In my last post I covered how I use the website EdPuzzle to find, edit and organize the videos my students watch for homework each night. Be sure to check out that post first if you are just joining us!

In this post, I'm going to share with you how I use Schoology in conjunction with EdPuzzle to assign these videos to my students. You can use EdPuzzle alone to assign videos, however I like to use Schoology because I use Schoology to give my tests. This allows me to have all assignments in one place.

First you will need an account for Schoology. It's really easy to sign up- AND FREE!

Next you will need to create a class.

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This is going to be my first year teaching middle school history. One of the things that I am most excited about is going to be the ability to make my classroom as paperless as possible. I plan to do this by "flipping" my class, and using a variety of digital tools for assessments and review. I want to share each one in detail because they have been so revolutionary to my ability to make this little paperless dream of mine come true!

I'm going to describe the tools and websites I plan to use in a series of blog posts. Each of these tools I use is a game changer and I feel like deserve their own post! But first....

What is a Flipped Classroom? 
A flipped classroom is classroom in which the activities of a traditional classroom are flipped.  Instead of hearing lectures in class and then responding and practicing at home for homework, you switch those activities. So for homework, my students will watch a video on the topic we are studying (this replaces the function of the lecture in the classroom) and then answer a few questions. When they come to class the next day, we complete an activity related to the the previous night's video to cement their learning, which replaces the function of homework. This obviously requires you to choose/create a video for the topic at hand, and have a way to get it to your students. Thanks to the amazing entity known as the internet, this is easier than ever.

Edpuzzle
The first step to being able to flip my classroom is choosing a video, and having a way for my students to access it. This website is my jam. It already has a collection of an amazing videos and finding one is as simple as a search to find your topic. You can upload/link any video from youtube, or upload your own videos that you create. I have not created any of my own videos (yet!) because I have always been able to find an appropriate video with a little digging.


For my social studies class my favorite videos are the Crash Course videos with John Green (author of young adult books like the Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns) and some by a AP Euro teacher named Tom Richy. Sometimes I also find videos that go EXACTLY with my text book, section by section, chapter by chapter. For those of you that teach math/science Kahn Academy has great videos that are already loaded into EdPuzzle.

Another feature EdPuzzle offers is that you can add questions in to make sure your students are paying attention, or make them think deeper about the topics. They have to answer the question in order to move on with the video. It also keeps students from skipping ahead and NOT watching the video, and will even record who has watched the video and who hasn't. No more, "but I watched the video!".... uh no you didn't. You can also see their answers to the questions as well.
Lastly, you can edit and trim the videos to just the sections you want them to see. This is great if you want to use a scene from a movie or just a portion of a video if you find something that you don't want them to see.



Also, you can share the video through a link, or my favorite- by embedding the video into a website or a secondary source. This leads me to the next website that I use religiously, Schoology. Part 2 coming soon!

This website has made my life so much easier. I can plan out a long time ahead, and I can do it from anywhere. So many other teachers use this site and it is so easy to find what you need. I've planned half of my year and there is only ONE case where I have not be able to find what I want. I hope this has been helpful to you and maybe made you aware of a tool that can help you too!

Math Journals. For years I have wanted to incorporate these in my classroom. I mean what's not to love? Hands on, engaging, fun. Everything you as a teacher want an assignment to be. I had planned on incorporating them into my math block 2 years ago. Then I was asked to move from 2nd grade to kindergarten.

Though I was excited to teach kindergarten, I was slightly devastated because I didn't think math journals were possible. I mean these kiddos can't even cut things out, can't read yet... not to mention the headache they would give me right? I was SO wrong.

These are my favorite thing that I do in my classroom. I plan to add a phonics and reading comprehension and science/social studies journal next year. THAT'S how much I love them.
But I was right about something. They CAN be a headache. But I have figured out a few tips and tricks to make them easier and a joy, not a pain!

TIP ONE
First, copy your math journal activities on colored paper. This makes them fun, seasonal and eye catching. My kids are so proud of their journals and love the bright colors. I color coordinate for each month to help me grade and stay organized more easily. For example, in March, all pages were on green paper. I grade the journals monthly, and thanks to this idea I can easily and quickly see which section I can grade.

If you don't have a lot of extra colorful paper lying around, consider just doing a divider page that stick out the side of the book slightly to help you divide it up. I personally think that it is worth the investment in my sanity:)

Some teachers will tell you to pre-copy all the pages you need for the whole month. If you're anything like me this doesn't work out so well. First, I usually change my lesson plans. If I was to do this, I would end up with extras at the end of the month, and I am NOT the type of teacher that is good and saving things for next year. I always lose them and NEVER am able to put my hands on them when I need them next year. Instead, I just copy what I need per week and keep them in my handy organizing drawers. This way I'm not wasting any of the glorious colored copy paper either.

TIP TWO
MODEL MODEL MODEL. At the beginning of the year until at least Christmas, I always model how to complete each page. I talk through everything, how I'm cutting, where to put the glue, how to lower your glue stick into it's protective plastic so you don't squish it out, how to neatly color, EVERYTHING. And even after Christmas, I will periodically model if the format for our journals is new. They love to look at my journal and see if their's measures up. This also cuts down on them interrupting my small group time to ask how to complete their journal. I train them to go and look at the model instead.

At the beginning of the year, I have a little method for helping them make sure that they don't skip a page in their journals. This is one of the procedures that I also model. Instead of giving them their activity and just letting them run off, I hold on to the printable and make them go get their materials from their cubby and get set up. This involves getting their journal, and pencil box and going to their seat after leaving the whole group teaching area.

Each student opens their journal, turns to the appropriate page, and puts their pencil box on the left side of their notebook to hold it open. This makes it so much easier for them to work since the book at the beginning of the year will close on itself. When they have done this, they raise their hand to show me they are ready. I then come over, quickly check to be sure they didn't skip a page and their journal is right side up, and then give them their activity. This takes all of 2 minutes and can quickly be done while my small group is getting situated. By Christmas I don't need to check most students' books anymore, but they do it out of habit. I also incorporate this little quick tip that I read on DeeDee Will's blog: if your activity is one that has several "templates" on a page, (i.e. one page will work for 4 students and save you paper!) don't cut them out ahead of time. Simply carry your scissors with you and cut it as you hand it out. Pre-cutting it doesn't really save you any time, but it actually adds time and give you one more thing to do.

TIP THREE
Consider incorporating math journals into your small group math time. Math Journals are a center in my math block. This way I can leave all materials that are needed in a center, and know that everyone is getting an opportunity to get their journal done. They have ample time to work and are practicing their skills independently. I also always leave a center for them to complete when they are done. Since journals require so many fine motor skills, the time it takes a student to complete it varies greatly. Some students take the whole 15 minute rotation to get it complete. Some finish in 5 minutes. Providing a center for them to complete after their journal is finished keeps them occupied and focused.






TIP FOUR
Provide a trashcan. I buy these buckets at the beginning of the year at the Dollar Tree. We usually break 1-2 each year, and one always ends up with mystery stickiness in the bottom, but they are WORTH it. All the little scraps go in them (mostly) and not on your floor (mostly). And the best part is that they don't have to get up out of their chairs to go throw trash away. At the end of the day emptying these mini trashcans is one of the class jobs.

I also train them (during my modeling) to put their extra pieces in their pencil box for safe keeping. This limits (but doesn't eliminate) the losing of pieces. It also helps them if they don't finish in time to have what they need in a safe place so that they can finish later.

**Pro-Tip** Some of my math journals require a dice or a paper clip. I also train them to roll their dice in the lid of their pencil box to limit loud rolling (you know what I mean!!) and wayward dice. They don't keep their dice in their box, but we have them accessible in a centralized location for everyone. I also keep a healthy supply of paper clips there too. These often walk away and sometimes are found in little pockets or fidgety hands during whole group, but for the most part the kiddos respect their math tools.

TIP FIVE
I also recommend using math journals as an assessment. In my school, I am required to take grades and weight them into three categories: daily, minor, major. I count journals as a monthly minor grade. These journals measure their skill abilities, fine motor skills and ability to be independent. I use a rubric that touches on all these skills to assess. I searched and searched for the perfect rubric that included everything I wanted, and was found wanting. So what's a teacher to do besides create your own?  This rubric assesses not only the content, but their coloring, cutting, and ability to follow directions. I am in LOVE.  I think rubrics are so important in kindergarten because so much of our assessing is often slightly subjective. (Is this coloring excellent or just good? What makes coloring excellent?) This helps parents understand what your goals for their child are and lets them know that you are really thinking through what it is you want from each student. I find a lot of comfort and professionalism in that. One of my goals this summer is to create detailed rubrics for more activities in my classroom each week.


TIP SIX
Last tip: put probably double the amount of glue sticks you are currently asking for on your supply list. I probably hand out at least 1-2 new glue sticks everyday to my class of 13 students. I swear they eat them. We did a whole lesson on being sure to respect your "trusty glue" and even practiced putting the lid on effectively. I even save the caps from the old gluesticks so that there is never an excuse for your glue to dry out. Every time I model how to do a page, I always make a big deal out of how to properly handle glue and my littles have completely bought into it. Despite this, they still are always needing a new glue stick. So be sure to get lots and be prepared to need more.


That's it! Six tips for helping you be effective with your math journals. And just because I don't want you to have to scour the internet for the perfect rubric, I'm going to offer you mine here as a little freebie. I hope it helps you out and makes you feel like you can rock those math journals!

Here it is. Finally. My classroom. This was the first time in awhile that I've stayed put. Same grade, same room, same color scheme. Thanks to being able to build upon the past I've quite happy with my room this year! The same can't be said for the quality of these iPhone photos. But you can see my classroom, which is the goal!

I don't know about you, but when I first saw Reagan Tunstall's sight word stick centers, I was immediately smitten. I knew this was something I wanted to add to my word work center. I love low maintenance activities that really help students master their sight words.

First go ahead and gather those sticks. My curriculum at this point of the year introduces 6 sight words a week. I write this week's sight words on one end of the sticks and the lesson (27) on the other.