Get Ready, Get Set...FREEBIE

GOOOOOOOO! 

If you are like me, you are already making plans for the return to classes after the holiday break.

The lessons take care of themselves, or so it seems after 35 years of teaching. However, the students do not. Those first few moments of that first day back are so important: Students WANT/need to catch-up with each other while you still want/NEED to get the classroom management things completed (attendance, lunch count, notes, etc.). So, what's a teacher to do to meet both of these wants/needs? It can be mind-BOGGLE-ing!

My solution is going to be to have my students play a round of Boggle. They can be social while still practicing language arts skills and quietly organized in order for me to get required tasks completed.

Here's a board that I created in no time flat using Microsoft Power Point, digital papers from Cutesy Clickables, glittery frames from Glitter Meets Glue, and fonts from I'm Lovin' Lit. The BEST part of this board is that it is editable; I can change the letters as I see fit.

I plan on projecting the board onto my interactive whiteboard so that the entire class can play Boggle at once while I do my "THING". Afterwards we can hunt for words together, circle them and even make a list of words found on the board.

I really like how the board turned out, so much so that I decided to make it available to you as a forever freebie. You can download your own copy HERE or by clicking on the pic above.

To customize your BOGGLE board once you've downloaded it, simply open it in Power Point, then click on each letter. Change the letter, font, size, color as you choose. Display the board on an interactive whiteboard or large screen television and instruct your students to find as many hidden words as possible (see traditional BOGGLE rules online if you are unsure of how to play). Tailor your directions and rules as you see fit. ENJOY!

I'm linking up this idea with Tara's Monday Made It over at 4th Grade Frolics! Be sure to stop by her blog for more great classroom ideas that you can make also.