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Reviews
GMTA REVIEWS: Sista Me
- March 7, 2015
- 0 comments
- by greatmindsteachalike@gmail.com
Are you looking for a new excited book to share with your students? One that is rich with culture and full of new language? Well I’ve got a book to share with you! Keep reading and see how you can get your own copy! “Sista Me” is a great story about a spunky girl they call “Sista Me“. She is so excited for her first day of school that she manages to get her self into a few sticky situations! With the help of her wise grandfather and friends she learns a big lesson in the end.

This funny tale brings the Jamaican culture to life as it introduces its readers to several new words and phrases like “Wah Gwan”. Don’t forget the fan favorite “every mikkel make a mukkel” which means everyone makes a mess. This story gives you a real taste of the island experience with it’s diverse characters bright illustrations. You’ll have a class full of islanders in no time! My students loved learning Patois (Patwah Jamacian Vernacular).

This story is also great for teaching sequencing as you go through each adventure with “Sista Me“. This story is truly great for all ages and very relatable. It would make a great resource for a cultural study or read aloud.

This is a must have in your classroom library! Did I mention the author does author visits! That’s right you can have Ayesha Drywer visit your class today! You can email her at a.victoriapearl@gmail.com.

Giveaway Time

Ayesha Dwyer will be providing one of my readers with a free copy of “Sista Me”! Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win. Good luck and thanks for reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have an amazing product that you want teachers to know about let Great Minds TEACH Alike review it! Send an email request to greatmindsteachalike@gmail.com Thanks!
Technology in the Classroom
Tech Talk : January
- January 18, 2015
- 3 Comments
- by greatmindsteachalike@gmail.com
Monthly blog hop all about Technology! That’s right, cool time saving tips, and tools that Great Minds need to know about! Got a interactive whiteboard and you don’t know what to do with it or 1 iPad in the classroom. This is the place to be to stay in the know on technology. Have a cool app, website or tech idea to share please link up below. Please read my instruction sheet before joining, you will find the graphics and all you need to know here.

This month I have two interactive websites that your students will love. Both sites are very collaborative and require students to have access to their own device to use. Both sites are also very user friendly and easy to navigate. Oh yea, and completely free!

The first site I am going to share is padlet.com This is a on-line forum where students can post comments, pictures, videos or links and responses to whatever prompt or question you post. The beauty of this is that you get to create a personalized space you can customize for your students. Think of it as a digital bulletin board that all your students get to interact with. You can make your paddle public or completely private by generating your personal link. I have only used the the free version but they have created a version specifically for classroom use called Padlet Backpack.

The skies the limit for activities you can do with site. In the photo above students had to find images of regular polygons and post it to this padlet their teacher created. Students can access this site from pretty much any device. Here is a video tutorial on how to create your own padlets for your classroom. Don’t worry they are super easy to make and even easier for your students to post to. My 4th graders figured it out with ease.

The next site is my new favorite it’s called Kahoot. It is a game based student response system. It’s super fun and very interactive! Your students will love this. Basically you create a Kahoot which is a series of questions with multiple choice answers. Now these can be your basic questions or you can go deeper by inserting videos or images based your content. The type of questions are completely up to you. You pull up your Kahoot on your smart board and it will generate a custom code that allows your student to link up to the quiz on their device. It’s like a whole class game show complete with fun game show music. Did I mention that you can search ready-made kahoots and download them to use. I’m sure most are made by other educators! Thats right you could possibly find one that fits perfectly with your curriculum. Your students will be highly engaged in this activity and love the interaction. It really feels like a game it also displayed your students activity whithin the Kahoot. I encourage you to just give it a try! I even found a Pokemon Kahoot! This site is also very easy to navigate but I did find a tutorial for all you visual learners out there.

Thanks for reading and I hope you and your students enjoy using these sites in your classroom! Please drop me a comment below and come back for more Tech Talk every 3rd Sunday!

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Reviews
GMTA REVIEWS: The Blissful Teacher
- December 21, 2014
- 1 Comment
- by greatmindsteachalike@gmail.com
The name says it all, these holistic healing sprays will definitely bring some joy your way! This product was created by a teacher for teachers. That’s right a veteran teacher with over 20 years experience combined her passion for essential healing oils and teaching. She created a full line of therapeutic sprays that can help ease muscle or joint pain. She has oils that help with insomnia, and congestion. They are a variety of naturally blended oils that everyone can use. She even has a spray for your fur babies!

I have The Bulletin Board Bliss it’s a citrus blended mist. This refreshing blend reminds me of summer time. She captures its essence in a bottle. I also love how light these sprays are, you won’t be left feeling greasy. Although it’s not a perfume or air freshener these homeopathic healing sprays are absorbed into your skin. You can also spray them on your pillow or other fabrics. You will love some of the catchy titles you’ll find in her store like, Data Driven Delight, Conference Calmer, or Sunday Night Soother. Can you tell this was made with teachers in mind?

These handmade sprays are made to order, right here in the U.S. You can even customize your own personal spray. They make great gifts especially for those educators in your life! So check out her store The Blissful Teacher and order!

Giveaway Time!!!!

The Blissful Teacher will be providing one of my readers with a free mist! Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win. Good luck and thanks for reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have an amazing product that you want teachers to know about let Great Minds TEACH Alike review it! Send an email request to greatmindsteachalike@gmail.com Thanks!