Ice Cream Incentives and a Freebie!!

I don't know if any of you are in the same dilemma, but I am totally feeling like I am working 3X as hard to get my kids to behave as I was earlier in the year!!  This in mind, I decided to share a management incentive that I use in my classroom!

Ice Cream Incentive works like this:  Students are each given a checklist with a list of everything that they would want to include in an ice cream party.  Each day before the party, they can earn one check on their list.  On the day of the party, they may only receive items that have a check mark.....it works because while some kids will have all of the items, others may only have the ice cream with no toppings! 

I have posted the checklist that I use at Teachers Pay Teachers and it is a FREE DOWNLOAD!  All I ask is that if you do download the checklist, you follow me and leave a comment letting me know what you think!

I am also really wanting some new end of the year ideas that you all use with your classroom....please leave a post and let me know your great ideas!!

-Megan

Last few weeks....What do I do.....PLUS A FREE DOWNLOAD!!

With EOG's being next week, I feel like I have crammed in everything that I am supposed to teach already, but there are still four weeks left of school!  Clearly, I am going to have to get creative with what I am using for instruction, since my regular classroom materials are all used up:(  Another wonderful benefit of standardized testing.....

Anyway, I have decided to start creating my own learning units.  I got really ambitious this weekend and created a social studies unit about Cesar Chavez.  Check it out at Teachers Pay Teachers!  It is a FREE unit, so please download and check it out!  All I ask is that if you do download, leave me a comment letting me know!!

In other end of year news, we have been pushing through to get ready for testing.  My co-worker found several EOG prep passages that were "instructions/directions passages", so we decided to make and do all of the activities!  This was definitely a hit with the kids!  See pictures below....

Making Smoothies



Good Earth Necklaces



Field Day

Our class on field day!! 

Cinco de Mayo!!

I love Cinco de Mayo!!  It is a super fun holiday, and always makes my hispanic population feel really special!  This year, I tried several different crafts and activities for teaching Cinco de Mayo that the students really loved!

We started off by learning about the holiday itself, and finding out more about why we celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  The kids learned about symbols that remind us of the holiday, and colored pictures of the symbols.  We put the symbols on a circle map!

After we finished our circle map, we made sombreros!  My co-worker had the cute idea of gluing paper cups onto paper plates and decorating them with cotton balls to make sombreros.  The kids loved this, and tried to balance them on their head all day!!



One of my little sweeties with her sombrero on!



 After we made sombreros, we watched a short video clip to learn more about cinco de mayo.  We also had a small fiesta with chips and salsa! The best part about the whole fiesta was that I was able to purchase everything that I needed at the Dollar Store (except for the chips and salsa).  I really wanted to find a pinata to use, but unfortunately I couldn't find one:(  But not to worry!!  A couple of my Hispanic kids were proud to say that their parents make pinatas, and would love to bring one in!!  I just loved the way that those students took so much ownership of their heritage today!!