That's the Ticket!

Being a resource teacher has its benefits (for example I never have recess duty), but it also has its challenges. One of these challenges is getting students to bring in homework. It is very challenging for a first grader with a disability to take the homework back to their class, take it home, do it, bring it back to school and THEN remember to bring it back to my classroom in the morning. My first year I would spend 15 minutes a day running all around our 900 student school to try to collect the homework that I sent home with students. It became more trouble than it was worth. I was actually punishing myself. that I didn't feel that it was fair to punish these students because many of them don't have much home support.

 My second year I changed things up. I decided that I would only send homework home on Thursday nights. The homework is simple: study their spelling words and read their story for their reading test.
If they can bring back their paper signed by an adult that they did those things, they get a sticker for their sticker chart. When they earn five stickers, they get a prize out of the prize box. It has worked wonders in getting work brought back to school.

I fill my prize box with various items from the Dollar Tree, Happy Meals, candy, etc. This week I was noticing that my prize box was looking a little sparse so I decided to add some reward tickets to the box.

Click Here

For one of the tickets allows the student and a friend of their choice to eat lunch in my classroom. They can also choose to watch Disney Channel on the classroom television. The other ticket gives the child the choice to pick a song for the class to do during our morning music time. I am ALWAYS getting requests for certain songs. Now I can tell the class that they can pick a song ticket from the prize box if they would like to choose what song we do. The part is that these tickets don't cost me a thing!

That's all for now. I have a big weekend of relaxing ahead of me. Hope you guys get a little too.

Heather

Powerpoint Tutorial

I  have had a few requests for PowerPoint tutorials, so I thought I would put this out there for anyone who is interested. PowerPoint is very similar to Word. The main functions that I use are almost identical to Word. Here are my main tips for creating a document in word.

 Any text that you write must be in a text box, however it makes the box invisible by default which is WAY better than Word. Saves time.

This part is important, so listen up ladies. The program calls your pages slides. On the left side of the page it shows the slides that you have made. My favorite feature is the duplicate slide button. If you are making an activity with multiple pages that are similar (like my pumpkin place value), this is where the program is GREAT.

 I made my first pages of pumpkins and made a text box with a letter for each pumpkin. Then I went to the picture of the slide that I wanted to duplicate on the left side of the page. I right clicked and then choose duplicate slide. I did that two time and had all of my pages. BAM! Then I wanted to change the letters on the second and third pages, so I clicked on the text box on each pumpkin and changed the letter. Took less than 5 minutes. No joke.

Hope this little tutorial helps you guys get started. If you have any more questions, give me a shout.

Pumpkin Place Value

Who else feels like they are behind? Thank goodness it is fall break. Although I will not be getting much of a break, I am getting some much needed time to catch up on everything (including that giant mountain of laundry in my basement.)

 Fall break has also given me the time I needed to finish the pumpkin place value activity that  I have been working on. It is  a nice reinforcement activity or center that can be used through November. I have included a recording sheet for independent practice. Enjoy. 

Click Here to Download Pumpkin Place Value

Powerpoint Love (and a freebie)

I am so totally in love with Powerpoint. For so long I have been fighting with Word to make my activities. So much easier with PP. It's like it instinctively knows what I want to do and makes it easier. Which is why I whipped up this little pumpkin alphabet activity in no.time.flat. Seriously. Hope you guys can use.

 Pumpkin ABC

 P.S. I plan on posting a pumpkin place value center later this week. Have a good one guys.