Infographics Bonanza!

I'm trying out a new "thing" from one of my technology classes.  I need to find some infographics that I'd like to use in my classroom.  I have found LOTS of them on my favorite guilty pleasure Pinterest.  Thank goodness there are such skilled people out there!  Thought these would be good tips to remind the kiddos.





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Happy Summer!

Ahhhhh... Lake Tahoe...

It has been such a busy time since my last post... I apologize to any SpringBoard teachers who have been checking. I am super excited to get back into the blog as I have learned that 3 other schools in my district will be using SpringBoard this year. My hope is to offer some help and some peace! For being what some mistakenly call a "canned" curriculum, it really isn't.

So I can't tell you exactly what to do, just suggest some things that may allow you to breathe again. I highly recommend using the SpringBoard community on their website. It helped me so much the first year. But like everything, it can be quite time consuming. One thing I like is you can "subscribe" to certain topics/conversations and get email updates whenever someone posts.

My advice for you during the summer is this:

1. Familiarize yourself with the theme of your grade level (for example 7th grade is "Choices" - 8th grade is "Challenges"). Think about other books, movies, TV shows, cartoons, characters, etc. that might lend themselves to these themes.
2. Read the beginning of your teacher edition.
3. Look at the embedded assessments so you know what's coming.  I would recommend just reading the part that says "Assignment" on the first page of the Embedded Assessment directions; it's the most user friendly and clear.
4. Think about ways you can supplement so you will still get weekly grades in your grade book, because SB doesn't really have that.  So, maybe a grammar, vocabulary, skill sheet, reading log?
5. Don't plan too far in advance.  It's too hard to remember what you are supposed to teach for the current day if you get too far out!  Trust me, happened to me a lot!  I could tell you what we were doing in 2 weeks, but no clue for that day, because I had forgotten!
6. Gather the multi-media resources as well as "Suggested Texts and Materials" listed on the first page of each unit. (movie clips, magazine covers, etc.) Start files for stashing these things away.
7. Read whatever novel is assigned to the grade level you teach (Tangerine for 7th Grade, The Giver for 8th Grade).  Read it for enjoyment, but write a summary on the first page of each chapter about the main points, trust me it will help you later.  ** This might also be a good way to get some supplemental grades later when you are reading the novel... chapter quizzes? **

As a 3rd year SpringBoard teacher, I feel a lot less stressed heading into this school year. The first year is definitely the most challenging. I will post my back to school plans and pacing guide this week.

Please feel free to comment or ask questions!