29 December 2012

Weather You Like it or Not...

I decided to start working on my next semester...WEATHER!  I just finished my word wall terms/pictures that also include Spanish translation word strips.  You can check them out in my Teachers Pay Teachers store HERE.

(In case you've missed my other word wall posts, I highly recommend using these with the vinyl pockets from Lone Star Learning.  Click HERE to be taken to their site.)  This is what my word wall looked like during my physics unit:
I post the terms right above my hand-in area (students are frequently in this area turning in papers or picking up their graded papers)...it's definitively a high-traffic area.  (and yes, I color-code EVERYTHING!  Each class has a designated primary color for the entire year.  I know...I have issues.
In addition to my word wall, I have dedicated an area of my board for posting my student learning objectives and guiding questions.  (In all honesty, this was more of a mandated thing for everyone in my district -- we have been thoroughly trained with the strategies of Seidlitz.).  But either way, I find that it holds me accountable for making sure that I'm teaching exactly what I am supposed to be teaching and "staying in my lane".  There's nothing worse than planning a great activity/lesson only to have the kids say "we did this last year in Mrs. So-and-So's class!"  In the beginning, it was really more of a hassle to me...I have to write the daily agenda on one board, make sure I had all of my handouts/materials/Power Points/Video clips/Labs, etc... ready for the day, AND make sure my objectives were posted along with the guiding questions.  


To cut down on the amount of writing I had to do, I decided to just create a very simple (and cute) way to post the guiding questions (since they can change from day to day, whereas the objectives may stay the same for an entire unit).  I just attached a thick ribbon to the back of my Guiding Questions Sign with hot glue.  Down the length of the ribbon, I hot glued 4 tiny clothespins to hold the guiding questions signs (check for spacing before you glue them down).  And viola!  I keep the signs stored in a file cabinet nearby organized by unit and all I have to do each day, is clip up the pertinent guiding questions.  Much easier!     


I've also created all of the guiding questions signs for my upcoming Weather Unit.  You can check them out in my Teachers Pay Teachers store HERE.


Here's a little peek at the products that can now be found in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  







And these are a few of the Guiding Questions signs:






1 comment:

  1. Your ribbon strip idea for guiding questions is GENIUS! Thanks for the inspiration.

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