Parent Newsletter Template

Templates are crazy important for teachers! Creating templates can be one of your biggest time savers during the school year. If your district requires you to upload lesson plan templates, like mine then you might want to make one.. or a few different ones depending on how your class is laid out. For example, since I am teaching Aleks math I have a lesson plan template for regular direct instruction days, a template for computer lab days, and a basic template for anything in between.

Another great template to have is a parent newsletter template. If like me, you want to keep parents updated on the happenings in your classroom, you should spend some time creating parent newsletters. Whether you want to do them monthly, biweekly, or every week, this is a great tool to have in your back pocket. It opens the lines of communication between parent and teacher, and it gets parents on the same page. It informs them of what they could be doing to help their child succeed, it informs them of what their child should be doing to be successful, and it informs them of what you are doing to help their child be successful as well.

Therefore, I wanted to share with you my parent newsletter template. This is a free download at my TpT store, and I hope that it saves a great amount of time for you during the school year.

Just fill in the particulars, and you are ready to hit send!

... and please! Share with me any ideas you might have regarding parent newsletters. 

I'd love to hear about them!

We're working together to make our classrooms a better place.

Friday Favorites - Warmup Activities

This will be one of my last consistent Friday Favorites posts, as pre-planning starts next week. I will still try my best to do a weekly post about education, sewing, or food though. So stick with me and cross your fingers that I get it done!

This week, I'm listing my three favorite warm up activities. These also go by the name of bell ringers, introductory focus, etc.  Before school starts, I really want to make a bank of possible warm up ideas. That way, during the school year I can pick a type from my list quickly, instead of having to do the research during the school year. (I may post my list later on.) These will be more so math centered, because that is what I'm teaching this year.

1. Find the lie - List 3-5 problems that are solved. One of them will be solved incorrectly. The students have to figure out which one it is, figure out what the person that solved it did wrong, and they have to figure out what the correct answer is. 
2. Math journal entry - Put up a problem, and students have to solve it while writing about what they did. They have to show the teacher how they thought through the problem, by putting each and every step into words. 
3. Present a math scenario - This year, I am using this as extra credit. I will have a designated spot in my room for students to put up their examples of math in the real world. During the warm up, students can present their examples for one more extra credit point. 

What are your favorite warm up activities?

Friday Favorites - Procedures (7/18)

As I am preparing for the upcoming year as a math support teacher, (Yay! I got the job!) I am first and foremost planning out my procedures as part of my classroom management plan. Here are three of my favorite procedures that I WILL be implementing this year.

Check out this pinspiration for your classroom procedures! you've got mail

Instead of passing back papers after they've been graded, students can collect their own papers at the beginning or end of class. To take this idea a step further, students can store unfinished worksheets or projects in these hanging folders. I also want to combine this with the traditional way of turning in student work. The trays that students turn their work into can say "(insert your name) has mail." That keeps the theme going.

I vaguely remember this procedure being mentioned in one of my education classes about two years go, and I thought I'd try it. I'm going to call it,"Grab and go!"

When students enter the room, there should be a designated spot where they can collect materials for the day's lesson before they sit down at their desks to complete the intro activity. This year, I want to put a table near the door of the room. On this table, I will have some laminated construction paper or place mats that indicate which class is which (as I will be teaching two 6th grade class, two 7th grade classes, and two 8th grade classes). The place mat or laminated construction paper will be held in place by sticky putty, so that I may move it if I need to. Then I will have a sticky note that tells students how much of each material they will need for the day. They will grab it upon entering the room, and then complete the introduction activity.

Here's another pinspiration that I would love to try in my classroom. I'm done!

I do want to make a laminated version of this with Velcro cards, so that I may use it over and over. At the bottom I will have spots for sticky notes for activities that are specific to certain materials or units. When students are finished with the required activities, they get to choose an activity from the board. This keeps them from being disruptive while the other students are working.

What are your favorite procedures? 

Best Breakfast Idea Ever!

So this grocery trip, I was craving smoothies.. At the grocery store I got some frozen raspberries and some frozen peaches (Ya'll know I'm a Georgia girl). I already had some yogurt at home, and of course milk. After getting home and putting everything in its place, I decided to reward myself with a smoothie. I made one portion, and then I though, "I should freeze one portion of fruit so that I can make a smoothie for myself anytime I please."

The idea expanded from there... 

My one cup portions of peaches and raspberries, that I had frozen in little baggies, could be used for so much so more than just a smoothie for one. 

My Breakfast Ideas - using that 1 cup of fruit or berries

1. Breakfast smoothie - one cup of fruit or berries, a couple tbs of yogurt, and some milk
2. Breakfast parfait - one cup of fruit or berries slightly blended, yogurt, and granola on top
3. Breakfast oatmeal with fruit - one cup of fruit or berries slightly blended, quick cooking oatmeal, and milk

Friday Favorites - TpT Freebies (7/11)

Teachers Pay Teachers is definitely the best resource out there for teachers. It doesn't matter if you're just starting out, or if you've been teaching for a long time and need some new ideas. It's a huge time saver, and you can get wonderful ideas that work.

Sometimes you don't want to pay for a few smaller ideas though.. so here are my 3 favorite TpT Freebies by other sellers.

1) Fact Swap - This is a wonderful way to assess student knowledge. You can have students fill this out at the conclusion of a lesson, so that you may assess what students have learned. Or you can have students fill this out as a quick review for a test or quiz. (They could make their own on a sheet of paper, with this displayed on the board. - saves paper)

2) Classroom Management Plan - This is just a cool format for a classroom management plan. If your students and community are interested in football, this is a great resource.

3) National Geographic Magazine Project Menu - Do you teach using National Geographic articles for your lessons, or do you require that students read after they are finished with their assigned work? This is a great freebie for you! This takes those articles to a new level. Students work on comprehension, rather than just reading to pass the time.

Remember to look around for more freebies that suit your classroom and teaching style.

Here are three freebies from my own store.

New Product Alert - Responsibility and Project Based Learning

I usually don't like to post about my new TpT products, but I'm really excited about this one! It has taken me quite a while to create and perfect it. I think it is also something that any middle school or high school teacher can use in their room.

Responsibility and Project Based Learning

What is it? 

This product is a bundle of three things. The first part is a Project Planning Sheet. The Project Planning Sheet should be filled out before any work on the project begins. With this sheet, students figure out what type of project they want to do, what materials they need to do the project, and what they want to accomplish. (The teacher sets and objective, and the students go from there.)

The second part of this bundle is a set of General Project Guidelines. This can be used during the planning phase and the work time. The General Project Guidelines give students an idea of what types of projects they can do, and what they entail. There is also a list of basic materials needed, and a "this type of project is for me, if..." section. That way, students can easily pick the project that best interests them, suits the time that they have to complete it, and in which they have the materials for. 

The third part is a basic rubric. The General rubric is also to be used during the planning process and the work periods. They help students make important decisions on what they should include in their project. This gives students an idea of how they will be graded as well.

Why is it so useful?

This bundle allows the teacher to give more and more responsibility in creating projects to the students. 

You can start small and pick 2-4 project types, that way you are grading similar type projects. This is a great idea that allows students to get the hang of this project format too. Later on, you can give students full reign of the different types of projects, and they can be as creative as possible. 

Learning is greatly customized with this product. Students learn responsibility at their own pace, and they get to tap into their own interests with this project format as well. You could combine this with learning contracts for students that have IEPs, or for students that are at a different level than most of your class. 

Most importantly, it takes a ton of the work off of a teacher's shoulders. With this project format, the teacher can truly be a facilitator. 

Friday Favorites - Lunchbox Goodies (6/27)

I try to take my lunch all but 1-2 days a week, as a teacher. It's difficult though when you're super busy grading papers and planning for tomorrow's lesson. Here are a few of my favorite lunchbox goodies that take very little time and effort to prepare. They're healthy too!

Sweet potato oven baked fries - Great with anything, especially your favorite sandwich that takes minutes to prepare.
I usually take 2 sweet potatoes, peel them, and chop them into small fries. The smaller, the faster they cook. Once I get them all cut up, I toss in a pinch of salt and black pepper. I also add in some curry powder or garlic powder depending on what kind of mood I'm in. Then I spread them out on a sheet pan that is lined with aluminum foil, parchment paper, etc (whatever I have on hand). Then you just toss them in the oven for about 20 minutes, and enjoy with your lunch the next day. I really usually have enough for a couple of days of lunch that week.

Sweet potato and bean burritos - I saw this recipe when looking for more ways to use up the sweet potatoes I had gotten on sale that week. I also had a can of re-fried beans on hand.  So I said, "why not try it out?" It was pretty darn awesome! Try it! You can even try it using your leftover fries hehe.

Chicken salad - Chicken salad is probably my hands-down favorite dish ever. You can cook a bunch of chicken in the crock pot, and then use part of it for chicken salad, and the other part for another meal throughout the week. That tip makes it super quick to put together. If the chicken is cooked, then all you have to do is shred it up and add your favorite chicken salad recipes. I for one would recommend this recipe for chicken salad.