are so many creative ways to use these in the classroom to develop designing skills, research skills, presentation skills, and decision-making skills. 

The students need to decide on four major research parts of their poster from this list:

 



Sometimes a student really struggles with the decision-making process.  Many times, they research all the areas and then decide on the four. 

These posters will look great around the perimeter of your classroom (infuse a math term there) and can definitely lead your learners on the way to smart designing!

Here's my freebie set ( after all it is freebie Friday)  to get you started:

Happy Designing!

 

Amy

Smartly Designed Finishing Touches

My classroom is a sea of  tan, beige, biscuit, camel, taupe--whatever you call it.  The color, as boring as it may seem, serves as an excellent background for popping in lots of color.  Sometimes even the smallest details can make a huge difference!

I have these wonderful cork strips running across the front of my classroom.

The cork strips are great for hanging student work or posters.  But there's that beige, tan, camel color again!  It needed a little ZING!

A few weeks ago I went on a fabric search at JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts and found some amazing interface material that was perfect for my "Wild about Reading" Library Theme Board!  It was cheap, durable, and easier to work with than fabric.

Reading Workshop Board with Zebra Interfacing Background

The interfacing is easy to cut and smoothly install!

I put the leftover pieces to use to add some color to the corkstrips!

Just a small detail that makes a HUGE impact behind the posters I hung up!  

Think about the small details that will make a BIG difference in your classroom design!

Happy Finishing!

Amy

Smartly Designed Word Work: Tile Tuesday

Even though computers and iPads make great programs and Apps  to help students learn words, they also enjoy learning their spelling words with fun and creative tiles.  Last year, we had Tile Tuesday in our classroom. 


I spent the summer making 18 sets of creative "Puddles".  The students enjoyed working with them.  This year my puddles will be used everyday as part of our Reading Workshop rotation.  Here are some others that I created:







 

Students liked the creative names I gave them and the creative storage containers.  I bought the glass puddles at the Dollar Store and modged podged  paper on the back with a letter sticker.  Some of the small puddles I just stuck a letter sticker on the top of the glass.  For other ideas I raided the toy closet at our house.  (Legos)
I bought pieces of felt that matched each set to quiet the puddles on the kids' desks.

There's nothing like smartly designed materials to motivate students! 

Happy Puddling!

Amy