Watch Out for Computer Bugs!

This is yet another posting that will have to be updated with a picture of the completed bulletin board.  I'm really trying to get everything done this summer so that this school year is easy-breezy!

I wanted to make a bulletin board kind of like this one:

Not mine.  I only WISH I was this talented!!!

I know I'm not talented enough to make the giant bugs like he did and this is going on a bulletin board in the hall (lots of kids + minimal supervision = potentially squashed bugs).  I happened upon a going out of business sale at a teacher supply store when I was visiting my folks so I picked up a border with some bugs on it.  I also found a ready-made bulletin board with some cute bugs.

Way, way too cute for my bad computer bug bulletin board!

I took a sharpie marker, blacked out their eyes and made the smiles more menacing.  I even added a Hitler-esque mustache to the preying mantis.

Still a bit too cute but much better.

This guy was hard to turn mean:

I had to get rid of curling eyelashes.  Ick.

They will be hanging around the bulletin board and I will have little posters on the different types of computer bugs hanging on it.  The posters are 11x17.  My entire bulletin board is 15 feet in length; you can print these on regular paper if you don't have a massive board like I do!


Here are my Computer Bug posters:  Computer Bugs

Please don't sell these but feel free to use it in your class!

I shall update with the completed bulletin board photo come fall. . . or around Halloween.  I haven't decided if this is my "Back to School" board or if I'm going with another one.  Decisions, decisions.

~J~

Bulk Thank You Cards

I recently went to a store where the paper was sold in bulk for $2 a pound.  I picked up 75 of these:

They cost me 98 cents.  I added a "Thank You" stamp to the front and I will write my message on the back.

Ninety-eight cents for seventy-five cards.  Not bad!

~J~

Teaching the Thesaurus

Check out this site:

www.wordle.net

You can make some amazing word clouds!  Here's mine:

 

This is a great way to teach your kiddos how to use the Thesaurus feature in Word.  I have my third, fourth and fifth graders open up a Word document.  I have them write their name five times.  I have them think of adjectives that describes themselves and type each adjective anywhere between one and four times apiece.  They can use the Thesaurus to help think of new words.  For instance, they can type in "funny" and look it up in the thesaurus to find other words that mean funny that would help describe them.  I usually give them a verbal list of words to start them out (athletic, funny, smart, honest, pretty, etc)

When they have done this, I have them COPY the list they have made and PASTE it into the Wordle "create" box.  They press GO and their word cloud pops up.

I show them how to change their colors and fonts.  I also allow them to print it.

This is a great project to teach the kids how to use the thesaurus.  It's also a good way to review cut, copy and paste.  The kids get super excited to see their word clouds.

Things to keep in mind on the Wordle site:

* the more times you write a word, the larger it is.  

* phrases will be separated unless put ~ between them.

Have fun with this!

~J~

Preparing for Fall

Miss me?

The end of the year was CRAZY and my family left for vacation right after school let out.  I'm back and thinking about bulletin boards for next year.  I've tripled the number of bulletin boards I'm responsible for. . . yikes!  My plan is to change them each quarter (she says nervously).

I was perusing the web and came across this idea:

Not mine.  I fully intend on copying this!

I have a massively huge wall that I need to put something on.  I decided to recreate this idea on a much larger scale.

Want to see my work so far?

 My banner.  Says "Technology Made in America"

The cards.  Each has a company that was founded and remains in the U.S.

I have thirteen companies that I wrote a blurb about and glued to blue star scrapbook paper.  I need to run this all through the lamination machine so that I can reuse it all.  I've ordered a 38x50 map of the United States for the centerpiece.  I will update with a photo of the completed wall in August!

Interested in my version of the company cards?  They're HERE.  Please don't sell these but feel free to use them in your classroom!

~J~