Sticker Organization

Sticker Organization? What kind of a blog post title is that? Who in the world organizes stickers? I NEVER thought I'd be the kind of teacher who organized something as simple as stickers. But when I saw a post by @mskohlskids on Instagram yesterday, I knew I had to do it. She uses a simple metal ring to hang her stickers. GENIUS!

I never really knew how much my stickers bugged me until I started organizing. The sheets of stickers are all different sizes, half of them are missing, and the other half haven't been used in years & don't even stick anymore. All the different holidays and occasion stickers were all jumbled together...no wonder I never used stickers! You couldn't find a thing in my big tub of random stickers.

After about 20 minutes of hole punching and cleaning out of stickers, I was left with sorted and organized groups of stickers! Of course, I had to have labels for each ring, so I created these cover pages:

Hope this satisfies all your organizational needs! What other organizational hacks should I try out?

One Guess Giant Board Game for 50 States

Read, read, read, math, math, science, and a little US History when we have time. Sound familiar? I hope I'm not the only one out there who is trying to squeeze in some Social Studies wherever I can in an already packed schedule.

Earlier this year and in previous years, my class has participated in Mystery Hangouts where we connect virtually with another class in the US, and we try to guess what state they're in based on clues. We LOVE this game, but it was honestly getting a little embarrassing when my kids weren't even sure of the state names. So we're taking a little hiatus from hangouts until we have a better handle on US geography. :)

I was looking for a way to fit geography in during downtimes, as a bell ringer, or whenever we had a quick minute to work on something as a class rather than trying to create a stand-alone unit.

Along with adding in some more social studies, I'm also trying to bring back the fun to fifth grade this year! We're spending more time working on logic puzzles, games with directions, and even creative art projects.

Out of these two goals came...ONE GUESS!

No, you don't have to guess. That's the name of the game! One Guess.
(I'm tired...not sure if that's funny or it's just me.)

We tested this game out today, and the kids went absolutely crazy for it. I was a little worried that the answer to the mystery state would be so obvious it would be boring, but they are totally into it, and not one of them is ready to submit a guess yet. There were kids reading, working, kids doing jumping jacks in the corner, and some humming the tune to the Star Spangled Banner. This game gets them up and moving, thinking critically, and learning about geography all in one!

How to Play:
A letter to students explains that the teacher created a packet of work on a state in the United States, but that the name of the state was missing from the packet! (This actually sounds like something I would do.) The object of the game is to read through the information, work through the challenges, and decide on which state you'll submit as your "One Guess".

(I love when the kids ask me if they should submit and answer and I lower my voice saying, "Are you sure? You only have ONE GUESS." Totally builds the suspense.)

The entire game is stored either on a bulletin board, a whiteboard, or in file folders where kids can access it at anytime. You can play the game any way you like, but I loved doing an official launch when all kids were playing at once, and from now on they'll work on it during morning work and downtime. They have to work through the challenges and submit an answer by Friday.

On Friday, I'll draw names from the submitted answers one at a time until I select one with a correct guess. That student is the winner! I haven't decided what the prize will be yet. An all-expenses paid trip to North Dakota maybe? 😂

When the game is over and the answer is revealed, kids collect the challenge papers and assemble it with a cover page. They'll go back through the packet and fill in any missing information about their state using a research QR code. Each time we play the game, they'll leave with a packet of information about that state!

I'm thinking I'll create refill packs for other states, maybe some famous people...any other ideas? I may just leave this giant board game up all year!

You can find this One Guess game and future games here. Be sure to click the green "follow me" button in my profile for updates when new games are uploaded!re.

Fixer Upper Classroom Library Makeover SILO-bration!

Our Fixer Upper Classroom Library Makeover is complete, and the kiddos were begging me to have the SILO-bration I promised. I have to admit, with to sick kids at home, I was kind of dreading having to put on this big celebration. I put it off until the Friday before the 3 day weekend, which was actually perfect! It was easy to set up and tons of fun. (

The classroom library makeover was a week-long activity where students worked in teams to revamp our existing classroom library. Using a Fixer Upper theme, the kids dressed as Chip & Joanna and kicked off the makeover with a Demo Day. (See the details here!) We didn't make any major changes, just moved around a few pieces of furniture, reorganized the books, created a book display, and purchased a barcode scanner for book checkout. Even though the changes were small, the kids were involved in every aspect, and it made for the perfect opportunity to be reenergized about books midway through the year. (Find all the Fixer Upper Classroom Library Makeover goodies here!)

The SILO-bration Lineup:

• Popcorn bag decorating contest
• Cider, popcorn, and cupcakes
• Camera Crew presentation
• Ribbon cutting ceremony
• Book Checkout and Flashlight Friday
• Read!!!

Popcorn bag decorating contest

This was quite possibly the biggest hit at our SILO-bration, and it was so simple. I brought in plain white paper bags and directed the 5th graders to decorate with markers using a farm/silo/Fixer Upper theme. When I announced the winner would receive an extra cupcake, the competition was on! These kids are incredibly creative! Check out the results.

Cider, popcorn and cupcakes & Camera crew presentation

While the kids snacked (we used the white bags for popcorn), the camera crew presented the before and after photos and shared the video interviews they had put together during the project. All I had given them was a blank Google Slides presentation and the ability to document the library makeover in whatever way they wanted. The presentation was impressive, and the kids got a huge kick out of seeing themselves on camera. The interviews were hysterical, complete with bloopers! Chip and Joanna would be proud. We also used an old digital picture frame (borrowed from my mom) to display the reading quotes that Jimmy Don's Sign Team had come up with along with some more before and after photos!

The funniest thing was that the kids were so amazed by the digital picture frame. They couldn't figure out if it was a computer or a TV! I have a feeling this picture frame will have to stay in our library. (Sorry, mom.)

Ribbon cutting ceremony

I wish I had gotten this on video! I dug some ribbon out of the bottom of one of my drawers and draped it all across the library the morning of the SILO-bration. My classroom librarians helped to be sure all the remaining details of the library were perfect, so the ribbon added to the excitement of being able to go in and check out books. We counted down: 3...2...1! Two students cut the ribbon, and everyone clapped, cheered, and even whistled! We really didn't change much about our library, but you'd think we had a whole new library by the sounds of those cheers.

Book checkout and flashlight Friday

The kids went a few at a time to find a new book to check out. The classroom librarians stayed in the library, helping with book selection and using our new barcode scanner checkout. Once everyone had their books, the lights went out & everyone received a flashlight to read with. We played some music and read for the entire afternoon. (I got cozy & read my book too!) It was the perfect ending to a long week.

We are fortunate to have an amazing classroom library thanks to my district, Donor's Choose, and our local library's book sales, but that doesn't mean kids are automatically interested in what our classroom library has to offer. Every few months, engagement with books starts to dwindle, and it's activities like this that bring books back to the forefront. 

The Best Way to Keep Graded Papers Organized (And off your desk!)

It's a simple tool that costs only $20, but it's arguably the most important item in my classroom...behind my laminator of course. It's helped me find my reading table from underneath piles of paperwork, helps my students relieve more timely feedback, and organizes my favorite parent communication method.

It's a bird...
It's a plane...
It's a...
Sorter?

I wish this doo-dad had an exciting name to match up to its capabilities. It's a simple tool (that I'm confident you could actually make yourself if you wanted to save the money), and kids can use it too!

The long plastic piece holds heavy paper, staggered to create sections underneath each numbered piece. I keep student work in a bin behind my desk, and when I'm finished grading it, I place it in a red folder in the same bin. My "Friday Papers People" (we need a new, fancier name for this job too) file the graded paperwork behind each student's number on the sorter. 

We keep the sorter on a shelf, filing it as papers are graded throughout the week. On Fridays, the "Friday Papers People" remove each stack of work from the numbered section and staple a classroom newsletter on top. The result is an organized packet of graded student work with a newsletter on top for parents and kids to review together over the weekend.

Some weeks I write a newsletter myself with some happenings from the week, upcoming events, and topics to talk about at home over the weekend. Once a month, kids create a personalized newsletter using my monthly Google Drawing tutorial newsletter templates. When I don't have time to do either, I print this cover page (FREEBIE alert!), and it has a place for a parent signature and student reflection.

I try to leave a spot for parents to comment, which is often positive reinforcement on the student work (Yay!). The 5th grader's weekend homework is always to fix or finish any work in the "Friday Papers Packet".

If a student was absent or had late work from the week, I also attach a notice with a list of missing assignments along with blank copies of the work. Amazingly, the kids often "find" the missing work when there's a blank copy in the Friday Papers Packet!

Parents are always complimenting this organizational hack. They expect the work to come home each Friday, which also gives me a weekly deadline for returning work. (Much needed on my part!) Kids know if the work isn't done with quality the first time, they will need to fix it over the weekend- now there's some motivation all around!

The Friday Papers Packet keeps backpacks clear of wrinkled and ripped random papers during the week, and keeps everything in one place! No more desks, bins or folders overflowing with random papers.

When the kids return the packets to school on Mondays, check-in does take a little longer, but it's worth it! I consider Monday mornings my mini-conference time with each kid. I call them up to my table one at a time and go over the corrections. If they still have questions, I make a pile of packets to work on with students later during the day.

You could return the papers after checking, but I hang on to everything in a crate for the trimester in case I need any additional information about a student's work. (Meetings about progress, additional data points for report cards, etc.) Maybe I'm a hoarder? I probably don't need to hang on to them. (Channeling my inner Marie Kondo.) At the end of the trimester, I make a folder from long construction paper and send all the packets home at once.

My Friday papers tip came from a veteran teacher when I first started teaching, and I say a little thank you to her every time I send a batch of these home. I'm grateful for the (forced) timely feedback, the opportunity to communicate with parents weekly about student progress, and the fact that I can actually use my table that is no longer full of student work!

Bookflix Book Display

It all started with a picture and a caption.

I think my interaction on any given Twitter post typically tops out at 14 likes, so 552 likes is pretty big! (Update: We're up to almost 900 likes!) My class was pumped when I told them we were famous on Twitter. What are we famous for? This little idea that popped into my head at 3AM...isn't that when all the best thinking happens?

My class and I had already torn apart our classroom library with our Fixer Upper Classroom Library Makeover project, and my "Construction Crew" was trying to think of a creative book display to put together.

To be honest, our library has been collecting a lot of dust this year! We're fortunate enough to have some amazing titles, but the kids just haven't been borrowing. (This was the whole reason we started the library makeover in the first place.) Here's how we tackled the makeover:

1. "Demo Day" 
Before the kids arrived to school, I decked the whole library out in signs that said "Under Construction", blocking shelves off with cones and caution tape. The kids were invited to dress like Chip & Joanna from Fixer Upper, and they totally accepted that challenge. With our flannels, baseball caps, and hoop earrings, we went into the library and pulled out every book.

Fixer Upper Classroom Library Makeover Materials Download Here!

Yep. Every. Single. Book. came out of the library and was spread out onto tables for kids to literally dust off and also to be reorganized back into the shelves once they were cleaned.

This was pretty scary for me (I put a ton of blood, sweat, and actual tears into that library's organization), and it was also SO LOUD. But that was all fine, because isn't Demo Day always a little messy...and loud? Everything has to come apart before it comes together. I've watched enough HGTV to know this!

2. Work in Teams to Put it Back Together
Something amazing happened during the mess of Demo Day. Kids started talking about books! I mean real, honest conversations about books. Which books belonged in which bins and why, the books they want to read next, the books they recommend to friends...it was the kind of talking about books teachers dream of, and I hadn't done anything at all.

The teams each had a mission to work toward putting our library back together. Jo's Design Team worked on a design for the furniture in our library, creating a wish list for any items they wanted to add. Chip's Construction Crew was in charge of the new featured books display, and Jimmy Don's Sign Team created labels for new specialty book bins created by the class. The Camera Crew documented the process, and the Silo-bration party planners worked out the details of a big reveal party where all kids would have a chance to try out the "new" library and check out a book.

After meeting with the Construction Crew, I knew they wanted a display that would knock the socks off the class. Something they would connect with. So at 3AM, I started thinking about how I could tie pop culture into the book display. When I came up short of a good idea, I did the worst thing anyone can do at 3AM...I started looking through my phone. As I scrolled my apps, I noticed the glowing red icon for Netflix. Yes!

Netflix has a home screen designed to attract viewers to binge-worthy TV shows, complete with catchy titles to organize your favorites. I opened a note in my phone and started jotting ideas for changing the titles to a reading theme. The Construction Crew was thrilled with the idea, and they ran with it! They got right to work adding titles and sorting books into categories.

Here's what we have so far:
Currently Reading
Trending
Because You Read (You could insert any title here, we used Diary of a Wimpy Kid)
Top Picks for 5th Graders
Read it Again
Recently Added
Most Popular
Comedy/Drama
Binge-Worthy (Series books or author studies)

The kids also designed their own "Who's Reading" avatars, and I can't believe how they turned out! Leave it to 5th graders to make a little square with weird eyes and a mouth look adorable.

Probably my least favorite part of the whole Netflix display was covering this long shelf with black paper. It was a major pain, but I think worth it in the end to achieve the whole Netflix vibe.

We used a long spring rod inside the shelf so the books could rest against it facing out. We added a bunch of book stands on top to achieve the same effect. (Thanks to our amazing school librarian for letting me borrow those & to my "work wife" for letting me rip down a curtain in her room to use the rod. When I have an idea, I have to see it through...ASAP.)

Click here to download all the Bookflix goodies!

Editable files

Non-Editable (with fonts)

So many people commented on Twitter asking for the printables, so I put it all together for you! If you'd like to be able to change the headers, you'll have to play around with fonts a bit, but you'll want the editable version. I did include a font guide with the font names inside and a copy of the Bookflix sign that's printable as is. Please, please, please send along any other ideas you have to add to the Bookflix display, and we'd love to see your Bookflix setup!

Happy Napping!

Update 1/21: We added another Booxflix display for our non-fiction books, and I have to add more books to the fiction display because the kids completely cleared it out!

Student-Created Newsletters

I used to write a monthly newsletter the length of an article in the Washington Post, including each and every detail of our month. Sending it off to the printer, I was excited about how neat and pretty it was with cute fonts, and of course a lengthy list of upcoming events. I dreamed of parents hanging it on the fridge to look at and reread with delight throughout the next month.

Then I became a parent. (Need I say more?) I have so much paperwork coming through this house from doctors and daycare and events...our fridge space is valuable. I'm much more likely to hang a picture of my kid's scribbled, one-eyed Thanksgiving turkey than I am a newsletter. 

So it dawned on me. Why hadn't I thought of this before? What if the newsletter was written by the KID? Not a group of kids for the whole class, but a different newsletter for each kid. They could outline the special events from the month and even include upcoming events when necessary.

A reflection on the month, created by the own individual kid with their own unique take on the look and feel of the newsletter. BINGO!

I also wanted to double dip and add an element of technology. Enter Student-Created Newsletters. These templates double as tech tutorials to Google Drawing, which is very similar to Google Slides but only has one page instead of several. They're simple enough to complete in a short period of time, and kids can create the newsletter just by reading through the template and playing around with the tech. 

Each month, I sit the 5th graders down and go through the template with them. We go over which parts should stay, and which ones they should read, delete, and fill in with their own information. Then I send them off to create their personalized newsletter!

The best part is the kids are SO excited to bring home their own report about school. They always put a unique spin on the newsletter that I never would've thought of myself, adjusting fonts and adding clipart. They always are an adorable topper to our Friday Papers. (I'll explain more in a later post...organizing Friday Papers is my FAVORITE time-saving strategy.)

You can find the Student-Created Newsletters here, including all the instructions for adding them to Google Classroom for your students so they're available each month if you're like me and forget to do the newsletter until January 31st rolls around. 

Hope I saved you lots of naptimes or preptimes creating those lengthy monthly newsletters! Giving ownership back to the kids frees up our valuable time and gives them the opportunity to reflect and set goals. The parents will love it too...I promise!

Happy napping!

Alissa