Monday, April 29, 2013

Mr. Nussbaum's Educational games

http://mrnussbaum.com/gamescode/

The link above is to a website that contains numerous interactive and educational games for students at all different grade levels.  There are games for math, science, geography, spelling, etc.  There are even some in Spanish.  There are great graphic and detailed instructions for each game so students will be engaged and able to understand what they are playing and learning. 
My favorite game so far is Tony's Fraction Pizza.  In this game, customers order pizza with different toppings (1/2 pepperoni, 2/5 mushroom, 1/10 cheese) and students need to show that on a pizza to serve the customer. 
An added bonus to this site is that it includes lesson plans and standard correlations with the games so that teachers can plan the games to go along with units of study and supplement or reinforce concepts for their students.
I highly recommend checking out this great site and trying some games with your class!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Free Educational Apps


http://repinly.machsrichtig.com/2012/10/list-of-free-educational-apps/#rssowlmlink

I just came across this list of links for free educational apps with corresponding grade levels.  With technology playing such a key role in the lives of our students, it is imperative that we bring fun technology into our classrooms as well.  This list gives sites/ apps that we can use to motivate and engage our students in their own learning while keeping us in line with the digital natives that we teach.
I have used a few of these apps but the majority of them are new to me so I thought I would share and get the word out about them.  The fact that they are all free allows us to download them and explore before introducing them to students, without any expense out of our pockets.
Enjoy and let me know what you think, if you try these apps.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Free Teaching Resources

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Price-Range/Free

The Link above is to a website that I recently found while looking for new lesson supplement resources.  Teacherspayteachers.com is a wonderful website with hundreds of resources ranging from math and reading worksheets to classroom posters and educational games that reinforce skills and concepts taught.  All you have to so is register and set up a user name and password and you can download what you are interested in.  There are a great deal of resources for free and there is even an option to sell or purchase other ideas and resources from other teachers as well. This would be a great place to check for ideas when you are thinking of new and innovative ideas and approaches in your classroom.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Classroom Chart Ideas

There's now a new page to the side panel of this blog!  It includes pictures of classroom chart ideas for literacy and math as well as a link to a great resource for additional charts.  I am always intrigued, when visiting other classrooms and schools, by the charts that other teacher's have on display.  Everyone has different ideas and approaches so  I think the more we share, the more our students benefit.  The images that I found and shared are ones that I thought were useful and engaging for students.  Feel free to comment or add as well!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Great site for Younger Students

http://www.starfall.com/

Starfall.com is a wonderful website that is designed for younger students to aid with phonics development in learning to read.  I love that the stories are animated and illustrated with colorful graphics and there are options to hear the story sections read to you.  The words are also highlighted as they are read for help with site word recognition.
For math, students can practice with shapes, patterns and telling time on a clock.  The activities are engaging and sounds clips encourage students to continue.
Although there are some limitations in access unless you are registered members, there is plenty available for students to practice and learn with, without signing up.  I highly encourage teachers of lower grades, especially English Language Learners or students with IEPs to visit this site and have their students reinforce their learning with the activities provided here.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Is Teaching a Profession Worth Entering?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-turner/a-warning-to-young-people_b_3033304.html

The above article/ blog by Randy Turner, brings to light some of the current issues within the teaching profession.  Unfortunately, there are many valid reasons this authors has for why young adults should choose NOT to become a teacher.  With the new changes in laws and practices in regards to education, teachers are loosing their respect and are being belittled and devalued.  Our jobs are being dictated by standardized tests and our salaries leaning toward merit pay.  In these times, is this really a profession that a young person, starting a new career, would want to enter into?

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Excellent Teacher Resource- Teachhub

http://www.teachhub.com/
Teachhub.com is an excellent resource that I have recently found.  On this website, teachers can find numerous lesson plan ideas for all grade levels in various subject areas such as Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Math.  This website also contains links to hot topic articles and 5 different teaching blogs along with contest opportunities for students and classrooms.  There is even a tab to find various professional development sessions in your area.
I found this website to very user friendly.  It is easy to navigate with the different tabs and pages included.  I also used the search engine to find numerous  links to websites and articles for specific concepts/ issues I wanted to teach or address in my classroom.  There is currently a link under the Hot Topics tab for the best 12 apps for students use on an Ipad.  I definitely reccomend checking it out if you have access to ipads in your school or classroom!
Explore this great resource if you get a chance. I'm sure you will find it helpful and very worthy of your time!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Teacher's Corner Resource

http://www.theteacherscorner.net/

The Teacher's Corner is a wonderful website that I found as a resource for teachers. On this page, there are great lesson plan and thematic unit ideas as well as bulletin board ideas by month or subject. It also has numerous links to different collaborative projects and contests for students.  You can connect with teachers from around the world to share ideas and even set up penpals amongst your students.  There are also templates for students to use, such as a behavioral management student reflection.
I definitely think that this website is beneficial for classroom teachers and provides wonderful resources for both teachers and students.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Classroom Teacher's Job



http://tips.atozteacherstuff.com/449/quotes-for-teachers-if-a-doctor-lawyer-or-dentist/

We know that as teachers, we don't often get the recognition we deserve and there are many days when we are overwhelmed by the amount of students in our class, the varying needs we are faced with and the curriculum expectations that are set out before us.  Many people do not often recongize what we actually do on a daily basis but we don't do it for the recongition.  It is for the students and their potential benefits that we spend extra hours in the school building or in our own homes planning and grading just to get through the next day and although we dont often see the effects immediately, by then end of the school year, we are often amazed by the growth that we see in the students that walked through our doors in September.
It may not always be easy, but it's the classroom teacher's job and it takes a strong person to do it!