Paying It Forward!

In the past week, my class has been focusing on paying it forward. We have discussed the importance of being kind to one another both in the classroom and at home. I've shared many stories with my students about when I was a child. My brother and I fought day and night and it made our mother so upset. As a class, I've given them the task of completing 3 pay it forward activities (some at home and others at school). You'd be shocked by the things my students have said! Their parents are even reaching out to me to thank me for the positive changes they have seen. Oh, and my classroom is cleaner than ever! Kids are picking up trash and rearranging my bookshelves without being asked!

Since starting this experiment, we've generated lists of ideas as a class about how we can pay it forward. This has been an exceptional learning experience for me. I plan to have my students pay it forward at least once a week for the rest of the year. Who knows? Maybe this will become a new routine for my students as they grow up and move on. I sure hope so!

Here is what one of my students had to say about her experience:

As a class, we generated a list of more pay it forward ideas! We had a great morning meeting discussing some awesome acts of kindness we could all try out.

Back to School

Back to School!

Here is another lesson to get your kids back into the swing of things tomorrow! The direct link to my store where you can download it is:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Improving-Sentences-with-Vivid-Words

Have fun with Sentence Improvement                   Name___________

Improve these sentences with more specific nouns, adjectives, and verbs! Think of vivid words that help paint a picture in the reader’s head. Select specific nouns (people, places, things, or ideas) to describe the objects. Describe these nouns with awesome adjectives.

Directions: Try to improve between 3 and 6 words from each sentence then rewrite the sentence on the lines below.

    Ex: The candles melted down just before midnight.

    The sparkly holiday candles dripped and withered down as the clock struck midnight!

1. The table was decorated with purple flowers and confetti.

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2. A boy stood on his tiptoes to look out the window.

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3. My shoelaces were untied so I tripped and fell.

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4. Singing children belted the words to “Happy Birthday.”

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Now draw one of the sentences from above in the space provided (include good details):

Next, create 4 of your own sentences on the back of this paper. Then, try to improve all four of your sentences with more specific nouns, verbs, and adjectives!

© Crabtree 2012                                                            1

Lucky 13! Starting the new year out with great ideas.

How are you planning to transition your students back into the classroom? Are you concerned they will be lethargic and sad after the holidays are over?

I can't wait to see those 27 cute faces next Monday and give each of my kids a big hug! I'm planning on an action-packed week of learning, complete with a brand-new novel study.

On Monday morning, I am going to start class with some friendship building and character education. We will have a morning meeting where students will greet one another and ask about their holiday breaks. We will review our New Year's Resolutions we wrote prior to winter break as part of our Steppin' Into the New Year writing.

We are also beginning our new novel study. Since we live in California, we study the history of our great state! The book is By the Great Horn Spoon, a hilarious adventure story about the gold rush in the 1800s. There are many awesome projects we'll be implementing with this book, so I can't wait to preview the vocabulary and a map of the journey with my students on Monday. 

How are you planning on starting your day?

After lunch, I'll begin my character education lesson, Pay It Forward, a lesson in kindness. This is a 2 or 3 day project that can easily start a movement of compassion in your classroom! I can't wait to see where my kids go with it.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pay-It-Forward-A-Character-Education-Lesson

After starting our kindness lesson, my students are going to brainstorm a new narrative. We have already written 3 narratives this year, but not in over five weeks. We will review story elements such as plot, character development, setting, conflict, and resolution. I am hoping each of my students has a great story to share after two weeks off of school! I will model a narrative first, about my "Polar Bear Plunge" in the ocean on New Year's Day. I can include lots of great sensory details about the excitement and thrill of the moment, coupled with the freezing cold ocean temperature as my body became submerged! 

Later in the week, I plan to begin another one of the lessons from my Valentine's Day bundle. There are 8 lessons total, so I'd like to do one or two lessons in the weeks leading up to this holiday! I know my students love any reason to celebrate, so they will be excited for these lessons plans. You can find my bundle for $3.95 at:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Writing-Language-Arts-Lesson-Bundle

Note: I used scrappindoodles for the adorable clipart in my lesson plans! They have an amazing selection at www.scrappindoodles.com