So if you have heard the term standards-based grading before, you know it is a multi-layer term, with all the extra baggage! So, of course, teachers are always thinking about and documenting a student's progress (even during breakfast, lunch, sometimes dinner). With the newly coined "standards-based grading" label, we get to provide an extra sheet of explanation to the kiddos and their families. If you haven't already read through the pages and pages of grids with rubrics for every single standard, peruse your district's rubric library, and then check this out:
These are BLANK, yes BLANK (no actual standards included on these templates) templates for you to enter in the standard you are currently assessing. Everyone's criteria is slightly different, or may be an "I can" statement instead of the actual statement. Instead of creating all of my rubrics or "cover sheets" as I like to call them; I am going to use these blank templates to make them as I need them. I will have a full set by the end of the year, that's the good news!
The other bonus: These templates come fully editable in a google slides doc, along with the editable PDF's. My new favorite thing is using GOOGLE DRIVE for my teacher docs. Super easy and clean for storing all of my important files.
Check out the product here: Blank Standards-Based Grading Templates
Another bonus: here is the FREEBIE version of this doc to check it out before buying the full version:
Enjoy!
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Google Drive & Digital St. Teresa Activity
So I just discovered the magic of using Google Slides as interactive digital activities....I know, I'm pretty late to the party, but....how amazing, and user friendly! As a tech lover (for my own fun, not always in the classroom), I can't believe I hadn't tapped into this already. Still on my Mother Teresa kick from her canonization last week, I love the idea of going digital with some activities that are accessible to the kiddos. The fun thing about the current generation of students is that they are just born as digital natives, it's like this oddly natural thing for them that they automatically know what to do. Even the kids who may not have a device for every occasion, or at all, they are still totally comfortable.
I love this activity because it is short & sweet. Three pages of digital activities, some facts & some reflection.
The google slide interface just makes everything so easy! The background is set, the kids can't move it around. The only place the kids can edit or type are the text boxes. And of course, I love the lego Mother/Saint Teresa! It is a "pixel" style picture so the thumbnail previews on the sidebar don't quite do the actual slide justice. If you want to check it out here; Google Drive Digital St. Teresa Activity
Enjoy!
I love this activity because it is short & sweet. Three pages of digital activities, some facts & some reflection.
The google slide interface just makes everything so easy! The background is set, the kids can't move it around. The only place the kids can edit or type are the text boxes. And of course, I love the lego Mother/Saint Teresa! It is a "pixel" style picture so the thumbnail previews on the sidebar don't quite do the actual slide justice. If you want to check it out here; Google Drive Digital St. Teresa Activity
Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Mother...I mean..Saint...Teresa of Calcutta (I'm never going to get it right)
This past Sunday was a pretty exciting day for all the Mother Teresa appreciators around the world, and especially us Catholics, as she was canonized and made an official "Saint" in the Church. This is HUGE! Mother/Saint Teresa is someone who we knew in OUR TIME, and remember seeing (at least on TV), while she was alive until 1997. Pretty exciting stuff, I have been so excited to celebrate this with my students. She is such an inspiring human being, a really awesome role model. So, you could say I was filled with the Holy Spirit, and got very excited to create some resources to help share her story and message. I really love polaroids (which sadly are not quite popular these days....), so here are some extra large polaroid block figure/pixel quotes pieces:
Here are the dimensions (excuse my fingers from holding the ruler)
If you like these, check them out here: Mother/Saint Teresa Polaroid Quotes
Hope you enjoy, and happy Feast/Canonization!
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Block Schedule...Literally...Daily Schedule Design Fun
Ok, this year I really wanted to try out the whole "themed classroom" thing, so I am taking baby steps to get something going, and focusing on a "Lego & Comic" theme. One of the things that my students fixate on daily is the posting of a daily schedule (trust me, they let me know right away if I have not updated it for the day). To keep myself on my toes, and get ahead of the kids who will habitually remind me at 8:16am when we enter the room, I went with a super fun glittery building block style schedule.
It has a block for every subject possible (if you are a school with a million specials, this works). Aaaand the best part, it comes with a whole system for a mini individual personal schedule. So this mini schedule works for my kids who need to see it in front of them. Before I explain how I use it, here it is:
It has a block for every subject possible (if you are a school with a million specials, this works). Aaaand the best part, it comes with a whole system for a mini individual personal schedule. So this mini schedule works for my kids who need to see it in front of them. Before I explain how I use it, here it is:
So the prep was sliiiiightly time consuming; I printed, laminated, cut out, then added velcro to each block (which is printed on the mini schedule) on the schedule pad, and then cut out each individual mini block and added velcro to those. BUT, so worth it! So each morning, when the kids come in, I have my large class daily schedule updated (obvi), and the kids with the mini schedule come over, pick out the matching mini velcro blocks from a little bin, and put it on their mini schedule. They love it!
Needless to say, this glittery block schedule has been a hit! Can't wait for more matching products (CCSS aligned I can statements would be amazing......). Until then, check out the product for yourself here: Glittery Building Block Daily Schedule
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