Stars Classroom Theme Artwork – Part 1

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Star Classroom Theme ArtworkThis contains what you’ll need to set up your star-themed classroom:

  • 17 pages of original artwork that you can cut out to use on bulletin boards or work stations
  • 9 table tents each in a different color to label desk groups, work stations, or centers
  • 9 “Happy Birthday” cards, each in a different color
  • 9 pages of stationary with beautifully patterned backgrounds
  • 18 pages of framed letterhead (9 landscape, in 9 colors) (9 portrait, in 9 colors) to print your own message in the middle for wall signs, anchor charts, or notes home
  • 9 pages of smaller framed letterhead in 9 colors to print your own message in the middle
  • 8 colors of primary desk plates to label students’ desks with their names or print on magnetic paper for a name sorting activity
  • 8 colors of intermediate desk plates to label students’ desks with their names or print on magnetic paper for a name sorting activity
  • 8 bookmarks with original artwork
  • 5 classroom posters: “Shoot for the Moon”, “_________ All-Stars”, “Out of this World __________”, “What’s for Lunch?”, and ” Where Do We Go After School?”

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Bulletin Board – Wonder Wall

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Wonder WallGoals for the Wall

A “Wonder Wall”, described in the book A Place to Wonder by Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough, is a place where people can post thoughts that make them wonder.   It is a perfect place to get to know the gaps in your students’ background knowledge and a great way to gain insight into topics that are important to your students.  This is a springboard for authentic discussion and research.

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Cherish Diversity

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Our differences make the whole world more interesting and beautiful.If you are more of the lip-synching, can’t keep a beat type person (like me), then you know how wonderful it is to have a student who is musically talented. Oh, how I love to have them lead the ABCs or Happy Birthday. Everyone has unique talents, and we can strengthen any skills through practice and perseverance. Kids need to understand their strengths and appreciate the hard work people put in to enjoy high levels of talent. Some of these strengths and intelligences are cultivated in school and some are not. Check out this beautiful infographic of Howard Gardner’s 9 types of intelligence by artist Diana Ziv.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Infographics/7787289

Teaching tolerance and acceptance of others is a must for every educator. Start by modeling your appreciation of other’s abilities, explain your own skills as a series of steps (as opposed to natural talent), and allow others to explain themselves rather than assume their background and motives.

Sometimes behavior you think is “naughty” may be totally acceptable from another perspective. Think of a woman in labor speeding to the hospital. (Yes, I know she should not be driving, but you get the point.) One of my favorite examples comes from a first grader who stood near me refusing to talk. I could not understand why she was being so seemingly oppositional until she wrote me a note that stated, “I haf to thro up.” Then the light bulb of acceptance turned on!

Post Series "Making Learning Fun"

Model Imagining and Questioning

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Imagination and a pile of scraps make for a sturdy learning pedestal.Share your spontaneous inventiveness and let the kids share theirs.  Express curiosity and discuss the FUN of learning new things even at your (oh so very old) age.  A “Wonder Wall”, described in the book A Place to Wonder by Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough (http://www.amazon.com/Place-Wonder-Reading-Writing-Nonfiction/dp/1571104321), where people can post ideas they wonder about is a perfect start to get knowledge seeking started.

A great Earth Day (every day) activity is turning trash into treasure.  Arvind Gupta demonstrates some amazing inventions made from things he found lying around.   He proves that it doesn’t take a lot of money to create a huge educational impact.

Now I know why I save every little thing saying, “I think I could really use this for something.”  I can’t imagine what this man would do with my stash – but then again, maybe I should start imagining.  I would need a little help from my kiddos of course.

P.S. If you are as fascinated by any and all foldables as I am, here is a link to the a site about “flexagons” (that paper circular thingy he was playing with).

http://www.glit.info/flexagon/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=34

Post Series "Making Learning Fun"