Recording Booth for Kids

Hi Friends!

Do you like visiting other teachers' classrooms??  I enjoy walking around and asking questions about things I see that I'm interested in knowing more about.  I've learned so much from my teacher friends over the years.  I have one particular friend, Mrs. Olson, who loves finding ways to engage her students. This fall she added a "recording booth" to her classroom after her school implemented a new technology plan in which all of her students would have their own iPad.   I was intrigued the minute I saw it and had to learn more about how it's used in 3rd grade classroom.

First of all it's not a real recording booth like you might see in a recording studio.  It's actually a zippered wardrobe rack from IKEA.  Mrs. Olson told me that she wanted a space for students to feel comfortable recording on their iPad without others looking at them.  Students are allowed to go inside, one at a time, to record on their iPad and then send their recording to their teacher to view later. (They use an app called Quick Voice.)   This is done during center rotations, so most students can use the booth at least once a week. Students are given assignments such as recording information about a text they are reading or explaining a math strategy and why it works.  Mrs. Olson says that the assignments are based on whatever they are currently studying in a variety of subject areas and it's a great way to check for understanding.

Here are some photos:

The light on the left is turned on when a student goes inside to
record something on his/her iPad.  

This is what it looks like on the inside.  

This is the sign on the outside.


Thanks for sharing your awesome idea, Mrs. Olson!!

"G" Journals

Hi Friends,
It's hard to believe it is NOVEMBER already!  This is the time of year when many of us teach our students about the First Thanksgiving.  We usually include some kind of writing activity in which we ask our kids to share what they are thankful for in their lives.  Last year I wrote a post about grateful journals or "G" journals.  I thought this might be a good time of the year to share it with you again.  The original idea for "G" journals came from my friend Tammy over at Forever in First.  You can read her post about them {here}. 

I give each of my students a small "G" journal the first week of November.  I ask them to write and draw one thing they are grateful for each day.  I have them do this every day until Thanksgiving break and then they take their "G" journals home and share them with their family.  Here are some pictures:)

Here are some books I read to the class before we begin writing in our "G" journals.  As a class, we also make a list of things we are grateful for that I post on large chart paper and hang up. 

What are you grateful for this year?

I am grateful that you are reading my blog!

Conference Time!

Hi Friends,
This is the time of year that most of us are having conferences, so I thought I would share a few pictures of how I set up a little area outside my classroom for parents and kids to enjoy while waiting for their conference.  

I bought this wooden chalkboard at Hobby Lobby on sale for $35.

This is the what the table looks like outside my classroom.

I display a couple of our class books on easels.  

I put out a tub of our class books for parents to enjoy.

I also like to put out some fun activity sheets for the kids to complete.

Halloween Writing Activity

Hi Friends,
Here's a fun writing activity that a teacher across the hall from me did with her students.  

The mummy is covered with masking tape.

Sight Words

Hi Friends,
Here's another use for those mini photo albums you can buy at the Dollar Store. I fill them with sight words.  It's easy for kids to turn the pages and it's harder to lose the word cards.  I just take out the ones they learn and replace them with new words. 

I found these albums at the Dollar Store.

I popped in a picture of each student for the cover.

I used a 4 X 6 index card to write the words.

Sometimes I put word and a sentence with the word.

Sing & Sign Your ABC's

Hi Friends,

When I was in fourth grade, I learned to sign the alphabet so that I could send secret messages to my friends across the classroom.   That was over 40 years ago and to this day, I can still sign the whole alphabet.  I've always been intrigued with sign language and wanted to learn more than the alphabet. So, I bought a few simple sign language books and watched a variety of YouTube videos.

I've shared my interest in sign language with my kids at school over the years.  The kids LOVE learning sign language.  I usually start with the alphabet and some simple words and build on from there.  I've found a couple of great resources this summer and ordered them to use in the fall with my first graders.

Before I share the resources I bought, I'd like to share a YouTube video I came across on the Nellie Edge website.

The first resource I found was the Nellie Edge ABC Phonics Sing, Sign, and Read!  This book has full color pages with each of the alphabet letters along with the sign for each letter and a picture of a word that begins with that particular sound.   This book goes along with the video.

Along with this book, I bought the A to Z Wall Posters to post in my classroom.

I'm looking forward to teaching my students how to sign the alphabet with the video and these amazing resources.     

A Friend's Classroom

Hi Friends,
I love peeking into other teachers' classrooms, don't you??   I'd like to share some pictures of a friend's classroom that I visited today. Her name is Allison Hutchins and she teaches 3rd grade at another school in my district.  Here goes...
  

Create your own free slideshow

Thanks for sharing your awesome room, Allison!

Story Stones

 Hi Friends!

When my son, Austin, was a little boy, I used to make up bedtime stories in which he and his cousin, Mason, were the main characters. These stories took them on adventures in a variety of settings. Each setting had its own set of problems, but Austin and Mason were able to solve them and emerge as heroes in all of the stories.  I loved making up these stories and Austin begged me to retell the same ones over and over again.  Austin is 21 years old now and still remembers some of those stories.

Kids love to hear stories as well as create them.  So, when I saw Story Stones on Pinterest, I thought I could use them with my class in a fun way to make up stories and review story elements along the way.  I decided to make my own Story Stones because they are a little pricey if you want to buy them. 

The Story Stones I made include pictures of a variety of characters, settings, and things that may cause problems and/or offer solutions.
I plan to teach my class how to use them after spring break.  I will model how to do this with the whole class at first, but then I'll have them work in groups.  I'm not sure how other teachers use Story Stones, but here's how I'm going to use them:

1.  Put students in groups of 4.
2.  Place 12 Story Stones in a bag and have each student take 3
(No peeking).
3.  The student with a character(s) or setting will go first.  This student begins making up the story by introducing the character(s) or setting. Why?  Because we know that authors introduce the setting and character(s) at the beginning of the story.  
4.  Continue in a clockwise manner.  Each student must add to the story using his Story Stones.  You can only use one stone at a time. Keep in mind that your story must have a beginning, middle and end as well as all the story elements (setting, characters, problem, and solution).  
5.  Have fun!  Stories may be silly, sad, scary or outrageous, but they can't involve violence on any kind. 

Here are the materials I used to make my Story Stones:

Bag of stones from the Dollar Tree ( I bought 4 bags because I wanted lots of flat stones.)

Mod Podge & a foam brush

Stickers from the Dollar Tree

Pictures from catalog

Adhere sticker or picture to stone and paint over top with Mod Podge

I made 48 Story Stones.  I included pictures for each of the story elements.

Children have such great imaginations that I know they will have so much fun making up stories with these Story Stones!

Classroom Library

"Fill your classroom with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks."

                          Dr. Seuss
Hi Friends!
I'm sure all of you have seen this quote floating around on Pinterest.  I just love it!  However, I changed one word in this quote to fit my post today.  Can you guess which one?  I changed "home" to "classroom."   I think the message, either way, is extremely important. 

I've worked really hard to fill all the nooks and crannies in my classroom with lots of books and reading materials.  I strongly believe that my students LOVE to read because they have access to so many wonderful books and reading materials on a daily basis.  I give my students lots of time throughout the day to read.  Here are some pictures of my classroom library and other nooks and crannies in my classroom.



This is my classroom library.  The tubs and books are sorted in a variety of ways: author, topic,
series, or variety.  The tubs are labeled with a number & title.  The books in each tub are also numbered
on the back so they can be put back quickly.

My shelves are made with cinder blocks on the bottom and white laminate shelves on top.  I spaced the
cinder blocks so that I could put tubs between them.

I have lots of author tubs.  I used white ice cube tubs from Walmart
and labeled them.  This is just one cart of them.  I have several others on another shelf.

I have lots of books displayed on picture frame easels around my classroom. 

Library books are placed in this tub every week.

We have a nonfiction library shelf in my classroom.  The kids helped to label the book boxes.
The kids really LOVE these nonfiction books.

 

All of our student made books are placed in this tub.  I always see kids picking books from this tub for self-selected reading time.

 

I love "advertising" books in this way.   

For every theme, season or holiday, I make a display of books to invite kids to read.

 

 

 

I have books at all of my centers.  This is my science center.  I have books in the
black tub on the floor and our unit of study books in the white tub on the table.

 

 

I invite kids to read what other students have written during Writers' Workshop by putting a
SPOTLIGHT on their writing.

 

 

I've invited staff members to come into our classroom and share their favorite books with us.
We think reading is so important that we have a Book Share Wall in our classroom.

 

This is our Author Study timeline.  After we do an Author Study, their name and a picture of one on their books goes up on our wall.  Kids love to talk about their favorite books and authors.

Most of the reading materials I have in my classroom were purchased by me over many years.  When I first started teaching in 1986, I walked into a classroom that was filled with desks and a set of basal readers.  That's it!  I started a classroom library that first year with just a few books of my own.