Excited about QR

So I went to a two day technology training a few days ago and I am so excited about QR codes (bar scan readers) I have went crazy with it! For open house I will have them all over my room for the parents to scan to get to all the websites I want them to frequent throughout the year. I have a code for my webpage, my classroom Facebook, a math fact practice site, Raz-Kids (which I love and use), our service unit organization and then printed a big cell phone picture to post for them to sign up for Remind 101 a texting site for me to keep in contact with my parents via text messaging. I am loving it! QR codes are the bomb!! And I look so tech savvy! Google it and do it! I also made the the flip chart informational brochure that has been going around Pintrest. It has the QR codes in it too! My ITT person said she is going to interview me about my schedule and other important things about my room and link it to a QR code that will be posted outside my room door. Parents can scan it and get me! Me talking about my classroom! Love it!!! Here is an example of my QR code. This one is our service unit project this year.

  This is the link to our service unit project. Scan to see what 2^nd graders at X****X Elementary are supporting!

Here it is!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Common-Core-Toolbox

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/shop/CommonCoreToolbox

Here it is! The second set of Literature Common Core Assessments in one click. You get an assessment for CC standards 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9 and one writing assessment of opinion writing about Common Core Standard 2.9 compare and contrast your favorite fairytale.  This is the easiest and fastest way to get all Common Core literature assessments for your classroom this year. I cover them all for you in great little original stories. These assessments have rigor and are directly writing with the common core assessment strands in hand! If you haven't already purchased my bundles before, take a close look at them all. For the amount of time it would take you to surf the web looking for assessments that somewhat match your standards one at a time every Thursday night, you can purchase the years worth of assessments right here on TPT and I wrote them with the Common Core Standards as the purpose not an after thought. Look at my first bundle for literature as well as my Informational bundle. It is not enough to have just one set of assessments for the year. Your standards will come back around and you will need a second set of assessments for each standard. Each bundle is a different story for each ssessment. Most assessments have two stories per standard and address each bullet point of each standard. If you are one of the very few states that has not went to Common Core Standards yet, these standards are the basic standards that school children study in any curriculum. Take a good look at the preview to see if this fits your teaching. I am sure for the price and the ease of having all assessments ready in one click this is the purchase for you. I take great pride in making the assessments directly fit the standards while still being interesting and updated for the students. Not only does my grade level use my assessments but so does my district. These assessments have been tested with a school district of teachers and hundreds of students.  Don't forget to check out Bundle #1 for the literature and informational as well.

Remind 101

Not sure if you know about this but you can contact your parents with Remind 101 by text without them knowing your cell number! It is worth checking out! Go sign up before school starts! :)

Aunt Phyllis' Fight

I normally only post about teaching and assessments and classroom funnies........however tonight I want

to share the story of my Aunt Phyllis. My Aunt Phyllis is an amazing person. I wish I could be half the woman she is. 20 years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She beat it. After chemo, radiation and a mastectomy. She was cancer free for 13 years. Then it came back. Breast cancer. Again. More chemo, more radiation. She won. Two months ago she felt "not right". Cancer. Again. That damn monster. This time because she has had her life time of maximum amount of chemo and radiation the treatment they had to go with did not work. First seizures then after several weeks of treatments, the cancer markers said she had 50% more cancer than when she started the treatment. It fills her body. Her bones, blood and organs. She works at the hospital and has for 30 years. The CEO came and spoke to her after she was given a life expectancy of days and taken off of all treatments and the DNR signed, and asked her, "What can I do for you?" She said she wanted to be moved to the hospital (a trauma hospital) where she has worked and  wanted to be on the floor she work on. They moved her. Then she requested something I just could not believe. She didn't lie there. She didn't bring in the relatives to all stand over her and cry or whisper or talk in hushed tones. She asked for pastries. Yes, pastries. She's a diabetic and asked for pastries from all over the town. They ran out and brought them in and had a sweet treat party. Then the next day she went outside and enjoyed the fresh air. She asked for visitors and they filled the room and they laughed and giggled and had fun. She had an all night pajama party with her brother and sister. (My Aunt is 58 her sister is my mother and she is 63 and her brother is 46)  Then she asked for a motorcycle shirt and helmet and she proudly wears them today (her brother is in a motorcycle club). Today it was Christmas. Yes, Christmas in May complete with music, a tree, stockings, and Santa. Tomorrow a quartet will arrive to entertain all the family and friends who are camped out in her room. She is laughing! Having fun! Could I have done that? I am not so sure I could have moved on from a such a terrible diagnosis. But she is that kind of soul. She sees the good. She lives her life to the fullest. And today she has lived to see another day and she made the most of it. Please send your good thoughts and energy and prayers to my Aunt Phyllis and those she will leave behind. Pray that she never suffers and the way she lived her life will always be what we remember about Aunt Phyllis. 

Free Give Away!!

Go to my shop on Teachers Notebook and register to win a free assessment! Common Core assessment for Point of View. It's a great one! 5 winners!!! Go sign up now!

Math on the desk!

I let my students write on the desks! Yes, I do. They love it. It's big, lots of room to work out math problems and I can see everyone's thinking.  This particular day we were counting coins. This student was using a key (I wrote the touch math signs on his desk on the right side, dotting for counting by fives) and he was working with the key to get the answers. As you can see I gave them a large amount of coins to count. Borrowing and regrouping is great to do on the desks as well.

 The students in the back have their hands over their work to signal me that they are ready to show. It's a great little tip to let them write on the desk. I have never had a student not do his work when I do this. They love it and I can see quickly who needs help. I also have whiteboards (paddles as seen on this desk) but nothing beats writing right on the desk! At the end I spray Mr. Clean right on the desk and the student wipes off the writing. Comes right off and the room smells fantastic!

End of the Year Week

The last week of school I try to do something different than the norm with my students. I break all routines and just have fun. I let them design the room (they chose the seating chart design, draw it out on grid paper) We vote for the best design and rearrange the room. Last year I did a theme a day: Board game day, Fly a Kite Day, Dance party day, ice cream social, karaoke day.  It was great fun!

This year I am doing a day in the life of kids from around the world.  I chose 5 continents (five countries) and we will listen to the music of that country, watch a movie from that country, play games that kids from the area play and sample a food from that area. I am very excited about it! I googled the games, United Streamed the movie clips, Pinterested the foods, and Pandoraed the music! So easy and it's going to be so fun!

I also have my students create a countdown chain. This year I have 17 students (very small class for me) so starting tomorrow we start pulling off  links(17 days left!) Today I gave each student a strip of paper. They were to write what they wanted to do or what they were going to do this summer. Each day I pull one off and let that child tell us all about their summer. I then let two or three students tell what they remember most about that person this year. A funny happening or a kind gesture. Then I give everyone in the room a notecard to write/ draw nice things about that person and give it to them throughout the day. I find that in these last few weeks students start to get snippy with each other. This brings them back to thinking about all the nice and wonderful things we experienced together throughout the year.