Teach With Tech 2019

If you are here, you are probably participating in the online "Teach With Tech" conference. Thanks for joining me as I talk about flipgrid today! I am excited to share some ideas with you on ways to use flipgrid in the classroom.

If you would like to follow along, here is the google slides presentation. You can also download a copy by clicking on the short link: bit.ly/FlipgridTWT2019 I would love to connect with you on twitter - I share educational technology ideas over there quite often during the school year. You can follow me @missplott

Saying thanks to Police Officers!

I apologize in advance for the novel. If you don't want to read it, you can scroll down to the bottom to access the freebie associated with this post.

My heart is heavy this week.... here in the state of Utah, 2016 is coming to an end the same way it began: with the death of a police officer. Both deaths have touched me personally and I've been left wondering "why?" all week long.

On a cold Sunday morning in January, I awoke to an email from my mom - telling me a police officer had been shot, and she thought it was her neighbor. His wife had been at church but was pulled out and never came back - and the news channels were reporting that two cops had been shot. Minutes turned to hours while we waited for news... "critical condition" quickly changed to "he has passed"... I didn't want to believe it. Here was a man who had beat cancer TWICE, losing his life to a single bullet in the line of duty. Officer Doug Barney lived two blocks from me, and only one block from my parents... and though I never met him, I felt an immense amount of gratitude for his service to our community. Officer Barney worked in the area where one of my schools is at, so the students made cards for his family. I was able to deliver these cards to his wife and children, and I felt like I had done something. Although small, I was able to show my gratitude.

Fast forward to this Sunday - thanks to daylight savings, I was up bright and early... I saw a news report online saying a police officer from the West Valley PD had been killed overnight. I don't know why, but my mind immediately turned to an officer named Cody, who worked in my neighborhood. I had the opportunity to meet him this summer, and remembered him talking about how he preferred working nights, because that was when the "real" police work happened. Anyway, it was only 7:00, and I knew it would be a while before anything was announced on the news, so I tried to go back to sleep - unfortunately, sleep wasn't coming. I turned on my tv to watch the press conference and burst into tears as the Captain announced the name of the fallen officer - Officer Cody Brotherson. Officer Brotherson was born and raised here, and chose to serve his community.  He LOVED his job. He was so excited to become a police officer. The rest of the day is a blur. I pulled myself together and got ready for church, still not wanting to believe that this was happening.

Monday morning, the principal suggested to the teachers that the students make cards for the family and the police department. Times like this, it's hard for me -- I love my job, but I don't have a class to call my own. I still wanted to contribute - and knew how I could help. I made stationary and coloring pages for the students at my school. Having been in the classroom for 10 years, I know that I would be more inclined to do something like this if I had access to something that was already made. These pages are nothing fancy, but I hope others can use them as well. I have uploaded these as a freebie in my TPT store. All I ask is that you take some time to have your kids make a thank you card for your local police officers. Don't wait for another fallen officer - say thank you now! Let the men and women who serve and protect us know that they are appreciated.

Tonight I am headed to a candlelight vigil for Officer Brotherson. What I wouldn't give to see him and shake his hand, and thank him once more, for making our community a better place. Thank you, Cody, for your service.

Click on the picture below to access the freebie:

Flocabulary Review & Giveaway!

 How many of you are using Flocabulary in your classroom? I’ll admit, I didn’t hear about it until last year, but once I discovered it, I was quickly hooked!  So what exactly IS Flocabulary?  I’m glad you asked! Flocabulary is a web-based learning program for all grades and subjects that uses educational hip-hop music to engage students and increase achievement. Flocabulary offers more than 750 instructional units to support instruction in math, science, social studies, ELA, vocabulary, current events and life skills, with new content every week.

I’m excited to be partnering up with Flocabulary and giving away free memberships! Read on to find out more about what the site has to offer and the chance to win a FREE year-long subscription! You also have the opportunity to earn a 45-day extended free trial that is accessible to not only you, but everyone at your school just for entering! How awesome is that?!

As a school technology specialist, Flocabulary saves me so much time -- I have to create lessons to teach across K-6, so I love being able to go onto Flocabulary, search by topic, then narrow the results by grade level.  Each video comes with a lesson plan, so once I find the perfect video, I can download the ready-made lesson plan and I’m good to go! The best part is how engaging these lessons are -- the students love singing along with the printable lyrics, and I love having things ready to go, no matter what grade I’m teaching that day.  You can check out some of their great lesson plans by following their boards on pinterest: they have one for elementary and one for middle and high school.  In addition to all the awesome things you get with a paid subscription, Flocabulary has a free section accessible from their home page.  One of my favorite free lessons is the “area and perimeter” lesson -- my students were struggling with area and perimeter until I taught this lesson.  Once we did this lesson, it wasn’t uncommon to hear them singing:

With the area, that's the space inside,

For a rectangle, its length and width are multiplied.

And perimeter, the distance around a shape,

Just add the sides together and then you'll be great.

Check it out and you’ll find yourself singing along too!

Now I know what you’re thinking - well that’s cool, but how do I try it out myself?  Well, just for signing up below, you will receive a FREE 45-DAY extended trial that’s not only for you, but for your ENTIRE SCHOOL! I mean, it can’t get much better than that! Also, you will be entered for the chance to win a FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION! I will be giving away THREE OF THESE! Winners will be announced on or around October 18th. Even if you don’t win, remember that you will still get that 45-day extended free trial for your whole school! Everyone's a winner!  After signing up, you will receive information to access your free trial the week of October 18th. Sign up now! You’ve got nothing to lose!! Be sure to enter every field in the sign up box and your free trial information will be e-mailed to you. You must enter by OCTOBER 16 @ 11:59pm EST!

Click here to enter the giveaway and register for the 45 day extended free trial!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

5 Donations Every Classroom Needs

It's almost time for back to school, and many teachers are already busy shopping and setting up their classrooms in preparation for greeting their new students very soon. Recently, one of my friends asked for a list of donations that teachers would appreciate receiving during back to school time, and I thought that was so thoughtful of her to want to donate supplies to her son's teacher. Did you know that most teachers spend over $500 of their OWN MONEY every year on materials for their classrooms?? Wow!! I certainly didn't realize it until I became a teacher! Anyway, with that in mind, I decided to share my “top five” list of items I always ask for, along with a few other suggestions that many teachers always appreciate receiving. Be sure to read all the way through for a little bulletin board idea at the end :)

1. Tissue

In my welcome packet, I actually say "if your child has a nose, they will need a box of tissue at school!" Kids go through tissue like candy. Sometimes I think it is just the novelty of getting out of their seat more than the need to blow their nose, but oh my gosh, we go through tissue SO FAST every single year. And I always feel a bit sad and pathetic/embarrassed when I have to tell my students to go to the bathroom to blow their nose when we have run out of tissue.

2. Bandaids

Bandaids are right up there with tissue, the slightest little paper cut needs IMMEDIATE attention in the form of a bandaid. I quickly learned to NOT supply the cute Disney bandaids, because we went through those even faster than a box of tissue! Lol!! I had students picking their scabs to get a Disney bandaid. Live and learn, then buy the plain old Bandaids!

3. Hand sanitizer / soap

This should go without saying. Kids are germy. Classrooms are germy. I made my students use hand sanitizer before using the computers, and every time they used a tissue to blow their nose. I was also fortunate enough to have a sink in my classroom, so hand soap was also used frequently. Some teachers don't have a sink in their classroom, so hand sanitizer is their only option to prevent the spreading of germs in their classroom.

4.  Pencils / erasers

Plain old yellow #2 pencils are the best - kids don't fight over colors or designs, and there's no plastic wrap on them that the kids can peel off or that can jam an electric pencil sharpener. Pink pearl erasers are also great because kids tend to go through the small eraser tips very quickly. And, if you want to earn some bonus points with your new teacher, open the box and sharpen the pencils first... I promise your teacher will immediately LOVE you for this small act of kindness.

5. Clorox wipes

Classrooms are filled with germs! I like to wash down all my desks, tables, and counters frequently, and the students love to help clean their desks! They are often amazed at how dirty the wipe gets just from cleaning their own desk (EWWW!) 

Other suggestions: crayons (16 or 24 packs are awesome!) glue sticks, paper towels, napkins, cups, straws, paper products (for class parties, etc.), copy paper (teachers always need more copy paper!), ziploc baggies (all sizes), notebooks, two-pocket folders, file folders, dry erase markers, sharpies, and gift cards -- check out this darling back to school gift card freebie from my friend Tauni at SNAP Creativity!  As a technology specialist, I would love an APP gift card :)

While working on this post, I came across the cutest bulletin board idea that I wanted to share with all of you. Michelle from Apples and ABCs made a popcorn themed "wishlist" to help parents know what items she needed in her classroom. With her permission, I have created a little freebie that you can download and use at your own back to school open house. I have included some popcorn kernels with school supplies already on them, and also included a page of blank kernels to write your own items on as well. I hope this is something you can use as you prepare for back to school.  Click on the photo below to download the bulletin board set.  Enjoy!

Welcome to Summer!

Hi Friends, school is out and the sun is shining here in Salt Lake City! I'm off to the pool to start my summer off right! I wrote a blog post over at Busy Bees, sharing my tips for avoiding teacher burnout over the summer.  I hope you'll check it out... then go soak up the sun while you can :) Happy summer, teachers!

A+ Images & Teacher Shirts

One of the highlights of the #TPTVegas15 conference was the bonus networking opportunity on Thursday morning. Many bloggers were given free shirts thanks to A+Images, and it was so fun to be able to match blog logos with real people! Here is a picture of my shirt, and a picture of many bloggers wearing their shirts too!

 

So many great bloggers all together in one room!

In addition to the custom shirts we made, A+ Images also offers a wide variety of teacher apparel (both cute AND funny! See the shirt I won below!) and they also make those darling classroom faces tee-shirts... I wish I had something like that when I was in elementary school -- such a neat idea. 

be sure to follow A+ Images on facebook and instagram... you just never know what they'll come up with next.

I won a free shirt from the A+ Images booth - it says "teachertini" -- probably as close as I'll get to an alcoholic beverage while in Vegas! LOL! Thanks, A+ Images!

Holiday Activity Roundup!

Today I'm blogging over at "Busy Bees Activities" and sharing TONS of great holiday activities to help you make it through the next few weeks of school.  Click on the picture below to check it out. 

Savvy Curls - A Teacher's NEW Best Friend!

Hi friends, notice anything different?  My blog got a little facelift over the weekend… I am thrilled with the results!  Special thanks to Laine from A Little Peace of Africa for this beautiful blog design. I absolutely love it!  

Now, let me just say, I don't normally do posts like this... But when I find an amazing product, I sometimes want to share it with all of my wonderful teacher friends out in bloggy-land. AND, if you follow me on facebook, you know I am NOT a morning person... So getting ready in the morning is a daily struggle!!  I recently stumbled across "Savvy Curls" which claimed to be a simple headband that would curl your hair while you slept and didn't require any heat. I was totally intrigued and decided to order one. If this headband could deliver on its promise, I knew it would be my new best friend!! What could be better than going to bed and waking up with perfectly curled hair??

My headband arrived on a Saturday, so I decided to wash and wrap my hair and give it a shot, knowing that if I totally messed it up, it was the weekend and I wasn't rushing out the door to get to work the next morning. I followed this simple video tutorial and went to bed. The head wrap is not uncomfortable and I didn't notice it at all while I was asleep. I woke up, started getting ready for church, and unwrapped my hair... And guess what?? IT WORKED! On my very first try, it worked!! I was in shock!  I continued to use my wrap each night and found that my hair was more and more curly each day. I couldn't believe that I could spend only 5 minutes on my hair right before bed, and have awesome curls all day long the following day! Below is a simple photo tutorial showing how easy it us to use the Savvy Curls Curling Headband - one thing that makes this headband unique is the special thermal insulating material and it's cylindrical shape; both of these elements help to form the most amazing curls I have ever seen!

I packed my head wrap with me when I headed to Disneyland last week and decided to put it to the ultimate test! The great thing about the savvy curls band is that it can be worn during the daytime to keep your hair up and out of the way. I tried doing my hair curly the first day at Disneyland, but my hair was definitely not used to the California humidity, so I decided to wear my hair wrapped up for the remainder of the trip. I was a bit worried about how well my hair would stay wrapped while I rode Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, and other fast / wild rides at Disneyland, but I think the photos speak for themselves. I took these pictures at the beginning of the morning, and again around midnight as we waited for the shuttle to come pick us up. WOW!! I was sold!!

Before & After photos - a day at Disneyland with my Savvy Curls band!

I reached out to Tami, who is the genius behind "Savvy Curls" and was pleasantly surprised to learn that in addition to being from Utah, like me, she was also a former school teacher! OF COURSE this was invented by a school teacher! Why was I not surprised?? Tami was so sweet when I contacted her, and offered to let me host a giveaway here on my blog. She also sent me the "convertible wrap" to try out as well. The convertible wrap is great for long/thick hair or hair with lots of layers, or for anyone who wants more curl and body. I will admit, this wrap had a little bit of a learning curve for me, and I think some of my layers are still a little too short for the extra band, but the great thing about it is that the additional piece is detachable, so I can still wear the single band on its own until I master the second part of it. And, hello?? It's PINK!! I am all about the pink!!! I actually LOVE wearing my hair wrapped up with just a little bit of pink popping out :) it looks so cute and I get so many compliments on my hair. Take a look at some of the fun things I've been able to do with my hair using the Savvy Curls head wrap:

Top: I put my hair up for a Halloween party (hence the mouse ears); bottom: getting ready for school the next morning. WOW!

Top: Single band; bottom: Convertible Band; the cylindrical shape of the headband forms the curls while you sleep, workout, shop, etc. It's amazing!!

To enter the giveaway, use the rafflecopter below. Also, if you want to order a Savvy Curls curling headband for yourself, you can save $2 by using code krysp1 at checkout (I plan on ordering a few more colors so I can wear these at school!)  Be sure to follow me on facebook and instagram to see more fun photos too!

**GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED** Congrats to the winner! If you didn't win, you can still use the coupon code "krysp1" at checkout to save $2.00 on the headband of your choice. Enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Introducing: The Purple Pencil Sharpener!

A few years ago, I first introduced you to the "quietest classroom pencil sharpener". I have fallen in LOVE with this pencil sharpener and even ordered myself a pink one when they were released last year. I share my pencil sharpener with all my co-workers and try to spread the word every chance I get... Well, you can imagine my excitement when I recently found out that Classroom Friendly Supplies was adding a PURPLE pencil sharpener to their collection, and I knew that I *must* add it to my collection as well.... so, allow me to introduce you to.... the "Popular Purple Pencil Sharpener"!!!  Look how cute it is!!  I love purple almost as much as I love pink, so of course I was thrilled with the new color choice.  In addition to being super functional, I love the cute retro look of these sharpeners, and I love how small they are.  


Since I now own THREE of this fabulous pencil sharpeners, I decided to see how they are holding up after one and two years of use in the classroom, and compare it to the brand-new purple sharpener.  I also compared it to a popular electric sharpener that was kindly "donated" to me at one of my schools this year.  Check out my results below:
As you can see, even after one and two years of daily use in the classroom, both my green and my pink sharpeners are able to keep up with the quality of the new purple pencil sharpener.  I am in love with this new color and so happy to add it to my collection.  Stop by Classroom Friendly Supplies to order your sharpener today!

New Blogging Adventure + a Giveaway!

I'm so excited to share a big secret with all of you today. The darling Kelsey from "Wife, Teacher, Mommy" had this great idea to create a collaborative blog featuring all Utah teachers, and I'm honored to have been chosen as one of the authors for this new blog. I was able to meet up with about half the group last week and am so excited to be a part of such a talented group of teachers representing the "beehive state". FUN FACT: Utahans relate the beehive symbol to industry and the pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance. The beehive was chosen as the emblem for the provisional State of Deseret in 1848 and was maintained on the seal of the State of Utah when Utah became a state in 1896. Because Utah is often referred to as the Beehive State, "busy bees" seemed like a natural name for our blog... I couldn't be happier with how darling the blog is and how fun it has been to watch it all come together over the past few months. 

To celebrate the launch of our new blog, we are having a HUGE giveaway. But before you head over to the new blog to get the scoop, let me tell you about my giveaway too. Two lucky followers will win the product of your choice from my TPT store!!

Here's my little bio that is featured on the Busy Bees Blog :) So fun!

Use the rafflecopter below to enter, then head over to the new blog to enter the BIG giveaway. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click on the image above to visit our new blog!

Top 5 Ways to Use GoNoodle in the Classroom!

I am so excited to be participating in GoNoodle’s Back to School Blogger Blitz today. GoNoodle is definitely one of my favorite websites and it is always a big hit with my students too!

Today I'm going to share with you my Top 5 favorite reasons to use GoNoodle in the classroom:

1. Brain breaks: when the day gets long and we've been sitting too long, I like to get my kids up and moving. Zumba kids and ultimate champ training are some of my favorite "get up and get active" videos.

2. Calming / de-stressing: we've all had days where our kids seem to have ants in their pants and can't sit still to save their lives. Maximo yoga style videos and airtime are great calming activities to help the kids settle down and focus again.

3. Test prep / motivation: Flow is one of my absolute favorites for a lot of reasons.... it is the perfect combination of calm and motivation that my students often need.  There are two categories in flow: attitude and stress.  Within each of these categories, there are three videos to choose from.  My personal favorite is found in the attitude category, called "Victorious".  I love the message of this video. Seriously, go listen to what it says. Such a simple yet powerful message for students as they prepare for a test.

4. Indoor recess: one of the greatest features GoNoodle added last year was the "indoor recess mega mix" videos. These videos are like a pre-made playlist: a variety of fun GoNoodle videos with different lengths of time already set to accommodate different recess lengths (you can choose from as little as 7 minutes up to as many as 19 minutes! Woot woot!) These videos came in handy when it was snowy and the kids couldn't go out to recess. I especially appreciated that I didn't have to keep starting new videos every 2-3 minutes - the mega mix just keeps going!

5. Being silly: sometimes, you just need to take a break for no other reason than to laugh. When it's time for a good laugh, my students and I LOVE LOVE LOVE pop-see-ko. Seriously, how can you not be in a good mood when the kids are doing this?!

So tell me, what do YOU love about GoNoodle? Comment below with what you love about GoNoodle and a random winner will be chosen to win a free pencil pouch from GoNoodle! (Be sure to include an email address so I can contact you if you win!!) How cool is that?!

But wait - there's more!!If you're interested in picking up some GoNoodle swag for your classroom, you can save15% off your purchase in the GoNoodle shop! Use the code: BTSwithGoNoodle - this code is valid until September 11th.

** And the winner is....

Congrats Breanne!!

3 new products - just in time for the SALE!!

Hi friends! Hope you've been having a GREAT summer... I know I have, which explains my lack of blogging and creating.  Oh well! August has arrived, and like it or not, school is just around the corner (or it has already started for some of you... oy!)  So in case you haven't heard, TPT is having their HUGE Back to School sale right now! My store is on sale for 20% off, and if you use the code BTS15 at checkout, you will save an extra 10% off the already discounted prices, for a total of 28% savings! AMAZINGNESS, right?!

After taking a nice little break from creating and blogging, I am hoping to be better this year. I have recently added THREE new products to my store, and have a whole list of things that are in progress from the past school year that just need to be polished a bit, so hopefully I can continue to be productive and get more things finished :)  In the meantime, I'm just going to quickly highlight the new items I've uploaded to TPT... be sure to snag them now while they are on sale!

The first item is actually TWO items, and you can purchase them individually or as a bundle.  Last year when I switched to third grade, I made a set of objective posters for my classroom, and the first grade teachers in my building saw them and asked if I could make something similar for them.  I am happy to present to you my first grade MATH and LANGUAGE ARTS posters.  Take a closer look at the objectives by looking at the photos below:       

Click on the picture above to go to the bundle listing in my TPT shop

Sample of the math posters

Sample of the Language Arts posters

posters at a glance

Bonus student and teacher checklists make data tracking a breeze!

This next product is quite possibly my favorite creation ever!!  One of my teacher friends asked me to make a student planner for her last summer, and I ended up needing to use it myself after switching grades, so this planner has been tested in my classroom and it's awesome!!  The best part is, this planner is about 99.9% editable.  There's a few things (such as graphics) that are secured and can't be modified, but it comes in both PDF and PowerPoint format, so you can open it up and type until your heart's content! Take a peek inside:

Click on the picture above to see the complete listing in my TPT shop.

two different planner cover options - kidlettes or space!

my students had so much fun coloring their cover pages - notice the batman themed cover in the top corner! Love their creativity!

 The planner has a variety of pages for you to choose from, and you can use all or just some of them.  The pages include a monthly behavior tracking calendar; monthly "notes" calendar (I used this page for announcement and weekly reading minutes);  communication log - parents can write you a note, or you can write a note to them :); and finally, daily homework pages - this is great for upper-grades when daily homework becomes a more regular thing.  There's a few other goodies included in the download, and if you scroll to the bottom, you might just find a little freebie for you ;)

Click here for an exclusive freebie from the new student planner set! Happy Back to School, friends!

#TPTVegas15

I am back from #TPTVegas15, and wow! What a week! I had so much fun taking in the sights and sounds (and foods! LOL) of Vegas, and especially enjoyed two amazing days of TPT Awesomeness. I have had a hard time finding the motivation to blog, create, or do anything related to school or TPT, so this was just the motivation I needed to turn on my computer and get to work! I have lots of fun products in the works, so stay tuned for those in the coming weeks... but for now, enjoy some of my highlights from Vegas.  Also, if you aren't following me on Instagram and Twitter, please do! I shared many photos and quotes from the conference last week, and even tried out a new twitter app called "periscope" -- I am still a little camera shy with periscope, but I plan on using it more as I become more comfortable with it.  Anyway, enough of my rambling... here's my week in pictures! *disclaimer: these photos are in no particular order... enjoy :)

Tuesday Night - Michel Jackson: One -  AMAZING. Go See it. You will NOT be disappointed. Here's a preview video below... seriously, I could watch it all day.  The dancing is simply incredible.

Brunch with many amazing TPT'ers at Grand Luxe

I shared this photo on Instagram last week... to me, this is what the TPT community is all about. Anna from Simply Skilled in Second was SO EXCITED to meet the lovely Lory Evans... apparently she was too shy to say hi last year... I snapped this photo at just the right time. TPT has blessed us all so much, and we have made countless friends thanks to it!

a few of us getting ready to zipline across the Rio Hotel Towers - 51 stories high! (Umm, did I mention my fear of heights? Yeah... oops!)

Lory is taking in every minute of the zipline... meanwhile I was wondering where the handles were to hold on for dear life! LOL!! And no, this is not photoshopped... that's really us, ziplining across Vegas!

go noodle photo booth at the teacher/blogger meet-up - so fun (well, the photo booth part was fun, anyway)!

Lory, Brynn, and me in the TPT photo booth.

Some of my favorite foods from the week... See the milkshake at the bottom... I might have had THREE of them that night #sorrynotsorry - couldn't let that amazingness go to waste. If you're looking for a good place to eat, hit up B&B Burgers at the Venetian and get a Nutella milkshake... I'm not kidding, it's THAT good. The 3 pictures on the far right are from a new restaurant at the Venetian called Yardbird. The Belgium Waffle was from brunch at the Grand Luxe

I met so many wonderful people this week -- Top: Dee Dee Wills, Deanna Jump, Alyssha S.; Middle: Jen Jones (Hello Literacy); Laura; Krista; Bottom Row: Lory, Emily, me, Jenny, Heidi (Emily and Heidi are a team of sisters who blog at Second Story Window... love them!!)

TPT Paul, TPT Amy, Rachel Lynette, Jen Jones, Kayla Delzer (Top Dog Teaching)

Top left - Meredith Scott Lynn - anyone recognize her? Lory and I were both starstruck, but for totally different reasons!; Shelley Gray, Farley (Aka the queen of currently!); middle row: Jessica (Second Grade Nest); Stephanie (falling into first); Cierra (Adventures of room 129); Tamara (Mrs. Russell's room) and a lovely photo bomb from Breanda (Primary Inspired); Bottom: Blair Turner, Ashleigh (Ashleigh Education Journey); Amanda (Mrs. Richardson's Class)

And now, I'm home from Vegas and having withdrawls, so we had a little mini-meet-up yesterday while my car was being serviced. Lory played shuttle driver so I didn't have to sit at the car dealership all by myself all morning. Don't you love how she tells us to pull funny faces, then smiles? Yeah, me too :) HAHA! But, we had a great time chatting and can't wait for #TPTVegas16

thanks for the fun morning and yummy treats!