Middle School Mob $100 TpT Gift Card Giveaway

Hey everyone!!

The Middle School Mob is coming together to celebrate our 500 Facebook followers! We are giving away a $100 TpT gift card to thank our followers for joining us in our Middle School Mob antics.

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Plickers in the Classroom

If you are anything like me, you are always looking for a fresh way to assess your students. Additionally, my assessment needs to be exciting and fast-paced to keep up with the attention span of my middle schoolers in the afternoon. I came across Plickers and it checked all the boxes. Formative assessment...check. Technology driven...check. Fast-paced...check. So I decided to test it out with my 8th grade class to see if 1. I could get it to work and 2. the kids enjoyed using it as an assessment.

So what is Plickers?

It's a classroom polling system which can display results in real time. That's the key. As soon as the students respond, results are posted instantaneously. In my opinion, the immediate posting of results is essential in a classroom full of tweens and teens. They love the instant gratification and the game-like feel.  And along the way, they lose sight of the fact that they are also learning. It's a win-win!

How did I get started?

1. I downloaded the Plickers app onto my phone. They have an app for iPhone and Android.
2. Go to plickers.com and sign up for the service. It's free and there are not hidden costs to use it. YAY! 
3. Click on the Cards link in the toolbar. This will take you to the page to download the Plickers cards.  They have multiple choices for cards. Choose the set that works best for you. Then just print them, cut them, and laminate them. Hint: If you don't have the time or you would rather have cards that are less likely to be destroyed by middle schoolers, you can purchase a set of 40 hard, laminated ones on Amazon for $20.00. I actually saw them on Amazon before realizing I could do them myself from the Plickers website. After getting the ones from Amazon, I'm pleased that I got them. They were high quality cards that were all ready for my classroom without all the hassle. 







4. Create a class on Plickers website and assign card numbers to your students.
5. Create your questions. 

Links to helpful resources I used

• A step-by-step "Getting Started Guide" which walks you through the entire process was what I used. There is also a webinar you can watch but I didn't need to after using the guide above.
• A step-by-step YouTube walkthrough that helped me because I could follow along and do it as I watched the video. So easy to follow and helped this visual learner.
• Another helpful YouTube walkthrough to see Plickers in action.

Once I had done those steps, I was ready to use it in my classroom. We had just completed a short review unit on figurative language so that's the content I used to create my questions. Simple eleven questions to get my feet wet.

The kids came in and I passed out the Plicker cards and there was instant interest. It was new and the shapes printed are the cards are funny looking so everyone was curious. I told them I wanted to try something new with them that day and they are usually good sports about being my guinea pigs. I explained how to use the cards (the correct letter of answer had to be up and they should keep their fingers along the edge so the shape could be read).

The first question was up on the board, my iPhone app was open, and I said a little prayer that it would work. They put up their cards and I scanned the room. I was shocked by how quickly the answers registered on my phone and on the screen. IT TOTALLY WORKED! And they totally loved it! Yes!! <insert fist pump here> 

What did the students like about Plickers?

1. Technology was used.
2. They knew immediately if their answer was right or wrong.
3. No one could cheat off of them because no one could see their answer on the card.

 What did I like about Plickers?

1. I know instantly if my students understand a concept. 
2. My students get immediate feedback on their learning.
3. It's free to use and requires NO student technology.

How can Plickers be used?

1. Quickly take the pulse of the class: Ask your students "Do you get this?" or similar question and have them hold up their cards to answer yes or no. You can do this with a saved class or a demo class (if you want anonymous answers).
2. Create a review game: Create a group of questions in your saved class. To conduct the review, have students hold up their assigned cards to respond to each question. Every student responds at the same time and you see quickly the status of your class.  The advantage to this over regular review games is that all students answer at same time. They can't wait for someone else to answer. They all are required to answer.
3. Take attendance using a question or just have them hold up their cards to check in. You will know those that are absent immediately. Note: In order to do this, students would need to be trained to get the correct card out quickly.

Final Thoughts

Does it work 100% of the time? Probably not. Sometimes you may need to re-scan a student's card if it's not visible because of being hidden behind another student's card or head. If you project the results on a large screen, like a Promethean Board or Smartboard, then students can see if their answers have been recorded and lower or raise their card to be re-scanned. 

If you decide to print, cut, and laminate the cards, there may be issues recognizing the codes due to overhead glare from indoor lighting. Lamination tends to create a glare. This can be adjusted in the way the cards are held.

With that being said, give Plickers a try in your classroom. If you are looking for a new and interesting way to assess in your classroom, it's worth a go. I'm glad I did and will be adding Plickers to my toolbox of assessment techniques. If you are interested in trying Plickers and / or have more questions, feel free to leave me a comment and I would be happy to help you through the process.

Happy Plicking!!

The Language of Love: Using Love Songs for Close Reading

February is the month of love and a great time to bring the language of love into your ELA classroom. To tie in with the month, I use love songs as close reading text. Love songs are full of imagery, figurative language, and emotion. Because of this, they are perfect to have students analyze using close reading. It's also a way to bring music into the classroom, which my students are always up for.

I typically begin this with my students the beginning of February and I scatter the poems throughout the month. I currently have 9 activities so I do a few every week. The students seem to like this much better than taking the whole week of Valentine's to do the songs.

Close reading is something that must be practiced and used consistently for students to get comfortable with the process. I use a close reading process of three reads in my classroom. Here are the steps I use for this specific close reading activity:

1. We listen to the song together so students can get the "feel" for the song and this allows them to get acquainted with the text in a way that doesn't seem scary. I do allow the students jot down notes in the margin as they listen. These notes typically include specific feelings or thoughts they had as they listened to the song or effects within the sound of the song they notice. I view this as a pre-reading warm-up and gets them excited about the text. 

2. The First Read: The students then read the text of the song on their own or in small groups. The purpose of the first read is to read for understanding by determining key ideas and details. The activity typically has 1-3 questions for the student to answer during this first read. 

3. The Second Read: The students read the text on their own or with a partner. The purpose of the second read is analyzing the craft and structure of the text. This could include looking at figurative language, word choice, word meaning, or text structure. The second read is "the meat" of the analysis, in my opinion. This is not a time for "right there" questions. This is a time for deep thinking and analysis for the students, which is why, at least at the beginning, I allow them to work with a partner. 

A student example

4. The Third Read: This is the final read for students. They have read to determined the main idea of the text. They have broken the text up and dived into analyzing its parts and figured out how the parts add to the overall effect of the text. This third read is bringing it all back together and asking the students to integrate all of the information from the previous two reads and determine the overall effect of the text. They may look at the mood or tone of the text. They may look at how the title is related to the song. This is a time to decide if the author succeeded in their purpose for the text. And it's a great wrap-up of the process.

This process remains pretty close to what I do in my classroom during each close read activity, whether it's fiction or nonfiction...essay, speech or poem. This is the process that seems to work for my students and allows them to step through the text successfully. 

If you are interested in the songs and questions that I use, you can find them in my here in my TpT store. 

Until next time...

Start Your Year Inspired! TPT Sale!!

One of my favorite things about Teachers Pay Teachers has been all the wonderful educators I have connected with throughout the world. It's been such a fantastic journey!

So I wanted to share with you some fabulous products! Teachers Pay Teachers is having a site wide sale beginning tomorrow (January 20th) and extending to January 21st. It's a wonderful time to stock up on products on your wish list.

New Year's Ideas & Giveaway

Well, Christmas break is coming to a close and it's time to prepare for going back to the classroom. Most of my students have been spending their break sleeping in, playing video games, and hanging out with their friends. Very few (if any) have spent anytime looking back at the past year or looking forward to the year ahead of them. 

Goal setting is not an automatic skill with middle schoolers but it an essential life skill. Most students get overwhelmed with goal setting because they focus on the goal and it's overwhelming. It doesn't occur to them that breaking the goal down into steps makes it all less scary and easier to attain each step along the way. It's less stressful to be working toward the big goal by achieving the steps. This allows them success with long-term goals and showing the importance of short-term goals through the process. Students need to be taught the process of goal setting, including breaking the goal into smaller, manageable steps and creating a timeline to achieve the goal. 

My students struggle with both goal setting and assessing progress towards those goals. So the start of a new year is the perfect chance to offer practice with these life skills. One way I do this is using my Looking Forward Looking Back activity. This activity does two things: 

1. It prompts students to look back at the past year and reflect on their hits and their misses. They are asked to talk about their proudest moment and the best part of the past year. They are also asked to reflect on something they would change from the past year and talk about how they would change it for the better. 

2. It prompts students to look forward to the new year and practice goal setting. Some sections offer fun, creative ways to put down on paper things they would like to do during the upcoming year (places they would like to go, experiences they would like to have). But there are also in-depth, real life examples of the goal setting process that students must work through. They are asked to come up with two resolutions for the new year (one for home and one for school) and then they must take that resolution (goal) and break it into manageable steps. This not only lets them practice goal setting, which I feel is the easier portion of the process, but it pushes them to break down the long-term goal into smaller short-term goals (or steps) to help them work toward their goal. It is more likely that their long-term goals will be kept if they also create short-term goals that they can attain to keep them motivated to stay on track. 

You may download my Looking Forward Looking Back activity by clicking here. 

Feel free to look at my other New Year's products in my TpT store while you are there. 

Happy New Year!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Favorite Posts of 2015

Hey all! As we close the books on 2015 and go forward into 2016, I'd like to share with you three of my favorite blog posts from 2015 by linking up with Sara @ Years that Ask Questions.

Pairing Christmas and ELA 

This post combined my two loves: Christmas and Reading. And it was a great moment in my classroom that allowed my students to reflect on that one favorite book they had read recently. 

Turn Your Beliefs Into Actions

I loved linking up with Whitney @ With Love From Texas. Whitney challenged us to put down in words our core teaching beliefs. It was a great way to get geared up for the upcoming school year. It gave me some time to reflect on my own beliefs and showed me that even though I knew what I believed in, it wasn't easy to get them down in words. Sometimes beliefs are in the heart and hard to pinpoint. This was a great lesson for me that it's always important to ground yourself in your core beliefs. These beliefs should always be your guiding force.

I Made It...Finally

This was the blog post that started my journey. I was late to catch the blogging bug and I still struggle keeping it. I often struggle with things to say and roping the fine art of getting myself down in words (which shouldn't be all that hard for an English teacher). So this reminds me of where it all started and what my focus remains today.

Thanks for taking some time and stopping by to see my top posts of 2015. Happy New Year and enjoy the second half of your school year!

Pairing Christmas and ELA

I have always believed in the importance of making my classroom feel warm, inviting, and homey. During the holiday season, a Christmas tree is essential. In the past, I have decorated the tree and not given the ornaments much thought. They matched my classroom decor and they were pretty. But this year, I wanted to try something different. I wanted to find a way to put my two loves together...Christmas and reading. So I created an ornament for my students to create that allowed them to suggest a book that they loved. The ornament included a student decorated book cover and a book recommendation / review on the back.

Here is one student's completed ornament:

Once students completed their ornaments, they placed them on our classroom tree. Here is our tree with all the student created ornaments.

Students will be able to take their ornaments home with them and place them on their family trees on the last day before Christmas break. Many of them have said they are excited to share them with their families.

If you are interested in doing this activity with your students, the free "Reading is a Gift" ornament can be found by clicking here.

Thanks everyone and breathe through the last few days before break!