I just placed a Gi-normous order through VistaPrint for a grand total of $7.99 plus slow shipping of $10.10 to Texas. Here's my loot: (left) rubber stamp with words "I read this word! (space to write the word) I'm a reader!" I plan to use this on student papers for on-the-spot encouragement that they can show parents when they get home.
250 free business cards with my name and contact information. Parents can stick these up on the fridge or keep in their purse or wallet for handy reference.
140 free address return labels. I decided to have fun with this product and use it in a way to reward students for working hard. Instead of "He loves me. He loves me not," I put "I love this work. I love it more." I'll use these as stickers that I can place on student work.
10 free note cards. I made these Thank You note cards for student gifts.
140 free address labels. There are a million uses for address labels. Exhibit #2 - I plan to use these address labels for student journal entries. Each day, we have writer's workshop and journal writing time. Then later in the day (during centers), I'll call the students up one at a time to go over what they wrote that day. According to the principle of 6+1 Writing Traits, at the Kindergarten level, you shouldn't worry about spelling or conventions or whatnot. You should encourage students to write and give them tools to use (at their will) to help their writing. Teachers should perform 1-1 interviews about each piece of writing. These are the questions to ask about a paper: whether the student thinks it's a good piece or not, what they think they need to improve on, and what they like most about the work. You could use a smiley face scale:: ) excellent
: good
: ( needs work
I couldn't do those symbols on the label, so I just left it blank, and I'll fill in the answer. This makes the interviews go much smoother. * Here's a tip I learned at a writing workshop: NEVER WRITE ON A STUDENT'S PAPER! If you must comment (and they suggest you don't), use a sticky note.
I got a special offer on this pen, just 1 though. I made it a Happy Birthday pen, and I'll just do separate orders for each birthday and put their names on them. Kinders LOVE pens, probably because they don't get to use them at home. I let them use pens to write on special occasions.
I got a free pad of sticky notes, so I make them "From the Desk of Jay Morton."
250 free business cards. For this batch, I made discipline cards. Last year, I used a half-page template from a friend that said, "I'm still learning, but today I had a hard time..." Then it listed the most frequent infractions. At wrap-up/pack-up time, I would check the appropriate boxes. For this card, I used the following misbehaviors:- staying quiet at lesson time
- being nice to my friends
- behaving at music/computer
- behaving in the hallway/restroom
- behaving at PE/lunch/library
- playing correctly at centers
- completing my work
- keeping my hands/feet to myself
I've ordered through VistaPrint many times, and they always do a great job. I've never had any problems with them. They recently added a step in the ordering process where they ask you if you are interested in purchasing various products. Just click "skip" or select "no." There aren't any tricks involved. I promise.
