Teaching Tools I Couldn't Live Without

I have been teaching for over a decade now and there are some tried and true supplies that, if I didn't have them in my classroom anymore, I would be lost without! 

The List

Writing Utensils I Love

I couldn't survive without my Inkjoy Pens. I use them for everything! I also have my flair pen for a little extra pizzaz. If you have not tried gel highlighters yet, let me tell you...they are awesome! What classroom would be complete without a little metallic sparkle?

Coffee, coffee coffee

Who doesn't need coffee to get them through the day? I have a Mr. Coffee Kcup maker in my classroom. It has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion. I also use my Contigo mugs (I have 7 now) because they keep my coffee hot for HOURS!

I LOATHE chalk....but I love my chalkboard markers!

These have only recently become more mainstream. It used to be next to impossible to find chalkboard markers. I am SOOOO happy that they are now commonplace and easy to find!

Paper Pots
My paper tissue pots have become part of my life at this point. Both of my paper pots were broken this year by the same student (I am still bitter about it) and I need to choose a new one!

Paper Holders
I purchase construction paper holder (it's more cost effective) and use them to hold copies or to use as student cubbies for those who tend to lose EVERYTHING.

Multi pocket Folders and Binder Holder

I use these multi pocket folders to hold my teacher copies of the weekly lessons. I keep my lesson plans in the binder holder and keep it open to the day's lesson plans (in case of administration walk-ins). Yes, that is a dish rack. I use it to hold my folders and some pens.




Duct Tape

I use Duct Tape in all kinds of ways in the classroom, but my personal favorite is to makeover my teacher desk. I have done this in every new classroom I get moved to!

Shoe Organizer

With limited storage space, you sometimes need to get a little creative with your organizational methods. I use different shoe organizers around my classroom to organize my materials. They work great and hold up surprisingly well!




I love my Desk Apprentice from Staples!

http://www.staples.com/Staples-The-Desk-Apprentice-Rotating-Desk-Organizer/product_597003

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Extreme Desk Make Over

When I was at my old school I had the best desk ever!

It was wooden and HUGE! You cannot tell from the picture but the top of the desk is almost the size of two normal desks put together. 

At my new school I got a standard, metal, crappy desk. Well that just wasn't going to fly with me!

I decided to do an extreme desk makeover!

Enter: DUCK TAPE!

I searched Ebay and Amazon for Duck Tape Variety and found many people selling groups of duck tape. Some of the sellers on Ebay sold partially used rolls of duck tape, which worked out fine for what I had planned!

20 minutes and a steady hand later, I had a snazzy new desk! All I did was snip pieces of duck tape to  the size of my desk front and placed them carefully on. I made sure that they wrapped under the bottom of the desk (made it nearer and no one sees under the desk anyway!)

I just adore how it turned out!

Duck Tape Desk....don't mind the mess!

Mini Duck Tape

I made a wonderful, fantabulous, stupendous, and amazing discovery at Wal Mart the other night.

Mini duck tape.

Let me just say that again.....

MINI DUCK TAPE!!!!

The width of it is the size of scotch tape!

I am so excited I can't even stand it!

It could be the single greatest idea of my life. 

Owl Duck Tape!!!

On a side note:

I found OWL DUCK TAPE!

Click picture to see it on Amazon! 

My life isn't complete but it is going to be a little better after this!

Classroom Organization -Student Color Coding

I like to run my classroom in such a way that it can basically be run without me even being there. This means that I have a lot of organization and rules that I start on day one with my students. 

The organizational strategy that I am going to talk about today is color coding. 

I decided one day that I was going to give each of my classes a specific color and everything associated with that class would be given that same color. 

I ordered supplies in four colors (I have four classes) and chose neon pink, yellow, green, and orange.

I color coded everything in the room that I could!

These are my classroom inboxes where students place completed work (Note the neon stickers on the front of the baskets)

I purchased a bookshelf at Wal Mart for $15 and used the duck tape to line each of the shelves with a block's color. When the students start class with me I give them stickers to put on their binders so they could always place them on the correct shelf. Students have the option of leaving their binders in my classroom or taking them home to study. 

These are my outboxes where I place work that I have already graded. They are also color coded with the stickers. (It broke my soul a little when I couldn't find magazine boxes in my block colors, but oh well!)

At the start of the year I also find out all my students' learning styles. One part of this activity involves them creating a name tag with symbols associated with their learning style on an index card (Color coordinated to their block of course!) 

Some years my blocks of students have the same learning style as a majority. This year they are pretty spread out so I try to make sure my lessons hit as many different learning styles as possible, while leaning to the side of musical a bit more!

I am thinking that I can use this type of idea to color coordinate a bookshelf that will contain all of my color coding!

Two options:

• One shelf for inbox
• One shelf for outbox
• One shelf for handouts and supplies 

-OR-

• Putting all the items for each block on a shelf

What teacher doesn't love color and organization in their life?!

Check out my free learning styles activity on TPT: Learning Styles Prezi and Activity

Utilizing a classroom chalkboard

Have an old outdated chalkboard in your classroom that you just don't know how to utilize?

This post is all about how I figured out what to do with the chalkboard  that was just taking up space in my classroom!

This is my classroom chalkboard now (don't mind the fact that it is a little messy at the time of the photo! It was right before my girls were going to change it)

I decided that I wanted to use my chalkboard for:

1. Random Facts of the Day
2. Journal Questions for the whole week 
3. Daily Agenda
4. Reminders
5. Exit Slip Questions
6. "Said is Dead" and other dead words
7. SOLs (or Common Core Standards)

Over the summer I went into school and make a chalk outline of all the boxes I wanted. When I was FINALLY satisfied with my outline I pulled out my handy dandy duck tape and went over my chalk lines. Last year I used plain duck tape, but this year I wanted a little bit more pizzaz so I went with (Paint Splatter):

It goes on the board GREAT (and stays put all year) and the best part is it comes off at the end of the year just as easily!

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I created name cards for each section on index cards and taped those up with clear tape and a duck tape border

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Here are close up shots of my sections:

I usually do an exit slip whenever we finish a new topic, but I also keep them on the board at all times so kids can flip through them

My random facts don't really pertain to english but the kids LOVE them (I can't tell you how many time I hear the question, "Is that really true?"

I keep my "said is dead" word cards on the board using rings and magnets. When we are writing essays students can go to the board and flip through them. 

My state uses SOLs (Standards of Learning) but this would be call Common Core Standards for most of you.
I printed out my SOLs on index cards according to topic (Vocab, Non fiction, Fiction, Writing, Technology, Editing) and put them on rings. I keep my weekly overview template on my board and change the SOLs based on the daily agenda.

I keep an agenda so the students know what we are doing for the day. Generally they are written in "The Student Will..." statements, but I had a new board changer this day so we are still working on it! :)

We had a light reminders week just their weekly homework story and when it was due, but normally this is much fuller!

I also keep a full week's worth of journal questions at the top of my chalk board. If a student is absent they know they need to update their Journal Question and Bell Ringer Book!

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I made another amazing discovery last summer and that was: 

Chalkboard markers! I love them so much more than chalk! They come write off with wipes or a little water and a tissue.

I keep them on my chalkboard in a magnetic pen holder:

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One other thing I should mention is that at my school we have bus waves. Which means that I am in the classroom for about 30 minutes with some students while they are waiting for their bus wave to reach the school. 

At the start of school I told the kids that I wanted to hire one or two of them per grading period to update the chalkboard everyday. 

I had them apply for the job (telling me why they wanted it and why they would be good at it) on index cards and then I "hired" two students. 

If they complete their job then I give them a treat of some sort every Friday. 

It has worked out great so far!

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People (especially administrators) comment on my board every time they are in my classroom!