All teachers can use clothes pins

Hi!  I'm Michelle from Teach123.  Jennifer invited me to be a guest blogger today.  I wanted to share one of my favorite organizational tools.

I'm sure some of you are already looking ahead to next school year.  When making your shopping list for next year, one thing that should be on that list is clothes pins.  This invention, is small but mighty.  It's a great organizational tool!

COLORFUL CLOTHES PINS:

Colorful clothes pins are a challenge to find, but well worth the effort.  I bought mine years ago at Wal-Mart.  I use them for "sorting" my students into groups.  For lunch, my students were grouped into: 1st choice, 2nd choice, milk only, and lunchbox.  Each day, I would clip the blue on the students' lunch tickets that were milk only,  green pins on the students' lunch tickets that chose 1st choice,  orange pins on the students' lunch tickets that chose 2nd choice, and students without a lunch ticket (the lunchbox students) clipped a red clip on their shirt.  We lined up in this order everyday.  I had colored squares taped to the floor with these colors so students would know where to line up.  I had a helper that would clip the clothes pins to the lunch tickets.  Lunch tickets were then arranged on a table in color groups.  It made lining up for lunch much smoother.  The cafeteria helpers really liked the system because they could see at a glance how many 1st choice and 2nd choice trays they needed to make.  You can also use these pins when you sort students into other groups such as center groups or literature circles.

WOODEN CLOTHES PINS:

Wooden clothes pins can be found everywhere.  Although cheap varieties can be found, I do think you get your money's worth when you buy better quality ones.  The cheap clothes pins break easily!  Here are a couple of uses:

Warm ups:  Before a writing lessons, give each student a clothes pin and put on music.  Instead of clapping to the music, students open and close the clothes pin.  This will warm up their muscles.

Participation:  One of the best ways I've found to ensure all students participate in lessons is with wooden clothes pins.  All of my students are assigned a number at the beginning of the year.  I write numbers, not names, on the clothes pins so I can use the same pins year after year.  I have a different bucket for the different lessons so I can ensure that all students will eventually have a turn to participate in all the different lessons.  I love the dollar buckets at Party City for this.  Here's a picture of a few of them:

Each bucket has a label.  Here's a copy for you:

Each time I call on a student, I clip the pin to the rim of the bucket.  The buckets are great, because you can carry them from place to place, such as computer lab or from your carpet area to the white board.

This system is great for Smart Board lessons.  Not every student gets to help with my Smart Board lessons.  There was some confusion the next day, when I asked who got to help the day before.  Of course, very few student remembered helping, but wanted to help that day.  I found this is the cure for "selective memory".  Here is a FREE Smart Board lesson for you.  

This lesson is one of the lessons from "We Love Phonics" which is available at TPT for $3.

Do you need help?

Hello everyone!!  I am over at First Grade and Fabulous today as part of our Blog Swap and Hop, so if you want to go and collect my freebies over there, you are more than welcome to!  Below is a post from my Swap Partner, Michelle from Teach 123.  Read on to see what she has to say!

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I am excited to join in the the Top Teachers Blog Swap and Hop today.  I hope you enjoy our hop and get to know some new bloggers!

It seems like every year a teacher's job gets more challenging. Testing, documenting, and all the other tasks don't leave much time to get the other work done that is also part of the job. One way to help with the “plate is too full” syndrome is with school helpers. Parents are often an untapped resource. This packet has a few ways I've used school helpers through the years. I explain the duties of the different jobs at Back to School night and ask for volunteers. The added bonus of having involved parents is that it builds trust with your parent population. If one of your parents has questions about what is going on in your classroom, they will frequently ask for input from your school helpers. School helpers are ALWAYS amazed at how hard a teacher works. They quickly assure the parent that all is well in your classroom and will usually give some examples of some great things they've seen in your room. Your school helpers are often your informal ambassadors!

Science Helpers:

I had science mom who came in once a week. I left my Science T.E. on my desk opened to that day's science experiment. My science mom set up all of the supplies for the weekly science experiment. Plus, she stayed and helped during the lesson. While she was setting up, I was teaching the whole group lesson. My science mom also cleaned up everything when we finished while I

began teaching our next subject. I felt like I had the best quality science lessons when I organized my science this way.

Emergency Helpers:

This is a parent who has a flexible schedule and doesn't have small children at home. Sometimes this parent may be called on to run to the store to purchase last minute supplies or another day he/she may be asked to chaperone a field trip when a volunteer cancels at the last minute.

Field Trip Helpers:

I like to have one parent who helps with organizing the field trip. This helper makes calls, researches possible field trip locations, makes nametags, and all the other details involved with a field trip. The other helpers are the chaperones on the field trip.

Teacher's Helper:

The teacher's helper is my right hand. I couldn't do all that I do without this special helper. Although I ask for volunteers at Back to School night, I don't actually choose a helper until I've gotten to know my parents. This helper needs to be very organized and detail oriented. If I am lucky enough to have two of these parents who are organized, I have them both be my

helper and come in and help on alternate weeks.

Writing Helper:

A writing helper can be used a variety of ways. Sometimes I have them come in to help edit when we are at that stage of the writing process. Other times, my class has published books throughout the year. This helper binds the books together for me.

All of this information along with signup sheets are included with my FREE School Helpers packet.  Click below to get your copy.

To Like, Or Not to Like....That is the question! (With Freebies!)

As I sit here with my sciatic nerve misfiring <at least that is what the doctor said> and trying to keep my hip joints from rubbing, I am contemplating life.  I am realizing that there are a lot of things that I like and a lot of things that I don't like.  And, me being me, I thought I'd share them with you.  I thought about doing a Top 10 like David Letterman, but ALAS, I am no David Letterman.  So....I figured for each thing I dislike, I will also list something I do like to make it sound all positive like. LOL  It is what politicians of America do every two to four years and we barely seem to notice.  So....here goes....

1.  I DO NOT like 8 inch needles that hold Cortisone.  I found that out this afternoon while visiting the local doctor at the 'Doc in a Box'.  The doctor and his nurse were very nice....the needle wasn't.  I was told it would feel like a bee sting.  But, what I felt was like a daggum hornet taking a dive into the upper part of my bohunkus.  That is code in my classroom for 'buttocks'.  Right now my bohunkus hurts more than my leg!

OUUUUCCCCHHHH!!!

I DO like watching my daughter and son learn how to fish and I am thankful I could hobble around enough to  sit in the chair by the lake and take in all of the beauty and watch their excitement.  But, with that beauty comes mosquitoes, ants, bird droppings, and ticks.  They all caught me more than my kids caught fish!  But, those are dislikes and I am really not supposed to be listing them here.

They have been fishing for a total of 5 mintutes.  At this point, their lines ARE NOT tangled.  Didn't last for long though!

2.  I DO love my kids so much and am so thankful that God sent them to me.  I can definitely say that he knows a good fit.  I love the fact that both of my kids are caring and loving....so much so that they spent the weekend 'building' a bird nest for the 'birds in the neighborhood'.  They surrounded a hole that is being filled in from last year's tornado with cuttings from shrubs and asked for birdseed so that they could have a snack before going to sleep at night.  How much more love could I possibly have for them?

Psalm 139:14-16

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

I DO NOT like it when my children disobey.  Everything they get in trouble for has a life lesson behind it that will help them become well-rounded adults. I am really struggling to teach cause/effect to them. Also, the thoughts of them being hurt causes me to hurt.  I love them so much.

Easter 2012.  Over 7500 attended our service in the park.  Here are ours and our godchildren.

3.  I DO NOT like big scary dogs that chase the cats and scare my kids.  The big pitbull down the street has turned out to be kind of nice, but when you meet her, all you see are those big point teeth and a big sloppy tongue.  Sort of reminds me of the Big Bad Wolf.

I DO love my cat, Theodore <but we call him Teddy>, because he loves me so much.  When I am upset, he always knows, and will come and climb up into my lap to lick my arm.  And, at night, he sleeps beside me and keeps my legs warm.  Now, I love it, but my husband does not like the fact that he sleeps between us and says that I choose Teddy over him.  He may right, just a little bit.  Teddy doesn't snore!

Bless him....he kept the kids from stealing my remote!

4.  I DO NOT like the fact that there are parents all around who mistreat their children and do not take care of them properly.  I know of one family where the mother went to school to be a medical assistant but has been unable to find a job.  But, she never takes her children to the doctor.  And, if someone in the family takes them to the doctor, she never gives them their medicine.  Something is incredibly wrong there.

I DO, however, love that teaching allows me to help those children make the most of their lives.  Nuff said or I will start blubbering all over my keyboard.

5.  I LOVE my Whiteboard...I don't know how I taught without it!  I love the annotated part which allows me to write over documents which saves me oodles of copies!

I DO NOT, however, like the crazy stove back splash thingy that the system installed as a white board.  I can't get it clean!!!!

6.  I LOVE Teachers Pay Teachers because it allows me to actually do something with my knowledge of curriculum and my creative side.  I've enjoyed learning software and 'meeting' the other bloggers that I work with  It is a true learning process!  It also helps me build up my kids' college fund.  Without TpT, they could quite possible go to the School of Hard Knocks when they graduate!  Even the sales from the Amazon widgets on my site go to their college fund.  I also like my freebie website because I now it helps teachers!! I also have to say that I love my pinning group on Facebook!  Bloggers unite to take over Pinterest!!

I DO NOT love my blogging disorganization.  I can't seem to figure out what I should do and when I should do it.  I just can't fit it all in and pop out the freebies that I want to pop out.  =(.

7.  I LOVE this blog post at Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business.  It is FULL of Best Practices and I think you really should check it out!  I know it is Kindergarten and I have admitted before that Kindergarten isn't my thing, but I know good stuff when I see it!  You could pin for hours from this website!!

I Do Not like that fact that I don't have enough time to read all of her posts!

The post highlighted here was written by Marsha Moffat from A Differentiated Kindergarten.

8.  I DO NOT like feathered, flying fowl of any kind.  I know some of you may like chickens, geese, ducks, etc., but I do not like them.  I think they can smell fear!  My fear started when I was two.  It is one of the only memories I have of my grandmother who died that September.  I had gone with her to the chicken coop and this BIG HORRIBLY MEAN ROOSTER pecked my knees.  My grandmother wore what my mama has always called 'circle tail' skirts....just like June Cleaver.  I can remember running to hide underneath her apron and when that wasn't enough I just lifted up her skirt and dove to try to hide from that rooster.
When I was a teenager, our neighbors went out of town and asked my brother and I to feed their chickens.  I said I would because I liked the sound of the money.  I was so scared that I DROVE the whole 300 feet down their driveway so that I would not have to walk straight into that gang of chickens.  I got out of my car, and sure enough, here came the rooster.  I ran back to my car and shut the door right as that BIG HORRIBLY MEAN ROOSTER flew up to the hood of my car and looked at me through the windshield!  I blew my horn.  I think he had a heart attack.  I'm not really sure because I was flying back down that drive way to get away.
That brings me to my latest encounter with fowl, yesterday while my kid were fishing at the lake.  It started out pleasant enough with them swimming by and all leisurely.
Then, of course, they sensed my fear and out they marched over to me.  It is like I am a magnet  for miscreant fowl!!  Below is a picture of the CHICKEN DUCK who kept walking toward me.  My husband was laughing at me because he could see the panic in my eyes.  Maybe this is pay for the time I stole a Canadian Goose from the riverbank to get 100 points in a scavenger hunt in high school???  All it takes is a loaf of bread and a nice big box.  They walk right in.  Not my fault that the goose climbed into my box and it mistakenly got put into the back seat of my car.  By the way, DO NOT try to do that.  It costs $500 and they can impound your car. For REAL!!  By the But, if they know that your dad knows the County Commissioner, you might get off a little easy.  My father didn't know that I had been in trouble for that until I was ready to graduate from college!  Just so you know, it is hard to deny to the police that there is a Goose in the box when the goose honks and sticks its beak out for fresh air!  Honestly, no geese were hurt.  It was returned to the riverbank where it waddled down to the water and swam away and was never seen or heard from ever again.  We all lived happily ever after.

Doing their own thing....and then they came in for the kill.

Yes folks, this is a chicken duck.

I DO love Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Hughey, Dewey, and Louie,  Hughey Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Baby Hughey, Scrooge McDuck, Ludwig Von Drake, doing the chicken dance, Tweety Bird, Woody Woodpecker, the Road Runner, Woodstock, Camilla from the Muppets, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.  I truly love them all.  I am not a hater!

Nice girl, but she is about as sharp as a sack of wet mice.--F.L.

Well....it took me a while, but I got to number 8.  I thought about a number 9, but I got to laughing about the goose incident and forgot what it was.  My daughter is correct.....I am getting old!  Guess there won't be a Top 10 After all.  But......let me think a minute.....How about 2 or 3 freebies that I love????  Will that count???  Enjoy!

Here is a couple more of the behavior punch card that I am using now that Spring has sprung and I need a little more 'ummph' in my behavior plan.  I hole punch these at the top and the kids put them on yarn or cording <according to whatever I have>.  At random times through the day I will  punch the cards of students that are working hard or following directions.  You could also mark them out with a marker.  When they get all 10 <or in the case of the bees 12> pictures punched, they can get into the treat box.  Some weeks some students will finish the card by Thursday and they can start a new card, but it must have all of its punches for them to get back into the treat box.

Enjoy!!