Wednesday, October 24, 2012

My Class Goes CRAZY for The Crazy Professor


Thanks to Pinterest, I have been absent from the blogging world and instead busy making craft after craft for my daughter’s party on Saturday.  What on earth did I do before Pinterest?  I just wanted to write an updated post about how I’ve been using The Crazy Professor in my room, and explain its role in my Reading block.  If you want an introduction on the basics of implementing The Crazy Professor, check out an older post HERE.
My students LOVE The Crazy Professor!  Of course there are the handful of painfully shy students who would prefer to bury their head in the book and hide, but the thing I love about Whole Brain Teaching is that it makes ALL students participate as active learners in order to  improve their listening AND verbal skills.  Even though they might not want to admit it, these students love the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones and pretend they are outgoing and silly, all while learning.

 I honestly can’t say I have kids that are “too cool” to participate, because those students are the ones that get the most into it (since they actually have an excuse to move around and be full of “drama”). I do have students who can get pretty lazy with their gestures and reading, so I usually loudly exclaim “CLASS!” to get everyone’s attention,  inform them that I don’t see everyone using GIGANTIC gestures, and give myself a point on the Scoreboard! This usually gets them motivated, and they begin to try and outdo each other with really big motions and high energy!    I then linger around those who may still be lacking in vigor, and they tend to improve.  At even the SMALLEST glimpse of improvement, I take the opportunity to stop the class to give a Ten Finger WOO to those students and enthusiastically award a Super Improver star.  If you use your Super Improvers Team wisely, this should ALWAYS work.
Most of the stories in our Trophies textbook are pretty long, so I do Crazy Professor in 2 Parts. Mondays we use context clues to figure out the meaning of our vocabulary words, do a Read Aloud on a similar subject, and introduce the week’s focus skills and writing. Tuesdays, students read the first half of the story using Crazy Professor.  I call out “Step One!” and students immediately do a 3 peat (“Step One, Step One, Step One!”) and begin reading dramatically while their partner gestures or acts it out. When I say “Switch!”, the other student picks up reading dramatically right where the other student left off.  I take turns calling out steps 1-3, allowing for students to read a section, paraphrase it, ask each other questions, and then continue reading.  I don’t do the actual “Crazy Professor” step until Day 2, when they have read the entire story.  At the end of The Crazy Professor Part 1, we meet as a class for a discussion on what was read, and share the questions they asked in their pairs.
Crazy Professor Part 2, on day two, is where the REAL fun begins! We read the second half of the story using the same process as above, however we break out our PROPS for the final step!  The props have become so popular, that I now have to pull weekly job sticks for our Prop Committee.  These students stay in for recess and make the props that go with the story.  We ONLY use props for the final “Crazy Professor” step, so it builds the anticipation to read on the second day.  I also use my  VOLUME-O-METER very carefully on day two, so that it doesn’t become too crazy too fast.  If it gets too loud or I want more intensity, I shout “”VOLUME-O-METER” and move my hand up or down on my meter.  (I will add a picture of mine tomorrow!)  Their voices quickly adjust, without interrupting them from their reading.  After day two comes to an end, we again hold a student led discussion about the story.  We use past Power Pix to lead our shared reading (for example: main idea, author’s purpose, summarize, paraphrase, point of view). As I introduce a new Power Pix, we add it to our meetings.
Some may be skeptical about the benefits of using The Crazy Professor, but I have seen great improvements in comprehension.  It also helps with training students to gesture while reading in ANY subject.  I see the effectiveness of gesturing close and personal during Guided Reading.  Also, when reading those long, drawn out state test samples I sometimes use, I have students gesture and read dramatically.  Acting out the reading helps students so much  more than just visualizing the events while they read.  It makes it more enjoyable to get through,too.  In November, I will be the 5th grade afterschool reading teacher, so I am going to use this as a technique with students I get from the other classes.  I’ll report on how well it is received, but I am sure that the other 5th graders will also go CRAZY for The Crazy Professor!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Going for the Gold: The Triple Gold Sentence

What is the simplest way for kids to write at the most complex level? …THE TRIPLE GOLDER! 
With all of the different writing standards our students must meet AND the endless writing rules, there are SO many ways for their writing to go right off the deep end! The Triple Golder is a scaffolded topic sentence frame that has students select three DIFFERENT subjects that each lead into their own paragraph. It sounds like the typical five paragraph formula, however when paired with The Genius Ladder, Oral Writing and the use of CLINKERS, the Triple Gold Sentence will help students PRACTICE writing in an organized, college level approach.
The timing of this webcast could not have come at a better time! Last week I created a Power Pix that has helped my students memorize the organization of the 5 paragraph essay.  (A 5 paragraph essay begins with an INTRODUCTION, the 2nd paragraph is about the FIRST reason, the 3rd paragraph is the SECOND reason…etc)
While the Power Pix gestures helped a great deal in organizing their essays, the problem truly was the lack of PRACTICE I’d given my students in creating THREE VERY DIFFERENT EXAMPLES!  I thought I had done enough by using a clear outline, modeling ideas that were very different, modeling ideas that were too similar and having students refer to the Power Pix gestures when writing independently. Judging by the student work I received, clearly it was not sufficient. This is a topic sentence a student wrote:
 “ My largest goal in my life is to become a doctor. I will do this in three ways, by going to school every day and not being absent, going to school and trying my best, and not dropping out of school.”
The remainder of this student’s essay seemed to blur around the one simple idea of” going to school”. A lot of students shared this problem, and it was MY fault. Instead, I should've started with basic sentence frames and given students proper practice in choosing three, diverse examples.  The missing component was simply PRACTICE! The essay writing process cannot be fully grasped in a measly  week of instruction and practice. I believe I got so excited by the sudden improvement in their writing that I got ahead of myself. After watching the webcast yesterday, I approached writing very differently today.

This morning, the bottom rung of my Genius Ladder looked like this:
My favorite food is___________ because ___________, _____________, and __________.
For the majority of the time, this sentence frame is ALL we used.   After explaining the CLINKER, we used oral writing to fill in the blanks REPEATEDLY!  I loved having a word designed to alert students of ideas that are TOO SIMILAR!  My class was introduced to The Trickster sock puppet, and they loved declaring “CLINKER” in unison, when The Trickster purposely gave examples that were practically the same, such as: “My favorite food is pizza because it is yummy, delicious and tastes so good!”  We improved on this CLINKER sentence to create a Triple Gold Sentence:  “My favorite food is pizza because you can eat it with your hands, you can choose a variety of toppings, and it is greasy.”
 The students had a blast orally creating paragraphs based on these three ideas, that went on to include adders about licking sauce off their fingers, eating salty anchovies, and the joys of blotting the grease off their pizza with a napkin. Anytime an adder was off topic, we'd do the bungie jump off of our arm!  Before we knew it, we had orally created a five paragraph essay!
Was the content of the writing curriculum based? NO, however the golden thread of fun disguised the fact that students were using critical thinking to “triple think” about what they were saying, how it fit into what they had previously said, and how it would fit into what came next.  This is a very difficult skill to master, and with continued PRACTICE I hope to get them to the point where writing five paragraph essays are as easy as unfolding origami!

Webcast 542

Friday, October 12, 2012

The Potent Power of Power Pix

 Here is the reveal of my Power Pix Wall:

Reading Power Pix Wall

Math Power Pix Wall



Initially, I was VERY intimidated and overwhelmed about using Power Pix in my classroom! Given that I teach 5th grade and Power Pix are only already made for grade 3 and below, I felt I didn’t have time to create them AND implement all the other components of WBT. I am so thankful I decided to commit to using them in my classroom! If you want to know the basics of Power Pix, read my post on the Whole Brain Teaching forum HERE. Now that I have used them as an integral part of my lessons for over a month, I can give a personal account of its powerful benefits.

LESSON STARTER

I begin almost every lesson with the introduction of the Power Pix that goes along with the standard I’m teaching. I then introduce a gesture that correlates with the visual representation. Students mirror my gestures and “teach” each other (also using gestures and eventually specific examples). I always begin my review lessons by calling the appropriate grid coordinate on the Power Pix wall that relates to the specific lesson.  Using Power Pix as a lesson starter, will engage visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners from the very beginning of instruction!

RETENTION AND CRITICAL THINKING
If students cannot recall how to do a particular math problem or how to figure out an author’s Point of View, all they need to do is look at the board for the direct reminder. I often see students gesturing and looking at the Power Pix while working through independent work! You can actually cover a specific Power Pix for a test, and students STILL visually remember which one was there. You can integrate critical thinking skills by having students compare and contrast different Power Pix using the *because* clapper. For example: A prime number is different from a composite number *because* a prime number only has 2 factors, 1 and itself, and a composite number has more than 2 factors.

FLEXIBILITY
I am a do- it – yourselfer at heart, so I draw my own Power Pix. This works for me because I can decide to add one at any time, especially if I decide to change the way I approach the lesson. I plan on eventually streamlining them and scanning them for the use of other 5th grade teachers. Being that I taught 4th grade last year, a lot of the same ones may also be used. I am going to laminate them so that they stay in good shape for years to come. If you don’t fancy drawing your own, there are templates you can insert clipart unto right HERE.  I still have to write the corresponding common core standard on each Power Pix.


 EAGER STUDENTS
I always used to get annoyed when students would finish work or tests early and ask me the dreaded question “I’m finished! What do I do now?” Now, they sit in their seats and review their gestures using the Power Pix wall, grab a SuperSpeed folder and practice their fluency or EVEN do this:




Can you believe it? This picture is from a couple of weeks ago, but the amazing thing is that this student leaves the room several times a day for accommodations and he STILL found a way to copy this to use as his personal study guide! I saw him doing this during breakfast one morning and HAD to snap a picture as proof!

If you still have doubts that Power Pix could work in your classroom, just promise yourself to try it for even a week! If you have any questions, or want any gesture ideas to go with your lessons, feel free to ask! EVERY class has visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners that could benefit from using this technique! Allow yourself the opportunity to discover the potent power of Power Pix!

If you would like to learn more, watch Webcast 529 below, or at your own convenience at WholeBrainTeaching.com!





 

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

WBT Conference: I was DELIGHTED in Delaware!

On Friday, I skipped school with a 3rd grade teacher in my building and drove to Delaware for the WBT Conference. I am SO glad that I did! Although most of the material was familiar to me, the conference helped sharpen my WBT implementation, allowed me to view WBT from the perspective of my students, and most importantly, affirmed my mission to make the education system better for the children in this country!

During the conference, we had to speak in complete sentences for EVERYTHING. After a short while, it became second nature to do it. The experience made me realize that I don’t require it in my classroom at ALL times. My students really do well with this overall, but I’m not always consistent with it during Math. Today, I whipped them into shape in only one period! Complete sentences were effortlessly flowing out of their mouths. I also worked on making mighty groans more quick and crisp!

As long as we keep our own energy levels high, and continue to motivate our students, there is no reason for us to 'lose' our students in the afternoon. Coach B. demonstrated that afternoon energy can be MANIPULATED (as all things can!) When teachers return from lunch, it seems as though student energy is impossible to revive. Through the proper use of the Scoreboard, momentum isn’t lost! After a long lunch break and a stroll in the park at the conference, I was full and lethargic. It was clear that the majority of other teachers were in the same boat. It was only a matter of time before we were transformed under the power of the Scoreboard! The energy was actually at an all day high towards the END of the conference, before we were released early for good behavior!

The most inspiring time of the day, was listening to Coach “get serious”. I have a deep passion for teaching and strive to make a difference for each of my students. I wish I were the type that could use the computer to produce page after page of curriculum genius, but then those amazing teachers on
teacherspayteachers.com, wouldn’t acquire my hard earned money! My strength is connecting with my students and delivering content in an engaging way. WBT has taken me to another level in this area. I believe WBT is so addicting because it helps bring out the best in each of us. Imagine if EVERY student had teachers that LOVED what they did and used techniques that made learning exciting and enjoyable! I am working towards certification so that I can help show others that WBT is a movement that is valuable and rewarding!

If you can make it to a conference, you will see that it is worth the journey. I gained a great deal from only one day. I get jealous of the West Coast WBT family, so I will be working on getting a conference in the City of Brotherly Love. It might take some work getting Coach B. over here, but both the teachers and students will thank me in the end!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Super Improver's Team: Rewarding individual improvements, one star at a time!

"Students are not competing against each other, but themselves!"  - Coach B.

With a little over two weeks of school under my belt, last Thursday I unveiled the Super Improver's Team in front of both parents and children at Back to School Night.  When I explained it, I instantly saw parents gleaming at the thought of their child FINALLY having the opportunity to be recognized for their own INDIVIDUAL improvements.  Students were also clearly excited at the thought of special rewards for beating their own personal records!  It was the BEST B2SN I've had!  (I even had students play SuperSpeed Math and Reading with their parents, to explain how it should be done when I send it home for homework in the coming weeks!!!)

After one full week of utilizing the SIT, I have to tell you how amazing it is to have a tool that forces us as teachers to be more aware of student improvement, even in the smallest things.  It is also a great platform for students to celebrate each other's improvements as players working together on a TEAM.  Today, one of my more challenging students initiated a 10 finger woo to another student who did something star worthy.  I think my heart literally jumped for joy!  Before I go into more of these magical moments, let me explain the basics of the Super Improvers Team.

First, put all of the students names on a wall, board, or ANYWHERE you can find room.  I have put mine on a rolling platform so I can always have it near me depending on where I am in the classroom.  It is a constant reminder to NOTICE my students.  When in the process of 'revealing' the SIT to your classroom, it is great to leave their names on there with no explanation as all except, "you will see".

Beside the names there needs to be a color code with 10 colors.  Each color represents a different level on the Super Improver's Wall.  The SIT allows you to do what the grading system does NOT:  give students the fair opportunity to leave at a different level then they came in at.  When students receive 10 stars, they get to move up a level and the name of their color card changes accordingly.  With 10 improvements for every level and 10 different levels, thats 100 improvements to get to during a school year!



Make sure to give each level a name!  Download this FREE, supercute, rockstar themed SIT template HERE, that I saw from Ginger Snaps on TPT ! I just didn't have the color cartridge to print it, so I'm temporarily only using the creative names of her levels! I'm thinking that I'll upgrade to her complete set after Christmas break, when the class needs a scenic change!


 Once the SIT is up and running, it is time to REWARD!  If you notice a dramatic improvement in the first week, award the first stars.  The improvement can be in anything from speaking in complete sentences, increasing their math/reading fluency in SuperSpeed, neater writing, or ANYTHING that your student's significantly improve in!  For those students who are already high achieving and you think won't be able to make obvious improvements, create goals that only pertain to those students.  Place weekly goals on the board, that give a chance for those  students to imrpove.  We have to find a way to include ALL students.

Especially with the pressure of the Common Core, one of my favorite things to reward on is CRITICAL THINKING.  I use regular stars on their namecards for improvements in the classroom but I use STICKER stars for students who blow me away with their answers that show critical thinking.  On Monday I let students in on the secret that a mere 5 critical thinking stars can also move you up to the next level, instead of the 10 improvement stars- whichever is achieved first.  YES, my 5th grade students in my class are really aiming for those sticker stars! 

 This week I introduced Doofus and Smartie, a WBT critical thinking strategy that uses pretend, silly, hand puppets to help students explain their answers and think through their mistakes.  Today the MOST shy student in my classroom raised his hand to take part in a Smartie and Doofus word problem demonstration on the board.  The whole class cheered him on the whole way.  I mean this kid is the one who literally breaks out in hives anytime I talk to him!  He transformed into this humorous character when going into his Doofus voice!  I am definitely going to have my fun plugging this strategy into many activities!  I  had to use my name sticks to pick names after he went because everyone wanted a shot at their very own personal puppet show!

As I pointed out before, we as teachers need to IMPROVE on noticing and encouraging ALL of our students.  The SIW is a great tool for doing this, but it is still difficult to be mindful of all students EVERY day.  This week I remembered a helpful tip that had been shared on the webcast.  Have a folder of roll sheets that you keep  on the corner of your desk.  As you praise a student, put a dot next to their name on the roll sheet.  By the end of the day, a dot should be on every single student on the roll sheet.  If not, this will help focus our attention to those who somehow get ignored or lost in the crowd of almost 30 students! 

Because of the SIT, students are also more in tune with how their fellow students are progressing.  I had several students report to me that one of the bullies from last year, was no longer bothering anyone (just as she has promised me on the first day of school.)  I made a big classroom announcement about it and everyone enthusiastically gave her a ten finger woo!  She was actually the FIRST recipient of an improvement star.  I couldn't think of any better way to start!

It is still a work in progress but THIS is how my Super Improver Wall looked at the end of today, week one: (tomorrow I will be at the WBT Conference in Delaware! WHOO HOO!)



 I write the improvement starts with dry erase marker on the top and the sticker stars for critical thinking on the bottom (they are hard to see).  To make my wall reusable, I slowly "borrowed" free paint samples from Walmart the last month of summer.  I laminated the colored cards for their names, before putting actual names on them.  This way I can write on them with dry erase markers and reuse them next year!  The stickers come right off! 

Here are some ideas I'll be using in my own classroom to reward students with the Super Improvers Team:

  • Every few levels take a silly photo of the student and their friends.  Develop it but turn it backwards so it can't be seen.  After 5 stars on that level, it gets turned around for all to see (suggested by Coach B!)
  • Earn a luxury seat from our VIP Reading Lounge for guided reading and free choice  (our ottomons, rocking chair, and comfy chair)
  • Class leader for rules.  I'm going to be making a special pin for the student to wear.
  • Check out a book from our popular Select Series in our library (Diary of a Whimpy Kid, Goosebumps, Hunger Games, I Survived...)
  • Independent Work computer math game time or read one of our eStoria books
  • Recess or Early Morning Helper (it cuts down on the 15 kids who want to stay in for recess and "help" me every day- a wonderful problem I have)
  • Crazy Professor Prop Makers (I'll show a sample of this new feature in the future)
If you have any other ideas to add to the list, please feel free to share by commenting! You can also FINALLY become a follower, because Coach B. pointed out I was missing that gadget!  Hey, I'm new to this blogging game! hehe :)

Ms. Cruz

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

SuperSpeed Math 2.0.. with some dessert


"Why do my kids make so many math mistakes?  I see the solution!"  -Nervous Nita

If you haven't watched a live webcast before, you are missing out!  I used my children as an excuse before, but now they just go to bed EARLY on Tuesdays!  Can I get a mighty OH YEAH!?  It is refreshing to be able to share with other teachers who are as passionate about WBT as you are!  Today the energy was SUPER high as we talked about SUPERSPEED Math!  The biggest problems with  basic  thorny math facts, is that they aren't practiced enough, students don't get immediate feedback,  it is BORING and is NOT motivating at all! 

 As my students now love to say, "Practice makes PERMANENT!"  Every year we expect our students to memorize their basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and even fraction facts.  Every year we  convince ourselves that we are  bogged down by testing and the curriculum, and don't make the time to give our students the repition they need.  The truth is,  if we don't make the time, students will NEVER remember them.  It is in OUR best interest to give them the practice they need and NOT in the form of  "old school" flashcards!

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Print out the ebook, SuperSpeed Math 2.0, on WholeBrainTeaching.com under FREE EBOOKS. You must be a member, but it is totally FREE!  I suggest buying the $.15 prong folders at Walmart and the page protectors at Sams Club.  Get the free one day trial HERE, and you only pay $10  for 200 page protectors.  I needed 2 packs because I have 27 students and will be using them for homework.  If you are tight on cash, you could do one folder for each pair of students. Being the bargainista that I am, I did my research and this is the cheapest you will find them!  Copy the test sheets back to back and the answer sheets back to back.  Put them in the folder in this way so that one student only turns to the test portion and the other turns to the answer section in the back.  This is the suggested weekly schedule to follow:

Monday:  Addition
Tuesday:  Subtraction
Wednesday:  Multiplication
Thursday:  Division
Friday:  Fractions or Gnarlies!

READY, GET SET..GO!
Working in pairs, students will get one minute to say combinations of math facts from 0 to 10.  If theres an odd amount of students, the extra student will be MORE than happy to be your partner (TRUST me!)  Student A has to say the problem and answer ORALLY, while Student B checks and CORRECTS the answers. If student A makes a mistake, their partner will put a dot next to the problem with a dry erase marker and tell them "Go back two!"   At the end of the minute, the student circles the last problem they answered.  Then the student will REVIEW their dotted incorrect answers before beginning their second attempt!  Each operation has 2 tests: Level 1 and Level 2.  Level 1 is in numerical order and Level 2 is random with all of the difficult "gnarlies" at the top.  This way students practice the problems that all students tend to have difficulty remembering.  The beauty is that students recieve IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK and get to PRACTICE correcting their mistakes, so that the next time they remember them!

The next day students play, they start one line down from where they stopped previously so that they eventually get through all of the problems.  Notice I said PLAY.  How can math facts be boring, when it is turned into a game where students beat their OWN records?!  In Math, students rarely see progress, so SuperSpeed makes students feel like they are actually going somewhere!  Students keep track of their own personal records.  NO child is left behind when we are focused on INDIVIDUAL improvement!  I have students keep their records in the last section of their classwork notebooks with the date.  That way I have a way of tracking their progress as well.  Since students do not dot on their page protectors with a pencil, it is also a good idea to have them jot down their own personal gnarlies in their notebooks.  The goal is that students will eventually practice and master their own list of gnarlies! 

WE HAVE A WINNER!
One of the many great things about WBT is that everyone has a chance to be a winner, and the reward is intrinsic.  Students feel better when they do better.  A big improvement on a test grade goes way deeper than a prize or Tootsie Roll!  Students will gain self confidence as they continue to beat their own records.  The Super Improvers Wall is another opportunity to motivate students, as they strive to improve their personal records again and again! 

DESSERT
Speaking of the Super Improvers Wall, students are always striving for those ultra fancy critical thinking stars.  Coach B. came up with a BRILLIANT idea that will get students PROVING answers graphically instead of rotely.  While it is essential to have fact fluency, it is important for students to SHOW why a problem like 21/7 = 3!  Being a visual learner, this technique easily made sense!  Word problems will become so much simpler for your students!  This SWEET piece of goodness is in the form of Chocolate Math.  Think of it as a new and improved number chart.   I'd love to tell you more, but I want you to check it out for yourself, while I experiment with it in my own room.  Watch Webcast 540 and grab the Chocolate Math freebie when you buy the webcast pdf for $5.40!  Before I forget, I am heading to grab mine using the Paypal link on the right of the site!  Once I have tinkered with it in my own room, I'll be sure to report back to you just how yummy it was!

Monday, October 1, 2012

DIY: Milk Crate Ottoman



It's been almost a week since I've posted, due to my daughter getting PNEUMONIA!  Last week showed the strength of WBT, as I was barely awake from dealing with the madness, and still able to push through at school!  This weekend I gave myself a DIY boost to get myself going full throttle.  I created these milk crate ottomons for  $6.25 each (I made 6)!  I've seen this project done various ways on pinterest and different blogs, but this way was the easiest, cheapest way to put all the ideas in one!  (The inside looks cluttered because I threw all of my supplies in there temporarily).  My students LOVED them and talked about how soft the cushions were.  I only allowed them to test them out today because they are Super Improver Wall incentives!  It already has them excited!


You Will Need To Buy:

  • Milk Crates                      
$3.50 at Walmart
  • Fabric                               
 $1.00 a yard
(Walmart had alot of discount fabrics, so I made 6 ottomons 
out of 3 yards of fabric)
  • Foam Mattress Pad          
$9.97 for a Twin and a dollar more for a full (Mainstays Brand)
  • Plywood                          
My grandpa had some lying around,  but if you go to Home Depot with the crate, they will cut it out for you for free.  The wood is cheap!

My grandpa hard at work!  He is the best :)




Home Supplies:
Staple Gun and staples




STEP 1:
Lay the foam pad face down on the ground.  Put the cut wood on top and trace each piece.




Step 2:
Take the wood and put it on top of the fabric.  I eyeballed the measurements (like I said, I do it the EASY/LAZY way) but I left about 3 1/2 inches for each side, then cut the fabric.



Step 3:
Lay the foam flat side down on the fabric and put the wood on top.  I did 2 of the lids with the wavy side down on the fabric but DUH! the top seemed a little too uneven for my liking.  Staple the fabric as you go.  I did the sides like wrapping paper and stapled them.  When I was done, I covered the empty square in the middle by just cutting a square of fabric and stapling it on top.  It's just the bottom, but it made it look more complete!

Step 4:
Put the lid on the open side of the crate and it sits right on it easily.  I've seen it done on the sides or glued on top of the crate, but this way it can hold books and supplies.  I'm all for multi-purpose furniture! I have 5th graders, so I know it is strong enough for students that are younger!  They are pretty sturdy. 
 










The finished product: 
(I found this 5x8 rug in the clearance section of Walmart, for $5!)


I return them under the tables when they are not being used for cute, room saving storage!

I'll be sharing more of my rockstar themed room soon!