WHO IS MY TEACHER?

It’s often been said that, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!” That is particularly true with children and their parents! Here are some great ideas to help your children and their families get to know you.

Brochure
Make a brochure about yourself, your school, and fun activities you have planned for the year and mail it to the children before school begins (or just give it to them the first day). To make a brochure, fold a sheet of paper into thirds. On the front section write “Welcome to your name’s Classroom!” On the left section place a picture of yourself and write some personal information about your family, pets, experience, etc. On the inside write “We’ll have a great year together…learning to read, experimenting in science, learning math, cooking, taking field trips, singing, etc.

Hint! Make a video of yourself welcoming the students and sharing something about yourself.


Paper Doll Teacher
Here’s something fun to make for your door to welcome the students. Lay on a large sheet of butcher paper and ask a friend to trace around your body. (You’ve probably done this to your children before.) Color yourself and cut yourself out. (Go ahead and take off a few inches if you want to!) Tape this on the door, and then make the following labels and attach them to the different body parts. “A head full of great ideas,” “A mouth to sing you songs and read you stories,” “Arms for hugging,” “Hands to help your learn new things,” “Pockets to hold surprises,” “Play shoes for outdoor fun,” and “A heart full of love for you!”




Who Is My Teacher?
Make a book about yourself to read to the children the first day of school. Include a photograph of yourself as a child, family photos, pictures of pets, favorite foods, hobbies, why you enjoy teaching, etc. Let one child take the book home each evening to share with their families. (What a simple way to build a partnership with your parents!)

Hint! You might even ask each parent to make a similar book about his child to place in your classroom library.

Special Memories
You know all of those love letters and pictures children draw for you each year? Why not use a three-ring notebook to save them so children will realize they are special to you? Keep the notebook in your classroom library so the children can revisit it all year long.




Say “Yes!”
Here's an idea a teacher shared with me years ago. Go to your principal before school starts and ask her to say, “Yes!” when you ask her a question. Then ask your principal to give you the best and brightest children in your room this year. (To which the principal will reply, “Yes!”) On the first day say, “I asked the principal to give me the best and brightest children this year. And here you are!” Throughout the school year remind them that they are the best and the brightest and they will live up to your expectations!

GIVE ME A CHEER!

GIVE ME A CHEER!

You’ve never downloaded my cheer cards? Well, today is the day!

These cheer cards can be used to focus children’s attention and put a smile on their faces. Every child in your classroom can feel good with these cheers.

What? cheer cards, Cheerios box or Cheer detergent box, heavy paper, scissors

Why? attention grabbers, positive self-esteem, classroom family

When? Large group, small group, all day long

How? Copy the cheer cards below on heavy paper. Cut apart. Introduce one new cheer each day. Use the cheer throughout the day. At the end of the day take a Cheerios box or a Cheer detergent box and say, “We’ve learned a new cheer. Let’s save it in our “cheer box.”

Hint! You can also tape these cheers to a bulletin, classroom door, or the front of your desk.

*When you want to encourage a child, have her reach into the “cheer box” and lead the class in that cheer.

I have two different sets of cheer cards so you can choose the one that you like best.

http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2004/06_june/06_2004_pdf.html

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Dr-Jeans-Cheer-Cards-1270706



Here are two videos where you can watch me demonstrate many of the cheers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWPA-jYdWe8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hsOFYEMSvI

WE'RE GREAT!

Here's great song for a positive memory at the end of your school year. It's a natural way to introduce vocabulary words and positive character traits.

We’re Great!
We’re great, but no one knows it.
No one knows it so far.
Some day they’ll realize how wonderful we are!
They’ll look at us, and point at us,
and then they’ll shout, “Hurray!”
Let’s cheer how we’re wonderful beginning with A.

A- We’re awesome.
B- We’re brave.
C- We’re creative.
D- We’re dynamic
E- We’re enthusiastic
F- We’re fantastic.
G- We’re gifted
H- We’re honest
I- We’re imaginative
J- We’re joyful.
K- We’re kind.
L- We’re lovable
M- We’re magnificent.
N- We’re nice.
O- We’re outgoing
P- We’re polite.
Q- We’re quick.
R- We’re responsible
S- We’re special.
T- We’re terrific.
U- We’re unique.
V- We’re valuable.
W- We’re wonderful.
X- We’re excellent.
Y- We’re youthful
Z- We’re zany!

http://bit.ly/drjean_Great

Hint! One teacher said each child decorated a poster with a letter and word. The children came out on stage with their letter at the appropriate time as they sang the song.

Class Book
On the front of the notebook or pocket folder write “We’re Great!” Write a
different letter of the alphabet on each page. Tell the children that you want them to help you make a special dictionary with WONDERFUL words that describe special people just like them! Use the words from the above chant to start your dictionary. Add words that children suggest.

MEMORY MAKERS

Seal those memories in a positive way with these end of year projects.

Autograph Book
As simple as this project is, the children will be thrilled to have their very own autograph book. (Oh, yeah! And it will keep them busy!) Cut paper in fourths. (I like to use colored paper.) Have children count out 10 pieces. Hole punch and tie with a ribbon. Children walk around the room and get their friends’ autographs.

Friendship Necklace
You will need construction paper, yarn, markers, and hole punches for this project. Cut the construction paper into 2 ½” squares, circles or other simple shapes. Each child will need as many pieces as there are students in your room. Have them write their name and draw pictures on their shapes. Punch holes. Now comes the fun part! Children get to go around the room and give a shape to each of their friends. Encourage them to say something kind they remember about their friend as they pass them out. Finally, children string the shapes on yarn and knot the ends to make a necklace.



Memory Shirt
Have children bring in an old t-shirt from home. (White works best.) Provide them with fabric pens and let them have friends write their names and draw pictures on their shirts.
Hint! Plan several days for this project. It’s “no fun” if you have to do it all at once.

Car Wash
Have students make two lines facing each other. They should stand 2-3 feet apart. Demonstrate how to move your palms in a circular direction like a car wash. Choose one child at a time to walk “through” the car wash. Students should gently pat the friend going through the car wash as they make positive comments about that friend.

Memory Book
Run off copies of a memory book for each child to color and fill in the missing information. Here are some suggestions:
1st page – “My Memory Book” with teacher’s name, school, year.
2nd page – “This is me.” (Child draws self –portrait.)
3rd page – “This is my teacher.” (Child draws teacher’s picture.)
4th page – “Here are my friends.” (Child draws friends.)
5th page – “My favorite thing at school is...” (Draws favorite activities.)
6th page – “Something I’ve learned this year…” (Draws accomplishment.)
7th page – “When I grow up I want to be…” (Draws future self.)
8th page – “This is my handprint.” (Trace around child’s hand.)
You could also have children draw their favorite sport, color, book, song, food, etc.

Now I Can!
Brainstorm all the things your students have learned during the school year. Give each child a sheet of paper and have them draw something they couldn’t do at the beginning of the year that they can do now. Complete this sentence: “I couldn’t _______, but now I can _______.” Make a cover that says “Now I Can!” and bind to make a book.

Class Yearbook
A teacher in New York shared this idea with me years ago. It’s going to take a little work, but it will be something children will treasure the rest of their lives! You will need to assemble photographs of the children, as well as pictures you’ve taken throughout the school year. Take 26 sheets of paper and write a letter on each page. Glue pictures of the children on the page their name begins with. Next, sort through the pictures and glue them on appropriate pages. (I’ve given you some suggestions for each letter below.) Label the pictures and run off a copy for each child. Use cardstock for the front and back cover and bind.

A- apple tasting, art, alphabet, “Alligator”
B- “Bear Hunt,” blocks, birthdays, books, bus
C- computers, caterpillars, counting, cooking, CLIFFORD
D- dinosaurs, dancing, drawing, “Days of the Week”
E- easel, exercise, eating, exploring
F- friends, fall, first day of school, “Five Little Monkeys”
G- GINGERBREAD MAN, games, graphs, gym
H- Hundred Day, Halloween, holidays, handprint
I- ice and snow, insects, “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “I can___”
J- jack o’ lanterns, journals, jump rope
K- KISSING HAND, kites, kindness, “Katalina”
L- letters, library, “Lettercise,” lunch, LEO
M-“Macarena Months,” music, math, magnets
N- nests, nursery rhymes, names, numbers
O- oceans, outside, “Over in the Meadow”
P- pizza parlor, P.E., puzzles, painting, “Peanut Butter”
Q- quiet time, quilts
R- reading, rainy days, running, rabbits, “Rime Time”
S- singing, spring, shapes, senses, science
T- “Tooty Ta,” turkeys, teeth, tests, TACKY THE PENGUIN
U- upside down, under, umbrellas (April showers)
V- Valentine’s Day, VERY BUSY SPIDER
W- word wall, writing, winter, “Wally Acha,” weather
X- “X” marks the spot (treasure hunt), X with body
Z- zoo field trip, zigzag art, “Z” end of the year
*Use the name of the school, teacher’s name, etc.

Here’s a poem for the cover:
We’ve learned and played in many ways,
But now the year must end.
Here’s a book to remember special days,
And all your kindergarten (first grade) friends!
Hint! If you don’t have photographs, have your children draw pictures for your book.

*Make a video of your students singing, working in centers, and doing other things they like best at school.

WE REALLY LIKE YOU!

You can put a little LOVE in your classroom, encourage positive behavior, and expand vocabulary with this activity.

Materials: gift bag, index cards, safety pins or tape

1st Have children brainstorm words that describe good friends. For example: wonderful, nice, helpful, responsible, kind, honest, etc.

2nd Suggest looking up additional words in the dictionary or a thesaurus.

3rd Write the adjectives on index cards and place the cards in a sack. You will need one for each child.

4th The next day let each child select a word from the sack at group time. Pin or tape the word on them as you sing this song to the tune of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

We like you because you’re word .
We like you because you’re word .
We like you because you’re word .
We really like you!

5th Call the child by their word all day long instead of their name. For example, "Polite, would you be line leader?" If a child isn't behaving appropriately all you have to say is, "Do I need to take your word away from you?" They don't want to lose their word and will quickly do the right thing.

As a follow up make a book called "HOW TO BE A GREAT STUDENT." Let each child take their word and illustrate it and write (or dictate) a sentence about it.