5-Minute Pencil-Management System

Are you tired of students coming to class without a pencil?  Do you loan out pencils and never get them back?  I have a quick and easy solution for you!

There's a saying that goes something like this:  "If a student needs a pencil, give him a pencil. There are better ways to teach him responsibility". I agree, but I also don't want to spend my entire paycheck on pencils that grow legs and walk away. 

So, allow me to show you my 5-Minute Pencil Management System!

I wrap the pencils in a unique duct tape to easily identify them and place them in a magnetic pencil holder. 

The pencils sit in the magnetic pencil cup on the board by the door. 

Before each class period is allowed to leave, I have a student count the pencils. No one leaves until all six pencils are back in the cup. 

Easy, peasy.  You can literally set this up and maintain it in under five minutes a day. 

What are your ideas for maintaining your pencils?  I'm always looking for upgrades!

Teacher-Approved Shoes

Teacher shoes have to fulfill many criteria: Comfort, durability, professionalism, and reasonable price. Read my post to see the brands teachers recommend the most!

My personal favorite: Crocs Mary Jane. 

You can search Amazon for so many diffferent styles of crocs: 

boat shoes

ballet flats

wedges

loafers

heels

Most of them are indistinguishable from expensive brands of dress shoes and they provide the comfort I love in my crocs clogs. 

Other brands my teacher friends swear by:

Tieks

Sketchers

Sperry

Birkenstock

Vionic 

Dansko 

Clarks

Toms

Dr. Marten's

Do you own any of these brands?  Do you have any suggestions of brands that should be on the list?  I'd love to hear about them!

Constitution Day Activities

Are you searching for meaningful activities for Constitution Day?  Would you like to be able to conduct your Constitution Day activities during multiple core subjects?  If you said yes, then this post is for you!

I always like to try to combine my social studies curriculum with my language arts, and Constitution Day is no exception. Combining my Constitution activities during both subjects means I'm not confined to a single subject or block of time.

First, I like to make an anchor chart as a class of freedoms at home and school.  I keep it up for reference during the Constitution Day activities.  More on that later!

After making the anchor chart, we read a book I LOVE, We the Kids, to teach the preamble!  It's great for read-aloud or you can assign parts of it to older students to explore.

Flipped Classroom idea:  There's also plenty of videos on YouTube of people reading the book. You could assign the video for homework the night/days before Constitution Day.  Then, students can come in and be ready to talk about it without a read-aloud.

After reading the book and/or watching the video, we revisit our anchor chart and put stars beside the freedoms that were also mentioned in the Preamble.  

Next, I like to explore the vocabulary of the Preamble because it is so challenging robust.  I love the language used, but most students don't have any background knowledge of words like "posterity".  To do this, I use a graphic organizer.

The first version of the organizer provides support with pictures and synonyms for the meaning of the Preamble vocabulary.

The second organizer is a "challenge" for students who are ready to tackle synonyms and vocabulary independently.

If you'd like to pick up a copy, click here.

Do you have Constitution Day activities or materials that make the day fun?  I'd love to hear about them!

Grandparents Day Mini Writing Unit

Would you like to show some love to your grandparents this year?  Do you need to teach descriptive writing and poetry?  Read my post on how I combine the two!


I start out by reading some mentor texts aloud to the class that demonstrate how other kids describe their grandparent's and the experiences they share.  Some of my favorites:

Grandmother’s Book of Promises by Karen Hill

Grandpa's Face by Eloise Greenfield

I give several more mentor text suggestions in my Grandparent's Day Mini Writing Unit.

After reading the mentor texts, students interview their grandparents and use that information to write a poem in their honor.  

On Grandparent's Day, the students eat lunch with their grandparents and then read their poem to them.  It's really sweet.

My Grandparent's Day Mini Writing Unit includes:

Students will interview a grandparent through either calling, emailing, or visiting them. Students will use the answers from the interview to write a poem about their grandparent(s).

This packet includes:

~Mentor text suggestions for Grandparents Day

~Grandparent Interview letter

~Template for a “You Are” poem to honor grandparents.  In this poem, students use descriptive words and phrases to describe their grandparent(s).

~Differentiated lessons for students needing scaffolding and ready for a challenge

~Rubric

Do you celebrate Grandparent's Day at your school?  If so, what mentor texts do you use?  What activities do you do with the grandparents?  I'd love to hear about it!