All that Noise, Noise, Noise, Noise...

If you were to walk by my classroom you would most definitely hear NOISE! But noise isn't always a bad thing...as long as it's the right kind. I am not the teacher that has to have silence in her room all the time. I actually enjoy the buzzing of a working classroom. I love the group work, the collaboration and the sound of students sharing their ideas with one another and the excitement that learning can bring about. However, we all know that there are those times when your room needs a little sound management, as I like to call it. For that reason I have found some awesome and fun websites to help with controlling the noise level in your classroom. Check them out below!

Bouncy Balls

This website has colorful balls that bounce according to the noise level in your room. The louder your students, the more bouncy the balls. (Fun part: You can also change the balls to eyeballs, emojis and bubbles!)

Calm Counter

Not as exciting as the Bouncy Balls, but a cool monitor that goes from green to red when the noise level gets too loud in your room. This would be good for a small amount of noise to instruct the students to keep their level in the yellow area for group work.

Stop Light

This one isn't a noise monitor as much as a noise controller. You click on the light that you want the kids to work at. For example, no talking would be red. It's a visual reminder on the board for the students to keep their noise level under control.

BiblioNasium

I recently came across this great reading website called BiblioNasium. This site is for teacher, students, and parents. Teachers can create different classes and accounts for students. From there they can create challenges for their students and keep track of the books that they read. Students are able to search through their wide selection of titles including fiction and non-fiction and add them to their bookshelf as well as share them with friends. It looks like a great site with lots of potential for the classroom! Best of all...its FREE! Make sure to check it out!

Interactive Sites for Education

Well, the name says it all! I was browsing my weekly Discovery Educators Network newsletter and came across this AWESOME website called Interactive Sites for Education. First of all, the site is divided up into subjects. Then, when you click on a subject, it is divided into multiple categories! For example, let's say you clicked on math, then you would get to choose if you wanted fractions, angles, multiplication, etc. Once you click on your category, you then have tons of thumbnail images linked to interactive sites and games that you can use to have a little fun with your kids! These sites would be great for the Interactive White Board for whole group instruction or for personal computer use! Check out this awesome site below and let me know what you think!

Work "SMART"er!

Whether you have a SMART board or a Promethean board, if you're anything like me, your interactive white board has become a staple in your daily classroom activities! Usually I enjoy making my own SMART notebook lessons, however, I do dabble in SMART Exchange here and there, just to get some good ideas. Recently, while browsing for some cute lesson ideas, I found some great Halloween activities, ready for use! These activities deal with all subjects, including math and literacy, for all different grade levels! My favorite thing is that they can easily be customized to the needs of your students. To download some of these great interactive lessons, click on the image below! ** Remember, to download lessons, you do have to be a member...but sign up is quick, easy, and FREE, which makes it totally worth it!**