Gifts for Teachers

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

No, teachers don’t want everything with an apple on it. Yes, teachers love gift cards. No you don’t HAVE to get them anything for Teacher Appreciation Week, but yes they love when you do.

But what to get them? I’ve scoured the internet to find the best ideas (on some pretty cute blogs) and here are some of my favorite ideas (click on the photo to see the complete post):

But what if you’re low on funding? Here are some ideas:

Write a thank you note.
Call the teacher and thank him/her.
Volunteer to come help in their classroom for 30 minutes or an hour.
Ask if there’s anything you can help the teacher do that can be sent home/completed/returned with your child.

It doesn’t matter what you do to show your appreciation, as long as you show it! And not just during Teacher Appreciation Week, as often as you can. After all, who doesn’t want a nicer, more appreciative society?

The Wagon Adventure (grammar worksheet)

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I just got off the phone with my Grandpa, who reminded me of a story of my dad’s youth. So in my dad’s honor, I present this grammar worksheet that reminds me of something he and his brothers would have done. Enjoy!

End of the Year Awards (44 Printable Certificates)

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

end of the year awards Sticker

Many teachers give out classroom award certificates at the end of the year. But there’s always those few kids who are hard to find an award for. And who has time to come up with gobs of awards that fit their students. Well, look no more! Here are 44 (yes, 44) pre-made award certificates for you to print off, fill out and distribute! If you plan on teaching for multiple years, it might save you time in the long run to print off a set and sign them (your
name only, not the date or grade) and save them in a folder so you don’t have to find them and sign them next year.

Here’s the PDF version (click to download: End of the Year Awards Collection) so you can print them all at once. I’ve also included a End of the Year Awards- Tracking Sheet for you to write down who gets which award in case the end of the year gets a little hectic. This is what the awards look like:

Super Scientist Award

Personal note here… these are so much more fun to fill out for your students when you’re writing with these Gelly Roll Stardust pens from back in the day! (Yes, I found them on Amazon!! They still exist!)

Click the picture to grab a pack!

One teacher requested a blank version of this certificate so you can write in your own award title. Such a good idea. Here it is:

And since I’m a “pen junkie,” I’ll share with you my other favorite for writing certificates… METALLIC sharpies! They make everything so fancy!

Click the photo to check them out!

Click here to check out my collection of upper grade “Hashtag Awards” (46 printable classroom awards). Here’s a sample:

Hashtag Award 1

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3 Websites Every Teacher Should Browse

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Teaching is much easier when you know where you can look for help. So this summer, spend a few minutes each day browsing teacher resource sites. Anything you see that you like should be bookmarked on your browser (make a folder called “teaching resources”), or written down in an organized way so you can find it later. Here are some websites to start with:

1. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/– Tons of stuff (including videos) for teachers

2. http://free.ed.gov/– Free teaching & learning resources from federal agencies

3. http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/– Smithsonian… need I say more?

There. Those 3 links should lead you to enough discovery to last you a looong time! 😉 But if you’ve still got “extra” time, here’s a huge list to browse (collection of links posted by a fabulous home school mom): Huge list of links

Streets and Alleys (Outside Game)

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I recently saw a class playing this game outside. It’s called Streets and Alleys. This is definitely fast paced and will keep the kids running around a good bit. I couldn’t get a great picture, but I found an excellent description from a great website for kids games.

Before You Begin

15 or more players
Ages 7 and up

Go!

Three players will stand on the sidelines while the other players divide into 3 groups of the same number of kids (or very close to the same number).

Each team stands side by side, arms outstretched, and hold hands, to form 3 rows.

Each team faces front with about 5 feet between rows – this forms “streets”.

The players on the sidelines become the runner, the chaser and the game leader.

The runner lines up on the end of a street. The chaser lines up in front of the first row. The leader stands in front of the first row as well.

The leader shouts, “one, two, three, GO!” and the runner runs down the streets and the chaser chases her.

The leader can call out “alley” if she wants.

The players lined up in the rows, drop their arms, turn to their right and, with arms outstretched, hold hands with these other players. This forms “alleys”.

Players who are running and chasing have to run down the streets or alleys. They cannot duck under the other player’s arms.

The leader will continue to call out either streets or alleys and the players have to run that way.

Once the runner is caught, a new round begins with a new chaser, leader and runner.

If the runner is not caught after a preset number of minutes, that round is over.

Tip

Set time limits for each round depending on the number of players.

Keep it shorter if there are a large group of children playing.

Not a great picture (sorry!), but you can see the kids standing in a grid formation so they can turn to make the streets and alleys…

How Do You Know You’re A Teacher?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TEACHER?
by Jeff Foxworthy

1. You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.
2. You get a secret thrill out of laminating something.
3. You walk into a store and hear the words “It’s Ms/Mr.> _________” and know you have been spotted.
4. You have 25 people that accidentally call you Mom/Dad at one time or another.
5. You can eat a multi-course meal in under twenty minutes.
6. You’ve trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day: lunch and planning period.
7. You start saving other people’s trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.
8. You believe the teachers’ lounge should be equipped with a margarita machine.
9. You want to slap the next person who says “Must be nice to work 8 to 3 and have summers off.”
10. You believe chocolate is a food group.
11. You can tell if it’s a full moon without ever looking outside.
12. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says “Boy, the kids sure are mellow today.”
13. You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public.
14. You believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin.
15. You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.
16. You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own needs.
17. You can’t pass the school supply aisle without getting at least five items!
18. You ask your friends if the left hand turn he just made was a “good choice or a bad choice.”
19. You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils
20. You are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer and finally,
21. You understand instantaneously why a child behaves a certain way after meeting his or her parents.

Classroom Treasure Chests

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

This is one of the coolest classroom treasure chests I’ve ever seen! The teacher found this old chest at Michael’s, and then glued plastic gems on it to add to the “treasure” effect.

You don’t need a cool box for your treasure chest. I used a woven basket with a lid. Other teachers just use a cute gift bag or a decorated plastic box. The point is to find something that will motivate your students, and be manageable for you.

MUST-READ TIP: My first year, I put all the prizes in the box at the beginning of the year. This was a big NO-NO. After a few months, all the good stuff was picked out and the kids weren’t very motivated by the basket. So I had to constantly worry about what new stuff to add and what to do with the stuff that wasn’t ever getting picked. So, don’t put all your prizes in at once. Instead, split your stuff into 4 groups (or some other number) so you can add new stuff every quarter.

Here are some things you can put in your classroom treasure chest:

candy (some schools have a policy against this, so check with your principal)
pencils
stickers
coupons (click here for coupon ideas)
coloring pages
holiday stuff (click here for ideas)
junk from catalogues like Oriental Trading Company, etc.

The Poor Teacher’s Classroom Rug

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Classrooms need carpet space for the whole class to sit and learn during various activities. One challenge with this (besides finding space in your classroom) is getting kids to have their own space in a place where they can listen and learn best. Many teachers have found it helpful to use a large rug with individual squares for each student. But what if your budget doesn’t allow for such a purchase? Let me introduce the poor teacher’s classroom carpet!

Just go to the store and purchase different colors of duct tape and make one yourself! You can choose the colors, number of rows and size of each square. Be sure your school’s facilities policies allow the use of tape on the floor before doing this.