Easy Technology Tools for the Classroom

Two websites that are making my life easier in the classroom are

 

These free websites are wonderful for students, easy for the parents to understand and use, and FREE for the teacher.  Yes, I said FREE!

XtraMath helps students with their math facts. You can set it for addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.  You just type in your students name and select the grade.  It is super easy and if you need help the site has a number of quick video tutorials for teachers and parents.  https://www.xtramath.org/home/videos  It takes less than 5 minutes per day per student to complete.  LOVE IT!

Class Dojo is a tool to use in the classroom that helps teachers improve behavior.  It is quick and easy to use too.  Just add your students.  Track using a smart phone or computer.  It can be used for positive and negative behaviors.  You can change the 'rules and expectations' to fit your class.  Reports can be generated and shared with parents.  My kiddos love this.  It is the easiest tracker for data and easy to use!

Check out these tools and let me know if you fall in love with them too!  By the way, how many times did I use the word EASY??? :)

What tools are must haves in your classroom?

Happy Teaching!

Diane

How do you know you're a teacher?

Today, I got a funny email from another teacher.  I thought it was worth sharing!  Enjoy the laughs and get ready to count how many you really can relate to about being a teacher.

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE A TEACHER?

By Jeff Foxworthy

1. You get a secret thrill out of laminating things.

2. You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.

3. You walk into a store and hear the words, “It’s Ms./Mr. ____________ and know you have been spotted.

4. You have 25 people who accidentally call you Mom/Dad at one time or another.

5. You can eat a multi-course meal in under 25 minutes.

6. You’ve trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day, lunch and planning period.

7. You start saving other people’s trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.

8. You believe the Teacher’s Lounge should be equipped with a margarita machine.

9. You want to slap the next person who says, “Must be nice to work 7 to 3 and have summers off”.

10. You believe chocolate is a food group.

11. You can tell if it’s a full moon without ever looking outside.

12. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, “Boy, the kids are sure mellow today.”

13. You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public.

14. You believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin.

15. You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.

16. You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own children.

17. You can’t pass the school supply aisle without getting at least 5 items!

18. You ask your friends to use their words and explain if the left hand turn he made was a “good choice” or “bad choice.”

19. You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils.

20. You are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer.

21. You understand, instantaneously, why a child behaves in a certain way after meeting his/her parents.

How many of you are agreeing with all 21?  Number 10 is very true!

Summer Slump and Monster Glyph

The summer slump has hit me!  All the things on the to do list that need to get finished (or should I say started) are still there.  My to do list seems to be getting longer and longer.  I need to get motivated!

To Do List:
Home
Paint bathrooms
Clean out office
Yard Sale or take items to Goodwill

School
Summer School
Calendar
Bulletin Boards
Lesson Plans for the first week - started :)
Common Core pacing guides for math and ela

I did stop procrastinating and made a glyph for my students to complete the first week of school.  My classroom theme is monsters, so I had fun trying to create a craftivity for them.  Thought I would share it just in case any body else is doing a monster theme. 

Enjoy!

Diane

Happy Summer

Happy Summer!

It is always sad for the end of the school year to come, but it is amazing to look back and see the accomplishments of the year.  It is a time of reflection, hope, and inspiration!  It makes me stop and think about the things that went well, the things that need to be adjusted, the things that literally need to be trashed, and what needs a face lift.  My summer list includes organizing my books that I used for Daily 5 lessons, digging deeper into the Common Core, creating some more items for blog and TpT, and of course spending more time blogging (and reading others).  What is on your list for the summer?

SALE May 6-8th

I have my TpT items on sale too! Stop by for a really great sale! Everything is 10% off plus if you use the code TAD12 you get an additional 10%. So the sale is for 20% off for Teacher Appreciation Week. Thanks for all you do for your students and other teachers! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Diane-Ireland

Summer Bucket List

Our Summer Bucket List activity is perfect for the end of school year or to do over the summer.  This can be used for goal setting, writing or listing what the students want to do over the summer, or a variety of other ways.  In order for you to adapt this best for your classroom, you may want to copy the buckets on a variety of colored construction paper or white paper for students to color.  After students write their top 3 bucket list items, have them attach (glue) to the bucket.  Shovels can be copied in a variety of colors or let your children color them.  I cant wait to make this with my class.  I am really excited about how well the bucket and shovel turned out.

Boggle Fun Freebie

My students are having a blast playing Boggle. I created a bulletin board to use for the game and change the letters each week. The students play the game during their work work time of Daily 5. When we have a few extra minutes during the day, we play the on-line interactive version. If you want it for your class, I have it as a freebie on TpT. Just click on the picture below. Hope you and your kiddos have as much fun as my class has been having playing Boggle!