More BATS!

Hey everyone, Alyssha here from Teaching and Tapas. I am one of those people who LOVE everything October. Aside from it being a way-too-busy teaching obligation month (progress reports AND open house for some of us), it is so fun to get into the fall spirit!

One thing I love to do in October is a class vote/graph - Are Bats Cute or Creepy? Hang it up at the beginning of the month. Make sure the kids are able to change their votes because by the end of the month, you can convince the most squeamish students that bats are definitely cute. Like, the cutest of all animals.

On Monday, Matt from Digital Divide & Conquer wrote up a post about Bat resources using Symbaloo. I may be the last teacher alive who hasn't heard of Symbaloo. It looks AWESOME!
There was one video in particular that you MUST show your students. Lil' Drac is the epitome of every cute animal video on the internet. Seriously, so sweet.

Here is another one that you have to play with the sound on -

Okay, here is one more can't miss. This one goes beyond just cuteness - it's a great learning video.

I love surprising my students with little videos every once in a while. They're short and awesome!

Along with the bat theme, I have a great close reading freebie on bats that you may find useful. It a passage that is written at two levels (yay for differentiation!). It's perfect for 2nd and 3rd grade but could be used 1st-4th. Snag it up here!

 

Remember, it's free and super awesome! Enjoy!
Link - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Differentiated-Close-Reading-Bats-1502633

BATS & Symbaloo

Matt here, from D:D&C.   It's October, which means Halloween and all things fall and that means it's time to share a little BAT knowledge. That's right, one of our most misunderstood animals that has gotten a worse rap than sharks.

Now, we're teachers--so of course we've done all our work and have told students how great they are?  We even understand that they're powerful bug killers that can take out more than a 1,000 in a night...especially mosquitoes because those things are worse than the plague.  So we know all this, but do our students.  Maybe?  Bottom line.  Bats are great.  

So how do you teach your students about bats?   I really try to tie in technology which is why I use Symbaloo boards with direct links to all the information I want them to learn.

Here's my most recent one ONLY ABOUT BATS:

Symbaloo tiles are an easy and effective way for me to share online resources with my students.  They click the tiles and see the site.  Boom!

Here's the direct links for this one:  

http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/halloweenbats

So what content is on this board...
-20+ sites
-9 links to videos on bats that vary from National Geographic to Bat Sanctuaries.
-Information articles from Halloween symbolism to fact sheets.
-Even 4 read aloud books on bats.

I LOVE Symbaloo!  It allows for diverse content and allows kids (even some teachers) to practice navigating and problem solving with technology.

If you're looking for a project have your students make Bat Houses.  A simple shoe box makes a great  diorama for bats, and also allows for great class discussion on their importance.

A photo posted by Matt @ Digital:Divide&Conquer (@digitaldivideconquer) on Sep 6, 2015 at 7:45am PDT

How can you go wrong with these little bundles of greatness?

A little flying fox burrito!

If you still can't get enough bat resources, check out my latest Project Based Learning Activity: BATS!

awwwww...

Nocturnal Animals

Hello! It's Cyndie again from Chalk One Up for the Teacher and now that we've finally made it to October, I'm here to talk to you about one of my students' favorite all-time topics...nocturnal animals.

Who doesn't love things that go bump (and "hoo", and "caaa", and "eek") in the night?

As a teacher, I love this unit, too, because you can work so much into it!

Plus, if you do Genius Hour or PBLs this fits in so nicely.

Here is a list of nocturnal animals from Buzzle that you could study.

Here are some great ways that you could integrate nocturnal animals into your curriculum. 

• Informational - Have your students research a nocturnal animal and create an informative piece.
• Narrative - Have any or maybe several of your students had an encounter with a nocturnal animal?
• Opinion - I'll bet your students have plenty of opinions about at least one nocturnal animal!

• Compare the weight and size of various nocturnal animals.
• Graph various nocturnal animals found in different regions.
• Graph the class' favorite nocturnal animal.
• Compare the various species of nocturnal animals with others using <, >, and =.
• Measure how far nocturnal animals travel in a night.
• Create pie charts that show how much time each animal spends doing various activities.

Here is a list of fabulous books about nocturnal animals.

Where Are the Night Animals by Mary Ann Fraser
Nocturnal Animals by Kelli L. Hicks
Raccoons by J. Angelique Jackson (There are several nocturnal animals in this series.)
Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies
Owls by Valerie Bodden
The Pebble First Guide to Nocturnal Animals by Joanne Mattern
Night Creatures by Wade Cooper

Science is my favorite part of the day!

• You can order and dissect owl pellets.
• Sort nocturnal, diurnal, and crepuscular animals.
• Conduct echolocation experiments.
• Include a phases of the moon study.
• Create a can, have, are anchor chart for the various nocturnal animals based on research.

As  you can see, nocturnal animals can lend themselves to a great deal of learning and loads of engagement!

If you are looking for products based on nocturnal animals, here are a few of my favorites.
(Just click on the picture to take you to the product.)

 

So that's it! I hope you'll try it out and watch your kids light up as they learn about this super cool topic!

Making the Most of Your Planning Time

Hi friends! It's Haley from My Silly Firsties! I wanted to stop by and share some tips I have been trying to really use my planning time effectively. Like everyone else, I am constantly trying to use my time well so I can go home, be with my family, and relax! My first few years of teaching I was totally okay working all night and all weekend...but I have so much going on now that's just not feasible! 

Soo...I have been on the hunt for ways to maximize the time I do have so I can leave and really LEAVE after school! :) Of course, some nights I stay way too late...and I almost always have things to do on Sunday evening. But these things really have helped, and I hope they help you too! :) 

The first thing I would say is have a plan!! When I don't, I literally play on Facebook my entire planning time, hahaha!! Anyone with me?!?! 

Here is the plan that has been working for me for a few months! It took some tweaking at first, but this schedule really works for me! 

My bestie, Miss Decarbo, has a more detailed schedule on her blog. She's WAY better at planning ahead than me!! 

Something else that keeps me going is constantly keeping a To-Do list. This seems like such common knowledge, but I'm telling you, it helps! When you have a few extra seconds, you can check something off your list! You can grab these To Do lists and tons of other organizational forms in my Editable Teacher Binder! And when something crosses your mind but you can't do it right then...add it to the list! That way you won't forget things! :) 

This is HARD for me. But it does help me stay accountable and know when I need to stay after school. It helps with the constant "I'm never done..." feeling! I just worry about what I needed to accomplish that day! 

This is probably my biggest tip...if you don't get anything else done, get your week paced out. You don't have to know exact activities, but I promise it feels so much easier to plan activities once that is laid out. My team and I work on this every Wednesday...it makes it so much easier for me to plan when I have more time. 

And last but not least...

I am the worst about chatting my entire time away and then being frustrated when I have to plan on my own time. BUT...if I lock myself away during my planning, get things accomplished, and THEN go to happy hour, I feel refreshed and relaxed! :) 

These are just a few tips I have for you...you guys are the true experts though...how do YOU make the most of your planning time? 

What We're Chalking About OCTOBER: A Visual Calendar

Hello everyone! It's Christina, from Miss DeCarbo's Sugar and Spice! 

I am so excited to share a little sneak peek with you of all the upcoming blog posts we will be publishing during the month of October! 

October is my FAVORITE month! I love everything about fall - and we have a lot of fall goodies and ideas in store for you in this month! So grab a cup of hot apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte, throw on your favorite sweater, and get cozy with our visual calendar for the month! Our talented and super passionate teacher-authors can't wait to share some amazing ideas with you!

To receive our blog posts directly so that you do not miss anything fabulous, click HERE.

Here is what we will be blogging about this month:

To remember this post, you might like to pin it.  That way, you can come back to see the posts throughout the month. 

If you have any topics you would like us to write about, please leave us a comment below. We love hearing from you!

We can't wait to share all of these great fall ideas with you! See you soon!

Fostering A Positive School Culture- An Administrator's View!

   
     It can be felt by EVERY SINGLE PERSON that enters your building. The minute anyone opens your school doors and walks inside, an immediate impression is felt. Often it is one of happiness, structure, and confidence. Sometimes a building may have a sense of chaos, frustration, and discontent. Regardless of whether it is good or bad- the point is that it is there.

     Now, you might be wondering why this matters. One might say, "Who cares what I feel when I enter the school. As long as kids are learning and teachers are teaching, and administrators are dealing with discipline, then everything is right." Sadly, they couldn't be MORE wrong.

     In that instance someone comes into the building, an important connection is being made in their minds- this school is a good school, or, this school is not. It sounds so cliche and corny, but I truly believe that it happens.

    

     So, that being said, how does a school foster a positive culture? One where students enjoy coming each day to school, teachers are empowered to be their best, administrators devote their time to leading, and parents are confident and feel supported in the education process. 

     It isn't an easy undertaking, and one that may take months or even years to correct. 

      

Click on over to my blog, An Educator's Life, to read MY story and see ideas and suggestions for increasing the positive culture in YOUR school!

Thanks for stopping by!

-John Hughes

Elementary Principal
Owner, Created by MrHughes
Proud Member of The Elementary Chalkboard

To find out more about me and my teaching ideas click below.

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Content Integration and Close Reads

Hey y'all! I hope everyone has gotten off to a fab new school year. I have been in school for about 2 months already. But I can't complain because tomorrow starts my first fall break ever! A whole week off after 7 weeks of school. I really hope our calendar for next year keeps this break because kids and adults definitely needed it!

Today I wanted to do a throw back post to one of my own more popular posts about integrating Close Reads and Social Studies. I know there isn't enough time in the day to really set aside time to teach all subjects the way they should be taught, so I decided to pull my literacy standards into my Social Studies time....or my Social Studies standards into my literacy time.....either way works! I hope you are able to snag a few tips from my post that you can read by clicking {here}. Now that I am only teaching middle grades social studies, I find myself pulling in literacy standards left and right. It not only helps reinforce important reading and writing skills, but it also helps out my fellow literacy teachers.

And because it's getting to be my favorite time of year, I just have to say, "Happy Fall, Y'all!"

Heather- 2 Brainy Apples

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