The Random Name Picker: My students call this the fruit machine. You can input any list of terms, and the Fruit Machine button will convert them into a slot machine style picker. I have used it with everything from multiplication facts to partner pickers with student names to vocabulary terms for a review session. The kids don’t argue with the groups is generates or the terms they get because they see it as completely fair!

Fakebook: There are several versions of Fakebook out there now, but hopefully this one won’t be blocked in your school. It doesn’t access ones that others have created so you don’t have to worry about dubious content. Students can save their work and come back to it later and don’t have to register. They just need to decide on a password. My students are getting ready to start on creating Fakebook pages for the 50 states, but shhh! don’t tell them yet.

Timer: There are lots of free countdown timers on the internet that are great for use with your projector/whiteboard so students can see just how much time they have for an activity. If you are like me, it’s just as helpful for keeping me on track! The ClassTools timer is no exception. It’s easy to access and easy to use!

There are oodles more resources at ClassTools that you will love. I apologize in advance for taking up several hours of your time in the coming days as you explore. Share your favorites!

As you read a passage / watch a short video / analyze a picture, look for an

A – adjective

E – emotion

I – interest

O – oh!

U – um?

I also love the idea of using a site like PicLits to find pictures to share with students or even allow them to use it to create their own AEIOU to share. Here’s an example that I made.

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com

You could also use something like a movie trailer. Here’s another example.

A – nerve-wracking

E – excited

I – how the Hunger Games themselves will be presented

O – this isn’t quite what I imagined when I read the book

U – when does it come out?

I keep seeing ways that this can be adapted across the curriculum and across grade levels! I can’t wait to use it with my students this week!

Guess the historical event:

Guess the fairy tale:

Guess the Wordle activities are awesome! By the way, they are great for student work, too. But that’s another day!

What do you think? What would the Facebook page of a state include? Classtools has their own version of a Fakebook page. I’m debating using this one or what I want to do. It’s lacking the timeline component, which is I think is important to this project. I could use it and just use “posts” to reflect events, since you can manipulate the dates. I like how you can reorder the posts once you have them in. I’m a bit wary of the “automatic image insertion” but you can add your own.

Here’s what I’ve come up with as a starting point… please offer suggestions!

1. Why are number lines labeled left to right? Digits on a number line are not words. They don’t need to be read that way. Think about a decimal point. It’s on the right side of a whole number. That means that the digits to the right represent a value less than a whole. Why does a number line show the opposite?

2. When you read standard numbers, the farther you go to the left, the larger the number (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.). Number lines don’t reflect this.

3. It’s a number line, not a number line segment. Please add the arrows to both ends. Numbers extend infinitely in each direction. Hence, the concept of infinity.

4. Number lines are actually just snapshots of a larger line. They do not start (or stop) at zero. Zero doesn’t even have to be on the snapshot that you are using.

My number line looks more like this one. Am I crazy?

We started out by making our own tangram set from a blank sheet of cardstock paper. Every student made their own set. Here’s how we did it.

More discussion questions:

1. Which triangles are congruent? Which are similar?

2. Are all triangles congruent? Are all triangles similar? Are all right triangles similar? How do you know?

3. Is there another shape or shapes that are always similar?

4. Is there any shape that would always be congruent?

5. Can you put it back into a square? I was surprised how many students struggled with this, rather than working backwards. Then again, it was great insight into how my students think. 

As you read the book with your students, have them recreate the animals of the story using their own tangrams. You’ll be surprised how many students struggle this activity. It will probably be your students who are not traditionally good with math. My best math student had the worst time with this. We are now doing additional activities to enhance spatial reasoning in class. His tablemates also loved being able to help him in a math activity. His frustration was also healthy too!

Check out this link to MATHWIRE for additional resources.

If you are a classroom teacher and teach spelling and have students who like to play (oops, I mean learn) on the computer and like free stuff, Spelling City is for you. Did I mention that you should like free stuff?

Spelling City is a high quality spelling and vocabulary review site that can be customized by you (here’s my page). Students can access it from home or school. It works great on an interactive whiteboard. It can be used individually, with partners, or in small groups. The review games address word definitions, proper usage, and spelling. The test is a great way to allow students individual practice, or even to make up a spelling test if the student is absent on test day.

You can add your own spelling lists like I have, but there are already many pre-made searchable lists. Whether you are using dolch words or a specific reading/phonics program, there is a good chance that you can find your lists already available to you and your students. There is  a premium (translation: paid) version of Spelling City. I haven’t used it because I haven’t felt the need. The free part is awesome! I have to admit that I haven’t been able to spend as much time as I’d like in the Teacher Resource section, but it is chock-full of ideas and links. I can’t wait to dive into that even more.

If you are already a Spelling City user, what keeps you coming back? If you use another online spelling review site, what are you using?

My stations are more like 4 activities to complete within a day, during a set period of time, with a designated peer group. Students spend about 20 minutes per day completing each of the 4 activities. The activities are independent, small group, partner or teacher-led. These are the basic outlines of each station in my Language Arts block:

1. COMPUTER: This could be anything from research to Edmodo (for reading response) to Study Island (for skill practice) to learning games like Spelling City.

2. BOOK STUDY: This month we are reading The Journal of William Thomas Emerson as a novel connection to our American Revolution unit of study. Students have a set number of pages to read each day and a series of discussion questions. This is done in their 4-5 student groups or they can break into pairs within their group.

3. LITERATURE CONNECTION: This week, our additional literature connection is a series of short biographical passages about women of the Revolution. Students are connecting what they are reading in their novel with this non-fiction information to create a broader picture of the late 1700′s. They are also able to connect fictional and non-fictional information to formulate questions for study later. I am leading this group, as many of the passages, need some additional help to “digest.” There are also EOG style questions to tie into these shorter passages to focus on different elements of literature.

4. BIOGRAPHICAL/TIMELINE STUDIES: Students are using research, trade books, the internet and other resources to create flip books about personalities from the American Revolution. They are also combining a variety of sources to create a timeline of events leading up to the war. They can work together for ideas but each student is required to create their own product.

Again, these stations take about 20 minutes per day. Students rotate through the stations and have developed a great working strategy. Groups change members as our stations change focus. It’s not perfect, but it can be done. I get to work with all of my students in small groups every day. When my student intern is here, she also gets to work with all groups. I do know, for sure, that my students say they prefer it to whole group instruction! Give it a try. Over the next few weeks, I will keep track of some of the types of activities we are doing. If you are an upper grades teacher doing learning stations, please share your strategies and ideas!

I was too tired to do my homework tonight. I realize that it was very important for me to grade that math assignment. I know that I need that information as soon as possible so that I can make sure my students have mastered that part of fractions. I promise I will do it tomorrow. Today I taught all day, managed to have 2 meetings, helped set up science fair tables, helped my twins with their homework, played with my 6 month old, helped cook supper, sat down to eat with the family, did the dishes, finished the twins’ science fair project with them, fed the baby, got everyone to sleep, and even set the coffee pot for in the morning. It’s 8:45 pm and I could push myself to get a few more things finished, but tonight I choose me. I give myself permission to not think about school, to go to bed early, and to get a good night’s sleep. Everyone will be happier tomorrow that I am well rested than that my math papers are graded. Trust me. If you have any questions, feel free get in touch. You know where to find me.

Thanks,
Me

It sure seems silly to write myself an excuse note to go to bed early. Yet, how many times do we deny ourselves our basic needs because of our dedication to our jobs/classes/students? Don’t even get me started on actually eating lunch at school. I mean, who has time for that?! If there is any thing that I try to impress on new teachers, it is that taking care of yourself and family is a number one priority. If only I always took my own advice,.. Good night friends. Give yourself permission to be human, too.