A Sound Idea Submitted by: L. Stone Make a tape of sounds from the environment. I have one with crickets chirping, cell phones ringing, water running, a thunderstorm, a kitty mewing. When the tape is played the students are asked to identify what the noise is. Keep a numbered list for your own reference so you…
Altoid Tins Submitted by: Upsadaisy Don’t throw out those handy Altoid tins. When empty, they can be used in many ways. Fill with beans and glue shut for a flat toss piece for games like hopscotch; fill with various objects for discovery boxes; punch or drill holes in ends to hang for wind chimes; thread ribbon…
Conference Scheduling Submitted by: Amanda Post (A to Z Teacher Stuff), Kindergarten When it comes to scheduling, I send home a form with students outlining all the time slots available for conferences. I instruct the parents to mark their top 3 preferences with a 1, 2, and 3, and to put an X on any times…
Communication Notebook Submitted by: Kim Bodenstab Parent provides a spiral notebook that goes back and forth from home and school daily in the child’s backpack. This provides an easy way to write a note to a parent and to make sure that they know to look for it. The parent can write info to the teacher…
Alphabetize Your Book Titles Submitted by: Patty J., Preschool-1st Over the summer at garage sales I look for little baskets, crates, organizers. As my class learns the letters of the alphabet, in class we create a basket for that letter (A-Z) and make a big label for it. Then they hunt and find titles of our…
Answer Cards Submitted by: Claudia, Fourth Grade Answer cards are a great way to involve an entire class and quickly see who’s on the right track. Place inside a library book pocket 6 or more 3×5 notecards. Across the end of each card put one response. I use A, B, C, D, and YES, NO. You…
Beginning your Day Submitted by: Dollucy Grainger, Pre-k teacher Have a designated place for all items backpacks, folders, library books, and anything else your students may need to turn in. Then have students mark themselves present by moving a clothespin or card with their name on it. Then have the students do an independent activity such…
An Organized Way to Return Papers Submitted by: Jodi To help students stay organized and clutter free, I have a place on a table in the back of the room where all the corrected papers get piled. Every Friday, I assign two students to sort the papers by name and they put them into folders that…
Center Time Submitted by: Tamela, Pre-K This is my second year teaching Pre-K. I would have to agree with all previous statements, but I would like to add one thing. During their center time, that is your opportunity to work with small groups on developing some of their skills. So I only restrict the number of…
Baby Wipes Submitted by: Jaicie I keep baby wipes on hand for quick clean-ups. They can be used on most clothing, backpacks, desks, tables, etc. Grade Level(s): Preschool, K, 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 Shaving Cream Cleaning Fun Submitted by: nicky fuller Use shaving cream to clean off markers and crayons. It works very well, plus the kids…