Groovy Educator

Some of you may have heard of the mad minute before...  I LOVE it!  The kids LOVE it!  It's a hit in my room. About ten years ago I was introduced to it when I was a second grade teacher.  Like most wonderful ideas, I learned it from a veteran teacher.  She had created a set of mad minutes and showed me how to organize them.  I am forever grateful! Flash forward ten years and I made my own typed set (different problems).  I kept the storage/organization the same but tweaked the procedure.  Basically it's a small bin with file folders cut in half to file the minutes behind it.  They are labeled +1s, -1s, +2s, -2s, etc.  (I will have to upload a picture soon.) What is a mad minute?  Well, it is a crazy minute where the kids try to solve twenty addition or subtraction problems. From the Scholastic bonus catalog, I ordered two sets of  Dry Erase pockets (6"x9")  to save paper.  It also helps with record ke...

Several years ago when I taught Kindergarten, I made a nursery rhyme powerpoint presentation for my class.  As we learned each rhyme I would color/highlight the rhyming words or whatever focus skill or sound pattern we were learning.  After the children memorized the rhyme, I recorded them reciting it and added it to the presentation. Each day we would review the powerpoint and each week it would grow  a wee bit longer with each new rhyme.  The children were highly engaged in the activity and it helped build their reading fluency.  I especially liked how we were able to quickly review each focus skill.  The nursery rhymes became my transitions in class.  Whenever we moved from circle time to our desks or our desks to circle time, we would recite a rhyme.  We would recite a rhyme while distributing materials.  Everything had a flow... If I had time I would do this again with first grade poetry.  I have to have the time to find ...

The majority of these sites are geared towards the primary grades (K-2).  I have used many of these websites in my classroom. Over the course of my career I have taught Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, and ESL classes (aka ESOL, ELL). Please feel free to recommend websites in the comments section.  I will update this list regularly and I am always open to new ideas and suggestions. Just click on the link to view the website in a new window.    PBS Kids Common Core Standards (added Sept.2012)   Free Reading (added Sept.2012)   ReadWriteThink (Courtesy of Lindsey) ABCya.com GameAquarium Primary Games  Seussville AAA Math Cool Math  Math Playground Starfall  Sight Words with Samson  Internet4Classrooms  Mother Goose Caboose  Spelling City  Speakaboos  Storyline Online Tumble Books Book Adventure  National Geographic Kids Discovery Science Ele...