Wild Transformations

Who doesn't love the wackiness of the 80's? This board is inspired by the eccentric fashions of that crazy era! This mini tri-fold board is teaching a geometry skill that most 3rd-5th grade students need to understand for standardized testing.

Here are the items I used...

• FLP30015 - Assorted Mini Project Board (Black)
• TNT6378 - Zebra/Pink Library Pockets (Peel & Stick)
• TNT3512 - Blank Assorted Flash Cards
• T46405 - Colorful Sparkle Stars Stickers (for self checking)

I cut up the left over library pockets to use for the paper behind the definitions and behind the title. The font was downloaded for free online. The blank flash cards I cut down to size (they fit perfectly in the pocket, but were a bit too long). The piece I cut off the end of the flash cards I used as titles for the front of each pocket. The star stickers I used for self-checking purposes. I put a star on the front of each pocket and used the corresponding color on the cards that went in that pocket.

Another great idea when using this as a center...

Place the hot pink big pocket (looks like an over-sized library pocket) from TNT6454 - Real Big Pockets Brite on the back of the board and place a worksheet covering this skill in it. Then after students play with the center, have them complete the worksheet and turn it in. This will allow the teacher to determine whether the skill has been mastered.

Lepre-Coins

Here is another game using the holidays as a theme when creating your centers. On many standardized tests, students are asked to write several different ways a particular sum might be counted out in change. This game teaches just that skill!

Here are the products used...

• FLP30015 - Assorted Mini Project Boards (I chose a festive Green, in honor of St. Patrick's Day).
• TNT420 - Solar Yellow Library Pockets
• PDS307 - Small Green Shamrock Cutouts
• TNT3512 - Blank Assorted Flash Cards (Cut these down to the appropriate size. They fit into the pockets, but are a bit long.)
• CD5261 - US Coins Shapes Stickers
• CD4127 - Shamrock 2-Sided Decoration (I cut out the Leprechaun to use near the title.

I created the title using a free font I downloaded online. May the luck o' the Irish be with you as you play this game!

Heart Breaker Rhyming Game

Do you ever find yourself wishing you could decorate for the special holidays throughout the season, but find that it's a lot of trouble for only a few weeks and that you're short on space? Here is the solution! Make a tri-fold center that teaches a skill your class will be working on during the season and use the holiday as your inspiration! Here I have incorporated rhyming as the skill and Valentine's Day as my inspiration! The original concept for this game is not my own and can be found on the blog listed below. I simply took the concept and translated it onto a tri-fold board, adding instructions and a few ideas of my own.

http://tommiestools.blogspot.com/2010/09/embellishments-of-heart.html

This is a blog created by Creative Teaching Press (makers of the cute hearts). You will find many wonderful ideas here that might just inspire you too!

Here are the item numbers for the board you see pictured.

• FLP30045R - Red Project Board (Cut in half using an X-acto Knife)
• CTP5885 - Poppin' Patterns Jumbo Hearts Cutouts
• T2703 - 4" Black Italic Upper & Lowercase Ready Letters
• CTP5882 - Poppin' Patterns Hearts Cutouts (Medium Sized, used a black marker to outline the break in the heart to make it pop)
• CTP6366 - Rhyming/Word Families Matching Game Books Grade K.
• CTP5879 - Poppin' Patterns Mini Hearts Cutouts
• ABC61-46 - File Folder Press on Bag (used on the back to hold the halves not affixed to the front of the board, not shown in photo)
• TNT6454 - Real Big Pockets Primary (not pictured)

Here are the instructions I posted at the bottom...

1. Remove the hearts from the bag on the back of the board.
2. Look at the pictures on each half.
3. Search for the picture on the board that rhymes with the half in your hand.
4. Place the matching pieces on the board until they are gone.
5. Remove one of the worksheets from the back of the board.
6. Complete the worksheet on rhyming and turn it in.

For the photo above, I showed the game board completed. You will wanna permanently attach one side of the heart to the board and the other half you could attach a piece of velcro or post-it type glue that will allow you to stick and re-stick. For storage, the velcro sided pieces can be kept in a zip-loc type bag on the back. Also on the back of the board I attached a red jumbo library pocket (see the last item listed). Inside the pocket I put a worksheet on rhyming for the students to complete. This will be what the student turns in and will help the teacher determine whether the concept was mastered.

Guppy Graphs

This is a Math interactive bulletin board that teaches the basics of graphing. This is a great way to teach students how to look at data and analyze their findings using a bar graph! Perfect for teaching greater than and less than in its most basic form. Here are the products I used...

• PAC57340 - Magenta Fadeless 24X12 Paper
• T92408 - Sparkle Fish Scalloped Trimmer
• T8086 - 100 Day Fish Bowl BBS
• CTP5184 - White Small Horizontal Calendar (Cut the header with the days of the week off and taped 2 of them together).
• CTP4628 - Poppin' Patterns Uppercase Letter Stickers (used for the numbers on the graph).
• CTP1228 - 7" Poppin' Patterns Punch Out Letters
• HYG43317 - Assorted Square Pocket Chart Cards (used as cover ups for graph, but post-its would work well too).

If using post its is not possible, another option is to laminate the graph and let students color in the graph with wipe-off markers. The large fish in the set come with the number 10 on them, if you think this will throw your students off, you can always find creative ways to cover them up. As with some of the other centers, include a pocket with a graphing worksheet to be completed by the student. This will help you determine if the center is effective. The directions I typed up using a font I downloaded for free online. The directions read...

- Count all the similar fish.

- Graph your findings.

Happy Fishing!

Puzzling Place Value

Here is a fun and educational math center for learning the basics of place value. This is a skill that most 3rd graders need to understand for standardized testing. Here is how the center works. All the pockets are labeled with a place value. On each card there is a 2-5 digit number. One of the digits is underlined indicating a place value. The student is to determine which place value is being highlighted, then choose the correct pocket. I put stickers on the back of each card that will act as a way for the student to self-check their work. If the sticker on the back matches the one on the pocket, their answer is correct. Below are the instructions I typed up, but you are certainly welcome to do your own or add extra elements as your students require them.

Directions:

1. Choose a number card.
2. Determine which place the underlined number is in.
3. Place card in the pocket that corresponds with that card's place value.
4. After all cards have been placed, flip them over to check your answers.

Another idea would be to attach one of the large pockets used on the front, to the back of the board. Then put a worksheet on place value in the pocket, for students to complete after working at the center. This will help you, as the teacher, determine whether or not the student mastered the skill and if additional instruction is necessary.

Here are the products I used to create this board...

• FLP30045PU - Purple Project Board
• TNT6450 - Real Big Pockets - Bright
• T10805 - Puzzle Mini Accents
• T69034 - Jigsaw Name Plates
• PAC101169 - Colorful Assorted Cardstock
• T79743 - 4" Yellow Playful Punch Out Letters

The words on the pockets I typed up using fonts I downloaded for free online. To make the title I enlarged one of the small puzzle pieces on a copy machine, to create a template that I traced onto colorful pieces of cardstock. I pieced them together to create the background and then put my title on top of it.

Polka Dot Job Chart

So many people are now using the "Dots On Black" Poppin' Patterns Products from Creative Teaching Press and I had a friend of mine, who teaches, ask me if I had any ideas for a job chart. So I put on my thinking cap and this is what came out! The circles in the center of the dots are construction paper circles I cut out and laminated. Then I used velcro to adhere them, so that this chart can be used for several years and only the center circles need to be changed out yearly! I wrote the job title on the outside of the circle at the top. The names of the jobs I used are listed below, but you can always create your own! It always seems to get kids more excited when there is a fun name to go along with the job at hand.

-Weather Reporter

-Calendar Conductor

-Dean of Doors

-Pencil Protector

-Snack Samurai

-Lord of Lights

-Office Outlaw

-Flag Pharoah

-Keeper of Keys

-Board Brigade (2 of these)

-Pet Parent

-Chair Chief

-Lunch Lieutenant

-Paper Pirate

-Fearless Leader

-Plant Prince/Princess

-Captain of Clean

-Earl of Erasers

-Trash Tribe (2 of these)

And here is a list of the products I used to create this fun job chart...

• FLP30049BK - Black Foam Project Board
• CTP3869 - Poppin' Patterns Dots Cutouts
• CTP5933 - Poppin' Patterns Dots Mini Cutouts
• T2704 - 4" White Italic Punch Out Letters
• PAC103045 - Hot Pink 9X12 Construction Paper
• PAC103423 - Brilliant Lime 9X12 Construction Paper
• HYG45215 - Velcro Coins 15 Count

If you have more students than jobs, you might consider attaching a ziploc bag or an expand-a-file onto the back of the board to store your extra student name circles!

I Spot A Good Class

This is a cute one for Spring! I used plain address labels to add the names to the ladybugs...but you could easily just write the names onto the cutouts themselves!

• CDDJ610039- Ladybugs BBS
• FST5145- Red/White 4" Polka Dot Punch Out Letters

That's all you need to create this cute board!