Theme - Polka Dot Theme

That's a good idea to have some polka dot books! If you just search polka dot some other cute sounding titles come up that you might already have.

The Zebra-Striped Whale with the Polka-Dot Tail by Shari F. Donahue

Little Lilly's Polka Dot World by Wendy Reed
The Riddle of the Red Purse (Polka Dot Private Eye)
Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots (The Adventures Of The Bailey School Kids) by Debbie Dadey

Ponder Meets the Polka-Dots (Hays, Richard. Noah's Park.) by Richard Hays and Chris Sharp

Hey girlies,
I finally got up some of my polka dot stuff. I have a small room, so it is hard to do too much. I am still not finished, but I am posting what is up so far.


Sorry this one is sideways. I couldn't figure out how to flip it. I am going to put the kids' names on little ladybugs when I get my class list.

This is the Calendar board, but I need to make better month signs.

This is my message board.

This is a sign in the reading center. (I don't have room for an actual reading center. boohooo. lol)

This one is not finished, but it is going to be a behavior board. I am going to make construction paper ladybugs and the student will add black dot stickers for good behavior. I am going to add 3-D grass at the bottom too. :s)

I did a polka dot theme for the last two years. I used all colored dot border. I think I had black and yellow with all different colored dots. One year I added in peace signs, flowers, volkswagon bugs, and records. My door had records with the title "Fifth Grade is Sure to be a Hit". I have also seen the saying "Look who has been spotted in ____ grade". Walmart has some really cute polka dotted material that I used for curtains. I also found some dot cutouts at my local school supply store. It was really cute. Hope this helps.

I am doing a polka dot theme in my 4th grade classroom and was wondering if anyone has done this before or have any good ideas with polka dots. This is what I have so far...

Polka Dot curtains (black with bright polka dots)

Bulletin Boards: Spotlight on Student Work and Student Spotlight

What else can I do???

Thanks for your help!

I just had an idea on a bulletin board that you can use to express teamwork among your classroom. Create a dot to dot figure making each dot have the name of each student in the classroom. You may use yarn to connect the dots with the students names. At the end when you connect all the dots you will have a figure and show students that together we can create anything possible using everyones mind! Hope is helpful.

Hey girlies,

I am trying to do the Polka Dot theme. I am including Ladybugs with it, so that I have a little more room to go with it. I compiled a list of most of what I could find on here and some of my own ideas. Please add ideas!! Hopefully this will get our creative juices flowing...

ps. Sorry it is long, but I am too new to put it as an attachment...



Moose Notebook
My D.O.T. Book (Daily Organizational Tools)

Welcome
Find Your Spot in Mrs. –‘s Class
Find Your Spot in Second Grade
Second Grade is the Spot for a Great Year
Second Grade Hits the Spot

Behavior
Get Spotted Being Good
Get Spotted Doing the Right Thing
Look Who’s Been Spotted...
Be “Spot On” in Second Grade
Which Dot Are YOU on? - Typical Color Change System
Time out - Stop Spot or Hot Spot

Student Work/Student of the Week
Spotlight on Student Work
Student Spotlight

Subjects
Math is Cool and “Dots” the Truth
On-the-Spot Learning
The Spelling Spot
The Reading Spot
A Good Book Hits the Spot

News/Newsletter
Check Out this Dot... It will Tell You A LOT!
Dot Spot
The Spotlight


Decorations:

Cover door with black material or paper and put big red dots. Put students names on DJ Inkers ladybugs and use the saying: “Look Who’s Been “Spotted in Mrs. -‘s Class”.

Name Plates: Buy dotted scrapbook paper and glue a sentence strip to it. Cut out and the paper will be the border. Laminate.

Back to School bags - Buy solid color bags and put dots on. Include Dot Candy in the bag. (Dotted Pencils, erasers, etc.)

Curtains - Buy Polka Dot Material or Curtains

Use Dot Letters for sayings from School Supply Store

Polka Dot material for BB backgrounds

Use Polka Dot ribbon to decorate: Handles, File Cabinets, Edging on
baskets or pencil cup holders, computers etc.

Use Dots with student names on them for grouping, calling on students
etc.


Thats all for now, I am going to try to work on my room Friday, so I will try to post some pictures soon. Please do the same.

It might be a better idea to call your 'time out' spot the 'stop spot' rather than the 'hot spot' as this can have connetations for kids who have been misbehaving as being angry or unable to control their behaviour appropriately. By calling it the 'stop spot' you're allowing kids the idea that 'it's time to 'stop' and think about my behaviour'.

Just a suggestion!

I love this whole idea!

I thought I would print these on polka dotted paper. ;)

How about "Look Who's Been Spotted in __ Grade!"

"Write" (Right) on the dot.

Spotted doing good.

Connect the dots.

Can you "spot" _____________.

Hope this hits the "spot"!:D

One year I did polka dots and I decorated my door like a giant lava lamp with all the dots in the middle area. The title was - Mrs. Kamp's Class is Groovy and "Dots" the Truth!

Once school starts, you could use the candy "DOTS" to do a welcome back exercise. The students could open their box and respond to a series of questions relating to color. For example, if they have a red one, the student has to reveal their favorite color. Green = how many pets? Etc....They sell the big bag of individual size boxes at Wal-Mart, like you would hand out at Halloween. Or you could buy a box for 88 cents and divide them into sandwich baggies.

Also, Lowe's sells giant sticker shapes. They are in the wallpaper department. I believe there are 5 stickers per pack ($10). They are great and adhere to any wall. When you remove them, they do not leave any residue whatsoever. They come in multiple colors and in circles and squares.

Have fun and good luck!

I love the polka dot idea too!! I am going to put a BB in the hallway that says "Look Who's Been Spotted in 4th Grade!" and put their names and pictures on a large dot. My behavior BB will say "Get Spotted Doing the Right Thing" and thinking I might do something with red, yellow and green dots. "A Good Book Hits the Spot" for my reading corner. I was thinking of getting the old fashined button candy that comes on the paper and giving each kid a strip. For every dot on the paper they have to tell something about themselves. Those are my ideas so far, but I would love to hear more!

"3rd grade's THE spot for a great year!" - welcome Bulletin board with lunch menu, calendar, school news, etc

Birthday board - "Spot today's celebrity!"

Reading area - "The Dot Spot"

not sure about cubbies...

Hope this helped. :)

REB:s)

i think polka dots would be very cute! but also hard to come up with ideas.

i thought for a behavior board you could say "get spotted being good" and use colored dot stickers.

then i thought maybe those large circles on your carpet could be bubbles, or spots, or gumballs, not necessarily 'polka dots'. that might give you more leeway.

spots are working in my head...
Welcome to the Best Spot in 3rd Grade (or is that rude to the other 3rd grade teachers? :))
The Reading Spot
on-the-spot learning
your newsletter could be The Spotlight

alright that's all i've got. hope this was a bit helpful.