Daily Fun with Your Board (and a way to get your students to look at it)

My side board:

What you can't see to the right is our agenda for the week - what I want them to pay attention to.  But we all know that students often seem to refuse to look at the board. So I found a way to get them to look.  The first way is with the holiday of the day.  

I have a whole calendar of author birthdays, character birthdays, English class related holidays, and then just random ones when I have no class-related holiday.  They like to comment on those.  If you want access to it, I believe this link will let you view it: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=dmhidG42M2RpMzU4YmRrMWVhcm1mcW5oc2NAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ



Puns are a great way to get groans, of course, but also to get attention. Every morning, I write a new pun of the day on the board. OK, I do this mostly every day. When I forget to change it, I hear it from my students. I have my list of puns printed out and I just mark them off as I go. Some years, I'll assign a student to pick the pun and write it on the board for me. If you want, you can use them with the link below, but first I'll bombard you with a few!

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Police have confirmed that the person who tragically fell from the 18th floor night club was not a bouncer.

Clones are people two.

A dog barks 900 times a day. This is a ruff estimate.

Fruit farmers eat what they can and can what they can't.

I'm taking steps to overcome my hiking addiction, but I'm not out of the woods yet.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/138WJ2uQJVJ7HO1yz-ENInyvkixqTRXvO/edit




You'll notice the Smartest Student list.  I did this on a whim a while back with no expectation of keeping it going, but it worked so well with my ninth graders that I started using it with my upper levels too.  What do you need to do to be deemed the smartest student?  Say something smart in class.  Do something smart in class.  Win a Blooket.  Wear a shirt of a team I pull for.  Anything.  I change it up often and I have had students take pictures of their name on the board to show their parents.  It's fun and I will have students do things and then argue why that should put them on the smartest student list.  That's a win in my book!

So, share your pun.  Share the holiday I don't have.  Share what works as board attention getters for you.  Or just say hi in the comments.  :)

Like these ideas?  You may also like these Cultural Literacy activities. 

Using "Ordeal by Cheque" to Teach Inference

I've got a new course to prep for (I haven't taught English III for over twenty years, so much of my original material doesn't work for what I want to do now), so I've had a bit less spare time to update here.  Forgive me reposting the below, but it is a great lesson and deserves to be back in the spotlight!

_________________________________________________________________

Getting students to read between the lines is a bear.  For lower level readers, it is something they have not done before, most likely, yet it is typically heavy on state reading comprehension tests.  For AP level students, it is often something they can do, but do not feel comfortable relying on it for their analysis.

"Ordeal by Cheque" by Wuther Crue is the perfect story for this.  If you have never read it before, do so now.  I'll wait.  You can see a copy here.

With struggling readers, I put this up on the projector or tape large printouts on the white board as well as give them a copy to look at on their own.  Then we start looking at each check and focusing on the small details.  I am always asking what they think is going on.  Any thought is entertained regardless of how outlandish it may be.  We also entertain other students pointing out reason why an idea contradicts something in our text.  When we finally finish, I let them know that all that thinking they were doing about what could be happening in the story is inferring.  From that point forward, the word 'inference' is no longer as scary as it is when they only see it on state test practice.

With AP Lit students, I put them into groups and I only give them one page at a time.  I have printed each check as big as I can and I have them taped to the white board.  Students are in groups of 3 or 4 and start trying to figure out what the "real" story is here.  I ask them to annotate the story on the board by marking down what ideas they feel are important, details they notice, and questions they have.  Some will look up the amounts of money and figure out how much it is in today's dollars.  They always get excited when the first check to Tony Spagoni is revealed.  Again, we focus on what is happening outside of the checks.  In the end the take away is that all of these thoughts that they have is where good writers like to lay their story.  The text is great, but what happens between paragraphs and off screen (so to speak) is just as rich.

I have noticed that when I use this with standard classes, they are fine to stick with their class-created interpretation.  The AP kids, however, have thought of so many ways to interpret the events that they want to know what the "real" story is.  When I let them know that this is all of the story they get, they are frustrated (but not in a negative way).  The first year I did this and saw how amusing it was that they felt that there was not enough closure, I asked them if they had ever read "The Lady or the Tiger".  I was shocked to find out that they had not, so for fun, a few days later I gave them the story to pick apart, but kept the final paragraph off of their copy and sealed in an enveloped pinned to the wall.  The board was labeled LADY and TIGER and they had to provide their evidence for which one they thought was behind the door.  They scoured the story and when we only had a few minutes left in class, I read the final paragraph to them.  Let's just say I was lucky the bell rang to release class!  :)

Tech Tuesday: Where Did Your Cursor Go?

 I ran into this problem recently when I was issued a new computer - my text cursor disappeared when I was using Google Docs.

Turns out, it is not a Google Docs error, btu rather a setting in Windows.  If you find that you are having trouble seeing your cursor against a white background or it is just nonexistent in the text area, but visible in other areas, then the solution is a fairly simple one.  No need to call your tech guy for this one.

This solution works on Windows based computers. 

First, click the windows button and the R key.  When this window pops up, type in:

main.cpl

Once you do that, click the POINTER OPTIONS TAB.  This screen will pop up:

Make sure HIDE POINTER WHILE TYPING is not clicked.

That will solve your problem.  If you are still finding that the cursor turns white and is hard to see, then you can solve that problem by following the above directions and clicking the POINTERS tab.  Click the TEXT SELECT and then BROWSE.  Scroll down and choose something like beam_im.  

And don't worry if you end up not liking your changes.  You can always hit the revert to default to reset everything.

Tech Tuesday - How to Transfer Google Files Easily to an Account Outside Your Workspace/School

What if you retire or get a new job and want to keep some of your Google files?  Google doesn't make it easy when you are in a workspace (like you are at your school), mostly for security issues, but it is possible and it is not too difficult.  It just takes some time.

My best friend is retiring and going to work in a private setting and ran into this difficulty.  She has lessons an activities that she worked hard on, but could not find an easy way to keep them.  There is the obvious download and then reupload to another account, but that could take a long time and sometimes things get lost in the formatting when you do that.

Here's the easy way -  

First: Create a backup Google account to transfer your files to.  For our directions, I'll call the original account "Teacher@gmail.com" and my new account "Backup@gmail.com".  Once that is done, I can move on.

Second: Create a new SHARED DRIVE.  You will see this option on the left hand side of your screen. I will call my new shared drive BACKUP DRIVE.  

Third: Click on BACKUP DRIVE and look in the upper mid-right part of your screen.  You will see MANAGE MEMBERS.  Type in your new account (backup@gmail.com).  Just to the right of that you will see that it is making backup@gmail.com a CONTENT MANAGER.  Change that to MANAGER. This is important.

Fourth: Move whatever files/folders you wish to keep into the shared drive named BACKUP DRIVE.  It will now make the shared drive the owner of these files.

Fifth: Open up the Google Drive for Backup@gmail.com.  Open the BACKUP DRIVE and you will see all the files and folders you moved there.  Now just drag them into your regular drive.  It will alert you that you (backup@gmail.com) are now the owner of these files.  

That's it!  Since you transferred ownership and didn't merely make copies, the actual files are gone from your original school drive and gone from your shared drive.  You now have complete ownership in your backup Google Drive.  Once you get your new school or workplace, you can move them over again.  The whole process doesn't take too long.

Doing Something Different with Vocabulary This Year: Updated

Update - Well, the year is over for me and I think this was a great way to do the vocabulary for AP Lit. I think I may try it a bit with my English III class I have next year, but for them I would want to go over each word. Maybe I can make it a recurring activity they have to do or something.  That might would work better for honors than regular.  Something to think about over the summer.  I encourage you to try some version of this in your classes.

*     *     *

With my regular level classes, I spend more time on vocabulary terms, but with my AP classes, I used to spend little time and expect the students to learn the words for themselves with a little vocabulary.com and such.  After attending a workshop on teaching reading, one of the time said there sparked me thinking and I've decided to try something a little different. 

This is still an AP class and I do not feel the need to review the definitions of the each word on the list like I would my English II class, but if what I am trying for AP works, I can see myself adapting some of this for the other classes.  Warning - this does take time to prep (though it could be adapted into a lesson where the students do the legwork instead).

The Plan

I want my students to understand the words better - inside and out.  I am going to use my established lists - each of which consists of ten new words plus a selection of words from previous lists plus a few literary terms just to keep those in constant rotation in their minds.  What I am going to do will focus only on the new words and potentially a literary term if it just works extra well.  The first Tuesday of each two week vocabulary list lesson, I will single out about 5-6 words to focus on.  I will focus on wither word parts, connotation, etymology, or Visuwords.

Word Parts

This speaks for itself.  Some words break into word parts quite easily while others do not.  Early in my teaching career we had a program put on us by the district to teach words only in context of word parts.  I dislike one-size-fits-all programs, but I was a young teacher and I did my part.  It worked well sometimes and not so well others - especially when the word meaning changed over time.

Learn That Word has a good list of prefixes and roots and a good list for suffixes, but sometimes it helps to know exactly where those word parts kick in.  Wordsmith is a good site to go to to see not only a definition, but some word parts and background as well.  

As good as they are, I found myself using plain old Google even more.  When you Google the word "definition" and whatever word you are looking up, say, "innate" for example, and you click the SHOW MORE option, this is what you get:

The origin does a fine job quickly showing you the different word parts and gave me a quick chance to see if I wanted to pursue that word for the word part segments.

*EDIT* I've notice that Google has replaced the above with the AI overview, a far inferior layout of word origin and word parts, unfortunately.

Connotation

I was really hoping to find a connotation dictionary, but those don't really exist, or at least not in the way I was hoping for.  The idea here is to showcase one or two words and show that while their definition is _____, when it is used, it typically means _____.  These words are great for discerning tone (just think of the difference between "kill" and "slaughter").  One word from our list is "loquacious" and while it means using a lot of words or talkative, the understood meaning is using too many words.  Or think of the difference between "pithy" and "terse" - they both mean using few words, but being pithy is a good thing (short and too the point) while being terse usually means the speaker is angry. 

Etymology

Some words have fun backgrounds that have changed the meaning of the word over time.  There is a good dictionary for that called The Online Etymology Dictionary.  I'll do one to three words from the list.  This takes time to find the words that are going to be interesting enough for me to talk about.  The easy way is to just type the words in the above dictionary until you find a good one.

I like the idea of egregious being used ironically so much it lost its original meaning.  Also, the word "supercilious" spins off from a Latin word for eyebrows, so "supercilious" literally means "haughty eyebrows" which is so fitting for a word that means "looking down on others as inferior to your status".  Don't tell me that kids won't remember "haughty eyebrows"!  While looking for these words I found several that I am looking forward to talking about, such as "pristine" and "simpleton".

Visuwords

I'll use Visuwords for one or two words in the list.  It is a fun site to play with.  When you type in a word, it bubbles out to other words related.  The words and bubbles have elasticity, which is fun to move around a little, but they also help you to see the definition and also sometimes the connotation.  Like "haughty" (sans eyebrows this time):

Here you can see both "disdainful" and "proud" to help students see the word's more complex meaning.

Parting Comments

As for the remaining words on the list, the students are on their own.  I am thinking we will see a better comprehension of what the words mean which will hopefully translate into better retention of the words.  I also think the students seeing the variety of ways we look at a word's meaning will add value to the words we are learning.  

If you have a unique way of introducing your words to your students, share it in the comments!  Or just say "Hi!" in the comments!  I might just say "Howdy" back to you.

Heads Up - Teachers Pay Teachers Sale May 5th and 6th

 In what I can only assume is TPT paying homage to Revenge of the Fifth and Revenge of the Sixth (always two there are, no more, no less), there is a sale site-wide for 25% off.

Use this code: THANKYOU26

And if you'd like, feel free to start with my site.  😊

Maui Fact Check - A fun research activity you can do with Mythology, American Lit, World Lit, or just English class in general

 Disney has had it's share of criticism for not staying accurate in movies like Pocahontas and Hercules, among others.  However, when they set out to make Moana, they did bring in several people from Polynesian culture to make it stay on track.  We are going to see how good of a job by fact checking Maui's claims in the song "You're Welcome!"

Now, before I give you all the details of how to run this assignment, you need to know who this lady is:

In the 1920s, if you studied mythology, you studied Greek and Roman, or maybe you dabbled in Germanic fairy tales and folk lore.  Beckwith, though, believed all cultures deserved to be studied and became fascinated by Hawaiian and Polynesian mythology.  There were no books on this, so she traveled to these islands and talked to the story tellers to record their mythology.  This was quite dangerous as many of these cultures had little contact and interactions with the rest of the world.  Nevertheless, this complete boss did so and wrote a comprehensive book - no, THE comprehensive book on Hawaiian mythology.  It was cleverly titled Hawaiian Mythology.  You can buy it on Amazon.

It is the source that all other mythology books that cover anything Hawaiian or Polynesian cite as their source.  It is also rather dry, sort of like Edith Hamilton's Mythology, but a bit dryer.  Rick Riordan hadn't been born yet, much less show everyone that you could actually write mythology in a fashion that is enjoyable to read.  

Fun fact - she got kicked out of a theater once because they were doing an act with "authentic hula dancers" and she stood up, halted the show, and lectured them on what they were doing wrong and suggested the crowd demand their money back.  :)

What you need:

• Martha Beckwith's chapter on Maui
• "You're Welcome!" lyrics and worksheet

Tell students about Beckwith (she deserves it) and then break them into pairs or trios to work together.  Then show them the song video and let them enjoy it and sing along with it.  Now they will need to scour the Beckwith chapter to look and see if Maui actually did those things.  If the answer is no, have them figure out who did it instead (may need a Google search for that).  

Depending on your students, this takes around 45 minutes or so of class time.

You're welcome!

Change Your Students' Responses to Text Using the Three Book Approach

One thing that inhibits student discussion at all levels is the fear that they did not come to the correct answer.  We, as English teachers, know that there is simultaneously a correct response and a validation of practically all responses, but students have a difficult time compressing that information in to trust that they can give their thoughts and epiphanies on a reading passage.

In my AP class, we do this first week, when we take "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and break it apart using as many different literary criticism as possible.  In my regular inclusion English IV class, we use this in our first book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time when we discuss the chapter where Father hits Christopher.

I draw this on the board, stopping to explain before drawing the next image:

Once I draw BOOK 1, I say this is the author and the book he wanted to write.  It is what was in his head as he envisioned the plot, characters, setting, etc.

Then I draw BOOK 2 and explain that this is the book that was written.  We all know that the ideas in our head does not always come out clearly in our writing.  Plus, this has undergone revision, editing, advice from trusted readers, publisher mandates, and many other things that changed the original idea.

I wrap up with BOOK 3 - this is the book we read in our head.  Everyone in the classroom read the same text, but because we all have different life experiences, different relationships with parents, friends, neighbors, different cultural backgrounds, and different environments in which we read (some of us were distracted, others hyper focused) - all these things lead to different feelings, different interpretations, different focuses.  In the "Woods" poem, our experience with snow and nature and possible previous interactions with Robert Frost impact out reading.  In Curious our relationship with our own father (or lack thereof) and our connection to someone on the spectrum will determine if we can forgive Father after this.  All these reactions are legitimate and part of the reading process.

It's why some people can (wrongly) enjoy the Star Wars sequel movies - they don't have the same baggage I bring with me to the movies.

Of course, just because we have certain reactions to characters and situations that differ from everyone, that doesn't dismiss the intention of the author and that can lead to a discussion of whether or not Shakespeare was successful in his intent to create an intense scene or Twain's ability to get his point across.

This discussion carries through my entire year and we often reference that third book.  It has increased participation in class discussions tremendously for me.

Characterization - Two Questions to Spark Discussion

I saw a quick interview video clip of author Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl) talking about character creation. He has the ability to create rich characters and supporting characters that feel like they have their own stories independent of the protagonist. He was asked how he does it and his reply is two questions - ones that I think our students would benefit from when analyzing characters:

1. What do they want?
2. What are they afraid of?

He says once he knows those two things about a character, it informs everything they do - whether it be shopping or fighting. 

If you've read the book, you get why the cat is wearing a tiara, sunglasses, and is riding a velociraptor. 

I will be using this today in my discussion with my students on the characters of Brave New World. Two simple questions that should spark quite a bit of discussion. Or maybe it won't. Who knows?

Here is the clip if you want to use it in class (it is less than a minute long): https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQk2M7IDOv2/

Famous Last Words

 I don't know how much you know about this guy:

His name is Thomas de Mahy and he was the Marquis de Favras during the French Revolution.  He was arrested and condemned to death on the testimony of two men, but without corroborating evidence.

So why does he get his own post on Extreme English Teachers?  Because of his last words.

Upon reading his death warrant, his only response was, "I see that you have made three spelling mistakes."

Ha!  THAT is AWESOME!  If you've got to go, might as well go out in style.

Encoding

 One of the things on my PDP this year is to connect back to current theories and research in the field of education in general and English specifically.  It's to varying degrees of success.  One of the things I did do is to subscribe to a few email publications in these areas.  

I've given up on many of them because they are pushing hard for using AI to develop lesson plans.  I have strong feelings on that.  One email that I still have coming is Peps Mccrea.  It's not that I am in love with this weekly email, but it seems to be focused on how kids learn and think and while I know this, it's always a good reminder.  When I see something, I can look at my current practices to make sure that I am still doing it the way it needs to be done.  Take this week's email, for instance:

Big idea  The best teachers use lots of quick activities during their explanations. Choral response, turn-and-talk, MCQs. We tend to think of these as ways to check for understanding, or to sustain student attention. Both are super important… but there's something even more fundamental going on. Every time we ask our students to briefly use an idea we've just introduced, we're catalysing encoding: the process by which learning gets embedded in the brain. When we just explain, our students have to try to encode by listening alone. It's a bit like trying to press a shape into hard clay without actually pushing down. The information touches the surface, but doesn't leave much of an impression. This is weak encoding. Which is why, when we explain lots of new ideas back-to-back without encoding along the way, most of it gets forgotten. It's like someone reading out a long string of numbers and expecting us to remember them all. So why does actively using knowledge make such a difference? When we have to produce an answer (rather than merely receive it), our brain treats it as a much more valuable thing. Even something as brief as a true-or-false question forces our students to rehearse and reorganise the idea. That creates a much deeper neural impression than merely listening alone. And further: brief encoding moments don't just strengthen what came before... they also improve our students' ability to encode what comes next. Retrieval seems to clear working memory and reset attention, making the brain more receptive to new information. So when we pause to encode after introducing each new idea, we're not just consolidating existing knowledge: we're prepping for more. In short, if we think of these moments primarily as checks for understanding, we’re likely to underprice and so underuse them. But if we see also them as vital encoding opportunities, we'd do them far more often. Which would be a very. good. thing.  For more, check out this paper on retrieval practice.

Summary Effective teachers frequently use quick activities to check understanding, often catalysing encoding without realising it.  When learners actively use knowledge, learning is strengthened. Encoding moments both consolidate prior knowledge and prepare the mind for what comes next.

Little updates  Study on praise → finds mixed impact on motivation & performance depending on setting. Paper on psychological needs → links need fulfilment to improved motivation & resilience. Research into curiosity → suggests it may drive science learning more than intelligence, once prior knowledge is considered. Paper on long-term memory → suggests retrieval depends on similarity, not storage location.

You are doing this, I know.  But it helps to serve as a reminder when I am looking at materials that I am creating and ask myself if I can be doing this more.  I would be remiss if I used their content without providing a link (no, I am not getting anything from this - I use their free service only): https://snacks.pepsmccrea.com/subscribe?ref=ynYI2eKayJ

Shamless Plug: Title Punctuation

 

Here's a quick and cheap ($2.50 - its a steal!) lesson activity ready to go complete with online self grading quiz for assessment.  Put this lesson in Slideshow mode and just walk your students through how to properly capitalize titles.  It's easy and takes about 30-45 minutes of class time.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/XET-Title-Capitalization-and-Punctuation-7065284

I use it every year for my regular, honors, and AP Lit students.  

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/XET-Title-Capitalization-and-Punctuation-7065284

Some Literary Term Blookets for you to use

 

Here are a few Blookets I made for my class that you can use so your kids don't get tired of the same wording on yours:

• Literary Terms
• Literary Terms II
• Literary Terms (Backwards)
• Tone Words
• AP Lit Literary Terms
• AP Lit Literary Terms (Backwards)
• AP Lit Poetry Literary Terms
• AP Lit Literary Terms III

Teaching Inference with "The Chaser" by John Collier

John Collier has an excellent short story for teaching inference to high school students.  It is called, "The Chaser."

You can get a copy of it here: https://eerdalsblg.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/the_chaser-collier.pdf

If you've never read the story, do so now.  It won't take you long.  I'll wait.

For lower reading level classes, I like to put groups in teams and let them read it together and figure out why  the glove cleaner does.  The story is short (the version I found above has it in three pages, but the hard copy of the one I use in class is one page front and back) which is important to me.  I need my works short so we can focus on the matter at hand.

The story itself is fun. Now, when you or I read the story, we immediately see how this old man is setting up the younger man.  We understand that this "love" he will experience can only be solved with the "glove cleaner", but the students don't.  Especially 9th and 10th graders.  They struggle. 

So I let them try and figure it out as a competition.  The first group to figure it out gets a prize (homework passes or team points).  The second group gets a little less. The third group a little less.

I also have hints that they can buy with their team points (but you can maybe use something else if you aren't playing a game in your class).

How long will it take?  Well, it depends on how good your students are.  I always have a homework assignment that they should work on while waiting for the other teams to finish.  It usually takes about 30 minutes total, but I've had it last for over 45 minutes before.

An easy, but slow, way to build a class sets of novels

 Here is part of my book shelf for class sets of my AP Lit class:

I have similar shelves for my non-AP classes too with class sets of Persepolis, Things Fall Apart, Night, 1984, No Fear Shakespeare Macbeth, and others.  I didn't pay for a single one of those books.  

The trick is quite simple.  I send out short emails to parents periodically and when I tell them of upcoming units, I put in a link to the book on Amazon if they would like to purchase the book for their child.  When the unit is over, I always ask the kids if they wish to donate their book to the class when finished.  I let them pick the value of the book (they ask for things like homework passes, team points for games that we play, etc.).  Each year my supplies grow and I don't pay a cent for them.

It's such a simple thing, yet one that has dramatically impacted what I can do.  The books are my personal books now and were I to change schools, I could take them with me.

New! Lord of the Flies Teaching Guide and Activities

 Currently at Introduction Sale Price - will not be $3 for long!

TPT Store

This unit reflects the past 31 years of teaching - all the notes, lead-ins, activities, follow-ups, and tests I've created for Lord of the Flies.

What's included?

• 50 pages of notes and commentary - not book summary, but rather notes for in-class discussions, talking points, how to adjust for struggling readers, how to adjust for AP level readers, and analysis of the book and author - enough notes to go as deep or surface-level as you wish for your students

  
• 25 activities to choose from to do before, during, and after reading including Who's to Blame, 3-2-2, book allusions, TQEPs, online self-guiding chapter readings, and character Venn diagrams

  
• Quiz/Review Questions for most chapters

• Map, conch sound, and other images to share during class discussions
• 3 tests (two for regular level and one group test for AP level)

This unit will give you everything you need to teach this book to any level class.

Get it here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/XET-Lord-of-the-Flies-Teaching-Guide-15663613

Did you miss the sale? No worries. I use TPT to get things for school purposes, not to get rich. The unit price will be far lower than other unit activity packs you see on TPT.

You may also like the Lord of the Flies Survival Game!

Make Your Board Dynamic

Many companies want their websites to be dynamic - something different every time someone checks it.  You can the same for your whiteboard, though it does take about a minute or two of your morning each morning (unless you assign a student to the task - pro tip).  

Here's my board:

WHY DO THIS?

Give your students a reason to check the board.  This won't work for everyone, of course.  We all know that there are times you can write the answer to a quiz question on the board and stand in front of it while asking the question and students will still miss it, but some students will start looking at what is new.  If I can get them looking over at the dynamic part, then they may see the The Plan (what we are doing this week) and Homework/Upcoming Due Dates. 

HOW TO DO THIS?

I've already done the heavy lifting for you.  Here is a link to the Extreme English Teacher Holidays - a holidays for (almost) every day of the year.  It has birthdays of authors, birthdays of fictional characters, holidays of note for an English class, and sometimes just a weird holiday for that day.  

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=dmhidG42M2RpMzU4YmRrMWVhcm1mcW5oc2NAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ

Here is a list of pun for the Pun of the Day: https://docs.google.com/document/d/138WJ2uQJVJ7HO1yz-ENInyvkixqTRXvO/copy  I just keep a print out of it pinned to the wall and I marked them off each time I use one so that I do not duplicate puns throughout the year.

That part at the bottom?  That was something that I did as a throw away joke after I had a sub write names on the board of bad students.  Turns out it was a fun motivator.  Under Smartest Students I have a spot for all my periods.  Then when a student does something amazing, wins a Blooket, scores the highest on a test, has an interesting comment in class, or basically anything that I want to reward - I go over and erase the name before them and write their name up instead.  

What about you?  What interesting things do you do with your white board?