Lunch and Attendance at the Same Time

I just finished my first week back at school.  I don't know how, but mornings just got more hectic than they ever have been.  One of the ways I manage it is with a form that doubles as attendance and lunch count.

This is an editable form that I use for taking attendance at the same time as the student is making their lunch choice.  I assign a student the job of "lunch count", and they return the form to me when everyone has checked in.  I put it in a page protector and use a dry erase marker to mark the lunch choice.  I circle the names of students who are tardy or absent.  When I'm done for the day, I simply erase and it's ready to use again the next day.

You can get a FREE copy of it at my Teachers pay Teachers store.

Do you have anything that makes your hectic mornings go more smoothly? 

Two-Voice Poetry

What is two-voice poetry?  Well, it's poetry that written from two different points of view.  It's read aloud by two different people, each representing one of the points of view.  I ran across this idea recently when I was cleaning out my student teaching files.  Sad, right?

I want to incorporate more poetry into my writing station this year.  Then I found this baby.  As they say on The Big Bang Theory, "Bazinga!"

This is a customizable PowerPoint that can be used at a poetry station or to help the whole class write a two-voice poem. It includes:

• Instructions
• Suggested Topics
• Examples

You can pick up a free copy of this activity at my TpT store.

Do you use literacy stations?  How about a poetry station?  I'd love to hear your examples!

DIY: Teacher's Toolbox

I admit, I put off doing this because it looked like it would take a lot of time and effort to make.  Then, I saw Layla's post at Fancy Free in Fourth.

This is a woman after my own heart.  Hello, polka dots!

First step, buy the toolbox from Lowe's for about $20.

Next, print out the cute labels.  Thank you, Layla for the freebie!

Attach the labels to cute scrapbook paper to make them stand out.  I think I've settled on this color scheme, but I have to wait until the tool box arrives.

I'm going to laminate mine so I don't have to do this for a good long while!

Have you given in to the siren song of the Teacher's Toolbox?  I'd love to know how yours turned out!

DIY: Book Boxes as Organizers for Teacher Materials

I was inspired by Jodi at Clutter-Free Classroom to get my teacher materials in order.  She did a really helpful post on how to make cheap, quick, and yet incredibly cute labels that go on cardboard book boxes.

Aren't they great?

First, I ordered book boxes from Really Good Stuff.  I've heard that some people get these for cheaper from Ikea, but I'm not that lucky.

Next, I used scrapbook scissors to cut decorative paper to size.  I used decorative scissors because they are more forgiving with someone with me.  Why?  Because I can't cut a straight line to save my life!

I then stapled the two papers on to the box. 

In case you couldn't guess, there HAS to be polka dots!

Then I used a stencil set to trace the gift tags and letters, cut out the tags, and attached them with a dot of hot glue.  This took awhile.

I chose to use stencils because the placement of the letters was too hard to do on the computer to fit the shape of the tags.  Plus, I love to scrapbook, and this was a good excuse.

Are there any DIY projects that you've tackled lately?