tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44793959168876792012024-02-19T08:28:03.586-08:00The Write Stuff TeachingA blog which features posts about teaching tips and strategies, literacy, classroom management, mindfulness and character education in the elementary school setting. Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-76403562991240033862018-03-11T19:31:00.000-07:002018-03-11T19:34:02.351-07:00Spring Ideas for Your ClassroomI don't know about you but I for one am very happy that Spring is starting to show up here. Here on the West Coast of Canada, we've had a mild winter but an enormous amount of rain and gloomy skies. Today was super sunny and warm and I was able to get out for a nice walk. I have missed you,nature. I wanted to stop in and show you some Spring resources that just may make your life a little easier so that you can spend more time doing the things you love.
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Write-Stuff/Category/SEASONAL-Spring-197247" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6r2KuIuUu_5zGwJTb6JDOF0VLkqJARGoIVRIpfgoLhHdgUswiMyAzFBoiuWCZbJal6bw7hTSRt81aEtwv0scFmmSNnovnMFPCbAS20OrN5mL4gLskauoTN504sy6wBNwM0R0MI3BBiE/s400/Spring+Activities.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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With Spring comes rejuvenation! Our GREEN celebration will be here soon - none other than St. Patrick's Day. What could be more fun than following a leprechaun and seeing if you can get to the pot of gold before he does??<br />
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This also seems to be the time of year when many teachers need more writing ideas. Not time fillers, actual writing lessons that will move their students forward. March is the beginning of exciting times in the classroom because you start seeing so much growth and you want some fresh ideas to keep the kids engaged. I have just the set for you!<br />
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Follow the Sneaky Leprechaun was a ton of fun to create. It incorporates writing with a theme. Research shows that students do much better with choice (i.e. like book choice) and this includes writing. Giving students choice is powerful! This set is meant to be set up as stations around the room. Each station has another clue or question that students will need to figure out in order to create their story with all the pertinent story elements and traits of writing. There are footprints that you can cut out and put on the floor. Students will go to stations in partners and collaborate and plan out their story with the planning sheet included.
In the end, students will get to decide if they found the pot of gold or whether the leprechaun tricked them and found it himself. Story writing paper is included.
Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/St-Patricks-Day-Follow-the-Sneaky-Leprechaun-3699270">here</a> or on the picture to see the resource.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/St-Patricks-Day-Follow-the-Sneaky-Leprechaun-3699270" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpZEqqLNYde-CrtytuTVlZeu72_zF5tNmU07mQSHkmHUCNLSUDTG0ybLHTgPplk3t01IqWec1oeBM4DNBPiG2q0B1uDdqliTHj9WLGFdv6wzdrQ3Ta9DalB5Zk7fgj0yLQeqdkpJAp1c/s320/Square+Covers+2.052.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If your students enjoy this set, stay tuned. I am also working on an Easter one!<br />
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Lucky Learners is a set of writing activities that are mindful in nature. Instead of just "luck" having to do with good things happening, what about good things happen when we are kind? This set has several activities that allow even the youngest students to goal set and reflect.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/St-Patricks-Day-Follow-the-Sneaky-Leprechaun-3699270" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zTveRT3W8a4rox786Yod15KSpkLqr8U0gu_wXmRMuONYdTIjaSubrhNikKBEaXhSRxLPiOePxmgOOSqnmkc_D31rsfL6GkuPCk550mfCgbTP8952svm9Q4YBEWbC07ZWl4DyEipOg7I/s320/square+covers+.031.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What is Spring without poetry? In April we go more in depth with poetry like <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-For-All-Seasons-Pack-1434398">this set</a> I have for year long poetry but sometimes, you would just like some poems with a Spring theme. This pack has original poems (written by me) and activities to go with them. What a great way to continue to build fluency with your students.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Poetry-589929" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYX6DNJs8BlcMDHH3TDGyr2-sXOO1VE-LG5SlrYmz90OzfGMCYCioGc6yatkmUiMlwn8I1-4odNxSsb5KJM8PI7Y1kJCqQnCkAXh_IFsN_0j2eDBaswA00PS49ATHu9LFSCjduApNi3s/s320/square+covers+.013.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You can also get these two and in a small money saving bundle right here ==></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Mini-Bundle-St-Patricks-Day-and-Poetry-595547" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMEFJwYgz7mPt4_Z0zDgpGfAEIgsztyXFHmJedlzakoIj_sC7WkUt-Et55YJdes91E2FD8lbyi1PCL1PH8TZR60OtlsuClLeBV2hHoQPyADfHvwbJC9eWx_Bp0EKb9hFNMfLVFFlwtTA/s320/Square+Covers+2.047.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If writing centers is your jam, I have just the thing for your Spring writing. Check out this Work on Writing: Spring bundle. This set is overflowing with a variety of writing and thinking activities for both fiction and non fiction. Click on the picture for more. (Take a look at the feedback while you are there, you won't be disappointed.)</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Writing-1752376" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMyeNUQJaJDY6n4HzBhfBu-MKJap50r2HP9FwcxMJIiqab4PubKZnyT57osd-JOCU6cJSNiuK_D98pznQBKs8EgdwFyEaSNn1oUuhNSaKJXwjDdGktISAabqDyneS1kVChQBmN7wZ0oQ/s320/Square+Covers+2.048.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally, another set that you might like that integrates Writing and Science is this Write About Science Set. Here, students will learn about lifecycles of animals and plants as well as procedural and descriptive writing.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Activities-Plants-and-Lifecycles-1773155" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuoiHQuXzcimnH1G2e905RKmyxJjHSFf61HbAX5sjM1yAg8Edk8l1DyzmdVhB0rgAaECldYhqCOy2vuGXrWFdNDxi6FmjJ2b6OczGUQI7BRSf3JMX8jaX48hJu6XfQ4NOG2OpxVGIvaHw/s320/square+covers+.066.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It wouldn't be Spring without baby animals on the farm. This cute set has students learning about baby animals in Spring as well as using literacy and lifecycles as a springboard to writing.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Farm-Animals-in-Spring-602427" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5VHlfO_T_iagJZ9ISfA7YKzrRcEgmkNynSpJPBxU92njZPO9Cp-iZDdBkD_9Qd1eJ0RXHmhF7Usb-9dMUUQgzCDYQwQMe8sbJqI_YwdeoT7dQigh4_cwLGTU1OYmXYITYHiw_JzFlz0/s320/Square+Covers+2.046.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Easter will be coming up sooner than we know. I have a few Easter sets. At this time of year, my students have usually been writing up a storm and now I want to get more explicit about editing their work. This practice set will help your students to understand the editing process through an Easter theme.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfY_YBrZ2K3gg7wNzELbQOalvvz6Y_BosXxId8gZcSoFLRyAqyjN0_ZwgEjqIVXJQ_xwOZTbxFDGcKJii0_g-HPdbjvTUbxyhp7SffmL7oyxcXVKhQYIrZixJai1g9vttxr667MCObUYU/s1600/square+covers+.068.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfY_YBrZ2K3gg7wNzELbQOalvvz6Y_BosXxId8gZcSoFLRyAqyjN0_ZwgEjqIVXJQ_xwOZTbxFDGcKJii0_g-HPdbjvTUbxyhp7SffmL7oyxcXVKhQYIrZixJai1g9vttxr667MCObUYU/s320/square+covers+.068.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I hope this overview of resources available has helped you to find something that will make your teaching life a little easier so you can spend more time engaging WITH your students instead of planning and trying to find quality materials for your classroom.<br />
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Cheers!<br />
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Shelley<br />
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 193px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 2961px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 193px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 2961px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-8314699744373796882018-02-18T11:29:00.000-08:002018-02-18T17:11:29.408-08:00Formative Assessment IdeasI once said to an accountant I knew: "Doing report cards is kind of like tax season, except teachers do it 3 times a year." That was before I realized that formative assessment was far more valuable for student learning and that report cards really should not be an "event". A BIG event!<br />
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The purpose that report cards are supposed to serve is to let parents know how their children are doing in school and to give suggestions on how they can help at home. It's a summative report. Oftentimes, by the time the teacher is finished writing them, editing them and getting them ready to be sent out, the child has changed in their learning. Because I always communicated regularly with parents at the door or on the phone, I felt that report cards were more of a formality. If we teach to get to the report card, we lose students along the way. Formative assessment allows you to really understand your students and plan lessons to move them forward. Doesn't that sound like what education should be?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2p3uqOjjfsMHdQW1Wvr9ssHhzpAH1PrEw8ySj7LP6e-FXuBrw5__Ncu9uzHgVpS1Nv1GyBnrYAV2J_XM2CEEU4Q7gQregkIBtdciWgvOqlf_HoP2gSMy-yX4mSU_Pda-GZWMoxoEbhA/s1600/FB+blog+post+size+images.024.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="1152" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2p3uqOjjfsMHdQW1Wvr9ssHhzpAH1PrEw8ySj7LP6e-FXuBrw5__Ncu9uzHgVpS1Nv1GyBnrYAV2J_XM2CEEU4Q7gQregkIBtdciWgvOqlf_HoP2gSMy-yX4mSU_Pda-GZWMoxoEbhA/s640/FB+blog+post+size+images.024.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>So, exactly what IS formative assessment and how can it be used in the classroom to maximize your students' learning?<br />
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Formative assessment:<br />
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Based on the needs of each student<br />
Immediate useful feedback is given<br />
Embedded into instruction<br />
The focus is on growth/progress<br />
Goal focussed based on curriculum<br />
Understanding that learning is on a continuum<br />
Reflects the goals of the students and teacher<br />
Relies on teacher expertise and interpretation rather than outsiders to score or analyze<br />
Informs next steps for instruction<br />
Reinforces that learning is a process<br />
Teaches and encourages great responsibility of the student to monitor their own learning<br />
Considers multiple kinds of information rather than a single piece and used a variety of tools or strategies.<br />
(Adapted from NCTE)<br />
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Formative assessment is ongoing. It can be done in a small group setting, as a class (like in an exit slip format) or individually as you go around and have learning discussions with your students as they work. It can be as simple as asking clarifying questions. Many times, formative assessment requires nothing but a set of ears to listen and a set of eyes to watch, but it is important to keep track of this learning and growth so that you can make plans to move the child forward or provide more support in certain areas.<br />
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I've developed a resource that takes some common formative assessment ideas and puts them into a black line master and/or printable form for students to respond on and you can keep as a record of their growth. Check out the formative fun you and your students can have! Who knew assessment could be fun! I found that the beauty of formative assessment is that my students ended up learning more than when I gave them traditional (summative) tests.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPDfS4AkuXPE90TPq4YZ1YZXIkKwHx5bv8iYdqCrdvOFCuvrsyElUl1foTZiKL1KekQhdihIB2GvWeYJYXUc6eQYz-F3JrX5tQdzt36gcnj_1gvQXKts_4tyYMTa7BCbIw1KV7Cx5_38/s1600/Formative+Assessment+Ideas+image.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPDfS4AkuXPE90TPq4YZ1YZXIkKwHx5bv8iYdqCrdvOFCuvrsyElUl1foTZiKL1KekQhdihIB2GvWeYJYXUc6eQYz-F3JrX5tQdzt36gcnj_1gvQXKts_4tyYMTa7BCbIw1KV7Cx5_38/s640/Formative+Assessment+Ideas+image.001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Using formative assessment all year helps you to understand your students and their learning development really well. When report card "season" begins, it is now seen as a culmination of the learning thus far that is already recorded and up to date. Viola! Report cards in a snap! <br />
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You can see this formative assessment set <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Formative-Assessment-Templates-Ideas-3649716">here</a>. Happy teaching!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Formative-Assessment-Templates-Ideas-3649716" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZM90iVudynr1T99xag7UOoAak_B9ca3FZSFinWcfSPS3CPt-qI7vhA2_xib9gFvI1bKJQmnUudRn7kJOMN2BXQn7zxtOY2m_P_2bb-U1E41-mhtVlYI6iguIsHiafe32KGZfKrk420E/s320/Square+Covers+2.044.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-47390608500303091722018-01-07T06:00:00.000-08:002018-02-02T14:21:07.538-08:00Playdate with a Polar BearMost kids LOVE to have playdates with their friends. What if that playdate could be with an awesome creature from the animal world? As a primary teacher for most of my career, I know how much kids love animals from an early age. I also know that animals motivate kids. Have you ever had your students read to a stuffed animal? Magic! Pure magic! In my quest to change the way I think about learning, I have created resources that are more open ended and designed to tap into the creative side of students where real learning begins. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you will know that's how I roll. I am always looking for learning opportunities for students that are deep learning experiences, designed from the outcomes in the curriculum and the big ideas, where students can construct their own learning. Today, I released a brand new set called Playdate with a Polar Bear. Read on to find out more about this fun set!<br />
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(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.)<br />
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Kids love animals. Kids love to play. Put these two together and you've got motivation to learn! My first set is called Play Date with a Polar Bear. These kits are perfect for your literacy centers. Inside a <a href="http://amzn.to/2D1DJLp">student pencil case</a> or other plastic case, you will include the items in this set: 2 information cards, a puzzle set of the Arctic habitat and some of the animals you will find there. You can choose to cut out the animals that are provided or use your own small plastic figurines. (You can find some <a href="http://amzn.to/2m3ePCV">here</a> or visit your local Michaels or dollar store.)<br />
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There is also a set of printables for students to create their own story using a close technique (use vocabulary to fill in the blanks of the story so that it makes sense.) This is a great strategy for increasing comprehension while also allowing students some room for creativity. They get to name their polar bear friend, draw it and write about a trip to the Arctic with their bear and then a trip to their own home town with their bear. There are lots of opportunities for students to practice their word choice by describing places and things.</div>
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Students can then put together a puzzle that you have printed (and laminated for longer use if you choose.) This picture will give them some more ideas about the Arctic and the animals. If you have Arctic books to enhance their learning, these would be a perfect fit. </div>
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There is also a coloured blank Arctic habitat picture that you can laminate or put in a sleeve. Your students can use the animals to play with to create an adventure story. To help students once they have created their ideas, I have included a planning sheet and writing paper to write their polar adventure.</div>
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Here's hoping we can bring a little purposeful play to the classroom to supercharge learners and inspire their creativity. I think you will notice a difference in their skills, their motivation and their engagement. What other PLAYDATE sets would you like to see?</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1426311044&asins=1426311044&linkId=2bc9fcf96cc21745851434c2b84df157&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=155453044X&asins=155453044X&linkId=a7de49c8f6c5fa0cb69577b407546d1b&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1250069556&asins=1250069556&linkId=56c753cd0fd6d0cede55202fb45d282c&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0759WZ7NM&asins=B0759WZ7NM&linkId=4b6d341fac8293f6643acbb5537bd863&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1419707833&asins=1419707833&linkId=b00a9c30387438f0cb3a99c088c03df9&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-16898215667494354582017-12-17T18:50:00.004-08:002017-12-17T18:52:48.484-08:00Free Christmas Reading BookmarksChristmas in the classroom has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I love creating a cozy classroom with decorations and pulling out my favorite Christmas books to read aloud and for students to share together.<br />
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But just like summer time, sometimes students go home for the winter break and do not keep up with reading. As teachers, we know that choice in what you read is very important.<br />
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To make things a little more fun, I created two sets of bookmarks that you can download and print for free to give away to your students.<br />
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The first set has a Christmas theme. These bookmarks have little quotes on them that promote the love and importance of reading.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Christmas-Bookmarks-3544220" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmUZaJgdROx8IRa6oe4ylvGuFWmpdpRu9nuFPmYw9nkVDWtpoIS2y8EZMvXXp0POVf37k1uqKId9wZdaAWNZVAG1EpzJumA7wzY0HtQnIR3ppy-kI548-0gg1gXIqpi6LSbTL5YIyWcY/s400/Square+Covers+2.029.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also created a set of reading bookmarks that would go very nicely with your Christmas Around the World unit (the countries on the bookmarks match my Christmas Around the World Lap Book set). These can also be used for Social Studies. Each bookmark has a child from another country on it and "I Love Reading" translated into that country's language. :) </div>
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Both sets are free as my gift to all the hard working teachers out there. To grab your set/s just click on the pictures. May you all have a wonderful winter break!<br />
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-24721743405182101712017-11-26T17:42:00.003-08:002018-02-02T14:21:37.436-08:00How to Teach the Way Students LearnTeachers have known for years that their classrooms are full of students that don't learn the way the conventional system is set up. Slowly, some Districts are moving towards flexible seating in classrooms. The problem, as many teachers see it, is that with this more flexible learning environment there is a potential for a multitude of classroom management issues. With a strong sense of routines and a set of expectations, I have found students have really grasped the notion that flexible seating is for comfort but also to promote collaboration and deeper learning. With the change of environment must come a change in curriculum to allow students to delve deeper into their own learning and CONSTRUCT their learning. Where are you right now in the change process? A bigger question might be - how much do you know about your students' passions and what strengths do you, as their teacher, bring to the classroom?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I recently discovered this video as I like to look at the changing educational systems around the world and I thought it was quite timely. Many Districts have already moved towards modernizing their schools but there are still many classrooms that still function in a way that does not promote deeper learning and by no fault of the teacher. Desks, textbooks, standardized tests do not allow for student freedom in learning and differentiation. Take a look at this video by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okpg-lVWLbE&t=4s">Next School</a> and see if you recognize your own learning and/or that of our "modern" classrooms that really aren't so modern.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okpg-lVWLbE&t=4s" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="786" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKhcgbyUNnzDt9ekh9aKpbLXSPmP3x3Qat-PD71_Uor9LSo2u1plvhSFw98md94czi6g_bYloGegDF8XhX9-5AXJif7vMI-8GDFRu_-IWcf2I6Av3nOEX7ZiCgFvHit_MNIXMKM7cPeA/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-11-26+at+10.20.47+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
(Image source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okpg-lVWLbE&t=4s">Next School</a>)<br />
It's pretty eye opening how much our world has changed and how slow the education world is to catch up. So many of us as teachers have yearned for these changes and yet many teachers aren't sure where to start. I've asked some of my teacher friends what their teaching strengths are and I'm surprised how many look at me with a blank face and say - "I've never really thought of that before." When I change the question to "What do you really like to teach?", then I usually get a more spontaneous answer like: "Oh, I really like Math", or " I was really good in reading when I was in school". When I started exploring my love for teaching writing literacy and incorporating mindfulness in to my lessons, it really was an awakening for me. It inspired so many unique lessons that I could differentiate depending on where my students were at. I think the same is true of teachers - the idea sparks are there, we just need to notice them and nurture them. When we do, it adds so much "spice" to our teaching and students are the beneficiaries. I've created several resources that are helping teachers around the world to move their classrooms, their teaching and their students into the 21st century of learning. I knew that in order to make some of these changes, these resources needed to be very teacher and student friendly, yet promote the deep learning that will increase student understanding and achievement as well as help them to experience and practice the skills needed in today's world like communication, compassion, problem solving, critical thinking, self regulation and goal setting and personal and social responsibility. Students are young as 7 can learn these skills when taught explicitly and with scaffolded instruction.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Write-Stuff/Category/21-st-Century-Learning-PBL-Genius-Hour-177843" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhty_LesYkfq_t7r8tsSJe5kYStCswM1qyH2PHBq8ATVQVRZTFGN6BMPVKqguQ_3PiUycwMFMiVnFsglsiE7RuVLmPeJcR42dNi8dRCZ133OmE6xg1yPzvqYPx490hV4pPpD5J3NNnjp2g/s400/How+to+Teach+the+Way+Students+Learn.001.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Click on the images below to see more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Genius-Hour-Interactive-Notebook-1520838" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVzz4LMnlLrWTDtLg33bm71JysLd-lq7b-RA_kRuRSCh5xnuNYF2TD8w_xoAmOXKlbt9r3dXlr7WGYNc3BqhLTtzNWUzTFAZxr4_6x7JNyU-t4kBTR87FQij_3SXNkJ1n9MLyikseRCo/s320/square+covers+.004.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Genius Hour Interactive Notebook:<br />
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This is the perfect starter set to get your students thinking about their ideas and their passions.<br />
It's a step by step interactive notebook that explores WHO the child is and what they like.<br />
After some consideration, students choose their project and the things they will need to help them learn more. (books, technology etc)<br />
There is thought put into reflections and the learning journey.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Passion-Projects-Finding-the-Genius-in-Your-Students-for-Grades-2-5-1105549" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslC4eL2O7JGp5taWL6Ns-LChL_jW3zIsLP7HsNXHMy9NPNmyTXZYdrGgx4SiPdsgitjfoFvZHtboYwvZaIYnyO5njZokPH83AK3QHLtp2MLlkKg-2PXEpoI9PU5ed9j9xp_QyQDWjTYQ/s320/square+covers+.003.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Passion Projects:<br />
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Similar to the concept behind Genius Hour but with more of a primary focus. Students wonder about things that they like to do and come up with a project idea. There are ideas in this set to have a "kick off" party and to create what I call "passion pockets" to store all of the things they are using to work on their projects.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Real-Life-Learning-Poster-Set-PBL-3257644" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCKkx7aYkF_dPTNFph244OQf91fgVewI7vZlnUXdmI9bqIxddXLhhrNfqDlmSwKz08FNx_tCplBpkROheensHvu_vbt8QAlkk5120EaRhyNHD08Ks-QvaFXEZB2TFO0h7l4fZZkX2sRU/s320/Square+Covers+2.001.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Real Life Learning Series: Think Like a...Poster Set:<br />
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This set of posters will help you to link student learning to REAL LIFE examples to help your lessons become more meaningful to students. Students start seeing themselves like "real people" as they explore careers and the skills they need to become that person. These jobs are more than community helpers and value all kinds of interests and talents.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wonder-Design-and-Make-A-Beginners-Guide-to-PBL-3306539" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTB1OY9QYxJ7SYcr1A3kdr_YuF6vNmi9PL31KiDaFyBNI3gtikqLiuOPknpGIIMLRKkRK9y58vPGSi2MwvHXXgPiE2tNyuZOCRA_HjhF1Pew8-1LZGsmby4RXlS2bkKrVlyVNJAwZBtnQ/s320/Square+Covers+2.004.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Wonder, Design and Make:<br />
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I wanted to create a resource to help teachers to begin thinking about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). This set is generic enough to use with many different levels of students and provides a simple format to introduce Project Based Learning for the first time. This set comes with "idea sparks" and real life picture to promote wonder in your students.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Student-Interest-Survey-3331343" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAb19xq8Ey9MVi2TaKZfWoaNPjY5iawZt30OAEq1HbcP_Wwez9Cga7Z8QDQx68eGXDEpJGRrs-huJw82fIXqkqduZa-yRsXyWoLnplLAXTI3mVmFKvJiUMHHejlGK6sOzO2ySnZjHkNC8/s320/Square+Covers+2.005.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
This FREE resource will help your students identify things that interest them in today's world. 21st century interest areas of: literacy, technology and mechanics, medicine and healthcare, fine arts, mathematics, science and social sciences are included.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Rules-for-21st-Century-Learners-3-5-3382638" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEiy-SUMKnXTkpvo1DLu5Qup7wwcpnxAwZPLanTjyNo47JtUyWlw0FI6XcskqaO3zCKaYyShAzBmv_lVyWxC4-2BB83LtTRpSWEtsD5FhGe4AGtQetIY6Zyo7OQA4W97w27MRpPIKaNM/s320/Square+Covers+2.008.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
21st Century Classroom Rules:<br />
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There's no point in completing a mind shift in your classroom with flexible seating and new ways of delivering curriculum if your classroom "rules" don't support the change. :) These new classroom "rules" put the responsibility on the students. The "rules" include: communication, interpersonal skills and awareness, creative and innovate, social responsibility and critical thinking.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-MINDFUL-Notebook-Character-Education-Growth-Mindset-2207729" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmImP4ldYuH4w2QpSfnCzwCxXaZh86Onnk07x9Y4PhUHqUTCZ6Ol6EgkCH7BGemgHkKDCERhlf_rEn07VJQGJfRPbv7WRwUuQeXFpqx-oebGuv9AaPqX5t2d1cWA3ZjoleqUqFcRLsVgc/s320/square+covers+.054.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Interactive Mindful Notebook:<br />
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This resource was created to help teachers begin teaching mindfulness in their classroom as a way to create happy, well adjusted learners. Happy learners learn more! Soon, this resource became a best seller (and was on the TPT best sellers list) because kids enjoyed it so much and learned so much and teachers loved the concepts included and the ease of use. Students will need these skills in order to be able to interact with others and self regulate. This notebook helps them do both.<br />
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How excited are you to be teaching in a time when wonderful change is happening in schools all around?! Even if you are in a District that is not quite there yet, you can try some of these fun, deeper learning resources that will bring out the BEST in your students. The best part? You will experience so many ah-ha moments with your students which is as gratifying as it can get!<br />
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<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 26px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 1370px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 26px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 1370px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-83716648745220871312017-11-20T19:19:00.003-08:002018-02-02T14:22:08.825-08:00The Special Language of Toys<br />
They say that Math is an international language. Well, I think toys are too. Some of my most beloved toys from when I was a child are the same kinds of toys that many kids love today. My favorite was definitely a doll. Her name was Drowsy and she had blonde hair, and her body was made of super soft material that was pink with white polka dots. She spoke some phrases when you pulled the cord on the side. She was the best thing ever to cuddle when you were sad or needed help falling asleep. Sure there are computers and iPads and all kinds of other fancy, schmancy things these days but when it comes down to it, I think kids especially love things that you can cuddle and things that you can play with that allows you to use your imagination. Don't you agree?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I was thinking about my Christmas Around the World lap book set recently and how much teachers love to teach this unit because it's so much fun for the kids to learn about different cultures and traditions during Christmas time in different countries around the world. Then I got to thinking about about all the children around the world that may not be able to celebrate Christmas due to their situation such as poverty. I certainly don't want my students to be sad over the holidays but I do want them to understand that not all children are as lucky as we are to be living in a place where we don't have to worry as much about war and poverty. It would be wonderful if teaching our students about this in a unique way will help them to build skills in critical thinking, empathy, social responsibility and compassion.<br />
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So I thought about what one thing most children in the world have in common and that is their love for toys. Now, of course toys are very different in different parts of the world but they have a common thread amongst them.<br />
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Santa's "Joy" Shop is a set of lessons for your students to use as part of their Christmas Around the World unit to integrate Social Studies and Language Arts as well as the skills I mentioned above. It can also be used as a stand alone mini unit.<br />
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It was designed to allow students to explore different toys around the world through visuals (provided), books, and media (links provided). These toys are not the pretty toys we see. They are well loved, well used and often not in the best shape. But they are loved.<br />
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In this set, students will look at different "toys" played with around the world, have a discussion with critical thinking questions designed to help kids think deeper and choose one of the most popular toys to describe what it is and how it makes them feel and then color the picture. They will then design and create a special toy with their <b>own</b> imagination based on the most popular toys from around the world (including from their very own home!) Students will plan their design as though they were going to make it and then they will create a prototype.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Santas-Joy-Shop-3503465" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQRXH3UTaLfrP_ySpDzDOLnLrAP1wM5-6ihTh7U3CJPUu1skGs78YP78CiOHSlJxHrt_gb4XprCzXJ54brmjU0qSfA99Tkrvz_9W3YQAsVGGub86UQeqaoS8YEl0jg01F1tkcr3NmJ9I/s640/Santa%2527s+Joy+Shop+-+pv.001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There is some information and maker supply ideas IF you decide you would like your students to actually create the toy. The idea is that they create it for someone else - aka the spirit of giving. Maybe you want to do this for a buddy class? Younger students can create the toy picture, older students can create the prototype and make it. Or, younger students draw their toy and the older students make it for them! Again, this part is optional and there is more than enough to do in this set to keep your students engaged for the week or so before Christmas. (This set also comes with some printables for you to make a bulletin board.)<br />
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I hope this set helps your students to see beyond the glitter and flashing lights. :)<br />
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-20744461737627333562017-09-04T20:04:00.002-07:002017-09-05T07:14:28.848-07:0010 Ways to Manage Teacher StressTeacher stress. Is it any different than any other kind of stress? Well, yes, and no. Stress is stress and many people have very stressful jobs. So what makes teacher stress unique? For me, it comes down mostly to decision fatigue.<br />
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Decision fatigue is a real thing!!! Do you realize just how many decisions you make in a day as a teacher? Especially if you are a teacher of primary students! If you are a Mom you will have even more questions asked of you and decisions to make.<br />
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So, what's a teacher to do?<br />
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Psychology Today (2011) describes it this way: (Click<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-perfect-score-project/201109/suffering-decision-fatigue"> here</a> to read the whole article.)<br />
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Those two ways are to SNAP! or GIVE IN! That happens all the time in classrooms around the world in which the "snap" is to tighten up the rules or take away a desired thing until behavior improves or just give in, in which case, classroom management suffers.<br />
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In the classroom, I try to have my routines down solid. Any, seemingly minor issues, I head off before they become big. Effective and clear planning is so important so you don't have that "behind the 8 ball" feeling. You know the one I am talking about!!<br />
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But today, I wanted to talk more about what you can do at home for yourself that hopefully will help you feel more in control, less stressed and happy. It starts with taking decisions away. Well, not taking them away but reallocating them to a better time so that your day-to-day decisions are less.<br />
So while being on your feet all day is so tiring, the <i>mental</i> fatigue ends up being the worst kind of fatigue because of all the decisions we are making each day in our classrooms.<br />
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I came up with 10 Ways to Manage Teacher Stress and it all starts at home. (There are affiliate links in this post for your convenience. Click on the pictures to see more.) <br />
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Since teachers are constant planners (we have to be!) I have given you some "planning" to do at home.<br />
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I'm a big coffee fan but I also love tea - especially on a cool Fall evening. I have special mugs that I love and when I plan my morning coffee time and my evening tea time, I am at peace with the day. </div>
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Meal planning. Yep, you gotta do it! Unless you have a personal chef at home, meals need to be planned. Why? It's the one question that can cause you all kinds of grief when someone calls and says, "What's for dinner?" after one of THOSE days. I love these containers. They are great for lunches, dinners, leftovers - you name it. Even Math! :)</div>
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I know, I know. This can be a tough one. I just went through a couple of things this year which made exercising really tough. But, I know how important it is, so I needed to start back. Planning for exercise is the only way to make sure it's done. Put it on your calendar. Find a time that works for you. I recently designed a new home office as my yin-yang space. I wanted to work towards this work life balance even more and sitting too long isn't good for your back or your body! My office is now 1/2 work and 1/2 exercise/mindfulness area. I love it!!!</div>
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This is my exercise - take a moment side. I have my yoga mat under the bench and my iPad ready to go. I have a Bosu ball as well. There is a wonderful series of videos on YouTube called Yoga with Adriene. She is fantastic! Click the picture to see her Yoga for Teachers video. There's even a 5 minute session that is so refreshing in the morning if you are pressed for time!</div>
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I designed the style/intent of this logo and then asked Barbara from <a href="http://www.gradeonederful.com/">GradeOnederful</a> to help create an image that I could then put on canvas. I love it!</div>
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Here is where the creativity happens! :)</div>
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Plan a place to spend a little bit of time each night relaxing. If you have the words RELAX somewhere like over your tub, how can you not see that not so subliminal message? What's your favorite relaxing place?</div>
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It's so important to get outside. More and more people are hiking. If you want to hike in wet or dry weather you need to be prepared. Even just a simple walk outside with your dog for 15 minutes is good enough to get some exercise and smell the fresh air! Do you have a nice place outside where you like to spend time?</div>
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This <a href="http://amzn.to/2x6xjur">gratitude journal</a> is my favorite. It's a quick way to identify 1 thing you are grateful for each day and it includes positive quotes.</div>
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I always have a notebook handy just to jot things down. I pick one that inspires happiness and growth. That's why I like this one. It's not a list - it's notes to self. Our brain can only take so much!</div>
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Let's face it. Sometimes - okay, a lot, we need some convenience in our life. I love one stop shopping whether it be a big chain store or online. Anything that can save you time and be convenient is worth it to me. Why not have one place to go where you can grab a book to read, stream a movie or buy a gift for someone's birthday for next week. I like to have convenience. I love PRIME! Do you have a favorite place or online site that you like?</div>
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I love these cute little tabs for your hangers. You can plan an entire week of clothes. Viola! No early morning decisions to make for what to wear #ootd for a whole week! Do you plan your outfits for the morning ahead of time?<br />
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So, you see, pre planning the home and life decisions, and being an effective school planner, may make it easier for you to be able to work through all those questions from your students each day without increasing your stress level. These are a few of the things that work for me! Oh, and #10. I did not forget. Just. Be. Still. I love this sit still pillow.<br />
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Feel free to share your work/life tips and tricks in the comments. We could all use a few tips!</div>
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If you would like see more, I have a Teacher Balance resource and some Mindful Resources for your students available on TPT. Click below.</div>
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-28738898764731680022017-08-20T19:55:00.002-07:002018-02-11T10:13:08.295-08:00Interactive MINDFUL Notebook for Diversity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It's been a while since I wrote about my <a href="http://thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2015/11/interactive-mindful-notebooks-for.html">Interactive Mindful Notebooks</a> and how teaching mindfulness in your classroom as part of your social and emotional teaching can dramatically improve children's happiness and help them to learn. A wonderful side effect of all that is that classroom management issues are greatly reduced.</div>
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I've been thinking long and hard about how I could extend that learning. Teachers from around the world have been messaging me and leaving feedback asking when I was going to post another set. I created the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-MINDFUL-CHRISTMAS-Notebook-2895490">Interactive Mindful CHRISTMAS</a> set so that students could keep learning kindness and self awareness in the busy season of Christmas. (What better time, really?) I was going to initially focus on personal and social responsibility but then realized that there was a more pressing need out there, that of diversity and inclusion. Here I added some concepts of personal and social responsibility into it as well. That is how this new edition was born.</div>
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Since I started teaching over 20 years ago, one of my most favorite things to teach has always been a multicultural unit. I have always felt that it was important to celebrate differences and find similarities in us all. I always had students research countries that were part of their heritage or ones they were interested in and then we shared our learning in a special celebration complete with research reports and a huge multicultural feast!It was always difficult to find non fiction books at the 2nd and 3rd grade level way back then and even somewhat now. But I persevered because the kids loved it and learned so much. </div>
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Today, there is a need to go beyond this. Diversity is what the world is all about. All of our classrooms are full of children from all parts of the country and all parts of the world. Our cultural learning needs to become part of our everyday learning, embedded into everything we do. Diversity does not only refer to culture. It also refers to learners of all abilities, ones with learning and/or physical disabilities, students with other varied beliefs, backgrounds and orientations and students who live in poverty and trauma.</div>
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How can we address all this in our classrooms? It is a complicated and complex thing to do,but we must make every effort to ensure <b><u>all </u></b>of our students feel that they belong, that we care about them and that they matter.</div>
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My new Interactive Mindful Notebook for Diversity will help you to start thinking about this and implementing it with new fresh ideas and supports. This set is for 2nd-5th grade and has suggestions for adaptations for the younger students as the concepts are quite complex but are manageable if time is taken for each concept.</div>
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This Interactive Mindful Notebook for Diversity carries on from where the first one left off. The first one was all about personal awareness and mindfulness and this one extends to mindfulness and others. It is designed to be used with middle year 2nd graders to 5th grade as it has differentiation ideas. Ideally, it is used as a set with the original Interactive Mindful Notebook but it can be used as a stand alone for 4th and 5th graders if they are already quite self aware. </div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-MINDFUL-Notebook-Diversity-with-Growth-Mindset-3347269" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WsP-ExoSrZjn7utxd-ZKB7BViV5zqCl1P218Z8X2ZaH2ChhWP0RW-OeDoyU-ChSxncpS2mKVWCPAY2GDN13hj8yfm12J24XLz4HnJ2OZSouzszNRFtCV0GYdQ6nPIu-MMw6VCFA_uvM/s320/Interactive+mindful+notebook+Diversity+cover.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This notebook teaches students about being mindful of others. If you do not have the original notebook, I have included the What is Mindfulness activity and printable here too. The following concepts are covered:</div>
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Students will create timelines of special events in their life. They will then compare these to classmates to show that there are similarities and differences but that we all go through this life together as human beings - all cultures, all abilities, all beliefs.</div>
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Students then learn about perspective taking. This is a critical component to understanding behaviors and why people do what they do. It helps kids to understand that we many all have eyes but we may not see things the same. Perspective is also guided and influenced by life situations and events. Students will draw something from varying perspectives, observe and identify something and then try to locate the one that belonged to them and see if they can describe a visitor to their classroom after they have left.</div>
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Students will then take a look at their role in life. We all know that teachers have many, many roles. But so do kids! If they recognize these roles, they may be more inclined to realize how important they are in this world and to be grateful for what they have and use their abilities, strengths and love towards others.</div>
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Students will work with these roles and have class and partner discussions to build understanding of others. </div>
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Our family is a part of who we are. This unit explores the different families that make up your classroom. The focus is on making things obvious, acceptable and part of who the student is as an individual. The younger we can teach this, hopefully, the more easily students will be able to transition into older grades with less insecurities. </div>
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The last section is on stereotypes. Students will learn about stereotypes and create an anchor chart with their teacher about common ones. Then students will choose from the chart and turn the stereotype around to the positive.</div>
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The last two lessons are on our own stereotypes (or social problems for younger students) Students will identify their OWN stereotypes and then work on changing their own thoughts. The key is recognizing that they might have a stereotype belief and being willing to set a growth mindset type goal towards changing that fixed mindset idea.</div>
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Our world is changing so quickly. It's important that we keep up with meeting ALL of our students' needs. If you focus on this in your classroom, you will notice deeper learning and engagement and more positive behaviour.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-MINDFUL-Notebook-Diversity-with-Growth-Mindset-3347269" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmqCf07SGeBi5vkmphrfN7nc2SnSM125K2OZ1YVwOcDMqMD_6pjbskidYxpAg5K5KWPQZcGhsyFQfU3M3E-CyBYTbysz24bCuwoATIm3VlaehN7VetNdjdySp9bCAq0D6AHkjwLqavzE/s320/Square+Covers+2.006.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-29322480757640534132017-08-13T09:05:00.000-07:002017-12-03T11:45:52.638-08:00Real Life Learning: Curriculum Integration Through Inquiry (Part 3)Teach smarter not harder. That's what they say, right? What exactly does that mean? To me, it's the act of not piling on assignments and worksheets that later you have to mark and it doesn't move learning forward anyways! I think that "teach smarter not harder" is the smooth integration of subjects that relate and that help students build strong connections in their learning rather than isolating subjects and "trying to get it all done". Planning for this kind of learning takes time to see the big picture but once you've done it a time or two, it makes life so much easier! Isn't that what you want so that you can spend more time interacting with your students and getting to know all about their learning styles and interests? Let's talk about Inquiry Learning Through Project Based Learning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbY8bBYshyphenhyphenS35SqORAWsIasHfbi6NezOcNVXzzQvVzkhMq-W_RjZ2AtsIcy5YFovZ4eF3gnzMj6kK236dAGUVvH1mAnNkejQ4OAUDu6hVE1X-wlsEM7MqokfXyGiAUBSHmmSFyk9ITOBg/s1600/FB+blog+post+size+images.013.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="1152" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbY8bBYshyphenhyphenS35SqORAWsIasHfbi6NezOcNVXzzQvVzkhMq-W_RjZ2AtsIcy5YFovZ4eF3gnzMj6kK236dAGUVvH1mAnNkejQ4OAUDu6hVE1X-wlsEM7MqokfXyGiAUBSHmmSFyk9ITOBg/s640/FB+blog+post+size+images.013.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>I've designed a new resource that will help teachers like you to plan for project based learning without using a load of paper which isn't good for the environment or the school budget. We all have different classrooms, different teaching styles, different access to technology, different (yet similar) curriculum etc. So, I wanted to design a product that would help as many teachers as possible begin on their journey towards "teach smarter not harder" where students can "learn deep not weep"! By making my introduction to inquiry and project based learning open ended, you can use it in a way that suits you best. Wonder, Design and Make is a great introduction to learning by design.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbqdnb5U2DNDoE5YuUZG6tq3wmBnqMbOMV7qraiCu9m31NecqNEtNFsoRPprs0yJpfaTJxyORl9dRW6CBxqG06_C-aptsFM3pUcwDYWPmbxRE7hBzzEmYSzemj9pkvX6CsZFby5Px_bE/s1600/Square+Covers+2.004.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbqdnb5U2DNDoE5YuUZG6tq3wmBnqMbOMV7qraiCu9m31NecqNEtNFsoRPprs0yJpfaTJxyORl9dRW6CBxqG06_C-aptsFM3pUcwDYWPmbxRE7hBzzEmYSzemj9pkvX6CsZFby5Px_bE/s320/Square+Covers+2.004.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In this pack I have included a list of my suggestions for the best children's literature for introducing project based learning and building a designer mindset.<br />
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There are inspirational real images of things designed to inspire students to wonder. There are ideas for:<br />
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Wonder Days (inquiry)<br />
Design Days (plan)<br />
Maker Days (implement or build)<br />
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There are opportunities for feedback and suggestions from others which is an important aspect.<br />
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To get you started, I have included a <b>mini </b>whole class project. There is a 2 page printable for students to use as a thinking page to design their project and receive feedback and well as a few printable for you to use to create a bulletin board. This is a resource of ideas and strategies that you can use over and over again and build with your students as they increase in their confidence and competence. This set is perfect for 3-5th grade although 2nd graders may be able to use this in the middle to end of the year.<br />
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I have also included a list of <b>videos</b> to induce wonder and show students how popular and famous people have failed but they kept trying.<br />
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I don't like the word failed. While school was a positive experience for me, I certainly have "failed" at other things I have attempted in my life. It has such negative connotations. So, I tried to find a better word or set of words.<br />
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<b>Failed:</b> According to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fail?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld">Merriam Webster,</a> a couple of the definitions are: to weaken, to fall short, left undone.<br />
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<b>Undone </b>implies giving up.<br />
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<b>To Weaken</b> implies lack of perseverance.<br />
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While falling short could possibly mean a gallant attempt but not quite there yet. I like that one best. It's like Carol Dweck's famous word and talk - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4TW1Nvx3_g">The Power of YET</a>.<br />
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So with this new set on project based learning, students will lead the learning. As teachers, we can teach them to wonder, to plan, to design and most importantly, to persevere.<br />
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As I created this set, a poem came to my mind so I wrote it down and also included it in the set but it's for all you reading this blog to ponder. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPlUeGlv-S9nCGi-Xio_MzKOgZRcRFcTS-hgMWPssm_F6RyClr0gZjrVIoQG3MCw5LubNbFxpZGhJhEB7CFJpljXX4KyUqWHWAVhgitYUuGM7DrqUEiE2PTCdzeQ1599TY8S9hcPw7kk/s1600/Wonder+Design+and+Make.003.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPlUeGlv-S9nCGi-Xio_MzKOgZRcRFcTS-hgMWPssm_F6RyClr0gZjrVIoQG3MCw5LubNbFxpZGhJhEB7CFJpljXX4KyUqWHWAVhgitYUuGM7DrqUEiE2PTCdzeQ1599TY8S9hcPw7kk/s400/Wonder+Design+and+Make.003.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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You can incorporate your own State/Province based curriculum into this set easily. You will have to go through your curriculum and begin with identifying common themes throughout the subject areas. This is where the inquiry questions will begin. You'll need to know what you want your students to know at the end of unit (which generally, in the inquiry mode, never "ends". Once you find a common thread, building the questions with your students' curiosity will lead them into researching the facts<br />
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One thing I do recommend though is to start where your students are at by exploring their strengths and interests. Their opinions on work ethic are also important so that you as their teacher know where to add guidance or perhaps a little nudge if things aren't going as well as they had planned.<br />
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I created this Student Interest Inventory for you to use. It can be used with this set or as a stand alone for the back to school and during a few different periods throughout the year so that you can see change over time. Click here to download this <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Student-Interest-Survey-For-Back-to-School-3331343?utm_source=www.thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca&utm_campaign=Wonder%20Design">FREE</a> resource.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Student-Interest-Survey-For-Back-to-School-3331343?utm_source=www.thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca&utm_campaign=Wonder%20Design" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsPKg9Xd3lrNxAZKvgW_dVHmIRPPLR2A88sIFVdNol89hapFb5YwzL4e-RO0cbgUQhXRTuC42d4e2-Ctd75EkPUrgFwGWYsllZiuxksGU-kk_ys1v6UYR1ILu-FrDCXcYcFbMYYN_a4Y/s320/Square+Covers+2.005.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Clip by Sara Pecorino)Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-52669026526997899392017-07-20T10:30:00.000-07:002017-07-20T10:30:15.747-07:00Best Children's Books to Teach MindfulnessIt's been a while since I first introduced the way I teach mindfulness to students in the classroom. Because people were asking me and were just unsure where to start, I created my <a href="http://thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2015/11/interactive-mindful-notebooks-for.html">Interactive Mindful Notebook </a> to help others teach mindfulness too.<br />
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Since that time, I have received many emails about the set and such wonderful feedback about how teachers are using it in their classroom, homeschool Moms are using it at home and mindfulness trainers are using it in their sessions with kids. This does my heart good!!! I didn't realize that something could have such an impact. It was initially difficult to wrap my head around trying to figure out just exactly what I do to help kids be mindful. It was so philosophical but I managed to make it more practical so that everyone could use it and create mindful classrooms around the world. And create they did! Probably the best part was hearing how kids were getting along, classroom management issues were lessened and kids were really experiencing growth mindset like never before. I was happy to hear that teachers were having such positive feedback from parents too, just like I had.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCtcZRak8xrNAu-kYw-_nuThop2Ort21RI5ZEjEZySTgzyG4cHM1qavKHhe98eA89kp1LlbwRaj9NTaA6ccanuNqE72o2HucvURse4S_mzNxbQuD55wp7aO0mrHHP1N9tTsrIGHmHtYI/s1600/Long+pins+for+blog.032.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="737" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCtcZRak8xrNAu-kYw-_nuThop2Ort21RI5ZEjEZySTgzyG4cHM1qavKHhe98eA89kp1LlbwRaj9NTaA6ccanuNqE72o2HucvURse4S_mzNxbQuD55wp7aO0mrHHP1N9tTsrIGHmHtYI/s640/Long+pins+for+blog.032.jpeg" width="416" /></a></div>
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One question that I have received a few times this year is: what books do you use to introduce and teach children about mindfulness? I wrote a blog post of <a href="http://thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2016/07/best-books-to-teach-good-character-all.html">Best Books to Teach Good Character All Through the Year </a> which are books I use in my classroom that help to get kids ready for mindfulness but not one on mindfulness books so here you go! Click on the pictures to see more.<br />
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(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.)<br />
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<u>Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda</u> by Lauren Alderfer is by far my favorite book to teach mindfulness to kids. Monkey asks Panda how he is always so peaceful and happy. Panda tells monkey all the things he does during the day. Monkey says he does them too but is not as happy or peaceful as Panda. Then Panda asks Monkey what he is doing when he does each one. Every time, Monkey explains that as he is doing one thing he is also doing or thinking of another. This is how Panda explains that doing one thing at a time is important to be mindful and happy.<br />
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<u>What Does it Mean to Be Present?</u> by Rana DiOrio is a delightful book about noticing, waiting and focusing on things and teaches kids to be present.</div>
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<u>The Lemonade Hurricane</u> by Licia Morelli is a delightful book about two very different kids: one calm and one not so much! It points out that they both do many things during the day but one takes a break and the other doesn't. This book shows how one sibling teaches another how to be still.</div>
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<u>Listening to My Body</u> by Gabs Garcia helps children to notice and name their feelings and physical sensations that come with those feelings. While I haven't read this book yet, it was recommended to me and would be perfect for my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mindful-Classroom-Management-Social-Skills-471134">unit on mindfulness</a>.</div>
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I hope these books give you a great start to teaching kids about mindfulness through children's literature. As I was writing this I found this GREAT shirt and thought of you all reading this post on mindfulness. Isn't it clever? (And so true!)</div>
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-58549085825181649612017-07-15T11:45:00.000-07:002018-02-02T14:26:03.823-08:00PBL and Real Life Learning Series (Part 2)Hi everyone,<br />
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I was thinking long and hard about some of the best learning experiences I've seen over the years and it's always been the ones where kids have had choice. Sometimes kids know what they are good at and other times they listen to others to tell them. It's been my experience that kids need to be taught what to look for. I don't necessarily mean in a look and see way, but more in a self reflection way. Why is this important? When kids become more reflective and are given opportunities to try new things and/or practice things that they like doing, their learning soars!<br />
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<a name='more'></a> In my first post on Real Life Learning (if you missed it click <a href="http://thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2017/06/if-you-take-kid-to-school.html">here</a>), I talked about all the things that I wanted for my students in their learning experiences. This is deeper learning my friends. Rich, engaging learning experiences. I'm talking about flipping my role as a teacher and being more of a facilitator. What do you think about those possibilities?<br />
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You might ask yourself, but how will they learn if I don't teach them? You will be teaching them! It just looks differently and you spend less time talking and more time being a part of their learning.<br />
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I decided that to move students forward in this way, they need to see that learning is relevant to them. Yes, we want students to have a growth mindset. Yes, we want students to take brain breaks. Yes, we want learning to be fun. But what if it isn't? Brain researchers and cognitive and behavior scientists have been <a href="http://studentsatthecenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Motivation-Engagement-Student-Voice-Students-at-the-Center-1.pdf">writing</a> about this emerging school of thought and have found personalization and student-centered learning to be key to mastery of skills because kids enjoy the learning more.</div>
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I decided that I wanted to expand on my years of personalized learning ( <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Passion-Projects-Finding-the-Genius-in-Your-Students-Grades-2-5-1105549">Passion Projects</a> and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Genius-Hour-Interactive-Notebook-1520838">Genius Hour</a> are a great place to start) and key in <b><i>more</i></b> on some very important learning variables by integrating the curriculum in a cohesive way while still maintaining the choice based personalized learning.</div>
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Kids are never too young to start thinking about their future and what kinds of jobs may be open to them. This way they can focus on their strengths and areas that need developing with a little guidance from you, their teacher. In primary, we look at <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fire-Safety-Lap-Book-2799451">community helpers</a> and the kinds of things they do to keep us safe. I decided to take a look at this notion of careers and skills at the 3rd to 5th grade level and in terms of THINKING. How do Mathematicians think? How do Designers think? What kinds of jobs would these types of thinkers have in the future. Instead of asking our students - "What do you want to be when you grow up?", we can ask them, "What kinds of things are you interested in?" </div>
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I know first hand after having both my kids graduate in the last couple of years that graduation year is SO stressful for them. They have been learning skills for years but cannot always tie those skills to real life. Suddenly, they are being asked what they would like to do or be after they graduate. The problem is that many really don't know because they have not been exposed to linking their skills, interests and talents to any concrete career. Besides, careers are changing so rapidly, many of the jobs I had will not exist in the current form in a few years. This is what motivated me to create this new series with our elementary students.</div>
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One of the best ways to create learning tasks and environments for students to thrive in is to teach through project based learning. This way, students are involved in projects where they can learn and practice very important communication skills. (I wrote about communication skills in <a href="http://thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2017/03/help-your-students-to-be-communication.html">this blog post.</a>)</div>
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By project based learning, I am referring to learning that is relevant to the learner and also to the curriculum. It's a way to integrate learning so that students are using many thinking skills to problem solve through working together and taking on different responsibilities</div>
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within a group. This is much like the real world in a work environment. In the next year, I will be focussing on creating rich resources that will help your students explore project based learning that will be socially responsible and use less paper.</div>
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I created these "Think Like a ..." posters to introduce kids to future possibilities based on their strengths and interests. I thought it was a great starting point for moving towards new learning opportunities for kids and a more important role for you as their teacher - that of facilitator of learning. The facilitator being one that teaches skills in a coaching method, monitors students for growth, and moves them forward by asking essential questions, promoting collaboration and self reflection. No matter what your curriculum looks like, Real Life Learning can be the driver of your students' learning.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Real-Life-Learning-Poster-Set-3257644" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizBxrGgMoNYoPp_HwBco2QKsZONaOnUgDgyv5OCceKekwEjtw3k1-7dOXswnwi3pWIoMg9VmY6eyul-1P3wE1hyhxwCgGZZB2KbLFl_cw3Ay6K6P7z5OO3R5zvRRdQWjXYrHANfWqds8/s640/Think+Like+a+Poster+-+pv.001.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Next time we will explore how project based learning can fit into any curriculum and how integrating subjects is an effective way to establish deeper learning and create excitement around learning.</div>
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Have you tried project based learning? I'd love to hear about your experiences. </div>
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Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-19748178289332758562017-06-13T20:05:00.001-07:002017-10-22T12:26:23.744-07:00PBL and Real Life Learning (Part 1)<span style="color: magenta;">If you take a kid to school, what do you hope they will learn? </span> School is a complicated place, especially these days.<br />
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Really, the list of things you hope kids will learn at school is HUGE! (As a teacher, the list of things that we want kids to learn seems ENDLESS.)<br />
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We want kids to learn to read, write, be able to do math, learn about the world and cultures, learn about Science and nature, technology, the arts... the curriculum list goes on. But wait - we also want our kids to be kind and have good character, not to mention have a growth mindset. As teachers we know that home support is vital in helping children to develop and learn.<br />
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Instead of being <i>overwhelmed</i> with everything I want my students to learn, or I am required to teach, I focus on the main goal of school: learning how to<span style="color: red;"> <span style="background-color: white;">think</span></span> and learning how to <span style="color: red;">learn</span>.<br />
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The best way I have found to do this is to teach with integrated units and use an inquiry approach to learning. When I teach this way and embed social and emotional learning throughout the day, students rise to the challenge of independent learning freeing me up to spend more 1-1 time with students and work on their thinking and communication skills.<br />
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When I first began teaching, integrated units involved picking a theme (apples, Halloween, butterflies) and integrating reading, writing and math into this unit. The less effective integration of math into an apples unit would be a page of addition questions with apples to color on it. The more effective one would be weighing apples, sorting apples, measuring the distance around an apple - which one is larger? These units were a lot of fun and the effective units helped students to learn all about that theme.<br />
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But the world is evolving and changing and school needs to change too. I want my students to become creative and critical thinkers. I want them to be problem solvers. I want to believe in their strengths and abilities and provide learning opportunities that will help them through the inquiry process for deeper learning. Keeping your classroom environment up to date and moving along with your desire to teach your students how to think more deeply about their learning will help to engage your students in their learning.<br />
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So what does this look like in a more practical way?<br />
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<span style="color: magenta;">If you take a kid to school, what do you hope they will learn?</span><br />
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<li>I want my students to engage in meaningful conversations which includes being a good listener.</li>
<li>I want my students to ask each other essential questions and share their wonders with each other and not just answer my questions.</li>
<li>I want my students to respectfully disagree with each other and with me to help build arguments that help us grow and learn from each other.</li>
<li>I want my students to be able to see life and situations from different perspectives.</li>
<li>I want my students to persevere with problems even when things get tough.</li>
<li>I want my students to feel good about themselves as unique individuals.</li>
<li>I want my students to be socially responsible for a bigger cause.</li>
<li>I want them to begin seeing the link of their interests and skills to future careers.</li>
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<u><b><span style="color: blue;">Real Life Learning</span></b></u></div>
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The integration of subjects in elementary school is not new. Teachers (especially primary teachers) have taught this way for years. Some of us pick a theme and run with it! But if I want to really have my students become critical and creative thinkers for the future of their learning, I want to expand those themes to real life. I want to make the learning relevant; even at a young age. I want to incorporate some very fun ideas into the day in an integrated fashion where kids are learning how to learn more independently.<br />
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The other aspect of this is that when you integrate learning and shift the emphasis of teaching and learning to the students, you as the teacher will feel a renewed sense of wonder in the learning capabilities of your students and pride in what they are able to accomplish.<br />
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I have spent several years doing "personalized learning", <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Passion-Projects-Finding-the-Genius-in-Your-Students-Grades-2-5-1105549">passion projects</a> and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Genius-Hour-Interactive-Notebook-1520838">genius hour</a> with my students. How is Real Life Learning (or, project based learning) different? Well, my favorite saying I have come up with through all of this is "One day genius hour will just be called SCHOOL." I think that day is right now. I would like my students to be creators and collaborators in real life. Don't you?<br />
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Over the summer, I will be back to the creating drawing board and looking at real life learning. Interested? Stay tuned. Right now I need to work on finishing off another successful school year. Now THAT'S real life. :)<br />
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See part 2 Think Like a... <a href="http://thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2017/07/think-like-areal-life-learning-series.html">here</a>.<br />
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-37609022144322265572017-05-07T22:14:00.001-07:002017-05-08T07:30:15.292-07:00The Mom GameIt's almost Mother's Day again. It's a day to celebrate our mothers, our aunties or grandmas or any other person who has had a significant impact on our life and upbringing.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mothers-Day-The-Mom-Game--3148851" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0A6kbNoh3Ovpo5J0owfUpREKBTeeYdsvCHfz9WKITaUb_eXR9finZ2qyrvVmGmqHDk7mjTgJHKdHaUroibuIjtixHECwkKHztj9VRspCr09pq5ShUpEnHPPazEYnI41lwyIEXknfacPA/s640/The+Mom+Game.001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As a Mom and a teacher, I started thinking about this day and all the sweet crafts I've made in my classroom and received over the years from my own kids and I began to see a picture in my mind of what really mattered to me. My favorite thing has always been breakfast in bed. I also loved looking at the crafts with my kids that they had made for me. What I realized is that what has really mattered all along is the time. It wasn't the eggs and toast, it was the time and thought put into the gesture. It was the huge smiles on my kids' faces when they proudly brought in the tray. Then they would smile and say, "Enjoy your breakfast Mommy." and they would leave me with a little bell to ring should I need anything. How sweet!!! Then, they would go downstairs and allow me to eat in peace. :) <br />
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I think that at a young age, they realized how much their Mom did for them and knew that a little peace and quiet was nice. But then, they would return with the gifts that they made at school and they would sit on the bed and watch in anticipation as I opened each card and each gift. The gifts were beyond sweet and I shall cherish them. I really appreciated the time and effort the teacher put into these thoughtful gifts. As a teacher, I also realized and appreciated the money the teacher spent out of her own pocket to give this experience to her students year after year. I was always so happy to see my girls return and the time they spent with me sharing about their gifts.<br />
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Time. That is what I love. I have written about the gift of time before and my own experiences with my Mom. So it wasn't the breakfast per say. It wasn't the gifts per say. It was the time. The precious time and thought that went into each thing.<br />
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This year, I created an experience. The Game of Mom. This addresses both the loves that I know others must recognize. The selfless gestures of help and time. This game will give children the opportunity to create a game especially for their Mom all in the name of spending quality time together. Game night will never be SO meaningful!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mothers-Day-The-Mom-Game--3148851" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Oe_OtwQnu7JviNSS6QZvVtFwoeRE8RbimFJVG8lfgndeScnTnA-mTJKrWLbMskJRA61n69ubbBFfo_zFM6nNQhe0aLMG3D0OK6kwRPW_XM6FCtZX7SFR3mNb4Qdj64gvjnP51kYiuNE/s640/IMG_9454.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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There are 4 different game boards:<br />
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*Love and Affirmation<br />
*Offers of Help<br />
*Precious Time<br />
*Gifts from the Heart<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mothers-Day-The-Mom-Game--3148851" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76_95U1ikmYkmDq0eJHpJJwFo2a8tqgR3FrP2u4VWweVWuZFBBGu7pGMKNy6C-929CAzy1ig-EjNt7aTcq-VSBrRMSine-DtaFAzkTiUseLlYa6ttNgVlcitUv5DdXXY_JTCAUCqb0Mo/s400/The+Mom+Game+-+pv.001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Each game board comes in lovely pastel colors and black and white. (There is a game board spots where the spots are blank for students to personalize and color). I loved this idea because the colored game boards are also for you my teacher friends, to take home and play with your own children. :)<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mothers-Day-The-Mom-Game--3148851" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKZHgn5hjuU4WYEiWFIWWxwEJkokIzWwJr7r3yxzTmOigzq5HP6amJdCXGkNANM2oZ6uJFL6R9eFA23Zxxb6Yc2GUBRtiInp5pvkw_L1UQqWvQYNt26AKIOsuDj_WykSf5GEugRuQqaE/s400/The+Mom+Game+-+pv.003.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The color game boards can be printed on card stock and/or laminated and wrapped up with the Mother's Day card options (also included).<br />
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I decided to add a little more color and creativity to the game so I picked up pink vinyl placemats at the dollar store, some scrapbook stickers and a few tokens that I could use for game pieces just for fun. Kids can decorate their own placemat for mom to play the game on. When you flip it over, it's time for breakfast! I even picked up a tiny little treasure chest to keep the game pieces in. So much fun!<br />
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The beauty of these games is that everyone wins. For example - when Mom wins, she gets to choose the precious time activities. When you win, you get to choose the activities that you do with Mom. Win - win!<br />
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Not everyone has the blessing to celebrate Mother's Day so there are open-ended game and card options so that everyone can be part of the day.<br />
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Wishing all Moms and giving individuals a wonderful Mother's Day.<br />
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-77573664037404856372017-05-03T08:17:00.000-07:002017-12-19T07:28:31.127-08:00Hooked on Writing May: PresentationIt's been a great year of writing! We are now into the last unit where we can tie it all together and showcase the writing we've done this year. May is all about presentation and to begin with, communication skills.<br />
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When students are working on their writing and sharing their work aloud regularly, they become more confident in the sharing process. But sharing to friends and sharing in a larger group, like the class, are two different things.<br />
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For this reason, I included some ideas to teach communication skills that will help students with learning how to present their writing so that others can hear it and understand it. These techniques will also help your students get along with others in school as they learn to recognize non-verbal communication as well. I have included some mini communication posters to help you teach the concepts.<br />
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There are two mentor texts this month that allow students to look into the minds of an author (Any Questions) and how to read a story out loud (How to Read a Story) .<br />
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Hooked on Writing Year Long Unit is now available. Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Hooked-on-Writing-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-Year-Long-Bundle-3138261">here</a> to see more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Year-Long-Writing-Curriculum-With-Growth-Mindset-for-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-3138261" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNfTtJYRN_l9cbxgphmaEwP-0P1e-4XP6JPmnJ-sfSpmpDwoJht2opmfYhOfTtG_DYc9xQIGW5sGvaIltZDtFOVc_f1-CwqPAIZLGjmuBisqWhStaeLkb40_VWCMd-eQHE48yh52zOpY/s400/Hooked+on+Writing+Bundle.001.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is also a year long overview you can view <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-Year-Long-Overview-Book-List-2658107">here.</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-Year-Long-Overview-Book-List-2658107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sPjyGjM8SKpdGxf4aEXUWRTaSDx0Fx5gUSZm5VqQ4YqXXpEwZzKWk76TotbnBlPAxKNcH7jN-bzog5wKrl5Phrwv-R4DmvupLvoexccn0eOrs16WBx6F9AGLal2nhdnLylZyL-WEBnI/s320/Square+Covers+2.027.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Affiliate links for your convenience.)<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1554983827&asins=1554983827&linkId=40932ffd019cd3bdeb8ad44c58353364&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1452112339&asins=1452112339&linkId=153baf8ea2f6e1e70f95c23fe4e159f1&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-11271150606271663172017-04-08T10:40:00.002-07:002017-12-19T07:24:49.714-08:00Hooked on Writing April: Poetry!I'm all about the integration of subjects where possible and this month's Hooked on Writing is no different. This month, the focus is on Poetry but I have also integrated Earth and Environmental themes through the month with the selection of some wonderful books.<br />
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If you have never read the Adventures of a Plastic Bottle, I highly recommend it for your Earth Day studies. It is fantastic! It reinforces the personal "diary" type writing like Diary of a Worm and it teaches students how a bottle is made, recycled and made again. Our Big Home is a beautiful poem about the earth celebrating all the things that make earth a wonderful place to live. Human Footprint is an eye opener! It is a great book to show students (and us!) how much garbage etc only ONE person makes and some suggestions on how ONE PERSON can reduce their human foot print. It's a great feeling to know that one person can make a difference. Compost Stew is a very simple A B C book on items that go into a compost bin. It is simple, yet effective for teaching about composting and the resulting soil that can be used for growing things. I have left (affiliate) links at the bottom for your convenience.<br />
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In this April unit of Hooked on Writing, students will learn about poetry and will practice Free Verse, Haiku as well as skills like using alliteration. This unit combines skills learned throughout the year and gives students a place to apply them here. For example, students will write informational pieces, create drama about the environment, write adventure stories, and they will summarize their story by writing a poem as a summary! This unit is jam packed!</div>
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Hooked on Writing April is perfect for writing, Earth Day studies, Poetry and plants.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Hooked on Writing Year Long Unit is now available. Click </span><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Hooked-on-Writing-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-Year-Long-Bundle-3138261" style="text-align: center;">here</a><span style="text-align: center;"> to see more.</span><br />
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There is also a year long overview you can view <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-Year-Long-Overview-Book-List-2658107">here.</a><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1416967885&asins=1416967885&linkId=01c282e512dd819f98d5206aaf280d24&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0761317767&asins=0761317767&linkId=0f3a6f5aff0f0f8f51dc3ab2cd6b61cc&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1426307675&asins=1426307675&linkId=aea87956d40e2ad4a6f13a50d0c72096&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0385755384&asins=0385755384&linkId=12e034b4e252fc7ef0b05c3973e3e9be&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-28786584002811239452017-03-11T22:02:00.003-08:002017-03-12T10:55:34.306-07:00Help Your Students to Be Communication Superstars!Often when we think of oral language development, we think about babies and very young learners like those in preschool. While a good majority of language development DOES occur at this age, there is so much more for students to learn as they learn to be effective communicators.<br />
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Good communication skills are a prerequisite to most jobs and that won't change as life changes. People admire effective communicators. Our students can be just that but we need to teach them how. If you Google "children communicating" you will see images of children whispering in each other's ears. You will see kids using the old can with a string thing that creates a "telephone". How did this get to represent communicating?<br />
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This blog post will talk about the benefits of teaching students effective communication skills and 5 simple ways to start to do that in your classroom tomorrow.<br />
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The benefits of having students become communication superstars is enormous!<br />
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When students communicate they become problem solvers. They will learn to listen and take on other's perspectives. This helps them to understand the other person and contributes to the development of compassion.<br />
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When students communicate, they work together on common goals. They learn to take on responsibilities within a group setting and can give and receive supportive feedback.</div>
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Learning effective communication skills allows our students an opportunity to build new friendships and increase critical thinking because they are more open to others' ideas.</div>
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Here are <b>FIVE</b> ways that teachers can <b>HELP</b> their students become <b>effective communicators.</b><br />
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1. Teach your students early in the year some basic communication skills. (It's never too late to start!) Teaching students that there are verbal and non verbal methods of communication very early on will help your students become more self aware and award of others. The non verbal ones are often the most important in the early stages as they are the most misunderstood. Recognizing them helps students to build confidence and awareness. Sometimes writing thoughts and feelings can help us then speak about them later. This is why when my students do journal writing, I like to have them write about <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mindful-Journal-Prompts-1132735">mindful things</a> and things of their choice.<br />
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2. Model effective communication by speaking in clear, full sentences and expecting the same from your students. (Not only does this help your students to speak more clearly but it more often than not, transfers into full sentences when they write.) Practice eye contact with your students in small groups. Modelling is powerful.<br />
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3. Value speaking by providing a lot of opportunities in the day for students to work in partners and small groups. Sharing projects created or art work is often an easier way to get students talking.<br />
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4. Provide lessons in which students discuss topics or answer comprehension questions by discussing them in groups instead of having to write out their answers. This can be done after a shared reading lesson, as part of literature circles, or as a mini debate. Debates can be done with younger children at the 2nd and 3rd grade levels too while they learn about <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-March-Opinion-Writing-3039374">persuasive/opinion writing</a>. Group projects where everyone has a piece of the project can be very powerful if they are structured so everyone has a part and the final piece involves everyone. Creating and making involves a lot of discussion. If the topic is interesting, kids will like to talk on topic.<br />
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5. Use technology to allow students an avenue that they might be more comfortable with but with an added communication aspect. Try programs like Book Creator or Explain Everything. Take the initial learning outside for maximum engagement!<br />
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When students are explicitly taught effective communication strategies and they get regular practice daily, they become more confident, self assured and responsible. These skills trickle over into self assessment and writing and into interactions they have in the classroom and on the playground. Front loading your students with these skills helps them to have a positive year in the classroom.<br />
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-69950979552407243232017-03-05T19:54:00.004-08:002017-12-19T07:29:50.318-08:00Hooked on Writing: March (Opinion Writing) This month's Hooked on Writing will use the skills students learned in the last couple of months about learning about voice to use that voice to share an opinion.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>These mentor texts have strong themes. If you haven't read <u>Hey, Little Ant</u>, you will be in for a big surprise. To step on an ant or not? This is a great book to showcase forming an opinion. Once they have experienced the Ant story, students will then debate what the perfect pet is. Do students agree with each other?<br />
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<u>The Perfect Pet</u> is a hilarious story about a girl who wanted a pet but her parents say, "No way!" She tries asking for all sorts of pets and they always have a reason why it would not make a good pet. Finally, the girl finds a bug. The bug named Doug becomes her friend. At first her parents are disgusted, then they accept it and the bug becomes her forever friend.<br />
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<u>Henry and Leo</u> is a story about a stuffed toy that is like a friend to Henry but no one understands. Then it goes missing. What really happened? Although it comes back, students are left to wonder, imagine and come to their own conclusions. Perfect for the opinion writing experience.<br />
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The last story is about a gardener that creates topiary masterpieces that influences not only a child but a whole community to appreciate nature. <u>The Night Gardner</u> is the perfect segway to next month's Earth day studies.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-March-Opinion-Writing-3039374" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj350ajC6w6TbLkm1l1ZHTrgs-KzvQB4-DehVlmS_IFQ1UqKSOnSaMmmJu3nuOGx1ciEipDRb5zPSKXpYcVSc01QRyhwT-m3RkfEjMA9bZQMi5Dr55BUpK6lTqjacOzBdeJVr6kt8vL-c/s400/Hooked+on+Writing+March.005.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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In the March Hooked on Writing, students will be involved in group, partner and individual writing lessons. Students will participate in a debate, run for Best Class pet and many other engaging lessons that will have your kids Hooked on Writing in no time. While each unit can be used as a stand alone unit for what ever concept you are teaching, it also works nicely as a complete unit that scaffolds on each other to make a cohesive, highly engaging unit. <br />
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Hooked on Writing Year Long Unit is now available. Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Hooked-on-Writing-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-Year-Long-Bundle-3138261">here</a> to see more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Year-Long-Writing-Curriculum-With-Growth-Mindset-for-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-3138261" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNfTtJYRN_l9cbxgphmaEwP-0P1e-4XP6JPmnJ-sfSpmpDwoJht2opmfYhOfTtG_DYc9xQIGW5sGvaIltZDtFOVc_f1-CwqPAIZLGjmuBisqWhStaeLkb40_VWCMd-eQHE48yh52zOpY/s400/Hooked+on+Writing+Bundle.001.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is also a year long overview you can view <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-Year-Long-Overview-Book-List-2658107">here.</a><br />
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-8743140074991593522017-03-04T15:33:00.000-08:002018-02-02T14:32:49.981-08:00The Evolution of MY Education: Growth Mindset for TeachersWhen I first started teaching, my vision of being a teacher involved me being the center of the classroom. The children would look to me to provide them with the lessons they needed to succeed and move forward to the next grade. There was always time to get to know the students but what was more important then, was that they make friends; I had curriculum to teach. I had all the information and I would share that with my students in very organized and efficient lessons to ensure maximum understanding. I knew that to keep their attention, I had to add some element of "drama" or curiosity to the lesson. I was in charge of that and my classroom management depended on it. I had high expectations of my students and they always rose to the challenge. <span style="color: #6aa84f;">That's a good thing, right?</span><br />
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Then things in the classroom started to change. Kids started changing. Behaviour problems increased. It wasn't just one student in the classroom, it was now multiple students. How could my efficiently run, happy classroom full of kids be changing this much? What was I doing wrong? Did I suddenly lose all my creativity in preparing great lessons, effective classroom management skills and routines? I discovered what was happening but it was a process of powerful discovery for me.</div>
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So what exactly WAS happening?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>One thing that was happening was technology. Lots of technology. Not in the classroom necessarily but in our students' worlds. School was trying to catch up. I was trying to catch up. I love technology and so I was cycling through my new phones and playing on the newest computers when I could. I had to make sure I was up on the latest so that I could then teach my students all about technology. <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"> That's a good thing, right? </span></span> But there were so many new things happening all at once. There was a new app out every day. Which ones should I learn and teach to my students? How on earth was I going to do this when the internet in my classroom was not strong or the teacher next door had the computers signed out when I needed them? I felt a bit overwhelmed so I slowed it down and took a step back from technology...until later.</div>
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Another thing that was happening was that kids were getting so darn wiggly. How am I supposed to teach them about technology or anything else when they can't sit still? My classroom management was being put to the test. Luckily I was good at it. I had great training, I was now a Mom and that sometimes helps (especially to understand the struggles of parenting and the triggers for misbehaviour). But all those tricks of the trade did not seem to have the same effectiveness as they used to. Hmmmm. My instant urge was to tighten up my management and get more strict. Instead, I moved schools for a change of scenery. Surely my magic teaching skills will reappear at the next school.</div>
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I moved schools a couple of times over the next few years due to enrolment etc. That really helped. It gave me new colleagues to collaborate with and fresh new surroundings. It was nice to be able to try a few new things. I really grew as a teacher and highly recommend that teachers step out of their comfort zone and move to a new school every once in a while. Things though, have their way of staying the same. These new kids were very similar to all of the students in my previous school. Why? It was because times were changing. So, my students were still learning well but I was working harder than I had ever worked. I was tired.</div>
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Then I began to notice. Noticing doesn't take any particular skill, it just requires you to step back from what you are doing and watch, pay attention and reflect. It's very difficult to do that when you are busy at the front of the room teaching. </div>
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So, after about 10 years into teaching, I began to evolve in my thinking and my teaching. I always sat my students in groups, I always did student led conferences with them. I had a very "student centered" classroom. But that student centeredness was constructed, designed and managed by me. Of course it was, you say. YOU are the teacher!<br />
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I may be the teacher but that doesn't mean I know every little idiosyncrasy of my students and how each one learns best. Only they can really know but it may not be something that they can express. Learning, socializing and growing in self, requires deep reflection. It requires an environment which encourages safe and developmental learning. Using the curriculum content as a vehicle, I started planning units of learning WITH my students. <br />
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I also started to think about all those things we as teachers do because "that's the way it always has been done" or this is what is coming so you better jump on the wagon. For example:<br />
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Learning is always done with a pencil and paper.<br />
Evidence of learning must be captured with a test.<br />
We go to the gym to get exercise. In a big school, we get gym once a week for 30 minutes.<br />
Learning should be done at a desk.<br />
Recess is when you have a snack.<br />
If the class is quiet, learning is happening.<br />
Technology is here to stay and we should be replacing our activities with technological versions.<br />
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I started changing my own learning and learning more about how students learn; especially in these new times.<br />
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The gradual release of responsibility model worked nicely to help scaffold my students' learning in a facilitation model without directing them too much if they didn't need it. Now I taught less teacher directed lessons, and provided students with more mini lessons in a coaching model and then set them off to construct their own learning and understanding of the concepts. This freed me up to check in on them more often and do a bit of formative assessment so I knew where I was going next. I didn't need a test to tell me that.<br />
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I changed my seating around to accommodate all kinds of learners. My students always wanted to go out into the hallway to sit and work. When I would go and see their learning (half expecting them to be fooling around) I would see collaboration and lots of comfort in learning. Being able to sit in the hallways was a "treat" for responsible learners. So I started bringing that seating into the classroom. I always had a small love seat and some bean bag chairs but I started using tables rather than desks and allowed more freedom in where they chose to sit as long as they were engaged. I realized that dynamic teaching is great but it is not necessary to be "on stage" for a great length of time in order for students to be learning. Much of their learning is done with shorter lessons, interesting topics and lots of choice.<br />
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My students talked a lot. "What a chatty bunch." "My class talks so much." are things I often hear and certainly would describe many of my classes. Yes, I surely had THOSE classes and it's tough. I started to utilize their need to talk by teaching communication skills and collaborative and cooperative learning. This really helped my students to have a focus for their discussions.<br />
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As I began to change things, I noticed that my wiggly students were getting a little less wiggly. I knew that having gym only once or twice a week was not enough so I began taking breaks in class and going outside for some exercise more regularly. What a difference! Luckily in my school district, daily physical education was implemented so it became a requirement. Luckily, also, #gonoodle was also created giving teachers and students a nice outlet within the classroom for those "in" days. (It was one way to use technology too.) I noticed that with the new, more open ended seating that I had created, I didn't need to offer up those "wiggle" cushions that I used to provide. I liked that students were learning to make good decisions in their seating choices based on what they knew about themselves. They didn't need me to tell them and they didn't need some THING to help them. They needed to be able to move where they felt comfortable.<br />
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After a while I noticed that kids were being silly or losing interest in their work very early in the morning. I started paying attention to students and whether they might be hungry. Some students, sadly, were arriving to school without eating breakfast. While you might think that left them with no energy, often it did the opposite AND they were grumpy! You know that saying about being "hangry"? So what started out as me and sometimes the school providing snacks for a few students turned into me asking myself - maybe more children would like to have a snack while they work? Why is it that students are "not allowed" to eat until recess? I'm sure many of you have students wanting to eat their sandwiches at recess time. Why was I as their teacher, restricting them from eating a snack if they were hungry? Part of it was that was how it has always been done, and part of it was that I wasn't sure if they could eat and work at the same time. I decided to try it out and in conjunction with a unit on <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Nutrition-and-Health-for-Little-Learners-2146906">nutrition</a>, I introduced the healthy snack morning. After being in school for an hour or so, I tell students they can have a "healthy" snack of fruits or vegetables. It's something that they can eat while working. Viola! What a difference. Students started chomping on apple slices and carrots and working like busy bees. If we increase their exercise, they are going to be hungrier. Many students took another snack out 45 minutes later for recess. Students wanting to eat all of their lunch at recess stopped.<br />
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So you see, as educators, we need to take a step back and notice. Times are changing. Kids are changing. We need to change too to accommodate all learners and new ways of learning. You can't promote a growth mindset in your classroom when you direct all the learning instead of having kids construct and personalize their own learning. You can't expect kids to be fully engaged when they are sitting in desks and listening to long lessons just like you can't change your classroom to flexible seating effectively without changing the method by which children will be learning. It all works together. <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "bitstream charter" , "times" , serif; font-size: 16px;">It all works if YOU have a teaching growth mindset.</span><br />
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My technology use began to change to realizing I needed to use it for a purpose. I realized that I really didn't need to try to "keep up" with all the latest and greatest apps. It was so overwhelming. I realized that technology is there to serve a purpose. It needs to be embedded into our teaching and not become just a "thing". I got myself a document camera several years ago and started using that to not only demonstrate teaching but to have students come up and show others their learning and explain their thinking. One school I was at had a microphone system for teachers so that they didn't lose their voice. Since there were two microphones, I started using that to allow my students to share their writing aloud. It was great for students to learn more about effective communication and speaking skills. I ended up buying an <a href="http://amzn.to/2mcAk5x">inexpensive one</a> for myself when I moved to a new school. I found websites that allowed me to bookmark great learning sites for quick future reference. I developed my own set of skills and familiarity and then I began using iPads with the students. We used the iPads to research for our project based learning and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Genius-Hour-Interactive-Notebook-1520838">Genius Hour</a> projects and to support learners with reading and ELL learning. Technology supplements our learning, it isn't separate.<br />
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So back to the beginning of my teaching journey when I knew that kids should be making friends in school but that my job was to teach content. This is the way school was designed when I started. After many years teaching and lots of the changes that I began to make, there was a new shift in my thinking. I realized that teaching the whole child was much more important than content. I began to introduce <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mindful-Classroom-Management-Social-Skills-471134">mindfulness</a> and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Character-Traits-Poster-and-Clip-Chart-Set-1436895">character development</a> into my classroom along with the other changes. This was a magical way of putting it all together for the whole child. There seemed to be a whole new mutual respect between the students and I and the students and each other. <br />
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While others look at and research The Evolution of Education, I notice and reflect upon The Evolution of <span style="color: purple;">MY </span>Education. I grow each day in my learning with students and I help other teachers do the same. I feel proud to say I am a public school teacher and I include and teach all students. The only thing these days is that sometimes, the students teach me more than I teach them. <span style="color: #6aa84f;">That's a good thing, right?</span><br />
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Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-38947072894973954742017-02-06T16:57:00.001-08:002018-02-02T14:33:15.133-08:00It Takes a Community to CareThe times they are a changing...Bob Dylan wrote this in one of his songs way back in the 1960's Today, it could not be more relevant and true.<br />
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Teachers spend a lot of time throughout their days teaching students about kindness and solving problems. But is this the only way we can help to create a culture of kindness? I think a culture of kindness goes well beyond the classroom walls. In fact, it starts at home and in the community. So how do we create a community culture of kindness that crosses over home, schools, communities and ultimately into our society? Well, that is a big concept but we can do some specific things in school that will help to begin the process.<br />
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Lessons in School<br />
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In school, students learn about how to solve problems in peaceful ways, how to "say no to bullying" and how to get along with others. All of these things are important in school but may be missing an important initial set of lessons. Students, and all people, need to understand themselves first before being able to get along with others. They need to participate in learning that helps them to recognize their own emotions, personality, likes, dislikes and what makes them happy etc. before they can look outside of themselves and show empathy and understanding towards others. These lessons need to go beyond the "All About Me" lessons that we usually teach at the beginning of the year. These lessons involve using <a href="http://thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2016/07/best-books-to-teach-good-character-all.html">children's literature </a> and <a href="http://thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2015/11/interactive-mindful-notebooks-for.html">mindful</a> learning lessons as well as lessons on <a href="http://thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2015/10/mindful-bodies-mindful-learning.html">health and nutrition. </a> The more they know about themselves, the more they will be able to see the potential in themselves and the more they can look outwards towards others.<br />
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Lessons That Transfer Home<br />
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Families are busy. Parents are working and getting their kids off to daycare, school and/or extra curricular activities. If teachers set the stage for learning at school in a meaningful ways, students are more inclined to carry that learning home. If our students are excited about their learning (and who doesn't love learning about their brain and what makes them tick?), they will often want to talk about it at home. Some of the brain based learning and health and nutrition learning can be extended at home. The best way to reinforce learning about nutrition is to talk about it at home and go shopping with parents to take a look first hand at the sugar content of foods etc. I know my students would often come back to school and comment on their dinner from last evening telling me whether it contained the elements from the food groups. Even lunches started improving because the children started taking a more active part in the process. <br />
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I just love hearing from parents that their child is telling them all about their brain or is doing "brain breaks" at home. Several parents told me that their child started teaching THEM how to do brain breaks so they "wouldn't be so stressed out!" Students can do some mindful reflecting in their <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mindful-Journal-Prompts-1132735">mindful journals</a> at school and parents love reading about it when they come in for conferences.<br />
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Bringing the Community Inside<br />
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More and more, teachers are utilizing the community services and experts to come into the class to teach the students about community helpers etc. This is a great way to integrate school and community learning. I also think it's a good idea to "think outside the box" and bring in speakers to help students understand how a community lives, grows, helps each other etc. For example, my students learned a lot when our local city office opened up their doors and hosted an event which featured people who help others. My students learned about animal protection services and environmental issues like composting and planting. I like how they learned the WHY and not just the how. It's events like this that help our students to understand how a community come together and why we all should be an active part of our own community. Kids are curious and love to learn more.<br />
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Using Technology to Inspire<br />
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Technology is moving so fast. Every day there's a new app or a new website that we can discover. Safe technology use is being taught at school and hopefully at home. When computers first started to be used, I can remember "going to computers". It was a thing. An event. Today we are moving towards using technology as an enhancement to our learning much like encyclopedias and dictionaries were many years ago. <br />
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Technology use can foster those curious minds. It is great to see what others are doing to care in the world. Some classrooms are using Skype as a way to connect about learning. Students can create videos and presentations using technology and show the spirit of gratitude and giving to more people than just their classmates. This is really amazing when you think about it.<br />
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Some final thoughts...<br />
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I know I have teachers ask me all the time, how do you get kids to care about learning about these things? Kids are sweet and what I think teachers are really meaning to ask is, how do you have these feelings about caring for ourselves, our community and our classroom and school be a strong part of what we want to do each and every day? <br />
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The answer is to make it a large part of each and every day. Embed it into their learning. Make sure it's not a separate lesson like when computers was a thing. An event. The answer is to engage your students in meaningful personal and social learning. Every day.<br />
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-1331138305183702512017-02-03T20:08:00.001-08:002017-12-19T07:29:27.083-08:00Hooked on Writing: February {Practicing Voice}Hooked on Writing February was such a fun unit to create! Students spent some time learning about voice as it related to author studies last month. They practiced by mimicking that author. This month they will learn more in depth about voice and how it not only relates to a particular author but a mood and a tone.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The mentor texts for this month are so great!<br />
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These books are so different yet 3 out of 4 have an emotion/friendship and bravery theme. Students will begin to pick out mood and tone in a book and use some of the techniques such as word choice to create a mood. </div>
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<u>In My Heart</u> has the best describing words for feelings! Students will harvest some new words and then choose an emotion to write about in detail with a tone to showcase that feeling.</div>
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<u>The Story of Diva and Flea</u> gives students a look into a chapter book and the voice that is present in a longer story. Students will go in depth with story elements - beginning, middle and end and create a lap book to present those elements from the story. Students will then carry the story on and write about "The Next Story of Diva and Flea".</div>
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If you haven't read one of the Mad Scientist books, you are in for a treat. <u>The Mad Scientist: The Weather Disaster </u>is like a graphic novel in picture book form. Students will be so engaged when you present this book to them. It's the perfect time to introduce it with your weather lessons. (Not to mention kids love monsters!) In this week, voice is integrated into other curricular areas like Science and Social Studies. Let's face it, writing is not only done during "literacy time".</div>
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Our last story, <u>The Lion Inside,</u> is a beautiful story about the perception of bravery. Students will write their own "unlikely friendship" story and go through the whole writing process including student feedback, editing and sharing aloud in a presentation.</div>
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Hooked on Writing Year Long Unit is now available. Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Hooked-on-Writing-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-Year-Long-Bundle-3138261">here</a> to see more.<br />
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There is also a year long overview you can view <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-Year-Long-Overview-Book-List-2658107">here.</a><br />
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(Affiliate Links for your convenience.)<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1419713108&asins=1419713108&linkId=2692c7837c39b8d24926e1570bb01b1b&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1484722841&asins=1484722841&linkId=335dcaa0c8f7235f7e05cd408e50b132&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0553523767&asins=0553523767&linkId=6c5351263ec84d43edeaf4ae4bae9a3d&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0545873509&asins=0545873509&linkId=4e0d937d8584c8be3a47ab05a69638cf&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-83268698820282709782017-01-02T14:15:00.001-08:002017-12-19T07:29:07.967-08:00Hooked on Writing January: Teaching VoiceHooked on Writing January takes students through an exploration of VOICE. Voice is one of the most difficult traits to teach but this systematic approach will help you as a teacher and your students to learn how voice is developed.<br />
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First, students are introduced to genre in writing so that they can see that there are different types of writing that an author can do. Students learn about these genres and then decide on their top 3 that they like. </div>
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Then students learn about author studies. It would be difficult to recognize voice if students haven't been exposed to different authors and different writing styles. If you haven't taught author studies before - have no fear. It's all here for you including an author planning sheet for you and an author tracking sheet for students with blanks so that you can choose your own authors later if you want.</div>
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The four mentor texts that will be used for this unit are Robert Munsch, Melanie Watt, Kevin Henkes and Cynthia Rylant. These are all popular authors so you should have the books in your library. If not I have included (affiliate) links at the end of this post for your convenience.</div>
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Students will recall vocabulary and word choice work they have done since the beginning of the year and will be able to use effective words to add mood, feeling and energy to their writing. They will also learn that characters, when developed in such a way, add voice to an author's writing.</div>
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January is an introduction to VOICE where students will learn and practice writing in the style of the authors presented. In February and March, students will practice their own form of voice in their writing.<br />
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Hooked on Writing Year Long Unit is now available. Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Hooked-on-Writing-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-Year-Long-Bundle-3138261">here</a> to see more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Year-Long-Writing-Curriculum-With-Growth-Mindset-for-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-3138261" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNfTtJYRN_l9cbxgphmaEwP-0P1e-4XP6JPmnJ-sfSpmpDwoJht2opmfYhOfTtG_DYc9xQIGW5sGvaIltZDtFOVc_f1-CwqPAIZLGjmuBisqWhStaeLkb40_VWCMd-eQHE48yh52zOpY/s400/Hooked+on+Writing+Bundle.001.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is also a year long overview you can view <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-Year-Long-Overview-Book-List-2658107">here.</a><br />
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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I've compiled a list of teachers' favorite books for you. You may just discover one or more that you've never read before. (I've included affiliate links for your convenience.)<br />
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<br />Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-6745607319682529532016-12-11T17:58:00.000-08:002018-01-11T07:48:34.886-08:00Learning About Penguins <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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{This post contain affiliate links for your convenience.}<br />
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I just love penguins. They are truly an amazing and very interesting animal. Teaching about penguins is always a fun experience for my students (and for me!) because there are so many things that you can do. I love the integration into many subject areas.<br />
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I like to start with finding out what kids already know about penguins. Or, in my experience, what they THINK they know. I want to be able to teach students to VERIFY their "facts" by teaching them to research and think critically. (I first learned this extra step in a workshop put on by Tony Stead.) First, students are given 3 sticky notes to write what they think they know, what they wonder and what they want to learn.<br />
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After we finish with our sticky notes, we have a class discussion on the "facts". Some we know for sure and they can be placed on verified. Many go to the Wait section and need further investigation.</div>
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Then, we research!</div>
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I review text features with students that I taught them in my Literacy block (see <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-October-Research-2791173">Hooked on Writing</a>) and with my Just Chillin' set.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Activities-Penguins-Polar-Bears-and-Snow-991820" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTM_SLkunjEYjoQ5WbLwwT9tbXxjbDCUpbnUflS3hldw6LOZuVWUPmm7E6XOM6QSVG86DYlo28dTcmZ7yrQbfVLu5dUvFE4naFNJFAq2SKVshErgSDcKQClcNbOkDQ6pPHh9G41dxpJ0/s400/Just+Chillin%2527.012.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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As students are reading and researching and learning more about penguins, they learn to think critically and recognize some of the facts from our anchor chart. If they find the fact and it has been verified, the sticky notes from the We Will Find Out section go to the Verified section. Sometimes, we can't find a fact and verify it so it stays on the we are not sure section. As students research, they put together a mini penguin book that showcases their learning thus far. It's a great formative assessment tool to use as students are engaged in the learning process. You can quickly see where they are in their learning and where to go next in your teaching.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpS_ynGNx1UWjdHQ4qEpoMLCcSg9rqxSU5dFe1XjQsC3ivVTxxLy8Dl-8xC0D3tG43-CmxzMv6AA-ekOtwdlfu65KnehSKlQCihZf6Y0XODNSNQCiljoerb3uUT8zY-5IIAagGGoNF6No/s1600/Penguins+Galore%2521.005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpS_ynGNx1UWjdHQ4qEpoMLCcSg9rqxSU5dFe1XjQsC3ivVTxxLy8Dl-8xC0D3tG43-CmxzMv6AA-ekOtwdlfu65KnehSKlQCihZf6Y0XODNSNQCiljoerb3uUT8zY-5IIAagGGoNF6No/s640/Penguins+Galore%2521.005.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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During our integrated social studies and literacy block, students participate in two kinds of learning: they make a penguin lap book and they work on penguin writing centers.</div>
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The <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Penguin-Lap-Book-2272916">Penguin Lap Book</a> is full of penguin facts. Students read and complete activities that help them to learn more about penguins.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Penguin-Lap-Book-2272916" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRdQHItlA9s0Ao0NpvTxp7NU_U8KzpRv0l-GCms_sgUn-hOzmCpAuWdgdYpgnCwn4Sx_pLH0921LVQs30-2daXu-6gj4mrE0uWBEcG8OyGQfNq_N2OFYNnnkNiaPajJdiruIq3Bm03Ek/s640/Penguins+Galore%2521.009.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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There are a variety of different options depending on your focus.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgWjyvTv6Rzg5fvJ30dKqe-8qHyhhcHfYqX1UgQjVetK_4ronOw0tkxmAGXOlTDGYUD_qz6Jrtkbi8HQYQhd7Ps0HxZBEWIyRi32WRLKKfSrDqInFvHCnS5ZZsFphWzYEA69fV0-gt0o/s1600/Penguins+Galore%2521.008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgWjyvTv6Rzg5fvJ30dKqe-8qHyhhcHfYqX1UgQjVetK_4ronOw0tkxmAGXOlTDGYUD_qz6Jrtkbi8HQYQhd7Ps0HxZBEWIyRi32WRLKKfSrDqInFvHCnS5ZZsFphWzYEA69fV0-gt0o/s640/Penguins+Galore%2521.008.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqv-u4HF1hvynwnenXWD8hfIs2hDpy67LZwgmndMSfSHC7O0az9FRugDYjjeevSHBJ3SWDDFgTI5JMTxlfcrw8eaIxtszjgzVGzhlNYmIUD5YmT1K6WjBoc9lROgDzchM0ZOg9G4n05os/s640/Penguins+Galore%2521.010.jpg" width="480" /></div>
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Students love putting this together! It's a great summative assessment for the end of your unit and the perfect thing to share with parents and for students to take home and keep.</div>
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The second thing we work on is "writing in role", or point of view. I use my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/PENGUINS-Point-of-View-Journal-Prompts-1039305">Penguin Perspectives</a> set in the writing center. Here, students use these colorful non-fiction type journal prompts to write fiction. Students write in the role of the penguin and answer fact based questions like they are a penguin writing in their journal. My students loved this! It was also another great way for me to see how much my students had learned in the unit.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/PENGUINS-Point-of-View-Journal-Prompts-1039305" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXoYDP9fYo15lxUWlZeM4GxCVKsK3hVXPHle6GVtZuEM6B3q9hXMMjZLdk_OA1Zd1OdzJ0pfMgx1D1aHquQ5MF4MsD0ez_XaeJ7P8jGSudLyuzgRliaFpVkT2Q-hv_aeLsDO9Z1uOvUA/s640/Penguins+Galore%2521.006.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Here are a few penguin books you might like for your penguin unit.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1426304269&asins=1426304269&linkId=f36cd88c402784144d7a3ce8d876d7cd&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0064462218&asins=0064462218&linkId=6830954d786ed9f8dcb352ba83c61ad0&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0553513370&asins=0553513370&linkId=c4db8b4a86e046c65be458b0dff28c5e&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1519103441&asins=1519103441&linkId=5b0eb0182ad396c1c42e5ad66f6ee176&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0395562333&asins=0395562333&linkId=1cc865995ef417b2b9da1ae23e5b398d&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0316058432&asins=0316058432&linkId=0c3f04a0d9cd09512ff66b0aa0dda231&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0064452069&asins=0064452069&linkId=0f09f843cf6fe0005ce9b885c9d763b9&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0802737315&asins=0802737315&linkId=376a347fe529e2761e35f15ca8c1a176&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0375865012&asins=0375865012&linkId=c28893bbd8a2d712fd58f534fed5f533&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=theperofteapr-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0553507702&asins=0553507702&linkId=24fb873d69ad64f1d77738ba17111e08&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-41808276569319638242016-11-23T14:49:00.000-08:002017-12-19T07:10:38.429-08:00Hooked on Writing December: How-to WritingTeaching how-to writing is a great way to enable students to think through the steps of something and record those steps in writing. Being able to explain something, that carefully helps the writer think like a reader, is a great pre-curser to writing anything else. Hooked on Writing December uses 4 mentor texts to help students work through the "how-to" process.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OBBp-KWSrptWXUWm_J7Loresk5-oDZQL_HaOu3E_NuSDV_2ZcYVsBfhHQApVjsNOWoOgh19JFAmXMRobIBYRjmoteQN0yKKzcBLTq4e00VZxGKVhJou7chHi4a9fiWjcr33kn1XAfc8/s1600/Hooked+on+Writing+Blog+Pictures.007.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OBBp-KWSrptWXUWm_J7Loresk5-oDZQL_HaOu3E_NuSDV_2ZcYVsBfhHQApVjsNOWoOgh19JFAmXMRobIBYRjmoteQN0yKKzcBLTq4e00VZxGKVhJou7chHi4a9fiWjcr33kn1XAfc8/s640/Hooked+on+Writing+Blog+Pictures.007.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's a look at the pacing guide. Since December might be short for some of you, you could choose to do only some of these lessons or do two in a day, one in the am and one in the pm. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3ovIy7CjlZsST2U49V_sWWfkNtk0WMgUtM8roSAMMZJqV53xWiRdw87usKcRUpcopynIQB1Bd2xW3fsMTjgxjM-_Yg-o9ZMRrejKFEXDCFRDLs2QsTCsyLcTh7UPz0mWLtdQRON1qNQ/s1600/Hooked+on+Writing+December.004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3ovIy7CjlZsST2U49V_sWWfkNtk0WMgUtM8roSAMMZJqV53xWiRdw87usKcRUpcopynIQB1Bd2xW3fsMTjgxjM-_Yg-o9ZMRrejKFEXDCFRDLs2QsTCsyLcTh7UPz0mWLtdQRON1qNQ/s640/Hooked+on+Writing+December.004.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Of course, as always this unit starts out with tips, ideas and mini anchor charts to help you get started. There are mini posters on adjectives and adverbs, paragraph power and a tip page. Each book contains vocabulary cards to enrich your lessons.<br />
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The Plot Chickens is the text that starts this unit off this month. It is a really funny book that kids love.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Dp75Qdqs7TbJY-dTOmhh4fzolHJ5MNg0z_patQA2aAnecNzijNP3pt7JtchoVIALUU_B3W5pwVKV04UZh6NkGSCzNctTzl670vV1THhpi4jdDo0aFysMq0tAUdul1IiY4ZgEzSx1vxc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-13+at+9.53.11+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Dp75Qdqs7TbJY-dTOmhh4fzolHJ5MNg0z_patQA2aAnecNzijNP3pt7JtchoVIALUU_B3W5pwVKV04UZh6NkGSCzNctTzl670vV1THhpi4jdDo0aFysMq0tAUdul1IiY4ZgEzSx1vxc/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-13+at+9.53.11+AM.png" width="245" /></a></div>
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The Plot Chickens is about a chicken that loves to read and then decides to write her own book. Here friends tell her all the things a good book must have in it. This is a great way to review story elements and extend the initial learning from previous units. There are extension lessons for beginning, middle and end as well as plays on words with adjectives and adverbs.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">The second book, Meanwhile, is a student favorite - especially boys! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5kCPINGp1fIvh5HAqjrcjM60dxH9op1uKGuJxQIRSfnlbYOM30zqvKigFzd5YbBzNeGkXn7ViVjwLVDm0o86YgyuWSZMYW-CyphZE7a5LMQ2uJm2IMlEH02msPHvS3bD59e_KmwruLQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-13+at+9.55.53+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5kCPINGp1fIvh5HAqjrcjM60dxH9op1uKGuJxQIRSfnlbYOM30zqvKigFzd5YbBzNeGkXn7ViVjwLVDm0o86YgyuWSZMYW-CyphZE7a5LMQ2uJm2IMlEH02msPHvS3bD59e_KmwruLQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-13+at+9.55.53+AM.png" width="248" /></a></div>
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All it takes is a little teacher reading glitter and you've got them hooked. This book teaches the power of just one word - meanwhile. It is a great introduction to using adverbs (technically conjuctive adverbs here.) This story is about Raymond. His mom calls and calls him but he is busy reading his comic. Comic books always use the word meanwhile to change scenes. What a great idea! Raymond writes meanwhile on his wall and ends up inside a harrowing tale. "Meanwhile" always gets him out of situations until it doesn't. Unfortunately, Raymond must use "The End" and then he is back at home where his awaiting Mom wants him to do chores. Students will learn all about paragraphs while using ideas from this book to help them. There is a paragraph writing rubric to help guide students in their writing and also give them a tool to use for self assessment.<br />
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As we practice paragraph writing and using adjectives and adverbs, students are building a repertoire of skills in preparation for the more specific "how-to" writing. Our next book, Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude is the perfect book to demonstrate different kinds of ways an author can organize a book. <br />
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This story begins with two students (a boy and a girl) who have to create a story together. The girl begin by telling about a princess and the boy interjects and introduces a cool motorcycle dude. My students LOVE this book. As the story progresses it's a bit of a power struggle of stereotypes. I explain to students it's a story within a story. Some of the lessons students will be involved in are: creating a T chart of events, drama activities acting out the story, practicing paragraph writing from the previous week and writing a paragraph on their favorite part of the story, and using humor to write "How to be a princess" or "How to be a Cool Motorcycle Dude" using order words and adjectives/adverbs. There is a "How-to" rubric for students to follow and use as a self assessment.<br />
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The last book in this December Hooked on Writing set is a Christmas book. The Christmas Wish is rich with description and picture and is a great example of adventure.<br />
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The Christmas Wish has real pictures of a little girl named Anya who wishes to see Santa. She is very responsible and looks after everything before she goes including looking after some things for her neighbor. Anya goes on an incredible journey with the help of animals to get her to the North Pole. in this week, students will put everything they have learned in this unit together. There are lessons on adjectives for effect, creating a wordless story, and using those pictures to choose a how-to topic for writing.<br />
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I hope you and your students enjoy this unit as much as I enjoyed creating it!<br />
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Hooked on Writing Year Long Unit is now available. Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Hooked-on-Writing-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-Year-Long-Bundle-3138261">here</a> to see more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Year-Long-Writing-Curriculum-With-Growth-Mindset-for-2nd-and-3rd-Grade-3138261" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfRDHNopYGrPMp35hel1H0OEwBwp4dc-sZxsijdXzAS1HsNeYVhaJbaX5sTGoomlGjN9TnmpX0BZswKBjaw_K6Gfb6aQZUF_R1CdyeVnevsLchGWUf9sdeVbIq1aUDZq2QjeRZuzglCk/s400/Hooked+on+Writing+Bundle.001.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is also a year long overview you can view <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-Year-Long-Overview-Book-List-2658107">here.</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 3775px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 3775px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4479395916887679201.post-84088845836631397262016-11-05T10:52:00.002-07:002018-02-02T14:34:36.073-08:00The Power of Shared ReadingI was in a classroom the other day sharing a book with a group of very busy little second graders. By busy, I mean roll on the floor, call out, up on your knees, sit down on the carpet. Up on your knees, sit down. Chat, chat, chat. I wanted to share a book with them before Remembrance Day because it is such a special book. But because this would be a lesson from a coach and not their regular teacher, and the book was quite a long one, would I still be able to gain and sustain these busy little brains' attention? Enter the shared reading experience.<br />
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While there are many factors to include when you are thinking about engaging your learners (classroom management, self regulation, positive learning climates just to name a few), I find that shared reading is such a great way to engage your learners if you choose a rich text.</div>
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The story I chose was <a href="http://amzn.to/2eoZPto">A Bear in War</a> because we are getting close to Remembrance Day/Veterans Day. I used the vocabulary from my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hooked-on-Writing-Unit-4-Personal-Narratives-2842103">Hooked on Writing Unit 4</a> to begin the lesson. This school will be celebrating their 100th birthday next week. Little did I know how much of a connection that would be. </div>
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As we went through each word as a class, students were immediately enthralled with the words and made so many great connections and attempts at what the words might mean. We talked about what they meant which spurred more relevant conversation. Even the child that struggles the most was able to contribute. As we went though the words and listened to each other's contribution, I attached the words onto the chart paper. I could see kids reading the words. There were some complex words in there!</div>
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The girl in the story has polio and the story is based on true events. It takes place back in 1916. This school that these students go to was built in 1916 and they are getting ready to celebrate 100 years. When I found that out it sent goose bumps down my spine. We were then able to "see" what was going on in the world when their school was opening 100 years ago. We talked about polio. I was amazed at how much these little wiggly kids knew and how well they were able to contribute. </div>
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When we were finished our story, students went back to their seats to work on a little teddy bear booklet on the elements of this story. I would normally have saved that activity for the next day when I reviewed the story with the kids but because I don't return until next week, I wanted to get a feel for their understanding of the story and their written expression capabilities. As I moved around the room and students were sharing their writing, I could see right away the students that were expressive writers and the ones that struggled. But I noticed that some of the strugglers were also the same ones that contributed the most to the discussion of the book and the vocabulary. I developed this assessment form to help take a closer look at the student strengths during shared reading and where I need to individualize for each student in their literacy development. You can download your copy <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxB1A2VENlyLMFFEWF9DRTFxVXM/view?usp=sharing">here </a>or by clicking on the picture.</div>
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So what about those little darlings that could speak so well and make great connections but had difficulty expressing themselves in writing? </div>
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I would certainly plan for lots more opportunity for them to write about topics of choice but also, building their confidence in the shared reading arena will go a long way to developing their confidence as a reader and writer. This assessment form will give me important information about my small group writing instruction and what levels of support each child will need. It will also give me the formative assessment information I will need to "butterfly in" and provide just the right kind of feedback that these students need as the work to move forward. I would also then plan a shared writing activity where I would emphasize certain elements of writing that those particular students need while building on the strengths of the stronger writers and modelling new writing skills that they need.</div>
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What do you find is the best thing about shared reading? Do you find it informs your writing instruction too?</div>
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Shelley Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08250728263581605027noreply@blogger.com0