August | 2012 | Live.Love.Fully

As promised, I am back with a few DIYs you can use in your classroom. These mini-projects are simple and can be done in very little time. Here’s a list of what is on today’s menu:

– Did You Remember to Write Your Name?

– Paint Swatch Student Sorting Cards

– Paint Swatch KWL[S] Charts

Did You Remember to Write Your Name?

Last year, my students struggled with remembering to write their names on assignments prior to turning them in for grading. This year, I will be implementing the use of a Did You Remember Your Name? cup. It’s really easy to make and easy to use. You can simply purchase a cup and create a paper or plastic label for it or leave it plain and explain to the students how to use it, or decorate your own. I chose to decorate my own by upcycling an old coffee mug. Here is the list of materials I needed:

– Coffee mug
– Black permanent marker

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make sure to clean the surface of your chosen mug.
3. Using the permanent marker, write on and decorate your mug.
4. Place your decorated mug into the oven and let bake for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, carefully remove your mug from the oven (IT WILL BE EXTREMELY HOT) and allow it to cool before handling.

Voila, you’re done. The design on your mug is now permanently baked on :). I have not tried baking colored sharpies, but I think they would work just as well as the black did.

Paint Swatch Student Sorting Cards

Sorting cards are a simple way to sort your students into groups. As a first year teacher, last year, I wass tempted to spend $30 at Lakeshore Learning Store on a package of sorting sticks. Luckily, I was able to figure out my own strategy. This year, I made my own sorting cards out of paint swatches from my local Home Depot (thanks for the help, Honey!). Paint Swatches come in a rainbow of colors and cost absolutely nothing! I chose to use the small colored squares and a black permanent marker. In one corner of each of the paint swatch squares I drew a shape and wrote a number. This way, I can group students based on the color, shape, or number of the card. I learned last year, that “mixing it up” with elementary aged students is always a good thing. They get bored working with the same people and seem to have a difficult time forming their own groups. Now, sorting students into groups will seem like a game to your students. This strategy is fun and easy! I am storing my sorting cards in a small plastic case I had laying around from a purchase of magnets I made at Target last week. The case snaps on one side and also has the hole at the top that allows me to hang it by the board (making for easy access). You can also use a small ZipLock baggy.

Paint Swatch KWL[S] Charts

KWL and KWLS charts are easy anchor charts to use during a bunch of different lessons across content areas. Once your students are familiar with how to use these charts, there are many fun ways to incorporate them into your lessons and work stations. To create my colorful KWL[S] charts, I used paint swatches again. I used a permanent marker to write the letters onto each chart and left room for my students to write their responses in the colored areas of the paint swatch. For a KWL chart, use a paint swatch with 3 colors, and for a KWLS chart use a paint swatch with 4 colors. My husband loves home improvement stores, so I’ve decided from now on I will be tagging along, so I can grab a handful of paint swatches to use in my classroom.