Google classroom provides a great way to share content with your classes.  Using Google Forms makes an easy way to create quizzes and ask questions.  In addition you can replace a variety of activities in your class with a Google Sort.  From simple labeling activities to vocabulary concepts, these sorts provide a student activity that is easy and effective for classroom use.  The following video details the steps in making a Google sort for your classroom.  Example product links are at the bottom of the page. 

​One of the challenges of managing 1 to 1 or hybrid classrooms is keeping track of all the different computer assignments students complete.  In my classroom alone, we use the following sites. . .​

• www.readworks.org Great online reading resources with questions.  Perfect to reinforce literacy skills in any classroom.
• Google Classroom I organize all my content here.  Google is masterful in how it lets you organize notes, projects and class resources.
• Quizizz:  This is the perfect site for game review and practicing concepts.  My students never tire of practicing lesson vocabulary here.
• Canvas:   This is our learning management system.  We use it for all our assessments.  The testing tool here blows Google Classroom out of the water.  Canvas also integrates with our grading programs, one click and all assignments are graded and uploaded into our district gradebook.

​One of the simple tools I use in my classroom is digital make up slips.  This is for any make up assignment that students do after the class has moved on.  This gives me a physical reminder to go into a specific learning website and check their work.  It also provides uniform documentation for parents.  This can be sent home, emailed or texted to parents when they ask about make up work.  Click the link below for a free copy of this resource. 

Looking to liven up your middle school classroom?  Battle bell ringer are the best solution.   The basic idea is over the course of a week, change one bell ringer day to require students to compete against each other.  Either through an academic challenge, physically building something from cheap materials or an electronic game format.  As soon as your students see the words “Battle Bell Ringer” they get curious and excited.   Here’s an example.

Students learning about the solar system have been investigating various planets.  For the start of class, I have students do a “Science Stacker” bell ringer.  The group that comes in first gets a fabulous prize.  Prizes can range from a free pass to the water fountain, a “gold card” redeemable for a prize or some other small treat (that meets school guidelines).   This creates a win-win for you as a teacher, kids are excited to come to your class and students have fun while reviewing an academic concept.  
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Looking for great free resources for your classroom?  This year's FIRST Lego League challenge “Into Orbit” is free and available for download. Every year students across the country participate in local events where teams create innovative projects and compete in project games.  You have to register to receive the project game materials however, you can use the free project documents to inspire your students to create an innovative project related to exploring our solar system.   Here are inks to check it out

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Project documents FLL into orbit resource library.  

https://www.firstinspires.org/resource-library/fll/into-orbit-challenge-updates-and-resources

FLL Youtube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuGaG4GtEj82i3pByi_bM3A

With a new school year upon us, middle school teachers are often faced with the task of connecting to their advisory groups.  Every year is different, from the kickball champions of the world to my Harry Potter groupies, advisory groups are as diverse as the personalities that make them up.  With this understanding, here’s my favorite activity to get the year started right.
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My Grandma has a grocery story:  A name game.  Every year there are kids that don’t know each other.  So rather than saying “hey you” all year long, we play a fun game that helps everyone (including me) learn their names.  It runs like a spelling bee. 
All kids stand at their desk

Student 1 says, “My grandma has a grocery store and she sells Apples.”  (the product can be anything that starts with the letter A.
Students 2 then repeats what student 1 says, however they have to address it as “Tim’s grandma has a grocery store and she sells apples.”  Adding the previous students name and what their grandma sells.  Then student 2 would say :My grandma has a grocery store and she sells bananas.”  Or any product that starts with the letter B. 

This pattern continues, having each student name all the previous students and what their grandmas sell.  Its great fun.  You can be lenient the first time around to make sure everyone learns the previous students’ names.  Additionally, students with learning challenges may need some additional support.   After the students make it around one time, I often allow them to pick other items not in alphabetical order, this increases the complexity.  At this point if a student can’t remember a name or product they sit down like a spelling bee.   Although this game sounds simple, I am hard pressed to get through a group of 20 kids in 30 minutes, so keep good notes, this could be a multiday activity. 
 

Advisory Kickball Team Building 

As we approach the end of the year, it gets increasingly harder to hold the attention of middle school students.  Students, teachers and administrators get tired of the same behavior patterns that have been on display for the past 8 months.  Today, I would like to talk about a website you can use to reengage your classes and make the last month a good time for all.
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Classcraft is a gamification website that allows you to gamify your students experience.  From the teacher side its easy to use and administer in class.  On the student side it opens up a whole new world of game experience in the classroom.  Here’s a video introduction to the site.
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Using this system, there are several layers of points that students can earn, work with or spend.  Here’s a basic summary.

• XP Points:  These are points I give as kids complete classwork, assignments and other activities.  Its easy to assign points to either a group or individual
• HP Points:  Health Points,  kids must keep their health up of they will fall in battle (Essentially die in the game). Health points are generally lost through random actions of the game, missing questions or negative behavior consequences
• AP Points:  Action points allow the kids to use a variety powers and special privileges.  Some are collaborative powers that benefit their classmates while others are individual powers that help themselves.
• GP:  Gold Points, these allow students to buy stuff. 

How do I use it?  Each day we do a random event from Classcraft.  There are twenty events that can be used as a bell ringer.  Some are really funny.   Like having one student turn into a butterfly for a class period.  Others will benefit the whole class, or harm them.  This creates a very positive way to interact with students at the start of each class.  My students anxious await the latest event.

In addition, I do a once a week “Boss Battle.”  This is simple a quiz battle that allows the students to fight a fictitious character.   If they defeat the boss they earn points, if they miss questions, they could fall in battle.  If a students health points falls to 0, they fall in battle.  The game will randomly assign a consequence.  I customized mine so that are small task to last 4 to 5 minutes.  For example, organize my tables, clean the desktops.  Kids willing do their chores to get back into the game and after they complete their sentence, the game will play a heavenly sound as they come back to life.

Managing this is the classroom is a lot off fun.  I run the game screen on the projector in the front of my room, then use the app on my phone to monitor individual students.  For example, if a group gets a daily assignment done, I give them 100xp.  If a student is unprepared for class, he loses health points.  Any loss of points will prompt their group to decide if they want to protect him or her.

What do my kids like?  They love customizing their game characters, getting a new look or purchasing a pet.  They talk and want to show each other their characters.  I enjoy this site because it can be used as a 1 to 1 interface with kids sitting in front of computers or with a teacher computer projector to the whole class.  From a cost perspective, its free to start out.  You can purchase a monthly or a yearly subscription.  I choose the monthly subscription because I like to use it the last couple months of the year.  The real advantage here is you can subscribe and cancel at anytime.  Unlike most EdTech products who want a hundred dollar year subscription, they allow monthly billing.  In addition, it integrates with Google Classroom, so you can quickly import your classes and set up. 

What do you need to do?  Decide what behaviors you want to emphasize.  This can be accomplished through health points and rewards in either Gold points or XP points.  Look at special powers that work in your room.  For example, some students could earn a power that allows them help on a test.  Or my students favorite, hunting power, which allows them to bring food.  All these levels and activities can be customized to fit your specific needs. 

Kids love this system, they want to come to class and they talk about it in the hallways.  Classroom content and learning still occur, its just wrapped in a different blanket.  One that kids love and have a great time in class.  Especially as the weather gets nicer and summer vacation is knocking on the door.