iPad APP-ortunities!! (hahaha, wasn't that cheesy!?)

I am in week 2 of summer and just finished my second workshop. Teacher dork alert, huh?! At my workshop today, I learned about some great iPad apps that I immediately came home and installed. Teacher dork alert again? Oh well. Here are some of my instant faves:

Random Name Selector

The random name selector will do just that...randomly select a student's name. Great for answering questions or picking helpers.

NFL Play 60

Do you have overly active kids? My guess is that yes, yes you do! This app lets students hold the iPad and run, jump, and turn around to make their avatar do the same on the screen. Great for getting the wiggles out (but I'd probably make sure your iPad is in a sturdy case first....).

Sight Word Ninja

Sight Word Ninja is very Fruit Ninja-y, but instead of slicing fruit, students slice the sight word that is called out. The sight words are repeated, especially if the student gets it wrong. Great for sight word practice.





Too Noisy





Too Noisy



Did anyone else have a traffic light in their school cafeteria that turned red if the students got too loud? Anyone? Because we sure did! The app takes me back to that. Too Noisy measures the volume in the classroom. You can set it to different sensitivity levels based on the kind of activity you are doing. Great for basically everything!

Hope these help! Do you have any apps that you love using??

It's the Simple Things...

Is it just me, or does it seem that the SIMPLEST solutions are usually the BEST solutions? Here are a few simple solutions I've run across this week.

 

Problem: Students interrupt me while I'm with a small group or testing. I instruct them to raise their hand if they need something, but I don't always see them.

Simple Solution: The Problem Chair. I put this chair near my table and have taught students to come sit in it when they need something. I let them know that I can't always stop right away to answer their question, but if they are patient, I will answer their question as soon as I can. (Right after I introduced this, students sat here for EVERYTHING! I think the new is wearing off, though, because they don't do that as much anymore).

 

 

Problem: I'm constantly having to make new "I can" statements because the station activities are always changing.

Simple Solution: I made cute "I can" charts and laminated them. Now I just wipe off the old activity and write the new one. Also, I hung them up with ribbon instead of taping them. Cute, and easy to take down to write the new activity. You can get these charts for free at my TPT store.

 

 

I am starting Write the Room this week. I like to provide some structure for this activity, so we're going to start with looking for words that start with L and G (our Saxon letters), shape words, and free writing (where they can write any words that they would like).

 

Problem: The pencils for this station are always disappearing.

Simple Solution: Tie pencils to the clip board with handy dandy ribbon.

That's right...I'm rockin' the New Balances! I've had this same style of shoe since college and I LOVE them!

Problem: Have you ever had a student answer a question, and another student gets in a huff and says "That's what I was going to say!"

Simple Solution: When someone says their answer, my students use the ditto sign (like the air quote sign, but only using one hand). This says to everyone "I knew the answer, too!" without actually having to say anything.  

 

I hope these simple solutions will help you like they've helped me. Happy weekend!

Birthdays and freebies and giveaways OH MY!

School news: 

I've been busy obsessing over creating more Dots on Turquoise merchandise! My latest creation is a dots on turquoise voice level chart. 

Click the Pic for a link to the FREEBIE!



Have you seen these charts? They are starting to pop up everywhere and I think they're fantastic! Mostly I like how they help kids see that different voice levels are appropriate in different situations. A student talks super loudly at stations, but is almost mute when giving a presentation. I think this chart will help cue them to use proper volume.

Changing the subject, today is the LAST day to enter the birthday giveaway that Liz is throwing over at Polka Dot Firsties. You could win my digraph sort or other super cool prizes from great bloggers. Check it out!

Click the Pic to enter

 

Not school news:

Happy birthday to me!!! This week is birthday week! Specifically Tuesday was the big day. Here's my hubby bringing out the cake.

29 candles this year. Last year of being in my twenties, which is simply unbelievable. Does anyone remember Deana Carter's song Strawberry Wine and the line that says "I still remember when 30 was old"? Well 30 still seems old, even though it's knocking on the door! 

Anyway, my family came to visit for my bday and we had a delicious dinner at Copelands. Great for my parents' New Orleans roots. Speaking of, here are my lovely parents: 

And my dear hubby and me:

Oh yeah, I got a bike!!! Hubby got one for his bday in May, so now we can ride together! The only problem is that after one ride through our very hilly neighborhood, he announced he's never riding again. Oops!

 

I also received some new Back to School books. They're so cute, and I can't wait to read them with my kiddos! I'm linking up with Andrea at Reading Toward the Stars to share these great books! Click on any of the pics to find out more about them on Amazon.

 



Great for explaining why we have rules.



A great way to talk about tattling.

 

Another tattling book (this is a big deal in K!). This book uses
rhymes to explain the difference between reporting and tattling.

 



Spark Student Motivation Saturdays: Behavior Chart and Durski Dollars

This is my first time linking up for Spark Student Motivation Saturdays with Joanne from Head Over Heels for Teaching.

I LOVE this linky! Teachers can always use some extra ideas up their sleeves of how to keep students motivated. Here are a couple of basic things I use in my classroom:

1. Rainbow Behavior Chart

I LOVE this behavior system!! If you haven't seen it before, kids have a clothespin with their name on it that starts on green every day. If students misbehave, they move their clip down. Blue is a warning, and purple and pink have worsening consequences. The misbehaving part of this chart is pretty much like any other behavior system.

WHAT I LOVE about this chart is that students can move their clip UP too! When students follow directions, walk quietly in the hall, work in/clean up stations correctly, etc. they move up to yellow, then orange, then red (which is OUTSTANDING!). Kids LOVE to move their clip up, and they feel such a sense of pride when they do. It also keeps the positive environment going because I can move clips up and praise students for good things instead of focusing on those who aren't following directions. It's amazing that when I move up one clip, a hush falls over the crowd and everyone starts thinking about what they need to be doing... =)

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Students' clips move up and down all day. Students who have a rough morning know that they can turn their day back around and move their clip back up. Also, this chart really lacks some cute-cutesiness. If you have ideas of how to pizazz it a little, please let me know!

 

2. Durski Dollars

 

I just started using these this year. Here's what you need to know: 

-Yes, that is my face on the dollar (thanks to a co-worker who made it for me)

-These dollars encourage RESPONSIBILITY (turning in homework, having school supplies, getting important paperwork filled out, etc).

-Friday=Durski Store. Students use $$ to buy candy, little toys (Oriental Trading), or free perks*

-Students PAY if they aren't responsible (no pencil, pencil "breaks," no homework, etc.) 

 

DISCLAIMER: I was a little worried about embezzlement and fraud, so I handled all money. I put money in their envelopes and I kept the envelopes up high behind my desk. The only times the kids held it was to spend it at the store. This kept the peace very nicely.

 

*I know teachers are on a budget, so here are some ideas I found on pinterest of ways to reward kids that are FREE!

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