ClassDojo can be used in upper elementary, too! It's a fun way to reward positive behaviors. FREE ClassDojo resources included!

I facilitated a lesson with 4th graders that involved spaghetti, marshmallows, and cooperation! I divided the class into groups of three or ...

Use these pictures and ideas to create and use these awesome Classroom Management Anchor Charts. Teach rules and procedures for all classroom supplies.

How to go about developing a curriculum that takes into account both your students’ abilities and the initiatives of your building and district.

Reward tags are a great classroom management technique that focuses on positive reinforcement. This Christian reward tag set is perfect for a Christian classroom, VBS, Sunday School or even homeschool. Comes in color and in black and white!

Celebrating classroom birthdays is the kind of thing that made me feel a lot of pressure when I first started teaching. I didn’t realize that my kids would be grateful for just any kind of acknowledgement. I didn’t know (for some reason) that I should plan to give them all identical things. I just d

Curriculum mapping is an essential skill for educators. Curriculum Mapping ensures a teacher teaches all the standards for the grade level by mapping out what…

(Otherwise known as a "Girly Toga.") For all my lovely girls in the chorus. You will need: 1 White Sheet--you could maybe get away with a twin size if you're really, really small, but queen size would probably be better 2 Large-ish safety pins or brooches The picture above gives you a guide for folding, but just for clarity, here are written instructions. 1. Obtain a sheet. This is a very important step. 2. Fold the sheet down hamburger style until it is as long as the length between your shoulders and ankles. Depending on your height, this may be a only a foot or you may have to fold it in half. 3. Now, keeping the top folded down, fold the sheet in half hotdog style. 4. Hold the folded sheet up in front of you. Make a pretty face. Good? Ok, find where you want the shoulder straps to be (allow for a little draping around the neckline and make sure to leave room for your arm to get through on the folded side.) 5. Overlap the top edges and pin them together for the shoulder straps. And that's it! We'll have ribbons for you at rehearsal, but if you want to go parade for your family, just tie a belt or sash around your waist, overlapping the open side first. For the play, here's what you should have on underneath: White tights or leggings and a white cami or shirt. I'm perfectly fine with either, so if you don't want your arms naked go ahead and wear a shirt. I'd also recommend spankies, especially for while you're doing the storm. And don't forget your ballet slippers! Break a leg, girlies. For copyright purposes, the image was found here. I wrote the instructions all by myself, though.

You can’t have a preschool classroom without music! But if you’re a tone deaf preschool teacher like I am, putting together a music curriculum can be a daunting task. These are some of my go-to resources for music in my classroom. Free Music Nancy Stewart has a hundreds of free songs available to download on her website. […]

Starting your year off right is a MUST! I like to make my students' first day of school rich with information but also fun and memorable. Here are some of my MUST-DO first day of school activities: 1. Hold a Class Meeting I still remember taking a special ed class in college and my wonderful professor talking about holding class meetings with her students. This is something I've taken away with me ever since and have used class meetings on the first day of school for the last 10 years. The kids and I absolutely love them, and I really think these meetings help to set the tone for the year to come. Here's How: Have your students sit in a large circle on the floor (sometimes it turns out looking more like an oval, but that's fine). Explain the rules to the kids. My rules are as follows: 1. You may only talk when you have the stuffed animal in your hand. 2. You do not have to share, but you must listen. 3. You may not have any private conversations. Pose a question or prompt My favorite question to start with is "What would your dream teacher be like?" I usually start off the conversation with my stuffed chihuahua in hand, and then I pass the chihuahua clockwise. As students share their responses, I jot down each answer in a personal notebook or post it on the Smartboard. Jotting responses in a notebook allows me to keep a record of what my students really love in a teacher. Next, I like to tell students to "Describe your dream classroom." Again, this gives me a glimpse into what my students like in a classroom community. This is such valuable information! Sometimes I guide the conversations a bit if I see my kids are stuck on the same types of answers. For example, I might ask something like, "Do you like hands on activities? Do you like to listen to music while working?" Not only is a class meeting great to hold on the first day of school, but it's also helpful to use when starting off the week, addressing certain problems occurring inside or outside of the classroom, or as a sort of pep talk before important tests or events. 2. Use Cooperative Learning Structures to Teach Routines and Procedures Even if you're not big on using cooperative learning in the classroom, it's still great to have your students prepared and ready to participate in different structures should the time come. One of the first ways to do this is to make sure your students know which table group and seat number they're sitting at. I like to make it sort of a game/challenge to point to each group one at a time and see if they know which table, and later, seat number they're at. Then, I speed up my pointing and go out of order to try to trick the students. They love it as I point faster and faster and try to mix them up! In my room, students sit in table groups of anywhere from 4-6 people. I number off my front tables from left to right as tables 1, 2, and 3. The back two tables are numbered 4 and 5. As far as seat numbers go, I start with the seat closest to the front, farthest to the left and work clockwise. The more we practice, the better students get at knowing which seat number they are. For example, I might say, "Person 4, collect all the rulers from your table. Person 2, clean up the post-it notes." Now that students know their group and seat number, I can practice a few cooperative learning structures with them as I teach routines and procedures. You can always start with the tried and true "Think-Pair-Share" where students turn and talk to their shoulder partner. Students can elaborate on your homework policy, absent work procedures, assignment collection, etc. as they take turns sharing with a partner. Before you do this, make sure students know who their shoulder partner and face partner are. This will help you save time down the line without having to worry about students arguing over who's partners with who. A Round Robin structure is always an efficient way to make sure all students at a table group get the opportunity to share or discuss a topic. After you teach a procedure, have students take turns around their table or row, sharing the steps of that procedure. Or, you can ask students to give an opinion, ask a question, share a comment, etc. The possibilities are endless, and what's so awesome about this structure is all students have to be involved. Keeping your overview of your routines and procedures student-involved ensures your class is listening to and learning about what's of the utmost importance to you. Students are participating in a RoundRobin structure. They are taking turns to share answers from an activity they had just completed. 3. Play a Game to Review Class Routines and Procedures As a kid, I remember how excited and nervous I used to get for the first day of school. I couldn't wait to see my new classroom, meet my new teacher, and become reunited with my friends. However, I also remember finding myself quite bored as I sat inside the classroom listening to my teacher spatting off the rules, routines, and procedures of my new classroom. This is why I realized along the way that kids respond much better to learning this new information when things are engaging! Why not play a game to make sure your pertinent information is sinking in? Here's How: 1. Put a list of routines and procedures together that you want your students to know about right from the start of school. 2. Now that you've put together a list, create questions about these routines and procedures. Since I have a Smartboard, I use the Smart Notebook software to create a multiple choice quiz. 3. Decide how you want your students to answer these questions. Are they going to work in groups? Partners? Independently? Whole group? 4. If students are working in groups or with partners, you can have them play a board game at the same time, or simply award table points, a round of applause, a cheer, etc. for correct answers. I like to use the free game board I found online. Board Game: To play the board game, provide each group with dice. One dice for each group will suffice. Put up the first question on the Smartboard. Person 1 in each group will need to answer the question. I then check to see that all groups have a thumb up which means they've answered the question. Next, I reveal the correct answer or poll the class. If Person 1 gets the answer correct, they get to roll the dice and move ahead on the game board. If he or she was incorrect, he/she does not get to roll the dice. Now it's Person 2's turn, and I then move on to question 2 on the Smartboard. This continues until all questions have been answered. Sample question I ask my students. I DO NOT let students use my sharpener! LOL! Those things are way too expensive! :) Here's what the game board and game pieces look like. I like to laminate the boards and little cars. *** To find free game boards, simply search for "Free Game Boards" on Pinterest or even online. If you'd like this game board, please email me at: [email protected] 4. Engage in a Getting to Know You Ice Breaker Many kids come back to school nervous and afraid of change and the unknown. I know I still get that way myself at times, so a good ice breaker is always a fun way to get kids to communicate with others and get to know their classmates a bit better. I have a few for sale which you can find using the links below. You can also find many free versions online. I have a Give One Get One in the first link below, and in the second two links I've bundled various engaging activities which include different ice breakers along with the prompts of Depth and Complexity. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Classbuilding-Find-Someone-Who-1622973”>Back to School Classbuilding Find Someone Who This bundle introduces each of the original Depth and Complexity icons with the use of a worksheet, activity, or game. It even includes a "Getting to Know You" page for the first week of school as well as a Give One Get One. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Depth-and-Complexity-and-The-New-Year-2940762”>Depth and Complexity and The New Year This pack includes lots of fun activities, like the one below, to get your students using and practicing the prompts of Depth and Complexity. These activities will challenge, yet engage your students even if they have no prior knowledge of Depth and Complexity. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Depth-and-Complexity-Frames-Games-and-Activities-Pack-2645396”>Back to School Depth and Complexity Frames, Games, and Activities Pack 5. Create Your Class Rules Together If you've read any of my previous blog posts, then you might have figured out that I really love cooperative learning structures! :) A student favorite is called "Jot Thoughts". What I like to do on the first day of school is combine Jot Thoughts with the creation of our class rules. This way, the kids have a buy-in into our rules of the classroom because they feel like they are part of the process--which they are! The good news is you can totally work your magic and make sure that your most important rules are included in the final draft, even if they weren't mentioned prior. You are the teacher, after all... ;) Here's How: 1. Seat students in small groups. I like groups of 4-6 kids best. 2. Hand each student a small slip of paper. I love the colored packs of lined slips from Dollar Tree, but any paper will do. You can even use lined paper and have students cut or tear it in half, and share the other half with a neighbor. 3. Model how to tear the paper into small pieces large enough for students to be able to write a sentence or command on. Explain to students that they'll be brainstorming class rules for the classroom and writing each individual rule down on each individual piece of the torn paper. 4. Explain to students that as they write down their rule, they must state what it is to their teammates so that no one else in the group will come up with the same rule more than once (it will still happen no matter what, but this helps a bit). For example, a student might write and say, "Raise your hand to speak." After they write the rule down, they will push the piece of paper to the corner of their desk, or you can have the group form one big pile. 5. When time runs out (you can set a timer), or when you see that most groups are slowing down, you will ask each group to figure out the rules that they think are best and be prepared to share some of them with the rest of the class. 6. From here, I take turns calling on each group and asking for one rule that hasn't been mentioned yet which they feel should be part of our class. As each group shares, I record these ideas either on the Smartboard, white board, or a piece of paper. 7. Finally, after I've heard from each group once or twice, we vote on our top 5-7 rules. It's up to you how many rules you'd like to have in your classroom, but that's about how many I usually choose. Again, if you notice the kids forgot something important, you can ask them about it. For example, "I noticed that we haven't mentioned anything about being on task at all times. How many of you think this is important for our classroom?" I then write it on the board. 8. Sometimes we combine two ideas together if the voting is close and they fit together nicely. 9. Now you can either write down the rules on your poster while the kids are busy, or wait until after school and post it for the next day. :) Another way to figure out your class rules is to try this Depth and Complexity Frame FREEBIE! Not only will your students come up with class rules, but they will also respond to other prompts. Click on the link below to get your FREEBIE! Freebie Link: https://teach2learncoach.blogspot.com/2016/07/back-to-school-depth-and-complexity.html 6. Give Out a Student Interest/Reading Interest Survey Getting to know your students' likes and dislikes is so imperative, so why not start on the first day of school? I love to give students an interest survey to get to know them better right off the bat and have something tangible with me that I can refer back to when creating lesson plans and activities. For example, if I know my students love a certain song, I may play it during transitions or even during Mix-Pair-Share. If I know my kids love Pokemon, I may mention some of the characters in my math word problems or examples. The possibilities are endless! Here's one from Scholastic: https://teachables.scholastic.com/teachables/books/student-interest-survey-9780439303026_028.html 7. Teach a Quick Lesson About Kindness/Acceptance/Diversity/etc. This doesn't have to be done on the first day of school, but I feel like it's a great way to build a sense of unity, compassion, and community in the classroom. My personal favorite is to read the story Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes to my students. In the story, the main character, a little mouse named Chrysanthemum, gets bullied because of her long and unusual name. The activity is detailed below. Here's How: 1. Locate, print, and cut out a picture of Chrysanthemum. 2. Gather a pair of scissors and some tape. 3. You'll need the book for this part. You can find a recorded reading of the book on YouTube if you don't have it already. Read the story to your students. As you read, cut Chrysanthemum with your scissors every time a character makes fun of Chrysanthemum, but don't tell your students why you're doing this. 4. Each time a character is nice to Chrysanthemum, put a piece of tape on one of her wounds. 5. When the story's over, explain to your class that even though you covered Chrysanthemum's wounds with tape, they were still visible and don't disappear. Relate this to the real world to really hit home. 6. Keep the Chrysanthemum cutout hanging as a reminder about kindness. Here's a YouTube reading of the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2pCR8YHszM 8. Close the Day with a FUN Classbuilding Activity After perusing proteacher.net years ago, I came across an awesome forum all about first day of school activities. This is where I first learned about the super fun classbuilding activity, "Saving Fred". I read how students always raved about and remembered this engaging challenge, so I decided to give it a try. Boy were those teachers right! On the last day of school, when my students fill out my teacher created yearbook pages, most always list "Saving Fred" as their most memorable moment for the year. Kids work in teams (I use table groups) to get Fred, a colorful little gummy worm, back into his life preserver (a gummy saver). The catch is that the students can only use paperclips and teamwork to make this happen. To find this activity, simply search "Saving Fred" on Pinterest or on the Web. You can even find free flow maps students can use to record and illustrate the steps they took to "save Fred". After each team is finished, we always have a nice talk about teamwork and cooperation. These are just some of the engaging things you can do on the first day of school. I'd love to hear some of your ideas too! Please comment below about your favorite activities for the first day of school. :)

So by now, I am sure you've heard about flexible, or alternative, seating in the classroom. Am I right? Basically it means providing a lot of different seating options for students to use throughout the day rather than only traditional desks and chairs. If you're wondering what the fuss is all about, or are curious but don't know where to begin- you are in the right place! I've used a variety of seating options in my first grade room for the last 7 years and I can't wait to share some ideas with you. Before you go thinking you need to get rid of every desk and table in your classroom, I am here to share ways you can "take baby steps" towards a classroom transformation without breaking the bank. ** I have included a few links in this post to my favorite seating options and classroom must haves. These are affiliate links which means I earn a small commission at no cost to you, if you decide to shop :) What's wrong with traditional seating? First of all....nothing! Students have learned fine in desks and chairs for years. No one is saying you need to auction off your organs to be able to pay for couches and dining room tables and who knows what else for your classroom. (Not that they wouldn't look awesome if you had the space!) Flexible, or alternative seating is a choice, and one that I happen to believe strongly in after years of testing it out. If you're anything like me you may realize you even work better in your favorite recliner or spread out in bed than stuck in a hard chair! After refining my teaching style, I realized my kids don't really sit at their desks very often anyways. So, I slowly started making a change and have added a few new pieces each year. The purpose is to help our kids who may be a little wigglier than others, or who may learn best in a position other than sitting at a desk, find a comfortable way to learn. The goal is to create a classroom where each students' needs are met academically, behaviorally, emotionally, etc. Routines At my school, I don't have the option of removing desks so I have had to get creative with how I can change up seating. At the beginning of the year everyone starts out in a regular desk chair. There's enough energy and chaos with a bunch of barely out of Kindergarten kids for me to throw a whole bunch of bouncy seats into the mix. #truestory As we slowly learn station routines and I allow kids to chose a space to work around the room, I am also very intentional in having them try different seating options. After a few rounds we always come back as a group and discuss what went well with a seating option and what didn't. The goal is to help them find a seat that they feel is comfortable, and that helps them focus. I am honest with them- if it makes them want to play....that is not the seat for them (at least not at this time). The discussions and reflections are key! Oh, I also give them the run down of the rules and best practices with a certain seating option before they try it. For example...the yoga balls are to be used as chairs. I should not see them kicking them. Or throwing them. Or pretending they are Godzilla and destroying someone's work by rolling over it. You get the idea. And yes, every time we introduce a new seating option, or a new student arrives, we go through the expectations. Days Don't Always Look the Same At some points in the day we gather on the carpet as a whole group, usually without special seats except for maybe a few kids with wiggle cushions as needed. Remember, it's not about everyone getting a seat all the time. The goal really is to help them focus. Everyone DOESN'T need a special seat all day long. Other times kids sit at desks or at tables and can choose a cushion for their chair, yoga ball, etc. to use. Most choose a regular chair and that's fine with me too. They at least have the option. And finally during station time (I use the Daily 5 framework) they can spread out wherever they want for independent practice. This is when the scoop rockers, rugs, tray tables, and other seating options really come in to play. Stations are done...those big seats get stacked back up until the next time they move around the room (usually during math stations). Remember, flexible seating doesn't have to look the same for every child. And your room definitely doesn't have to look like someone else's. Also, I'll the honest. The OCD/ADD in me goes a little nutty with the movement, nonmatching seats at desks, wiggling around etc. but I have to get over it. It's not about me. It's ALL for them. Storage Like I said, I have to keep my desks and chairs. I keep the majority of my seating options in one area of my room. I stack my scoop rockers on top of low book shelves, along with a wiggle stool and yoga balls. I store rolled rugs and bathmats here too. The blue wiggle seats are usually always out on someone's chair but start here at the beginning of the year. I also use a laundry basket to store some pillows and a giant bean bag chair (shown above). Some options like the stools and crate seats are always at a table as their home base but kids do move them around the room as needed. To make the bench in the library I zip-tied 3 sturdy milk crates together and then screwed on a plywood/foam/vinyl top. Seating Options Now the good stuff!! Here are some honest reviews of what's worked and what hasn't in my first grade classroom. Remember, every group of kids is different so what works for me (or doesn't) might have the opposite result for you- it's worth a try! Wiggle Cushions The first seat I started using years ago were these wiggle cushions. You just inflate them with a little pump as full as you'd like. They have a pokey side and a smoother side. I leave it up to my kids to decide which side feels best for them. I started with 2 and now have 8. These stay out on chairs all day to be used at desks. Sometimes kids will take them to the carpet to sit on during whole group. I try to make sure the kids I KNOW need one (sensory concerns or diagnosed ADHD) have first choice if they want to use one, if not the rest are up for grabs. Yoga Balls A few years ago I was part of a pilot program that provided one yoga ball and holder to every child in my room. I was thrilled! It was the flexible seating I had always dreamed of. Then reality hit. Kids were constantly chasing balls around the room. Some saw them as toys to be bounced, kicked, or rolled even after MULTIPLE reminders. And the donut shaped ring was just one more thing to deal with. Don't get me wrong, some kids did amazingly well with them. BUT, the experience reminded me that a one size fits all approach wasn't what I had ever been about, and wasn't going to work for my kids. I gave most of the yoga balls to a different class and only kept a few as an option. I also bought some with the udder shaped legs. These I highly recommend. I have the yellow and orange. The little legs on there helped stop them from rolling away and they were viewed more as chairs than toys. They also have a donut shaped version that I am ordering to try this year, I'll let you know how it goes! Of course regular yoga balls can work great for some. I suggest trying. But remember it's okay to baby step in and try one or two before going all in full force. Stools I LOVE all of the Hokki Stools and Wobble Chairs that I have seen online. These are next on my list of wish list items. For now, I have one that I bought on Scholastic with bonus points. Did you know they had seating options?? So fun! My kids like being able to spin a bit while also rocking. It does seem to scratch up our floor a bit so I have them put a mat under it just in case. I also found 4 wooden stools at a yard sale that I spray painted to match my classroom. My kids like putting these at counters or taller tables to work a bit higher up. Scoop Rockers You can find these at Big Lots, Walmart, or even online at Wayfair and Amazon for about $6-7 each. They recommend a 50 pound weight limit but my first graders have never had a problem, even at the end of the year. Basically my kids love sitting on the carpet with these because they get to rock or lean back a bit. I do have to occasionally remind them not to tip over but they usually do well with them They are a class favorite for sure!! Rugs/Mats I work at a Montessori school so I inherited a lot of woven rugs when I began working there. My kids grab a rug to place on the floor and just roll it up when they are finished. I love them because it gets them to spread out around the room in a way that's a little more comfortable than a cold tile floor. Plus, they don't have to argue over space on the carpet. I also picked up a few fuzzy bath mats in the Back to School section of Walmart last year that are a little more cushy and foam based. Any memory foam bath mats or fuzzy mats would work well! And of course my ocean obsession wouldn't be complete without a Dory bath mat :) Tray Tables Now these aren't necessarily seating options, but they do make working from the floor (rug, scoop rocker, etc.) a lot easier!! I was a craft store creeper last year and went back every day for a week so I could use a 50% off coupon each time haha. #teacherbudget You can find them online but honestly they aren't worth the $20, I was happy with my $3 deals :) My kids LOVE them and I plan to add more to my room next year. I keep them stored along with my other seating options when they aren't in use. Well, I hope you've been able to find some new ways to add flexible seating to your classroom- whether that means baby stepping in and trying something new, or expanding on an already impressive collection- I wish you luck! Have a favorite I need to try? Let me know in the comments! Want to save this post for later? Pin here:

Discover new classroom ideas for classroom management, decor, organization, storage, desk layouts, fun ideas and more!

Looking for a great bell ringer activity to start class each day? Full Year of Writing/Discussion Prompts - 180 Bell Ringers Used in over 3,500 classrooms and now available using Google Slides, too! I've always tried finding ways of having fewer verbal interruptions in class. One day, while standing in a deli, I realized that the other customers and I knew exactly when our turn was because of the "ding!" of the bell and the number that was displayed on the monitor. That's when it hit me! That night I created my own deli-style system as a way to let students know when it was their turn to conference with me. This took the anxiety out of not knowing when it was their turn to come up, and allowed them to keep working with a subtle notification as to who was next. I've used this to conference with students about work, goal-setting, questions or concerns, and as just a general way to connect with students. They especially like it if you let them click the mouse to make the "ding!" sound for the next person. NOTE: THIS FILE HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SET UP TIMED CONFERENCES AS WELL AS HOW TO RANDOMIZE THE ORDER OF THE SLIDES FYI: I have only used this with Microsoft PowerPoint on a PC and have never tried using this with an Apple device Another way I’ve used this that has worked well in the past is by using this “deli-style” system for finding out different types of information. How this works is every student is handed a ticket when they walk into class. I, then, pull up my “Deli-Style” PowerPoint (which actually has a bell sound like at a real deli) that lets students know they have five seconds to stand up and share once their number is up. Kids love it! Questions might be: •What are you doing this weekend? •What is a goal you have for this quarter? •How were you helpful yesterday? The possibilities are endless with this one. 30 kids in class, 5 seconds each, takes only 2 – ½ minutes to get kids up and sharing a question they can easily answer in a safe environment that is fun and fast-paced. It hasn’t failed me...yet. Note: Be sure to save the sound file in the same folder as the PowerPoint to get the "ding!" SEE THIS PRODUCT FEATURED ON RACHEL LYNETTE'S BLOG: MINDS IN BLOOM FOR THE BEST DEAL CHECK OUT MY LARGEST BUNDLE: Middle School Social Studies Resources to Supplement Your Curriculum: 150+ Resources! For Some "Just for Fun" Activities: Create a Revolutionary War Caricature Create a Civil War Caricature Veterans Day Caricatures Connect with Surviving Social Studies... Be sure to follow my TpT store by clicking on the ‘Follow Me’ next to my logo to receive notifications of new products and upcoming sales Follow me on Pinterest Follow me on Instagram Follow me on www.surviviongsocialstudies.com Thanks for stopping by! Surviving Social Studies Terms of Use: Copyright ©Surviving Social Studies. All rights reserved by author. This product is to be used by the original downloader only. Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited. This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Clipart and elements found in this PDF are copyrighted and cannot be extracted and used outside of this file without permission or license. Intended for classroom and personal use ONLY.

Technology that teaches kids to use their inside voice.

Organizing School Testing

The past few months my students have been making feathers for a group mural. This idea was inspired by my friend and celebrity in the art community, Cassie Stephens! Head on over to her blog and check out her magical art teacher'n treasures at Cassie Stephen's Blog!! Her original inspo was international street artist, Kelsey Montague. Her inspiring murals challenge people to ask the question "What Lifts you" "What makes your heart Soar?" My students are going to be writing about their passions and inspirations that "lifts" them! I want each student that comes to my art class to feel as though they are walking out with wings on their back, so they can bravely rise up to their dreams with courage and passion! I want them to feel confident in themselves and know that the sky is the limit! First, students painted on watercolor paper with tempera paint using a value gradient of tints and shades using one color plus black on the left and white on the right. They had to blend the colors so thet the different shades did not look like stripes One group did primary and secondary colors red, orange, yellow, green blue, and violet. The next group would paint intermediate colors, red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red=violet Fourth and fifth graders used 9' by 24' paper and 3rd graders used smaller paper the next class, students then traced different shapes of feathers using white prisma color pencils and cut them out then they decorated them with unique lines and designs with white prisma color pencils My wonderful and extremely talented student teacher, Naz Kaya Erdal and I layed them out on three large sheets of black butcher paper until the feathers looked symmetrical. Once we finished the shape, we taped each feather down to the paper with painter's tape Then I hung that bad boy with TONS and tons and TONS of staples!! The next morning the kids were SO excited to find their feathers turned into GIANT wings!!! I hope the parents who come to visit will snap a pic in front of the wings and post to #ArtisFly and #riseupandsoar hashtags for social media!

There are eight different types of verb. definition: verb is a word or a group of words used in a sentence to exhibit an action.

Today I am linking up with Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week Day 2: Where? Since I teach at four elementary schools, I have four classrooms to decorate. Yes..you heard me! Four! Good thing decorating is one of my absolute favorite things to do! Nothing is better than crafting in my book! I love that I can change things up at each school to make each one unique. Even though I share two of my classrooms with art, I still try to keep it cute! But don't worry, I am not going to show you ALL of my schools! :) So for today, I am going to be showing my largest classroom (biggest school). It is the one I spent the majority of my time getting ready during the summer. I have actually already done my classroom reveal in the music world, but I would love to show you, too! Here are pictures of my classroom before I added my personal touch. These photos were actually taken two years ago, but I really didn't change much during my first two years of teaching. I knew it was time for an extreme makeover, the Jena way! So after many, many hours and lots of helping hands from my hubs and my teacher BFF, Lindsey, here is the NEW and IMPROVED music room!!!! I am very lucky to work in a supportive school district! They allowed us to paint our classrooms this year, and the school has totally transformed! I first got rid of the 20 year old wallpaper and added a splash of paint! Ok...maybe a little more than a splash...I painted my front wall a sky blue, while the side and back walls are painted a light green. It has definitely brightened up my dingy room and created a cheery learning and creating musical environment. In my classroom, I have a songbird theme. My students are referred to as songbirds in our newsletters and social media outlets! They love it :) My bestie, Lindsey, also incorporated a bird theme in her classroom this year. As a result, we created the silhouette birds to 'fly' around our classrooms and tissue poms to serve as clouds. She also inspired me to purchase and incorporate the School Girl Style silhouettes around my classroom. The package came with a swinging girl that fit perfectly with my corner tree that my mother-in-law painted. Check out the silhouettes and all the other adorableness in Lindsey's kindergarten classroom. This adorable boy silhouette was created to hold balloons, but what better way to incorporate a musical theme with a recorder in hand! I think it worked out perfectly and is placed by my door as my students say goodbye in music class. After searching on Pinterest, I found this silhouette girl with recorder balloons and knew I HAD to incorporate it into my music classroom! I found some old records, which happened to be kid themed, and placed the beauty on a large empty wall! I am in LOVE with the way it turned out! Here is another view of the balloon girl! I also painted my doors and windowsills, then added some cute curtains! On my other LARGE blank and boring wall, I added a display of Boomwhackers, practical and pretty! I simply added a strip of velcro to the wall and a small piece on the tube. Now, students can quickly grab the Boomwhacker they need instead of me digging through a laundry basket! On my last wall, I cut out letters for the above picture on my Cricut machine! It is in the perfect view spot in my room for my administrators and other teachers to see the cross curricular connections of music! I wanted a tree in my classroom to enhance my classroom theme, but also to give the students a whimsical atmosphere. So I added the tissue poms for leaves and created an instrument paradise :) All of my Orff instruments are placed in this corner. I also added an updated bookcase with labeled containers for smaller percussion instruments. I painted the bookshelf and added contact paper to the back. All my other instruments are stored in a closet. Underneath my dry erase board, I placed recorder fingering posters. This placement is easy for students to see and provide a quick reference if need be. I also made seat crates that are stored underneath my dry erase board. I created labels to attach with binder rings. For these crates, I stored movement props, such as parachutes and scarves, puppets, and masks. By having them in the front of the room, they are easy to access. Not only are my items neatly organized, but I can pull these crates out for a quick spot to sit for story telling or role playing. Next to my board, I have a set of Solfege hand signs and my classroom rules! These are easy to see from any angle in the classroom, especially for those little troublemakers. To create more room for movement, I got rid of my big, hunk of metal desk and computer table. I was thrilled to get rid of my desktop and the table with it! After getting rid of both, I then had a minor freak out moment of "Where will I put all the little things?" As a result, I found an adorable table/desk at Office Depot that solved my problems. I moved my desk to a corner of my room, and viola, here is my small, but perfect, workspace! I gave my filing cabinets a makeover, added a homey lamp, and reupholstered my desk chair (mother-in-law to the rescue again!). Added some Washi tape to take this plain desk organizer to a cute desk organizer! I also added a touch of Washi tape to the edge of my desk for some cohesion :) For all the 'tiny' things, I made a Teacher Toolbox on top of my bookcase! You can also see some more Washi tape ;) Want these labels?! There are editable ones on my TPT store here. Here is my new corner! Still need to add a cork board above my desk and finish that bulletin board :) I also have two bulletin boards completed: one is in the hallway and one is used for our class rewards system. Found out more about them here! Thanks for taking a step into my music classroom!

Early Finishers Activities are a must in your classroom. We have all heard the dreaded, "I'm Done, Now What?" Usually, it comes right when you are in the

Before back to school, I posted about my bulletin boards here. Today we have a work in our rooms day and this bulletin board got a slight makeover so that it is now ready for Autumn. I always feel like I am way too busy to change my bulletin boards, so they usually stay up all year, but this is a small change that took less than 10 minutes and will be a "fresh" look for me and my students. To change out the colors, I pre-cut out the circles from scrapbook paper, and then paper clipped it over the top of my green circles until I had the colors and patterns arranged in a way that I liked. Then I took the green circles down and stapled these up! Quick and easy! If you are interested, I have a "Bird Themed Bulletin Board Set" available on my TPT store that has lettering counts and the adorable printable birds for the board above as well as this board: Click on the picture below to check it out! How often do you change your bulletin boards? What are some of your favorite bulletin board designs? Do you have any time saving bulletin board tips? Also, I just found this awesome bluebird knitting pattern FREE on pinterest. He would be perfect for "Bluebird, Bluebird Through My Window" and some vocal exploration. I need to do some begging to the knitters I know! Picture and pattern by Sara Elizabeth Kellner Click here to get the free pattern for this darling bird! Lindsay

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If you’ve ever been told you’re way too into your job, welcome home, friend. This place was built for you.

What a great way to globalize the hallway at school: awesome bulletin board ideas to expose your kids to languages around the world!