Mr. Wasil’s 3rd Grade Class

This tip can be used for professional or even personal reasons. It is a
free crossword puzzle site that I thought would be fun for the end of
the year. As teachers, we all know that the last couple of days of
school can be challenging when trying to keep the kids involved and
busy. Well, I created a fun crossword puzzle about my students.

I am sure some of you may have better ones and if you do, please send me the free link.

For the end of the year I created a crossword puzzle that consisted of each one of my students.  The clues were a characteristic of each student and the answers are their first name.  When you get to the site, just follow the directions and then press create puzzle. The next screen that comes up is view puzzle. Once you see your puzzle, just print it and off to the copy machine.  This is a great tool to make review sheets for tests and creative homework reinforcements. Again, this is free so you can not edit the size of the boxes and things of that nature but it still looks great. The link is below.

http://www.puzzle-maker.com/CW/

 Click on the thumbnail picture below to view the full size crossword I made.

When you insert a picture into a Microsoft Word document the computer reads that picture as a text letter. This means that you can not freely move the picture anywhere you would like to. You have to just use the space bar or tab key to move it like it was a word or letter. This of course limits your creativity and overall scheme of what you are trying to do. There is a way to freely move the picture anywhere you would like. Click here for directions and a visual. This is great for making parent letters, worksheets for the kids, staff notifications or anything else we are required to do. As with anything, once you have tried it and practiced, it becomes very easy.  Give it a try!!! Any comments or suggestions, please leave below in the comments section.

Many times I go into a staff member’s computer to fix something and I see word documents all over the place. This to me is like having a large filing cabinet in your room with papers just stuffed into it. There is a better way to organize all of your files, pictures and whatever else you may have. As in all filing cabinets, we have hanging folders and sub folders within those folders. In my opinion, the same type of organization should apply to your computer also. I know a lot of you can probably find what you need on your computer quickly, but trust me; there is even a quicker way. I suggest creating folders on your computer per subject and category. For example, I have a folder on my computer titled Everyday Math, and then I have sub folders inside of that tilted Unit 1, Unit 2 and so on. This type of organization within the computer hard drive makes it much more effective and time saving when trying to find and open a document. Click Here for directions and a visual. As always, thank you for reading and if you have any questions or suggestions please leave a comment below.

Alvin Trusty from Findlay University wrote a post last week, titled Efficiency Tip # 12- Windows L,  about being able to lock your computer screen with ease. I did not even know this keyboard shortcut existed. What a great shortcut for teachers and staff around a building full of curious little minds. For example, you are in the middle of an email and something comes up (happens all the time to me) so you need to quickly (under two seconds-I promise) lock your screen and attend to the matter. By holding down the Windows Key and pressing L – your screen will lock.  Click on the picture below to see enlarged version. Then your screen will only show a login prompt for your password. Just type in your password that you use everyday for your computer and the screen goes right back to what you were working on. Last week I showed several teachers this and they loved it. I am now using it every day. Give it a try, I promise you will benefit from it. As always, thanks for reading and any questions or comments please post below under the comment’s section.  

I do not know about you, but sometimes I need access to my grade level indicators and standards but I do not have my books with me. I am certainly not going to carry the Math, Science, Social Studies, Technology and Language Arts standards’ books with me. There is a fantastic website out there that has been recommended by our technology coordinator John Schinker . This site has all of the indicators displayed for K-12 and also many more valuable resources. I refer to this site on a weekly basis due to its user friendliness. Please take a moment to check it out and then bookmark it on your computer. Click here to view the page.  As always, thank you for reading. To submit a comment or question, please post a response by clicking on comments below this sentence.

Below is an example for 3rd Grade Social Studies. It looks just like the indicators in your books, but now easily accessible without the cumbersome side effect:)