100th Day T-Shirt

Here's my 100th Day shirt. Each student created one as well and we celebrated the 100th day of school by wearing our shirts to school. Start with a blank t-shirt, any color is fine. Decorate the shirt with 100 objects. be creative....use paints, buttons, sequins, rhinestones, pom-poms, puzzle pieces, foam stickers, googly eyes, silly bands, pennies, etc. You can even create a pattern... to practice skip counting....I have 25 ladybugs that have four spots each.

100th Day Gumball Machine

Made this using a pattern at the LRC. On the first day of school it starts off empty. Each day a gumball is added to count up to the 100th day of school. The gumballs' colors also repeat in a pattern so it is a great opportunity to have students make predictions each day as well.

Daily 5 Board

My centers board to guide students through my adaptation of Daily 5. Each student has his/her name on a magnet that I move each day to schedule my students for guided reading. Notice when they read with me they see a picture of me...a great way to use those silly school photos that I have never found a use for.

The Brainiac Award!

I use this as a way to reward hard working students and to motivate others. Print out a clip art picture of a brain and attach it to a sentence strip. Write "Good Thinking" on the front. On the back attach a small certificate to let others know when and why the students were rewarded. The student can wear it proudly throughout the day!

Flippin Flapjacks Word Work Game

This game was also adapted from an idea I got from a presenter at a BER workshop. It is called Flipping Flapjacks. Use an old frying pan and spatula as the game "board." Create the flapjacks by cutting out brown and tan circles and gluing them back to back and then laminating them. Then you can create any kind of questions you would like. I created mine with homophone, magic e, and past tense questions.

To play the students put three flapjacks in the pan with the question side up. When it is their turn they must read the question aloud and say their answer aloud. Then they use the spatula to flip it over. If they are correct they get to put the flapjack on their plates. The winner is the one with the most flapjacks.

Spell the Beans Word Work Game

This is a game that was adapted from an idea I got from a presenter at a BER workshop. Letters were written on lima beans...both lowercase and capitals and multiples of each. Then I covered an empty container (from breadcrumbs) with construction paper and attached a label that I created. Using an old medicine cup the students scoop some beans out and then create words from the beans in front of them. You can adapt this activity in any way you like. For example, you can have the students write down the words they create or you can tell them the words that you want them to create. Also, if there is someone who has an allergy to legumes you could always use beads or other small item that can manipulated.

President Day facts

George Washingtons and Abe Lincolns created for President's Day. The students traced a semicircle onto oaktag and cut it out. Then they traced either a three point hat or top hat. After these were glued together they drew a face. Then they glued the facts onto the hats which they had previsouly written. Last they added hair or a beard to their presidents.