When PINspiration strikes... Classroom Readbox!

It's time to join in with what inspired you this month! Check out what inspired idea I put into action in my classroom. Then follow the directions at the end of this post to link up your own inspired ideas. I can't wait to see what everyone's been up to!

I was a little late to join in on the Pinterest craze... but once you sign up, it is like falling into a black hole of crafty DIY inspiration! One of my fist times flicking through "pins" I saw this great idea to create a Redbox in your classroom to use as a book display. I'm sure you're all familiar with the amazingly convenient Redbox movie dispensing machines. Well this clever idea uses a play on words to turn Redbox into "Readbox". GENIOUS, and a great way to get students inspired to read!

About 2 weeks ago I finally put this inspiration to good use. There was an old wooden bookshelf in my classroom with faded and dirty blue paint. One Monday afternoon while my students were at chorus, I dragged it out behind the school and attacked it with some red spray paint. The transformation was amazing...

After painting the shelf I enlisted the help of my students to level our class library. The books on my readbox shelf are all new arrivals from Scholastic Reading Club (They had some great deals last month and I cashed in some bonus points to update our selection). To level them I used AR Bookfinder, operated by Renaissance Learning (STAR testing). We use the STAR assessments in our school which provides students with an independent reading range. This helps students select appropriate books to read independently.

I used a sharpie to write the AR book levels on all of my new books, then sorted them into baskets to make it easier for students to find their "just right" book. For more information on AR Bookfinder, download my FREE Reading Celebration Packet. It comes with tutorials for using Accelerated Reader in the classroom (plus an awesome Battle of the Books bracket tournament!).

Here's how my finished display came out:

My students are so excited to "rent" these new books! Now they can't wait for our independent reading time after recess each day. Stop by my TpT store to pickup my Readbox packet. It comes with all the signs and labels pictured, a sign out sheet to keep track of books, bookmarks, and a book review form. Click {HERE} to check it out!

Your Turn: Linking up is simple!

1. Copy the three images from this post (linkup logo, lightbulb,  & my great idea title) to use in your post.
2. Write a post on your blog about your inspiration for great ideas in your classroom. 
3. Link your post back here by clicking on the InLinkz button below.
4. Visit at least 2 others who have linked up to comment on and be inspired by their great ideas!

Thanks for stopping by!

When Inspiration Strikes! My first linkup!

I've decided to try my hand at hosting my first linkup!

This weekly linkup really hits at the heart of my blog... Inspiration. All great ideas are inspired by something. I want to share what inspires my big ideas and I want to hear about yours. It doesn't matter if your idea was a huge success or an epic fail (because we've all been there!) This linkup is about coming together to support each other and share ideas!

My inspiration for this activity came after a LONG day spent researching for a project in one of my masters classes. We were given the task of creating a science or social studies themed unit that was entwined throughout all subjects in a self-contained classroom. WHEW! I was teaching 5th grade at the time and decided to create my unit on the American Revolution. I was scouring the internet for ideas and had never really thought of using YouTube in the classroom before when I stumbled across this gem...

And just like that, from this one little video, the floodgates of inspiration had opened and I was well on my way to creating a unit. (Isn't this video AWESOME?! This video is so good it makes me want to teach 5th grade again!)

I had decided right away that I would use this video to start the unit and again to wrap it up. The first activity I created was for the end of the unit. Students used the video as an example (along with a catchy American Revolution parody I wrote to Maroon 5's Misery) to write their own song parodies. Doing so showed me which students had a good grasp of what the American Revolution was all about and who needed more instruction.
My students were so engaged in this activity they started pairing up to write parodies the second the video ended. They even continued singing the song as they moved on to their next class!
Click on the image below to pick up this activity from my TpT store:

Your Turn: Linking up is simple!

1. Copy the three images from this post (linkup logo, lightbulb, idea title) to use in your post.
2. Write a post on your blog about your inspiration for great ideas in your classroom. 
3. Link your post back here by clicking on the InLinkz button below.
4. Visit at least 2 others who have linked up and get inspired by their great ideas!

An InLinkz Link-up