No More Snow Days?

 According to this article, a district in South Carolina is taking away snow days! The district is planning to convert snow days to "eLearning Days." Imagine this: waking up to the news saying that it is too risky to drive outside so we will tell the kids to learn on their own with a computer. In theory, that sounds like a great idea! To have students learn on the computer in some fashion sounds way better than making it up at the end of the school year when at least 20% of the students skip anyways for various reasons. I get it, from the government side, that it seems inefficient to run buses and school operations in June when a lot of students do not come to school. BUT THAT DOES NOT MEET THE NEEDS OF YOUR POPULATION! I know I do not live in South Carolina, but this does not make any sense to me at all. Heres why:

1) Daycare Issue
- As with all snow days, when a school has been canceled, the parents/guardians have to scramble in the morning to figure out where the kids will go. Some families and situations have to have the parent/guardian call in and not go to work to take care of their child. Yes, this is unfortunate but this is the norm in our modern times. Now, imagine you actually have someone you trust to take care of your child for the day while you go to work. They probably have their own child and maybe a couple others too. This one adult/person (could be a high school teenager?) is not only responsible for making sure they are safe, but now they have to make them do school work too. This may not seem horrible, but it does lead to my next problem...

2) Internet Access Issue
- NOT ALL FAMILIES HAVE INTERNET ACCESS AT HOME! To rely on others and communities such as libraries is not always convenient (for example unsafe to drive/walk...). My point is not all homes have access to the internet. Now imagine the scenario above (1 adult/teenager and about 4 to 6 kids ranging from 5 to 14 years old) and now expect them to do work on the computer/phone/tablet. That means you need capable technology for each kid to do their work (or to share). However, THIS IS ALL MOOT IF THEY DON'T HAVE INTERNET ACCESS AT HOME! I know in my community, more than half the students don't have internet access at home. Typically, only the parents have their smartphones that have access to the internet. Now they technically have internet access, but we are going to expect the adult to give their phone to the child and do grade level/differentiated work on a screen the size of their palm? That is too small of a screen regardless of your age to do important work that impacts your grades/work! This extends to my next concern...

3) Student Expectation Issue
- The teacher delivers the content to the students and the students have the opportunity to do it with internet access and on an appropriate screen. What if the student does not know how to do it without teacher guidance? What if the student cannot read it? What if there are technical issues? What if the student needs to ask a question because the assignment has a mistake and the teacher did not catch it? What if the student did all the work, but the work is wrong and you are not able to turn it in until the mistakes are fixed and no one in the house knows how to fix it? That is a lot of what ifs and I only thought about this for five minutes. In the modern age of education, students are on different levels and learn in different ways. That is not the issue, but it does become one when expecting them to have the content delivered to them differentiated, which leads to my last major concern...

4) Teacher Expectation Issue
- What is the teacher's role in this? Being a teacher, I HAVE MANNNNNY QUESTIONS about this if it was implemented at my school. Here are just a few that pop into my head:
A) Do the teachers work from home or have to go to school in the unsafe driving conditions?  If we work from home, does this count as part of our contract? How do we show proof of work?
B) What kind of assignments are we expected to assign to the students?
C) What if the child cannot have internet access at home? Are they exempt? Considered absent? Do they do get extra time to do it? (many questions in this department)
D) As we are expected to give the students digital assignments based on their level and the style they learn best (despite the state/district mandated testing doing the opposite)?
E) How can we deliver the content to the students if they are not supposed to need internet access (according to the article)?
F) How are teachers expected to monitor the student's progress when the assignments do not rely on the internet?
School Issue Question  G) Are the schools/districts going to supply the technology necessary for the students to do this type of work at home? (It says that the teachers will send their assignments to the students' computers. If they are, these Chromebooks  (see affiliate disclaimer here) are about 200 dollars. 200 x the number of students you have in a school. That is minimum of 50,000 dollars out of the budget to accommodate the students with serviceable Chromebooks.)

I only gave this section five minutes to think of potential concerns from the teacher side and I feel they are important enough for them to answer/fix if my district were going to do this.

In Conclusion
In theory, this sounds like a great idea! It really does! A schedule that does not change and we convert our snow days to snow day/eLearning day? To me, on the surface, it makes sense to do something like this if you live in a place that has many weather problems. BUT! Practically? With the way money is given to education/allocated from the federal or state governments, this does not work. If they are willing to give more money to the schools, then this could be possible because they can then spend money on technology the students can take home. But, even if they have technology given to them from school, is it expected of them to have internet access at home? What if they don't? Is the school going to buy it for them? Is the government going to subsidize the internet service or supplement it for the families to have it? To sum up, if this was going to be implemented, a lot of questions need answers/solved to ensure the access to education is equitable.

Thank you for reading my response to this article. Tell me what you think? You agree? Disagree? Share this to your friends and family and see what they feel about this! Thanks again!

No Prep & Effective Morning Work!

Let me start by saying that I truly believe there are many ways to start the day right when students come to the door. However, in a 5th-grade classroom, morning work can be an effective teaching practice.

This post is my first official review of a product that is available on TPT (Teacher Pay Teachers). This post is an example of a sponsored review. Normally here I would say who this is sponsored by but in this case... no sponsor = no need! I am not being compensated for my honest opinions about the products listed below. All opinions here will always be my own!

Introduction
Imagine this: You come in at 7:40 am. Students come to the door in 20 minutes. You planned your week as per usual, but you completely forgot your morning work! You have no time to plan a thought out worksheet or questions based on Common Core Standards. You don't want them to sit there and read with no purpose. That is asking for trouble from the get-go! What do you do?

The picture is created and produced by
Kristine Nannini - YoungTeacherLove

The picture is created and produced by
Kristine Nannini - YoungTeacherLove

Wouldn't that be insane!?!? A lot of us create purposeful, common core aligned and interesting morning work. But, what if I told you someone already did that for you? The product is Morning Work - Bell Work: 5th Grade Math and English Language Arts Spiral Review. Set for each day of the school year! Kristine Nannini created a huge product that does exactly what I need. Here are the links to her blog and TPT store. The product has pages for all 180 days! On the TPT product website, it says "Review or “fact check” questions that either spiral back previous grade levels’ standards, or review important concepts that students need to practice." It even gives examples to help do the problems! This product is a mixture of Mathematical and ELA Common Core Standards. The first 15 pages are entirely based on 4th grade to get the students acclimated to the routine and refresh their mind to be successful in 5th grade.

The picture is created and produced by
Kristine Nannini - YoungTeacherLove

 Advantages
A lot of us, teachers, have to multitask from the moment we step from school to after school when we are planning our lessons for the upcoming days. We all look for resources that meet our standards, easy to prep, and interesting. Well, this is it! Morning Work at times seems tedious and not productive. Yet, if we make the morning work about the standards, we will further develop those necessary skills our students need for 5th grade. I like to spend my planning on ELA and Math blocks so by having a product like this affords me that opportunity. Not to say spending time to create morning work isn't important, but when someone created a product that lets you focus on what you need helps TREMENDOUSLY, you should take advantage! The worksheets are a mixture of simple and difficult questions. After having students working by themselves first, they collaborate on the difficult ones. It takes about then 10-20 minutes to complete the worksheet. I also go over the answers with the class after I take care of the morning duties.

The picture is created and produced by
Kristine Nannini - YoungTeacherLove

Disadvantages
With many created products made on TPT, not all can fit perfectly into each of our classrooms. That is why there is an infinite amount of products/strategies out there for our classrooms. This is one, despite its advantages, that can't fit in all classrooms. For one, this product audience is targeting the 5th-grade classrooms. Yes, it can be used rarely for those exceeding in lower grades or need help in higher grades, but its purpose is for 5th grade. Another disadvantage that is unfortunate is the inability to differentiate between the worksheets. Yes, you can mix it up and give each student different numbered worksheets, but then it breaks up the spiral method. What I did to combat this have I added problems on the back. However, it started to eat up into my planning time again.

The picture is created and produced by
Kristine Nannini - YoungTeacherLove

Conclusion
To say this product is a good one is an understatement. You can tell from using the product that Kristine Nannini invested so much time and research into this. This product can meet a lot of people's needs, mine included. but it, unfortunately, can't meet everyone. I know teachers who take hours in creating their morning work through their curriculum, and standards. They differentiate their morning work to meet the needs of their students. All power to them, but to take hours into morning work and not even touching the rest of your lessons is just too much. This product is not for them. If you're looking for a simple, efficient, effective, and standard based morning work with no prep involved, then this is it! Here is the link to Kristine Nannini's store and blog. I hope this review helps your decision about this product.

The picture is created and produced by
Kristine Nannini - YoungTeacherLove

PS - THEY HAVE 4TH GRADE TOO!

Don't forget to share! It will go a long way in spreading the great resources around!

Book Review: Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan Should 5th Graders Read It?

Imagine your 5th-grade class absolute silent, listening & reading along with a book with you? Sounds too good to be true, right? I agree! I have taught 5th grade for four years now and every time we do a class read there are the occasional talking, wanting to go to the restroom, not tracking the book properly, fake reading. etc... AND I KNOW that is not only 5th grade that acts like that? In a nutshell, the class books we choose are ones we try to grab the most Common Core Standards and then grasping at straws in hoping it keeps their interests. What if we did the opposite? Why don't we find a book that has a plot that has many cliffhangers, can visualize very well, has the main character close to their age, and teaches life lessons too? All of this on top of the Common Core Standards too? A book like that seems too good to be true! Well, I am here to tell you that the book Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan is a book that 5th graders SHOULD READ!

Synopsis of the Book according to Pam Munoz Ryan's website:
Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a girl could want: dresses; a home filled with servants in Mexico; and the promise of one day presiding over El Rancho de las Rosas. But a tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and her mother to flee to Arvin, California and settle in a farm camp. There, they confront the challenges of work, acceptance, and economic difficulties brought on by the Great Depression.

This post contains affiliate links. See disclosure here

A Teacher's Perspective

I have done a multitude of books in the form of class read, independent read, small group, and lit circles. BUT, no book has gotten the attention of my 5th graders so much that they whine and cry because we finished our reading for the day. Seriously, WHINE AND CRY. I have had more than three classes read this book and each one of them got so into it that they tried to cheat and read it instead of their personal books to see what will happen next. 

Not to say this is a downside, but you have to do some background pre-teaching about what happened in Mexico and the United States in the early 1900's. You don't have to do it, but it would really help them understand the story better. Also, it does place a decent amount of spanish, but it does give the English translation almost immediately after. 

This book hits many 5th grade ELA Common Core Standards. MANY. You can seriously hit almost all the ELA if you really wanted to, but we all have time constraints. I have taught this book as slowly as a chapter a week to as fast as three chapters a week. You don't have to hit all the possible standards, but you can definitely hit the major ones. 

Now teaching ELA using this book for three years in a row, I can definitely recommend this book to teach 5th grade with. It peaks their interest, there are MANY resources available (TPT or not) to help teach the book, hits many Common Core ELA standards, there are audio resources for those who struggle, and the book is based on a true story! Please click here to go buy it! 

Why Should 5th Graders Read It? 

Besides the repeated tellings of how this book can use to teach many ELA Common Core Standards? Because the story grabs the students interest! Not only is the story interesting to them in terms they 90% can understand, but the fact that many students can relate to the story in some way. In the modern times, we are in, many more kids are coming to us with problems that no one should go through. This story will relate to them to some level of going through hard times and trying again even though it doesn't feel you should. So, in a nutshell, this book has something for everyone. This book can help your class A LOT!

Conclusion

After teaching this book for three years and to a multitude amount of students, I can say with confidence this book will not only help you teach the 5th Grade Common Core Standards efficiently, but the plot of this book will connect with students that many other can't. This book is highly recommended and pretty inexpensive! Please Click here to buy the book or click the on the book! 

Thank you for coming to read this Book Review: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. Don't forget to comment below if you have a question. Better yet, SHARE IT! If you would like to get in contact with me: teachalldayeveryday@gmail.com 

Is the Lumens DC125 Ladibug 30fps HD Lightweight Document Camera Worth It?

If you were going to pay almost 300 dollars for something in your classroom, you want to make sure it is worth it and long-lasting. That is where the question comes in, Is the Lumens DC125 Ladibug 30fps HD Lightweight Document Camera worth it? Short answer, depends on what you need/have.

Below is the picture of the document camera.

This post contains affiliate links. See disclosure here

This is a great alternative for those who only have a projector and not an interactive whiteboard like a Promethean Board or Smartboard. It is very convenient to have one, but when your school/business cannot supply you with one then this is the perfect alternative. Below is my list of Pros & Cons of what I think about this Doc Cam.

Pros

1) It is Lightweight and easily adjustable! This Doc Cam is slightly different than most of them. The neck that connects the base to the camera is surprisingly durable and stiff enough to do the work. When I first opened the doc cam box and saw the neck I was concerned if it would hold steady and not fall down every time I tried to use it. Boy, was I wrong! 99% of the positions I adjust the neck to meet the needs of the classroom. The doc cams that are on the market are more fragile and the necks of them look like they are going to snap. Another side benefit to this is the weight of it. It weighs about three pounds. Easily portable! I can move it with one hand on the neck, no problem (just be careful of course)!

2) Easy install & troubleshoot. They gave me multiple ways to do this. One time when I had to switch it to a different computer and all I did was plug it in and it started to download the drive I need for it. I felt that was a rare situation. Nonetheless, that time it was easy! I think the simplest way they give it to us to install is to plug it in and they give you a link to type in on your browser and it takes you to the drive & SOFTWARE you need to download/install. Once that was completed, all I had to do was to click on the "ladibug" and it started working right away (as long as you have it connected)!!! It was that easy. It took me less than 5 minutes! It would only take you longer if you have a slower internet speed and outdated computer. That is where there troubleshoot comes in. They give you problem-solving strategies if needed. Also, they give you different drives and programs if needed to make it work on your computer/mac.

3) Connects to Computer (not the projector/Promethean/Smartboard board). Compared to most Doc Cams, they usually connect to the projector only. This one actually connects to the computer. At first, this felt like an inconvenience, but really became more of a positive than negative. The ability to keep your computer connected while showing the doc camera helps minimize that transition time from switching to doc cam to the computer. On top of that, you can set up your computer/laptop in a way for you to see it so you don't have to keep looking at the projector screen to see if it is positioned how you want it. For the first two years I used this, this helped tremendously! 

4) Last, but the best Pro is the QUALITY AND THE SPEED. That 30fps HD component is very important. If you have/had a Doc Cam before, then you know when you when your working on one, they are typically on a half second to one-second delay. This one is so fast it feels like a live feed! On top of that, it is HD! The quality of the picture is amazing! I am very picky in this area because I know the technology has the capability, it was just a matter of finding it. 

Cons

1) Feels fragile (but it does not break). I know I talked about the neck being durable and able to move to where you need to show what you need, but at the same time, it is fragile. The red parts are plastic, the camera portion has obvious fragile components, and the neck, if not taken care of properly, can break if misused. I had a strict no touching the doc cam policy, but we all have those students who try to touch it and play with it. What happened a couple times is students play with it very rough and eventually the Doc Cam loses balance and falls! As I tried to hold my emotions in check because I am thinking in my head, "OMG! THERE GOES MY 300 DOLLAR DOC CAM!" But, surprisingly, nothing broke, not even a scratch.

2) Price. Wow! this price is steep when you have to pay out of your pocket for this. Not to say it isn't worth it in my opinion. I do remember I did my research long and hard about this Doc Cam simply because it was a very steep price to pay to meet what I needed for my classroom. Don't expect to go down significantly either. The price now is about the same price I paid three years ago. Again, the product is well worth the price that it is shown, but it is still a lot of money to spend on. 

Overall/Conclusion

Now having this item for about three years, I can safely conclude that the price I paid is well worth it. The convenience of it being connected to my computer instead of the projector, the quality and speed are a MAJOR PLUS, and it is lightweight and can adjust very easy when needed too! The price is the major con in this product, but I feel the pros outweigh the cons this time around. If you have questions, concerns, or comments please do so down below or email me! Better yet, you know other people who are in need of a pencil sharpener or had issues in the past with them? SEND THEM THIS LINK!

THIS IS A GREAT gift if you know the teacher does not have an interactive whiteboard (Promethean/smartboard) but does have a projector.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to share to PIN IT! :)

The Best Classroom Pencil Sharpener EVER! It doesn't break...EVER!

"My pencil won't sharpen!" "It got stuck again!" "Half of my pencil is gone!" 

Which teacher hasn't heard of those sayings before? (lucky you if you haven't!)

This post contains affiliate links. See disclosure here

In my short seven-year career in the educational field, I have dealt with the pencil sharpener issue many times. We all have those days when we have students who act like the rules don't apply to them and they sharpen their pencils during the lesson. What's worse is when they do that and then they say things like above, "My pencil won't sharpen!... It got stuck again!... Half of my pencil is gone!" Not only did they distract your whole/small group lesson, but now the pencil sharpener broke again and you have to fix because you know it will cause more issues not to do anything than fixing it. That is where this post comes in!

For the last three years, I have had the same pencil sharpener!

How many people can say that? Lucky you if you did! But, wow the pencil sharpeners just never lasted. They always had issues! Well here comes your savior!

The pencil you should get is the

School Smart Vertical Pencil Sharpener, 6 x 4 Inches, Electric

Pros
1) This pencil sharpener has lasted through hundreds of 5th graders using it so recklessly! I mean, WOW! I am usually the type of teacher that tries to let his students solve problems first before intervening, but I haven't really had to to do so when it came to pencil sharpening besides the, "NO SHARPENING DURING LESSON/SMALL GROUP TIME." The container that held the pencil shaving is large and can hold A LOT! What is good about the pencil shaving container is that it must be fully pushed in for it to 'turn on'. If students accidentally nudged it too hard or after taking out the shavings, it won't matter! The sharpener will not turn on until it is fully put back on!

2) THE SPEED! This pencil sharpener is fast! It can sharpen a pencil from flat to sharp in less than 5 seconds! NO JOKE! This pencil sharpener sharpens dull ones in less than three seconds too! They might not sound fast, but if you had a pencil sharpener that was not meeting your needs or takes FOREVER to sharpen, three to five seconds sounds GREAT!

3) One more positive about this pencil sharpener is the pressure/sound when holding the pencil sharpener when it is being sharpened. I know this hard to visualize/feel, but this is actually helpful.  We all have those students who go and sharpen their pencil and just stand there and just wait while it's 'Sharpening'. It works like this, you can feel the actual pencil being sharpened and when it is done the sound of the sharpener lightens. I am serious! You can actually hear the student just standing there ignoring/fake sharpening and catch them in the act without them realizing it. I know this may seem like a small plus, but when you're in the thick of it, small details like this help!

4) Lastly and possibly the best is the PRICE. As it stands, the price on Amazon Prime is $22.93. The regular price is $29.15. Regardless of which one you have, it is still great value for the reliability and efficiency of what the pencil sharpener brings. Think about it this way: A 10-15 dollar average pencil sharpener can last a year, year and a half max. Don't forget that the 15 dollar pencil sharpener will break and jam constantly. Don't forget the constant issues it brings with students. With about 10 dollars more, you get a reliable pencil sharpener and minimal issues.

Cons
Now for the negative. Now, to be honest, it is hard to come up with negatives for this awesome tool, but I did come up with a couple. One, I would say the size/weight of the pencil sharpener. I mean for such an efficient pencil sharpener, it has to come with a price. Not to say it is heavy and you can't hold onto it, but it does weigh about two and a half pounds. Just make sure you have a grip on it! The size, again, is really not a big deal at all. It is just slightly bigger than your typical pencil sharpener. Again, the efficiency and peace of mind with this pencil sharpener does come with some tiny costs.

The only other negative I can think of is the power cord. Now, this is annoying. The cord is like only three to four feet long so that might be average, but it feels short. This could easily be fixed with an extension cord, but shouldn't be necessary for a typical purchase. I just know this annoys me when I rearrange my room and there are limited spots to where I can place it because of a short cord.

Overall/Conclusion
I am super glad I made the jump a few years ago to buy this pencil sharpener. Other ones weren't cutting it. Now three years with the same one, it hasn't broken, it sharpens quickly, the shaving container can hold a lot and needs to be placed right for it to 'turn on', and AGAIN IT DOES NOT JAM! If you have questions, concerns, or comments please do so down below or email me! Better yet, you know other people who are in need of a pencil sharpener or had issues in the past with them? SEND THEM THIS LINK!

THIS IS A GREAT GIFT FOR THOSE NEW TEACHERS! They will thank you COUNTLESS TIMES for this gift!

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to share to PIN IT! :)