iPad Frenzy: Sock Puppets App

It's official.  My student teacher, Mrs. O'Bryan, and I are obsessed with the iPads.  We use them almost every day in Daily 5 (Listen to Reading, Word Work, Read to Self), and we are continually trying to find ways to integrate them into math, science, and social studies.

My new favorite App is Sock Puppets.

Make a 30 second sock puppet show about anything!  (My students would chime in: "as long as it's appropriate for school.")  Yes, I've taught them well.  :D

You can choose your own sock characters, choose your background and props, and you can even change the pitch of the characters' voices to higher or lower!  The students had a blast, and it's actually a great way to assess a recently taught skill or content.

We recently made sock puppet shows explaining the difference between needs and wants during our big economics unit.  Check out a student's example below:





Tips for using the Sock Puppets App:
-Watch the countdown timer at the top to see how much you have left to talk.
-Have students write their "script" first to save time and mistakes.
-Have them sit as far away from one another as possible (as you can hear in the video, it gets very loud if they are all recording at once!)  :)
-To make a new character talk, you have to click on it (an arrow will appear above its head).
-You totally do not have to upload them to YouTube!  I only did that for blog purposes and to share with parents, but it is by no means a must, of course!  (Side note: it was quite easy to upload them if you're into that sort of thing-haha.)

My First Lesson Freebie--Counting Coins Up to $1.00

Well, last week our school got two class sets of iPads!  It is AMAZING, and my class has already used them twice, plus I used them for my tutoring students.  (Yes. We are required to tutor 7 year olds.)  So ever since we used them the first time, my little brain has been working overtime to think of MORE ways we can use them besides just practicing our math facts, sight words, etc.  I came up with the idea that the students can "show what they know" using the CAMERA on the iPads (or the iPod Touches, for that matter)!

So I created a lesson in which the kids can use work mats to count coins equaling different amounts.  Then my plan is for them to snap a picture of their completed work mat.  Have you heard of the Bump App?  When the assignment is completed, each student will "bump" their iPad with my own device, and I'll have ALL of their work on my iPad.  From there, I can assess their work and hopefully upload it to our classroom blog.  WHOO HOO!  Can you tell I'm excited about using the iPads?!  :)  It's great to have something to get me excited, because I've been pretty burned out lately, to be honest.  And it's only January.  Sigh.  Long way to go till summer.  :)

If you like this activity and think you can use it, please let me know!  This is my first time really creating a lesson, so I would love to have some feedback.

You can download the lesson at Teachers Pay Teachers by clicking the link below:

Show Me the Money: Counting Coins up to $1.00

Thanks for stopping by!

3rd post's a charm.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you're not supposed to post more than once a day, blah blah blah.  Look, I never post, and I've gotta do it when I get the time, which, as one can tell, is almost never!  LOL.

So anyway, one last printable poster freebie for those who may be interested.

This is the strategy we use at our school for math story problems.  It is used from 2nd-4th grades, so the students become very familiar with it, and I've actually had a middle school teacher email me to tell me that one of her students told her "Mrs. Cockrell taught me this way," so I was quite proud.  :)

It's called CUBES, and I hope it will be helpful for someone!  If so, please leave me a comment and share the love with your teamies.  :)

CUBES math strategy poster

Fun with Picnik--some freebies

I am sad to report that Picnik will be closing in April!  SO SO SAD!  It is the BEST. EVER.  Boo hiss.

Anyway, I was playing around on Picnik and created a couple of fun little posters.  Check them out if you'd like.

Call the Wambulance poster-light blue

Call the Wambulance poster-light pink

Boss of Applesauce poster

The wambulance poster came from all the whiny babies in my class that try to get out of the classroom constantly because they "hurt their finger/hand/arm/leg/foot/face/ear/fill in the blank."  OK, so I don't ACTUALLY tell them I'm going to "call the wambulance."  But I think it.  And I DO tell them, "If I have to SQUINT to see the cut on your finger, you don't need a band aid, and you certainly don't need to go to the nurse."  They are (slowly) starting to grasp the concept (some of them).  :)  Nonetheless, the wambulance could come visit my classroom about 40 bajillion times a day.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Class Dojo Parent Letter

If you would like to use/edit and use the letter I sent to my parents about the Class Dojo website, please feel free to snag it:

Class Dojo Parent Letter

Not sure why Google Docs won't properly upload the cuter version of this letter, but it won't.

I also have no idea how to embed the document so you can see a preview; sorry!  :)

Hope this will be helpful for someone.

11 in '11 Linky Party

I am apparently all about the Linky Parties this week.  Never fear, I go back to work on Tuesday, and then I'm sure it'll be back to how it was before Christmas break: not posting at all!  Haha, just kidding (I hope)!


Anyway, moving right along into the more exciting things--things about YOURS TRULY.  I know.  You're waiting with bated breath, aren't you?


Thanks to Hadar at Miss Kindergarten and Kristin at A Teeny Tiny Teacher for hosting--great idea!


Here are my 11 things from 2011:

11. Favorite movie you watched:

That's a tough one since we NEVER go to the movies!  The most recent movie I saw was Breaking Dawn, and I'm sure not going to say that one (lol) even though I enjoyed it for what it is and enjoyed the books.  OK, I guess I'll go with the final Harry Potter movie because I've spent so much time with Harry and his friends over the last, what?  10 years or so?  Such an amazing series, and I was so sad to see the movies come to an end, because that meant that it was all over.  Tho thad.  :)

10. Favorite TV series:


Oh gosh, I am the worst of the worst tv-aholic.  Seriously, you can ask the hubcap (husband).  I watch a ton of shows, though not NEARLY as many as I did before dear little one was born.  :)  I have to choose:


Parenthood (Absolutely brilliant and touching)

9. Favorite restaurant:


I love food even more than I love T.V.  If that's possible.  God, I'm a glutton!  LOL.  I think being pregnant made me worse since I had an excuse to eat like a teenage boy!  (And since I'm still nursing, I'm still using that as an excuse to continue doing so!)  LOL.  I think I'll go with Anamia's, a local favorite.

8. Favorite new thing you tried:


PINTEREST!

FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!

And Class Dojo!  (If you don't know about Class Dojo or want to know more, please check out my post about it:  The Class Management Tool You Never Knew You Always Needed

7. Favorite gift you got:


My son!  My precious little angel!  :D  For Christmas, I got myself a new Canon Rebel T2i, which I still need to learn to use.  ;)

(6 months old)

6. Favorite thing you pinned:

5. Favorite blog post:  I have to choose one from my personal blog--it's my baby's birth story.  :)

The New Man in My Life @ thecockrells.blogspot.com

4. Best accomplishment:  Giving birth to my son (are you sensing a trend here?  sorry, but it's SUCH the best thing I've ever done!  LOL)

3. Favorite picture:

2. Favorite memory:


Giving birth to my son, haha, JUST KIDDING!  I think I'll go with those first 2 weeks after baby was born, my hubby (who is the BEST) got up with me EVERY TIME i had to nurse baby, making me coffee at 2 am and bringing me snacks to keep me awake and my energy up, writing down every time i took my pain pills, and all kinds of other things i couldn't do because i was recovering from the c-section and couldn't lift baby.  I will always remember how amazing he was during that difficult (joyous, yes, but also difficult) time.

1. Goal for 2012:


To find some BALANCE in my life--I hope to be a great teacher AND a great Mom, not have to choose one or the other; so hard!!  : /    See also: New Year's Resolutions Post


HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE, and keep on teachin' on!

New Year's Resolutions: Linky Party

Well, I am trying to finish off 2011 with a bang here since I have yet to get much posted on this new blog o' mine.  Good times!


Thanks to Mor @ A Teacher's Treasure for inviting me over to her Linky Party:

Great idea, and it's something I need to get thinking about anyway, so thank you for getting me motivated! :D

HERE ARE THE DIRECTIONS TO PARTICIPATE:

1. Copy and paste the above image to your post & link it to the party on the post.

2. Make sure you include both personal & professional goals.

3. No more then 3-5 goals for each.

Here are my 2012 New Year Resolutions:


PERSONAL:


1) Sign up for a new gym membership before I go back to work on January 3rd  (I cancelled my old one when I was preggers and never went.) and go to said gym for exercise (being specific lessens the chances for me to back out through loopholes-HA) at least once a week, preferably twice.
2) Read to baby every day.  (I know; I am a horrible, awful excuse for a mother/teacher.)
3) Cook at least every other week, even if it's something easy.
4) Make time for hubby; it's hard when there's a baby to take care of and dote on.  :)




PROFESSIONAL:


1) Try to look on the bright side and stop referring to my classroom as my "prison cell."  (It would be funnier if it weren't so true.)
2) Continue to develop new activities (including more Smartboard Word Work) for our Daily 5 rotations and just get Daily 5 streamlined in general.
3) Improve my time management so that I'm not doing lesson plans the Sunday before I teach them and so that I can leave school each day at a decent time (preferably by 4:00) to pick up aforementioned sweet baby.  :)
4) Keep my blog posting to at least once a week (classroom blog and this blog).




Thank you again to A Teacher's Treasure for hosting this great party--now maybe I'll actually stick to some/most/all of my goals!!??  One can dream...