Common Core Workbooks

Have you heard of these awesome workbooks for the common core by Have Fun Teaching? If not, you should definitely check them out. The workbooks come with tons of ready to use lessons for every common core standard in your grade level. They are sorted by standard, so it is super easy to just look up a standard you need to teach and make copies of the lesson. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!

I am excited for the assessment workbook that they also have available. After using the lessons from the workbook for mini-lessons, I can find an assessment to see if my class has mastered the standard. These books will be so helpful to ensure that I am teaching to the standards. They will also make it easy to see which standards we have down pat and which ones we need a little more practice with.

If you haven't checked this out yet, head on over to Have Fun Teaching and order your Common Core Workbooks today!

Write Pennant

I spent my afternoon watching Harry Potter while making this adorable banner for my classroom. I have seen this project all over Pinterest for sale, but I thought it couldn't be that hard to make. And it wasn't- a trip to Joanne's and hour with Harry were all I needed to complete this project.

You will need:

Burlap (1/2 yard will be plenty, I bought 2 since it was on sale of Joanne's)

Yellow acrylic paint

Black paint marker (or acrylic paint if you don't have one)

Scissors

Cardboard or cardstock

Hot glue gun

Marker

Twine or string

I started by making a pencil template on cardboard. You can see the template I used above. I used the template to trace the shape into the burlap. 

 

Apparently I should have actually measured since my length of fabric only fit four templates... But I just used the remaining fabric below for the last one. I kept a fold on the end so I could have a slot to slide the string through.

Using the hot glue gun, I secured the fold on the back leaving enough open space at the top of the fold for the string.

Then I got my paint on. I used the large foam brush to paint the majority of the pencil. I switched to a small paintbrush to make the jagged edges at the bottom. By the time I finished the last one, the first one had dried. I used the paint marker to make the points black and for the letters in 'write'. 

Finally, I put the string through the top of the banner.  I tied a paperclip to the end the end to make the stringing super easy- an old trick my mom taught me!

And you're done! This was one of the quickest projects I have tackled awhile and it is sooo cute! Great for the classroom or craft area for kids.