New Social Studies Curriculum Means Interactive Notebooks and Freebies!

I've always wanted to try interactive notebooks. Two years ago I tried to get my team interested in using interactive notebooks for our math block, but they weren't interested. Since we team teach for math, it's either we all do it, or nobody does it. I was frustrated, but in the back of my mind I kept looking for another opportunity.

The chance came this year. I'm not with the same team, and we have a new social studies curriculum, which just begs for some innovation. I'm a bit nervous, but I finally decided to jump in with both feet and create social studies interactive notebooks for my own class this year. I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes, but I definitely want to give interactive notebooks a try.

This will be my first post, in what I hope will be a year-long series on using Interactive Notebooks for fourth-grade social studies. If you teach a different subject or grade level, I hope you will still follow me on my journey, especially if you, too, are interested in implementing Interactive Notebooks in your classroom.

After looking through my new social studies curriculum, I had to decide what I wanted to emphasize, and where to start. We have new Common Core State Standards for Social Studies in Tennessee this year. After reading the CCSS, I was surprised to see that our new textbook was not aligned to the new standards! I would have to supplement the text in some areas, and streamline it in others, in order to teach the key ideas I needed my students to master.

In the meantime, all students will need notebooks in which to create the notes and store the foldables created in class. I created these simple Back to School Editable Supply Lists, which you can get for free in my TpT store here.

Editable Supply Lists for K-6

You can either send this home with your "Back to School" letter to parents, or whenever you want your students to bring in classroom supplies. I have spiral notebooks on my list, but you can use composition books if you prefer. Just keep in mind that foldables for composition books need to be copied at about 64% the ordinal size in order to fit in the smaller books.

Once students have their spiral notebooks, it's time to personalize and organize them. I think of this sort of as like setting up an empty filing cabinet by putting labels on the outside of the drawers and colorful hanging file folders inside. I want the notebooks to be both functional and attractive, with no two exactly the same, just like no two students are exactly the same.

For this reason, I encourage students to create and decorate their own covers for their notebooks. The only things I wanted to be sure they included on the cover were the subject, their names, and my name. My artistic students love this freedom, and happily grab blank paper and get to work.

However, I have some students who require a bit more direction, so for these students I created the following cover, which you can download free from my TpT shop here. Remember, if you are using composition books instead of spiral notebooks, you will need to copy this page at 64% of normal in order for it to fit on the composition book. :) I created these for the various school subjects, but purposely left them rather "blank" to leave room for students to personalize them. :)

Language Arts Cover

Reading Cover

Writing Cover

Math Cover

Science Cover

Social Studies Cover

I decided to introduce the notebooks before lunch, then have this paper available on students' desks after they returned. I also tried to make it clear to students that if they wanted to create their own cover from scratch that I welcomed them to use blank paper, and made that available, as well. I wanted to give students the opportunity to think about the design of their covers, before they actually had to put color to paper. Introducing the assignment prior to lunch gives students that time.

After lunch, students were directed to get to work on their covers, and were given 20 minutes to do so. If they were not finished at that time I told them they were to finish it whenever they had extra time during the week, or they could take it home and finish it for homework. While they were working on their covers, I had several parent helpers come in and gave them directions for the next part of the project. I placed one parent at each table group, so that they would be extra eyes to spot any problems and redirect any students who needed help. You can find the form I used to ask parents for help here. (It's not in my store. It's just for my blog followers.)

Add your own date, time, and signature to this form.

Next we got to work on the Rubric for the notebook. Although I knew that we could just fill out this page as we went along, I was afraid that if I didn't have something for my students to glue into their books at this point, they might forget to leave space. So I directed my kiddos to cut out the page and glue it into the front of their notebooks. Parents were great at making sure students glued this in the correct spot in the notebooks, and that they used only a little bit of liquid glue. "Just a drop, not a lot!" I heard them say over and over again. :)

Sample Rubric

We went over the items on the rubric, and discussed the importance of doing their best work on everything that would go inside. When I told them that they would be able to use the notebook on tests, some of them perked up and seemed to take extra effort, but others seemed clueless. I figured that would change after the first test, though. ;)

Then we talked about the importance of having a Table of Contents in their notebooks, so that they would be able to quickly find the information they needed. I made this Table of Contents page, which you can also find free in my TpT shop here.

Table of Contents (for you to fill out as you go)

Some students take longer than others to finish, and some kids tend to lose small pieces if they have to come back to the assignment later. For this reason, it is a good idea to have students glue some type of envelope or large baggie to the inside back flap of their notebooks. That way those small pieces will still be there when they return. :) I like the 9" manila envelopes, but you can use whatever works for you.

Envelope for storing small pieces

Finally, we numbered the pages. At this point, I was really glad I had all that parent help in the room! I had asked parents to make sure all the students in their little groups numbered the same pages in their notebooks at the same time as everyone else in the group. They were able to keep the kids on track to correctly number the pages of their Interactive Notebooks.

As each table group finished organizing their notebooks, they were directed to clean up their trash, leaving the notebooks on their desks to dry. They pulled out their texts and began to read the posted assignment, while the other groups finished the task. One by one I thanked the parent helpers and sent them on their way. When the last student had finished and the last parent had left, I was ready to begin my next lesson, knowing that student notebooks were ready for the next day.

I was fortunate not to have any absent students during this activity, but if I did I would make sure to collect the blank notebooks from their desks and complete the set-up for them. Those students could always decorate and personalize their notebook covers on another day, but if they did not have the basic organization ready when it came time for me to teach the lesson, then those absent students would quickly fall behind. This is also a job you could give to your parent helpers to complete.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the beginning of my adventure into the world of Interactive Notebooks! You can find all these forms (except the parent volunteer page) in my TpT store, or by clicking on this graphic.

Interactive Notebook Freebie

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"See you" next time!

Free Blog Design, Free TpT Products, a Cool T-Shirt, and Some Jamberry Nail Wraps Giveaway!

Recently I joined up with some other TpT sellers to participate in a special giveaway from Kristy Bearfield at KristyBear Designs.

Kristy is offering a free blog design, plus some other fabulous prizes for entering her contest. Here are some pictures off her blog showing my contest group.

Kristy has several other prize groups, including All Grown Up,  Dots and Cupcakes, Learning in K-3, Learning in 4-5, Save the Day, Smorgasbord, Chevron Fun, and Time's Up. There are 43 TpT sellers participating, with a custom blog design by Kristy, and T-shirt giveaway from A+ Images, and some fun Jamberry Nail Wraps from Elizabeth! So head over to Kristy's blog and enter today!

Good luck!

Wordless Wednesday: Did You Light a Fire Today?

Did you light a fire today? "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." -- William Butler Yeats

This is the reason I became a teacher.

Until next time!

Back to School Sale on TpT!

Get 28% off EVERYTHING (including bundles) in my store at Teachers Pay Teachers during the site-wide sale August 4th through 5th!

Make sure to use the PROMO Code BTS14 at checkout in order to receive the full 28% discount off everything in my Carol's Garden store!

Fill all your "Back to School" teaching needs with postcards, editable nameplates and tags, editable binder covers, class-building cards, math center task cards, game boards, and more! Fill out your wish list now, so that you don't miss out on any of these incredible deals!

Some of my most popular items were special requests from customers. If there is a product you would like to see in my store, try suggesting it in My Q&A section. If I decide to create it, I'll send a copy to you free of charge!

Have a wonderful week! "See" you next time! :)

Free Editable School Supply Lists!

Cross one more thing off your back to school to do list! I know that teachers everywhere are super busy this time of year. In order to make things a little bit easier for you, I've created these super cute editable school supply lists. There's one for every grade level, K-6!

Back to School Editable Supply Lists for K-6

Simply download the free file from my TpT store here.

Then open the file in PowerPoint, choose the list and grade level that meets your needs, click, type to revise the text, and print! Include the list in your back to school parent letter, or post on the front window of your school when class lists are posted there. Either way, make it easier for parents to know exactly what supplies their children will need to be successful in your classroom.

I hope you enjoy these! Have a wonderful school year!

See you next time. :)

Children and Technology in Education

I think this meme says it all :)

Have a wonderful week!!

Back to School Welcome Postcards

Welcome your new students before you ever meet them!

Back to School Welcome Postcards Western Theme

As an elementary school teacher, I found that new students (and their parents!) were often nervous about their (or their child’s) new teacher. I wanted to allay those fears as soon as possible, but how?

Class lists were a closely guarded secret until the Friday before the start of a new school year. At 5:00 p.m., the office staff would lock the doors, post the class lists, draw the shades, and escape out the back door. Anyone remaining inside the office could hear the angry buzz as parents realized that the ONE teacher (out of five or six at the grade level) whom they had carefully vetted and chosen as their child’s teacher, was not the one to whom their child had been assigned for the upcoming school year!

Class Lists Taped Inside the Windows at 5:00 Friday

The office phone began an incessant ringing, as a long series of furious parents demanded immediate meetings with the principal, in order to get their babies the “RIGHT” teacher. All the teachers knew from experience that our principal would make NO class changes for at least two weeks, in order to allow the dust to settle.

Parents Try to Move Their Children to the "RIGHT" teacher's Class

In the meantime, every teacher on campus knew that they would have at least a handful (often more) of parents who DID NOT want their children in that particular teacher’s classroom. Instead, they wanted their child moved IMMEDIATELY to the class of the teacher they had chosen. What were the teachers to do?

From experience, I knew I had to be proactive in order to improve the situation before these children (and their parents) entered my classroom on Monday! After much trial and error over the years, I came up with several things I could do to improve the situation, allay parents’ fears, and welcome my new students before the school year started.

Welcome Back to School Superhero Postcards

First, I sent postcards to my new students. As soon as class lists were released to teachers, I asked the school secretary to print out labels with the names and addresses of all my new students. I affixed these to welcome postcards, which I had already prepared with a message from me to each student. All I had to do was to write each child’s name in the greeting of their card, affix the address labels and stamps, and they would be ready to mail.

Welcome Back to School Postcards Terrific Kids Theme

On these postcards I invited students and parents to an informal “Meet and Greet” with me, in my classroom, over the weekend, as I prepared my classroom for the new school year.  I encouraged them to bring their school supplies, so they could drop them off in the classroom and have them ready for the first day. (This also allowed me to get a quick idea of which students could not afford supplies, so that I could arrange for school supplies to waiting for them at their desks the first day. J)

Welcome Back to School Postcards Detective Theme

I set specific hours on Saturday afternoon and Sunday when I would be available in my classroom, knowing that the school would be unlocked at this time, and the gates would be open. Many other teachers would be in their rooms, putting the final touches on their classroom environments and getting ready for the new school year. I put the completed postcards cards in the mail at the post office Friday morning, so that the cards would arrive to my new students’ homes by Saturday afternoon.

It's important to put the cards in the mail in time to reach your students before the "Meet and Greet."

Many parents and students stopped by my classroom during those hours. Many of the children held tightly to the postcard in their hands, a shy smile on their faces. I made sure to stop whatever I was doing and greet each child and their parents as they entered my room. I showed each child their new desk, with their nameplate and books. I encouraged them to take a look around, and ask any questions they might have.

Have student nameplates and books on their desks before the "Meet and Greet." Place a large Post-it note on the nameplate so that they can write any spelling changes they want for their nameplates. I gladly make these changes later, because I feel it is important to have preliminary nameplates ready for the "Meet and Greet." The few changes I have to make more than makes up for the positive feelings created in students when they see their names on their desks. The ones I have to change are even better, as the students come in the first day of school to the correct version of their names already on the desks. :) 

My new students often head straight to some interesting are of the classroom (such as the classroom library) and immediately begin to explore. Then parents are free to meet with me, ask questions, and begin to realize that I am an experienced teacher, and that I have the best interests of their child in mind. More than one worried parent has shared with me that the postcards I sent were the first piece of mail their child had ever received, and that they really appreciated the personal touch.

Students Curl Up with a Classroom Library Book

You can find welcome postcards at most school supply stores. I created my own, so that I only have to type the welcome message once. Then I handwrite each student’s name in the greeting to personalize his or her card.

If you are interested in any of my Back to School Welcome Postcards, you can find them in my store at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Next time I’ll write about the letter I send to parents at the beginning of each school year. J Until then!

Have a fabulous week!

Kitties! Kitties! Kitties!

I love kitties! Actually, I love all kinds of animals! So it is with great pleasure that I sometimes take care of my neighbor’s three kitties when she is out of town. J

Lucy from Here’s an Idea saw my July Currently post and asked to see these kitties. Once I received permission from their owner I started to create this post. This is Tukes. Isn’t he handsome? He’s a beautiful dark grey and black tabby.

When we first started occasionally caring for these three kitties (about a year ago), Tukes was kind of standoffish. He would eat the food, but didn’t seem to want any other attention. Now he “talks” to us, purrs, and loves to have his head and neck rubbed.

Here’s Ruby. She’s the beauty queen. 

Although she has been shaved for the summer, her gorgeous calico colors still come shining through. Ruby was the last cat adopted by her human, so she and Tukes sometimes have spats. Since Rachel installed a pheromone device called Comfort Zone, these two don’t fight so much.

Ruby Stalking "Mice"

Finally, here’s Mama. She's a lovely tortoiseshell color.

Mama is LOUD! She loves people, and FOOD! I have to be careful when I feed all three kitties, because Mama will gulp hers down, and then go after the food in the other kitties’ bowls. Mama would be one of those cats who weighs too much and waddles around on their bellies if you let her. She’s the reason that food can’t be left out for the kitties to eat as they get hungry. Mama is ALWAYS hungry! Instead, the kitties are fed at mealtimes only.

Mama is also the most affectionate of the three cats. Whenever my daughter and I come over to my friend’s home to receive a violin lesson, Mama is the one to jump into my lap and demand some love. There she stays until the end of the lesson, when she reluctantly vacates her impromptu nest.

Mama is always on my lap during my daughter's violin lessons. :)   

Of course, all three kitties get lonely without their human companion, so Rachel asked us to spend some time each day with her fur babies. Here they are on my lap as Tukes and Mama groom each other. Awww!

Mama Grooms Tukes

Tukes Grooms Mama

I hoped you enjoyed reading about these kitties. Please leave a comment below. I love feedback!

Have a wonderful week!

Carol's Teaching Garden July Currently

Can you believe it’s already July? When I opened the front door this morning I was hit by a hot wave of sauna-humid air. The weatherman said that today would be a typical warm and humid July summer day. That means it’s time to join Farley at Oh Boy 4^th Grade for this month’s Currently.

Listening: “Rampart, this is Squad 51…” Do you know these words? During these dog days of summer we have started watching “MeTV” and the old-time shows on the channel. “Emergency” is a show from the 1970’s about paramedics. At some point during every episode the stars utter this famous phrase when they are talking to the doctors at the hospital about the patient in front of them on the street.

Loving: taking care of my neighbor’s three kitties while she’s playing violin for the symphony orchestra in AUSTRIA for two months this summer! I’ll be sending pictures of her babies to her, while she’ll be sending pictures of Europe to us!

Thinking: about the chocolately piece of gooey yumminess that is chocolate lava cake, which I ate AFTER two large pieces of pepperoni pizza. Oh, my stomach! Worth every bite, though. :D

Wanting: with all this hot, muggy weather, I daydream about being on an inner tube, floating slowly down a cool southern river.

Needing: with my children fighting over computer time on my laptop, I think I’ve been far too easygoing about letting them monopolize my machine. My son seemed to understand when I explained that TpT is part of our income, and I need to get back to work making products. My daughter on the other hand…

4^th Plans: I don’t know. I would love to take the kids to one of the local fireworks displays on the 4^th of July, but I’m not sure yet. Last year it poured rain from a summer thunderstorm, and we get a lot of those around here. Today is the first time in a week that we haven’t had a sudden downpour.

What about you? What are you doing on the 4^th of July? I’d love to hear about it!

Have a wonderful week!

What Would You Have Done?

What Would You Do?

If you were confronted by a team of camera men, producers, directors, and light and sound technicians outside your classroom door one day as you reported for work, saw all of their equipment attached to cables snaking through your classroom and out the door, what would you do? Would you want to be their “star?”

View Outside My Adult Education Classroom

We had been told that a film crew was going to be at our site, and that they would be popping into various classrooms to film teaching in progress. No biggie, as we were all used to impromptu evaluations, and had been visited and photographed by District personnel at various times in our careers.

One of the Many Equipment Tables

So I was surprised when I arrived at work this day to find the film crew parked outside, inside, and in the doorway of my Adult Education classroom. I was even more surprised to be asked if I would like to follow their script and “teach” while they filmed me, or would I prefer that they use their own “actor?”

Setting Up Equipment

I had only started teaching Adult Education classes three weeks previous to this question. The video they were going to film would be shown to the entire state at conferences as an example of “best practices” in an Adult Education setting. I hadn’t even attended a single in-service training for this job yet, and I was one of the two newest staff members on the team. I also suspected that the reason they chose me was due to the fact that I had the largest room, not because they thought I was an expert on teaching adults.

Beginning to Feel Out of My Depth

Feeling out of my depth, I politely declined. Then I sat at my computer working on a PowerPoint for my class while the film crew spent the next three-and-a-half hours in my classroom. They ended up asking two of the other experienced teachers on staff to be their “actors.” Both were asked to repeat the same lines over and over again while the crew filmed from various angles.

The "Bright Lights"

Afterward, our principal provided pizza and beverages for all, while the film crew conducted personal interviews with many members of my class. I ended up teaching a handful of my students (without the film crew) for only about 15-20 minutes that day. It was a very strange day.

What about you? Would you have accepted or declined the invitation to be a “star” in these circumstances? Would you have basked in the limelight, or run screaming down the hall (as I was tempted to do)? I would love to hear what you have to say.

Until then,