Teaching students rules and procedures is a skill in itself. You have to learn to teach it and then reinforce them while doing it in an engaging way. In this article, I'll give you some ideas of how to teach your students your classroom routines and expectations in a fun and engaging way.
STEM stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math”. In education, STEM is a subject that includes mostly project-based learning where students work together to solve a pr…
1 million years ago (ok, actually 14) when I walked into my first art room there was absolutely nothing in it. Other than tables and chairs, there were no supplies, no white board, no decor. Nada. I had taken a job at a brand new beautiful school which certainly had it’s perks (clean, brand new, not having to inherit a
Here’s a few classroom procedures that have worked well for me – and a couple awesome ideas I’ve run across since I’ve stepped out of the classroom...
We are enjoying our art room jobs this year. After thinking about the daily jobs that we do in the art room, I listed the six most frequent tasks. Last year I had a "helper table" that helped with everything that day. This year, I am giving each table a job to do each week. The color for each job stays the same for the entire week for all of my classes to make it manageable. If we are not painting, the table that would handle washing the brushes does "quality control". Otherwise, my job is quality controller. So far, the kids seem excited for all of the jobs and are taking pride in them.
I've had such a love-hate relationship with data notebooks over the years. I've always worked in "Baldrige" schools that have required every teacher to have a data wall and every student to have a data notebook. My first few years in the classroom, this would be something that I spent my first week of school
I think the number one question I get from teachers is "how do you handle classroom management"? I do have a system and I have had it for 13 years. It really works for me and I get a whole lot of work out of the kids because we have more time to focus on art and less time figuring out who is getting what or who is putting it all away. This is the system I use, you should find ways that will make your classroom run smooth as well. One system does not work for everyone but you are welcome to use mine if it works for you. Classroom Management System- 1. Supply management- I have one overall classroom manager in each class who acts a "mini-me". This person is the only one allowed to walk up to me without raising their hand. If you have a supply need you ask your table manager if you have an art question you can ask others at your table or raise your hand an I will come help you. Other wise everyone is expected to stay in their seat or in their area during class. Classroom managers keep their jobs all year and when ever possible they keep their jobs year after year. Cuts way down on the retraining process time. We hit the ground running each new school year. I do remind students each year that I do not have favorites we just need a quick way to get everything accomplished. I emphasize that the art room is based on team work...we are all on the same team. The manager system you set up and start right away...the team building thing takes some time. Try and develop a culture and attitude in your art room, it will differently help with behavior management. I pick classroom managers who seem to be class leaders, are very calm and seem to just know how to get things done. They also do not mind taking orders from me or working very hard while still being able to get all their own projects finished. It is the classroom managers job to do a final quality check at the end of class to make sure "their" art room is ready. At the end of they year I do have a party for all the classroom managers... I owe them that much for how hard they all work. Supply manager--The supply manager is the second in command under the classroom manager. This person is the overseer of all supplies and table caddies the room. It is their ultimate responsibility to make sure all the table managers put away the supplies correctly. They also help me pass out random things that I do not have a job manager for. In addition to the classroom manager and the supply managers I have one table manager at each table. The table managers keep their jobs all year long or as long as they choose to keep it. It is a lot of work. I remind students our most important goal in the art room is to create art. The faster we get supplies the faster we are working on our art. The table managers are in charge of getting all the supplies for their table. They do this at the beginning of class and through out the entire class. The table manager is also responsible for making sure everything gets put away correctly for their table and the table is clean before everyone lines up. Everyone else at the table is in charge of keeping the table clean during class, the table supplies organized and the floor around their table swept. I have a small broom on a hook at the end of each table. I remind students it is important to stay out of the managers way at the end of class so they can get the room ready for the next class so please help them but getting your tables put together and in order. It's a team thing! On top of the table managers and the classroom manager jobs there are a few other very important jobs in my art room these managers are-- Sink/Paint manager- The paint manager is in charge of all things paint and anything by the sink. The paint manager helps the table managers put out, pick-up and restock paint. They also help me with every thing that has anything to do with the sink area. The classroom manager also helps the paint manager. When my paint order comes in I just have the paint manager and a couple of helpers pop out all the pods into color coordinated bins. They love this job! Paper Passer/picker-upper/drying rack manager--This student hands out all new project papers, old project papers and any special papers to everyone. They also pick up all the papers when the class works as a group. Otherwise I have a yellow turn-in basket were everyone puts their dry projects on their own when they finish a project during class. The paper passer is also in charge of the drying rack when we turn wet projects in as a group at the end of class. Otherwise as soon as a student is finished with a wet project they may put their work on the drying rack and get their journal. Journal/library manager--The journal manager keeps all the journals at his or her table in a basket. When a student is finished with their projects they know to go to the journal manager and get their journal out of the basket. The journal manager helps me help all the kids bind their journals together at the start of school, which is really helpful. The journal manager is also in charge of keeping the library and the journal station clean. I let the journal manager pick their own helper to assist them in organizing the journal station...it's a really big job sometimes. The journal manager is also in charge of helping me pass out random supplies I do not have job managers for. Clay manager--This person's job is to assist me with all things clay, paper mâché and 3D. I have a seating chart and the students with jobs sit in the same place for that job in every class. This way I am not always looking for the job person I need. For example all the classroom managers sit at the head of the orange table. That is because it is right next to where I stand to take roll and end class. All the supply managers for each class sit in the first chair at the Yellow table...this is because it is closest to the supply rack. All the paper passers for all the classes sit at the second seat at the Red table because it is closest to the paper cabinet. All the journal managers in all the classes sit at the 3rd chair of the blue table because it is at the center of the room and all the kids come to this person to get their journals. It is centrally located. This system is great for subs as well, when everyone knows their job and the sub has to do very little it is great for keeping the room clean. The jobs are marked on the seating chart so the sub can find the person with the right job to help them fast. My tables are color coded with ribbons above them hanging from the celling: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet. If I have an overflow of students some years there is also and Indigo table I use. All the table managers sit at the head of their tables. I have a cool side manager and a warm side manger as well. This person is in charge when a warm or cool side table manager is absent. The classroom manager is also in charge of any other manager job if that person is absent. This cuts down on "can I be manager x today our manager is absent". There is a plan in place for absent students. Students put their names on the backs of all their papers and also include their classroom teacher's name in case the paper is misplaced and their table color. Having the table color helps get the papers passed out much faster. I do not use the my management system in kindergarten. For these little ones I tell them the people who are paying attention and following directions get to be my helpers. If you would like more details on my management system just e-mail me at [email protected] This is a flow chart I use when kids say "what do I do next". There is a laminated copy in each table caddy on each table in case they forget, which they always do even though it has not changed in 13 years. I just say go look at your flow chart. 2. Behavior Management- I am a huge believer in Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk. This management system totally changed the way I teach, manage my classroom, deal with other people and really...live my life. I swear by it. It helps to teach with less distractions. I started my teaching career at a title one school in Houston, Texas with lots of behavior issues. I wanted to quit after the first month. This was the year hurricane Katrina hit and we got so many new kids from New Orleans we had to add a teacher to each grade level. Some of these sweet kids could not even write their names correctly in the 3rd grade. In my 3rd year of teaching my school implemented the Love and Logic system and it really chanced the culture and environment of our school. If you ever need a good book to read...this is the one. I use to give points and rewards in every form imaginable. I quit doing that a couple years ago and I have been so much happier ever since. I make sure the kids are busy from start to finish, walk around the room a lot...I mean A LOT, I am everywhere. I sit with the kids and work on the same project they are doing or I work on my art journal. I want them to see me working right along side them. I try to catch fires before they start and I take the Love and Logic approach to putting out fires once they do. I put the ownership of the problem back into the kids hands. For a better description of this process I beg you to read or take a workshop on Love and Logic. I know you are thinking...I do the same thing too and I am sure you do. It does take time though so keep pushing through. You must be very consistent and very firm at first. It is very important to develop a sense of team work, pride in their own art class room and a culture of mutual respect. It has taken me a few years and it is not perfect but it is so much better then the alternative of always yelling or being frustrated with the kids. Being upset or frustrated can make you crazy and you leave work tired an burned out every day. But once they get the plan it really does free you up to have fun with your students because you will have a good system in place they understand and can work within. Let the kids know all the time that you believe in them, that we act with respect in the art room and that you expect them to be on their best behavior with themselves, their table mates and their class. I also teach them how to do a quick one minute meditation. If things are going a little pear shaped turn the lights down and ask the kids to meditate for one minute. If things are getting really loud I call for a Silent Art. Silent Art last for 5 minutes. I set the chicken timer (it's a kitchen timer shaped like a chicken). When the timer goes off I do not say anything and let them figure it's over on their own. Usually they are still pretty quiet for a while. I allow my kids to talk in class but only to people at their own tables and at the journal station. As long as they are on task and keeping the noise to a minimum it's all good. I do sometimes play music and art videos for background ambience. They love Kids Hub and Bob Ross Videos on YouTube. Most importantly I think the way we talk to our students is the key to changing their attitudes and behaviors. This is why I believe in Love and Logic so much. I hope this helps....Leave any comments or questions you think would be helpful. Also feel free to share your own classroom management procedures.
3rd grade teacher Deanna shares how she saves time and works more efficiently.
I love using class call backs and attention grabbers! These are so fun! My class loves them! This freebie is a classroom staple!
Put your Sorting Hat on!
Are you looking for a perfect STEM Challenge to teach classroom rules? Check this post for the details and a free challenge!
Teaching writing can be a stressor for a lot of primary teachers! Engaging Writing is a HUGE help! Simple, effective and quick meaningful writing lessons!
An Elementary Teaching Blog with tips, ideas and freebies for your classroom. For new teachers and seasoned teachers alike!
Have you ever had a class with so many difficult, disruptive students that you felt that you could barely even teach? What can you do to get past it? In this post, I am going to address this problem with my best advice, and some advice from others as well.
This article explores the art of classroom management, providing insights and strategies to help art teachers establish a supportive and nurturing atmosphere where students can thrive.
A simple way to teach your students classroom procedures and expectations at the beginning of the school year
Whether your students are lethargic or super-charged, adding movement to your lesson plans will help to solve both issues. Not only is it healthy to move throughout the day, but it can also help students focus and become more engaged with the content they are trying to master. Due to the nature of English classes, ELA ... Read More about 10 Ways to Add Movement in the ELA Classroom
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We want students to be comfortable in our classrooms. We want them to feel welcomed and inspired. Classroom decoration can play a role in creating that environment. Below are some simple ways to …
I mean...why WOULDN'T you use cootie catchers in your reading block? It makes perfect sense. Ok - remember last week how I was talking about doing a little spring cleaning with some of my TpT resources? Well, I did a little spring cleaning in my file folders on my computer as well. Yikes. Now THAT'S a bit of a rabbit hole. I got in a little deeper than I wanted to, but I figured I might as well finish the job. I got rid of a lot (a LOT) of cringe worthy products that just didn't make the cut anymore, and I got some major organizing done as well. BUT - you know what I found? THIS >>> It's a reading comprehension cootie catcher that I TOTALLY forgot I made! And since it resurfaced for me - I thought I'd resurface it for you! I'm sure I made it for you guys in the first place, but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere on the blog. There's actually 3 different versions. They have different comprehension questions that can be used with any fictional book. They work great as a quick partner review game. You can download them here! Find any long-lost things in your spring cleaning, lately? Pin and Share this freebie:
I am officially starting my substitute teaching job next week! Super nervous and excited! I can't wait to get back into the district that I student taught. I have been printing out some emergency plans to be extra prepared. Here is the sub report that I made this morning. I hope you may get some use out of it, too! Click here to download the pdf
Fun and engaging grammar games for your secondary ELA classroom! These grammar games will get your students collaborating, moving, and discussing those critical sentence structure and grammar skills! Bring fun to grammar instruction!
Inspire kids to come up with their own unique pop art ideas and learn how to teach pop art in your classroom with these simple guidelines.
This article explores the art of classroom management, providing insights and strategies to help art teachers establish a supportive and nurturing atmosphere where students can thrive.
elementary art lessons classroom management
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I'm finally back from maternity leave and ready to teach (kinda)! Can I bring my baby with me? Can he be my assistant? No? Awe. :( Towards the end of the last school year, I came back from my maternity leave early so that I could work the two days of post-planning. I decided it would be best if I were the one to clean up and put away my classroom, so I’d know where everything was when I officially returned. Last school year, we had to take EVERYTHING off of the walls so that our custodial staff could clean them during the summer. And while it was a pain to take everything down, it did give me a blank slate for the new school year! Fun Fact: My classroom looks HUGGGGEEEE when it’s empty! This post contains some relevant affiliate links. SET OF DRAWERS Before I went back for pre-planning this year, I started work on a colorful new set of drawers for my classroom. The idea was that I would use each drawer to store all of my prepped paper for each of my grade-level projects (that way it wouldn’t end up all over my desk and every other flat surface in my room like usual). So I got online and found the perfect set of drawers from Target. As you can imagine I was overjoyed when I saw that the drawers could hold 12″x18″ paper – an art teacher’s dream! Unfortunately in all my excitement, I neglected to thoroughly read the product description and ended up buying a unit whose overall dimensions were 12″ deep by 18″ long; the drawers themselves were much smaller. And of course I didn’t realize all of this until after I had already primed and repainted all the drawer covers and assembled the whole thing. Upset with this realization, I took to Instagram where a fellow art teacher gave me the amazingly awesome idea to use the drawers to organize my scrap paper by color instead. TABLES AND STOOLS Once pre-planning started it was all about getting my classroom put together. My first project was to paint the edges of my tables and stools to color-code them! For the past several years I used colored masking tape to color-code my tables, but as I’m sure many of you already know – kids LOVE picking at tape! I was constantly having to replace it as it got worn and torn in order to save my sanity. The sanity that was slowly being picked away with every scratch of the fingernail. Yeah… I’m a bit of a perfectionist. 🙂 So I was more than relieved when my administration gave me the green light to use paint in my room instead! The tables in my classroom have a laminate surface on them, so the first step was to lightly sand the sides of my tables. My husband (who is not a carpenter, mind you) suggested that I use 220 grit sandpaper. In retrospect however, I wish I would’ve gone with something a little lower so that it would’ve scratched up the sides a bit more. Butttttttttt you live and you learn. After sanding, I cleaned off the laminate shrapnel, then taped off the table edges and started painting using a small roller and Behr Marquee paint (this paint already has the primer mixed into it). Each table took about 3 coats to fully cover the sides (I wasn’t using the 1-coat guarantee colors). After the paint was dry, I removed the painters tape and then used an oil-based sharpie paint marker to write my table numbers (I use these for classroom jobs). Once that had a chance to dry, I painted overtop of everything with coat of glossy mod-podge. When painting my stools, I just went straight in with the paint and then covered with mod-podge as well (in retrospect I could have done without the mod-podge on the chairs). **UPDATE: This particular type of paint didn't stay very well (still very pickable). So I took it off and repainted with Martha Stewart multi-surface acrylic and sealed it with Delta Creative polyurethane varnish. It is working INSANELY better. TABLE BUCKETS This year I used the same type of bins I've used in past years.. but got some nice new ones that weren't colored all over (who doesn't love shiny and new?). To color-code the bins I once again used ribbon. Click here to see how to attach it! I also created some new labels and then added those on as well to help my students know where to put things away. CENTERS Once again, I will be using art centers as part of my classroom management plan! In my classroom I do a table point system using Class Dojo. When students are doing what they are supposed to be doing (coming in quietly, being on task, helping each other, cleaning up on time, etc), they receive table points. When they aren’t following directions (being too loud, being super off task, not cleaning up, etc), they lose them. The way I record all of this in Class Dojo is by having 6 “classes” set up (one for each grade-level). Then in each class I have 8 “students” (one for each of my table colors). Since I see my students multiple days in a row before they rotate to their next special, I use only one class for each grade-level, then reset their points once their rotation is over so it’s back to zero for the next group. So what is the motivation to earn points? Great question! The number of points each table has determines which art centers they can participate in during free time (once a project is finished). Each center has a point value assigned to it. Once a table has that many points or more, they can use that center. If the table does not have that many points, they cannot. The way I determine how many points each center is depends on the interests of my students. If I know they’ll really enjoy something (like jewelry center), I give it a higher point value. In the past few years that I’ve been using this system, I’ve found a lot of success with it. It keeps my students motivated to make the right choices and rewards them with experiences instead of tangible items (like candy). The centers I currently have in my classroom are: Weaving/Lacing Cards - 1 pt White Boards - 1 pt *This is the one bone that I throw my students. They LOVE white boards! How to Draw Books and Free Draw - 2 pts Pattern Blocks - 3 pts Texture Rubbing - 4 pts Puzzles- 5 pts Origami - 6 pts Spirograph - 7 pts KEVA Contraptions -7 pts. K'NEX - 8 pts Play Doh - 10 pts Jewelry Center - 14 pts ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES POSTERS Now this isn't something new.. but the way that I'm displaying it is. I used to have just the elements posters hanging up on my bulletin board, but now I've hung them along with my principles posters to just above my centers (near my classroom door). I also printed them out larger this year. Instead of being 8.5"x11", I printed them out at 13"x18". If you like the look of these posters, be sure to check them out in my store! VISUAL ART WORD WALL CARDS My word wall is probably the single most popular thing in my classroom with my administrators. My thought when I created them and first hung them up was "Cool! Now my kids can see art words and pictures that help those words make sense." My administrators think "Wow! She's incorporating literacy into her art program!" At the end of last year I took down all my word wall cards and tossed them, so this year I had to print them all out again (which was fine with me because I'm made a million updates to them over the past few years). Once I had them all printed out I knew I needed to laminate them. Trying to get stuff laminated through the school in the beginning of the school year can be a bit challenging however, so I decided it was time to invest in my very own home laminator! Guys... I WANT TO LAMINATE EVERYTHING NOW! I mean.. the process of laminating itself is fun AND cutting out things that are laminated is fun. There's just something very rewarding about cutting through laminated paper. Either you know exactly what I'm talking about, or you think I'm crazy. That's okay. I probably am. ;) I personally bought my laminator at Wal-Mart for about $20... but you can also order the same Scotch Thermal Laminator from Amazon (theirs comes with 20 laminating pouches). Once I had all my cards laminated it was time to cut them out. Lucky for me I recently purchased an X-ACTO Commercial Grade 12" x 12" Paper Cutter (off of Amazon) which made cutting them out at home WAY easier. Seriously Amazon gets all of my money. Their 2-day Prime shipping is dangerously convenient. I decided that this year I was going to hang up my word wall cards on my bulletin board instead of the wall so I wouldn't have to cut like 30,000,000 pieces of tape to stick them up. Yay for staples! The only thing I didn't consider before starting was how to keep the cards straight on my bulletin board. 😔 By the time I got to the letter "D" I noticed that my cards were gradually moving upwards. Soooo I took them all down and started again. I'm going to be real with you guys.. I did this a few times. Then FINALLY I figured out an easy way to keep things on track; I measured how far down from my border I wanted the word wall cards to start, and then put a staple at that height along the length of the bulletin board. Helpful tip: Hang your word wall cards BEFORE you hang your bulletin board letters. The letters "C" and "S" have like a gazillion cards, while the letter "U" only has one. If you like my word wall cards, check out my store! If you like the bulletin board letters, you can find them here! *I warn you to not use them on a black background however. Hah! I wish I would've thought that one through! PROJECT ORGANIZATION/STORAGE Like I mentioned before, I see my students a few days in a row before getting my new rotation, so the way I organize and store artwork may not be applicable to your situation. When students are working on dry artwork at their tables, I have them put their work into their table folder at the end of class. The table folder consists of a sheet of 12"x18" construction paper folded in half with the grade-level written on the front. These folders are then stored in my labeled grade-level drawers. So the next time students come to class, I can just put their folder on their table so they can pull out their work and get started (no time wasted calling out names). If their work is wet and needs to be put into the drying rack, I have them place their work on a 1/4 size sheet of posterboard and then slide it into the drying rack within the their table color band (added with colored masking tape). That way work is easily accessible for students to get from the rack or if I want to put stuff up into their table folders once it's dry, I'll know which folder they go into. To help me tell my grade-levels apart (in case they're doing similar projects) I have clothespins with grade-level tags on them that I just clip onto the top of each drying rack. MATERIALS STORAGE Aside from my table buckets (which contain pencils, erasers, colored pencils, color, sticks, and crayons) I have a couple of other ways of storing ready-to-go materials. First are the color-coded baskets I have. If I'm doing a project with a class that has a LOT of materials, I will often use these buckets to pass out supplies for each table. Otherwise I would just call table numbers (how I distribute jobs) and have them come pick up various things. Last year I also started taking advantage of the cabinet storage I have under my countertops and started prepping paints for different classes and storing them under there in copy box lids. At one point I had all this stuff spread out all over my countertop and knew there HAD to be a better way. Using the copy box lids allows me to quickly take out and put away supplies without the giant mess. Last year I also started storing my paintbrushes in labeled drink pitchers. Why? Because it is WAY easier to walk around to distribute them when the container has a handle! And finally - paper storage. I used to have a cardboard holder like this when I was at my old school, but then neglected to bring it with me when I changed schools. This one isn't a revolutionary storage tip - unless you've never used one before. In which case - BOOM! Just blew your mind with its awesomeness! I'm so glad I got one again. :) HALL PASSES Over the past few years, the teachers at my school had been using laminated paper hall passes for our students. The main problem with those though were that they would come back from the bathroom with wet spots on them (is that water or something else?). Eww. So this year our principal had us make our own instead. As she was telling us about this during our staff meeting, she happened to have an example picture of a hall pass on a paintbrush on the PowerPoint slide. Obviously I immediately fell in love! To see my how-to on these paint brushes click here. Now they hang on the back of my door! GENERAL CLASSROOM DECOR These are a few of the other things I have hanging up on my walls. I made these color posters to complement the bulletin board letters I made for my word wall. :) You can get a copy of them here! I moved my shape and form posters from last year onto my large metal storage cabinets so they wouldn't just be wasted space. I also repainted these color mixing posters that I had originally created a few years ago. My old ones were looking pretty worn down. If you don't want to paint your own, consider checking out my TPT store for some smaller printables. CLASSROOM PICTURES If you have questions about anything else you see, please feel free to leave me a comment and I'd be happy to talk to you about it! :) Hope you all have a great school year! Simple Elements/Principles Posters | Art Genre Posters
Reading Response activities will likely form a major part of your reading programme, whether you are running guided reading groups, a daily 5 system,
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Google Forms is an excellent way to gather data in the math classroom. This post will discuss what Google Add Ons will improve your Google Forms in math.
Here are some tips and strategies on how to teach reading fluency in your homeschool or in your classroom literacy centers.
My murder mystery lesson is by far my students' favorite - and for good reason! They get to be a part of the story, walk around and engage with classmates, and compete to see who can solve the mystery first! Here's a link to my classroom mystery resources via TeachersPayTeachers, or read on to learn ...
14 years ago I walked into my very first art room, full of so much excitement but also feeling totally overwhelmed wondering where to even begin!?
Only one more week till school starts for me and I'm going out of my mind with boredom! I can't wait to start school and have art projects to share! I spent about seven hours in my room today, organizing my paint, putting the rest of my requisitions away, finishing bulletin boards, and laminating things for later use. I wish I could relax, but I'm excited to start this school year. Even though it may be more stressful with the new Common Core and A.P.P.R. stuff, these changes are forcing me to look at what I've been doing the past two years with different eyes and I'm liking the changes I am making! Thanks to Pinterest and all the other art blogs out there for inspiring new ideas and letting me borrow some too! I think the only thing I have left to work on until school starts are little art games for when I have students finish early. (Paint chip games, sorting games, matching games, etc.) My sink area...I taped various brush posters around the sinks. Not sure they will last long, especially the one taped on the counter, but we'll see! I also decided to move my dish rack from the back counter where my taller sink is to the shorter sinks. Students always stacked the cleaned, wet paint palettes on the counters instead of walking around to put them in the rack. My Artist of the Week bulletin board! I used some cool tie-dyed duct tape to hang the black paper so I wouldn't have to lose any of my bulletin board space to hang artwork. I also wrote each homeroom teacher's name and grade along the bottom of each paint can so everyone knows which class the artists come from! Finished my classroom management chalkboard...I created six jobs to rotate the tables through. I also printed off three of each chore because when we use clay, for example, no one is allowed to touch another's clay piece and EVERYONE has to help wash and dry tables. This way, I can assign 3 tables to wash and 3 tables to dry. (I attached these to my board using Velcro with a sticky back.) I also added the art noise meter I found floating around on Pinterest and the "Show Me the Mona Lisa" poster with my Garfield parody!
Some days you just need a break from the monotony! Preparing for exams, transitioning to a new unit, days when half your students are gone for a basketball tour