Math Tubs: Math Tubs are used to store independent math activities. Each math tub is filled with activities that can be done individually or in pairs. The activities are geared toward whatever skill is being taught to the entire class. The tubs are leveled to provide practice and enrichment. I have included links to some of the items in the tubs.
Black and white number cards: Link Bee theme polka dot cards: Link iPad apps: Arithmetick, Word Problems Online Games: Drop and Drag Math: Link Math Magician: Link Smart Pads: ISBN: 0-439-72079-6 Fluency Folders: Fluency Folders are used with students who are struggling with sight words and fluency. Using sight words that the student is working on, as well as sight word poetry and sight word phrases, the student works on the folder at home with the support of parents and returns them to school once a week to read for me. The pages are then replaced with new ones as the student completes them.
Link Fry's Sight Words: Link Sight Word Phrases: Link Sight Word Poetry K-2: ISBN 978-0-7439-3507-4 Library Organizer: This is a very easy to use free website that allows you to inventory. Using a free app, you can scan in your entire classroom library by scanning the UPC's on the book. You can also scan books in and out of your library for students who would like to borrow texts. This is great for teachers with multiples libraries at home and at school. Click here to check it out.
Shower Curtain Keyboard: The shower curtain keyboard is an activity used to practice the spelling of words, but it also teaches the keyboard which is helpful for technology.
Daily Counters: Have you ever forgotten how many days you have been in school? Do you have lots of number reversals in your children's writing? Need a quick, easy way to keep track and use student involvement? Try keeping track of how many days using your number line! Have a student daily write the number day on a shape, specific for each month, and hang near your number line in your classroom for a quick, easy visual.
Additionally, why not use hundreds, tens, ones and cubes/sticks for keeping track of days in school, instead of straws?
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Closet Organization: To help hang posters in an easy, cheap and quick way, use plastic pant hangers with clips! Voila!
Word Wall Ribbons: The word wall is used for sight words, the names of students in the class, and any other words that we would like the students to be able to easily see. This word wall uses ribbon below the large letters to hold the words. The words are attached to the ribbon by a little clothes pin allowing them to be quickly removed for instruction and then replaced on the word wall. Also, having the words in a straight line makes it easy for the kids to find the words that go with each letter
Progress Portfolio: This is a laminated file folder that includes the reading level letters. Velcro is stuck onto the folder and name/number pieces. The pieces can be moved around as the students progress through the year. It is a nice way to get a glimpse of your entire class at once.
Daily Tubs: Use tall tubs or magazine holders labeled for each day of the week, plus one labeled 'Next Week.' Organize all of the materials you need for the week based on day (read alouds, math manipulatives, journals etc...). When you have work that did not get finished on a certain day, simply move it to the next tub/holder. When working ahead, place extra copies in the Next Week bin so that it is ready to go!
Creative Clothespins: Instead of stapling up students' artwork and then having to take out the staples to get it down, use clothespins. Take a clothespin and super glue a push pin to the back, You can decorate your clothespins with washi tape or modge podge scrap book paper to them. They then can be pushed into a bulletin board and students' artwork can be clipped up and down easily.
Colorful Clocks: Help students answer their own questions (When is it snack? When will it be lunch? When do we have specials?) simply by pointing at a clock!
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Spelling City: This is THE digital resource for spelling practice at home and at school. Simply copy and paste your spelling lists in and this site creates sample tests and games for you. The free account is more than enough for my classroom needs though a premium option (with more games) is available. Click here to check out my spelling city site.
Showcase Student Work: When the kids are finished illustrating a published book, they hang it on a clip by the window. This display is made with a tension rod and curtain clips (both can be found at Target). The books are available during book shopping times, so kids unclip their classmates' writing and keep it in their book boxes for a week or so.
Closet Organizer: Hanging things in your classroom uses less floor space, and therefore allows more room for students to move around! Sorting out markers and colored pencils by specific color ensures that everything is put back in its correct space. Use the higher pockets for teacher-only items, and store useful everyday items for students to use in the lower pockets (markers, colored pencils, erasers, wet wipes etc..)
Number Rug: The IKEA rug is used for complements of 10, doubles, and number identification.
Plush Balls for Group Work: The soft balls can be tossed to keep kids attending. They can be used for practicing Bible Memory, handing off a discussion, practicing counting or spelling, etc.
Classroom Writing Journals: Motivate your writers by giving them prompts and build classroom community! The journals can be written by different students and read by them too. These journals will be a hit for the Daily 5!
Mailboxes: A shoe rack placed upright makes a great mailbox. Use large binder clips with stickers for student's names or numbers. Takes up a lot less space!
Pipe Cleaners: Simple, clean way for kids to manipulate and fidget with to burn off some energy and help them focus.
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Water Bottle Organizer: This is an over-the-door shoe organizer with 24 pockets. The pockets are labeled with numbers that correspond with the students' numbers in the classroom. They store their water bottles in the pockets during the day and get drinks from them during independent work times, snack and lunch, and after recesses and PE class.
Special Scissors: I hung a command hook on my doorframe near the garbage can to hold a large scissors. Kids can use the scissors to open packaged snacks like Gogurt, chips, and fruit snacks. This frees up your teacher hands to open things like applesauce containers and those overly-full fruit cups.
Illustrated Sub Folder: A picture is worth 1000 words. Creating a substitute binder with pictures will allow the substitute to quickly learn the management and organization system specific to your classroom. Take a picture of different routines that your substitute will need to implement, as well as ways that the substitute can tidy up at the end of the day and prepare for your return.
Umbrella Ideas: The Umbrella can be used for topics like classification, main idea, and for group names in story problems.
Bathroom Sticks: The popsicle sticks are used when a student asks to go to the bathroom. Popsicle sticks with the students name on them are placed in their mailboxes There is a "boy" cup and a "girl" cup on the top of the mailboxes. When the students need to use the bathroom, they move their popsicle stick from their mailbox to the cup. They only have two popsicle sticks a day.
Personal Thesauruses: Punch holes in the back of a journal and attach a few sheets with brads. This can be a great place to have students put frequently misspelled words or personal thesaurus.
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