Thing #7

Once again I got lost on the internet. If I don't stop searching and finding wonderful things, I will never get all 23 things done this summer! I have spent the last few days exploring You Tube. I had no idea there was so much there for teachers and students! In the past, when I have gone on You Tube it has been to see a replay of a sporting event, watch an out take from a TV show, listen to a musician/band or view something that was recommended by a friend. I use a lot of music and movement in my class for transitions and to review and reinforce skills in the areas of math and language arts. (I have absolutely no musical talent so I have to rely on others for help with this.) I found some great phonics and math videos which incorporate music and movement. "Lets Start Smart" had several lessons for reviewing phonics. At some point this summer,  I will embed the most useful ones into the appropriate Notebook lesson slides to use during my whole group language arts block. I also found  many excellent videos by "Harry Kindergarten". There are several that I will be using to reinforce math concepts. All are set to catchy tunes and reinforce key concepts such as the days of the week, months, coins, addition and subtraction, adding doubles, etc. I don't know when people found the time to make these videos, but I am sure glad they did! I have searched Google and Discovery Education for similar type songs to use with my first graders. You Tube was the best resource by far and without this class, I never would have thought to search there!

Last year, we were able to log into You Tube for the first time at school. I have used it in the past a few times to show my students short clips to build background before a lesson in reading or social studies. I will definitely use it more often this year, now that I know what a great resource it is for educators. I am excited to share these new discoveries with my first grade team.