Fabulous Finds Friday: achievethecore.org

Have you been to achievethecore.org yet?  It's an amazing website with SO MUCH stuff (for lack of a better word) all about the Common Core.  There are checklists and sample problems and articles and advice for aligning textbooks & materials and even some really good videos about the shift to Common Core and classroom lesson videos.  The picture above is from one of my favorite videos on the site, by Phil Daro, that really shows why other countries are passing the U.S. in math and why something needed to change.
If you're going to be teaching the Common Core Standards next year, you seriously need to check out this site.  But come back to it often because there's so much there - I still discover something new every time I go back!

Fabulous Finds Friday: Airserver

Have you heard of this app called Airserver?  It can project your iPad, iPod, phone or other device onto your laptop or desktop computer.  This is great for those of us like me that aren't at a wireless school and have a projector tied directly into a desktop computer...which is, of course, located across the room and far away from where I'm actually teaching the kids.  Using Airserver, I can roam the room with iPad in hand and still project on the board whatever it is we're looking at or talking about.  So much better than saying, "Let's look at this next one.." *long pause as I run across the room to the computer keyboard*

The Best Thing About You

Okay, I know I've been off the blogosphere for a few weeks now...  But the last two weeks of school have been CRAZY!  And I've been getting ready for a teacher training happening this week.  And the dog ate my homework.  Any other excuses I can come up with??  Would it help if I bribed you with a freebie?
This is a form I include in my kids' end of the year books, on one of the first pages.  We sit in a large circle and the kids pass their paper, in timed, 1 min chunks, slowly around the circle.  By the time their own paper circles around back to them, all of the students have written something unique and kind about that person (I have the kids read through the list on the paper before they write their comment, to make sure there aren't repetitions or ridiculous comments like "you're cool" or "you are nice").  It's a great compilation of compliments and a positive way to end the year!