Online Learning – The Blue Brain Teacher https://thebluebrainteacher.com Guiding Curiosity, Igniting Imagination! Sat, 07 Dec 2024 02:30:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 10 Fun and Creative Ways to Present Your Country Research Project https://thebluebrainteacher.com/10-fun-and-creative-ways-to-present-your-country-research-project/21919/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/10-fun-and-creative-ways-to-present-your-country-research-project/21919/#respond Fri, 10 Jan 2025 02:20:59 +0000 https://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=21919

Research projects are more than just an opportunity to gather and present information—they’re a chance to showcase creativity, critical thinking, and storytelling skills. A unique presentation not only grabs attention but also helps your audience engage with the material on a deeper level. Whether you’re a student preparing for class or a teacher guiding your students, these creative ideas cater to various learning styles and provide opportunities to practice skills like collaboration, design, and performance. Let’s dive into ten fun and innovative ways to present a country research project!

1. Create a Travel Brochure

Transform your research into a vibrant travel brochure that invites readers to explore your chosen country. Highlight key landmarks, delicious foods, and cultural traditions. Use catchy headlines, beautiful imagery, and concise descriptions to capture the essence of the country. Apps like Canva make it easy to design professional-looking brochures. It condenses research into digestible pieces while honing layout and design skills – that is a win win!

2. Design a Poster

Posters are classic yet effective tools for showcasing your findings. Use visuals such as the country’s flag, maps, and famous symbols to create an eye-catching display. Add short text sections for important facts about history, geography, or cultural highlights. Why not include QR codes linking to additional resources like videos or slideshows for a tech-savvy touch.

3. Build a Digital Presentation

Harness the power of technology with tools like Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Canva. Create an engaging digital presentation filled with images, animations, and embedded videos. Digital presentations allow you to organize your information clearly while incorporating multimedia elements. It combines visual, auditory, and interactive elements, catering to various learning preferences.

4. Make a Cultural Recipe Card

Bring the flavors of the country to life by sharing a traditional recipe. Design a recipe card that includes the dish’s history, ingredients, and step-by-step instructions. Pair it with photos of the dish or even a sample if you’re presenting in person! Why not film a short cooking demo to accompany your recipe.

5. Create a Scrapbook

Compile your findings into a beautifully crafted scrapbook. Use printouts, hand-drawn illustrations, and handwritten captions to bring your research to life. You can dedicate each page to a specific theme, such as landmarks, famous figures, and traditional attire. Scrapbooks allow for a highly personalized and tactile presentation.

6. Record a Travel Vlog or Podcast

Step into the shoes of a travel influencer by creating a vlog or podcast about the country. Record yourself sharing fascinating facts, narrating your “visit” to famous landmarks, or interviewing “locals” (classmates acting as citizens). Add sound effects or music for an immersive experience. This format combines storytelling and tech skills, making the project feel modern and engaging.

7. Host a Cultural Fair Booth

Turn your project into an interactive experience by setting up a cultural fair booth. Include visuals like posters or a diorama, provide food samples, and share quick facts about the country’s culture. You could even play traditional music to create a complete sensory experience. Partner with classmates to create an entire “world fair” with booths for multiple countries.

8. Perform a Cultural Skit

Acting out a scene can be a fun and memorable way to showcase your research. Create a short skit that highlights the country’s traditional customs, holidays, or a slice of daily life. Use props and costumes for an authentic touch. This approach is interactive and engaging, helping your audience connect with the material emotionally.

9. Craft a Pop-Up Book

Channel your inner artist by designing a pop-up book. Use creative paper engineering techniques to feature iconic landmarks, animals, or cultural items in 3D. Add informative captions to guide readers through your book. It’s a unique and interactive format that’s sure to impress and engage.

10. Develop a Timeline

Create a visual timeline that highlights key historical events from the country’s past. Use illustrations, photos, or icons to make it visually appealing. You can present it as a physical poster, a digital timeline using tools like Canva, or even a scroll for added creativity. Add a “future” section with predictions or hopes for the country based on your research.

Creative presentations transform the way we share and absorb information. They make learning more enjoyable and memorable, turning a traditional research project into an exciting exploration. Whether you’re showcasing your findings through art, technology, or performance, these ten ideas provide endless inspiration for your next project. So, pick one (or mix a few!), and let your creativity shine!

Are you on the Look Out for a done for you country research lesson?

]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/10-fun-and-creative-ways-to-present-your-country-research-project/21919/feed/ 0 A Guide for Teachers to Foster Innovative Problem-Solving using ChatGPT https://thebluebrainteacher.com/a-guide-for-teachers-to-foster-innovative-problem-solving-using-chatgpt/20929/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/a-guide-for-teachers-to-foster-innovative-problem-solving-using-chatgpt/20929/#respond Mon, 12 Feb 2024 06:30:25 +0000 https://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=20929

It is crucial to equip students with the skills they need to tackle unforeseen challenges. Among these vital abilities, creative problem-solving takes center stage. This guide is dedicated to exploring innovative approaches that educators can employ to harness the potential of ChatGPT, an advanced AI tool. By integrating this technology into the classroom, teachers can empower their students to not only enhance their learning experience but also infuse it with excitement and engagement.

The Power of Creative Problem Solving

Creative Problem Solving (CPS) is not just about finding a solution but unearthing innovative approaches to challenges. In the words of Albert Einstein, “Creativity is intelligence having fun,” and this aphorism encapsulates the essence of CPS beautifully. Research consistently emphasizes nurturing creativity in education. Studies show students who engage in creative problem-solving achieve more academically and are better prepared for future workplaces (Mahmud & Wong, 2022).

The Creative Problem-Solving Process

 Creative problem-solving includes five main stages:

Problem Identification is the process of recognizing and defining a specific issue or challenge that needs to be addressed. Problem Understanding involves gaining a deep comprehension of the problem, including its underlying causes, implications, and potential solutions.

  • In this stage, students recognize and comprehend the challenge at hand.
  • ChatGPT can assist by providing additional information, perspectives, and real-world examples related to the problem.
    • Encourage students to ask ChatGPT exploratory questions about the problem. For instance, they can ask for historical context, related case studies, or expert opinions to gain a deeper understanding.
    • ChatGPT can provide different perspectives on the problem. Students can prompt it to present opposing viewpoints or offer insights from various fields to help them see the problem from different angles.
    • ChatGPT can provide real-world examples related to the problem, showcasing how similar challenges have been addressed successfully or unsuccessfully. This can inspire creative thinking.

Idea Generation is employing divergent thinking in hopes of generating many innovative concepts, solutions, or possibilities to address a problem and/or explore new opportunities.

  • Idea generation involves using divergent thinking tools to generate a wide array of potential ideas.
  • Students can use various analog CPS tools in ChatGPT and use the answers as a sort of digital reference group!
  • ChatGPT can offer diverse ideas, prompt creativity, and inspire students with out-of-the-box thinking.
    • Encourage students to use ChatGPT as a creativity booster. They can provide ChatGPT with a seed idea and ask it to generate variations or combinations, helping them explore unconventional solutions.
    • ChatGPT can suggest ideas from different fields. Students can ask for ideas from unrelated domains, which can spark innovative approaches by connecting disparate concepts.
    • Ask students to describe a scenario or narrative using ChatGPT that involves their idea. This can help them visualize the idea’s impact and feasibility.

In the idea evaluation phase, it’s crucial to carefully assess and develop promising concepts to determine their feasibility, potential impact, and alignment with the project’s goals before deciding which ideas to pursue further.

  • This stage focuses on assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of generated ideas.
  • ChatGPT can help students analyze pros and cons, consider different criteria, and even provide data for evaluation.
    • Instruct students to list the pros and cons of their generated ideas and then ask ChatGPT to help them further analyze these points. It can provide additional pros and cons or suggest criteria for evaluation.
    • Students can request ChatGPT to identify potential obstacles and challenges related to each idea, helping them assess the feasibility and practicality of their solutions.
    • If applicable, ChatGPT can assist in gathering data relevant to the ideas. It can provide statistics, research findings, or even conduct basic calculations to support the evaluation process.

In the idea implementation stage, resources are allocated, key performance indicators (KPIs) are formed, and comprehensive action plans are developed and executed, ensuring that chosen ideas are transformed into tangible outcomes.

  • Once a solution is chosen, action plans are created and put it into action.
  • ChatGPT can assist in planning the implementation process, providing step-by-step guidance, and suggesting potential obstacles to anticipate.
    • Students can collaborate with ChatGPT to outline detailed implementation plans. They can request ChatGPT to provide a step-by-step guide, including necessary resources, timelines, and responsibilities.
    • ChatGPT can assist in identifying potential risks and offering strategies to mitigate them. This helps students anticipate challenges and develop contingency plans.
    • Ask students to use ChatGPT to create a framework for monitoring and evaluating the progress of their implementation. It can help them set key performance indicators (KPIs) and milestones.

Your Content Goes Here

Reflection and refinement involve the critical process of reviewing the implemented ideas, gathering feedback, and iteratively improving upon them to enhance their effectiveness and adapt to changing circumstances, ultimately leading to continuous improvement and innovation.

  • The final stage involves reviewing the outcome and refining the solution as necessary.
  • ChatGPT can facilitate reflection by asking probing questions and encouraging students to consider alternative approaches.
    • Encourage students to engage in a reflective dialogue with ChatGPT by asking questions like “What could have been done differently?” or “What unexpected outcomes should be considered for future improvements?”
    • ChatGPT can suggest alternative solutions or adjustments based on the lessons learned from the initial implementation. Students can use these suggestions to refine their solutions.
    • Students can use ChatGPT to create hypothetical scenarios that explore the consequences of different refinements. This can help them make informed decisions about which changes to implement.

Creative Problem Solving is a dynamic and iterative process.It embraces the spirit of creativity, curiosity, and innovation, enabling students to unearth innovative approaches to challenges and redefine the boundaries of what is possible. Integrating technology, like ChatGPT, enhances these stages by providing new perspectives and guidance. If you want a head start in helping your students properly learn ChatGPT, please check out my resource.

Guiding Students in the Creative Problem-Solving Process

When scaffolding student learning with ChatGPT, it’s important to balance guidance with autonomy. Strategies like setting structured tasks, encouraging exploration, and providing feedback are key. As Helen Keller said, “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” This collaborative spirit, fostered through technology, can greatly enhance the problem-solving process. Regular monitoring and assessment of student progress ensure that the integration of ChatGPT is meeting educational objectives.

Students can interact with ChatGPT at any CPS stage, whether they’re brainstorming, seeking solutions to complex problems, or looking for different ways to approach a project.

Embracing the Future of Education

ChatGPT represents more than just a technological advancement; it’s a paradigm shift in how we approach education. By offering diverse perspectives, continuous inspiration, and unparalleled efficiency, ChatGPT not only enhances the learning experience but also prepares students for a future where adaptability, creativity, and critical thinking are paramount. 

Did you like the information in this blog post?
If so grab my free guide below!

Mahmud, M. M., & Wong, S. F. (2022). Digital age: The importance of 21st century skills among the undergraduates. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.950553

]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/a-guide-for-teachers-to-foster-innovative-problem-solving-using-chatgpt/20929/feed/ 0 website for drawing to improve student communication https://thebluebrainteacher.com/website-for-drawing-to-improve-student-communication/19232/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/website-for-drawing-to-improve-student-communication/19232/#respond Sun, 08 May 2022 06:30:56 +0000 https://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=19232

Drawing is a great activity for kids. It helps improve their creativity, imagination, fine motor and most importantly their communication skills. Today I am sharing my number one favorite website for drawing that is simple and fun to use. While students can use paper for drawing, when students use online tools their drawings can be easily inserted into documents and shared with others.

Sketching To Communicate, Share Stories And Solve Problems from Kelsey Ruger
website for drawing

Website for Drawing

Google Drawings

Are you surprised? My all time favorite is google draw because so many kids are already used to the google interface and it is readily accessible directly from any other google product. It is a great starting place for students to have free access to a website for drawing where they can sketch, design and build tables and graphics. All drawings can be easily inserted into google docs, slides or jamboard easily! Jamboard is great for collaboration as well.

Whiteboard by Kahoot 

If you are doing a drawing activity with your class this is a great website for drawing which I mentioned before.  Each student gets their own whiteboard and you can have them explain to you their idea in a drawing format.

Drawings are Worth a Thousand Words

The important point I want you to take away from this post is that drawing IS a communication tool that students should develop in order to communicate just as they would when they are speaking and writing. That drawing is the process of placing ideas on paper or in an online website for drawing and that the this drawing skill will help them communicate their ideas in many work situations. Some students are extremely comfortable with drawing as communication and others need to be taught. The point of sketching for communication is to get the idea across not the quality of the drawing. Below is a good example of an artistic sketch versus an icon which could be drawn using online website for drawing tools and finally the last image is the fish using the pen tool – the point is to get the concept of fish across.

website for drawing

Exercises to Practice Sketching as a Communication Tool in Your Classroom

A lot of people do not feel comfortable with their drawing skills but it is important to emphasize that this drawing is not for art but for communication therefore the idea that they are trying to get across is more important than the artistic quality of the drawing. When students start sketching make sure that they don’t censor their work, use thick lines for drawing so details are NOT important, annotate parts of the drawing that they can’t communicate in drawing, tell them to try to get in the creative flow and talking inhibits that so to work in silence until it is time to share and discuss. Here are some activities you can use in your classroom:

  • Sketch to Ideate
    Set a time limit and have students sketch as many ideas as possible within the time limit. Tell them that they can’t delete or cross out any of the items they draw, just draw and move on. When the time is up students will share their sketches, discuss and move on to refine their ideas. Remember to remind your students that self-censoring goes against innovation and creativity.

  • Sketch to Explain a Process
    Have students use the website for drawing tool to explain a process. They can use it to explain their planned process on a project, they can use it to explain a timeline, etc. Let drawing be an option for students to communication their ideas.

  • Sketch to Tell a Story
    This is what we as humans have always done. We have sketched to capture moments and to tell stories. A good introductory activity is have students storyboard their stories before writing them.

  • Sketch to Spark Discussion
    If your student is planning a website, book jacket, game board, etc. Have them sketch out different versions of it so that they can get as many ideas and to elicit feedback from others.

Use Website for Drawing In Your Classroom

Collaboration is enhanced when students can explain their ideas in different ways. Some students are more comfortable sketching out their ideas to help facilitate discussion. I know for a fact that when I am trying to get my ideas across to someone I always start sketching. This is an important transferable work skill and by helping students develop this in your classroom you are getting them future work ready.

]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/website-for-drawing-to-improve-student-communication/19232/feed/ 0 10 Tips of Media Education for Kids https://thebluebrainteacher.com/10-tips-of-media-education-for-kids/19011/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/10-tips-of-media-education-for-kids/19011/#respond Sun, 07 Nov 2021 06:30:37 +0000 https://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=19011

Compared to previous generations, today’s students’ attention spans have to get through the various media they encounter in their daily lives. From the news reports their parents watch to the Tiktok videos their friends share in school, they can be exposed to it at a young age. Here are tips on how to help students be media savvy.

What is Media Education?

Media is defined as a plural word that refers to all the “agencies of mass communication.” This means that it refers to any type of communication we use to deliver a message to others in our daily lives. Media education, on the other hand, is studying these messages and giving awareness to how people act and react in their daily lives.

Why is it important?

Including media education in your curriculum is important due to the following reasons:

  • Improve their critical thinking skills – looking through the hidden messages in media is a great critical thinking exercise.
  • Enable more interactive learning – teaching them about the effect of media allows you to make use of them to make more engaging content for the classroom.
  • Spot the media’s point-of-view – gives your students a way to understand a media’s message through its intended receiver.

How to Teach Media Education

Here’s my list of activities that you can do in your classroom to spread media awareness:

1) Give them questions to think about while browsing

Ask them to always keep a certain set of questions in mind while looking through media. For example, if it’s an influencer ad for a makeup brand, let them go through the following questions: “Does it have the same effect on my skin as the model does?” “Do I have to buy this makeup?” “Why would I buy this makeup?”

2) Have compare-contrast activities

These activities involve comparing the situations depicted in media and in real life. For example, you can show your students an advertisement of a cleaning cloth and compare how well it cleaned in a science experiment.

3) Hold discussions on the differences of what’s on media and what’s happening in reality

Aside from the demonstration above, you can also discuss stereotypes discussed in media. You can get it from popular shows, movies, or cartoons.

4) Show them what algorithms and media interactions mean for them

Most digital media involve algorithms that track your interactions with posts and search results in order to recommend other media. For example, if one of your students always watched a certain gaming Youtuber, Youtube tends to recommend his older videos or other creators playing the same games as that Youtuber.

5) Warn them of dubious and materialistic ads

This is related to the previous tip on comparing stereotypes in media. For example, if influencers dress a certain way, encourage the wearing of make-up, your students might feel uncomfortable that they aren’t. Advise them that these messages are intended to get more people to BUY but you don’t have to follow through their suggestions.

6) Have a trivia quiz around which posts are safe or not

As a way to make media education more interactive, hold a trivia quiz on recent media you can find. You can ask your students to judge whether it is a safe message or not. An alternate quiz would be to have the fastest person to find the hidden message of the media.

7) Introduce them to language the media use

You can form vocabulary lists centered on certain media stereotypes or what words they use to introduce a certain product. For example, you can teach them words such as “clear,” “plump,” and “brightening” when viewing media around skincare.

8) Have critical-thinking activities after watching their favorite cartoon

As an icebreaker, let your students watch an episode of a cartoon. Then, ask them questions on what they learned and what the characters were trying to say.

9) Teach them how to approach sensitive media posts

Sometimes, your students might encounter a post that contains sensitive content. To prepare them, teach them how to report its sensitive nature to the site they are viewing it on and find ways to hide such content in the future. That way, they can remember what to do and avoid having unpleasant experiences while watching or seeing anything.

10) Play a game using logos of famous brands

Brands are one of the many symbols that are used in media to identify themselves as a company providing for a product or service. Make it a fun, engaging topic of discussion by letting your students guess as many companies as they can. After that, you can continue talking about how each company handles their advertisements and how they present themselves.

It is important that your students understand the various media they see everyday. As young as they are now, now is the time to learn about harmful or misleading messages they encounter in the media. To avoid this, having an appropriate plan in media education as part of your curriculum is a great step towards having well-informed adults of tomorrow.

]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/10-tips-of-media-education-for-kids/19011/feed/ 0 Creating Virtual Field Trips for Kindergarten https://thebluebrainteacher.com/virtual-field-trips-kindergarten/18599/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/virtual-field-trips-kindergarten/18599/#respond Sun, 18 Apr 2021 06:30:08 +0000 http://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=18599

Planning Virtual Field Trips for Kindergarten

So covid might have curtailed in person field trips but it got everyone thinking outside of the box. If you can’t take your kids on a field trip, then bring it to your kids! Virtual field trips for kindergarten students is the answer! Some virtual field trips may be completely free and others might cost a little bit. Whether you buy a virtual field trip or take any of the free ones on the net – it is going to be so much fun!!

Virtual field trips for kindergarten are a great way to help your students learn about the places and things that exist beyond the classroom! In this article, we’ll go through some of the best virtual field trips that teachers and educators have come up with. I hope you find what you’re looking for!

virtual field trip kindergarten

VIRTUAL WALK ON MARS

Yes friends, the time has come where WE can actually explore space. Have you ever thought of the planet mars? Now, you can actually go walk on it.

Check it out here on the Nasa website. You can prepare your virtual field trip kindergarten by having students draw a picture of what they imagine mars to look like. You can then have them sit in two lines at the carpet and pretend to take off to mars in a rocket ship using this simulator video! After exploring mars, watch the video posted below and read a book “I am mars” (affiliate link)

Here is a great video to add to your virtual field trip to mars:

For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.

Cities Around the World

The internet is like having a portal that takes you anywhere you want to go in an instant. Let the students spin a globe, randomly let their finger land on a city and go explore. You can watch 360 live cams of cities around the world at 360cities. If you want to bring in more academic work with this, you can have them work on a country research project!

Virtual Field Trips Kindergarten

Virtual Field trip to Yellowstone

Now you can discover everything Yellowstone national park without ever stepping foot in it! I have curated a wonderful set of activities to guide your students through this park. You can purchase it on TpT – that is a lot cheaper than driving or flying there!

Yellowstone national park

How about mountain climbing?

You certainly can create a mountain climbing virtual field trip for kindergarten. Have your students brainstorm all the items they will need to climb a mountain. Then take the time to explore Mount Everest! Just click here.

Virtual field trips for kindergarten san diego

San Diego National Zoo

This is another curated virtual field trip for kindergarteners that I know they are going to love. Students will take a trip to the zoo and visit different animals. The google slide guides the students through the trip having them gather information about the animals. Click here to buy it!

]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/virtual-field-trips-kindergarten/18599/feed/ 0 Teaching Sight Words Kindergarten https://thebluebrainteacher.com/how-to-easily-teach-sight-words-for-kindergarten/17542/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/how-to-easily-teach-sight-words-for-kindergarten/17542/#respond Wed, 18 Nov 2020 16:52:30 +0000 http://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=17542

Great Strategies on Teaching Sight Words Kindergarteners

Sight words for kindergarteners are a set of words that can not be classified under the rules of spelling or syllable types. Overall, they are found in 75% of reading material for students. Once students master these words they will find reading easier.

There are three benefits to teaching sight words kindergarten:

  1. First, your students will keep themselves interested in reading books and decrease their chances of getting discouraged.
  2. Second, their knowledge of sight words can help children recognize which words they are unfamiliar with and focus their attention span on that.
  3. The third and final reason is that they can increase their chances of learning new words on their own.

Teaching Sight Words Kindergarten

We will start with the set of words you would have to teach, what kind of strategy to use, and how to reinforce what you taught to your students.

When it comes to teaching sight words, there are two sets of sight words you can use: Dolch or Fry. The Dolche Sight Words list was created during the 1930s to 40s after Dr. Edward William Dolche noticed these 315 words that are used in 80% in children’s books and 50% in adults. Meanwhile, Dr. Edward Fry’s 1000 sight words would help children spot 90% of the words found in the average book, website, or newspaper.

Teaching Strategies

Once you have chosen the sight words and created a checklist for your students, let’s me show you ways to introduce words to your students. This also include strategies on how to help them retain these word lists. From spelling words to sight words worksheets, the following strategies can help you increase student confidence when reading books to writing sentences.

sight words kindergarten

Introducing the Sight Word

Create sight word flashcards. Make sure to show them clearly to each student in your class and pronounce the word clearly for everyone to hear. If you want to reuse them for other activities in class, such as treasure hunts, check if it is durable enough and easy to maintain in the long run. Sometimes when working on sight words for the class, it might be most beneficial to create a Google or Powerpoint slide as flashcards. 

Show students the word. Read it and show them the word as you read it. Make sure to emphasize the beginning and ending sounds. Sometimes, I call sight words heart words because you need to know them “by heart.” I will use this when teaching how to spell the word. Usually, the beginning and end of the sight word are phonetic and easy to spell, but we need to learn how the medial sounds are formed by “heart.” That means that we need to memorize it. This is a good way to have them understand that sight words don’t usually follow conventional spelling and need to be memorized.

Before you start teaching sight words make sure your students have had instruction in phonemic awareness and that they understand the vocabulary words beginning, middle (medial) and end. This will make reading instruction easier.

Using Music and Movement

Just look on youtube and there are soooo many songs that can be used before you start a class sight word session. Here is one of my favorites.

For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.

Write It

Once students can recognize the sight word, the next step is to let your students write the word by themselves. Writing doesn’t always mean pencils! Students can write in sand, salt, shaving cream, or with playdough! Here are some ideas that I like to use. My sight word kit consists of a whiteboard (which is just a sheet in a protected cover or laminated) with a dry erase marker, alphabet letter ink stamps and pad, playdough stamps, wikistix, play dough,  alphabet letter magnets and a metal tray, highlighter, crayons and markers, scissors and a glue stick.  The items linked are affiliate links.

Kindergarten Word Flash Card Whiteboard Activity

Sight Word Whiteboard / Dry Erase Activity

This is the easiest activity set up, just print out the sight words and attach them to a binder clip. When students are adjusting the binder clip as a stand they are working on fine motor skills again! Win-win. Students will choose their sight word and spell it on the whiteboard, erase and repeat.

Kindergarten Word Flash Card Whiteboard Activity

Wikistix Activity

Wikistix are a flexible string that molds and shapes into the form you want it. It is great for so many activities but in this case, students will use wikistix to form letters. It also temporarily sticks to a surface so students can use this any where and on any surface. You can even have them work on a wall and it will not damage it.

CVC Words

Playdough

Playdough is your answer to all your teaching needs! I love it, kids love it. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy playing with it. With playdough and some tools, your students can use it to practice spelling their sight words. They can use it to form the letters with the dough, if you have dough stamps, they can stamp the word into the dough, or just use a pencil or toothpick to write the word into the dough.

Alphabet Magnets

Students can spell out their words using alphabet magnets. There are many to choose from. I don’t remember where I got these yellow tiles from but I think this is a great alternative.

Arm Taps

This strategy of teaching involves adding a special physical gesture, great for your kinesthetic learners! While holding the flashcard in one hand, use the other hand to tap from your shoulder down to your hand as you spell each letter. Ask your students to follow your motion and say each letter you are teaching them. An advantage of this method is that students can associate the tapping motions to remember the word better.

Sight Word Worksheets

These sight word worksheets use different and engaging ways for your student to work on their sight words. I have the pre-primer, primer and first grade sets. Go ahead and check them out to see if your students can benefit from sight word worksheet practice. They are the easiest to prepare, just print and give them the sheet. They will need access to scissors, glue, highlighter, and alphabet stamps. Except in the first grade pack, there are no stamps needed in that pack, just scissors and glue.

How to Review Sight Words Words

When it comes to reviewing words, you should do this before introducing the next set of words. I like to actually go through each word card with the students and make a list of mastered words and words they still need to work on. If they still need to work on a word, keep that card in their folder and have them go through all of the exercises I outlined for you in this post for sight word practice activities. To review words students can also play a game with their friends virtually or in person. Students will read the word and move the card to the discard pile. I have a set that words well with google slides and you can grab them here.

For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.

Tracking Mastered Words

Aside from the many strategies to help students review words, you should also have a way to keep track of which words they remember and or still need more practice with. You could do it in the form of a checklist for each student.

Whether you choose Dolche or Fry as your word list, make sure to encourage your students to read and spell their sight words as often as possible. The more practice they have the faster they will be memorized! Just try to make your sight word sessions as fun as possible by incorporating different materials, music, and movement! 

What trouble do you notice most when teaching sight words? Comment it down below.

]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/how-to-easily-teach-sight-words-for-kindergarten/17542/feed/ 0 3 Practical Tips for Outstanding Virtual Teacher Parent Conferences https://thebluebrainteacher.com/3-practical-tips-for-outstanding-virtual-teacher-parent-conferences/17463/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/3-practical-tips-for-outstanding-virtual-teacher-parent-conferences/17463/#respond Wed, 11 Nov 2020 12:35:15 +0000 http://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=17463

How to Set Up Virtual Teacher Parent Conferences

This year teacher-parent conferences probably look a little different. Not just parent/teacher conferences but also conferences with your remote students. Parents and guardians are going to have even MORE questions about their child’s progress and they are going to want to know the best way to support them with virtual learning at home. With that in mind, let me show you the fastest and easiest way to set up a virtual conference.

Create a Virtual Conference Page

This is where parents of your students can look up your contact information. On your page, add your professional email, your schedule and availability. Here are some of the ways you could establish this:

  • If your school has its own website, create a page that gives your teaching background and interesting information about you. You could use the information that you prepared for your back to school night. If your school doesn’t provide a website, you can also use Google Sites, wix, wordpress, weebly, or adobe spark pages. I even suggest that you put a quick video of what you have covered so far this school year so that families are up to date.
  • Create and share a link to a Google Forms page where parents can ask questions that they would like for you to cover. In the form, have a section to gather the parent’s or guardian’s basic information, ask for their preferred time and date of the meeting. Don’t forget to ask how they want to have the meeting and which app they prefer (e.g. Zoom, Google Meet).
  • If you use google calendar, you can have parents, guardians or students directly book an appointment with you, click here to learn how to set up google calendar as a scheduling tool! Make sure to leave some wiggle room between appointments, just in case!! There have been times when in-person meetings run over. You DO NOT want family or students sitting in the virtual room waiting for you. If the waiting time is over 2-3 minutes you might lose them and have to reschedule the whole thing!! People have less tolerance in the virtual environment. You can also use sign up genius, which I heard is also good.
For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.

Create the Video Conference Room

After gathering the parents’ schedules and double-checking it with your own, the next step is to create the virtual room and share the link and appointment date and time with them. Google Meet and Zoom are two of the most popular platforms that you can create a teacher parent conference room. You should create a simple email invitation with the date, time, virtual conference link, and have an agenda. Make sure families know the amount of time set aside for their meeting. 

Set the Goals and Expectations for the Meeting

The most important factor in effective parent conferences is helping students and parents get a clear picture of how the student is performing in class. What are their strengths and their weaknesses? Doing this involves taking notes of their progress beforehand and showing it to their parents. Aside from sharing anecdotal note and data that you have collected on the student, think about the following:

  • Which skills are the easiest for the student to perform?
  • Which skills are the hardest for the student to perform?
  • Are there any changes to his/her behavior from the start of the school year until now? 
  • Listen to the parent’s concerns and give them assurance. Remote learning is the first time any of us has encountered, so be prepared to talk about that with each of your students’ families.

When you are creating your parent/student/teacher conference agenda make sure to set aside enough time so that you can speak and also set aside time for parent/student questions and answer.

Wait for Response

After all the preparations are done, check back with parents a few days before the teacher-parent conference to confirm their appointment. You can do this with a quick email or text. You might encounter situations where families have to reschedule the meeting. 

Being prepared will save you your sanity and keeping a flexible schedule will avoid unnecessary stress! I hope that these tips helped you think of things you might not have thought of and I really hope your conference season passes without too many hiccups or surprises.

Have any questions? Suggestions for parents to follow for these virtual conferences? Drop a comment below!

]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/3-practical-tips-for-outstanding-virtual-teacher-parent-conferences/17463/feed/ 0 Online Teaching Tips https://thebluebrainteacher.com/online-teaching-tips/17345/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/online-teaching-tips/17345/#respond Fri, 23 Oct 2020 13:38:29 +0000 http://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=17345

Now that many teachers have been hybrid and remote teaching for some time I thought it would be a good idea to make a blog post of some of the best online teaching tips that work. Some are maybe already that you use and some may be new.

Online Teaching Tips

Windows 10 Snip and Sketch Tool

This has improved my own personal workflow so much. If you are making slides or just want to share part of something to insert it into any other document. Click this little tool or remember to press windows key + shift + S and snip away. Serious game changer!

PDFCandy

Do you need to extract only a few pages of a PDF, do you need to merge some pages with another document, do you need to change your document to a PDF – then PDFCandy can help – there are so many things you can do with this cloud-based platform. If you are working at all with PDF’s and don’t have Adobe Acrobat Pro then check out this tool.

FormMule

If you are using google forms for ANYTHING – then this Google Sheets Add-On is For you! An “add-on” is a tool that takes a regular product, such as Google Docs, Google Slides, or in this case, Google Forms and really turns it into something even MORE powerful. If you are using forms to collect any kind of data from your students, turn on FormMule and you can automatically generate an email to your student/parents. You can create up to 10 different templates all based on different conditions. It might have a tiny learning curve and take some time to set it up, but once you set it up, it is READY to go! Lifesaver, online teaching tip, and productivity booster in one.

WhiteBoard.FI

Wow. Just Wow. If you don’t believe me, jump over to https://whiteboard.fi/ right now and just play with it but don’t forget to come back, read and pin this blog post because the online teaching tools I share just get even better! Ok, you know in class you can give your students personal whiteboards. You pose a question and they answer on their whiteboards and hold it up to you. Well, THIS is the online version of that. The awesome thing is that you can go in and create all the “whiteboards” that you need or even better add your own custom image on the whiteboard and then push each board out to students as you work on them and you see what they are doing IN REAL TIME. Online teaching GAME CHANGER!

Turning Handwritten Notes / Anchor Charts into Typed Documents

If you still use your hand to write (I do!) – then you can digitize your writing for students to have easier access to it. Look to the left, click it to make it bigger and you can see the steps I go through but essentially you take a photo of your handwritten document. Then go on your computer and find it in your drive. Right-click on the image and choose “OPEN WITH” and choose Google Docs and voila your handwritten anchor chart or notes have turned into a typewritten document.

Mote Google Extension

I bet your remote students might feel a little bit disconnected from you. Please, please, please leave feedback on their work. I know you are swamped but leaving your students feedback on their work is essential. This extension makes it easier than typing it out and makes it a lot more personal because they hear your voice and more importantly they hear your voice say their name. Please consider using the extension Mote, to help you leave voice feedback on their google docs, slides, etc.

Online teaching is new to many of us. This is a pivotal point in education where we can change things moving forward. We can try all the tools in the world but if they do not help student engagement, student learning, or help us manage ourselves then it is a tool that will not work for you. The good thing these days is that tools to make teaching, learning and productivity are being produced all the time. I want to bring you the tools that I think are the most interesting and useful. Please pin this blog post for reference.


]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/online-teaching-tips/17345/feed/ 0 Teaching virtually and in-person AT THE SAME TIME https://thebluebrainteacher.com/teaching-virtually-and-in-person-at-the-same-time/17202/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/teaching-virtually-and-in-person-at-the-same-time/17202/#respond Fri, 18 Sep 2020 17:22:14 +0000 http://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=17202

I have been reaching out to many of my teacher friends to see how I can best support those of you who are juggling everything and trying to stay afloat. First, I want you to stop a moment and take a deep breath. It might feel like you are taking a ride in a burning car, going 80 miles per hour and the brakes have been shot and you can’t stop the car – AND YOU ARE IN HELL. It feels like a nightmare and you can’t wake up.

I AM SORRY. YOU ARE DOING THE BEST YOU CAN WITH THE TOOLS YOU HAVE.

via GIPHY

I am not in your shoes, but sometimes fresh eyes can help you sort through issues and that is what I am going to try to accomplish with this post. I want to help you juggle less balls or at least make it easier. Maybe I can help you get control of your day to day workflow and gain back some of the time you desperately need to take care of yourself and your family.

…and by the way, I am a certified life coach. ((SIDE NOTE: I tried switching careers at one point from education to life coaching, but something kept bringing me back to education. This pandemic seems the best time to merge the two because I have never seen so many of my colleagues feel like they are about to lose it.))

Let’s just jump into some coaching shall we…

MASTER YOUR SCHEDULE

Make four columns and the first column are the times in 15-minute increments. Why? Every minute counts right now. Every possible way that you can leverage your time is the only the way. You must master the schedule. The second column is your in-class students, write out your class schedule with them. In the third column write out your remote student’s class schedule. In the fourth column write out your personal schedule. Do this in pencil.

Your next step is to see if you can move, adjust, cancel, combine things so that it frees up more of your time. If you need to teach simultaneously can you work with remote students when your in-class students are at specials or lunch? Can you prerecord your videos? Can you make some learning as self-directed as possible?

LEARN YOUR TOOLS

The funny thing is the good teaching strategies that work in the classroom don’t translate well online. Online teaching will test your tech competencies and organization skills more than ever.

There are many tools available, but you don’t know about them if you don’t know about them. Right? Here are some tools and ways that you can use them to help ease some of your issues juggling so much.

Student Workflow

Work out your student workflow. Both the ones in your classroom and the ones at home. You have more control about what happens in your classroom than you do with your remote students so make sure both groups have written expectations and schedules.

You are probably not hearing much negative feedback from your in-class students’ parents, right? It probably all comes from remote parents. Here is why. Either they have too much to do or not enough. They do not have a routine or schedule planned and controlled by a teacher since they are home and the parents do not want to do it. At least the ones complaining about it. So here is my strategy I talked about in my free training, when planning your unit make sure to use the MUST DO, SHOULD DO, ASPIRE TO DO for each lesson. That way, the students who need to fill the time before your next scheduled live class have work to work on. If they finish the aspire to do and pass the exit ticket (I recommend a quick check on google forms) then they are welcome to do an EARLY FINISHERS activity.

Set up some early finisher activities both print (have them sent home) and a google slide. Make sure that your students at home have access to independent books (you can send a few home, suggest a list of books available at the public library, and make a virtual classroom library on google slides.

Also make sure your students at home know exactly what they should be doing. Just like your master schedule – do one for your remote students. If they have HUGE gaps of time more than 30 minutes during the day. Parents will wonder what to do with their child and will eventually become frustrated and will turn to emailing you for answers. So, cover those areas with early finisher ideas for them and a virtual classroom library.

Tools to use:

  • Print out for each student of their schedule and expectations
  • Virtual Classroom (Google slide)

For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.

Organization

I just read an article about managing remote teams, it is a business article, but teachers are managing remote teams when teaching. Radostina Purvanova, a professor at Drake University says, the successful managers are “the individuals who help other team members with tasks and keep the team on schedule and focused on goals.” The easier you make the organization and routines in your class the more success you will see all around and the less stress you will feel.

Tools to use:

  • Google Classroom AND/OR Learning Management System
  • Virtual Classroom (Google slide)

Student Engagement

This is the tricky part – as a classroom teacher you are well versed in engaging students. How do you engage the online students WHILE keeping in class students engaged and vice versa? This is the million-dollar question and I am shocked that admin would even expect this but alas – many are in this situation so let us just try to think of some solutions.

Direct Instruction

When you are introducing new material, you can use slides/powerpoint to guide your instruction. This gives something for all the students to see. If you don’t have two monitors, you can use DUALLESS chrome extension to split your screen. So you can also see your remote students while sharing your screen. Get feedback from ALL students with thumbs up or down. A portable whiteboard could also be used to get feedback but then you would need a way to get them to remote students.

If you are pre-recording your direct instruction ALL THE better and keep it at 6 minutes length or less – check out my video on youtube for the reason why.

Group Activity post Direct Instruction

If you are having a group activity you can easily translate many in class games so that everyone can participate at the same time.

Tools to use:

Independent Activities

So you have done your direct instruction, now its time to turn it to your students but this is where most of your planning and creating work will probably go. What will your students do with the information and how will they show their understanding? This is not going to be about the tools more more about the product. The great thing is it is a perfect time to really let student multiple intelligence shine. Let students show you there understanding the way they prefer. They can create videos (flipgrid), they can write, they can create and deliver a presentation, etc.  Just make sure that students have a rubric, so they know what you are looking for.

Then finally you can check for understanding using a google form.

You can add another chrome extension called MOTE so that you can leave voice comments on student docs and slides. It helps to make a connection with your student to hear you give feedback on their work.

This blog post has gotten long enough but I wanted to give you some ideas since I know many of you are dealing with this right now.

No one is judging you – if they are IGNORE them. If a parent is consistently telling you what you are doing wrong, then invite them to present a 20-minute lesson on something they know how to do. Then maybe they will understand what it feels like. You are doing the best you can with the tools you have. Relax. Deep breaths and don’t forget to set a side time every day to do something you enjoy. The world isn’t going to crash and burn. Be good to yourself.

I think I need to write a blog post on self-care next!

PIN FOR LATER

]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/teaching-virtually-and-in-person-at-the-same-time/17202/feed/ 0 All About Me Google Slides & Ideas for Distance Learning https://thebluebrainteacher.com/all-about-me-google-slides-virtual-classroom-ideas-for-distance-learning/17111/ https://thebluebrainteacher.com/all-about-me-google-slides-virtual-classroom-ideas-for-distance-learning/17111/#respond Tue, 25 Aug 2020 02:14:12 +0000 http://thebluebrainteacher.com/?p=17111

Virtual All About Me Activity

We find ourselves in a different school environment then we left and I am not sure how things will ever be back to normal after COVID-19 ends. In one way form or another we will find virtual, remote, distance learning something part of the everyday school day. I don’t think that school can ever be 100% virtual but I think we will see more and more of a flipped learning environment. I want to share with you some ideas that you can use for back to school this year.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

I have a complete FREE course on how to flip your back to school night. I think this will be the way forward from now on. Parents who can’t make in person back to school nights due to work always feel a disconnect from school. When we flip our back to school night, we will make connections with all parents. In my model, a virtual page is created with all necessary information and then activities are planned for the in-person event for those who can attend. Go ahead and check it out. I am sure you will find the content useful.

ALL ABOUT ME GLYPH

In this FREE 24 page packet, I have different activities that you can complete with your class but my latest addition to the pack is the google slides version of the glyph. Click here for access – I have added it to my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY.

VIRTUAL ICE BREAKERS

Ice breakers and other team building activities will be more important than ever. With students home and with little contact with friends, it is important to make sure your students feel apart of the classroom. Some ideas for you to use in your classroom:

This or That: You can create a slide divided into 2, one side this and the other side that. Then add your choices, students will choose by adding their name to a shape and putting it on the side they choose.

Draw This: Have each student get a sheet of paper. One person will describe a picture (such as a snowman) and the students will each draw using the directions provided by the person with access to the picture. At the end everyone can show their drawing.  They can also take a picture of it and you can add them all to the slides. This is a great communication activity too.

ABC Hunt: Choose a random letter, have the students show something from their immediate environment that starts with that letter. You can also play a variation of this such as something red, etc.

Alphabet Chain: Start with the letter A and go around naming a category item by that letter. Category examples could be animals, vegetables, furniture, etc.

I am going to add to this list when I find new ideas or think any up – make sure to check back often!

PIN FOR LATER

]]> https://thebluebrainteacher.com/all-about-me-google-slides-virtual-classroom-ideas-for-distance-learning/17111/feed/ 0