Clipboard Craze

This summer I wanted to discover ways for students to easily access the resources I have in the classroom.  One of the things I wanted to revamp was my clipboard system.  

I had the clipboards in a crate in the back of the classroom before, but they weren't being used as much as I thought they could be.  I also had some children taking the clipboards and putting them in their desks and lockers.

My mom and I gathered paper and paint and began creating these clipboards that are now more attractive. Costing us maybe 20 bucks total.  


A tip in creating these clipboards- when using scrapbook paper buy a Xyron machine from Michaels or Hobby Lobby.  You run your paper through the machine and it turns into a large sticker.  This will prevent the bumps and air bubbles that arise if you just use modge podge or glue.


I plan to hang the clipboards with small peel and stick hook on the side of each child's desk.  Hanging them will make it more accessible and hopefully will encourage the use.  I numbered the clipboards, so that I wouldn't lose any and I will also use it as another management tool. Instead of calling only color groups, I will be able to also call table member numbers. Click here to get the circle numbers that I placed on each of the clipboards. 

And lastly, after placing the numbers and scrapbook pieces, we need to seal the boards so that they will last.  We used the "Do It Yourself Divas" idea of making our own modge podge.  Check out their pin on how to do it! 

Promoting College in the Classroom

I feel that promoting college and getting kids interested in the future is important starting at the elementary level.  So, last summer I wrote into a few college boards and pitched my case.  In return, I received lots of college pennants, stickers, pencils, pens, and reading materials.  

 One of the neatest things about getting colleges involved is the reading material that they sent me.  The kids love putting a college magazine in their book box to read.  They like to look at the pricing, activities, and dorms.  This brings up great conversation and continues to promote higher education.

One of the first "getting to know you" activities that I do with my class is have them decorate their own college pennant.  They really like decorating and comparing all of the colleges that they plan to attend. 

Reading Response Rings

We use reading response rings to share our reading with classmates.  As I mentioned before we have a 25 Book Campaign in our school where the challenge for 3rd-5th grade is to read 25 "just-right" books.  As students read their books they fill out an index card which includes the book title, author, and picture on the front.  On the back they write a 3-5 sentence summary and whether they recommend the book.

Students enjoy these response rings, because they can keep track of the number of books they have read and they enjoy reading their classmates book recommendations.

This is also a quick and easy way for me to monitor their reading. Students bring their response rings with them to our reading conference, so we can discuss their reading progress.

Sundae Reading Incentive

This year we had a reading competition at school, which required 3rd-5th graders to read 25 "just-right" books.  We had pit-stops along the way to share our classes progress. The first two pit-stops my class took home the trophy!  After the second win, we fueled the fire for the other classes.  I told them that IF they beat me, the winning class could make me into a human sundae!

A 3rd grade class beat our class by 1 book!

The kids had a blast making me and the first grade teacher who also lost into human sundaes!  We had