Monday, August 20, 2012

Blog Hoppin' into Teacher Week!

I am linking up with Blog Hopper for Teacher Week!


My must haves for school:

1. My new classroom ipad!!

I am obsessed with all of the things I will be able to do with my ipad. I have pinned so many ideas on Pinterest and can't wait to try them all on real kiddos! One of my favorite apps is the Book Retriever app for organizing and leveling classroom libraries...and when it's time, the students can check books out and in using the ipad!! So long lost books that NO ONE claims! Now I will know!!

2. My laminator!

It is so easy to print and laminate small projects, especially centers, at home,  It saves me time at school and I can bribe my husband to help me cut things out when I am at home. Not to mention, the laminating is much sturdier and stands the test of continuous first grader use! I have had mine since graduate school and it still works like a charm.

3. Starbucks Via Iced Caramel Coffee!

Possibly my favorite summer treat in the mornings. It's cool and refreshing with a shot of caffeine! It also saves me time in the mornings without having to sit in the drivethrough Starbucks line. I use all of my Starbucks gift cards to buy more boxes of these treats.



A week from today we will have kids walking into our rooms...am I ready? For the most part. I just have lots of things to get ready for the smarboard.  I LOVE my smartboard and cannot imagine teaching without it but sometimes creating things for it can be overwhelming and time consuming!!

Just posted my newest and LONGEST and most time consuming unit on teachers pay teachers. It is one year (180 days) worth of daily skill review for Math, Literacy, and Writing. It is based off common core standards. I have used the same format for my class in the past but I reworked it for this year with the new standards. Can't wait to use it with my kids- I think it is a good spiral review for them each morning as morning work. 

Check it out!

3 comments:

  1. I have a smartboard, but really have no idea how to teach with it. The few things I do take forever to create. Would love to hear how you use it.
    Alyce

    Mrs. Bartel’s School Family

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  2. It has been a slow process for me. The first year it took me so long to create things I felt like I used it mostly as a marker board. If you haven't gone to smart exchange (just google it), the Smart software website, you should try starting there. I love their lessons and using the templates to make my own.
    I use the smartboard for my morning meeting and calendar. I have the morning message on it and links to days of the week and months of the year songs. I still have a "calendar helper" each week and this student comes to the board to manipulate the calendar and other morning meeting slides.
    I use it for my reading lessons-- I went through each day of my district's reading adopting and created either a powerpoint or a smart software program with all of the covered literacy activities. The smartboard is really great for doing making words!! I also added each text we read to the slides and now have them on the smartboard as we read from our books. This allows me to point out key details and highlight text features for everyone to see.
    I also use it for reading workshop--www.jmeacham.com has some awesome slides I use as a workboard to show my students where to go. I also use a timer on the smartboard so everyone knows how much time is left in a center/rotation.
    I would love to share more ways I use the board. That will be my next post! Follow me and soon I will be sure to post some more ways I use the smartboard. Thanks for the comment and I will be sure to follow your blog as well. I hope this helps give you some ideas.
    Kristen

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  3. Hey Kristen! We are from the same mold girl! :) I too LOVE my laminator, my Keurig coffeemaker, my SMART board, and my, oh wait :( I dont have an ipad! BOO! I WILL get one someday! I am really interested in your 180 spiral review! We had training today on Math common core... yikes!
    ~Nikki

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