When participating in Hour of Code in our GT classroom this week, the 2nd graders were introduced to the free Scratch Jr. app on our iPads (also available on Android and on the Chrome Web Store ). Before we started exploring the app, I thought it would be good for them to learn a little … Read more
My 2nd graders have been learning about physical and structural adaptations in nature. To exercise their creativity, I asked them to brainstorm wild animals that would make unusual class pets. Then they were asked to draw our classroom with adaptations for the pet. The twist was that they could not actually draw the animal in … Read more
In light of recent news events, it seems that sexist stereotypes and misogynistic behaviors continue to be supported and trivialized in our society. The “boys will be boys” attitude persists in all age groups, socioeconomic classes, and cultures despite attempts that have been made in the last few decades to eradicate it. What can we, … Read more
#gmttc is the official hashtag for the Global Math Task Twitter Challenge. Classrooms around the world are invited to participate by solving the problems that are tweeted and/or tweeting out their own. You can formally sign on to be a #gmttc tweeter on this spreadsheet, but this is not a requirement. It is easy enough … Read more
It has been amazing to watch Wonder Workshop evolve since the days of Bo and Yana (the original names of the Dash and Dot robots) 4 years ago. The robots are incredibly engaging for elementary students, and the company has been extremely supportive of educators. Dash and Dot appeal to students because it is easy to … Read more
As a parent or a teacher you may find yourself in situations when you need to “kill time.” One tool that I like to use is, “Chat Pack for Kids.” You can find versions of this from different companies, but I really like this one because it is reasonably priced, the cards are small, and … Read more