Miss Martinez's Class

Since "student choice" was a blog topic during a module, I chose to write about my 6th grade class. I, alongside another teacher, teach Language Arts to the sixth grade. This year is full of trials and tribulations because for the first time we are not using basals. Our LA curriculum is literature based. I love it this way. We have a daily journal called a daybook and then we go right into our book of the month. So far far we have read two books and based our lesson plans on novel guides that we create. I have to say, it has worked very well. I love it and the students love it as well. Let me know if you have any questions on this approach or would like to see a novel guide. So far so good in Miss Martinez's 6th grade class.

Guided Reading Case Study

The case study held at Lindisfarne North Primary School discusses how teachers use guided reading and small group work to share ideas and create activities to go along with their lessons. I like the idea of working in small groups and combining discussions and projects with the group. We use very similar practices in my classroom. My class is divided into two groups (about 12 students or so) and we read a novel together. We currently just finished reading The Skin I'm In. We included projects such as collages, novel guides, portraits etc, alongside group discussions. Its a great way to maintain control of your group and their progress. I love the way guided reading has worked in our class. I would definitely recommend it.

iTeach with iPod

I think that teaching via ipod is such an innovative idea. After reading this article, I was taken back with all the uses of such a little gadget. People instinctively think music, movies, and itunes. I would of never thought of using it as a teaching tool. As a teacher, I would use the idea of podcasts for a college and perhaps a high school classroom. Although the idea brings us right to the 21st century, it does have certain setbacks such as availability to an ipod and learning how to use it. In theory, teaching with ipods is a creative interactive way to keep students engaged. In a perfect world, every student can have one and perhaps take an elective class on podcasts and ipod usage. Podcasts are a great way to incorporate blogs, interviews, project, etc into a lesson. I loved the way the professor used the ipod to teach the Cuban Revolution. (I'm Cuban so I loved that part) In the end, I am all for teaching via ipod, i just wish it is as accessible and affordable as it is user friendly.

Knowledge Box / Brain Pop

After reviewing the educational websites mentioned above, I found them to be very useful for computer lab assignments. At my school, the children receive a one hour computer lab class per week. They also are allowed to use the in class computer when finished with an assignment. These are great tools for both these time periods. They are great for practice and review in most subjects. Not only are they creative, they are a fun way of studying or introducing a lesson. I passed these sites along to my vice principal and the computer teacher as well.

Scholastic

Good morning guys. I just wanted to share with you a great teacher resource. Many of you have heard of Scholastic books, but their website is phenomenal as well. I chose this site for my web page evaluation assignment and found that there are many useful activities, ideas, and lessons in the site. There is a designated area for teachers, students, and parents. Please check it out. I hope you guys enjoy it. Here's the link: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/home.jsp

Crazy Professor Reading

That crazy professor reading activity was nuts. It might work for that class but, it would drive me bonkers. It was too chaotic and I wouldn't be able to really tell whose doing what how. I'll pass on that one lol

7 Ways 2 Spell

I just finished watching the 7 Ways to Reinforce Spelling video and I'm glad to say that we use many of those methods in my classroom. In order for the kids to remember the words and definitions, we have them do a vocabulary pictionary. They also look for the words in the dictionary but define them in their own words. They create examples and make a vocabulary booklet. I feel that it's a creative way to learn and also an organized way to keep track of your words. The tips in the video are pretty good and help different kinds of learners. I would recommend using his tips, I found them to be very effective in my class.