Let your students throw balls in the classroom! In this notebook file for your SMARTboard, students can aim at and throw a koosh ball, bean bag, beanie baby, etc. at a school icon on the home page. Each icon on the first page links to a different blank slide in the file. The first page also contains an animated image. At the bottom of each linked page is an apple to bring you back to the home page. This Back to School theme koosh ball template contains 25 blank slides - all you need to do is input any questions you want. This can be used as a test review, vocabulary review, math concept practice, etc. Note: if students throwing balls at the SMARTboard gives you heart palpitations, the icons can also be pressed in the old-fashioned way ;). Click on the picture to download your own copy.
My second item is a poem I found last year right before I headed back to school. The original poem is written by Kalli Dakos, and I found it here. I adapted it a bit to make it fit the number of students in my classroom. I used the poem for a Reader's Theatre activity on the first day of school. I assigned each student one stanza (each stanza is a different "character"). The kids begged to turn it into a full-blown play, complete with make-shift costumes. They had a blast, and I got a quick idea of their reading fluency - win, win! I've uploaded a version to google docs - click on the picture to bring you to the link. (The poem is four pages - 23 stanzas in all).
Speaking of FREE Back-To-School items, have you checked out the Effective Teaching Articles blog? Lisa has been running a FANTASTIC back-to-school PARty! You can still enter all 5 of her giveaways - you have until Sunday. Today she has a giveaway for $100.00 worth of items from her TpT store!!! WOW!
Lastly, (and these two aren't free, but they do have a back-to-school theme), I posted a couple of new items to my TpT store last night. Back-To-School Cootie Catchers would make the perfect ice breaker activity. Click on the picture to preview the product.
Happy Friday!!!
