Who's Who and Who's New: DIY projects

Hi there! I'm Shelly Rees from Appletastic: Blossoming in Fifth Grade. Looking for a creative way to better know who your students are, but you don't want something that takes a ton of prep work and materials? Then try making these sweet All About Me Paper Bag Booklets!

For each student, you will need:

3 brown paper lunch bags
3 pieces of ribbon (each piece about 3 inches long)
6 squares colored construction or cardstock paper (about 4 1/2 inches x 4 1/2 inches)
glue stick
scissors
hole punch
copies of All About Me template (Get the FREE download HERE.)

First, place the 3 paper bags in alternating directions. The bottom flaps should be face up. Then fold each bag in half, keeping them in alternating directions.

Next, place the bags on top of each other, keeping them in alternating order. Fold in half and punch 3 holes (you can use 5 if you prefer) along the folded edge.

Thread ribbon pieces through the punched holes and tie with a double knot.

Then, cut out the 6 template pieces for the booklet. The free download has black and white pieces for the inside pages. It also has colored pieces for the cover, if you want to print in color. The download is editable, so you can type in your students' names in your favorite font. You can also have them write their own name in marker, if you want to go that route.

After all the pieces are cut out, adhere them to the colored cardstock paper, and then glue them to the pages. (You can glue down the flaps from the bottoms of the bags before placing the cardstock square over it.) Each inside double page spread will have one page with a labeled cardstock piece and one blank paper bag page.

When the book is all assembled, have students draw, color, add embellishments, make lists, add pictures, create collages, and make the project their own individual expression of who they are. The pages with open ends of the bags can be used to hold extra items, such as photos and memorabilia. If students do this, they may want to secure those pages closed with paper clips or brads when the booklet is not in use.

After all booklets are finished, have students take turn sharing their creations with the rest of the class!

If you're looking for some more wonderful freebies, check out the FREE section of my TpT Store!
Here is one to get you started:

Manners Poster Freebie

You might also like my Back to School First Week Survival Packet! Print and go!

Happy Teaching!

Shelly Rees

My classroom has two ginormous whiteboards that cover the length of two of my walls. It's a lot of whiteboard space. More than I need, really. So this past year, I started using picture frames to help break up the space and focus students' attention to certain sections of the board, like my reading group schedule for example. The frames also added a little charm and uniqueness to the room.

So here's how I made them:

First, I went to Goodwill and bought a few cheap, framed pictures. (The ones I bought were each less than $5.) I tried to choose ones that had "real wood" frames so they would last longer.

Next, I removed all of the artwork, glass, staples, and paper, so I was left with empty frames.

Then it was time to paint the frames. I used one color of semi-gloss spray paint to help unify the variety of the frames' shapes and sizes. I propped up the frames on some wooden blocks and sprayed two coats onto the fronts and edges. For a more "blingy" look, try using a high-gloss paint--I think a glossy black on one of those fancy guilded frames would look totally cool.

After the frames were dry, I hot-glued magnets around the backside of the frames. You need some strong magnets for this. I used thick, disc-shaped magnets that have a strength rating of "6."

You can buy packs of 50 of these magnets at craft stores like Hobby Lobby. The number of magnets you'll need for one frame depends on its weight, but I ended up using at least a dozen magnets per frame.

Once I added enough magnets so the frames wouldn't slide down the board, I was finished! I use these frames for morning messages, math group assignments, reading group schedules, you name it.