My Best Idea Ever! Freebie

My Best Idea Ever!

       I figured out a way to pre-teach, teach and re-teach without actually doing any direct teaching! It's a great way to maximize every minute of student learning with no extra work for you.  If you have a smart board or Promethean board, it can be working for you even when you are not actually using it.

       What I do is use the slideshow background feature on the desktop of my computer and project it onto my Promethean board. I do this while I am running small groups or working with individual students. I have compiled hundreds of photos of the following:

 Anchor charts from Pinterest

 Inspirational Quotes

 Character Counts

 Funny photos

 Grammar mistakes

 Educational cartoons

 Class rules

 And More!

       I set up these photos in a file that shuffles on my desktop background.(PC instructions included)  I control how often it stays up. I find 3 minutes per slide works best, engaging but not disruptive to seatwork.  The best part is that students never know what is going to appear next. Having an occasional humorous photo or cartoon keeps the students' interest. If it were just a rotation of educational anchor charts, students would just tune them out like they do bulletin boards. They love it so much that I have to make sure to turn it off when I’m teaching!

  

Follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers

 www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/4th-grade-4ever  to get the photos that I have been compiling for years! Each week I will add another 20-25 photos to the collection. You’ll get a Teacher Pay Teacher message that I’ve added more photos to the file. Fill in every available moment to reinforce your teaching with my educational screen savers!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Read Aloud and Writing Activity

Problem: Students sometimes have trouble relating to historically significant people, places, or events. I wanted to make sure my kids had a basic understanding of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work and his important contributions to civil rights. I also needed a lesson that was flexible enough to fit various time constraints.

Solution: I wanted to approach this subject from a child's point of view. If students could connect to Martin's anger and humiliation in the shoe store incident and his daughter's disappointment and "unconscious bitterness toward white people" about the amusement park, then they would understand why the Civil Rights Movement was such a vital step in our growth as a country and a united people.

We created a short article of kid-friendly basic background information. The anecdotes were chosen to resonate with children. A writing prompt gets kids thinking about the kind of America Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned for all children. Discussion questions are a jumping off point for a guided class conversation or they can be completed in writing in class or as homework.

Results: My students connected more this year than in previous years. It made it real for them in a way I hadn't previous taught. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us a lesson that should never be forgotten.

www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/4th-grade-4ever

Need a Holiday Present for Parents?

Problem: Don't have a lot of money to spend? Want something useful? Want the students to do the work? Want something really cute that will get saved?

Solution: Make a directed drawing 12 month calendar!
1. Pick a picture to draw. I choose Rhinos who Surf since it matches our Southern California vibe and is a good picture to keep up all year. I use 9x12 white construction paper.
2. Do a directed drawing with kids. If you are not comfortable drawing on the fly then pre-draw it with yellow colored pencil so kids think you are drawing it off the cuff. I always draw with no pre-drawing because I want the kids to know that mistakes are ok. I use black Sharpies and colored pencils. In this drawing I drew the rhino first, then parking meter, then car, then fence and last the waves. I never let students draw with pencil, we always use Sharpies. It's good for the spatial part of the brain.
3. I teach them to do "color power" and demo coloring a nice solid layer.
4. Print a 12 month calendar off of Microsoft templates.
5. Glue onto a 12 x 18 black construction paper background.
6. Laminate.

Results: Parents love them and I hear about them years later. They are easy to store when you are done with the year. Students are really proud of their work! I haven't spent any money and everyone is happy!

What to Get Your Students for Christmas

Problem: What to give to your students as a holiday gift that is meaningful yet won’t break the bank?

Solution: Each year I make coupons for my students. These twelve coupons attached to a candy cane are a huge hit with my 4th graders.  You choose, use some or all.

Result: The students love them! I haven’t spent a ton of money, and I still have shown my students that I care about them with a thoughtful gift!

 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Coupons-for-Students-12-1022118

 

Freebie How to Annotate Bookmarks

Problem: Annotating text is a key part of Common Core and a skill that needs to be developed with my students. They don't always remember all the annotating "tools" in their "toolbox." I needed a helpful reminder that is close at hand for kids to refer to while reading the text.

Solution: Bookmarks are a fast and easy way to keep annotation tips right where they are needed-near the text! These reinforce and remind students of skills they are learning.  

Results:  My students love them. They want several! I've found that fiction and non-fiction annotation tips may vary, so included are two sets.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Freebie-How-to-Annotate-Text-Bookmarks-1020253

 

Need a Fun Review?

Problem:   You've taught the unit and want to review for the test but how can you make it memorable?

Solution: Make it a Family Feud Game! My class loves these! It takes about 30 minutes and everyone is totally engaged.

Results: Content is not only remembered but students have to classify the information by importance to gain points and their team advantage!

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/California-Explorers-Family-Feud-Game-994213

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/California-Indian-Foods-Family-Feud-Game-980913

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Geography-Family-Feud-Game-994298

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/California-Missions-Family-Feud-Game-995670

Games Available:

Geography Family Feud
California Native American Food
California Explorers
California Missions

Give them a try and save at the upcoming TPT cybersale!

<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/SitewideSales"><img src="http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/img/sale_banners/sale_250_120.png?rand=00170" alt="250 × 120" /></a>

Problem: If you teach 4th grade in California you know that resources are difficult to find about the California Native American tribes and if you do find them they are usually not written at an engaging appropriate reading level for upper elementary students.

Solution: We have created this series about Native American Tribes in California. These short expository texts are aligned to the Common Core can be used as guided reading resources, close reading texts, and resource information that you can make digitally available for your students.

Color copy on cardstock and laminate for multiple years of use!

Text, photos and comprehension questions are included as well as a full preview! Please follow us to be updated when we add new tribes. Email us if you want a particular tribe and we will do that one next!
www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/4th-grade-4ever
www.4thgrade4ever.blogspot.com
4thgrade4ever.gmail.com