Fun Halloween Ideas

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

It’s finally “Halloween season!” Bust out the spooky decor and let’s get scaring! Ok, fine… maybe you can’t do as much fun Halloween themed stuff as you could years ago, but here are some productive Halloween ideas for you. I found them on Pinterest. (Oooh! Follow me on Pinterest!)…

I think this paper chain ghost (source) could be a fun class craft… or adapted into a management tool!! It might work to build the ghost out of paper chains, and then tell the class if they can get rid of the ghost, they earn a prize (extra recess, no homework for a night, etc.). When the class does well, remove a paper loop and throw it away. The kids can see the ghost disappearing, so they can see their progress towards a prize. Or you could be really ambitious and do this in reverse, by earning paper chain links to build the ghost and earn the prize.

I’m musically challenged. It’s ironic, because my husband is very musically gifted (I guess opposites really do attract). Anyway, whenever I have a chance to bring a music activity that SOMEONE ELSE PLANNED into my classroom, I jump on it. Especially when it’s about a holiday (killing two birds with one stone)! Here’s a clever Halloween song and rhythm game. It’s not too difficult, and it involves some physical actions, so I’m all for it.

Click here for the directions and printable game cards.

Cowboy Classroom Theme Ideas

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

Looking for a fun western theme this year? Here are some ideas:

Word wall = “Word Herd”

Student Spotlight = “Buckaroo of the Week”

Student Display Bulletin Board = “Work Worth Hootin’ and Hollerin’ About!”

Classroom Jobs = “Ranch Hands”

Any other ideas to add to this list? Please comment below! 🙂

Slow Motion Bubbles (Cool Science Video)

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

slow mo bubbles video I recently saw this video and it blew my mind! Such a cool science video. It totally inspired me to see the world around me differently. I’m dying to share this with my class!

Click to view the Slow Motion Popping Bubbles & Balloons video

Class Contact Information Page

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

Contact information STICKER There are so many things to keep track of at the beginning of the school year. There’s so much information to make sure your students and their parents know! I recently made a sheet of teacher contact cards. To along with that same idea, here’s my class contact page. Print out the page, write in the information and then run copies for your class.

Click here to download the free printable:
Contact Information – back to school night

Celebrate the First Week of School!

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

A reader recently submitted this picture of a box of Cracker Jacks with a fun saying. Her principal gave one of these to each teacher and staff member in celebration of a successful first week of school. Too cute!

Free Math Videos

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

I recently learned about a cool free resource for teaching! It’s called Khan Academy. It provides tons of free educational content-based videos, with topics ranging from math and science to humanities and economics. With a log in, students (or anyone) can complete learn by watching videos and then complete tasks to earn badges. Teachers can track the data for their students and use the materials in lesson plans. You may also want to refer parents to this site if they’re looking for supplemental materials for helping their child. What’s not to love!?! I wish I had learned about this when I started teaching!

Reasons Why Cursive is Good for Your Brain!

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

cursive STICKER Turns out cursive is really good for your brain! Click here to view a quick video by Discovery News that shows some study results that show how good cursive is for your brain! Here are some highlights from the video:

Cursive teaches the brain a functional specialization
Cursive activates multiple areas of the brain at once
Cursive improves fine motor skills because it’s more demanding (in terms of movement tasks) than print is
Practices handwriting increases neural activity
The broad range of letter shapes in cursive increases visual recognition skills
Cursive engages students more in by giving them a better sense of style and giving them a sense of ownership over their own handwriting
Cursive enhances creativity

Parent Volunteers

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

I’ve been helping a friend plan for her first year teaching 6th grade. Here’s a letter we came up with to give to parents at the beginning of the year. We wanted to find a way to let parents/guardians help the class even if they can’t commit to a once a week in-class time. Here’s a draft of our letter. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Parent Volunteer Are Awesome!

Welcome to Miss ________’s 6^th grade class! I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to work with you and your family to provide the best educational experience for your child. If you would be willing to help out our class this year, please indicate below. Thank you in advance for your help!

Miss ____

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Student Name ____________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Name(s) __________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian phone number _______________________________________________
Parent/Guardian email ______________________________________________________

___ I’m willing to help in the classroom on a regular basis

Day(s)/Time(s) that work best: _________________________________________

___I’m willing to help from home. Miss ___ can send things home for e to help with (cutting out laminated items, assembling packets, etc)

___ I’m willing to come on class field trips if needed

___ I’m willing to help with/come to class parties and special activities