Integrating Technology in the Primary Grades

Technology is one of my absolute favorite things in the classroom. I try not to overdo it because they shouldn't be dependent on technology. So, today I'm super stoked to bring you my TOP THREE ways to integrate technology in the classroom using powerpoints.

Interactive Powerpoints

This is one of the simplest ways to incorporate a form of technology and possibly another piece of technology if you have the tools. If not, you are able to use non-technology tools. All you need is Powerpoint for this to work!

My kids have LOVED every second of working with interactive powerpoints. We use them in math and in reading. This particular one was earlier in the year when we were reviewing short vowels. They had to write the beginning sounds for each picture and it reveals a secret word. We use this same method to practice our sight words, phonics skills and MORE! What's the super fun part about it? We use the Doodle Buddy app to write our words. There is something about that app that is WAY more exciting for them. We do switch it up and use whiteboards, but they really prefer this way.

Timed Powerpoints

This is also one of my FAVES! I especially love this when I have a doctor's appointment or a meeting and have a sub in my classroom. My reading block runs on a powerpoint and works like clockwork. It keeps me on track to what we should be doing.

Under certain slides, I've set them to a timed transition. You can do this under the Transitions menu. Just change the time (add a sound if you'd like). I add a YEE-HAW sound. This signals that we need to clean up and then they move to their next Daily 5. It work FLAWLESSLY. I keep my group that I have for about 2 more minutes while everyone is cleaning up. That normal wasted time isn't wasted anymore because we keep working. We are usually finishing up our book/story right at the end.

iPads as Digital Portfolios

I know some schools do not allow teachers to add apps. In this case, you're actually in luck! If you aren't allowed to add your own apps, you can STILL use any number of iPads in your room as a digital portfolio. Allow your students to use something with their name on it. In the past, I used a laminated picture of them and their name. They took their "license/id" and placed it by their work. Then, they grabbed an iPad and took a picture of their work. Later, I moved their pictures into folders with all of their work. Super easy! This way, I still know who's work belonged to who and the only thing I had to do was make a card with their name and picture on it. I used their folder of pictures to use during conferences. I didn't have to keep as many hard copies of work as I've had to in the past.

Ideas to Get Your Kids Moving

How do you get your kids moving in your classroom besides GoNoodle and all the other normal brain breaks? Do you try to incorporate moving while they are working? Well, one thing that I've implemented with my kids is a timed Stretch break multiple times during our day. It lasts ONE minute and literally helps to get them up and then back to work. It doesn't matter what we're doing, but they stop and stretch. How does it work? Here's how:

During our Daily 5/Small Group time, I have it on a PowerPoint. It is timed to keep me on schedule. If not, I'll take too much time and usually end up missing a group. I try to see all of my kids every single day and the timed PowerPoint keeps me on track. Well, our rotations are usually about 20 minutes each. For some of my kids, that is WAY too long. Their brain needs a break. Without leaving where they are, the PowerPoint changes slides after 10 minutes. It shows the "STRETCH" slide. I have a sound set when it changes so everyone knows to look at the Smartboard. The sound is a little ding when it's time for a stretch. I have it set to YEE-HAW when it's time to switch places.

GAME CHANGER. This is an up-close of their rotation. This is one of the days I needed to pull kids individually so no one came to me as a group.

My kids use that one little minute to quietly stand up and stretch. During our calendar time, they've learned a ton of body stretches. This has come in handy because they have a lot of stretches that they can do within this quick minute. Our favorite is the neck roll which they named "Bobble Head" this year. We roll our neck around and then switch and do the other side. They do this on their own. I honestly have zero research about this, but my kids are SO focused with just this super tiny break inserted.

Here's what our stretch slide looks like up close. Nothing special. It could even just say the word stretch to signal that it's time for a break.

We only add in a stretch every other rotation. The results are amazing! Try it with a chime or some time of signal and watch how it works. That's how we get in a little bit of moving without actually leaving our Daily 5/center area. It's quick, quiet, and gives them back the needed focus on their task.


It's SUPER easy to do on your own. Just have your powerpoint rotations up and click on transitions. You can set how long you want each of the slides to be. I duplicated the rotation slide since they were going back to the same thing after their stretch time.

Unclick the 'On Mouse Click' and make sure there is a check in the 'After' box. Then, set your time. That's it!

Differentiation in the Classroom

One of the MAJOR need to do words that has been in the classroom for YEARS is what we're discussing this month. How to you make learning meaningful for ALL of the students in your classroom? How do you make sure that the same activities will push, strengthen and be the just right fit for each student?

It's difficult isn't it? I've tried many many different ways to switch up the same activities in my classroom. I've decided there is no easy fix that works in all areas. However, I do love to differentiate. YEP. That's the word. Differentiation is one of those things that can literally drive you bonkers. However, this month you should have a few ideas to help you in many different areas in your teaching day. Here's mine...

I've taught kindergarten for most of my teaching career. This year, I've lucked up and landed in 1st grade. I love it! I still love kindergarten, but the fact that I now have READERS is amazing. It's a great joy to watch five year olds learn their sounds, their letters, their numbers and so on. BUT - a first grader learning to comprehend what they've read and learning actual phonics skills is another level of awesomeness.

The con is that there is SO much so fast for some of these babies that a few always seem to get left behind just as soon as we pick up steam. There are also those kiddos that seems to breeze through everything that is thrown their way. You also have those kiddos that are right there with you keeping up with everything you teach them. They're right on track. How is it that one skill can reach those different levels and they not notice? Well, here's what I do! I'm going to talk differentiating writing today!

Every morning, I try to make sure to incorporate writing in some way quickly. Some days we just don't have time for a dedicated writing lesson. So, I try to talk for about 5 minutes as a minilesson each day on our target writing goal for the week. Everyone pulls out their writing folders.

At the beginning of the year, we talk A LOT about what tools we have in our folder and how we need to use them to help us become better writers. We practice using our writing checklist when we're working on fixing sentences whole group. They open their folder to the checklist and we go down each one to make sure our sentence is correct. We skip the illustration when we're talking about one sentence only.

Their writing folder is actually two folders just taped together. We use the front pocket for anything that's in progress and the back folder is for finished writing that's ready to be published. Well, I'm sure you're asking how I differentiate it. Here's a little thing I added to our writing folders.

Each student has a page protector in the front folder. We insert our monthly words at the beginning of the month. This could include holidays, special occasions, family words or anything that they are interested in. On the front side is our monthly set that each child gets. On the backside, they can choose anything from a list to add that they'd like to write about. It has improved their want to write SO much and their writing has grown as well! Some of my kiddos wanted to keep their Christmas toy list in January so they had winter words as well as Christmas toys to reference.

But what if someone wants to write about A LOT of things? I've answered that as well. I printed our lists of words 3 times and placed them on about 10 different rings. They are just in a basket by our writing materials and they grab a ring (or two) and head back to their writing spot. This way, kids aren't limited to just one set of words.

Their writing options are also differentiated. I have various types of writing sheets out. They are all welcome to use any, but I do encourage a certain type of page for each of them. I wouldn't want to make them have a set type and one day they decided to write a very lengthy story and they only have three lines on their page.

I believe that the little sense of having a choice that is different from everyone else in the room makes a world of difference. For the kiddo that is still struggling to string together letters to form legible words, we practice labeling our pictures and then making a list instead of sentences. Why do I do that? They feel like their paper looks just like their neighbor's with words at the bottom. However, they are able to be successful at their level.

How do you differentiate your writing? These resources are from my I Can be a Writer, Too set.

Assessment with Enchanted Kinder Garden

Assessment is one of those tricky things that we all have to do and it's not actually a fun time. Why can't assessment be a cup of your favorite drink or coffee. Why can't it be sweet like candy?

Yeah, I'm living in a crazy world to think it could ever be that good. Well, let me tell you one part of my assessment process PLUS how I keep digital student portfolios to use during conferences, RTI and my own data tracking for my students.

I use the Seesaw app on my student's iPads to keep up with their day to day work. This is an amazing way to see what they're doing, but not be bothered with them coming to show me what they've done. Usually during my planning time, I quickly scroll through to see what they've added. I jot down notes to see what I need to focus on in small groups or what I need to reteach whole group if most of my kids missed a skill.

Seesaw is REALLY easy to use. First thing is to create an account.

After you've created your account, you'll name your class and add your students. The students will get an icon, automatically assigned to them. I spent a few minutes one morning allowing them to choose their own. I think it gave them more ownership over "their Seesaw account" and know that parents are looking at their work.

I printed off the QR code and placed it a few places around our classroom for easy access. Next, I taught them how to use it. The first thing we added was a video. Go big or go home, right?

We had just added our 1st phonics skill poem to our poetry notebooks and I wanted them to practice reading them. We partnered up since it was our first time recording. They got a chance to listen to and record a friend reading the poem. Then, they switched. Why is this beneficial? They heard the words over and over again.

Now, you're probably wondering what in the WORLD does this have to do with assessment portfolios? Well, I go back and watch their videos and write down notes from these as well. I can easily tell who is reading fluently, who has blending down, and who is struggling.  I assess them without being right over them. A lot of students don't want to get something wrong in front of you, but they don't care about correcting themselves in front of peers or if it's just themselves there. I'm able to get a fairly true assessment of what they can do independently.

I also have them to add their daily writing into Seesaw. To be very honest with you, I love reading their writing. However, I DO NOT have time to read twenty something journals a day. Most of them, I can't read and they have to read them to me. This gives me a chance to quickly read each journal everyday and I'm not using the precious time I have with them during the day to do that. We still have sharing time in front of each other for other things, but this is something I like to keep to myself.

I also use these pictures and their portfolio during conferences and RTI meetings. I don't have to keep a bunch of papers for each meeting and show these to the team. They get a better glimpse at how they are reading when they're able to view a video.

By conference time, I have tons of work samples to show and to get an idea of how they are progressing. This is very important because as they learn and progress, my teaching style and methods may need to change. Once work is sent home, I can't go back and look at how they wrote their sentence or if they got the main idea.

If you even have ONE iPad or iPod in your classroom, allow your students to add their work to Seesaw. It is an amazing resource. Parents also love it because they get a glimpse into our classrooms without being there. They offer a PLUS part of the account that is paid. It allows you to create more classrooms, share with more teachers, add notes that parents cannot see and more. I don't have the paid version, but it seems amazing. I hope this helped you out some. Everything that I showed is available through the free account that you can sign up for.

Teacher Time Savers {Powerpoints}

As teachers, our time is very valuable. We spend lots of time looking up ideas and strategies to keep our kiddos engaged. We try to use every single minute while the kids are in our care to make sure they are provided the most of their time. However, we all know that every single day does not go as planned. How do you make the most of it in your classroom? I have a few ways I try to save time in my classroom.

My first little timesaver is teaching my kids all that I want them to know about their iPads within the first month of school. What is it that I teach them exactly? Well, here's a quick list:

- teach how to take a selfie (This teaches them how to find the camera. I also show them the shortcut to find the camera by swiping up.)

- teach how to record a video (This sets them up on recording their recording later on.)

- teach how to record a partner (They get extra practice recording others and practice using video)

- teach them how to login to any apps that require a login. (We put a sticker with their username and password on the back of each iPad.)

- teach them how to do a QR code (They will be able to use this for SeeSaw, listening centers, qr codes on their recording sheet and any other things that you use your QR codes for.)

After you've taught them everything that you want them to do, they're set for the year except for any new ideas you come across.

I know I've probably mentioned this idea before, but it seriously is life and classroom changing. I teach through a PowerPoint for reading. I have my entire morning routine in a PPT. Now, everything that I say and do is not in that powerpoint, but it helps to keep me on track. I made it ONCE and just change a few things and reserve for each day of the week. Let's look at my PPT from last week.

The very first slide is always our good morning song. We usually greet each other and tell one thing that happened the night before or something from the weekend if it's Monday. We also talk about a goal that we have to make sure we have a great day. This is usually only about 5 minutes. I have this already up and on the board as they walk into the room. We wait for announcements and the late stragglers and then get started immediately.

Next, I get up to do the snack and my calendar helper goes through our calendar routine. This way, I'm not wasting their time and we're accomplishing something that can easily be done by a kid. I still watch, but am getting office things ready. The calendar helper writes in all of our information and then leads the class in counting up until today on the calendar, saying the days of the week and the months of the year.

That's what most of our calendar area looks like. My calendar helper fills in all of the blanks each morning. You can grab this calendar set freebie over on my blog, Enchanted Kinder Garden as well as some more goodies in that same download.

If you have a wireless mouse, you could also click through the PPT without being at your computer. So let's say someone walks in your room during the song, click easily and then the calendar helps gets right up to do their job and your class never misses a beat.

The next slide is always our phonemic awareness. I put the objective down at the bottom so if anyone ever walks into our room, they'll easily know the skill we're working on. This is also AMAZING to leave for a substitute. I leave an old laptop anytime a sub comes. It doesn't connect to the internet, but has the PPT for the day or days that I am away.

The PPT also includes our book, essential questions, phonic skills, high frequency words, pictures of sheets that they have to complete and everything! It literally takes me about 20 minutes to get this done for the week. It's part of my lesson planning routine and saves me SO much time during the week.

I also add in videos or links to the videos if I'll be showing a short video as well. That way, I don't have to click out, go to an internet browser and find what I need.

I have mentioned this as well, but it is my FAVORITE timesaver of all. I set my Daily 5 rotations on a timer in my PPT as well. I usually set it for about 12 minutes. I have a chime that goes off when it changed. My kids know that this means clean up. However, the group that is at my table does not leave just yet. I keep them for the minute or two that everyone else is cleaning up. This way, I maximize the time I have with that group and the rest of the kids are able to transition without me actually doing or saying anything.

Just click above to download a template.

What I Wish I Knew my First Year Teaching {Enchanted Kinder Garden}

If you’re a first year teacher, then we’ve got a guaranteed treat for you this month. There will be tons of tips that we wish we would have known when we first started teaching. For me, here’s some of the HARDEST things I wish I had of known when I first started teaching.

This is quite possibly number 1 or 2 on the I WISH I KNEW! Top List Countdown if there was such a thing. I absolutely used to think I had to do every single thing since it was on the lesson plan.

Because. Obviously. There are hidden cameras in our classrooms and there is a team of people watching every thing we did. Or didn’t do. Right? I was so paranoid to deviate from the lesson plan that I am positive I missed out on some meaningful learning. It didn’t take me too many years to figure it out though. By my third year, I knew this was something that wasn’t a deal breaker for my teaching career.

My kids learn so much more when the conversation is student led. If they deviate and it’s a meaningful conversation, I stick with it. If they’re laughing about that wet spot on our rug, I bring it back VERY quickly.

My point, if you’re a new teacher, a vet or somewhere in the middle like I am, know that it is OKAY to not do what’s on that lesson plan. You can always tack on the importance stuff later in the week to squeeze in that “perfect student led learning moment.”

*Sigh* Teachers. It is OKAY when that bell rings or BEFORE that bell rings to CLOSE YOUR DOOR. You will not be frowned upon. People will still like you. However, I feel like that should be your time. Time to either prepare for the day or wind down and get prepared for the next day.

I keep my door open all day while I’m teaching. It’s a very rare situation if my door is shut. With that said, people know when I’m busy. They usually don’t come or knock if it’s closed unless it is important. This way, you can actually focus on what you are doing and get it done so you can get home. If it’s before school, you can use your time wisely to get ready for the day. Easy right? If someone comes to your room, just tell them that you’ll help them as soon as you’re all finished up with what you’re doing or tell them tomorrow.

My first three years… they were ROUGH. So, my first three years of teaching was in a pretty decent sized school. There were 8 of us in kindergarten. 5 of them literally had perfect classrooms.

I wanted that perfect classroom. Did it happen that first year? No. Second or third year? Not even close to. However, I did figure out that what helped me to achieve a level that I was okay with and that the faculty and staff came to appreciate was organization.

I am not VERY organized when it comes to the kid’s supplies and materials. Everything has to have a place. My things isn’t quite the same. However, people come to my room looking for different and very random things. I know exactly where everything is.

When you began teaching it’s very hard to be organized because everything is new to you. You don’t realize how much STUFF you acquire and how much you have to keep in an orderly fashion. I used to get overwhelmed with all of the paper.

If you make a binder, a folder, a tray for each of the different places in your school that papers can be sent – that will save you a lot of headaches. Then, when you get a paper such as a field trip permission slip, you just place it in the office folder. Papers don’t up lost.

For my kiddos, I make sure they are as organized as possible. It’s kindergarten and they’ve never seen extreme cases of organization with everything labeled unless they’ve got a crazy labeler as a mom at home. For this reason, keep everything the same and try not to overwhelm the kids with TOO many labels with tons of differnet colors.

I label my kids drawers where they keep their headphones, math tool kit, and other little things throughout the year. I also label all of their journals our book bins, their book bins, our word work materials and various things around the classroom. If you do NOTHING else before back to school, please label your classroom library. You will save so much time if you have a lot of books as I do.

I wish I knew that I would need behavior notes two to three years after I’ve seen that child grow and leave our school. I keep a binder like this during the school year. I get a new binder the next school year. These are the ONLY binders I have in my classroom that belong to me. I don't keep my teaching material in binders anymore. The reason I keep these is because court cases may come back to hunt you and I'll have these with notes of conferences, progress of each child and test scores. I can't guarantee that I'll remember each and every child 15 years from now. If I need to, I'll have these. Worst case scenario is that I'll never need to pull them out. I'm okay with that. I had a teacher friend get pulled into court about a kid from maybe 4 years prior. She was terrified of what they would ask. I have to be prepared.

Simple as that. This wasn't a hard one for me to figure out, but in case you didn't know. Love the janitors. Let them know it. Love the cafeteria workers. Let them know it. If you have other staff in your school, show your appreciation. These are the people that keep your classrooms clean and your bellies full.

 You have a choice. Make a choice that will keep you in education for years to come.

Last, to play off the being happy, make sure to LAUGH. Teaching is such a thankless job that we need to remember to just laugh some of the craziness off. Don't do the ugly cry over things that you cannot control. Laugh and move on.

Have a great school year!!!

Packin' Up! Tips from Enchanted Kinder Garden + HUGE GIVEAWAY

Hey guys! We only have 6.5 days of school left and I am SO excited for the summer. However, packing up isn't always the easiest. Over the years, I've learned a thing or two about packing.


Make a video
The smartest thing I've ever done is to take a video (you can't click that by the way) of my entire room before I pack up. This helps me to place everything together and pack correctly. It also helps me to plan over the summer when I can't remember the exact way my room looks.

I also look back at old photos and go ahead and rearrange the large furniture that I may not want moved out when they wax my floor. I just leave a sign and ask them not to move it. There is one piece that I know I will not rearrange the entire year and it's really big, so I don't move it. It saves the janitors time and energy.

I also take pictures of everything that I strongly dislike about my room. I took some unpinterest worthy and very unfiltered real world what my room looks like pictures. This reminds me what I want to change.

Decide what to change

I also make a listing of changes, what worked, what didn't work and so on. I also list out all the furniture that I have so when I get ready to unpack, I will have a way to account for every piece. I always miss something when I'm planning it out.

Write down what worked

I absolutely LOVED when my rug was this way, but my classroom was not this way this year. It's going to be one of my goals to make my room work with the rug this way.

 I loved all of the things pictured above. This was my setup last year. I also had a very small class size which allowed me to do a lot more. This year with over 20 kids, it was a little bit harder. I loved our Daily Focus wall every day and our calendar being within reach of the kids. They did calendar everyday and were in charge of this.

My favorite thing ever is having these! I have about 20 crates in my room. Some are in the restroom and only for storing things. The rest are either around the room or around my guiding reading table. Every year, I put all of the crates on my large rug, take the tops off and organize. I leave them on the rug as I am packing. This makes it SUPER easy to put things back that ended up out of place during the school year. I also do my reading and math center buckets the same way. Here's what those look like.

They have been sorted by skill and by month. Next week, I'm going to only put monthly things in the correct crates and sort my centers by skill. The green ones are for literacy and the pink (I have a whole wall of these) are for math.

If you need some help sorting out things you want changed for next year, here's some sheets to help you!

We're having a giveaway and hopefully it will help you with your packing and planning for next year!

a Rafflecopter giveaway