CONSTITUTION DAY is coming up September 17th. Click on the link for my lesson that I do with my Y5's. Centers and song are below.

• Want to know what the Nation is doing for Constitution Day? Click on the link. Constitution Day activities.

• Rather than try to explain what the constitution was all about  I wrote a song to the tune of The Muffin Man to explain the constitution in a fun way. Click on the link to print a copy. Oh Do You Know About the Constitution? 
• After I'd sing it through once, I'd teach the 1st two verses to my students; they had fun singing it with me. I'd put on some marching music and we'd chant that portion of the song to get it in their heads.
• As the song helps them see, the constitution is a set of laws; laws are rules. 
• I review our rules with my Y5's and we list them on our "Constitution Rule Sheet"; then everyone signs the "Signature Page"
• .
• Click on the link to print a copy of our Classroom Constitution.  
• I've also included a blank page for you to use as a writing extension.
• This is a great opportunity to give your older students some in-put in making their classroom rules. It's surprising that with a little guidance, they come up with the same ones as an adult will.
• When I taught 1st grade, I sent this assignment home the night before and had my students brainstorm with parents. They had to list at least 3. They could list more if they wanted to; surprisingly, almost all of them did!
• The next day we worked  on our Classroom Constitution  as a whole group.
• Everyone  copied the list on a new sheet of paper.
• I'd send one signature page around and everyone signed it; then I'd make copies for everyone on the copy machine.

Fun CENTERS

Making Parchment Paper 

• One year I used parchment paper. They thought that was cool, but the thiing that they thought was especially fun was to make their own parchment page the day before, by dabbing black tea bags on their paper.
• I set up a blotting table with towels; and steeped black tea bags in a small amount of water.
• When my students finished their Table Top work for the morning, they could come and make their parchment paper. We let them dry on the floor in the corner.
• You could also submerge an entire sheet in a 9x13 pan.
• Brew 5 bags of black tea in 4 cups of hot water.  Make sure your water is dark brown.
• Let each student carefully submerge their sheet into the water for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
• Gently lift it out letting the excess water drip off into the pan.  Shake gently.
• Lay flat on paper towel, and blot with extra tea bag for dark spots on paper.This looks nice if you do it around the edges.  
• The paper will look yellow, but it will dry darker.
• The longer you soak it, the darker it gets, but obviously you have a lot of kids to get through this center.
• I laid a few big beach towels on the floor for them to lay their paper on.
• Make sure that they write they name with an ink pen on the corner of their paper.
• You need to monitor this center with little ones as they like playing in the water, and the paper once wet tears easily.

Writing with a QUILL

• Another center I set up is a Quill center. I tell my students that they didn't have regular pens the way that they do now. They couldn't go to the store and buy markers and bic pens etc I show them my grandmother's fountain pen and ink bottle. They are amazed. When I tell them that 200+ years ago they wrote with a feather called a quill they can't believe it. I let them each try and write their first initial with a turkey feather and some tempera paint on a special Quill paper. Click on the link to print a copy.

Quill Pattern Pens

• Making a pattern is one of our report card standards and what more fun way to do that than with pony beads!
• You'll also need a bag of feathers, and the kind of pen that you can twist off the clear plastic case, leaving only the metal writing tip and the plastic tube filled with ink. Our Dollar store sells all of these things.
• I keep things simple because it's the first month of school, so I have my Y5's do an ABAB pattern and only choose 2 colors of beads.
• I have a pen already done, and then I model one for them.
• After I slide the beads onto the tube of ink (they won't fall off because they are caught on the metal writing point on the bottom) I put the end of my feather in a dollop of white glue and then shove it in the hole in the top of the tube. Instant "Quill" pattern pen.
• TIP: Make sure that you have written with all of your new pens ahead of time so that you make sure they all write and that you've gotten the ink going.

Constitution Autograph Scrolls

• Because learning to write their name is one of my report card standards I give each of my students a toilet paper roll that I already have pre-wrapped in brown construction paper. (I have volunteers helping me with this sort of thing so that I can plug in extra centers without burning up a lot of time and then I only concentrate on one specific skill..) Older students could cut the paper and wrap the t.p. rolls.
• I write each child's name and the date in black marker on their toilet paper constitution "scroll"
• The t.p. rolls have a sheet of parchment glued to them. We sit on the floor in a circle. Each child has a "quill" pen that they made for the day. We pass around our autograph constitutions and each of our new friends signs it with their quill pen.
• The children then use their "finger muscles" to roll their constitution autograph scrolls up.
• I give them a rubber band to put around them, and they have one of their 1st keepsakes from Y'5's .

Etc.  

• For a copy of the constitution click the link.
• Click here for the A to Z Teacher's site and their page that lists links to what other teachers are doing for Constitution Day.
• Here's a nice "kindergarten-3rd grade" constitution page. It's easy to understand info in a nutshell.

ABC Rules:

• Since I'm teaching my little ones the ABC's,  I also tell them I have an ABC information sheet for their parents that has some rules that the school made up about attendance, volunteering in class etc.  I briefly share that with them and send it home in their Take Home Folders. I find it's a nice "quick look" review list in case parents didn't read their child's Student Handbook and ties in with rules and law making of the country versus the school. . I've included MY ABC LIST as well as a BLANK one incase you like the idea and would like to make one of your own.  Click on the links to print copies.

Please Share:

• Do your little ones understand Constitution Day? What does your school do? Please take a moment and share with us!
• Whatever you're doing I hope you have a FUN day with your children!

  Why buy a unit?

     Have you ever bought a book of lessons because it contained a few items you wanted, but had many other items that you didn’t want or never used?  My units incorporate multiple subjects and are available for purchase “a la carte” allowing teachers to buy only what they need, at an affordable price.  From our home page, click on a season, and the units can be found under each month.  Click on the link:  Home Page There are currently 43 themes!

  Each unit…

•  -reinforces report card standards.
•  -empowers students and frees up the teacher.
•  -can be integrated with our matching Booklets
  
•    and Art & Activity Books.
• 
   
•      Click on the link to see how I do  this with my Apple Theme. APPLES

     There are plenty of lessons for you to choose something that fits your students' level. The beauty of the variety is that you have easier skill sheets for those who are struggling and more difficult ones for children who have mastered a concept.

  Unit Skill Sheets…

• become independent center activities;
• involve core skills (cutting, gluing, writing, coloring,  sequencing, sorting, identifying, matching, tracing etc, );
• cover basic subjects (math, writing, reading, language arts);
• are themed so things are organized and cohesive throughout your day and fit seasonally as well;
• use the same format for each theme, so that children get used to doing them, and can easily recognize what they are supposed to do even though they may not be able to read the directions;
• involve the whole child.

  Unit Skill Sheets are great if you need something

• for “Table Top” or to make into a booklet for morning lessons;
• for review before an assessment;
• to use as assessments;
• to give to parents when they want to work with a struggling child at home;
• when a child is going on a trip and a parent requests a packet of take-along materials;
• for children who finish early;
• for substitutes to plug in;
• to include in portfolios.

     However you use them, I know that my Y5’s have excelled with this program.  I truly believe that one reason is that units empower students to work independently and build their self-esteem to such a level that they realize they CAN do the lesson before they even start!

     They are ready for workbooks in the next grade because they have practiced with a skill sheet booklet every day for "Table Top Time".  For example, by March they are doing a 15 -18 page booklet that takes them about 10 minutes, and they ENJOY it! They are also doing 6-8 centers independently and transitioning with no problem.

     My life is made easier because I’m not constantly planning the next day’s centers and I can incorporate art with confidence because I know that it is standards based, and best of all my students are learning and having FUN at the same time.

     Click on the links to read more about the program or go directly to free CENTERS or free TABLE TOP

     Read the article, "How to Get Students to Follow Directions" and see how to further empower your students through my "following direction icons" They really work!  Your life will be so much easier, AND your discipline problems fewer!

Getting Kids To Clean Up!

     "If I've told my kids once, I've told them a hundred times, to clean up their rooms." STOP! There's your first mistake. Tell them once, let them know you will only tell them once, and then if they don't clean up, let them know there WILL be a consequence, one that you have decided on before hand, and one that's fair. Then you MUST be consistent and follow through. If you don't, you are reinforcing their negative behavior and telling them that they don't have to pick up, that nothing will happen if they don't, or that you may even do it for them! You are training them to NOT listen to you, or to do the exact opposite of what you really want them to do.

     This is not going to happen in my classroom. In some cases, I have to break those bad habits to the shock and dismay of my students. Picture this: My students are absolutely thrilled when Mrs. Henderson shows them the mini Toys R Us™ she has tucked away neatly in various colored tubs. They anxiously await the time when they can FINALLY play with all these wonderful treasures. They can hardly contain their excitement. They agree that the rules are very simple.

Rules:

1. You can only play with ONE tub at a time. (No problem.)
2. When you’re done with that tub simply put the stuff back into the tub, put it back where you got it from, then you may choose another one. (A no brainer!)
3. When the timer rings simply STOP playing and help pick up the tub of toys that you were playing with. (That’s easy.)
4. When the 2^nd timer rings everything should be picked up and children should be ready to go on to some other fun activity. (Yup! I got it.)
5. If you are done picking up your things please help a friend.

Consequences: Children repeat them twice!

1. Any tubby that is not picked up will not be able to be taken out the next time.
2. If there are more than 3 tubbies out after the timer rings everyone will lose 5 minutes of Free Play Time.

     Why then, EVERY year, on the very first day of school, do I have a zillion tubbies out? Mr. Nobody has taken them out, no body has put them away, no body has stopped playing when the timer has rung, so that when timer #2 goes off we have a huge mess. I get the children’s attention and they repeat the consequences for me. Some of them don’t even look too sad. I think they truly don’t think I’ll follow through with the consequences.

     I set a third timer and let them know that because they are now having to clean up, they have wasted 5 minutes that I had planned for a really fun game that they won’t get to play. I had planned the really fun game for them. Whose fault is it that they don’t get the really fun game? “Yes. Theirs.” What have they learned from this? Yes. To clean up when the timer rings and to not take out more than one tubby. Thank you. I know you’ll remember that next time.

     The next day, when it is Free Play Time, I say: “Oh I have some really fun new tubbies for you. I’m so excited. You’re just going to love these! ” Then I pause as I remember. “Oh dear, I forgot we don’t get toy tubbies today.” “Who can tell me why we don’t get toy tubbies today?” Someone will remember.

     I set the timer for 15 minutes. I tell them they can look at books or lay on mats. It’s a very long 15 minutes. Do you think that the next day when we have toy tubbies and the timer rings they are stopping and picking things up? Yes. And the ones who aren’t, are actually scolded by children who are, and reminded of the consequences! They are also more careful about taking one tub out. The children are more vigilant with each other too. It’s quite amazing.

      They aren’t perfect; and some of them need to be singled out for their own personal re-learning, but for the most part this initial lesson and then being consistent for the entire year works wonders.

      Try it at home. Set the oven timer. Give each of your children their own laundry hamper. Any toys that aren’t picked up go in mommy’s hamper. One of the reasons that I put things in tubs is that it’s easy for children to pick up, dump out, and put away. Everything stays neat and organized and it’s a breeze to sort if things get messy.

     I give my students 20 to 25 minutes to play and 5 to 10 minutes to clean up depending on the day and the tubbies that I’m allowing them to have out.

    During report card or conference weeks, I’ll often do assessments when children are doing free play. It’s a great time to observe children too, but it’s also a wonderful time to just sit on the floor and play with them.

      I have two clean up songs: I’ve done them so long I don’t know where I got them from so I don’t know who to give credit to.

Clean up! Clean up! Everybody every where.

Clean up! Clean up! Everybody do their share.

     To the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Pick up, pick up, pick up toys.

All my little girls and boys,

Look around and you will see,

Stuff here and there that shouldn’t be. (Point at the stuff that you spy still not picked up.)

Pick up, pick up, pick up toys.

All my good  girls and boys! (Point to the ones picking up)

Click on the link  for a great poem about play being an important part of learning.

Click on the link for pictures of how I organize my toys in the tubs.