Classroom Resources

Teachers Pay Teachers 
I've decided to join TPT and list some of my favorite resources and lessons.  You can find me here.

Pinterest
Some of my best classroom projects have come from Pinterest.  Teachers are always known for begging, borrowing, and stealing fellow educators' ideas.  Why reinvent the wheel!  You can find me here.

Classroom Management - 100 Chart as a Group Reward

I recently mentioned my use of a 100 chart for a classroom management tool in the Good Times post.  I wanted to go into more detail of this tool.

During the first week of school, I introduce the 100 chart as a whole group reward.  This would be in place of a marble jar or the like.  When students do something amazing as a whole (walk in the hallway correctly, receive a compliment from an adult, all bring in their homework, etc.), one lucky student gets the chance to pick a popsicle stick.  The popsicle stick has a number from 1-100 on it, and the student then colors the corresponding boxed number.  Once ten numbers are colored in a row, a reward is earned.  I let my students take a vote on their choice of rewards, including game time, movie and popcorn, extra recess, or another option of their choosing.  

The idea for the 100 chart came from CHAMPS:  A Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management.  Randy Sprick highlights many useful classroom management tools.  The book is definitely worth checking out!

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The Flat Stanley Project

This year we began a new adventure: The Flat Stanley Project. The Flat Stanley Project was created in 1995 by Dale Hubert, a 3^rd grade teacher in London, Ontario. The project is based upon Jeff Brown's book “Flat Stanley” where young Stanley Lambchop is squished by a bulletin board and becomes flat. Stanley's parents then realize that he can be mailed to travel instead of splurging on a plane ticket.

For Room 114's version of the project, students wrote letters to family and friends pretending to be Stanley Lambchop and colored Flat Stanley cut-outs. Family and friends were sent an introduction to the project, Stanley's letter, Stanley, an enclosure for them to fill out documenting what they did with Stanley, and a self-addressed stamped return envelope. I found many of the resources on Flat Stanley and ABCteach. Some of the topics, ideas, and resources came from our school's curriculum, which is the Kent County Curriculum.

By the end of the school year, we received nearly 40 Flat Stanley packages. These packages have included postcards, maps, souvenirs, letters, and pictures. I am constantly impressed by the creativity from our family and friends and can't wait to receive more Stanleys!

Check out this link for an overview of Room 114's Flat Stanley project:  Room 114's Flat Stanley Project

Keeping track of Stanley's travels

The states that Stanley visited

  Stanley even visited the Detroit Tigers!

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