My Class Website!

Today I finished my class website.  What a huge project! It's been so fun getting things together, though, and actually planning it all out for a real class.  I'm excited to go back to school on Monday to tell my kids that I have a website just for them! ;-*  Here's the link for the page:

https://sites.google.com/site/mrssingersclassroom/

I decided to add a few Google Gadgets to this, so I think I should explain.  I have a translator because I have several students whose parents speak only Spanish in the home.  If I want those parents to be connected with me, with their students, and with the classroom, they need to be able to translate the information on the page.  I also have a 60-second news clipping because I really like to emphasize to my students the importance of staying up-to-date with the things going on in the world.  Whenever we are sharing stories or talking about stories we've read, I remind them that "stories" are happening all around us, every single day.  I also included the weather because I like to follow the weather.  It's a weird quirk I have, but weather and the beauty of nature is just important to me.  I want my kids to know that it's important for the things they choose to do.  There are several writing assignments we do throughout the year that center on the type of weather we are experiencing at the time.  Also, we have just had a big unit focusing on "setting" where we spent a great portion of the time emphasizing weather.  I also included GoodReads on my About Me page because I wanted my students to see that I love to read and that books are part of who I am.  From that montage of books, students can simply click and find themselves at the GoodReads website.  It is almost impossible to ignore the color and creativity in that mural of books, and I think drawing kids in to the website that way is a little sneaky, but it will help them recognize that books are not scary--rather, they are exciting and sometimes even worth picking up!