AR Goal Setting Bookmark

 

I can't take credit for creating this bookmark, but I can direct you to The Book Bug.  Just scroll down a bit and you'll see this bookmark in it's color image.

 

I really enjoyed using AR last year.  It gave me a very straightforward way to track the students' reading.  This is the first year that I have done Goal Setting. Basically it's a point value arrived at by taking into account the student's ZPD and how many minutes a day they should be reading. 

 

Don't worry, the AR program does all the work for you.  First make sure that each student has taken the STAR test in the AR program. Then, log onto AR and click on the Live Chat link. The nice people at AR will walk you through it.  It will take you all of five minutes. 

 

In my class, students that meet their AR goal in the first nine weeks will be invited to a popcorn party.  In fact, the students will also get a pizza party if they reach a goal set by our principal.  How's that for a good deal?!

 

What the Teacher Learned:  Setting clear and attainable goals helps students find success.  And a little treat never hurt either!

Birthday Display

I'm really bad at remembering birthdays, and I'm a huge fan of cupcakes.  Really, who isn't?  So, when I saw this darling way to keep track of my students' birthdays from Scraping West I knew I'd have to give it a try. 

I just free handed the cupcakes, frosting, candles, and flame.  The months are written in white on the base of the cupcake.  The candle has the student's name written on it, and the flame has the day (number) of their birth. Thank you so much to the nice mother that did all the writing. Volunteers are the best! 

What the Teacher Learned:  Cupcakes make the world a better place.  Especially those parts of the world filled with yellow cupboards!

Welcoming the Students

 

I've seen this idea using Goldfish Crackers in many ways on Pinterest.  Sadly, our printer was running low on ink the night before school started, so I had to  go with something very basic.  If you're interested in something craftier, check this out.

Thinking basic, I found a very handy template for sandwich bag treat toppers over at Avery.   I was able to fill up 36 bags with 29 grams of Goldfish per bag.  To do that I purchased one bulk size container and one regular size bag.  I think I could have put in a few less grams and gone with just the bulk size container of Goldfish. 

My students were so excited to get these at the end of the first day.

What the Teacher Learned:  It's great to get off on a good start!