I have admitted many addictions on this blog, but here's my latest: Pinterest. I love and loathe it at the same time! Do any of you have that love/hate relationship with it? I find SO many good ideas on it, and my Teaching Ideas board is blowing up! I find a lot of inspiration from things pinned by other nerdy educators like myself. (You can follow my boards by looking for the Pinterest button on the right... *hint*)
But oh, to have the time to make all those things! *sigh... I wish I had more time to make all the great things I find there. I GUESS if I spent less time looking at Pinterest, then I'd have more time to make things. But if I spent less time on Pinterest, then I wouldn't find so many wonderful ideas! It's a vicious circle, people, vicious!
A friend and I had a conversation about this today, and I told her I did make a few things that I'd pinned, but not enough. So after I straightened up after the lovelies went home, I took out my iPhone and began to snap some pictures of what I'd actually made or done in my classroom because of an idea I found on Pinterest. As it turns out, I've made a lot more than I'd thought!
So, in honor of my new addiction, I'd like to start posting some things on our blog that I've actually made. Maybe you will find it useful.
*Side Note: Because of Pinterest, I've also started following lots of teacher blogs. They have thus inspired me to start blogging again. I post weekly for my parents and students on my classroom website, but I need to post more here and share it with my friends. I hope you enjoy it!
Here's the first thing I want to share. I pinned this little baby early on in my Pinterest addiction. We use Instructional Conversations in our fifth grade classrooms, and the students engage in conversations about the topics they are studying. Sometimes the students will need a little reminder about how a polite conversation is supposed to go, so I created this:
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| when I click on this pin, it says it originally came from lifein4b.blogspot.com in browsing that site, I realize I've actually gotten a lot of ideas from her! (maybe you should check it out...) |
Okay, so mine looks almost exactly like hers. But I did add the 3 little phrases off in the bottom righthand corner.
The kids LOVE it! I have found them looking up at it during conversations to look for a convo starter or to be sure they are behaving like a good conversationalist. Before every conversation (they are done in small groups, 3-8 students), we review the SLANT procedures and the talking points.
After the conversation, I ask them to grade themselves on a sticky note with a T-L-C (not tender lovin' care):
T = Talking (on a scale of 1, 2, 3, or 4)
L = Listening (also on a scale of 1, 2, 3, or 4)
C = an area of Concern that they want to Concentrate on next time (sitting up, listening, waiting their turn, giving their opinion, referencing the text, etc.) I find that often times, their "C" is something off of this chart!
So there! I do make stuff that I pin! But maybe I should spend more time making than browsing. No guarantee, though, just a maybe!
For my next post, I plan to share a little something I used for a substitute teacher...
What have you pinned that you made for your classroom? Do you love it?