If you're an upper-grades teacher, you probably already know about 3-6 Free Resources blog. If not, you NEED to check it out! What you may not know is that they do a "Show Me Sunday" every first Sunday of the month.
This past Sunday, it was about favorite websites. Here are some of my favorites:
PlanbookEdu : This website has practically saved my life this year. Yes, it's not free, but it's worth every penny. You can input your state standards above your lessons and it keeps track of how many you've covered in your lessons. You can attach files that you need. You can print and email the whole plan book or a selection. In a word, priceless.
Online Timers : You set the amount of time and choose what type of timer you want (egg timer, countdown, bomb, etc.). I project these on the screen to help students keep track of the time while working in pairs/small groups.
Classroom Booksource: You put your ISBN numbers into an online database, and it allows students to check out books from your classroom library. It shows the AR, small group, and grade level of the books. It allows students to search for books.
What Should I Read Next?: This website allows students to type in the title or author of their favorite books and it recommends other titles based on the style of that book or author.
What websites do you use that save your time and sanity? I'd love for you to link up at the Show Me Sunday post. I can't wait to see all your great websites!
I wanted to do a fun math activity that wasn't completely "fluff" for the last week of school. So I did some poking around on the Internet, and here's what I found.
I started by showing the class this video. This is an EXCELLENT 9 minute video from teachertipster.com. The guy in this video is so funny. Some of the video addresses teachers directly, but the students loved watching it to get an idea of what would be expected of them.
I had the kids bring in their Angry Birds stuffies and various shapes of boxes, which they then wrapped THEMSELVES (hurrah for intermediates!) in bulletin board paper. I also had them use poster board and 3-D shapes to make their own "nets" and cover them for the shapes that weren't represented.
They then labeled them with the 3-D shape name and money amount they thought the shape would be "worth" if it was knocked down. We went with $0.25, $0.50, $0.75, and $1.00. This helped them practice adding decimals and writing money amounts correctly.
We measured a "safe throwing distance" with a meter stick and converted it to feet. Gotta love anytime you can sneak in converting measurements!
Each new team got to set up the tower in any way they wanted, resulting in about 5 completely different set-ups.
The team that knocked down the most money won, but everyone had a great time. No one seemed too worried about who actually "won."
Have you used Angry Birds in your curriculum? I'd love to know how!
Calling all Upper Grade teachers! Several Top Teachers just like you are getting together this summer to do an online book study of the Daily 5/CAFE books, and you're invited!
Heather at Heather's Heart has been blogging about her journey through Dr. Becky A. Bailey's approach to classroom management.I just got my copy of the book in the mail, and it couldn't have come at a better time. I NEED HELP TO HELP MY STUDENTS!!! There is a lot of animosity and violence going on in my room. I have to do something different because what I'm doing isn't working...
What is this all about? Well, I'm just beginning my journey, but a lot it revolves around the teacher showing children how to be compassionate and make good choices simply for the fact that those choices are good and not for extrinsic rewards.
What are just a few of the resources the website provides?
Chants/Songs to promote friendship and positive self talk
Printable FREE posters for calming down and getting in touch with emotions
So, as part of Heather's book study, I'm answering the following questions:
*What are most discipline models built
on? A system of rules, rule-breaking, and consequences for the rule-breaking. It rewards compliance and punishes rule-breaking in the hopes that both approaches will make students more obedient. If the consequences don't work, the student is removed from the class or school (AKA: rejection and removal). It is based on the belief that we can control others, children learn what NOT to do by being disciplined, and that any conflict will keep all students from learning. *What is the goal of the School Family? The teacher, students, and school coming together in moments of conflict to communicate and overcome conflict. Instead of shying away from conflict, everyone works together to make it a teachable moment/series of events. *What 3 premises
are CD built on?
Controlling and changing ourselves is possible and has profound impact on others
Connectedness governs behavior
Conflict is an opportunity to teach
*Since change must begin with ourselves, which belief speaks to your heart?
"Conflict is an essential part of life. It presents us with the opportunity to learn a missing skill or let go of a limiting belief." Several of my students are having a hard time when they hit any kind of roadblock to what they want to do. They are already so angry with the world, that they lash out physically. I would love to teach them perseverance! *Why is self
control such a crucial part of CD? What does this mean to you? This is what I call being "warm and fuzzy." It means that you cultivate your own garden, so to speak, before you try to teach it to others. You don't just pretend to be happy all the time, you actually embrace the fact that conflict will happen and there are healthy ways to deal with it. Why is this so important to me? Well, because I NEED to learn how to do this!
*What is the
purpose of the 7 Powers? The 7 skills?
The 7 powers state that each person is in control of their attitude, but not necessarily of what others will do. When conflicts arise, they should be met with love and treated as teachable moments.
The 7 skills are learning how to say "no" when the arises and helping children learn from their mistakes, but it is also about catching those teachable moments when the conflict occurs.
I love, love, love using music as both a learning tool and a brain break in the classroom! So when Alana at Special Teaching in the Middle created a link-up for showcasing this, I was all about it!
I'll start with a few science videos with catchy tunes that I use as anticipatory sets: Hurricanes and Twisters
I might have mentioned before, I am a huge fan of polka dots. I am in the process of making my classroom more cohesive-looking.
One thing I am proud of, and yet constantly working on, is my classroom library. For example:
How to group books so they are easily found by myself and my students.
How to level my books (colored dots and numbers for now).
How to make my buddy books more accessible for students.
So in my quest to find the perfect harmony with this, I am starting with the book basket labels. I created a customizable PowerPoint of classroom book basket labels. The frames are polka dot, and contain images and abbreviations for each of the categories.
I'm sure the quest will continue. I'm already wondering if I should have a basket dedicated entirely to horses since I seem to have acquired a large amount of books on that topic somehow!
Do you have a theme for your library? Do you have a system?
