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Setting Up Your Class for Less!

At my school, it is almost an on-going joke when the teachers ask me, "Where did you get that?" I respond with, "The Dollar Store."

I love searching for teacher bargains at Dollar Stores but I have to say that Dollar Tree has a nice little "line" devoted to teachers called "The Teaching Tree." In addition to their teaching products for classroom they have a MUST HAVE for every teacher: LABELS!

You can get 15 sheets of 30 labels for a dollar plus tax. The envelopes and labels number is 5160.

They even have clear labels!

I use labels for everything. I label the students' writing boxes, folders, spirals, bins, and turn in boxes.

To make labels even more useful, I like to use different types of fonts, styles of printing. Here are my two favorite places to find fonts.

http://www.urbanfonts.com/

http://www.dafont.com/

I have been using FAMOUS and RETRO fonts since the 70's and 80's are coming back. All I have to say to that is ..RAD!

My theme on my door is "Who Wants To Be A Fourth Grader?"

I used my projector to show the image of "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire," edited the image in Paint to put Fourth Grader, and traced the image onto poster board.

I used large replica bills from Dollar Tree and labeled them with my students' names.

What ideas are you playing around with for your bulletin board this year? I would love to hear it. Post a comment!

Fruit Machine

Fruit Machine is a great little tool for making groups. You can type in students' names and the Fruit Machine randomly picks students. I have used this with picking student pairs for projects.

I have also opened two fruit machines with one list of students' names and the other list of Texas Heroes. The first machine picks the student name and the other machine picks the Texas Hero. The student then has the name of the Texas Hero for the project.

There is also an option of using a typewriter as well. Both are fun. I have put it on my Language Arts page if you need it during the year.

It's Thurday! 15 Words or Less Poems

Here is Laura Purdie Salas and her famous 15 words or less poems. This week's picture is of this unique building. Are you thinking angles? What are you thinking? Put it in a poem. Post it on her site or yours!

Here is mine.

Rectangles

Arrays

4 x 6

6 x4
A Kit Kat to top it off.

Poems are great because they can be serious or silly!

Tuesday Memory Challenge from Susan Taylor Brown

Every Tuesday Susan Taylor Brown encourages bloggers to write from their memories of their past. This week she asks:

What would I find if I followed you down your memory land?

Here is mine.

I had a collection of Strawberry Shortcake Dolls when I was growing up. I used to gather her and all of her BERRY best friends to play outside. I would use the bushes and plants in our front yard to create Berryland. Sometimes, she would have to borrow Barbie's Jeep when Strawberry Shortcake was bringing more friends. :)

I also begged my dad for the Barbie Dream House. On Christmas morning, it was incredible sight. I played with it for hours that first day and then not so much afterwards. The Dream House got moved to the garage because it just took up too much space in my room. My brothers dropped a weight on it and broke part of it off. But really I loved taking my dolls and toys to the great outdoors. My dad was always finding my pricey Barbies stuck in bushes or in the soil of his potted plants.

I also had a small collection of Monchichis. I loved how they could suck their thumbs. Sometimes, I would have them put their thumbs in each other mouths. Man, that seems gross now in the world of Germ-X and Purel! They had this cute little button face.

So what would your memory lane look like?

It's Thursday!

Take a moment today to write a poem at Laura Purdie Salas' 15 Words or Less Poem. Here is her picture to help you get a little spark. What do you see? What do you NOT see? Oh, I can see the wheels turning in your head right now.

Here's mine.

Clouds below my feet

Like the whipped top

of frothy coffee

God's view IS awesome

Poetry Challenge

At The Miss Rumphius Effect, bloggers are challenged with writing a stretch poem using the phrase "loose change" in the poem somewhere. Your poem can be in any form. Give it try! Just try once! Here is mine.

Deep thoughts moves to the back

Dropping off at school
Work working
Driving from ballet
Dish out dinner


Deep thoughts coming back
calling us like
the light jingle of loose change
in our pockets