Throwback Thursday -- Monday Made It (Aug 2013)

I am linking up with Angela at The Teacher's Desk 6 for Throwback Thursday. This post was originally from August of 2013. I remember being so excited to get things together for my new classroom at my new school and went on a binge of creating things on this particular day! Maybe this will give me the motivation I need to get cracking on my own classroom for this year?!?

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I have a few things I whipped up on Sunday afternoon to share with you today! I am linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It linkup.

Before I could start making anything, I had to run a *few* errands! Knowing Monday would be my first day to get into my classroom to start setting up, I needed to get some of these...15 to be exact!

I know I could have found them cheaper somewhere else, but in the grand scheme of things, how much would I have really saved? Probably not enough to warrant me going shopping in this disgusting heat wave we seem to be having! Anyhow, I bought 15 so that each pair of students would have one. I plan to use these as my INB supply boxes. I am going to work on labeling this this week and be back with a post of what goes in them later!

Next up was Target. A friend of mine told me how inexpensive Five-Star Notebooks were at Target and I had to scoop some up. I bought 6, one for each class period so that each class has their own "model notebook." I had trouble keeping up with 3 last year, so I certainly hope I do a better job of keeping up with 6! If you are using these instead of composition books, run--do not walk--to Target. These babies are $1.89!

Also, at Walmart I picked up these deals. The index cards are neon (my fave!) for under $1 per pack. I know the white ones are on sale everywhere...but I love the colored ones! I also found post-it notes cheaper than the dollar store (not much...$0.97) but hey! Every cent counts! Plus, the colors were way brighter...and that makes me want to use more of them.

 I was going to get some plain magnet tape, because I am always putting it on the back of posters that I want to stay on the board, but I hate how it always curls. I found these packs of magnet strips that are pre-cut, and they come 18 in a pack for less than $1! $0.97 seemed to be the magic price at Walmart! I got 3 packs. I have no idea what I will use it for, but I like to be ready :)

Last but not least...my clothespins. I went looking in my craft room for my bag of clothespins the other night and couldn't find them ANYWHERE. Seriously, I know it is a mess in there...but it's like they had runaway from home. Had to buy a new bag. Why? Keep reading :)

HOME MADE IT:

I made this lotion in March and it went over so well with my mom and some friends that I had to make more! I love to use lotion, but hate when it is greasy...and this is perfect! It is light, but thick at the same time and feels so luxurious when you use it. And, it makes 24 ounces of lotion! I did not come up with this recipe on my own...I adapted it from this pin. I swapped the Vaseline for Coconut Oil because I thought it might be greasy...I never tried it, so it may work for you!

Here's what you need:

15 oz of baby lotion (any scent...any brand--mine is from the Dollar Tree)

Twin pack of Vitamin E skin care cream (only found at Walmart on the bottom shelf of the lotion aisle)

2/3 cup of coconut oil (any brand will do...mine is from Sprouts, but I have used from Whole Foods, too)

Pour all ingredients into a bowl and whip with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes making sure that all is incorporated and evenly blended. I periodically stop and scrape down the sides to be sure that there aren't any chunks of coconut oil floating around.

Then, I store it in airtight containers and pass it out to family and friends! I filled 3 of these today, and my mom was most appreciative of her lotion! In case you are wondering, I get these precious glass jars from Hobby Lobby in the glass section. They are normally $4, so just make sure you go when glass is 50% off, which is every other week!

 SCHOOL MADE IT:

I did make these supply labels to put on my storage containers at school. Well, I actually made them two weeks ago...but, I finally got around to printing and laminating! Like them? You can actually find them in my TPT store here

Also, I decorated my clothespins with some washi tape to go along with another project that will have to wait for next week's Monday Made It!

Aaaaaaand, I just realized how very long this post was! Sorry about that--if you made it to the end, you rock!

Throwback Thursday - Homework

A lot of people have contacted me about how I do homework, so I am bringing back this post from a few months ago when I think I had about 10 people following my blog! I'll be sure to answer any questions you have :)

Originally posted on May 5, 2013:

Every year, my teaching team and I wrack our brains discussing what we will give for homework and how it will be graded. I do believe that students need practice outside of the classroom, but I don't like giving textbook homework--it's extremely monotonous. Besides, with textbook homework, the kids have a myriad of excuses: I left it in my locker, I was at my Dad's house last night and my book was at my Mom's house, I forgot the page number, etc. We have an online textbook that works *sometimes*, so I tell them not to rely on that. Also, we have about 60 more 6th graders this year than we have had since I started at my school...so not every student has one! Then, there is the other issue of who is really doing the homework??

Enter the solution: last summer we went to CAMT, the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching, since it was in Houston and it was close. We signed up for it in March...and it seemed like a great idea at the time...until the day came. We had to be at the convention center (a good 35-40 minutes away) by 8 AM for our first session! What were we thinking!? Well, I am glad we went! We sat in a session led by Brad Fulton who is an excellent speaker! He suggested we do this:

Homework is given on Monday and is due Friday. It can either be one assignment that will cover the material for the time period, or it can be shorter assignments for each night.

1. Students must show all work to receive credit, and if they turn it in Friday, no weekend homework. (Let me clarify, no extra homework is given to those that don't, they just have the weekend to complete it for a late grade).
2. On Thursday night, before it is due, I post just the answers to the homework so that they can check their answers and know if they need to make corrections.
3. On Tuesday of the following week, we give the students a homework quiz. We modified this a little bit from Brad's class.
1. We "grade" the homework ahead of time for a total of 40 points if work is completed and effort is there. No credit for just answers without any justification. 
2. The quiz itself is worth 60 points and here is how it is broken down:
1. 5 questions are questions from the homework
2. 5 questions are questions from the previous week's material (that if they completed the homework should not have a problem completing).
3. The rationale is, that if a kid is trying and does the homework, they will get a minimum of a 70, where if I actually took homework up each day for a grade, the grade would be much lower. Whereas, a kid who doesn't do homework at all, still has some way to get some points. (Hey, a 30 is better than a 0!)

Let me clarify a few things...I am a middle school teacher. I am not saying that this will work for everyone. And, 99% of the time, 99% of their kids do very well and turn in their homework. And, for those that never turned in homework before, now do. I do this with my 6th and 7th grade classes and will do it next year with 8th grade. Some of my 7th graders who I had last year were hit or miss with homework and it hurt their grades...this year, I don't have that problem. 

It also provides stability for parents. They know that each week homework is assigned and they know the expectation of when their child needs to turn it in. It eliminates the excuse of, "Well, Johnny told me he didn't have any homework..."

How do you handle homework in your class? Let me know what you think of this process and if you are willing to try it and want more information, I can help you get started!

Throwback Thursday - Ten Commandments of Math

I'm linking up with Cara Carroll over at The First Grade Parade today for her Throwback Thursday Link-up! Although I haven't been blogging forever, this post still gets more traffic than any other!

About a year ago...I posted this poster that I had made for my classroom and it was pinned like crazy! A few people have asked me to post the file online and I have decided to post it in my Teachers Pay Teachers store for FREE for a limited time! See the original post below, and be sure to find the link to the file at the bottom of the post!

Original post from August 18, 2012:

I swore I would just relax this weekend since this is the "last" real weekend before I have to go back to work. Where the heck did the time go?!? Anyhow, since school is the only thing on my mind, I figured I should just give in.

A while ago, I found this pin on pinterest and thought that I just HAD to have this in my classrooom. However, I wanted it the size of a poster and not in my own handwriting. I was about to settle in for the night with my cricut when my friend, Melanie, sent me a link of her poster and told me to read this blog. Within 10 minutes I was rocking and rolling. The website, picmonkey.com, is SO easy to use. After about 30 minutes total, I had this masterpiece to call my own!

I know it wasn't the most lengthy blog post...but the point was to showcase this beauty!

Click here to download yours for free until July 15, 2013!