Five on Friday

This will be my last Five on Friday for the year.  Beginning next week we start SOL testing and I will be babysitting computers.  Even though our bandwidth has increased, I will abstain from hunting down and checking out sites.  

1.  Have you completed your internet safety requirement for the year?  If not, it isn't too late yet.  Don't forget that the ITRTs have composed a portal that is full of ideas and lesson plans.  Feel free to access it here.

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2.  Are you looking for resources to share with parents to help students maintain their reading over the summer?  Check out this game for primary students called Teach Your Monster to Read.  In this gameification learning task students create a monster and then teach their monster to read as the two of them travel through a magical world.  It fun and totally free!

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3.  Another idea that would help students over the summer is to make a STEAM box for each one of them.  Best of all, it will help you clean up as well.  Have your students empty their pencil boxes out.  (I remember how those boxes were full of pieces of crayons, small bits of paper, and pencils too tiny to see, let alone use.)  Inside each pencil box you can put things in such as left over pipe cleaners, Popsicle sticks, construction paper, paper clips, yarn, etc. Be sure that they have a glue stick! Tell your students to use the materials to make something over the summer.   Tuck an note inside promising to reward the students if they bring their creation back to school the next year to show you.  make sure you have a sticker or other small treat to give them when they do.  Great way to clean up your room while giving your students something to do other than video games.  Plus, it may mean that you get a sweet hug at the beginning of the year from your special little grown up people. Actually, this would work for any age student!

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4.  Sketch toy is a fun website!.  On this page you have the students create a drawing but when they press the save button it gives them a link...if it is a Chromebook they can click "go to the link" ....if it is a regular computer they would have to copy/paste the link into the address bar ....but it allows the students to see the creation of their drawing come to life "like a movie"  Way cool!  Check out my drawing!

5.  Friday at the Movies!  Usually I share a video that is designed to make you laugh or one that could be used a a hook or part of a lesson.  Today, I just stumbled upon a new device that I would love to play with.  This is totally cool!  I am putting this on my wish list.  What would you do with one of these in your classroom?