As I head into a new school for the 2013-2014 school year, I am excited to implement new teaching methods, organizational ideas, and management. I have been on Pinterest any time I have a free moment looking for my next idea. Today I made what I think is the most ingenious thing EVER: hand sanitizer bathroom passes! Because let's face it, even 5th graders are not the cleanest individuals. 

The pin led me to First Grade Fairytales, which gave me the idea for the polka dots. The original blog with the entire concept came from 3rd Grade Thoughts. This is one of those things that you see and think, "DUH! Why didn't I think of that?!" With any luck at all this will prevent some of the sickness from spreading in my room this year! Fingers crossed!!! 

If you want to use the sticker image I created, click here for girls and here for boys Google Doc. It is quite large so you can download it as a JPEG then print it to fit any size bottle of hand sanitizer, such as the jumbo, industrial size that will most likely live in my room! :) For the picture below, I printed wallet sized images. 

What do you do to prevent germs from spreading in your classroom?

I have been teaching the same group of students for two years. You would think that expectations would be clear by now. However, after every break, we still go through a rough patch where students act like it is the first time they have ever been to school. Last year, I used a Jack and the Beanstalk behavior and homework incentive board. It worked well. This year, though, since they were 5th graders now, I wanted to do something a little less juvenile. So, we started the year with Homeworkopoly. I got it from Pinterest during the summer and I was so thrilled to put it together. It really seemed like a great alternative to my fairy tale system. And I am sure that for some, it is a great method. However, for my students and me, I quickly realized that it was not the best. Each day, I wouldn't get time to check all of their homework in time to let them roll. The brain binders weren't "fun" for them...they saw it as more work. So, I set out to make my own.

Several of my students run with me in the schools G.O. F.A.R. (Go Out For A Run) club. They enjoy it. I feel like it keeps me motivated. It's something that brings us together as a class. Using this common activity, I decided to make a Color Me Rad behavior and homework race. 

Each student gets a colored paper t-shirt marker with their name on it. They start at various points on the board because putting all of them a the starting line would be far too congested. When students turn in their homework, I check it (usually before the end of the day). If they have completed all of their homework, they receive a token at the end of the day. If they have had good behavior, they receive another token at the end of the day. Some days I offer bonus tokens for homework. Sometimes a positive behavior can earn students bonus tokens. 

At the end of the month, students count their tokens. Each token is worth 20 yards on the track. So, if they have earned 20 tokens, for example, they move their t-shirt marker 400 yards. On the board there are markers at 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1,000 yards. Each of these markers has its own prize, such as a homework pass, an ice cream pass, lunch with the PE teacher, etc. Every time a student makes a complete lap (1,000 yards), they get to put a multi-colored hand print on the board, much like the color bombs in the Color Me Rad 5k. 

So far the students are really enjoying this. Of course, I didn't get to build the board and implement the concept until January 2nd, so students haven't splattered the board yet...but they can't wait! And, best of all, I have a 98% homework completion rate now! 

The other day as my co-teacher and I were trying our very best to explain the makeup of a paper to our students, we were met with blank stares. I could tell the children just were not getting it. Then after several refocused explanations, a student raised his hand and said, "So the body is like the meat and potatoes of the paper." YES! I was so excited..then it hit me: USE FOOD! Why didn't I think of this before?! A paper is like a meal: there is a beginning (appetizer), a middle (main course), and an end (dessert)! Together we all worked to create our own anchor charts to put up in the classroom. We now refer to the anatomy of our papers as "Making it a Meal". 

The appetizer of a meal is meant to begin your meal with a small preview of the deliciousness you will soon enjoy. The purpose is to leave your hungry for more food, i.e. your main course. 

Similarly, the introduction of a paper begins the paper with a small preview of facts that will be presented in the text. The purpose if to leave you hungry for more of the text.

The main course of your meal is meant to fill you with yummy, nutritious food. It is the biggest part of the meal and leaves your almost satisfied. 

The body of a paper fills you full of facts about the topic of the paper. It is the longest part of the paper.

Finally, after a wonderful meal, you save room for a dessert...even if you don't eat it all! The dessert ends the meal and completely satisfies your appetite. 

Much the same, the conclusion of a paper ends the paper by satisfying the readers' appetite for knowledge.


This has been a HUGE eye-opener for my struggling students. I am sure others have used this before...maybe it popped into my head because I recall seeing it somewhere else at some point in my life. Either way, it works and it is work passing along to any Literacy teacher.