writing

OPINION WRITING: This is great to teach kids how to cite evidence and give reasons in opinion writing in a really fun way! "I have evidence that my dad is an alien" is an Audi commercial that can lead to a great discussion about observations.

Great book to use for judgement (opinion with a reason using evidence) writing activity.

subtraction action

Subtracting across a middle zero:





math videos/songs

Listening Center Websites

Listening Center online resources:

1. Online Storytime by Barnes and Noble

2. Storynory

3. Storyline Online

4. Just Books Read Aloud

5. Read to Me

Northeastern United States

Here are some online quiz sites that can be used to help students remember states and capitals of the Northeast.

1. Northeastern States Quiz
2. Unites States Capitals Quiz
3. Northeast States and Capitals Flashcards

Northeastern United States Webquest : I modified this for my lower students and had them create a poster for each state in the Northeast. The poster had to have 3 facts, the capital, flag, and state outline.

US Landforms

Finding Theme in Lerature

Here are some resources for books on tape that can be read to struggling readers. These books will be used to find and compare themes among literary sources.

The Little Red Hen

The Grasshopper and the Ants



The Lion and the Mouse


Fox and the Crow

Wordles in the classroom

I've seen Wordles before but never had a use for them. After some thought I realized how much fun they could be for those students that learn best by using art! Students can create a Wordle for every subject:. Here is a sample....In order to create your own you need to have an updated version of Java so I'm thinking if you can't create one online, then students can create their own with paper and markers.

1. Describing a character in a book using character traits (reading)
2. Publish new vocabulary words (All content areas)
3. Practice common multiples (math)
4. Show synonyms (reading)
5. Alternates to the word "said" (writing)
6. equivalent fractions (math)

How would you use Wordles in your room?

Voki for the Voiceless

Now that I'm starting to loose my voice once again I thought I would check out Voki. I must say that for someone who is always loosing her voice this program can come in handy!!

I thought that I would have her say my morning reminders seeing as I still say them to every child as they walk in the door. It was a very simple program to use. My Avatar and message was created in less than 15 minutes! I can see myself using it in the future to introduce new projects. Perhaps student would be more inclined to focus and listen if the directions are coming from someone else?



I have changed my avatar to provide you with a final thought on technology within a classroom. This has truly been an amazing experience this semester!

Student Samples

My students have been feverishly working on their Animoto videos. They have spent the last two weeks researching an endangered animal, taking notes, and creating a video presentation. Keep in mind that this is the first time they have ever used an online program or taken notes off the internet! Here are a few samples.

If you're really interested you can check out the rest at my Weebly site.(endangeredanimalslinks)

Weebly Websites

Ever wish you could just create your own website with all the information you need in one place? Now you can. Check out Weebly. They offer you a simple to use tools to create your own website for free!

My students have picked their endangered animals from North America and unfortunately they can't locate all the information they need from the same site. I created a website using Weebly with all of their animals and quick links that were already screened for their use. They have little to no adds and are credible sources. I'm hoping this is going to same me and the students a lot of time... check it out!


Endangered Animals Links

Update!

Hi,
Check out my post titled Free! Free! Free! I added some really great reading and math resources. I don't anyone to miss out. I have also added a quick survey for my digital story.
Enjoy

Brain Breaks

I came across this article and and love the ideas! We all have students who can benefit from this.
Check out 20 Brain Break Clips to show to your students to fight fidgeting.

20 ways to keep your students from falling asleep

Also to go along with this what are your opinions with stability balls as chairs?

Yoga Balls Replacing Desk Chairs?

Technology Never Seizes to Amaze me!

Hello Everyone,
Can you do me a favor and help me with my latest project? I am creating a website offering information about Parent-Teacher Communication. Can you please check out the site and then offer some suggestions? Keep in mind that this is still incomplete and is a work in progress!

Thank you for all of your help,
Rosina

Free! Free! Free!

Everybody loves free resources!

1. Here is an endless alphabetized list of interactive reading comprehension resouces. (grades 3-5)
An Internet Hotlist on Comprehension created by Tanya Travis

2. Public Schools of North Carolina have created a math resource page by grade level. Once you click on the grade you are looking for scroll down to the week by week essentials. Each week has great games, worksheets or ideas for you to use!

3. Dr. Nicki Newton! I had the privledge of attending a professional development by Dr. Newton and I must say she is FANTASTIC. Here is a sample video she created. Then check out her blog... really you must do this!



When you look at her blog make sure you search the archives and past blogs for the really great resources. She has a lot of links. You may also try searching for a topic.
Dr. Nicki's Guided Math Blog


I copied links from Classroom Collective for your to navigate through. This is a collection of teaching resources, tips and tricks.

• @classcollect on Twitter
• Facebook Profile

• classroom
• lessons
• planning & more
• technology
• special education and behaviour
• personal stories
• professional development
• documents
• relationships
• inspiration
• types of learning
• occasions
• assessment
• contact
• advice

Oh no... I'm sick!

Calling out for a sub can be a hassle. Especially if you have nothing pulled for your lessons. Check out "In a Pinch" sub plans.

 It's a day of lesson plans focused around a picture book! This is such a great idea. All you need to do is pull a few favorite books and plan a day. Then you can store them in your desk draw until they are needed.

Find the Clues

Here is a cute video when teaching inferencing and drawing conclusions! I stumbled upon it using Pinterest.

Source: youtube.com via Marty on Pinterest

Also did you know that Pinterest has its own interference website? It has tons of pictures to use as resources!

Common Core Materials

While searching for new materials to extend learning in our math lessons I came across Common Core Sheets.This website has hundreds of FREE worksheets for teachers to use. I thought that the organization of the site was very helpful. Check it out!

Reading Math

Integrating literacy and math can be more challenging than other subjects but thanks to many creative authors it is no longer the case. More and more children's books are being published to illustrate math concepts. Check out this up to date list of math books for kids.

Social Skills Read Alouds

What a great idea! Savvy School Counselor posted about a series of books that revolve around bullying. Each novel focuses on a different person involved with bullying. One is about the victim, one is about the bully, and one is about a bystander.

Werid! By Erin Frankel
Dare! By Erin Frankel
Tough! By Erin Frankel



You can also check out A Year Of Many "Firsts". This blog post discusses several great read alouds for Anti-bullying lessons. While they are for first graders, they can always be used for upper grades!

Missed opportunity

With Read Across America Day gone, I feel as though I have missed this wonderful opportunity. I came across a website where celebrities are reading picture books to children! Check it out...Read Aloud

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Foundation is committed to championing children's literacy issues. Storyline Online helps students fall in love with reading.

Did you know...The Plains Bison is an American Buffalo?

I am so excited to share my latest creation with my only fans...my students. In anticipation for our research unit on endangered animals, I put together a digital story as an introduction.

Students will be picking one endangered animal from North America and researching their habitat, why they are endangered and how they can be saved. When creating this video I followed their note sheets and made sure I met all of the requirements that would be expected of them. I can't wait to see how their projects turn out!

To Skype or Not to Skype?

Skype in the classroom...Yay or Nay?

Check out these wonderful projects that are currently going on using Skype. Then tell me what you think!

Connect Your Classroom

Digital Writing Workshops

For those of you who are still "behind" with technology in the classroom another great resource is The Digital Writing Workshop by Toy Hicks.

Here is a short video by Troy Hicks himself!


For the teacher's that are currently implementing a writing workshop in their classroom this is a simple adjustment. Instead of pencil and paper they are writing with technology and receiving instant feedback from readers.

Students today look at books and say, "look how old that book is". Little do they know that it was only published a few years ago. The books they are used to, are e-books for their Kindle, iPads and so forth. Book are now only found in classrooms and libraries. So why do students need to know how to write when they rarely see printed stories? Writing becomes more meaningful when there is a purpose they can relate to.

Post It's... Stickies...Whatever!

I've always found that my students had some weird fascination with post its. Check out the 35 Ways to Use Post Its blog I've stumbled upon.

Can you add to it?

It's not just a phase... iPads are here to stay

In education, there are so many ideas and items that are phased in and phased out. Very rarely is there a concept that sticks around for several years. I think it's safe to say that iPads are not one of those phases. iPads are here to stay! Check out this article I found in Education Week. on the benefits of using and iPad

Sharing the Wealth

If you haven't already heard about it, check out Florida Center For Reading Research website. This has materials for any grade on any reading skill. This is fantastic for stations!!

Behavior Help!!

Every year I find myself searching for books and materials to use in order to introduce behavior in the classroom. I typically come up short when it comes to books. Little miss kindergarten posted a blog offering a list of great picture books that can be used at any grade level to discuss behavior problems.

Another great tool that I have been using is Second Step. Some of the lessons can be lengthy but my students enjoy them.

Many schools have been kick starting the year with the book Have You Filled Your Bucket today? by Carol McCloud. There are several great lessons to go along with it!

Ins and Outs to Information

Newspapers are on their way out. What's "in" is media on the web.

The best way to catch up on the news you want to read about is through Google reader. Just like how the newspaper is dropped on your doorstep every morning, the news is delivered to your reader right as it's updated. The best part is that you can choose to "subscribe" to topics that you want to read about. With the newspaper you don't have that luxury. All your favorite magazines and articles can be located in one place!

Digital libraries

This past "extended" weekend has allowed me to search many new sites. Yet the issue is when I get to my classroom I can no longer find them! Diigo is a software program that allows you to access your favorite websites on any computer. It acts as a library of your favorite websites. I wish I had known about this before!! Check it out. Membership is free.

If you would like you can make all your saved websites public so other people can see. I've made all my educational resource sites public for you. The rest remain private! Sorry

Rosina's Diigo

Instructional videos

Here are some instructional videos that I wish I used when teaching new concepts. These are all part of the fourth grade curriculum! (depending on how you use them!)

Math:
Elapsed time

Equivalent fractions (song-auditory learners)


Equivalent fractions (Cartoon- visual learners)


Place Value Song


Place Value Rap by 4th graders



Science:
water cycle


Water cycle rap (a little more advanced)


Bill Nye- water cycle


Magnetism 


Exploring habitats


Electricity safety


Bill Nye- Earths Crust


Bill Nye- storms


Bill Nye-electrical Circuits


Social Studies:

Hurricane Katrina


Hurricane Destruction (National Geographic)


Tornadoes 101 (National Geographic)


Tornado


Southeast (Britannica)


Eastern Woodland Indians


More Eastern Woodland Indians

Foldables

Since everyone in New England has been snowed in for the past four days I have had plenty of time to finish correcting and planning as well as search every end of the internet!

I came across these foldables! This is such a quick and easy way to take notes and it's always pushed aside. My goal is to find a way to incorporate these at least once in every unit of study!

There are so many possibilities for these. You can create study guides and information packets on almost anything!! These are great for any age group. If you are not sure how you can use them check out this wikispace I found on how to use them. everything is organized by subject.

Other helpful sites to get you started
1. Fourth Grade (This can be adapted for any grade)
2. How to fold foldables


What would you use them for?

Exploring The Southeast

It's done! I have completed my Animoto to introduce the next unit in Social Studies. Over the next few weeks we will be learning about the Southeast region of the United States. I will be using this video to introduce the states, attractions, and industries. My hope is that it will spark conversation about what is found in that area, who has visited those states, and where they would like to go. I hope you can find a use in your classroom!

Online Collaborative Inquiry

In the article Online Collaborative Inquiry by Judy Arzt, it stated, "reader comments contribute to an ongoing dialogue between the author and the respondent." This made me think back to feedback that I give to my students. Most of the corrections and comments I leave for my students I know goes unnoticed. Their corrected work gets shoved inside their desk or pushed into their backpacks and never read. Having immediate feedback on a blog would force students to read teacher and peer comments and adjust their blogs accordingly. There is a higher level of accountability. Currently students in my class participate in "book clubs" within the classroom. The Global Read Aloud  is a blog that take a book club to a global level. This will also help my students see what happens outside their own town. 

I've been searching for a way to start or introduce blogging in my classroom. While reading Judy Arzt's article, I came across these noteworthy sites: 

1. Blogging for Teachers and Students, Made Easy... 
This link will take you to a variety of blogs created b elementary classrooms

2. Making Paper Blogs 
This blog documents the transition to the online experience from paper and pencil

3. Common Sense 
This site by Disney offers information and quizzes on internet safety and guidelines when using the internet. 

4. How to teach good commenting skills  
This is a great mini lesson on leaving comments

5. 15 ways to use blogs in the classroom 
Great ideas for those of you who don't know how you can use blogs 

Weblogs and Wikis

Will Richardson wrote, "according the the U.S. Census, household Internet connections jumped to 62 percent, up from 17 percent."(Richardson, 2010)

 Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements

I see the importance of teaching students how to use blogging but with the demographics of the students I teach, many don't have internet or computer access at home. This makes it difficult for them to practice. Time within the school day is very limited and I am struggling to find time that I can teach these skills and programs. I'm afraid that a wonderful opportunity is going to be pushed aside due to time constraints. How do teachers using blogging fit it into their day?

In previous blogs I wrote, security was a concern of mine. One blogging service that I might consider is edublogs.org. This service gives teacher the ability to preview posts before anything gets published to the internet. They also can set permissions and access to users. This can minimize the traffic from outside sources and keep comments appropriate.

While I'm warming up to the idea of having my students blog, I am more apprehensive to have them use Wikis.When I was young, I was taught not to use Wikipedia. I was told that it's an unreliable source of information and things posted can be false. Ever since then, I've stayed away. I was also ignorant as to how it worked. One wiki that is truly and inspiration to teaching is http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com/. The reason this inspires me is because of how it connected classrooms from different parts of the world to work together completely unplanned. This spontaneous project game together from two teachers who didn't know each other at all. The social lessons that can be taught with this are a great addition to the project!

Is creating a Wiki taking pen pals to a new level? How we as teachers teach our students the difference between a credible wiki and one that contains false information?

Animoto

I'm really excited to try creating an Animoto! One of my favorite ones was created by Ann Marie. She took a fictional children's book and turned it into a nonfiction science lesson. I thought this was a very creative way to interest all of her readers and help them connect text to real life. If you're interested in viewing it, go to:  http://annemarieineducation.blogspot.com/2012/02/very-hungry-caterpillar.html

This just shows how the possibilities are endless!

I tried uploading pictures from my summer vacation to Italy just to play around with the program and try to figure out some features. It was so easy to use. All I had to do was choose my layout, upload the pictures and adjust the song. I completed one in less than 20 minutes!

Anyone interested in creating one can go to Animoto.com

Fellow Bloggers

I've been researching other blogging teachers to try and calm my anxieties about blogging. One teacher that I really enjoyed connecting with was Maureen. She seemed to really hit topics that my colleges and I speak about and she too had some similar concerns. The reason I liked reading her blog so much was because she has been teaching for many years and I am still new to the profession, yet we both have similar view points, concerns, and pressures. It was nice to be able to identify with a veteran teacher. Interested followers and reach her at http://teachwellnow.blogspot.com. Another blog that I enjoyed was written by a librarian. She lists different children's books and discusses them. I am always looking for a great story to share with my students.

I'm beginning to many possibilities with a blog. I can use it for parent communications, student responses, collecting ideas and sharing great ones! How are you currently using these in your classrooms? Has it proven to be effective. I also get the impression that they can be time consuming, is that the case?

The web in the classroom: changes and concerns

So I've been reading Will Richardson's book called Blogs, Wikis,Posdcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, and it mentions how teachers have to adapt to the technological way of life our students have become accustomed to.

This year more than ever I have been noticing this need compared to my students from previous years. For example, one of my students asked to pick up the classroom wall phone while it was ringing and then didn't know what to do. He froze with the the phone to his ear. After coaching him through the call, he shared that he had never spoken on an "old" phone before. I was in a bit of shock when I realized that the only phone he has used is a cell phone. For so long teachers had to teach how to use technology, now we have to teach how to use "old" technology. Along with that comes social change. My students are so used to typing into a computer or cell phone to chat with their friends that they don't have the social/emotional skills necessary to interact with their peers in person. For example, my students spend a lot of their free time playing on Club Penquin, and Poptropica. They even keep a close eye on the number of friends they have in the game and who is playing with whom. In a fourth grade classroom we have to spend time teaching students how to shake hands and give eye contact when greeting someone, how to settle a disagreement, and we even go over what facial expressions might mean. These social cues that are picked up at a young age, aren't being observed and now need to be taught explicitly.

Internet safety is a concern of mine as well. Cyber bulling is often discussed and I try to find stories or articles that involve the internet, yet so much is blocked in school and allowed at home. Access to Youtube for example is typically blocked in schools. However this year I have had a number of students who want to share their Youtube videos with the class. So when I tell them that Youtube isn't allowed in the classroom it sparks a number of questions as to why. Here I am afraid to post any information about myself and my students are proud to have videos of themselves. I'm nervous to address internet safety seeing as so many families have different beliefs. I guess I really would like to know where do we draw the lines? What topics should be addressed? As for bringing these sites into the classroom or having students post online, where do parents stand? Is this acceptable?

NETS

With the push towards the new Common Core State Standards, instruction has primarily focused on content areas. It's sad to say that technology standards get pushed aside. Integration of technology standards and content areas should be the primary focus, yet teachers are so inundated with assessments, data, planing, meetings, professional development and individualized work that looking at these standards is no longer a priority. I know that within my own classroom the second a computer is involved, I've already captured the attention of my students. Personally, I have a hard time figuring out how I can use this to my advantage.

While I was looking through the National Educational Technology Standards for students, I realized how simple it is to incorporate most of these standards into one research project. I also quickly saw the connection to what my students are currently doing on paper. Simply giving them a computer and the opportunity to respond to others writing will begin to address these standards.

Now that I know more about what the students are expected to accomplish, I reflected back on my current practice. The National Educational Technology Standards for teachers is a great took to help struggling teachers figure out where to begin.

Is anyone else thinking that they are really behind with these standards? I'm also curious how teachers are imbedding these standards into their curriculum. Please share!

First class

I'm a fourth grade teacher finishing up my masters! Typically I hate posting any information about myself on the internet so this is going to be a very strange experience. I have a bachelors of arts in education and a bachelors of science in psychology. I spent a year as a literacy intern, have worked on a literacy reading grant, and am currently finishing my masters in reading and language arts. Oddly enough I hate reading, and I think that I would rather have my teeth pulled, then sit down and read a book to this day. Yet I love teaching reading. I think that this mentality helps me connect with struggling readers.