May Freebie - Summer Bookmarks

Ah... summer! I can't wait!! I love nothing more than waking up and throwing on a t-shirt, pair of shorts and my flip-flops and eating my breakfast outside while reading the paper! It's pure bliss!!!  Sadly... the weather in my neck of the woods is still a little cool, but I'm hopeful that sunny skies are on the horizon.

I'm working until mid-June, but know that many teachers and students are winding down in May and will be finished before the end of the month! (Not that I'm jealous or anything!!)

So here's a freebie for May that also ties into my love of summer and my love of reading. Did I mention that I love to read outside... in the sun...with fresh lemonade nearby?? I've a giant stack of books I can't wait to sink my teeth into this summer!

I created a set of Summer Poetry Bookmarks (like my Earth Day Poetry Bookmarks) - there are 32 bookmarks with two themes! There's a Beach Blue theme and a Sunny Orange theme and if you don't have access to a color printer you can ask the students to color them in themselves.  I've also included two summer themed writing papers for students to write a longer poem or to write down their summer dreams  /hopes / wishes / goals etc.

These bookmarks are a great review activity for figures of speech and can be given out with Summer Reading Lists, as a token from you at the end of the year, or just for a fun reminder of what they learned during the year.

You can download the bookmarks simply by clicking the image below.

Hope your Summer Break starts sooner, rather than later!!  Here's to the lazy, hazy days of summer!

Enjoy!

Addie

PS - I just completed the 5-Star Blogger Challenge hosted by Charity at the OC Blog.  Check out the list of amazing teacher bloggers who've linked up! 

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Classroom i-pads

I'm in love... in love with my i-pad!  AND... I'm lucky enough to have a set of i-pads in my classroom and I have to say they've transformed the way I teach and how my classroom operates... we've hardly used a textbook since we got them!  The i-pads are a powerful tool and means students literally have the world at their fingertips! 

Here are some of my favorite things about having i-pads in my science classroom.

1. Because of their portability, there's much, much more collaboration and sharing between students.  I love nothing more than seeing students showing each other what they're learning.
2. Because we're in our classroom using them, we're closer together physically then we would be in the computer lab.  Students can work together in small groups and easily discuss ideas and still have room to write something down / create a project / type something out etc.  It's also much easier for me to keep an eye on what they're up to and monitor their use. (Although I have to say the kids have been awesome about staying on-task!)
3. Kids can work at their own pace - they can flip through a video and pause and play it as they need to. Or work through an activity / app at their own pace rather than watching me do it on a projector.
4. The apps are amazing!! Where else can students zoom in on the surface of Mars? or the Moon? Interact with molecules and see them from all angles? Build and create 3-D models? Make a video? Watch a video? Take a photo of something related to our subject and then write about it? Research just about anything their minds can think of?
5. Science is so visual - what better way to learn about glaciers than to take a virtual cruise up Glacier Bay?  We "virtually visited" a local glacier on Google Earth and students were able to zoom in and out how and when they want to?  My students didn't even know there were glaciers practically in their backyard and were blown away by what was on the other side of the local mountains! And... they can see how glaciers have changed the landscape... locally! My students were so engaged as they virtually zoomed around our area looking for evidence of glaciation that glaciers suddenly became relevant and no longer just big chunks of ice that they had to learn about just because it's part of the curriculum.
6. i-pads are just plain FUN!! The novelty hasn't worn off yet! My students LOVE to use them and we are all constantly amazed at what we have access to and what we can do with them.  Because they're enjoying the i-pads and what we're able to do with them, the students have shown great respect in how they use and handle them... I've had no issues with misuse (yet!)

I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg with my classroom i-pads and I can't wait to spend some time exploring more possibilities with them this summer. 

Stay tuned for more blog posts ahead with my favorite apps, tips for setting up i-pads in your own classroom and more of the pros (and some cons) of having them. 

 

Have you got access to i-pads in your classroom? What do you think?

Addie

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