Technology in the Classroom I

Recently, your team of Teacher Advisors put together a collection of ideas on how they integrate technology in their own classroom to make the ordinary extraordinary. In addition to those clever ideas, I have some additional quick tech ideas to share with you that I have completed with my 1st graders over the past several years.

A Book of Hugs

In keeping with the theme of love for the month of February, I would like to share with you an activity I completed with my students using the book A Book of Hugs by Dave Ross. 

Love Bug Art

The “Love Bug” activity, taught by my friend and amazingly talented colleague, Metz art teacher, Rebecca Nusinow, gives students a chance to integrate science, math and art skills to create an original insect.  The “love  bugs” my own students brought back to class were so incredibly cute, I knew I had to write about how they made them and show some photo examples!

Peace Begins With You

In addition to teaching about the wonderful life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I like to extend the celebration of his birthday into several lessons on peace; peace within our selves, peace with others and peace between nations.

President Obama's Inauguration

With the incredibly exciting Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama coming up on January 20th, I thought I would share with you some links of lessons and resources. I hope you find time to teach about this historic event so your students are able to feel that they have been a part of our country’s democratic process. I know my own first graders are fascinated with President Elect Obama and pictures of him are hung all over our classroom. We have one particular solemn looking photo that is hung on the Good Citizen Board because the kids like to think he is looking down on us making sure we are all doing a good job in our work. They are such cute little sweeties, I really love working with 1st graders!

New Years Photo Examples

Here are photo examples to go with my New Years activities!

New Years Activities

The day after winter break I always head back to school and celebrate New Years with my students. A few years back I visited a Walgreens or Target the day after New Years Eve and picked up a bunch of hats, noisemakers, napkins, confetti and plastic glasses. I have all of this ready on the student’s desk when they enter in the morning. We wear our hats and toot our horns and crank our noisemakers throughout the day and offer New Year Wishes to everyone! It is an exciting way to return from the break and is it is a terrific way to introduce the special holiday we will be completing activities about for the rest of the week.

Thanksgiving Activities

The holidays always inspire me to create fun and exciting learning activities and Thanksgiving is no exception. I love taking a real life event from my student’s lives to extend learning through language arts, math, science and creative expression activities. It makes for a more fulfilling holiday experience for me as well as for my students.

Take A Vet To School Day

This year at Metz Elementary, we celebrated our 2nd Annual Take A Vet To School Day. This initiative that was started by The History Channel two years ago as a national campaign, linking veterans of all ages with students. In the spring of 2007 when I was in Washington D.C. to receive my National Teacher Award, I attended a breakfast hosted by Libby O’Connell who is the Chief Historian of the History Channel. It was then that she talked about this wonderful initiative and inspired me to coordinate an event at my own school.

Do Your Homework! (and read up on the latest ideas)

Even though we are a couple of months into the school year, I wanted to give you some link to some informative articles and ideas about using homework in the classroom. It is never to late to add some new twists in your own homework assignments for your students. These recent articles might just give you some ideas to make the ordinary, extraordinary!