Hiding Under the Desk

London, United Kingdom

Sign that I made for my sixth graders to hopefully prevent texting slang. I explained that I expect academic language in my room, and although abbreviations are fine outside of school, in class we need to spell out the entire word.

Conduct Your Most Epic Brainstorm Sessions on MindMeister

These are so pretty!! 

Third grade students from Mr. Salsich’s class (http://jmsalsich.edublogs.org/) at Deans Mill School explain how to make inferences while reading.

The best teachers are thieves sometimes. I saw one of these taped to each desk in a colleague’s classroom today and I think it’s a great way to foster discourse using academic language. Obviously, it would have to be taught, but this could serve as a good reminder.

Fluency Reading Voices

Anchor charts for daily 5

Understanding equals

Paragraph Writing: Sandwich Organizer Model

Popplet is a virtual mind-mapping tool that allows users to create digital mind webs by embedding content from the internet. The app features bright colors and clean design, and can nudge students along as they create their own narratives by serving as a brainstorming tool. “Some teachers use it to frame a story they have read, but I love the idea that [students] can map out their writing,” Bellow said.

First, he blows some bubbles and, as expected, the kids all pop them. Then, he challenges them to NOT pop the bubbles even if one lands on the tip of their nose. Introduce the concept of self control and launch a discussion about stopping to think before you act. Dustin refers to it as a “bullet” in your year that you can refer back to again and again. “Think about that time when we didn’t pop the bubbles…”