Classroom Posters For Every Teacher

Oh. My. Word.  This is THAT year.  You know what I mean.  Every teacher has had at least one.  This year is really going to help me grow as a teacher.  That's all I can say.  Well, I can say a lot more, but I'm going to let my students' words speak for themselves.

In my classroom, we make a habit of talking out the negative things that happen.  We come up with alternate ways that a person could react to a situation.  We help each other get along.  We apologize when we've hurt someone.  We write a pledge together and recite it every day.  In it we promise to work as a team and follow the Golden Rule.  We learn about the Pillars of Character.  You get the drift.

Here's a list of some things I've heard from my students this year.  We wrote them on the board.  Then we talked about how a person could respond to these words.  Here's what we came up with.  If these are posters that you can use, please download them from Teachers Pay Teachers.  Use them with my blessing!  And have a wonderful year.  (Click on  any picture to download.  They come in two versions: paint splatters and black and white.)

• "He made me do it."
• "She did it first!" 
• "I wouldn't have kicked him if he hadn't hit me."
  

• "My dog peed on it and I had to throw it away."  (Checked with mom.  She said, "We don't have a dog.")
  
  
  
  
• "Nobody gave me my homework."
• "Why do I have to?  It's not fair!" 
  
• "I had to erase her name and put mine.  You didn't give me one."

• "I didn't do it."  (Oh, yes, you really did.)
  
  

• "I don't like purple.  I want the black ones."
  
  
  
  I hope that you do not need these as much as I do this year!  The good news is, I think they're already helping. =)

Happy Teaching,

How To Make a Paper American Flag

Our school had an amazing day celebrating the 200th Birthday of the Star Spangled Banner!  We raised a new flag, sang every patriotic song imaginable, and were even on the local news.  My third graders were so proud of the flag that they made (with a little help from their teacher).

The inspiration for the flag came from Pinterest, of course... but that flag was small, and we wanted to make a BIG one to be on television, so here's the recipe for a 3x4 1/2 foot flag:

 Click on the picture to download the recipe.  I hope you have as much fun making this as we did!  Here's a look at our new Star Spangled Banner being raised.  (See our flag on the fence?)

Happy Teaching,

The Star Spangled Banner's Birthday!

On September 14, 1814,  Francis Scott Key was on an enemy ship in Baltimore Harbor, and had just watched a 25 hour battle in which the British attempted to capture Fort McHenry.

They did not succeed.  When dawn came, he was able to see the huge American flag flying above the fort.  Overcome with emotion, he found an envelope and began to write on it.  Those words have become the National Anthem of the United States of America.

I love teaching about the Star Spangled banner!  It was huge.  It was also unique, being the only U.S. flag that had 15 stripes instead of 13.  I love the vocabulary... words like ramparts and gallantly and perilous.  They're beautiful, and so full of meaning.  Our students need to know these words.  They need to know that they live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

September 14, 2014 was the 200th birthday of the Star Spangled Banner.  To celebrate this occasion, I made a poster for my classroom with the lyrics, and a coloring page/cloze activity to help students learn the words.   These are a FREE download on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Just click on either picture to download them both!

I like to play videos of different people preforming the song while the students fill in the blanks.  Youtube has many to choose from, but be careful of ads and strange suggestions in the sidebar!   If you would like to play them directly from Pinterest, you can access my board Teaching about the USA.  Play them from there, or repin them to your own account.

I've also made a paid product, a flip book that tells the story, teaches the vocabulary, lets students put the song into their own words, and has them draw the Star Spangled Banner.  Click on the picture to check it out.  It is appropriate for third through fifth grade.

Our school is having a HUGE event on to celebrate this 200th Birthday.  We'll be on the local news and everything =)  I'll post some pictures in a few days.

Happy Teaching,

"I'd Like Some Multiplication With My Ice Cream, Please."

Third grade is all about multiplication.  We explore it.  We dig into equal groups and patterns and skip counting.  We make sure students get to a deep understanding of what it is and why it works.  We talk about properties and unknown factors and arrays.

In the end, we are hoping for two things: understanding and fluency.  Understanding is demonstrated by being able to show many ways of finding an answer.  For instance, a student could be looking at the problem 4x3.  He or she could show an array made with objects, a written equation, equal groups of dots drawn inside of circles, and skip counting on a number line.  He or she should also be able to verbally explain why each of these represents the idea that three groups of four (or four groups of three) equals twelve.  After this, they must know how to interpret a multiplication problem as a word problem. 


We are looking for a student to be able to say, "Well, if there are seven rows of chairs, and I put eight chairs in each row, there will be fifty-six chairs altogether."  This, along with drawing a picture or using manipulatives, would demonstrate understanding.  This poster helps to illustrate what third graders must understand:

Click on either picture to download both (FREE) from Teachers Pay Teachers.

Of course, students need a way to show their understanding, so I have made a page so that they can "Give Me 5."  After they are used to this template, they can easily do the same thing in their math journals or on a blank piece of paper.  

**UPDATE: I have added a second set to the free download that replaces the word problem with repeated addition!**

True understanding of these concepts does not happen after one or two lessons... it may take weeks for some students.  Some will find a favorite method and may not want to use others.  I  encourage them to keep trying all of them (Here's where a gesture and a smile can accomplish so much!  Just hold up your hand with your fingers spread apart and they'll know you mean "Give Me 5"), and I ask LOTS of questions while they are working:

• "How does that work?"
• "Could you do that a different way?"
• "Why did you choose that method?"
• "What else could you use to show the equation?"
• "Why is every one of your word problems about aliens?" (true story!)

Encouraging them to talk to each other is important, too.  I love hearing students explaining their thinking to each other!  Have them do a page together in groups (poster size is fun), or have groups take turns using the white board to "Give Me 5".

After the understanding has been established, it is time to develop fluency.  The Common Core State Standards call for students to:

Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.  (3.OA.7)

 Next time, we'll talk about fluency and memorization.  (You can find that post HERE.)  I hope that you find my "Give Me 5" pages helpful in your classroom.  Please leave a comment and let me know!

Happy Teaching,