What I'm Thankful For and Cyber Monday Sale!!

Happy Wednesday, All! There is so much to be thankful for, and I hope this holiday/long weekend finds you appreciating all of the goodness in your life as well. I thought I would share some of the things I'm thankful for.

First and foremost, I'm thankful for my family. Even though this picture is old, it is a great picture of the most loved ones in my life. (Except we are missing my sweet little niece, Emmie Joy.) My family is incredibly special to me. I would not live in this cold tundra of North Dakota if it weren't for my family. They bring me so much joy, love, and support. One of my favorite titles is "Auntie," alongside "Mommy." The best part of the holiday season is time with all of these wonderful people, as well as my extended family.

I'm also incredibly appreciative of my wonderful friends, both near and far, I'm thankful for this new position in education, as I find myself less stressed, but feeling more creative and more connected to the small groups of kiddos I work with each day. I'm thankful for my health, as well as my family's, and I continue to pray for this wellness. I am also very thankful for the new church family I have found over the last year, and the peace I feel each week as the kids and I attend worship services each Sunday.

I could go on and on about all of the things/people/places I'm thankful for, but I'll end this post with a final piece of gratitude. I'm thankful for the Internet, which gives me the opportunity to write this post, whether or not anyone reads it. It also gives me the chance to sell the products I continually create to use in my own classroom. With that said, I'm sure you've heard of the TPT sale going on for Cyber Monday! My entire store will be an additional 20% off, and by using the following code, you can get an even bigger discount too!! I hope you find something to help you in the coming weeks, especially with the Christmas holiday right around the corner!

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a relaxing and enjoyable break from work. Take care!

Using Kahoot! to Review for Tests

Have you ever used Kahoot? This FREE website can be used with computers, cell phones, iPads, or iPods, so it's very versatile, even if your school doesn't have 1:1 technology. You must have an interactive whiteboard or a projector in order to use it, however. First of all, go to getkahoot.com and create your free account. This is where you will create all of your Kahoots. You can make quizzes (this is what I use all the time), do a quick poll, or create a survey.

This site is SUPER easy to use! You just type in your questions, add a photo or graphic (if you choose), put in the answer options, select your correct answer, and go on to the next question. Once you're finished, there are a few additional options to choose  from if you'd like. You can rearrange your questions too. Then, you're good to go! 

Working with Title I students, I'm always looking for fun ways to review for tests, and this website does just that. But, you don't have to only do it in small groups! I've done it with my 5th graders as a whole class, and it's a ton of fun! Everyone loves playing games to review for tests, and this site also puts a little competition in the mix. The student who answers correctly with the fastest time gets the most points assigned for that question. After each round, the points for the top students are displayed, but students can also see where they stand from their device too.

When you are ready to project your Kahoot, you will click on it in your account and launch it. Then, the website address and game pin will project on your screen. This is what students will use to sign in. 

Once everyone has logged in, you are ready to start! The questions and answers will  be displayed on your screen, but students will only see the color of each answer and the shape that corresponds:

They will click on what they think the correct answer it, everyone will finish, and the correct answer will be displayed on your screen. It's incredibly engaging, and it allows time for teachers to review the correct answer because you click "next" whenever you're ready!

This is just one of the ways I review for tests/quizzes in my room. I hope it's useful to you in yours!!

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Introducing My NEW Blog!

Hello everybody out there in the learning community! I'm SO glad you stumbled upon my blog. As you can see, I'm just getting up and running, but I'm VERY excited to be joining blogland! 

 Let me introduce myself...My name is Jessica Gunderson and I'm a Title I teacher in small-town North Dakota. I currently teach grades 5-8 in Title, but my teaching resume' includes 10 years in grades 3-8, a variety of subjects. I've taught in Florida and North Dakota, and I've had many learning experiences along the way. I hope this blog will be helpful to you as an educator, as I've found so many blogs to be for me in recent years. I also have a little store on  and where you may find some resources to help you in your classroom! 

 I'm also a mother to three wonderful little boys. My oldest is 7 and my twins are 3. I'm sure some of my posts will contain some "mommy" information as well.

I'm hoping this blog will give me some more connections to the learning community, as I'm the only one in my position in the area. One of the hardest things about living and teaching in North Dakota is the lack of a group of teachers to correspond with and bounce ideas off of. I've been following many blogs and Facebook pages of fellow educators across the country for some time now, so I've finally taken the plunge to immerse myself in this blogging community.

I'm so glad you're here to join me in this blogging adventure. Hopefully we can help each other be the best teachers we can be for our students!