One of the hardest things for me in teaching is getting materials. Some of you may not have this problem; your school, curriculum department, PTA/PTO or whomever make sure you have materials! The rest of you are probably saying, AMEN! Over the last few years we've taken huge pay freezes, cuts and just about everything is hard to come by. So, I've figured out many ways to DIY my own supplies, or find the free or cheap and I'm going to pass them on every once in awhile on my blog!
Today's post is protractors! My biggest problem as a 4th grade teacher is having a set that is all the same size or that looks the same. It is so frustrating to explain 30 different protractors (why would I explain 30 different types? Because the kids brought them from home- we didn't supply them!). So I figured out a way to make my own, and they are actually easier for elementary students to use!
Today's post is protractors! My biggest problem as a 4th grade teacher is having a set that is all the same size or that looks the same. It is so frustrating to explain 30 different protractors (why would I explain 30 different types? Because the kids brought them from home- we didn't supply them!). So I figured out a way to make my own, and they are actually easier for elementary students to use!
Remember transparency film for overhead sheets? Just print the paper versions of the protractors that you can find here, and use the copy machine to copy them onto transparency film to make fast, quick and easy protractors! I cut them to half the page and I actually prefer them to regular protractors because they can just slide over the page and are not bulky at all. Also, they don't get broken and induce crying or they can't be used as an early flirting tool by snapping it at the opposite sex! I even used a sharp knife from my husband's work bench to cut out the middle to draw angles, but left the rest of the sheet so the half page is easy to pick up!
Are you wondering were I found overhead film? I actually asked our secretary if she knew where any was (we get very little supplies, so I thought it was a long shot), but she smiled and said that someone was cleaning out a classroom at the beginning of the school year from a teacher that had retired and left all of her things and they brought her boxes and boxes of it that they didn't want to throw away. So, being an educational pack-rat the secretary at our school shoved it to the back of the "supply closet" and was hoping that someone would want it one day! So, check with any of the older teachers (or should I say pre-smartboard/document camera teachers; I wouldn't call myself "old") they might have some just sitting around waiting to become protractors!
Are you wondering were I found overhead film? I actually asked our secretary if she knew where any was (we get very little supplies, so I thought it was a long shot), but she smiled and said that someone was cleaning out a classroom at the beginning of the school year from a teacher that had retired and left all of her things and they brought her boxes and boxes of it that they didn't want to throw away. So, being an educational pack-rat the secretary at our school shoved it to the back of the "supply closet" and was hoping that someone would want it one day! So, check with any of the older teachers (or should I say pre-smartboard/document camera teachers; I wouldn't call myself "old") they might have some just sitting around waiting to become protractors!