PENCIL BOX  Minimize constant requests for pencils by creating two cups—one for sharpened and one for dull pencils, suggests Loreta Torres, a second-grade teacher in San Francisco. Mark each cup and assign a student each week to sharpen pencils during recess time. Each student begins the year with three pencils marked with his or her name, and when they get dull, the students put them in the appropriate cup. Pencils not labeled are left in the sharpened pencil cup for use as needed.

PHONE HELP  Teachers working with students who have trouble reading or speaking clearly may want to try a “phone” in their lessons, says Phil Weber of Quincy, Ill. Construct the “phones” out of a few inches of plastic PVC pipe and two plastic PVC elbow joints. When students speak or read into the phone, the sound of their voice is carried directly to their ears. They can clearly hear what they sound like and don’t need to speak too loudly to hear themselves, so the technique can work with several students at the same time.

TIME ON TASK  Use a digital cooking timer to remind you when to end an activity, suggests Michele Bonet-Grund, a middle school teacher from Elmira, N.Y. It’s easy to lose track of time while walking around and helping students, she notes, so the beeping serves as a great audio reminder.

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