Fight for Your Write

It's no secret that the heart of a teacher is probably made up of sticky notes, colorful crayons & markers, whiteout tape, super sharp pencils, and a blast of glitter. We LOVE school supplies.  So when I was contacted by Bic to see if I would like to receive some of their supplies and write about their newest campaign, I of course said YES!  In addition to their awesome supplies they also have an awesome and inspiring campaign going on right now called "Fight for Your Write".  The goal - to keep encouraging students to WRITE....with their hands!  The art of handwriting is slowly being lost in this day and age of digital technology.  But isn't it still important?

"Writing is an important vehicle for communication 

because it distinguishes us and promotes individuality."

"Writing is also an important learning tool for children. Writing helps kids 

become better readers, boosts their confidence and sparks their creativity."

These two statements are from the Bic's - Fight for Your Write site. And I agree wholeheartedly.  After all, when I first think of even just the 'act' of handwriting, I immediately think of my students. I can tell whose paper is whose simply by looking at their unique handwriting.  Even in the digital world, we are SURROUNDED by handwriting aka fonts. No longer does Times New Roman fit all the needs of a person. Instead, people like Kimberly Geswein (an amazing font creator) can take someone's unique handwriting and create it into a font used by millions.

If we move past just the act of handwriting, we then enter into the world of what we can do with the power of writing. It brings me back to an activity that I did with my class.  There was a school district in another part of the country that decided that their high school students were "too busy" to recite the Pledge of Allegiance anymore.  They just don't have time in their jam packed day.  I showed my students the video of veterans who went to the school board meeting to plead with them to put it back into the school day.  My students were very touched by the video and asked what could they do to help?  I put the question back on them...  After some brainstorming, it was decided that they would write the school board letters imploring them to put the Pledge of Allegiance back into the high school schedule.  I was so proud of them!  They offered suggestions on how they could make this work and asked the school board to think of the veterans.  One student was concerned that their letters wouldn't be read, but another one said it didn't matter.  His comment was "Just knowing we took the time to write on how we feel about this is good enough for me."  :-)  Yep....proud teacher moment.

This year I'm going to encourage my kids to use the power of their writing again. We will find causes that are near and dear to them.  Take time to write letters of appreciate to people and companies.  Rediscover the lost art of sending a thank you letter.  The options are limitless.

And of course, I will do this using my Bic supplies!! hahaha  Their colorful selection of tools is exactly what will help begin the motivation to accomplish our writing goals.  I know from my experience with students that if I give them the opportunity to write in color, their desire increases dramatically.  Worried about mistakes with using tools other than pencil?  Fear not, Bic has white out tape that is easy and mess free to use.  They sent me a variety of tools to use but here are my top three favorites.

1.  The Magic Markers:  These are great for using on your whiteboard. My favorite part? When I erased it didn't leave a residue of color.
2.  Wite-Out: I LOVE white-out tape. So much easier to use then traditional liquid white-out.  And I'm not afraid to hand it over to my students to use.  Plus it doesn't bunch up like other brands I've used.
3.  The multi-color ink pens. I LOVED THESE PENS AS A KID! And they are still awesome. They are going to be perfect for our editing sessions. With all four colors at hand, the students will be able to quickly click from one color to the next to mark up punctuation, capitalization, spelling and grammar.

Guess what?! Because Bic also knows how much a teacher loves school supplies, they have agreed to send you a package of their supplies too.  Head on down below and enter to win a Back to School supply package from Bic yourself. :-)




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A Lenten Activity: Stations of the Cross Dioramas

As we enter the season of Lent, one of my favorite activities that my students do every year is our Stations of the Cross Dioramas.  Instead of sending this project home, my students take a couple of weeks during Religion class to work on their chosen station.  They are required to bring in a shoe box (of course I have extras for those who don't have one) and any materials they want to make their 3-D scene.  In addition, I open up my art closet and they can use any supplies (paint, construction paper, etc. that I have).  We talk about what makes a diorama unique and after each student chooses a station they want to work on, they are let loose to create.  The only requirement I have when they choose stations is that each of the 14 must be represented. 

Prior to working on the project, we review the different stations and I enjoy showing them this Puppet movie on the Stations of the Cross that I located on YouTube.

After the students have created their diorama they then are required to complete a writing assignment on it.  They discuss in detail what is happening in their diorama scene and reflect upon why the station is important.  This project is always a favorite of the students and what I love most about it is that they are ALL student created (no parental help).  I'm amazed at the creativity that the students display.  Since they do such an amazing job, I find it important that we share our work so we invite the rest of the school to stop by during a certain time to view the different stations. 

Here are some examples from this year's class:

Interested in doing this project with your class?  You can check it out in my TpT store here.

Techie Thursday: Popplet

New year, new themes I've decided.  I plan on keeping my theme of Market Mondays where I will post something that I have purchased for use in my classroom and give a quick review of it.  However, now that I'm also utilizing 1:1 iPads in the classroom, I decided that my theme of Website Wednesday no longer fit what I wanted to do. So.....(drum roll please) I've decided to now do Techie Thursday in place of it.

These posts will feature anything that has to do with technology - websites, apps, ideas, etc...  Of course I may post things that have to do with technology on other days as well but at least this will guarantee one technology post a week.

Today's Techie Thursday is all about one of my all time favorite apps that I use in the classroom with my students almost daily.  It's called Popplet.  This app is a visual tool to allow students (and adults) to visually organize their thoughts or data.  I mostly have my students use it as a graphic organizer tool to organize their writing.  However, check out the multitude of ways that Popplet creators see it being used in this screen shot taken from their website.  I'll admit I'm at the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more I could be doing with this tool!

Uses for Popplet

Let me explain a bit more.  You can easily download Popplet from the iTunes store.  There are two versions - the lite version which is free or the paid version which is $4.99.  Obviously with the lite version there are restrictions and I have found with my time using Popplet it is WELL worth the $4.99 they are asking for.  However, if you don't have an iPad or other Apple device don't let that deter you from checking this cool tool out.  They also have it available online at www.popplet.com.  You can create an account and begin making Popplets right away.   They do have a maximum limit of 5 Popplets that can be created but now you can sign up for a Popplet plan depending on how much you plan on using it.  They even offer school discounted pricing per student account. 

Students can create individual Popplets which only they can see and work on or they can do collaborative Popplets.  Below is an AWESOME example of one from the Popplet Facebook page that another teacher did with her students.

There are a variety of features available and this particular app is extremely easy to use and begin working with immediately.  You have the ability to change colors, import photos, videos, draw pictures and so on.  

Here is a video that eduTeacher created to show the basics of getting started in Popplet.

 

 In addition to their webpage, Popplet also has a Facebook page.  I highly recommend you also check that out.  It's awesome to see how teachers in ALL grade levels are using this tool in their classroom. 

Do you use Popplet?  What are some activities you've done? Share below!

Honoring Thy Mother

A colleague and I were just talking the other day and I mentioned that Mother's Day is coming up.....and fast!  You know what that means, time to start working on Mother's Day gifts with my class.  Thankfully, a few years ago I started doing a project and have done it ever since.  It's simple, thoughtful, cheap cost efficient, and there has never been a mother who hasn't LOVED it!  So I know you can't take the suspense anymore..................right?


Okay, here's what I do with my 5th graders.  First I give them an assignment to write a poem for their mother.  It can be an acrostic poem spelling out MOTHER or their mother's first name.  Or it can be a cinquain.  To be honest, it can really be whatever moves the student. I don't require that they rhyme but many of my students end up doing so anyway.  After they are done writing their poems, next I proofread them and have the kids make any corrections. Once they are perfect, they type the poems up on the computer and format it with the font and text color of their choice.

After the poem is complete, I take a picture of each of my students.  These pictures are printed along with the poem and placed in a frame which I purchase.  What I love about these frames is they are a heavy glass and give a feeling of expensive. However, I will let you in on a little secret.......they are NOT expensive at all!!!  I get all my Mother's Day frames at the 99 cent store or the Dollar Tree.  I'm not kidding!  These frames are really a buck or less.  I just add it to my growing list of things I already spend out of pocket. But in my opinion, these are so worth it. The students are so proud to take them home and like I said before - the moms love them.  I wrap the frames up in tissue paper for my students with a bow and they take them home.

Moms cry and weep......and send me emails about how much they love them. :-)  What do you do for Mother's Day gifts?  Share below.


Be sure to check back in a few weeks for my idea for a fabulous Father's Day gift.

After writing this post, Maria from Kinder-Craze told me about the Linky Party she is having for Mother's Day. Be sure to check it out for more Mother's Day ideas!  

Historically Scrappin'

One of my all time favorite Social Studies writing projects I do each year with my class is the Biography Scrapbooks.  Each year, students in my class choose one person they would like to read a biography on and create a scrapbook of their life.  I don't allow any duplicates within the class and the only requirement is that they have to pick someone who has contributed to society in some shape or form.  We talk about how different careers can contribute in different ways - from singers, artists, scientists, athletes...the list goes on and on.  Many times, they pick someone from the past who is long gone but sometimes they choose someone who is current and hip (this year I had someone do Selena Gomez and highlight her ambassador work with UNICEF).

After reading the book they chose, students continue doing research on that particular person filling in the Famous Person Report Outline that I provide them. This outline is very simple and to the point and instructs students on everything that they need to have in their report.  Once they have completed the outline, they begin working on the creative part - creating a scrapbook!  I usually have this part completed at home but always schedule time for research during school.

Now with the finished product I have done a couple different things.  For a couple years at another school I taught at, the entire fifth grade did a Wax Museum (there were five fifth grade classes - each did the written project different but we all participated in the Wax Museum).  Students were given a piece of butcher paper that was five feet long.  On the paper they had to write (in very large print) three clues about who their person was without giving the name of their famous person.  Below the clues, they drew a portrait of their chosen person too.  Finally, at the bottom of the paper they wrote the name of their famous person and covered it up with a flap of construction paper.  During the actual Wax Museum these pieces of butcher paper were hung up and down the hallways and the students dressed as their famous person and stood like wax figures in front of their papers for 10 minutes.  During that time, guests walked around the Wax Museum trying to guess who everyone was.  They were able to check if they were correct by lifting the flap of paper in the corner.  When time was up, guests were also invited back into the classroom for refreshments and to look at the scrapbooks that the students created.  At my new school, I no longer do the Wax Museum due to space and time. However, the scrapbooks are displayed during Parent/Teacher Conferences so that parents who are waiting for their time can browse through them.

Edmodo Evaluations

This year, I took the scrapbook project a step further by implementing an Edmodo component to it.  Each student in my class had to do a peer evaluation of their classmates' scrapbooks.  I have sixteen students, so each student's scrapbook was reviewed four times each.  After reading their classmate's work, students submitted a review on Edmodo for the scrapbook.  They had to write a paragraph keeping the following questions in mind: 

• What did you enjoyed about their scrapbook?
• What questions did you had after reading it?
• What do you think they could have improved upon (constructive criticism only which we discussed as a class)

 After everyone was done evaluating each others' work, they had to go back and respond individually to each review their scrapbook received.  My students enjoyed both parts of this and I found that even my most reluctant writers has great reviews!

What is your favorite Social Studies project you do with your class?

If you are interested, my Biography Scrapbook Project is available on my TpT store - check it out.  And while there, be sure to check out all the freebies I have available too!

smART Recycle

Yesterday, my 5th grade students were fully engaged in a fabulous art project - which was all about using recycled materials.  While I typically teach art once a week to them, we were lucky to have a parent volunteer come in and do a project with Kindergarten through 8th grade.  For the past couple of weeks, the school has been collecting recyclable materials to be used for this project which will be featured in our end of the year Art Expo.

Each class is pretending they have discovered a new species of tropical birds. From there they use the materials provided to create their bird.  Some classes used water bottles, others paper plates, etc. My class used a box as the body and went from there.  Before the boxes were first handed out, they were first spray painted in bright colors.  After that, students used toilet paper rolls cut in quarters for eyes and Q-tips for feet along with a bunch of other scrap and recycled material.  They used sticky tabs and tape to put their bird together and when finished, we reinforced it all with a hot glue gun.

Now, comes the next fun part! Creating a story about their bird - the students will create stories about how they found their bird, create a description and even name their bird.  They are still working on the actual design part, so we haven't moved on to the creative writing just yet.  However, I wanted to share their fabulous designs!

Have you ever used recyclable materials for an art project? What did you do??

Poetry Snap - Guest Blogger

A good friend of mine told me about a Poetry Bee her daughter participated in with a homeschool group.  Her daughter enjoyed reading poems and sharing her own.

As I listened to her passionately share this experience with me, I couldn't help but think what a great event this could be in the classroom.  I wasn't too keen on calling it a Poetry Bee, I think a Poetry Snap is much more appealing.

There are so  many ways you could incorporate a Poetry Snap in the classroom.  Common Core Standards begin to introduce poetry as early as first grade.  Younger students can do a Poetry Snap by memorizing a poem and sharing it with the group.

On a special evening or even during classroom time, set up the classroom to look like a cafe.  There should be a microphone to use and ofcourse...refreshments.  Invite parents to come in with their child that day, prepared to recite a poem.  Encourage Poetry Snap ettiquette which is to snap after the poem is read instead of clap.

Older students can write their own poems for their Poetry Snap and share with just classmates or you could invite parents as well.  Students can choose the style of poetry they want to write and the teacher could explain to the audience the details of how you write those styles of poetry.

My last idea is that you could do this school wide and host a PTA or PTO activity.  Free or low cost activities are always popular with families.  Classes could write poetry during school hours.  Then they come in the evening to share their poem with the school.  Snacks could be sold to raise money for the school.  If you have a larger coffee house close by your neighborhood, you could team up together and ask them to host the event and share the proceeds of coffee/treats sold that night.

I've made a Poetry Snap invitation template that can be changed in Word.  Download it here.  When you attempt to view it in google docs, it will say "no preview".  All you need to do is click on File and then select download.  Tell it to save and it opens in Word for you.  Enjoy!

Adrianne Meldrum is the author of KidsCogWorks.com and the inventor of the Brain Tower Game.  She currently tutors struggling readers and middle school math students.  Adrianne is the wife of a civil engineer and a mother to three handsome boys.

Linky Party: Picture Prompt

Nothing helps get the creative writing juices pumping like picture prompts. Many times when I have a student struggling during Writer's Workshop, I can pull a picture prompt out to help give them an idea of what to write about.  So when I heard that The Diary of a Not so Wimpy Teacher blog and Classroom Magic blog were creating a  Linky Party that was dedicated to creating and sharing picture prompts, I knew I had to join.  Be sure to check out all the other awesome picture prompts and get your students writing!