Tuesday Tips - Guest Post from Miss Martin

Hi everyone!  I am SO excited to be guest blogging at the Kindergarten Pod today!  I am Miss Martin and you can find me over at Miss Martin’s Classroom.  I have compiled a few of my favorite teaching tips to share with you today.  I hope that you find some ideas that you can use in your own classroom!

Duct Tape Lining Up

This is such a simple concept, but it has worked wonders for me this year.  I grew weary of explaining to my students that I cannot, in fact, open the door while they are squished up against it in line.  To make it as visual and clear as possible, I decided to put a duct tape line on the floor.  But not just any duct tape, I thought…the most visually eye-catching duct tape that I could find!  I bought a sheet of this duct tape from Michael’s and now there is no way that my students can claim not to have seen it! 

(In person it looks like glass so my kids are always trying to get me to admit that it isn't really duct tape and asking if they stomp on it, will it break?  It makes me laugh, but hey, they are seeing it and using it!)

Drawer Labels

When I make something for my classroom, I want it to last, and to change with me over the years.  So putting sticker labels on drawers and items just won’t work for me – what if I want to use those drawers for something else next year?  I found a cheap solution that works so well for me.  

I bought these clear plastic ID badge holders from Walmart.  They come in packs of 12 and cost around $2 or less I believe.  I cut off the end where it can be hung, and taped them to all my clear plastic drawers and magazine holders full of teacher resource books with clear packing tape.  I love labels and this allows me to change them whenever I need!  I just slide in a new paper label and they are ready to go!

Here are the labels on my Weekly Drawers and my resource book holders:

Visual reminders taped to desks

I love using these because they are such a quick reminder to students!  If you have older students or those that are more concerned about what others think of him/her, these are especially helpful because you can discreetly point at them while they are reading without vocally reminding them.  Regardless, students will eventually start using them independently and will become more and more automatic with the rules.  That’s what I love!

Here are some of the visual reminders that I have taped to my tables in my classroom:

•         b vs. d reversal reminder (download free from Hilary Lewis!) 

I have found that this is an incredibly common issue with children either just learning to read, or those that struggle with reading even when they are older.  This has been incredibly helpful to my kindergarteners, but even my 4^th and 5^th grade struggling readers admit that they get these mixed up all the time, and I see it when they are reading!

•         small phonics posters (download here free!) My free phonics posters come 8.5x11 and 4 to a page for exactly this purpose.  This includes “2 vowels,” “bossy e,” “every word must have a vowel,” and “you never see a Q without a u.”

Here is my main reading table.  I just love how it turned out!

Foam or Wood Cubes

I purchased a few sets of these at Dollar Tree a few years ago.  My advice: if you see foam or wooden cubes, stock up!  I have found them to be an endlessly helpful resource.  Besides the obvious uses such as for counters and measurement, I have recently used them to make Word Building Cubes and what I call Math Cubes. It is as simple as writing on the sides with a Sharpie!

There are so many games and lessons that you can use these cubes for, and my students love when I pull them out.  The options are truly endless!

I hope these tips have been helpful for you!  Don’t forget to come back every Tuesday for new Tuesday Tips every week at the Kindergarten Pod!

~Miss Martin