Category Archives: organization tips

Personalized Interactive Notebooks

This post was sponsored by Five Star® as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

As much as I love our 1:1 Chromebook situation and moving more of my projects and assignments online, I still require my students to keep a notebook for my class. I want my students to be bilingual in the sense that they can navigate through online documents and responses, but they can also grab a notebook and a pen at any time and make meaning of content. Different students process information differently, so I believe they need choice when it comes to how they organize and lay out their notes and questions.

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I enlisted the talents of four of my amazing students to test out four different Five Star® Interactive Notebooks and see how each style helped them keep their information and tools organized.

Hailie chose this Five Star® Customizable Interactive Notebook (College Ruled). Her favorite feature was the customizable cover. She can slip in a cover page for any subject, and then switch it out at any time. The cover is super durable and will protect any other papers that she might slip in there if she is running late at the end of class.

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She utilized the margins on the right hand side for chapter titles so that she could easily find the sections she needed to study or refer to. She loves adding her own banners for subheadings, and there is plenty of uncluttered space for her to lay out vocabulary words and main ideas under each banner.

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Jessie chose the Five Star® Customizable Interactive Composition Book (College Ruled) for her English notebook. She also loved the customizable cover, and she trimmed hers down so that it would fit perfectly. The smooth edge never gets caught on anything in her backpack, and the inside pages open to a more natural two-page layout.

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She created a contrasting layout for a piece of informational text about the leadership styles of Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln. She used the margins to note the lines and page numbers where she found textual evidence about each figure. She delineated her own commentary by setting it off with highlighted boxes so that she could easily translate these notes into an essay the next day. And does she not just have the most beautiful handwriting you’ve ever seen?

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Rachel preferred the Five Star® College Ruled Interactive Notebook because she could store so much in the first section. There is a full-size pocket to store handouts, as well has a half-page pocket where she can keep stickers, page flags, or sticky notes.

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All of these Five Star® Notebooks also have a handy reinforced Table of Contents section at the beginning. I used to always print a Table of Contents for my students and have them fill it in as we went through the year, but this one is much more durable, and there’s no extra work for me!

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Rachel went through the same text about Davis and Lincoln and kept track of important quotes as she read. She added her own commentary underneath the quotes, and then jotted down connections that came to her in the margin where she kept a “notes” section.

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Another cool feature at the back of these notebooks is the extendable grid, for plotting points on a chart, creating schedules, mapping out a room, making a bullet journal layout, or anything else you can think of to use it for. It’s made of the same cardstock-like paper as the Table of Contents in the front.

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Nadia’s notebook had the same green cover as Rachel’s but she loved all of the clear pockets inside this Five Star® Wide Ruled Interactive Notebook. It has two small pockets at the top to hold note-taking supplies, and a larger envelope below for bigger, flat items. She can see all of her supplies laid out right away, and they never get lost in the black hole of backpack pockets.

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Nadia thinks best when she has a lot of white space in her notes, so created this clean, sparse layout for a lesson on the euphemisms in Farewell to Manzanar. She added her own doodles to remind her about the primary source documents we looked at in class.

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All four girls are excellent students, and while they do great work on our online platforms, they enjoy working with pen and paper to process new information. Some of their best connections and epiphanies have come from seeing their notes laid out on the page in a way that they understand. Plus they all enjoy the process of hand writing, and they like looking back at their written notes much better than notes on an online document.

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These are an awesome back to school staple item to add to your list for middle or high school classes. Which one is your favorite?

 

 

Spring Bulletin Board in a Box

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Since I teach middle school I rarely get to do the cutesy seasonal bulletin boards with every student’s name on them, but sometimes I wish I could! My mom, on the other hand, teaches kindergarten, but she gets overwhelmed by switching up her bulletin boards for every season and holiday. So I thought I would do some of the detailed work for her and give her the gift of a bulletin board in a box!

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I purchased this cute bulletin board set from Ms. Thornton’s Thinkers on TeachersPayTeachers.com and printed the letters and flower shapes out on card stock from Michaels. My favorite color schemes for my classroom are Sugar Candy and Soda Pop, which is what I used for the flowers as well.

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It did take a couple of hours to cut out all of the petals and stems, but I like to put on my headphones and listen to the In The Heights soundtrack while I work, so before I knew it I was done (and ugly crying when Abuela Claudia died and cheering for Nina and Usnavi to get together in the end). I arranged each flower set with a paper clip so that my mom can give a set to each student.

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Since the theme is “Look How We Have Bloomed,” I was thinking that each kid could write words they learned to spell on each petal, or maybe a math problem they know how to solve. I am so far removed from the Kindergarten world that I’m not sure exactly what they will write on the petals, but I can’t wait to see pictures of how they turn out!

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I also found this clear plastic box at Michaels, and all of the pieces of the bulletin board fit inside perfectly! Now after she takes it down at the end of the year, my mom can store the letters in the box and she’ll be able to quickly find it again for next spring. I also gave her the blackline copies of the petals and flowers so that she can re-do them for her class next year.

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I taped the title page from the Tpt product to the inside of the box as a label and I think it looks so cute! If you’re looking for a fun bulletin board that you can use every year, this one is adorable. And also, if you’re trying to think of a Teacher Appreciation gift for a teacher who doesn’t love the process of creating bulletin boards, consider making her or him a bulletin board in a box! It was fun for me to do, and it saved my mom a lot of time and energy that she definitely needs for those little ones!

To see the whole process in action, check out my YouTube video!

 

easy back-to-school dinners from trader joe’s

I wish I was one of those people I see on Instagram who cooks up a week’s worth of healthy meals and portions them out on their table every Sunday afternoon.  Maybe someday I will be.  But right now we don’t even have a kitchen table in our tiny little love nest, so I have to stick with things that don’t take a lot of prep space.

Enter Trader Joe’s.  I’ve loved Trader Joe’s for years, but recently I have discovered a few new items that I know will make those first few nights of the school year a little easier to bear.  School starts in less than two weeks, so I am stocking my freezer and fridge now.  Here is what I am loving:

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japanese style fried rice ($3)

Oh my goodness, this stuff is delicious!  I keep a couple of bags in the freezer and if we are craving take-out, I can just throw this in a pan and it’s literally done in five minutes.  The flavor is great without adding any soy sauce or seasoning, but sometimes I will drop a fried egg on top of mine.  My husband loves this stuff, and I’m pretty sure he thinks there’s a lot more to it than heating it up in a pan.  I’ll just let him keep thinking that.

Fooducate rating: B-

Calories per serving: 250

Real-life serving size: My husband and I split the bag as a meal.

(Fooducate is a free nutrition app that I use while I’m shopping to gauge how healthful a food item is before I buy it.  You simply scan the bar code and Fooducate gives the food a “grade.”  I try to stay above a C-average.  For more detailed information about these products, download Fooducate and search the name).

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melodious blend ($3)

This takes slightly longer to prepare (about 10 minutes), but your nutritional bang for your buck is great.  I imagine it would be really yummy as a side dish with some grilled chicken, but I have just been eating it as a meal.  I didn’t even know that green garbanzo beans existed, but they’re really good!  It’s like a much fancier and healthier version of the frozen peas and carrots that I used to eat as a kid.  The texture of the lentils is great, and this stuff is chock full of fiber.  I’m imagining myself coming home at 10:00pm from a full day of teaching followed by a full night of grad school classes and reaching for this instead of Ben n Jerry’s.  My visions of my future self are always very optimistic.

Fooducate rating: A

Calories per serving: 200

Real-life serving size: I’m not gonna lie, I ate the whole bag in one sitting.

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asparagus saute  & brown rice ($4 each)

This is one of our weeknight staples.  I put a little olive oil in a pan a saute the asparagus, onions and mushrooms for a few minutes, and then I cover the pan.  The frozen brown rice takes about 3 minutes in the microwave while I am waiting for the vegetables to finish cooking.  And done.  We just make a little stir fry out of it, add some soy sauce, and enjoy an episode of Dexter on the couch.  The vegetables are so flavorful, and this is my favorite way to do brown rice.  I can never get brown rice quite right, even with a rice cooker, and it always takes forever.  So this is the perfect way to go for me.  Quick, easy, healthy and yummy!

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Fooducate rating: A

Calories per serving: 25

Real-life serving size: I split this with my husband

Brown Rice

Fooducate rating: A-

Calories per serving: 230

Real-life serving size: I split this with my husband

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mango flavored green tea ($3)

And to wash it all down?  I love this mango green tea.  It’s not super sweet or overpowering, but it’s really refreshing.  Obviously brewing your own unsweetened tea is going to be a more healthful option, but we are talking about EASY things to have for dinner.  Be happy that it’s better than Kool-Aide.

Fooducate rating: C+

Calories per serving: 60

Real-life serving size:  A tall glass will do ya

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fresh linen scent antibacterial soap ($4)

Bonus item.  I think this is my favorite hand soap of all time.  It smells absolutely amazing and it’s antibacterial.  Usually my yummy-smelling soaps are not antibacterial.  Anything with rosemary extract usually gets me, too.  It’s pretty to put by the bathroom or kitchen sink, and it makes me want to wash my hands every time I see it.  I kind of want to use it right now.

Those should get me through the first few days or so.  On Fridays I will obviously go out to dinner at like, El Pollo Loco, and then come home fully intending to watch a few more episodes of Dexter, but fall asleep on the couch with an earring stud stabbing me in the neck.  That’s just how it goes.  Enjoy the last few days of summer vacation!

barnes & noble mini haul

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at Barnes & Noble, so teachers get 25% off all their purchases!  I needed a couple of things, so I headed on down this Saturday, and this is what I picked up:

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This calendar is actually for my piano studio, but I still got the discount.  I was surprised that the calendar section was already pretty much picked over, but at least I got this one for 50% off (plus my 25% discount, so 75% off!)  I just think it’s a nice little touch to put up a calendar that your students like to check out each month.  I try to just follow my students’ interests, so in the past I have done things like High School Musical, Taylor Swift, Glee, Despicable Me, Angry Birds, and last year, Angry Birds Star Wars (oh yeah!).  I also write all my students’ birthdays on the calendar and try to remember to bring them a little treat on the lesson closest to their special day.  It’s a little thing, but I think it has contributed to the fact that many of my students have stayed with me for EIGHT birthdays! 🙂

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I’ve been eyeing these bookends for a while, so I went ahead and indulged a little since I was going to get my discount.  I am going to begin reading “The Cay” with my 6th graders next week, and I thought these would help me keep my class set nice and organized.  I’m going to assign one student per week as The Librarian, and he or she will make sure that we get all of the books back at the end of the period in a nice straight line between the bookends.  I have a lot of teal in my room, too, so they look super cute.

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We love John Green’s Crash Course US History YouTube channel already, so I was excited when I found out that he is also an award-winning author.  I read “The Fault in Our Stars” over Christmas break (loved it), and it is currently being passed around between some of my higher-level (and more mature) 6th graders.  I have read a few chapters of “An Abundance of Katherines,” and while I’m enjoying it, I don’t think I want to be the one to provide it to 11-year olds.  The subject matter is a little bit more mature, but I can see high school students really enjoying this book.  I’ll save it in case I end up teaching high school, and I’m intrigued by the story line in the meantime.  John Green can do no wrong!  

 

I usually do more damage at Barnes & Noble, but one of my New Year’s resolutions is to reign in my spending.  Maybe I will get a gift card one of these days and have a few more items to share another haul post.

Did you get any great deals with your teacher discount this week?

 

free school supplies from reddit

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At the beginning of the school year, a friend of mine sent me a link to a Reddit project that matches teachers with people who are willing to donate specific classroom supplies. (The link I used unfortunately doesn’t work any longer, but I am assuming that Reddit will run this project again next school year and advertise it on their site). I wrote a list of the specific things that I always run out of or wish I had in my classroom.

A super nice (anonymous) lady mailed me two boxes full of pencils, markers, card stock, glue, crayons, and colored paper. I was so touched, and so were my students! We used some of the supplies to make her a really cute thank you card, and now whenever I want to do a creative project, I have all the supplies I need. I am really into “foldables” and posters and “projects-in-a-day,” and now I have all the card stock, markers and glue I need so that my students can actually make quality projects. I asked for a bunch of mechanical pencils, so now I don’t stress out when someone doesn’t have a pencil; I just give them one and they don’t even need to waste time sharpening it. We love the box of fine tip markers, and my 6th graders use them often for “Rainbow Reading” (blog post on that activity to come!) and for editing each others’ papers.

We love Reddit and nice people who donate school supplies!

copy drawers

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These drawers are one of my favorite organizational tools in my classroom. I bought white plastic drawers at Target for about $15, and then I used scrapbook paper and stickers to label each drawer with a day of the week. I like to make copies a few days in advance, so I just store the copies in the corresponding day’s drawer, rather than laying out sets of copies on a table like I did last year. It’s strangely satisfying to walk into my classroom in the morning, open the day’s drawer, and have copies sitting there just smiling at me.

The Friday drawer is bigger than the rest, so I use it to hold art supplies or other larger items I might need for a lesson. I also have two folders at the bottom of that drawer to hold emergency sub plans and copies of worksheets in case such a situation ever comes up.

I’m not gonna lie, I am a little excited to open my Thursday drawer tomorrow and greet the 13 Colonies map worksheet…

hall pass

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Hall passes really gross me out. I mean, half a dozen kids take them into the bathroom every day and who knows if the kids are setting them on toilets, dropping them on the floor, carrying them back to me without washing their hand, etc. So I never touch them.

I see kids walking down the hallway with really creative and funny hall pass objects. I tried to think of something funny, but I saw this little coffee mug warmer in the dollar section at Target and thought it would do. I strung a ribbon through the bottom and I hang it on my wall near the door. Students grab it on their way out the door and hang it back up when they return. If a student sees that the hall pass is not there, they won’t bother asking to leave the room since only one student can leave the room at a time.

My sixth graders came to me from elementary school extremely well-trained. They have been teaching ME classroom management tips and tricks! I will have do another post about all the great elementary school strategies they’ve been bringing to me. Another reason I just love my little sixth graders!

What do you use for a hall pass?

bell schedule

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Ok, I went a little over the top on this one. I can admit it. I just really liked these stickers from Michael’s and I wanted to find a good use for the numbers! I put the bell schedule in the back of my room this year because, really, I’m the only one who needs to see it! Even if students can’t remember to write their own names on their papers, they sure know exactly when the bell is supposed to ring, so a schedule for them is rather pointless.

Actually, though, I have been very impressed by my all of my classes this year when it comes to dismissal. I have always wanted to throw out a, “The bell doesn’t dismiss you; I dismiss you!” but I haven’t ever needed it! I do tend to try and squeeze too much into the last minute and a half of class, but whenever the bell rings, the students brace themselves against their desks and wait for my approval before launching themselves out into the hallway. They’re so obedient!

teacher survival kit

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I am in my room from about 7:30am to 4:30pm every day, so I have to make sure I have some basics on hand to keep me feeling, smelling, and looking good. I picked up this cute plastic box from Target and filled it with a few essentials…

-ibuprofen (it’s no fun to try and teach with a headache!)
-deodorant (it’s been almost 100 degrees outside lately, so I definitely need this!)
-mouthwash (I bring a lot of leftovers for lunch!)
-bobby pins (sometimes my bangs drive me nuts by the end of the day)
-panty liners (it would be terrible not to have one when you needed one)
-tampons (obviously)
-bronzer (to help control shine and add a little color to my face)
-nail kit (for toenails or fingernails)
-mint chapstick (it makes my lips feel nice and fresh)
-Tums (you can’t teach with a tummy ache!)
-makeup brush (for the bronzer)
-hair brush (after lunch sometimes it hangs a little flat)
-Cottonelle wipes (I just much prefer these to regular TP)

What else do you always keep in your classroom?

completed work files

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I found these magazine holders at Ikea last summer for just a few dollars. I labeled one for each of my classes. Whenever I collect an assignment, I just store them in the corresponding file. I try to grade and input work right away, but if it takes me a few days to get to it, I know all the papers are organized and waiting for me right where I want them. When I’m ready, I just pick up one file at a time and take it to my desk to grade. I have been thinking about moving my Turn It In Station closer to my desk so that it’s more convenient when I grade papers, but I don’t like students congregating near my desk or wandering over by it with late work. It makes me nervous. And suspicious.

If a student has late work, I never let them give it to me. They must turn it in to their class’ file. And I’ll get to it when I get to it. (I love how students who turn in late work are the first ones to complain that their grades have not been updated yet! Really, you want me to hurry now? Haha).

That phrase “whenever I collect an assignment” sounded misleadingly simple. Collecting an assignment takes training and skill. There is always a student who is in charge of gathering the papers for his or her group. Depending on how I have the seats arranged at the moment, this might be the person in the front row, or the person in a certain spot in a group. ALL the papers in the pile must be facing exactly the same way–they cannot be upside down, backwards, or weird in any way. And if I don’t see names on papers I don’t pick them up. I only collect papers once. If you missed it for any reason, you are in charge of getting your assignment turned in to the right box (facing the right way!). I warn my students that I am crazy when it comes to turning in work, and it is either perfect, or I don’t take it. By the end of the year they are fabulous turner-inners.