Monday, April 23, 2012

Ladies (and Gentleman), We Have a Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and has added so far to the linky party!  Please continue to add your ideas!  I will continue with my series of posts soon. 

Maria, from Kinder-Craze, is the winner of the Amazon Gift Card giveaway!

Kinder-Craze

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Congrats, Maria!  I will touch base by email to get your address!


I would love to hear ideas from everyone out there! I love finding new resources and ideas through the blog world. Link up to the Linky Party and share the technology resources and activities that you use in your classroom for centers!

Link up with the linky party - Click here.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Giveaway–Final Hours!!!

I would love to hear ideas from everyone out there! I love finding new resources and ideas through the blog world. Link up to the Linky Party and share the technology resources and activities that you use in your classroom for centers!

This is also a giveaway! The winner will win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com!


Leave me a comment on the main page for each of the entries you make.

***The giveaway has been extended to Friday, April 20th at midnight!***

Ways to enter:
1 - Link up with the linky party - Click here.
2 – Add the linky party badge to your blog
3 - Follow me
4 – Follow me on Pinterest (click on the left or go to: http://pinterest.com/christine1st/)
5 - Blog about this party and giveaway on your blog

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Creative Writing Freebie

Have you seen this adorable book?  I always want to say Harry Potter, but it is Harvey.  It reminds me of A Bad Case of Stripes and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Such a cute story!  It is about a farmer who plants a very strange crop: balloons. 

It is a fun book to explore fiction and non-fiction.  You can read a book about real farms and then compare it to Harvey Potter’s Balloon Farm.

It is also such a fun book to spark a creative writing assignment.  What would you plant if you had a conjure stick?  Click on the i mage for a free printable.

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Technology and Literacy Centers–Day 3

How do you use technology during literacy centers? I thought I would put together a few posts about how I integrate technology into my center routine. This is also a Linky Party and a giveaway – see below for the details!

Click on the previous days to link back to other posts.

Day 1: Organization of Centers and Tools for Centers
Day 2: Listening Centers
Day 3: Work on Reading
Day 4: Work on Words
Day 5: Work on Writing


Today is Day 3!

Reading using technology is a bit more challenging because there are few books that are readily available for use without access to technology such as a Kindle, iPad, iPod, or other expensive items that are not overly prevalent in most classrooms at this point.  The materials themselves also tend to be costly.  As I wrote this post, ideas popped into my head that stretched what I thought of when I thought of an independent reading center and expanded the resources available for student use during this time.

1. Reading on the Computer 

Many of the same resources for listening to reading can be used without a sound feature to practice reading skills.  Storyline Online and Magic Keys are 2 free resources on the net. Again, be careful of the tooth fairy story on Story Online.

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National Geographic Young Explorer gives children access to their past issues of National Geographic. This has been fantastic in my classroom. We subscribe to the magazine and put the issue on the Promethean Board for an interactive experience, but I also love that the kids can go on to read and listen later at centers. The access to the online version is free.

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Pebble Go offers students access to non-fiction articles about animals and earth and space.  BookFlix pairs fiction and non-fiction books for students to read.  Both of these sites are subscription based.

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We Give Books – is a site that gives access to many different books.  They can be read on the computer or an electronic whiteboard.

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News sites, kids television sites,  and classroom magazines also offer access to articles and reading material.  If you are a subscriber, you gain access to much more.  Most of the articles that you can access for free are for older elementary students.  Rather than have students navigate the site themselves,  I usually put a link to the article on a Promethean/Smartboard page and lock it in or drag a link to the desktop.  You can also put a link on a website for students to access. Click on the logos for a link.

Another resources available to schools is online Encyclopedias and Databases.  My district recently bought a subscription to World Book Encyclopedia.  they have amazing resources!

2. Author Websites

I’m cheating a bit here, because there are just not a lot of cheap or free resources for kids to practice reading books on the internet.  However, author websites provide students with a great way to interact with author’s, books, and characters.  Many authors have amazing websites that provide students with great experiences1  What a better way to get students excited about reading!

This site provides many, many links to author websites.  Of course, you can search for specific authors.

The Children's Literature Web Guide

3. Reading Rockets Author Interviews

Reading rockets offers great interviews with authors.  While not actual reading, students can learn more about author’s and the books the kids are reading.  This is great for an author’s study or a unit on author’s craft.

 4. Into the Book

This website provides students with video clips and activities to experience reading strategies.  Access to this site during the reading block provides students with access to resources to practice strategies you are teaching.  This site lends itself to upper elementary students.

5. Reading A to Z and Raz Kids

These 2 sites are subscription based.  Many schools buy subscriptions.  They do have access to some free books.  Raz Kids provides a whole program where students can work through books at their level.  They offer a small selection of free materials.

Reading A-Z.com - Your Reading Resource Center

6. Leap Pads

Last year I began to incorporate Leap Pads into my classroom. Now that the prices have gone down, I found 3 on Ebay and have found the books and cartridges on Ebay and at thrift stores and garage sales. I put these in as a listening center once a week. The books are not always pure listening, but it works. I store the Leap Pads in a Sterlite file box – 3 fit nicely. The games go in a second one.

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7. Public Library

My library system has a nice selection of kids books that can be downloaded for reading.  They can be used o a pc or some can be downloaded to a Kindle.  You would have to check them out on a personal card and there is a limit to how many can be checked out.  Many of the books in my system are for upper elementary and young adult students. The collections are growing very quickly!

8. Webquests

Remember webquests?!? I created several of these as an undergrad.  They were the latest in technology back then.  The idea is to guide students through online resources to access information for inquiry or to gain information about a topic.  These activities are a great way to have students read and write during centers in a way that provides them with guided instruction on a specific topic.  Here are a couple sources that compile webquests.  You can also search for webquests on a specific topic or create your own.

Teacher Tap

 



I would love to hear ideas from everyone out there! I love finding new resources and ideas through the blog world. Link up to the Linky Party and share the technology resources and activities that you use in your classroom for centers!

 

This is also a giveaway! The winner will win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com!


Leave me a comment on the main page for each of the entries you make.

***The giveaway has been extended to Friday, April 20th at midnight!***

Ways to enter:
1 - Link up with the linky party - Click here.
2 – Add the linky party badge to your blog
3 - Follow me
4 – Follow me on Pinterest (click on the left or go to: http://pinterest.com/christine1st/)
5 - Blog about this party and giveaway on your blog


I can't wait to find some wonderful new ideas!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Technology and Literacy Centers–Day 2

How do you use technology during literacy centers?  I thought I would put together a few posts about how I integrate technology into my center routine.   This is also a Linky Party and a giveaway – see below for the details!

           Day 1: Organization of Centers and Tools for Centers
           Day 2: Listening Centers
           Day 3: Work on Reading
           Day 4: Work on Words
           Day 5: Work on Writing 
       


Today is Day 2!

1. Listening on the Computer


I love using my classroom computers for the Listening Center! We have 6 computers in our first grade classrooms for student use and they are fantastic for setting up listening centers.
There are a few free sites out there with stories for children. Some that I have used in the past have added a subscription fee and others have so many ads that I am worried about using them in the classroom. Storyline Online is fantastic! However, I caution you about the Tooth Fairy story. Check it out and see if you want to use this site. I have used it more for a whole class listening activity rather than me reading a story aloud. The Magic Keys is also a good site, but a bit limited. StoryNory, Tumble Books, and Speakaboos have all gone to a fee-based format.

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The Magic Keys – Children’s Storybooks Online
 

National Geographic Young Explorer gives children access to their past issues of National Geographic. This has been fantastic in my classroom. We subscribe to the magazine and put the issue on the Promethean Board for an interactive experience, but I also love that the kids can go on to read and listen later at centers.


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Next, I have 2 sites that are subscription sites. Our library has subscribed to both sites for classroom use and they are indispensible for most of our classroom teachers. They are great to use with the Promethean Board. Pebble Go is a non-fiction database on animals and the world around us. The kids love to read and listen during centers. It is great for research. Bookflix is another site that I have mentioned before. It has a fantastic collection of fiction and non-fiction books for students to listen to and read.

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2. Listening Center Board for the Promethean

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The Promethean Board allows the create of pages where you can lock in a link and an image on a page. For example, I have a Listening Center Chart that is anchored to my student desktops. Students click on the chart and it opens a page with all of the links students are allowed to access during centers. That way, I can give them access to a few choices and it limits what they can do – no Legoland allowed!

3. MP3s or iPods


I also have a listening center that is not computer-based. I struggled with the old tape-deck players and cd players for years and finally decided to go with MP3 players when I saw a good deal through Scholastic. There are a few great MP3 players out there for children, but they can be pretty pricey. I have seen some good deals on Ebay, but have stuck with my old players at this point. They were $8 on clearance at one point and I bought 8 with my bonus points. I can’t find my picture of them right now.

iPods would also be a great option, if they are available to you.  I work in an area where we can access them through a regional loan program, I just have not been able to get them yet.
I have gradually acquired books with cds through Scholastic. This is a nice system because I only need one copy of the book and students have their own listening tools. I load the cds into my computer and transfer one story to each MP3. With 8 players, that gives each child 2 centers for 4 weeks. So, I have them use the MP3s twice a week and the computer twice a week. I store the MP3 player and the book in a baggie and put the stories in a basket. This gives my students a bit of choice during this center.

I bought earphones from the dollar store a few years ago, one for each student. They are stored in baggies with student numbers on them. I have toyed with the idea of putting them on a supply list too, because mine are starting to break at this point. The earphones are stored in a Sterlite container with magic numbers 1-7 in the top drawer, 8-14, and 15-21 in the next two.

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I store my listening books in a crate with a hanging file for each month. They are filed by month so I can pull appropriate theme and content books for the month. Once the books are loaded onto my computer from the cd, I organize them the same as the crate so they are easy to transfer to the MPs when it is time. Once the system is set up, it takes 15-20 minutes to switch them out each month.

I love this system because it allows students to work independently and make choices. It also cuts down on the behavior issues that occur when students don’t know how to use the players and argue over things – you know how that goes.

4. CD Players

You can also break out the old cd players.  The nice part about this is that you can pick up cheap players at thrift stores or families can donate used ones to the classroom.  The other nice feature is that you can check out cds and book from your local library.  Again, I live in an area where 4 counties have teamed up to loan items from any of the libraries and they are transported to your local library. Awesome resource when you are on a budget!

5. Online Resources for Audio Books

There are a few places that you can access books for the computer, MP3s, or iPods.  Amazon, Audible.com, and iTunes have books that you can purchase and download for a fee.  I have not gotten into these for the classroom yet.  It is just too much money for me to spend.
Free options are author sites and your local library.  Some authors, such as Robert Munsch, read their books on their websites.  Others, like Todd Parr, read their books on YouTube.  My library system also have a nice selection of kids books that can be downloaded for listening.  They can be used o a pc or some can be burned onto cds.  The collections are growing very quickly!

6. Mystery Readers!

A couple years ago, I created a program for my classroom where I had adults in the school system read a book and record themselves.  I pulled several books that matched themes, had people sign-up and choose a book, then record themselves reading on my computer. We have a microphone available through our library, but there are some really inexpensive choices on Amazon.com.  I had the teachers record using Audacity and could then save their reading for the MP3s.  The kids loved trying to figure out who was reading!

31d3UNAYJ-LAudacity: Free Sound Editor and Recording Software

7. Leap Pads

Last year I began to incorporate Leap Pads into my classroom. Now that the prices have gone down, I found 3 on Ebay and have found the books and cartridges on Ebay and at thrift stores and garage sales. I put these in as a listening center once a week. The books are not always pure listening, but it works. I store the Leap Pads in a Sterlite file box – 3 fit nicely. The games go in a second one.

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When I thought about it, I was amazed at the amount of technology I have added to my center routine over the last 5 years.  I am fortunate to work in a district where we have access to many different types of technology and are actively encouraged to use it daily.


I would love to hear ideas from everyone out there! I love finding new resources and ideas through the blog world. Link up to the Linky Party and share the technology resources and activities that you use in your classroom for centers!

Please, please, please share something through the linky, even if it is just a quick blurb!  I would love to hear how people are using iPods – where do you find free apps? Any great online resources for centers? I would LOVE to get some great new sites!




This is also a giveaway! The winner will win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com!


Leave me a comment on the main page for each of the entries you make. ***The giveaway has been extended to Friday, April 20th at midnight!*** Ways to enter:

1 - Link up with the linky party - Click here.
2 – Add the linky party badge to your blog
3 - Follow me
4 – Follow me on Pinterest (click on the left or go to: http://pinterest.com/christine1st/)
5 - Blog about this party and giveaway on your blog

I can't wait to find some wonderful new ideas!

Monday, April 16, 2012

New Niece, Tagged, and Linky/Giveaway Extension

1. She’s Here!!!!!

She’s here!  My niece was born at 4:11 on Saturday.  I can’t believe my sister-in-law was up and eating, ready for guests less than 2 hours later!  Oh my word, is she a sweety!  Round little cheeks, a head of brown hair, and so quiet.  I can’t believe that my “little” brother is a dad!  I say little, because he is about 6 years younger than me, buy is 6’ 2” to my 5’ 3”.  He literally can use my head as an elbow rest.  He just about brought me to tears holding his little girl.  He is a police officer, but looked a little less than tough with the baby!  I would love to post a pic., but I want to respect their privacy.


2. I was Tagged!

Mona at the First Grade Schoolhouse tagged me!

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1. How many students are enrolled in your class? 21 kiddos
2. What is one of your favorite children's literature books? Wow! That is hard! Umm…I guess it would be Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. My kids were absolutely enthralled when I read it last week and my grandmother, who was a kindergarten teacher, used to read it to me when I was little.
3. Do you have a computer lab at your school? No – we have a personal laptop and 6 desktops in every classroom, plus a small bank of 4 in the library.
4. Do you have any pets? If so, how many and what kind? Yes, 3 – long haired gray cat named Murphy, long haired brindle color cat names Mazey, and a pitbull/chocolate lab mix dog names Bear (plus a farm full of cows, pigs, sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens, turkeys, cats, and dogs)
5. Have you always taught at the same school? No – 4 different schools in 11 years
6. Do you teach math in the morning or afternoon? Depends on the day and the revolving door of my classroom.  I prefer it because the kids are more calm and ready to learn.
7. Do you have a class theme for the year? Not really. Generally, I just keep a loose frog theme.
8. What vegetable will you not eat? canned peas (They are yummy fresh!) Anything canned for that matter! 
9. What is your favorite flower? Iris 
10. How many times have you changed grade levels? Does looping count? I changed grades/positions every year for the first 6 years of teaching and have been in 1st at the same school for 5 years now.  A change could be coming next year.

Up next…I think I am supposed to tag some folks.  I’ll work on that – my brain is not really functioning the first day back from break!


3. Linky and Giveaway!

I would love to hear ideas from everyone out there! I love finding new resources and ideas through the blog world. Link up to the Linky Party and share the technology resources and activities that you use in your classroom for centers!

Please, please, please share something through the linky, even if it is just a quick blurb!  I would love to hear how people are using iPods – where do you find free apps? Any great online resources for centers? I would LOVE to get some great new sites!
This is also a giveaway! The winner will win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com!

Leave me a comment on the main page for each of the entries you make.

***The giveaway has been extended to Friday, April 20th at midnight!***

Ways to enter:
1 - Link up with the linky party - Click here.
2 – Add the linky party badge to your blog
3 - Follow me
4 – Follow me on Pinterest (click on the left or go to: http://pinterest.com/christine1st/)
5 - Blog about this party and giveaway on your blog


I can't wait to find some wonderful new ideas!