White Space Challenge
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During the first and second weeks of school, when students are finished with their other assignments, I ask them to color in all of the white space on increasingly larger pieces of paper: 2.125" x 2.75" (1/16 of a piece of U.S. Letter paper), 2.75" x 4.25" (1/8 of a piece of U.S. Letter paper), 4.25" x 5.5" (1/4 of a piece of U.S. Letter paper), 5.5" x 8.5" (1/2 of a piece of U.S. Letter paper), and 8.5" x 11" (one full piece of U.S. Letter paper). Students not only enjoy completing this scaffolded task, but it also helps them develop a careful eye, and prepares them for the time-consuming work necessary to make their name tags, self-portraits, and illustrations that accompany their writing throughout the year.
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Light Box Challenge
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During the third and fourth weeks of school, when students are finished with their other assignments, I ask them to trace a pattern, using our light box, and then color in all of the white space on increasingly larger pieces of paper: 2.125" x 2.75" (1/16 of a piece of U.S. Letter paper), 2.75" x 4.25" (1/8 of a piece of U.S. Letter paper), 4.25" x 5.5" (1/4 of a piece of U.S. Letter paper), 5.5" x 8.5" (1/2 of a piece of U.S. Letter paper), and 8.5" x 11" (one full piece of U.S. Letter paper). Students not only enjoy completing this scaffolded task, but it also familiarizes them with classroom tools, helps them develop a steady hand, and prepares them for the time-consuming work necessary to make their name tags, self-portraits, and illustrations that accompany their writing throughout the year.
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Name Tag Exemplars
During the first and second weeks of school, I ask students to create name tags with self-selected nicknames to use later on their digital portfolios.
Self-Portrait Exemplars
During the third and fourth weeks of school, I ask students to create self-portraits to use later on their digital portfolios.
Principal Birthday Card Exemplars
In the week before our principal's birthday, I ask students to create a card for along with a paragraph responding to the prompt, "What makes our principal great?"
Mother's Day Card Exemplars
In the week before Mother's Day, I ask students to create a card for their mothers or other female role models in their lives.
2014-2015
Father's Day Card Exemplars
In the week before Father's Day, I ask students to create a card for their fathers or other male role models in their lives.
Additional Resources
Book Check-Out Lists
In order to help balance students having an opportunity to read books in which they are interested at home and minimizing the number of books they forget to return to the classroom, I created a book check-out list, which is available here. Students may borrow any book they want, while I ask them to return it before borrowing another one.
Mazes
Celeste Le Duc from the Community School of Music and Arts shared some incredible mazes, designed by Christopher Berg, that she gives students after they finish their assignments. Examples of the free mazes are available here, a book of mazes is available here, and information about how to design mazes is available here.
Restroom Check-Out Lists
In order to help balance students having an opportunity to learn when to take a break from the classroom and minimizing the amount of time they spend missing classroom instruction, I created a restroom check-out list, which is available here. Students may leave to use the restroom or get a drink of water anytime they want, while I ask them to "take a break" only once during each time block during the day.
Usage Lists
In order to help balance students having an opportunity to learn where and with whom they do their best work and completing that work in a reasonable amount of time, I created a workspace usage list, which is available here. Students may sit anywhere they want on the carpet during class meetings and lessons and work both in "Room 2," which is the small room between our classroom and the next door classroom, and on the stage area surrounding our classroom library. I check in with them periodically to help them assess to what degree the privacy and noise levels and people with whom they are sharing the space are helpful. If their choices seem to continually present a challenge to them or their classmates, I ask them to "take a break" from that space for at least a week.