supplies


What's in your teaching bag? -Lydia- (Semester 2 Update)

So, partway through the second trimester, I’ve slightly changed the things in my metaphorical teaching bag. The stamp is still providing yeoman service. Quis has been joined by Hunter (the orange “imperfect” sheep), Squi (the squishy owl), and Cobry (the cobra). I’ve switched to using Attendance2 on the iPad instead of the index cards. The Latin Mallet came in handy for an breaking an instant ice pack to make it get cold earlier this week, as well as keeping time while we chant. A student got me a replacement silent pencil sharpener as a present after the first one broke.


What's in Your Teaching Bag?–Emily

Greetings once again!
I wish I had a picture of my crazy bag, sadly, I do not. My owl-printed bag remained at school for the evening.
So: Emily’s Teaching Bag.
Bubo the Owl: Like Lydia, I also have an owl who can serve many purposes. She has been a fantastic direct object, and a great toss-ball. (When we practice a grammar point, I throw Bubo around the room and ask for specific pieces of grammar.)
The Golden Snitch Ball: Another great toss-ball. The students love them both. Gives a very Hogwarts feel to the classroom.
My iPad and relevant power cords/connectors: My iPad has been appropriately named Alesia by my students. (Why Alesia? I don’t know either.) Alesia the iPad is full of Latin apps and other fun educational tools for my classroom. Often, it is used when I need to project a text on the board. I use the app Evernote to make notes about how class went and keep a teaching notebook.
Pencil Case: 2 Purple Pens (for grading and writing passes), 2 blue pens (for other notes), USB flashdrive, 1 pad of yellow post-its, and 1 pad of purple post-its.
Moleskine notebooks: I have 2–1 small and 1 large. The small one is used for Latin Club business, while the large one is used for teaching and school-related notes.
Class folders: I have color-coordinated folders for each class, in which I keep work to be graded and returned. On the front of each folder, I keep a post-it note of who needs to turn in the assignment/take the quiz.
Color-coordinated Popsicle sticks: Like Lydia, each Popsicle stick has a student’s name. I shuffle them up to call on students, put them out to show where new seats are, and all sorts of other thing. Each class is held together with a rubber-band of the same color.
Teaching Binder: My purple binder with attendance lists and paper version of my gradebook.
Hey, what’s in YOUR teaching bag?


What's in your teaching bag?- Lydia

Lydia’s Teaching Bag

Lydia's Bag

Quis the Owl

This is a stuffed owl that a friend gave me. The owl’s name is either Quis or Qui, depending on what we’re reviewing. (Chapter 42 of Ecce Romani explains what happened to his eye). So far this year, he’s been Remus and has been a useful direct object. He’s sometime accompanied by his friend, the Imperfect Sheep.

Latin Mallet

The Latin Mallet is used for pounding out a rhythm when we chant and makes a nice pointer and paperweight.

Pencil Case

This has the writing implements, a USB drive, a pair of scissors, a glue stick, the connector for a projector if I’m using it that year, and some sticky notes to mark where we stop.

Silent pencil sharpener

If nobody is talking or taking a quiz, students can use the normal pencil sharpener in the room. (This is usually at the start or end of class.) If people are talking or concentrating, they have to use the silent pencil sharpener.

Index cards/Calling cards

Each index card has a student’s name. I shuffle them up to call on students, put them out to show where new seats are, and all sorts of other thing. Each class’s is clipped with a different binder clip; when I’m really coordinated, I match the color of the clip to the planbook for the class and the notebook that my notes go in.

Purple fountain pen

If I’m grading, I want to use an implement I enjoy.

Stamp

The stamp is a custom 53-dater stamp. Here’s what it prints:
Creditapproved
I grade homework on an good faith effort/partial attempt/not attempted basis. When I go around the room, I stamp all homeworks that are approved for full credit. If they’re only half credit, I write “1/2” next to the word “credit.” If students say that they did the homework on a certain day but didn’t get credit for it, they have to show me the stamped homework paper with the correct date. The large red stamp also keeps students from trying to turn in homework two nights running, and I can look around the room and quickly see who still needs to have homework marked off.

Whiteboard markers/chalk

I try to have extra markers or chalk in my bag at all times. It’s always a different kind than the standard school type so I can remember to put it back in the bag at the end of class and go get more from the supply closet.

Timer (not shown)

I have a little magnetic timer stuck to the whiteboard. This lets me give students fixed amounts of time easily.
What’s in your teaching bag?