Showing posts with label Tech Crazy Teacher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tech Crazy Teacher. Show all posts
3 Great Reasons to Launch Something New Now
17 April 2017
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Classroom Management,
End of the Year,
End-of-School Year Ideas,
Teacher Tips,
Tech Crazy Teacher
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Leave a Comment
Character Resources for Reading
17 February 2017
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character analysis,
character traits,
characters,
ELA,
Reading,
Tech Crazy Teacher
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1 comment
6 Ways to Recharge During the Holidays
Let's face it...teaching is hard. It is exhausting- mentally and physically. We end each day with a long sign of exhaustion and then, have to get ready for the next day. Winter break gives us some much needed time to recharge our batteries. It gives us the time to decompress and relax.
Most Important Times In a Teacher's Day
Teaching can be overwhelming. There is so much pulling on our time with the students. We have standards, scope and sequences, and directives. We have parents, principals, and school boards. So many demands are put on our time with our students. But what really is the most important part of our school day? What should we focus our time on? What should happen each and every day?
13 Fabulous Science Websites
The web is full of websites that are great for teaching science to our elementary student. But where do you start? Which ones should you use? Which websites are worth your students' time? Which sites offer the best science experience for my students? I am glad you asked! Here is a list of 13 great science websites for elementary students.
1. Scientists at the Smithsonian
All of the different scientist at the Smithsonian talk about their jobs. The site has everything from a Dinosaur Hunter to a Moon Measurer. Love the variety!
2. Google Sky
Google Sky is like Google Map except it is a map of the stars. It isn't a live view but is images compiled from tools such as the Hubble Telescope. It has some really cool images and also gives an explanation of what you are seeing.
3. Project Noah
This is a website dedicated to having real people- or citizen scientists- document wild life. Wouldn't it be fun to have students submit some pics? Students can upload digital pictures of wild life and a description of their organism from their own backyard!
4. Magic School Bus
The Magic School Bus site has quite a few games and activities relate to science. Students can engage in the Space Chase or get ideas for a science experiment.
5. Everyday Mysteries
Everyday Mysteries is full of fun science facts from the Library of Congress. The site answers questions such as, "Why does pepper make you sneeze?" and, "How does sunscreen work?"
6. San Diego Zoo
The part I like about this website is the Videos and Cams section. Students can watch apes, penguins, tigers and more through live video!
7. NASA
NASA has sooooo much! It has so many different sections all created for learning. I especially like the NASA Knows sections. This section has items such as NASA Knows- Astronauts or NASA Knows- Earth. Perfect for our elementary kiddos.
8. How Everyday Things are Made
This site is maintained by Stanford. It has a great selection of videos on how everyday items are made. Items range from chocolate to motorcycles.
9. Sheppard Software
This is a great collection of games related to science. The games include topics such as food chains, life cycles, and seasons.
10. National Geographic Kids
So much to see on this website! Students can explore videos, stories, bizarre facts, and photos. Very visibly engaging and fun! If you don't check out any other website, make sure to give this one a whirl!
11. Kids Astronomy
This site has all you would need related to astronomy. It has games, photos, and information all related to the universe around us.
12. Science Kids
Science Kids has fun facts, quizzes, games, and experiments. A fun site that has it all!
13. Science Bob
The Science Bob websites has tips for fun experiments and science fair projects. It also has an Experiment Blog where you can see how real kiddos have tried out the experiments. I especially like the videos- they are fun and engaging!
What science websites do you use in your classroom? I am always searching for the best websites for my students. I'd love to read about your finds in the comments
Need more science tips? Check out my Crazy about STEM Pinterest board!
Passwords 101: Creating Secure Passwords You Can Remember
Read Alouds for the Growth Mindset
The 12 Days of Christmas for Teachers
On the 1st day of Christmas, my students gave to me
an apple from the local grocery!
On the 2nd day of Christmas, my students gave to me
2 gift cards
and an apple from the local grocery!On the 3rd day of Christmas, my students gave to me
3 dandelions
2 gift cardsand an apple from the local grocery!
On the 4th day of Christmas, my students gave to me
4 Thank You cards
3 dandelions2 gift cards
and an apple from the local grocery!
On the 5th day of Christmas, my students gave to me
5 golden ornaments!
4 Thank You cards
3 dandelions
2 gift cards
and an apple from the local grocery!
Eeny, Meeny, Miny, App
Do you sometimes feel that the apps are winning? There are just too many of them to keep up with! Everywhere I turn, there are new ones popping up. Here an app, there an app... What is a teacher to do?
Never fear! Graphite is here!
Graphite is a website that is a teacher's dream come true. The site is dedicated to reviewing tech tools, including websites and apps. Many of the reviews come from teachers just like us! It is super easy to search for an app (or website) to fit your needs.
They even have a hottest Top Picks list.
You can also search for a specific app to see what the reviewers say about it.
I love the information this site gives! Make sure to check it out!
4 Websites I Use in Class Daily
My students seem to love it when the electricity goes out at our school. I guess it is kind of an adventure to them. I, however, would rather go see the dentist for a root canal. Okay, I will admit it, I am one of those teachers who freaks out when the electricity goes off at school. Technology has become such an integral part of my classroom makeup that I struggle without it. My lesson plans, my classroom management system, my morning work, and even my inside recess activities are all web-based. Which sites would I miss the most? These are the websites that I use every single day!
Still writing lesson plans out longhand? Boo! Try Planbook.com. I have used it for a couple of years now and love it. It is easy to learn and use. They have great video tutorials, and their help staff is awesome. You can organize your lessons in units, attach worksheets and PowerPoints right to the plans, and pick the standards you are teaching with a click. The website even gives you the ability to share plans with the teachers you work with and with your students. I love the ability to import and update my plans from last year! This website is a MUST have for me!
One website that has revolutionized my classroom management is Classdojo.com. I can't say enough positive things about this site! My students, parents, and I all love it. The teacher is able to reward students with points based on targeted student behaviors. The site keeps track of each behavior and teachers can customize the behaviors to their own needs-there are Positive behaviors and Needs Work behaviors. It is not only a classroom management system, but it is a fabulous parent communication platform. Parents can get real-time updates on their ClassDojo phone app about their students' behavior. You can also send messages to the whole class or to individual parents. The new Class Story feature is making it super easy to keep your classroom transparent and open by letting you post pictures of your activities. I pull this site up and have it displayed on my SMARTboard before the students even walk through the door. Oh, and if the electricity goes out, my phone has the app!
Once my students walk in the door and tap in for attendance on ClassDojo, they head for the computers. Part of our morning routine and part of the students' morning work is signing into Xtramath.org. Xtramath is a wonderful way to improve basic math fact knowledge and fluency. The site gives students practice on their individual level. Students review the facts that they have missed or taken too much time to answer. Students are given certificates when they are fluent on their facts. I love that I can change which facts I want my students working on such as moving them from subtraction to multiplication. The site is set up so that when a student finishes, they tell the next student it is his/her turn. LOVE!
My schedule this year has all my breaks in the morning. We are in the classroom from 12:00 until 3:00. This makes for a very, very long afternoon for my 3rd graders. Around 1:30 or 2:00, my students are finished, done, ready to gooooo. What to do? GoNoodle of course! GoNoodle.com comes to my rescue everyday. This site gets the students up and MOVING! We dance and stretch and, most importantly, have fun. The site is full of fun and energetic videos that are designed to get your students active and get their brains back on learning. Videos last from 1 minute to indoor recess videos of 15 minutes. My kiddos are addicted! I go home singing the songs and humming the tunes. So far this year Kitty High Five is their favorite. I have given away ALL of my indoor recess toys!
Have fun checking out each site! What sites do you use everyday?
