- Updating the "pen pal" model using Skype.
- Setting up a "If you finish early" station with worksheets for extra practice with spelling words, math, newsweek/current events that are updated every week.
- In addition to a word wall, I want each student to have a "personal dictionary" at their desk, made out of a manila folder, with a section under each letter for them to correctly spell words that are difficult for them. That way there will be no excuses for poor spelling in my class :)
- A refrigerator box time machine--how can you not want one of these in your classroom??
- Exit tickets to ensure/gauge student understanding
- "Homework Horse" If the class as a whole is being disruptive in the hallways, cafeteria, etc they will receive a letter. If they receive enough letters to spell "homework" on or before Friday, that's what they get over the weekend--hopefully some incentive to behave.
- A field trip to the zoo where students will choose an animal to do an in depth study on.
- A mad scientist corner filled with old broken small appliances that they can disassemble in order to discover how they work. We did this in my gifted classes in elementary school and it was so much fun!
- "Desk Spots". I'm not sure how or if this will work but I'd like to try to use colored tape to mark on the floor where certain desk groups go when we are rearranging the classroom for different activities to cut down on chaos time...we'll see if it works
- Decorating pumpkins for Halloween using felt. I'll give students an emotion(vocab words) that they will represent with a felt face on their pumpkin.
- Dressing up as a historical figure and then letting the students ask questions about "my" life.
- Mediation station. I was a student mediator in elementary and middle school and I believe the mediation process is effective and valuable for students to learn and practice.
Those are just a few, I will definitely add more later as they come to me :)
