It’s hard to believe that the first quarter of the school year is winding down. If you haven’t already done so, you will soon be preparing report cards for your students. Now is the perfect time for YOU to reflect on your work as a teacher over these first weeks of school. What are you most proud of so far this school year? What do you think has been your biggest accomplishment? Let’s provide some inspiration for each other by sharing all the amazing things (both big and small) that teachers do for kids. I can’t wait to read your comments.

8 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

’Tis the season for fall festivals and Halloween celebrations! At The Mailbox, our fall festivals are quite an event. Each year we take time out to celebrate the season with snacks, craft projects, costumes, and a spooky book reading. Then we go from office to office collecting sweet treats, and everyone is invited to vote for their favorite creation in our pumpkin-carving contest. As you can imagine, with the staff of talented artists that we have at The Mailbox, some of the pumpkin designs are quite elaborate. They are a far cry from the simple triangle eyes and toothy grins that my pumpkins get each year! I just had to share some creations from previous years.

With fall in full swing and Halloween around the corner, are you planning any classroom activities to celebrate? If you are looking for Halloween ideas for your classroom, check out the October/November issues of our magazines. The Mailbox preschool edition has a scarecrow unit, crafts, and songs. For kindergarten teachers, try Teacher’s Helper for a unit on The Very Busy Spider or The Mailbox for owl- or leaves-themed ideas. Teaching first grade? Don’t miss the pumpkin pages to help students practice addition, sequencing events, and measurement. Grades 2 and 3 teachers can find candy corn, spiders, crows, and monsters on practice pages in Teacher’s Helper and The Mailbox, and intermediate teachers can find a nonfiction comprehension page on bats or several other fall-themed activities.

8 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

When my six-year-old son was able to name the two major candidates in the presidential election, I realized the country officially had election fever! With all the excitement that this election has generated I know it must be spilling over into classrooms all over the country. What an incredible learning opportunity! Has it hit your classroom too? What are you doing with your students that is election related?

Here are a few other ideas that you might like to try.

Duck for President

Read Duck for President by Doreen Cronin with students. Suggest that the class have an election for a new boss of the barnyard. Have students recall the different types of animals in the story; then list the animals on the board to identify election candidates. Over a few days, encourage each youngster to make a poster for his favorite candidate and ask each of several students to tell the group why he thinks his chosen candidate is the best. On a designated day, have each youngster vote for his favorite candidate by secret ballet (ballot pattern). Count the votes with students and record the results on the board. (If there is a tie, determine how to resolve it with student input.) Declare the top vote-getter the boss of the barnyard.

Election Day Song
(sung to the tune of “Down by the Station”)

The day for elections
Is early in November.
It’s always on a Tuesday,
When people vote.

See the voters at the polls,
There they can cast their ballots.
Vote! Vote! Count! Count!
See who wins!

Presidential Characteristics

Aside from citizenship and age requirements, political candidates must possess certain qualities. Have students brainstorm what these must-have attributes are. Honesty? Objectivity? Global awareness? Calmness under pressure? Have the class vote to reduce the list to ten characteristics. Then have each student individually rank each item in the list in the order of its importance. Tabulate students’ opinions for each separate trait. Then divide students into groups to graph the results on posters, creating a presidential profile.

11 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

Teachers are always searching for engaging writing prompts to motivate students to write and students often struggle with how to actually develop their ideas even if they have a topic.

That is why our editors wrote Prompt, Plan, Write! Each reproducible student page in the book starts with a high-interest writing prompt followed by a prewriting organizer that helps the student think about and plan his writing. Below the organizer is a writing task for the student to complete on his own paper. These student pages are perfect for placing at a writing center or for using as independent assignments or even homework. However you use it, Prompt, Plan, Write! is another great resource to help you build stronger writers.

Have you tried one of these books? How is it working for you? If you haven’t tried one yet, I’d love for you to print one of the sample pages below and try it with your students. Then check back and tell me what you think.

71 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

Thank you, teachers! We had great response to our First-Day Ideas blog posted in August. Next up for discussion is parent conferences. That is the topic in the “What Works for You?” department found in the October/November Intermediate edition of The MAILBOX. Here are two of the featured ideas:

• Parents often have no idea what their child’s work should look like at your grade level. At conferences, share with parents a binder of average-to-superior work samples with students’ names whited out. As a parent compares work from her child’s portfolio with the samples, she can more easily understand her child’s effort and ability level.

• To occupy parents who arrive early for a conference, run a PowerPoint slide show on a computer outside your classroom. As they wait, the early arrivals can view their children participating in classroom activities, plus postings of upcoming classroom events, tests, and projects.

I’d love for you to share “What parent conferences ideas work for YOU?”

12 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This

We all need one sometimes and many of us have actually been one—a substitute teacher. I remember waking up one morning feeling a bit under the weather and realizing that I hadn’t updated my emergency substitute plans since my last absence. I frantically planned some activities and then faxed them to the school secretary so she could get them to my substitute. Although it saved me that day, it is not the best way to go! However, I did learn my lesson. From then on I always had several days worth of emergency sub plans prepared and stored in very accessible location.

I poked around our publications and pulled a few tips that you might want to add to your substitute procedures to help make sure your substitute has a positive experience and you don’t worry when you are away from your class.

• Help your substitute feel less isolated. Include with your daily plans a staff list. Highlight the names of a few teachers to whom she can turn if she has any questions or concerns.
• Purchase a hanging, five-compartment closet organizer (like those for storing sweaters or other items of clothing). Into each of the five slots, put items a substitute will need to carry out one day in your classroom, including activity plans, any out-of-the-ordinary supplies, and books.
• Surprise your substitute with a cheery and helpful welcome message. Maybe include a pack of crackers or change to get a snack or drink from the teachers’ lounge.
• Team up with another teacher in your school to become “substitute buddies.” Get to know each other’s routines. When a sub comes to your room, your “buddy” can step in and help her with materials or classroom procedures.
• Come back to an orderly classroom by leaving the substitute a deck of cleanup cards. Write a classroom job on each of several cards that students can do. Ask the substitute to pass them out at the end of the day for a quick and easy cleanup.
• Label a large, brown envelope “Substitute Emergency Work.” Place plenty of puzzle sheets and skill review sheets inside. Also include a list of time-filler activities and a package of weekly student newspapers.
• Use extra copies of students’ school pictures to create a photo seating chart for your substitute. She’ll easily be able to identify each student in your class.
• Leave a small reward or privilege incentive for each day that you will be gone. Leave a note from you for the substitute to read to students that explains what you expect from them while you are away. If the day goes well, have the substitute give out the reward.
• On large individual cards, describe your favorite classroom songs, chants, greetings, games, and time fillers. Keep the cards in a box, or hole-punch the cards and thread them on a metal ring.

Do you have any successful substitute teacher tips that you’d like to share?

4 Comments | Subscribe |  Email This