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Mrs. Sparks’ Classroom Edit display name

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When my students walk in every morning, they want to talk to me and their friends about the previous day, what they had for breakfast, or what their plans are for the weekend. I love this part of the day, because this is when I get to have genuine conversations with them and get to know the whole child, not just the "student." A HUGE part of my reading classroom is deep discussion around whatever text we are studying at the moment. I know what you're thinking. "That should be easy as much as they love talking about their lives." WRONG! Of course, there is always a group of kids that love to contribute, but I noticed that the same students are always quiet and rarely speak up. I tried several strategies that worked a little, but nothing seemed to stick. What I found is that when these students do participate, it's gold! They are keeping these brilliant ideas inside their brains. This is reason #1 why I would love to have a QBall in my classroom. I think it would truly spark these kids to participate more in class discussions. It would give them an incentive to be engaged. Also, my other students won't be deprived of the amazing ideas that are hidden. Reason #2 is that while I have some incredibly intelligent students, I often have to repeat whatever they say, because they are so soft spoken. Let's face it, a booming teacher voice takes practice. The QBall is actually a microphone that would hook up to my classroom speakers. When a student speaks into the QBall, their voice would be amplified through the speakers, eliminating the need for me to constantly have to repeat them while saving loads of class time!

About my class

When my students walk in every morning, they want to talk to me and their friends about the previous day, what they had for breakfast, or what their plans are for the weekend. I love this part of the day, because this is when I get to have genuine conversations with them and get to know the whole child, not just the "student." A HUGE part of my reading classroom is deep discussion around whatever text we are studying at the moment. I know what you're thinking. "That should be easy as much as they love talking about their lives." WRONG! Of course, there is always a group of kids that love to contribute, but I noticed that the same students are always quiet and rarely speak up. I tried several strategies that worked a little, but nothing seemed to stick. What I found is that when these students do participate, it's gold! They are keeping these brilliant ideas inside their brains. This is reason #1 why I would love to have a QBall in my classroom. I think it would truly spark these kids to participate more in class discussions. It would give them an incentive to be engaged. Also, my other students won't be deprived of the amazing ideas that are hidden. Reason #2 is that while I have some incredibly intelligent students, I often have to repeat whatever they say, because they are so soft spoken. Let's face it, a booming teacher voice takes practice. The QBall is actually a microphone that would hook up to my classroom speakers. When a student speaks into the QBall, their voice would be amplified through the speakers, eliminating the need for me to constantly have to repeat them while saving loads of class time!

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About my class

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