Classroom Set-Up!

Pin It I haven't abandoned you - pinky promise, I was just starting the school year! I had a pretty great response from some of my education-related posts and wanted to share a few more of my classroom ideas with you. Remember, I teach high school ESL, but a lot of this would work for different grade levels too. And, as the the saying goes, all good teachers steal... I definitely ripped off all some of this from Pinterest so feel free to steal from me too! :)

First up, plural bulletin board:

We decided to use some academic words and more basic words to include all the levels that we serve. Also note the fan... three early outs to start the year because of heat!

 Just some more examples of how the plural board works!

Next up, our preposition/position board. I love this because it is sooo simple but so so helpful! This is something I know my kids struggle with!

Now showing the contraction flip chart! This is what our second level kids started with this year and I thought this would be a nice thing to stare at/play with.

Another steal - a great way to keep kids organized and focused while answering test questions.

I think its pretty important to include the students in the rule/expectation creation. This year I did it like this!

I just projected onto my wall/whiteboard and let my kids sticky note their answers (because they're still nervous to talk a lot at the beginning). We went over them, they chose the way they wanted to answer it as a class and created posters, pictures to come... maybe! It worked really well.. minus a couple of less-than-sticky-sticky-notes.

I hope this gives you some ideas for your classroom! Have a happy school year - I know mine is off to an awesome start :)

Cuter Puppy Bed

Pin It So this is a follow-up to my previous post (don't know what I'm talking about? Click here). My husband chose the fabric for the first one, and I chose the fabric for the second doggy bed... this one is more living room worthy! It has cuter (but cheaper - Walmart clearance!) fabric and has more fluff to it. Again, my puppy is a Weimaraner, so she'll get BIG, you may want to adjust the number of pillows depending on how big your puppy is.

Cute Doggy Bed Project: $46.5
6 Pillows: $24 - Again, I used old ones (so they smell like us) and put the new ones on our bed!
1 Shower Curtain: $7
2 Yards Main Fabric (Burlap): $5
1 Yard Trim Fabric (Yellow): $2.50
Zipper: $8
Duck Tape, Thread, Sewing Machine: Already Had

The first step was to make the same type of removable, waterproof interior using the shower curtains and pillows, but this time with six pillows. Again, see my previous post.

Then, measure the height, length, and width to cut 4 strips of fabric out of the trim. Next, measure the length and width of the main fabric and cut two identical pieces.

Pretty sophisticated measuring huh? Ha!

Sew together the yellow trim pieces at the corners. Then sew on the tops, again its a pretty simple pattern that I just winged. Add the zipper between the trim and top fabric and you're done! None of the pictures I took really show the process - check out my previous post if you need more of an idea, its a similar pattern. Here are the finished pictures!

I'm sure she'll grow into it!

Big belly!

Sooo sweet! Check out this GIANT paws!

Apparently the husband likes the dog beds too?

"Manly" Dog Bed

Pin It We're adding to our family with... a puppy! We got our new puppy on August 11th - she's a little Weimaraner and is as sweet as can be!

Say hello to Cedar!

Such a big dog! Ha!

In preparation for our pretty little girl we went shopping at all the pet stores - and guess what??? Dog beds, especially the big ones, are expensive and not terribly attractive... this does have to sit in my house you know! I just couldn't go there, so I decided to make it. While at the store, Zach picked out some more "manly" fabric for the puppy and decided we should make two beds - so here we are.

Adorable Puppy + Homemade Puppy Bed = Comfy naps!

Want to see a slightly bigger and fancier (but still simple) version? See my other dog bed post!

Project Expense: $36
2 Yards of Fabric: Varies (My hubby has expensive taste so it was about $15)
2 Pillows: $8
1 Zipper: $6
Shower Curtain: $7
Duct Tape: Already Had
Thread/Sewing Machine: Already Had

Step 1: Remove magnets from your shower curtain. I can just see puppy chewing through and finding these!

Magnet in the hole...

Magnet out of the hole....

Step 2: Slice your curtain in half, using the pillows as a guide.

We used our old pillows so it would smell like us... ignore my my husband's drool stains!

Step 3: Make a pocket out of the shower curtain, using the duck tape. I know this isn't fancy, but it creates a waterproof, removable interior.

Step 4: Slip the pillows in and use the duck tape to seal it up like an envelope.

Step 5: Measure and cut your fabric so it will fit around your removable, waterproof interior. I'm not too exact, but you can be! You're basically making a giant, sewn-shut pillowcase.

Carefully selected fabrics chosen by the hubby

And no, our downstairs floors are still unfinished... don't judge.

Step 6: Proceed to sew it all closed, just like you would if you were making a pillowcase, right sides together.

Always wanted to do a sewing machine shot... tre professional!

Step 7: On the final open side, sew in your zipper. I've never done this before, so I'm sure my picture/technique is all wrong, but it seems to be working!

Tah - Dah! You have a finished puppy bed!

Blurry much?

Were my nails that chipped?!

Then, wait three agonizing days to bring home the puppy so she can try it out... then take it home, use it in the car, and pretty much show it off to everyone! (In case you were wondering, everyone loved it!)

Puppy beds are for cute little nieces too, right?

Sooo sleepy after testing out the lake!

Sleepy husband and sleepy puppy!

Brain Breaks!

Pin It

I teach my students two periods in a row everyday for the same class. I love that I get that much time with them everyday - we get to really delve into the material and have plenty of time for practice and review. However, when you're 15-20 years old sometimes an hour and a half of studying English can seem like a never-ending eternity long time.

CC: http://www.flickr.com/photos/baileysjunk/

To mix it up, I like to incorporate brain breaks. You never know when your class will need them and sometimes it can be hard to come up with a fun, but academically appropriate game off the top of your head. So I created this matrix based off of a cute elementary idea on Pinterest.

I can imagine that we might have a brain break a couple times a week, which means that by the end of the semester we've done each activity only a few times (if the die is fair!). Many of the activities involve some sort of physical movement too - which may feel hokey to some of your students, but it all depends on how you present it! The activities (except for "Deep, Dark Box") require little to no prep work, just basic classroom supplies. Each activity is fully described in the pages following the matrix.

You're welcome to use/modify this for your classroom. Here is a link to the Microsoft Word version (just click File:Download), and here is a link to a PDF version. You may need to edit and adjust some ideas if you don't teach the same clientele ("Where in the World?" may not be as challenging or fun if you don't have a classroom full of students who are new to the US and from all over the world). Enjoy and good luck!