SMARTBOARD LESSONS - IT'S TIME TO RHYME!

At first, I was sad to see that smart boards have taken the place of ordinary classroom blackboards until I personally was immersed in this fabulous technology. The smart board notebook software was easy to use once I got the hang of it. It has numerous pen tools to choose from and perfect for engaging students of all ages. It is safe to say that you can do so much more on a smart board than any dry erase or traditional black board. Teachers have the opportunity to design and create their very own lesson activities that allows interactive student engagement as well as visual learning. I absolutely love this technology and cannot wait to use it in my own future classroom. 

**During all of these rhyming interactive activities below, students will be asked to come up to the smart board and participate.**

These activities are engaging and get students excited to come up to the board, learn, work together,  and participate. 

These activities are targeted for a 1st grade classroom.

My first activity above is for students to circle the correct picture that rhymes with the ending sounds on the left hand side of the activity. Students can choose whatever color or design they desire to circle the correct responses. 

This activity was fun to design and create. Students drag the correct word that rhymes with the three different sounds provided on the top of the activity. Once the students complete the entire sheet with all the words provided on the bottom, they are able to check their answers with the "check" button on the upper left hand side. Students are also able to "reset or solve" the activity if they wish. 

This activity requires students to have good fine motor skills in order to completely color in the circle. Students are directed to color in the rhyming pairs the same color. Students will have a total of 5 different colors to match the two rhyming words. 

This activity asks students to simply match the rhyming pairs that they see. They can change the color of the lines or design for a better visual of the correct rhyming pairs. 

This activity asks students to circle the correct rhyming words that match the key words on the left hand side. Students will come up to the smart board and circle their responses. 

For the last activity above, students will be asked to color in the pictures and fill in the missing first letter blanks that all rhyme with the ending sound "AT." 

Glog: Who Lives in the Ocean? Pre-k

I absolutely loved creating and using Glogster for my ocean topic in a preschool classroom. Glogster really is like using an electronic poster board for project purposes. It can be useful in the elementary grades as well as high school for students to create assignments such as book reports, science experiments, math lessons, presentations, biographies and more. It can also be useful for the teachers to incorporate and use as a lesson for the day. I love the fact that you can upload videos (created by the individual, YouTube), pictures, links, audio, and various texts. I incorporated many pictures in my Glogster link and focused on art activities, books about the ocean, sensory tables, videos, and vocabulary. It was easy to upload, navigate, and create my Glogster link. I will absolutely utilize this website in my future classroom in whatever grade I have the privilege to teach.

Concept Map

I had a lot of fun creating my concept map for this course. I will absolutely use this particular app, called Popplet, in my future classroom. This website can be used as either a preplanned lesson created for the class, or even as a group or class project/lesson for students to complete on the smartboard. Once students can navigate through the site, they will be able to create fun and exciting topics with facts that they learn from books, magazines, or the internet. I love the fact that you can add pictures, draw, and insert things from vimeo, youtube, or your desktop. It was very easy to navigate through this site so I feel that many students shouldn't have too many difficulties creating concept maps on their own. The concept map topic that I decided to create on Popplet was living a healthy lifestyle. I believe it is extremely important for our students to learn and understand the importance of a healthy balanced life. It is important for children to learn about the benefits of eating healthy, exercising, personal hygiene and taking care of their teeth. It is not as effective to just tell kids to eat their vegetables and brush their teeth. I think that it is more meaningful for them to be educated about these topics instead of being told what to do. I for one cannot wait to use concept maps in my classroom using Popplet!

Comic Strip

Hey Everyone, 

Above is the comic strip I created with Lindsay Krivitsky. Lindsay and I discussed the importance of technology in the classroom and how it can effect the class in both positive and negative ways. In this comic strip the boy was looking for an answer on his phone without thinking about it on his own. Although there are countless advantages for the use of technology in the classroom, students should be encouraged to participate (even if they aren't sure of the answer) and show an effort without having to use the internet for answers. 
Hope you enjoyed the comic strip! 

Pinterest Account

Hello Everyone, 

I have created an educational pinterest account with a board devoted to learning about hygiene. I think this is an important topic to learn at any age. Teachers can make this topic engaging by using fun experiments and activities for students to complete throughout the lesson. Another fun way to incorporate hygiene lessons could be to take a field trip to the dentist and talk to the doctor about any questions students may have. 


Please take a moment and follow me on pinterest using the link below… 


https://www.pinterest.com/evelyngatzonis/

Please follow me on Twitter!

Hello Everyone!

Please follow me on Twitter when you have a moment! @MissGatzonis

I am truly excited to share and post new ideas, articles, inspirational quotes or educational videos on my new twitter account. Twitter is a great way for students to communicate, share and reach out to their classmates and friends. If used properly, students may be able to find more reliable resources as well as read and understand multiple views and opinions regarding a plethora of subjects. 

Hello Classmates!

Hello Everyone, 

Welcome to my first blog page ever! My name is Evelyn and I have lived on Long Island my entire life. I graduated at Hofstra with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology back in 2012 with a focus on childhood development. I enjoyed learning about child development so much that I decided to get a Dual Master's in Early Childhood Education/Childhood Education. This is my second semester here at Hofstra and I am looking forward to expand my knowledge about children and learn more this upcoming semester from my professors as well as my fellow classmates. One of my goals as a teacher is to not only educate students in numerous school subjects, but also to act as a mentor and good role model. I believe that teaching is extraordinary and truly inspires the lives of countless students. 

I am also a firm believer in the early childhood years that play is both crucial and beneficial during years of development. My previous job experience in education was in a three-year-old classroom and I encouraged free play frequently. It was astonishing watching the students behaviors and interactions with one another at such a young age. I believe play in both the younger and older grades is a great way to not only learn but to grow as individuals. 

Please check out these great youtube videos on the importance & benefits of play :)

Self Portrait

Here is my Picasso head self portrait that I created on picassohead.com. This assignment was fun and exciting to complete. I was able to learn a little about myself with this particular task. Even though my background knowledge of a Picasso piece is typically asymmetrical and unusual, I personally tried very hard to make my self-portrait look somewhat appealing and symmetrical. Even though this portrait looks nothing like me, I still have pride in my own work and accomplishments. One of my main goals as a teacher is to inspire children to do their best and be proud of each and every one of their accomplishments.