Brainpop

Brainpop is a web-based educational resource. It houses videos, quizzes, games, etc. by subject area. 

There is an App in English, Spanish, French, and even an App for ESLs.

Quizzes

• If you're in a 1-to-1 school and the App is on the students' iPads, their quiz results are saved.
• Graded Quiz - Be careful, the quiz questions and answer choices are in the same order each time. So, if you are requiring the students to get a certain score, they can write down the answers the first time they take the quiz, then put all the correct answers in on the next time around.
• I have the students take a screenshot of their results and post them in Google Classroom.

There some free videos; however, if you want the full experience, you will need a subscription. Some subscription options are:

• Home - $115/year
• Classroom Access (1 teacher/3 devices) - $230
• School - $1795

5 Favorite Apps

I wanted to share my 5 Favorite Apps that I use in my classroom.  Keep in mind that I don't use all 5 of these apps every single day.  I use Google Classroom and Classcraft everyday.  Follow the links to past posts to get more information.

1.) Google Classroom - Allow the teacher post announcements, assignments, and questions all in one place.

2.) Classcraft/Class Dojo - Behavior Management Apps.  In my opinion, Classcraft is for grades 5 and up, where as Class Dojo is for grades K-6.

2.) Plickers - Assessments using technology when you don't have 1-to-1 devices.

3.) Nearpod - Presentation App that lets you keep the students on the same "slide" as you. When you go to the next "slide", the students' device will also go to the next "slide".

4.) Remind - Text messaging app so you can communicate with parents.

Flocabulary

Flocabulary is a video warehouse, where all the videos have a Hip Hop flare. All the educational videos are put to music and the lyrics are educational via rap. There is generally is a catchy hook so the students can sing along.

• There is free version and a paid version. There are only a certain number of videos per subject in the free version. The paid version, for teachers, is $96 per year.
• You can save videos as favorites for easier access.
• You can pause the videos to have student discussion opportunities. 
• The biggest plus, in my opinion, is the videos are aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

First Week of School

Well, the first week of school is coming and I wanted to share some housekeeping things that I do. Hopefully, it'll give you some ideas you can use.

There are 4 categories: 
1. Papers to give to send home 
2. For the students to do
3. Papers for the students
4. For the room


Three papers to go home...
1. I send home a press release provided by our district in the event I want to post on my twitter (@anfmathgr6) or on-line some of the things we do in class.
2. I send home a Donors Choose press release in the event I want to put up a project. See the filter for more information on Donors Choose.
3. I send home a Parent Contact Form. I need parent names, phone numbers, and email addresses in case I need to get in contact with them. I also created a google form, which is the electronic copy of the Parent Contact Form. The paper copy has English on one side and Spanish on the other. The google form has both English and Spanish as well.

Three things for the students to do...
1. Student Profile with Learning Styles Survey - I want to get to know as much as possible about my students at the onset of the year so I can know the best way to play according to their learning styles. So I created a Student Profile Google Form and the last question is a link to an online learning style quiz. They have to enter their results (Auditory, Kinesthetic, or Visual) on their form before submitting.
2. Since I teach 6th grade in a middle school, I don't have the privilege of knowing the students prior to their arrival. So I ask (in the student profile) where they went to elementary school and what is the name of their 5th grade math teacher in the event I need more information on the types of learners they are.
3. I want to know how their parents communicate. Since I'm in a predominately Hispanic building, I need to know which of my parents speak English or Spanish, which of them read English or Spanish, which of the can understand English or Spanish, and which of the can do all of the above. I need to know how to communicate with my parents.

Three handouts for students
1. Standards of Mathematical Practices on a half sheet - The students have this in the front of their interactive notebooks (composition books) as a reference.
2. Walking Word Wall - Most classrooms have Word Walls. As students travel from one class to another and even when they go home, I wanted them to have access to their math vocabulary at any time.
3. School Supply List

Three things to post in the class
1. A list of websites that students will use during the school year.
2. Class Signs/Labels - Objectives, Homework, Today's Topic, Agenda, etc.
3. My alma mater paraphernalia - Banner, Pennant, Admission Requirements, etc. - Let's get the students thinking about college. It's never too early.

Morning Writing Activty

Every morning, I have the students to write in a Morning Journal.  I provide the students with a writing prompt and they are to respond. This allows the class to be calm in the morning, while you get ready for the Morning Announcements.

Journal Entries are numbered. At the end of the week is "Free Writing Day" where the students can write about whatever they like as long as its appropriate. Occasionally, I would read and respond to their responses.

On the front of the book, the students have to write their name and "Morning Journal".

Traditional Classroom or Hybrid Classroom
When I taught in a traditional classroom. I wanted to add more technology to eventually go paperless; therefore, becoming a Hybrid Classroom. A Hybrid class is where you provide instruction and assign work the traditional way and using technology.

I had the students to use a Composition Book to record their morning journal response. I would write the Morning Journal Prompt on the board. The students would respond to the prompt in at least 10 lines. 

If the students come to school late, they are still responsible to complete the entry. If they are absent, they just write "Absent" or have a "Free Writing Day".

1-to-1 Classroom
Instead of a Composition Book, the prompt is provided via Google Classroom (Ask a Question). The students are to respond in at least 5 sentences. If the students come to school late, they are still responsible to complete the entry. If they are absent, they are still responsible to complete the entry because the Prompt doesn't go away. It remains in Google Classroom.

I hope you find this useful.

Todoist

I know it's not Tuesday, but I forgot.  Sorry.  At any rate...

This is a website that allows you to keep an online To Do List. You may ask, "Why would I want to keep a To Do List online when I have my phone and it has a To Do List there?" Well, Todoist is web-based and they have Apps in the App Store and Google Play. There is a free and a Premium option.

Todoist will help you:
- "Keep track of everything you need to get done."
- "Organize and make progress on your bigger projects."
- "Play your day for maximum focus and productivity."

I love Todoist because I can:

• Organize my list by projects
• Use due dates, if I want
• Use recurring due dates (i.e. every first of the month, every Monday, etc,)
• Create sub-tasks so I can complete tasks into bite-sized pieces
• See my To Do List in my App or on my computer
• See "Today" and the "Next 7 Days" so I can plan out my days
• Prioritize tasks

Here's a Getting Started Guide if you need help.

Parent Teacher Conferences - Top 50 Tips

In my 21 years in education, I have had many, many parent conferences. The following is a list of tips that I have found to be successful. You want parent conferences to be stress free. Don't feel you have to implement all of these for 1 parent conference.

Before the Conference

1. Have student work samples so that parents can see their child's progress.
2. Have a one-pager with a list of important information that you want the parent to know (i.e. office hours, phone number, website address, class schedule, etc.). Parent like to have something to take with them.
3. Have mints or candy available.
4. Encourage the parent to bring the child.
5. Offer the student and incentive for attending the conference.
6. Set a schedule.
7. Send an invitation to the parents at least a month in advance.
8. Send email confirmation.
9. Send reminder email 1 week before the conference.
10. 1-2 days before the conference, call to let the parents know you are looking forward to meeting/seeing them on ____ day at ____ time.
11. If conferencing with more than one teacher, decide ahead of time how much time each teacher gets. Stay on schedule.
12. Have a list of the student's grades for the parents to take with them.
13. Hang a "Parent Conference in Session" Sign on the door. Respect the parents and students' privacy.
14. Let other teachers (other subjects/creative arts) know that you will be meeting with the students in case they want to attend.
15. Put your cell phone on vibrate/silent or turn it off.
16. Make sure your classroom is clean if you're meeting in your classroom.
17. Have a sign-in sheet ready. Include a place for at least the student's name, parent's name, and date.
18. Allow student to sign in.
19. Try to meet with a parent of every student at least once within the school year.
20. Let the administration know you are meeting with the parent in the event they want/need to attend.
21. Have your computer available in the event you need to look something up.
22. Pick the parents up from the main office.

During the Conference

1. Start on time.
2. End on time.
3. Pull the chair out for the parent so you can direct them where to sit.
4. Before beginning the actual conference, introduce yourself.
5. Shake the parent's hand.
6. Use eye contact.
7. Sit next to the parent, not across from them. It's less intimidating.
8. Sit between parent and student or put student across from parent (out of arms reach).
9. Start the conference with saying something positive about the student.
10. Ask the parent if they have any concerns before you begin.
11. Provide the parents with an overview of your expectations (if student generally misbehaves in class).
12. Have an agenda/talking points (even if its for you only). This allows you to be able to direct the conference and stay focused. You don't want to forget anything.
13. Ask the student questions during the conference. This allows them to feel contributing and connected to their conference.
14. Remind the student that this is "their" conference.
15. Tell the student that you and the parents care about them and their education, that is why you're meeting, not to get them in trouble.
16. Smile.
17. Limit conferences to no more than 20 minutes.
18. End the conference with an additional positive conference.
19. Ask the parent if they have any additional concerns. Parents just want to be heard.
20. Ask parents to confirm phone number and email address in the event you need to get in contact with them later.
21. Keep calm. If the parent is irate and/or yelling, keep your voice low and tell them you understand how they are feeling. 
22. Ask the parents if they need the administration to attend the meeting.

After the Conference

1. Before concluding the conference, thank the parent for attending the conference.
2. Thank the student for attending the conference.
3. Shake the parent's hand.
4. Send a thank you card or thank you email to the parent for attending the conference.
5. Walk parents to the main office (if you don't have another conference waiting).
6. If the conference was with other teachers, take time to debrief.