Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits

Teaching with Heart and Creativity

Motivating Students with Props from the Dollar Store!

 While circulating the dollar store the other day, I found some props to help me motivate my students next year.

While in the wedding section, I found this gorgeous little silver platter.

 The birds and flowers are mine.  I just couldn’t resist putting them together.  The little silver platter was a dollar and it is really just plastic, but you would never know it by just looking at it. I think  I may go back for 5 more!!!  I want to have one for each table at school.

THE LESSON: 
During the beginning of the year when I talk to my students about always trying their best and working their fullest potential, I am going to bring out my new silver platter.  I am going to ask them what words describe the silver platter.  {hello adorable anchor chart!!! ~Am I the only dork for being excited about anchor charts?}

Next, we will discuss that the work we do should be good enough to serve on a silver platter when we are finished with it!

I will ask my first graders how “Silver Platter” work should look.  What should be on a Silver Platter Paper?  {yes I am squealing over another anchor chart possibility}
 
 I will place a silver platter at each table when we work on certain pieces through out the year that I want to truly emphasize.

Like anything else, if I over use it, then the motivation will decrease, so I am planning just a few key times through out the year when I really need them to step up to silver platter work.  I may even serve them a small snack on it and act super stuffy and throw my nose in the air with a fancy pants accent.  Whatever gets them to really see that I need above and beyond!

Another idea I had while filling my cart at the dollar store lesson planning, was to use this little strainer!

 THE LESSON:
Using my BEST ideas and abilities!
This baby is going to help me break it down ya’ll.  If you could hear my blog I am beat boxing right now.  I have two main ideas for the strainer.  The first is similar to the silver platter.  We are full of emotions, abilities, strengths and weaknesses.  When we are at school we are becoming our best not only in our areas of study, but also in our relationships with others and within ourselves too!  So what better example than a strainer! Now as far as demonstrating how to sift through our ideas, emotions, and thoughts, I think some sand and shells would be a great way to physically demonstrate finding the best of what we can offer inside of ourselves.  I also think some sparkly jewelry or stones would be great too.   

The other idea I had for the strainer is in writer’s workshop.  I thought it would be a great demonstration of how to take a broad topic and strain it down to the true main idea and small moment of focus for our writing.  So within all the knowledge we have on dogs I am going to strain it down to just one small moment I had with my dog and write about the details of that moment.

First,  I would share a piece of writing that is general about dogs with little to no personal description but rather just facts.  Then I will strain my ideas about dogs down to one dog in particular and give a heart touching description of a dog I have interacted with.  In order to use the strainer for this I would maybe have a tiny little picture of my dog, or a small plastic barbie’s dog hidden in rice or something small like that and would strain it down to my small momento of the dog. 

The last two props I found, I am lumping together.  These are different scrub brushes.  I am going to use them for editing our writing!  I will talk about scrubbing  the writing to polish it for others to read.  We can first take individual sentences and scrub them {edit} and move up to larger pieces of writing.

 The blue mitten scrubber would be great for demonstrating on a dry erase board how to wipe away sentences that don’t match the main idea!  {I can totally see a cute anchor chart about editing with that blue mitt too!!!!}

I just LOVE teaching with props.  I mean let’s face it.  It makes the abstract concept more concrete for the little ones, but even as an adult I love to have something tangible that anchors my thoughts!

This week I made these cute little paper crafts for some beginning of the year lessons I am doing with my firsties about what I expect of them!  Each of the four crafts is to help remind them of our mini lesson about that idea. 

If you want these crafts they are in my TpT and TN stores.
Now I am off to prep some SUPER CUTE anchor charts…smelly markers anyone?!

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    Comments

    2. diditeach says

      Love your ideas, very creative !!!! I just finished school on Friday so I am going to take a few days to relax and unwind……then I have some great posts of yours to re read and make some props 🙂

      Reply

    7. Jennifer Tilton says

      Your props are super and what a great idea to attach meaning to the learning. Your back to school crafts are precious! The notebook looks sooo real. I have been working hard to duplicate your skills board that is in your classroom. I have my shapes and colors done, I have about 3 more things to make and them it will be finished.
      Jennifer
      kindertrips

      Reply

    9. Katie Lawson says

      Awesome ideas! I love the Silver Platter Idea. I use a Star Chart to encourage my kindergarteners to always do their best even just with coloring. My Star Chart reminds them to always color in the lines, fill in the white spaces, & color realistically. Papers that follow these rules go on display in the hall on my Star Wall. The kids eat this up! Everyone can see it & they love it!

      Reply

    13. Jodi says

      Great ideas! I'm still in summer mode because when I went into Dollar Tree this week just to browse…I actually left emptyhanded. What!?!?!?! That never happens. Maybe you've just motivated me 🙂
      ❀Jodi
      Fun In First

      Reply

    14. Rachel Lamb says

      I made a door decoration I found on Pinterest using that same silver platter! I love the idea of using that for laying out during assessments or something we are making for our momma! I think that mitt would be a great eraser for my chart stand! woo!
      Rachel

      Reply

    22. Kelly says

      Amazing ideas! Definitely going to need to add props to the lesson plans! It really gives the kids something concrete to think about abstract concepts.

      And no… you are not the only dork to totally heart anchor charts!

      Reply

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