Yes There Is Time For Art AND Common Core--Just Combine Them.  Don't Be Scared; Make A Scarecrow!

November is not just turkeys and pilgrims. After the election excitement, spice things up with not-so-scary scarecrows!

Here's a sampling of the 66 - pages of adorable scarecrow arts & crafts projects and activities that will help you teach a variety of subjects and Common Core State Standards.

Some full color pictures + copy-ready patterns and step-by-step directions for each project are included.

These projects all involve many of your report card standards, so children are learning and reinforcing much-needed math, writing, and science concepts while enjoying art.

Hands-on “craftivities” are a great way to help increase listening and following direction skills, as well as practice and improve cutting and other fine motor skills.

You can use completed projects as gifts, bulletin boards, hallway and classroom decorations or for portfolios.

Many make great keepsakes for parents. Some of the projects include songs and poems to reinforce those concepts too.

Click on the link to view/download the Scarecrow Art + Activity Book.

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“The world of imagination is boundless.” –Jean Jacques Rousseau

It’s Time To Vote! Teaching Time With Election-Themed Games

The final countdown for the election is here! Are you still looking for a few things to do that fit in with your standards? How about studying analog and digital time with an election-themed game? This 7-page packet does just that!

Students spin the vote spinner that looks like an analog clock and write in the digital time in the correct order from 12:00 to 11:00 on the ballots that look like they’re going into the ballot box.

The 1st student to complete their ballot box or the one with the most times filled in when the timer rings, is the winner.

In the Time To Vote blank analog clock game, run off the template.

Students play with a partner. Children take turns rolling 1st one dice for number times 1-6. iif they roll a 1, they put that number on their clock and then draw a red circle around it. You are covering several math concepts this way.

Students use a red marker or crayon for ODD numbers and a blue one for EVEN numbers. This will make an ABAB pattern around the clock face.

Once students have filled in those times, they get to play with 2 dice. They then add the dice together to get numbers 7-12 covering addition.  If you want, you can have them show you the equation on a scrap sheet of paper.

The 1st child to fill in their vote clock, or the one with the most numbers filled in before the timer rings, is the winner.

I have filled in the 12. as an example. When a child rolls a combination of numbers that add up to 12 they can trace the blue circle.

If you want children to make a Vote Clock, so that you can whole group, or individually assess your students, have them cut out their VOTE clock circle and glue it to a paper plate, then poke a hole in the center of the O in vote. Add construction paper hands, or a large and short paper clip attached by a brass brad.

To whole-group assess analog time, choose a quiet student to call out a time. Children manipulate the hands to show the correct time.

When they have positioned the hands, they hold up their clocks.  Continue, ‘til all of the times have been called.

The packet also includes traceable digital time cards to the hour and half hour + blank analog clock cards to be filled in as an assessment or skill practice.

These games will help you practice Common Core State Standard: 1.MD.3

Click on the link to view/download the Election Time Packet.

If you are looking for other Election Themed Activitiies like Election Writing prompts, Election buttons-badges-posters, Venn diagrams, graphs & maps, Election math lessons, Election easy readers, or Election word wall words with a dictionary, simply click on the link to go to my Election-themed section. Scroll down and choose the Election lessons you want.  I even have a voter registration card and ballot for you to use in your own mock election on Tuesday.

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“Our task is not to fix the blame for the past, but to fix the course for the future.” –John F. Kennedy

Getting It Together, For Getting Together

Are your Parent-Teacher Conferences coming up soon?

Do you need a few fresh ideas to help them run a bit more smoothly?

One thing that was really nice for us, was that for a week’s time parents could call and schedule appointments with our school secretary.

Each teacher blocked out 10-minute conference times for 3 evening days. Parents would call to make an appointment, and a master list would be given to the teachers.

Anyone not calling for an appointment, teachers would assign a time to, and send a note home with that appointment time, and a note about calling to reschedule if that was not good for them.

I kept a crate with examples of my student’s work as they progressed through the year.  Each student had a file folder that I kept in alphabetical order.  So that it was easier to put back in order, I also numbered these folders.

During conference time, I took these folders out of that crate and put them in another crate, in the order of whom I would be seeing for the conferences.  I also included student's report card and any papers I would be sending home with them.

I had several chairs sitting outside my hallway for parents to sit on and I covered 2 long tables with seasonal tablecloths, with student-made books and photograph albums displayed on them.

A basket with mints with a sign “Parents are worth a mint!” was on the table along with a clipboard for them to sign, so that my principal knew who attended.

Our hallway was always decorated to the hilt, so I had signage that informed parents to check out our “Walls of Fame!” to look for their child’s work.

I had a soft timer that would let me know when 10-minutes were up, and so that I kept parents on the mark, I would graciously stand up and thank them for coming and walk them to the door to get the other parent that was waiting.

If they weren’t quite finished, I’d let them know that we could meet after school, or that they could call me later with more questions or concerns.

You also need to be prepared for parents who bring siblings. I had a laundry basket of easy-to-clean up toys and books in the hallway, as well as in the corner of my room. It was a lifesaver.

This 12 – page Parent-Teacher Conference packet will help your Parent-Teacher conferences run a bit smoother and hopefully give you some ideas as well.

The packet includes: 2 different forms you can send home for parents to fill out.  Choose which one suits your needs.

It can give you a heads up about student behavior, as well as help prepare parents for conferences, giving them a checklist of things they want to remember to discuss.

I’ve also made a "Sign in" sign, with a sign in sheet, so you can keep track of who attended. There’s a “Thanks for coming!” as well + the Parents are worth a mint" sign discussed above.  You can get a bag of peppermints at The Dollar Store.  This sweet surprise is  definitely worth the effort.

There’s also a discipline tip sheet that I handed out to parents, whose children had behavior issues, + a variety of Happy-Grams for parents to take home for their child who will be anxiously waiting to hear what happened at conferences.

Finally, I wrote a conference cookie poem, as I sometimes made conference cookies and sent home 3 in a Baggie with the poem.

Click on the link to view/download Conference Help Packet.

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“Persistence propels potential to perfection.” –Soichiro Honda