EpicPals April

 

⬇︎ Scroll down to access this month's Google Doc and Bitmoji classroom ⬇︎

*~ N E W ~*        *~N E W ~*        *~ N E W ~*

In an effort to try and keep things simple (and fun!) for our youngest learners, especially in a time when so many of us are teaching virtually, I've created a Bitmoji classroom that will link your students to the Padlet boards by simply clicking on the book cover. You'll find the link to this new feature on the bottom of the EpicPals Google Doc and on the #EpicPals page on the blog! Simply share the link with your students in Seesaw, Google Classroom or in an email and it will open on the web (full screen and without ads)!

This month's EpicPals board and Bitmoji Classroom are now posted on the EpicPals tab! Click here to access these downloads

This year's EpicPals will run the same as it has in the past with just a few small tweaks. This year, just like last, all posts will be moderated for student safety. Please see information below about posting. The other change this year is that there will only be one #EpicPals document created each month with 6 titles each month. The titles chosen each month will be appropriate for 1st through 3rd graders depending upon their reading ability and will always include at one or two read-to-me books so that everyone in your class can participate successfully on some level. I'm also working to incorporate English and Spanish titles when I can.  You'll also find the Epic collection linked at the bottom of the Google Doc. I hope this will make getting the collection out to our students easier.  

Happy Reading Everyone!!!

** Important Information re: Student Posts ~ Please read **

Teachers, please chat with your students about posting responsibly. Please know that ALL posts are moderated. This means your students will not see their posts until I have approved them. Please also know that posts with inappropriate language, .gifs, and links will be deleted.

As always, please encourage your students to read and learn from other students' posts. If they like their post, have them click on the heart at the bottom of the sticky note. Being reflective and having an authentic reason to like something is a great first step towards leaving meaningful and authentic feedback. 

Malchow's Tech Bytes ~ March 8th ☘️

 Hi all! I'm excited to share that my weekly Tech Bytes is back up and running!  Thank you for being patient as I took some time away due to my dad's illness. My dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late October and mid-January we found out that continued treatment was no longer an option. With that news, my siblings and I rallied together to help take care of my dad for whatever time he had left. Unfortunately, from the time we found out until the time of his passing was less than a week. It's been a rough few months of many ups and downs as we are all learning to live in this new normal of dad not being around and helping mom to navigate unchartered territory. There has been a lot of soul searching and reflecting on the importance of family and work/life balance over the past couple of months and while my intent is not to write a novel or get too preachy, I will simply say, that life is too short... enjoy all of the moments you have with your loved ones.

With that said, I am working to get back in the swing of things and to keep the weekly newsletter and monthly EpicPals projects running. Thank you so much for sticking with my through this difficult time and for helping me to get through this time with your continued support, emails, texts and kindness! It has been soooo much appreciated!!! 

Click image above to view larger and access the links

☘️ St. Patrick's Day Project registration NOW OPEN ☘️

 St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited. This is one of my favorite holidays; I'm just a wee bit Scotch-Irish! I couldn't resist creating a few shenanigans in my classroom this time of year... those gosh darn leprechauns, always causing trouble thinking that I had stolen some of their gold. 😉☘️🌈

The annual St. Patrick's Day Global Graphing Project is up and running! Covid took the fun out of 2020's project, but we're back and ready to provide your class with a wee bit of fun in '21!  I encourage you to jump over to https://stpatricksdaygraphing.weebly.com/ to find out more! This was always one of my favorite activities to do with my first graders!

https://stpatricksdaygraphing.weebly.com/

This project is a great way to engage your learners while also covering a wide variety of standards including: counting, sorting, graphing, analyzing data and more! Opportunities also exist to connect with other classes through Flipgrid, a collaborative Google slide deck, or even by connecting in real-time through  Google Meet or Skype IF YOU CHOOSE. 

If you are a K-3 teacher, I HIGHLY encourage you to sign up and give it a try!

☘️ Registration is open and will be open until Sunday, March 14th! ☘️

A Wee Bit 'O Fun with #EpicPals

⬇︎ Scroll down to access this month's Google Doc and Bitmoji classroom ⬇︎

*~ N E W ~*        *~N E W ~*        *~ N E W ~*

In an effort to try and keep things simple(and fun!) for our youngest learners, especially in a time when so many of us are teaching virtually, I've created a Bitmoji classroom that will link your students to the Padlet boards by simply clicking on the book cover. You'll find the link to this new feature on the bottom of the EpicPals Google Doc and on the #EpicPals page on the blog! Simply share the link with your students in Seesaw, Google Classroom or in an email and it will open on the web (full screen and without ads)!

This month's EpicPals board and Bitmoji Classroom are now posted on the EpicPals tab! Click here to access these downloads

This year's EpicPals will run the same as it has in the past with just a few small tweaks. This year, just like last, all posts will be moderated for student safety. Please see information below about posting. The other change this year is that there will only be one #EpicPals document created each month with 6 titles each month. The titles chosen each month will be appropriate for 1st through 3rd graders depending upon their reading ability and will always include at one or two read-to-me books so that everyone in your class can participate successfully on some level. I'm also working to incorporate English and Spanish titles when I can.  You'll also find the Epic collection linked at the bottom of the Google Doc. I hope this will make getting the collection out to our students easier.  

Happy Reading Everyone!!!

** Important Information re: Student Posts ~ Please read **

Teachers, please chat with your students about posting responsibly. Please know that ALL posts are moderated. This means your students will not see their posts until I have approved them. Please also know that posts with inappropriate language, .gifs, and links will be deleted.

As always, please encourage your students to read and learn from other students' posts. If they like their post, have them click on the heart at the bottom of the sticky note. Being reflective and having an authentic reason to like something is a great first step towards leaving meaningful and authentic feedback.