Treasured Tip of the Week - Focus Board!

This year I vowed to work smart not hard!
I decided to take the time during the summer to create everything I needed for my focus board, print, and laminate it, so I don't have to write it over and over and over again on the white board throughout the year.

Here is a picture of my focus board:

It includes the following: (from left to right - color coded like the board)

Text Map (the non-fiction elements)

Story Map (literary elements & story structure)

Targets (both my state standards, Florida & the new Common Core Standards)

Reader's Workshop Schedule

Classwork & Homework

Classroom Rules, Rewards, and Consequences Poster.

For the Targets/Objectives I created strips on Power Point that I laminated and cut up 

(ok... I admit it... made a student cut them :))

I use blue painters tape and loop it on the back of the cards and tape them to White Board.

Now that I set it up its super low maintenance!!!!

All I have to do is change the target strips weekly :)

NO MORE writing them over and over again!!!

Here is a picture of the target strips 

My target strips include all of the 6-8 Reading & Literacy Objectives from the Common Core Standards & The Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

This file along with all of the cards for the focus wall is available in my TpT store.

(Only the Reading/Literacy/Media/Speaking & Listening objectives are included.

Writing & Language Conventions are not included)

I love using Power Point to design things!!! It's so easy to manage!

It took a ton f work to create the target strips but sooooooooooooo worth it!!!

My principal loved it so much! 

I always have my kids rewrite the daily objective in their own words as part of our mini lessons.

It helps the set a goal for themselves and see what they are going to accomplish in class that day.

They always start it like this "Today, I will be able to ...." 

It's great to see them own it!