debor002

Happy (early) Canada Day ! I'm linking up with Desiree at Reading with Mrs. D  to participate in her Canada Day Blog Hop (and sale). Unfortunately, I don't have a TPT store to participate in the sale portion of the event, but I can offer up some freebies from my classroom!  (Click on the links to access the files via Dropbox) ________________________________________________ Editable Math Poster Set - Rainbow These posters outline criteria for mathematical thinking and were inspired by ones created by  Sidney  at  Teaching is a Gift ! What Makes A Good Blog Post - Student Blogging Outline A close-up view of my "What Makes A Good Blog Post?" checklist for our blogging station. It is a good run-through of everything a student's blog post should have before it is posted! Symbaloo Resource Collection! Follow this link to access my Symbaloo page which features a collection of online resources, colour-coded by specific units for: Grade 7 Science Grade 8 Science Grade ...

Exams are done...  graduation is complete...  report card packages are stuffed...  lockers are cleaned...  and the hallways are quiet...  my first year as a teacher is now complete ! New Teacher Cartoon. (Accessed on 2014). Uploaded to Cartoon Stock by aban705. Available online at:http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/n/new_teacher.asp      This year has seemed to go by at incredible warp-speed and I can't believe that it is actually done. The first year as a teacher is an overwhelming roller-coaster of emotions that will sometimes make you laugh uncontrollably, make you bite your tongue or even swear under your breathe, make you beam with joy, and even leave you crying in the bathroom. When it is all said and done, however, you won't want to trade it for anything and you can't wait to get back in the classroom the next day.       As my first year as a teacher comes to a close, here are my Top 10 Teacher Truths , in no particul...

      Free #EdTech - Apps For Your Class  is a sporadic posting I do every time I find a neat new app that is not only being offered  FREE  (for a limited time) but that is also educational and could serve a purpose in your classroom.      While no longer free, last sessions app:  Fun Slides , is still awesome and I recommend you check it out! Today I've found: Word Lens This multi-lingual translation app blows my mind and I have literally been walking around our school sharing it with staff and students (yes... I am that  person). It allows users to: - translate typed text in real time through your device's camera - look up definitions of words - hear pronunciation of words The app itself is one download and then users can download language features inside the app itself if they are interested in French-to-English, English-to-French, Russian-to-English, etc. I downloaded all of them since they are free.... you never know!

     Through my first year I've been thinking of starting a "Tech Club" at my school for those students who are interested in technology, programming, and electronics. I've been closely following the awesome projects being completed by Clarence Fisher's students in Snow Lake and the innovative makerspaces in  Eric Sheninger's school in New Jersey as inspiration.       While my plan is to organize our projects around student interests and creativity, I do have many preliminary ideas that I hope to begin with. After meeting with my principal about my ideas, I've divided our year into two sections: larger year-long projects and small-scale independent projects. Section 1 - Larger Year-Long Projects As a club I would like us to focus on one of two projects: developing a video year-book to accompany our traditional printed version or developing an app for our school. The focus of both of these projects would be to share what happens at...

A few weeks back I decided to create a school-wide music video as part of an end-of-year/school-spirit project.   Here is the finished project, featuring the students and staff, of our K-12 school!       I hope this makes your day a little more happy :)

     It feels like I am in a time-warp, as I vividly remember writing this post  last year when I got my teaching schedule for my VERY FIRST year as a teacher. Somehow, it has been over a year since that time... oh, where did the time go!? I am now almost finished  up my first year at "S-School" and I have gotten my teaching schedule for next year.      I am happy to announce that I will get to remain as the Grade 8 homeroom teacher (although I will still have classes ranging from Grade 8 to Grade 10)! My classes actually remain almost exactly the same, which I am very thankful for after a very-busy first year of prep. I will have one new addition next year though; I will have Grade 8 Social Studies instead of Grade 7 Science. Social Studies is my background and true passion so I was thrilled that my principal found a way to incorporate it into my schedule... I even cried happy tears (ya... embarrassing but totally true).      Anoth...

Deep breathe in..1..2..3.. Deep breathe out..1..2..3.. Feel that? That is the sound of one relaxed teacher. One relaxed teacher who just put the finishing touches on the last of her final exams! A relaxing planning spot can solve everything!      After a full semester, or even a full year, of activities, experiences, and assessments, it is hard to not feel nervous about preparing a final exam that somehow encompasses all of that in a 2 hour event. Personally, I do not believe formalized, traditional, exams are a good assessment technique and resent the fact that the set-up of them does not mirror my classroom experiences what-so-ever. (but that is a topic for another, much longer post).      As a first year teacher I find that I am quite stressed out by having to create a final exam that, in one go: - accurately assesses my student's understanding of curriculum outcomes - includes formatting and organization policies of the school - includes formatting and ...

     Summertime is here... or nearly here for some of us. While society tends to believe that teachers do not do anything for the two months of summer holidays, we all know that is not the case! If you are wondering what kinds of professional development are available in your area or are thinking of beginning a new project next year but need to learn more, why don't you check out Coursera ?       If you haven't heard of, or checked out, Coursera before, they describe their idea as:       "Coursera is an education platform that partners with top universities      and organizations worldwide, to offer courses online for anyone to take,      for free.      We envision a future where everyone has access to a world-class      education. We aim to empower people with education that will improve      their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities they live...

     Guess what!? It is June, JUNE! In only 18 short school days my very first year of teaching is going to be done! When I look back at the year it was incredibly busy and, at times, overwhelming & stressful. Yet, on the other-hand, the year went by insanely fast and was full of amazing moments. It is definitely true what they say,"If you love your job, it never feels like work" and I couldn't be happier to have found a career that has not felt like work once! The view out our picture window; can't wait to be enjoying this summer weather Our new purchase, straight out of 1962!      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 . Wishing a busy but happy June to all my teacher friends as ...