Category Archives : SPECIAL EDUCATION


Simple ways to help kids communicate their feelings!

5 simple ways to help kids communicate their feelings! #feelings #emotions #kids #socialskills #specialeducation #regulateemotions

When kids are comfortable with communicating their feelings, they often end up communicating what they most deeply need.  When their feelings are validated, the groundwork for self-regulation is being put into place.  And so, fitting emotional literacy naturally into a child’s life early simply makes good sense.

Here are 5 simple ways to help kids communicate their feelings:

 

1. Communicate feelings yourself (and encourage role-models to do so, too)!

Kids do what we do. They observe and experience how the adults and role models in their lives identify, accept and manage their own feelings and the emotions of others, and use what they have processed as a  basis for their own beliefs and practices.

Whenever we, the grown ups, can use language including “I feel, I felt, I remember feeling, etc.” we are making a deposit into the emotional language banks of the children in our presence.

Many people find discussing feelings and emotions difficult, and the toughest part can be starting the conversation. The good news is that the first conversations about feelings do not have to be personal!

 

2. Read stories!

Even in kindergarten, there are children who are already uncomfortable about discussing their own feelings.  I have yet to meet a little person who is not willing to hear a story or watch something on YouTube!

I have been developing the Dealing With Feelings stories since 2013, and frequently use them on my iPad when needed, providing students with a line-art copy to color. The characters in these stories model emotional literacy on a level that kids can relate to.

Dealing With Feelings Storybook lessons: Relatable characters model how they identify, accept and manage tricky feelings! Printable color and line-art, gender specific, growing series!

Dealing With Feelings Stories: I simply say, “Would you like to hear a story?” and allow the child to discover connections to the character as we read.

 

(We all know how motivated we are to discuss something we’re uncomfortable with!) Listening to a story is often calming!

There are so many amazing feelings / emotions books available today, that I have a Pinterest board dedicated to them. Check it out:

Many of these stories are also read-aloud on YouTube!

3. Provide pictures showing feelings / expressions!

A child who wants to communicate his or her feelings but does not have the vocabulary to say how he or she feels, can point to a picture s/he relates best to.

Picture dictionaries often have a page dedicated to feelings, which can be bookmarked with a sticky note. Years ago, I made a feelings bulletin board with my firsties from photographs, newspaper and magazine clippings.

Having posters in the classroom is most effective when done appropriately for the group you have. Keeping it simple with fewer posters for younger children is recommended to avoid overwhelming the kids, while lining up multiple posters in older classes can be be especially useful to students who are writing about feelings.

I like to display these half-page feelings flags where kids can point to them. The posters below are full-page size, but are also included as playing cards in the set.

I like to display half-page feelings flags where kids can point to them. The posters shown at the bottom are 8 1/2 x 11 pages, and are also included as playing cards in my visuals, tools and activities set.

 

Earlier in my teaching career, I used feelings pictures for individual students on a ring, but have found that (like visual schedules) in recent years, increasing numbers of students benefit from them being posted right on the wall (and the rings are easily misplaced)!

 

4. Feelings scales

Feelings scales can be used for an entire class or for individuals. In the photo below, the kids’ names are on clothes pegs, and the feelings scale has been printed on thick card paper and laminated.

 

Feelings scales like these make it easier for kids to communicate their emotions without saying a word. Students can answer "How are you feeling?' by simply pointing to a picture, or with the slide of a paperclip, button or placement of a clothes peg. #feelings #feelingsscale #emotions #selfregulation

Feelings scales like these make it easier for kids to communicate their emotions without saying a word. Students can answer  “How are you feeling?” by simply pointing to a picture, or with the slide of a paperclip, button or placement of a clothes peg. (The button slider pictured in the top middle doubles as a fidget toy!)

 

I’ve used feelings scales with individual students. They are especially helpful with kids whose frustration moves into raging anger quickly, and lose control.  With a feelings scale, a child can make it clear to themselves, and others, when they are becoming frustrated, so that measures can be put in place to prevent further escalation.

5. Work ‘feelings talk’ into daily routines

  • Have a star student? If that student is trying to share something with the class and is interrupted, how does it make him/her feel?
  • Discussing the calendar, an upcoming holiday? How many people feel excited about it?
  • Celebrating a child’s birthday? How does it feel to be the birthday child? Is it normal to feel jealous that it isn’t your own birthday? 
  • Getting close to outdoor time? Have an over-exaggerated, humorous gripe session about the most frustrating part of getting ready for home!

 

The items pictured in this post are a part of:

 

Follow me on Facebook for update news on this product! 

Best wishes to all of you, your families and students!

Ida Mae

a.k.a. That Fun Reading Teacher

Related:

Do you remember feeling motivated by being told what to do when you were a child? How did you feel about listening to stories? #feelings #education #stories

 

 

 


Wednesday Weekly 5 Under $5 – 9/13/17

Every week I put together a list of 5 great products from members of The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative (TBOTEMC) with the requirement that each product must be less than $5.  With a variety of subjects and a wide range of grades, there just might be something that you can use, so continue to read below and see!


In addition, if you’re a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) that would like to join the Wednesday Weekly 5 Under $5 team, click here to get more information about joining TBOTEMC.  Feel free to e-mail me with any questions, as I’d be happy to help in any way possible.

By A Teacher’s Teacher 

ELA/Writing; Grades 7-10

This three-passage text set is accompanied by an informational prompt regarding the topic of skydiving. It’s a perfect assignment to engage typically apathetic students, as well as those students who are typically successful in your classroom, while still relying on the skills of using the information in the text set.  Modeled after AIR Testing, which is used in numerous states across the country, it would also fit well into a PARCC simulation. The text set, itself, is 5 pages long.

  

By Learning Harbor Resources for Teachers

Math; Grade 3

Are you looking for PowerPoint interactive activities to use with 1 to 1 computer time, blended lessons, and more? Do you need a fun and engaging way for your students to practice multiplication? This Scarecrow themed Interactive Self-Correcting PowerPoint Slide Show with sound may be just what you need. This interactive PowerPoint activity addresses CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.B.5 Multiply and divide within 100.  See more details on the product’s page to learn about this great affordable item!

By 2livNlearn

Classroom Management; All Grades

Group your students quickly and easily with these cards! There are a myriad of cards to choose from which can be used in multiple ways. Group in pairs or up to eight students at a time. Included are: Groups of two 21 pairs, Opposites groups of two 18 pairs, Groups of two 10 pairs, Groups of two 14 pairs, Groups of three 6 sets, Groups of four 4 sets and Groups of eight 40 sets.  That makes a total of 320 different cards!  Never have to worry about “randomly” grouping again!

Reading/Social Studies; Grades 3-5

Have students learn about September 11th with this informational text passage while also practicing their reading comprehension skills.  Included in this product are the following: An Informational Text Passage entitled “The Attacks of September 11th,” A reading comprehension Assessment, Student Answer Sheet, Foldable for recording short response, Teacher Answer Key. and Foldable Directions (easy as could be! … no-prep required).  See the full description on the item’s page for a sample video about this terrific product!

By El Jaguar

Spanish; Not Grade Specific

This wonderful “El Grito “Cultural unit is the perfect way to celebrate Sept 16. Mexican Independence Day in your classroom.  The unit addresses the history of the Father Hidalgo in Dolores and his legendary “Grito de Dolores” that started the Mexican Revolution. The unit also describes in detail the reenactment ceremonies done on Sept 15 every year in the Zocalo of Mexico by the President of Mexico. It is a fun unit with wonderful Word Searches both in Spanish and English to reinforce the reading and cognates. Finally a fun coloring activity can be used for Elementary students. You can do it as a class reading and then little ones can just have fun coloring the Sugar Skull on a bed of Roses and doing the English Word Search.  See the item’s page for a full description of what is included for a great price!

As always, I encourage comments below and any ideas or suggestions by tweeting me @ATeachersTeach or contacting me via e-mail.

A Teacher’s Teacher

My TpT Store


Visual Schedules in kindergarten and primary classrooms – the benefits!

The benefits of using a visual schedule in kindergarten and early primary classrooms | That Fun Reading Teacher.com

Photo credit: Copyright: <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/profile_luislouro’>luislouro / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Do you use a visual schedule in your classroom? As a special education teacher working in many kindergarten and primary classes, I’ve seen how beneficial they are for the whole class!

The origin of visual schedules

In special education, we had been putting picture symbol schedules in place for our students with autism for years, as they provide

  • an overview of the student’s day, in parts or as a whole, so the student has an idea of what to expect (this helps prevent anxiety)
  • a means of communication for students who struggle with oral language and / or auditory processing (they can point at the pictures to help get their message across, follow the pictures to understand what they might have missed verbally)
  • structure and increased independence, allowing students to manage transitions with less support
  • the flexibility of making changes to only the necessary parts of the schedule without having to change the entire day.
  • a sense of understanding how their day works, and counts down as blocks of time wrap up, helps kids feel a sense of accomplishment, more safe and in control of their emotions

The shift to whole class schedules

Our consultants began recommending visual schedules for more groups of students as time went on – students struggling with anxiety, managing behavior, transitions.  I began to notice that a few classroom teachers had just stopped using the individual student schedules (too cumbersome with multiple students with schedules in the class) and gone to a classroom one instead – and the effect was amazing.

Students checked in on that schedule all day. As time passed, a card was moved or taken down. If plans changed, the teacher simply switched out the card, and the kids understood and accepted it. The morning schedule was discussed at the carpet in the morning, and the process repeated in the afternoon.

Why it’s becoming the new normal

How many times have you heard this lately?

Kindergarten is a social communication program.

Do you agree? My very first class was a kindergarten class, in 1996, and the catch phrase at that time was ‘We’re teaching them how to play the game of school’. 

There are so many children in our classes now that struggle with social-communication, anxiety, self-regulation, learning disabilities, being in an overcrowded classroom, among other things.  And teachers have more to manage than ever before.

Consider that:

  • students regularly referring to the schedule throughout the day are prepared for transitions and managing themselves with greater independence
  • the visual schedule takes on the role of a ‘first-then’ board, as students are able to see things they are looking forward to coming up (for example, homesick students can see blocks of time disappearing as it gets closer to home time; students who dislike pencil / paper tasks can look forward to recess etc.)
  • students take pride in showing a visitor to the class that he or she can read, and knows what’s happening next
  • it is easy for a substitute teacher to step in with an already established structure in place (and it can be left prepared for the next day without having to write an explanation!)
  • With my Reading Recovery background, I can’t help but love the fact that this is just another way to drive home ‘reading the pictures’ for meaning first!
  • it can be used as a tool for teaching ‘time’ (some teachers add clocks beside each item) and sequencing events in order
  • The visual schedule makes a nice link to learning centres / centres

Have you tried using a visual schedule in your classroom? How has it been going for you?

Best wishes with your littles,

Ida Mae

If you are looking for a visual schedule and center / centre cards set, please check out mine below. The cards fit nicely into a pocket chart, can be used with adhesive magnets on the back, or simply pinned to a bulletin board. I’ve included months, days and Troll-themed editable name cards as well. Click the image to take you to my store to see the preview!

Are there cards you would like to see added to the schedule?

If so, please click the ‘ask a question’ tab in my TpT store, or email me at thatfunreadingteacher@gmail.com to suggest it for an update!

 

Related:

Back to School posts, resources, links and more! | That Fun Reading Teacher.com

The Dealing With Feelings Series

 


Wednesday Weekly 5 Under $5 – 8/23/17

Every week I put together a list of 5 great products from members of The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative (TBOTEMC) with the requirement that each product must be less than $5.  With a variety of subjects and a wide range of grades, there just might be something that you can use, so continue to read below and see!


In addition, if you’re a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) that would like to join the Wednesday Weekly 5 Under $5 team, click here to get more information about joining TBOTEMC.  Feel free to e-mail me with any questions, as I’d be happy to help in any way possible.

By 2livNlearn 

Back to School; All Grades

You love this Editable Welcome Back Signs Freebie item!  Enjoy these Welcome Back Signs for your classroom door, including being able to edit them to include your name and room number. There are 10 different designs to choose from.  While you’re getting these, check out the other terrific products offered by 2livNlearn!

  

By The Literacy Garden

Reading; Grades 1-3

This unit 2 item working on reading and text evidence provides students with opportunities to analyze and annotate different engaging informational texts through guided practice and text-based questions.  Reading passages cover high-interest topics, including giraffes, bats, owls, lions, and apples. If your not sure about making a purchase, look at the details for this item at the linked page, as their is a free sample to download.  However, I’m confident that you’ll find this product to be another great offering from The Literacy Garden! 

By The Teacher Down the Hall

Math; Grades 4-5

Who doesn’t love Google Interactive Slides? Your students will draw lines to match answers, write in the correct answers, and drag buttons to the correct locations!  With this product, students will: use models to identify numbers; match standard, written, and expanded form numbers; find the value of different digits; and use mental math and place value to add.  Students can then turn in their work electronically by selecting “turn in” after closing their slide presentation. Great for math centers, quiz, extra practice, and even homework!

 

Class Decor: Superhero Supply Labels – $3.00

By Teach to Tell

All Subject Areas; Grades PreK-6

Use these 85 editable labels to label all your school supplies. From stationery to book/notebook shelves, and manipulatives, these labels will do the job. Best of all, these labels come in two different sizes: 3 labels on a portrait-sized page (8.5 in x 11 in) (27 labels) OR 6 labels on a portrait-sized page (8.5 in x 11 in) (28 labels).  Also included are 30 editable labels; all you have to do is type in text box to edit content.  A must have for a heroic new year!

By Kathy Babineau

Life Skills / Speech Therapy; Grades 2-6

Encourage your students to think of logical, appropriate solutions to everyday social and safety situations! Use one or two a day as part of a whole class morning meeting discussion or use multiple cards in short discussions or in a game format!  There are no specific “right” answers to these questions. Encourage your students to think about how to solve everyday issues and justify their responses.  This set contains 40 question cards and an optional board game for optimal student engagement.

As always, I encourage comments below and any ideas or suggestions by tweeting me @ATeachersTeach or contacting me via e-mail.

A Teacher’s Teacher

My TpT Store


Complete Summer School Curriculum- EVERYTHING you need to teach English/LA at the middle level!

Complete ELA Summer School Bundle from Teach BeTween the Lines will provide you all of the lessons, materials, and activities to teach summer school- ZERO prep involved! From introduction activities and procedure slides (introduced using fun memes) to specific reading and writing strategies that have been the most beneficial to my struggling readers and writers. This unit is completely digital for use with Google Apps or Microsoft One Drive, and is also completely printable.

For many years, I too taught summer school. There are so many benefits to taking on this very important role, but I will admit that I was driven by the money! I also distinctly remember not wanting to spend all of my precious summer planning and crafting curriculum! That is why I created this unit bundle! Let my experiences do the work for you! What I have done is compile lessons from my curriculum that will most benefit the struggling reader and writer. I start summer school by teaching close reading strategies (which I call “talking to the text). Then I spend the remainder of summer school continuing to practice these strategies through every unit. The first few days of this unit bundle include detailed lesson plans to help you best support your students with these close reading strategies. Then, each added unit contains its own detailed lesson plans. A unit outline will support your planning of each of these lessons! This unit bundle will give you everything you need to teach summer school in a way that dramatically improves the reading and writing skills of your students!

See the preview for a visual of each of these units or click on the links below to view each product individually!

Close Reading Strategies (Text Annotation to Support Reading Comprehension)Teach your students how to use close reading strategies to improve reading comprehension and written analysis. This gradual release method will encourage your
Summarizing Fiction Lesson, Guided and Collaborative Practice, and Assessment!Teach your students how to create a concise and objective summary of a fiction text with this simple, easy, step-by-step method. Students will be able to
Summarizing Nonfiction Lesson, Graphic Organizers, & 12 Differentiated TextsTeach your students how to create a concise summary of nonfiction texts that are free from personal judgements or opinions with this simple, easy, step-by-step
In-Text Citation Lesson, Practice, and Assessment, MLA 8th EditionThe MLA 8th edition lesson on incorporating textual evidence (quotations with parenthetical citations) will help your students learn: -How to create an in-text citation with and without an author’s name. -How to lead into or out of a quote with the student’s own words. -How to pepper a quote.
Plot/Literary Elements GAME!The plot/literary elements game activity fosters a shared writing experience for students in the creation of a fun, creative, and often hilarious story.
Compound Sentences with FANBOYS Lesson, Stations, Practice, & AssessmentTeach your students how to create compound sentences with FANBOYS conjunctions! This Lesson will provide your students with explicit explanations using mentor
Semicolons and Conjunctive Adverbs Lesson, Practice, Games, and AssessmentTeach your students how to create compound sentences with semicolons, and compound sentences with semicolons and conjunctive adverbs! This Lesson will provide
Complete Tone and Mood in Literature Bundle + Connotation and DenotationTeach your students how to understand the complex topic of tone and mood in literature! 1. Lesson on Tone and Mood 2. Lesson on Connotation/Denotation 3. Tone
Short Story Unit Bundle – “Cemetery Path” with Tone and MoodThe ultimate short story bundle! “Cemetery Path” by Leonard Q. Ross is an excellent, scary, thrilling short story to engage your learners. This complete pack

PLUS:
-30 Page Reader’s Workshop/Independent Reading Book Log
-Introductions, a get-to-know you game, and classroom procedures memes!

Save nearly ten dollars with this unit bundle!

Follow my store by clicking on the link at the top of the page for updates, announcements, and fun freebies! You can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook, and my blog- Teach BeTween the Lines!


Social Skills All Year

by Kathy Babineau

Grades KG – 5th

 

This kit contains 240 cards covering seasonal scenarios and topics. For each month of the year (including summer months), there are 4 Topic Talker cards, 4 Role Playing cards, 4 Facial Expression/Body Language cards, 4 Problem Solver cards, and 4 Perspective Taker cards, for a total of 20 cards for each month of the year. Cards are simply marked with the month of the year, but they can also be mixed and matched throughout the year if you would rather not focus on themes.

The Topic Talker Cards offer suggested topics of conversation, many of which are related to timely topics and holidays. Some other generic school based topics have been included in order to be sensitive to students who may not observe particular holidays. These topic talker cards are helpful for students who are trying to work to maintain on-topic exchanges with peers, addressing attention to conversation and even general expressive and receptive language.

The Role Playing cards also address many timely topics. When using the Role Playing cards, I like to have multiple teams role play the same scenes, because there may be several correct ways to “act out” the situation. It is also fun sometimes to role play the situation in an inappropriate way and then discuss why it may be hurtful or inappropriate or offensive. Be sure to brainstorm and discuss how body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice and word choice are all important to communication.

The Facial Expression/Body Language cards are fun to use to think about and practice ways that we communicate with our faces and our bodies.

The Problem Solver cards offer students opportunities to think about social situations, analyze the problem and generate practical solutions. There is not always just one correct answer to these problems.

The Perspective Taker cards encourage students to put themselves in a situation or in someone else’s shoes and decide how they might feel.

To use this kit, simply print out all sheets and then cut apart and laminate (optional) the cards, and you are good to go! They are all in black and white (except the cover page) to go easy on the color copying budget.

I hope you like this and find it helpful when working with your students!

Kathy Babineau

Here are a few other social skills products you may like:

Super Problem Solvers

Social Skills for Teenagers

Social and Safety Skill Discussion/Question Cards


Summarizing Fiction Made EASY!

Teach your students how to create a concise and objective summary of a fiction text with this simple, easy, step-by-step method. Students will be able to effectively condense a complete summary into three sentences. Students will be able to identify the protagonist, the character motivation, the conflict, rising action, and the resolution in these three sentences! This step-by-step method will make this process easy for your students.

Included:
Lesson and complete lesson plan

– Two fun and engaging guided practices and partner collaboration practices

– Differentiated assessment options. Four short stories will allow your students to read through an appropriately leveled text as they work to create their concise and objective summary!

– Graphic organizers to support students as they draft

 

 

 

CCSS Aligned:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2

No Prep Plans!

Follow my store by clicking on the link at the top of the page for updates, announcements, and fun freebies! You can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook, and my blog- Teach BeTween the Lines!

Other Writing Lessons/Units You May Want to Consider!
Introductory Phrases with AAAWWUBBIS, Lesson, Stations, Games, Practice, Poster!
Compound Sentences with FANBOYS Lesson, Stations, Practice, & Assessment
Writing the Argument Essay Complete Unit Bundle + Student Interactive Notebook
Literary Analysis Made Easy (Digital and Printable!)
In-Text Citation Lesson, Practice, and Assessment, MLA 8th Edition

Free Writing Support!
Sentence Structure Posters
To Be Verb Poster Freebie
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Literary Analysis- Digital & Printable!

Created by:

 


Misc. Lesson – “Following Directions All Year”

by Kathy Babineau

KG – 3rd grade

 

Following Directions All Year

This easy to use Following Directions kit contains weekly, theme-based b/w coloring pages and accompanying lists of multi-step directions to be read aloud to students by a teacher or speech language pathologist. This provides ready made lessons that address following directions, listening, understanding concept terminology and thematic vocabulary in a fun, easy to understand format!

Updated to include 14 new bonus coloring pages with read aloud directions!

Themes include: Swings/Slides, Pumpkin Patch, Circus, Voting, Birds, Basketball, Cowboys, Butterflies, Kites, St. Patrick’s Day, Earth Day, Gardening, Beach, Father’s Day, Under the Sea, and many more…

Concept terms addressed include: biggest, smallest, right, left, above, next to, between, on, etc.

This product is great for small groups, and for whole class lessons!

If you like this, you may also like this one for your older students:
Following Directions All Year Intermediate

Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store here.


Are Your Kids Using Too Much Digital Media?

In a long, cold winter, there’s a whole lot of digital viewing going on! Probably too much!

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently changed its digital media standards for children. (You can read about the new guidelines on my Reading Spotlight Blog (www.readingspotlight.com/blog/)

 

Do not underestimate the importance of human touch and interaction! Why not send home a gift of Reading Bingo Games for students to work on decoding words in short, enjoyable sessions with their parents and/or siblings?

 

A small cost for big rewards! Something different, something fun, something helpful for beginning/struggling readers in grades 1- 5, something short for tired and busy parents.

 

Kids will get some individual extra practice that you simply cannot provide in your busy classroom. Reinforce your lessons, or send home games with specific skills that need development for specific students. The ½ price TpT site license makes sending home copies easy.

 

This is a win—win—win–situation for students, parents, and their teachers! There are many Bingo games at my TpT Store: Reading Spotlight. Just call me The Bingo Lady! The games are clear, simple, and easy to use. Here are just a few:

 

Reading Tutor Bargain Bundle:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bargain-Bingo-Bundle-Reading-Difficult-Clusters-Reading-Tutor-2108500

 

Learn to Read Bingo Bargain Bundle: Consonants, Blends, & Digraphs:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bargain-Bingo-Bundle-Consonants-Blends-Digraphs-Learn-to-Read-2108433

 

Learn to Read Bargain Sight Word Bundle:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bargain-Sight-Word-Bundle-Learn-to-Read-Bingo-2166517

 

 


December Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

It’s December and time for our holiday version of Teacher Talk. Getting ready for Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza and New Years, we have some great ideas for you. So hurry on over to see what these creative educators are doing this month.


If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs, blogging buddies and/or our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names.

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A Celebration of Values

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Reasons and ways to incorporate values into your lessons this holiday season.

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Election Musings in December

By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

I came across this letter, written by a father to his children after the election. He said what is probably on many of our minds.

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Make Math FUN this Christmas!

Engage your students with these Christmas Math riddles worksheets! I began creating math riddles to make math more fun in my own classroom. I love hearing my students giggle as they solve the riddle at the end of the worksheet. Students solve problems, each problem has a letter assigned to it and the letters help to solve the riddle. It is a great way to combine fun and learning! Make math FUN!

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AAC From A to Z: A is for Aided Language Input

By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

If you are supporting an AAC user, you’ll want to watch this short video about using Aided Language Stimulation. This is the first step in implementing augmentative communication.

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Keeping Your Students Engaged After a Vacation Break

By Marcy Howe of It’s a Teacher Thing

Learn tips for re-engaging students after a vacation break.

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MAKING SENSE OF NUMBERS – BEYOND COUNTING

By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Many children enter kindergarten being able to rote count. What comes next? There are 5 key elements of number sense within a kindergarten age group. 

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Forging Connections By Studying Family

By Michelle Webb of Teaching Ideas for Those Who Love Teaching

Why Studying Family with young children is so important.

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My Top Five Christmas Read Alouds

By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR’s Classroom

Here are my top five Christmas read alouds with some ideas fro activities.

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Four Quick Strategies to Check for Understanding

By Shametria Routt of the Routty Math Teacher

As teachers, we are constantly assessing our students and gathering formative assessment data to drive our instructional decisions. When we use student feedback and data to make decisions, we cut-down on the time spent teaching concepts and skills our students already know or aren’t quite ready for yet. Check out four quick strategies you can use today to check for your students’ understanding.

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3 Sure-Fire Ways to Keep Kids Moving for Math

By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

Keep students on task and engaged! 3 math resources that get students up & moving, while practicing math skills.

An Existential Tug-of-War: Making Thinking Visible with Tuck Everlasting

By Tracy Willis of Wild Child Designs

This post explores critical thinking routines using Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. It shows the diversity of thinking that can occur in one novel study with upper elementary students. 

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Please hop on over to read these December blog posts.


FREE MISC. LESSON – “How to Make the S Sound Spaghetti Clues!”

by Kathy Babineau

Speech Language Pathologist

 

cover-for-how-to-make-the-s-sound

How to Make the S Sound Spaghetti Clues!

The S sound is such a tricky one for so many of our early elementary students to pronounce!

In this freebie, I’ve included a quick description of a mini lesson for teaching the S sound in the classroom, a poster, and a worksheet.  There are so many touch cues and verbal cues for this tricky sound, but this is one that has worked for me!

Enjoy!

Kathy Babineau MS, CCC-SLP

Visit my store


October Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

It’s BOO-tober and time for October Teacher Talk. Getting ready for Halloween and other Autumn holidays, you don’t want to miss this issue of Teacher Talk. So hurry on over to see what these creative educators have to say for this month.

If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs, blogging buddies and/or our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names.

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Journals: From a Kid’s Point of View

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Part one of a blog series about journaling, as told by fourth graders!

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BOO-Tober Time for Sensory Poetry

By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

It’s BOOtober and the perfect time to get those creative juices flowing in your 5-8 grade students. Fall is the perfect season for this. Can’t you just hear the rustling of leaves under your feet, or the howling wind as the days begin to grow colder. How about biting into that first crisp red apple of the season. I just love Macouns, my tongue waters as I think about the tart sweetness of my favorite fruit.

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BOO! MEOW! EEK! WHHOO! HA-HA-HA!

By Gini Musmanno of Reading Spotlight

The natural rhythm of songs and poetry enhances fluency, especially for beginning and struggling readings. Add fun with sound effects and then add even more fun by recording the results!

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Multiply the Fun

By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

Combine task cards with QR code and students BEG to practice multiplication!

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Make Math FUN this Halloween!

By Sara Snyder of Snyder Classroom


Make Math FUN this Halloween with these engaging Math Riddles! Each problem corresponds to a letter that helps to solve the riddle at the bottom of the page. My students love these!

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3 Ways for AAC Users to Get their Game Face On

By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

If you’re looking for some fun and spooky Halloween activities for speech-language therapy, here are some ideas for you, and a free resource, too.

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Halloween STEM Challenge: Ghosts in the Graveyard

By Kerry Tracy of Kerry Tracy

Keep your kids engaged this Halloween with spooky STEM challenges!

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Pumpkin Themed Activities and Resources

By Alison Monk of the Literacy Garden

It’s that time of year again! Pumpkin mania!! Yes, I am also quite a fan of everything PUMPKIN. I love the soothing taste of a Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea or the delightful aroma of pumpkin scented soaps and air fragrances. And don’t forget the pumpkin roll with the cream cheese filling!!! So, now that you are drooling with me, how about some pumpkin ideas for your home and classroom?

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Math Routines to Boost Student Achievement

By Shametria Routt of The Routty Math Teacher

Check out four classroom routines that will allow you to use your time both effectively and efficiently, increase critical thinking skills, and boost student achievement at the same time. This series highlights four of my favorite routines: starters, number talks, math talks, and daily problem solving. These routines are tried and true and through this series I share how I made them work for me and my students in my own classroom. 

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Positive Behavioral Supports for PreK Classrooms

By Thia Triggs of Print Path

As I began working on a new Visual Schedule project for PreK, I did a little digging into research-based practices to support positive behaviors in preschool classrooms. What did I find? 

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Setting Up Captivating Stations

By Mary Moore of Moore Resources

As I was considering how to do these and captivate interest, I decided to utilize my new ‘math stations idea’ and create ” Colorful Captivating Station Bags”. To create these great engaging station bags….read more at MMooreEducationalResources.com/blog

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Be sure to visit the blog posts in the linky for more details about these awesome ideas for the month of October.


Reading Logs for young readers? Here’s an alternative!

Rethinking Reading Logs for young readers

I have spent most of my career teaching little people, and a good part of that time parenting little people, too. One topic of great discussion (well beyond kindergarten and grade one) was that of the Reading Log.

As a first grade teacher, I had mixed feelings about sending them home. It’s fairly easy to figure out early on what will become of one’s students’ reading logs throughout the year. As parents, we all have the best intentions. Teachers know that. Many of us fill both roles.

Life gets busy, especially that in-between school and bed time when you have to make and clean up dinner between driving kids everywhere ensure they’re somewhat clean, and maybe even do some homework. I believe that most parents do read with, or to, their kids. Writing it down (especially when we’re exhausted and feeling like we’re being policed?) Well, that’s a whole other story.

How many evenings did I spend at the end of each month, sitting at my kitchen table with a selection of different colored pens, filling in my kids’ reading logs? We absolutely read each night, probably for too long, but we sure didn’t break the spell to keep track of it all!

It is because I valued passing on the love of reading that, in the case of traditional Reading Logs, our kids learned from me that I was okay with dishonesty (under very specific circumstances). Yep, they learned that the magic of reading trumped honesty. GULP.

The Parent / Teacher Connection:

When I was teaching Reading Recovery, between my training and the variety of students I had, I began to really understand the difference between passive and active learners, and the connection between our roles as parents and teachers. Have you heard the phrase ‘Never do for a child what he can do for himself’? I’m a believer.

There was a very definite link between how quickly my students that were more independent with getting ready for recess or home, for example, and using the strategies I was teaching them, were progressing through the program. Those who simply shrugged when I asked them a question, or stood daydreaming in the hall, expecting someone to come and zip up their jackets were the ones who seemed to struggle the most. They were also the ones who left their reading bags at home, waited to be directed for every step of the same structured lesson we had each day. Some of my students did not have bedtime stories because they ‘didn’t have time’. (That did not surprise me with the amount of time it took to travel down a short hallway!)

I have ‘rejigged’ the reading log for the little people, with the purpose of parents and teachers focusing on maintaining the natural enthusiasm and building responsibility for their learning in our little people! Have a look:


Th 2 Reading Log bw cover

This is the front

cover, with space

for the student’s

portrait and

name. Copy onto

colored paper

or let them color

it themselves! 


Th 3 Reading Logs

This is the first

inside page of

the Reading

Log, with the

legend and a

note for parents

explaining how

it all works! 


Th 4 10 June Reading Log

Students draw in &

submit reading

log with a page

completed monthly.

after discussing  

the 3 boxes at 

bottom at home.


strips - Copy

This is a later addition

to Reading Logs –

rejigged, for anyone

wishing to add extra

strips for additional

tracking (weekly?)

Simply return to your

My Purchases page &

download an update!


Th1 Familiar Reading explained! Free handout for parents and volunteers by ThatFunReadingTeacher

While this is not part of

Reading Logs – rejigged

it is the ideal info sheet

(& freebie) to include

with it or in your

familiar reading bags! 


It is my hope, that by focusing on each child as an individual ‘Superstar’ Reader (front cover), who has an important job to do in bringing his or her special Reading Folder or bag home regularly (hopefully with a library book to listen to, and/or some familiar reading), and returning it to school, it help foster a sense of pride in being a big kid who ‘reads’.

It is also my hope that our earliest little readers and their parents find reading stories at bedtime something they look forward to each night, and that stories accompany them elsewhere in their lives!

Below, please find the links to the free one month trial version and the full versions of Reading Logs – rejigged! If you like this idea, please pass it on!

I would love to hear your thoughts on reading logs, this new one, and alternatives you use.

Best wishes to all of you as we embark on another school year!



 FULL PRODUCT
RL fr sample FREE SAMPLE

The full product comes with all 12 months, plus additional months  for August, October,

November, December and April to keep options open regardless of country or religion!
Reading Log preview.png - Copy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Related:

First Grade and Kindergarten Literacy Bundle


Follow That Fun Reading Teacher’s board Kindergarten Literacy Fun on Pinterest.

 

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Which letters are most important to young learners, and a fun (and FREE) activity!

Which letters are important to young learners, and a fun activity to do with them! Blog post by That Fun Reading Teacher


If you want to get children’s interest, ask about their world.It really does revolve around them! The letters young kids learn to identify first are those that they see most often. Many of these are the letters in their names.There are a number of benefits beginning letter learning with letters a child is most familiar with.

Children learn best when they are happily engaged in what they are doing and are most enthusiastic when they feel confident.

With that in mind, here is the ‘how-to’ on the preparation and lesson for the ‘Letters in your name’ flipbook:

Preparation:

  • Using 8 ½ x 14 paper, prepare the blank flip books.  If a child has six letters in his name, you will need three sheets of paper to lay one on top of the other, leaving approximately two centimeters, or just under an inch between the bottoms of each piece of paper.  When you fold the three papers in half, you will have six layers (see photo).  Staple these pages together, covering any sharp staple ends safely.  You now have the template for the ‘Letters in your name’ flipbook!  Be sure to adjust for the length of each child’s name.
  • Usually the children associate themselves with the first letter of their name.  Consider whether or not you would like a photo to be used on the front cover so it can be ready for the activity, or provide people shaped tracers or stamps, and students can personalize from there
  • Have a variety of options available to the children for illustrating the pages in their book.  As noted in The benefits of a personal alphabet book, it is important to find out what the child naturally associates with each letter sound on her own.  Reading Recovery teachers are equipped with a collection similar to the index car box in the photo, which allows for a quickly accessible variety of pictures for every letter.  If what the child suggests is not available, it can simply be drawn.  Many sticker collections can provide great content for these files as well as photocopies and pictures from fliers.  Holiday fliers are particularly useful.  ‘Witch’ and ‘ghost’ are popular alphabet book flier additions, thanks to Party Packagers and their terrific advertisements!

    A Reading Recovery teacher's alpha photo file.

    A Reading Recovery teacher’s alpha photo file.

Materials for the activity: 

  • Upper case and lower case letter stamps (optional, but helpful)
  • Prepared flip books (with child’s name lightly marked in pencil on the back)
  • Glue sticks and coloring materials
  • Small group setting (best done as a center)
  • Scissors if using fliers that have not been cut
  • Pictures for pages of flip books

The Activity:

  • Introduce the activity by talking about names, how special they are, and reinforce that individuality and uniqueness are positive traits.

    For Joshua, 'a' is for 'apple'

    For Joshua, ‘a’ is for ‘apple’.

  • Talk about the importance of the first letter of a name. Make big emphasis on capitalization here.
  • Show the kids a model of the ‘Letters in your name’ flip book and ask them if they notice anything different about the first letter.
  • If you are using stamps, show them the two sets.  Explain how to use them, and about the difference between the upper and lower-case set.
  • Explain that just like every person is different and special, everyone’s name book will also be different.  Even if two children have the same name, it is important for them to choose a picture that jumps into their own mind right away when they hear a letter sound.
  • Aim for two or three letters per day with each child.  Say the letter sounds for the kids and ask them what comes into their mind when they hear them.  If nothing, then leave that letter and move on.  It is okay to leave a page blank.  This is the start of a record of the child’s letter learning.
  • Allow the children to make their pages special with colour and décor.
  • Once the class is finished with this activity, send it home to be shared, but only after the information is transferred into a more permanent alphabet book that the child will continue to work on at school. This alphabet book will be a reference for the entire school year, and perhaps the next one, too.
  • Have the children ‘read’ their ‘Letters in your name’ flipbook to others with pride.  Reading buddies, volunteers, family members etc.
  • Most importantly have fun!

What are some ways you introduce letter learning to kids?

 

Related:

 

The benefits of a personal alphabet book - lessons learned from my Reading Recovery days. A blog post by That Fun Reading Teacher.

 

Best wishes with Back to School, everyone!

 2015 TpT Store Prof pic circle

Benefits of a personal alphabet book – a lesson from my Reading Recovery days

The benefits of a personal alphabet book - lessons learned from my Reading Recovery days. A blog post by That Fun Reading Teacher.

 

Why go to the trouble of creating a personal Alphabet Book for your students, instead of having everyone in the class work through each letter together? It sounds like a lot to manage, but creating links to a child’s life early in literacy learning is worth the confidence and gains they make later.

When I taught Reading Recovery to grade one students early in the school year, creating a personal alphabet book was one of the first things we did together when we started lessons. It wasn’t until seven years in to my teaching career that I understood the benefits of a personal alphabet book, and I have Dr. Marie Clay and my Reading Recovery teacher leaders to thank for that.

In Literacy Lessons Part Two, Dr. Clay explains:

The alphabet book is merely a record of what is known with spaces for what is ‘yet to be learned’  That gives the child a sense of the size of the task and a feeling of control over his own progress.  It also provides a location to return to when a troublesome letter, still being confused, turns up. (p37)

She explains that children do not generally learn to identify letters by name or sound in alphabetical order and that identifying a letter by name or sound is equally useful for a child early on, as it is most effective to teach both name and sound together.

 

When children have one word for each letter that he or she knows for sure makes that letter sound, they use it as an anchor, a concrete example to hold all other words against for comparison.

When they have their own sound alphabet that they have created from the words most meaningful to them, the words that pop into their minds with the initial letter sounds and that association gives them confidence that they know that particular sound.  It gives them the confidence to ‘spit’ that sound out when they see an unknown word on a page when they are reading, or put down that first letter when attempting to write a word they have never attempted before.

The personal alphabet book is the ultimate, at-a-glance reference guide. It is meaningful to each child, because that child constructed it from people and things that are meaningful to them already. The connections are already in place.

The key to the effectiveness of a personalized alphabet book is in its construction.  It must be done slowly but with enthusiasm, following the child’s lead, reviewed often and used as reference.

Years ago, we spent hours cutting up old coloring books and worksheets to use as images for our students’ alphabet books. This led to the creation of a kit as a time-saver! Try it free in the BTS Sampler, linked below!

Ready to create a personal alphabet book? Here’s how.

Related:

The Complete Alphabet Book Kit #BTS Big Bundle by That Fun Reader Teacher

Free Back to School Sampler by That Fun Reading Teacher How to create a personal alphabet book - a post by That Fun Reading Teacher.

Best wishes for Back to School, everyone!

I.M. That Fun Reading Teacher!


 2015 TpT Store Prof pic circle


Starting a Reading Buddies program in your classroom? Some tips and a freebie!

 

Starting a #ReadingBuddies program in your classroom- Some tips and a freebie to get you started!

 

Thinking about starting a Reading Buddies program in your classroom this year? Here are some tips and tools to get things rolling!

Consider putting School-wide Reading Buddies on a staff meeting agenda.

Discuss the benefits for all students with your divisional leads and administration, and even if the seed of the idea is planted to be reassessed next year, it will give you a sense of who might be open to a pairing for this year.

Take age into consideration.

An age / grade difference of 2-3 years between buddies puts a clear boundary between who the big buddies and little buddies are.

Approach a colleague about pairing classes…

…and be realistic about whether your schedules will work! Casual conversation over lunch can often accomplish this, but it seems like our time is less our own these days! I have created this free letter and form to simplify the process:

Reading Buddies teacher letter free 

Build Reading Buddy time into your timetable.

When ‘it’s official’ everyone knows what to expect, when. Perhaps it is alternate week familiar reading, word-work, or math skills review through games, part of character education or religious education for forty minutes. While  may Reading Buddies may not appear in on the timetable your principal has to hand in to the school board, it’s important that the kids have this special time to look forward to. It could even happen over lunch!

Define expectations to both classes.

This is accomplished best if done as individual classes, as the expectations differ for the age groups in some ways. Review general expectations when they are brought together for the first few times, and provide visual reminders. Reading Buddies time can quickly look like recess if sixty kids are unsure of what the rules are, half the kids, ‘read the book already’ and have decided to hang out with someone else!

Talk to your partner class’ teacher about general and specific expectations.

I wrote general expectations in a storybook lesson format for my students, explaining to the bigger buddies (third graders) ‘This is what I am reading to your little buddies‘ (kindergarters). One of my valued TpT customers reads her class the story, then posts the pages on a bulletin board! I love that!

Here are some ideas for general expectations from my Reading Buddies Starter pack:

Student expectations defined in That Fun Reading Teacher's Reading Buddies Starter Pack

What are some expectations that you find important to put in place during Reading Buddies time?

Best wishes to all you!

    I.M. at 

2015 TpT Store Prof pic circle

Related: 

The benefits of a Reading Buddies program and not just the little buddies! by That Fun Reading Teacher Reading Buddies

#BTS Big Bundle by That Fun Reader Teacher Rethinking Reading Logs for young students by That Fun Reading Teacher


August Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

It’s August Teacher Talk Time…..Hopefully many of you are still enjoying your summer

vacation. Some of you are back to school already, while others are getting your classrooms ready for an exciting new school year. We have so many great tips and ideas for you from awesome educators. Be sure to take a look at what everyone has to say.

If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs, blogging buddies and/or our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names.

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Teaching Tolerance During this Election Season

By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

I don’t know about you, but this was the first political convention I’ve followed with interest and a great degree of concern. We need to embrace our diversity, to look for the good in each other, and notice the positive things we see happening every day.


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R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Some tips for bringing respect back to your classroom.

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Setting Up Your Classroom With Style

This time of year I love to find new ideas to make my classroom functional, yet cute. The way I figure it, I spend more awake hours in my classroom than any other room in my house. So, why not make it visually appealing! Here are some ideas that are functional, yet adorable at the same time.

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5 Teacher Must-haves for Back to School: Working on a Budget

My top five must haves for the classroom teacher!

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Back-to-School Ice Breaker

Do you hate ice breakers? Me too. That’s why I created something a little different for grade 4 – 8 to enjoy!


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Using Productive Struggle to Promote a Growth Mindset

By Shametria Routt of The Routty Math Teacher

“Using Productive Struggle to Promote a Growth Mindset” is the second part of my Summer PD with The Routty Math Teacher blog series. In this four-part series, I define productive struggle, advocate for its purpose and usefulness in the classroom, illustrate how it is reflected in a teacher’s instructional decisions, offer a list of expectations for both students and teachers during productive struggle, provide an opportunity to see productive struggle in action via a Teaching Channel video, and connect productive struggle with growth mindsets. 


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 It’s Back to School Time! Have fun with the Marshmallow Tower Project!

By Mary Moore of Moore Resources

I will be implementing a project the first week of school, “The Marshmallow Tower Project”, shared with me at a Teaching Summit in June. Materials needed are: A box of….


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Using Handwriting Without Tears to Teach Printing

By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Most every Occupational Therapist that I have ever met loves the Handwriting Without Tears© [HWT] program to teach handwriting. But not every OT, and many teachers and school districts do not use this program. Why not? I would like to discuss what I have observed about advantages and disadvantages of using HWT. 


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Tips For Teaching The Presidential Election

By Michelle Webb of Teaching Ideas For Those Who Love Teaching 

Tips for teachers to use while teaching about the Presidential Election.


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What Happens When a Classroom Theme Drives Instruction?

By Tracy Willis of Wild Child Designs

When teachers talk about themes, they’re usually talking about classroom decor. But could they be missing out on some real instructional power? Let your themes drive your instruction for the entire school year!

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Be sure to enter TBOTEMC’s Rafflecopter for a chance to win a $100 gift

certificate to Teachers Pay Teachers. Please remember to enter one of our names and Tpt store on the referral section of the registration form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hop on over to visit the blogs from other teachers in our cooperative.


Teaching Tolerance During this Election Season

I don’t know aVote imagebout you, but this was the first political convention I’ve followed with interest and a great degree of concern.  We need to embrace our diversity, to look for the good in each other, and notice the positive things we see happening every day.  I was appalled by what I saw occur during the Republican convention. It was shocking to witness such divisiveness, hate, pessimism and fear mongering. Everything was dark and ominous.  Our country wasn’t built on that. It was built on faith, optimism, a genuine caring for each other and working together for the greater good. That is the American way!  We teach our children to be compassionate, to respect each other no matter their race, or religion, and to find something positive in everything and everyone. How can we expect them to believe us when they see a bully running for president, an individual who has no respect for women, disabled people, minority groups, immigrants, even experienced judges, let alone heroic veterans and those in the military who have dedicated their lives to serving our country and protecting our freedom.

What if this irresponsible, inexperienced, bigoted person, whose only accomplishment is enriching himself while cheating and taking advantage of others less powerful, were to become leader of the free world? Will he stop and erode all the hard fought progress made by honest, hard working champions for our way of life?

So how do you respond when a young person asks, “Why is this bully running for president, I’m afraid of him,” or “Why doesn’t he like Mexicans, is he going to send us back to Mexico? We have to let our kids know that just because he has succeeded at something, doesn’t mean he’s someone to follow or vote for.  That freedom of speech is part of our constitution and the law of the land allowing anyone to exercise it freely. Sadly, has taken advantage of this.

Let your kids know that anger is a normal emotion, sometimes we all feel this way. The main goal is to allow one  to express his/her feelings and not to keep them bottled up inside.  We need to let them know that sometimes people say hurtful things when they are frightened, unhappy, immature, and jealous of those who have been successful in their lives. Bullies often feel threatened by the accomplishments of others so they lash out.

one

  1. Parents and/or teachers should ask questions and listen to what the kids have to say.

Here are some tips.

  • Ask what they think about the presidential nominees
  • Who are the candidates?
  • What kind of people are the candidates?
  • What are some of the things they’ve been talking about?
  • Who would you vote for and why?

two

  1. Express how you feel and give clear reasons why. This will help children learn coping skills when they feel unhappy, angry and fearful. These actions will aid them in understanding that they have choices, are connected and empowered.
  • This is an opportunity to hold a discussion about differencesof opinion, how to debate respectfully, and how to fight for a cause. Create various scenarios that they can role play.
  • Use historical events to help make sense out of what is happening today. Spend classroom time talking about current events on a daily basis. Do not try to sway their opinion with your own.
  • Parents should also join in with a statement of how they feel about the election.
  • They could do the following with their children, view anti-racial speeches. attend a rally, write a letter to the candidate, take their child to vote with them.

 three

  1. Last, but not least, allow the children to speak freely about anything that is on their mind. Be honest and sincere when answering their questions.

The way influential adults act and talk about women, immigrants and each other is important. It is the basis for how our kids view the government, society and relationships.  If this negativity continues, it will change our world for the worse and we don’t want to go to a place that we will never be able to return from. As adults, it is our responsibility to say what is on our mind, to let our voices be heard by voting, and to be role models for our charges.
I have strong feelings this election season, and I hope that I haven’t offended anyone with this post.  Thanks for reading….

Deann

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/How-do-you-talk-to-your-kids-about-Trump.html

http://time.com/4263213/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-donald-trump/

http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/how-to-talk-with-your-kids-about-donald-trump-20160415

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Back to School Binder for classroom activities and decoration.

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Please visit Socrates Lantern’s Social Media Sites





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Be sure to enter TBOTEMC’s Rafflecopter for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to Teachers Pay Teachers. Please remember to enter my name Deann Marin and my Tpt store Socrates Lantern on the referral section of the registration form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This is part of our August Teacher Talk, so head on over to the other posts to see the tips/ideas from all of our educators.

August Teacher Talk.007


The benefits of Reading Buddy Programs

The benefits of a Reading Buddies program by That Fun Reading Teacher
[/Image credit: gelpi / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Just typing the term Reading Buddies brings a smile to my face.

When I was teaching kindergarten and first grade, my students always had Reading Buddies (older students from a partner class). The older buddies usually came weekly to read with my students and do a fun activity.

Having a Reading Buddy program in my classroom is one of the things I missed when I was teaching Reading Recovery. When I became a special education teacher (providing literacy support to students up to the third grade), I set up buddy reading between some of my third grade students and snacking Kindergarten students. Half of them were interested when I first suggested bringing their ‘most practiced’ books to kindergarten, weekly, during recess. After the first month, click here to continue reading…


                               The Reading Buddies Starter Pack

                        


End of the Year Musings

 

By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

Baby Canada GeeseI always approach the end of the school year with mixed emotions, though I’m ecstatic to be out for summer vacation, I always feel a little sad saying good-bye.  Many of my soon to be 7th graders hug me and leave with tears in their eyes, knowing that our little family will no longer be together. All the trials and tribulations, the challenges, the fun times and sad times will be always be with us, but it will never be the same.

Reflecting back to the beginning of the year, I remember how small they were when they first entered my room, some shy and nervous about their first few days, others acting cool trying to impress their peers., especially those they don’t know. The first hurdle over, they’ve opened their lockers. Simple process for some while others end up in tears because they can’t figure out how to do it. By the end of the year, they look back at this and laugh at themselves.

How strict I am the first few weeks, trying very hard not to crack a smile. This is the time to get them into shape. so that we all have a great year. They learn the rules and always test me.  Finally, after awhile, I can let my hair down and be myself. I can crack jokes, they can joke around and we can all laugh together. This is when real learning takes place, and to see their “ah ha,” moments is what teaching is all about.

I love 6th graders, the majority are so willing to learn, that it makes teaching rewarding and enjoyable.. One of my favorite things is our morning discussions. Their backgrounds are quite diverse and I learn something new almost everyday. Many are knowledgeable about a lot of things and they’re eager to share. They can talk about whatever is on their mind, and they feel safe doing so. We are now, officially a family and I’ve become their surrogate parent.Sandhill Crane Flying

As I say good-bye, each of my kids takes a part of me with them.  I feel certain that I’ve given them the support, strength and confidence to move on to seventh grade.   The time has come for them to spread their wings a fly.

When I close the door for the final time, I take comfort in knowing that soon I’ll have another bunch of little chickadees to bring up.

 

Have a wonderful summer

Deann

 

 

 

 

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On a closing note, please download my free, School Memories, you can use this for the last day of school.

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Here are a few more items

 

Something for the end of the year and something for the beginning.

 

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Please visit Socrates Lantern’s Social Media Sites





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This post is part of our June Teacher Talk Blog link-up.  Please click on the links below.If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs, blogging buddies and/or our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention my name. 

Teacher Talk June


May Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

 

It’s May, only a short time till you can kick back and take a break. To help get you there, we have have so many things to share with you in this edition of May Teacher Talk. There are posts about engaging your classes till the end of the year, end of the year memories, summer stem activities, number writing instruction, reading comprehension ideas, iPad Apps for learning, advice for teacherpreneurs and so much more.  So sit back, relax and take a look at our posts.

If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs, blogging buddies and/or our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names. 

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A Portfolio to Remember

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Ways to pull together a show-stopping portfolio collection for every student at the end of the year.
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Tips for Engaging Your Students Through the End of the Year

The end of the school year is just around the corner. You’re looking forward to summer vacation and so are your students, but you still have at least 6 or more weeks left, so what do you do to keep those children tuned in to learning.

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Flash Freebie, TpT Milestone Celebration!

By Thia Triggs of Print Path

This Number Writing product is one of my best sellers. It is yours free, for a limited time!

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 Are You Getting Overwhelmed the last few months of School?

By Mary Moore of Moore Resources

Don’t Stress the Last Few Months of School! It is so hard NOT to get overwhelmed, especially the last month or so of school! Read below on some tips and resources I always try to remember….at MMooreEducationalResources.com

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Can You Make 200 of Them?

By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

It takes 200 opportunities per day for an augmentative communication user to learn how to use the AAC system. We need to provide those opportunities within the context of daily activities & routines. Here are some suggestions on how to do that.

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Summer STEM Olympics

By Kerry Tracy of Kerry Tracy

Teachers, does the end of the year find you struggling to provide meaningful, enjoyable lessons? Never fear, Summer STEM Challenge Olympics are here! (Includes modifications for grade 2 – 8.)

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Wacky days in May and activities to go with them!

By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR’s Classroom

Get some stress out from testing! Do some fun activities with special days in May and some wacky ones!

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Comprehension is as Easy as ABC

By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

A tried and true teaching tool to ensure student engagement and comprehension while reading!

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iPad Apps for Kids- a 6-Part Blog Series

By Shametria Routty of the Routty Math Teacher

iPad and tablet use in the classroom has gained much popularity over the last few years and they’re being used nationwide as engaging learning tools for students. “iPad Apps for Kids” is a 6-part blog series featuring cool math iPad apps that can be used for intervention, tutoring, and summer practice tools for all students, inside or outside of the classroom setting. While all of the apps are free, you may have to make a purchase for a nominal fee to take full advantage of the app’s features; however, the free aspects are very useful and engaging just the same. 

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What I Have Learned on TPT-Part 2

By Marcy Howe of It’s a Teacher Thing

Read some of my top discoveries on my teacher-author journey.

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April Teacher Talk

It’s April, only a few more months to go till the end of the school year. We have have so many things to share with you in this edition of April Teacher Talk. So sit back, relax and take a look at our posts.

If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs and blogging buddies and our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names. 


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April is Poetry Month

 I just love teaching poetry and spring is the perfect time. For me, inspiration comes from being outside, perhaps walking on the beach inhaling the salty ocean air, or just walking through the woods with my husband and beautiful husky who is no longer with us. Oh and April is Poetry month.

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Make a Splash in April

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Step by step instructions for an art project to motivate students for “April is Poetry Month”.

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Scientific Method: Neglect & Regrets

Are your students mere collectors of data, or do they analyze & interpret data? This blog relates an epiphany I had that changed my science-teaching game for good!  

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Autism & Learning to Use a Public Restroom: Tips for Parents and Teachers 

By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Learning to use the bathroom in public places or at school can be a struggle for children on the spectrum. Read this post for tips on how to make the process of using new bathrooms fun, interesting, and successful!

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More Core in Shared Reading for AAC Users

By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

This post is about using core words and more descriptive teaching rather than referential teaching. Not only does this encourage higher level thinking skills, it means AAC users can more easily participate in comprehension activities.

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Don’t Let the Pencil Craze Get to You!

Mary Moore of Moore Resources

Are pencils driving you crazy? Students not having a pencil? Losing them? Breaking the tip? The pencil craze got to me too! It doesn’t need to! During my student teaching we had cups with pencils at each group that we sharpened every morning and ensured there were plenty in each cup, which was great! That was in first grade. Over the years, I became use to about 2-3 students per class not having a pencil, therefore, I always purchased a box or two at a time and handed pencils out to those students. This year was a little different for me and the pencil craze got me! So many lost pencils, broken pencil tips, or students just didn’t have a pencil. I felt pencil cross eyed! A solution must be found!!! After much thought I came up with my “Pencil Station”!

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Nothing Like Non-Fiction

By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

Using non-fiction will renew the love of learning in your classroom! Immersing students in reading & writing workshop: use non-fiction to teach note-taking, text features and formats!

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Calculator Challenges

By Shametria Routt of The Routty Math Teacher

Calculators are wonderful tools for the classroom and can provide valuable learning opportunities for our students. In fact, in the Common Core State Standards for Math, Mathematical Practice Standard 5 requires that students use “tools strategically.” To support this goal, this series includes 4 calculator-based activities that can be used to challenge your students in the mathematics classroom.

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EdTech Tips: Google My Maps

By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR’s Classroom

Ways to use Google My maps in the classroom!

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8 Highly Effective Practices for Teaching Printing

By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Don’t have time to take to a class? Improve the effectiveness of your handwriting instruction with these easy to follow research-based tips!

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What I Have Learned on TPT-Part One

By Marcy Howe of It’s a Teacher Thing

Advice from one teacher’s journey to becoming a teacher-entrepreneur on TPT. This four-part blog series includes strategies for finding help and feeling success.

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Georgia, Poppies & Poetry

By Tracy Wills of Wild Child Designs

This post outlines how to use sentence stems and visible thinking routines to respond to Georgia O’Keefe’s art. It includes some great picture book recommendations as well!

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April is Poetry Month

By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

 

virginia-live-oak-440351_1920 smallI just love teaching poetry and spring is the perfect time. For me, inspiration comes from being outside, perhaps walking on the beach inhaling the salty ocean air, or just walking through the woods with my husband and beautiful husky who is no longer with us.

 

I want my classes to experience the wonderful feeling of just being outside and creating. That’s why I  teach poetry in April or May, new awakenings, flowers coming up, birds beginning to nest, and the warmth that replaces the winter cold.  So I pick a sunny day, take the class outside and have them write a nature poem using all of their senses. I tell them to breathe in the fresh air, so we take some deep yoga breaths, then sit on the grass and listen to the sounds of nature with closed eyes, making notes of what they hear, the things they see, and what they feel.

We might also hug trees, smell flowers and listen to the sounds of insects while watching them complete their instinctual activities.  One of my favorite things to do is to have the kids find a tree to lie under, to look up through the branches at the sky, or to watch the leaves fluttering in the breeze. To listen to the sound of birds and watch little insects buzzing about their business. I ask them to look at the colors and to pretend that they are the color, or the insect, or the bird, or the tree.  I want them to feel the strength of the tree and realize how secure and grounded the tree is because of it’s roots that run so deeply under the ground.

My students have created  some amazing poems from this activity and many of them have gotten published in a book entitled  Celebration of Young Poets-Creative Communication, Inc. The web address is www.poeticpower.com.

This is an example of a poem that a 6th grade student wrote after completing this activity. To tell you I was blown away by this is an understatement.

Azure Drake

Azure blossoms at my feet

Beside the road smelling sweet

To the shade of a Sycamore tree

Swaying branches over me…..Whispering

Footsteps coming down the path

An ancient one with wooden staff

Long white beard and cloak blue smeared

Electric eyes not to be feared…Scintillating

A Druid friend from long ago

The magic words sure to know

Staff held high over azure flowers

Secret words of light and power…..Conjuring

Rustling in the indigo bed

Rising up scales, tail and head

Wisdom eyes, majestic wings

Breath of lightning, Dragon sings…..Thundering

Climbing on blue scaled back

Soaring on white cloud track

Snow capped mountains, Seas of sand

Born of air Free of land….Dreaming

by Sean Hayden

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Thanks so much for stopping by

Deann

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Please visit Socrates Lantern’s Social Media Sites





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This is part of our Teacher Talk Blog Link-up. A great month ahead with loads

of ideas that will help get you through the rest of the year.

If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs and blogging buddies as well as our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative.  If you decide to join, be sure to mention my name

April Teacher Talk Word Press


March Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

Welcome to our March Teacher Talk.  All of us from the Teacher Talk collaborative would like wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.  We have so many fab things this month from  Women’s History Month to Reading and Math activities, as well as Easter Stem Olympics, there’s even a post on Kite Flying to reward your classes for good behavior. So relax with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and take a look at what these educators have to say. You’ll be happy you did!

If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs and blogging buddies and our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names. 

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Lead Like a Girl

Finding positive role models for our students in Women’s History.

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Let’s Go Fly a Kite

  When I taught special needs kids, each month we would do something special for those who earned enough points. One of their favorite activities was to make and fly kites in March. Years later, I was mainstreamed to 6th grade and the children also loved this activity. After they flew their kites, they wrote two papers, one explaining how to make a kite and the other about their experience.

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Women’s History Month

It’s Women’s History Month. Here are some great books to read to your kids!

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Pi Day is March 14th

By Vicky Rauch of Scipi

What is Pi Day? Why was March 14th chosen?

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Using Core Words Every Day

By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

Teaching AAC users to communicate doesn’t take a lot of fancy materials or extra planning. Most of the time it’s as simple as engaging the learner with what he likes to do.

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Fast-Paced Fractions

By Kathie Yonemura of Tried & True Teaching Tools

Fraction review is filled with action & movement! Playing Scoot gets students up & moving, while practicing fraction concepts!

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March Into Eggstravagant Math

By M. Moore of Moore Resources

March into an Eggstravagant Math Activity. Enjoy a great activity I’ve completed with First Graders & Middle Schoolers! Every year around spring break I’ve enjoyed executing this wonderful fun egg math activity with my students. There’s minimal prep time and materials for this activity.

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Math Menus

By Shametria L. Routt of The Routty Math Teacher

Menus, a content-focused set of options from which students choose activities and tasks on which to work, are a great way to add some challenge and pizzazz to your everyday mathematics curriculum and can be created for a variety of purposes and designed to include a variety of activities. In this 4-part series, I share four of my favorite math menus that provide instant opportunities for differentiation because students choose which activities they would like to complete based on their own interest and ability levels. Each post describes a different menu, provides examples of how to use it, illustrates advantages and disadvantages, and includes sample work from some of my past students.

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Recharge Your Batteries!

By Megan Bodman of Adventures in Teaching 4th

Get 8 tips for recharging your batteries during the time of year when stress is high!

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Easter STEM Olympics

By Kerry Tracy of Kerry Tracy

Blog post outlines 5 egg-celent Easter-themed STEM challenges that can be modified for use with grades 2-8: Nice Nest, Carrot Carriage, Bean Bind, Basket Bounce, and

 Egg-hanced.

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Increasing Student Time On Task

By Marcy Howe of It’s a Teacher Thing

Increase student time on task with a few simple yet effective tools.

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Zones of Regulation: Using Visuals for Feedback and Self-Regulation

By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Do your children shut down or act out when they hear your voice giving then behavioral cues and feedback?  If so, visual cues can be a lifesaver!

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If This Spells D-E-A-D How Do You Spell Head?

By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

Manipulating sounds in words can be a very difficult task for students who just can’t figure out how the individual sounds go together to make words, and how they can come apart.

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Here’s your chance to hop on over and visit the blog posts of our creative teachers


Let’s Go Fly a Kite

By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

 

When I taught special needs kids, each month we would do something special for those who earned enough points. One of their favorite activities was to make and fly kites in March. child-flying-a-kite smallYears later, I was mainstreamed to 6th grade and the children also loved  this activity.  After they flew their kites, they wrote two papers, one explaining how to make a kite and the other about their experience.

I am going to show you how to make simple kites that your class will love doing.

Materials for a garbage bag kite:  plastic bags, two sticks, string, a ribbon and a nice windy day.

Step 1:  Take two sticks, wooden dowels, or garden stakes and put them into the shape of a cross., one horizontally and one vertically. Place the horizontal stick about a third of the way down and tie them together with a string.

Step 2: Wrap the string securely around the horizontal and vertical sticks so that they stay together.

Step 3:  Cut the bag to fit the kite frame. Secure tightly by tying the ends of the bag to the frame at the tip of each dowel or stick.

Step 4:  Tie string from one side of the horizontal stick to the other, make it loose so that it forms a triangle, see first picture in step #4. Tie a large ball of string to thebottom part of the vertical stick. Loop under the loose portion of the horizontal string and tie a knot then tie another knot where the horizontal and vertical strings meet. You’ll know you’ve done it right if you see a triangle shape. See 2nd image in step #4.

Step 5: Tie some colorful ribbons to the end of the kite to give it balance. If it seems flimsy , you can attach washers to the ribbons to add support.

Step 6: Voila, your kites are complete. All you need is a sunny and windy March day and some space for your kids to run with their kites. Have fun. By the way, you can have a contest to see which kite flies the highest or the best.

 

Another fun thing that I’ve done with the kids is to take them camping at the end of the school year, but that’s another story.

 

Featured Items

View my Interactive Poetry Notebook at Socrates Lantern's Tpt Store

Interactive Poetry Notebook

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Deann

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March Teacher Talk.003

Before you leave, please take a look at the rest of the blog posts that are part of our March Teacher Talk blog hop.


February Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern



Welcome to our February Teacher Talk.  All of us from the Teacher Talk collaborative would like wish you a Happy Valentines Day.  We have so many fab things this month from  proof-reading ideas, to ELA to math activities, to celebrating Black History Month and President’s Day, you don’t want to miss reading these blog posts from some awesome educators.

If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs and blogging buddies and our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names. 

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The Proof is in the Pudding, Proof-Reading That Is!

As a veteran English and Social Studies teacher, I’d like to share some effective proof-reading tips that I’ve used to help students improve their writing skills, and to make my life a bit easier.


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Love is All We Need

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Just a little inspiration for building confidence and acceptance in your learning community.

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IMWAYR: Funny Bones

By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR’s Classroom

Have you read Funny Bones? Winner of multiple awards and a great informational addition to your Dia de Los Muertos collection!

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Valentine’s Day STEM Olympics

By Kerry Tracy of Kerry Tracy

Blog post outlines 5 infatuating Valentine’s Day-themed STEM challenges that can be modified for use with grades 2-8. Help Cupid get some target practice, build a tower of love, design the perfect candy container, find the “heaviest” heart, and have a flower frenzy!

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 Cooperative Learning – Bring Core Subjects Together for Student Learning!

By M. Moore of Moore Resources

 Cooperative Learning – Bring Core Subjects Together for Student Learning!

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What Word Does This Say: B-L-E-N-D?

By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

This is part of a series of posts about phonological awareness and the different steps and skills to teach. This post is about blending sounds and syllables to hear the word.

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Teaching Self-Regulation Skills to Elementary Age Children

By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Finally! A systematic method to teach self-regulation skills to children with sensory, emotional, and behavioral needs. Color coded task cards give students managed choices to learn specific skills that meet their sensory needs and also calm them down, so that they can perform their academic classroom tasks.

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My Funny Valentine: Love Letters by Arnold Adoff

By Tracy Willis of Wild Child Designs

A review and glimpse into “Love Letters” poetry by Arnold Adoff. This post also includes a teaching idea for its use in the classroom.

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Robots + Math & Science = Total Engagement

By Megan Bodmann of Adventures Teaching 4th

Get your students engaged in learning by introducing robots into your classroom. They are not only a ton of fun, but you can easily utilize them in your math and science lessons. Find out how easy it is to do!

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Playground Problem = Real Life

By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

The Playground Problem is a real-life math challenge! It keep students engaged and practicing their area and perimeter skills in a meaningful way.

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Understanding Fractions: A 6-Part Series

By Shametria Routt of The Routty Math Teacher

Fractions– a single word that deflates the confidence of our most competent students and adults alike. In this series, I share some of the essential fraction understandings that I have developed over the years, including the many math tools you can use to reinforce these essential skills. With that in mind, each of the six posts highlights a fraction tool and activity that can be used to address a specific Common Core Math Standard (with a few printable freebies too). 

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Leveled Math Assessments

By Tammy Roose of Tarheel State Teacher

Do your math assessments encourage a growth mindset? Create an entry point for students who are not yet meeting the standards? Allow above average learners to show they know more than just what’s expected for their grade-level? Find out 7 reasons why I’m committed to leveled math assessments this year! 

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Here’s your chance to hop on over and visit the blog posts of our creative teachers.


January Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

 

                      

Happy New Year 

All of us from the Teacher Talk collaborative would like wish you a

healthy, happy and wealthy 2016. May all of your wishes and dreams become a reality.


If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs and blogging buddies and our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names. 

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By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

As a child of the 60’s I remember so vividly that fateful April day in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was brutally gunned down by James Earl Ray. I remember sitting by the television set, just horrified by what I had just witnessed.

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By Mary Moore of  Moore Resoources

ALL IN ONE: Statistics, Probability, Classroom Management, Scatter Plots, Student Engagement, & Graphing!

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By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Help your kids get the most out of waiting in line!

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By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

A simple strategy for activating prior knowledge and gets students to make connections. 

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By Shametria Routt of the Routty Math Teacher

Math stations are one of the current hot button topics for educators and the sessions with the longest lines at any math conference because they are not only fun for students but can be adapted to address a whole host of learning styles– more than we can typically address in a whole class setting. However, using math stations effectively in the classroom can seem like an overwhelming endeavor for beginners. To support those teachers who have been wanting to get started with math stations and to share some of my favorite tips and techniques with beginners and novices alike, this 6-part series features the 5 Ws of math stations: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. 

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By Tammy Roose of Tarheelstate Teacher

Are you ready to harness your greatness in 2016? I’m recommending 3 of my favorite resources for developing new positive habits and being the best you can be! Happy New Year! 

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By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

Phonological awareness refers to awareness of and access to the sound structure of language. Spoken words are comprised of strings or sequences of phonemes that signal different meanings. Awareness that changes in these sequences result in changes in meaning is crucial in literacy skills development. If a student cannot conceptualize the order of sounds and syllables in words, he cannot associate the sound units with written symbols.

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By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR’s Classroom

Books and resources to teach kindness.

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By Kerry Tracy of  Kerry Tracy

If your 4th – 8th grade students are struggling to produce grade-level writing, start here!

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By Tammy DeShaw of The Owl Teacher

Are you looking for some great ideas for teaching about Martin Luther King Jr? This blog post is a great opportunity to still teach your reading common core while teaching about this legend. The great part? A freebie to help you get started is included!

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By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Can you read these letters? Do you know why they are so hard to read? What can we do as teachers to prevent this?

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By Marypat Mahoney of Just Add Students

Keep writing projects from lingering on and on by using a writing scheduler.

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Gifts of the New Year

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning


Now that “the holidays” are over, the decorations are packed away, and the ribbons, bows, tinsel, and paper have been disposed of, many of us think that the huge whoosh of gifting is over. I disagree! January is the perfect time to gift yourself! Here are some gifts that I hope you will lavish upon yourselves during the often cloudy, gray, and chilling days of January!



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Helping Reluctant Readers Find the Magic

By Marcy Howe of It’s a Teacher Thing

How can you help your reluctant upper elementary and middle school readers? Check out this veteran teacher’s post on how she helps struggling readers.


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Finding Balance & Doing the Fandango

By Tracy Willis of Wild Child Designs

Quick! Can you stand on one foot and cross your eyes? Me neither! Find out how this teacher is reclaiming her sense of balance.

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From teaching math to writing to reading to learning how to form letters properly, to celebrating Martin Luther King, you don’t want to miss reading these fabulous blog posts from some awesome educators.


Teaching happiness in elementary?

Happiness Post pic.png

 

Are you a happy person? Do you remember yourself, siblings, friends and classmates as relatively happy children?

When you think back to your own friends and elementary school classmates, those you have taught over the years, does there seem to be an increase in students struggling with anxiety and / or stress, social and /or emotional issues?

It was once assumed that happiness was a child’s birthright, and thankfully, many children do continue to live happy, carefree lives. Some live very difficult lives.

Many of our students live in that grey,middle zone, where a combination of factors, sometimes one’s models, experiences, genes or things we may not yet be aware of,  might sway their perspective on whether one’s glass is half empty or half full.

Years ago, I taught a child who had fled from Syria with his family, and despite having so little, still stands out in my mind as the most content and grateful little boy I may have ever met. I can think of a number of others who appear to have everything, yet rarely seem genuinely happy. Of course, there are children who seem to have more challenges.

The children we collectively teach are unique individuals from different countries, lifestyles, belief systems, religions and experiences. While they are so different, they are still all the same. They’re children. Children with growing, open minds, who respond to humor, positive attention, role models and respect. And stories.

Many of us have worked with a number of very young, struggling children throughout our careers.

This book is for all children, but especially the glass-half-empty kids. There is so much hope there.

Happy Kids Preview

(And I thank those of you who have requested a ‘Happy Feelings’ book for prompting me to get it done!)

It is similar in style and structure to the popular Dealing With Feelings introductory color story All About Feelings with two child narrators interacting with the audience and each other as they observe some of The Secrets of Happy Kids. 

As I was preparing to write this post, I was curious to see if there was such a thing as a Happiness Curriculum for kids, and was so happy to see that there is! In case you wonder why That Fun Reading Teacher writes about #EmotionalLiteracy, I’ll give it to you straight: Research and experience prove that many children who are overwhelmed with emotional concerns have little to no energy, attention or drive to give to learning to read and write.

Let’s start with happiness. Here are some FREE mini-posters from me to you, with thanks!

Happy Kids Poster FREEBIE.png

 

2015 TpT Store Prof pic circle

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Click the symbol above to access my TpT Store! 😉

Related:


Th1 Secrets Happy Kids Th1 Happy Kids Poster FREEBIE DWF th1 300

Why reading enjoyment is just so important TFRT Family Day Th Dos & don'ts of motivating young children to write

 


LANGUAGE ARTS – “Vowel-Consonant-e Bundle Packet”

Grades K-3

by Reading on Strawberry Lane
V-C-e Bundle Cover-cp

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V-C-e Bundle-2

This reading unit provides 55 pages of the V-C-e syllable type word lists. V-C-e is one of the six types of syllables in reading. The lists in this unit include words spelled using each vowel in conjunction with common phonograms. These lists of words will help students recognize the common patterns seen in V-C-e syllables.

The 71 page unit includes activities and games that can be placed in language stations, or they can be played during small groups. So enjoy as your students learn another way to break the code to reading! Here is a list of the activities and games included in this packet:

1, Move the Spider to His Web
2. Syllable Type Organizers
3. Connect 4
4. Color the Snail’s Shell
5. Graph Your Total
6. Dominoes
7. It’s Raining V-C-e Words
8. Burst a Balloon
9. Flower Power
10. V-C-e Booklets
11. Flip-Flop Match-Up
12. A Walk Around the Block
13. Skunk
14. Building Words
15. Snake & Ladders

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Vowel-Consonant-e-Syllable-Bundle-Packet-1314936

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amanda-Trump

http://www.pinterest.com/trumpar/amanda-trumps-tpt-products

www.readingonstrawberrylane.net