Morning Slides - On This Day in History

My experience in many schools is that social studies instruction often gets put on the back burner. We are told to integrate it into other subjects, but depending on your curriculum that is easier said than done. So a few years ago I started creating these morning slides that give students a little piece of history each day, plus a vocabulary word that goes along with it because vocabulary is another area that students seem to really struggle.

Each day the slide is set up so that you get a fact about something that happened on that particular day in history. There is a vocabulary word with the definition that goes along with the historical fact. In the speaker notes at the bottom is a link to more information about the fact. So depending on how much time you have it can be a quick 5 minute mini-lesson on something from history.

The best part is that these slides are completely customizable. Want a different fact from on this day? Change it out! Don't like the vocabulary word that goes with that day? Pick a different one! Use the checklist to get your students set up for the day and just leave this on the board for students to read as they come into the classroom.

Below are a few examples and then if you want to check out each month, just click on this link!

Apple Teacher Loading...

If you have known me for awhile you know that I am a GOOGLE education queen. I have done the Google educator trainings, I have helped my school learn the ins and outs of all things Google, and I have even presented at the Google summits a couple of times.

So finding out at the end of the year that we are switching to Apple products next year left me feeling all types of emotions. However, after getting over the negative feelings I am trying to have an open mindset.

I decided to kick off my summer with the Apple Teacher trainings that are available online completely free! Check it out here: https://education.apple.com/

Here are my takeaways so far. Click on this link to take you to my rough notes or check out a nice looking infographic thanks to ChatGPT: 

(click on the image to make it larger)

Using Pages on the iPad:

Using Keynote on the iPad:

Using Numbers on the iPad:

Using iMovie on the iPad:

Stay tuned this fall as my students and I navigate this new world of Apple!

Family.

I took a year off of blogging last year, so I never got around to writing a reflection post. I was also in a weird spot. I was getting ready to leave another school that I absolutely loved, but I knew that the move I was making was a good one for my family. In my 2 short years at New Hope I accomplished a lot. I received my National Board Certification. I was nominated to be the school's Teacher of the Year. I felt seen. I felt supported. I loved the community. However, working in a different county than your kids has so many challenges. Different school calendars including a completely different week for Spring Break. We also had times where my county was open, but the kids county was closed for snow. I found myself having to take off more days than I prefer. So when the principal of my kid's school said that she had a position open for this year I jumped at the opportunity.

And boy am I glad I did! Obviously I have had experience with the school for the past 3 years as a parent. I knew many of the teachers, I knew the admin and so many staff members. But becoming a teacher opens your eyes to how much this school prides itself on family. We do things together at school and outside of school. I feel like I actually know every single person that works there, not just by saying hi to them in the hallway.

Oh and my 5th grade team... AMAZING! There were so many times throughout this school year where I would pause and wonder is this really our first year working together?! We clicked from the moment we started together in August and it just kept rolling from there. We planned together, shared ideas/resources, and our students were OUR students. We want all of students to do well whether they are in our homeroom or not. We also shared more than just work, we shared emotions, family, life. We were there for each other through the good times and the bad. Also, if you aren't aware... we LOVE matching outfits!

My word for this year is Family. Because this school community truly feels like a family.

I love summer time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate, but I am already excited for next school year!