Post-it Notes: one of my favorite things + Matthew 11:28-30.

Obviously the seminary life leaves little time for blogging ideas to share... and there is a fantastic Facebook page for seminary teachers with a plethora of helps and ideas (I use it fairly regularly). Not to mention I think most people have moved away from reading blogs... the quick social media updates are sufficient, I guess.

But...

a new seminary year has begun, and I wanted to share one of my favorite tools I use in class:

POST-IT NOTES.

I know this isn't my original idea, but I made the template myself and have used it over and over and over. I hope to share a few of the post-it's I've made over the past couple of years... eventually. I only have the time tonight for a couple, but {hopefully} more will be coming.

Here is what my blank template looks like for 3x3" post-it notes:

You can access the file for it here. 

You will want print a few pages of the blank template for printing your post-its. **Make sure you don't use the "fit to page" tab when printing, and that you have the scale at 100%** I have 21 kids in my class, so I print 4 pages of post-its when I make them hand out. I re-use these blank pages over and over.

When I want to make a new post-it, I ALWAYS make a COPY of my blank template before filling it in with my picture/quote/scripture reference/definitions/etc., so I don't have to reinvent a template every time. Hopefully that makes sense :-) I use PowerPoint... and an old version of it, so I'm not sure it will be helpful to explain my process. I love PPT because you can easily manipulate where you want words, their font & size, and you can add pictures over or under the text. I don't really use it as it was intended... for slide presentations.

Here is an example of what it looks like when I've finished my text for the post-its:

You can access the template for this post-it here. 
Because I was low on printer ink, I printed these in black and white, and they still turned out awesome.

Once I print them, I keep them on the blank template, put them on a clipboard, and pass them around to the class. They each take one and pop it in their scriptures or study journal.

I love them and the students love them. 

I've added a "Post-it's" PAGE and will put links to all of my templates there. xoxo

Tabbing Study Journals

I did this a few months back, but thought I would add it here for future use.

I actually got this idea from my sister, who teaches seminary in California. She had shown me how she had her class use their study journals last year by separating them out into Doctrinal Mastery topics. Since my class hardly used their study journals last year, I thought this was a FANTASTIC way to put them to better use this year. (Each student gets a new journal each year.)

My sister had tabbed her own study journal with those tiny post-it note tabs, but said she didn't do that for her class - they just had to find each section by flipping through their journal. As I thought about it, I decided it would be a great idea to put paper tabs on the journals prior to handing them out to the students at the beginning of the year.

I made a quick grid on my computer, then printed them on each color of cardstock. A couple other teachers wanted to tab the journals for their classes as well, so we had a mini journal-tabbing party in preparation for the year to start.

Once I printed the tabs on colored cardstock, I used an exacto knife to cut them out (you could use scissors, but the exacto was pretty quick and I could cut two sheets at a time). We then folded them in half, and used double-sided tape (we used this kind and this kind) on each end to stick them to the blank journal pages. You could definitely use a gluestick for that, too.

I made this handy guide to use while placing the tabs:

Now that we've been using them for a few months, I have really loved having the tabs. I counted out three sheets of blank journal pages per topic as I placed the tabs, with a couple extra pages at the end for extra journaling. Another teacher at the tabbing party only had one page per DM topic, which totally works, too. If I am still teaching Seminary next year, I will probably leave two pages per DM topic, with a few more extra pages for journaling.

I have been making glue-ins (quotes, mini worksheets, etc) for the journals as well, which saves space for the kids to journal also.

Here is a quick example of a recent glue-in we used under the DM topic of commandments.

I love this idea. It has worked amazingly well. We are using our DM Core Document and study journals much more efficiently and effectively this year. Thank you, dear sister!

Lesson 107; Helaman 3-4 +Valentines Day

I am the first to admit I am soooooo inconsistent when it comes to keeping up with this blog. I had every good intention to post many of the things I do for my Seminary class, not only to pass them along to others who may be looking for some tiny bit of inspiration (because sometimes that's what gets personal revelation flowing), but for my own future use should I need it. (I can't tell you how many Seminary teachers I know that are on a second round of 4 years... or more.)

Needless to say, Seminary is keeping me BUSY, and I don't have much time for 'splainin' why I'm not consistent. Haha.

My class loves post-it notes. 
I've discovered a simple way to make them (I shared the link to the how-to a couple of posts back). I've included here the link to a blank page + a link to a printed page that goes with this particular lesson (#107!!). I print 3 blank sheets out, then reuse them until they get too old to go through my printer well. I then tack blank post-it notes to the blank sheets, then print the printed sheet on top. Ta-da! I put the full sheets of printed post-its on a clipboard, then just pass it out in class and each student takes one and pops it into their scriptures. I can then re-use the blank pages.

Blank Post-it template HERE

Helaman 3 Post-it notes HERE

*Note: I believe you need to make sure the "fit to page" is OFF when you print these from a pdf. I will test... as soon as I can haha.

And since I'm giving this lesson tomorrow (and tying it into Mardi Gras... SO much going on!), and since I already made this handout for my Visiting Teaching friends, and since it fits perfectly with the quote I used on my post-it, and since it's the day before Valentines Day, I'm throwing this in for fun:

I call these "glue-ins"... my students can use a glue-stick and glue along the back of the left edge, then carefully add it into their scriptures or Study Journals. My team teacher and I gave each student a paper copy of the Book of Mormon this year, lest you worry that we are encouraging them to do too many crazy things (like glue-ins) in their expensive scriptures (although I have every intention of marking up/post-it noting/using glue-ins in the next set I get!)

VALENTINE printable link HERE

If I have a few extra minutes tomorrow (hahahaha), I'll explain how I'm tying Mardi Gras to Helaman 3-4, and Lent to Helaman 5. Not my own original idea, I'll admit, but it's awesome.  That's why I'm so grateful for other seasoned teachers who share their great ideas!

**Visiting Teaching BONUS... here's the link to my VT handout, which is similar to the one above, but with an additional scripture that went along with the bread and jam I gave with it :-) I'm seriously over-achieving this week (and I don't mean that in a good way haha)!

Doctrinal Mastery cards

This is my week off teaching, so I thought I would throw together a handy tool for the kids in our class as they try to MASTER Doctrinal Mastery :-)  Looking back, "throw together" may not be an accurate description, as it took a bit longer than I had anticipated (3 days haha). HOWEVER, I managed to complete the project by using what I already had on hand. YAY!

As you can see from the above picture, I have yet to finish assembling the cards for the second half of the year. I debated about whether to hand them all out at once, or to give them out as we covered them in class. Because it took some time to get all of them done, I ended up giving them the first cards we covered (from the Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge segment), then we added all the cards up to the semester break, and I am completing all the remaining cards today. I decided that it would be good for the kids to have them all now so they can study and review them, and use them as needed in class.

I borrowed the graphics for these cards from here. There are some awesome free printables with these same graphics... just not cards in the size and format I wanted. Darn.

Here are the links for each card, with 8 cards per page. On my printer this layout printed perfectly front-to-back, but you may want to check it FIRST because all printers are different, and there may be some slight size modifications in the powerpoint-to-pdf transfer. You may need to print one side, then print the other. I printed on colored paper to go with the doctrine each scripture falls under, then laminated them, cut (again), and hole-punched them.

1 Nephi 3:7  (dark blue - Commandments)
2 Nephi 2:22-25  (Light blue - The Plan of Salvation)
2 Nephi 2:27  (light blue - The Plan of Salvation)
2 Nephi 26:33  (purple - The Godhead
2 Nephi 28:30  (gray - Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge [ASK])
2 Nephi 32:3  (gray - ASK)
2 Nephi 32:8-9. (gray - ASK)
Mosiah 2:17 (dark blue - Commandments)
Mosiah 2:41  (dark blue - Commandments)
Mosiah 3:19  (red - The Atonement of Jesus Christ)
Mosiah 4:9  (gray - ASK)
Mosiah 18:8-10  (orange - Ordinances and Covenants)
Alma 7:11-13  (red - The Atonement)
Alma 34:9-10  (red - The Atonement)
Alma 39:9  (pink - Marriage and Family)
Alma 41:10  (dark blue - Commandments)
Helaman 5:12  (red - The Atonement)
3 Nephi 11:10-11 (purple - The Godhead)
3 Nephi 12:48  (purple - The Godhead)
3 Nephi 18:15, 20-21  (purple - The Godhead)
3 Nephi 27:20  (orange - Ordinances and Covenants)
Ether 12:6 (gray - ASK)
Ether 12:27  (red - The Atonement)
Moroni 7:45, 47-48  (dark blue - Commandments)
Moroni 10:4-5  (gray - ASK)

 Ta-da! Like magic... a completed set

Hoping these little babies will be purposeful, used, and appreciated ;-)

1 Nephi 8

I think I'll primarily (haha) just drop my seminary stuff here. No long explanation, just ideas I've used in teaching a particular lesson.  Some of them I've found elsewhere, then maybe tweaked a bit. I will try to acknowledge any sites I use for ideas (still just recycling, repurposing, and reusing).

Today was 1 Nephi 8.

I had a couple of the kids draw on the whiteboard as we read - it turned out to be really great!

I after we went through the basic parts of Lehi's vision, I split them into groups of three and gave them each a symbol to find what it represents. You can find the assignments here.

Then I handed out post-it notes for them to put in their scriptures to help remind them what we came up with. I found a super easy way to print post-it notes here.

You can access the post-it note document here.

I made this glue-in (for journals) at the beginning my lesson preparation yesterday, but we didn't get around to using it today. I may take a few minutes tomorrow to expound a bit and wrap up a few things that I think are important to point out.

That's all I got for today... on to tomorrow's lesson!

WELCOME TO SEMINARY

So... I was recently called as an early morning seminary teacher.

This is inwardly one of my most respected callings (I've always admired anyone who has served in this way), and one of my most feared! And although I already have those inward jitters and shakes about standing in front of a large class (20ish) of 15-turning-16-year-olds (sophomores), I am also surprisingly EXCITED.

Our seminary starts on Monday, but my beautiful daughter just had a baby, and since my plans prior to my call were to travel to UT to help her for a week once the baby arrived, I am sticking with them. Lucky for me, I serve in a Stake where the majority of seminary classes are taught by team teachers. (Yay! Hope for a seminary teacher/family life/personal life balance!)

My delightful team teacher will kindly manage the first week of seminary, and while she drops a child off at college the second week, I'll be in charge. Scary.

The last time I have been in seminary (other than the parent's day our last Stake held on the first day to give basic rules and guidelines, and to meet your child's teacher) was when I was in high school. (Over 30 years ago, btw.) I grew up in UT, so had released time seminary, and, sad to say, I don't remember much (other than a few cheesy filmstrips, rhyming scripture mastery phrases, and the boy who asked me to the Homecoming dance my sophomore year that I had to turn down because I wasn't 16). So basically, I've got nothin' on that front.

But I love being with the youth, and feel that I've been blessed with the ability to relate and connect with them when I've been called to do so. I've always felt magnified beyond my own natural abilities and disposition. I'm praying for those same blessings this time. I'm a bit tentative because everyone I talk to focuses on the one kid (or two, or three, or more) who sleeps the whole time... or looks at her phone the whole time... or who is disruptive and disrespectful. I'm gearing up for such a scenario, but also hope I can influence any and all of them for good. I want to be an example of how the gospel of Jesus Christ makes our lives joyful.

Anyway, I've decided to add my seminary stuff to my singing time blog, if only because I really don't want to take the time to create anything new. I think I can manage a quick title change... and it's all for the same purpose of bringing children and youth to Christ, right?? Hopefully it doesn't throw anyone off!

My team teacher ("Sister Holt" from here on out) and I decided that we would have the youth in our class use the paper-bound copies of the Book of Mormon for seminary. We will not have the youth access their scriptures from their phones. We don't want to see their phones AT ALL. This was on the advice of my youngest daughter, who completed her sophomore year of seminary this past year. I can definitely see the wisdom in it.

Our hope is that the kids will not be afraid to mess up their little paper copy, and will write notes, glue in quotes, mark up, and USE THEM. I have a vision of weathered and worn copies that need to be held together with rubber bands at the end of the year.

This is just a little insert I typed up for the kids to put in the front of their Book of Mormon copy. They will have the option to glue it in, tape it in, or use it as a bookmark. I feel that it's simple enough not to overwhelm.

I found the original here, but when I printed it, it wasn't very clear/easy to read. And if you've followed my singing time blog, you already know I often like to tweak and repurpose the ideas of others. (BTW... I'm using some of that Primary stuff for seminary... the UNO game would totally work with learning doctrinal mastery scriptures.)

You can get the pdf doc here.

I hope to add more throughout the year.
Pray for me (or at least wish me luck)!

I Am a Child of God - Handbell Flipchart

I'm back.  Briefly.

Subbing for 3 weeks (so fun!).

Since the kids are quite very familiar with the two songs they have been working on so far this year, and I know they love, love, LOVE the handbells, and I spotted a quick-to-print handbell chart here, I thought it would be the perfect thing to do this week.

The only problem - my handbells are different colors than on Nalani's chart.
(I didn't even think to see if I could CHANGE the colors on her chart... until now.)

Luckily, it was easy to transfer over to a simplified version (took me all of 30 minutes - or less), quick to print, and fast to laminate and bind Sunday morning before heading off to church.

It's a little different format than I've used before, so I wasn't sure how well it would go over, especially for Jr. Primary.

It worked like a charm.  Made me wonder why on earth I ever lugged those big posterboard-type handbell charts to church.  The Jr. Primary actually did better than the Sr. in the initial run-through.  Sr. Primary made it through all four verses, though ;-)

Just thought I would post it because... it's done.  And this is a great place to store it and allow access for

WHOEVER, 

WHENEVER.

I Am a Child of God handbell flip chart here.