November Teacher Talk
Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern
It’s November Teacher Talk Time…..Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. Time sure flies. 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.
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Politics, Elections & Voting, Oh My!
By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern
We educators, need to have faith that students care enough about our democracy to become voices of change.
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Holiday Self Care
By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning
My message today is about some ways that you might consider in taking care of yourself during these always fast paced couple of months ahead.
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It Depends on the Angle – Complimentary and Supplementary Angles
By Vicky Rauch of Scipi
Since most students are visual learners, I try to visually help them remember definitions. This is how I visually taught them the difference between complementary and
supplementary angles.
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Why Does U Always Follow Q in English Spelling?
By Gini Musmanno of Reading Spotlight
Have you ever wondered why the letter U always follows Q in English spelling? Here’s the answer.
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Do You Know These Top 5 Core 2-Word Phrases?
By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz
Far too many students never make it to the symbol sequencing stage of AAC use. Whether because of presumed lack of potential or lack of knowledge about how to move students along beyond single words, we end up with many AAC users who are not communicating as competently as they could – and need.
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Avoid Comparing Adjectives That Are Absolute
By Charlene Tess of Charlene Tess
Something can be unique, but not more unique.
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Free Art DecoChristmas Tree Coloring Pages to Support St Jude’s Childrens Hospital
By Margo Gentile of Margo Gentile
Get some free “Art Deco” Christmas coloring pages with links to powerpoint tutorials showing how to make Christmas graphics using basic shapes.
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Five Tips for Teaching Literary Analysis Writing in Grades 5-8
By Marcy Howe of It’s a Teacher Thing
Learn five practical tips for teaching one of the most challenging genres in writing.
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Preserving History
By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools
History books (& Hollywood) have often depicted Native Americans in very stereotypical and often degrading roles. Researching and creating scrapbooks of California tribes highlights the important relationship between the regions and natural resources, dependence on the land, as well as their beliefs.
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Reasoning with Evidence & Persuasive Thinking
By Tracy Willis of Wild Child Designs
Raise your hand if you wish your students would support their thinking with evidence! Visible thinking’s Claim-Support-Question is a great way to build your students’ capacity. This post explores how reasoning with evidence can flow across your curriculum with one BIG thinking routine!
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Children match the uppercase letters with the appropriate lowercase letters by “clipping” the clothespins to the appropriate answers. It’s best to program the answers on the backs of the cards with a highlighter or circular stickers. This way, the center becomes self-checking. 
Letter knowledge is a kindergarten skill. However, there are many first graders that require additional practice . . . especially at the beginning of the school year when they are recovering from the “Summer Slump”. Additionally, many children enter first grade feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by their new grade level requirements. Providing struggling first graders with a center that they can complete at 96% to 100% accuracy builds their confidence in working independently. 
Click on the image shown below to get the alphabet center freebie!
