Monday Made-It Classroom Jobs Clip Chart

   After having a great weekend out of town in northern Minnesota with no internet access, I feel like I am back to civilization now at home.  I am so excited to share with you my Chevron Classroom Jobs Clip Chart.  It includes a header, 16 job cards, and job descriptions for all of the jobs.  And, it's available in 9 different colors.  So, you could use all one color or mix and match them! Click on the picture to check it out.

    This year I've decided to go with a color scheme of green, brown, and light pink in my classroom. Since I  wasn't happy with my job chart from last year (where I used library pockets for my jobs and popsicle sticks with students' names on them), I decided that using chevron backgrounds in my new colors would be a good solution.  And, I've seen tons of cute clip charts on ribbon floating around blogs and on Pinterest that I used for inspiration.  This one, for example, is a behavior clip chart.

    So, I've created a large set of job cards in 9 different colors with chevron pattern backgrounds.  I used the green cards to create my own classroom clip chart (I'll add pics later of final product after I get into my classroom again today).

   If you want to make the clip-chart, you'll need the job cards you choose to use in your classroom, a corresponding header, ribbon, and clothespins.  All you have to do is print out the cards you want to use.  Feel free to mix and match colors for a really fun look!  Glue or tape them to a ribbon to create a clip chart.  Write your students' names on the clothespins and move them around to change job assignments.  So simple!

Clip chart header

Job card in green chevron

Don't see a job listed below that you need?
You can create your own on a blank card!

   Here's a list of all the jobs I included:

• teacher's assistant
• librarian
• greeter
• gardener
• supply manager
• electrician
• line leader
• line ender
• door holder
• DJ
• messenger
• snack helper
• cheerleader
• pencil sharpener
• substitute helper
• morning meeting leader

   You could also use a pocket chart to store the cards in or attach them to a bulletin board or white board.  If you go this route, you'll just need to also make cards with your students' names on them to assign jobs.  In the past I've just used index cards cut in half.

   I am so excited to have this version of a job chart in my classroom this year.  It will be so much easier to use!

"Learning is Tweet" Monday Made-It

    At the end of almost all of our professional development sessions, we do some kind of individual exit slip to have a chance to reflect and share what we learned, what we're still wondering, etc.  I've been thinking for a while about how I could do something like this for my second graders to hold them accountable.  I've played around with the idea of having it be a part of our end of the day closing circle activities or doing it at the end of a subject (math, writer's workshop, etc.)  So, earlier this summer I saw this picture on Pinterest and really liked the idea of having some kind of visual where kids could leave a sticky note as an exit slip.

    I have also seen another cute one with the heading "Tracking our Thinking" with a paw cutout for each student, but I can't find the source or picture again.

   So, I decided to make a chart that could be used for all subjects where I could give kids different directions for what to write about on a sticky note.  That way, I'll be able to go back later when I have time to see where each student is at in his/her thinking.

   Here's my version of an exit slip chart entitled, "Learning is Tweet."  Get it? ;)

Exit slip chart

Close-up

    I will add numbers to it still so I can assign each student a number and they'll know where to put their sticky notes.  I know that the birds are not the exact size of the sticky notes like the picture from Pinterest, but I'm ok with that.  I made mine with 36 birds because that is how many second graders I will be teaching for math.  The rest of the day I will just have my 26 kids from my own class.

   To make the chart, I used the bird pattern I had left from the Faith, Hope, Love canvas I made (see that post here).  I traced the bird onto the back of 2 sheets of scrapbook paper that I chose.

   I don't have a Cameo Silhouette, so I cut them all out by hand. Then, I started at the bottom of the poster board and marked off every four inches until I had six rows (24 inches from bottom).  I made really light lines with a pencil horizontally across for each row so I could line up the bird fairly straight. Then, I glued them down with a glue stick.  

   Finally, I chose a fun font and printed out the letters.  Again, no Cameo :( so I cut them out by hand and glued them down.

   I think I will use stickers to add the numbers.

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   For home, I made my hubby a sweet anniversary card for our 2nd anniversary tomorrow!! :)  I was also inspired by Pinterest for this...surprise, surprise.

Pinterest version...

My version...

Here's a few of my favorite wedding pics.

Happy Monday!  I'm linking up to Tara's Monday Made-It Linky over at Fourth Grade Frolics!

Monday Made-It #3 for Me with a Giveaway!

I'm so excited to be back for Monday Made-It!  All the other blogs and Pinterest have given me lots of inspiration this summer.  So, first I'd like to share what I made for school.

This creation was inspired by a post I found last year at Teaching My Friends.  I had been playing around with the idea of creating a "menu" type of board for writing using the six-traits by doing something similar to the CAFE menu that I use for reading (click on The Cafe Book below for more info).

  
I wanted to have one column for each of the six traits that I could post the strategies I had taught so far under and had played around with trying to come up with a clever acronym but didn't have much luck.  So, when I found the picture below, I was so excited!  This is just what I was trying to do.

VOICES is such a great acronym for writing.  I've been planning on implementing this for the upcoming school year, so this week I made some headings that I can use to create my very own VOICES board like the one above.  Thank you Nancy at Teaching My Friends for the great idea.

There is one heading for each trait of writing with an "I can" statement to define the trait in student friendly language.  Plus, they each have a cute owl just for fun! :) Click on any of the pictures below to get a copy in my Teacher's Notebook store.

I plan on using these headings very similarly to how I use the CAFE board headings.  Just like the bulletin board picture above, I will put them at the top of a bulletin board and as I introduce a new writing strategy, I will post it underneath the appropriate trait heading.  I have seen how much the CAFE board has helped my students take control of their learning as readers by being able to choose goals and name strategies they use as they share with the class.  I'm confident that this board will also help kids see the connections between reading and writing even more than they already do.

So...here's the giveaway.  The first 3 people to comment and tell me how you would use a VOICES board in your room will get the VOICES headings for free so you can have your own VOICES bulletin board! 

Now...for what I made for home.  A canvas painted with the words Faith, Hope, Love.  I painted it a lime green color (3 coats).  Then, I typed the words in a font I liked, printed it out on cardstock, and then cut them out.  Since I couldn't find an outline type of font I liked, I had to use a regular font and cut out the letters.  I traced them onto the scrapbook paper and cut those out.  Finally, I glued them onto the canvas, created a bird for the corner, and put modge podge over the whole thing.

Those are my Monday Made-Its!  Don't forget to check out the VOICES headings and link up at Fourth Grade Frolics.

Monday (I) Made-It

I finally made it for another Monday Made-It linky party with Fourth Grade Frolics!  Previously I posted that I was working on making some headings and strategy cards for the Daily Cafe menu that goes along with Daily Five.  Well, they're done!  Since The Sisters (authors of Daily Five and The Cafe Book) introduced the CAFE menu to their kids by comparing it to a menu that you choose from when you go to a restaurant, I decided it would be really fun and cute to make some headings and strategy cards with a coffee shop theme.  At the beginning of the year, I introduce the CAFE menu to my kids with a similar explanation.  I add that a lot of times, when adults have book clubs, they like to meet in fun cafes or coffee shops to talk about what they read and enjoy a fun treat like a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.  We compare that to what we will do all year in second grade...talk together about books!   So, here are the headings and strategy cards!

For those of you that prefer to have yourself or your students write the strategy on the cards and possibly add an illustration, I have also included blank strategy cards for each category (comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expand vocabulary).  These blank cards have the corresponding background pattern and coffee mug to match the heading card.

Click on any of the pictures below to get them from my Teacher's Notebook store!

 

 

Heading cards

If you would like to have Cafe board headings and strategy cards in different colors/themes than you see here, please leave me a note in the comments.  I would love to create more if people are interested.

Along with my school project, I also made a little something for my home....inspired by Pinterest of course.  First, I saw these adorable frames called Organic Blooms that are only available through professional photographers and are a bit pricey.  So, I saw this pin that suggested making a knock-off version from a wood plaque and mode podge.

So, I went to Michaels to find a wood plaque because I couldn't find them at Hobby Lobby in fun shapes like the pin suggested.  For less than $3, I made my own version of those adorable frames.

I had to sand the plaque a bit before I painted it.  Then, I added three coats of Caribbean aqua.  To attach the photo I used double-sided tape.  I still need to add modge podge to seal it, but I'm not sure if I should use gloss or matte, so I'm putting that off.

That's it. My Monday Made-It.  

Feel free to follow my blog to see what I make for next week. :)

You can head over to Fourth Grade Frolics by clicking on the pic below to check out other Monday Made-Its too.

Monday Made-It!

For the first time all summer, I finally felt like thinking about school a little more today and created something for the Monday Made-It linky party over at 4th Grade Frolics.

I created a file folder game for my students to practice sorting foods by which part of a plant they are from.  Each spring we do a unit on plants and introduce the idea that different foods come from different parts of the plant by reading Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens.  It's a super cute trickster tale about a bear and a hare.  The hare tries to trick the bear and plants different plants so that he can harvest the part that has the food from each kind.  In the end, bear learns an important lesson. Check it out by clicking on the picture below

Anyways, after reading the story, they need more practice thinking about which part of the plant certain foods are from.  Enter the file folder game.  There are 6 wheelbarrows each with a plant part.  Students put each food into the correct wheelbarrow and then fill out a recording sheet.  To get this from my Teacher's Notebook store, click on the link or click on the first picture below.

                                                

Finally, for home, I made a canvas quote that says, "And they lived happily ever after."  My second anniversary is coming up in early August, and I am still working on getting more wedding pictures framed. Shhh.... So, this week I made a cute canvas to display with our anniversary date frame and a couple of wedding pics.

I bought a canvas at Michaels on sale, some wooden letters, and a bottle of Martha Stewart's glossy white paint.  I also used Tacky glue and matte white acrylic paint that I already had on hand.

Here is the inspiration that I pinned on Pinterest.

The $333.58 inspiration!

And, here is my $6 DIY :).  

The pictures don't do it justice.  Sorry about the poor quality.  The letters have a shimmer to them because I used the matte white to paint the whole canvas and the letters after I glued them on (2 coats each).  But, then I added a couple of coats of the shimmery white paint to just the front of the letters to make them stand out.  You could do this with any quote and any color.  You would just need a matte and glossy version of the same or very similar colors and paint the front of your letters with the glossy paint to make them pop!

Happy Monday!