FREE Titanic Activity Packet

Hello everyone!

This is Jessica from "Joy in the Journey" here.

Today I'm here to share a new *FREEBIE* with you:

Last year my students were Titanic-crazy, 

so I decided to build on their interest and do a week-long unit on the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic.

This FREE packet includes a summary article

and graphic organizers

and you can download it for FREE here:

Titanic Activity Packet Sampler

and if you download it, please leave feedback :)

Looking for more Titanic fun?

Check out the full 40-page MEGA packet:

Free Apps and Websites for Your Classroom

Today I'm here to share some free websites/apps with you that I used in my class last year.

Behavioral

Class Dojo - Well, technically, I didn't used it this year, but my daughter's teacher did. She had enabled it to send weekly reports to us so we could see how she did during the week. As a teacher, I was not aware that this could be done, so maybe you didn't know that either! Look at my perfect angel ;)

Go Noodle - I love the stretching exercises for the morning. All of my students were bus students, so some of them were a little wound up by the time they got to school. They rolled their eyes at Maximo, but I know that deep down they loved him ;)

ELA

Spelling City - I've used SC for a while now, and I've always upgraded to the premium account so that I could give my students more game options and track their progress. One day I was messing around, and I noticed that THE LISTS FOR WONDERS ARE ALREADY ON SPELLING CITY! How did I miss that?! I published the on-level, had the kids take a practice test then tell me which level they want to do that week. Then with a few clicks, I took them off of the on-level one (if needed) and assigned them to the approaching or beyond. What a time saver!!!

Computer Skills

Typing Web - This was recommended to me by my team, and I started using it with my class. It was really easy to set up, and I liked that I can see in real-time what everyone is doing on one screen. Here is one of the reports that you can get (I cut off the student names).

I obviously had some kids that were keyboarding at home!

Code.org - I absolutely love this site, and so do the students! I worked with a group of great kids on Course 2 of the K-5 courses. It was just the right mix of challenging and motivating. My room was completely silent for a solid half-hour. Once in a while I heard "This is hard", but absolutely no one gave up. They saw it as a challenge to solve. There are some off-computer lessons where we talk about algorithms, programs, looping, and debugging. The site can be a little tricky for teachers to navigate just because there are SO many options, but this might be the most engaging thing that I've done with technology all year.

Here was my group's progress:

Math

Front Row - This is a nice alternative if you don't have an IXL account. It's even a nice option if you do! This assigns my kids randomly to a "team", so when they solve problems, they earn points for their team. Like IXL, it lets the kids progress at their own rate. You can also have them practice specific math strands. I couldn't get a decent screen shot without having to block out a bunch of names, but there are also some really nice grouping features and reports.

XtraMath - It's for mastering basic facts. Set up was pretty easy. You can print a certificate of accomplishment whenever a student masters an operation, so that's pretty motivating. I also gave them a brag tag for mastery.

Cross-Curricular

Kahoot - You know those bar trivia games where you look at the screen and try to be the first to correctly answer a question? That's Kahoot! All you need is a device to project the game and devices in the students' hands to answer the questions. I use my laptop, and they students use either our Chromebooks or iPads. When I've created a quiz, I launch the game and project it. Students go to kahoot.it and enter the special code for that game. Then they choose a team name (and you can easily delete any that are a little questionable ;) ), you start the game, and then the fun begins! After a few uses, then I have had the kids write their own Kahoots and share them with me so I can project them. Some are better than others, but they are so proud of their quizzes.

If you have discovered any wonderful websites, please feel free to mention them in the comments!

School Year Calendar Freebie

I've been hard at work on my summer to-do list.  How quickly time goes by and how few things get checked off that list!  Well, I needed a little break from the heavy duty curriculum work I was doing, so I decided to have some fun and make a cute school year calendar with some of my new Melonheadz clip art.  Is there such a thing as clip art therapy?  Here are some of my favorite pages...

You can grab this calendar for free at my TPT Store!  If you download it, I'd love some feedback from you!

Enjoy!

Do Your 5th Graders Know How to Give Each Other Feedback?

Collaboration can work wonders in a classroom when we teach students what it means to work together.  One essential skill students need to learn in order to work together is providing effective feedback.

Hi, I'm Mercedes from Surfing to Success.  My district values Project Based Learning and my school is a STEM school and an SFA school, so collaboration is key to our success.  When our students present a project with their group, their classmates give them feedback keeping our Feedback Protocol in mind.

While the concept seems very simple, it can be a great tool to get 5th graders to think before they speak.  Students tend to naturally say things like, "I liked your presentation."   With be specific in mind, they say things like, "I like the way you made eye contact with the audience while you were presenting."

This practice of giving effective feedback starts to influence the ways students work together.

I had the opportunity to attend PBL World put on by the Buck Institute and one of my favorite moments was watching this video where we see students practicing giving feedback and how it leads to a better project.  If you've never seen Austin's Butterfly, it is worth your time.

If you are interested in Project Based Learning, there are tons of free resources at BIE .

If you'd like a copy of the feedback protocol, you can find it here.  I'm a bit font obsessed so there are several versions.

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Can Your Kid Code?

Happy summer to those of you that are already out, and a lot of positive energy for those of you that are still pushing through to the end! You can do it!

This week, my district put on an awesome 2 day tech conference called Highway 21. All employees were able to attend for FREE if they wanted to. It was amazing!

One of the teachers in our district is a certified trainer for the website code.org, so the first day we had the opportunity to spend the whole day being trained on their FREE curriculum!

This is a completely free resource that ANYONE can sign up for, including students. Or parents. Or whomever.

You can start off by signing up for a free account.

If you have a kiddo at home, they can sign up too!

Then you have a ton of choices about what kinds of activities you want to do.

The Hour of Code
The Hour of Code is exactly what it sounds like. Take an hour, and learn some basic Scratch programming. There is an official Hour of Code day in December, but you can really do it anytime! This is great for kids who might use the word "bored" over the summer, or for adults to learn about programming too. I have done the Hour of Code, and let me tell you, I learned A LOT.

Student Section
This section lets students try out the Hour of Code, or any of the courses that code.org offers. They almost all come with videos to get them started and they can do as much or as little as they like. There are courses for kids who can read, and for the little guys who can't read yet!

Teacher Section
If you want to think about how to get a Coding Club started in your school, or you want to try some of the lessons in your classroom, or you just want to see what's available, this is your section! You can have a look at all the courses they provide (for FREE) and have a look at professional development opportunities in your area. Which are also FREE, by the way!

I highly encourage you to just explore a little bit with code.org. It's a fun and engaging way to introduce students (and adults!) to the world of computer science. There are great videos, awesome tutorials, and the actual lessons really get kids thinking about how programming works!

 Hugs,

End of the Year TEACHER Report Card - FREE!

Hello there!

Jessica from "Joy in the Journey" here - with a freebie to share with you lovely readers!

You've spent the year assessing your students - now it's time to hand over the red pen to your students and let them grade you! 

A fun and valuable tool for a reflective teacher,
this can both encourage you and challenge you to continually improve your craft.

The packet includes a cover page and an inside page: print the two pages together (double-sided) to create a report card booklet.

This will take some vulnerability - because you know your students will be honest :) But I think it's a worthwhile thing to do.

Click here if you'd like to download it for FREE!

Teacher Report Card

If you do download it, please take a moment to leave some feedback. Thanks!

Vietnam Veterans Virtual Wall Mini-Research Activity

On this Memorial Day, I'd like to share a freebie that will allow your students to honor those brave service members who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. If you've experienced the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., then you know what a moving tribute it is. Bring this experience to your students and allow them to explore the more than 58,000 heroes who are honored on this wall through the Vietnam Veterans Virtual Wall. Students can learn about the veterans of this war and also gain knowledge about the creation of this amazing memorial. My freebie includes directions for students to follow to learn more about a veteran of their choice and a page to record facts that they learn about the memorial.  Click on the picture below to download this freebie. 

Please take a moment to talk to your students about the importance of Memorial Day, this day of remembrance for all of the brave men and women who have died serving our country. 

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