This Summer, Let Them Write Every Day

Here's a suggestion I passed along to my classroom parents. Go to the dollar store and let the child pick out a journal. Then, every day during the summer, let them write a sentence (or two or three) down on a page. You can pick a word for them to include in the sentence, or they can randomly decide on what they want to write. If they want, let them draw and color a picture - just be sure they use crayons, as markers tend to bleed through the paper.

Not only will they keep their skills up and ready for First Grade, but you'll end up with a wonderful keepsake in later years.

Math Anchor Charts for Classroom Journals - a Freebie!

I created this math anchor chart for my students to fill out and glue inside their journals. I ran off 2 to a page, and the half page works beautifully. Just click on the 8.5x11 picture to get the full size, then right click and save!

My Yearly Journal





Five years ago, I started keeping every note, and every little idea and detail in a spiral notebook. That way, whenever I was given something I needed to take care of, I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget about it. I also jotted down memos to myself, dates, To Do lists, discipline problems, teaching ideas, classroom thoughts...just about everything that happened, needed to happen, or was about to happen went into that notebook. Unfortunately, pages in spirals have a tendency to tear, plus they're not that sturdy. So the following year I switched to a composition book.

 

OMG, what a lifesaver! If ANYTHING comes up, I know I can go to this journal and re-read my notes. It's worth 100x its weight for keeping track of issues I might need for a staff meeting, a parent conference, notes from workshops and professional development meetings, or just to CMA on deadlines.

In the past, I've used a black book, a green one, a blue one, and this year I'm using a purple one. As you can see, I'll be teaching Pre-K next year, but I already know I'll be utilizing a ton of teaching strategies and activities from Kinder.

 

(Yeah, I love to doodle. :)

 

 

I used these neat tabs I found at Office Depot to mark sections. I've already been adding some pictures of ideas I found on Pinterest.

 

I also have a section for the alphabet. One page per letter.

Finally, I took some snapshots of my classroom to remind me how I set it up. Over the summer the custodial staff will remove everything to wax the floor, but the furniture won't necessarily be returned to the correct location. Plus, I'll be able to quickly spot if something got accidentally transferred to another classroom.

Rhyming Words in Pictures

This will take a bit of time for your class to find their pair, but all they have to do is find two pictures that rhyme.  (Provide them with some of those gajillion catalogs you saved from the holidays.)  Cut and glue to their journals (spiral notebooks), and then write the words on the pictures.  Of course, this is 7 months into the school year.  I'd never do something like this until I was certain the kids had a firm grasp of what rhyming words sound like.  Plus this is a higher order learning/thinking skill.

Be careful.  You will have some children who will do the "beginning letter" sounds, and end up with a boy and a ball as their pair.  And remember, if a child tells you they don't know how to spell a word, have them sound it out and write what they hear.