Tuesday, June 14, 2011

How "Tues"day Tip #1

Tip #1 is something that I'm adding to my classroom for next year!  I think my students will love completing Daily 5 Word Work Activities using a table top dry erase board.  They can write high frequency words, use playdough, and build words with magnetic letters.  I am designing the workspaces for two students at each table.  The great news is that the entire project can be completed at a very low cost (especially if you have odds and ends around your classroom or house).  It's also garage sale season, and teachers can always find some great bargains!


You will need to make a trip to. . .



You'll need 1 sheet of thrifty white panel board

and "kid" sized tables.
These were used for painting, playdough, and all kinds of art projects in the Perry home!  
CVS and Walgreen's have them for fairly reasonable costs.  I got the one below for $9.99 from CVS during a spring sale.


Get one of the handy Home Depot employees to cut the board to fit the dimensions of your table.

After we got the boards for the dry erase tables there was still a lot of board left so we made two huge dry erase boards for the boys!  You can also have them cut individual sized white boards for your class!  The entire board is only about $13.00 so you can get an entire class set of brand new boards for just over $25.00.  Have your students bring in an old towel or sock, and you'll be set for the year!

You'll need some velcro as well.  This is industrial strength, but any kind will do if you position it on the table correctly.  This kind of velcro has adhesive strips so there's no mess!  You don't have to glue or drill at all.  Just make sure you allow at least 24 hours before trying to remove the dry erase top.


Carefully place the velcro in each corner and in the center of the table.  

Before


After


There are several variations of this project so you can adapt it to meet the needs of your students and your space. In addition to the supplies that I mentioned above,  you can also purchase a can of "magnetic" paint so that students can use magnetic letters.  
You can purchase it from Hobby Lobby for $10.99.  It's a fairly large can which can be used for multiple projects.  As always you have the flexibility of removing the dry erase top for messy projects!



Dry Erase/Word Work Table

I hope you've enjoyed tip #1!  I'm very excited about using it in my classroom next year.  I decided on a beach/ocean theme next year, and I think this will look so cute on the "writing/word work" boardwalk!  

Today's my birthday (it's my last year as a "20 something"), and Mr. Perry has been trying to hurry me along all morning long!  I'm heading off to see what he has planned for the day!  I hope you enjoyed this tip!  Stay tuned for more great tips, fabulous finds, and freebies!  

19 comments:

  1. I love this idea! I just might have to do it! :)

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  2. I love this! Will definately be following your blog. If you have time please follow mine.

    mysecondgradejournal.blogspot.com

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  3. Happy birthday, and thanks for the wo derful idea!

    Conchy

    Conchy.Marcano@gmail.com

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  4. Great idea! Thanks for the "tip". And Happy Birthday!

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  5. What a great tip!! Happy Birthday, I'm sure Mr.Perry has some GREAT things planned.

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  6. Love this! I am going tot totally "borrow" this tip. Happy Birthday!! I'm about to wrap up my first year of my 30's and I have to say...it's not so bad, LOL!
    ~Crystal
    www.kreativeinkinder@blogspot.com

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  7. Anonymous6/14/2011

    Oops, messed up the first post. Still learning about blogging.

    I love your idea! I am also working on improving my Daily 5 Literacy Block this summer. I have purchased several of your items from TPT and have really enjoyed them. I am just starting out on my own "blogging adventure", so I hope you will follow my blog as I am trying to get started. Happy Birthday!

    www.firstgradeladybugsfirefliesandbbeyes.blogspot.com

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  8. First of all happy, happy birthday! Secondly, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea!!! I want to try and find foldable little tables so I can store them behind bookcases when not in use. I love Home Depot...thanks so much for the idea!!

    First Grade Serenade

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  9. Happy birthday and thanks for this wonderful idea. Enjoy your day.
    Ms.A
    Oceans of First Grade Fun

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  10. I have been reading the Daily 5 book and I really like the ideas I have found in there. I like your ideas. One other thing I do is let the kids write the words with shaving cream. Make sure it is shaving cream and not gel. The gel does not work well it dries to fast and gets sticky. We do shaving cream with our words on Tuesday and Thursdays.
    Jenea
    www.seedsofnoledge.blogspot.com
    Kindgergarten Teacher

    P.S. Happy Birthday!

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  11. I LOVE it!! I may just have to make one myself! :) P.S. I will also be entering my last year of my 20s this summer...enjoy it. And I hope your husband spoils you rotten!

    Little Miss Glamour Goes to Kindergarten

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  12. Anonymous6/15/2011

    Hi! Our math resource teacher had whiteboard cut to each of her rectangle tables and ducktaped it on. I have more ideas about this if you are interested! (whiteboards- May) The fun you can have with permanent markers on whiteboards too! Happy Happy Birthday!! Speaking of birthdays- I was determined not to focus on my turning 30 one year... and we had a hurricane hit on that birthday- lol What a memory--

    Primary Connections

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  13. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing :)
    ~Rachel
    asartiparty.blogspot.com

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  14. Awesome idea! Happy Birthday!

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  15. Seriously awesome idea! One suggestion I have is using dry erase or whiteboard crayons instead of markers. I found the little darlings always ended up pushing the tip into the marker or left the cap off. Where if they broke the crayon, then there were two to use. Plus they come in lots of colors.

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  16. Hi!
    I just purchased a sheet of the white panel board last week after which I flipped my kidney-shaped, small group table onto it and traced. A neighbor cut the shape out with his jigsaw and sanded the edges. Now my first grade friends will need only a dri-erase marker when we work with words during small group instruction. I'm too excited to use this next year!

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  17. Thanks everyone for sharing your tips. . . y'all are awesome!

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  18. So cool!!! I just let my kids use dry-erase markers directly on the tables...shh don't tell anyone! I can't wait to see your ocean/beach theme pictures, I'm doing the same theme!!

    Hadar
    Miss Kindergarten

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  19. Anonymous6/20/2011

    What a fabulous idea for word work! I've been doing some revamping of my partner reading for next year and took a video of my students doing partner reading to model for next year. Here is a video of two of my students doing partner reading during Daily 5!

    http://luria-learning.blogspot.com/2011/06/video-of-partner-reading.html

    Sacha
    www.luria-learning.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

 
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