Not jumping for joy at the thought of school right now? It’s probably time to consider taking a gap year.
I can hardly believe that we are almost back to school for another school year. Summers go by way too fast but I'm hopeful for another amazi...
QR codes are having a mini resurgence lately. We started to use them in class last year as another way of creating self portraits. One of my students took this new found tool to a new level and used it as a way of creating graffiti. It was wheatpasted on so he felt it was a legal form of protest. The poster came off with water and a scrubbing brush. I was at a conference last term and all the sessions and speaker's details were placed up on a wall in the foyer using QR Codes. It was a great way of distributing the information but it also worked as a conversation starter for many of the participants. How to make your QR Codes more Beautiful was one of our most popular post in the last month and the ITSC in Philadelphia had multiple sessions on the use of QR codes in the classroom so I thought it might be worthwhile reposting this. This presentation has been around for quite a while but it is worth revisiting. https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=0AclS3lrlFkCIZGhuMnZjdjVfNzY1aHNkdzV4Y3I&hl=en_GB&authkey=COX05IsF&pli=1
Antony Gormley's artwork "Another place" when it was located in SOLA, NORWAY. (The image has, without permission, been copied to many blogs and websites that indicate, INCORRECTLY, that it was taken at Crosby Beach, England.)
Have you ever wondered what homeschooling middle school looks like? Come be a fly on the wall, as I share a peek at the first quarter of 8th grade.
Last year the cup stack was one of my FAVORITE team building activities (see post here). So, naturally, I wanted to give it another shot! The Cup Stack is a fun, yet challenging activity that promotes team work. The supplies are basic: cups, string, rubber bands. I go ahead and tie the string to the rubber bands so it is ready to go. I make a few for groups of 4 and a few for groups of 5, this way no matter what the numbers are in the classroom I can make it work. I start by asking students what teamwork is. What does it look like? sound like? feel like? We brainstorm a list of ideas that I hang in the classroom for students to refer to. Each class comes up with a variety of ideas, but they all center around the same theme. Then I introduce their challenge. I start off my admitting that this will be a frustrating activity. We discuss ways to handle our stress and feelings that arise when others make a mistake or don't do what we want them to do. I model that they will each be given 6 cups and a rubberband with strings attached to it. Their job is to stack the cups into a design by only holding onto their individual string. I demonstrate that when everyone pulls on their string the rubberband opens wider, and vice versa. I also show them the challenges of picking up a cup that has tipped on its side or fallen on the floor. No matter what happens, they must follow the one rule: YOU CAN ONLY TOUCH YOUR STRING. No touching the rubber band, no touching the cup, and no touching other group member's strings. I reinforce how communication is so important in order to reach the goal. Then I set them off. Here are some videos and pics. After about 10-15 minutes, we pause and reflect on our experiences. I ask them to rate their group on how well they worked together using the ideas we wrote at the beginning of the lesson. I ask them what went well for their group. I also ask them what didn't go well for their group. We talk about different strategies and ways we an handle ourselves when things don't go the way we want them to. Throughout the activity I walk around and facilitate positive communication, so I usually have a few examples to help springboard the discussion.
One of the reasons many people love the internet is because you can find content related to nearly everything there is; whether it’s knitting or harvesting veggies that you’re interested in, there ought to be plenty of information for you to browse.
Get your kids up and moving with positional words activities! This unit is full of activities from mini lessons to a quick assessment!
Hey there bookworms! I’m so excited to be back with you for another round of bright ideas! Here we go! One of the things I loved about my position last year was being able to go into so many different classrooms and learn new tricks from the fantastic teachers in our building. One of my ... Read More about Beat the Bell {A September Bright Idea!}
Antonio Guillem didn't mean to go viral. In fact, he only just found out what a meme is.
Cafuné — the act of tenderly running fingers through someone’s hair.
“The Heart is a lonely hunter with only one desire! To find some lasting comfort in the arms of another’s fire…driven by a desperate hunger to the arms of a neon light, the heart is a l…
Learn how to teach silent e words through explicit phonics instruction. Use orthographic mapping, connecting sound to symbol. Learn about the many jobs of the silent e!
Voice O Meter Template (Large 13×20″ Printable Poster PDF, Word Doc & Letter size PDF) Help manage the voice levels in your classroom! Includes a fully editable download -Word Voice o Meter Template
