Edmodo: Classroom Connection

Since being a stay at home mom (for the year), I am using some of my free time to prepare for my return in the classroom next year. As a science teacher, I plan on converting our school's curriculum (lab and assignments) so that they go into a composition book rather than the unit books that they are given. I think that this will help them to better understand the scientific process when they have to repeatedly walk through each step, rather than have a book do it for them. As I create these worksheets, I will post and share them with you.
As for now, I am SO SO excited to have come across a great website for teacher/student collaboration: "Edmodo". Edmodo provides teachers and students a secure place to connect and collaborate, share content and educational applications, and access homework, grades, class discussions and notifications.
I started a page, and am so bummed that I can't fully utilize it until next school year. I am tempted to ask a few of my old students to sign up for it so that I can test out the different features. For now, here is a picture of my page and a short video with a brief introduction of how it works.

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Best 1st Day of School Activity

I have been searching high and low for some basic entry tasks for my middle school science class room. I was (am still) looking for something simple...and more importantly something that was already created for me, and I came across this short video:

I haven't read the book, but my husband has...and he loved it. So, basically...I started class today by showing this short clip and then afterwards, I posted this question on my smartboard: "What is your sentence for THIS YEAR at school?" I told them that it didn't have to be specific to my class. It could be about a different class, a sporting season, their relationship with friends, their relationship with God, etc. I told them to think about what they wanted to others to say about them by the end of this school year. Once they came up with their "sentence" I asked them to come up with at least three steps that they would need to take in order to make their "sentence" a reality.

I must say, I was beyond proud of the sentences that my students turned in:

• She brightened peoples days when they were feeling down.
• She shines Jesus in whatever she does.
• She is the one who cheered people up.
• He helped his classmates succeed in what they do and let them know that they have a friend that will be there for them.
• She was a great person, an awesome friend, a strong woman of God, and I want to be like her.
• He always did his best.
• She lived for God and she was an influence on everyone she met. 
• He was a good friend.

These are just a few examples of what my students turned in. I am so proud of them. Throughout the year, we will be looking back at our "sentences" and asking ourselves the second question from the video: "Am I better today than I was yesterday?"

I thought this was such a fun way to start the school year. Let me know if you use this in your class. I would love to hear some of your student responses as well.

Classroom Economy

I just started to use a money system in my class this year and it has been extremely successful!! My husband created the money for me...one of the many  benefits of having a husband who is a graphic artist, in all different amounts ($1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100). My husband also helped to come up with their name: Den Dollars. Our school mascot is the wolf, so it was perfect.

There are many different ways that my students can earn money: classroom jobs, completing their homework, retaking quizzes and improving their score, participating in class, turning in exceptional work, etc. In turn, the students can save up their money and use it on a number of different things: $2 for a hallway pass, $20 for a no-homework pass, $2 for getting a copy of a lost assignment, $5 for borrowing the teachers supplies, $6 for classroom candy, etc. I also have a Wheel of Fortune Wheel and a Plinko board. Students can pay $25 to spin the wheel. On the wheel they can lose money (get anywhere from $20-$1 back or even go bankrupt) or they can win big time (earn $40-$100 back or even get a jackpot which is an envelop that holds all of the money that past students lost on previous spins). As for my Plinko board, students only pay $10 to play and they can earn smaller prizes depending on where the chip lands.

This system has been so successful in helping to keep the students prepared. I found that many of the students who regularly didn't complete their homework assignments started to come to class with it all finished just so that they can earn money. I also had an increase in the number of students that came before and after school to retake their quizzes.