A Few Family Photos

Some of you may have already seen these on Natalie's blog, so you'l will just have the pleasure of seeing them again:) Thomas requested we go take pictures at the same spot Chris and Maquel went for theirs, so Natalie agreed to take us. 

All went well until Keira got a splinter. (Notice her forced, pained smile)

Aww. I love my kids!

Thomas had a hard time getting a good jumping shot down, with his legs tucked underneath him. But this one works!

And a few cute individual pictures

And some random pictures. 

Fun at Mom and Andy's work party. There was yummy food, bounce houses, and games...we all had a good time

I love my little girl

Up Provo Canyon with some friends

Cambria and Keira put stickers all over their faces. Actually, it was Cambria's doing and Keira allowed it to be done on her too. Silly kids

Top 5 Presentation Rules

In creating a power point presentation for 2nd Graders, there are 5 key rules I will follow to make the most effective presentation, which include:

1. Do use pictures
2. Do limit the number of slides and bullets. Keep it simple
3. Do write out imdex cards or memorize what you are presenting to not be just reading the power point
4. Don't use the same layout for each slide. That's boring.
5. Don't use too small a font or clashing colors

You want your presentation to be simple and attractive, yet informative.

Digital Cameras in the Classroom

There are so many fun ways to use the digital camera in the classroom that can create better projects/activities and more interesting ways of learning. Here are five ways I would use pictures in teaching:

1. Use photos for passports during a travel unit. When we talk about other cultures and countries, it would be fun to make our own little "passports" with our pictures on it that we can stamp when the've "visited" and learned about that place.
2. Take photos or videos of field trips. There are so many things we see and learn on field trips, it would be great to create a collage or slide for them to remember those events.
3. Take pictures of plant growth. For science we will be sudying plants: basic parts of a plant, what they need to grow, kinds of plants grow best in what climate; and they will use these pictures to document the plant's growth over a period of time.
4. Use photos to create classroom awards or certificates, such as acts of kindness, caught being good, great reader, student of the month, etc. I am all for positive feedback, and this is a fun way make a certificate by having their picture on it too.
5. Take photos of environmental print for an emergent reader's book. We will be making our own book with the pictures we have taken of things in our community, such as traffic signs, exit signs, common building signs, street sign, etc. and then we will add our own text to create the story. This will help them learn more about their environment and what all these signs mean.

Microsoft Publisher in the Classroon

I am excited to get to know Microsoft Publisher. It has all sorts of fun templates for things like newsletters, pamphlets, and calendars. I would have my students in my 2nd grade class use Publisher for creating a pamphlet/brochure on Health: nutrition, exercise, and hygiene. Another fun Publisher use is creating an invitation for a Christmas party or Valentine cards.

Google Tools

Three Google Tools I saw today and how I will use them in my teaching are the google images, documents, and you tube/zamzar. With Google images I can find many images to put on my website or handouts that I wouldn't otherwise have. The documents will be used for any assignments I give out and can teach them how to write documents. And you tube will be fun to include any videos to show like School House Rock to the students.