I will swear by Pinterest until the day I die!!!
Here you can find examples, worksheets, games, crafts, decorations and anything you can think of. Pinterest is my go to for any project to make it better, fun and just really cool! For instance, I was trying to find a fun vocabulary review game for my middle school graphic design class. I know there are the usual Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and etc, but I wanted to do something new! I was lucky to find a Candy Land version of vocabulary review. With Pinterest, I saw pictures, reviews and even a link to a website. This game going to be a definite repeat in my classroom. |
YoutubeI will also swear by Youtube!!
There many projects that I found on Pinterest that I just plain didn't know how to do. For example, I was trying to collaborate with the 4th & 5th grade teachers on geometry. The best project i found was origami, but unfortunately I had no resources on how to do origami. Thankfully there are Youtube tutorials that I can learn from. I took it one step further and had my students in groups look up their own tutorials on origami. The lesson was a hit with the joy factor all over it! |
Classroom ManagementBelieve it or not this book was one of my go to's out of many!
One main thing I learned is that you can't have learning in a classroom without classroom management!!! Your first year is so many hours put into building your filing cabinet with lessons. Your second year is filled with refining your classroom management and your established lessons. Don't be afraid to take or ask for constructive criticisms because you will need them. Every year gets better. =D |