Improve Teacher: Parent Communications with Smile Books
by Whether you are a classroom teacher or a specialist looking to make a positive impression, fostering the connection between you, the teacher, and the parents of your students is the key to success. Here is one such vehicle called Smile Books. There are no rules on how to create the book so feel free to use your creativity to expand the idea and improve upon it.
First, you will need to create one page per school week and assuming the average 40 week calendar, ten pages of 8.5”x11” paper are needed plus an additional cover of construction paper. Each week will get its own half page of the book and you will use both sides of the paper.
Use your computer to create a template or make one by hand that includes “Week ___” at the top of each half page followed by a listing of positive behaviors and work study habits. Here are some ideas to be added: Follows Directions, Listens to Teacher, Demonstrates Good Behavior, Completed All Work, Contributes to Class, etc. Whatever is needed to foster a positive classroom environment for your style of teaching should be included.
To assemble, the easiest way requires a $25 investment of a binding stapler. This is a wonderful addition to the classroom as it allows you to make simple booklets and projects that can be easily bound by saddle-stitching staples. You will immediately have a book that can be easily decorated by the students.
Each week, send the book home and ask for a parent signature at the bottom of the page. You may also want to include a comment or reply area where the parent can send a quick hand written message about their reactions and their child’s reactions to class that week.
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On May 24, 2010 at 1:13 pm
On a high school level, students can learn how to make their own paper in Science class from blue jeans then can turn the paper into journals in Art class…. Then they can write in them in Language Arts and do a historical analysis of famous journals in History.Add a Music lesson on lyric writing and all that is left is to have the students run a lap in Physical Education while carrying the journals and you have a lesson that touches each content area.