International Dot Day is celebrated September 15th – ish. This day celebrates Peter Reynold’s book The Dot, which focuses on Growth Mindset. For ideas on how you can celebrate in your classroom, click HERE.
September Classroom Ideas – Football Room Transformation
Football season is upon us and what better way to celebrate than with a room transformation! Check out some fun academic ideas for a football day in your classroom >>> HERE.
September Resource Suggestions:
Here are 3 of my favorite resources to use during the month of September.
September Morning Meeting Activity Slides – These fun fall themed Morning Meeting Activity Slides will keep your students busy the whole month of September. Click HERE to grab them for your class and save time in your Morning Meeting Prep.
Football Word Problems – Story problems are a great way for students to practice a variety of math skills and build their problem solving abilities. These football themed word problems are great for independent practice, can be used as an Around the Room Activity, and more! Get these word problems HERE for your math students!
Dot Day Math Activities – Who doesn’t love candy? For these fun Dot Day math activities, students will be using Dot candy to estimate, count, and graph. You can get this in my TPT store >>> HERE.
September Grammar FREEBIE:
These fall-themed FREE Grammar Worksheets are perfect to use during the month of September! These grammar activities include practice using capitals and end marks, working with singular and plural nouns, and changing verb tenses. Click HERE to get your FREEBIE.
Dot Day is celebrated September 15th-ish. This fun day focuses on Peter Reynold’s book – The Dot. The Dot is a fantastic read aloud that focuses on the importance of growth mindset! I love doing a mini room transformation to celebrate! Check out what I do below…
Decorations
Please note Amazon affiliate links are included in this post for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I keep decorations very simple for this day! I created a little sign that I hang in the hall (which you can grab for FREE>>> HERE) and then I also use a few dot items from Amazon. I grab a few of these tablecloths (in picture) to hang on bulletin boards and then use the sticker dots all around the room (the set I had did easily come off the wall – but always check before using!).
The Dot – Discussion Questions
After reading The Dot to your students, here are a few ideas for discussion questions or writing prompts…
-How did Vashti change from the beginning to the end of the story?
-How did Vashti inspire the little boy?
-How can you make your mark on the world? -What advice would you tell a friend who tells you that they can’t do something?
-How can you be creative?
-How can you be unique?
Dot Math Activities
On Dot Day, students use Dot candy to complete math activities. I first have students take their box or bag (sometimes I take the boxes and divide it up among students) and estimate how many candies they think they have. Then we brainstorm and come up with ideas for the best way to count and see how many we actually have.
Once we have our total, students then create a graph of the different colors they have in their candy box. We sort the candy, fill out a chart, and then use it to create a bar graph.
If you are interested in these math activities, I have this resource already created for you! You can grab them here…
Students can use their creativity to make their own dot! Give each child a coffee filter and have them color it with markers. When they are finished, lightly spray it with a squirt bottle and watch a beautiful design be made!
Dot Structures
This activity is always a favorite in my room. For this STEAM activity, students are creating their own structure out of Dot candy and toothpicks. I have had students work in groups, with a partner, or by themselves – so do what works best for your classroom.
Prior to building, students could brainstorm and draw their design draft on a white board. Some years our structure has had a theme and some years it’s been up to them! Last year, we had just finished reading the story Pop’s Bridge so students created their own bridge structure using the candy! I love seeing all of the amazing designs the kids come up with!
Happy Dot Day Sign FREEBIE!
If you’d like to grab my Dot Day sign for FREE, click HERE! I hang this sign up in the hall, but you could use it anywhere in your classroom! It says, “HAPPY DOT DAY!”
For more information and ideas, check out the International Dot Day Website >>> HERE.
Today I’m excited to share with you the perfect transformation for March! Basketball Room Transformation/March Madness Extravaganza! As a basketball coach’s wife, this room transformation is right up my alley! Check out this post to see decoration ideas, activities, and more!
Decor:
Please note Amazon affiliate links are included in this post for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Decorating is one of my favorite parts of the room transformation. I got the basketball table bins from the Dollar Tree, I printed and made some of the basketball signs, and got other items like the NBA tablecloth and signs from Amazon. Check out other decor ideas for a basketball room transformation in my Amazon shop >>> HERE.
Outfit:
I was able to re-use the referee shirt that I used for my football room transformation. Great way to get more use out of it! You could also wear a team shirt or jersey to help set the theme up!
Book Tournament:
The book tournament is one of my favorite parts of this transformation. For the book tournament, we create brackets like the basketball team brackets. I created this poster board and then printed photos of the book that were competing. You could also print a blank Sweet 16 bracket online and either type or write the book titles in.
This tournament takes more than a day and students really get into it. I pick out 16 picture books that I have not read to my class yet and that are less common. I want to try to pick out books that my students are unfamiliar with. Each time, I read the two books that are competing against each other. The class does a silent vote and the winner moves on to the next round. They love seeing which book will win it all!
Math Ideas:
We played a math basketball game to review our addition and subtraction skills. Students were broken up into teams and got to create their own team name. Then, each team worked to solve the math problem. If they got the answer correct, then a player would get to come up and shoot a basket. If they make the basket, they get a point for their team. For the basket part, I used the baskets from Dollar Tree that were on their tables. I used small squishy basketballs for the balls. Team with the most points/everyone who participated one a basketball ring that you can see pictured above.
Students also worked on fun basketball themed word problems. This was a great way for them to practice their problem solving skills and math strategies. You can find these differentiated word problems in my TPT store >>> HERE.
Reading Ideas:
We also read the story Allie’s Basketball Dream and students completed the graphic organizer identifying the beginning, middle, and end of the story. You can find this book study in my TPT store >>> HERE.
Additional Activities:
Students got to create their own team mascot for their basketball team. They were quite creative with the mascots they picked.
Students also got to fill in their basketball player stat sheet of sorts. They had fun picking out their player name, team name, etc.
Book Suggestions:
Here are some of my favorite picture books with a basketball and team theme.
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
Those of you that already know me, know that I love a good room transformation! I enjoy using them all year long and found a great one to use at the beginning of the school year to get your students/recruits in tip top shape! This boot camp classroom transformation is a fun one because it gets students engaged from the get go!
After doing a few different room transformations my first year, I knew I wanted to do one to kick off the start of school. Something to really get the kids interested and engaged! That’s when I decided why not do a Back to School Boot Camp. This boot camp theme could be used for back to school or anytime of year – would also be a great review theme.
Decor:
For decorations I bought some items on Amazon and also made some of the items. I covered the tables in camo tablecloths. On the wall, I created signs that said Fort Johnson and boot camp signs such as – Are you Boot Camp strong? Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Back to School Boot Camp, and more. I also got each child a camouflage dog tag that they could wear during boot camp. To see other fun decorations, check out my Amazon storefront > HERE.
Costume/Dress Up Ideas:
I was Sargent Johnson for the day. I got this super cute Skill Sargent shirt from Lipstick and Littles. She has so many amazing teacher tees!
Boot Camp Chant
During our Morning Meeting as I took on my role as Sargent and explained to them that they were all Cadets for the day, I taught them this chant I created/changed up from one of the typical military songs/chants.
I don’t know, but I’ve been told. (students repeat)
Sargent J’s kids are as good as gold. (students repeat)
With our brains and hard work we grew. (students repeat)
We’re a bright and ready crew. (students repeat)
Sound off – Students (1,2)
Sound off – Students (3,4)
Sound off – Students (1, 2, 3, 4 – 3, 4)
Boat Challenge
This activity is probably my favorite one of Boot Camp Classroom Transformation. For this activity, students are given the challenge to create a boat that can float and support the weight of a toy soldier. Students worked in groups and had a packet to fill out to help guide them through the process.
First, they brainstormed ideas and then drew a design plan. Next, they wrote down what materials they thought they would need from a list of materials that I had available. We used items like foil, popsicle sticks, and masking tape, but you could use any items you have on hand. Then, they wrote the steps they were going to follow to create the boat and then they created it. After everyone had their boat we tested them out. I took a large storage bin and filled it with water and we tested it in front of the whole class. Some boats did well and some boats struggled. When we finished testing them, all students filled out the reflection page on the experience and what went well and what they would do differently next time.
You can grab this activity in my TPT store. I have a digital, print, and bundled version of both. Click below to check it out.
It wouldn’t be boot camp if we didn’t include a workout! This math workout was another favorite of my cadets on boot camp day. Students were given problems either via task cards or digitally through Google Classroom™. Once they solved the problem they had to complete the workout activity listed on the card. These practice problems focused on addition and subtraction to 20 and adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers. This was a great way to do a quick formative assessment on my students’ math skills and also a fun way to get them up and moving. Some of my cadets took it so seriously they continued working out even when they finished!
These problems are ready for you to use with your class in my TPT store. You can grab them below.
Writing is a skill that my students always need more practice with especially at the beginning of the school year. So for the writing activity for our Boot Camp Classroom Transformation, students took very simple boring sentences and had to add to them to improve them. The goal was to add details and description to make each sentence better. The printable version is also great to use as an Around the Room activity to get the kids up and out of their seats.
You can grab this writing activity in my TPT store – it’s already done for you and ready to go!
