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| Class Average Challenge Mr. Paul challenges each of this civics classes to achieve a high average score than his other classes. Classrooms compete against each other to win a prize they all love, even Mr. Pahl. With this classroom challenge, everyone wins. |
| Charting Math Fact Progress Mr. Bloom challenges each of his students to improve their individual scores each time they take a math facts test. Read about how his students practice chart and graph skills as they work to score higher with each test. |
| Calling Out Poor Behavior Mr. Cottingham has a simple, direct method of redirecting misbehavior and getting students back on task. There’s no room for excuses and no discussion. Find out how he does it. |
| Classroom Management Basics There are some classroom management principles that work regardless of grade level. Ms. Ortiz suggests seven behavior basics that any teacher can use to set the stage for a successful classroom and an unforgettable year. |
| Caught Doing Something Good Caught Ya! Ms. Ashworth rewards her students PECK points when they do the right thing. Students have an opportunity to win small prizes each week and use their PECK points for extra credit on quizzes and tests. |
| Classroom Farming Activities Nothing beats a field trip to a real farm, but if you cannot visit, Ms. Postman has a few suggestions you can do at school: germinate lima beans, hatch chicks, set up a pumpkin patch, make a cow from a cardboard box -- kids will love the boxed milk. |
| Celestial Mnemonics A veteran teachers shares a fun planetary song she uses to help her students remember all nine planets in the solar system. This catchy tune will help students remember the names of planets even as they progress to the older grades. |
| Cooperative Tables Joyce’s students sit at group tables instead of individual desks. The arrangement maximizes space in her classroom and helps build community. Read about how she organizes supplies for each group and chooses a daily captain to distribute materials. |
| Cinquain Poems Art Project When her classes finish standardized testing, Ms. Sturgeon likes to do an engaging, project-based learning activity. Her class writes cinquain poems about their favorite animals and paints their creations in the style of illustrator Eric Carle. |
| Create Camp Read-A-Lot During the last week of school, Amanda takes her kindergarten students camping in her own classroom! Her students bring tents, flashlights and other camping gear for a fun reading event. |
| Changes for Next Year I keep a Word Document titled Changes for Next Year on the flash drive I always have with me. I make simple notes on... |
| Celebrate Reading with the Cat Ms. Cashell helps organize a week full of reading events and activities to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Seuss (March 2). There are Seuss-inspired costumes, guest readers, fundraisers, trivia quizzes, prizes, and even a Crazy Hair, Crazy Hat Day. |
| Car Race Measuring Conduct a race using toy cars with your elementary students. Let a group of 3-5 students start their cars at a starting line, rolling them to see whose can go the farthest... |
| Colored Test Copies When I make multiple test versions, I always use different colored paper. This way... |
| Calming Disruptive Students I have a few suggestions for calming disruptive students. I often write notes to whichever child is nearest to me, asking him/her to... |
| Child Who Refuses to Work We have probably all encountered a student who refuses to do work. While we can do our best to engage the child and build a positive relationship with him, we cannot do his work; we can only do ours. At some point it becomes necessary to... |
| Conserving Paper Guidelines for typed papers in my classes are 1/2" margins and 1.5 line spacing, rather than 1" margins and double-spaced. |
| CVC Story This may seem like a silly tip, but it sure helped my talkative first graders understand the reading skill CVCe. |
| Club and Pep Rally Time My high school has an extra fifteen minutes added to the last period of the day so students can attend club/organization meetings, sports meetings, drama, etc. |
| Club Day My second grade team and I all use the same behavior incentive program. We keep rolls of raffle tickets purchased from a discount store... |
| Cafeteria Music To control the noise level in your cafeteria, try music. It really works! Musical pieces without words, usually classical, soft jazz or soft blues are the best. Some yoga pieces work too. Kids will lo... |
| Calculus Review Day It is almost time for the advanced placement exams and my students are already nervous. I have sponsored a review day for many years with the support of my building principal. A substitute takes my pl... |
| Calendar Activities Sometimes we think children understand time, when in reality they don't. At one point, I thought all my students understood that there are 24 hours in a day… until one student asked, 'Now how many hou... |
| Calendar Lessons When putting the date on the calendar, a teacher has the perfect opportunity to practice both repeating and growth patterns with students. By using different colored shapes with numbers written on the... |
| Calendar Math At the beginning of each month I cut out shapes according to the season or the holiday. Every day we write a number on a shape and place it on the wall around the perimeter of the room. We count each ... |
| Calendar Rewards I give out little rewards throughout the school year for things like perfect spelling tests or to students for bringing back a note signed from home, etc. For a special reward I use old or buy new, ch... |
| Call for Help In my computer classes I have two plastic cups on each computer -- one red and the other blue. The two cups sit upside down, one inside the other. When the blue cup is on top it means 'Everything is C... |
| Calling Parents for Open House Every September just before back-to-school night, I call each child's family to invite them. There is always a guarded voice when the parents or kids respond to my introduction. There's a sign of reli... |
| Can Do Challenge Here is a fun way to help students overcome 'I can't do it' thinking. While students are sitting at their desks, tell them to: 1) Lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. 2) Now,... |
| Writing Dialogue with Proper Formatting One of the hardest things for my students to understand is the old rule about changing paragraphs when a new speaker talks. After having a few lessons that go over the rules of writing dialogue, I hav... |
| Can We Talk? Ms. Parson’s students interview each other on the first day of school. She divides them up by their birthdays so friends don’t pair up together. Read more about her classroom interview process and the bulletin board she creates with her mini reporters. |
| Can, Shoe and Dot Organizers Recycled tin cans, shoe racks and dot stickers can all be used to organize your classroom supplies. Learn how these inexpensive up-cycles will help you find what you need, when you need it. |
| Capturing School Experiences The school year is filled with special, unforgettable moments, especially for younger students. Ms. Richardson has a unique way of making sure parents can share in these moments. |
| Car Survival Kits In fall, my students read the book, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. In this story, the main character, Brian, finds a survival pack. The students list the items and discuss how these items helped Brian to su... |
| Carbon Copy Notes to Parents & Colleagues Discover how this fifth-grade teacher keeps track of correspondence with parents and colleagues. It’s a simple and accurate way to track paperwork, and since copies of everything are stored in a log book, it’s easy to recall. |
| Cards for Family Ms. Rochwick creates a fantasy holiday shopping spree for her kindergartners. Using gift brochures, magazine catalogues and other direct mail pieces, her students shop for gifts and use pictures to create a keepsake for parents or other loved ones. |
| Cards for Substitute Educators Ms. Newman uses index cards and labels to help substitutes with a variety of tasks: taking roll, tracking behavior, assigning groups, etc. Read about how using this simple stack of cards can make life easier for you, the sub, and your students. |
| Career Research Project My students are required to work on a career research paper during their junior English semester. The requirements include filling out an application, interviewing parents, taking the ASVAB, completin... |
| Carpet Squares Carpet and furniture stores will often give outdated carpet sample to educators at no cost. This first-grade teacher uses them in some unique innovative ways. Find out how she does it. |
| Cartoon Dialogues Writing dialogue can be the trickiest part of creative writing. Ms. Russell introduces her third-grade students to this writing skill by using cartoons with blank thought bubbles. |
| Catchy Newsletters I help parents connect with their child's school experience by sending home a weekly newsletter. The newsletter includes anything we've been working on in class, concerns, and informational tidbits. I... |
| Ceiling Hangings Here's a tip for teachers that have classrooms with acoustical tiles. When I want to hang pictures, windsocks, bulletin boards, etc. from the ceiling, I unbend a paperclip and tuck one end under the m... |
| Celebrating Pi Day Another calculus teacher and I started celebrating Pi Day with our calculus classes four years ago. We use the school cafeteria on 3/14 and start our celebration at 7PM. We have contests for the best ... |
| Cell Phone Discipline I use my cell phone to help me with disruptive students. When a problem occurs, I just call any number and push the clear button. The students think I pressed the send button. I pretend that I am talk... |
| Cellular Homework Hotline I use my cell phone as a homework hotline for my students and parents. Each day I leave a message on my voice mail that gives all of the daily assignments and any upcoming events that might be of inte... |
| Cemetery Studies Plan a day-long field trip to a local cemetery. Find out Ms. Prather uses this fun Halloween outing to teach about local history and community. |
| Chalk Graphs I use a handwriting line marker, the handle with the slots to fit chalk, to make my graphs on the chalkboard. I make three horizontal sets of lines and then three sets of vertical lines. This makes an... |
| Chalkboard Cleaner Revisited "Don't do it! Furniture polish will eventually stain your chalkboard so much that the chalk won't write on it. |
| Chance Cards This teacher’s students take a chance when they go above and beyond in the classroom. Read about this simple idea of encouraging good behavior. It’s always a surprise what they can win behind secret doors when they take a chance on being good. |
| Changeable Seating Chart Ms. Arnold creates a seating chart that’s easy to adjust as needed. Read about how she can quickly switch name labels on her chart and make chart notations of student progress during class. |
| Changing Student Grades I want to give back to society for the excellent education I received! Education is something that I have wanted to do since fourth grade! As a student, I have always hated changed grades on an assign... |
| Changing Signals "I have a large rain stick that I turn over slowly when it's time to transition from one activity to another. Students know that they must be in their seats listening for instructions before it stops raining or their name goes in our discipline book. |
| Character Plotting Ms. Postman’s primary school competes in a yearly Behavior Bowl. Read about how classes collect football points for good behavior and drive the field for touchdowns, treats and a school-wide celebration. |
| Charting Class Participation I teach foreign language, a subject area that demands students' oral participation. Every day we 'take points'. I will use either a seating chart or a roster (with grids) and a different color gel pen... |
| Check It Chest Ms. Ruhe set up a Check-It Chest in her classroom to collect disruptive personal toys young students often bring to class. She gives her children a choice when they enter the classroom: Check It or Take It. |
| Checking Arithmetic I'm always looking for ways to lighten the load of marking. For addition/subtraction, I have my students check their arithmetic by also doing the reverse operation. For example, 28 + 59 = 87, 87 - 59 ... |
| Checking Attendance and Homework An easy way to take attendance, check homework or check preparation is to have an 8 1/2 x 11 size of your seating chart. Print it on heavier paper like card stock. Staple or tape a write-on transparen... |
| Checking Homework I I have used two different methods for checking homework, and both really cut down on paperwork. First of all, I check most homework for completeness only and students get full credit or no credit. If ... |
| Checking Homework II I have a seating chart and have a can of checkers with the number of each of the desks on separate checkers. I use this can every class. I only collect 3 or 4 homeworks from each class by randomly dra... |
| Cheesecloth Ghosts Your elementary students will love this Halloween craft activity. All you need is cheesecloth, small gourds, wax paper and glue; then follow Ms. Hlavin’s directions for this spooky delight. |
| Chemistry Moles Here's a tip for chemistry teachers wanting to get their students interested in the measurement unit mole (6x10^23 particles). Every year as I begin the unit dealing with moles, I hand out a pattern f... |
| Children with Tourette’s Syndrome If you work with a child who’s been diagnosed with Tourette's, I have a few suggestions that may help. First, I would meet with the parents of this student to ask them your question about deflecting t... |
| Children's Handprints I use children's handprints each month for a different activity. The handprints can be used for monthly calendar tops, keepsake books, etc. We all know about the hand turkey, but how about a hand ghos... |
| Chinese New Year 1 I celebrate the Chinese New Year with my class. We eat food with chopsticks such as lo mein that can be scooped up holding the sticks like a fork. Dumplings or wonton can be speared for those not yet ... |
| Chinese New Year 2 Chinese New Year is coming up and our school usually celebrates different cultural activities throughout the year. The fifth grade holds a parade for the school. Each of the three classrooms makes a d... |
| Choosing Students by Number One of my opening week activities is to have each of my students create and decorate a circle with their student number on it. I laminate it and hot glue it to a magnetized orange juice lid. I use the... |
| Circuits in Physics When my students do electrical experiments in physics, the wires and electrical components of the circuits slide all over the place, making it difficult for my students and me to compare the circuits... |
| Circulating Books with Funny Money I have a sure fire way to circulate books. Our library media center purchases students' used paperbacks for the cover price with fake funny money. After a week of buying, the books are organized by ge... |
| City Math While studying geometry, students create a three-dimensional model city. Students have specific design and planning responsibilities and are required to use geometric shapes and angles to build and describe their imaginary city. |
| Clapping for Attention When it gets extremely loud in class, I make up clapping patterns to get my students' attention. I clap some rhythms which the students repeat. When I clap a certain rhythm, however, they respond by c... |
| Class Autobiographies This tip is something I saw done for a fellow student teacher. The host teacher put together a class autobiographical notebook to give to the student teacher on her first day. The notebook contained a... |
| Class Constitution Since Congress has passed a law requiring every school that receives federal funds to celebrate Constitution Day on (or around) September 17, here’s a practical idea for your classroom. The Constituti... |
| Bury “Can’t Lists” in Class Funeral This fourth-grade teacher developed a wonderful outdoor activity for the first day of school that does just that. With a class funeral, students literally and metaphorically bury their self-doubt and plant the seeds of a positive attitude. |
| Class Generated Books My students make numerous class generated books throughout the year. On the last day of school, I allow the students to choose one of the books to take home. The collective books make nice mementos fo... |
| Class History Book I bring in the newspaper from home everyday until I have six days worth. I divide my class into groups and ask them to find an article with an international dateline, another state's dateline and a da... |
| Class Homework Checker In the beginning of the year, I talk about student jobs that we have within the classroom. One of the jobs is called 'Homework Checker.' The Homework Checker uses a clipboard and rotates around the ro... |
| Class Log Book One idea that has been passed on to me is to keep a class log/notebook. I choose one student to take notes each week in a class notebook and to attach any worksheets. The student also records absences... |
| Collection vs. Correction Ms. Green issues two types of homework assignments: those she collects and those she corrects. Read about her easy grading system that not only helps her identify students’ weaknesses, but also encourages them to understand their mistakes. |
| Class Logs Excessive absences prompted me to devise a Class Log system. I have three-ringed folders in different colors that are labeled Block 1, Block 2, etc. These folders remain on the counter in my classroom... |
| Class Newspaper This is my first year teaching FMD (functional mental/multiple disabilities) special education. In order to keep parents current on what's going on in our classroom and to meet the technology goals of... |
| Class Note I like to leave a note for the class when I am absent. On a transparency, I leave the class a letter describing why I am absent, what the plan is for class, and a quick reminder of my expectations. I ... |
| Class Note Taker I keep a folder for each class period in a file stacker at the front of the room and assign a note taker every day. The note taker uses carbon paper and notebook paper to copy the notes from the lectu... |
| Class Photographer When my students are chosen as Star of the Week they also become the class photographer. I bought an inexpensive camera to use that can be replaced if broken. The class photographer brings in a roll o... |
| Class Secretary Ms. Adman assigns her students leadership positions in her classroom. The secretary of the week takes class notes, records assignments and helps students who return from an absence. |
| Class Treasurer Writing out receipts for every student during a fundraiser takes up too much of my instructional time. Instead, I have a class treasurer who has a Money Collection Sheet. The treasurer records each st... |
| Class VIP Ms. Mulholland selects a class VIP each day that helps with administrative classroom tasks. Read about how she chooses her classroom helper fairly and allows every student a chance to be a VIP. |
| Class Web Site I help parents connect with their child's school experience by creating a class web site. The site includes our schedule, important skills covered during the year, reading suggestions, links that supp... |
| Classroom Allergies I'm allergic to the stuff, so I tell my kids at the start of the semester that my classroom isn't a bathroom and that I'm allergic to scent. If I have to discipline, it falls under my rule lack of con... |
| Classroom Bosses I teach high school and have more helpers (I call them Bosses) than some elementary teachers. I learned about this system from a motivational speaker seven years ago, and it's one of the best presentations I have seen in 35 years of teaching! |
| Classroom Chat Sharon ends each day ends on a positive note during a sit-down chat that builds trust and community amongst the whole class. Find out how she guides discussion in order to praise good behavior, resolve squabbles and prepare for the next day of learning. |
| Classroom Checkbooks Mr. Lyon secures checkbooks and registers from a local bank, and then uses a clever system for paying students (he starts them at minimum wage) and then has them write monthly checks for expenses and even complete tax returns in April. |
| Classroom Discipline Book About five years ago I was at the end of my rope with classroom behavior until I read the book Teaching with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk. It's about taking control of the classroom. I cou... |
| Classroom Discussions I created the 'talking stick jar' because everyone in my class wanted to talk at once and I hated making the kids raise their hands. I needed something that was fair and kind of fun. All the kids have... |
| Classroom Help One more help to subs is to 'hire' classroom help. I have students fill out a job application once each month or each quarter. They apply to be teacher's aide, messenger, new kid helper, clock watcher... |
| Classroom Lighting Instead of using the industrial, fluorescent, ceiling lights, I bring in lamps. Inexpensive floor lamps can be purchased at any discount stores or online. I put a lamp in each corner, in the back, by ... |
| Classroom Mailing Center I bought enough file system boxes to create a classroom mail center- similar to the ones the teachers have in the office. My students place their homework in their mailboxes. They put their questions ... |
| Rubric for Classroom Presentations My teammate and I include Audience Behavior on every rubric or score sheet for projects. |
| Classroom Rules Pictures I have a poster of classroom rules that I like because it uses clear, simple language and covers all the bases. |
| Clean Blackboards I Here is a blackboard tip that eliminates yucky wet cloths and sponges while keeping blackboards looking like new. I take a clean small towel and put a little bit of lemon oil on it. I place the towel ... |
| Clean Blackboards II This cleaning tip was passed on to me by a veteran teacher. Clean everything with diluted Murphy's Oil soap. It is non-allergenic and recommended by healthy home sources. It is made of pure vegetable ... |
| Clean Books At the start of the second semester, my freshmen and juniors engage in lengthy novel studies. Usually, the novels either do not appear in the adopted anthologies or are included in abridged forms; the... |
| Clean Chalkboards To keep chalkboards clean, use a Kleenex that has lanolin or hand lotion on it. Put it around the eraser and erase the board. You will rarely have to wash your board. |
| Clean Desks and Kids In kindergarten we do a lot of messy activities and for years I would always let the children go to the sink to get rid of the paste or glue from their hands. About 4 years ago, I decided enough was e... |
| Clean Desks I At the beginning of the school year, one of the supplies I ask each child to bring is a box of Baby Wipes, Cleaning Up. Each Friday, after cleaning the inside of their desks, the children wipe clean t... |
| Clean Desks II My tip can be used for any grade and it has to do with cleaning the classroom. To get pencil marks off of desks, I buy a tub of baby-wipes (cheap ones work just as well as name brands). I give each st... |
| Clean Floors If your classroom is carpeted, put a piece of vinyl floor covering under the table where you do messy crafts or eat snacks. This covering saves the carpet from squished Play-Dough, spilled milk, paint... |
| Clean Students Our class of first and second graders gets very hectic while getting everyone ready to go to lunch. We have hit on the idea of having parents contribute Baby Wipes, Cleaning Up. Then, instead of takin... |
| Clean Tables A great way to keep classroom tables clean is to cover them with plastic tablecloths or double sheets of butcher paper when children are working with glue, markers or paint. The plastic tablecloths ca... |
| Cleaning Blackboards Here's a tip I just learned this year after 28 years of teaching. I wish I could have known earlier. For those who like clean boards, take a Puff brand tissue with lotion in it and wipe it over the en... |
| Cleaning Desks To clean ink from desks, I have one word: hairspray. It works wonders! Spray and wipe away immediately. |
| Cleaning Dry Erase Boards I found that the best thing to clean dry erase boards are Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. They come in packages of two and last for about nine weeks. They even clean off permanent marker that is accidentally... |
| Cleaning Pencil Erasers I use my sandy nail files to clean the erasers on the pencils I keep for students to use during their standardized tests. I save lots of pencils this way and students turn in better electronic answer ... |
| Cleaning Transparencies I never clean transparencies! I keep a roll of Saran Wrap by my overhead projector. When I want to use a transparency, I simply roll the wrap over the transparency that I placed on the overhead, and t... |
| Cleaning White Boards If you have a white board that requires the use of dry erase markers, inevitably a permanent marker jumps up and attacks the board. To remove the permanent mark, I simple scribble over it with a dry e... |
| Cleaning with Wipes I keep a tub of Baby Wipes, Cleaning Up by my overhead projector to clean my transparencies. The transparencies dry quickly and are ready for me to reuse for the next class. I allow students to demons... |
| Clear Boards for Overheads I teach math using an overhead and have piles of transparencies to wash each day. They pile up! While shopping at my local office supply store, I found a CLEAR dry erase board that fits right on top o... |
| Clear Overlays I put a sheet protector over seating charts, so that I can write things on them with an overhead pen which easily comes clean the next day with a little water. |
| Clickers in the Classroom "I have been using clickers [sometimes referred to as an 'audience response' system] now for about 2-3 months and have seen a vast improvement in my students’ test scores. |
| Clipboards for Lefties I discovered an easy way to use clipboards with left-handed note takers: Simply use the clipboard upside down! Take the papers out of the clip, and turn the board so... |
| Clips in a Bucket To make sure that all my students are included when we review material, I write their names on clothespins and clip them all around a bucket. I ask a question, choose a clip, and then throw it in the ... |
| Clothes Pins I I find time management in my classroom essential. I try to make short work of many tasks. To shorten attendance, my homeroom students enter my room and take their own attendance. I have placed an empt... |
| Clothes Pins II For attendance, I use clip-type clothes pins with students' names and desk numbers written on the wooden part, clipped to a small basket or plastic container. As students come into the classroom, they... |
| Coding on the Back To prevent a mix-up of puzzle pieces from different puzzles, I label the back of each puzzle piece and the box or puzzle tray with an identifying mark. For example, a puzzle of a kitten will have a k ... |
| Coin Trays In preparation for teaching math lessons and money skills, Ms. Locke has a unique solution for organizing her classroom’s play money. It’s simple and inexpensive. Find out how she does it. |
| Collaboration in the Classroom American history isn't always easy to connect with the world of work so I attempt to connect classroom procedures or situations instead. When my students walk into the room and see that their desks ar... |
| Collecting Orderly Papers I have a great system for collecting papers. This applies to the traditional classroom when the desks are in rows. The students must always put their paper on top of the person's paper behind them. Af... |
| Color Coding and Cardboard To help students keep organized, I assign a color to each subject. Everyone has a red folder for science, a blue folder for math, a yellow folder for reading, etc. This way it just takes a quick glanc... |
| Color Coding Journals At the beginning of the school year I color code my students' journals by putting a red, yellow, green, blue or purple sticker on the front of each journal. Then every Monday for the rest of the schoo... |
| Color Coding Lesson Plans I have found it helpful to color code my lesson plans which I prepare a week in advance. I use a yellow marker to highlight the unit, chapter and lesson headings as well as objectives and the core cur... |
| Color Coding Your Answer Key Have you ever started grading your answer key to a quiz or test? In my 20+ years of teaching, I certainly have. However, I've cured the problem by running my answer key on a sheet of colored paper tha... |
| Color Mixing with Frosting For a fun, hands-on activity on the subject of color mixing, I divide a can of vanilla frosting into three containers and then mix each with one of the three primary colors (red, blue, yellow). Then I... |
| Color-Coded Papers I use different colored paper to separate tests for each subject or period. For example, I use red paper for spelling and green paper for science. The students recognize that the colors are related to... |
| Colored Cups Reduce Noise Our school used a colored cup system to keep voices at an appropriate level in the cafeteria. Three stacked plastic cups were placed at the end of every table. The cups were green, yellow, and red. St... |
| Colored Glue Young children often have difficulty knowing where they have applied glue when they work on a large white area. They also tend to waste the glue. I put a small amount of glue in an aluminum pie pan. I... |
| Comfortable Clarinets I have a tip for all the band directors out there. I teach beginning band. I cut soft pencil cushions in half and have my clarinet players put them on their thumb rests. This really helps with comfort... |
| Comic Groups I cut apart comic strips and pass them out to my students. They must walk around the room to find the rest of their comic strip. When they do, they have created a new team. This is an easy way to crea... |
| Communicating with ELL Students If you’re working with an ELL student and are having difficulty communicating with the child, here’s what I suggest: Label everything in your room that he'll need to use. From here on in, find picture... |
| Communicating with Parents I In our school system we are required to leave weekly recorded messages for parents and students but this is very inconvenient for me. Instead, I have gotten all but three email addresses from students... |
| Communicating with Parents II I keep in touch with the parents of my 32 kindergartners via a daily email newsletter. I use this daily email to let parents know what we covered in class today, what we will be learning in the coming... |
| Communicating with Technology Each week my children dictate a summary of our week. I act as recorder and type their words into Microsoft Word. We then add a graphic that applies to the week's highlights. Children are able to view ... |
| Communication from Beginning to End The first week of school, Ms. Auman sends a brief questionnaire to her students’ parents. It helps her learn more about her students, but more importantly it opens dialogue with parents. |
| Comparing Poems In our school, students often read and write poetry, but some standardized tests now require students to compare poems. So we read a poem a day or week depending on schedules. We talk about the feelin... |
| Complete Stories Ms. Pearson breaks down the parts of a story using strips of colored paper glued on a white copy sheet. Adopt Ms. Pearson’s cut and paste method to write color-coded holiday stories and decorate your classroom from top to bottom (or beginning to end)! |
| Compliment Bag While student teaching in a 4th-5th grade split class, I found the idea of using a compliment bag handy. We had the students make and decorate a bag and hang them from each individual desk. Whenever a... |
| Compliment Door I have a compliment door to teach my children how to say nice things about each other. I put a child's name up on my door on a big heart shaped piece of paper, and give all of the children a smaller h... |
| Computer Class Organization A computer lab can get cluttered in a hurry so I assign a Row Manager each day for each row of computers in the room. At the end of the period, this student is responsible for reminding other students... |
| Computer Lab Questions In my computer lab I have a stack of plastic disposable cups numbered 1-26. When students needs help, they know to get a cup, put it on top of their monitor, and wait quietly. Students of all ages qui... |
| Computer Lab Scheduling Our school has one main lab of 25 computers and four mini labs of 10-12 computers in our building. For over 4 years now, we have just used a blank calendar printed out and labeled. All sign-up calenda... |
| Computer Labels I really like to find ways to use the computer to make special items for my students. I use custom created labels for many different uses. For example, I make pencil reward toppers. I print phrases su... |
| Computer Monitoring I found the screen saver feature is a great way to monitor students working on the computer. I added a picture of myself with a word balloon to the screen saver (Virtual Mr. Edwards, version 1.0). The... |
| Computer Stoplights To end computer lab chaos, purchase a set of red, green, and yellow paper cups. Put together a stoplight for each computer station. If the students are doing well, they keep the green cup on the top o... |
| Computer Template I To avoid writing the same substitute instructions every time I am absent, I designed a computer template with details about each class. I add information pertinent to the date I will be gone and print... |
| Computer Template II My substitute template is not complicated. On the word processor, I simply save my plans and the next time I need a sub, I go back, delete the old information and add new material for that day's lesso... |
| Computer Template III I carry the substitute template one step further. I save my schedule template as a word file, then if I need to be absent on short notice, or if I am unprepared, I can quickly type in lessons and nece... |
| Computer Template IV I have my substitute template on my computer at home and either fax or e-mail plans to school when I am unexpectedly absent. It only takes a few minutes to insert the appropriate instructions for each... |
| Computer Timelines Part of our curriculum in the fourth grade is to learn to read and to interpret timelines. At the beginning of the school year, students make their own timeline in the computer lab that will be used t... |
| Computerized Flashcards I made up templates so that teachers can print out words to use as flashcards. I use Word 97 Mail Merge with an Excel database of words. I print the flashcards out on business cards or plain paper. Th... |
| Concentration Ms. Langenderfer has a unique twist on the classic Concentration game. She uses 40 squares of colored paper to review basic facts about the entire year’s lessons in this fun memory game. Students compete as teams, but in this game everybody wins. |
| Concentration Vocabulary Review I have a shoe bag that has several pockets. I staple a numbered index card to each pocket. Inside each pocket is a vocabulary word or a definition from social studies, science or language arts. I divi... |
| Conduct Cards Sue never has to explain a child’s conduct grade to a parent. Her unique system for tracking students’ behavior with “conduct cards” holds them accountable and keeps their parents well-informed. |
| Confronting Antipathy When I get the comment from students, 'I never did any work anyways' and its addendum '...and I'll be damned if I'm going to start now!', my reply is 'Well, maybe that's one of the reasons contributin... |
| Connection Questions An easy way to encourage students to make the connection to the world of work is to ask questions such as these at the end of the day or at the completion of a chapter/unit. 1) What workers use the in... |
| Constructing a New School Year Ms. Labarry approaches the new school year as if she were building a house with her students. She works with them to build a strong classroom foundation based on healthy relations in order to avoid a collapse later in the year. |
| Constructing Geometrical Forms For an engaging and dramatic geometry unit, my students construct large models out of tightly rolled newspaper struts. The struts must be clipped at the ends where there are weakest and it's best to u... |
| Context Clues Write this sentence on the board, 'Yesterday, I had two frimps.' Have the class read the sentence and pose this question, 'What does the word frimps mean?' Write their guesses on the board (somewhere ... |
| Controlling the Uncontrollable Class We’ve all caught students misbehaving, but have you ever caught them cooperating? Mr. Edwards does it on a regular basis, and he’s used this strategy of positive rewards to tame his unruly classroom. |
| Cooking Party Ms. Hardman hosts an after school cooking party, a voluntary activity that not only produces a yummy snack but also promotes non-verbal communication - all questions and answers must be conveyed with hand gestures or written on the chalkboard. |
| Cooperative Colored Circles When working with cooperative groups, I keep the noise level under control by using colored circles. If a group is on task and using quiet voices, I give them a green circle. If I need to remind them ... |
| Cooperative Groups One suggestion for keeping students on task is to form cooperative groups. Depending on the structure of your activity, assign students to groups of 3 or 4. Give each student a responsibility and hold... |
| Copied Inventories My colleagues and I just went through a very traumatic thing � our school burned down. Luckily, the fire started early in the morning, before anyone was at school. No one was hurt! Through this experi... |
| Copies Made Easier I got tired of running to the office and the copy room just to make a few copies so I invested in a fax machine. Most fax machines have the capability of copying and usually don't require a phone hook... |
| Copies of Lesson Plans Every Friday, we are required to submit the following week's lesson plans to the office. I make an extra copy for myself so that I can make notes or adjustments for the next time I teach that particul... |
| COPS Rap During one of my college classes, we had a discussion about using proper capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in elementary school. Christene Sanchez and Michael Fern shared an acronym they use a... |
| Copy Box I made a copy box because I often found myself in the copy room needing something such as a pencil, white out, or a ruler. I found a small box with a handle on it and included in the box a small stapl... |
| Correcting Handwriting My class is learning to write in cursive. I found a page of the lower and upper case cursive alphabet written on paper of the same size that the students use. I copied this onto transparencies so that... |
| Counting Birds Ms. Daniel’s class participates in a birding event in which her students count birds, draw pictures, and write stories. The event is coordinated online, where students can enter results of their counting and submit photos. |
| Counting Coins I teach my students to count coins by counting coins to equal the number of days left in school. I then adapt to ask them the largest number of coins to equal that number as well as the smallest numbe... |
| Counting Combinatorics In a mathematics course that I teach, there is an advanced unit in counting combinatorics. As a cooperative assessment, I give the kids the odds against being dealt all possible five-card hands in a g... |
| Covering Boards Many schools require their shelves or boards to be covered, and many teachers use bulletin board paper to do this. I would like to suggest that we save paper and consider using old clean bed sheets to... |
| Cozy Old and New Teachers I am often in school before we're required to be so I meet the new people as they move in and offer to assist them with their move. I make a point of seeing them daily to inquire about their day or an... |
| Creating Group Definitions I use the Two for Two System to introduce new definitions or concepts such as the atom or physical change. I have students define the term in their own words, working in groups of two for two minutes.... |
| Creating Your Own School Bells This tip is for everyone's classroom that has students coming and going throughout the school day and week. To deal with Tam's twice-weekly speech therapy lessons, Summer's daily trip to the school nu... |
| Creative Grouping My students participate in many small groups throughout the semester. To learn to work in groups made up of different personalities, intellects, philosophies and learning styles, I divide the groups u... |
| Creative Map Making Some of Virginia's Standards of Learning cover the knowledge of physical features, regions, directions and the states bordering Virginia. After instruction in these areas, we make physical maps in two... |
| Creative Research Papers When my students write research papers, they do so with a unique twist. Tired of reading mundane topics, I revamped the assignment. Now, each student must research a year in history. In order to avoid... |
| Credit Card Debt Simulation When it comes to teaching kids about finances, we as parents and teachers can never do enough. Credit cards, especially, can be such a trap into which so many young people get caught up. I created a c... |
| Crime Lab Science In my many years of teaching chemistry and physics, I observed that the laboratory investigations that created the most enthusiasm were those that cast the student in the role of crime lab analyst. Ra... |
| Crisis Plans Our school district has been actively working on safety issues for a number of years. One of the products of this discussion has been the development of crisis plans for all buildings. |
| Critical Thinking and Problem Solving To liven up the end of the day, I bring out the game Mind Trap and select a card to read to the class. The challenge sometimes is so intriguing that I send the class home to ponder the clue overnight.... |
| Crossword Puzzle Software I make crossword puzzles using Crossword Studio. The advantage to this program compared to other crossword makers that I've tried in the past is that this one allows longer clues, you can easily chang... |
| Current Events In order to keep my 'current events' current in my classroom, I assign the student of the week the job of clipping local, state, national and world news articles for our news bulletin board. When they... |
| Cursive Playdough My students are really motivated when I teach cursive writing because we form each letter with playdough before we write it on paper. I require that the playdough be in one continuous snake to make th... |
| Cutting Costs A lab that requires a formidable amount of data and costs quite a bit of money can be split between two high schools with the help of email. The data found in the two labs can be used in both schools ... |
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