Technology Integration First Year Recap

Love me some technology!! Here are a few highlights of how I integrate technology to engage students and enrich their learning. Enjoy!

1. Unit Reviews with Jeopardy

Who doesn't love a good ol' round of Jeopardy? This isn't your typical PowerPoint Jeopardy...have you heard of JeopardyLabs? It's free and looks so authentic! I started creating these as test reviews but then thought, silly me, I should have the students make these! So they did. :) But they only did it once because it was rather time consuming for them to create their own. However they got so into Jeopardy that they were making them at home with the categories as different members of their family!  Two other students created a Jeopardy about Greek Gods and Goddesses for fun too. Here are the links to a few we used in class: Ancient Egypt and China, Fractions, Estimation, Tables, and Calendar, Matter, Measurement, and Probability.

2. Research, Writing, and Egypt with Puppet Pals

Click Photo to View Movie

This may be my favorite project from this past year because it was FUN and integrated reading, writing, and social studies. When I discovered the Puppet Pals app I couldn't wait to use it in the classroom. The students created videos where they acted like a tour guide in ancient Egypt. Here's a description of the app from iTunes:

"Simply pick out your actors and backdrops, drag them on to the stage, and tap record. Your movements and audio will be recorded in real time for playback later."

First I had the students research ancient Egypt. This opportunity gave the students practice locating information in a nonfiction text (our social studies textbook), which is a comprehension skill they struggled with. I created a research guide using the essential questions from our state's curriculum. The students recorded their research in a tree map.

Then the students used their research to write a five paragraph script as a tour guide. The students got really creative and into their role as a tour guide! I recall some of them writing in their introduction things like "I hope you had a safe plane ride!" and "I hope you brought lots of water because it's going to be hot in the desert!"

After they finished writing their script, they were ready to begin using Puppet Pals. First they selected their backdrops from Google Images (photos of pyramids, the Nile River, the desert, etc.). Then I took their photo so they could upload themselves into Puppet Pals. I also permitted them to use two to three other characters as people on their tour. In the video above, the student chose Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and Sarah Palin as participants in her tour. Too funny! Finally, they would record their script! As a result of this project, EVERY STUDENT became an expert on ancient Egypt! I look forward to doing this project again next year!

3. Word Study Tests with Spelling City

I absolutely love using Spelling City to give word study assessments! Spelling City makes administering different word study tests for differentiated groups SO EASY. Once you create your own lists, they'll be available for future use, which equals working smarter, not harder! I included Spelling City as a center during our rotations on Fridays.

4. Economics Vocabulary with Motivational Posters

You know those Motivational Posters? Well there's an app to create your own! Our awesome ITRT shared this app with us at one of our monthly staff technology trainings! The students used our classroom costumes and props to illustrate/demonstrate an academic vocabulary word. I love their angry faces in this poster! I'm always on the lookout for other exciting ways to incorporate academic vocabulary...any ideas?!

Stay tuned for my next post on gifts for students and parents!

Hello, again! First Year Recap

Hello, again! I'm back! Turns out my first year of teaching was a little VERY busy... but it was also AWESOME, rewarding, challenging, and FUN!! There are so many things I want to share but for now I'll leave you with a recap of some of my favorites activities...Enjoy!

1. Native American Tribes in the United States

 

In Virginia, 2nd graders learn about the Powhatan, Lakota, and Pueblo Native Americans. They must know their regions, land, climate, modes of transportation, occupations, architecture, and contributions. Students worked in groups using construction paper and markers to make a map (I already had the outline of a blank US map printed for them) demonstrating the essential knowledge.This was an excellent hands-on, cooperative activity, especially for the art smart and visual learners!

 

2.World Map with Sugar Cookies

This cooking activity was a hit! The final outcome it what you see above... to have a world map labeled with the continents, oceans, and specific rivers and mountain ranges. So much happened before this though and we got a little messy!! First, the students made the sugar cookie dough!

I had stations set up around the room with an ingredient and measuring utensil at each station. Then each group of 5 to 6 students had a big mixing bowl at their table. Each group member received one or two ingredient cards with a measurement. They were responsible for using their ingredient card(s) to go to an ingredient station, measure, the ingredient, and put the ingredient in their mixing bowl. Everyone was held accountable, had an important role, and had to make sure their measurements were correct! If your students haven't learned measurement yet, I suggest doing a mini-lesson beforehand so their cookie dough comes out...normal. Then came the mixing, the cookie cutters (purchased from Amazon), and the baking.

The next day, when the cookies were all done, the students used their textbook to research the location of the continents, oceans, rivers, and mountain ranges that are listed in our state's standards. Each group received a baggie of labels and divied up the labels between the members of their group. I had the students put the labels on toothpicks and write their student number on their labels so I would know who was responsible for what. Not only did we integrate our measurement and map skills, we had a yummy treat when all was said and done. :)

3. Inferencing Investigation (from The Inspired Apple)

I LOVE this reading activity from Babbling Abby at The Inspired Apple!! Here's a synopsis from Abby's TpT store:

"By investigating "Snow Day Case Files" students will sort through evidence to determine what the main characters in a mini-story did during a snow day. As "Inference Investigators," students are encouraged to make inferences based on the clues in the evidence."

Tree Map for classifying evidence (the heading of the map says "Clues")

I had my students work in pairs and each pair made inferences about two pieces of evidence. After the students made inferences about their evidence, we had a whole group discussion about their discoveries. I had discussion questions, like Abby suggested, but I also made a tree map with masking tape on our rug to classify our evidence. Each branch of the tree map connected with a discussion question. For instance, if the first discussion question asked, "What are some activities Tim and Grandma Sue did," then the students would place any evidence that they thought answered that question under the first branch on the tree map. Classifying the data with the tree map really helped students see the connections between their evidence.

I LOVE the "Snow Day Case Files" because the kids LOVED it. However, my favorite thing about this activity is how it makes inferencing, an abstract reading comprehension skill, concrete and hands-on. As a result of this activity, the students really knew what it meant to inference and be a "reading detective". They became expert inference investigators!! Be sure to check out Abby's Inferencing Investigation!

4.  Gallery Walks

 

I love using Gallery Walks to get kids up and moving around the room! During a Gallery Walk, students rotate around the room to an image or piece of text, like a discussion question or problem. The students may work independently at each gallery or may have some kind of discussion, it's up to you! My students have done Addition and Subtraction Story Problem Gallery Walks, Fraction Gallery Walk, and Matter Gallery Walks. In the picture above, the students had to identify and illustrate the change in matter based on a real-world example. Here's a close-up of one of the galleries and recording sheet:

Stay tuned for a recap of my favorite technology integrated activities!! Thanks for visiting. :)

Monday Made It Linky Party (with freebies!)

Happy Monday to you, friends!! I'm back from my weekend hibernation and ready to be a busy beaver again. I'm looking forward to meeting with my two team members this week and am eager to learn from them.

 

My favorite part about Mondays is, of course, Tara's Monday Made It Linky Party! Be sure to join in and/or check out all the awesome projects.

I have four projects (with freebies) to share with you:

1. Porter Patriot of the Week

What student doesn't love to be honored with special activities for a week?! I hope that implementing Porter Patriot of the Week (Porter is my school's name and our mascot is the patriot) will create a sense of community as we celebrate each student. The display in the classroom that I created is where the Porter Patriot of the Week will showcase photos of his/herself. I want to implement Beth Newingham's star student activities:

First, she gives the parents a star of the week schedule for the entire year.

On Mondays the student brings in three special items and photos to share with the class.

On Tuesdays the student reads his or her favorite book to the class.

On Wednesdays the parent writes a letter to the class about a special story involving their child.

On Thursdays a special guest (parent, relative, etc.) joins the student for lunch.

On Fridays the student is recognized by their classmates...I want to do something like [this pin] where the students write compliments to the Porter Patriot.

You can download a Star Student of the Week sign for free in my TpT store.

Be sure to check out Beth's class website to read more details about implementing star student of the week. She has other great resources on her class site too.








2. Boggle

Boggle has been everywhere (it seems)! There have been so many different teacher-created boards like [this one] and [this one] and [this one]...I needed one that was small because wall real estate is limited in my classroom so I utilized the side of my filing cabinet. I don't have a picture of how I keep my magnetic letters organized but it's exactly like [this pin].









3. Parent Volunteer Tote

For my parent volunteers that visit the classroom, I want to have materials handy just for them (Thanks for the suggestion, Nikki!). I was given this tote as a gift (Thanks, Hillary!) and it works perfectly for holding school supplies. The blue paper tray it's sitting in will hold any materials, directions, etc. for the parent volunteer. You can download a blank tote tag for free in my TpT store.










4. Book Ring Calendar

I wrote about my calendar last Monday but have since updated its display. I think it looks more cohesive now. You can download my calendar file for free in my TpT store.











I posted about other projects (freebies included) during the weekend too. Click the pictures to learn more. :)

Have an excellent week!! :)

Classroom Update: Clutter-Free Classroom and Ladybug's Teacher Files Inspired

You know Jodi at the Clutter-Free Classroom, right? What am I saying, of course you do! I don't know where I would be without her and her blog. She thinks of everything!! As I've been a busy bee setting up my classroom (I'd sleep there if they'd let me but my dog might get lonely at home) I am constantly consulting Jodi's blog and implementing her suggestions so that my classroom will run like a well oiled machine and student learning can excel! So on that note, here are three features of my room inspired by Jodi. :)

1. Work In Progress Chart (view Jodi's post by clicking [here] )

Students will place their "work in progress" in their assigned pocket on the pocket chart. I've decided to use this pocket chart because it will help all of us stay organized...I will be able to easily see and check the status and quality of their work and the students won't lose their work in the abyss of their desk. I like calling this chart "work in progress" rather then "incomplete work" because I want the main focus to be on producing quality work, not just completing an activity. 

On Fridays, if a student has work in progress then they will find a ketchup card on their desk when they arrive in the morning as a friendly reminder to check their pocket. If a student does not have any work in progress then they will find a pickles card letting them know they may pick from a list of extension activities. The extension activities will be listed on the pickles board (I made it out of dry-erase poster board) above the pocket chart. The ketchup and pickles concept was inspired by Teach-A-Roo and you can download the cards for free in my TpT store. 






2. Communication Folder and Porter Pocket Chart (view Jodi's posts [here] and [here])

Aren't pocket charts great (sorry about the washed out picture)?! When students arrive in the morning they will place their Homework Folder in their assigned pocket. This system also shows me who is at school and who is absent. They will also keep their Porter Pocket here (weekly folder that is used to send student work, etc. home...Jodi calls it their Thursday Folder because it goes home on Thursdays). I wasn't planning for this to be on wheels but I actually really like the idea...I can wheel it near the door in the morning so that I can greet students and check their folders at the same time and then wheel it out of the way during the day. Then when students are packing up at the end of the day, it can be wheeled to the front of the room where they can easily pick up their folder(s) to take home.

I purchased this pocket chart from MPM School Supplies, and they were wonderful!! I highly recommend them! When I received the pocket chart, the pockets were not all the same size so I contacted them to see if my chart was a manufacture's defect...turns out it was! MPM sent me a new pocket chart, free of charge, and they let me keep the defect one too. Awesome customer service!











3. Anchor Chart Designated Area (view Jodi's post [here])

Jodi wrote a great post for supporting anchor charts so I'm not going to go into my love for them. I have mine set up (as shown with the blank paper) with jumbo push pins to hold the two book rings. As the students and I create anchor charts we will just add charts to the book rings. I'm hoping the book rings will make it easy to flip between charts instead of having to switch them out.

You may also notice the lovely alphabet in this photo created by Kristen from Ladybug's Teacher Files. :)  You can download my Anchor Charts sign, which coordinates with Kristen's bright and CLEAR decor, for free in my TpT store (I outlined the letters in black marker after printing).







Speaking of Kristen, she recently updated her CRAFT Board....I absolutely LOVE it. I love it so much that I took down the CAFE Board I had set up just a few days before (also from Kristen) and put up her new signs.

My board from a few days ago:

My updated board!!:

Don't you just love the bright colors?!! The border is from the $0.88 section of Walmart. I had to move CRAFT to the dry-erase board because all five letters couldn't fit on the bulletin board where CAFE had previously been. Click on the picture to download Kristen's files for free.

Phew, thanks for reading!! I'm going to go sleep for the next 48 hours so my batteries can recharge. I'll be back for Tara's Monday Made It. Have a super weekend!!!!!!

What's Your Style? Teacher Fashion Linky Party

I LOVE clothes. Especially my teacher outfits. I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to talk about clothes because I want to keep posts education related BUT dressing professionally is a part of being a teacher (Ron Clark would say "Dress the part; Attire matters!") and Jessica at From Blood to Books is hosting a teacher fashion linky party (click her button above) SO here is my perfect opportunity. :)

Here are Jessica's guidelines:

1. Tell me your favorite store(s) that you like to get your "teachers' fashion".

2. What are some of your favorite accessories?

3. What type of shoes do you teach in? (i.e. heels, flats, wedges, etc.)

4. Do you have a "go-to" item in your closet? (i.e. sweater you wear weekly, shoes you wear daily, etc.)

5. Have you ever had a fashion "uh-oh" at school? (i.e. heel broke, button popped off of blouse)

My responses:

 1. My favorite stores and why:

They offer 10% teacher discount, quality clothing, AWESOME sales, and petite sizes. I love everything about this store...pants, dresses, skirts, tops, sweaters, cardigans.

They have super cute dresses!! You kind of have to search for the good ones because a lot of what they have I would NEVER wear to school. Prices are under $50 but quality is not as good.

LOVE their pencil skirts and sweaters! Expensive but excellent quality. However, J. Crew Outlets (if you have one near you) have much better deals.They also offer a teacher discount.

2. Favorite accessories: 

I love to wear this watch everyday!

A smile, of course! I just couldn't resist sharing this picture of my doggie. :)

3. Shoes:

Toms ballet flats. The money goes to a good cause.

The most comfortable heels for a special occasion.

I love their flats and wedges. Comfortable and cute.

I love (and by love I mean that I never take them off) wearing these Steve Madden boots in the fall and winter.

4. Go to item:

Cardigans all the way!!

5. Fashion uh-oh: none to date. :) 

If you're interested in other outfit ideas, take a look at my "If I Could Play Dress Up" board on Pinterest.

Have fun playing dress-up! :)

p.s. Thank you for your thoughtful comments on my Monday Made It post...as a new teacher, any encouragement goes a long way. :) 

Monday Made It Linky Party

Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend!!

I'm off to continue setting up my classroom but before I do, I have three projects to share with you for Tara's Monday Made It Linky Party (click her button above to join in and/or view other super projects)!

1. Where Am I Board: I saw this on Pinterest last week and immediately went to make my own. I purchased the dry-erase magnetic board from Walmart ($6), the gems from Dollar Tree (hot glued magnets on the back), sparkly ribbon from Walmart, and used clear labels (my new best friend). I want to hang this by the classroom door but I'm not sure how to hang it so it will stay on the cinder block walls. I may experiment with the 3M tape it came with or hot glue a ribbon handle but do you have any other ideas?

2. Wrapping Paper Curtains: I was inspired by a pin from School Girl Style to make these wrapping paper curtains with pattered packaging tape as a border. I don't think this picture does them justice but they really warm up that corner of the room. I purchased the wrapping paper from Target and selected this particular paper because the animals relate to the second grade curriculum. My goal is to integrate as much as possible.

 3. Calendar: Now that I'm looking at this picture, I think the calendar area needs a border (or a few) to be visually organized, and I need to get more magnetic numbers. Nonetheless I was inspired by Mama Jenn's book ring calendar system to create my own. I love that she put all of the calendar pieces on book rings (my other new best friend) so that pieces don't go missing and it's easy and efficient to change anything. I used:

magnetic push pins from Walmart

magnetic numbers from Amazon (I chose these particular magnets because the entire back is covered with a magnet, also you're going to need at least two containers) 

magnetic base-10 blocks (it's that little orange ones piece on the bottom right, and I can't remember where I got those from)

I want to use calendar as daily place-value practice but may add other components depending on the needs of my students. You can download my calendar pieces from my TpT store for free. Some of the pages need to be printed more than once so I've labeled those particular pages with their multiple uses. Enjoy!

Hope you have a wonderful week! Remember to click Tara's button!