Flip Your Clothes Pin!

This summer I came across this pin while scrolling through Pinterest:

See who handed in work. (Accessed 2014). Pinned to Teacher Life Hacks by Teacher Created Material. Available online at: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/377598749979684674/

     I actually had my homeroom Grade 8s last year when they were in Grade 7 Science and even though it was only one class I feel like I got to know them quite well. Specifically.... their habit of misplacing their work and/or forgetting to hand-it in!

     While I realize it doesn't take much time to flip through my hand-in box and see what is there, we were often busy and I'd have students walk out without realizing they didn't hand-in their work. I loved the visual aspect of this and modified it somewhat to work with the hand-in box system I already had in place.

     Viola! I made two sets of clothes pins (one for my homeroom and one for another class) that hang on ribbon lengths directly beside our hand-in box. When a student hands an item in they flip their clothes pin over so their name isn't showing and I can see with a quick glance who hasn't handed-in their work!

     It did take about a week to get my students into a routine but we are now using the system seamlessly. For a few of my students it has actually helped them become more organized because they know I will ask at the end of each class... EVERY time (no more slipping through the cracks!). For the others, it helps me keep track of them and lets me know who might need extra help to get things finished.

     What do you use to keep track of student work? 

Have You Checked Out ManACE!?

     Today I spent my first day out of the classroom attending the annual planning meeting for ManACE (Manitoba Association for Computing Educators). 

Being that I am almost 4 hours out of the city I don't get to attend many meetings in person so it was awesome to catch-up with those that I only see once or twice a year! Furthermore, we are welcoming four new members to our board so I am adding new contacts to my circle :)

Here are some of the awesome things you want to know about!

1 ) SAGE Sessions

- ManACE is the only SAGE group to offer PD opportunities

  across the province rather than centralized in Winnipeg or

  Brandon! In fact, this year we are offering sessions in:

     - Winnipeg

     - Warren

     - Oakbank

     - Decker Colony School

     - Lorette

     - Swan River

     - Portage la Prairie

- Check out the any of the 17 session descriptions here or

   register for a session here

2 ) SEED Grants

- Every year ManACE offers up eight grants of $900 to promote

  ICT Literacy in Manitoba schools. These grants can go towards

  hardware, software, professional development, etc and are 

  available for early years, middle years, senior years, and admin

  levels.

- This year's SEED Grant applications will be available in November!

- Check out our webpage to read over information from last year

  to get you thinking!

  

3 ) How to FOLLOW Us

- Website www.manace.ca

- Instagram @manacemb

- Twitter @manace_manitoba

Welcoming a New Set of Grade 8's to the Blogging World!!

     Today my Grade 8 Science class joined the blogging world with the official 2014-2015 launch of Mrs. T's Classroom! This blog is one that I actually started last year with my Grade 8 homeroom, who ended up blogging regularly for their science class as well as featuring a weekly "Mathlete Friday" post.

     This year we are maintaining our online presence at Mrs. T's Classroom as opposed to starting all over again with a new domain. Some of my students have already been checking out last year's posts and are excited about the potential of competing for page-view statistics!

     We will be using their blog to:
- Share their learning with an authentic audience
- Catch up on lessons that were missed due to absences
- Review lessons to get a better understanding
- Connect with other classrooms around the world
- Integrate multimedia of all descriptions 
  (text, images, videos, podcasts)
- Practice responsible digital citizenship
- Receive feedback on their thoughts

     To celebrate we had a full-out Launch Party complete with whole-school announcements, a count-down to our first post, a visit from our school secretary, and pizza! I was also pleasantly surprised to be visited by the Grade 9's who were already waiting to post comments on this year's posts. It was so awesome to see them interested in the project and volunteering to take on some leadership positions to help get this year's Grade 8's started.

A heated "Rock-Paper-Scissors" competition over who got
to be the first official blogger!

A group shot to commemorate the event

     I have a very diverse group this year so I am excited about incorporating more multi-media options on our blog compared to last year. I can't wait for my students to share their learning with a broader audience and get a chance to make a larger impact!

     If you are reading this post, please head over to their blog, read their updated "About Us" page, and comment on their first post; I want them to realize the audience they have!

http://mrstsclassroom.blogspot.ca/2014/09/intro-to-grade-8-science.html

Classroom Reveal!

     During the last week of school in June our school began major renovations which included redoing the exterior walls of an entire wing of our building, some roofing restructuring, and a brand-new science lab/classroom. While everyone in our building was (and still is) excited about these upgrades, the construction may continue all the way until January. Understandably, this is creating a lot of inconveniences as we all adjust to new classrooms, half-finished classrooms, unavailable resources, loud noises, etc.

     Amidst all of the craziness, however, I was surprisingly able to keep my classroom! I am so thankful that I didn't have to pack-up and move to a whole new area. The science lab construction is directly beside me, which makes for some loud days, but I am very fortunate compared to some of our teachers.

     With that being said, here are the official pictures of my room for the 2014-2015 school year! While I've maintained a lot of the basic themes and ideas from last year, I feel more organized this year after experiencing the routines of a classroom:

View looking in from the door!
Last year I had to seat enough for 30 students but
this year I only have to accommodate 20; I love how
much more room there is!!

My Math Area at the back of the room.
For a close up of my "Do You Think Like a Mathematician"
posters and a free download, check out my classroom revealpost from last year!

The Student Supply area in the back-west corner of the room.
The bookcase against the wall houses our Mental Math, Interactive
Notebooks, textbooks (hidden behind the black curtain), and will eventually
include student binders. The other shelf holds our microwave for lunches,
paper, and general supplies. (see close-ups below!)

Bookcase close-up

General Supply close-up.

View of the west wall of my room. I added the curtains as an
accent this year and made them out of plastic tablecloths and duct-tape!

The Chill-Out Area!
This year I was able to add a beautiful carpet depicting the
seven teachings! I love how the colours through the carpet and
my posters tie the room together.

The front of my room.
This year I added the numberline along the top of the whiteboard.

The News Area section of my whiteboard. Each class has their
own area but I've also housed the master Interactive Notebooks
for each math class to keep track of.
I also got a new filing cabinet so I'm no longer holding supplies under
tables!

Information Central!
This area holds all of my teaching resources since I got rid
of my desk last year. The top of the counter holds our hand-in box,
my out-box, and an area for extra photo-copies.

Our Tech Area!
This area is used for our blogging projects and is where the
hook-ups for the SMART Board are.

     While not a lot of large-scale changes occurred this year, I am loving my classroom and feel way more prepared this year!

     Wishing all the teachers out there an awesome back-to-school start!

September Currently

    If you haven't encountered a "Currently" post before, it is just a fun post at the beginning of each month that serves as a way to share what is Currently going on in your life! You can link up and share your own "Currently" post by visiting the wonderful Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.