A great way to help your sweeties during the writing process is to help remind them to use their WRITER'S EYE! I created my own BEE-U-TIFUL Western Themed Posters on TPT for my class. (Note: I will be creating other themes soon too!).
There are nine posters in this pack. Each colorful poster has an example sentence and picture to help your students. The nine posters include: *I see CAPITAL LETTERS *I see PUNCTUATION *I see FINGER SPACES *I see NEAT WRITING *I see LOWERCASE LETTERS *I see DETAILS *I see sentences IN ORDER *I see correct spelling from the WORD WALL*I see a BEGINNING, MIDDLE, and END A Writer's Eye Checklist is included in this pack too!! Your students can keep the checklist in their writing folders to help them during the writing process.
I am so excited there is a way to safely show YouTube videos in my class without without worrying about the ads and inappropriate content that may pop up in the beginning!!!
SafeShare is a website that takes YouTube videos and gets rid of almost ALL of the advertisements and inappropriate content around the main video. Safeshare even removes the ads that are often showed before popular videos. All you do is copy the YouTube link and paste it into Safeshare.tv(see image below). Then you are given a new link to use instead of the YouTube link.
Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy!
Below is a tutorial on how to convert a YouTube video into a Safeshare video.
CREATIVITY FREE: ColArmix (augmented learning) COST: My Play Home, My Play Kitchen, My Pay Home Store, Toca Kitchen, Toca Lab, Toca Hair Salon, Toca House
BOOKS (great for listening center or guided reading groups) FREE:
Collins Books, LAZ Leveled Readers, ABC Mouse Books, COST:
Dr. Seuss Books: Dr. Seuss ABC, Cat in the Hat, Go Away Big Green Monster, Monster at the End of This Book,
I just learned about an amazing new site called RUBISTAR where teachers can create FREE educational rubrics for their class!!!
Rubistaris very simple and easy to use. To create a rubric on Rubistar, just choose your topic from the list provided there and select a template from its gallery and fill in your info. In Kinderworld, we have been working on digital storytelling using the Felt Board app. The students need to create a setting, characters, problem and solution on one page on the ipad. I just wasn't sure how to assess this so I created a rubric on Rubistar. First, I selected WRITING as the rubric focus. Then I clicked on STORYTELLING. After, I was given several options to create a personalized rubric for my class. This is a screen shot of the rubric I created.
When I was finished, I simply clicked SUBMIT and WAHLAH! My rubric was created!
Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy!
I give each student a bag of 50 LEGOS and let them build away!
The next day, we create a class book.
At the end of the day, we celebrate with a Mock Drive-In and have Root Beer and Popcorn! We made Ford Mustangs from card board for the kids to sit in. You can also just let them sit in empty boxes.
We watch a movie made in the 1950s.
Here is a list of G movies made in the 1950s:
Cinderella
Peter Pan
Alice in Wonderland
Sleeping Beauty
My New Favorite: Teen Beach Movie!!! The kids go back to the 1950s (and it's rated G)
I have put together an AMAZING list of BRAIN BREAKS and EDUCATIONAL YOUTUBE VIDEOS BELOW that can be used throughout the day to help your littles move and learn.
One of my favorite ways to get the "WIGGLES OUT" and give the kiddos a chance to get up and move is by doing a quick BRAIN BREAK. The kids are obsessed with these fun dance videos and it is an excellent way for regaining focus during instruction.
Research shows that physical movement increases blood flow, bringing more oxygen to the brain and leads to improved concentration. Who doesn't want that????
According to actionforhealthykids.org, being physically active helps kids learn better so they can do better in school. I absolutely agree!
I use the YOUTUBE videos during transitions or while working on a specific skill. I love when I hear the kiddos singing the songs on the playground or with their friends!!
When the brain break or video is over, be sure to have a quiet signal or sign that can refocus students quickly so they will STOP, LOOK and LISTEN. I either wiggle my fingers in the air OR put a quiet finger over my mouth with one hand and show a peace sign with my other (that's the signal for peace and quiet).
You can also manage what songs to play by having a class DJ who chooses for the day or use popsicle sticks with the the Brain Breaks on them.
Another great new site for Brain Breaks is GONOODLE. This awesome new site uses music, dance, and stretching while incorporating classroom management. Check it out!
What other great videos am I missing? Please comment and let me know what I can add to this list!
