3 Favorite Things: Classroom Management Tools

We're so happy to participate in the Teaching Trio's Favorite Things Linky this month!   For this month, I'm sharing my 3 favorite classroom management tools:  Class Dojo, Stick Pick, and Team Shake.

 

 

 

 

#1 - Class Dojo

Class Dojo is BY FAR my favorite classroom management tool to date!!  Using it encourages participation, teamwork, attendance, behavior, and so much more in your students!  It also keeps track of the data for you, and you can set it up to where parents can access their child's Class Dojo account, so they get information about their child in real time.  The best part about it is that it's absolutely FREE!  And, it can be accessed using ANY DEVICE with Internet access; available on the web and with the free Class Dojo app (available for Apple & Android devices).  Check out this video for a walk-through of this AMAZING tool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2 - Team Shake

Team Shake is an amazing app that allows you to fairly and equitably select members for groups/teams for games, class activities, seating arrangements, etc.  You can input data for each individual student that includes gender, ability level (weakest to strongest), and whether or not they should be placed in the same group as another student.  

 

Once you've inputted all names & data, select the number of groups you want or the number of students you want in each group, then give your device a shake.  Your students are automatically placed in equitable groups based on the data you inputted.  This is PERFECT if you want to make sure you have high, medium, and low students in each group.  This is a paid app, but it only costs $0.99, so it's well worth the price; available on Apple and Android devices.  Check out this video for a quick tour of this wonderful app!

 

 

 

 

 

#3 - Stick Pick

The Stick Pick app is a very handy tool for teachers to use when questioning students, especially for those teachers with a wide range of students, who need help asking questions on multiple ability levels.  Teachers place student names on virtual Popsicle sticks, and then select a "Question Stem Mode" for each student based on Bloom's, Bloom's Revised, or ESL; this sets the default degree of difficulty level for the question stems for each individual student. 

 

Once all names are added and you're ready to go, you simply draw a stick from your virtual bucket, and you're provided 12+ question starters that are tied to that learner's ability level.  After you ask the question, you can select the "assess" button, and choose whether or not they answered the question correctly and give your opinion on their answer based on a rating scale (0=no response, 1=shows no understanding, 2=partial understanding, 3=adequate understanding, 4=clear & accurate, and 5=insightful & confident).  This app is definitely the pricier of the tools, but it is well worth the $3.99 (Apple) / $2.99 (Android) price if it helps you ask higher order thinking questions and keep track of student data at the same time; available on Apple and Android devices.  Check out this video for a quick tutorial for teachers!

 

 

Classroom management tools are so important because they help you TEACH BETTER.  How can you teach effectively if you cannot manage your class well?  Do you have any other classroom management tools you'd recommend?  We'd love to hear from you!

 

Want to win a FREE Team Shake or Stick Pick app from Watson Works?  Enter our raffle below; winners announced Monday, October 12, 2015!  And you can enter each day! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

~Heather

Watson Works, LLC

 

 

 

 



Texas Size Link-Up ~ Back to School!

Howdy y’all!  We’re so glad y’all stopped by to see our #backtoschool tips and ideas and enter our Rafflecopter for the 2^nd Texas Size Link-Up!  

It’s that time again!  BACK TO SCHOOL!  As teachers, one of the many daunting tasks we’re faced with each week is creating a classroom newsletter.  We spend an hour of our precious time each week compiling all of the week’s highlights, homework, tips, schedules, and important events into a concise front/back page newsletter, hoping to entice our students’ parents to read it.  But if you’re lucky, only a small fraction of them read it.

We live in a visual society, so it makes sense that our classroom newsletters should be visually appealing for parents to read them.  So, to help you make your newsletters POP, we’ve created this HUGE set of fun Superhero/Pop Art ClassroomNewsletter Graphics, Digital Backgrounds, and Editable PowerPoint Templates that are sure to get your class’ parents excited about reading your newsletters! And you're in luck, we're giving it away as a part of this #backtoschool linky!

 

In this set, you’ll find:

58 Graphics
• Back to School
• Birthdays This Month (x2)
• Birthdays This Week (x2)
• Birthdays w/ Cupcake (x2)
• Birthdays w/ Layered Cake
• Book Fair
• Cake Layer for Birthdays
• Carnival
• Carnival tent
• Class Facebook Page
• Classroom News (header)
• Classroom Rules
• Class Website
• Contact Info
• Cupcake (no words)
• Fall Carnival
• Help Wanted
• Home to School Connection
• Homework
• Important News
• Lunch Menu
• Open House
• Parent Signature
• Picture Day
• Please Note
• Please Send (x2)
• Progress Reports
• Report Cards (x2)
• Schedule
• School Facebook Page
• School Events
• School Fundraiser
• School Website
• Sign & Return
• Spelling Words
• Student Holiday
• Student of the Week
• Subjects (English, Language Arts, Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies)
• Supplies Needed
• Thank You
• Tips (x2)
• Upcoming Events
• Vocabulary Words
• Weekly News
• Weekly News (header)
• Week Of
• Welcome Back

14 Digital Background Papers
• Solid blue
• Solid red
• Solid teal
• Solid turquoise
• Solid yellow
• Orange & white sunburst
• Turquoise & blue sunburst
• White & green sunburst
• White & red sunburst
• Fuchsia with black polka dots
• Fuchsia with pink polka dots
• Turquoise with white polka dots
• White with red polka dots
• White with black polka dots

16 Frames/Shapes
• Oblong (x5)
• Rectangles (x10)
• Square

8 Layout Images
• Horizontal Layouts (x4)
• Vertical Layouts (x4)

31 Editable PowerPoint Templates
• 15 Newsletter Templates w/ Classroom News Header
• 16 Newsletter Templates w/ Weekly News Header

We believe teachers are superheroes, so we think this theme is absolutely perfect!

Make sure you enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win this HUGE set of newsletter graphics and templates (a $10 value)!  GOOD LUCK!!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway *If you purchase it and then win it, you will get a free item of equal or lesser value from our store!  Woohoo! :)

Thanks for entering in the Rafflecopter, and don’t forget to follow us on BLOGLOVIN to know when we participate in the Texas Size Link-UP every month!

~Heather & Ashley

Watson Works, LLC

Proudest Moment since Joining TpT!!

We have loved every second of our journey since joining Teachers Pay Teachers as a seller in February 2014.  But, I've got to say our proudest moment was this week when we received a letter from a Andy, a 5th grade student, who received a book because of a donation we made to First Book, an organization that puts books in the hands of children in need.

Andy, a 5th grade student, sent Watson Works a letter thanking us for the book he received due to our First Book donation.

Andy states in his letter that he was "so thankful that you donated the book The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan because my parents never want to buy books that I like because they're too expensive.  Another reason I am really thankful is because now I have a book to read during the summer."  Does it really get any better than that?!?  TpT has opened so many new doors for us, but this is really what it's all about - being able to give back.  Because, it really is true what they say - "it is in giving that we receive."

Plus, as educators, is there a better cause to support than helping decrease the illiteracy rate in America?  According to a study conducted in April 2013 by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S. can't read. That's 14% of the population. 21% of adults in the U.S. read below a 5th grade level, and 19% of high school graduates can't read.  According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (completed most recently in 2003, and before that, in 1992), 14% of adult Americans demonstrated a "below basic" literacy level in 2003, and 29% exhibited a "basic" reading level.  The Department of Justice also reports that "The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure."  85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, and over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a 4th grade level (source: Huffington Post).

  
Just as the video below from www.LiterateNation.org states, "EVERY student DESERVES a chance to read, write, and learn for a LIFETIME.  NO exceptions.  NO excuses."  If you're interested in giving back, helping decrease the illiteracy rate in America, and providing books for children in need, too, I highly recommend becoming a First Book donor. Almost any size donation is accepted; there's just a $5 minimum required.  Then, 97% of all donations received provide new books for children in need.  To give your first donation, just click the image below.  It's fast and super easy! :)

~Heather
Watson Works, LLC

ENTER OUR FABULOUS FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY!!!

Watson Works Edu wants to thank their fabulous followers on TpT, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, & Pinterest by giving away $50 in gift certificates to Amazon.com, Target, and Teachers Pay Teachers! Enter for your chance to win! July 1st-7th! Enter each day to increase your chances!  Click HERE to enter!   ‪

Thanks!
Heather & Ashley
Watson Works, LLC
 
#‎giveaway‬ ‪#‎watsonworksedu‬ ‪#‎teacherspayteachers‬ ‪#‎teachersfollowteachers‬

TPT Seller Challenge 2: Dare to Dream

We've been very inspired by this week's task of the #TPTSellerChallenge, Dare to Dream.  Not only did we have to sit down and really think about what our dreams are and what we want to accomplish, but we actually took the first step into making them happen.  Ashley quit her job to devote her time to Watson Works full-time.  This is a HUGE step, and it took a whole lot of courage for her to take this risk.  But, Walt Disney said it best when he said, "All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."  We're determined to make our dreams a reality.

Be our own bosses: With Ashley quitting her job, we've taken the first step to becoming our own bosses. We want our time to be devoted to fulfilling our own dreams, NOT the dreams of others. 

Make our own schedules: As a result of being our own bosses, we will be able to make our own schedules.  No more 7:30-3:30 / 8:00-5:00 jobs!  We'll live life according to our own schedules.  If we want to leisurely sip our coffee in the morning, cook breakfast, go to the gym, shop, or do whatever before we start working, we can do that because we make our own schedules. No more waiting until the summer vacation to sip our coffee or go to the bathroom whenever we want! :)

Live comfortably: We don't have to be filthy rich, but we want to be to the point where we can live comfortably without financial stress.  There are enough things in the world to cause stress and worry.  We don't want our finances to be one of those stressors anymore.  If we want to take a spontaneous weekend trip to the beach, we want to be able to do that.  If one of our family members or friends is in need, we want to be able to give to them without having to balance the checkbook first.  No more being broke and tired!  We want to live comfortably!

Travel the world: We all say we want to travel the world.  But who actually puts that dream into practice?  We don't want to just talk about traveling anymore.  We want to actually TRAVEL!  We only get one life, and we want to take every opportunity to see the world and make memories.

Give to others: Like I said before, by living comfortably and being financially set, we will be able to give to those in need - without balancing our checkbook - without worrying if we'll be able to pay our bills - without thinking, "Can we afford that?"  It is so true that "we make a life by what we give," and we want to be able to give abundantly so that we can live abundantly.

Help teachers & children: Since we started Watson Works, our ultimate vision has been to help teachers help children.  We want to create tools that help teachers provide kids with the knowledge and understanding of the state standards, while being fun and engaging at the same time.  We want every child, no matter their unique learning style, to be taught the necessary skills to confidently take the right steps forward to his/her future.  By doing this, we are helping to make a difference in the lives of students, teachers, and the world.  

Thanks again to the creators of the #TPTSellerChallenge for helping us focus our efforts and take the first steps to making our dreams come true!  

We are determined "to live the life of our dreams!"

~Heather
Watson Works

TPT Seller Challenge 1: Makeover Madness

WE'RE BACK!!!  Sorry we've been off the grid for so long!  We've been busily working on writing curriculum for our school district, so blogging was placed on hold for quite some time.  Please forgive us! :)
 
We chose to update our 1st Grade Phonics & Spelling Week 1 for part 1 of the #TPTSellerChallenge: Makeover Madness, and we're pretty excited about the results!  Not only did we spruce up our graphics with better clip-art, headers, and footers, but we also added weekly homework, a spelling assessment, and cooperative learning cards.  Check out the results!

We're offering this product for FREE through 6/20/2015 (a $10 value), and then it'll be on sale 6/21-6/24/2015 for 20% off!  Click HERE to check out our new & improved product!  Please leave us feedback and let us know what you think!  We'd greatly appreciate it. :)

~Heather & Ashley
Watson Works

SUPER CYBER SAVINGS SALE! ENTIRE STORE 28% OFF!!

 

Stop by our store Dec. 1st & 2nd to take advantage of the Super Cyber Savings Sale!  Our entire store is 28% off!!