#elementarytechnology

[elementarytechnology-blog]

My students need a 3 hokki stools to help our active classroom learners better focus on their learning and classroom work. Do you have trouble staying still and working for long periods of time? Is it hard to focus on work and you end up fidgeting in your seat? Students experience the same feeling often in school, and...

Hey guys. I'm looking to get my second DonorsChoose project funded. This time I'm asking for 3 Hokki stools for my classroom. I want to help active learners succeed. We've all fidgeted and had trouble sitting still. As adults, we can usually still get our work done. However, it's harder for children to do that. These stools would help my class this year and in years to come. If you choose to donate, please use code INSPIRE on the checkout page. Your donation will be matched by another donor. This only works until February 8th though. I still need $188 of $398. I'd love to have this funded before then!

[elementarytechnology-blog]

Well, we've now had the whole week off due to snow and weather. Even though the snow ended on Wednesday, the back roads are still a pitiful mess, as are the school parking lots. It doesn't help that it's not been warm enough to even begin melting any of this stuff.

I'm sure my students have enjoyed the days off, as have I!

[elementarytechnology-blog]

Okay so I've played around on Planbook.com. I set things up using the PC side of things, not iPad. I'm pretty sure I'm going to switch to doing my plans this way. It's similar to what I do now, but better. I was able to add events for all parts of the schedule. Planbook makes it easy to select the standards you're teaching in each lesson, and it allows you to see how many times you've taught a particular standard as well. Plans are easy to view and print. Once lessons are entered for all days, classes will line up neatly in the schedule, as you can see from the sample page I posted. I'll answer any questions :)

[elementarytechnology-blog]

I am so, so proud of my 4th graders.

Yesterday we did a lab called Polymer Playtime. We had the kindergarten class join us. Each of my kids were assigned to a kindergartener. We talked about polymers first before delving in. The kids all experienced insta-snow for the first time, and we connected it to its real world use. Then the insta-snow was connected to the diapers, and students worked to dig the polymers out of the diapers. We poured water on what they pulled out so they could witness the absorption. Finally, we tested how much liquid a size 4 diaper could hold and were able to get it to hold 1200 mL.

All throughout, my kids were doing the writing, and the kindergarteners were telling their observations to write. They made sure to keep their kiddo on track, and everyone was able to comply with the lab rules.

[elementarytechnology-blog]

Meet Riley, the character I eventually became for Red Ribbon Week at the end of October. This was for the theme "Drugs are Tacky". Riley came about when one of my former students told me I looked more like a boy with my hair spiked, and then asked what my name was. Riley was the first thing to pop into mind.

My catchphrase for the day: "'Sup? I'm Riley, 10 years old, and I attend JJCES."

By the end of the day, my students had recorded a video of me as Riley and interviewed the "new kid".

[elementarytechnology-blog]

4th Grade Updates

4th Grade Stackers- My speed stacking club is a huge success. I have 7 of 11 students in my club, and 5 of those 7 have purchased their own cups to use. We have had 3 meetings so far, and I think I'm getting the hang of planning out the 45 minute sessions. I can see the students getting faster, and the proof lies in the record book I keep for the club.

Our Teacher is Crazy- We've recently written our first book for the year. This week students worked on the drawing conclusions skill. To see what they'd learned, I gave them a writing prompt: Draw a conclusion about Miss B's teaching style this year in 4th grade. Use specific evidence to support your conclusions. They illustrated their work as well. I decided to make a photobook storybook, and I ordered it today. I can't wait to get it.

Reflex Math- 11/10 will be our two month mark for Reflex and we are currently at 73%, after we started at 15%. I'm so proud of my kiddos for this and it has definitely made a difference in their classwork as well.