It’s that time of the year again, the time when students everywhere are getting their books, picking out a new backpack, meeting their teachers, and learning something new. As students head back to school, teachers are decorating their classroom, organizing their lesson plan, and creating a learning environment that will carry through the year.
Photo by Steve and Jemma Copley
We-Care.com has been a great resource for many partnered schools and education organizations as students and parents do their “Back to School” shopping. Now that the bell has rung, we wanted to offer a little extra help to start this school year off right. From tips on teaching must-haves, engaging students, organizing tools, to even a few style tricks, our “For Teachers: A Back to School Guide” has it all to get you ready for the semesters ahead. So have a seat, take out your notebooks, and raise your hand if you have any questions.
Photo by Liz Marie
Please describe a fun, creative activity that you use to create an inclusive classroom community?
Teacher #1: We have a lovely courtyard adjacent to our science classroom with gardens and sitting areas. One of my favorite activities is solar cooking with sliced apples/cinnamon sugar, Pringles potato chip cookers with bell peppers, or cooking s’mores. Students enjoy working together skinning the apples, placing them on the cooker, and then savoring their delicious taste. We predict and measure the sins and afterwards compost the skins. My students team with one another as peer helpers to students with special needs.
Teacher #2: We do cooperative games every morning to have a feeling of togetherness and to bond with each other. It also gets each student’s brains engaged, and it allows them to get the wiggles out. Many times these activities include songs. One of the games we play is a circle game with a chair in the middle. The student in the middle says their names and then says something they like, or something that is unique to them. Any child who also likes that particular thing gets up and tries to run to a chair that is not occupied. The last student to be standing goes to the middle chair and the game starts again. I’m going to use this at the start of school to have the students get to know each other. Then we’ll do a scavenger hunt that includes many of the things each student likes to do and they have to find someone else who likes that same thing. I have many games like this that I use with the kids.
What’s the one thing that you couldn’t do without in your classroom?
The one thing that I could not do without would be the glue gun. It has been used to repair students shoes, windmills, mend boxes, and every other little thing in the classroom.
My computer and presentation center/document camera. I wouldn’t teach without this anymore. The computer is hooked up to an document camera and we get all sorts of information from it.
How do keep your classroom clean?
I have all the right tools: brooms/dust pans in two of four corners, spray bottles and rags for the tables, counters, and sinks, small shop vac, blower for the floors, several trash cans and recycle bins, and everything has a place and everything in its place. Students love to help and help maintain the room and outside courtyard.
In my classroom my students (fifth graders) are responsible for keeping their area clean. We pick up trash at the end of the day, we use wipes to clean off the tops of the tables, and I have a dust cloth to clean everywhere else. We get cleaned every other night, but I expect the students to keep the room clean too.
Do you have a favorite book to use in your classroom? Do you have a favorite online bookstore?
My favorite book for students to read is SEEDFOLKS and I have a class set and the audio file available. We take each character in the book and explain what contribution he/she made and no mater how small or large, the importance of the contribution.
I like starting the year off with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first HP book. Most kids haven’t read it, but they have seen the movie. I use Scholastic/Arrow books as my online bookstore for the students.
What is the store that allows you to tie together personal style and functionality in your classroom wardrobe? Why?
As a science teacher, I wear lab coats and scrubs during labs and health lessons. I find most everything I need at Walmart. When we go on field trips, I will wear an appropriate themed outfit. For example, when we go on our walking field trip to the creek, I tried to dress as a naturalist. When we celebrate Gold Rush Days of 49, I try to wear period clothing. When we work in the garden I try and wear garden clothes. I wear aprons when we cook. I like to wear aprons that reflect the them of the science we are studying.
My store of choice is Macy’s. They have everything I want and like.
We would like to thank the San Juan Education Foundation for connecting us with educators and continuing to Shop With Purpose.