Imperial Sugar Offers Educational Resources for Young Kids

The Imperial Sugar website has an educational section offering a number of fun projects for young students. 

CLASSROOM TIP: Engage Shy Students with Rubber Ducks! Here's How!

Many students are often reluctant to raise their hand when a teacher asks a question. For shy students, it's even harder to engage in classroom participation.

Puck Lights Make a Great Classroom Management Tool!

If you have a rowdy class, puck lights can be a great tool to help establish order in your classroom!

Educator Dan Mault posted this great idea on his website (and we recommend you check him out) that uses the lights as a way to establish authority. The lights (which are available on Amazon by clicking here) can alternate colors thanks to a remote, allowing a teacher to use a particular color to set the level of student activity.

Mault revealed how he uses the colors.

I am using a color coding system to let students know what the color means when it is on:
Red- No talking.
Blue- Low talking with 1 partner.
Green- Low talking with your group.
White- Low indoor voices.

Mault has also made the signs seen in the photo available for free download through his Teachers Pay Teachers store (click here to get them).

The lights are available to order from Amazon by clicking right here.

Amazon's STEM Discovery Boxes Now Available for Ordering

Amazon is now offering an exciting subscription box: STEM Discovery Boxes!

STEM Discovery Boxes are exciting science kits for boys and girls ages 7 to teen. Sent out monthly to subscribers, each STEM Discovery Box is filled with hands-on activities and experiments that are fun and educational. These boxes could serve as a resource for the classroom when you need it, or as a recommendation to parents to extend student learning to the home.

Each box is geared to challenge young minds though Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, so despite the name, it actually follows the STEAM approach. Age-appropriate astronomy, robotics, motors, hydraulics, aerospace, physics, and chemistry are among the subjects covered in each box. For example, the whale model in the picture above is powered by a small motor the child can build, which moves it on land and water!

Every box, delivered by mail each month, will include three exciting STEM projects. Children will learn how things work, why they work and how to create them. According to Amazon, the boxes won a Parent's Choice Award for their ingenuity.

STEM Discovery Boxes list these experiments and projects that they have featured in their boxes:

• Robotic bug, electronic dough, working carnival game, hologram, solar system model
• Fizzing science, hydraulic claw, laser mirror maze, crystals, Water-powered clock
• Gooey Experiments, remote control elevator, Drawbot, sun art, fiber optics, digital microscope
• Walking robot, neon lamp, germ experiments, terrarium, structure design, geodes
• Jelly marbles, amphibious vehicle, propeller-powered car, fossil, bubble science
• Color science, instant snow, balloon helicopter, seltzer rocket, periscope, build a generator

Boxes are automatically billed each month at $30, with the first box discounted to $25. You can place an order to try out a box by clicking right here.

We have yet to try out these boxes ourselves, so if you do, let us know in the comments section below what you think!

Tips to Set Up a STEAM Lab in Your Classroom

Setting up a proper STEAM lab for your elementary classroom involves getting the right equipment and supplies, and Sarah Lalonde of StemActivitiesForKids.com has written a nice starter guide for teachers who need advice and tips.

One of Lalonde's best bits of advice to educators is to not go it alone. Teachers can often fill their list of needs from other teachers or from their school's storage room, who may be able to provide the materials for a lab. "In many districts, science is getting squeezed due to the emphasis on ELA and math test scores," she said. "Teachers often have equipment that they are willing to donate!  Many of the materials that are used in a STEM lab are things that are readily brought in by fellow teachers and students."

Tables may seem like a simple selection for a lab, but SchoolSpeciality.com recommends that they allow for a different way of teaching. They think "student stations (should be) modular, allowing for the project-based, multimodal learning outcomes that STEAM requires. Student spaces can be grouped or spread out in the event of a large-scale demonstration."

As far as equipment, here is a list of items Lalonde recommends to get your STEAM lab started.

Here is a list of supplies that teachers can have donated to the lab.

Click the links below to get more recommendations for STEAM lab setups.

Sources: Stem Activities for Kids, SchoolSpecialty.com

Website Offers Tools to Use 'Star Wars' in the Classroom

A website is offering videos and resources to use the Star Wars films as a tool to teach classroom lessons.

StarWarsInTheClassroom.com is a website and YouTube channel that seems geared towards older students, as it explores themes in the films and their relation to themes in literature. However, there are lessons suitable for some upper elementary classes, including creative writing prompts and social studies lessons.

The site includes both original content and links to other resources, including Star Wars-themed educational projects like "Star Wars: Science, Myth, and Imagination" and "Star Wars Reads Day."

Click here to visit StarWarsInTheClassroom.com.

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy with Verbs!

Cool Educational Sites for Kids

• American Girl -Learn more about your favorite dolls, play games, and find fun activities and quizzes
• Arthur -Have fun with Arthur, D.W., and Buster
• Brain Pop -Learn about historical events, science and even the stock market, all with the help of a plucky robot and his friends.
• Cookie -While playing fun, educational games, kids learn to read with phonics, build skills in math, language, social studies, science and much more.
• Discovery Kids - play games, watch videos, and have fun with content based on the Discovery Channel 
• Funbrain - Fun learning games and comics
• Kids.gov -Learn about art, money, computers and so much more!
• Kids Health - Everything you need to know to stay healthy 
• National Geographic Kids -Read about animals, people and places all over the world
• Nick Jr. - The channel for preschoolers and home of Dora and Diego; site includes activities for both kids and parents
• PBS Kids -Online source for many children's favorites, including Sesame Street, Clifford, Barney, and others 
• PopCap- Source for many free, online games
• Seussville -Games and activities based on popular Dr. Seuss books
• Slimekids - A new site full of games and book reviews that makes kids want to learn more
• Sports Illustrated for Kids -Learn more about your favorite sports and athletes
• Starfall.com -Where children have fun learning to read
• The Kidz Page -Free online games and puzzles
• Weekly Reader - Online version of the magazine you read at school

10 Tips for Teaching Kids to Be Awesome Critical Thinkers

Website: We Are Teacher

Article Posted by: Marlana Martinelli

Getting students to dig deeper and answer questions using higher-level thinking can be a challenge. Here are our favorite tips to help teach students how to solve problems by going beyond the obvious response.

1. Slow down the pace.
2. Pose a Question of the Day.

3. Make a response box.
4. Take a side.
5. Ask “Why?” five times.

6. Role-play.
7. Go “hitchhiking.”
8. Turn around.

9. Put your pocket chart to good use.

10. Hold a Q&A session.

Click here for details on these 10 tips.

Creating a Culture of Kindness in the Classroom!

By: Shari Carter

Editor's Note: This article is based on the book "How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids," which is available to purchase by clicking here or at the links below.

The best way to promote kindness and caring behaviors in our classrooms is to model them. When we show our students what it LOOKS like and SOUNDS like to be kind, there is a far greater chance they will repeat those modeled behaviors. It is so important to remember that children watch their teachers all the time and listen to everything they say (especially when it’s not in a lecture). Essential caring behaviors and kindness are more often “caught” than they are “taught” in the classroom.

Listen With Your Heart!

We teach our kids that listening is part of being “ready to learn,” but it is important to go one step further with regard to this vital life skill. Don’t be afraid to discuss with your children the importance of listening. In my classroom, I teach my students how to “listen with their hearts” from day one. When you teach children to care enough to listen, truly listen for the meaning of what is being said, you are teaching them how to be kind and empathetic.

 

Click here to read her complete article.

This Crayon Sharpener is a classroom MUST HAVE!

Teachers: here's a great item for your Christmas wish list! Be sure your room parent is aware of the CrayonPro Electric Sharpener from Elmer's! 

Here's the item's description, straight from Amazon:

Sharpen old crayons to look and draw like new! This electric sharpener even cuts the paper automatically from the crayon as it sharpens. The sharpener includes a plastic brush and pick tool to help clean spent crayon chips from the sharpener mechanism. The sharpener features an automatic stop mechanism that prevents over-sharpening. Use it for crayon sharpening only. A replacement cutting cartridge is available.  

 The CrayonPro Sharpener isn't cheap, but it is worth it! You can click right here to order one from Amazon!

Making Learning Visible: Doodling Helps Memories Stick

Mind/Shift

By Katrina Schwartz July 15, 2015

While doodling has often been seen as frivolous at best and distracting at worst, the idea of sketchnoting has grounding in neuroscience research about how to improve memory. When ideas and related concepts can be encapsulated in an image, the brain remembers the information associated with that image. William Klemm, a professor of neuroscience at Texas A&M University, says the process is akin to a zip file.

Click here to read the complete article.

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/07/15/making-learning-visible-doodling-helps-memories-stick/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150717

Creative Ideas and Ways to Stay Organized!

Add extra pizzazz to your border by adding crunched-up tissue!

 

Make your board pop by gluing fabric flowers to your magnet clips!

Add your own personal touch to the classroom!
Thread decorative ribbon through milk crates!

Print out photos, glue them onto binder clips and use them for hanging artwork.

Mount board games on the wall and eliminate bulky boxes.

Reduce waste and save money!

Composition notebooks can be cut in half at your local

Home Depot store.

Great for math or writing journals.

What a wonderful way to keep your students organized!

Labeling with colored tape is a quick and easy way to keep your classroom organized.

 

Two great ways to keep yourself and your students organized when they are absent.

What will your students remember about you?

What a great cartoon!

The Jigsaw Strategy

Overview: The jigsaw classroom is a research-based cooperative learning technique invented and developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California. Since 1971, thousands of classrooms have successfully used jigsaw.



"The Jigsaw Strategy is an efficient way to learn the course material in a cooperative learning style. The jigsaw progress encourages listening, engagement, and empathy by giving each member of the group an essential part to play in the academic activity. Group members must work together as a team to accomplish a common goal; each person depends on all the others. No student can succeed completely unless everyone works well together as a team. This 'cooperation by design' facilitates interaction among all students in the class, leading them to value each other as contributors to their common task."

-Schreyer Institute for Teaching

How to Use Jigsaw in the Classroom:

1. Divide the reading material by sections/segments.

Example:

Texas, My State

Geography of Texas

The First Texans

Republic of Texas

Government in Texas

2. Create the number of groups needed. One group per topic. Assign a number for each student in the group.

Example:
Group One: Students 1, 2, 3, 4
Group Two: Students 1, 2, 3, 4
Group Three: Students 1, 2, 3, 4
Group Four: Students 1, 2, 3, 4

3. Appoint one student from each group as the leader.

4. Assign each group a different segment. 
Example:
Group One: Reads Geography of Texas
Group Two: Reads The First Texans
Group Three: Reads Republic of Texas
Group Four: Reads Government in Texas

5. Give each group time to read over their segment at least twice and become familiar with it. Allow time for them to discuss their information.

6. Form temporary “expert groups” by taking one student from each jigsaw group. Join them with one student from each of the other jigsaw groups, thus creating all new groups.
Example:
Expert Group: All #1 students
Expert Group: All #2 students
Expert Group: All #3 students
Expert Group: All #4 students

7.Ask each student to present his or her segment to the new jigsaw group.

8. Float from group to group, observing the process. 

* Follow up by giving them an assignment or assessment that covers all the information in the reading material assigned.

For more information and ideas on this topic click on the following links.

https://www.jigsaw.org/

http://www.d120.org/assets/1/intranet_forms/Article_Jigsaw_Activity_Directions.pdf

http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/alex/jigsaw.pdf

Getting to Know Each Other!

On the first day of school, you are faced with a room full of new faces, each with their own unique personality.

Here are some activities and ideas you can use to get to

know each other.

 

     Photo Backdrop                                   Personalized Name Cards

  

                          Things I Love Heart Map              Reach for the Star: Goals on Hands

 

 Character Trait Rainbow

 

                                     Who I Am!                                                  Beach Ball Me

                      Your Job My Job Anchor Chart             What Kind of Teacher do You Want?

More Star Wars bulletin boards!

We got such a kick out of yesterday's Star Wars-themed bulletin board that we found two more to inspire you! "Darth Neal" tweeted the picture above, while we found the picture below online.  A Star Wars reading day is a great idea!

Your little Jedis will love this Star Wars-themed bulletin board!

Ashley Eckstein of Her Universe (a fantastic line of pop culture clothing for girls) tweeted out this picture of a school bulletin board that we love. It has a great take on Darth Vader's classic line, and feeds into every teacher's secret desire to be just as feared as the iconic Star Wars villain. The stormtrooper heads each have a name of a student, and it is easy to find artwork of the helmets online, which can be photocopied to create as many as you need. 

 

Routines and Procedures Checklist

Don't Let This Be You!

 Believe it or not, the first day of school is just around the corner!

Before that day happens, make sure you know how you want to run your classroom.

If you don't know what you want, then neither will your students.

Consistency is KEY when training your students. 

Expect to review these procedures for at least the first TWO weeks of school!

HOW TO...

enter the classroom

take attendance and lunch count

come to class prepared

sharpen your pencil

begin morning work/bell ringers

keep your desk and assignments organized

respond to teacher signals

label your assignments

work independently

work in groups/partners

use technology

handout papers

collect papers (classroom work & homework)

go to the restroom

transition

get in line/walk in the hallway

write down homework assignments

assign classroom jobs

pack up and dismiss

Other Essential Procedures:  

fire and emergency drills

recess & lunch

playground behavior

classroom jobs

classroom library and other learning stations

rewards and incentives

noise level expectations

work for absent student

Start training them on the first day so this isn't you!

We will be praying you have a successful school year!

Back to School Help!

 

We are here to help get your school year started right!

Each weekday during the month of August we will be posting something new!

Check back daily to see all our fun

ideas, suggestions and teacher tips!