TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE

Transcription

1 TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE Issue 1, 2014

2 WELCOME TO THE TEACHERS CLUB! We re honored that Elmer s is an essential brand in so many classrooms. We value your trust, and we want to support you with engaging resources to make your job a little easier. You have an important job; we re here to help! We have created the Elmer s Teachers Club to do just that. As a member, you ll have full access to all lesson plans, projects, printables, and special publications with tips and timesavers for the season such as this one. In addition, each month you ll receive our newsletter with new teaching ideas and opportunities to win Elmer s products for your classroom. We re always adding new resources for all grade levels and content areas at elmers.com/teachers. Take a few moments to complete your profile for a more customized experience. Teaching isn t a job; it s a calling. The to-do list is never-ending for the teacher who strives to help students reach their full potential and set them up for success. It may be one of the most rewarding and demanding professions on the planet. It takes passion, dedication, patience, hard work, and a whole lot of energy to be the captain of your classroom and the Chief Operating Officer at home. We know how hard you work for others to have what they need to succeed, and you many never realize the number of people that your efforts impact. Thank you for all you do for kids each day. We appreciate you! Elmer s Products, Inc. 2014

3 DEAR TEACHER, Your days are busy and your schedule is full. Managing everything you do at home and at school, there will be days that you ll lose sight of all of the things you do throughout the year to make a difference for the children you touch. Here is a reminder for you on those days. In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility that anyone could have. -Lee Iacocca Thank you for choosing a profession that is among the most important in society. You could have chosen a career with better pay, better working conditions, and higher status, but you chose to spend your time and talents as a teacher. Thank you for spending your evenings and weekends grading papers and planning lessons. Thank you for shopping the clearance sales with your own money to make sure that you have extra glue sticks, crayons, pencils, and scissors for the students who have none. Thank you for packing an extra snack or peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the child that comes to school hungry every day. Thank you for the sleepless nights spent worrying about the child who is much too young for the lifechallenges he faces at home. Thank you for dealing with yet another evolution of standards and adjusting to new policies and measures of accountability. That s not an easy task when you re responsible for the academic success of 25 children with diverse needs, learning styles, and home environments. Thank you for all of the self-control that it takes not to respond the way you d like to a parent who blames you for her child s disrespect, misbehavior, and failing grades. Thank you for continually trying different strategies to involve parents who may not seem the least bit interested in what is happening in your classroom. Thank you for bringing your own child s extra winter coat for the child who is still wearing a windbreaker in the middle of January. Thank you for recognizing that everyone has a bad day and could use a hug sometimes - even children. Thank you for maintaining your professionalism even when people say, It must be nice to only work 181 days a year. Thank you for the dedication, passion, and hard work that it takes to assume one of the most challenging, rewarding, and important jobs in the world.

4 MAKE A LIST Every teacher has a never-ending to-do list. But sometimes, a don tdo list is just as important. Here are five DON Ts to consider while keeping focused on doing what you love and loving what you do. TO-DON T LIST: 1. DON T OVER-PLAN YOUR DAYS Focus on quality over quantity.think deeper instead of wider. Sometimes, this means building in time for reflection to process new material and giving students choices to extend their learning.get into the habit of assessing your lessons to determine how much is too much at one time. 2. DON T STEP OUT OF THE LEADERSHIP ROLE. Sending students to the office for misbehavior suggests that you aren t the captain of the ship.save that for extreme situations.you may have to experiment a bit to determine what works with each group of kids, but you ll undermine your own authority by passing the buck to the principal. 3. DON T UNDER-DELIVER. Say what you mean and do what you say.there are times when we can t get everything on the list done, but if you say you are going to do something, then do it.otherwise, you ll give students the impression that you re all talk. 4. DON T FORGET THAT CHILDREN SOMETIMES COME WITH BAGGAGE. Oftentimes, they don t have much of a choice about the support they get from home.try to remember that when kids come to school without supplies or homework or lunch money, it may be much more than a case of irresponsible behavior.a little compassion can go a long way. 5. FINALLY, DON T FORGET WHY YOU CHOSE TO TEACH. Remember to do what you love and love what you do. Don t get caught in the weeds of the daily challenges. Take time to enjoy the small victories. Elmer s Products, Inc. 2014

5 LESSON PLANS AND PROJECT IDEAS We know that teacher s most valuable resource is time! That s why we ve made it easy for you to find sound lesson plans, fun classroom project ideas, and valuable printables to keep you organized, inspired, and keep your creative juices flowing. Here are a few to get you started. Be sure to browse all of the teacher resources at elmers.com/teachers and be on the lookout for our monthly newsletter with great contests and giveaways. And find us on Facebook for more fun chances to win Elmer s products for your classroom! Facebook.com/ElmersTeacherClubElmer s Oh... one more thing... feel free to share this issue with a friend and extend our invitation to join the Elmer s Teachers Club!

6 FOCUS ON FAMILY Literature, Lessons, and Activities Families are the first group to which children belong and begin to learn about and appreciate the value of relationships. Those moments are often filled with family traditions and special celebrations. Seasonal celebrations and holidays provide a great springboard for rich learning and arts experiences to help students see the diversity of their own family and appreciate diversity in their peers families. There are many rich picture books that illustrate different family units and traditions that you can use to introduce the lesson most appropriate for your students. The Family Book by Todd Parr Parr celebrates family diversity by introducing readers to an array of family structures. Lots of Grandparents by Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly This simple photographic picture book celebrates many different kinds of families. Fred Stays with Me! by Nancy Coffelt This charming book uses kid-friendly language and simple illustrations in a story about a young girl dealing with her parents divorce. A Day with Dad by Bo Holmberg Holmberg s tender story provides both comfort and optimism to children dealing with their parents separation or divorce. A Chair for my Mother by Vera B. Williams A Caldecott Honor Book, Williams delivers a story about a struggling single-parent family that saves up money to buy a new chair after a house fire. Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jaimie Lee Curtis Parents share the story of a young girl s birth and adoption. Who s in My Family?: All About Our Families by Robie H. Harris Humorous illustrations and an engaging story expose students to a variety of family units. When the Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant This Caldecott Honor Book tells a fun story of spending time with out-of-town relatives. Elmer s Products, Inc. 2014

7 Family Treasures Ask each student to bring in a shoebox from home. Provide a variety of materials such as construction paper, glue, scissors, gemstones, markers, etc. with which to decorate the boxes. Engage students in a discussion about what makes families special and ask them to think about their own special family activities such as vacations, traditions, or celebrations. Instruct the students to add five items to the box that symbolize some of those activities. For example, students may add photographs, recipes, or souvenirs. When the students have completed their treasure boxes and added meaningful items, take time to allow them them share one or two with the class. Family Photo Album Encourage children to create a family drawing using cookie cutters and tempera paint. Provide a variety of gingerbread cookie cutters (different sizes) and pour tempera paint into shallow bowls or trays. Tell the students to select the sizes that will best represent the members of their families. Demonstrate how to dip the cookie cutters into the paint and carefully press onto construction paper. Allow time for the paint to dry and then instruct the students to complete the drawing using crayons or markers and add their family name at the top of the page. When the students have finished, bind the completed drawings into one class book. Family Web More advanced students can use a webbing strategy to illustrate the relationships between members of their immediate family and extended family such as cousins, grandparents, etc. Model the webbing strategy with your own family on a whiteboard or chart paper. Explain how each member is related to the rest of the family by connecting the circles with lines. Discuss how each student s web will look different because each family is different. Visiting Relatives Engage students in a discussion about spending time with extended family for a vacation, a special event such as a wedding or anniversary party. Provide time for students to share where they went, what relatives they visited and how long they stayed. Talk about the good (and not so good) things that happen when extended family spends time together. Cynthia Rylant s book, The Relatives Came, is a great book to use with this activity. Provide each student with a copy of the suitcase handout on pages 7-8. Instruct them to cut out the suitcase on first page, decorate the suitcase using crayons or markers, and complete the bag tag. Fold the suitcase on the bottom black line, apply a thin line of glue to the back and align it with the bottom of the suitcase on the first page to create a flap. Students will complete the activity by drawing items in the suitcase they might need when visiting their relatives.

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