March Odds and Ends

Picture tour of the last few weeks.

Geometry Salad to complete our Envisions math assignment.

Using Keynote to write expert books 

Squeezing in Dr. Seuss! 

Freebie Lorax activity from Mel D at Seusstastic Classroom!

Middle of the year mClass math testing. We've been practicing like crazy! (Look for a blog post explaining more!!) 

Another snow day! In March!!!!

Creating Geometry portfolios to help us through this unit! (The worksheets are from Amy Lemons "Show What You Know" math packet. I used them as a pretext/post test.) 

Working hard to publish put expert writing projects (using Keynote!) 

Introduced new informational reading material to help with our expert writing. 

We have had so many snow days that we now have extended days through the month of March and most of April. Here are some of the extended learning activities we have worked on in that extra hour each day! I've been trying to keep all of the activities fun and engaging!! 

This ice cream and popcorn activity come from Bright Concepts 4 Teachers in her "Mastering Main Idea and Details" packet! Love it! 

iPad Projects

Slowly, we have been making time to complete some iPad projects. We learned how to use Educreations today to make a quick "book report."

We used the expository text that we read this week in Reading Wonders. This was the first time we had done one of these projects, so I tried to keep it simple. Cover page (simple: cover of the book!), three facts from text, and an author page. For the first time doing it in my room (some had used the program in 1st grade) they did pretty well! 

 

Students worked with their partner to take pictures of the photographs they wanted to share, typed the facts, then recorded a narration of their slide show/report.  

 

The projects turned out really well and I wish there was a way to share one without student names. I'll have to have someone make one without names so that I can share with you all!!

 

I also taught (reminded) my kids today about how to use ScreenChomp. We practiced taking pictures of fluency passages, recording ourselves reading them, then listening back to them. It didn't end up going perfectly today, but I truly just wanted to remind them how to use the app so we can use it again very soon! 

 Overall, a good iPad day. I plan to try to have them out and make time to use them again. The kids get really creative on them and there are so many ways to use them to help the kids show off their creativity.

We are also working on a class book called Our Favorite Books in Evernote, one of my new favorites. I'm teaching the kids how to use it slowly through making this book together, then I'm hoping they may be able to complete their own projects on their own! (Eventually!)

 

 

iPads!!!

When we started the school year, we received the AMAZING news that our school would be a pilot school for iPads!! Not only were teachers getting iPads, but so were the students. Upper grades got iPads for each student and lower grades got one for every two students. Awesome!!! I have to admit that I was excited, yet a little nervous about implementing all of the great ideas because I was only there a few months before I left on maternity leave. I wasn't sure how I was going to teach the kids all of the things I wanted to on the iPads (added to our normal curriculum) before I left, but guess what??? Most of the kids could teach me things by the time I returned!!!

Anyone use iPads in the classroom? 

One of the first things we tried were QR codes, fun and easy!! These QR codes get the kids up and moving around the classroom, completing tasks that they may normally do in their seats. Students complete the task, then use the iPad to check their answer by scanning the QR code. I wish I had more pictures of my students actually using the QR codes. They love it!! Did you know you can create QR codes for anything? Simple answers like below, websites, videos, pictures, etc. 

We also used the program Educreations to create electronic book report slide shows. Loved it !!! I'll try to get some examples up here (need to find some without student pictures!)

The best news is that is summer I have been invited to attend an iPad teaching conference in Chicago! I can't wait for all that the conference will have to offer!! I have a feeling that ill be overwhelmed and not even know where to start when I get back. But you know what? I love that feeling!! It gets me so pumped for teaching!!! I need to add that excitement back to my career again.