A Few of My Favorite Things . . .

I've decided to update each Friday with one of my favorte things.
This weeks favorite - Pocket Charts.
I love pocket charts. They are useful in a hundred different ways. No, really, at least a hundred.
Organizer pocket charts are helpful for sorting materials. We have a file folder pocket chart that hangs vertically and has ten pockets for books, papers, file folders, etc. . . Last year, I labeled a pocket for each child and kept their finished work in their pocket until the end of the week when I had a chance to sort, grade, and file each child's work. This year I got some chairback buddies from Carson-Dellosa for each child. I love them. They have a slot for a nametag and pockets for file folders, and a larger pocket for books and smaller supply pockets for pencils, scissors, etc . . .
The pocket charts that we use every day are the calendar and weather graphing pocket charts. Most math curriculums will have you work on calendar skills and weather graphing at some point in the school year. The pocket charts allow us to do these activities as a whole class rather than each student doing them individually. The weather graph is a fun math activity. I also purchased an awesome calendar set from Carson Dellosa. The set includes a title card for each month and individual calendar cards for each day of the year. The cards slip right into our calendar pocket chart and the cards each feature a cute seasonal graphic. The cards creat a pattern each month so that the calendar becomes an easy way to teach patterning skills. This months cards feature apples and chalkboards and create an A-B, A-B pattern. Patterns increase in difficulty each month of the year.
The basic pocket charts are a great resource for all kinds of activities. Lakeshore Learning has awesome pocket chart kits. Some of the ones we use are the Science Vocabulary Cards, Correct-A-Sentence set, Mastering Math sets, among others. These kits are excellent interactive ways to teach math, language, reading, and science concepts. My kids love getting up and moving around during classtime. Interacting with the pocket charts by matching rhyming words, matching vocabulary words to definitions, etc . . . engages and reinforces concepts and makes class fun for all of us.
I recently found some great pocket charts designed for review. They are game show pocket charts and are set up like a Jeopardy board with categories to choose from and point cards from 10 to 25 points. Now, all I need are the buzzers the kids need to ring in with the correct answers. Which I have found from Learning Resources - can't wait 'til my birthday - I am going to get the buzzers for our game show reviews!!
What are your favorite things for your classroom?