Loving Blended Learning!

Last night I was sitting on the couch and I received an email from a student in my class that made me smile.  This is what I saw:

(The background had animated snow falling.  If someone knows how to insert a google draw with animation into Blogger please let me know.)  I want the image not the link.

Earlier in the day, I had my first graders use google draw to illustrate stories.  Then I had them share their drawings with me using the share button.  She went home and created

this and shared it with me.  

  Love Blended Learning 

Place Value Gingerbread

Here is the link: Place Value Gingerbread
Read, write and represent numerals up to 120 (base ten, drawing, recording equations) (1.NBT.1,2)

Padlet and Poll Everywhere

Here is our Reindeer Padlet

Here are the Poll Results:

Reindeer Google Draw

                                                                Reindeer Vocabulary

Reindeer Close Read and Google Forms

We are researching Reindeer for Informational Writing and Close Reading. Before we start, we will take a poll on Poll Everywhere.  Then we will discuss the results.  The next activity will allow students to brainstorm what they already know or think about reindeer.  We will use padlet for this.   I found this differentiated reading material about reindeers  Reindeer.  Students will find it in their google classroom and read their piece with a partner.  As they are reading they will be adding new learning to their online post it board  http://note.ly/landing/index.php.  Students can share out their post it for the class and they can discuss/ask questions etc.  I created the google form below to use as a formative assessment and when they are finished they can watch this adorable baby reindeer video.http://safeshare.tv/v/ss5661f63cc594c

Google Form Introduction in First Grade

So I wanted to introduce my kiddos to google forms.  Everyday my students have to take a paper cupcake and put it in a pocket chart to make their lunch choice.  They are constantly losing their cupcake.  So I decided to use a google form for choosing lunches.  I used the newest version of google forms which has some fun new gadgets.  I created the form and added in our school lunch choices.  Now when the students come in they will go into their google classroom called " Lunch " and make their lunch choice.  I can use the data during math for graphing, story problems etc.  The added benefit is that I will not have to search for cupcakes and my students will learn to use google forms.

Here it is:

Some Christmas Google Draw Creations

The Grinch

Cindy Lou Hoo

Gingerbread Venn Diagram

Gingerbread Story

Sign Up Genius

                     
 I used this to create a Parent Teacher Conference Appointment Page.  I built a Sign Up page with available appointments. Then I sent the link for it to parents using the Remind App.  Parents have been signing up daily.  Love it!

Creating

• Use a simple wizard to build unlimited, free sign up sheets
• Choose from hundreds of professionally designed themes
• Upload your own image or logo to use on your sign up sheet
• Enter hundreds of dates in an instant using our recurring wizard
• Flexible page formats for dates, RSVP, or non-date specific sign ups
• Collect payments for sign up items or donations
• Every sign up contains a comment field for custom responses
• Watch video tutorials to easily create a sign up

If you are not using the remind App you could send it to parents by email.  You may want to send the Remind App to their phones with a note that it will take them to the Parent/Teacher Conferences Sign Up.  If all that fails, then I would send home a Parent/Teacher Conference Notice with the link to the sign up page.

Safe Share TV

Safe Share TV is a safe way to watch and share Youtube videos.  Just copy the youtube link and paste it into  Safeshare.  Then it will generate a safe link without inappropriate commercials.

❤️

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

This is an activity I use with my Jack and the Beanstalk Persuasive Writing Packet.  You can purchase the packet on Teachers Pay Teachers: Crazy For Cupcakes

Community Helpers Close Read Lesson

Here is a Social Studies Lesson that includes a Close Read (CCSS) about a Community Helper.  Have kids read the following passage Fire Fighters Are Community Helpers on their chromebooks.  Then have them complete the Comprehension activity below and the extension Spot the Fire Dog.  This passage was taken from Readworks.  A great site for close reading passages.

                Fire Fighter Close Read Comprehension
   

                           Spot the Fire Dog

EmpowerRI Conference

Just presented at the Empower RI Conference with my West Warwick Colleagues.  So proud to work in such an amazing school district!  Great opportunity to share ideas and answer questions about blended learning in a K-2 classroom.

Have you heard the news....

So Google has added a wonderful tool for K-2 kiddos in the tool pull down bar.   It is called Voice Typing.  Kids can click on the microphone that pops up and it will type everything they say!!!  This will be a wonderful tool for publishing writing pieces.  Students can write their piece and voice typing will publish it in a google document.  They can insert the piece  into Google Draw and  illustrate it.  Thank you Google.

 

Stellaluna

We will be reading Stellaluna soon, so I wanted to create a vocabulary activity in google draw. Stellaluna

Teachers Pay Teachers

Check out my new store on TPT:
 Crazy For Cupcakes  I just started and only have a few items on it.  Keep checking back for more goodies.  

Halloween Creations

Elsa's Hidden Numbers

                                                  Digraph Bubbles

      

  

  

Blended Learning Strategies for the K-2 Classroom

SMORE

Today I started to use Smore.  It is a free and easy way to create your own classroom newsletter.  After you create your letter you can share the link with parents using the RemindApp.  Here is the link to my recent newsletter:  Room 103 News
Parents can comment on it and you can see how many people visit your newsletter.

Made a change to my Bears on The Bus place value activity.  Instead of rolling dice, kids will click on the die and it will take them to virtual dice to roll.  You can use this recording sheet to record their rolls.

Bears on the bus    Recording Sheet

Measure the brooms!!

                             New Google Draw for the kiddos with a Halloween theme.  Measure the Broom

Non-Standard Measuring with Kahoot

We are working on Non-standard Measurement in First Grade.  So I created the Kahoot Game below:
                                                Non-Standard Measurement

Put the link for the game in Google Classroom.  The kids just click on the link, add in a code and choose a nickname.   They love Kahoot!

Enjoy :)

Compliments of Ten

Here are a few more     Beads

Gumballs

Chicka Chicka CVC Words

Here is a fun activity to use for a reading center:  Here is the link:Chicka Chicka CVC

Screencastify

So I am going to use Screencastify this week with my kiddos.  I want them to record themselves reading a story on their chromebook.  Throughout this year, I plan to have them use this tool to document their reading progress and I can use these recordings at Parent Conferences or even in IEP/RTI meetings.

Common Curriculum Planbook

So I found a wonderful online planner this summer and I LOVE it!!!  It is a planbook that can be shared with as many teachers as you want.  It allows for real time collaborative lesson planning and it is Free.  I am mentoring a first year teacher and this online tool is a wonderful resource for sharing ideas.  There is a pop up CCSS section and you just click the standard and it is in the plan.  All your electronic resources can be easily inserted into the lesson along with photos of exemplars.  Teachers can insert comments on any part of the planner.  Here is the tool bar and all of the gadgets.  Enjoy :)