Chromebook Shortcuts Posters

This past year I started working with my students to become more comfortable using their chromebooks. So many times I would just let them explore and figure things out on their own, but there are times I would cringe as I watch them try to do something and it take them 10 times longer. Don't get me wrong, I prefer to let them explore things on their own rather than me stand in front of show them step by step how to do something.

I created these posters for my classroom last year and the kids loved them. However, since we are starting off doing virtual learning I still wanted to be able to share them with my students, so I created a one page sign that could be printed out if they have a printer at home, but I will also post it on my resources page of my Google site so they can access it until they have them memorized.

I kept them simple and tried to choose only ones that they would actually use, even though there WAY more shortcuts available.

What shortcuts do you teach your kids??

Click on any of the images above to get your free copy!

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Technology Spotlight: Book Creator

I found out about Book Creator a few years ago and absolutely love it!

www.bookcreator.com

I definitely used it more when I taught all subjects, especially for reading, science, and social studies. However, I am determined to fit it into my math classes this school year.

I put together this presentation for my school on how to get Book Creator set up in the classroom and some basics for creating a book.

In the presentation is also a blog post from Book Creator for 50 ways to use this technology tool in the classroom.

Here are a few ways that I have used it:

• publishing writing pieces (I prefer to give my students an option when publishing, so this was always an option for them)
• creating an alphabet book for the end of year vocabulary review
• students write a short biography or about me book for the beginning of the school year
• used as an option for publishing a science project about ecosystems

One of the cool things about this technology tool is being able to import items into the books. Students can search for a image using google search directly in the tool, embed a google map (great for social studies and science!), insert a file from the computer or google drive, or embed a webpage. 

When I first started using this I was worried I was going to have to take time to teach the students how to use it, but I found that they were easily able to figure out the different tools on their own. (side note - I do teach 5th grade, but I feel like the younger kids could handle it too)

Book Creator has a resources section of their website for teachers. You are able to search resources by grade level or subject. They even have student examples to view.

https://bookcreator.com/resources-for-teachers/

This technology tool is definitely a tool to check out, especially with the possibility of virtual learning this fall!

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5th Grade Math Anchor Charts

I have put together a Google presentation with all of the anchor charts I use in my 5th grade math classroom.

In the classroom I would use these for interactive notebooks, print out on colorful paper and display in the classroom, or use them to make "anchor charts to-go". The great thing about these anchor charts is that they can easily be printed in different sizes. They are formatted to fit 1 on a normal 8.5 by 11 inch paper. However, you can easily change the size by going to File and selecting Print Settings. Where it says 1 slide per page, when you click it gives you a drop down of options. I would choose Handout - 2 or 4 slides per page. If you go any smaller it will be too difficult to read the charts. You can also toggle the size by changing the layout from landscape to portrait.

If you are doing distance learning, you can easily copy and paste a slide from this presentation into another presentation. I am probably going to create interactive notebooks for my students to use digitally (I foresee a future blog post coming), so I plan to copy and paste these anchor charts as we cover the topics.

A side note about anchor charts...

Usually I like to create my anchor charts with my students in the classroom. However, with distance learning this is going to be a bit more challenging. I prefer to explore a topic and allow the students try to figure out how to solve something before just showing them step-by-step how to do it. I would not recommend just showing your students these anchor charts to have them use to solve a problem. In my experience, they need to be explained and taught how to solve a specific problem first and then the anchor chart is used as a reference for future attempts at solving problems.

As mentioned this presentation focuses on 5th grade math standards (maybe if I have time I will try to work on lower grades). I keep my anchor charts basic because as I said I usually like to print them on bright, colorful paper.

The charts included are:

• Multiplication (algorithm, area model, and partial products)
• Division (algorithm, area model, and partial quotients)
• Place Value
• Powers of 10
• Multiplying by Powers of 10
• Dividing by Powers of 10
• Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, and Dividing Decimals
• Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, and Dividing Fractions
• Volume (counting cubes and formula)
• Coordinate Grids
• Order of Operations
• Quadrilateral Hierarchy

23 charts total!

Click on any of the images above to get your free copy!

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Printable Number Signs

To go along with the printable alphabet from this morning, I also created printable number signs!

Just like the alphabet, these can be printed on a regular full size of paper, 2 per page, or 4 per page. Directions for printing are located on the second slide.

The clip art on the slides is from the website http://www.publicdomainfiles.com/ is free to use. When you download your copy of the presentation, you can use this website to find different clip art of images if you want to change out one of the slides.

The presentation includes numbers 1 through 20.

Click on any of the image above to get your free copy!

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Personalize Your Own Printable Alphabet

Now that the idea of my daughter beginning kindergarten at home, I have been thinking of ways to make the transition easy for her. Luckily I am a teacher myself, so I have some ideas about what would be posted in a classroom.

Today I am sharing my customizable printable alphabet!  I created this using logos from different brands that my daughter is familiar with. However, by using the website that I link below, you can find 1000s of brands that may be better known to your kids.

To get your copy of the alphabet, click on the image below and then go to File --> Make a copy. Once you have your copy, you can delete the logos you don't want and then download them from the website and upload them into the presentation by going to Insert --> Image --> Upload from Computer.

 

https://worldvectorlogo.com/alphabetical

On slide 2 of the presentation, I explain the different options for printing the alphabet pages if you want them smaller that 1 per page.

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Consonant Digraph and Blends Games

I am continuing to go through my Words Their Way letter name activities and have created a simple game board for the consonant digraphs and blends sorts.

A few notes about this activity... 

• The objective of the game is for students to move along the game board using a die. I have linked an electronic die if they do not have one accessible. 
• Each time they land on a space, they click on it and it will take them to a new slide with an image. They are supposed to determine the word that goes with the image. If the word has the digraph or blend they are looking for then, they get to move ahead one space. If not, then they stay where they are.
• I used the same game board layout for each of the games below. This makes it easier for the kids to learn how to play. 
• The students will need to move their game pieces, which means that they must have editing rights to the document. When you want to share this with a student, you will need to make a copy to share with them. (if using this on a choice board, you can force make a copy by copying and pasting the link, then at the end of the link, delete where it says edit and change it to copy)
• There are directions in the grey areas of the first slide, as well as, helpful hints for the students.
• The idea is that 2 students would be playing this at the same time. This could be done in the classroom or while distance learning. Depending on the age of the student, they could use the same Google presentation so they can see each other's game pieces or separate ones if sharing the presentation would be too challenging.
• There is an answer key on the very last slide if the students are having trouble figuring out the word and if it has the consonant digraph or blend.

Consonant Digraphs (ch, sh, th, wh)

Consonant Blends (st, sp, sk, sm)

Consonant Blends (sc, sn, sw)

Consonant Blends (pl, sl, bl, fl)

Consonant Blends (cr, cl, fr, gl, gr)

Consonant Blends (pr, tr, dr, br)

Click each of the links above take you to the game board.

Want to learn more about Words Their Way? Check out my blog post here.

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Digital Literature Circles

Even though I am not teaching reading this year, I am looking through many of my resources on Google Drive and thinking about how they can be adapted to fit digital learning.

This Google Presentation has two options for you to choose from. You can use the presentation for the entire book club/literature circle book. (I set up 4 meetings for this option) You can also choose to use a different presentation for each time the students meet. I have a notes page in the beginning of the presentation that tells you which slides to delete based on the option you choose that will not mess up the links.

I use 5 roles in my literature circles: Summarizer, Questioner, Illustrator, Connector, and Word Wizard.

There are slides for each role to complete before the day that students will meet. There are also slides included that explain each role in the literature circle and a few resources that may help them complete the slide.

I suggest using Zoom or Google Meet to host the literature circle meetings. One person can share their screen to project the slides that were completed as each student shares in the literature circle.

Click on one of the images above or go to my RELA Resources page to access the presentation.

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Instagram: @mrspotterstyle

Student How To for Google Classroom

Here is another resource that I started creating during distance learning as we were trying to teach students and parents how to use Google Classroom from afar.

One issue that I kept having is that our teacher side of Google Classroom looks different from the student side, so sometimes I would have to ask them to share their screen with me to help them out. This resource will show the students the buttons and tools that are on the student side of Google Classroom so they understand how to navigate it.

This presentation uses screen shots/images rather than videos and include directions in both english and spanish to help students and parents.

Here are the items included:

• Joining a Classroom
• Classroom Stream
• navigating the Classwork Page
• how to Submit Assignments
• understanding Class Comments and Private Comments
• how to Check Grades

Click on any image above to see the presentation or visit my Google Site to view all of the resources for students.

What other things would you like students to know how to do with Google Classroom that I may have left out??

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Electronic Classroom Forms

Every summer I typically go through my Google Drive and clean up/organize. I came across some forms that I had created a few years ago that I printed out for my classroom binder.

One of the things that I wish I had grabbed before I left school on March 13 was my classroom binder because it has the most up to date information for my students. We are able to access student information online, but it is not always accurate.

So I decided to make my printable forms digital!

1. Classroom Binder

This digital file allows you to keep all of the important information about your classroom in one place. The pages can still be printed out on regular computer paper.

The file includes the following pages:

• About the Classroom
• Classroom Procedures
• Daily Procedures
• Discipline Procedures
• Emergency Procedures
• Daily Schedule
• Class List
• Transportation
• Daily 5
• Birthdays
• Student Logins
• Monthly Calendar

   

You can click on any of the images above to get a free download.

2. Student Information and Communication Log

This digital file has a slide for each student where you can put their information and their parent's information. There is also a space where you can keep track of when you communicate with each student's parent. There are 3 lines on each student information page and then a full page after each information page. The title page has a link to each of the student information pages.

    

You can click on any of the images above to get a free download.

3. IEP Snapshot and Goal Tracker

This digital file has a slide for each student with an IEP. You can easily keep track of their accommodations and the hours and services that they receive. There is also a slide for each student that lists their goals and has a space where you can keep track of the activities that have been completed to reach that goal. The goal page can be duplicated to accommodate how many goals they have. The first page has links to the IEP snapshot page for each student.

    

You can click on any of the images above to get a free download.

Enjoy getting organized for the new school year! What other resources do you use to help keep you organized throughout the year?

Beginning Letter Sound and Word Family Activities

As we get closer and closer to school starting back up again, I feel like there is a good chance we will be doing some type of distance learning, at least to start off the school year.

I am also at home with a 5 year old who is supposed to be starting kindergarten this year. So, I decided to clean out my word work folder and see what types of activities that I can turn into digital activities.

First up, is a beginning letter sound activity. This was made using Google Slides and LOTS of hyperlinks to other slides in the presentation.

While this activity does not give you a grade for how the student does, it is self-checking. This means that if the child clicks on the wrong picture, it will take them to a slide that tells them to try again and they will go back to the slide they were just on. They will not advance to the next letter until they have selected the correct image. I used both capital and lowercase letters, so each letter is included twice. I put the letters in a random order, as I have been working with my daughter on letter identification outside of singing the alphabet song.

The second resource is working with word families. In this activity, the student drags and drops letters from the bottom of the slide to create words using the word family endings. I tried to include clipart images at the top of the slide to help, but you could also delete these if you don't want the students to have any hints. This activity is not self-checking, so the students would need to submit it to you or have someone check it for them. The presentation contains 35 different word families, so I would copy and paste the slides that you want them to complete into another presentation before assigning it. This way it is not overwhelming and redundant for the student and less work for you to check.

These would be a great choice board activity for grades K-1, or even newcomer ELLs.

Be on the lookout for more resources like these!

I absolutely love using Words Their Way. Want to learn more about it? Check out my blog post on getting started by clicking here!

Find the free downloads on the Resources page or click on one of the images above.

Math Supports

As mentioned in my previous blog about math manipulatives. I also have these math supports that I use with my students as well.

I usually create math resource folders using the 2-pocket folders that have the prongs in the middle of them. I then put in plastic sleeves through the prongs in the middle and then put in the supports from this document, so that my students have access to them throughout the school year. 

The nice thing about putting them in plastic sleeves, is the students can write on them with dry erase markers and then erase it when they are done. This is especially helpful when using the clocks or the coordinate grids. Students can practice writing the time or finding ordered pairs and then hold them up so I can see them. 

You could also choose to print these supports out in a smaller format. There are a couple of ways you can do this. If you want to print one page of the same support, you will need to right click on the slides and click on duplicate. If you want 2 per page when you print, then you need to just duplicate them one time. If you want 4 per page, you will need to duplicate them 3 times. If you want them smaller, but don't care if they are the same support on one page, then you can just leave the slides as is. When you are ready to print, you will need to go to File in the menu bar and click on Print Settings. It defaults to 1 slide without notes. Click where it says that and a drop down menu will open. Select either Handout - 2 slides per page or 4 slides per page depending on the size that you want them. 

You can laminate these supports as well, which would also allow students to write on them with dry erase markers. If you print them in a smaller format, you can get rings to organize them and be able to easily pass them out to students.

The possibilities are endless! How do you use these types of resources/support items in your classroom? What other resources do you use that I have left out?

Click on the image below to download your copy or check out my Resources page.