Online Lesson Planning

From what I can tell from Instagram, my school year started off as crazy as everyone else’s: back to school classroom prep, getting to know you activities, beginning of the year assessments, launching Daily 5 and CAFÉ, as well as guided math, data collection and analysis… oh, and lesson planning, too.

So many teachers are passionate about their planners, whether they’re lesson planners or life planners. I was once one of those teachers (I am a list-maker at heart, after all).

But as we continue to move into the digital age, I have let so much of my dependence on pencil-and-paper become less of a necessity. So much so that I can easily carry my iPhone, hereafter referred to as My Life, around with me in a 6”x1.5” purse. If I can’t do it with My Life, I won’t do it.

I can even post on my blog using an app.

I should mention upfront that I realize digital lesson planning is not for everyone, which is why we’re all unique (see what I did there?). If you’re intrigued by the notion of online lesson planning, keep reading. If your heart is set against it, you can stop right here. I’m not trying to convince you, but merely make you aware of its possibilities.

I used to keep a notebook by my bed and vanity so that I could jot down notes to myself as I thought of them (my memory has never been very good!). Now, I simply use My Life to send myself an email, create a Reminder, or add my ideas to my Notes app. #mylife

The same is true for lesson planning. As adorable as so many lesson planners are, I felt encumbered by its very existence. I’d have to bring it with me to my meetings, along with my laptop where I could access my Google calendar that I’ve been using for a few years now. It would come home with me, and then back to school again. I used a three-ring binder for my planner so that I could easily remove or move any pages, but that meant it wouldn’t fit in my laptop bag. #plannerfree

Another disadvantage to a paper planner is if I planned too far ahead, and an unexpected event interfered somehow, I’d have to readjust my plans manually. Not fun. My motivation for long-term planning went way down, but my stress at not feeling prepared went up. #aintnobodygottimeforthat

I now use the website Planboard to write, organize and share my lesson plans. I have tried other sites, but this one is intuitive to my needs. I will share out its features in detail in a later post, but first I’d like to introduce you to the idea of online planning.

Just as I carry My Life with me in my purse, I also carry My Plans around with me wherever I bring my laptop (which is just about everywhere). Which means I can do my lesson planning wherever I am, even if it’s in the dentist’s waiting room. Or at the DMV. #worstplacestowait

And when carrying my laptop is undesirable, I whip out my iPad, because, you guessed it, There’s an App for That! Planboard has an app that performs very similarly to the online version, so the platforms look the same. Moving between the two is not complicated. #itsnotcomplicated

For both methods, an internet connection is required, but keep in mind that I have My Life with me wherever I go. Did someone say Personal Hotspot? #easypeasy

One of my favorite benefits that Planboard offers is its sharing feature. I can print my lessons, create a PDF of them, or email them to a colleague. If you are lucky enough to know your sub’s email address, you can send her your lesson plans ahead of time. What could be more efficient?

I’ll post later on the specific features I’ve found useful on Planboard, but if you have a moment, check it out for yourself and tell me what you think. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Back to School Must-Haves + A Giveaway!

I admit it, I’m a list maker. I’m not sure if it’s because I inherently like making lists, or that I have such a terrible memory that I need to make lists. Either way, I get through life making lists.

This post is all about my list of my favorite things for Back to School. Really, what teacher doesn't have a list of their favorite #b2s things?

I start my day – EVERY day – with a glass of chocolate milk. I crave chocolate, and this lets me have it without lots of guilt! And I just discovered almond milk, so what’s better than chocolate covered almonds for breakfast?

Teachers are on their feet all day, so a good pair of shoes is very important. But so is style, isn't it? I love these cheetah print shoes; they’re comfy and stylish!

I need to be organized at the beginning of the school year, or I’ll be off-track the rest of the year. I know this because I tried that once. It didn’t work. My entire classroom library and all of my texts are organized using Mrs. Dixon’s (from Teaching Special Thinkers) Chalkboard and Chevron pack. I love how it pops! This year, I’m using Tara’s (from Fourth Grade Frolics) Classroom Colors Plus Pink, Turquoise and Lime pack to decorate the rest of my classroom. I’m thrilled with the fact that I can organize my room in a way that makes it pretty AND functional!

Organization doesn't stop with my books. I haven’t splurged on an Erin Condren planner, because I've been so happy with my freebie planner from Tina’s Teaching Treasures. Everything goes in here. I love it!

Books, books, and more books! My most recent back to school must-have is my Daily 5 text, making its way next to my guided reading text from Fountas and Pinnell. I was new to Daily 5 last year, and I fell in love with it immediately. Guided reading is such an integral part of my reading program that I’d be lost without these two books. And more than half of my classroom library is made up of Scholastic books!

Like Mrs. Labrasciano, I am a bag-aholic. I collect bags. All kinds. I use different kinds of bag for different things. I have cinch bags, tote bags, book bags, backpacks. Small bags, large bags, medium-sized bags. Collegiate bags, chevron bags, museum bags. You name it. But my essential back-to-school bag is this one, a gift from a parent. It is the sturdiest bag I’ve ever owned, so it stands up to the test of everything that I store in it. And it literally stands up!

Many teachers love these pens and pencils. I won’t use anything else. Ever. Stubborn, yes, but I know what I like!

I can’t even imagine where I’d be without supportive parents and wonderful teammates. Although we work alone in our classrooms, this is not a profession in a vacuum. We continually look to our colleagues for support and advice (Teachers Pay Teachers, anyone?), and we certainly couldn't do what we do without the support of our students’ parents. A definite must-have!

Students need structure; we all know that. But many of us go about providing it a bit differently, depending on the needs of our students and our classrooms. I found two sets of rules that have served me well over the years, without fail. The first is my Classroom Rules poster. The focus is on RESPECT. I teach my students what respect is, what it looks like, what it sounds like, and what it feels like. It covers every possible infraction. I refer to the poster with a misbehaving student and ask, “Which rule are you breaking?” John Wooden’s Set of Three is another favorite of mine. Often times, I refer to this poster more than my classroom rules poster because kids are kids; they whine, complain and make excuses. I simply point to the poster. My students know they've been trumped.

You have to check out the other blogs {starting with Learning Lessons with Mrs. Labrasciano and A Classroom Full of Smiles} linked up for this fun Back to School Favorites linky! If you enter the huge giveaway, you’ll have a chance to win over $300 in Amazon gift cards! I’m pretty sure that’ll help you purchase some of your favorite Back to School Must-Haves! The more you enter, the more chances you have of winning!

I’d love to know: what are YOUR favorite Must-Haves for Back to School?

Amy

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Look Who Just Moved to Blogger!

Hey there!

So I made a big leap today: I moved from my WordPress blog site to Blogger!

It’s not easy to import all of my previous posts, so I haven’t checked that off my list, and I also haven’t gotten a blog makeover (yet), but I figured I’d get the ball rolling with a fun introductory post first!

If you’ve been following my Instagram account, you’ll know that I am presenting a Fabric Craft Camp this week to several sweet 8-13 year old girls. I wanted to show them how to make the adorable weaving creatures that I found on Pinterest. But unfortunately, the link was broken. I like to think I’m crafty, but with only one photo to go by, I couldn’t figure out myself how to make them. Luckily, I found another pin * that linked to a Bulgarian site. With a click of one button, the site was translated for me, and I was off!

   

I took a box of cereal, cut it into pieces about 2.5”X5” using a scrapbook paper cutter.

  

I folded the ends over about a centimeter or so wide, to create a space under the doll to weave the floss or yarn (I used embroidery floss).

Once folded, I cut four slits into each end, being sure not to cut all the way through.

    

Starting with the first slit, I wound string around the cardboard, securing it in each slit as I wrapped around. I tied the ends in the back.

  

I tied the floss around the first string, and began weaving across, continuing down several rows. Each time I changed colors (I did one color for the “hair,” one for the face, one for a shirt, and the last color for pants), I knotted the pieces of floss together and tucked the knot in the back.

For the pants, I wove floss several rows across, then all the way down one side using only two strings. For the other pant leg, I knotted a new piece of floss in the same color to the top of the leg, and began weaving down the second leg, again using only two strings.

  

When I completed these steps, I cut the strings along the center on the back of the board, and tied each pair of strings together (two strings for each leg, and two strings at each corner at the top of the head) to secure the floss. I added arms using extra string tied to each side.

The finishing touch is adding googly eyes and a button to give my doll a personality! One camper made her doll identical to mine… Can you tell which doll is hers and which is mine?

Amy

*The link above works if you prefer to see the original blog post on how to make fabric weaving dolls