Back to School!

I've been searching for some new ideas for my classroom.  Yes, already!  It seems like we just got out of school just a few weeks ago... oh wait... we did!  Anyway, next year I will have a class set of iPads! Yea!! Doing my happy dance!   I will be posting more about how I use them in my flipped class. 

But back to why I'm writing... Guess what I found on Pinterest?  This adorable iPod themed bulletin board by Kristen.  Love it!  Be sure to stop by and check out her blog iTeach 1:1.  If you go to her blog NOW, you can earn $10 to spend in her TPT store.  I'm going shopping! :-)

What's Next?

Ok....so I have made some videos and uploaded them to Edmodo. Granted, I do need to tweek some of them and redo some others. I would love to have Camtasia and be able to add the "picture-in-a-picture" or even some "callouts" to make the videos more engaging for my students.  Aww  . . . .  (a girl can dream...)

I also used Google Documents, WSQ charts, and chats to keep my students accountable and to check on their comprehension of the concepts. I'm thinking about creating tutorials for a complete unit and then embedding that onto Edmodo.  That will really allow my students to move at their own pace. 

Last year I used K-5 Math Teaching Resources  a lot for activities to help my students practice the skills they learned while watching the videos.  My students really liked working with partners and in small groups.  To them it was more like playing a game than doing math.  They also created their own videos using Educreations to explain concepts. 

So . . . next year I want to include some PBL in my class. What resources have you found that would work in elementary classrooms?  I know they're out there.

TLC Conference ~ June 12-13

I just finished working on my flipping presentation for Teachers Leading Cobb Summer Conference (Yes, I know how that sounds).  I'm excited and nervous at the same time. Excited because I get to share what I believe is a tremendous opportunity for teachers to improve their craft.  Nervous because I want to make sure people come away from my session with the tools they need to be successful in their classes next year.

This was my first year flipping and I have learned so much!  Everything (with the exception of Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every day) I have learned about flipping has been online.  Through the internet I have been able to peek into the classrooms of some great teachers who are flipping their classes.  I have been able to learn from the comfort of my home while reading their blog posts and watching their videos showing their classes in action.  I have even had an opportunity to chat online and get clarification when things weren't going as I'd hoped.  (Thank you Crystal!)  Then I could go into my classroom and apply what I'd learned at home.  Wait a minute . . . Isn't that what flipping is all about!

Click here to view Prezi.

They're Back!

Test scores are back ...100% of my students met or exceeded standards in math! Whoo-hoo! This year I was able to spend more time working with individuals and small groups. I could direct students to specific videos to review concepts when necessary.  My students worked cooperatively with each other and learned from each other.  They even had fun working in partner groups on games designed to strengthen their math skills. All things considered, I would definitely say my first year flipping was a success! (Insert smiley face)

Some of my students put together a video (completely made and edited by them) about their thoughts on our flipped class. You can watch it here.

Finding Gems



The Hope Diamond

While reading literature in our class, we are always on the lookout for GEMS: sentences that catch our attention, sentences we would love to imitate in our own writing. Basically we are looking for great examples of writing.  I started doing this in my class after reading Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson.

Well, just recently I have found another GEM, something worthy of imitation, The Teaching Channel.  Here you can find actual videos of classroom teachers who are masters at their craft.  You can find videos by subject, grade level, or topic.  If you are confused about the Common Core, there are videos to help you sort through that as well. 

Someone once said:  "The best teachers are made by the teacher next door".  When I first started teaching more than 30 years ago, that teacher for me was right across the hall, JoEllen French.  Whatever she did in her class, I did in mine.  She was a GEM! 

Now we can find GEMS who are literally thousands of miles away. If you haven't already visited The Teaching Channel, I encourage you to spend some time there.  You never know what GEMS you will find!

The Unknown

 

 photo by wingedwolf

Tomorrow my students will take their end-of-the-year state test for math. This is our first year implementing Common Core Standards and this is my first year flipping. Everything boils down to this one test.  Are they prepared? I think so. Will they be successful?  I hope so!



Time will tell.

Edmodo and Washington, DC

Q:  How many rooms are in the White House?
A: 132 rooms

Q: How much does a panda eat in a day?
A:  A Lot!

 This was the third year we have taken a group of fifth graders to Washington, DC for Spring Break.  The trip was wonderful, as usual.  We visited monuments and memorials for just about everything we have learned about in social studies this year:  Vietnam Memorial, WWII, Iwo Jima, Holocaust Museum, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorial, Pentagon Memorial, Arlington Cemetery and more.  We also managed to spend a little time at the zoo, visit the Nation's Capitol and still had an entire day to explore the Smithsonian Museums. You name it, it's there. 

However, this year was a little different.  This year we had Edmodo.  I posted photographs throughout our trip along with trivia questions for the students to answer.  Not only could the students on the trip respond but students that did not travel with us were able to "see" some of the sites we visited.

As usual, it was a great trip.  I'm already looking forward to next year's trip!  I just found out there is an African American Civil War Memorial.  Maybe we can see that next year.  One thing's for sure, I will definitely take Edmodo along!

Inside the Capitol

"Freedom is not Free"~ The Korean Memorial

The Vietnam Memorial

Arlington Cemetery

Thurgood Marshall ~ Civil Right's Leader, Supreme Court Justice

Iwo Jima Memorial

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial