Homework Monthly Motivators...getting students to turn in homework!

I am sooooo excited to share this new unit with you today! I am very happy with how it turned out and love the student response I've had from it!

I bring you my Monthly Motivators!

Let me share a bit about this unit with you!

Here are the pictures from my class! I LOVE seeing the progression each day!

What really helped me to keep track of who turned in what homework was the recording sheet I made. 

Each month has a creative theme! I place these posters on my door so the students can put their promise and daily pieces around it!

Month themes are:

January
Skating in NICE homework

February
We love to turn in homework

March
I'm lucky I turned in my homework

April
Our homework is raining in
We turned in 
"Egg"cellent homework (Easter theme)

May
Our homework is blooming

June
Turning in homework is so sweet

July
Our homework sparkles (4th of July theme)
Our homework is splashing in

August
We will stick with turning in homework

September
We're scoring with homework (football theme)
Our homework is falling in

October
Our homework is spooktacular (Halloween theme)
Our homework pumpkin patch

November
Harvesting good homework
We're gobbling up great homework (Thanksgiving theme)

December
Very Merry Homework (Christmas theme)
We're having a ball turning in homework

Every morning my students rush in to turn in their homework and get to coloring their daily piece for the door! This simple coloring tool has worked so well!

I hope you all have a great week! One more for me and it's spring break! I SO got this:)

We LOVE to turn in homework UPDATE:)

I just wanted to stop in and show you how much my kids are LOVING this! Every morning they are begging to color their heart! This will be something I do every month for sure if it keeps up like this!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

I seriously can't wait to see what this door looks like at the end of the month!

I blogged about this idea yesterday! Click here to read all about this fun homework turn in incentive!

We LOVE to turn in homework~a February homework incentive

Last month was a rough month for turning in homework:( I have no idea why, but something had to change this month!

So I decided to do a February theme on my door!

Each student received one heart. I wrote their names on them. They made a promise to do their homework all month. 

Students colored them then I put them on the door with our poster.

For every day they turn in their homework they get to color a smaller heart and put it on the door!

This is the door after day 1 of turning in homework

 All but 2 turned in their homework!!!

If they turn in their homework for the whole week, they get to add a sticker to their larger heart. If they have 4 stickers by the end of the month they get a lunch party with me! The kids are SO excited!

I can't wait to see what the door looks like by the end of the week! 

Would you like this poster with the hearts included? 

Just click HERE to get it:)

I'd love to hear what you think! 

Goodbye 2013, Mega Giveaway, January Editable Homework Calendars...this and that:)

Happy New Year's Eve my friends! I hope you all are enjoying this last day of 2013!

I have to say 2013 has been a HUGE transition year for me and I am so ready to ring in 2014! 

Events of 2013 for me include:

-packing, selling, and getting rid of things

-celebrating my 2nd wedding anniversary:)

-accepting a new job for the fall

-leaving my classroom and school I loved so much

-leaving my friends behind

-leaving my gym that brought me so much happiness

-getting in our car and leaving NC

-driving from NC to Washington in 5 days with 3 cats and 3 suitcases

-getting on a plane ONE WAY to Hawaii...with our 3 cats in the cabin with us;)

-landing in Hawaii and moving in with the in laws

-starting my new job in a new school 2 WEEKS LATER, in a new state, and having to adjust...big time!

-trying to settle into a routine and learn my way around Hawaii

It's almost 2014 and I am just so excited for what this year will bring. This year is all about ME and my HUSBAND!

I have a some personal goals too, but I am excited to be focused on what really matters...my health, happiness, friends and family:)

I found this on Pinterest...I think I want to make one and hang it in my house!

Isn't this adorable??? I love the meaning behind each phrase!

Speaking of New Years Eve, my 14 in 2014 Mega give away ends tonight at midnight...Hawaii time:)

Just click HERE to take you to my previous post!

One thing I want to share with you is my homework calendars. They have been a huge hit with my parents and my students and I thought maybe you would like to use them too!

Every month I give my students a new homework calendar. In the boxes I type in what homework I want the kids to complete each night. For me, it is math and reading. 

My students write in their planner exactly what it is I want them to do. The line next to math and reading is for parents to initial each night so I know they completed their homework.

Every morning I do a quick check to see if they did their homework.  If they completed it, they can color the picture in the bottom corner.

If they turned in their homework all week, they color the picture in the end box and can get a punch from their punch pass.

If their punch pass is filled by the end of the month they are awarded with a special surprise! For me, it is lunch with me in the classroom.

I keep all their punch passes in a pocket chart with the Punch Bunch header. The January Header is included in this unit:)

I called it Punch Bunch because you might not want to have a lunch bunch. You might decide at the end of the month, students turn in their punch pass for something else!

In this unit I made some editable calendars!

You might want to give weekend homework, so there is a column for weekend.

The editable file is in PowerPoint. So all you have to do is type in what you need!

You might want 5 punches instead of 4. So there are cards with 4 and cards with 5 punches!

I will give TWO of these away today! Just leave a comment and I will pick a winner at 2pm Hawaii Time!

You can also pick them up in my TpT shop! I will be making these for every month so stay tuned for more:)

Be safe, have fun, and enjoy yourselves! 

Happy 2014!

A tip on Tuesday!

Hey all! Are you having a good week? I know most of us are back to work now with just the small few that go back after Labor Day! I WISH! 

Things have been super busy over here! I wanted to share a few things with you that I have been finding useful these past 4 weeks of school! 

1. Table Numbers

Yes, it seems silly and many of you use table numbers, table names, or colors, or something! I have always assigned groups to a number but never really did anything with it. This year I do quite a few things with my table numbers! I only have 4 groups of desks so tables 1-4. Each table has a job for the week. It keeps the 6, 5 or 4 kids sitting at that table working together to complete their daily job!

But I feature one table each day on the board. This featured table gets to do a few things:

1.first to pack up at the end of the day

 2. be the first to leave at the end of the day

3. it is their day to book shop

4.They have the recess tags to play on the playground for the day. 

5. They get to help with the class rules each morning

I think I am leaving something out...But anyways, I think having a featured table of the day has been so helpful.

Homework Club

Thanks to Christina from Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge and her FANTASTIC Homework Club unit, my kids are really turning in their homework...or so it seems

Some kids are out:( They used their oops pass, which I created and you can get HERE for free at my TpT shop

Students place their homework in their pocket. It has been SO EASY to just see who has their homework and who doesn't!

If they don't have their homework, I collect their oops pass and write the date, their name, and what assignment they forgot in a small binder! 
Of course I had to make a cute cover:)

 This way, I have a record of who didn't turn in their homework! Today, I had a kid make up such a lie! She said she couldn't do her homework because her brother had a big accident. He fell off his bike, hit is head, and had to go to the emergency room! 

I said, "Oh my gosh, is he ok? I better call mom and make sure that he is ok!" She got such a "oh no, I lied" look on her face. I asked her what mom would say, and then she told me she lied! Needless to say, I already had her oops pass and she was spending recess doing her homework! HAHA!

I hope these two tips have helped you out in some way! Have a great week!!!

A little giveaway with a little freebie:)

Happy Thursday Friends! 

I hope you are all having a great week! I am sooooo eager to get into my classroom! This is SO late for me and I am dying to get in there. I know I have a ton of cleaning ahead of me! I have been warned:(

 My hubby and I finally get our car next week!!! It's been a long two weeks of us driving my mother in laws car around! 

I have been working on a few things that I would like to share with you! First, I am DONE with my "I can write the PURRRfect response"

What is included???

You can find them at mt TpT and TN shops! I would LOVE to give a set away! Leave a comment and I will pick a winner on Friday!

I have been buying a ton of things off of TpT lately! I really enjoy making my own things and buy from time to time, but since I have moved cross country and I am starting school sooner than I thought, I have had ZERO time to work on anything I wanted to! I am so thrilled with ALL of the purchases I have made!

One thing I want to do differently is how I do homework! 

Enter Christina Bainbridge!

I saw her Homework Club on Pinterest and also in my blog feed and read all about it. I bought it RIGHT AWAY! This was JUST what I was looking for and had zero time to make! 

And let's be honest...why even try and make it when she has done an AMAZING job!

Want a new way for your students to be super excited about turning in homework??? If you do, this unit is your answer! And no Christina did not tell me to write any of this!

So a part of this unit, she talks about how we all forget things from time to time. Students will forget a homework assignment. Since I don't want students to be out of the Homework Club for one missing assignment, I made these cute little cards!

I will give each student one at the beginning of the month. It's kinda like a free homework pass I guess. If a student forgets their homework they can turn in their card and still stay in the club. But that is it...a once a month deal!

At the end of the month, if they still have their card that means they turned in ALL their homework for the whole month and get to participate in the Homework Club Lunch. Christina explains all of this:)

I am thinking about doing something extra special for not using their Oops card. Any ideas? 

If you want these oops cards, you can get them for FREE here:) They also come in black and white!

Here is to a GREAT day!!!

Changing up my reading homework (freebie)

I have decided to change up my reading homework for 4th Quarter! I was doing some browsing on Pinterest and came across this awesome, yet simple, reading response unit! 

Lisa, from Fourth and Ten has created a list of nonfiction and fiction reading response questions! The best part...it is FREE! Make sure you go to her store and download this awesome resource! 

I wanted to make sure my students were recording what they are going to read...so...I made this recording sheet to go along with this unit from Lisa!

  
I also made one that has a column for "beads." I give my students beads for each 80 minutes they read. Their necklaces are getting pretty big!

 

If you would like the recoding sheet, all you have to do is click on the picture:)

I am also doing something new with turning in homework! Stay tuned this week for a post about my new homework idea!

Well, it is Sunday night and back to work tomorrow! Too bad I feel BLAH tonight! I really shouldn't have opened that window yesterday! I have sneezed about a BAZILLION times since yesterday! And it hasn't helped my throat either:(

Have a great week everyone! 

1st Currently of the Year with a homework reward solution for you!

Happy New Year! It's been a good day so far! I was surprised when the gym was not busy this morning! I think the rain kept people inside...plus maybe one to many! I think I may go out and get a coffee soon! It's just that kinda gloomy weather here in Raleigh!

I honestly have SO much I want to share with you all that I have been working on, but this post would be a serious OVERLOAD! And I don't think you want that! Also...my cat has not been happy with me. The minute I sat down today to start working...this happened...

He jumped right up and sat on my mouse! George is CR-AZY!

I am so excited to share my first currently of the year with you! Thanks Farley for keeping this going! SO many of us look forward to it each month!

I am at it again! This time I am on season 3 disc 2. I am totally in LOVE with this show and have hopes in finishing all 5 seasons by tomorrow:) I think I will need that coffee! I about died yesterday with the episode where Sheldon kept saying, "It's a TRAP!" I heart Sheldon! 

I am LOVING that it is a new year. I mean, 2012 was a good year. It was uneventful, calm, nothing really happened, no big changes, no big trips...just simple. And that is ok because this year is going to be HUGE! With moving to Hawaii, starting a family, finding a new job...it's a lot. But I am so ready for this new adventure! Bring it:) This is his parents view from their living room! If you look out their kitchen window...you see the ocean! AND Chinaman's Hat:)

Since it is a new year I have also started my memory book! I think it will be really cool to look back at it year after year!

Thinking about all the things we need to do before we move is exhausting. We are pricing out tickets, shipping, travel, trying to figure out what to sell, what to keep, what to store...we have 6 months! We can do this:)

I realllllllllyyyyyyy want an ipad! But who doesn't???

I keep telling my hubby I want to make fonts! And I need an ipad to do so! I may just go buy me one with my TPT check! BUT...it is supposed to go to our move...bah!

My wrist has been bothering me:( I broke down and bought a wrap! BOO

Since I have started strength training and working out with my personal trainer, I have found my wrist is very weak. So I have workout gloves and this wrap to wear during the day. I can't type with it so it is not on now!

And last, my OLW is CHANGE! I am making so many changes for myself and family this year. It truly is going to be the year of Change! I found some great quotes I want to share and a necklace I want to buy!

I can't wait to spend some time today reading other currently! 

 

Speaking of change...I am changing the way my kids get rewarded for doing their homework and I wanted to share it with you! 

 

I like to give an incentive for my kiddos to do their homework! Before, the kids would earn one ticket for completing their math, reading and spelling homework each night. They would place their ticket in a bucket.  

 

On Friday's, I would roll two dice, add the numbers together and that's how many tickets I would pull out. If their name was pulled out they would get a punch in their no homework punch card. Once the card was filled up, they got a night of no homework. 

 

They LOVE the punch card and I am not changing that. The only thing I am changing is the tickets.

 

So here is my new idea!

 

What do you think? Would you like this for FREE? Just leave a comment below and I will select 3 people to win this for free tomorrow. I will also be announcing the winner to my 13 for 2013 giveaway! If you have not entered yet, you still have time to do so! Just go HERE. 

I hope everyone has a great 2013! Enjoy the rest of your winter break!