Back to School - May the Force Be With You

5 days until I get to meet my brand new batch of learners for the school year!  For some reason it never truly seems real until I find the new class list in my mailbox and see the names of all the kiddos I will have the privilege of working with this year.  Up to that point I'm just decorating my classroom for me, but once I have names to put on supplies and post around the room, I transition from "What would I like to see in my room?" to "What do I think my kids would like to see in their new classroom?"  It always helps me put the hours and hours and hours and hours (and hours and hours and hours) of preparation into perspective: this isn't about me, it's about them.  This year, them is twenty third graders, and I can honestly say that I am so excited to meet my new learners.

There is one special project though, that really is just for my enjoyment.  Two years ago the theme is our building was movies, and I decided to use Star Wars for the inspiration in my classroom that year (besides Mary Poppins, I am also a Star Wars fan).  I made a Yoda for my door, and love him so much that last year he sported a pirate's hat when we had an ocean/pirate building theme.  This year our building theme is sports.  So to continue the tradition, this year Yoda is "sporting" an Ohio State hat.  I am so excited with how it turned out.  I love Yoda, and I love the Buckeyes, and combining the two created something that will put a smile on my face every morning I open my door.  I also added a quote above Yoda that says "Learners you are.  Champions you will be!"  Here's a picture of the finished product, minus the quote.

I also incorporate Star Wars into my math facts program.  Students take a three minute facts test every Friday, beginning with addition, and working our way through subtraction and ending with multiplication.  They begin with 50 facts, and once they have mastered 50 facts in three minutes, they become a Jedi Knight, and get their picture taken in a Jedi robe.

Students then tackle 100 facts, and after mastering 100 facts in three minutes, they become a Jedi Master, and get their picture taken in a Jedi robe, holding a lightsaber.

I found that even those students who were generally unfamiliar with Star Wars were proud and excited to have their pictures taken.  The bonus was that this was an inexpensive reward for improving fact fluency, as all that was required was the initial purchase of the robe, lightsaber and table cover for a background, in addition to the cost of getting the photos printed.  The students then get to take the photos home at the end of the year as a memento of their hard work in third grade.