the end of september...

I cannot believe it is already the end of September. Unfortunately I have been sick three time already. Most recently Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday with the stomach flu. This really alters what happens in the classroom because the substitute cannot use the smartboard. The smartboard and projector are used quite a bit in my room for most lessons because I don't even have a whiteboard at the front of the room. However, a substitute can't log into my computer to be able to use the smartboard, so they have ot use it as a white board, which does not work very well and I don't like doing. So I am sure their learning for the past two days is a little different than how it is in our normal classroom environment.
I have also realized that it is easier to prepare ahead of time a morning message and any small acitivity presentations ahead of time. During science we had a large project for the students to do involving making a body systems book. I was able to pull up the book I made in microsoft word on the smart board and point to the exact sections I was talking about. It made my explanation easier than if I were just using a student size copy to demonstrate from.

The fourth week of school

It is the end of the fourth week of school. I use the SMART board in my daily lessons. I don't have a white board at the front of the classroom, so it serves many purposes. I have found that I can make teaching charts in advance and use them as learning tools for the students. We can make charts together and then I can pull it up the next day and refer back to it. This has been an indispensable tool. Also, during science we are studying living organisms and the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates. I used the Internet to find pictures of many different kinds of living organisms and had the students figure out what category they fell into. It is something they enjoy using, along with it being easy to use.