Some ideas to share

Have I shared these with you? They're from a while ago, but they make me smile, so I thought I'd share the happiness. One of my darling students brought this to me. It's me! - can't you tell? I had to try very hard not to laugh out loud when she gave it to me. My shirt (dress?) says 'My favorite teacher.' So precious.

My wonderful grandmother helped me sew these curtains for the metal bookcases that came with the place (i.e. my classroom.) I chose the fabric - apples, what else? and we spent a night cutting, pinning, and sewing. (I cut and pinned, she sewed. You really don't want me to get close to a sewing machine.) The curtains have a simple folded over loop at the top which a fed a suspension curtain rod through. These lovely little curtains cover all the dictionaries, binders, and other clutter that I don't mind hiding.

P.S. I am the only one who ever gets something off these shelves, so I don't have to worry about my students pulling the curtains down.

This is one of my favorite activities. I do it every year. Each student divides a piece of newsprint paper into three sections for people, places, and things. Then, armed with clipboards and pencils, we walk around the school and the students jot down all the people, places, and things they see. Back in the classroom, I give them each a square of white paper to choose ONE noun to illustrate. They tape their illustration on the big poster and then we discuss what everyone saw and what a noun really is. The poster hangs in the room for about a month to remind the students that they went on a Noun Hunt and learned all about nouns!