Syllables

syllables

I give each child a picture.  The students clap the syllables or beats then place the picture in the sort indicating how many beats/syllables.

Just Right Books / Keep on Reading

 

Just Right Books

 

To help keep kids’ in seats instead of moving back and forth to picking out books during their self-selected reading time (or independent reading time), book baggies help.  Often, teachers will have their students place books that are at their level or are ‘just-right’ books into the baggies.  Some teachers will include nonfiction books, magazines, fiction books, picture books, even chapter books.

Jim Burke English teacher resources

Jim is a wonderful English teacher. 

http://englishcompanion.com/classroom/weeklyReader.htm

RTI ideas

Organizing for RTI

Each plastic envelope holds a different teaching point.  Each plastic envelope has between 2-5 games and activities for each teaching point.  There is a script to support the games so that anyone can teach the lesson.  It is very organized and easy to understand.  It took a lot of work to put together.  When I visited my dear friend, Lynn, today she was willing to share.  I appreciate her!

Baggy holding all the pieces for lesson

 Beginning Sounds Game:  Odd Man Out Directions by Lynn

 

Lynn has tons of ideas for PA and Phonics in her room.  It was awesome to see in action today!

Katherine Paterson: Read for Your Life!

Awesome opportunity!  http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6713517.html?desc=topstory

Snow Emergency Declared

Winter at Home

 I have lived in the same town my whole life.  We have experienced lots of snowstorms.  I have survived 44 winters of storms. I can’t say that I have loved them ever.  I am a summer sunshine girl.  Today for the first time in my memory, the town has declared a snow emergency.  I wonder why?

Principles of Effective Instruction

Principle of Effective Instruction Theorist/Researcher
1 Abstract ideas need to be first made concrete through the use of objects, illustrations, manipulatives, and examples. Richard Mayer
2 Graphic organizers and visual frameworks should be used when introducing new content and when designing student worksheets.  Richard Mayer
3 Advanced organizers with a statement of expected learning outcomes need to precede instruction. David Ausubel 4 New learning needs to initially relate to students’ lives and experiences.  John Dewey& Jean Piaget
5 Inductive [indirect] instruction is often preferable to deductive [direct] instruction because the content becomes more meaningful if the learner is guided to discover rules, definitions, & attributes.  Jerome Bruner
6 Information needs to be presented in context to maximize meaning [e.g. vocabulary embedded in stories vs. lists, math problems embedded in real life scenarios vs. listed on a page].  F. C. Bartlett & Richard Meyer
7 Use categories when presenting new information and vocabulary. John Anderson
8 Factual knowledge needs to be presented within the context of big ideas (principles) or concepts. Jerome Bruner
9 Prior learning is periodically reviewed to promote retention and increase in skill.  Barak Rosenshine
10 A positive and supportive climate for learning must be established and maintained in the classroom. Abraham Maslow
11 Students need to be allowed to interact verbally in order to process new learning for increased understanding and retention. Robert Slavin& David and Roger Johnson
12 Students need to reflect on their learning in their own words. Vygotsky
13 Partner and group work must center on clearly structured tasks. David and Roger Johnson
14 Frequent checks for understanding should be used during teacher directed instruction. Barak Rosenshine
15 Learning tasks need to be broken down into manageable steps in order adjust the level of difficulty for the learner. Barak Rosenshine & B.F. Skinner
16 Non-examples can be paired with examples to increase understanding of new concepts. Robert Tennyson
17 Level of difficulty in instruction is adjusted to accommodate learner differences. Jerome Bruner& Carol Ann Tomlinson
18 Learners need immediate and specific feedback regarding task performance. B. F. Skinner
19 Opportunities for practice must follow instruction. Barak Rosenshine
20 Tasks and questions should require higher levels of cognition instead of memorization to increase retention and
understanding.  Benjamin Bloom & Barry Beyer
21 Authentic assessment tasks yield more accurate information about students’ ability to apply new skills. Grant Wiggins & Robert Sternberg
22 Instruction (explanation, demonstration, etc.) must be sufficiently thorough in order for new content to be learned.  J.R. Anderson
23 Guided practice precedes independent practice in order to ensure success for the learner. Vygotsky & Richard Mayer
24 Asking for predictions can motivate students by creating a “need to know.” Abraham Maslow

That was awkward! Don’t worry about be perfect. Life happens.

Since I spend time trying to teach my children not to be perfectionists, I thought this blog post would be a perfect example! 

http://www.principalspage.com/theblog/archives/that-was-awkward

Mem Fox

If you have not visited Mem Fox’ website, I suggest that you do! 

Mem Fox reads several of her books aloud: 

http://www.memfox.com/welcome.html

http://thebookchook.blogspot.com/2009/08/divine-ms-mem.html

Transfer by Perkins

 

http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/thinking/docs/trancost.htm