April... Favorite Things (Game Edition)

I feel like I have been a very bad blogger recently! There seems to be no time to get #allthethings done everyday. At school we have been working on some "fun" test prep activities which means we have a few spare minutes here and there. What a better way to spend that time than playing a class game!! Here are a few of my favorite games...

The Magic of Wordless Picture Books

Wordless books are pure magic! They are great for igniting students' imaginations. Students can have loads of fun writing down the words that the illustrators have left silent.

Sunday Scoop {2/21/16}

It's standardized testing week at my school, no teacher's favorite time of year. I'm not looking forward to my "have to"s this week at all, but on the bright side, when it's done, we can all relax and get back to what we do best!

The Sunday Scoop is based on the popular 3-2-1 graphic organizers so many of us use with our students. Tell us three things you HAVE to do, two things you HOPE to do, and one thing you're HAPPY to do. If this is your first time linking up, check out all the details on our Sunday Scoop page, then link up below!



   

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Favorite Things (February)

Teachers all have favorite grades and subjects to teach. For me, I've known since I started teaching that I was meant to teach upper elementary. When I am asked what grade I teach, most people cringe at the word "fifth," but I love it here! Yes, they can be smelly and their hormones are out of control, but there's a lot to love about these kiddos. Here are my favorite things about 5th grade...

There is one thing I hate about fifth grade though... At the end of the year, they leave for middle school. And unless they have a younger sibling, I don't get to see them again, except for rare occasions.

The Favorite Things Linky is a great way to share your 3 favorite anythings! Grab the template and button and link up below! If this is your first time linking up, check out our Favorite Things page for more details!

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Tech Thursday {Free Apps for Coding}

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Check out our Tech Thursday page for details on how to link up!

This week I am going to share a little bit about 5 great apps that you can use to code with your students. Coding is a huge trend right now. A statistic I heard at a technology conference recently took me by surprise. "90% of our students in grades k-6 right now will hold a job that does not even exist today." WOW. Think about that for a minute. Our world is changing so quickly. Skills like coding, might not be "crucial" to their learning right now, but they are crucial to their future. Isn't that our job as teachers, preparing our students for the future?

All five of these apps are FREE in the Apple Store. If you are an android version, a few of them support that system too, so be sure to check your android store or google play store.

Hopscotch HD. This app was inspired by MIT's app Scratch. It uses a drag and drop block method for the coding process. As students progress with their coding abilities, they can even add custom events that include the tilt of the device or even shaking it! My students LOVE this app!

Cargo-Bot. This app is all about the robots! It engages students with a puzzle where they have to teach a robot to move crates. There are 36 levels included so students definitely get some great enjoyment out of it. Best part, students can record their solutions and share with others!

Kodable. This app is for our younger students! Perfect for ages 5+. It also works with a drag/drop block method for students to build their code in a script. Their goal is to help the Fuzz family navigate through Technomazes.

Robot Football. Engage your sporty kids with this fun football themed coding app. Students code the plays and watch their team block, pass, intercept and even steal the ball all against another player. Super easy to use and your students will love it.

Run Marco. Definitely my favorite app! It uses google blocky (same as code.org) as students work to help Marco discover himself. New levels will be added in February 2016! It has a great story line to it and my students love the graphics.

I hope some of these apps will kickstart or enhance your awesome coding activities in your classroom! Coding will help prepare them for possible jobs they might have in the future!

Link up below with your own Website or App recommendations, Tech Tips, Tutorials, or anything else tech-related! We can't wait to learn from you!

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Favorite Things: Read Alouds for MLK

The Favorite Things Linky is a great way to share your 3 favorite anythings! Grab the template and button and link up below! If this is your first time linking up, check out our Favorite Things page for more details!

This month, I am sharing my three favorite read alouds for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! I love teaching about MLK and I know this is one of my students' favorite units as well. See if your local library has any of these books (or quick, go order them on Amazon!). You won't regret it!

Can't wait to see what some of your favorite things are! Link up below. :)

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Top 5 Multiplication Apps {Tech Thursday}

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Check out our Tech Thursday page for details on how to link up! Today I am going to share my 5 go-to apps for practicing multiplication facts.

Monster Math

My first app is Monster Math. The whole game is built around a story of a monster trying to get his friend back. Students are walked through various stages to find the monster's friend. Teachers can edit the number ranges, operation and so much more! 

Times Tables Quiz

Up next is Times Tables Quiz. This is your basic multiplication drill app. I love that the numbers are easy to see, the score changes in the upper right corner (the more quickly they go the higher their points) and the app itself is easy for students to maneuver.

Times Tables Game

My next go-to app is Times Tables Game. This app has a fun"ninja" style and my students love it! Teachers have the ability to set the range of numbers for the multiplication problems. There is also a timer, so if students are taking too long- it times them out and their turn is over.

Math Monsters Bingo

The next app is definitely a student FAVORITE. it is called Math Monsters Bingo. Students are given a multiplication problem at the top of their screen and they click the product at the bottom. A little monster marker shows up! Their goal is to get 5 in a row. For each product, there are numerous places a student could pick so they need to not only know the product, but be strategic in choosing one that will help them get to 5 in a row. 

Multiplication Flash Cards Match

The last app is called Multiplication Flash Cards Match. Students play a memory style match game with the flashcards! One flashcard will show the number sentence and the other shows the product. The levels keep changing as students progress through the game. As they make a match the flashcards "explode" into little bits of confetti! So much fun!! 

I hope that these five apps will be helpful in your classroom! I know that my students always need a bit of practice with their math facts. Using new apps helps to keep their interest up and each app offers a different challenge! Do you have any go-to math apps for multiplication?

Link up below with your own Website or App recommendations, Tech Tips, Tutorials, or anything else tech-related! We can't wait to learn from you!

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Favorite Things: Holiday Edition

The Favorite Things Linky is a great way to share your 3 favorite anythings! Grab the template and button and link up below! If this is your first time linking up, check out our Favorite Things page for more details!

This month the Favorite Things Template has a fun Holiday theme! Make sure you download the new template to use when you link up! 

With the fun new template, you can link up any of your favorite... holiday anythings! It could be holiday recipes, crafts, activities you do with your students, books, songs, movies, etc. Have fun with it!! Here are a few of my favorite fun holiday read alouds! 

How Santa Got His Job is a fun read aloud and you can do a cute writing project with it! Sneezy the Snowman is just hilarious and my students always are laughing pretty hard by the end of it. Last but not least, A Chick 'n' Pug Christmas is my all-time favorite. I am partial to pugs (considering I have two of them) but the story teaches a wonderful lesson on giving to others and friendships. So sweet! 

Grab the template up above and link up below! Can't wait to see some of your favorite Holiday Anythings! 

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12 Free Math Websites!

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Check out our Tech Thursday page for details on how to link up!

As a teacher, I am always on the look out for great websites. Unfortunately, the trend lately is for the best of the best websites to cost more than my school budget and my teacher pocket book can handle. Many of the websites suck you in with a free TRIAL. This just makes me wish I had more money in my classroom budget! IF you can pay for quality websites, your students are stuck using just the 1 or 2 websites you have been able to afford.

Good News! There are still a few sites that are FREE! In all fairness, many of these sites offer a free portion of the website...BUT I will take what I can get!

Every one of these websites are worth exploring. They each have different features that make them great for the classroom. I am not going to review each site in this post since doing so would make this blog entry super loooooooong.

So start clicking! Begin exploring! Investigate which sites would work best for your students!

Do you use any of these sites already? Which are your favorite?

Link up below with your own Website or App recommendations, Tech Tips, Tutorials, or anything else tech-related! We can't wait to learn from you!

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