Today was our class’s Christmas party. Before the party stated, we created an inspirational calendar for a 12 year old girl who has cancer. One of my student’s brought me an article about her and wanted to do something special for her. Stacey gave me the idea of gifts that are written, so I came up with the idea for making her an inspirational calendar. All I did was go on microsoft publisher and create a 2008 calendar with clip art and printed it off. Then I glued the calendar onto assorted colors of construction paper. Here is where my students came in: they chose an inspirational quote that I printed out from an inspirational quote site and wrote it onto white paper then decorating it however they chose. It turned out beautifully. I bound the pages with a spiral comb with the front and back cover. I had each student sign the back cover. The student, who had the idea, is going to deliver the calendar to the young girl over the holidays. Thanks Stacey for the idea!
Personalizing Writer’s Notebooks August 27, 2007
Today we personalized our notebooks. I learned that you need 2 full class periods to get the job done and there still might be some that don’t finish. Glue sticks work the best ( I will definitely ask for those on the supply list next year). I used laminate paper to cover them and that was a chore. Next year, I am going to have parent volunteers help me because it was very cumbersome. Laminating was a TWO MAN JOB! I wanted to have them covered because it protects them and their pictures won’t fall off. They also move from class to class with them. My students’ notebooks look fabulous. I will try to get pictures soon.
Why personalize? Well, personalizing creates a since of ownership with the notebook. When a student has ownership they are more likely to keep up with their notebook. Another reason to personalize is that they can use what is on their cover as writing topics in case they get stuck. My students were excited to show off their art work to each other. The room buzzed with enthusiasm.
English Teacher Party: A Look into the Real Life of an English Teacher 