Behavior

I have been out most of the week on jury duty.  It was an interesting process but I hated to be away from the students. This break gave me some time to think about how things were going in my classroom this year, especially with subs in the room.  I decided last year that the whole class behavior system was not for me.  I went to the same type of system as the clips but students have the  chart on their bucket.  This way they have time to look at where they are each day but everyone else doesn't have to do the same.  It looks like this.

The students use a clothes pin to more up or down levels.
I think that this system is effective and fair to students.  The students have time to look at the behavior level they are at.  I find that my students don't like looking at red so they change their behavior.  I also like that other students don't have to know where others are at. 

Ecomonics Book

We are finishing up our Economics Unit. We are are also finishing up our literacy unit on text features and needed to publish using digital tools. We decided that we would make a Google presentation as a class. The students did a great job.

Apple Distinguished School

Wow! We just learned we have become an Apple Distinguished School. What a great honor and recognition for our hard work and dedication. This 3 year journey has had lots of ups and downs. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have learned so much about the IT side of a 1:1 program as well as tech integration. I couldn't have anticipated the change this program has made in my life as a teacher. I remember the first day I was placing 28 iPads in the classroom. I thought, what am I going to do with these tech tools? It was new territory for me as well as for many teachers. My first year was great. I was learning new things each day. The students were thriving and loving it. I thought this was the best thing tho every happen to my teaching career. Year 2 was a little different because now the whole school was going 1:1. It was great to have the school on board with the 1:1 iPads . Now we could work together and bounce ideas off each other. However, with that came issues with WiFi and filtering problems. It was the first time our district had this many devices in students hands. The IT department was learning along with us. We had great days and rough days. However, we were in it together. Now, on year three we received this recognition. We have so much to celebrate and to look forward to. I can't wait to see what we will do with Apple helping and guiding us. I am excited and nervous about the future. I am glad that I have a group of teachers that are going to do it together.

Animals In Winter

I love this unit. The students love learning about how animals hibernate, migrate or adapt. We spend several weeks on the topic. I will share some of our projects. I want to flip my classroom but haven't been able to yet. One tool I love to use is Blendspace. The lessons are so easy to make and the students learn a lot from them. I just created on on Animals in Winter. If you are teaching this topic try using it with your students. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.

Guided Reading Google Presentations

     We are using Raz-Kids for guided reading.  It is great because it works on the iPads and collects data on the students.  I love how they are always adding new books.  It also has interesting informational text. It is an effective way to use money to keep book rooms updated.  I also like how students can revisit books.  

    In addition, I love not having to worry about collecting books and help replacing lost books.  I can spend time planning my groups at home.  I also don't have to worry about not having enough books either.  It has been a great tool for me as a teacher.  I decided that I need to organize my lessons that connect the books, vocabulary, high frequency words and strategy in a way that was organized for the students.  I decided to create Google presentations for each group.  I have included some examples below.  I present my to my groups by either using my projector or using my iPad that is connected to on old computer monitor.  This way the students can see the information and interact with the lesson before they do the reading.  It has really been working for us this year.  

     Thanks for reading!