Language Arts Using a SmartBoard in my Classroom

I heart technology in the classroom.  It's kinda my 'thing'.  At my school, I'm definitely a go-to gal when your printer is broken (turn it on) or your computer is broken (again, did you turn it on?) etc.  But I am also very interested in using technology to reach the kiddos I have a students today.  A few years ago, my school jumped into the SmartBoard world and bought those for every class at our school.  I super-sparkly-pink heart my SmartBoard.  It was broken for a few weeks and I cried every day, had a mental breakdown, barely managed to get along without it!  I create a LOT of my own content for my SmartBoard using the Notebook software.  It seems like a lot of work, but each week, I pour through my TE and make a lesson for the week for Language Arts.  I include all of our sight words and spelling words for the week, as well as journal ideas, oral language activities, grammar, stories, poems, etc.  Each day, I just open that weeks file and continue where we left off the day before.  I did this all the 1st year I got my board, and now I have it all done.  FAB!  Here's a sample page that has the kids drag the sight word to fill in the blank:

You can download a copy of the notebook file for Harcourt Trophies Theme 4, Week 7 here!  I'm pretty sure you will only be able to open/use this if you have the Notebook Software installed on your computer.  You will also need a Smart Exchange (free) account.

I heart gold tags

Do you guys know about The Teeny Tiny Teacher Blog?  Love her.  Love, love, love her.  And I completely stole her idea this year!

If you don't know about gold tags, read this post here by Teeny Tiny Teacher.  It's great.  It will change your life.  OK, maybe not the whole entire thing, but at least a small part - behavior management.  Do away with the whole red green yellow system.  DO IT!  I'm telling you.  Amazing.  My kids are doing oh-so-well this year with gold tags.

Yes, I do Fun Friday.  Do you?  I teach at a FAB private school that really allows me to structure my classroom schedule how I want and really lives with the motto: "Work hard, play hard."  So, we have Fun Friday.  My little peanuts really 'go for the gold!' and love to get a gold tag.  And what does that earn them?  First dibs on Fun Friday choices.  That's it!  Really!!!

Be sure to check our Kirsten's post above!