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  Teachers Resource Force

Teachers Resource Force
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A fun way to send notes home to parents!

28/9/2016

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Do you often send notes home to your students' parents? If not, you definitely should consider it! Students and parents/guardians just adore getting notes from us! It’s a fantastic tool for positive behavior management as well as building a strong rapport with your students and their family. Also as it's a personalised, hand-written note, it has that personal touch and it can be saved as a special keep sake!

There are many "traditional" notes home like post cards and slips of paper which are fine, but I have a better idea..!
Notes home to parents
So I’ve been using post cards to send notes home for years, and recently in an effort to get the note home a little fast than "snail mail" would have it, I have been handing these post cards straight to students to take home instead of posting them. It’s been working better, plus it’s much cheaper not paying for stamps, and it's better for the environment! 

However, the post cards are quite costly due to the quality of the card, and the comment is exposed (I always hated that about post cards when writing to my friends while on vacation - I didn't want everyone reading my private notes!?) This made me think of designing something completely new: a folded note that looks like an envelope!
Notes home to parents
So many pretty doodle patterns to choose from!
This has been working amazingly for me. It’s extremely cost effective as 2 foldable notes are printed on one page and they are so easy to cut out with a paper trimmer or scissors and are folded up in seconds! I choose to seal them with a cute sticker as well! The fact they are sealed is what really sets them apart from regular printed slips of paper: it allows for some privacy and plus - I mean, it's just so freaking cute!?
(I may or may not have also written notes to my teacher bff using these too..... Shh don't tell anyone!)
Notes home to parents
You could even ask your students to cut out their own notes and color them in as this set contains gorgeous and unique doodle designs on them, perfect for colouring in which parents really love as it has a personal touch to it for them! But they do look equally as beautiful left black and white. (P.S. this set also has a FREE selection of colourful designs in there too if you like to print in colour!) If you like these designs, let me know and I will make even more patterns for you! Leave me your suggestions here if you like.
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Notes home to parents
So easy to use: simply fold from the bottom to the bottom of the triangle and then fold the top over!
Notes home to parents
Make your own cute envelope notes to send home to parents!
Check out this short video below to see just how easy they are to make!
My students have really been loving these and I have had such positive comments from parents too at how creative and personal these are to receive! I can’t wait to share them with you, so check out the designs and have a go at making some of your own notes to parents/guardians! ​If you want to try one out first, you can download a freebie which can be found in the VIP Member area right now!

Click here to register to the VIP area and join the newsletter (it's all free!).
Students and parents / guardians just adore getting notes from us! Check out this fun idea of writing positive messages home on adorable folded notes! www.teachersresourceforce.com
Download a freebie of the "enve-note" by signing up to the free VIP area!
What do you think of these cute notes? Do  you have a question? Something to add? Let's chat in the comments below - I respond to every comment :)
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The best method for random selection in your classroom - no resources needed!

18/9/2016

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I don't know about you, but I get quite frustrated with physical resources like using lollipop sticks pulling slips of paper out of a hat when I want to do random selection in my lessons. As I teach 10 different classes, it also gets quite difficult to organise these resources and it can get very time consuming and expensive! Well, I recently came across a fantastic free tool that seems to have solved all my problems and I can't wait to share it with you!
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The tool is called "Wheel Decide". It comes as an app for both iOS and Android as well as a web version too. It's really easy to use: simply add the options you want to select, change the colours up if it matters to you (this is important to me, haha!) and click on the wheel! It will spin (with optional cool sound effects - the kids love them so I always leave them on!) and land on a random option. You have the choice for the wheel to remove each option after it has been landed on too which is quite a handy feature depending on what you're using it for!
Here are some suggestions on how you can use it in your classroom!
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  • Selecting student names at random for questioning
  • Selecting topics to discuss in class
  • Selecting keywords from the lesson that students need to define (you can use individual whiteboards for this)
  • Class reward selection if they have behaved well
  • Brain break ideas
  • Classroom jobs
  • Conversation starters / get to know you ideas
  • Decide which table gets released from class first
  • Selecting someone for "secret student" (let me know if you want another blog post explaining what this is!)
  • Have a letter of the alphabet for each option and students think of a keyword starting with that letter
  • Choose a selection of keywords and ask the students to all write a sentence using that word (mini whiteboards)
  • Have a range of questions on the wheel and students have to answer whichever is selected
  • Use as a behaviour management tool so everyone whose name is still on the board for being good all lesson gets their name on the wheel and the winner gets a prize.
  • Number each option up to 5 or so and let the wheel decide how many minutes of game time students get at the end of a lesson
  • Use with the department to decide who takes the next meeting minutes (haha jk - I always do it)

So there you go, hopefully this has given you a solid foundation to feel confident using Wheel Decide in your classroom too! If you come up with any other ideas, please feel free to share below!

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International Talk Like a Pirate Day in the Classroom

6/9/2016

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So, it's almost International Talk Like a Pirate Day, aye! 19th September is a day where we should all be talking like pirates apparently, savvy? This isn't something I have ever tried before in all honesty, but I'm so curious to see my students' reaction - especially my year 7s! So I'm going to be easing them in gently with some pirate themed exit tickets (in a cute emoji style, of course!)... 
​Keep reading until the end where I share some tips for things you can do in your classroom as well as a free download just for you!
So, it's almost International Talk Like a Pirate Day, aye! 19th September is a day where we should all be talking like pirates apparently, savvy? Why not try these pirate themed exit tickets (in a cute emoji style, of course!)...
So firstly, let me start by saying I believe exit tickets are a fantastic tool to use in the classroom. They're great for students to reflect on their learning in your lesson but also for you to see how well your class has understood a topic in a quick snapshot. There are many ways to do it that don't require any printing, for example post-it notes or mini whiteboards, but sometimes there really is a time and a place for a cute printable exit ticket!
So, it's almost International Talk Like a Pirate Day, aye! 19th September is a day where we should all be talking like pirates apparently, savvy? Why not try these pirate themed exit tickets (in a cute emoji style, of course!)...
Anything emoji in this day and age will get your students' attention. They use them as a form of communication in every day life and these little smileys are a great way of conveying emotion too: that's what makes them ideal on exit tickets. I use these regular emoji exit tickets all the time with my students and they adore them! That's what inspired me to crank things up a notch and create a special Pirate themed version - perfect for International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
So, it's almost International Talk Like a Pirate Day, aye! 19th September is a day where we should all be talking like pirates apparently, savvy? Why not try these pirate themed exit tickets (in a cute emoji style, of course!)...
They are so simple to use and will work for any subject and a huge age range. What's more is that all the text is editable so you can personalise them to your lesson if needed! This particular set comes with ready made Pirate speak instructions to fit with the theme, but you're of course free to edit as you wish!
So, it's almost International Talk Like a Pirate Day, aye! 19th September is a day where we should all be talking like pirates apparently, savvy? Why not try these pirate themed exit tickets (in a cute emoji style, of course!)...
So, it's almost International Talk Like a Pirate Day, aye! 19th September is a day where we should all be talking like pirates apparently, savvy? Why not try these pirate themed exit tickets (in a cute emoji style, of course!)...
If you like these and would like to use them in your classroom, you can download the full version with all 9 tickets here. If you'd like to try out a freebie first, make sure you become a member where you can download lots of exclusive freebies not offered anywhere else, as well as receive a newsletter letting you know when a new freebie has been added! Simply click the "Freebies" tab at the top of this website and register - it's 100% free!
Download this Pirate Emoji Exit ticket for free at http://www.teachersresourceforce.com/blog/international-talk-like-a-pirate-day-in-the-classroom
Click on the pic to join and download this resource for free!
Finally, here are some other ideas and fun pirate lingo you can use in your classroom on ITLAPD:

  • Have the image below up on your projector or print off some cards for the students to use a reference during the day - then encourage everyone to try at least once to use of these words or phrases.

  • Ask students to answer to their names during the register using pirate speak (maybe "Ahoy" or "Aye"!)

  • You can give verbal feedback in pirate speak: "Shiver me timbers - what a fantastic answer, matey!"

  • Warn students in advance that this day is coming up and they should research some popular words or phrases to use in lessons beforehand - maybe the student who uses pirate speak the most during the day can win a prize!​

  • Play pirate speak bingo - students can make up their own grid using words from the image below or any they researched themselves. Every time someone hears a word or phrase said in pirate speak during the day, they can check it off their grid - the first person to check them all off wins a prize! (How about some chocolate gold coins?!)

  • Get hold of some props like a bandana, eye patch, hat, beard, feather, hook etc. and dress up for the students!
So, it's almost International Talk Like a Pirate Day, aye! 19th September is a day where we should all be talking like pirates apparently, savvy? Why not try these pirate themed exit tickets (in a cute emoji style, of course!)...
Feel free to use this in your lessons or even Pin it to Pinterest for some "pinspiration"!

​Also check out this Pirate Themed Board on Pinterest which has a range of great ideas for your classroom:
Do  you have a question? Something to add? What are you doing on the 19th for Talk Like A Pirate Day? Let's chat in the comments below - I respond to every comment :)
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