Pinterest Teaching Ideas

If you have not gotten on pinterest, please do yourself a favor and send me a comment or email for an invite.  But be prepared - you will have one more addicting website to add to your list.

I always talk about pinterest and the great recipes, but I have failed to mention just how many excellent teaching ideas I have gotten from there!  I teach 4th grade so be mindful these are applicable to my age range, but seriously check them out.

I did this crumbled up paper activity this week in my class. WOW.  The affect was more than I could have hoped for.  I had my class take out a sheet of notebook paper.  I did it with them.  I told them to follow my lead as I crumbled up the clean paper.  They gasped and said, "Mrs. G!  You're wasting paper!"  I explained that it had a purpose.  Then, I told them to throw it on the ground and stomp on it.  Hesitantly, they all did it.  And they really got into it, dirtying it up nicely.  Next, I told them to stop, pick it up, smooth it out, and tell that paper they were sorry for doing that to it.  They all looked at me confused, but did what I said.  I then asked, "well, are the wrinkles and dirt gone?"  "NO!" was their response.  So, I told them to tell the paper again how sorry they were.  They did it, but there were still wrinkles and dirt.  No matter how many times they said they were sorry to the paper, the wrinkled damage remained.  What was the point of this you might ask?  It was a lesson on bullying.  One I hope they never forget.  I went on to explain that what they're seeing is like the affects of bullying.  Just because you say you're sorry after you've hurt someone does not erase the damage you have caused them.  Their faces went blank.  I totally struck a cord.  Try it out if you're a teacher - I hope it has the same affect with your students!

Source: thehermitonahill.tumblr.com via Carrie on Pinterest

I've also done the below activity with my kids.  Fourth grade is a HUGE year for writing.  I try to make it as fun as I can for them.  This past weekend, I ran into Lowe's and grabbed paint sample cards.  I then had my students think of some boring adjectives (like good, bad, ugly, okay, etc).  They were to put the boring adjective on the lightest color then think of more exciting adjectives to put on the bright colors.  I got some amazing responses!  I need to take a picture of the flower garden poster I made with our paint cards, but there's the pin if you're interested in trying this out.

Source: Uploaded by user via Carrie on Pinterest

I made these "Punctuation People" and put them up on my writing wall.  The kids totally got a kick out of them and they're educational!  They help to remind them of the purpose of punctuation.  And they were very easy to make.

Source: Uploaded by user via Carrie on Pinterest

I also got my pencil pail idea from pinterest.  Simple but very practical.  The kids love it and can't wait to sharpen pencils every morning.

Source: google.com via Carrie on Pinterest

And last item I'll share tonight - I got my behavior system idea from Pinterest.  It is SO effective that I can't even put it into words.  The kids LOVE it and they can redeem themselves if they mess up during the day.  It reinforces positive behavior and I've seen kids' attitudes totally turn around.

Source: sunnydaysinsecondgrade.blogspot.com via Carrie on Pinterest

I love putting pins to use.  There are so many great ideas floating around out there.  Please feel free to share some more with me if you have any.  I hope everyone has a good end to their week & don't forget to thank a veteran for their sacrifice and service to our country.  Be blessed.
XOXO