0 Friday Favorite: Sound Buttons!

There are moments in the classroom that call for spontaneous applause, or canned laughter, or a drum roll.

For years I have had this urge to play sound effects in class. I never figured out how to pull it off, until recently.

I was playing with my new phone the other day when it occurred to me that there is probably an app for that. Sure enough, there is! If you search for "sound buttons" or "sound effects", you will find that there are tons of options to choose from. I have tried a few. I don't know if the one I am trying out is going to be my favorite, so I am not recommending a specific app at this point. They all look something like this:

Anyhooo . . . . imagine this:

*Gong* Bell work is over.

*Bugle call* Time to learn new math!

And there's a fraction . . . *Evil laugh* or *man screaming*

That's the right answer, Johnny! *Applause/WooHoo/Bingo!/Yes!*

I'm sorry, that's incorrect . . .*Buzz*

I am having wayyyy to much fun with this thing!

In related news, my students were smiling as they worked away on completing the square . . . with fractions . . . on a Friday . . . after losing a big football game the night before.

Detail: Friday Favorite: Sound Buttons!

0 Happy Halloween To Me

A former student met me in the hallway today. She heard we had just learned the quadratic formula in algebra 2, and she took it upon herself to choreograph a dance to go with the song I teach. With illustrations.

She offered to come to class and perform it for my current students . . .

. . . but only if I joined in, which I did. Except for the slap the butt part.

Sometimes, high school students are just adorable.

Detail: Happy Halloween To Me

0 Lost Treasure, Found! (a fun way to start class)

Most of my teaching career has taken place at my current school, but my husband's job took us away for a couple of years. During that time, I taught at Bulldog High.

There was a really great chemistry teacher at Bulldog High, Mr. S. He was a tough teacher, but the students loved him. He opened every class period with an enthusiastic class chant. If the classroom door was open, you could hear it all the way down the hall.

It started like this:
Mr. S:  Good morning Bulldogs!!!
Students:  Good morning Mr. S!!!
Mr. S:  How are you today?
Students:  Super great and getting better!

The chant when on and on for awhile. Over the years, students had suggested additions and it became a tradition in Mr. S's class. The students loved it!

Anyway, I really wanted my own chant for my class -- but that was Mr. S's thing and I didn't want to take away from its uniqueness. When I left that school, I asked Mr. S to write down the entire chant. I thought I would modify it for myself and start using it, since I'd be in a different school. I was super excited to do this!!!

Sadly, I lost my copy of the chant. Then I forgot it existed . . . until today! The hubs and I are packing up for another move. I found a small box, never unpacked, full of personal stuff I'd packed up from my Bulldog classroom. The chant was in that box!! Woo Hoo!

I am already thinking of how I can use it next year.

Here is the entire chemistry cheer, as written by Mr. S:

Mr. S:  Good morning bulldogs!
Students:  Good Morning Mr. S!
Mr. S: How are you today?
Students:  Super great and getting better!
Mr. S:  How far?
Students:  All the way.
Mr. S:  How much?
Students:  All of it.
Mr. S:  How many?
Students:  6.022 times 10 to the 23rd particles per mole
Mr. S:  What's our favorite class?
Students:  We love chemistry!
Mr. S:  What's our motto?
Students:  Can do!
Mr. S:  What's the truth of the matter?
Students:  The impossible takes a little longer.
Mr. S:  What's the platinum rule?
Students:  If you mess it up, clean it up.
Mr. S:  What's our philosophy of life?
Students:  WE NEVER GIVE UP!!!

So fun! Thank you, Mr. S!

Detail: Lost Treasure, Found! (a fun way to start class)

0 Bribery

We have been using our advisory periods for extra review sessions in preparation for state assessments. I am working with an advanced group. They have had a pretty good attitude overall, but they aren't exactly thrilled about doing an extra 25 minutes of math.

To make matters worse, three of our sessions have conflicted with the student-produced school news broadcast. They love the broadcast, and were not happy about missing it. Someone said "I feel like we're being punished for being good at math."

I can understand them feeling that way. So, I whipped up a batch of these . . .

. . . chocolate chocolate chip cookies with embedded oreo, to help ease the pain.

If only they gobbled up math with the same enthusiasm . . .

Detail: Bribery

0 Just Because It Made Me Smile

Detail: Just Because It Made Me Smile